A few tense moments passed by, Paul's head bowed as Dani stared in disbelief at her stepbrother before whispering, "Paul?"
An iota of tension left his body as he dared to glance up, his eyes rising to the blue and green Seahawks logo on her hoodie but not daring to venture up to her face. "Hi, Dani..."
"What're you doing here?" She asked hesitantly, looking down at the scattered notes and records in front of her, blushing as though she'd been caught doing something naughty.
"I just...I..." He didn't know how to voice his thoughts, especially with the crushing weight of the alpha order on his mind. He immediately stiffened once more when Sam cleared his throat behind him, reminding him that he wasn't here for a social call. "We need to talk."
"We've needed to talk for weeks, what changed?" Dani's eyes turned cold as they moved, resting over his shoulder at the man she blamed for everything. "I'll talk to you when you leave your guard dog at home, Paul."
Leah hadn't moved a muscle since Sam had entered the small room, her arms crossed protectively over her stomach as if somehow he would try to steal the unborn child from her. Seth moved from his seat to stand by his sister, a mere fraction of the size of the two older boys but willing to stick up for his sister and friend as much as he was able.
"Lee..." Sam breathed, taking an unconscious step forward as he stared in adoration at her belly. With his advanced eyesight, he could see her stomach rippling from the baby's kicks.
"Don't do this." She whispered, her eyes shut tightly as she rocked herself gently. A single, crystalline tear rolled down her cheek and Seth snapped, stepping in front of his older sister as his hands trembled inconceivably to human eyes.
"Leave her alone, Sam, you've done enough." The ice in his tone was uncharacteristic for the innocent young boy and Paul shared a worried glance with Sam. Seth wasn't close to phasing by any means, but the transformation had started. They now had a running list of boys who were entering the transformation, and they were powerless and clueless as to how to stop it.
Billy had sent them to scope the situation. Apparently the guard had mentioned in passing about a couple of teenagers who had been poking around the Tribe records lately, and Billy was worried they were close to uncovering the big furry secret. He had requested Paul specifically, reasoning that if anyone could change Dani's mind, it was him. If only he knew, Paul would do anything short of phasing and offering Dani a wolf ride if only she could piece the puzzle together.
"Alright, we'll go." Paul said abruptly, grabbing Sam's arm and giving him a pointed look, tearing the older man's gaze away from his former love. "Dani...have you seen any wild flowers lately?" He hoped she understood, reminding himself that his stepsister was smarter than she gave herself credit for.
Sam gave his third-in-command a quizzical glance as he finally stepped back, preparing to leave. Dani twiddled with her purple gel pen for a moment before nodding, glancing up at him. Her eyes caught his for a moment, just long enough for his eyes to widen a fraction as his breath left his body. "I saw one. Kinda beat up. Didn't know what kind it was though, I'm still researching."
He nodded, still staring at her in bewilderment as Sam pulled him away and back down to the entry lobby.
oooooooooo
"Did you hear? Embry's sick." Seth mumbled through a mouthful of burger. They had come to the diner for lunch after finishing a couple boxes of records, although Leah and Dani had barely spoken since Sam and Paul left.
Dani was staring at her chicken sandwich, swirling her fries in ketchup listlessly as she replayed the scene from earlier in her head. 'He finally looked at me. He wasn't just playing me, he's helping me.' If only she knew where to start, or where to look, she could fix whatever was going on.
When Seth spoke, her head snapped up and she frowned, concerned for her best friend. "Sick? What kind of sick?"
"Tiffany said he had a fever, she thinks it might be the flu." Leah spoke up between bites, devouring her food in an effort to keep her mind off of Sam. She was shaken after seeing him, the old pain bubbling just under her newly hardened shield.
"He was fine last night..." Dani mumbled, only to frown. 'He wasn't though...he was shaking...' "Is he at home?"
Seth nodded, nudging her gently. "You okay, Dani?" His brows furrowed in concern as she gave him a small half-smile.
"I'm good, Sethy. Hey, how did your present to that girl go?" She changed the subject immediately, smiling softly as he lit up and began chattering about Natalie Kyle.
