"Imprinted?" I quirked my head at him, baffled at the whole situation, "Imprinted like a duck?"

Edward chuckled as if in disbelief, "I've never witnessed anything like that before. It's like his whole worldview has shifted, it's astounding."

"What does this all mean Edward?" Carlisle asked, concerned, though likely as confused as I was.

"I'm not sure exactly. It's like everything else has become secondary in Embry's mind. He could only see Vera."

"It's like gravity," Bella chimed in, "That's what Jake told me. Like a soulmate."

He agreed, "I can't quite describe it, but somehow Embry is tied to her now. It's a very strong bond."

I could only frown, now even more confused than before Edward's explanation. This didn't make any sense. This Embry, he was a wolf, an existence that seemed to only serve for the purpose of protecting his people, for the purpose of destroying our kind. What was I supposed to do with this information? I couldn't imagine he was taking this news any better than I was, seeing as how he had fled as soon as he could.

"He's not," Edward answered my inward musings, "he and the pack, are as shocked as you are."

We heard a rustle from the trees and Jacob emerged on two legs, clothed, though barely so. In no time he crossed the field to meet us, a familiar concern radiating off his body as he did. With hesitance he met my eye, but for some reason as he did, he relaxed, not as tense as before.

"Jacob," Bella greeted his human form, "Is Embry okay?"

He smiled as he shrugged at her, "It was just so unexpected, no one ever thought this was possible, or even thought of it, at all. So he's… getting some distance. He's trying to deal with it."

"Will it affect Vera?" Edward inquired, the corners of his lips dipped for a fraction of a second.

Jacob rolled his eyes clearly not a fan of my brother's abilities, "It shouldn't, not at this point. Besides, Embry's not going to last. It's impossible to break."

Edward wasn't satisfied with that answer, "Do you know that for sure?"

I interrupted the wolf before he could speak, "He's not going to last?"

"He's trying to break the imprint, but he'll find out that it's virtually impossible. Then soon enough Embry's not going to want to," Jacob filled me in on what Edward had gleaned from his thoughts. "But who knows, maybe he'll power through the pain, after all this is a worst case nightmare scenario-no offense." he quickly added in.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't he want to? After all, from my understanding, you-your pack, their purpose is to-your pack doesn't like our kind very much."

Jacob laughed, although without any humor, sharp and biting, "Trust me, he's definitely not going to want to even if you are a bloodsucker." He turned his attention to Edward, continuing a conversation that had been interrupted decades ago, before the pack had rushed off.

Figuring that I wouldn't be getting any more answers, or specifically anything that would come close to satisfying the questions that still rang in my mind as Jacob's focus transitioned over onto his ever important infatuation, I decided I had enough. I shared a look of frustration with Carlisle before I stalked off, ignoring the rest of my family that watched me go.

I could only see variations of gray.

What I was creating, I wasn't sure, letting my forcibly absent mind control my haphazard color choices and wild strokes. The smell of the oil paint distracted me as I got into a sensible rhythm, creating and abandoning untamed shapes and figures.

Ideally there wouldn't be a need for a distraction at all. The imprint was not my burden to bear, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel turmoil. Though I supposed that it had to do with how perplexing the situation was. Fate had put this upon me and I was undecided on what choice to make, or even whether or not there was even a choice for me to make.

A knock sounded at my door and Edward popped in, automatically going for my stereo and flipped over a record that I had not noticed completed itself while I was absorbed in my work. I was surprised to see him at home and not with Bella.

"Alice is with her," he said, addressing my thoughts and sat on the window seat to face me. "I had to get a change of clothes."

In my breath of quiet defiance we observed each other, me not wanting to discuss exactly what he came to talk with me about, and Edward attempting at privacy in his own way. The sound of smooth jazz drifted throughout the still room and a cool breeze shifted the branches outside my open window. I sighed, resigned with the fact I couldn't ignore him, ignore the issue at hand.

I put my brush down, wiped my stained fingers off on a spare cloth, and sat on the edge of my bed I had no need for, trying to avoid his gaze. Esme had already come in to assess me at the beginning of my frenzy, then most likely decided to instruct the others to let me be. But I was ready to be spared this torture of avoidance already, I wasn't usually one to stew.

"Vera we don't have to talk about it if you're not ready."

"Don't be foolish," I scoffed at him, "I think we are well past that."

