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Chapter Five – Turquoise Heart

Seth

I sat in my parked truck, in front of Jake and Nessie's completely dumbfounded. My imprint had rejected me within the first hour of our relationship…if you could even call it that.

I scrubbed my face and pulled down on my cheeks as I stared at their house, hearing movement and the sound of a child's laughter. I felt a pang of jealousy knowing two of my pack brothers got to spend time with their imprints right in front of me.

I sighed and heaved myself out of the truck, slamming its rusty door shut and dragging myself towards their front door. I was coming to dinner per Renesmee's request this morning, albeit in a much sourer mood than I was when she first offered.

I trudged up the stairs, my boots pounding on the wood as I climbed them. I pushed open the white door, and was immediately hit with the scent of garlic and tomatoes.

"Uncle Seth!" I heard a small, high pitch voice squeal from up the stairs and I couldn't help but smile. I stood with a grin, regardless of my pissy mood, and waited for the toddler to bolt down the stairs and into my arms. I kneeled down as I watched her quickly descend, and jumped right up against my chest; nuzzling her small face into my neck.

"Hey, monster. Did you have a fun time at the park with Embry?" I questioned, pulling her back to examine her reaction.

She nodded quickly and gave me a slightly gummy grin. "Uh huh! He pushed me on the swing so high!" She squealed with delight and jumped out of my arms, running towards Embry who was striding towards us.

I looked up and met his gaze, and gave him a quick greeting nod. I used to be sympathetic towards Embry over his child imprint. We had all seen what it was like for Quil, and knew it could be difficult. I was mostly sympathetic because well, it was Jake's kid. I mean…I wouldn't want to imprint on my Alpha's daughter.

Definitely not right after she was born either…but Embry took it in full stride. After all the years we watched Quil with his imprint Claire, we knew what it was like. Embry especially understood, being Quil's best friend and all.

"So..." He began, bending over to scoop Eli up in his arms. She wriggled around giggling before settling against his shoulder, resting her small head full of dark curly locks against his neck.

I sighed and stood up, cracking my back as I stretched upwards. "Yeah." I replied bleakly, knowing what he was wanting to mention.

"Crazy, right?" He murmured, glancing down at Elizabeth snuggled in his arms. I felt a pang of jealousy rip through me watching their close bond. I wanted to be close to my imprint, too.

I nodded weakly and gave him a half-smile, not feeling the enormous happiness I had earlier before she declared herself off limits.

"Seth Clearwater!" I heard my best friends high pitched voice yell from the kitchen across the house, and immediately felt like a dog getting scolded. I heard Jacob's scruff laughter and dragged my pathetic existence towards them. Embry chuckled and followed behind me, obviously wanting to hear all about my imprint experience as well.

I had imprinted on her an hour ago and already felt the bone crushing pull to be with her. I needed her like I needed to eat, to sleep…to live. I didn't know a thing about her and I needed her that badly. And her not wanting me right off the bat made me want her that much more. How fucked is that?

"Seth!" She chimed happily, flashing me her straight white teeth as I came around the corner. I nodded to Jacob and slid myself into a seat at the island. She rushed over and gave me a tight squeeze.

"I'm so happy for you! You were getting awfully pessimistic on me after all these years." She had her hands on her hips, one adorned with a spatula and winked at me. I gave her a weak smile in return and slumped forward, burying my face in my arms that rested on the countertop.

"She wants nothing to do with me though." I whined into my arms, feeling the sting of rejection wash over me again. Jacob laughed behind me and I felt his hands land on my shoulders as he roughly shook me.

"She hugged you before I told everyone to go, what gave you that assumption?" He chided, continuing to laugh at my sorrows.

I snapped my head up and glared at him, "When I asked her to dinner and she said 'I seemed nice' and that she 'doesn't do dinner, doesn't date and doesn't do friends'!" I exclaimed, using my fingers to make quotation marks as I relayed what my imprint told me earlier.

I felt wood swat down on the top of my head and my head whipped over to look at Nessie who was scowling disapprovingly at me. "You exploded out of your skin in front of that girl and you expected her not to reject you?"

Embry snickered behind me but quickly stopped when she threw a menacing look at him.

