Here's chapter 3. I'm currently looking for a beta, so if anyone would like to volunteer their time and effort please shoot me a PM! This story is written in a third-person omniscient narrative, so here you'll get to see some of Seth's inner workings as he finally meets Savannah.


After finishing his patrol, Seth arrived at the bonfire to see Brady and Colin engaged in a friendly wrestling match in the sand. He rolled his eyes and went over to Quil. "Colin made a not-so-gentlemanly comment about Brady's new squeeze of the week," Quil explained and nodded towards a girl sitting on a rock by the shore. Even at a distance he could see what would inspire saucy comments. With her jacket pulled that close to her body, he could see some significant curvy features he really liked, and he nodded appreciatively. As her face turned to look at something in the distance, Seth frowned and felt the air shift slightly around him. There was something about this girl. He was intrigued, and patted Quil on the back and jogged down to her. "Hey, how are you? I'm-" He froze mid-sentence as she turned around to face him. Dazed, he blinked five times in rapid succession and felt the pieces of his otherwise muddled mind readjust and set, and everything focused around her. Everything was suddenly very quiet, and the only thing he could hear was her heartbeat, and the sound of her breathing, and the smell of her hair in the wind overpowered his senses. He'd imprinted.

Savannah was enjoying the quiet rustle of the waves hitting the sand and played with the idea of sticking her feet in, just to feel the cool, crisp ocean tickle her toes. That idea was long gone as she gazed into the eyes of this stranger. Seth, he'd said his name was. She shook the hair out of her face and stood up, reaching her hand out. "I'm Savannah." He took a ragged breath and grasped her hand, and she knew he'd felt the electric current that shook her to the core when she saw his eyes widen. "Uhm.." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and reluctantly retracted her hand. He dragged his hand through his hair and laughed breathily. "Hi," he repeated, and looked down at her with a dazzling smile. She giggled and returned his look, "Hi."

Their introductions were cut short when an elderly man in a wheelchair declared it was time. Time for what, Savannah wasn't sure, but when Seth took her hand and led her back up to the bonfire she followed gladly. There was something about this man that was very different than any of the other guys she'd met, or dated, in the past. He was taller than Brady, unbelievable as that seemed, and his dark chocolate eyes twinkled in the light from the fire. There was a dimple on his right cheek that would appear whenever he smiled, which seemed to be continuous at the moment. She followed as he moved to sit them down on a log, and it was at that moment Brady made his return. Brady. She'd completely forgotten about him. "What's up Brady?" she asked him. Brady looked down at where Seth and Savannah's hands were joined and groaned in frustration. "For real, Seth? Really?" Brady uttered sourly. Savannah frowned and extricated her small hand from Seth's large, strong ones and looked between them in confusion. Seth shrugged and grinned at Brady in response, "sorry dude, not my decision." Savannah's forehead creased further as Brady's shoulders sagged and he sighed in defeat. "Fucking A, man. I can't catch a fucking break," Brady was upset, Savannah could tell. Confusion continued to cloud her face, and she crossed her arms. "Guys, what the hell is going on?" The boys exchanged glances, and as the elderly man cleared his throat in impatience, they said "later" in unison. Brady moved to the other side of the circle, and Seth motioned for Savannah to sit down. He joined her on the log and gazed happily at her. Her annoyance dissipated and she smiled back as the man in the wheelchair began telling the stories of the Quileute nation. "He's our Chief, Billy Black," Seth whispered in her ear and she nodded gratefully.

It wasn't until Savannah shivered that she even noticed she was cold, and as Seth cursed under his breath he placed his arm around her shoulders. "This okay?" he whispered, and she nodded, revelling in the heat exuding from his tan skin and through her clothes. She listened intently as stories of Cold Ones and wolves were told in a powerful yet soft voice, but Seth's arm around her shoulders and his fingers stroking her arm proved very distracting.

As Billy's stories came to a close, the congregation came alive again with animated talk and the circle was filled with laughter. Savannah yawned despite herself, and rested her head on Seth's shoulder.

Seth released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and tightened his hold on her, relaxing. He couldn't believe it, if he was honest with himself. Who would've thought Brady would be the one to introduce him to Her. The big Her. His imprint. Of course, he doubted it would've been anyone else, Brady was the womanizer of the pack, and the one with a new lady on his arm with a rather high frequency.

Savannah yawned again, and decided it'd be better to go home before she passed out on a perfect stranger. "I think it's time for me to go," she declared and stood up. Gathering his wits, Seth followed. "Don't you want something to eat?" he asked desperately, trying to keep her with him for a little while longer. Savannah's stomach growled, and she admitted defeat. "I guess I do," she laughed. Seth smiled excitedly and guided her towards a table stacked with immeasurable amounts of food.

