AN : Thanks to mc7575 and Feebes for your thoughts and comments on this chapter. Sorry this took so long to produce. Major writer's block on this one, even though I knew the basic sequence of events that I wanted here.
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Sam POV
Keen wolf senses told me that my mom had pushed her chair back from the table, and started to follow me out of the council meeting. Quil bolted after me before anyone could insist that he stay.
"I'm just gonna go home, okay, Sam?"
"Good idea." The last thing I needed tonight was for him to phase in with Embry and have another pack brawl on my hands—not that Embry was as likely to fight with Quil as with Jacob, but my newest wolf was pretty mad at both of his friends. Just as clearly, the last person Quil wanted to be around was Jacob. But before he left...
"Quil, why didn't you mention what your grandfather said?"
His broad shoulders shrugged and one foot dug into the dirt. "Dunno. Guess I just forgot about it. Grandpa's always saying that kind of mystical stuff. And I suppose I thought that he was talking about me and Jake-not Embry."
I nodded in comprehension. Still, part of me wished he'd volunteered the information anyway, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Mom stayed silent until Quil was out of sight.
"Tough day?" she asked.
My reply was a snort.
"Of course. Silly question. So Embry Call phased and no one saw it coming. Is there anything you didn't tell the council?"
"Not really. I think I hit them with enough tonight as it is. I don't think I could handle anything else just now. Just dealing with Embry phasing, the whole paternity mess, and the probable catastrophe if we're right about this imprint…Billy would have jumped clean out of his wheelchair if I'd said anything else."
" Ouch. Yes, that was a lot to process in one sitting. You really think it will be a major problem if Embry does imprint on Bella?"
I gave my mom an incredulous look. "Jacob charged over and tried to rip Embry's throat out just knowing that Embry had had sex with Bella—even though she wasn't Jacob's imprint. If Paul's right about Bella being destined for Embry…Jacob and Embry sharing the pack mind—Jacob forced to see Bella with Embry…'major problem' is a huge understatement."
"Paul figured it out?"
"Seems that way. He saw a lot that none of the rest of us did with Embry and Bella, and his arguments make sense. We'll just have to wait a little bit to see if he's right. But not too long," I added. "I've learned my lesson there. Other than facing Jacob, Embry seemed to be handling things really well so far, so hopefully he can see her soon." Not that I thought he'd hurt his mom by choice, but with what almost happened to Emily, I had vowed never to take chances where the other wolves in my pack were concerned. It was why I'd argued the core council into agreeing that families would be told what was going on.
"So we're going to see Tiffany now?" Mom asked the question we both already knew the answer to.
I nodded. "She has to know for her own safety, same as everyone else. She's a smart woman-no way she won't notice how different Embry's going to be now."
"And you also want to convince her to name the father."
"Like Harry said: we need to know. Embry needs to know."
"And you need to know?" Mom's question made me stop in the middle of the street. "You think its Josh, don't you?"
"Seems like something he'd do," I admitted. "It'd hurt to know he cheated on you, but...better him than most of the other prime candidates." At her look of question, I shared some of the pack discussion on the possible paternity candidates.
"That poor boy."
We turned into the Call's driveway, where Tiffany's car was parked. I could feel the radiated heat off the engine, so she had probably not been home long. Her expression when the door opened at our knock seemed to show that she'd discovered Embry's absence, but not the reason why.
"Tiffany, we need to talk."
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Narrator POV
"Embry? Are you here?" Tiffany called out when she walked into the house. Silence was the only reply. Apparently, her son wasn't here. Most likely, he was still in Forks with his girlfriend. Tiffany liked Bella, and couldn't think of a nicer girl to be her son's first girlfriend, no matter what narrow-minded people like Billy Black might think. As a mother, though, she had a tiny bit of concern with how serious things seemed to have gotten and how quickly. It had only been the other day that she'd asked Embry if he and Bella were now intimate, and while he'd said no... She just didn't want her son to end up repeating the cycle of early life-long commitments. Tiffany was thankful to have Embry, and wouldn't wish him away for anything, but there were times she hadn't been able to keep from wondering "what if" or "if only" before squelching those thoughts and tucking old dreams away.
But she had to revise her thoughts about Embry's whereabouts when she found his cell phone sitting on the living room coffee table-and the half-thawed ice blocks and ice packs left abandoned on the couch. So he'd clearly come home, but what was going on?
Returning blocks and packs to the freezer, Tiffany moved to check Embry's bedroom-empty-and then the backyard-also empty. A scan of the garage showed that his bike was there, so where was her son? Normally, she would have called the houses of his best friends, but they hadn't spoken to Embry in weeks that she knew of. What is going on?
