A/N: Thanks to those who left me reviews and keep doing it... it encourages the writer to keep going. Enjoy!
**Thanks Dani for Beta-ing...
Chapter 9: The Gathering
Amelia's POV
The rest of the week flew by and it was already Saturday, the day of the gathering. I spent most of the days doing patrols with Thomas, he, like me, enjoyed running freely around the forest. Kaleb wasn't reporting to do patrols, but I didn't mind. I needed some time without him in my head. What he was doing was a complete mystery to Thomas and me, and we really didn't care. Well, at least I pretended I didn't care. Ever since that day we killed the vamps, I couldn't help but wonder what he was hiding from us. I also wanted to know what was more important than his duty as protector.
Ugh, stop thinking about him, I would constantly tell myself, while Thomas just laughed at how strange my brain worked.
My clavicle was completely healed and in its right place, thanks to Jared. The next morning, apart from feeling sore, I felt like I didn't suffer an injury. Emily recounted the story of how he re-broke the clavicle. Just the mere thought made me flinch. But at the moment, I was feeling completely fine. There were times that I didn't even remember that it was broken. I still felt a little weird about how fast we could heal.
Hey, shouldn't we be heading back to get ready for tonight? Thomas asked me.
Yeah, let's finish this lap and head back, I answered. We started to run really fast and, in minutes, finished the last lap.
Thomas was very excited about the gathering, he told me that they usually were boring, but now, knowing that the legends were true, he wanted to find out more about them. I was feeling the same, but at the same time, anxious. What if everyone noticed that Kaleb and I weren't on the best of terms and didn't approve of how things were going in the pack?
As soon as patrol was finished, Tommy and I phased back. He went to his house to sleep a little bit before getting ready for the reunion. I was planning to also take a short nap, but when I got home, that plan became impossible.
Loud voices were coming from the living room. I didn't want to see people, but as soon as I stepped through the back door, Emily saw me.
"Ami, you're finally home. Come to the living room, Leah's already here," Emily said with so much excitement that she was almost jumping up and down. Seeing her like that brought a smile on my face. We started to walk to the living room, but she stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot. Are you hungry? You must be, as you were out all day on patrol." I loved it when Emily acted so maternal. I sometimes wondered if my mother would have been like Emily was with me.
"Yeah, I'm starving," I said while rubbing my stomach.
"Well then, go and see everyone, they're waiting for you. I'll bring your food to the living room."
I walked to the living room and as soon as everyone saw me, they got really quiet and stared at me. Great now I'm a freak to stare at.
"Ami? Oh my God, you're so big, and a complete woman," Leah yelled with delight and approached me. She was still the same Leah I remembered, but a little older, and her hair was long, it reached her hips. She then hugged me with such force; she must have known it was not easy being a shape shifter. She released me and looked at me from head to toe. Probably remembering when she was like this, tall and muscular like a boy. When she stepped back and started to walk to the couch, I saw who else was in there. Right behind Leah was a little boy around the age of six, maybe seven. He probably was her son, Mekhan. On the couch, where she sat, was a man I barely recognized, he must have been her husband. His name was William or something close.
In the love seat were Quil and Claire, who was holding her huge belly. She was beaming at me. Before the change, I used to visit her frequently, especially when I needed some girl quality time. Quil was holding her really close and was rubbing her belly with a huge hand. Now that I knew what imprinting was, I recognized it everywhere.
"Hey everyone," I said timidly while trying to smile. But I was a little scared, so the smile didn't come out like I wanted.
Leah cuddled next to her husband, he was looking at me as if expecting me to explode and attack him. She probably told him I was still a little unstable. I breathed and relaxed a little bit. Sam came behind me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. He must have noticed the tension in the room.
"So, Will, how's everything going with the company?" Sam asked Leah's husband. I was right, his name was William. They started a small conversation while I decided to sit on the floor in front of the coffee table. I still felt everyone looking at me.
"So, Leah, how's everything in Oregon? I see Mekhan is so big, how old is he?" I said. The boy smiled at me for calling him big and sat near me. At least he wasn't scared of me.
