Jake's POV
I pull my self off my bloodied friend, for the first time taking in his injuries, knowing his pain as it also is in mine. The rest of the pack has phased back not wanting to hear his thoughts. I phase knowing his injuries need attention; I myself will be unable to give.
Phasing back to human form my be easy for me, not really having fought with Embry, but when your body is rattled with wounds and you feel like every muscle fibers is screaming within your body, it is beyond hard. Experience with phasing while being injured is something Embry does not have much experience with, I on the other hand would like to have less.
Embry whimpers as he pulls his body off the ground, his fur now blatantly matted with blood, his shoulder the most obvious wound gaping open. The damage is excessive to say the least but it could have been far worse. The other pack members would recover well before morning from Embry's defenses, but Embry's hope of not showing the signs of a fight do not look good.
He manages to phase back to his human self, his injuries only that much more apparent now that he is lacking fur. Our walk to Sam and Emily's house is slow, as I help Embry walk through the trees.
"You know what they all said wasn't true." I say breaking the silence between us.
"I really want to believe you Jake." He says in a strained voice.
"You know I…"
"Save it Jake, I understand just get me to Sam's okay." He says with a loud groan.
He didn't want to hear it, everyone probably already knows all my feelings on the subject. I had acted weak in the eyes of my pack, in not attacking him what did that say about me. Nothing I decide, I am strong regardless.
Larke's POV
Sleep overwhelmed me last night some where between thinking about how he licked me again and how he kissed me. My dream consisted of something out of the twilight zone. I dreamt of kissing Embry, he was on top of me again but mid kiss he changes into the wolf and I am kissing a dog ewww. What is my brain telling me? I hope that can't happen, what if it does? No, it can't that would just be wrong, regardless if it is Embry or not inside that wolf body I will in no way kiss an animal like that. Ewww, I push my dream from my mind hoping that I never have the courage to ask Embry if it would ever happen.
Throwing on some jeans and a thin-strapped tank top, I root around in my draws until I find a pair of matching arm warmers that encase my thumb and extend to my wrists driving off the chill. I head downstairs following my nose towards what I hope is a wonderful breakfast. Breakfast, shit I hope Embry is okay, they better not have hurt him, I will literally hit them with a rolled up newspaper or better yet castrate them all, male dogs aren't as aggressive after than has been done. I laugh at my line of reasoning. In the kitchen I only find Kim and Emily thankfully, none of the wolves are here yet, except for the three sleeping upstairs that is. I notice thankfully that someone already brewed some coffee, taking a large mug and savoring the warmth on my throat.
I take a seat at the island counter sipping my coffee trying to judge the atmosphere between me and the two pack girls. Nothing is said for about 10 minutes, making me wonder if I am still not in their good graces.
"Morning Larke, I hope you slept well." Emily says finally smiling brightly at me.
"I guess so, felt better when I was still asleep though." I frown into my cup of coffee.
"Don't worry about him; he's been up against plenty of things scarier than a few angry wolves." Kim laughs.
Emily laughs lightly along with her, I don't say a word as I wonder what exactly could be scarier than wolves. The legends couldn't have been truthful about the cold ones so to say, I mean that is ridiculous.
I still felt weird around them, not knowing just how to act around these so-called friends of mine anymore. It is beyond me, nothing makes sense. The pack and their silly rules and everything what kind of family beats you up after you do something wrong. It is like they really are just that a bunch of animals walking around pretending to be humans.
The first one to arrive is Jared, expected since Kim is here cooking; I leave the room heading for the living room coffee still in hand. Jared keeps his distance taking my former seat at the island counter.
As everyone starts trickling in I avoid their eyes, not wanting to talk to anyone as of yet. Just because what they did last night is supposed to settle things between them and Embry doesn't mean that I have to let things return to normal. Jake, Sam, and Embry are the last to arrive, and all I can say is that everyone acted as if nothing ever happened. They entered through the back door greeting everyone as they entered the dinning room.
"Don't even think about starting without me?" I hear Embry laugh after greeting everyone.
"Don't usually have to worry about that one Em, that stomach of yours always has you arriving early." I hear Emily tease him.
"Sorry Emily, there have been other things on my mind lately."
"Of course there has Embry," Seth says coming down the stairs and walking through the living room taking notice of me sitting alone, "But it seems your stomach maybe keeping you away from someone right now," Seth chides him winking at me as he exits the room.
Moments later Embry strolls into the living room and I gape at his shoulder when he takes a seat next to me on the couch.
"What did they do rip you arm off last night?" I gasp at the jagged line stitched on his bare shoulder.
"It's nothing it will be gone by tomorrow." He says casually.
"If something this bad heals in a day, what did they do to you that has already healed?" I shriek scanning his body for any signs of trauma.
"I told you don't worry about it…it is over and done with, they feel better and I feel better it is over with."
"I don't feel any better." I almost whisper.
"I'm fine, it isn't like it took it lying down I got some good hits in too, but this is just how it had to be, just accept this."
I feel sick, hearing Embry talk about how everything is fine, hearing him joke with his attackers, it is just wrong. I don't understand them, I don't understand him, I can't even understand myself.
Embry doesn't seem to care, has he done this to one of his fellow pack mates before, has he actually been on the other end of it all. He must have been, this couldn't have been the first time someone has stepped out of line so to speak. Can it really be that simple with them, punch your friend in the face a few times and everything is back to normal? I have never settled a disagreement that way, but I guess it comes down to the same principle in the long run you just have to do what will make you feel better and mend the friendship.
I close my eyes wanting to hide from Embry and his scrutinizing gaze; I want to hide from it all, why does my life have to have so many complications. I close my eyes tighter scrunching my face, counting the seconds between my breaths as I fight back my urge to run away, run away from him, them, and myself.
