Chapter 6: When planets realign

Seth

"You seem down today…What gives?" my mother prodded gently. I sighed, rolling my eyes as I buttoned my white shirt, rolling up the sleeves slightly. Tonight I was determined to not look like a mangy slob when I went to the younger boys' party.

"Nothing, mom, why?" I practically shouted into the phone on the bathroom counter. She was doing inventory at the store tonight and was bored; hence, a motherly 'update me' phone call was in order. I was talking to her on speakerphone as I got ready to go out.

"You just seem…sad. I don't know; I can hear it in your voice. A mother knows these things, Seth."

"Mom, I'm twenty-seven. You gotta stop worrying about me," I chided her, unbuttoning the top few buttons. What did I have to lose? Maybe I should try for a one-night stand…I'm getting antsy…eh, I don't wanna be a man whore like Brady and Embry…

"You're twenty-three."

"Twenty-seven, technically," I insisted. She laughed into the phone and insisted again that I was twenty-three. A few years ago, those of us who weren't aging had decided that we would go with the age we looked instead of our technical ages. Take Embry for example. He was technically thirty-one, yet he still looked like he was only about twenty-one. Talk about weird.

"Hey, I'm still getting used to the whole not-aging thing too, ya know," my mom insisted with another laugh. Suddenly, her voice got seriously. "I'm just worried about you, baby. It's just…hard to watch you stay like this."

"Like what, mom? I'm actively phasing; you know I'm not gonna age. It's just…something we gotta get used to is all."

"I know, I know," she insisted. "But…I would like to see some of my grandkids before I die."

I laughed, straightening my collar. "Yeah, well, believe me, mom; I'd like to just give up and move on too. But you know how that could turn out. Do I need to remind you?"

"No, no of course not. You're sure you're okay? You're really sure you won't just…stop and age?"

"No, mom, I'm sure. She's out there; I know it."

"Uh huh," she said through the phone, and I could almost see her disapproving glare.

"I do ...and I have to go," I laughed, picking my phone up off the bathroom counter. I slapped a little gel in my shaggy black hair and arranged it just right before striding out of the bathroom. She laughed and bid me goodbye, and I couldn't help but love my mom – always looking out for me. Her relationship with Charlie was good and strong, and I was very thankful that my mom had found such a great guy to marry after my dad. I would have never dreamt of anyone replacing my dad, or Harry Clearwater as most knew him, yet, Charlie had been a surprisingly good option for her. He was everything I would have wanted for my mom; loyal, kind, hardworking, and he adored her and would pretty much do anything she asked him to.

I tried to push my mother's concerned voice out of my mind as I added a bit of cologne that Leah had given me for Christmas last year, added a leather bracelet for accessory, and even slipped on a watch since I wouldn't be phasing tonight. Alice and Esme would have been proud of me for taking some time with my appearance tonight. I really missed my adopted family at times like these; maybe I would have to go up for a visit sometime soon, I thought.

I jumped into my Bronco and made the engine roar up in the empty garage, making sure I had what I needed tucked under my car seat; a bottle of Black Label, 100 proof Jim Beam. It was nasty stuff but some of the strongest out there that didn't taste like straight rubbing alcohol. It was pretty much the only thing I could stand to drink an entire bottle of without puking, yet it made me drunk for at least an hour or two. I didn't usually drink but tonight it felt fitting.

I arrived at the party and saw all the usual faces; a few of our oldest pack members were there with their girlfriends but most of the guests were the younger wolves, their un-phased friends, practically every girl from the rez, and even a few pale faces from Forks. People looked at me nervously as I walked in because they all knew I was a cop in Forks, but I simply smiled and made my way to the tiny kitchen.

"Great party," I said, slapping Zeke a high five. He grinned, raising his eyebrows as he surveyed his crammed little house that he shared with Brady and Collin.

"Yeah, not too bad. And before you ask, Officer Clearwater, no one is driving," he playfully sneered. I made a face at him before glancing around at all the red plastic cups and beer cans scattered around on every available flat surface. "Uh, yeah, good thing," I said, rolling my eyes.

He laughed at me as I walked away, trying to find some of the older guys to talk to. I loved my younger pack mates but sometimes they were really immature when it came to get togethers like these. It was all about being loud, getting drunk, and meeting any girl they could get their hands on. Given their physiques and good looks, that generally wasn't too hard.

"Try to stay out of trouble," I said in a low voice as I walked by two of our younger boys, Aaden and Astin. They were twin brothers and a favorite with the girls around town. They both chuckled at me and punched me in the shoulder as I made my way through the crowd. I said my 'hellos' and made small talk with a few of the guys there, but eventually that all grew old. All they wanted to talk about was how much they had already had to drink or what girls were there so far. Eventually I retreated to the small porch that was in the back of the house to open my bottle of Jim Beam.