"Well, everything is great in Oregon; of course, I sometimes miss the eternal green around this place. But we're happy over there. Will is doing well in his job and we're thinking about buying a bigger house, he wants another cub around the place." Her eyes were sparkling when she talked. "And Mekhan, here, in two months will be seven. Won't you sweetie?" she asked, while patting his head, messing up his hair.
He rolled his eyes and tried to fix it. "Mom, please, you're embarrassing me," Mekhan whined. He was completely blushing. I couldn't help but laugh.
"And I see everyone here is okay. Emily told me the interesting things that have happened since the last time I came, which wasn't a pleasant visit." Leah stopped talking for a second and took a deep breath. She evidently still missed Sue, I did too. "I'm still a little in shock. I screamed when I saw Claire with her belly." She looked at Claire and gave her a big smile. This imprinting thing does wonders. Before Leah imprinted on Will, she would never have sounded that cheery.
At that moment, Emily came into the living room with my food, a huge plate filled with everything she could fit on it. Everyone looked at the plate as she placed it in front of me, and started to laugh. I laughed, too, because someone who didn't know about me would be shocked to see me eat the whole thing.
"Wow, I remember when I ate that much," Quil said while rubbing away the tears that escaped his eyes from laughing too hard. Claire looked at him with mock in her eyes.
"You still eat like that, and if I don't feed you, you become grumpy," she told him. He just shrugged and kissed her swiftly on the lips.
"So Claire, how many more months until the little monster comes out?" I asked Claire as I devoured my food. I was really starving. After the laugh, everyone relaxed a little bit and continued with their small talk.
"Two more," she huffed. "I can't wait to hold it and see if it looks like Quil." They were both rubbing her belly. I remembered when Quil told Claire he loved her. She, at the beginning, freaked out, but then realized she also loved him. Now I knew he must have told her about imprinting. They got married a year and a half ago and when she found out she was pregnant, everyone threw a celebration. Emily was ecstatic; she literally raised Claire as she was her niece.
"You still don't know if it's a boy or a girl?" Leah asked Claire.
"No, it's in a position that the doctor can't see the private part. My baby is shy, not like the Daddy." Everyone laughed at the embarrassed expression Quil gave her. I didn't want to think about what she really meant.
I was still eating when, through the corner of my eye, I saw Emily and Sam tense up. They were sitting in a small sofa near Claire and Quil. At the same moment, I felt someone standing behind me.
"Hey, Leah, didn't know I was going to see you before tonight." Luke's voice was tense, like he was doing everything in his power to sound cheery. Leah stood up from the couch and went to give him a hug. When she let go, Luke approached Will and shook his hand. He did the same to Quil and patted Claire's belly. He didn't even glance at me.
I kept my head down; I didn't want to see him ignore me like that. It was what I wanted, right? I felt like tears were going to burst out if I looked at him. He walked behind me and I couldn't help it, I looked back. He was going to where he left Catlyn. She was looking at her feet, probably scared of looking at me. I wanted them to look me in the eyes and see how much pain I was in.
Leah was talking to him and meeting Catlyn. Everyone must have felt the tension between me and them because they started to make small talk. All I did was stare at my hands. I didn't even finish my food, all I wanted to do was go to my room and cry my eyes out. I stayed in that position while everyone continued their conversations. I came back when I felt someone's hand on my back. I looked up and it was Claire. Her eyes were pained; I caused her pain by acting like that. But I couldn't control the pain my heart was sending to all my body.
"Do you want to go to your room and talk?" she asked me with her sweet soothing voice. I nodded and she started to lead me upstairs.
When we passed the living room doorway, I peeked at Cat and Luke. They were still talking to Leah. In a split second, I saw Cat hesitate, like she was going to talk to me. But Luke embraced her and she looked away.
Once in my room, Claire and I sat on the bed. My face was full of tears, they kept coming and I couldn't stop them. Claire was patting my head in a motherly way.
"Hey, you're stronger than this. You have to get yourself together." Her voice was full of concern, but at the same time, strong and commanding. Her words made the crying reduce a little bit.
