SORRY

Brynn

Something was off.

I had noticed it in the comfort of my own home, when the three of us imprints had bundled up close under fuzzy blankets together on the couch, squealing and whispering immaturely each time Paul Walker's character in Fast and Furious did something especially attractive. There had been a twist in my gut so strong that I nearly got up to go check on Paul, but a glance over my shoulder told me he was fine, his head bent close to Sam's as the Pack murmured amongst one another about things I couldn't hear. And then when they had filed into the room, single-file and arguably lifeless, a sinking feeling of my own began to stir in my stomach. But Paul had smiled small at me as he lifted me up to sit in his lap instead, freeing my space next to Emily for Sam to sit.
"What, do I smell like Jared?" I asked when I saw his nostrils flare, thinking maybe the little hug between the other wolf and I had rubbed off, but Paul's eyes were on Emily before they met mine.
"No," he answered, a coy smile tugging at his lips as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'd probably yach if you did."

I let it go then, because I wouldn't chance ruining a moment like this. The Pack had come into the room looking unnerved, but united. I felt my bond with them blossom as Paul's hand reached over Sam and Emily to shove Jared until he could access the popcorn bowl, the two of them swearing at each other like nothing had ever happened between them.

I blamed the movie whenever Paul smelt the salt of my tears.

The change of heart in Paul was obvious then, but it knocked me breathless whenever Paul pushed me into Embry's open-arms with little more than a growl as everyone stood to say goodbye. I got to hug each of them then, felt their warmth seeping into my bones and began to mend every scar that had been placed on the inside. The imprint bond didn't only tie me to Paul but to all of the wolves, so their comfort was just as needed for everything going on around me. Around us.

"Stay safe, little sister," Sam whispered against my head, pressing a gentle kiss to my hairline. "At least until I see you again tomorrow. Can you manage that?"

"You know our B," Jared laughed, sidestepping to avoid a possessive Paul's right hook to his arm. "Can't go more than a couple hours without kicking ass somewhere."

"Speaking of…" I teased, lifting my leg to kick him in the ass as he ducked away from Paul. Then he was pulling me into his chest, nuzzling my hair obnoxiously, and I giggled as I felt Paul's hands slip around my waist from behind me to pull me away.

"That's plenty, Cameron," he griped, but he was leaving us alone when he caught sight of Sam and Emily heading towards the door.

With my head peeking around Jared's arm, I watched Paul's hand rest against Emily's belly for a moment before he was embracing her. It was a new thing; Paul had always loved and respected Emily, but never did more than a kiss to the cheek in thanks whenever she handed him a plate. This was something tender, so gentle that it made my heart feel tugged on- or maybe that was just him. I watched his nose go to her neck, watched him breathe her in, and hugged Jared tighter as happiness overwhelmed me.

This was his Alpha Female. He was apologizing to her.

"Don't be a fuckin' stranger, B," Quil shouted from outside of the open door, hands cupped around his mouth as if he needed the extra volume.

"For real!" Seth chimed in next, boyish and giddy just to be part of the schemes. "We miss you!"

"Yeah, yeah, love you guys, too," I called back, smiling wide as I slid the door closed on the image of Embry and Quil arguing over which one I meant those words more to.

"Really getting tired of their little crushes on you," Paul sighed, coming up behind me to nuzzle his face into my neck. I felt him stiffen at the change in my scent, but he was relaxing just as quickly, pressing a trail off kisses across the back of my neck until he got to his mark. "Mine."

I shivered as his teeth pressed themselves against the scar, becoming pliant to the smooth and exploratory movements of his hands. My heart raced quicker and quicker still with every exhale from his nose, mouth still occupied with reclaiming what was already his, has always been his. Even when he released the mark I was still lax in his arms, nothing but submissive as I rolled my head to the side to let his mouth higher, to lick over the pulse point in my neck, to suck a bruise into the place just under my jaw.

"Say it," he demanded, voice rough around the edges but honey in the center. I could feel my stomach clench at it, could feel my body respond with nothing but his voice being the reason.

"I'm yours, Paul." The words left in a sigh as one of his hands pressed down the front of my body, fingers dipping into the waistband of the leggings I had put on. The action was emphasized with a pleased, possessive growl.

There wasn't a clue for where the sudden passion stemmed from, but I wasn't about to pause and ask for an explanation. His fingers slipped down, down, down until one slid over my clit, my body jerking at the sensation. I could feel his smirk against my neck, heard him inhale deep as another wave of arousal flooded through me.

