A/N: Hi everyone. Thank you for your patience with this chapter. A small life update a the bottom, but in the meantime, please enjoy this chapter. I hope you like it. If I do more Wolf Pack stories, I think I'll start off doing both perspectives. I liked Jared's side of things, and will continue to incorporate him as we go. Hope you enjoy. He's a touch more...carnal than Kim is aware of, which is a trope of shifter-fiction that I love. Hope you do to, and thank you for staying with me this long!
Jared thought he'd gleaned enough about imprinting from Sam.
The sudden shift of attraction, the magnetism. He saw it all- albeit secondhand- and figured (in the unlikely event) that it happened to him one day, it wouldn't be as jarring. No surprises.
Then it happened with Kim, and Christ, he'd never been more wrong about anything in his life.
It was cataclysmic; it was totally earth-shattering.
It was perfect, because she was beyond anything he could've dreamed up..
It genuinely was like having a blindfold ripped off, only to blink and see the world in color for the first time. Kim, with her sensual lips and thoughtful gaze and sweet little pointed chin, blinking at him in baffled wonder. He didn't know her name- well, he did, as it turned out, but he was just not thinking right- and the entire universe rearranged itself.
But back up.
Weeks before, after his first transformation, he was in wolf-form for three days. Sam coached him steadily until finally, on a rainy morning, he felt his wolven features recede. He phased back, naked and trembling in the mud somewhere deep in the woods. The return to man's flesh felt alien, cold and stinging. His body shook until finally, he began heaving bile from the trauma of unfamiliar phasing. When he was finally finished, Sam laid a hand on his back and said, "It'll only be better from here out. That's the worst of it."
I fucking hope so, he thought sullenly, feeling strange to have his mind once again his own. Private. Quiet.
"You're Beta," Sam continued. Exhausted and bleary-eyed on the forest floor, Jared couldn't find the energy to lift his head. "The others will turn soon. The Vamps are more active than before, so it's only a matter of time."
Jared grunted his agreement. He'd seen nothing but images of Vampires for days when Sam was in his head.
He stayed in the woods after that- only venturing into Sam and Emily's yard for food. He was too scared of phasing by accident to attempt much else. Emily finally coaxed him into the house to sleep in the guest room on day 6. He could feel the wolf spirit pacing in him. It growled when displeased, making his skin ripple and his bones grind like it wanted him to break free, to return to his animal self. It relaxed when food was nearby, and was at attention when Sam came thundering in on day 8, insisting that Jared phase now, because Paul LaHote…
Well, mastering his wolf instincts came a bit easier when Sam relied on him so heavily. And somehow, having to teach Paul how to be a wolf only a week after his own transition accelerated Jared's skill. He had to learn to radiate calm, to keep balance when Paul's volatility threatened at the edge of his senses.
He started by counting trees; cataloguing their differences as he breathed in. One spruce, two spruces, three spruces. A rotting spruce. Three, two, one. Back to center. Back to Paul, to Sam, to training.
On day ten, a Cold One wandered over the line- giving a good chase. It chose a terrible time to play games with them though, when Paul was so fresh into the game. Paul's rage sent them all catapulting into an exhilarating pursuit. He nearly took off a chunk, but the fucking devil was too quick for him.
Sam began drilling them harder after that. Training hour after hour, to be the fierce protectors they were destined to be.
On day sixteen, they went before the Council. Sam did most of the talking; Billy Black presided, looking wiser than Jared had ever seen anyone look. Old Quil Ateara, Harry Clearwater, Joanne Cuthand, Marty Fuller, Ned Eubank, Lois Redwood- faces he'd seen around the Rez, or knew as parents of classmates. They thanked him and Paul for their bravery, for their dedication to the Tribe. They had spoken to Paul's dad, and to Jared's parents. They'd "taken care of it" and sworn the inner circles into secrecy (much to Jared's relief). Then...they instructed Sam to have both of them ready for school within two weeks.
Going back home was surprisingly emotional. His dad had grabbed him in such a tight hug that Jared felt tears spring to his eyes. His mom fretted over him so sweetly, making plate after plate of fettuccine alfredo, wanting to know everything. Alyssa was still in the dark, and would remain so...but God, it felt good not having to lie to his parents.
"Billy, Old Quil and Lois came by the night you left," his dad explained quietly, lobbing off another piece of garlic bread. "They explained everything. Told us that you'd be physically unable to loop us in, when you were ready to come home, so they would levy the secret on behalf of the Tribe. Said it was likely my dad had this same ability that you do- and to be honest, it didn't seem so crazy. If I trusted anyone to protect the Tribe...well, my son would be the one."
Jared felt proud. It felt like this was the direction he'd been waiting for. But there was a piece missing, like a raw wound he couldn't quite ease.