"You're right, it's just so hard. He acts like he doesn't know me or pretend I'm not there. It's killing me inside slowly. I try to be strong, I have to be strong, the pack is depending on it. It's just, sometimes it's harder. I haven't seen Cat since that night I changed. She must hate me for acting like this." I sobbed. Without realizing, I let every emotion that was putting pressure on my heart out. All Claire did was listen, and I appreciated that.
After I finished talking, she just sat next to me in silence. Then all of a sudden, she hugged me and whispered in my ear, "Everything is going to be fine, I know it. You just have to be patient." I just stayed in her embrace, it felt good. Then abruptly, she let go.
"What? It's something wrong?" I was scared, what if something was wrong with the baby. But when I looked at her she was smiling.
"Don't worry, it just kicked." She was beaming and her eyes were sparkling. She grabbed my hand and put it on top of her belly. Her skin felt weird, like plastic when it's overstretched. As soon as my skin made contact with her belly, I felt a poke.
"Wow, that feels weird." It was all I could say. I was lost in the moment, appreciating every second of it. There I was, crying like crazy because of all my problems, while this little being was growing without any worries. Feeling the baby brought new tears to my eyes, but these were of joy.
Claire was looking at me smiling. "The baby must like the warmth you radiate. I have an idea. Why don't I make you feel better about yourself? You know some girl time like old times." I removed my hand and looked at her; she was looking excited, probably thinking of what to do to me.
"I don't know. I feel like I attract too many stares already, I don't want to attract more." I was actually a little scared of Claire's makeovers, she sometimes went overboard.
"Come on, please. You definitely need a haircut and some nice clothes won't kill you. Unless you were planning on going to the gathering in those shorts and that ragged shirt." She put on her sad puppy face. That I couldn't resist, and how was I going to say no to a pregnant woman? They were supposed to be scary and hormonal.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Okay, do wonders to me."
For the rest of the day, I spent it between my room and the bathroom. After taking an hour long shower, Claire insisted that I needed to get rid of all the dirt, she led me back to my room so she could cut my hair. It was already short, but it didn't have form or style. She wasn't a professional, but at least knew what she's doing. After she finished with my hair, she went to my nails and toenails. They were really dirty; when she saw them she had to suppress a groan. At the end, she cleaned them and painted them a light purple color. Then she continued with makeup. I didn't argue once. I was actually enjoying this moment, it had only been a little more than two weeks since the change, and I already needed to feel like a female again.
While she worked on me, she talked about how things were with Quil. She told me that he came home every day from work carrying bags of things he would buy for the baby. Even though he didn't look it, being so big and muscular, Quil was an adorable guy. He would do anything to please his imprint and coming baby.
When she finished with the makeup, I was fidgeting because I wanted to see myself in the mirror. Next, she went to my closet and started to look for clothes. When she came out with a white dress, I had to stop her there.
"I'm not wearing that. It probably doesn't fit me anymore. I've grown, you know, and I only wore it one time, for Charlie's funeral," I complained.
She just huffed and went again to the closet. At the end, we decided to go simple. Some skinny jeans, which before were loose on my legs, but now were really tight. I complained about that, but Claire gave me a nasty look and told me I looked good. I wore a green v-neck t-shirt that accentuated my little curves and on top a black hoodie. I matched my shirt with my green Converse. When she finished with me, I felt so comfortable and happy, that I didn't regret what she did to me.
"Are you going to look at yourself in the mirror?" She asked me with desperation. She followed me to the body length mirror and stared at my reaction. I was shocked. My hair was jaw line long with short bangs. My makeup was simple but it made my eyes look greener. I actually liked what she did to me. I looked at her and gave her a big smile.
"Thanks, you know, for everything. You always have time for me and I haven't even paid you a visit," I told her while still looking at myself in the mirror.
"Don't worry; I know you're going through a tough time. Just remember when you feel down, call me or go to my house. And if one day you want to repay me, when the baby comes, you can babysit." She had a sheepish smile. I just nodded and started to head downstairs. Everyone had already left for the gathering except Quil and Sam who were waiting for us.
