The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
Old Quil was worried. He knew what Harry hoped but…according to the journals it didn't matter what the imprintee chose in the beginning. Each one be it brother, friend, or protector eventually led to the same course…lover.
So either Emily would choose to have everything now or the imprint would move both of them on the path towards being together. The imprint magic was strong and unbreakable. Not that anyone had ever tried. All of the other imprinted wolves had been grateful and respectful of Taha Aki's choice. No matter what they tried to do, he didn't see this ending well.
Sam was nervous, he hadn't slept at all that night and now he was trying to keep himself calm in Old Quil's living room. Emily was due to show up any moment. His wolf was another story though, he was excited. Our mate. Claim her. He chanted over and over. Sam wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts as he heard the doorbell ring.
Old Quil answered the door and Sam heard Emily reply to Old Quil in kind. Old Quil inquired about what she wanted in her coffee and the wolf perked up his ears. He wanted to know everything that she needed or wanted. It was his job to provide for her, protect her, and love her. Fuck he thought this was not going how he had planned.
Moments later they both entered the living room. Emily looked surprised but happy to see Sam. "Hello again, Sam. I didn't know that you were going to be here," she surmised.
"Umm, hi Emily. Yeah, Old Quil thought that I should be here when he tells you about the histories. I'm…" the lie got caught on his tongue and he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm doing some work for the tribe. So, yeah…" They had warned him about this, it was nearly impossible to lie to your imprint or to deny them anything; it caused intense pain to the man and the wolf, he wouldn't stand for it. He was a selfish bastard.
"Well, let's get started," Old Quil began. He shared the beginning of the tribe's legends, the stories of the creator. He spoke of Taha Aki and his transformation, his three wives, and how he and his descendants protected the tribe from the cold ones. Finally he spoke of the magic that Taha Aki had given the men who turned into wolves, how he blessed them to find the other half of their soul. He told Emily about imprinting and how the man and the wolf would be whatever the imprintee needed, a brother, a friend, a protector, or a lover.
Emily listened to the legends and was fascinated. The legends they were so rich with history and romance. While Old Quil was speaking, she sneaked glances at Sam and noticed that he was doing the same with her.
"The legends, your people's stories, they're beautiful," she told him. "Thank you for sharing them with me."
"You're welcome, Emily. But there's a reason for this, why I've chosen to share them with you, an outsider," Old Quil remarked.
"Emily," she heard Sam say. "Yesterday at Leah's…I…I imprinted on you."
"Oh," she whispered. "So, that's why I'm being told this?"
"Yes. It's exactly how Old Quil explained it; I will be what you need me to be," he confessed.
Emily could barely restrain her joy. He, Sam was up for grabs. This was her opportunity. He could…no he would be hers. She quickly realized that she had to let this play out a bit. The wolf may have chosen her, but the man did not. She needed to think about this and figure out what would work the best to entice him in. She needed to tread carefully.
"Sam," she breathed. "This is a lot to take in. I need some time. Can you give that to me?"
A pained look crossed Sam's face like he wanted to say no but instead she heard him answer, "Yes."
"Thank you, Sam. I promise I won't take long. I just think it's better. I mean I barely know you and I don't want Leah to be hurt or confused by any of this. Is she going to be told?"
"No," Old Quil answered. "Emily, you can't tell anyone about this, even Leah. This is the tribe's most sacred secret."
"Alright, it's just I've never kept a secret from her but I understand. Thank you for everything but I…I need to go. Sam, I'll let you know, soon. I promise," and with that she walked towards the door to leave the house.
"Well, Sam, I think that went over well. Why don't you go home and rest, you look tired. You need to be at your best. I think Jared will be phasing soon, all the signs are there. He's going to need you to help him become acquainted with the ins and outs of phasing."
Emily felt like celebrating. She already knew what her answer would be. She wanted Sam to be everything for her. And he would be. She'd bet her life that a few hours of him waiting for her to decide what she wanted would be enough to make him anxious.
He'd be sweating bullets and she would show up and he'd think everything was going to be fine. He'd think that she would decide to be friends so that he could have the best of both worlds. She wouldn't say anything right away; she'd just get closer to him, maybe touch him, and see what happened.