Then he was gone.

"Your dad—" Paul started to say, but the explanation was pointless as the front door opened and James Price walked in.

"Yeah, alright Billy, I'll let 'em know," he was saying into the phone, eyes catching mine and rolling in a way that said, This old man never quits, does he?

I wasn't even able to look him in the eye. I could feel the heat in my cheeks just like I still felt the heat of Paul's breath on my neck, of his hand against me. A glance at Paul said he knew exactly what was playing through my mind, all smirks and lazily lounging against the stairway railing as he looked between me and my father.

Dick.

"You two headed to bed?" My dad asked, having ended his conversation in the span it took me to address my embarrassment and see if I could glare Paul's head off of his body. "Think I'm gonna call it a night, too. It's late."

"That's fine," I sighed, stretching as I moved across Paul's body unsubtly, brushing against him as I moved up the stairs. "But the interrogation about Sexy Nurse starts tomorrow."

Paul and I bid my father goodnight before moving up towards my bedroom, and I made sure to take my time. I heard him laugh as I bounced on my toes on each stair, getting to the fourth one before his patience snapped.

"Can smell how bad you want me, Price," he said, so unexpectedly close to my back that it sent goosebumps down my spine. "Only hurtin' yourself here."

"I can see how bad you want me, Lahote," I replied, shooting a pointed look over my shoulder that was a little- a lot- lower than where his eyes were. "And I think I like this kind of pain."

Paul used my body to press my bedroom door closed, and his fingers were tight over my mouth as he showed me what I had kept myself from.

Later, waking up to movement in the bed, I felt Paul's hand rub over the span of my stomach, felt him nose at the flesh before pressing a kiss just below my belly button. He believed I was still asleep, knew how much I moved around, and so his words were for himself only.

"I wish it was us."

-o-o-o-

I forgot about my inkling about things being off until we arrived at Sam and Emily's home later the next morning, Paul's greeting to our Pack-Mother of sorts just as gentle as his goodbye had been. The same hands running over her belly, the same inhaling of her scent, only now I realized it wasn't just him. Emily was swatting away hands and hugs left and right, looking at me in pure bemusement after the third time. I didn't know how to help or have any theories, so I gave her an encouraging and unhelpful smile.

"Seriously, what is up with them?" She asked as we sat on the front steps of the porch, our arms pressed together and a muffin being passed between the two of us. "Have they only just realized I've been busting my ass in the kitchen for them?"

"Maybe they felt closer to you while I was gone," I offered with a shrug, looking up as Quil and Paul landed hard in the grass, a football popped between Quil's chest and the grass.

"That's a fucking foul!" Quil shouted, voice muffled where his face pressed into the grass. "Refs, call it!"

"No," Emily and I said at the same time, not looking up from where our fingers picked the chocolate chips from the baked-good. Emily continued, "We told you we weren't going to pay attention."

"You paid attention when Jacob kicked the ball at Paul's head," Quil pointed out,spitting to the side once Paul, laughing, finally let him up.

"That's because you idiots put Sam and I on the same team," he chuckled, stopping on his way for another football to press a kiss to my lips and Emily's head before moving back to his team's huddle. "Imprint trumps sportsmanship."

"Anyway," I mumbled, shifting and setting the muffin down when Emily took the last bit of chocolate. "I mean, for a while you and Kim were the only imprints they had to waller all over. Maybe they just handed that extra bit of affection to you?"

"Maybe," Emily said after a moment, her face scrunched in thought. "But nothing really changed until last night, honestly. Sam had been a little more excessive than usual, but the rest of them? Still our typical yahoos."

We sat in silence for a moment to try and conjure up more ideas, but our version of silence was the constant swearing and shouting of wolf-boys knocking into each other left and right. I took the time to watch Paul, his back gleaming with sweat from the spring sun, face looking carefree and mischievous as he and Jared took turns trying to trip Jacob and steal the ball. It made me feel warm despite the bite to the air, the blanket over my and Emily's laps doing little compared to the sensation of family.

"What are your plans for this afternoon? I was thinking of going to the movies, and Sam has his shift later so he wont be around. You in?" Emily was looking at me again, her expression not far off from the emotions I was feeling. She felt it too, the completeness that came with Paul's relaxation in his Pack's presence.

Whole.

"I actually, uh," I glanced at Paul again, searching for any signs that he may be eavesdropping. But he was in the middle of shouting profanities at Embry, completely out of the loop. "I told Rosalie that I would come see her later."

