The next morning found Seth wrapped around Shelby, both fast asleep. Both were on their sides, back to chest, with Seth's right arm under Shelby's head and crossed across her neck and resting on her shoulder. Seth's left arm draped across her hip and bent upwards, resting under her shirt just below her breasts, resting on her rib cage. His left leg was raised and bent at the knee, resting between her thighs. Shelby's hands were holding onto Seth's right arm and her legs intertwined with his. It don't look like either of them should be comfortable but, surprisingly, both were very comfortable. Emily was the first to wake up, as per her usual, and padded to the kitchen to get breakfast for the pack started. She paused in the living room and nearly aww'd out loud at the sight before her. It made her heart so happy to see Seth so happy and content, knowing he had finally found his Imprint. And Emily was equally as thrilled to know that Sam's sister had found the most gentle, kindest person on this entire reservation for her Imprint. She pulled a blanket onto the sleeping shifters and went to the kitchen to start cooking. A soft knock on the door a few minutes later got Emily's attention and she looked and saw Joshua at the door. She opened the door send welcomed him in but held her finger to her lips, showing him that Shelby was still asleep. Joshua raised an eyebrow when he saw that his daughter was caged in by some kid. Emily motioned him into the kitchen.
"Shelby Imprinted last night. He is part of Sam's pack." Emily said softly.
Joshua rubbed his face. That was not what he expected at all. He wasn't mad, per se. Surprised. Kind of sad. He knew it was ridiculous, but he still saw Shelby as the rambunctious little toddler who thought he hung the moon. He was getting ready to grill Emily about the kid when Sam walked through the kitchen, stopping to look at Shelby and Seth.
"Hey, can I talk to you outside?" Sam asked, looking at Joshua.
Joshua nodded and followed Sam to the backyard where the lawn chairs were. Emily watched for a moment before starting on the eggs and bacon. She found she could bake several packages of bacon at one time in the oven and it was way easier than frying a little at a time. Shelby woke up first, sniffing the air, the delicious scent making her stomach growl. She tried sitting up, but find she was locked into place by Seth's body. She moved Seth's arms but he growled under his breath, pulling her tighter against him.
"But I'm hungry…" Shelby said, trying to move Seth's arms.
Seth finally cracked his eyes open before hiding his face back against Shelby, but he did slowly disentangle his arms and legs from hers. Shelby sat up and stretched her arms upward, arching her back as she did. Seth looked up and watched, smiling at the little noises Shelby made. He was so smitten already and he loved it. Shelby stood and took a few steps before turning to look at Seth. Seth was at her side in a second, making her smile shyly. They walked into the kitchen just as Emily was setting everything on the table. Seth snagged a chair and a plate, grabbing Shelby when she went to sit in the chair next to him and pulling her to sit on his lap instead. Within minutes, the rest of the pack walked into the house as well, heading for the kitchen. Shelby stiffened and Seth felt her nervousness. He pulled her to lay sideways against his chest, hiding her face against his neck, his arms wrapped around her securely. He filled his plate before the pack could eat all the food and made sure to get enough for Shelby as well, holding his fork full of food to her every time he took a bite. For the most part, the pack paid no special attention to Shelby, not wanting her to feel more anxious. The door opened, but no one paid any attention to it.
"Seth, you have a doct-" Sue said, stopping when she saw someone in her son's arms. "Seth…"
Seth turned his head and looked at his mom.
"Who's that?" Sue asked.
"I Imprinted, Mom." Seth said proudly.
Shelby raised her head, looking at who Seth called 'Mom'. She found that Leah resembled her mother very much.
"Is that why you stayed the night?" Sue asked, raising an eyebrow.
Seth smiled innocently before looking at Shelby.
"Mom, this is my Imprint, Shelby. Shelby, this is my mom, Sue." Seth introduced.
"You look familiar, Shelby. Do I know your parents?" Sue asked, walking closer.
Shelby shrugged.
"I don't know." Shelby said.
"What's your parents names?" Sue asked.
"Joshua." Shelby replied, taking the bacon Seth offered and laying back against Seth.
"Joshua…?" Sue asked.
"Uley." Shelby replied.
"Joshua Uley? Oh, so you're related to Sam then?" Sue asked. "Like a half sister."
"I'm a whole person." Shelby frowned, sitting back up. "I'm entirely his sister."
"They're twins, Mom." Leah supplied.
"Don't be silly, Leah. Sam looks much older than Shelby. Besides, Sam's twin sister died at birth and that's when Joshua skipped town." Sue said.
"I'm very much alive. Sam is my twin brother. Dad brought me to meet him and my mother yesterday." Shelby said.
Sue frowned. If Shelby was Sam's twin sister…and she was alive… Sue felt her heart drop. Seth said he had Imprinted on her…
Sue grabbed Shelby by the upper arm and hauled her out of her son's lap and headed for the door. There was no way in hell she was going to let the Uley Twin Curse hurt her child!
