A/N: Here is the next one. Enjoy ad tell me what you think. If you want to know how I'm doing with the next chapter... I give updates through my twitter account. Follow me at twitter(dot)com/MissAndre_27

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Chapter 19: Last Preparations

Sophie's POV

Kissing Luke made me feel more than I'd ever felt in my entire life. It felt prefect and I knew I could kiss someone else and it was never going to please me the same way. But when he rejected me last night, I felt so hurt that I couldn't help but wonder how Freddie would have acted if it was him instead of Luke. I even thought of how Élan would have taken my insinuation of having sex.

I knew that Freddie would have taken me to his place immediately and have his way with me. He had suggested us having sex before—just as friends he always reminded me—but at the time I wasn't ready. Or maybe I felt he wasn't the one I wanted to lose my virginity with. With Freddie, things were only physical, but with Luke it was much more. I wanted to be with him all the time, learn by heart all those little details that made him who he is. Spend hours hearing him, so I could at least get a small glimpse of his way of thinking. I never knew what loving someone—apart from your family—would be like. But now I knew.

I liked being in love, but at the same time it scared me. It was all too uncertain and I didn't know how I was going to react to the ways Luke wanted to take our relationship. I wasn't even sure if that is what we had—was I his girlfriend?

I huffed with frustration and tried once again to concentrate on the book I was reading. It was around noon and I sat on the front porch enjoying the light drizzle that was falling. I had woken up early, expecting Luke to already be there, but he wasn't. I felt horrible for the way I acted the previous night and I wanted to apologize, but he wouldn't even answer his phone. I called various times, only to be sent into voice mail. I gave up after the twentieth time, hoping that he had lost his phone, not that he was mad at me.

After pacing around the house for a while, Mom got exasperated and told me to find something to do. I decided to read a book Élan had given me a while back and that was how I spent the whole morning. The book was pretty interesting—about a girl who killed herself and left a bunch of tapes to some people so they would know why she did it—but it couldn't keep me distracted. Every once in awhile I would get lost in my mind by wondering what could have happened the night before, or about what obviously didn't happen.

I huffed again and closed the book with a loud snap. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Luke's number once again. I wasn't expecting an answer, but decided to leave him a message.

After the beep I said, "Luke…I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday—it was childish. I want to talk to you in person and apologize properly, so please come to my house or return my call…I love you." I pushed the end button, feeling once again disappointed that he hadn't answered.

An hour later I was watching a movie with Michal. Mom came into the living room and sat on my side.

"Sophie, what's wrong? You've had a frown all day and I don't like it," Mom said. In moments like this I didn't like how observant my mother was.

"Nothing's wrong," I mumbled. Michal gave me a look as if he knew I wasn't being sincere.

"Really? I thought all this moping was over now that you're talking to Luke again." Her stare was piercing a hole on my face, but I held back the tears that wanted to fall. As I didn't speak, she continued, "Sophie you know you can talk to me. I'm not like your father, I understand."

It sounded as if she knew what I was going through. Maybe she did as she was also an imprint. I weighted my options in either telling her what was bothering me, or keep the secret. I decided to give her enough information to satiate her curiosity, but still not admit that I was with Luke in more than just friends.

"I'm just being silly. Luke didn't come today and he's not returning my calls." I felt stupid in saying out loud how I was feeling, but at the same time lighter.

"You don't have to worry. I bet he has a good reason as to why he hasn't come or called. Maybe he had to work or is running with the pack." Mom's words were trying to reassure me that everything was alright, but they did the opposite. I hadn't thought of Luke being in wolf form. Dread rose within me as I thought of him being in trouble—maybe there were vampires around.

An idea occurred to me and I grabbed my phone once again. Only this time I called Aunt Ami's house. There was no answer and I got more worried as there was a great possibility of something gone wrong.

