Hell Hath No Fury
Chapter Four
Embry was 90% positive he had the bluest balls in the history of blue balls, and it was all thanks to Leah Clearwater. Sure she was a bitch and her mind was some place nobody wanted to be, but her body was killer. And wolves couldn't phase right in to clothing so he'd gotten an eyeful that morning on their first patrol together.
Leah had realized instantly, of course, and spent the remainder of the morning thinking about the shower she had had the night before. The girl was a sadist.
He made sure to keep his back to her until they were both fully dressed and heading back towards Sam's after patrol. Sam had insisted she came over, Leah still had a lot to learn, she had only phased the day before after all. Secretly Embry thought Sam wanted to keep an eye on her. Her dad had just died the day before, even though her and Seth weren't acting like it. Sam may have imprinted on Emily, but he still loved Leah, at least with the part of him that wasn't possessed by his more animalistic side.
"You could at least try not to be such a virgin Call," Leah scoffed bumping her shoulder hard into him as she passed him out.
Typical Leah Clearwater. Blame him for getting hard when it was her who had shown him the images in the first place. He might hate her, but damn she had a good body.
He dragged behind her, trying fruitlessly to readjust himself in his pants so he was more comfortable. Rubbing one out was not an option at the moment and the last thing he wanted to do was face the pack with a stiffy.
"That a gun in your pocket Em or you just happy to see me?" Quil crowed from Sam's porch, his massive body shaking with laughter.
If Quil wasn't his best friend he would probably hate him more than he hated Leah.
Quil's teasing did have one positive, instant de-boner. Maybe he wouldn't kill him after all.
Emily had laid out a continental breakfast that would rival the nicest hotel in Port Angeles' and everyone was digging in, even Leah had begrudgingly filled a plate before slinking off to the corner to mope. He couldn't help but notice they were down one non-wolf though.
Emily was nothing if not astute, and having sensed his confusion spoke up first, "Bella went to see her dad with Jake, Embry, but I know she had some errands to run around lunch time. Sam told her you would go with her."
Embry wasn't sure why he had been voted her protector, but he definitely didn't mind it. The only other ones experienced enough were Paul and Jared, and neither seemed to be jumping at the opportunity.
Being around Bella was a nice break from his furry reality. And bonus, she actually seemed to like being around him too. Having been best friends with Quil and Jake pretty much his entire life had shot his self-esteem to hell when it came to girls. Quil was a self-proclaimed ladies man, and Jake was a natural charmer that girls were just about falling down for. Funny though, the one girl Jake fell all over himself for, seemed to like Embry's company instead.
He would've felt like a dick about that, if it weren't for the fact that he knew Jake would end up imprinting; they all knew he would. It was better off that Bella didn't return his feelings, she wouldn't end up hurt in the end when he left her this way.
Quil jarred him from his thoughts asking, "You planning on eating that Em or can I have it?"
He had his massive paws hovering over Embry's plate ready to snap up the stack of bacon he had just piled on.
Normally speaking, stealing food from another pack member ended in an all out brawl. They all had huge appetites and metabolisms that worked so fast they were never fully satisfied. Embry felt off today though, and not because Leah had nearly made his dick snap off that morning, no it was something else. He was anxious almost.
"Yeah take it."
Quil didn't need to be told twice, taking the whole pile straight from the plate to his mouth with a satisfied grin. Thank Taha Aki Quil was such a pig. He liked Bella as much as Jake did, albeit for vastly different reasons, and unlike Jake there was no guarantee Quil would ever imprint.
It shouldn't bother him that Quil was so into Bella, after all they were just friends and barely even that. But for some reason having to watch the fantasy loop of Bella constantly running through his best friends head made him nauseous. Quil reasoned it was his virginity causing the problem, and Embry had decided just to let him think that way. No way was he going to tell Quil it made him jealous.
Him and Jake were the only virgins in the pack before Seth joined and as if they weren't already walking around constantly horny, the whole pack mind thing didn't help. Between Quil's fantasies and Paul's realities, Embry was half tempted to go out and find the first willing female as soon as he got off patrol with them.