The three teens finished their lunch and paid, saying bye to Sue as they trudged back out into the overcast parking lot. Dani had taken her hoodie off and tied it around her waist, letting the cool air nip at her skin as Seth and Leah walked on either side of her. "Wanna stop by and see Jake?" Seth offered, slurping noisily from his foam cup of orange soda as he looked at Dani, then his sister.
"Sure." Dani shrugged and looped her arms with theirs. "Follow the muddy dirt road?"
"Follow the muddy dirt road!" Seth grinned, skipping along the shoulder of the road and pulling Dani along until she finally gave in and joined. Leah pulled her arm free, scoffing as she watched the two of them skipping through mud puddles, singing their own version of The Yellow Brick Road.
"You're both insane." She chuckled though, gently rubbing her stomach as her baby kicked against her hand. 'That's your aunt and uncle, little one.'
Seth and Dani kept up their little dance until they reached the open door of the Black's shed, collapsing into laughter as they hugged each other, their jeans damp and their shoes completely encrusted in mud. Leah had bid them farewell down the road a ways, saying she needed a nap and that she'd be at home.
"Hey, Jake!" Seth grinned as they entered the garage, kicking their muddy sneakers off by the door and walking over to the old sofa crammed up against the wall. Bella sat in her usual spot, her head lolled lifelessly against the wall as Jake chattered away to her, bent over the dismantled remains of a motorbike.
"What's up, Seth?" He smiled welcomingly at the younger boy, ruffling his hair teasingly before he laughed. "Did you two have to wade through a creek to get here?"
"We were just playing around." Dani smiled at him before walking over to Bella and gently sitting beside her, leaving a moderate space between them. "Hey, Bella...do you remember me?"
Surprisingly, she nodded. "Embry's girlfriend." The pale girl croaked, sending a small pain straight to Dani's heart. 'That kinda hurt...'
"Uhm...not quite, but that's good. I'm Dani." She tried to smile at the older girl as she tucked her legs up against her chest, letting her bare toes poke out to feel the heated air.
"Nice to meet you." Bella tried to smile back, though her lips twitched and contorted until they settled in a thin grimace, as though she couldn't remember how to smile. 'I'll take that though. At least she's talking.'
Seth and Jacob let the girls have some space, moving back to the bike as Jacob demonstrates things for an eager to learn Seth. Bella was tugging at the strings of her hoodie absentmindedly, her eyes trained on the wall across the room as Dani rocked herself gently. "So...have you ever been to First Beach?"
Bella flinched slightly, as though she had been forced to remember something unpleasant before mumbling, "Yeah, once."
"...Ever been surfing?" Dani tried again, biting her lip softly as Bella let out a strangled chuckle, startling all three of them and making Seth and Jacob look up.
"I'm clumsy. I'd probably end up killing myself." Her voice was monotone as her dull brown eyes moved, her thin brows crinkling in thought before she asked cautiously, "why?"
"I could teach you while it's still warm." Dani gave her a bright, encouraging smile as Jacob sat his tools down to watch, shocked that Dani had gotten a response so quickly. Bella had never been a social butterfly, but ever since she had gotten lost in the forest it was like pulling teeth trying to get her to say more than one or two words.
Bella blinked a few times, then turned her head to look at Jacob and Seth in question. Jacob gave her his signature sunny grin, leaning against the door of the Rabbit. "Trust me, Bells, no one knows how to surf better than Dani. You'll be in good hands."
"Alright. When do we start?" She once again attempted that grimace-smile before Dani patted her arm gently.
"If it's sunny tomorrow, how's about then? You can meet me at the Council Hall." Dani sat up, stretching and arching her back as she slid her legs out from beneath herself. Bella nodded and watched as the younger girl stood up. "Alright, I should head home. Dad's probably sobered up by now."
"Want me to walk with you?" Seth looked up at her from his comfy perch on Jake's tool chest, clearly not wanting to leave.
Dani shook her head, untying her sweatshirt from around her hips and pulling it on to avoid the slightly chilly air she knew was waiting outside. "I'm good, Sethy. Have fun." She ruffles his hair playfully as she walked by before turning, matching backwards as she saluted Jacob mockingly. "Chief. It's been a pleasure."
