"You would trust me to protect the imprints. Bella I, I have seen the importance of the imprints. Someone with more experience should be chosen instead of me" Kyle spoke fast.

"You will gain experience." I smiled at him.

"Well that sounds like a plan. If you are okay with it, that is, Kyle. Can I trust you to protect the imprints?" Sam spoke, his Alpha voice coming out a little as he asked.

"Yes sir" Kyle seemed to settle into the role easily. Relaxing more after his role was assigned.

"Well then, we should probably head out on our patrol round. I need you trained better than anyone else if I am going to leave you to protect my world" Sam kissed me.

"Yes of course. I won't let you down Sam. Thanks Bella! This is such an honour!" He practically skipped out the door. I watched as he burst into a wolf mid lawn. A beautiful amber wolf pranced waiting for Sam. Kyle's wolf was smaller than Sam's. Though I guess all of the other wolves are.

"He is still young. I think that role will fit him perfectly for now. Amazing call, love. Remind me to give you an extra special treat for that" Sam bit my lip.

"When will you be back?"

"In an hour" Sam kissed me hard on the lips. I could feel the need he had to be close to me. It almost, but not quite, matched my need for him.

My chest ached as I watched him leave the house. He walked across the lawn with Kyle's young wolf bouncing next to him the entire way.

Chapter 16: Chosen Family

As Always Happy Reading! :)

"Ready to go?" Sam asked. He walked into the bathroom, his swim shorts hanging deliciously from his hips.

I was sliding on my swimsuit. Leah had caught Seth's thoughts about going cliff jumping, and she took it upon herself to make sure I had a suit ready. It was all black, and clung to my body like a second skin. Sam picked it up from her on his way home from patrol.

"Fuck, only you can make a one-piece suit look hot" Sam walked up behind me. I was adjusting the top so that the suit cupped my breasts. I enjoyed Sam's noticeable excitement when he realized I looked hotter now.

"Can you braid my hair back?"

Sam kissed my temple. He grabbed a brush out of a drawer, brushing the tangles out of my hair. My body went all tingly at his touch.

His fingers skillfully braided back my hair. It was pulled back and beautiful by Sam's skillful hands.

"Sam, when you said to Jarred that you can not say no to me, is that true?" I worried that I was fucking him over, by taking his freedom away.

Sam took a breath, evaluating the question. He looked at me through the mirror. His hands rested on my hips as he spoke, "I guess I could say no. Though, I don't want to take your rights away. I know the imprint already places limits on your life. I don't want you to regret choosing me. If I restrict you more, you might"

"Sam. I want you. So what, you come with supernatural additions. I want you for who you are." I turned in his hands facing him. "Sam, I want you." I spoke it like a vow.

"Bella, I don't want to limit you" he sounded scared. "This entire thing is not in your blood. You do not have the predetermined responsibility. If you never came here, you would have a completely different life. I know that. Know that I changed the very essence of you. Knowing that, I am going to try to make up for that fact everyday of my life."

"Sam. You saved my life." I brought his lips to mine. Needing him to see just how much he had impacted my life for the better.

"No Bella. You saved my life" Sam whispered between kisses.

Sam picked me up. Spinning me around the room, our mouths needed to feel each other. My hair still looked perfect after we got carried away kissing. Sam helped me steady myself on my own feet until we reached the front door.

"I don't need shoes. If you want to leave yours here, I can carry you to the cliff." Sam offered.

I would never choose to create distance between our bodies. Hopping up on Sam's back, he started the short hike to the cliff.

Embry and Seth looked to be stretching. I laughed as they pretended to prepare for the dive. Both of them overstating their preparations. Seth was practically attaching his leg to his head. It was both impressive, and almost gross, how flexible he was.

"Finally, you bring my little sister!" Seth cheered.

"Feeling ready for this Bella?" Embry asked. I looked him in the eyes, for the first time realizing I knew that exact shade. It was the same as my eyes. I nodded at him, taken aback by the similarity. Then again, I was not the only person with this shade of brown.

"Whenever you are ready, babe." Sam placed me down on the well worn dirt. I could see the paths the men must have run.

"Really, Sam. I thought you would have come to your senses by now?" Jarred walked out of the woods. It was apparent that he was currently on patrol. He was only wearing jean shorts, and Kim was nowhere in sight.