"Larke…snap out of it, open your eyes tell me what is wrong? What did I do wrong?" Embry's voice pained and anxious calls to me.
I open my eyes hesitantly looking at him, my words caught in my throat, as if my mouth would actually hear the messages from my brain at this moment. Nothing could be further from the truth, my brain simply wasn't functioning, the pathways from my brain to my mouth are clearly open, but nothing is being sent. Frozen, halted, unable to continue I simply stare at him, willing him to say something do something to provoke my feeble brain.
"What did I do tell me I'll fix it just don't look at me like this? I don't know what I did wrong?" He pleads with me the devastation and hurt in his voice breaking my brains resolve to stay out of this and I feel I can speak.
"Nothing. You did nothing wrong." I whisper wanting so much just to embrace him, wanting to be in his arms, but how can I…I can't…I won't…but I want to beyond anything I have ever wanted.
"Then what is wrong?" Embry asks again.
"I can't…I won't let myself…how I can…it is too much, not possible…" I stammer unable to get out what I want to say.
"You can't what accept this, accept what happened? Embry asks fishing for the answer.
"No. You…" I look down away from him, "How can I let myself fall for you…I can't…"
Okay I got it out; I let him know what my brain is telling me, screaming at me more likely.
He pulls me swiftly into his arms, enveloping me in his boiling embrace. He whispers in my ear, "Don't stop yourself from falling in love with me please don't…" His voice is strained as he chokes out the words into my ear.
He pulls me closer to him, only to crush my ragged breath from my lungs. I gasp at the shock and lack of oxygen. He releases me, swiftly pecks me on the cheek, and pulls me towards the dining room, towards everyone I would rather not see.
The looks have now changed, I could deal with the looks of pity, anger, and confusion but nothing prepared me for the looks on their faces now. I saw pain, understanding, bewilderment, discomfort, and the one that bothered me the most happiness. I centered my concentration adamantly on my food, not taking my eyes off the compartmentalized squares of my waffle. Waffles remind me of how my brain works; everything functions if the compartments hold, but when syrup fills up one compartment there is nothing stopping it from flowing into the next. The compartments become week with excess syrup allowing for the breakdown of the walls and that is what I am afraid of, letting down my walls, letting someone completely in. Embry just keeps pouring the syrup onto my waffle downing me metaphorically that is, in reality I don't like syrup that much only a little suffices.
After breakfast everyone abruptly has something to do except Leah and Embry who much to my displeasure both follow me into the living room comfortable sitting down before I can protest. Embry all but drags me into his lap after taking a seat on the couch while Leah casually sits in the facing recliner.
"So Larke have you let Embry seduce you yet?" Leah bellows across the room in typical loudmouth fashion I was used to at college making me laugh. Wait I am still suppose to be mad at her, but I couldn't resist laughing at the old joke she always threw at me when I was around a guy I liked.
Leah would always try to embarrass me around any guy she could tell I had any remote interest in by asking in various ways if I had had sex with them or did anything other than kiss them. Countless times my face has turned crimson, sending the guys around me into fits of laughter or embarrassment depending on who they were. Embarrassment didn't cover it when she said this type of risqué comments around one of my more traditionally morale friends. He like several of my friends considered sex a topic for after marriage, and the idea that such 'inappropriate things would take place between me and him' as he put it had offended him. Damage control to that situation was long and discomforting for both parties involved.
Bad memories and good ones flooded my mind at her comment; I wonder what Embry was thinking, truly not knowing this part of Leah's friendship with me. I wanted to continue the banter with her, but I still harbored ill feelings towards how she treated me and Embry. What the heck I think I can't hate her forever I do live with her? We would have to talk later or I'd have to torture her some how later, ha I do know a lot about her mysterious college life.
"You know me better than that L. I'm not you." I quip back at her.
"I know you want him Larke, you should just tell him he'll do the rest."
"Lea-uh…this is neither the time nor the place to discuss what I want or don't want from Embry right now." I say trying to sound casual not wanting to lose and
"I just thought you would give in by now no one has ever turned Embry Call down…don't think I have ever seen him try so hard." She laughs.
Embry has been a little tense behind me since Leah's first words, but at that last statement his tension because very obvious, he feels more like a stone slab than a man.
I suppress a giggle at noticing Embry's discomfort with the conversation. I turn my head to look at him, lifting my hand to his neck making sure he catches my gaze.
"Relax, I don't think I very keen on playing fetch with your wolfy self right now Embry." I say reaching up to peck him on the side of his jaw.
Leah laughs at my comment, almost hysterically.
"Do you have him potty trained yet or did you only teach him to fetch." Leah says between laughs.
"Now your being ridiculous L. so just stop before you go too far, you didn't win this time."
"What do you mean she didn't win?" Embry asks now quite confused about our little game.
"She was trying to embarrass me, she use to do this all the time when I was around any guy I had a crush on."
"This is the first time I haven't won Larke, but I'll get you…just wait." Leah says smiling.
"So this is normal, you talking about having sex…" Embry stammers losing his breath as he speaks.
"Quite normal yes…Larke here has just always lost my little game and turned red, bashful and either cowered or ran from the room. Both of which ultimately got her some attention from the guy in question." Leah explains.
"You two must have had an interesting friendship while at school." Embry muses outloud.
"I think I know the key though, no audience I'll have to try again in front of the pack." Leah giggles to herself.
"No, you wouldn't dare, I know plenty about you that I know nobody knows…" I threaten.
"Sure, sure…I'll see ya later I have patrol later and need a nap." Leah says exiting the room.
Thanks for all the reviews again...this was kinda of a transition chapter hopfully reactions weren't a disappointment, but now that everyone is happy in the pack maybe Embry and Larkes relationship can progress hmmmmm, maybe guess you have to wait and see