Cracking open the cold beer in my hand for a chaser, I raised the bottle to my lips and took a long chug of the spicy brown liquid and cringed a little. The first few chugs always made my stomach turn a bit.

Six beers and half the bottle later, I was finally starting to feel a little better when Quil came trotting out of the woods. He yelped at me until I tossed him a pair of shorts that were hanging on the back rail, which he grabbed with his teeth in midair. I laughed at him as he went behind the trees to phase.

"Sup?" He asked, ambling up to the back porch. I nodded at him, opening my jacket to reveal the bottle.

"Nice," he commented, snorting at my efforts. "That's the good stuff," he added, plopping down on the lawn chair next to me.

I looked at him skeptically and then at the groaning chair. "You're gonna break that," I said flatly, tossing my hair out of my face.

"Grumpy are we?" he asked with a laugh.

I shook my head no. "Nah, just had the usual chat with mom before I came here. She wants me to give it up," I admitted. Quil stopped smiling and nodded at me.

"I can see how she would say that," he said with a shrug. I nodded, leaning my head against the back of the house. Quil used to be best friends with Jacob but since Jacob had to keep a low profile with Nessie, he was rarely seen in public around La Push. I had actually grown pretty close to Quil over the years and considered him one of my best friends.

"Shouldn't you be patrolling?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah…Everything's good. Just taking a break to come chat you up bro," he laughed, grabbing a beer off the porch railing where I had stacked them. He downed it in about two gulps and then crushed the can with a satisfying crunch.

"Claire's in bed already, so I got bored," he finally admitted. I chuckled at him, glancing back inside at the party.

"What, you mean you didn't wanna bring her here to party with all the lovely locals? Come on Quil!"

He shook his head quickly. "Hell no. They're drinking in there. Claire's only fifteen, and she…well…she just doesn't need to be doing that," he grumbled, glaring at the party inside. "She's too good."

I spent the next hour or so chatting with Quil about random pack activity. We hadn't had too many rouge vampires around lately since the Cullens left town so our numbers were remaining steady and not increasing by volumes like they did years ago. Right now, we were sitting pretty comfortably numbers wise, which I was relieved for. Bigger numbers meant less time patrolling and better odds should a fight arise. Quil finally left around eleven thirty, claiming he had things to do and places to go…which I knew really meant he was going to sleep under Claire's window like a guard dog. The party was still going in full swing, and I knew that I should probably go check on things inside to make sure they weren't getting too out of hand. My too sensitive ears told me that someone was already having sex in Brady's room towards the back of the house; my gut told me that it was probably Brady himself. He never wasted much time in situations like these.

I finished my bottle of Jim Beam, noting how much smoother it went down now that I had a nice buzz going. Making my way into the house, I saw that it was a little less crowded than before, but still just as noisy and wild. Several of my pack mates were chatting up girls, and I had to laugh at them.

Pups, I thought to myself with a slightly drunken chuckle. Oh well, they would learn eventually.

I walked down the back hallway towards the bathroom so that I could splash some cold water on my face; I was getting really hot and sometimes cold water was the only thing that helped cool me down. When I was done I exited the tiny room, cringing at the smell of sex that hung in the air near Brady's room. Yup, that was definitely what that was.

But…it was mixed with something else. Something familiar and exciting…almost intoxicating…

I didn't have any more time to think before the door opened and there she was.

"Asshole," she spat, slamming the door behind her. She shoved past me in the tiny hallway, not even giving me a second glance. Brady opened the door a few seconds later, zipping up his pants and laughing to himself as he watched her leave.

I could barely notice.

You know how sometimes people describe the shocked feeling they get as 'having the rug pulled out from beneath you?' Well, this felt like the entire earth was being pulled out from beneath me. My breath hitched in my throat as I sputtered for air, and yet, air didn't even matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Except for her.

I took a shaky breath as I braced myself on the wall. The room began to spin but as I looked at her disappearing form, I couldn't help but feel like she was the one suddenly holding me steady. It was like concrete footings, or a parachute, or steel cables. It was exciting but safe; foreign but comforting – in that instant, she became everything I would ever need again in life. I felt like I had just had the life breathed back into me after drowning! I couldn't even make my brain find words to describe how I felt at that moment.

My head began to spin slightly as I stood in the hallway gaping at her back as she stalked away from me. Where was she going? Why was she leaving? And why the fuck did she smell like…Brady?

I was brought back to reality as Brady began to howl and cackle beside me. "Oh, shit!" he yelled, bending over with laugher.

"You did not just i-imprint on…t-that little tramp!" he guffawed loudly. "Oh my god Seth – really?"

I instinctively growled, forgetting that we were around other people. In one swift motion, I grabbed him by the little bit of lose skin near his neck and slammed him against the wall like a real wolf would to a pesky puppy.

