Kyle picked me up. I watched as the party disappeared. The trees provided cover as my body shook. I felt the need to vomit again. Vomit at the thought of having sex with someone other than my mate. I wanted to scream at the unknown of the strange man. All the while, I wanted to cry for the lost time that was apparent in the eyes of all the guests. No one looked at me like I was Charlie's kid. They looked at me like I was Renee's daughter.

I felt my feet reconnect with the mossy ground. Kyle's arms wrapped around my body almost like he was trying to keep me together. Agony surrounded his expression. I could tell my reaction was causing him to panic. Watching as his lips moved, it was like he was talking. I heard nothing.

Kyle held me for what could have been, minutes, days, hours, or longer. He never wavered in his hold of me.

I watched as Kyle looked above me. His expression changed to one of pure relief. Strong arms wrapped around me. Pulling me away from Kyle. In these arms I was safe. In these arms I would heal. In these arms my world stopped shaking.

Chapter 18: Speeches

I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I would love to promise that I wont leave you this long without an update again. I can't, as my family is currently on death watch. So, if there is another pause between chapters, I promise it wont stay like that forever. I do hope you will forgive me.

As Always Happy Reading!

"Hey, we are all okay. Just a single leech. Nothing to worry about" Sam reassured as he held me.

Each inhale of his smell sent waves of relaxation through my system. I did not think I could ever let go of Sam again. I needed him like I needed the air in my lungs. The hours spent without him by my side at this party as I held myself together, knowing he was out in battle. While I just… stood around a party… and did... nothing. The immobility of my body made the other strange events that much worse.

"You are okay. I got you" Sam cooed.

"I can't," my raw voice shook.

I felt Kyle walk away, leaving Sam and I alone in the woods. Just beyond my hearing, the party would still be happening. Maybe by now the speeches would have begun. The speeches were strangers telling me about my father, acting like I decided to leave when I was two.

Sam kneeled in front of me. He pulled me down onto his lap. I folded easily there. Sam cradled me to his chest, slowly rocking me as I focused on steady breathing. My throat burned like the ground after a fire, still too raw for words to spring forth from me.

"We went to the border. Our vegetarian vampires that live there alerted us to a nomad. This nomad had caught the scent of the party. Luckily, the veggies warned us. Without the heads-up, the fight would have occurred much closer to the party itself." Sam sounded stressed.

"Who was on patrol?" I asked. It was the only thing that would get past my lips.

"It was Brady and Paul. No one was in any danger. They might have just been able to see the fire if we caught up to them closer. No one was in danger though. I would tell you if that was the case." Sam continued to talk. He must have sensed in the bond that I needed a normal conversation. A week ago, talking about huge vampire-killing wolves would not have been normal.

"Seth and Leah?" I asked. I noted that vampires fought with fire. Part of me wondered why my wolves didn't come home burned. Maybe they did. Looking at Sam's hair, I wondered if it would be beneficial for him to be bald. Then, at least no vampire could catch his fur on fire.

"Back at the party already. All the wolves that are not on patrol are also at the party." Sam kissed the top of my head.

"Except you"

"Hey. Is this about us going away?" Sam hugged me tighter. "I felt the bond the entire time. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

I shook my head no. Sam has so much on his plate already. If I add to it, then how am I being a good imprint? I will already be abandoning him in 10 days when I have to go home to Renee. It is not fair to also add the stress of Mike, or the old man. I swallowed down the anxiety of the conversations. There would always be another time to have these conversations, a time when I move here to stay.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Sam asked. I could hear the hurt in his voice. I hurt him by not accepting his help. Did he not see how much he needed to do?

"It's okay. Just some weirdness after you left the party. We should go back" I started to get up.

Sam held me firmly on his lap, his arms comforting the truths I left unsaid. I turned to look at his face. Lines of worry coated his expression. Leaning into him, I brushed my lips against his. The touch of our lips lit me on fire. I felt like I was burning in his hands. I needed him more now than I had ever felt before. I pushed the memory of the party out of my mind. The idea that another man had tried to entice me into being a lunch time snack still caused chills of disgust to run down my spine. I buried the knowledge that the older man knew something about me that I did not yet know.