"Jarred. What you choose to do with your imprint is none of my business - unless your wolf is threatening their safety" Sam calmly tried to explain to Jarred.

Jarred glared at him. Seth reached his hand out to me, and Sam placed his hand on my hip. He slowly guided me towards Seth. Once Seth had hold of me, he moved me between himself and Embry.

Sam took a step towards Jarred. I could feel the power rolling off Sam. If I didn't trust him as much as I did, I might have felt scared. Embry placed a protective hand in mine. I felt safe with him.

"Jarred. Don't make me Alpha order you. You know I hate that shit" Power rolled through Sam's voice.

"Fuck" Paul spoke. He and Rachel had just finished their way up the path. Rachel instinctively stood behind Paul. He looked ready to jump Jarred for putting any ounce of fear in Rachel's eyes.

"Paul, you too. What the fuck is wrong with both of you?! This is not safe! This is something imprints have no right to participate in" Jarred's voice shook with anger.

"Why?" Paul asked his voice steady

"They are breakable! We need to protect them!" Jarred spat between clenched teeth.

All the wolves seemed to stop moving. Embry was the only one to break the stillness. He slowly placed his other hand on my waist. It was like he was preparing to get me out of the way if a fight ensued.

I made eye contact with Rachel. She looked mad. I tried to calm her with my steady gaze. Soon, she took a deep breath. Once she was calm I felt better. Something pulled at me to act. It was an unexplainable instinct. I knew that Sam needed me beside him. Jarred was not going to de-escalate. Our side was outnumbering him. If he is reprimanded, what will happen to Kim? She didn't ask for this. Jarred thinks he is doing the right thing.

I squeezed Embry's hand, knowing he would not like what I was about to do. He seemed to understand. Dropping his arms from holding me back, I stepped calmly around Seth. Trying to stay in his blind spot. I knew that my soon to be brother would not allow me to step closer to danger.

I reached out, taking Sam's hand. He tried to protect me behind himself. I stood my ground, shaking my head at him. I did not want him to stand alone. Especially with something that was because of me.

"Jarred. You do not control the lives of other imprints." I told him calmly

"I know that," he barked.

The wolves that stood beside me growled. I placed a hand on Sam's chest, trying to silence his growl. He calmed under my touch.

"Then why are you here?" I asked

That seemed to stop him. He took a step back. Growling as he walked into the trees.

Sam turned to me. He scooped me into his arms. Needing to feel me there. I felt him take a big breath in. Smelling my scent to calm him.

"Well, that is going to be an issue." Seth said, looking into the trees.

"What happened before I got here?" Paul asked. He had Rachel tucked into his side.

"I will show you when he is off patrol. Who is patrolling with him?" Sam asked.

"Quil" Embry responded.

Sam shook his head. He pulled me tight into his side. I could see the wolf that was in need of assurance.

"Well, I didn't come here to watch a dog fight. Are we going to cliff jump or not?" Rachel asked. She slipped off her sundress, revealing a one piece underneath. "Not my issue if Kim has a stick in the mud for an imprint."

Paul burst out laughing. The tension amongst our group vanished, replaced it with something much lighter.

"Everyone ready?" Seth asked.

"I want to watch someone first," I admitted.

"Allow me to do the honour" Embry smiled.

Sam held my hand as we walked towards the edge of the cliff. I was shorter, so Sam had picked me up so I could see the water without standing right on the edge. I watched in awe as Embry soared through the sky, plummeting through the air, until he splashed into the water far below. When he bobbed back up to the surface I could only see him as a moving dot in the water below.

"What do you think?" Sam asked. Wind near the edge of the cliff caused me to shiver into him.

"Will you jump with me?" I asked.

"Jump together?"

"If that is safe, then yes" I told him. I realized for a moment that Jarred's anger had caused me to question this activity.

"It's safe" Sam kissed my temple. This kiss quelled all my fears.

"How do we do this?" I asked.

Sam adjusted me in his arms. "Do you want to face me or look out?"

"I want to face you" I held him tighter to me.

"Look at me." Sam told me.

I did. He showed me opening his mouth and closing it. Flexing his jaw shut. I copied his movement.

