"Why give up before we try? Feel the lows before the highs? Clip our wings before we fly away. I can't say I can't compare. I'm suspended in the air. Won't you come be in the sky with me?"

-Alicia Keys, Unthinkable.

Secrets

Embry didn't know what was worse: exposing his heart as he had the night before or knowing that he'd soon have to face the consequences. The intense spell that had compelled him to passionate words broke just before dawn, the new day impatient to cut the intimate moment short. He knew that if Leah awoke and found herself soft in his arms, she fortify her iron walls. So he stole one last look, admired the effect of loose curls sprawled across her pillow and the graceful outline of her delicate neck and shoulder, and then he left.

Alpha's girl. Forests. Racing. Off-limits.

The thoughts he'd been hiding for months swirled around his head. These days it was harder not to think about it.

Bonfires. Stolen glances. Sam's Teeth. Erotic dreams.

He'd stumbled into her outside his front door. Found her draped in an oversized plaid shirt and watched in awe as her face flushed and her dark hair danced in the wind. He could have sworn that every Cherry Blossoms had wilted in envy at the sight of her. His heart had stopped beating for a minute. Being around Leah Clearwater, it always felt like trying to catch up with the wind.

No one thinks of Leah as beautiful anymore. That's what Jacob thought. Embry was smart enough to know that at least to people still thought Leah was breathtakingly beautiful.

Him.

And the man she compared everyone else to.

It was a relief not bumping into anyone as he jogged down the stairs. Seth was young, but he was protective of his older sister, and Sue was a daunting presence even on her happy days. Embry wasn't completely sure he'd be able to hold either of their eyes for very long considering he'd had about a million thoughts about the woman the night before, and only a handful of them had been pure.

He raked his hand through his hair as he stepped out the house, cursing himself for everything he'd said. He had been such an idiot. An obvious idiot. The last thing Leah had needed was his raw heart on his sleeve like that, pushing. And yet, she had melted. He could feel every place where her fingers had played gently against his skin after she had drawn closer to him. She had felt it. He knew she had. There was magic between them.

The pale grey wolf took a moment to clear his head of it, and then he leaped.

...tired…sleep.. see.. Kim...

-and that's why the King poured melted gold onto his head.

I thought Denearys was his sister?

Yeah but he's still a prick. So then...

(Calm. Flickering images. A blue scar)

His brothers were so overworked and exhausted they barely noticed his arrival. But he felt them as their minds twisted into his, invading his thoughts, intent on undoing his careful attempts at maintaining privacy. He felt it instantly, the sudden avalanche of passion and devotion, the overwhelming need to be with a mate. It was intense and insistent:

SHE-IS-EVERYTHING-PERFECT-THE-CENTER-OF-MY-EXISTENCE -THE-BEST-THING-THAT-EVER-

Paul?! He heard the slight panic in his voice. Did Paul Imprint?

EMBRY! Embry how's Leah?

….Embry…oh…. can't keep…

Leah's fine Seth. Colin aren't you a bit young for Game of Thrones?

Who are you, the police?

I'LL-BE-WHATEVER-SHE-WANTS-WHATEVER-SHE-NEEDS-BROTHER-FRIEND-LOVER-ANYTHING-I-LOVE-HER-

(Unease. Flickering images. Bella screaming).

Just fine? What do you mean Leah's fine? What happened?

Her name alone... Darkness. Fingers playing against his arms. Citrus. Nothing much. Your mother's potion took some time to work but your sister's alright. Did you catch it?

No. It was so fast… Have you ever seen anything move like it?

(Panic. Isabella with red eyes. A russet wolf biting her neck).

No. Never. It was tough, even for a leech.

...it knows…. our … lands…

Jared, you're dead on your feet. When's the last time you got some sleep?

I-LOVE-HER-HOW-DID-I-EVER-LIVE-WITHOUT-HER-IT-ALL-MAKES-SENSE-NOW-EVERYTHING-

(Pain. Flickering Images. Fire. More screaming).