Luke once told me that on my second birthday he had phased close to me so he could keep Kaleb from killing his brother. I didn't remember the event, but he told me I was pretty shaken about it. After that I hadn't had any encounter with any of the guys in wolf form. I had seen Luke as a wolf—when I was little and understood what he could change into, I always asked him to turn into a wolf so I could cuddle him and pet his soft fur—but I prevented thinking of him as a protector or the fact he killed vampires. It was frightening.

"Mom do you think something could have happened? Aunt Ami isn't answering either," I said absentmindedly. Mom had watched me use my phone without saying a word.

"I don't know. But if something came up, be assured that the pack is capable of taking care of themselves. If it was something big, we would have known by now." With that she stood up and left for the kitchen.

Michal was looking at me with big eyes. He was fascinated with the wolves and one day he hoped to join them. He continued to stare at me, annoying the hell out of me.

"What?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird that you and Luke are so close, he's a grown man." Michal didn't know about Luke imprinting on me. He, like me, knew the concept but didn't know I was an imprint.

"He's always been a friend and Mom's cousin."

I was saved from saying more as the phone decided to ring in that moment. I stood from the couch and went to answer it, but Mom beat me to it.

"Hello," she answered. I stayed by her side, trying to find out who it was. There was a nagging feeling in my stomach, as if something had gone wrong.

"Oh my God, really? And are you okay?" Mom asked, her forehead was frowned—a sign that it wasn't good news.

"Who is it? What's going on?" I hissed. Mom just raised her hand, telling me to stop talking.

After a few minutes, I was pacing in front of her. Mom got off the phone; I looked at her waiting for an answer.

"That was Leah. Abigail just phased."

I gasped and couldn't believe what Mom just told me. Abby and I weren't as close as I was with Élan, but we were still friends.

"Wow. She was just telling me yesterday that she's been feeling weird. I never thought that she would…" I let the thought hang in the air as I still couldn't grasp the idea of Abby—the delicate and most beautiful girl—was a wolf. Well I guess the female wolf gene did run in the Clearwater family. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's still in wolf form, but Leah said she's okay." Mom made to leave but turned around as if she had something else to say. "Oh…you don't have to worry about Luke. Apparently there have been suspicions of vampire's attacks on Sequim and last night Jayson and Matthew ran into them. They're okay, but the whole pack spent all night tracking them down until this morning when they finally caught them. That's probably what made Abigail change."

I let out the breath I'd been holding. Luke wasn't mad at me—at least that was what I told myself. That was all it mattered.

I didn't have to wonder how Luke was doing for long, as soon after the phone call, he came through the backdoor, only wearing some cutout shorts. I raked my eyes over his body and resisted the urge to cover his hard chest with kisses.

"Are you alright?" I asked getting closer. I knew he was, but wanted to make sure. I could feel Michal watching us intently and I wondered if he was suspecting something.

"Yeah, it's been a hectic night and day…" He went on with a detailed explanation of what had happened. It seemed it was after midnight when he heard Ami's howl, telling him there was an emergency. They spent all night following the vampires' scent and almost at dawn they caught them—two males and a female. "And you probably already heard about Abigail."

"Yeah, I did. Leah called Mom." It felt awkward being so close to him and not being able to touch him the way I wanted to.

"The weird part is Abby changed after we killed the leeches. Maybe she was already changing and the close proximity triggered the final transformation." Luke was speaking out loud but it was as if he was only speculating to himself.

"She told me yesterday she wasn't feeling well. Probably her close and constant contact with Emma made the effect."

My idea seemed to have had significance on Luke and he nodded his head as if everything made sense now. Of course, Leah being Seth's sister, meant she and her family were some of the few ones who had big contact with Emma and that was bound to leave a mark.

"Are you hungry?" Mom asked. I felt stupid for not thinking about that.

"Well, we hunted on our way back, but I wouldn't mind some cooked food," Luke answered with a chuckle.

I wanted some alone time with him, but I couldn't find a way to have it without raising suspicions. Either Mom or Michal were around asking him a bunch of questions and later Dad arrived from work, making the task harder.