Sam broke the kiss. He continued to kiss each of my cheeks, then my forehead, then a light touch of our lips again, before helping me stand off his lap. In a blink of an eye, Sam was up. Pulling the shirt that said 'team groom' out of his pocket, he slipped it on. We walked hand in hand back into the throng of the party.

Sue and Charlie could be seen standing on the deck. Bodies interlocked in a kiss. Sam squeezed my hand. My emotions must have been easy to read through the bond. It was not that I was uncomfortable. I had seen Renee kiss plenty of people. Heck, I have seen Renee engaging in way more than kissing. This was simply the first time I had seen any outward expression of them being a couple. Now, I had tangible proof that they had chosen each other to love and care for.

Sam wiped away a happy tear that had managed its way down my cheek. Turning, I smiled at him. One day I hoped that we would have a gathering like this. One with our closest friends and family. To celebrate us.

Sam dropped my hand, tucking me into his side as we listened to the speeches. Each one about how the couple seemed to find each other at the most unlikely of times. Every speech brought more tears into Sue's eyes. Charlie had his hand on her the entire time. Old friends, co-workers, and community members all had a lot of good things to say about the couple.

Sam made a great choice in keeping us near the back of the party. I found myself needing reassurance often during the speeches. Each time people mentioned how good of a father Charlie was to Seth and Leah, Sam would hold me tighter. I did not blame anyone who was giving a speech. Truthfully, no one here could comment on my relationship to the couple. My father was getting married, yes, but I hadn't seen him in years before this week.

"Hey. He loves you" Sam whispered into my ear.

"I let him down. I should have come home" I whispered into Sam's ear.

He held me tighter, waiting for the next person to give a speech. Billy was wheeled up to the mic. Everyone focused on what he had to say. Everyone was paying close attention to the Chief of the tribe.

"As you all know, I grew up here. I had the honour of calling Charlie my brother growing up. Remembering back to our childhood together, I probably should have been in this wheelchair earlier because of your ideas" Billy raised his eyebrows at Charlie. The party laughed. "Somehow, we survived into young adulthood."

"Barely" Charlie stage whispered to Billy.

The party lit up with laughter again.

"Then, we did what our parents told us not to do. We fell in love and made babies. Ones that we would not trade back for the freedom of adolescence. Our lives changed together again. First, I was gifted with two beautiful daughters. Then, a year later, you gave my girls a best friend. It started again. Us with crazy toddlers running around and getting into everything. Our ladies went out for a girls' night, leaving us alone with our toddlers. Who did we call when our babies cried?" Billy paused.

Charlie looked at Sue and kissed her deeply.

"Thank goodness Sue was around. I think, by the time she showed up with a baby bag in hand, Rachel had eaten almost an entire bag of sugar. Rebecca was rebelling against clothing, tossing hers out the window. Little Bella had been covered in flour. All we could see was her beautiful eyes. Within minutes, all the girls got cleaned up and dressed. Sue had them in bed and asleep within moments of her arriving. Since that night, Charlie had Sue on speed dial.

Sue called Charlie during big storms. As you know, her late husband Harry worked away. If you know anything about Sue, it is that she hates storms. In the beginning of her pregnancy with our young Seth, a tree had fallen, blocking Sue and Leah inside the house. One phone call to Charlie, and he drove through the wind and rain. He knew he needed to rescue them the way Sue rescued us. Spoiler alert, as the young say, he did manage to move the tree that night.

I guess what I am trying to say in my old man rambling, is that the two of you have been best friends for years. It is nice to see that you are finally making your friendship permanent. Also, if I am ever trapped in my house by a fallen tree, I am not calling Charlie. I love you like a brother, but don't want to marry you in 16 years"

The crowd burst out laughing again.