A knocking on the front door had her automatically turning in that direction. Tiffany's feet felt like they were encased in lead boots. Please let Embry be alright. Opening the door and expecting to see a police officer, she was relieved-if extremely confused-to find Alison and Sam Uley standing on her front porch.
She opened her mouth to ask, "Can I help you?" but didn't get the question out before Sam said, "We need to talk."
"Excuse me?"
Alison gave her son a maternal look, regardless of the fact that she had to look up quite a ways to deliver it.
"Tiffany, I apologize for Sam's directness, but there is something important that we need to discuss with you. Can we come inside?"
"This isn't really a good time. I need to-"
"Embry's fine," Sam cut in. "He's out with Paul and Jared."
"Why is he with your friends? Embry's a good boy, he wouldn't get mixed up in your little gang or cult or—"
"The pack is not a gang or a cult—" Sam retorted hotly, all of the day's events finally cracking his iron control a fraction.
"What, then?"
"We're protectors. We protect our tribe. And Embry might not have hung out with us before, but he will now. He just joined up."
"No, he hasn't," Tiffany hissed.
"He doesn't have a choice. Whoever his father was made sure of that."
Embry's mother froze. "What?"
"Sam, you're making quite a mess of this," Alison chided. "Tiffany, some young men of this tribe, ones that are descended from an ancient chief, Taha Aki, have been gifted a certain special inheritance, one that helps them protect their tribe from a longstanding enemy. My Sam and his friends are the protectors in the current generation. Your Embry also manifested this heritage tonight, and that—as Sam rather bluntly put it—does mean that Embry must have ties to this tribe. If those ties don't come from you, a Makah, then they must come from the man who fathered Embry, and he has to be Quileute."
"Oh, does he?" The sarcasm was obvious.
"Yes," Sam acknowledged. "And we will need to know who it was."
"What business is it of yours?"
"Embry is a part of my pack now. If he could phase as only a half-Quileute, then he's got to come from a strong bloodline. If I, or one of my pack brothers, have a blood brother in Embry, then yes, Tiffany, that damn well is my business."
"It's in the past, and over and done with. Let sleeping dogs lie. He's done just fine without a father for seventeen years. What difference will a name make now?"
"I can't let this lie," the Alpha denied. "Embry was blindsided by this more than any of us. He deserves to know where he comes from."
A dark glare and tightly pressed lips were all Sam got.
"I realize that this is coming as quite a shock, and you'll certainly need time to process everything," Alison said. "It doesn't have to happen right away, but I think we both know that Sam is right about Embry and the other boys needing to know who he's connected to."
"And maybe he isn't connected to anyone. All I know is that you've walked in here and started telling all kinds of crazy things that make absolutely no sense."
"Have either you or Embry ever heard any of our tribal stories?" Sam asked.
"I'm Makah, remember? I wouldn't be let in on the stories. Embry may have heard some of them, given who his best friends were."
"Taha Aki…" Sam's voice took on the cadence of a storyteller. Tiffany sat still and silent, listening. It was clear to her visitors that she was hearing but not believing. Alison was about to suggest to her son that Tiffany might need to see proof of the stories when Sam jerked to his feet in automatic response to a noise that neither woman heard.
"Jared…"
When Sam strode quickly for the back door, Alison gently tugged Tiffany to her feet and led the younger woman to one of the windows. "Watch." And watch they did, as the young man stripped off his clothes, shuddered, and then changed from human to wolf in the space of a heartbeat. The back yard was quite dark, but for the light bleeding out from the windows that gave just enough illumination for the women to see by.
"Sorry for not warning you," Alison said, noticing Tiffany's faint blush. "They have to strip before they phase, or their clothing just shreds. It's partly why they tend not to wear much to start with. If they have warning, they can take things off and save them, but if they have to change forms quickly…
"Embry…" Tiffany whispered.
"Sam said he's fine. Jared and Paul are the two most experienced wolves, after Sam himself. They'll look out for Embry, teach him, and help him calm down enough to be human again and come home."
"What are you saying? 'Be human again'? My son is a wolf? That's your damned "special inheritance"?
"Unfortunately, yes," Alison laid sympathetic hands on Tiffany's shoulders. "It doesn't happen all the time, just when there's need. Before this pack, it was 70 years since the last one; Sam's great-grandfather and two others."
"Why does this happen?"
"It's an automatic reaction trigged by the presence of our enemies. And until a few months ago, there were seven of them living just north of Forks," Sam was the one who answered. He wore only his shorts now, shirt and shoes carried in one hand.
"Your enemies?"