Jacob returned the salute half-heartedly, chuckling at her antics good-naturedly as he returned to explaining the inner mechanisms of the motorbike to Seth.
oooooooooo
"Are you sure it wasn't an imprint?" Sam asked for what seemed like the thousandth time, staring down at the young man planted ass first in his yard.
"Yes, I'm fucking sure!" Paul snarled, running both hands through his cropped black hair. "I didn't have any of the fake love, earth moving bullshit that you had with Emily."
"But you felt a change?" Sam kept his voice calm as he crouched beside Paul, taking a seat as he watched the boy struggle to control himself. "What felt different?"
"It's like...she's the only girl I can even think about. Just the thought of being with anyone else hurts." He absentmindedly rubbed his chest as though it might soothe the ache he felt. His wolf was snarling under the surface and it made his body feel prickly and twitchy.
Sam frowned as he tried to think about what the Elders had told him about imprinting. "And she didn't seem to notice a difference?" Wordlessly, Paul shook his head and looked down at the dirt between his knees, rocking gently as he ran through the scene from earlier over and over in his head. "Maybe we should talk to Billy."
Paul hesitated a moment then shrugged, looking up at his Alpha. "I just want her to forgive me. I need her, Sam. Imprint or not, it's killing me."
"I know, Paul. I know." Sam clapped him on the back, his thoughts drifting towards his own imprint troubles as the men stood up from the grass.
oooooooooo
Leah was laying on the couch, watching the ceiling fan spin sluggishly as she caressed her rounded belly. She had been trying to nap for hours to no avail, and she knew that either her father or brother would be home soon and dash any chance she had of relaxing.
She could feel her baby kicking just beneath her satiny skin and it brought a soft smile to her lips to imagine the little girl or boy in her arms. She knew she was in no way ready to be a mother, but she was going to do her best. She wasn't going to let Sam steal the joys motherhood away from her as well. This baby deserved the world, and she was going to do her best to give it to them.
Her internal musings were interrupted by a loud knock at the front door, accompanied by a familiar voice. "Yo, Clearwaters!"
'Dear God, what did I do to deserve this?' She groaned softly as she struggled to her feet, one hand on her aching back as the other supported her stomach. She had taken her hoodie off when she had laid down, leaving her blue and grey sports bra and maternity leggings on, so when she flung the door open, Quil's jaw dropped.
"What the hell do you want, asshat?" Leah droned, her nearly black eyes boring into his skull.
Quil's lips flapped for a moment as his eyes wandered the older girls figure shamelessly, before he realized what he was doing and snapped to attention. "Oh! Uhm...I was looking for Seth."
"He's not here." Leah let go of the door, using her bare foot to kick it shut into the kid's face. Surprisingly, a jolt of guilt ran through her as she turned to go back to the couch. 'Really? I can't get comfortable, I have to pee every twenty minutes, and now I feel bad for being a bitch to Quil of all people?' She turned and peeked through the heavy blue curtains on the window, watching as Quil trudged down the porch steps, slumped dejectedly like someone had just told him the Easter bunny didn't exist.
His foot was an inch above the pavement as he stepped off the last step, his head bowed and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his cargo shorts when he heard the door open once more. Leah's voice, uncharacteristically kind, called out, "Quil?"
"Yeah?" He turned halfway, standing on that last step as he looked up at the girl he'd had a crush on since the fifth grade.
"Come on. I have some ice cream in the freezer." She slipped back into the house, leaving the door open for him as he didn't hesitate, bounding up the stairs and into the house behind her.
She retrieved the unopened carton of neopolitan ice cream from the fridge freezer, then grabbed two spoons from the cutlery drawer as Quil kept his distance behind her. "Uhm...do you need any help?"
"It's ice cream, it's not gonna kill me to carry it." She shrugged as she turned to him, surprised when he gently took the carton from her.