"You didn't reject Jake! What does that even have to do with this!" I shot back.

She rolled her eyes and stepped back towards the stove, stirring what I assumed to be sauce. "I was raised by vampires, I'm not exactly squeamish."

"Just give it time." Jacob began. "She's been through a lot, more that you know."

I suddenly became very concerned for my imprint. Was she upset? What did I need to know?

"What do you mean? Is she okay?" I asked panicked. I stood up in a flash, the chair squealing in protest from my sudden movement.

He gave me a knowing look that said 'relax'.

"Tell me!" I shot at him, standing up taller.

"It's about Paul's sister." Embry piped behind me, moving around the counter to stand in front of me. Eli innocently looked at me under her eyelashes as she clutched onto Embry. Sometimes in moments like these, I wondered who she would grow up to be after being surrounded by all this crazy supernatural shit.

"The night Kelly went missing, Kelly and Cora snuck out to go to some club in Seattle with guys they met on a college tour at University of Washington. When they were walking around to find Cora's car…one of those newborn vampires that were created to hunt down Bella found them."

My eyes widened as a million scenarios flashed through my mind.

"Cora was attacked first, the lee-"

Renesmee cleared her throat, eliciting to Jacob she was about to disapprove of his slur.

He rolled his eyes and continued. "-vampire slashed her arms and just when it was about to bite her… Kelly told her to run and then…phased."

I gasped, "What?! How did we not know!"

Jacob shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, man. I mean…maybe it was the distance? But…that's the only reason Cora survived. Kelly phased and just instinctively attacked the vampire."

I blinked in disbelief, trying to absorb what I just learned.

"We don't know what happened to Kelly. Cora ran and didn't look back, which I can't blame her for that. Kelly said run and her knee-jerk reaction was to listen."

I nodded solemnly, "So…do you think…Kelly died?"

Jacob pursed his lips, "I feel like we would have felt it, but then again we didn't even feel her shift. We always can feel when someone phases for the first time so…why we didn't with her confuses me."

"If she's still alive why didn't she come back?" Embry questioned this time, while rubbing Eli's back as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

"Everyone has a lot of questions I don't have answers to!" Jacob barked, causing Eli to startle awake. She blinked a few times and looked over at Jacob, who cursed under his breath.

She began to wail and I rolled my eyes, watching as Embry instantly reacted soothingly. He rocked her in his arms while shushing her, and she began to quiet down. I chuckled as I noticed Nessie smiling to herself, completely nonchalant to her daughter's crying. We all knew Embry was the only one who could calm her down these days, and would cry harder if anyone but Embry tried to console her. He shot me a sheepish look as he walked out of the kitchen, and towards the stairs.

"What's it like having two baby-mom's?" I joked to Jacob. Before he could react, Nessie was hitting me again with her spatula.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, mock rubbing my head in pain.

"Shut it, you know how she gets if he's not the one holding her." He grumbled, a look of pain shot across his features before he hardened his demeanor.

We all knew deep down it sometimes hurt Jacob when Embry was with Elizabeth. The imprint bond caused her to always want him around, and she would protest until he was with her and no one had the heart to really keep them apart. Jacob understood the pull, as did Renesmee. But, she was still so small they didn't want to miss out on anything.

It was a tough situation all around, mostly because Elizabeth was…special. She was aging much quicker than a full human child, but not as quick as Renesmee had. Carlisle had explained he thought her rate of growth was about 3 to 1. So, for every month she was alive…she aged three months. They had no idea if it would stop, or slow down to a more normal rate. Nessie and Jacob rarely discussed outside of their own relationship, and it was also something Embry had a lot of anxiety over. She was ten months old now, but looked over two-years-old. She was extremely advanced, and seemed to have the intellect of a five-year-old.

"Sorry." I grumbled, pulling myself out of my deep thoughts.

Jake rolled his eyes and stood up, loping over to Nessie to help her make the plates of food. I watched with jealousy yet again over their bond now. Everyone who had imprints were happy in their love bubbles. Why did mine not want me? It felt like some cruel joke.

Jacob pushed a plate of pasta in front of me and narrowed his eyes, recognizing the jealousy in my face.