"Mom! Let her go!" Seth called out, going after them.
"Go sit back down, Seth! Now!" Sue snapped.
"Sue, what are you doing?" Jake asked, getting up as well.
"I'm not letting my son be victim of the Uley Twin Curse! She's the cursed twin and her existence will bring nothing but destruction!" Sue shouted, pulling Shelby outside.
Shelby dug her feet against the grass and dirt, but Sue was surprisingly strong. Seth closed the distance to his mom and wrapped his arms around Shelby, effectively halting his mother.
"She's my Imprint, Mom!" Seth said.
"Let her go, Seth Michael Clearwater!" Sue yelled. "Now! I'm going to get that Imprint negated! You're not going to be stuck with this demon bringer!"
Jared ran into the backyard.
"Sam! She's taking Shelby!" Jared shouted.
Sam and Joshua were out of their seats in a flash, running in the house. Jared pointed outside and followed the pair.
"She's not a demon, Mom!" Seth growled.
"Let her go, Sue!" Joshua thundered, running out into the front yard. "Take your hands off her, Sue. I won't hesitate to make you."
"I thought we all agreed that you would kill her, Joshua! And now you've brought the Cursed Twin back here! And now my Seth has Imprinted on her!" Sue screamed. "I'm not going to let this mistake of a child hurt my son!"
"The only mistake was letting you and Harry and Billy and Old Quil bully me into breaking up my family." Joshua growled. "Let. My. Daughter. Go. NOW!"
Sue let Shelby go but pushed hard against Joshua. Within the blink of an eye, Shelby shifted, growling and snarling dangerously. Sue grabbed Seth roughly and jerked him towards her truck but was stopped by a very, very upset Shelby wolf.
"Seth… talk to her. Or she's going to attack Sue." Sam said.
Seth pulled himself out of his mom's grasp and got down on his knees, getting as close to a pissed off Shelby as he could.
"I love how protective you already are of me, Shelby. It makes me smile so big and it makes my wolf want to come out and cover you in wolf kisses and run through the forest chasing each other." Seth said happily. "Look how beautiful your wolf is, too. A beautiful white and you've got silver streaks on your ears. You're so pretty, too, even as a human. I'm glad you and Sam aren't identical. I can't imagine wanting to kiss Sam. But you're beautiful. Even if you weren't my Imprint, I'd still think you were the most beautiful person I've ever seen."
Shelby had stopped growling and turned most of her attention to Seth, going over to him. Seth slowly reached out and scratched her head, smiling brightly.
"How could you ever be anything other than a blessing?" Seth asked softly.
Shelby backed up and shifted. Seth stood and ran over to Shelby, standing behind her and quickly covering her nudity with his hand and arm. Joshua took his shirt off and handed it over. Seth tired himself abbr Shelby away, giving her privacy from the eyes of the pack and his mom so she could put the shirt on. A few moments later, Seth turned around. Shelby moved until she was standing in front of Seth, keeping her eyes on Sue.
"She needs to leave before she brings about destruction to this reservation, Joshua." Sue said. "She's not welcome here."
"You don't get to make that decision, Sue. My daughter has every right to be here. With her brother. With her family. With her Imprint." Joshua growled.
"Stop calling my son her Imprint." Sue said. "I won't have Seth linked to a disaster."
"Shelby is my Imprint, Mom. Nothing is going to change it. I don't want anything to change it. I really, really like her." Seth said.
"I think Billy and Old Quil would agree with me when I say that she is to be banned from entering and living on this reservation." Sue said.
"She's been alive for 19 years, Sue. And by the looks of it, nothing bad has happened around here. So where's your justification?" Joshua asked, smirking.
Sue glared daggers at Joshua.
"Seth, get in the truck." Sue said.
"What? Why? I'm staying near Shelby." Seth said, frowning.
"You're still 17. Legally, you're not an adult. And Shelby is. If she so much as touches you, I'm calling the police. You're not to be around her or talk to her or I'll have you sent off to the East Coast to live with family. Get in the truck. Now." Sue ordered.
Shelby felt panic taking over. She turned to look at Seth who looked like he was in pain. Shelby reached out to him, too try and soothe his worried look but was cut off by Sue getting between them.
"Touch him just of time and I'll have you thrown in jail." Sue hissed.
Sue crowded Seth until he was in the truck. Shelby was breathing raggedly, feeling like she was slowly suffocating. She felt her legs give out as Sue backed out and drove off. Her mind was screaming at her. Her wolf was screaming at her. She didn't know which one to listen to. Thoughts of 'you're nothing but destruction for him' and 'he's better off finding a better Imprint' battled with 'go get him!' and 'fight for him!'. She covered her ears and screamed, trying to drown out the thoughts and the pain that were growing stronger by the second.
She didn't remember finally passing out.