"This is so that you don't hurt your tongue." Sam smiled at me. "Ready?"

I nodded.

Sam started running to the edge of the cliff. He hurled us out into the open air. I clung to him as we fell. My muscles strained to hold him tightly. Sam laughed deeply as we continued our plummet to the water. He had an arm across my back, and the other across my hips. Both held me to him with comforting strength. I did not feel unsafe. I allowed myself to experience all the emotions of this fall. All my emotions are nothing, compared to the love that I feel towards the man that held me.

Then, the water embraced us. Our faces dipped below the surface of the water. My legs stayed locked in adrenaline around his waist. He kicked his legs, bringing us back up to the surface of the water. When we broke the surface I inhaled the fresh salt coated air. Seconds later, Sam's mouth was on mine. I kissed him like he was the air I breathed.

The waves pushed us easily to the shore. Sam stood, carrying me out of the water. My lips didn't leave his. The rush of the dive coursed through my body. I only broke our kiss as I felt the sun hit my shoulders. Sam carried me, his face looking extremely ecstatic.

"What has you smiling like that?" I teased.

Sam looked down at me in his arms. He dropped his lips to mine.

"You, my love, are my perfect soulmate in every way." Sam smiled.

He kissed me one more time. Sam gently set my feet down at the top of the cliff. I waited for the others to join us. The wind touched my wet body, and a chill settled on my skin. I closed the distance between my body and Sam's, using his warmth to dry my skin.

"Sam"

"Yes, my love?"

"So, you run to the edge and jump out as far as you can?" I asked.

No one had returned to the top of the cliff. I took the moment to kiss Sam again.

"Yeah, that's the gist. You want to jump far enough out so you don't get blown back into the cliff" Sam taught me.

"That makes sense" I walked away from him slightly.

Sam raised his eyebrow at me. I turned away from Sam, sprinted towards the edge, and flung myself into the open air. It was a rush, falling freely. Warm hands wrapped around me again. I wrapped my legs around Sam as we plummeted below the surf.

We reached the top of the cliff in time to see Paul showing off for Rachel. He did continuous backflips for the entire descent. Over and over he flipped, until he dove headfirst into a wave.

"It's a good thing I know he is indestructible. I might have had a major freak out if he wasn't." She admitted.

Rachel looked like she had planned better than I had for this expedition. She was currently wrapped in a warm looking housecoat. I was lucky that Sam's body heat radiated as far as it did. Even though today was hot, we still had to deal with the cold brush of ocean air.

"Rach, did you give up already?" Jake called as he walked towards where we had all gathered.

"No. I simply wanted to watch Paul throw himself off the cliff." Rachel smiled at her brother.

Leah looked ready to jump. Unlike Rachel and I, Leah chose a swimsuit that seemed to be constructed of mostly tightly tied ribbons. The ribbons were the colour of new leaves, the contrast on her skin was beautiful.

Before I could compliment her she snuck behind Jake and hurled him off the edge of the cliff with her. We watched as they tumbled down, and the passion between their bodies almost made me blush.

"Tell me we didn't look like that" I asked Rachel.

"What? Falling like sex on fire? No, you both looked nothing like that" Rachel assured me.

"So, do you like it?" Seth asked. He shook his head in my direction spraying me with water droplets.

I laughed. This is what I always imagined having a little brother would be like. Actually, this is better. The people here cliff diving were exactly who I would have chosen to be my family. Happy tears escaped my eyes.

"Sis, it's okay if you don't like it. We can always find other things to do" Seth tried to reassure me.

"No, it's not that" a sob escaped my throat. The care that he had for me had me breaking my self control.

My Sam wrapped his arms around my middle. His touch told me that he understood, he loved this found family too. It was like Rachel told me, he could feel my emotions.

"Hey Bella, what's wrong?" Leah asked as they emerged from the trail.

Embarrassment threatened to stain my cheeks red. Yet, it didn't appear. I knew I had nothing to be embarrassed about. This was my family. At this moment, I was home.

"Nothing. Nothing wrong" I sobbed.

"Yeah, clearly something is wrong. You are crying" Seth sounded like he was trying to remain logical.

"No. I'm fine. Really. Better than fine. I just don't have the words" tears continued to fall as I spoke.