We all ate dinner like old times, Dad re-living old memories through Luke's recount of the night's events. Mom and Dad didn't know it had been Paul who had brought me home last night, so they didn't inquire Luke for answers.

Luke let out a huff and stood from his chair. We were already done eating but were still talking.

"I better get going. I have patrol until midnight with Mathias, and Abby is probably still in wolf form, she'll like some company," Luke said. I pouted a little as I didn't get my alone time with him.

"Okay and keep us informed about anything that happens," Dad said. Mom and Dad started to pick up the dishes and take them to the sink while I followed Luke to the back door.

"I'm sorry, you know…for yesterday," I said feeling once again shy and ashamed of how I had acted.

Luke got really close and inclining his head, he whispered into my ear, "I'll come later, when everyone is asleep. That way we can talk privately."

I only nodded and watched as he ran to the edge of the forest and disappeared in the darkness. The silence was broken by a happy howl and I knew Luke was reassuring me he was alright and that we would talk later.

It was still a little after seven and I got anxious as time seemed to go real slowly. I decided to pass the time in my room. Thankfully, Élan decided to call me and I passed the time talking to him about random stuff. Ever since he had confessed his love to me, I'd prevented talking to him about Luke, as I knew it hurt him. Instead, I brought Abby's situation and we spent hours just discussing what changes we noticed or how things were going to be from now on. At least she had her mother for support and influence and Ami as a mentor. It must have been hard to be on a pack without any other female, but Abby would have Ami.

"Michal was saying earlier that he wished it was him instead of Abby. Sometimes he can be so immature," I told Élan; rolling my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

"Why do you say that?" Élan's tone gave me the impression that he didn't agree with my opinion of Michal. Before I could defend my point, he continued, "You know our dads were the previous protectors and they were proud of it—still are. Why wouldn't we want that important role? You know, make them proud."

"I'm not seeing it like that." I paused to organize my thoughts. "It's scary for us who stay behind knowing that the people we care about and love are out there risking their lives. You must understand our side, too."

Élan stayed quiet as if considering what I had just told him. "I guess you're right if I see it from your perspective. You must be really worried right now knowing that Luke is out there." I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or really couldn't contain his bitterness as he spoke of Luke, but either way, I didn't like his attitude. Neither did I like how the conversation was going, so I changed it.

"Do you want to become a shape-shifter?"

"Well, I'm not looking for Emma so I could rub myself against her, but if it comes, then I'll welcome it as Dad did," he answered.

We continued talking until Mom came into my room and told me I'd been on the phone for too long. Even though it didn't cost me anything to talk to Élan, as we both had the same cell phone plan, our parents always complained when we talked for a long time.

After I hung up, I got ready for bed, went into the living room to say goodnight to everyone, and returned to my room to wait for Luke.

I was reading the same book I had earlier, when I heard some shuffling outside my window. I stood from my bed and walked on tiptoes to my window. A smile broke on my face as I saw Luke jump and clung to the sill, until I opened the window pane. We stood quietly in the middle of my room, just watching each other. It must have been drizzling again as he had droplets in his hair and broad shoulders. Once again I was drawn by his raw beauty, only this time I could act on my instincts. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed my face to his chest, and inhaled his amazing, woodsy scent.

"Mmm…I like how you smell," I whispered and knew he was restraining his laughter as I could hear a rumbling coming from within him.

"I like how you smell, too." He lifted my face and lowered his so our lips could meet. It was a sweet kiss, but it contained how much he loved me and I him.

When our lips parted, I said, "I'm sorry for the way I acted last night, it was childish."

"I'm not mad. I can't be mad at you, you're too adorable," he chuckled.

I raised my hands in frustration and let them fall hard on his chest. He probably didn't feel anything, but my hands were tingling with pain. "So I could act like an ignorant and stupid person all the time and it's not going to make any difference? Luke, I don't want you to be like a robot that does and act as I say."