Edward frowned, disapproving of my attitude, "You're not, at least with me you're not, and that's alright. My intention was to tell you about what I saw last night."

I didn't think there was much else to see.

"Please," he interrupted, "Would you just hear me out?"

"Sorry," I apologized, acknowledging my difficulty. "I'll listen."

"Sam-"

Sam?

He paused giving me stilited look and continued, "-the alpha, Sam, he has an imprint too. It was… a complicated situation that brought them together. He tried to break the bond as well, but he was not able to withstand the severity of devotion he had for her. The thought of even trying to do so, it physically hurt him. As if to separate a single soul, it tore them apart to be away from each other."

"Even after seeing this all in Sam's mind, I still don't fairly understand how to describe the imprint. The words aren't there for me to label that level of attachment, but I do want you to know that for Embry even as he was trying to fight as hard as he could, it wasn't any different for him."

I wrung at the cloth still in my hands and pursed my lips, not quite understanding the purpose of what Edward was telling me. I carefully turned my attention to him and I was met with a mindful look that was directed at my erratic painting.

"I have to get back to Bella," he said, getting up.

No matter how little this all made sense to me I was still thankful, appreciative of my brother who to his credit had tried. It was unexpected how capable he was of meddling.

He huffed in amusement and exited my room, shutting the door behind him.

Closing my eyes as if in exhaustion, I collapsed back onto the bed I was sitting on and curled into the comforter. Sleep was perhaps what I missed most about my mortality. There was nothing in this life to take me away from myself as fully as sleep once had the ability to. I peeked up to view the canvas I had sidelined for Edward's "talk" wondering what he found so interesting about the mess.

Dark shades of gray blue swirled and crashed into bright clashing white which then transitioned to a hard black. The colors together were almost like a mist, loosely resembling waves crashing into a cliff.

Lounging on the grass next to Rosalie, I decidedly ignored her pitying eyes and instead heckled my brothers as they wrestled. From their laughter and taunts, Jasper and Emmett were having too much fun for it to be much of a lesson for the three wolves that observed from across the field.

Earlier in the night Alice did make a point to be very vocal of her distaste that since the imprint my appearances in her visions had become spotty and uncertain, but nonetheless I had been caught by surprise when the gray wolf had shown up at the beginning of this practice session. Contrary to what Jacob had said, I thought that Embry would still be seeking a way out. Instead he just remained extremely focused on the fighting pair in front of me, not that I was expecting any confrontation, but I was curious to know what he was thinking. Perhaps the "pain" that had been mentioned by Jacob and Edward was not worth it in the end.

"Vera," Emmett called out to me, drawing out my name in a tease, in a buzz from his very very slim win against Jasper, "you ready to lose?"

"Never," I said, rising up from the ground to meet him in the middle of the field.

Impatient and already in a rhythm Emmett lunged for me as soon I faced him. Heavy punches swung at me rapidly, scarcely missing my face as I dodged him. With a small window I pivoted to kick him in the side, but in response he went to grapple my waist. In a quick move, I leapt back to regain my footing and he immediately closed the space between us. More punches brushed past my ears and I swiveled around him to change my position, but in a sliver of a second his forceful fist met my torso and I was knocked across the clearing.

Instantaneously a growl sounded from the other side of the field. I watched as the gray wolf struggled against his packmates in an attempt to break free, snapping as they held him back. Reluctantly, he was finally calmed, whining upsettingly as he settled down.

Abandoning the fight and just about all rational thought, I let my body take me to where Embry was still guarded by his packmates. The two wolves that flanked him eyed me cautiously as I walked towards them, the fur on their backs curling in suspicion. Getting nearer, I could smell the scent I didn't know I had already begun to miss. Just as intoxicating as it was the first time around, I allowed it to bring me in closer until I was only a couple feet away from the gray wolf.

Embry laid motionless, head resting on his stretched out legs. His eyes were unreadable as they looked up at me and we stared at each other for what likely was only merely seconds, but felt as if a century had passed. Seemingly frustrated he whined again and made the first move, getting up to lessen the gap between us, head bowed in uncertainty. I reached an arm out like this was something we had done before, and the space between his ears leaned into my cold hand.

Embry began to nuzzle into my touch. Warmth spread through my fingers, and I held back the start of a smile I wish I wasn't aware of.

Abruptly he stopped moving as if he had remembered himself, and his head slowly dipped from my hand. Carefully he backed away, watching at me as he did. Then he took off once again.