"Seth, quite tormenting yourself over this and eat. Remember when I imprinted on Ness and you talked me off the ledge when I was convinced she'd want nothing to do with me?"

I exhaled dramatically and nodded, "Yeah…and I told you to quit being a whiney bitch and give it time."

Nessie snorted as she hopped onto the counter across from the island, digging into her food.

"S'not funny." I said under my breath while stabbing the noodles with my fork.

"Seth, come on. You already know she's going to fall in love with you, so cut this crap out." Nessie confidently stated with a grin. "Everyone loves you. You're literally the epitome of happiness and rainbows. How could she not?"

Jacob growled and she rolled her eyes at his reaction. "You have time, is what I'm getting at. So, relax. Just enjoy knowing you met your soul-mate today."

My chest tightened at her words of encouragement. She was right, though. I met my soul mate, my other half, my imprint. I met Cora. Although we had met before, prior to me phasing, it was like we got a do-over. Only this time, it was so much better.

"If you're done whining, can I finish what I need to tell you?" Jacob asked with an annoyed tone. He didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Cora came back that night, and that's when Collin first phased."

I nodded, recalling the memory distinctively.

I was sitting at the dinner table with Leah and mom when an anguish filled howl pierced our ears. Both Leah and I exchanged glances before standing up abruptly.

"Oh, no." Mom whispers, bringing her hand over her mouth.

I look towards the window and heard another howl, signaling we had to phase immediately and check in.

"I'm sure it's nothing, mom. We just have to check." Leah tells her softly, before turning and bolting towards the door. I shoot mom a sad glance before running after Leah. I exploded the second my feet hit the earth, and was met with frenzied voices inside my mind. I had only been a wolf for a few days now, and was still getting used to the feeling of phasing.

"It's alright. You're going to be fine. I'm Sam, and we're all here to help you. You're a shape-shifter, and so are we. We're all your brothers and sister. We will help you." I heard Sam's strong Alpha voice above the others say to a mind I had yet to recognize.

"Collin just phased for the first time." Sam spoke again, giving both Leah and I insight on the situation.

"He's so young."

"Only thirteen."

"How is this possible?"

"More leeches, it has to be."

Sam snarled in our minds, halting the frenzied thoughts of the pack.

Collin's frantic thoughts were extremely loud as he was recalling his last moments before bursting out of his skin. We all watched his memories of his older sister screaming and throwing things at him and his parents, absolutely wrecking havoc on their home.

"Cora! Cora, where's Kelly?! Where have you been, what happened?!" His father yelled, trying to grab her bloodied arms.

"She's gone! She's fucking gone and I'm going insane! Something is wrong with this fucking town and something is wrong with me! I have to get out!" She yelled while sobbing. We all watched through Collin's eyes as she thrashed out of her father's grip and shoved him away, grabbing the bag on the floor and bolting out the front door. Collin ran after her, and watched as she peeled away in her car. We watched from his perspective as he looked down at his hands and began to blur, soon excruciating pain rippled through his body as he began to contort and crack under the pressure of his first phase. His skin burned as he sprouted fur and exploded, landing on four paws. He let out a desperate howl.

"We didn't go after her because the Cullen's came to us the next day for help." I recalled after shaking the memory out of my mind.

"We had to prioritize the tribe over that incident."

I shook my head and ran my hands through my short hair. "Damn, man. I can't believe we never looked into it more."

Jacob sighed and nodded, "It wasn't really up to us. Sam called the shots back then. But I know Paul always thought a vampire was involved. We had no proof, and Kelly was a troublesome girl. Their parents assumed she would come back."

"But, she didn't."

"Neither of them." He confirmed.

"So, what now?" Embry piped in, coming back into the kitchen alone. He must have put Elizabeth to bed.

"We just…try to monitor the situation." Jacob concluded. "I want to get some guys together and go up to Seattle…just to sniff around and see if we can sense her if she's even there. It doesn't hurt to try."

I winced, "It's been ten years, Jacob."

He nodded, "I know. But, this is for Paul. He needs to know his pack cares about this."