He wondered if he could fix it with sex- a temporary physical relief. Jared had been given to hormonal urges since puberty, and now, with his animal spirit so wild under his skin, it was all the more demanding. Maybe that would stop the ache. He called his girlfriend- Autumn- and explained away his absence vaguely, and was ready for sex. And Autumn was more than happy to oblige. They fucked twice in the days before his return to school, despite Sam's disapproval.
"You make me nervous. Things aren't normal now. They'll never be normal again. You've got a lot to lose if something goes wrong, Jared."
"Then you better use your Alpha voice on me, Sam. Because not all of us have an Emily to go home to, so I've gotta make it happen somehow."
Sam growled in annoyance at the mention of his imprint's name.
They weren't allowed to comment on anything even remotely inappropriate when it came to Emily, or Sam would go fucking ape-shit on them. But both Paul and Jared saw through his eyes and knew the carnal side of imprinting. Imprinting was rare- and Sam mused that it likely wouldn't happen for either of them- so their curiosity over the phenomenon was steeped in pity and distaste.
Imprinting was all about the girl's happiness and wellbeing. Sam also believed it was about commitment, about authentic connection unlike any other relationship (even pack). But it was also...
To be plain, it was also about mating. Mating in the most biological sense, veering away from the pretense of human civilization and into something as instinctive and old as the earth itself. This particular aspect of imprinting wasn't discussed. Maybe Sam figured that Jared and Paul had unfettered access to his mind, could analyze and reason for themselves. He never broached the topic, out of some kind of respect for Emily, probably. Or territorialism, because that was part of it too.
But Jared saw. Sam, growling. Emily moaning- basically mewling- for more, as Sam's mind blurred between his two spirits. His body remained human, but the wolf instincts were at the fore as he claimed her, wild, mindless, needing to mark and fill and mate-
Yeah, it was pretty intense. And there was a bite-not a Vampire bite, Christ, no. Not that. It wasn't a puncturing or Vampy-creepy bite. It was more like- a claiming mark. Even weirder? It seemed as if only the wolves could see it. Even Emily was blind to it. Sam had been stunned at its appearance- a reddish mark on her left shoulder, like a bruise that refused to fade, where he'd apparently hooked his jaw onto her as they fucked the first time. The instinct to do so was overwhelming, in Sam's memory, and he didn't recall breaking the skin or hurting her. She'd enjoyed it, enjoyed everything. When he ran his fingers over it later, apologizing, Emily had been totally perplexed. They'd argued in front of a mirror for twenty minutes before Sam finally conceded. They had big enough problems back then anyway, sneaking around post-Leah. And he didn't have any packmates around at that time to say otherwise.
For a little bit, because of that, Sam speculated that Emily might be immune to injury from him; imprint magic, more or less, that guaranteed her safety whenever she was with her protector.
Obviously, he was wrong about that.
It was so horrible. But none of them talked or even thought about the incident.
Sam would never lose that edge of devastation, and no one who loved him- Emily, Paul or Jared- wanted to exacerbate that. He was truly one of the best people Jared had ever known. His nobility, sense of honor, dependability...Sam would've been a formidable demi-god among them, if it weren't for that horrible, horrible reminder of human infallibility.
So the incident scars were visible for the world to see; they were plain as day, and would never go away.
But the claiming bite...that mark seemed to be purely for wolven eyes alone. A distinction to mark imprints as pack, perhaps.
Luckily, Jared felt absolutely zero urge to bite anybody. He quelled his immediate sexual appetite thanks to Autumn, and enjoyed the release of it all like he would a heavy workout at the start of Football camp. No danger, nothing earth-bending. The sex was fine. If the claiming bite was a wolf thing, then it seemingly was not an indiscriminately sexual action. Maybe it was an imprinting thing. Or an Alpha thing. Or just a Sam Uley thing. Jared couldn't begin to guess.
Sam still acted like he was a time-bomb though. "I advise you to be discrete. Things are different now." Discretion. Always discretion. Jared would get headaches from all the eye-rolling he'd resorted to.
To further prove his theory that he could have sex without wanting to claim, Jared thought about calling Mallory or Amanda. But that sounded a bit exhausting and he wasn't sure he wanted to open himself up for drama so soon out of his transformation. He knew he looked good (better than ever) and that alone, mixed with his reputation, was bound to draw some attention. He and Amanda hadn't dated in over a year and revisiting that chapter seemed messy right now. Mallory was a sure-thing...but something held him back from that. Maybe Sam's judgment weighing so heavily on him.
"Paul's just as bad as me," Jared groused the night before their return to school, after yet another disapproving mental lecture via the Pack Link. Glad to return to human form, just to get the censure out of his head, he slung his shorts back up over his hips.
