A/N: Life has been a bear lately but I've already got over half of the next chapter ready. More to come! :D

Thank you to all of those you who have read, reviewed and favorited!


Chapter 9

The morning light slants through the window by my bed and I stretch as I listen to the sweet sound of the birds chirping in the trees just outside. A large, warm hand pulls me back into our warm cocoon and I let it. What had started out as a very special night had turned into a glorious morning. I was in bed with the man I love.

I glance over at my clock. It was only 6 am. There was no need for either of us to be out of bed at this hour. Snuggling closer to him, I allow his warmth to lull me back into a short nap. A good while later, I feel the faintest touch over my cheek and then my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I look up at him as he smiles sweetly down at me.

"Good m-morning Love." His voice was so smooth, like velvet over my skin. "You l-look so pea-peaceful when you-you sleep." His finger trails down my shoulder and back across my collar bone.

"Have you been watching me sleep?" I tease him with a sly grin, knowing full well that he has.

"Guilty as-as charged, m'am." He laughs softly and leans down to kiss my forehead.

I look up at him, shifting just a bit so I could reach up to cup his cheek. "Last night was amazing, Collin. I love you." I watch the light brighten in his eyes.

"My f-f-first….your f-f-first…..and m-more to come. I p-p-promise you that, Raven." He leans forward as his lips capture mine. We kiss until the desire begins to build again between us, making us want more. Then, he pulls away. "I th-think we should go-go fix some br-breakfast. You n-n-need some time b-before we do th-this again."

I couldn't argue with his words but the thought of getting out of bed did not enthuse me. "But I'm all warm and cozy right here?" I close my eyes, hoping to convince him to stay where we were.

His soft laughter fills the room. One of his arms slips over my waist to pull me against him. "I kn-know but you n-n-need to eat, Love." With one last lingering kiss, he gets up, looking around the room for our clothing.

I prop myself up on an elbow to watch him move around the room. His tattooed shoulder gets my attention. I knew that he had one but I had never had an opportunity such as this to look at it up close. Moving to sit up on my knees, I motion him over. He sits on the edge of the bed beside me, putting his shorts on as I trace the design on his arm with my finger.

"What does this mean?" I see the howling wolf, standing proud, surrounded by tribal designs that I had never seen before.

He smiles sadly down at me. "It's j-j-just a rite of-of passage th-thing." He shrugs it off but I could tell it bothered him for some reason. "Come on. Let-let's get s-s-some breakfast." He stands, offering me his hand.

I get out of bed to grab my dressing robe. I throw it on and notice his eyes roaming over me almost possessively as I move. With a smile, I sashay by him as I make my way to the kitchen to make something to eat.


Walking out of her place after breakfast and one last cuddle, I inhale deeply the crisp morning air. I love this time of day when everything felt renewed and clean. After leaving her driveway, I turn into the tree line to let my wolf have a run. Phasing quickly, I run through the forest at a full speed, letting him go. He immediately start replaying the memories of the previous night, of Raven's soft hands, her hair across the pillows, watching her sleep. My wolf yips as we jump over a fallen log.

WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!

As soon as my feet touch the ground after my jump, I turn to see Seth's wolf, glaring and snarling at me. There's no questioning his fury and who it was directed at. However, he was not Alpha and I had no intention of submitting to his will.

We are in love, Seth. You need to back off and leave us be. My wolf takes up a defensive stance, growling in return.

In a split second, Seth lunges at me. I am able to dodge but not before he's able to claw my back leg in passing. I take a swipe at him when all of sudden something else hits me from the side. After I regain my wits from the hit, I look up to see Quil standing over me and Leah over Seth.

Back off, Seth! This is none of your business even if she is family! Leah snarls down at her brother. She didn't appreciate anyone interfering in someone else's relationship. She still had her issues with Emily and Sam; even still, there's no way she would allow Seth come in between Raven and Collin.

What the fuck Leah! Raven has lost both her parents. Can you imagine what will happen if she gets married to him only to find it all ripped away from her when he does imprint? Do you want her to hurt like you do? He growls at his sister.

Quil sees that the two younger wolves are starting to stand down and backs away. Leah, he has a point. Raven is not Collin's imprint. He risks hurting her even more if they do get married.

Leah turns on Quil. Don't you get it? She looks from Quil to Seth. NO ONE has imprinted since you and Claire. The Elders constantly say that imprinting is supposed to be a rare occurrence. If that's the case, then there's little chance for any of the remaining Pack at this point. I think that if Collin wants to take control of his own love life, then who the hell are we to stop him? If he hasn't imprinted by now, who's to say he ever will?

I get up to my feet, my head hanging low in despair. Could I risk Raven's heart? Could I stand by and watch her break apart like Leah had when Sam imprinted on Emily? I would rather die than ever cause that much pain.

Seth who had been listening but was still worked up, turns to me. I swear to you Collin, if you end up breaking her heart, I will personally shred you. YOU GOT THAT! Leah pressed him further into the ground in warning.

I glance over at him. With a look at Quil, I turn to leave, saying nothing. How could I give him the reassurances that he wants. Walking further into the woods away from them, I phase to human. I have no idea how far I walk. I just need to think, figure out if I'm capable of giving up the one person that makes my life worth living. Dropping my head in my hands, I give into my emotions and fears, feeling them surrounding me, threatening to pull me under.

The sun is beginning to set when I finally realize that I've spent the day, lost in my thoughts, my memories of the woman I love. I can see no way around the situation that I find myself in. I do not want to let her go. She's too precious. However, I still harbor the fears of imprinting, causing me to doubt my every action.

"Collin?" I feel Leah walk up beside me, sitting down by my side. She places her hand on my shoulder. "Look, you know I'm not the best with words or talking about this whole imprint thing, but I wanted you to know that I meant every word of what I said back there. Don't let your fears keep you from her."

I raise my head to see that Leah has let her guard down. I don't see the angry bitch face that she so often wears. This is the true Leah.

"Don't let Seth's threats sway you." She smiles. "He truly cares about her, always has. When he was just a little kid, he would always do his best to keep Raven from falling or skinning her knee. He has always protected her like a little big brother." Leah leans back against the tree behind us. "If you can prove that you will do right by her, he will eventually come accept you in her life. He's just…" She sighs. "He sees her getting hurt like I did with Sam but I know you would handle things differently than he did with me. You're a good man, Collin. Raven deserves you and you love her. Go for it." With that, she punches me lightly in the shoulder, letting me know that her soft moment has passed.

I chuckle softly. "Ok, I'll do my best." I glance over at her. "I love Raven so much it hurts, Leah. There's no way in hell I would ever break her heart."

Leah stands up, knocking the leaves from her shorts, her eyes surveying the forest around us. She's quiet for a moment before she decides to speak again. "Trust your wolf, Littlesea. He won't lead you wrong." With that, she takes off, leaving me to wonder if we ever really spoke to each other.


The next night…

Trees fly by us as we are in pursuit, racing through the forest at almost top speed. A particular blonde female vampire has been teasing us for the past couple of weeks and is at it again. The bitch is now jumping back and forth over the river that marks the treaty line like it's some sort of kid's game. It's as if she knows that we can't chase her onto Cullen's territory. We remain on our land, growling, snarling, tracking, ready to attack at any second.

I notice something in her erratic movements as we give chase. Whenever we're closer to the part of the rest that is near Raven's place, she tends to linger longer on our side, inhaling while hopping from tree to tree. My wolf considers the blood sucker's actions for a second when the reality of what it was doing brings me to my knees. I sniff the air. I can smell the lingering scent on the breeze….orchids.

She's after my Rae.