When we got to the bonfire area, where we usually did these reunions, almost everyone was there. I could see Jared and Kim sitting next to Thomas who waved at me with a huge smile on his face. Next to them was Paul and Rachel, they were cuddled together. I also saw Collin and Brady with their wives, I assumed. And so many others that I knew, but didn't socialize with. Some of them were with their girlfriends or wives and kids. Everyone was enjoying their time.
I noticed, immediately, that Kaleb wasn't around, which made me worry, but I pushed it aside. Why would I worry about him? After saying hi to everyone, I sat next to Sam and Emily. Next to Emily was Luke and Cat. I repressed my feelings and looked ahead concentrating on the fire.
It was the first time Cat was going to hear the legends. She wasn't Quileute, her parents moved from California when she was eleven. Luke probably convinced her to come with him. If the transformation wouldn't have occurred, I would have been sitting with them joking and having a nice time.
"Hey there, you're looking good. I like the makeover," Thomas said to me. He was wearing some dark jeans and a blue T-shirt that accentuated his muscles.
"Yeah, I guess I needed it. I was feeling a little boyish lately." Thomas laughed. "Oh, I almost forgot. After the official gathering, we'll be staying a little longer. Sam told me that the members of the old pack want to talk to us in private. You know, not everyone here knows the 'secret'," I said in a whisper, so only he would hear me.
"Okay. Have you seen or heard from Kaleb? He was supposed to be here already," he asked me. I just shrugged. After our little chat, he left to sit next to Jared and Kim.
When everyone had arrived, Emily and Sam started to talk, welcoming those who came every year and those who were new. I just put my hoodie up and closed my eyes. I wanted to concentrate on hearing the legends. I could feel the spirits of the legends rise up and join us. They spoke through Emily's and Sam's voices.
After five minutes of Emily and Sam talking, I felt Kaleb arrive. My eyes were still closed, but I could make out his scent. I didn't know why it was so familiar. I ignored the feelings the smell brought and concentrated on the legends and the images it created in the back of my eyelids.
I was so immersed in the thoughts and images the legends left in my mind, that I didn't noticed that Emily and Sam had stopped talking. I could feel a lone tear going down my cheek. The feelings the legends brought were so overwhelming, I could still feel the spirits surround me. I was brought back by the greatest scent I've ever smelled and by the voice that followed it. I didn't open my eyes and waited.
"We need to talk, in private."
Kaleb's POV
I didn't know what was happening to me. I thought I was losing my mind. All my life I had been sure of what to do, but now I didn't even know where I was standing. Everything changed that day we killed the leeches. One moment, Thomas and I were tearing apart the male vamp, the next I felt the need to check how Amelia was doing. That's when I saw the female grab her and squeeze. I felt the pain when she broke one of her bones. Without knowing what I was doing, I ran and grabbed the vamp and ripped her head off.
Why did I help her?
I usually didn't give a shit about people who didn't deserve it. Maybe it was the fact that I knew she was suffering more than me. The only thing I had to stop doing, since the change, was going out with girls and being intimate with them. I was afraid to hurt them; I didn't know how in control I was. It didn't bother me that I couldn't see my friends, they didn't matter that much to me.
But Amelia's situation was different. I saw in her thoughts how much she was suffering because she couldn't be around Luke, not even talk to him. I noticed that she was already having a hard life. Growing up without a mother and not knowing who your father was could make you a bitter person. I understood why she was always in defensive mode; she didn't want people to hurt her more. Even though we agreed to keep out of each other's minds, it was hard not to listen to her depressive thoughts.
And then that day she thanked me, letting down all the walls and showing she could feel. I was already freaked out by the fact that I helped her that when she thanked me, it sent me into a frenzy of thoughts and feelings. Even though I tried to hide every emotion that was passing through me, I knew Ami and Thomas noticed my weird behavior. All I wanted to say was "you're welcome", but I got scared that she was going to see my soft side. So, I insulted her instead. It took all my concentration to keep my thoughts hidden and when we got near Sam's house, I invented an excuse and phased out.