It wouldn't be hard either, ever since his "mysterious" growth spurt he had suddenly become the center of attention to a lot of girls on the rez that normally wouldn't have given shy, boring Embry Call a second glance before. Same with Jake, but Jake was holding out for Bella, at least he had been before all this. Embry wasn't sure what he was holding out for. But if he had to run many more patrols with Leah he didn't think he would be holding out, period.
"Hey Bella, looking lovely as ever," Quil said appreciatively with a low whistle, effectively snapping Embry's attention back to reality.
He almost couldn't contain his smile when she rolled her eyes in Quil's direction and walked straight past him to the empty chair on Embry's right.
He was just about to say something to her when he heard a low growl from behind him. Bella visibly tensed next to him, turning her head slowly in the direction of the noise and he followed suit. Leah.
Sam had been serious when he told Bella to stay away from Leah. The alpha order only went so far and if Leah really lost control she could shred Bella in 2.5 seconds. And she wanted to, oh how she wanted to. She hated Bella more than she hated the vampires, for the first few hours after her phase that's all she had thought about. It was all Paul's fault, he had been phased in at the same time and was trying to get figure out how Bella and Edward's sex life had worked, of course Leah had put two and two together. She knew the legends and the second Paul thought of Bella as a "leech-lover" she just knew.
Even Seth hadn't been able to reason with her. She had calmed down since then but they had all been trying their best to guard their thoughts around her, even Paul, just in case Bella popped up.
"What is she doing here?" Leah hissed, her eyes slanting as she bared her teeth at Bella. There was a malice behind her eyes that even Paul couldn't muster at his angriest.
Quil, surprisingly, beat them all to the punch, his voice equally low as he growled back, "Leave her alone Leah."
Embry didn't think Quil had it in him.
"Fuck off Ateara, I asked a question. Somebody plan on answering?"
"Bella is under our protection Leah, I've asked her to stay with Emily and I for the next week or so until we take care of this leech problem."
"And why are we protecting her? She's the fucking reason they're here, she's probably dying to run back to them but you won't let her. Protection my ass."
Embry was watching Bella out of the corner of his eye, her whole face had gone deathly pale and she was trembling slightly, shrinking further into her seat.
Sam looked torn, and it dawned on Embry how difficult this must be for Sam. Leah wasn't just another member of the pack, she was Sam's first love, the girl he had planned to marry, and despite imprinting, there was a part of him somewhere inside still that loved her.
"Lee Lee please."
"Don't call me that," she spat out, standing with a start and sending her plate flying, "you know what, fuck this. I'm out of here, what the fuck ever."
They all remained silent as she stalked from the house, followed closely by the sound of clothing tearing and a deep howl.
Emily was furiously cleaning up the mess she had left in her wake, keeping her eyes downcast so they others couldn't get a good look at her. Embry was fairly sure she was crying.
"Hey Bella, Emily said you had some errands to run?" Embry asked, attempting to draw the attention away from what had just taken place.
Bella smiled weakly at him, "Yeah I just need to mail a letter to my mom and I wanted to get a couple new shirts for school."
"Cool. I'll take you."
Embry noticed Quil's scowl and realized his best friend was just about to offer the same thing. But it didn't matter, Sam had chosen Embry to watch over Bella and that was exactly what he planned on doing. Quil and Jacob be damned.
"Thanks Embry."
"You've been watching the boy closely?"
The sun was setting, disappearing down below the trees, it was a perfect early spring night on the reservation.
"Yes and I have him around her as much as possible, like you asked."
Old Quil nodded, his eyes remaining trained on the setting sun, "That is good. You've done good with the pack Sam, the elders are thankful for that."
"I've done the best I can, but Jacob's getting stronger. He'll be ready soon."
"And when he is ready will you fight him?"
Sam shook his head, "No. He is the rightful alpha, when the time comes I will bow to him."
"That is a wise decision. But before that happens you must ensure they are together. If he doesn't mark her as his before Jacob Black becomes alpha, I fear my prophecy will not come true."
"I'm trying Quil. Your grandson and Jake fighting over her 24/7 isn't really helping."
Old Quil's eyes twinkled as he turned to Sam at last, the ghost of a smile on his lips, "Oh but it is Sam. Young Embry needs the challenge from his brother, it will push him to take what is his, to mark her and make her forever his."