...wednes ...can't leave… Paul's ..no state… lead…

Talk about an understatement. Paul sounded high as a kite. Paul made wolf number four too, which meant that soulmates and gravity-shifts weren't as rare as it might seem. And worse, Embry had been in Paul's head enough times to know that his numerous sexual exploits with women were a cover up for his sexual preference. He didn't know what to make of it. From the images in Paul's head it turned out that the center of his universe was Jacob's older sister Rachel. Jake was gonna be real happy about that when he re-joined humanity.

(Pain. Flickering Images. Purple smoke).

EVERYTHING-I-HAVE-EVER-WILL-BE-IS-HERS-I-ADORE-HER-PERFECT-LOVE-OF-MY-LIFE-MY-BEST-FRIEND-MY-

….need...Kim…. haven't….

I need ten minutes to get yelled at by my mom and then we can swap. Cherry blossoms. Darkness. You won't die if you see Kim later you idiot. Go home and sleep.

… just tell… her… dumb secret…

Embry phased out as he reached the outskirts of his house. His thoughts had almost exposed his detached bluff. How could he fault Jared for wanting Kim more than sleep when he was still stuck on the scent of citrus? He climbed up his childhood tree house and collected the spare clothes he always left there in case of emergencies as the echo of Jared's last words snapped him back to reality.

No. He was not telling his mother about any of this. Ever. Because if he did Tiffany would feel the need to confess who his father was and that was the last thing he or any of his brothers needed. What he did need was a shower. Because while Embry adored the smell still clinging to his skin, he was pretty sure the Alpha wouldn't be all too thrilled about it.

While she was guilty of making questionable life decisions in the past, Tiffany Call was far from stupid. Binge eating, drastic mood swings, changes in the appearance, shifts in sleeping patterns and missing school all the time to run wild in the woods with trouble some boys? It had to be drugs. Why else would a good boy, who for seventeen years of his life been little lower than the angels, suddenly become such a terrifying stranger? Why did she not recognize the man in her son's eyes? Why did she sense so much danger from her boy? And why was he always lying?

'Where were you?' She asked the moment he walked through the door. Ignoring her question, Embry shot through the house like a comet. Tiffany followed hot on his trail. 'I asked you a question boy.'

'I was out.'

'Where?' she ground out when he made his way for the fridge.

'Good morning mom.'

'Don't be smart with me. I asked you a question.'

'I was out for a run.' he said, closing the fridge to look into the pantry. He pulled out a loaf of bread. He'd probably eat the whole thing and still be hungry.

'Where were you last night?'

'I was-'

'Don't lie to me.' She shouted.

Embry gave her a long hard look, looking a little like his father. 'I was with...' He looked away and raked a hand through his hair. 'I don't want to talk about it mom.' When she crossed her arms, he sighed, looking down at her small form in that way that made him still look far too young for that giant body. Like a child in a grown man's body. It made her so sad. The pause gave her time to look at him closer. She frowned.

'You're wearing clothes.' she accused.

'So are you.' He smirked before pressing a kiss to her cheek. 'Good morning mom.'

Tiffany turned away from her son, feeling too tired for words. What had happened to him? What had she missed?

Almost as though he could hear her thoughts Embry sighed before turning on the coffee maker. His long arm reached over her short frame, grabbing a pan before placing it on the stove. Tiffany unwrapped her arms from around her chest and found the olive oil in a shelf. Pretty soon Embry was tossing a bag of mushrooms onto the counter and she was making eggs. The room felt far too quiet. Tiffany realized it was the first quiet moment they had had in months.

'You look… rested.' she said as she made the eggs. 'You slept last night. You don't... usually you have bags under your eyes.'

Embry flashed her a charming smile and she was even more bewildered when she realized that it actually touched his eyes. 'Mom, isn't it a little too early to be complimenting me?'

