25

Vitanja's POV

Paul and I sat in the back seat as we stared at the back of my brothers heads as they drove. It was a quiet ride and it made me somewhat tense.

"Has Father left for Hong Kong?" I asked.

"Yes." Leonardo responded coolly. He was playing on his phone while Micah drove. Paul and I looked at each other and I gave a soft smile in response. The familiar scent of our territory shot up my nostrils. It was stronger, fresher. Father and Emery must have marked the trees before they left to send a louder message to any other animals. The car turned off the road and drove down a familiar trail. The house came into view and I could smell everyone here: both wolves and lions. The car parked, and we got out. Paul moved to meet me on my side and we followed my brothers around the house.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting to see. I could see the backs of wolves as we finally rounded the house. Mother was standing on one side with the pride in two lines behind her. Her hair was pulled back and she was in a long flowing dress with a golden necklace with a lion pendent on it. When she saw me her eyes brightened immediately. She trotted over to me and I moved up to her and we embraced each other hard.

"You're safe." she whispered rubbing her face against mine and I smiled and looked up at her.

"I'm fine." I replied and she smiled and looked at Sam who I finally noticed. He and Paul were the only ones not in wolf form. The others were staring at us and the lionesses who were all mildly crouched and waiting.

"Zena… I know you invited us to your celebration and instead of coming it one of us accidentally ruined it." Sam stated. Mother's eyes shifted from loving to authority as she turned and looked at Sam finally walking up to him. Paul stood behind him worried and cautious, watching everyone's movements.

"Yes you did. Your boy came rushing out with the intent to attack one of our own, because of a misunderstanding on his part." she said. I winced some and walked up to her.

"Mother-" She cut me off with the raising of her hand. I bowed my head in response.

"Your boy imprints on my daughter, a very taboo thing in our world, he was responsible for her being injured and having to be taken in by vampires to be healed. He ruined a sacred ritual for my family and scared many of our cubs. And… you all risked your lives by taking on an aggressive male lion on your own." she said her vicious voice finally softening. My eyes softened on her form as I looked at Paul and Sam who looked just as shocked. The lioness's ears perked up at my mothers' words and they all looked at me and then back at the wolves. "A male lion in either form forcing his way onto another pride's land only means they wanted the territory and the pride. Had he got passed you all, he could have killed our babies, tried to take on my sons and force them off the lands and tried to dethrone me. You have all proven yourselves to be great and honorable shifters."

Her words were a huge surprise to me, for I expected all blame to be placed on the wolves. Sam lifted his head and nodded.

"That's what allies do. Had we been in danger we know you all would have stepped in to help." he explained. Mother looked down some at his words before slowly stepping closer to Sam until she was right in front of him. I watched as her hand now began to stick out in front of him.

"The peace between us should have happened when the knowledge of the imprint was voiced to all of us. So now it starts today." She announced out loud for all to hear. She stuck her hand out first. She let herself be open for denial when usually it was the other way around. I don't remember a time when my mother initiated this first. Sam looked at her strongly before nodding and raising his hand to meet her. The two shook hands and I watched as Mother bowed her head and in response the lionesses began to dip their bodies downward as they bowed their heads. My brothers who watched from the front porch bowed their heads in unison. I couldn't help but smile and look at the scene leaning down and bowing my head.

"The peace starts today." Sam agreed glancing back at his wolves who all barked out loudly as if agreeing. I bit my lip hard smiling at the scene before me. Paul looked at me and without much warning he speed walked up to me. I was stunned by his actions as he just stood in front of me and wrapped his arms around me pulling me into a longing kiss. I wrapped my arms around him waiting for some type of repercussion from my family or even a hiss of disapproval from my mother. But it did not come.

It was the perfect time for a celebratory kiss. We didn't have to hide.

"Ay yo." I hear Leonardo capture our attention and we all looked at him. Oh no here we go. He shrugged. "Shouldn't some of ya'll be in school?" Now both Paul and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh shit!" we said in unison as he moved over to Sam while Mother moved back to me.

"Get cleaned up. I will not have any children skipping school." she said before giving me a bow of her head and moving back into the house as Micah opened the back door for her. I smiled at her personal blessing as my aunts now, back in their human forms, sauntered in behind her. They didn't look angry, maybe a little disappointed from my much older aunts, but they would not go against my mother. I could hear my young cousins running to their mothers to see be held. I turned to Sam to see the wolves running into the forest. Sam looked at me with a nod before running behind the pack and shifting to join them. Paul smiled at me for a moment and I smiled back happy this all went well. He turned and headed into the forest.

