AN: Nothing can damage an ego like a big drop in hits & reviews haha. Not sure if it's the changes on the site, the length of time between updates, or general lack of interest in the story. Won't lie though, that kinda hurt. Eh well, enough of that. Thanks to those of you who did review! Here's another chapter. I don't know if I'll be able to post next weekend (another busy week), but we'll see. As always, I hope you enjoy and review if you feel inclined!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


"Everything east of the San Andreas Fault will eventually plunge into the Atlantic Ocean"

Embry's POV

I felt an amazing sense of protection and warmth as I lay in the bed, wrapped in my imprint's arms. After the past 24 hours, and all of the chaos that had led up to it, we were finally able to be together. He was finally mine. Although I had been occupied with other things after imprinting on Quil and subsequently being taken in by him, I had been slightly afraid that maybe his wolf would find someone else more suitable for him. That worry was now long gone.

That didn't mean that I felt amazing, however. I still couldn't believe that I had done it. I know that it had been necessary, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I had killed my mother. The person who had given me life and raised me was gone, and at my hands no less. I no longer had the sham of a family that I had always accepted as normal, but I guess that had happened the minute she left me behind. Still, she had threatened my brother, my mate, my pack, and ultimately showed no care about me. As much as I hated that I'd needed to kill her, I know I would do the exact same thing if the situation was rewound.

The arms around me tightened slightly alerting me to my imprint's imminent waking. "Quit thinking so much. I can feel it rolling off of you" he murmured into my back as he pulled me closer into him.

I maneuvered myself so that we lay chest to chest. As comfortable as having my back molded into his chest was, I wanted to look at him. I could finally just take him in. I'd always thought he was something to look at, but the change had done wonders for him. His chest was broad, his muscles much larger than mine. He was still shorter than me, but you'd never suspect that he was anything less than 21. The curls atop his head and the youthful look that seemed permanently etched on his face were the only things that could ever be construed as young.

A small smile graced his face as he pulled me closer. "Like what you see?" he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine.

I blushed at the knowledge that I'd been caught checking him out. I mean, even if I'd always wanted this, we hadn't been this open with each other for long. It still felt a little awkward, but I wouldn't change it for anything. He was my mate, but it'd take a little time to actually adjust to the fact that he accepted that fact.

We lay like that for a while before his mom called out to us for lunch. I looked at the clock, realizing that it was already after noon. I guess that the fight with the newborns and then the last two had really drained us all. We threw on some cutoffs and headed towards the kitchen, both our stomachs rumbling as the smell of food hit us. A lot had happened since our last meal and it was only now that I realized just how hungry we both were.

We were overcome with the buffet presented in front of us. Piles of burgers and hotdogs, potato salad, and various other delicious foods were presented.

"I imagine you guys might be a little hungry" his mom chuckled, walking out of the kitchen. We wasted no time in sitting down, quickly beginning to inhale the platter before us. I had the full-blown appetite of a shifter again, that's for sure.

After we ate everything that was there, we grinned at each other sheepishly. That should have been enough food to throw a party, but we'd completely devoured it. I felt kinda like a pig, but my hunger was definitely satisfied. We moved everything into the dishwasher, at least trying to be somewhat respectful after his mother's kindness.

We walked into the living room, finding his mother and grandfather sitting there. "Why don't you two have a seat" the elder said.

We nervously sat down on the couch, waiting to hear the lecture that was about to happen. I know Quil had been hesitant to breach this topic with them and I hated that it had been forced out by recent events. Sometimes you just have to deal with it though.

"Is there anything that you two would like to say?" Old Quil asked.

Quil sighed before beginning. "There's no point in hiding it. Embry and I imprinted on each other."

"And what do you expect out of this relationship? You know that you don't have to be…mates…just because you imprinted, right? You can protect each other, be best friends & brothers, but it's not necessary for you to be anything more than that." his grandfather continued.

I held my breath, not daring to look at Quil. I know that he had said he loved me, but would he defy his family's wishes? It seemed obvious from his hints that the elder wasn't comfortable with the thought of us being together.

"I'm sorry Gramps, but I love him and I know that he loves me. He's my soul mate and my mate, and although I hope you'll understand, I am willing to leave if it is necessary. I love you both, but I can't put anyone before Em anymore. I've already hurt him enough" he said, clasping my hand in his.

"I can't say that I'm overly enthused at this development, but we're not going to kick you out or anything. You're still our family, even if I think your choice is slightly…unnatural. Still, you're both welcome here for as long as you want, whether that's through school or longer" he said, heading out the door. Although it wasn't quite as supportive as I'd hoped, I wouldn't complain. At least he was making an effort to show understanding, even if he didn't fully endorse our being together.