"Vampires."
Tiffany staggered at that revelation, and Alison caught her before she could fall to the floor. Once his mother had coaxed Embry's mom back to the couch, Sam resumed his explanations, more mindful of Tiffany's shock than he had been. She didn't react much to hearing that her son would now patrol the area in case other vampires appeared, or that the school would work with the pack to excuse absences and make up assignments as needed. Hearing that the wolf business was why Sam hadn't gone to college, though, did get a response.
"He can't go to college?"
"I don't know. He can't go away, at least not now—none of us can. Online classes, or the community college in Forks, maybe. He's got a whole year before that's an issue, though."
"And what about Bella? What if she wants to go away somewhere?"
"If—hopefully she'll understand. I don't know if she'll be able to, either."
"If, what? If they're still together then, is that what you meant? Why wouldn't they be?"
"Because there's another wolf-trait: imprinting. If Embry imprints on Bella when he sees her next, they'll be together the rest of their lives. If he doesn't, it would be best for them to end things before either of them gets badly hurt."
"'Badly hurt'?"
"I tried to hold onto Leah, when I should have let her go. My selfishness ensured she was devastated when I imprinted on Emily. I don't want anyone else going through that."
"I don't think that's your decision to make. My son is almost an adult, and can make his own choices. So can Bella."
"Tiffany—"
She held up her hand. "No. I think that's enough. You come into my house, pried into my private business and my past, claimed some kind of authority over my son, and are trying to take over his future. I think you need to leave now. I will decide how to raise my son, and he'll decide his own future. Goodnight." Tiffany stood up, strode to the door, and opened it pointedly.
Dissatisfied, but aware that things couldn't be pushed any farther that night, Sam escorted his mother outside. Tiffany stumbled blindly to her bedroom, falling on her bed and starting to sob. It had been enough, knowing that her own life had been forever altered by youthful choices, but this…? Knowing that her son, her precious Embry, was paying the price for her decisions…?
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Embry POV
Come on. Let's get moving, Paul's voice told me. I didn't really feel like arguing. Sticking around here didn't seem like something I wanted to do, and if I went, maybe he could help me figure this out like he had-
Yeah, I'll try, he answered a question I hadn't even asked yet. That's what we're here for, in the pack. We have each others' backs.
Jared added, Sam helped me out, and we've done it for the others as they've joined up. Sam didn't-doesn't-want any of the rest of us having to go through all of this without support, the way he had to.
He did?
Sam was the first to phase. The elders didn't see the phase coming with him-no clue why, unless it was just not seeing and understanding what was happening-
-Kinda like what happened with Em here, Paul interrupted.
Okay, yeah, guess so. Anyway, the elders didn't figure out what him being missing for a few weeks really meant until Old Quil saw him one day after he had finally phased back and come home, Jared continued. Bulked up, hair chopped off, skin hot enough to fry eggs...
Then it was ''Oh, duh!' Bet they felt pretty dumb for having missed that. And now... Paul gave a laugh. 'Oops, they did it again'.
That's not the song title, Jared criticized.
So? It fits. Embry totally went under the radar on this wolf-thing. Not that you were around a whole lot for it to get noticed, he told me, but really, someone besides me should have been able to add stuff up all the same.
So why didn't they? I asked.
Dunno. Guess they weren't looking for it, probably because of thinking you were all Makah.
Guess they don't seem to know as much as they think they do, do they? My question was rhetorical, but got answered anyway.
Yeah, guess not. Anyway, we're supposed to be showing you the ropes, so we'd better get to it, Jared got things on track. Okay, like Sam said earlier, he's the Alpha. I'm the Beta—the second in command. Paul phased third, then Jake and Quil on the same day, and now you.
Is that why they dropped me and Bella? I wanted to know.
Yeah, it is. They were wolfed out for a few days before Quil managed to phase back, and then Jake did it a couple days after that.
Why? Is it going to take me that long?
They were pretty mad that Billy and Old Quil knew it was coming but didn't warn them.
Plus, Jake didn't like it that he couldn't see Bella, Paul noted, flashing mental images of those arguments.
What about me?
You seem like a pretty calm person overall, so you've got less anger inside than most people to begin with. And your connection with Bella isn't like anyone else's. Putting those together ought to help.
So why did Sam think Jake was going to imprint on Bella? I listened intently as Jared and Paul described the pull that each wolf felt toward the imprints of other wolves.
It was an honest mistake, but boy, has it caused problems, Jared shook his head.
And once I see Bella and imprint, what then?
If you do—and there's always the chance that it won't happen-then she'll have to be filled in on everything, just like your mom. Emily and Kim can help Bella out and all of our moms will help yours.