"Vitanja, shower, now!" Mother ordered, and I smiled and moved into the house. I was only an hour late to school along with my cousins. I was beyond happy about how things went down today. I knew this meant hostilities would be over. As I got out of the car, my phone rang. I saw it was Dad and answered it.

"Dad!" I said happily.

"Hello my little beetle. Your mother called and told me everything that's happened. Things ended up working out?" he asked. I smiled to myself and nodded.

"Yes. The two families have found peace." I said.

"I knew things would work out. We just needed a little push in the right direction." he said. I smirked feeling as though Mother's sudden change of heart was not all her own doing.

"You had something to do with it didn't you?" I asked. I could hear a low rumble like chuckle on the other end.

"Your father is not just some handsome male. I am good at strategies and planning. I saw a problem between the two packs and found ways to make it right by using basic and simple communication." he said. In other words, he used his body to change Mother's mind. I shook my head not wanting to go down that road of thought. My father is not born of the pride and so the rules and traditions weren't entirely his way. He knew violence due to the differences of race and maybe seeing how we thought we were superior to the wolves, reminded him of the violence that could happen, especially with the kind of power Mother possessed. He used his resources to pave and construct the road of love. I sighed softly and smiled more.

"I love you, Dad." I replied as I entered the school.

"And I love you, Princess. I'll see you very soon." he said, and I smiled. As I entered the school, I found I had just made it in for lunch. I put my things in my locker and hurried to the cafeteria. I saw my cousins already sitting down and I was somewhat nervous, nervous they would reject me because they knew the truth. Lyra saw me and her eye sparkled as she waved me over happily. I sighed with relief and moved over to sit with my family. Since no one else was sitting with us, I was bombarded with questions.

"Is it true, a wolf claimed you as his mate?" Tahlia.

"How does he treat you now?" Lyra.

"Will he still mate with other females?" Monroe.

"I hear wolves who imprint have to worship the ground you walk on." Cleola.

"It is nothing like that!" Lyra said smirking at me. "She is his queen now and she will have a loyal mate forever."

"To have a male who won't mate with other women… I'm actually jealous." Cleola responded with a pout. Many of my cousins have expressed this worry, finding mates in male lions who will still go and mate with other females and have cubs. I would not be surprised if some of my cousins start to rebel and look for human males who will be loyal to him. Our pride is truly changing. I inwardly rolled my eyes in thought of there being a pride war: the traditional vs. the new bloods.

"He is not some slave to my every whim. He has his own mind, like my father. He is kind and sweet and he cares deeply about me." I said.

"And you care about him?" Monroe asked curling her fingers together and resting her chin on her knuckles. I smiled softly and nodded.

"I do." I replied. A new face surprised us today and we looked up to see Seth coming over in a grey hoodies and jeans.

"Hey girls can I sit with you!" he asked. We were all stunned not because he asked but he wasn't in this lunch period. At least I didn't think. I also didn't know what grade he was in.

"Sure, Seth." I said and he gave a big smile as he sat down and looked at my cousins.

"Ladies… Hi Tahlia." he said a little more sweetly now as he looked at my cousin. I arched a brow. I knew that tone all too well.

"Hi Seth. I never knew you were in this period." Tahlia said and I looked around myself wondering if Paul and the others were going to come anytime soon.

"Yeah I sit with Jared and the others mostly. They're going to be a little late. A vampire was spotted on our way home from the meeting so I was instructed to head here while everyone else chased the leech off." he said. Tahlia gave a nod.

"Well I hope you brothers are safe." she said lightly. Tahlia was a weird cub, I always thought. She liked being off on her own, while still in a safe perimeter of the pride. She had long wavy hair, not the kinky-coily texture that almost everyone in the pride had. My brothers and I had our dad's curly hair and he had numerous different bloodlines in him which made us the only four cubs to stick out. She had a soft nose and sometimes blank eyes. She didn't know how to read social clues well which is why she probably didn't notice Seth's flirting tone. We all watched the Harry Potter movies one night and many of the cubs teased Tahlia, comparing her to Luna Lovegood. I thought Luna was very brave and smart and when I told Tahlia she forever took the teasing for compliments.

I wondered if he imprinted on her too. If he didn't then I would feel bad for him because soon he would find his imprint. I wondered if he would try and pursue my cousin. My thoughts transitioned back to what he said earlier. A vampire was around? I wondered how quick this pack was at destroying vampires. I knew they would be safe.

Author's Notes

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying the Imprint fic! Now this fic is going to be long hence why I have not brought the Volturi into the story yet I want to build up a few more relationships between the pride, the packs and the coven. I want to completely emerge the pride into the other two families lives so we see how Vitanja grows with the Cullens as well. Just a heads up since we are 25 chapters in with no sign of the Volturi… yet. Updates coming soon!