"Still, you don't have to carry it yourself. Couch?" He stepped back, the ice cream in his hand as he gave her a smile, not the usual, lecherous grin he gave anything else that moved. A real smile. She merely nodded, taken aback by his thoughtfulness as she shuffled after him, back to the couch where she had tossed her mother's throw blanket across one arm to use as a pillow. He grabbed one of the decorative pillows and propped it up beside him, patting it invitingly. "This should help your back, I saw my aunt do this when she was pregnant with my cousin, Gabe."
"Thanks, Quil..." She mumbled, slowly lowering herself onto the cushion. She half expected him to mock her, knowing she looked foolish wiggling her butt and squirming as she sat, trying to move with what felt like a lead beach ball strapped to her abdomen. When he said nothing, she settled back against the pillow and involuntarily let out a soft, sighing moan. "That's so much better."
"Told you." He gave her another flash of a smile as he sat the ice cream between them, turning it so that the chocolate side was towards her. "Chocolate is your favorite, right?"
Again, she was startled. "Yeah, how'd you know?" She dug her spoon into the ice cream, taking a big scoop as she watched Quil's headfull of curls bounce. She had never noticed it, but it was a nice change from the long black hair most of the guys from the Rez sported. Even Sam had kept his hair long, tied back in a low ponytail until his disappearance, and the short curls were a welcome change of pace.
"You always get chocolate milkshakes and sundaes, so I figured..." He dug into the strawberry side and relaxed, kicking his Converse up onto the coffee table as he relaxed. "How's the pregnant life?"
She snorted softly as she attacked the ice cream with a vengeance, shrugging. "My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I have to pee every time I get comfortable."
"Sounds like you're having fun." He chuckled, taking small bites of his side of the carton as he watched her while she flipped through the muted tv channels. "Is the baby moving?"
She nodded, glancing over at him only to blush softly as she finds his eyes on hers. "Uhm, Yeah. I can feel her kicking."
"Her?" He bit his lip softly as his eyes flickered from her flushed face, down to her stomach.
Leah wrapped one arm around her belly protectively, nodding as she watched the small ripples on her stomach. "I feel like it's a girl. I know, it's kinda dumb..."
"It isn't. My mom always told me she knew I was a boy, even before the doctors told her anything." He murmured, sitting up a little as he watched her belly. "Can I...can I feel it?"
Leah bit her plump bottom lip gently, deliberating a moment before she slowly moved her arm away. "No funny business." She threatened, laying back and stretching her legs out onto the coffee table as she grabbed his hand, leading it to her bump.
The moment his cool hand touched her skin, she jumped a bit and the baby took the opportunity to kick extra hard. Quil beamed, looking up at her in shock. "I felt her!"
She couldn't help but chuckle softly as she watched his reaction, her hand still laying over his as they both stayed quiet, just feeling the baby move and kick. "She usually kicks more when I move around. I guess I wake her up."
"I'd be pretty upset if my bedroom started walking around with me inside it." He laughed softly, rubbing her stomach gently as his eyes moved up to hers. She cracked a small smile as she kept her hand over his, not noticing as he laced his fingers with hers.
"You know, you're shockingly tolerable when you're alone." She joked, laughing softly as he faked a wounded pout.
"You know you love me, Clearwater. No girl can resist this delicious bod." He held an arm up, flexing his bicep and making her eyes widen a bit. 'Since when does Quil have muscles? And since when do I like Quil's muscles?'
"Oh please, Ateara, I can resist just fine." She huffed softly as she looked away, though her cheeks burned pink. Quil laughed as he threw an arm around her shoulders and relaxed with her on the couch.
"Whatever you say, Leah. Whatever you say."
Alright, so Paul has finally imprinted, but something went wrong? Leah is being pursued by an over-friendly Quil? Dani is about to teach Jacob's klutzy pale-face how to surf? Remember to leave a review and tell me what you think! I promise I read every one of them and take them all into consideration!
I was also wondering if anyone would be interested in some outtakes and scenes in between chapters. Like maybe scenes from the gang growing up together, or certain memories from certain characters that don't necessarily make it into the main story. If you're interested in any particular scene like that, leave it in a review and I'll see what I can do 3