Sam noticed he said brother, not brothers. All the pack members called themselves brothers, but Old Quil had made that distinction on purpose. So there it was, either Billy Black or Quil Ateara IV was Embry's father.
"Have you had any other visions about imprinting? The boys are getting restless, they're worried about going to school."
Old Quil had come to Sam before he met Emily, had warned him about it. Sam had thought he could fight it, but he had been proven very wrong.
The elderly man turned his eyes away again, his voice lowering, "Jared Cameron is close. The others I feel no match for, not yet anyway. But I will watch. Go now Sam, your pack will be looking for you, and speak of this to no one."
Sam nodded his ascent and then took off through the forest, leaving the old man alone on the cliffs.
Going back to school on Monday threw her off balance again, as if she's being ripped from one world and transported back to another, slightly blander, one. After spending the last few days in the constant presence of the pack she feels strangely alone as she braves the rainy weather to make it from class to class.
She was the first one out the doors when the last bell rang, she knew without being told he would be waiting for her at her truck. He was her protector now, an unspoken agreement had occurred between them, between him and the pack, no the tribe, that necessitated this. She could sense it even if nobody told her.
"Hey Em," she greeted him, willingly accepting his hug and allowing herself to revel in his warmth for a minute longer than was appropriate. She could feel the eyes watching her, but couldn't bring herself to care.
He pulled away from her gently, his eyes sweeping over her, subconsciously making sure she was ok.
"How was school Bells?" He asked, willingly slipping into the passengers seat and letting her drive.
She told him about her classes, about how she felt being around her classmates, she even told him about her loneliness. She hadn't meant to, it was just so hard keeping anything from him.
He kept quiet about his own day back until they crossed into the reservation.
"Bella, stop the car here." His voice was quieter than normal, but held an authority that was unfamiliar coming from him. She had to listen.
He helped her out of the car, his hand remaining in hers as he lead her away from her truck and into the woods. They walked for longer than she was uncomfortable with and an eerie sense of dejavu passed over her as she remembered her last walk into the woods with a boy. She couldn't see the road from here and if Embry left her, she would be lost for good. No wolf boy to come find her, and certainly no vampire.
Be rational Bella, she chastised herself, Embry was her friend. He had no reason to leave her alone in the woods.
He stopped abruptly, causing her to stumble into his back. It was like head butting concrete and she couldn't hold in the quiet groan of pain as she rubbed furiously at her skull.
"Shit, Bella, I'm so sorry. Fuck – " Embry cursed himself loudly, turning on the spot to exam her head, "Damn Bells, I'm sorry."
"I'm fine Embry. Although, to be honest, this whole leading me out into the middle of the woods thing is kind of scaring me."
Embry seemed to shrink under her words, if that was possible, and shifted uncomfortably. That of course could be due to the fact that for the first time in weeks he was fully dressed in full-length jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt that strained ever so slightly over his newly acquired muscles.
"Em, seriously, you're freaking me out."
That seemed to make him snap out of whatever thought he was in. His eyes refocused on her face and his voice was shaky when he spoke, "We lost Jared at lunch."
Her heart stopped, "WHAT!?"
"No! Not like that Bella!" He reached for her, drawing her into his larger frame, enveloping her in his warmth, "I'm sorry Bells, I shouldn't have put it that way. I just mean, Jared imprinted at lunch."
"Oh, I see."
But she didn't see, not really. She didn't see what Jared imprinting had to do with her. She knew enough from the legends to know that none of them would ever imprint on her, they had all seen her multiple times since they'd phased and she wasn't native anyway.
"Her names Kim, she's had a crush on him for years and he never even noticed her. It scared him, bad, he phased and hasn't been able to phase back. He just keeps pacing back and forth in the woods behind her house, just making sure she's safe."
"Is he the only one?"
Embry nodded, "For now. It's only a matter of time though. We all went back to school today, but a lot of kids weren't back from their vacations yet, so there's still opportunity. And the tribe is having a bonfire with the Makah tribe next week…"
Bella hadn't realized until now that he was still holding her, having maneuvered himself down to sit on a fallen tree, he had her cradled in his lap.
She searched his eyes, "Are you scared Embry?"