"Want me to try?" Sam offered. I nodded. Knowing I wouldn't find the right things to tell them. "Now I am still getting used to the emotions of the bond. So please, give me a moment so I can try to explain this right"

Sam seemed to focus on me. His breathing was steady and his arms held me tighter. I watched as my new found family around me waited patiently. It wasn't the respect that they would give an Alpha - more, the love they would extend to a brother. Tears flowed faster with that thought.

Sam took in a breath, almost like a shocked, happy noise. He nuzzled my hair, kissing the top of my head before addressing our family.

"Bella, wow." He paused. I could tell that he was becoming overwhelmed with his own emotions. It was like a second skin surrounded me. I felt the love and happiness that surrounded me. That was what he was feeling. "I am not going to do this justice. The emotions coming through the bond are telling me she is feeling like she has just found her family"

"Why the tears?" Embry asked, breaking through the silence that settled on the group.

"This is the first time." I started to speak. A sob breaking midway through my sentence.

That was all I needed to say. Leah, Rachel, Seth, Embry, Paul, even Jacob all pulled me and Sam into a group hug. We stayed like that for a moment. It almost cemented our familial bonds. I would be related to all these people, one way or another.

Sam is my forever. Leah and Seth would be my siblings by the end of the week. Rachel is Jacob's sister. When Leah marries Jake she will be my sister too. Paul would marry in when he marries Rachel. Embry - I paused. My soul knows something that I did not yet understand. All I knew is Embry is family too, even if I couldn't trace how. When we broke our group hug, no one had dry eyes.

"We are family now." Leah spoke as if she felt the shift in the familial bonds as well.

"Yup. No getting rid of us now" Rachel flashed crazy eyes. We all laughed.

I sat with Rachel, watching the boys toss each other over the cliff's edge. Leah was comfortable sitting right on the edge of the cliff. She looked almost like a goddess as the power of the waves crashed far below her feet.

Embry sat next to us. After many jumps with the guys, he looked like he had something to say. I waited, watching the men fall over and over again. Often, I had things that I needed to say, but needed time to find the words. I wouldn't rush him. Embry inhaled and exhaled with expectant noises and sighs.

"Bella" Embry broke the silence. I turned to look at him. His face was submissive. I had only ever seen Sam's face that way. Instinctively I reached over and held his hand. I wanted to comfort him. He cleared his throat preparing to start again.

"Bella. Thank you. I don't know if you have been told this yet." He cleared his throat again. "I don't have a clue what linkage I have to the tribe. My mom is not from here, and the three men that are possibilities had all been married with kids at the time. So, I never really felt like I belonged here. Now though, I feel like I am a part of a pack family truthfully for the first time."

My eyes threatened to cry again. I leaned over towards him, wanting to give him the comfort he needed. I held him close in my arms as he cried. I felt the emotion rip through his body as I held him as tightly as I could. Rachel walked around, holding him as well. Soon Leah joined. He stopped crying, being held by the imprints must have soothed him.

"Thanks" Embry wiped his nose.

"Anytime" Rachel told him. "I know my dad is in the running to be your dad. If it comes out as true, I will accept you as my brother wholeheartedly. I mean, I practically grew up with you as a brother anyway"

"Same here. You are not responsible for what your father did. Heck if we share a dad, then I will gladly accept you as a brother" Leah smiled at him.

"I don't think Charlie is in the running, but, I already consider you my brother" I hugged him tighter.

"We jump off the cliff and you all have another group hug?" Jacob teased.

I saw that Embry did not want the others to see his reaction. It was written across his face.

"On three we jump" I whispered to our small group around Embry. None of the others currently could get a good look at Embry.

Rachel took off her housecoat.

"One" Rachel whispered.

"Two" Leah whispered.

"Three!" I yelled.

Embry didn't let go of my hand as we plummeted off the cliff. Leah held Rachel as we fell into the surf. We popped up on the surface of the water. Just as my wolf broke the surface, his strong hands wrapped around my waist. Embry dropped my hand.

Free flowing laughter rocked through my body, only silenced by Sam's lips on mine. Sam carried me as I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding him as tightly as I could. I felt truly complete, as long as his body was touching mine.

Authors Note: I desperately need to know what you think of this chapter! Please Please Please tell me!

Who do you think is Embry's Dad?