"No, I'm not," Paul stated confidently. "You make things complicated. I don't tangle all the feelings bullshit up, and girls know it. My chicks never come back bugging me."
"Maybe that says more about your game than anything else-"
"Jared." Sam sounded weary. "Just take it easy. Both of you. I don't need to deal with any stupid teenage hormone shit on top of training, okay? And it's only a matter of time until the next round. I'm relying on you both."
"Okay, Sam," they both chorused, dutifully.
But then... he went back to school, and all eyes were on him, and he was getting attention that would make any seventeen year old guy's ego burst, and then it was English, and he was annoyed from trying to just do what Sam ordered-
Then Kim.
Whatever he thought he knew about imprinting was knocked on its head as the world tilted on its axis; as the very elements of the Universe slammed together in a new, perfect order. He was looking into the eyes of the person whose soul was cut from the same fabric as his. Everything that was became obsolete, because Kim rewrote his life-story (their life-story) in less than thirty seconds.
Glittering, knowing eyes of deep brown ("the color of Coca-Cola," he told her once, in a nearly-forgotten memory). Soft, perfect lips that would press together and curl whenever she started to overthink. Two little freckles under her right eye, and perfect soft curves all over her body. Every toss of her silken black hair left him distracted. The scent of her within twenty feet was enchanting, comforting.
All the frustration he'd known in his adolescence- all the resentment, anger, sadness- suddenly slipped away; this was the person who would understand. Besides, what was the point of his own limited view? It was selfishness, and nothing more. He'd wondered why he felt so alone for so long, so aimless...and now, it was replaced by a deep, resonating warmth. She was who he was waiting for, all along.
She literally made the air around her shimmer with every breath. It was like she breathed magic.
Good God. He didn't want to blink. He never wanted to let her out of his sight again, now that he'd glimpsed true beauty.
The other thing that Sam failed to mention? The shared emotions. From the moment it happened, it felt like a chamber of Jared's chest burst open, now filled with an exhilarating, overwhelming little bundle of Kim. He quickly learned what that foreignness was, as he watched her perfect cheeks bloom with color - in perfect synchrony with the embarrassment pattering through his chest.
So when he felt those twitching pangs of desire….Jared wanted to drop to his knees.
God does exist.
His imprint at least found him attractive. That was a start!
But then he fucked up their first few interactions, post-imprint. It felt like it was a conspiracy, somehow, that everything seemed to tangle up when it came to his attempts to impress Kim. The first fuck-up was him not even realizing that this beautiful angel next to him had been a classmate for years. Was he truly so blind? The evidence pointed, inarguably, to yes, he was that stupidly ignorant.
Another major fuck-up was having that underclassman's phone number on his hand, that first day. Incriminating, even if the girl who gave it to him was now utterly forgettable in the burning radiance that was Kim.
The third fuck-up was...well, just him in general. Kim seemed to have a pretty good notion of who he was, and his complex history when it came to women. He sensed the ship sinking as they spoke, as Kim muttered under her breath, as her cheeks turned scarlet; then she turned and gave him such a succinct lashing that he felt equal parts impressed, proud, and devastated.
His imprint was a bewitching combination of spine and forgiveness; of grit and grace. She was quiet, and dignified, and strong. She was way smarter than him, than anybody in their class. And, well, everything she said...was right. She had a way of piercing him with those soft, coca-cola colored eyes and nailing the truth straight to his chest.
And it was clear, before the end of English class, that he didn't deserve her. She was too good for him.
He couldn't shake that overwhelming sense of heartache at the realization.
What would Sam say?
He'd say: be worthy of her, then.
Mercifully, she granted him a second chance- and he ached for a moment to just get it fucking right for once. He went to her house. He just had to ask her out properly.
When he saw her in shorts for the first time, standing in the doorway of her house and backlit like some kind of angel, he'd been unable to keep his eyes off her. She had meaty, solid legs- shapely, and ready to star in every single one of Jared's future fantasies.
As he drove to Port Angeles with Kim in the passenger seat, Jared felt lighter than he had in years. Delight frothed through him like beer after a big game, but better. He reveled in how easy it was to talk to her. The way she'd laugh in that throaty way made his fist clench against the steering wheel. She listened to him with an attention that was humbling. He had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road more than once, distracted by her shimmering glow.
Then the fiasco with Autumn. Jesus. He'd nearly run all the way back to La Push in his wolf's body, just to be able to howl and quake; the beast was anxious that he'd lost his mate before they'd even begun. He got in control- being Beta had fortunately sharpened his control this past month- but even after getting home, he couldn't stop thinking about Kim. He patrolled the edges of her family's property with a fixation that had Paul jeering. Never had he felt more paranoid about Vampires, now that he had Kim to look after.
- You're a fucking creep. Paul was in a shit-mood.