"Not for me, I can't imprint, but I am for the others. Quil keeps his head down at all times, he won't look anyone in the eye and he hasn't told a joke since Sunday morning. Sam had to drag Jake to school and Paul's AWOL, he won't phase in and Sam can't alpha order him if he doesn't know where he is."
The pack was being torn apart by this, she realized. She knew imprinting wasn't good no matter what Sam or Emily said.
"How are Seth and Leah?"
"You want the truth?"
She nodded, worried the tremble in her voice would betray her.
"Sam isn't sending Seth back to school yet. It's like his dad's death just hit him. He's trying hard and he's learning pretty quickly, but he's just a kid you know? I think it's really getting to him."
"And Leah?"
"The elders don't think she'll imprint, I guess they think it's a male dominant trait or whatever, and since none of the pack imprinted on her she's pretty much free to do whatever she wants," he seemed disgusted at the thought, "but we kinda' had a blow out last night."
She had gone back to Forks with Charlie early in the morning Sunday. He thought they needed to get back into routine and she was grateful. Apparently she had missed a lot in that short time.
"Sam and Leah somehow got on patrol together and Leah thought it would make her feel better if she showed Sam all the guys she's been, ah, you know, intimate with," he blustered, his cheeks tingeing pink, "and apparently she wasn't being exactly safe. Sam alpha ordered her to stop having sex. He said that if she got pregnant and phased it would destroy the baby or whatever."
"It sounds like he's just jealous."
Embry nodded, "Yeah, Leah thinks so too. She's been raging, can't phase back either so now Jared is worrying about his imprint and trying to ward off some of Leah's bad feelings. It's a nightmare and Emily hasn't stopped crying."
"So this is my warning?"
"I just thought you should know what you were walking into."
She detached herself from his tangle of limbs, climbing out of his lap. She almost whimpered at the loss of contact.
"Thanks Em, do you think we should start heading back to the truck though? I promised Emily I would help her with dinner."
Embry pushed himself up with an easy grace, but didn't make any movement back towards where they had came from. He was watching her, an unfamiliar touch to his eyes. Was it desire?
"Em?"
"There's more Bella."
She felt suddenly vulnerable alone in the woods with this beautiful man, her new friend, her protector.
"Quil's grandpa came to see me last night Bella, to talk to me about finding a mate."
"A mate?" She repeated dumbly, words escaping her.
"I can't imprint, but it's important to my wolf that I have a mate. Quil's grandpa had a vision on his last spirit walk, he came to guide me towards my rightful mate."
Bella stepped back a bit, her eyes searching his face for the Embry she had grown to trust, but all she saw was this new Embry, a more animalistic, base version of the man she had begun to care for.
"You said a mate for a mate, that's what the redheaded leech wants, right?"
Bella nodded, still speechless.
"Is it true?"
"I don't understand."
His voice was raising, shaking with intensity, "The Cullen leech, was he your mate, were you with him?"
Realization dawned on her as she studied the man standing before her. He was shaking but she knew he wouldn't phase. The words seemed to pain him as they left his mouth, the thought of her and Edward seemed to wrack his body with unease.
She finally mustered up the courage to respond, albeit timidly, "No, Edward and I never did, that. We barely kissed, he was too afraid to hurt me."
"Have there been others?"
This wasn't her Embry. Since when is he your Embry anyway Bella?
"Never."
The spell he appeared to be under broke with her confession and the familiar glint in his eye returned, easing her instantly. The intensity radiating between them not even a minute ago vanished as he let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank Taha Aki." His eyes settled on her as he realized just how terrified she was for the first time, "Shit Bells, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect that to happen, Sam told me I had to talk to you about this, but, damn, I didn't expect that."
"What's going on Embry? What did Old Quil see in his vision?"
Embry stepped towards her, cautiously as if he expected her to run, when she didn't he responded, "He saw you Bella. You're my mate."
I'm not terribly happy with this chapter, but I rewrote it about 5 times so this is as good as it's going to get. Please understand Embry did NOT imprint on Bella and this is nothing like an imprint. He was already developing feelings toward her, and he isn't suddenly compelled to be with her because of Old Quil's confession. If anything he's just as scared as Bella is.