"I'm not saying that's how things will be. I'm here to talk and tell you how I want to take things with you—set a pace." Luke let go of me and went to my bed. Once he was sitting, he patted his side, telling me to join him.

I went to the bed, but instead of sitting where he told me, I lay on my side and motioned for him to do the same. We ended in a position similar to the one we had that first night he stayed over.

Once we were comfortable, Luke began speaking, "Soph, I know you want to be intimate with me, and trust me, I want it, too. But, we're just starting this relationship and you're too young."

I chuckled darkly as I couldn't believe he was using my age as an excuse. "What age were you when you lost it…your virginity I mean?"

"Seventeen."

"So I'll have to wait until that age or until I'm legal?" I asked, my voice dripping with sullenness.

I saw as Luke's eyes got big and he took a deep breath to control his emotions. I knew I was acting stupid once again, but when I didn't get what I wanted, I got defensive and didn't see clearly who got hurt in the way.

"Do you think you're the only one suffering here?"

"Why suffer at all?" I countered. I was looking directly into his eyes, not wavering in my determination in getting what I wanted. Luke was the one to lower his eyes.

Releasing a breath he said, "You make it sound like its just sex to you. I don't know about you, but for me is more than that. You would be the second girl I would be with." He didn't look at me as he spoke and I felt as though each word was a knife driven through my heart. I hadn't thought of how long Luke had waited to be with me like this and now I was ruining everything by trying to rush things. He obviously wanted the occasion to be special and on the right moment.

"I'm very sorry…again." I inched closer to him, wrapping my arm around his waist. I spoke into his chest, not daring to see his reaction. "When I'm with you, I feel like a kid at a candy store. I just want to taste, see, and experience everything fast because I'm afraid it's all going to disappear or turn into a dream. I love you too much."

Luke didn't respond with words, instead he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly against his chest. After a few minutes, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "It's all real, and I'm not going anywhere."

Once again his lips were against mine and I got lost in them. I forgot where I was or what would happen if Mom or Dad found us in bed like this. The only thing I thought about was how good Luke's lips felt against mine. Luke made as if to break the kiss, but I clung to him, intensifying it.

"Hmm…Soph?" he mumbled against my lips.

"Mmm?"

"We should stop." He stopped kissing me and looked at me with a small smile. I groaned and once again buried my face on his chest.

"We're just kissing," I hissed not lifting my face.

"I know, but I don't want to get carried away."

"Then don't," I said, resuming our make-out session. Even though I felt Luke holding back, I enjoyed the moment. Again Luke was the one who broke the kiss.

After a few seconds of just watching me, he said, "I want to stay, but…as I have to get up early tomorrow since I have to work, I can't."

"Okay," I said, trying to hide the disappointment. I thought he was going to stay like the last time.

"I'll come after work, that is if I don't have to patrol," he whispered, kissing my lips tenderly.

"That sounds good…Oh wait, tomorrow I'm going to Port Angeles with Mom and I don't know what time we'll be back. We're buying some stuff for my birthday party." I noticed Luke's eyes shift to one side, as if realizing something. "You didn't forget about my birthday? Right?"

"No silly. I just hadn't realized its a few weeks away," he said with that amazing smile still playing on his lips.

He kissed me one more time and after promising to come the next night, he left through the window. It took a while for me to fall asleep, I couldn't stop thinking of Luke and how wonderful he made me feel. He was the perfect man and I felt lucky that he was mine and I was his.

The next day I woke up with a big smile, even though Mom had woken me before eight o' clock. I was eating breakfast when the smile got erased from my face.

"Should I be concern that Luke spent another night with my sister?" Michal asked in a hushed voice. He wasn't going with us to Port Angeles as he was going camping with some of his friends.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to act normal, but my hands were shaking, making the spoon I was holding clink against the plate. I looked at my little brother and he had a raised eyebrow, as if telling me he knew I was lying.

Damn it!

I put the spoon down and faced my brother before saying, "Okay, he came last night. But you can't tell Mom and Dad."