- He's distracted; the first couple of days can be a weird adjustment. Sam's voice in the pack link was reasonable, sympathetic. Jared knew what imprinting was, and still it was all-consuming...Sam had had to go it alone. Images of Emily flickered through; Sam's heartsick adoration, his own furtive attempts to get closer to his imprint, while trying to analyze what was happening to him. Jared was lucky in that, at least.
- Uh huh well Jared needs to press the fucking mute button once in a while. Hear that, you sap? If I see one more goddamn fantasy about kissing her legs and thighs, I'm going to throw myself over a cliff.
- Be my guest. Jared's reply wasn't so much deliberate as it was innate.
- Or better yet, I'll grab Kimmy C's jiggling little ass tomorrow in the lunchline, so I can report back on if your fantasies are valid…
Jared's answering snarl was immediate.
- Paul, fucking quit it. Or I won't stop him when he comes to rip your fur out. Sam was no-nonsense.
- This isn't fun anymore. I'm surrounded by bitch-boys. Paul's voice was self-pitying and biting.
- Give it another month or two and there will be more. We'll have a few more voices on the pack link, if Jared and I aren't good enough company for you.
- Pssh. What do you know, Sam? You said imprinting was rare, and look what happened. I'm not in the mood to hear your promises.
- Your attitude tonight is something else. I want you to run up the Coast until you reach the border. Burn off some of that energy. Be on the lookout for leech traces.
-Gladly. Maybe Jared will have found his balls by the time I get back.
- Run, LaHote. Sam's Alpha voice was sharp as winterfrost.
Jared laid down in the dirt, in the underbrush. He wondered if Kim hated him; he felt a sadness in his chest all night that just wouldn't unhinge itself from his heart. He barely slept, wondering how he could make it better. Kim deserved joy….and he wanted to give it to her.
At dawn, when the supermarket's lights flickered on, he bought flowers for her. His mouth was dry with apprehension. Don't hate me, don't hate me, don't hate me.
He obsessed over his yearbook and found that they were pictured together no less than six times since ninth grade. A few where they were surrounded by classmates in group-work, and in another she was standing nearby in the lunch line while he and Brad Adams postured in their Football jerseys for whomever was taking the photo. His stomach turned when he found a photo from Spanish, only the year before; Kim smiled uneasily at the camera from the seat next to him, while he gave some flippant asshole-expression out of the corner of his eye- one that clearly conveyed that he had better things to do.
Ughhhh. He was the fuckin' worst. The vague memories of that class- how he'd almost failed and taken her with him- made him sick. She had every right to hate him.
Luckily, Kim wasn't just your average imprint. No, she was the pinnacle of perfection. Despite all the shit both past and present...Kim still gave him half a chance; she even became friends with him.
She'd tried to deny any interest in guys, at one point. A blow to the gut, except...it wasn't quite true. He felt that fluttering feeling in the Kim-designated space in his chest; he could sense her attraction to him.
A couple of times...he could even smell it.
It made him absolutely ravenous for her.
He was starting to understand the biting thing, very clearly. The need to claim Kim threatened to overpower him, sometimes. It practically choked him, when they were together and he could sense her sexual response to him. He wondered if she'd be like Emily- if she'd like his claiming bite, if it would make her hips undulate wider to receive him as he rutted into her, if she'd say that she loved him-
But he knew all that was still awhile off; he had to work on gaining her respect, first.
When she admitted that she'd harbored a crush on him for years, Jared wanted to croon with triumph. When she let him kiss her- he'd never felt so happy. When she kissed him again, after that, and would keep kissing him...well, Jared could only thank God, or the Ancestors, or whoever.
Annoyingly, they had to wait out all the speculation and the annoying small-town bullshit. He didn't want to rush into anything necessarily- so he could totally follow Kim's lead. Well, at least...he could try.
He was ready for it all. He wanted every second he could get with her, knowing that she was off to college in less than a year. She'd come back to him, if they built a good foundation now.
Building a good foundation together included telling her the truth. Sam said that imprints were the singular exception to the silence pact, which was good because Jared found it difficult keeping a secret from Kim. It had almost slipped out a few times. She just was so easy to talk to; he wanted her to know everything about his life, like he wanted to know hers.
He figured it might be best to start with the wolf stuff. Once he explained that trainwreck- the imprinting stuff sort of just rolled as part of the supernatural package. He just didn't know if he should tell her before the Bonfire, or after. Let Billy Black set the narrative, and then… "Hey, Kim, by the way…"
The week of the bonfire, their schedules seemed to run in opposition; his nights off were at the beginning of the week, while Kim didn't get a breather until Wednesday evening. Still, he contented himself with spending a few hours of his shift hanging near her house. It was raining, so under the cover of the downpour, he felt safe to lurk close to the house. Her dad was seated at the kitchen table doing paperwork; in the living room, Kim was watching Disney's Sleeping Beauty and humming along as she highlighted merrily in her notebook. The sight of her- hair drying from the shower, wearing an oversized neon green shirt with her feet propped up on the coffee table- pulled a smile across his face. Well, as much as it could, when he was in his beast's body. He rested there, for a few minutes, watching the movie with her, only separated by a window.