Thank God Thomas changed like us. The past two days, I wanted some time on my own, and if Tommy wasn't around, that would have been impossible as Amelia couldn't do patrols alone because it was dangerous. Now, she at least could do them with him. I thought she was going to track me down and insult me for not doing patrols with them, but she didn't and that surprised me. Maybe she was enjoying some time without me being around.
I needed to clear my head so people in the gathering wouldn't notice that something was wrong with me. I really didn't want to go to the reunion; I didn't know how I was going to react when I saw her face to face.
Why do I keep feeling regret about how I treated her that day?
Never in my life had I felt like that. It was like, if I didn't apologize to her, my life would continue to feel out of place. Maybe I should have just said sorry and got it over with, so I could continue my wretched life. But what if she laughed at me or mocked me. She was capable of doing that, all to maintain her tough appearance.
Ugh, let's get this over with. I stepped out of the house and ran to the beach. It turned out the running helped me a little bit with clearing my head. My plan was just to listen to the legends, apologize to Amelia, and get back home. I didn't want to linger or talk to the members of the old pack. Dad told me they were going to stay after the ceremony and talk to me, Tommy, and Amelia. I didn't know what they wanted to say to us, and I didn't care.
When I got to the bonfire area, this one was different than the one we made parties. This area was more remote, everyone was already seated and Emily and Sam had started telling the stories. I could recognize some of the members of the old pack, Sam, Jared, Quil, my dad, Collin, Brady and many others that I didn't know very well. They were all big and muscular like me, but their faces contained such wisdom. They obviously gained a lot of knowledge in the few years as werewolves.
I sat quietly next to Dad, he gave me a reproachful look but I ignored it and continued to look around. Next to Sam was Amelia, her head was down and her hoodie shadowed it a little bit, but I saw her features perfectly, thanks to my wolf vision. Her eyes were closed and I saw a lone tear run down her cheek. What could be the cause of that tear?
I noticed that she was wearing makeup and nice clothes. I couldn't help it and started to look at her from head to foot. What is wrong with me, she's my Alpha, not a girl I could be interested in checking out, I thought.
I distracted myself by concentrating on hearing the legends, but got sidetracked again when I noticed someone was looking at me with a killer stare. Luke was sitting next to Emily, and on his side was Catlyn holding his hand. So they ended up together. He must have known how to play, pick up the pieces I left behind. I wondered if she was going to give herself to him as soon as she did to me. All I did was stare back at Luke and smirk. His hands were shaking a little bit, could he be changing or was it just common anger. I didn't see any other changes; he was still the same guy as before. When he saw my smirk, he almost stood up, but Cat put her hands on his face and whispered in his ear. He relaxed a little and looked away.
The rest of the night passed really fast and, without realizing, Sam and Emily had finished telling the stories. Everyone was forming small conversations. I looked at Amelia and she was still in the same position, still with her eyes closed. I decided to get this over with. I stood up and walked to where she was. I stood in front of her, she didn't move.
"We need to talk, in private," I said to her. I started to walk without looking if she was following me, I didn't want to beg her to listen to me.
I walked to a small space between some trees. Nobody was going to hear us, except maybe Tommy if he wanted. I turned around and she was standing a few feet from me. I was surprised that she followed me, I expected her to ignore me. She was looking at the floor; I wanted her to look at me. I wanted to approach her and…
God why am I feeling like this, I don't care about this girl, I can't care about her, I shouted in my head.
I needed to start talking, but all I did was stand there staring at her. She was wearing skinny jeans that hugged her legs and hips in the right places, making them stand out. Her shirt was a simple green one, but it accentuated her curves, making me want to grab her and hold her close to me. Snap out of it Kaleb! I screamed at myself.
"Amelia, I just wanted to apologize for snapping at you when you said thank you," I blurted out. She tensed up a little bit; probably not what she expected me to say.
"You're apologizing to me? Why?" Her voice was just a whisper and she kept looking down. Why didn't she look at me?