She filled her plate with a hot dog and potato salad, while Seth filled three to the brim with everything he could get his hands on. "Have you ever seen food before?," she said sarcastically and he smirked. "High metabolism. I need a lot of fuel to keep this thing going," he stated and motioned to his body. And what a magnificent body it was, Savannah thought. In the light from the fire, she could see his muscles flex under his thin shirt 'how come he's not freezing'- the thought flitted through her mind as she kept admiring him. "See something you like?" he flirted with her, and he was delighted to see a hint of a blush fill her cheeks. "Well, the view isn't that bad from down here, to be perfectly honest" she flirted back and bumped him with her hips. He full on laughed at that and they walked back to their log. They ate in a companionable silence, and he struggled to keep his eyes off of her. Had he not been eating, he doubt he'd have looked away from her at all. She was a sight, he told himself. Luscious hair he wanted to drag his hands through, hips he'd love to hold and caress all night, deep green eyes he felt penetrate his soul, and lips - damn those lips, pink and full. How he wanted to kiss her, he felt as if he could spend the rest of his life kissing those lips.

"So what are you doing here, Savannah?" He savoured how her name rolled off his tongue. "Well, I just finished my BA in Education at Lewis & Clarke in Portland, and I'm here to work at Forks Middle School as a Teacher's Assistant," she replied. "What about you?" He told her about his life as a Ranger in the Olympic National park, and she was intrigued. "So, have you ever brawled a bear? When I was doing research I read about these huge bears, or were they wolves?, that attacked hikers a bunch of years ago. One of the very few articles of interest about this place, to be perfectly honest," she laughed softly and touched his arm.

The heat radiating from his skin further powered the electric surge she felt when she touched him and filled her minds eye with dirty thoughts of what these powerful arms could do. She shook her head as if to empty her brain of the images of him in her bed. He grinned at her and laughed, "Well as a Park Ranger I've come across many a mighty beast in my path, but none who've bested me yet," he winked at her and she giggled mid-yawn. "I would love to continue this conversation, but I'm scared I'll fall asleep on you," she said jokingly and stood up. He followed her, thinking that that wouldn't have been such a bad thing, and they discarded their plates in giant trash bags before Savannah began scanning the crowds. Seth looked at her curiously, and she caught his expression of confusion. "I'm looking for Brady, he drove me here and I need a ride home," she explained. Seth felt the jealous rage rise in his body at the thought of Brady in a closed space with what was his, but it quickly passed as he saw her frown at him. "I'll drive you, Savannah. Just let me get some keys," his hand brushed her elbow and he jogged over to Brady who rather reluctantly handed his car keys over to Seth. Grinning, Seth returned and they walked to where Brady had parked and got in.

Seth revelled in how her scent filled the small enclosed space, and started the car. "So how was it?" he asked as he looked over at her. She had pulled her knees up to her chest, and told him earnestly how she'd really enjoyed herself. She talked about Leah, and they both laughed at the Claire Inquisition. "I love how close she is with Quil. Makes me wish I had siblings when I grew up," she said wistfully. Seth's brow furrowed in confusion as he switched gears and drove slowly through the reservation, not wanting the night to end. "Claire and Quil? They're not siblings," he answered. "I'm confused. Are they close cousins or something?"

"Or something, I would say," Seth replied and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was not ready to explain to her the intricacies of imprinting, or the pack for that matter.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Savannah drifted off to the quiet rumble of the car. 20 minutes later she was awoken by a large, warm hand on her knee, gently rousing her from sleep. "We're here," Seth whispered in a soft caramel voice, and Savannah stretched and looked around in confusion. "How did you know where I live?" she asked, "Brady told me your address when he gave me the keys," Seth explained and got out of the car. He opened her door and offered his hand to help her out, a sentiment she appreciated greatly as she groggily got out and walked to her door.

"I had a really good time, Seth. I bet Brady's upset though, with you monopolising his date," Savannah joked and looked up at him. He was probably two feet taller than her, and his shoulders looked as if they were twice as wide. He was an impressive sight, with those beautiful dark eyes and that charming mop of dark hair on his head. But those lips, and the dimples, they almost turned her knees to jelly as she gazed up at him. "He'll get over it," Seth murmured with a smile and brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "When can I see you?" Seth asked quietly as he twirled a silky strand of her hair around his finger. "How about I just give you my number and we can talk about it in the morning?" Savannah murmured tiredly.