"Uh oh," Emily whistled, shaking her head with her eyes closed. "I'm guessing by the double-check that you haven't broken that news to Grabby over there?"

"No, but only because I know how much he needs this peace right now. But Sam is having him patrol today, too. He's getting back into his loop, so why shouldn't I get back into mine? Spring Break is only going to last so long, and it would be a lot more fun if I got to spend it without my boyfriend being kidnapped or me being in the hospital."

"He's not going to like it. In fact, I bet her- shit, goddamn it, Ateara!" Emily was shoved back a step under the force of Quil's stumble. The oaf was big enough that it sent us both back, spines pressing painfully against the stair above us, and I had to bite back a cry of my own.

Just as soon as Quil was there, he was ripped away. Sam had made it to us first, eyes written with concern and fear as he ran his hands over Emily's stomach twice before they went to wear the pain actually was. Paul was close behind, pulling me from my seat and to his chest as his hands ran down my back, pressing against the place that hurt and soothing it just as quickly. With him came the rest of the Pack, all swarming around Sam and Emily like worried baboons, Quil babbling apologies left and right despite how many times Emily told him she was fine.

"Seriously, what the hell is up with you guys?" She demanded, aggressively (or as aggressively as Emily could manage) slapping Sam and Jared's hands away from her midsection. "Christ, it was a little stumble, not the end of the world."

And maybe their stunned expression would have been fine, because how often did EMily snap at them, really, but then Sam whined.

"We should go," Paul murmured, but his eyes were on his brothers' backs as he said the words. When they didn't even glance at him, he repeated himself louder. "We should go now."

I watched the wolf-boys slowly turned away from Emily, mumbling their goodbyes and looking something close to crestfallen as their outstretched hands fell to nothing. That was when I realized my theory was wrong; this wasn't typical behavior even for them, even if they missed me. They hadn't acted this concerned even when I got out of the hospital.

"What's going on?" I asked Paul when we started walking towards the car, glancing over my shoulder to where Sam was following Emily into the house. Her eyes met mine for a moment, and the worry and fear in them made me feel like I needed to turn around. "Paul, hey, what's wrong with Emily?"

Immediately, a million new theories filled my head, aggressive and sickening in their existence. Canines could smell cancer, couldn't they? They could hear an off-beating heart? I started to think of the closest hospitals, the best ones, knowing that the best bet would be Seattle. It made sense that they would be so concerned like this if there was something wrong with the matriarch of our Pack, especially when her having to go somewhere so far away would only cause more stress at such an unnerving time. My heart suddenly beat into overdrive at the mere prospect of Emily in danger, away from the nearest thing to safety that came with our homeland, that she would be-

"Price, come on, breathe," Paul was saying suddenly, and when I looked up at him I realized that we were at the truck, my back against the hood, and there was no air in my lungs.

The breath I took was unsteady and harsh and my hand pressed to my chest as pain blossomed there, my eyes tearing up from the ache or the fear or the worry. Paul pressed a hand over my eyes and his mouth to my ear, and I listened blindly to the slow breaths he was taking, nothing else for my mind to focus on but the heat of his breath. With his closeness came the scent of earth and something like spice, something that could only be described as Paul, and I was quick to breathe it in. Somehow I slowly matched his breaths, the shakiness going away and the unease biting at me becoming little more than an afterthought.

"How did you know to do that?" I asked softly, still blind and overcome by him.

"I didn't," Paul admitted, drawing back enough to kiss my cheek before his hand fell away. I blinked blearily up at the trees, felt the sun-warmed vehicle against my back, looked at him, and felt centered again. "My wolf, he just knew. You needed everything to go away but my scent. Fuck, don't think I've ever heard your heart beat that fast."

"Panic attack," I whispered, hands pressing against his hips to move him back a step so I could slip the passenger door open.

He followed my lead and got in on the driver's side, but neither one of us spoke again until Emily's house disappeared behind us. I let him have the time to wrap his mind around what he wanted to tell me, knew that it was a big enough deal to earn him that, but I pointed my finger in the opposite direction when he pulled up to the stop sign.

"Brynn," he said carefully, but my name leaving his mouth told me how much he disliked what I was doing.

"She's waiting. Go."

"You're not going to see them right now. It's not a good time."

I bristled at the authoritative tone to his voice, but stifled that anger. "You have patrol in an hour, wouldn't you prefer to know I'm protected?"