"Why is he sneaking into your room?"

"We're just friends," I said as I saw him putting the clues together. I didn't want Michal to assume something worse than Luke just being my boyfriend. "Élan sometimes stays over, why can't Luke do the same?"

"Because, it's not the same. Élan is your age, while Luke is—"

"Older, I know. But age doesn't change anything. Besides, like I said before, he's just my friend." Every time I said that Luke was just my friend, I couldn't help but feel as I was betraying him. It felt wrong to deny what we had.

Michal made as if he was going to say something else, but stopped when Mom came into the kitchen. As much as he wanted to know what was going on with Luke, he didn't want to get me in trouble. I gave him a grateful stare and continued to eat my cereal.

Soon I was on my way with Mom to Port Angeles. We talked mostly about what I wanted to buy for the party and who I was planning to invite. When we arrived, all the small talk was left behind and we got into the task ahead.

As the party was going to be on our backyard, we decided to get simple decorations. Of course they needed to be either hot pink or turquoise—my favorite colors. We found what we wanted fast in one of the many department stores, but I was still missing the most essential thing—my dress.

I wanted something that shouted maturity, but at the same time not too revealing, as I didn't want to give Dad a heart attack. After taking the bags we had to the car, we decided to eat lunch first and later go to the clothes' stores. I knew I needed a full belly and complete concentration for the task.

Mom and I went to eat at Maria's Mexican Restaurant, a very cozy place and our favorite. We fell into silence as we sat and waited for someone to come and bring us the menus. Soon, a waiter came and after looking at the menus for a while, we placed our orders. As we waited, Mom asked me what I had in mind for my outfit. I told her I was inclined in finding a pink dress, but I was open for other clothes.

We continued to make small talk as our food arrived and we began to eat. Mom mostly asked me questions about the decorations and food she would be making and I would answer her without effort. I was taken by surprise when she asked me if I had someone specific in mind to be my escort. I didn't want to have a traditional sweet sixteen, but Mom insisted otherwise, telling me I only turned sixteen once in a lifetime. I hadn't thought of the matter in a while, but now Mom wanted an answer.

"I haven't thought about it," I lied.

A few months ago I had decided that if Mom insisted, I would ask Élan, but now I knew there was only one person I wanted to ask. But I knew asking Luke to be my escort was going to raise a lot of questions—questions I didn't want to answer.

"For someone who hasn't thought about it, you seem too deep in thought." Mom was eyeing me profoundly as she sipped her lemonade. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing…just stuff about the party."

Soon we finished eating and continued with our shopping. I already had in mind a few stores where I could find the dress, so the rest of the day went by fast.

I had already gone to two stores with no luck in finding the outfit I had in mind. I had found some possible choices, but Mom would turn them down immediately either because they were too revealing or too sexy.

Finally in our last store, I fell in love with a cute, hot pink dress. Mom, at first, was a little hesitant as the dress was strapless and with a low back, but at least it reached just above my knees. What I loved most was the fact that it accentuated my body shape, as the bottom resembled a tulip and it had pockets—a plus for me.

Mom saw how much I liked it, and after trying it on, she said I could buy it. She told me she would deal with Dad, as she knew he was going to freak out.

Our drive back was much lighter, as the tension of buying everything was lifted off our shoulders.

The rest of the month went by in a blur and before I realized it, we were already in August. Luke kept visiting me at night and sometimes spent the night. Those nights were the best, not only because of the long make-out sessions, but because I slept very peaceful.

Michal didn't bring up again the subject of Luke staying over, but sometimes I saw him looking at me or Luke in a thoughtful way. I knew he was trying to figure out things before approaching me again, or maybe couldn't find the proper moment to do it, since Mom kept us very busy with the last arrangements for the party. No matter if he found out or not, I didn't give it a lot of thought, as all I cared about was my birthday and spending an amazing night afterwards with the love of my life. If things went as I'd planned them, all my wishes were going to come true.

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