- Alright, Stalker, get your ass up here. Vamp smells up near Mora Campground. Paul just phased in. His voice grated across the pack link.
- That's over the Rez Border.
- Sam wants us to check it out; it's probably a hitchhiking leech. Got pretty close to us. Too close.
He chuffed a sharp breath, letting his eyes drink in the sight of Kim one moment longer.
- She's still the same nerd she's always been, Jared. You can ogle her tomorrow.
A boiling anger shot through Jared, sharp enough that it sent him tearing away from Kim's house. Paul was laughing with satisfaction.
- Don't call her that, you stupid dick. She's brilliant.
- I never liked smart girls. Borrrrrring.
- Good thing she has absolutely zero interest in morons like you, then.
- She must have some interest in morons if she likes you. Paul's voice was goading, but Jared couldn't drop it.
- This Vamp is going to be the least of your problems by the time I get up there, he threatened, voice dark. He projected images of himself slamming into Paul's silvery form.
- Right right. Got you moving, didn't it?
The Vamp was long-gone, but they took their time sniffing carefully around the campground. A human trailer was parked nearby, but its lights were off and Jared could perceive the soft snores of an older man within. He didn't seem at all bothered...so the leech must not have preyed on him. He wondered briefly if the Vampy wanderer was a Cullen.
A vegetarian Vampire. Ha.
He'd unwittingly met the doctor Vampire after a sprained ankle last spring. He was totally clueless that a bloodsucker was all over him. But Dr Cullen was pretty impossible not to meet, unless one made a point of steering clear of the hospital. He'd have to remember to warn Kim away from there. He was anxious to think that Kim worked in Forks...but soon enough, she'd know the truth...and she'd keep on-guard. Or at least permit him to protect her whenever she went over the boundary.
The night of the bonfire, Jared took his time to shower and look presentable. He wanted to look his absolute best- just in case Kim got a little scared over the wolf thing, he needed her to look at him and know that he was the same guy he'd always been. Except better.
When his truck pulled up to her house, the curtain at the porch window fluttered to reveal her father. Mr Connweller didn't budge from that spot until Jared reached the door, and pressed the bell.
The door opened immediately, and her dad's greeting was neutral. "Good evening, Jared."
"Hello, Mr Connweller." He could see Kim's features in her dad's face. It made him like the guy by default. "It's good to meet you."
"And you." He called over his shoulder, "Lorraine? Jared's here."
Kim's mom appeared instantly. "Jared. Hi. Lorraine Connweller. Kim's upstairs but she'll be down in a second. Come in? Jeff, invite him in. Are you hungry, Jared?"
"Thank you. Almost always hungry, but there will be food at the bonfire, so I'm good. Thank you," he said, again, wanting to show her how courteous and conversational he could be.
"This bonfire- who all will be there again?" Mr Connweller asked; Jared noted a bit of skepticism in his face.
"Sam Uley and his fiancee Emily Young. My friend Paul. Billy Black will be telling Tribal histories and legends. A few other people that the Council might invite...they were going to make hot-dogs." He didn't know how to make this sound normal, when he had to list off the particulars.
"That sounds- educational," Mrs Connweller piped in brightly. "I didn't know they did such a thing."
"Oh, yeah, it's- well, I work for the Council, you see, and," he swallowed, suddenly a little nervous as he looked into the calculating eyes of his future father-in-law, and continued, "the tribal histories are a big topic for us."
After a moment of quiet, Mr Connweller said, "Well. Good for you. Kim said you're enthusiastic about our heritage. That's...very admirable."
"Thank you, sir."
Kim appeared at the base of the stairs. She left her hair down and had a dainty little necklace on. Her lips immediately mashed together as she nervously surveyed the three of them. She walked over, cheeks already coloring- God, he loved this girl so much.
"Hi, Jared. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"You look really pretty, Kim."
"Yes, you do!" Her mother was all smiles.
"Thank you," Kim said shyly. "We should probably get going. You said they'd start around 7, right?"
"Yeah, we should probably head out." He extended his hand, which she took without reluctance.
"Jared, can I get your number?" Her dad was fishing his cell phone out from his jeans pocket.
Kim's eyes flashed as she grumbled, "Dad."
Jared was swift to cut in. "Absolutely, sir." He recited his phone number dutifully. "We should both have our phones during the bonfire. And Kim has told me what time to have her home, so we'll be on time."