"I'll deal with you later," I spat, suddenly shaking with rage. I let him down, my eyes wide at what I had just done. I had never ever lashed out at a brother for anything in my life, even as a new wolf. I was without doubt one of the most easy going wolves in the pack, and yet here I was, growling and shaking and ready to phase on Brady for saying something nasty about my imprint. Wait…my imprint…

My attention snapped back to the breathtaking girl that had just moved from Brady's room. Where had she gone? I caught myself snarling at him one last time before quickly striding from the hallway. The loud music nearly shook the little house and there were people everywhere in my way. I tried to be polite and wait for people to move out of the way, but I simply had to get to her. She was my imprint! I couldn't believe the sheer magnitude of what had just happened to me. I had imprinted. I, Seth Clearwater, had found my imprint. My search was over! She looked a few years younger than me, but that was okay. I would phase for a few more years and then I would age with her. She smelled so good! I followed her scent through the little house, pushing people to the side as gently as I could to get to her.

Where had she gone? Had I already lost her? Shit…

I finally broke through the crowd and burst out of the house, searching frantically for her. Several groups of people stood on the front porch and around in the driveway but my eyes went straight to her. She was standing to the side of the house, furiously wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. My chest began to ache and throb as I watched her cry, and I wanted nothing more than to comfort her.

The feeling was absolutely insane, but I loved it. I had seen this girl less than a minute ago, and yet here I was, practically beside myself because she appeared to be upset. I was ready to dismember someone for making her cry. I would have stepped in front of a train for this girl. The feeling was already indescribable.

The only thing I wanted to do was get a better look at her; my imprint. God, just thinking the words together in my head made my chest almost explode with elation and bliss. My. Imprint.

I loped over to her quickly and her head shot up as she cowered away behind the corner of the house. Did she not want my help? How could she not? I would do anything for her. I just wanted to see her.

I ducked around the house where she had gone and then there she was suddenly, standing right in front of me. Her…my imprint. I thought my heart was going to combust in my chest from the sheer happiness I felt to have finally found her.

She looked up at me and our eyes met for the first time, and at that moment, I think the sky could have fallen down around me and I would have just laughed and looked for someone to give a high five to. Preferably her.

I was a goner with one look.

She had the biggest green eyes I had ever seen and my enhanced vision allowed me to see all of the complex swirls of browns and yellows in her bright irises. Her dark, thick eyelashes framed them perfectly, almost swooping up to her eyebrows when she blinked. Her small, round face was slightly pale, but her cheeks were the prettiest pink that had ever been created. Her lips were full and plump, slightly swollen and shining with some sort of girly gloss. I loved it.

Her hair hung down on either side of her face in perfectly sculpted waves of dark chocolate brown, framing her cute, innocent face. I trailed my eyes down her small body and realized that she was actually quite short; not skinny, but definitely not fat. She looked just how a girl should look; healthy, curvy, and feminine. She was the prettiest thing I had ever seen.

The angelic girl in front of me sniffled loudly, wiping away several of the large tears that had pooled and fallen down her cheeks. Her breath hitched in her throat from her sobs, and she bit her lip in embarrassment. I looked around us, trying to see why she was crying; my mind told me that I should know, but I couldn't make my brain work the way I wanted to. Focus, damn it…oh god, look at her…

"W-what are you l-looking at?" she finally stammered, her voice ringing like Christmas bells in my ears. Her voice was light but raspy, firm but not overbearing. It sounded like heaven.

"I-I…" stammered, trying to form words. She sniffed again, wiping away a fresh set of tears.

"Go away!" she shrieked, turning away from me.

My jaw dropped open at her command. Suddenly, I felt like I was a new wolf pup all over again, cowering at my old Alpha, Sam's, orders. My own breath caught in my throat as I struggled to fight the sudden urge I was feeling to turn around and walk away like she said to.

"But-"

"Go!" she commanded again. My chest began to tighten and shake slightly as my body actually obeyed. It felt like Sam and Jake's Alpha orders combined in my body, making me bow to their commands – but this was ten times worse. This actually hurt to disobey.

She stared at me with her huge green eyes as I felt myself start to walk away. Five minutes in and my imprint was already ordering me away from her.

I turned, my chest aching and my hands trembling, and walked away from her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

*hides*

Okay, so they met…what did you think? I know some of you are already worried about Regan's behavior but…she's not the typical, happy, fall in love right away kind of girl. This is a dark time in her life, but I promise things will look up for her soon. She's acting out because she's a little lost, okay? : )

Remember, story pics/banners/characters are in my photobucket, which is linked on my profile. Lots of goodies in there.

Okay, if you don't review after a chapter like that, we're no longer friends. Just kidding. Kinda.

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