I understood wholeheartedly what he meant. Paul had always been tormented over Kelly's absence, as well as his confusion with Cora's involvement. They were all extremely close, and for his little sister and Cora to just vanish and no one but him to take it seriously was difficult. He had clammed up about it years ago, and it was almost like everyone forgot or moved on.

Until Cora came back.

I was sad thinking about how I had missed out on the last ten years of her life. I wondered what it would have been like if I imprinted on her before all of this had happened. Would Kelly still be around, would Cora and I be together? Would she have noticed me more that day in the cafeteria when we were both just kids? Now we were adults, 25 and 26…I couldn't waste another second.

I felt the familiar tug in my chest, telling me to go be with her. I didn't care to think it through, I just had to go see her.

"I've gotta go." I announced, and stood up. "Thanks for cooking, Nessie."

I bolted from their house without more of an explanation, and ran to my car. I slid into the front seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Cora. Cora. Cora. Cora.

Her name ran through my mind over and over. I felt an unsettling feeling, like she needed me. My imprint needed me…where was she though?

I turned my truck on and pulled into drive, deciding to just follow the pull. The rain let up and it was beginning to look like a really nice July night. The tugging led me to First Beach, and I felt my body tingle when I saw her standing in front of the evening tide. I pulled into a parking spot and hopped out, and tried to relax myself. I couldn't really just run up to her, could I?

I kicked off my shoes and socks, and slowly walked over to the beginning of the sandy beach. I immediately was engulfed in her scent, it swirled around me with the slight breeze the waves brought in.

"Didn't expect to see you here." I softly said to her as I walked up, taking in her profile. She looked beautiful as the breeze blew back her dark hair, and jingled the crescent moon earrings that hung from her lobes. They were adorned with hanging crystals and miniature stars along the bottom, that clicked together with every brush of wind. My eyes trailed down to her arms that were crossed, and noticed her small fingers were decorated with silver rings, a few of them embellished with small gemstones like turquoise and onyx. How had I not noticed all of this before?

"I saw you pull in." She replied dryly, pulling me out of my entranced state.

"Are you alright?"

She swallowed and exhaled a deep breath. I followed her line of sight that trailed down to where the tide was rushing past her ankles. More silver jewelry she wore on her feet sparkled underneath the wake and setting sun.

"It's hard to be back." She admitted with downcast eyes. "I feel like an outsider."

I stepped closer to her, my fingers twitching to touch her soft, tanned skin. "You're not, though."

Her electric, ocean eyes lifted to meet mine and my heart began to wildly pump just staring into them.

"She never came back." She cracked, and tears flooded her eyes. I felt my heart break as I watched her tough demeanor crumble in front of me.

My body tingled with need; need to comfort my imprint. The thought bulldozed through my rational thinking as I pulled her against my body, savoring how good she felt molded into me for the forth time today.

"Why are you here?" She questioned with a whisper. I felt her salty tears land on my shirt, as she limply leaned against me. She didn't hold me back like I had wished, but that was alright. As long as she was letting me comfort her, I was happy.

"I like to watch the sun go down over the water." I told her quietly. It wasn't necessarily the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. I did come to the beach a lot, and enjoyed the sunsets we got in La Push. They were always beautiful, with red and purple hues rippling across the sky and over the Pacific Ocean.

"I don't believe you." She mumbled, and pushed herself away from me. She swiped her eyes quickly with her jeweled fingers and flicked her hair behind her shoulders. "I bet they're making you follow me around so I don't run off again."

My eyes widened at her accusation, but could understand her reasoning behind it. She didn't trust us, and figured we in turn didn't trust her.

"No ones making me do anything." I countered, and a smile broke out on my face. "I'm here on my own volition."

She scoffed and stepped away from me, taking a few more strides into the water until it was covering her ankles. The edges of her flowing skirt dipped into the water but she didn't seem to mind.

She looked like an angel in that moment. The late sun hit her perfectly, illuminating her cheekbones and bare shoulders. She was in a flowing, white sundress layered with lace, that stood out in deep contrast against her copper skin. I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and kiss her.

She turned her head towards me, looking past her shoulder, right into my eyes. "What did you mean you'd keep me safe?"

I felt my cheeks heat up, and gave her a lopsided grin. I couldn't help it, she was looking at me and damn it – she was gorgeous.