"I like to hear that." Jared was winning major Dad Points with his imprint's father. His spirit soared. If there was anything Mr Connweller should be assured of, it was that Jared's sense of responsibility when it came to Kim was unshakeable.
He glanced down at the top of Kim's head, by his side. An image of their own daughter sprang to his mind- of how he'd feel one day, when some punk-ass teenager came to collect her for a date. He glanced back at the Connwellers. Maybe Kim would be just like her mom. Excited, supportive. And Jared...well, already he felt like his chest was too-full, just at the sudden imagining of his daughter. He'd thought about kids a couple times since meeting Kim- it was impossible not to- but the specificity of the situation had his fingers tightening around his imprint's.
Mr Connweller was giving him waaaay more grace than Jared anticipated doling out, in that same situation.
But he was getting ahead of himself again. It would be a while until Kim and he would have their own.
"If that's all, then we're going now." Kim's voice was tight as she all but dragged Jared to the porch.
"Have fun!" The Connwellers chorused together. Jared's supernatural hearing caught the murmuring of her mother- somewhere right near the closed door- just as they stepped off the porch. Mrs Connweller was saying, in a voice teeming with delight, "She's liked him since she was a little kid, Jeff! I can't believe this is happening for her, finally!"
Jared wanted to strut to his truck; could life get any better? Certainty wrapped itself around him like a blanket; he had a perfect 10 for an imprint, she had always loved him, they'd be together forever, they'd have a family. All he had to do was make sure no bloodsuckers ever interrupted their perfect world.
In the car, they held hands and talked about their busy week. He stroked her fingers with his thumb, and at a stoplight, used the opportunity to steal a kiss. She glowed even brighter beside him, and he wondered if his own sense of knowing serenity had extended to her. Probably. They were linked, unbreakable.
Perfect.
At the Bonfire, she was spectacular. She was nervous, of course, but he kept close by her side for comfort. Everybody gave her the warm reception fit for an imprint- even Paul, whose typical surly crudeness (thankfully) subsided when he greeted Kim. He actually smiled at her, as if she was a sister.
Well. Obviously.
She was pack. She was Jared's mate- a role that effectively did make her a sister, as far as shifter instinct went.
Emily gave her a hug, complimenting Kim's necklace and blouse. Jared's hand stayed firm on her lower back, allowing their mutual sense of togetherness to flow between them like conduits. When he steered her toward their blanket near the fire, Kim's fingers tangled with his and his skin felt electric. Her perfectly-shaped lips curved into a smile. He resisted the urge to kiss her, knowing it would embarrass her. But Christ, he wanted to. Instead he tucked her snugly under his arm. Kim seemed to practically purr as she settled close. She whispered, "I love how warm you are."
His throat felt tight with emotion. He didn't trust himself to speak, so he just pressed a kiss to her temple.
As Billy and Old Quil prefaced with the Ancient stories, Jared's mind once again wandered- now that he'd started thinking specifically about it, he couldn't stop imagining the family he'd have with Kim. What brilliant kids. Strong-minded, resolute kids. And he'd show them what it meant to cherish, to love- there would never be any doubt that he adored their mother.
He pressed another quick kiss to her head just as Billy began the story of the shifters, and the Third Wife.
Throughout Billy's retelling, Jared felt hyper-aware of Kim's body language. He nervously bookmarked every twitch, shift, and adjustment.
But...in his chest, where Kim's emotions thrummed as vibrantly as his own, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Just...contentment.
Okay. Good.
The hard part was still coming, but...this was good.
Afterward, Billy wanted to chat a bit with Kim- making small talk, checking on her parents, her schoolwork, if she had plans after high school, blah blah.
Jared, for his own part, was unable to take his eyes off Kim as he waited. Standing near the glow of the fire, with her hair down and her cheeks pink from the cool night air, she was stunning. He wondered- not for the first time- how he didn't notice her before. Back in sixth grade, when he started looking at girls for the first time. Or in high school, at a dance or after a game or in the hallways? How had he not been knocked over at the sight of her? How did he even manage to breathe while she was speaking nearby?
Now the notion of it was incomprehensible. Now, every pulse of life in his body connected him back singularly to her.
She joined him at the edge of the beach only a few minutes later, eyes sparkling. "That was all really cool. I remember some from school, but to hear it told by someone like Billy is...wow. That'll stick with me forever."
"You had a good time?" His lips felt dry. He took her hand. Their hands fit perfectly.
"I did." They began the walk back to his truck, and the sounds of the others slipped away- like a gradual vacuum, giving way to privacy for him and Kim.
"I'm glad. Emily and Sam loved meeting you."
"She was really nice! Sam is probably nice too. He looks very serious. I feel like he was trying really hard to be welcoming, which was sweet."
"He was. He comes across as kinda stoic, and he knows it, so he tries to be a little more…"
"Gregarious? Effusive?"