Unwillingly, a tiny—very tiny—bit of empathy for Jake revealed itself. His preexisting crush, plus thinking Bella was meant to be his…No, I wasn't going to feel sorry for him. He could have hurt Bella, and he had come after me. Any sympathy I might have felt sure as hell didn't go anywhere near to covering all that. Besides, it wasn't going to matter-because Paul was going to be right about this like he had the other stuff lately.
Why does my mom have to know?
So that she'll understand. You're going to be even bigger than you'd gotten before you phased, and you'll look older, too. And she'll need to be aware of the reasons why if you skip school or aren't around much in the evenings or during the night. And even if you are calm naturally, things can still set you off easy, especially in the beginning. Your mom will need to know the warning signs so that she can be careful and help talk you down.
Patrols? I focused on that and not the idea that my mom would ever be in danger from me.
We take shifts patrolling the forests around here, looking for bloodsuckers. Sam figured out a schedule for after school starts back up, but with you on board now he'll have to revise it. Paul caught that explanation.
Just so he keeps Jake out of my way, I muttered.
And you out of his, Jared agreed. Definitely need to keep the two of you separated. Trust me. Sam isn't going to want to keep breaking up your fights.
Separation can work in the short-term, Paul, Jared commented, but that can't last long. We're a pack of six—they're going to have to hash things out at some point.
I don't particularly want to fight Jake, I responded, but if he comes at me again…
I could tell that Paul agreed with me. You did great today for being a newbie. But real fighting skills are something else you'll be practicing. We killed one vamp today, but there's another one that's been coming around, and others out there, too.
Let's get started, then. First thing is learning how to track them…
The guys had me start by practicing tracking scents by following a trail Jared said they'd laid earlier today. My hackles rose and my teeth bared when I caught Jake's scent mingled in with the others. But it didn't take long before I could tell each pack member's scent apart from any of the others.
Great job. Bloodsuckers usually travel alone or in small groups of two or three. It's important to know how many we're dealing with so we can use the right strategy. And on that note, you ought to get an idea of what they smell like.
I nearly gagged when I caught the worst smell I'd ever met: a combined bleach-vinegar-cotton candy-burnt odor.
That's bloodsucker, Jared informed me. And yeah, it is the grossest thing ever.
Is it the same one from the meadow?
Yep. This must've been his trail in.
I swung to follow it, going no closer to it than I had to without being so far away that I'd lose it. We broke into a clearing and more scents slammed into me: the rest of the pack and-
You know, you really held it together well out here, said Paul. All that distraction talk-real smart.
Pacing around, I didn't really notice them starting to run through their perspective of the confrontation. Instead, I was drawn forward, the rich fragrance of violets beginning to fill my nostrils, driving out the vampire-stench. Before I knew it, or Jared and Paul realized it, I was tearing out of the meadow in pursuit of that irresistible aroma.
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Jared POV
Damn it, I thought, my brain rushing to process Embry's flight from the meadow. Probably shouldn't have come here-he wasn't ready for that.
It's not the vampire stench that upset him—I don't think he's upset at all. Damn, I really should have made a wager on me being right. That's Bella's scent he's following. And once Paul pointed that fact out, it was obvious. Her violet scent led away from the meadow like the yellow brick road pointing the way to Oz.
And what should we be doing? I shot back, digging my claws into the earth and starting what would almost certainly be a vain pursuit. This kid was fast, and if Paul really was right about Bella being Embry's imprint...
You still think I'm not right?
No, you're right, you're right, I conceded. We pounded after Embry, but probably didn't stand a chance of catching him. He was almost as fast as Jake, and clearly was a wolf on a mission even without that. Maybe I could've tried ordering him to stop, but I wasn't Alpha, for one thing, and this was an imprint, for another, so I highly doubted it would have any effect.
When he got to the trailhead, both Paul and I mentally shouted at him to keep in the trees. Fortunately, his newly enhanced senses let him track at that short distance. At the highway, Paul suggested, We've got to call Sam in—he's the only one with a shot at giving orders.
Yeah. I threw back my head and gave a long howl. Soon, Sam appeared in the pack mind.
What's wrong?
Nothing, exactly. He's just heading for Bella's like a bat out of hell. Caught her scent in the meadow and…
Embry, wait! I understand that you have to make sure Bella's okay, but you have to be smart about this. Keep in the trees, and you can go to her house. You'll be able to tell if she's alright without exposing all of us to the public. That can't happen!
Tell her—okay—good-
Yes, you'll tell her, Embry. But you can't just burst in and spring this on her-
-literally—Paul interrupted.