"This is my old man's long winded way of saying. It's about fucking time! Enjoy your last days of freedom before your souls become one"

The crowd clapped as Sue and Charlie kissed. Sam held me tight. I could feel his worry for me through the bond. He must have felt all my emotions as they came up. Fuck, I am not good enough for this man.

Sam kissed the top of my head. I could feel him trying to understand what I needed. A part of me wished I could tell him. The other part, however, did not. I felt a bit like I was betraying him by being not good enough. He deserved someone way better than I was. Sam deserved someone who grew up here. Someone who was not as broken as me.

"Who's next for speeches?" Billy called out.

I wanted to shrink away into the woods. I could not come to terms with what I was feeling, let alone give a speech. Leah came to stand next to me. She bent down to look me in the eyes. Leah was still a good few inches taller than me.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing" I tried to fake a smile.

"Nothing, my butt. Good thing Seth is giving the sibling speech. I didn't want the responsibility, and you look catatonic." Leah tried to crack the last part as a joke. I could see through it though. It wasn't a joke. I must have truly looked a bit crazy.

I watched as Seth took the stage. He thanked Billy for the microphone.

"Hi. I am Seth Clearwater. For those of you who I am not familiar with, I am Sue's youngest son. Shit, sorry to my sisters. That made it sound like our parents have more boys. Nope, just me. When I talked to my sisters about this speech, they both volen-told me to do it. What can you expect when these two amazing people raised strong-headed women?

Mom, you had always been there for Leah and I growing up. It is one of the main reasons that I am so happy that you found your person. Charlie, you had such an impact on my life. Every baseball game you would sit in the crowd, often teaching the rules to my Mom. It wasn't uncommon growing up that I would think of you as my Dad.

When Mom came home one night she sat both Leah and I down. I still remember her saying 'I was asked out on a date'. Leah and I had agreed that no man here would be worthy of our mom. We did the typical childish things of covering our ears and not making eye contact. Then Charlie walked into the house. I still remember getting up from the table and demanding he arrest whoever asked Mom out on a date."

The crowd laughed.

"He said he would take Mom out, and see if they could find the guy who did it. They looked for the Casanova every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. After a year, I remember sitting everyone down at the table. Bella was visiting with Charlie. We had become thick as thieves, still are. Please keep in mind I was 8. I pulled up my poster that I had made with my siblings, trying to be professional about a hard conversation."

"Seth, it was covered in glitter," Charlie laughed.

"That was all Leah's doing. She said it would break the news easier if it was sparkly. Anyway, as a sibling group we decided that if Charlie was going to be a police officer, he should know he is not really that good at it. I mean, looking for who my mom was dating, three times a week for a year! As future taxpayers, the three of us had become very concerned with the outcomes."

The crowd burst into laughter. Sam pulled me in tighter. I enjoyed the memory that Seth was sharing. It was just that, when I returned home, my grandmother was sick. I watched her grow weaker and weaker, and a year later my grandmother died. The memory Seth was sharing was my last happy childhood memory. Before I was forced to grow up.

"Long story short, Charlie had been dating my Mom. Charlie, I know you will take care of my Mom. Heck, you have been doing it for years. I think I can confidently say that we all appreciate you keeping us safe. Without you, Charlie, I wouldn't be half the person I am today. Thank you for so much more than you know. From both my sisters and I, thank you for making us a family!"

Charlie and Sue looked to be crying happy tears. Someone else came up to do a speech. Then another. Then another. I zoned out, knowing I was safe in Sam's arms.

"For my speech, I am going to ask everyone to grab a glass of any liquid of your choice. We will be cheersing, I don't want the couple to get any bad luck." An old man stood on the stage.

Sam kissed the top of my head and left me standing with Leah. Jake walked with Sam through the crowd. It was not hard to find the pack. Even the smallest wolves had a few inches on the tallest humans.

"Hey, you vanished after we talked. If you want me to follow, you need to leave bread crumbs next time baby" Mike sauntered up to me.

I was actually impressed by his confidence. Mike had a self-assured arrogance about him. I wondered what sport he plays. All the cocky men do. Each one of them has bros that boost their confidence, making the man into a self righteous, bold idiot.