Seth was desperate. He could hear Shelby screaming in pain and it was killing him. He could stop the tears falling from his eyes as he tired to his mom.
"She's not cursed, Mom. Please! I need to get back to her, she needs me and I need her!" Seth begged.
"I'm doing this for your own good, Seth. Joshua's direct line is cursed. Whenever twins are born, the second always brings about destruction of our people unless it's killed. Shelby is the younger and Joshua should have taken care of her the right way. Now she's back here and alive and I'm not letting you get caught up in it." Sue snapped.
"You don't even know her!" Seth shouted.
"Neither do you!" Sue argued.
"She's my Imprint! Our ancestors wouldn't have chosen her for me if they had even thought she'd be remotely destructive for me! You said so yourself! When Sam dumped Leah for Emily, you said it's for a reason. That our ancestors chose Emily to be Sam's! Well our ancestors chose Shelby for me for a reason and you're not going to keep me from her!" Seth growled.
"You will obey me in this, Seth!" Sue ordered, parking and getting out.
Seth got out of the truck, hearing nothing. Silence. He rubbed the center of his chest, feeling that painful tug to get back to his Imprint as quickly as he could, that she needed him. Sue grabbed his arm and pulled Seth inside. She hated that he was so upset, but she was determined to keep him safe. She was going to call Billy and Old Quil and get them to come over so they could rightfully evict and ban Shelby from the La Push Reservation.
…
Sam had carried Shelby into the house and laid her down on the bed and curled up against her, pressing back to back like she had done with him. He felt her pain radiating through him and it was filling him with anxiety and the constant feeling of wanting to throw up. He called quietly for Emily to come into the room. He pulled her into his arms, trying to soothe the pain he was feeling.
"Is she hurting that bad?" Emily asked quietly.
Sam whimpered. "Yeah." he whispered, his voice weak and pained.
Joshua leaned against the door frame, watching. He wanted to barge in on Sue and demand she stop this foolishness and quit causing so much pain to Shelby and, undoubtedly, to her own son. He'd never seen Shelby like this. Not even after the bloodiest and deadliest battles with vampires. He couldn't stand it.
"I'm going to take Shelby and head back out. It's not safe for her here and all she'll have is heartache and pain. Sue is not going to budge when it comes to Seth. I'm not going to leave her here to suffer. Once I get her far enough away and back on a hunting routine, I think it'll help her." Joshua said.
Sam frowned and sat up. He just found out he had a sister and now she was getting taken away? She was an adult and she could decide to stay here, couldn't she? Would Joshua Alpha Command her? Sam turned a slightly panicked look to Emily before looking up at Joshua.
"I don't want her to go. I just...she just came into my life. I need her to stay in my life. Don't make her leave." Sam said, frowning.
"Sammy...I know it's hurting you. But it's killing Shelby." Joshua sighed.
"Being farther away from Seth will hurt her even more. That kind of distraction will get her and you both killed. Which will kill Seth. And that would rip Leah up which would take Jake out. I'm not going to let my pack be ripped apart. Seth will be 18 in just under a year then he won't be under Sue's control anymore." Sam said.
"And have her be that close to insanity and death for almost a year? That's cruelty, Sam, and you know it. If he wants, he can come find her when he turns 18. But until then, as her Alpha and her father, I'm taking her with me. And your mother." Joshua said.
"Then I'm going to do everything in my power to keep her here. You're not the only Alpha. I have an innate strong bond with my twin sister. And if I can take over the pack bond you have with her, then I will. She's not fucking leaving. I can't stop you from taking my mother, but I am going to fight you on Shelby." Sam growled.
"You don't even know her. She doesn't know you. She's not going to pick you, Sam." Joshua frowned.
"Maybe if you had fought against them instead of taking her and running away...you put my mother through hell for years! You put me through hell because I thought...why didn't my own father didn't love me enough to stick around? Was I such a disappointment that he couldn't even stick around to give me a name?" Sam growled. "You're not taking Shelby. Fight me on it. I dare you. I'll have my entire pack with me and on you before you can even think about it. And I will not hesitate to disable you so you can't take her."
Joshua sighed loudly and rubbed his face. Sam was Allison through and through. Normally, he would love such fierce protectiveness and loyalty. But not when it was contributing to his baby girl's pain. He pushed off the door frame and headed for the front door.
"Tomorrow, we'll let her choose." Joshua said before leaving.
Emily sat up and pulled Sam into the kitchen, knowing he hadn't eaten anything all day. She fixed him a quick meal and made sure he ate every bite. Neither of them heard Shelby get up and open the window and leave.
...
This has been the shittiest and most heartbreaking week ever. Whisper a prayer or send some good vibes. I'm sorry I didn't get this posted sooner. I meant to. Anyway, DRAMA! What can be done? Just have to keep reading to find out I reckon! Leave me some love?