"Because…" I took a deep breath. "I don't know, it has been nagging me these past two days, so I decided to get it out of my system. So, sorry for the way I acted." I was getting mad. Why was she acting like this? I would prefer for her to scream at me, than stand there petrified, looking at her feet. I got tired, so I approached her.
"Look at me," I said to her. I was really close to her. I could smell her scent; it was like the smell of Lilies on the first day of spring. She didn't look up when she spoke.
"What do you want? I accept your apology, okay." She was breathing really hard, I could hear her heartbeat, it was racing quickly.
"I just want you to look at me while I say sorry. That's all, please." I've never said please to someone. I wasn't acting like myself, well I was, but I wasn't acting like I always tried to act around people. She took a deep breath and look up directly into my eyes.
Everything stopped.
I didn't hear anything, just her heart beating really fast. All the little things that mattered in my life disappeared and all I could see were those green eyes. I wanted to get lost in them forever. I couldn't even blink. I was afraid that if I did, she was going to disappear. Looking into her eyes, I understood why I helped her, why I needed to say sorry, why I felt a pull towards her. I understood why her smell was the best and so mind blowing, why she seemed so attractive to me. Because I had found my other half, the one who completed me.
My Imprint.
I wanted to touch her face, caress her like I'd never touched another woman. Feel her lips on mine; hear her say my name with love and passion. But there I stood, without moving a muscle. I remembered that I was supposed to apologize while looking directly at her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered while covering my words with every emotion I felt at that moment. Love, wanting, desperation. I wanted to let her know how I was feeling.
Then my heart shuddered when she backed away, turned around, and left running. I thought I knew what is was like to be heartbroken, but now I knew that I definitely didn't know. What I felt in that moment was agonizing and couldn't be described completely in words. I felt my heart break piece by piece and those pieces didn't disappear. They stayed inside my chest, burning and with every beat, they would send through my body a different wave of pain.
Without realizing, I was on the floor, bent over with my face almost touching the ground. I was clutching my chest, afraid that it was going to literally bleed to death. My face was wet with tears, as I was crying out of control. Life was cruel, why did I have to imprint on the one girl who wasn't going to respond. I didn't want to feel. Every time I thought of her, more pain would run through my body. I let the burning take over and very fast, I was in my wolf form. I started to run really fast without knowing where I was going. All I wanted was to feel the wind on my fur, the way my paws sank on the moist ground. But those things didn't take away the pain or erase her perfect face from my mind. Her eyes haunted my thoughts; those deep green eyes caused me so much agony. Lost in my thoughts and suffering I felt someone phase.
Is it her? I hope is her.
Her who? Thomas asked. He was worried because Amelia and I left and hadn't come back.
No one you should know about. I immediately covered my emotions and thoughts by concentrating on my surroundings.
What happened? Where did you and Ami go? Where is she? He was worried that I did something to her. Why didn't he think that she did something to me?
We were talking and she left, probably to her house, I thought with a blank voice. I didn't want to talk to anyone, but if I phased back, the pain was going to be worse. Tommy why don't you phase back, I want to be alone right now.
But everyone is waiting for you and Ami. Every time he said her name a shot of pain traveled to my heart and all I wanted to do was howl with such agony. Remember they wanted to talk to us. He must have been feeling my pain, but he acted like he didn't. He must have known that I didn't want him to see my thoughts.
Tell them I'm not feeling well. I wasn't lying there; I wasn't feeling up to talking to a bunch of guys. Tell them I'm sorry but tonight is not the right time. Please phase out. I waited, he just stayed for a while trying to decipher my emotions. Then he gave up and phased out. I felt like if he stayed a little longer, I was going to lose it with him there.
I started to run again really fast, still not knowing where I was heading. Something in the back of my mind told me to look around. I was near her house. I could smell her. Having her so close brought back all the painful emotions tenth fold. I couldn't stand it anymore so I let out all my pain in a deep loud howl, once, twice, three times. Not even in my wolf form I couldn't escape my feelings. I phased to my human form and ran home. I just wanted to pass out and forget everything.
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