"Yes," he said between his teeth, and my eyebrows raised at the tone. "Which is exactly why you need to be right here, where I can get to you. There is nothing safe about-"

"You know Rosalie will protect me with her life, Paul," I interrupted, fury bubbling in my gut like some sick-smelling stew. "I would never put myself near any of them if I didn't know for a fact that—"

"Emily's pregnant," Paul blurted, hands tight around the wheel and his eyes on the stop sign beside us.

I felt like falling and flying all at once. My mind was an endless celebration and cry of no, yes, no, yes, no as the news settled over me. When my voice found me again, all I could manage to show for it was, "What?"

"Emily's pregnant. Sam told us last night, at your place. It's too soon for her to know, but he had smelt the change in her scent and after it was pointed out to us, it didn't take long for us to catch on to it, too." With his words came the memories of his careful embrace, of all of their hands passing over her stomach affectionately, the way they held her so carefully. "Maybe you can understand why we would prefer for our Pack to stay on the same grounds right now."

"Are you kidding?" I gasped, sitting up in my seat. "Paul, Adrian seeks out pregnant women, they're his favorite prey to pick on. I need to go, you need to take me to Rosalie now, I can't be here! I'll lead him away, I'll figure out something else, but I can't stay here."

"Stop," Paul said, voice getting louder to speak over my ramblings. "Price, goddammit, I'm serious! Stop!"

My jaw clamped shut instantly. Paul had never yelled at me before.

"You aren't leaving," he said, gentler this time. I watched his eyes close, raging some war with himself that I didn't understand, even as the twinge of guilt and fear swirled in my gut from our bond. "You're going to stay right here, on this land, and you're going to be around your family. You're going to hang out with two of the guys whenever I'm on patrol, you're going to cook weird-ass food for Emily's pregnancy cravings when they come, and you're going to be her shoulder to cry on whenever she gets weirdly emotional and hates Sam. You're going to be the sister Emily needs you to be, because you fucking want to be there. You're going to stay here, with me, home, because I fucking need you to be.

"This leech has done enough to you, do you understand? Enough. I'll be fucking damned if I see him scare you away from your home." His hands dropped from the wheel and moved to hold my face instead, thumbs brushing tears away that I hadn't realized were falling. "We'll take care of Emily and her pup together, alright? All of us. We're going to protect you and we're going to protect this baby. Your only job is to be here."

Slowly, I nodded. The tension leaving his shoulders was so forceful that the truck rocked as he relaxed, like I had just promised him everything in the world.

I felt horrible that it was a lie.

-o-o-o-o-

"I can't believe you invited Bella," Quil mumbled through his mouthful of chips, standing at the kitchen island beside me as I prepared another sandwich for Embry. "Didn't you punch her in the face once?"

"We've grown past that," I said through my teeth, knowing it sounded like a lie just as much as it was one. "Besides, I figured that the two Target Girls ought to have a better bond."

"Don't say that." I looked up abruptly at the growl Quil let out, his brows pulling down in a display of disapproval. It made him look older, nothing like the sixteen year old boy he was, and I tried not to let the pang in my chest bloom into something more. "You're not a target, B. That fucking tick is, alright? Remember that."

He left me alone to finish the sandwich, my hands picking off crust absently as I stared after him. It was never a question in my mind whether or not these wolves were willing to put their lives on the line for me, but it was rare that I saw how passionate they were about it. Their love for me usually came in joking banter and ruffling my hair, in crude remarks and dodging my imprint's punches whenever he threw them. That pang in my chest swelled in the form of unadulterated love now, so grateful and thankful for each of the wolves in my life.

"Hey," Bella said stepping into the kitchen with an unsure smile on her face. "Everything okay?"

I knew what she was actually asking: Are we actually doing this?

"Yeah, just had to make sure that all the crust on Baby Embry's sandwiches got cut off," I laughed, grabbing the plate and walking towards the living room. "Would hate to make him cry."

"Supernatural hearing, B!" The boy in question shouted, his grin big and goofy when he caught sight of me. He was splayed across the couch, feet pulled up just enough to let Quil hunker down at the end, but he sat up quick when he saw the plate. "You're a goddess and then some, Brynn Price," he groaned as he accepted the plate, taking a bite of one of the three before I had even fully let go.

The praise had another bolt of pain shooting through me, only this one in the thick flavor of guilt. None of them had any idea what I was planning to do tonight, and that fact broke my heart like nothing else. I knew it was the right thing to do, that this would be the safest option for everyone, but that didn't make the pain hurt any less. I looked over Embry and Quil'd faces and drank their expressions in, young and laughing at whatever was on the television, and I tried to paint that image of them in my mind forever. I didn't know when or if I would see them again. I only wished I would have been able to see Emily one last time.