She remembered learning about wolves in biology, they mated for life. She understood what imprinting was really about, it was about finding a mate. Not a friend or sister but a mate. And that's what she wanted and she would be. Sam would never know what hit him.
It had been hours since his meeting with Emily and Old Quil and Sam was irritated and anxious. What could be taking her so long? How hard was it to decide that she wanted to be friends? And his fucking wolf wouldn't shut up. If Sam could, he'd take the fucker outside and shoot him. Why couldn't his wolf just be happy and content with what he…they already had? They had Leah; she was beautiful, generous, and loving.
And of course, every time he thought like that the fucker starting snarling. Not our mate. Not our mate. Emily mate. Claim her. Sam decided he'd rather be wandering around the forest stuck as a wolf then in this fucked-up version of The Twilight Zone.
He heard the sound of a car pulling up to the front of the house. Shit, I hope that's not Leah. I can't deal with her right now, he thought. He listened to the footfalls and realized that it wasn't Leah, it was Emily. Finally, we can get this shit done he thought.
He walked over to the door and pulled it open just as Emily was going to knock. He realized by the look on her face that he'd surprised her. "Sorry," he apologized. "Super hearing, I forget that normal humans wouldn't have heard much more than the car pulling in, much less someone's footsteps up to the door."
"It's okay. I was just startled. Can I come in?"
"Sure," he said stepping out of her way. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"
"No, thank you though for the offer."
He led her into the living room and he sat on the couch. He was momentarily surprised when she chose to sit next to him. He thought that she would have picked one of the two chairs. He shrugged in shoulders in confusion and started, "So…"
"Sam, I want to thank you again, you know, for giving me time," she said as she laid a hand on his arm. "It wasn't what I was expecting to hear and I guess…well I freaked out a bit. It's not every day that you find out you're in a room with someone who turns into a wolf."
"It's alright," he assured her as he felt strangely comforted with his touch. Of course, the fucker was happy. He was ecstatic; he could feel the fucker practically dancing at her small touch.
"It must have been so frightening for you when it happened. It was the same day that I made the soup for you, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, the elders said I'd had the symptoms for weeks and when it happened, well it didn't take much to set me off."
"What happened when Leah came over?" she asked and then blushed as she apologized, "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me. I should mind my own business."
"No…it's alright. We argued, I wasn't feeling like myself and well, you know Leah. She's a firecracker sometimes. She ended up saying some things and then left. I couldn't stop thinking about what she said and the next thing I knew I was running outside and I changed into a wolf."
"I understand, Sam. Leah and I have had our share of disagreements," she shared as she scooted closer to him. "Does it hurt when you change?"
"Yeah, the first time, you feel like you're being stretched on the rack and boiled in oil at the same time. Now it's not so bad, you become used to it and your body becomes used to it." His wolf was purring as Emily began to softly stroke his skin.
"Can I see you?"
If he wanted to shoot the fucker before, he was ready to tear him apart, burn him, and toss his ashes into the ocean. His wolf was excited at the notion of showing himself off. Of course, he couldn't deny her request.
"We have to go outside for it. There's not a lot of room in here and the change is quite explosive."
"Alright, let's go," she cried out, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a standing position. Together they walked hand-in-hand towards the door. Just the simple gesture of their hands together made him hard. Fuck he thought this was not going to be easy. She'd better figure out what the fuck she wants and soon.
"Okay, I'm going to go into the woods right over there," he pointed to the forest behind his house. "I'll phase and then I'll come out. You need to understand that my wolf, well the Quileute wolves are bigger than a normal wolf. My wolf's color is black. So just stay right here."
"Alright, I'll wait right here," she promised with a smile.
Sam walked just into the woods and removed his shorts. Centering himself, he felt himself transform into his wolf. He walked out of the woods towards Emily. She stood there transfixed with a smile on her face. There was no fear. As he moved closer to her, she reached her hand out and touched his fur.
"You're beautiful," she breathed as she stroked the fur along his head. Sam looked up at her and into her eyes. Suddenly he felt as if the world stopped spinning, they were the only two people in the world, she was what held him here, and she was his.
He found himself once again on two legs, standing naked before her. "Emily," he sighed as he leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers. She returned his hesitant kiss and deepened it. He picked her up and carried her inside. Soon they found themselves in a tangle of sweat-dampened limbs. He was complete, his wolf happy.