He chuckled at his bookish, brainy imprint's vocabulary. "Yes, I think so."
"Well, he was very nice." She stepped a bit closer to him, tucking herself near as they walked. "I hope you had a good time too?"
"I did," he agreed. The moment wouldn't get any better than this.
"Are you okay?" Kim's voice pitched, sounding a little tight. Great, he was making her nervous because he was acting weird.
"I am," he tried to assure her, but he knew she could sense his discomfort. How do I start?
Tentatively, she asked, "Did….you have a good night?"
"Yeah." It was like ripping off a bandaid, or resetting a bone. Or phasing. Just let it happen. Just do it. "Kim?"
She looked at him with dark, confused eyes.
"I- have to tell you something." He purposefully stood back, gently disentangling her arm from his. If he exploded, like Sam- God, he couldn't think like that. No. Just talk to her. "I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but wanted to wait- until tonight. Sorry, I'm nervous." He expelled a huge breath.
"It's okay." Her legs were jittery, though, as she stood in one place. "What's up?"
"It's going to sound crazy but I hope you believe me. I've never- had to tell anybody before, so I'm nervous, but I want you to know that...I'm still me. I'm still Jared, and- I hope it doesn't change how you, uh, feel about me."
"Okay," she said, gently, coaxing.
Focus on her eyes, focus on Kim's eyes. You can do this.
"Kim, I'm- a shifter. A wolf shifter. Like the stories."
Her face didn't change. She continued to look at him in that probing way.
"I...well, I've been turning into a wolf now for a while. To protect the Tribe. That's what I do for the Council. When I work for Sam, at night, it's because- I'm in my wolf form. That's what I mean when I say patrol."
"So you're...that's why you call it 'the pack?' Because you're- are you all wolves?" Her face hadn't flickered from that imploring look. The lilt in her voice reminded him of a patient babysitter, trying to discern a child's point out of nonsense.
At least she wasn't screaming or running away. "Yes."
"You, Paul, Sam and Emily…"
"Not Emily."
"Okay. You, Paul, Sam...turn into wolves at night?"
"Well, any time, really. But mostly at night."
"Does-huh." She flinched, looking down at her feet as if she was trying to process information, or to figure out her next question. "Do you control that?"
"I can. Most of the time. Not at first- at first it just happened, and I had no control at all. But now, I change at will." He needed to assure her of that- he didn't anticipate any unexpected fur-explosions, and didn't want her to be afraid of any threat from him.
"So you're saying that you're….a werewolf."
Well. For simplicity's sake, he shrugged, and said, "Kind of. Not exactly. But, yeah, the Quileute version of it, I guess."
"Huh." She looked down at her feet again.
Quiet.
Quiet.
Quiet.
Finally, when she looked up, there was something steely in the color of her eyes. "You aren't trying to- prank me or something, right?"
"No!" His response was immediate, impassioned. 'I wouldn't do that, Kim. You're the only person I've told."
She canted her head slightly. He was again reminded of a babysitter dealing with an impossible child. Trying to ferret out their point from make-believe. She challenged, "Why not your parents?"
"They know. I couldn't tell them, so the Council did it for me."
She blinked about twelve times. That information threw her off. "The Council knows? Everybody knows that you're a werewolf?"
"No, not everybody. The Elders. The ones at the bonfire. They're sworn to secrecy. Like you'll have to be." He ran a hand over his mouth. "Anyone who knows cannot tell. The fewer people who know, the better. It has to be a secret."
"And it's just you, Sam and Paul who actually...become werewolves?" Her voice took on that skeptical tone again.
"For now. But more will change soon."
"And everybody tonight at the bonfire. Everybody there knew this about you," she repeated slowly. She briefly nodded back toward where the remains of their bonfire cooled. "Did they know you were going to tell me? So you're saying, as Billy Black was asking how my dad likes his new lawn mower, he was really...what, gauging if I'd be let in on 'the pack' secret?"
He scowled. Not because Kim was mocking him- was that what she was doing?- but because this was so fucking difficult.
"He probably knew I was going to tell you tonight."
"So he told the wolf story as a lead-in?"
Jared scrubbed a hand over his face. What more could he say? Kim's emotions were fluctuating: aghast, caustic, hurt.
When he didn't answer, but just stared at her with defeat written over his face, she finally said, wearily, "This is hard to believe. I want to, but it's pretty...weird. Really weird. I don't know what to think right now. You're not kidding. You sound like you're being honest."
"I am. This is weird so, well, I wasn't sure how you'd take it. Like I said, I haven't had to tell anybody yet." He scratched his mouth awkwardly. "I'm just glad you're not screaming."
"Hmm." She swallowed and looked back down at the sand.