'I'm serious.' Tiffany made a small clicking sound, but she couldn't help a little smile a little in spite of her bad mood.

'I got enough enough sleep last night. Just need a shower before I head out.'

Her eyes narrowed as she made her way to the table, placing some eggs on two plates. 'With Sam's boys.' she ground out.

'Actually, no.' Embry said as he took his seat. 'I'm heading to Quil's.'

Tiffany tried to hide her relief by taking a sip of coffee. Even if Quil had given into the steroid fad that had affected so many of the Quileute boys recently, he was still one of the most respectful boys on the reservation. He still said yes mam and took care of his grandfather. He even babysat for one of her colleagues free of charge. She trusted Quil to be a good influence.

Embry's lips tipped upwards slightly, and she wondered if he could read her mind. He was always so alert, so intuitive and in tune with other people's emotions. 'How's the research going?'

Tiffany shut her eyes in exasperation. 'My research is coming up empty. The artefacts I've collected are valuable but my professor says that I don't have enough information on their histories. It's feeling a bit like an impossible mission. Our language itself is extinct, our stories are dying. It feels like I'm hitting a wall.'

'It'll all work out somehow.' Embry offered absently, his mind drifting off to Leah's neckline and soft curls.

'What is that about?'

'What?'

Tiffany gave him a searching look. 'That smile?'

Embry shrugged, stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth. 'What smile?'

He might have been keeping secrets, but Tiffany would know that look anywhere. 'You're blushing.' she grinned, rather enjoying the slight flush on his cheeks as he rolled his eyes.

'I don't blush.'

'Well you are now.' A sudden realization popped into her mind, and she gasped. 'Oh! Is that where you...' she let the words trail off, 'Embry Call, if you get a girl pregnant I swear to god-'

'It's not that.' He interrupted quickly. 'It's not like that. You really need to stop watching those soap opera's mom. Not everything is love and romance.'

She clicked her tongue in annoyance before muttering in Makah. Embry rolled his eyes as she swore he would send her to an early grave.

The wolf hid his panic with a smirk; knowing that he was in some deep, deep shit. Because if Tiffany could sniffed him out in less than five minutes, then there was no way in hell he'd be able to hide his crush for much longer with wolf telepathy.

The day had gone by in a blur. Sue was so worried she could not recall if she'd changed Mr. Middleton's bed sheets. She hadn't double checked to see if seventeen year old Cleo Jones had understood the term ectopic pregnancy and she had almost forgotten to sign off before leaving. Her mind had been set on Leah, on going home and checking up on her daughter's health. But they all had their appearances to keep, so Sue had left her niece's bedside and gone straight to work, forcing herself to chit chat with her colleagues about how excited' she was to attend the upcoming wedding.

Any event related to the Cullens was bound to cause quite a stir in a small town like Forks. Even without their impossible beauty and their affluence, a foreign family made up of young couples was too juicy a topic to be passed up for the local gossip. Sue hadn't wanted to attend, her unease about the vegetarian blooddrinkers was greater than her morbid curiosity, but Charlie had asked her to go with him and she wanted to be there for him like he had been there for her after she'd lost Harry. She also wanted to keep an eye on Seth. He'd grown an adoration for Edward Cullen and he was set on attending the wedding. How the boy picked his heroes she would never understand.

She breathed easier when she found her son staring at the television. For the last few weeks it had been Patrol-Sleep-Food for Seth and TV-Julie-Seattle for Leah. His face was beyond exhaustion, but his eyes lit up as soon as she walked through the front door. It made him look like Harry had in his younger days, and she felt her heart squeeze as she tried to smile back at that face.

It didn't work. 'What's wrong?' he asked.

'Leah. Is she?-'

'She's fine mom, don't worry. Listen.'