"Hey, guys? I'm gonna take off," Bella said from the walkway, keeping her eyes anywhere but me. "It's getting late."

"What's wrong? Daddy Ed cutting your curfew a few hours? It's only eight," Quil said, shifting to plop his legs over Embry's.

"Something like that," Bella laughed, turning to start for the door. "I'll see you guys later."

We all said a chorus of our own goodbyes, mine duller than the other's to keep suspicion a nonexistent factor in my plan. I waited for the door to open, shut, and for an engine to start outside before a threatric grown left my mouth.

"Jesus, she doesn't even have the brains to remember her phone?" I scoffed, moving to grab the device from where it had sat in a window seat. I didn't let my eyes linger on the pillows there, the ones that hid the letters I had written in hopes for keeping the pain I left behind me minimal. "Like any of us want to deal with Stalker Boy's obsessive calls."

"Can you grab me a soda on the way back?" Quil called, eyes barely open where he relaxed into the couch.

"Yeah, can do," I said, smiling a little at the kiss he blew me. I stepped into my boots and stepped outside, staring at the BMW in my driveway. "Swan!" I yelled despite her already looking at me from the passenger seat, driver's door still open.

I let the door drag shut behind me before sprinting. I threw myself into the awaiting driver seat before kicking the machine into drive, not even caring for the open door as I tore out of the driveway. There would be close to a minute of time to get ahead before the wolves caught on, realized the sounds didn't add up to what they had been hoping for, and would be on our trail.

The plan had started when Paul and I had finished talking in the truck and were on the way back to my house. I had texted Bella asking for her help, telling her the details and knowing that a martyr like her would understand better than anyone why I needed to do this. She had agreed to show up without any questions or hesitations aside from her truck, but I had already covered that. Rosalie had been the first person to hear about my scheme, but considering she couldn't be the one to help me out herself due to the Treaty, she had trusted her beloved BMW with the hands of Isabella Swan. As trees and blurred by me, I knew we made the wise decision.

"Jesus Christ, how fast does this thing go?" I yelled over the rain pounding on the hood and the sound of the engine seeming to eat itself alive. The speedometer said one thing, but there was no way Rosalie hadn't jacked this thing with some type of chemical that was illegal in at least twelve countries.

"They're vampires!" Was Bella's only response.

It shouldn't have been possible, but we were a blur through the reservation and then the town of Forks in a span of minutes, time ticking by too slowly when I looked at the clock, but quickly when I realized how close we were to the Cullens' abnormal house. Despite the knowledge that I was speeding fast enough to kill us and anyone else that got in our way, my eyes checked the rearview religiously, anxiously, searching for a blur of brown or silver in the dark woods surrounding us.

The garage of the Cullens' house was open and lit up by time that we arrived, the entire family standing like statues in the overhead lighting. The headlights flashed off of their skin as I skidded to a stop in their driveway, not even bothering to turn off the car as I bolted out of the door. Rosalie was waiting in a black Mercedes right beside us, the back door closest to me thrown open. I dived into it, and felt the door slam against my leg from the force of wind as Rosalie pulled out at a chaotic speed. I righted myself and slammed the door shut once more, the ache in my limbs unfelt with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Looking to the side, there were two suitcases sitting in the seats beside me.

"Where are we going?" I asked breathlessly, looking into the rearview mirror as Roaslie's golden eyes met mine.

"Where no one will ever find you."

I looked into the back windshield as the only home I had ever let myself have, disappeared behind me. I closed my eyes, pressed my hands to my heart, and prayed to the Spirits that Paul could feel me.

I'm sorry. I love you.

END OF BOOK 1

AN: Wooooow. So, what are we thinking, guys? It's okay if you kinda hate Brynn right now, because I'm sort of feeling the same way. How are you going to have your face held so tenderly by Paul Lahote and then turn around and spit in his face like that? Messed up. This first book was basically a massive introduction to the characters and drama, and I am going to be expecting quite a few reviews before I give you guys book two. I've been slacking on my updates, but you've been slacking on your feedback! I want to hear your overall thoughts on this first book, what you think could have made it better or what you really enjoyed, and I want to hear your predictions for book two. You haven't forgotten about Victoria in the midst of all this Adrian drama, have you? She's still out there, one handed and all. Tell me all your thoughts when you review, review, review!