We headed over to Sam's for a debrief of what all had taken place over the past two days. Quil still felt guilty for attacking his Alpha, but Sam brushed it off, saying that he'd have done the same if it were Emily at risk and my mom's little power had definitely not helped anything. You can't help but to feel protective of your imprint. That's right, we actually admitted it to the rest of the pack. I guess the Seth/Jake situation had prepared the way for it to not be so much of a big deal, but I was still nervous. The pack was supportive though and I felt finally able to relax a bit.

After the meeting, we were released for the day. Even though we knew that duties would pick back up soon, Sam recognized that everyone was still exhausted after the past couple of days. For that I was grateful. Quil moved all of my things into his room. Although we weren't really looking to actively push forward too fast, I still felt a lot better with his arms wrapped around me. He passed me the clothes from my bins before finally opening up the small box before I could see what he was doing.

"What are these, Em?" he asked. I froze as I watched him pulling out several of the figures that I had carved over the years. For some reason I was really worried what he would think. Was I weird for making them? Or, more importantly, would he like them?

"They're…um…just this thing that I picked up doing. I found carving used to calm me." I mumbled, afraid to see his reaction until I felt his arms wrap around me.

"They're amazing Em. I wish you had shown us. They're extremely cool." He said, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

I sighed in relief as we continued to unpack. He placed several of the figures around the room, rather than back in the box, however. I looked at him curiously as he did it, only to receive a shrug in return. "What can I say? We're wolves. It seems appropriate to have them out, not just hidden away." He said nonchalantly. It was then that I fully realized that I'd never have to hide anything from him. I had no desire to keep anything from him.

With that revelation, my separation from the pack seemed to disappear. I guess I felt like I didn't need to have these walls up to protect me from anyone. The relief of it seemed to dissolve my "ability" to remain distant, allowing the others to see freely through my eyes like I could theirs. You might think this would bother me, but I liked it. I had nothing to hide and from that point, it just made me feel like more of a packmate to them all.

After that first day, we continued our patrols. Despite having dealt with the latest threat, there was still a lot of vampire traffic through the area. We didn't really know why, as we'd expected that Victoria and her army had been the ultimate reason for our creation. Still, even if it was just dealing with rogues, we'd continue to phase. I honestly couldn't imagine stopping right now anyway. Spending anything less than an eternity with Quil seemed like a horrible concept.

We were running one of these patrols one evening when we caught something on the air. It seemed like another leech and we both took off towards the pungent odor. It wasn't exactly ideal, as we were the only two around. Everyone wanted to take their imprints out, so we'd drawn straws to see who would be stuck patrolling. Luck hadn't been on Quil's side this time, so he and I were the ones out here.

Sure enough, we came across 5 leeches, all with blood red eyes. They smirked as we approached, knowing they had the numbers advantage. I recognized where we were, and to say that I wasn't exactly happy with their choice of fighting locations would be an understatement. God I hated the cliffs.

As we neared, they charged, three going after Quil while the other two came at me. It wasn't a fair fight, but Quil and I each were able to end one of our attackers. Still, the numbers were against us. On top of that, our positions had changed, leaving us cornered. I looked behind me to see the edge getting closer as the remaining three approached.

As they stalked closer, something caught their senses and one of them turned around. I seized the opportunity to shred him as two wolves barreled out of the forest at full speed. They were small pups, even compared to Seth. I watched as one charged into the leech in front of me, taking him down quickly.

The other, however, didn't have nearly as much control of his momentum. He charged at the remaining leech, only to be thrown aside, straight into Quil. I watched in horror as Quil flew over the edge, absorbing all of the momentum from the flying wolf. The pup was able to scamper back up and attack the final leech, who went down easily at the hands of the pair.

The two wolves were coming to their senses, but I didn't have time to pay them any mind. I looked over the edge, not seeing Quil anywhere. The others were panicking a bit, but I ordered them down to the beach. I may not have official authority, but they weren't about to question me. I stepped back and sprinted towards the edge, launching myself over and towards the water and phasing mid-dive. I may have been petrified of this, but I would not allow that to keep me from going after him. Losing Quil was the scariest thing I could ever imagine.

Quil's POV

I felt the hard body of the pup slam into me and braced myself to try and stop him from crashing over the edge. Fortunately for him, I was big enough to be a pretty decent backstop. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't exactly an immovable object. The momentum proved to be enough to send me flying over the edge.

I stared up at the dark clouds before finally reaching the bottom of the cliff, landing with a giant splash. The waves were being uncooperative, a storm obviously on the way. My wolf body was not designed for this, but I couldn't concentrate on anything as I used everything I had to fight the current. Suddenly I felt my head crash into a rock, and as the blood began to flow, my body transformed back to human. The darkness began to consume me, and all I could think about was Embry. Of all the places for me to get hurt, this was probably the worst possible. Em hated the water.

With that fleeting thought, I began to sink into the murky depths of the ocean.


Sorry, I recognize this one was shorter. Still, I feel like I'm coming closer to the end of this story. I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but only time will tell. Afterwards I'll decide on whether or not to write a new one. As always, I'll appreciate any feedback you provide. Hope you enjoyed!