Sue followed his dark eyes to the ceiling and sure enough she could hear it... music. Leah was playing music in her bedroom. Sue's mouth dropped open disbelief. Her daughter hadn't played music in ages. She didn't even know how long it had been since she had last yelled at Leah to turn down her beloved Beetles, ACDC and Guns and Roses. 'Is that -'

'Journey.' Seth grinned. 'Yeah, Never thought I'd ever be glad to hear that song on repeat.'

Sue's smile grew, 'Repeat.' she whispered as her heart softened. She walked up the stairs aware that her daughter could probably hear her heartbeat. Leah half-opened the door before she even knocked. 'Hey mom.'

Sue grinned. 'Hi.'

'What's up?'

Sue frowned as she noticed a subtle chalky scent she couldn't place. 'I should be asking you that. Are you alright? Last night was a nightmare. I'm sorry I couldn't-'

'Don't worry about it.' Leah said quickly.

'Of course I'm worried.' Sue said emphatically. 'I am your mother and I should have been here.'

'Look. I get it. Emily's fragile and human and I was home and healing and perfectly safe. Don't worry about it. The Pack took really good care of me, mom. I promise.'

Sue still could not ignore her guilt. 'Is there anything I can do?'

Leah pouted as she gave it a thought. 'Ice cream would be nice.'

'Leah are you sure you-'

'Mom,' Leah said sternly, 'I'm fine. I'll be all healed up in a few days and then it's back to Sam's pack. I don't want to think too much about it alright?'

Her daughter needed some space. Sue could understand that. 'Alright.' Leah was about to shut the door when Sue remembered. 'Wait, Are you coming to the wedding next week? Charlie asked me to come along and with Seth so intent on going I thought maybe it would be a good idea to be there with him.'

Leah bit her lips. She despised those vampires that had ruined her life. And Isabella fucking Swan. But she didn't like the idea of Seth and her mother being by those bloodsuckers even if they were vegetarian. 'Can I let you know?'

'Of course. I just need to RSVP before Tuesday.'

'Tuesday. Got it.' Leah nodded, managing a quick 'Love you,' before she shut the door. Sue frowned as she turned and made her way towards her bedroom.

It was strange being in the Master Bedroom these days. Harry had been a huge presence in her life for over twenty years, and he still haunted every corner. It had been over four months since her husband had died but everything was so different. She was going to a vampire wedding with her werewolf children and she was certain that the loving looks she was receiving from her husband's oldest friend should have made her feel uncomfortable, not open. She wondered what Harry would have thought. What her children would think. Sue snuggled into her pajamas and got into bed, her eyes drifting closed as the exhaustion finally caught up tp her. It wasn't until sleep had her in its clutches that she placed the scent of chalk and mud coming from Leah's bedroom. It was the smell of Leah's old paints. Her daughter hadn't touched them in almost a year.

Down the hall, Leah hummed along to Journey while her fingers remembered how find all the stories hidden in a canvas. Swirls and lines, colors and light. It had been so long since she'd moved some of her muscles this way.

She hadn't been able to get the exact shade of green right for his eyes. But Kaheleha was still strong, mysterious and beautiful. He looked familiar too, in a distant way. Like a friend of a friend from seventh grade. She could almost taste the connection. She'd been wondering over it for weeks, why he seemed so familiar. The ancient Prince looked mystical and almost ghostlike as he waited out in the water, lilies blooming all around him as his pink scarf billowed in the wind. Leah looked out into the forest as she worked, drawing inspiration from her homelands.

More than just a few times her mind had drifted towards the pale-grey wolf who had left her bed before she'd stirred. She had been relieved not to find Embry there, but also a little disappointed. Leah scowled at her own romanticism. She knew better than to care by now. She was too young and too smart to spend any of her time thinking about a wolf. Wolves belonged to their Imprints. She had learned her lessons the first time round, and only idiots played with fire after suffering an ugly burn. Leah pushed all thoughts about Embry Call away as she blended another shade of green into Kaheleha's eyes. She sighed when it still wasn't quite right. Now they looked like Embry's.