"I didn't want you to follow." I stared into his eyes. Trying to give him a warning. It was not like I could tell him that he was surrounded by huge wolves, and thus should tread carefully.

"Come on. Don't be like that. Sorry if I offended your sensibilities. I just want to learn what makes you tick'' Mike licked his lips as he spoke. It was almost like he was trying to turn me on. I bit back a mean laugh.

"Why would my little sister want you?" Leah asked annoyance and warning covering her voice.

Mike looked up to meet Leah's gaze. He tried and failed to hold the confidence around himself. Each moment a more timid disposition started to show.

"I have a glass for you, my love" Sam's deep voice spoke from behind me.

My body that had been standing at attention relaxed at his voice. I accepted the glass that Sam handed me. It was filled with sparkly liquid. Sam smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I better go grab myself a glass" Mike winked at me.

The emotions running through the bond overwhelmed my senses. I felt afraid for Mike. I bit down on my tongue. Knowing that if Sam asked, I would tell him the truth. I pulled Sam against me, trying to soothe his emotions with my touch.

"Leah, I expect a full replay of that." Sam told her.

"Totally. We are going to have to convince the La Push school to let her in. He is too creepy to send her to Forks High."

"You will not be going to school with that creepo" Sam growled lightly in my ear.

Kyle bounded up to us. I tried to distract myself with his appearance. He looked too keyed up.

"Ugh, what was that joker coming here for?" Kyle complained, glaring at the retreating Mike.

"Do you know him?" Sam asked.

"No, but he wanted to get to know Bella," Kyle growled.

Sam turned his attention to me.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing happened" I stated

Both Kyle and Sam didn't take their intense gazes always from me. They said nothing as the presenter continued.

"I have had the honour of knowing both Sue and Charlie for a long time…"

I couldn't focus on the speech. Not with two angry wolves beside me. Both boys began controlled breathing. Leah linked her hand into mine. She was just as tuned to the boy's controlled breathing as I was. At this moment, I was glad of that.

I lifted my glass when everyone else did. Drinking deeply of the fuzzy liquid. I felt the buzz hit my brain as the bubbles popped in my mouth. Each little pop danced on my tongue. Momentarily, I forgot about Sam being mad. The fuzzy liquid lightened up my mood.

I swallowed the sparkling liquid. When it hit my stomach, it was like joy was coursing through my body. I watched as everyone in the crowd all seemed to be a little lighter. The wonders of bubbly liquid in plastic glasses.

I dropped Leah's hand, turning to smile at Sam. The moment his eyes met mine, I saw them melt. The anger and worry that the bond was sending my way evaporated. Changing to the feelings I was starting to consider normal from the bond.

Sam pulled me into his side. The lack of contact shot through my system. When he was mad at me, it was almost like a chill on my body. One that I only noticed when his body touched mine again. I felt his nose in my hair.

"I am not interested in a human boy," I told Sam.

His breathing hitched. Did he think for one moment I was going to be interested in Mike over him? Never. Sam was made for me. I would never find someone better for me than him.

With a final deep breath Sam spoke "Sorry. My wolf was kinda..."

"Freaking out. I get it. I would be freaking out if someone did that with you. Even though I don't get the excuse of a wolf sharing my body" I smiled at Sam.

"You have nothing to worry about" Sam kissed me lightly.

I bit my lip, not wanting to ruin this moment. If I could live in the bliss the bond was sending my way, I would. Nothing has ever felt better than this moment.

Sam wrapped his arms around me as we pretended to listen to the people talking. I knew all my attention was on Sam. He rested his lips against my neck, placing kisses on my exposed skin when no one was paying attention to us. Feeling the bond, all of his attention was on me. The world seemed to melt away.

"Ugh. What is the weird old guy telling Embry?" Kyle complained, breaking the moment.

Authors Note: HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed! I read the reviews daily. You all inspire me to write daily. Please let me know what you think about this chapter! I love you all! Please let me know what you think!