It was late and Myrna was sitting on her back porch, affectionately named Cuilean with his head in her lap. She had grown so fond of the wolf. She knew it was crazy, it was dangerous and reckless, words never used to describe her. But she couldn't help it. This wolf came by every night and as she stared in its eyes all she wanted to do was sit with it and tell it everything about her. As odd as it sounded she felt a bit blessed. She had no real friends but she had a confidant in a wild wolf. The world was strange, she thought to herself.

She scratched behind Cuilean's ears and smiled at him. Ever since the bonfire a few nights ago she had been noticeably happier and Embry was loving it. Myrna reclined on the steps, laying back and looking at the stars. 'I met an amazing guy the other day Cuilean. He's pretty damn perfect,' she murmured. Embry's ears perked up. He knew he shouldn't be listening, this was obviously private and if she knew who he was she would be mortified. But he couldn't pull away, he couldn't stop listening. 'And he's gorgeous. And he seems to actually like me too,' she said as she rubbed his head affectionately. This is what he'd been waiting for. All he really wanted was for her to see him in that light, instead of as the confidant he had become without her knowledge. He was just waiting for her to say his name, to confirm that he was this perfect man she'd fallen for. You're the perfect one, he thought to himself. I'd be lucky if you looked twice at me.

'His name's Embry,' she mumbled to the wolf. She didn't want to admit it but she knew she'd fallen head over heels for him. Since the bonfire her mind had run wild. It was her worst flaw. She would fixate on a guy until she made him out to be her perfect companion. But she realized he needed very little encouragement. He's perfect as he is, she thought. He needs no help from me. She smiled despite herself. She was falling hard. 'Maybe I should make the first move? Maybe I should be the brave one for once?' she asked Cuilean. He wagged his tail in response and she suddenly felt uplifted, courageous in a way she hadn't been before. 'You're right. What am I doing just wasting my life waiting for others to initiate things?' she grinned and kissed Cuilean on the top of the head. 'Thanks boy. You're amazing.' With that, she got up and ran into the house, ready to take the first step for once in her life.

Embry ran to Emily's ecstatic about the whole thing. The pack was all there as usual and he ran in with a grin. 'She's gonna make the first move! She likes me and she's gonna make the first move!' He was yelling and making no sense but he didn't care. This is what he'd been waiting for since he met her a few weeks ago, since he imprinted. But he soon realized no one was joining in his new found joy. And as he looked around he saw that they were all so uncharacteristically serious. 'What's going on here?,' he asked warily, worried of the answer before it came. Why had I been left out?

Sam stood up and looked at him apologetically. 'It's you're imprint Embry. She's too much of a danger.' Embry openly scoffed, concealing his growing anger. 'How the hell is she a danger? What's she done that so god damn dangerous?,' he yelled, losing track of his temper and tensing. 'You didn't tell us she was the local historian,' Sam said quietly. Embry was shocked, dumbfounded that this would even be a topic of conversation. Is that piece of information really worth this secret pack meeting? You've got to be kidding me, he thought irritably. They're losing their minds. 'You've lost me. She's a danger because she's a historian? This is ridiculous! Are you listening to what you're saying?'

'Embry, please , just think!,' Sam yelled using his alpha voice. He'd had enough of this back and forth discussion. Embry wasn't seeing this situation clearly. He was too clouded by his own feelings. Embry stopped talking but was still visibly tense. 'Myrna is the local historian. She has so much to gain if she knew our secret. She seems really invested in her work, doesn't she?,' Sam asked trying to coax him towards the glaring fact that everyone seemed to acknowledge but him.

She did love her work. That was one of the things that Embry loved about her. She seemed so absorbed by the legends he'd dismissed as a child, the legends that had quickly become his reality. Embry just nodded, not entirely understanding where Sam's trail of thought was heading. 'What do you think that would do to her work, to know our secret? It would bring her to the top of her field. It would be the discovery of her career. You have to understand, she didn't imprint on you, she may not be so loyal when she knows the power that could come with knowing our secret. Myrna might not be able to resist that sort of acclaim. It's what academics dream of, isn't it? To be published, to be the first to discover something truly magical?' Sam was pleading with Embry, trying to make him see the consequences of his possible actions. Embry just turned away, confused, angry and aching. His one shot at true love, a complete and all-consuming happiness, dashed because of some stupid paranoia. She was different. He knew Myrna wouldn't compromise them like that. He would never doubt her. He could never doubt his imprint, right? But he had to admit that a part of him, such a small part of him that he barely acknowledged it, understood their fears.

'I thought better of you Quil. You know her, you know she'd never do that,' Embry muttered accusingly. 'She may not seem like she would, but she barely knows us. She met us a few times and we have no idea where her loyalties lie. It would only be natural for her to put herself first over us. It's human nature,' Quil said quietly, hoping Embry would see their side. 'No. She wouldn't. And I'll show you.' Embry ran before Sam could issue any kind of command with his alpha voice. He ran before anyone could stop him, before they could try to change his mind, before they could try to change his heart.

He ran to the edge of the forest, running up Myrna's front porch steps and knocking at her door. He heard her shuffle, turn off the tv and come out to meet him. 'Embry?,' she asked hesitantly. 'You look a mess. Are you alright?' Embry just nodded, not knowing what to say but absentmindedly loving the concern in her voice. This was his whole life now. How could the others not see it? How could he have not seen it? He'd been reluctant to imprint. After seeing his friends change drastically once they'd found their soul mate he'd decided that when his turn came he wouldn't be like that. He wouldn't give up his life, his everything, to please some woman he barely knew. But it was only then, standing there in the doorway with her, seeing her brows knit together with worry and distress at his situation, that he realized he had no choice. Before he may have wanted to remain himself, to be able to hold himself together without the need of his imprint, but that would never be the case again. He imprinted on her the moment he met her, but he fell in love with her that night in her doorway. Imprints may be soul mates, he thought to himself, but it's nothing without real love.

A/N: So there it is, a bit short but with a plot twist to keep the story flowing. It felt like a nice place to end this chapter. Hope you liked it. Not anything too dramatic, some Romeo and Juliet forbidden love though. Don't judge me on that last paragraph. It is uncharacteristically sappy for me but as I started writing it just flowed. I wanted to stress again in this chapter the reluctance of Embry to imprint. It may not have shown much in the last chapter but in the first he found it hard to get to grips with the change in his life's perspective. I also wanted him to really fall in love, not just be told by his genes that he should/couldn't help falling in love with this one girl. R&R if you please. Next one up tomorrow :)

P.S: I realized I never said this before because it's sort of implied but just as a precaution…. I do not own Twilight, or any of the characters affiliated with Twilight. I only own my lovely OC!

~Scottish Melody