Chapter 7

Three weeks later

Rachel insisted that we go shopping today. She even brought a long Kim and Sam's wife Emily. The guys weren't thrilled about coming either but all four of them did. Don't get me wrong I love shopping but I know what Rachel is up to even though she doesn't think I do. Rachel doesn't know about my gifts like Paul does. She knows now that I am a wolf but she doesn't know about the mind reading or the in mind communication I can do. Embry doesn't know about that either because I am trying really hard to stay out of his mind. I'm not sure that I want to know what he thinks about. I do catch glimpses every now and then because for the last four Saturday mornings I have gone on patrol runs.

Anyway, the first time that I had met Paul and Rachel was during the week of my birthday. I wasn't sure Rachel would remember that but apparently she did and now is trying to plan something for my birthday next Saturday. Which is the reason for the shopping trip, she thinks I need something new to wear. I haven't said anything about it because I was hoping my birthday would go by unnoticed.

I left my family three days before my birthday and there had been no time to celebrate. For the first six months when my Aunt was also with us we tried celebrating holidays like normal but it wasn't the same to me and I didn't want any part of it. Thinking about it now it was unfair for me not to want to take part. My Aunt and Uncle tried hard to make things seem normal for me, it just didn't work like they hoped I wanted no part in it. Like now I should feel grateful that Rachel wants to celebrate for me but I don't want it. It's like counting down another year without them except the numbers go up not down.

I watched as Rachel picked out dress after dress. Trying on the ones she asked, not wanting her to feel bad. There were a few I liked some but not any that I felt like wearing. By lunch time I could tell that my mood was wearing on both Rachel and Embry.

"Seriously, Riley, you don't want any of the dresses we found?"

"No, not really."

Everything at our table was silent for a while I'm not sure anyone knew what to say next. At this point I just wanted to go home for the day. I wanted to be done with shopping so that I could just hide in my room. Emily who had been quiet for most of the day was the one to break the silence.

"Why don't we let Riley and Embry see if they can find something together that Riley likes and the rest of us can do a little bit of other shopping or see a movie?"

Not one person even made the slightest hint of disagreeing with her. I don't think Kim had any more ideas than Rachel about what I might like to wear. I have a feeling that the guys want to go home as much as I do.

Embry's POV

The way that things seem to be going today rather surprised me. Before her finals during the car ride home from her college classes Riley had told me that she wished we could stop and go shopping. However Paul had said that it wasn't safe unless there were more of us that could kind of watch out for her. Today though she seemed less than thrilled about the shopping trip. I wasn't sure there was anything I could say to change her mind either. I also knew that with the others around she wouldn't tell me what is wrong even if I asked her. Riley tends to talk more when it is just the two of us but not so much when there are other people around. She even tends to be quiet and awkward around Paul and Rachel.

I wonder whether they are the reason she is quiet or if it has to do with her family. I have tried a few times in the last couple months to get her to talk about them but all she will tell me is that they love her and probably miss her as much as she misses them. Maybe while just then two of us shop I can get her to smile or at least tell me what is wrong.

After we finished eating I walked around to her side of the table and held out my hand to her. She took my hand and got up without saying a word. Paul handed her some cash that was folded up. She nodded but didn't even say anything at that point. I waited until we had left the food court to try to talk to her.

"Riley, what's wrong today?"

"Nothing is wrong?"

"We both know that is a lie. You really wanted to go shopping the other day, what happened?"

She sighed and looked at the ground, which meant she was caught.

"I wanted to shop just for fun but Rachel has a reason for going. And a reason why she thinks I need to get a dress."

"Why does that make you upset though?"

She didn't look up at me as she continued to talk.

"We'll, I hadn't told anyone, Rachel just remembered from before. She wants me to have a new dress because next Saturday is my birthday….. I didn't say anything because I wanted it to go by unnoticed."

"What's wrong with us knowing that it is going to be your birthday?"

"I don't celebrate things like holidays anymore."

I could tell as soon as the words were out of her mouth that she regretted saying them. I also knew that with only a few questions I had pushed her too far for answers. It's hard knowing that your imprint is hiding something from you. Something tells me that she has a good reason for hiding things from me. However the rest of me feels that since she is my imprint that I have a right to know and that she should tell me. It almost seems unfair to me that she won't tell me what is going on but I know that it is unfair of me to push her when it clearly bothers her. I didn't want to say what I was about to say next but it's what is best for her.

"Why don't we forget about the dress at this point and see what else we can find that you might like?"

"Alright"

To my surprise it wasn't so bad having to go back into every shop that we had already been in today plus some others that she found. It was actually kind of fun to watch her. In some of the shops that we had been in earlier there were some items that she had seen then and she went right for them. She even asked me about colors for a few of the tops that she found. In the last shop on our way back to meet the others she even found a dress. It was a mint green color that looked stunning on her. Little did she know she wasn't the only one that found the perfect item in the last shop.

She seemed to really be herself when it was just the two of us. Some of the way she had moved in and out between the racks had made me think of when Claire plays with Quil in the store when she was younger. She would run in and out of the racks while Quil would run after her trying to keep an eye on her.