"Exactly what I said."

She rolled her eyes and I saw her lips almost twitch upwards. "Yeah, but what did you mean?"

I nervously chuckled and ran my hand through my hair. "It's my – uh - duty." I choked out, trying to tip toe around the truth.

I couldn't exactly just blurt out she was my destiny and my true soul mate.

"Even when I turn you down?" She cockily asked, raising a sculpted eyebrow intuitively.

I dipped my head and laughed, sneaking my gaze back up briefly to meet hers.

"Even then."

She smirked and faced the ocean again, biting her lip to fight the smile.

"If you keep showing up when I'm in trouble or upset, I'm going to always expect that." She teased, and I yipped internally with with excitement at the flirtatious suggestion from my imprint.

I licked my lips and stepped closer to her, my fingers brushing against hers that fell down at her sides. The pull to her was so strong, I couldn't hold myself back. It was hard to fight the desire to be right against her.

Her skin burned pleasantly against my fingertips, and I felt myself smile again.

"I guess I better stick around, huh?" I suggested, my voice dipping lower as I whispered behind her.

I could hear her heartbeat speed up, and saw her cheeks flush. I was making her react like this, and it felt damn good.

"I don't-"

I grabbed her waist and spun her around to face me, causing her to trail off mid sentence. I smiled down at her, and my eyes flickered to her lips. God, it was unbelievable how badly I wanted to kiss her already.

"You don't do dinners, dates, or friends?" I finished for her, feeling daring as I lifted my hand to cup her cheek. She blinked and her heart rate sped up even faster.

"No…I was going to say I don't understand." She mumbled, letting herself lean into my palm.

"Understand what?" I asked softly, my eyes darting back and forth between hers.

She pursed her lips, "Why I feel the way I do around you, after only a few conversations."

I chuckled and gave her a small smile, "How do you feel?"

"Like the part of me that hates myself goes away, like I can tell you…anything."

The weight of her words hit me like a wrecking ball, and it was like I could sense all of her self loathing in that moment. Imprint's could feel each other's feelings at times, and right now I knew exactly what she meant. It tore me apart to know she had so much turmoil, and all I wanted to do was help her through it.

"You should never hate yourself, Cora. You survived, and it's not your fault that attack happened. The world dealt you a shitty card but you took it on and handled it in your own way. But…I'm glad you feel like you can tell me anything, because you can." I murmured to her, staring deeply into her pretty blue eyes.

She gave me a weak chuckle; the kind people do to stop themselves from crying. My heart panged sadly at the notion.

She moved her head and brushed my hand away, "I just feel like I've done so much wrong in my life, I'm not where I want to be."

My brows furrowed and I dropped my hand to my side, already missing the contact of our skin.

"Where do you want to be then?"

She shrugged and moved away from me, and began walking along the shore. I wasted no time in trailing after her, following her like a dog on a leash.

"I haven't figured that out." She admitted to me as she glanced at the waves. "I think being here is…going to help. I've always wanted to come back. I just never…had a good enough reason that would outweigh my fear."

I nodded, understanding what she meant. Her father was the sole reason she was returning, not just because she wanted to visit. It was a sad feat, and I truly felt sympathetic for my imprint.

"Do you want to know the shittiest part?" She asked darkly, stopping in her stride to face me. "The shittiest part is I missed out on years with my dad, only to come back and watch him die. If that's not karma…I don't know what is. I'm just really…unhappy right now, Seth. So, when I told you I don't date…that's why. I don't need to bring anyone else into my misery."

I felt myself frown, something I rarely did. My imprint wasn't happy. I wanted to give her the world and happiness she'd never had before. I would make it my mission to make Cora Littlesea happy again. I would die before she spent another day sad. I realized then my imprint didn't need love, she needed a friend. She needed protection.

"I understand, Cora. I'd like to help you through this…as a friend? I think we both could use one." I suggested hopefully.

She paused as she thought about it and sighed, "I have a feeling even if I say no you'd stick around."

I gave her a big grin and shrugged, "You're catching on."

We continued to walk down the beach together in comfortable silence, both of us wearing small smiles in triumph. Today was ending on a great note.