Another minute or two passed. He began to wonder if they'd miss her curfew, if he didn't push her to respond.
"Kim?"
She said abruptly, "Can you show me?"
His eyebrows lifted. "I could, I guess. Do you- want me to?"
"It'd be a little easier to comprehend if I could see it." She teetered on wariness,apprehension, disbelief. "Is it against the- the rules?"
"Not exactly."
"I feel like I'd need to see something like that, to believe it."
"Well, I have to take off my clothes first."
"Then I know this isn't a prank. Most guys want the girl's clothes to come off, not the other way around." Her laugh was wooden. "Um. Want me to- turn around?"
"Sure."
"Really?"
He nodded. "I'll show you, if that'll help. Just- remember that it's me. Don't be afraid."
So, with eyebrows raised and lips mashed together, Kim turned her back to him. And Jared tried to relax, attempting to put himself into the frame of mind for an easy shift. Something where he could stay in place, nothing too traumatic or in-midair like he was accustomed to on a usual day- just let yourself go.
After a good thirty seconds, he finally felt his bones begin the all-too-telling vibrations. His chest heaved, his back bowed-
And then, he was a beast.
He gave a soft rumble, to signal her to turn around. The sounds- both of the transformation and his grating purr- had caused Kim's frame to go utterly stiff. She didn't crumple to the ground though, and turned very slowly around.
Kim's mouth dropped open. He'd never seen her eyes so huge as they were when beholding him as a wolf.
He rumbled low in his chest, and pushed his nose to the sand. To show her how docile he was, even when he was nearly the size of a mini-van.
"Holy shit," she breathed.
He kept his nose in the sand. The pack link was- thankfully- silent. This was a moment for him and his imprint, alone.
"You- you're really a wolf," she said, voice mingling between awe and horror.
He chuffed a breath, the sound canine.
"Can you still understand me when-?" She didn't finish, seemingly too shocked, so he jerked his head up and down in a wolf's equivalent of a nod.
She swore low, then dropped to her knees in front of him, hand tentatively coming out to touch the fur around his ears. He gently butted into her hand, looking into her face.
"Are you still pretty much the same in there?"
He nodded his head again.
"Your eyes look the same," she said, voice breathless. A laugh burst from her lips, stunned and disbelieving. "I can't- Jesus, am I dreaming? This is insane."
He butted her hand again.
"How big are you? Can you stand up again?"
He rose to his full height. She tilted her head back, taking in his full bulk with astonishment. "You're humongous. You're way bigger than a wolf, Jared."
He sat back on his haunches.
She came closer, flattening her hand against his side. She marveled. Her voice was high as words spewed forth, faster and faster with every syllable. He could feel her curiosity cracking with a bullwhip's fury. "Does it hurt? Do you have to stay like this? Jesus, my brain is exploding. What can you do in this body? Are you fast? How big are your teeth? Why would this happen? Why now? What other legends are true? Are you protecting us from Cold Ones, still?"
He whined in the back of his throat. Usually, he didn't have to communicate wolf-to-human. The only people he needed to communicate with, up until this moment, lived in his brain with him. Speaking with Kim through whines and growls made him feel...like a dog, honestly. He looked at her with plaintive eyes.
"I'm sorry." Her cheeks bloomed red. She removed her hand from his side. "It's probably easier to talk if- if you're not furry. Do you want to talk more?"
He bobbed his head. She didn't stop staring, so, finally, he decided just to go through with it-
He phased back, nude. Only at the last second did Kim jerk around, yelping and covering her face. "I'm sorry, Jared!"
With a bright shock of amusement, he reached for his pants on the ground. "It's cool, Kim." When she heard the zpppp of his fly, she turned back around to continue her dumbfounded stare.
"Sorry for the peepshow. I didn't know how to remind you when- well, you know."
"So you can't talk at all?"
"I can, but only with Sam and Paul. Telepathically."
Her eyes bugged out. "WHAT?"
He laughed. "Let's get in the car. I'll answer questions as we drive. Your dad won't forgive me if I bring you home late. But I'll answer everything." He shrugged into his shirt as relief stirred within. The worst part was over.
He extended his hand to her, and with huge eyes, she took it.
She didn't hesitate.
It would all be alright.
A/N: THANK YOU for your reviews and interest- reviews mean the world to me, and keep me inspired. They also helped keep my brain invested in this story, even though it took a while to get up on the site. I kept revising and losing my nerve to publish. IDK why. Anyway, October was a weird month for my family; my dad got COVID. We aren't sure how, since we've all been careful and dutiful with masks/limited social mingling. He was hospitalized and things got really scary, but the doctors at his hospital were amazing. He spent six days in the hospital, then was released to recover at home. He got off oxygen in early November. Very thankful for that.
Stay safe, everybody. I love you all for giving me your time as you read my story.