The sky had begun to brighten as I leaned back into the cliff side, feeling full and almost lethargic, I watched the clouds pass by the bright setting moon. Hunting was seldom not enjoyable, but even after my third buck I was still left unsatisfied. Esme had looked worried as I told her I was going to splinter off for the night, but I didn't want to dampen the rest of them with my brooding, that was normally Edward's job.

My head was still clouded in uncertainty. I was supposedly the wolf's soul mate, Embry's soul mate, but from what I'd seen an undesired one. The compulsion of the imprint appeared to attract us to one another regardless of what we wanted.

Honestly the more thought I put into it, I realized that the idea of a wolf didn't offend me, not at all. I wasn't prejudiced like my siblings were and agreed with Carlisle, it was selfless what they did, putting their lives on the line for humans, for their tribe, for us even.

As shallow as it was, the bottom line was that I did not want what did not want me.

Yet, I knew this unsettling feeling I had was not due to the imprint, on the contrary I oddly had never felt as at peace, alive, or compulsed in this lifetime as when he looked me in the eye. The idea of someone else was so foreign, an abstract concept I hadn't entertained in decades since any want of a partner was snatched away from me too soon.

Soft steps coupled with a loud thundering heart took me out from inside my head and I glanced in the sound's direction. Instead of the familiar pattern of a deer or mountain lion, I heard two feet hike their way up to the small peak that I sat on top. It was odd for a human to be out in the late night like this, and I was sure I had checked before hunting in the area, but nonetheless I got up to leave.

"Wait!" a loud voice called out for me.

Ah, it was too late, I had been seen. I kicked myself at how sloppy I was.

"Don't go," the voice called out again.

A timely strong wind blew through the mountain and I smelled him, mixed with the forest around me, his dark yet fresh scent stood out clearly amongst the green.

A tall young man clad in only shorts revealed himself from the treeline. Short cropped black hair framed a sharp angular face which was offset by a softness that hadn't yet left his high cheekbones. His dark expressive eyes were alert, focused on me as he made his way closer to where I stood. Weirdly, It had not occurred to me that I'd never seen Embry's human form.

I sat back down and watched as he stopped and mimicked me, sitting on a large rock a couple yards away. Wary as if I was the wild animal.

We sat in silence, very much mirroring the way we had stared at each other in the clearing. His brows were furrowed like he was trying to work his way through something. I for once attempted some patience, and waited for him to get where he needed to be.

A soft orange light broke through the muted morning clouds and I turned from him to take in the sunrise. Orange and pink melted into each other, lightening the dark gray that otherwise still encompassed the sky.

I glanced back at him and instead of the sunset he was fixated on, it was still me. The long sleeves I had rolled up to hunt revealed my skin that reflected in the dawn sunlight. I raised a hand to my face brushing my cheek, realizing what he was looking at. If I were able to, I would have blushed. The way our skin looked in the sun never ceased to embarrass me.

Embry opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it in hesitation. Within the second he blurted, "How old are you?"

A soft giggle escaped from my mouth before I could catch it with my palm. I wiped my smile away with my hand before answering him.

"That's not very polite to ask, is it?"

Embry's eyes widened, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said quietly, just a hair above a whisper.

He turned away from me in his self-consciousness, the tips of his ears were red. He was probably younger than he looked, he carried himself gracefully, but there was an unsureness there. I wanted to tease him.

"How old are you?" I mused back to him.

Embry whipped his head back around in a hurry, face redder if that was possible. "Seventeen, almost seventeen," he answered dutifully.

"I see." He was polite. "I am eighty three, well almost eighty three," I smiled in response, prepared for any reaction but the one I received, which was none.

He seemed to calm just a bit, the shade in his face not as bright. He steeled himself and his mouth opened again for a moment before the words left to ask his next question. "How old were you when…?" He couldn't find the right words.

"I was nineteen," I replied to a quiet acceptance.

We both sat in a moment of silence before I decided to ask as well, "And how long have you been…?"

Embry looked up, thinking of the time he'd spent as a wolf, "Six months."

Fate was odd, pairing me up with this young wolf. Then again it took Carlisle two hundred and fifty eight years to find Esme. Who was I to question this second life that I was given.

Embry opened his mouth to say something again, but was interrupted by a loud piercing howl.

"Sorry, I have to-," Without a second thought he ran into the woods and I could hear him shift as two feet turned into four.