-while you're wolfed out-and especially not when her dad might be home by now. Check on Bella, but stay hidden. Jared, Paul, cut across and try to get there first, if you can.
On it, Sam. With that, Sam's mind faded out, and Paul and I made sharp turns to head cross-country and come near Forks from a different angle than Embry was.
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Bella POV
Charlie gave me a few funny looks during dinner, but I somehow—unbelievably—managed to pass it off as still being annoyed with Jake. I would happily put off for as long as possible his realization that Embry and I had christened my bedroom.
"He and Embry didn't fight, did they?"
"No. Embry had gone home a while earlier, so they didn't see each other." And thank goodness for that, I thought. If he had been…well, we'd probably be looking at a major home renovation project to fix the damage.
After taking his plate to the sink, Charlie called his counterpart in the La Push police department, and learned that the car belonged to Paul Lahote.
"He helped Sam find you," my dad observed.
"I know. Maybe that's why he figured we wouldn't mind him leaving his car here," I said.
"Wonder why…" and Charlie went outside to look the car over. He didn't seem to have found anything when he came back inside. Then he looked up and called a phone number—Paul's, I guessed, given the message left.
"He might be on his way back already to get his car," was my suggestion.
Charlie went into the living room to watch his game, and I handled the cleanup; both usual patterns for us. But I found that my gaze kept drifting to the back door. This is crazy. Perhaps it was, but that didn't stop me from pulling the bag of trash from the kitchen garbage can and heading outside with it.
Twilight was falling, and shadows extended out into the yard from the treeline. The treeline, where a few hours ago I'd found the scraps of cloth. Almost without realizing it, my feet started moving that way.
"This probably isn't the smartest thing I've ever done," I mused aloud. "Not the dumbest thing—that was dating a vampire—but not one of the smartest." Then I froze when I heard a loud rustling noise from the forest. My breathing sounded too loud, but at least I had the sense not to scream. If there was something or someone out there looking for me, I didn't want it or them to get Charlie, too.
I peered into the growing darkness, trying to figure out what might have caused the sound. Almost hidden in the shadows, something indeed stood among the trees. At first, it appeared so black that it disappeared into the inky darkness, but then I saw lighter gray areas, and realized…
"A wolf," I breathed. "Oh, wow."
I couldn't get a very good look, but he—I somehow assumed it was a male—was huge. Taller than me. Way bigger than any normal wolf could ever have been—just like the wolves who'd saved Embry and me in the meadow today. But there wasn't a black and gray one, was there?
My feet had moved automatically, until Istood under the trees, right next to the wolf. His head lowered to watch me, and I heard an audible sniff. But otherwise he just stood still. Slowly, carefully, I extended my hands to lightly touch his fur, stroking through the strands on his shoulder. Then I touched his head, ears, and stroked down his muzzle. His jaw leaned into my hand just like a dog or cat would. The wolf almost seemed to sigh in pleasure at the attention.
"I probably ought to be scared of you, but I'm not. It might be crazy, but this feels…right, somehow."
The pointed ears twitched, and a swooshing sound reminded me of a wagging tail. If a wolf was capable of smiling, I rather thought that he would be; as it was, his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. He sniffed me again and then…
"Eek," I squealed softly when the tip of his tongue licked my neck.
"Naughty wolf. There's only one guy who gets to kiss me, and that's not you."
He huffed, clearly offended.
"Are you?"
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Guests: Thanks. Glad you liked it. I promise I'll keep adding new chapters until the story is finished. I won't leave my readers in a black hole of never knowing how it ends. The Embry/Bella reunion is coming. True, Billy isn't presenting himself very well at the moment. Sam stepped up big time. He's the Alpha and is going to act like it. Pack life will be interesting for sure. Sorry this took a while. I went out of town a few times, got sick, got busy, had writer's block…
Jana: I'm glad you like the idea of the parents knowing about the pack. Never quite understood how they could be so oblivious in canon to the fact that their sons were changing so much physically and in maturity, disappearing all hours of the day or night, skipping school… So I decided that the parents in my story would be a lot more observant and also be let in on the secret.
Congrats to for being review #300 on Tricky Raven.
Congratulations to MrsShadow for being review #800 on FF.
Husna: Thank you very much. Thrilled you enjoyed this. Can neither confirm nor deny your daddy guess. Stay tuned. We'll find out one way or the other. I promise to never forget about my 'fan club' and will see each story through to the end.
Sabrina: I hope this translates right (if it doesn't, blame Google Translate). Je vous remercie. Je suis heureux que vous aimez cette histoire. J'espère que cela est venu assez tôt.