A/N: Hello lovelies. My writing schedule is a mess as you can see and I am very sorry about that. I know that I've lost a reader or two and I wish them the best. But thank you to those of you who have stuck around. Here's a little update for you.
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she woke up to find herself face down in her pillows. Alice was perched on the windowsill, staring out into the approaching dawn. The wolf let out a small sound, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and pushed herself into a seated position. A louder annoyed sound came from her mouth when she felt the sticky remnants of tears on her cheeks.
"Don't tell me that I cried again," she whispered, looking at her best friend. "Please, please don't tell me that I cried."
Alice offered her a small smile and swung her legs back into the room. "I wish I could say that you didn't." She stood up. "I tried to warn you that Rosalie was going to be a bitch. Especially when anyone messes with what she claims as hers."
"Emmett." Sadie guessed and the vampire nodded. "It's not like I'm going out of my way to be around him. He's just there all the time. I can't get away from him. And I don't know why he won't just leave me alone. I've done everything that I can to push him away, but…" The wolf shook her head and ran her hands through her messy hair. "I don't want to be around him as much as he seems to be around me."
"Are you sure?" Alice asked, tilting her head to the side.
Sadie wrapped an arm around her stomach and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure." Her gaze drifted towards the door to her room. "Is there time for me to get a shower before breakfast?"
"Sure." Alice bounced onto her feet and skipped over to Sadie's wardrobe. "I want to pick out your outfit for today. Okay? I know what the weather's going to be like and what's going to happen. Me being psychic, you know."
The vampire threw a pair of black jeggings and a loose grey-white tank top towards Sadie. Sadie made a small sound when the vampire tossed her a pair of black lace panties and matching bra, but didn't say anything as the vampire dove deeper into the wardrobe. The vampire produced a pair of black boots and a denim jacket.
"Okay." Alice said, smiling as she straightened and put her hands on her hips. "You're going to be ready to face the world today."
"If you say so."
"I do say so." The vampire headed towards the door and opened it. "I'll let Esme know when to start cooking. Enjoy your shower."
Sadie stood there in her room with her chosen clothes in her hands for several moments. Her ears strained to hear the other people that lived in the house, but everything was silent. She took a deep breath and headed out into the main hall of the second floor, trying to keep her footsteps light.
The warm sweet scent of Emmett met her nose as she approached the bathroom, causing her to pause for a moment. The giant vampire stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his hair, his shirt slightly damp around the collar. A smile touched his lips as he looked down at her.
"Hey," he greeted, letting the towel fall around his neck. "How'd you sleep?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Sadie told him, rocking back onto one of her heels. Her dark eyes flickered around. "Where's your bitter half?"
"Still in bed. Did you have fun with me last night?"
"As much fun as one can have when forced to do something that they don't want to do," Sadie muttered, hugging her clothes closer to her chest. "Seriously Emmett, I don't want to talk about yesterday or last night right now."
Emmett glanced over his shoulder. "Are you heading for the shower?"
"No. I just thought I'd carry my clothes around the house for no reason." Sadie shook her head, not knowing why she was snapping at him so much. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "Sorry Emmett…Did you save me any hot water?"
A small smile touched Emmett's lips and he nodded. "Sure. Wouldn't want you to freeze in the shower without your clothes on. I'm not that kind of evil."
"Sure." Sadie patted him awkwardly on the arm and slid around him. "See you in a while."
The wolf stepped into the bathroom and immediately locked the door behind her, leaning back against it. She took several deep breaths, trying to clear her lungs of Emmett's scent, but could only inhale more of it as she realized that the small room was choked with it. Sadie ran a hand over her face and pushed herself away from the door.
Why am I feeling this way about him? Why can't I shake this feeling of wanting to be with him? What is the matter with me? I saw what happened when wolves and vampires grew too close. I saw it and I promised that it would never happen to me. But why is this still happening? Why can't I stop it from happening? I need answers.
Sadie looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw that she was still pale with a haunted look in her eyes. Edward, if you can hear me, please don't tell anyone what I think I have to do today. Please.
Unsure if Edward had heard her or if he was even in the house, Sadie turned away from the mirror and began stripping out of her clothes.
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie rode with Alice and Jasper in Alice's little sports car to the school. Jasper kept glancing back at her, but Sadie tried her best to keep calm. The last thing she needed was for him to feel the storm of emotions that was still brewing inside of her. She already felt guilty about what had happened the night before and she'd apologized for it at breakfast.
"It can't be helped," Jasper had told her, Alice leaning her head against his shoulder. "You're a young human-wolf teenager. Your emotions are going to be out of whack sometimes."
People called out to her as she climbed out of Alice's car and she waved to them halfheartedly. Alice immediately joined her side, wrapping an arm around one of Sadie's. Just like that, Sadie became invisible and visible at the same time. Unable to be touched or approached by anyone that wasn't a Cullen or Bella.
"Hey Alice," Sadie said as they stepped into the crowded halls of the school. "You guys go on ahead to class. I have to have a human moment…and it could take some time."
A small wrinkle crinkled the nose of Alice, but she nodded and released Sadie's arm. "Okay. Just don't be too long. There are adults patrolling the halls that are in bad moods today and they're already going to get five students for being late. Just a warning."
"Got it." Sadie took a step back and readjusted the hold on her backpack. "Be back in no time."
Sadie watched the two vampires walk off into the crowd before turning on her heel and walking towards the girl's restroom. She continued walking right past it and headed back out of the school. Ignoring everyone that she passed, Sadie stopped briefly at Alice's car and threw her backpack into it. Her eyes turned briefly back towards the school, a guilty feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach.
"I'm sorry, Alice," she whispered, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket.
The wolf turned and briskly walked off of the school's property. Her mind reached out towards her fellow wolves as she entered the woods, but she never slipped into her wolf form. Sam's voice was the clearest and led her towards a place where they could meet on equal terms.
Thirty minutes later, Sadie was crossing over the border that marked the territories of the Cullen's and the wolves. Sam was standing there, his tanned skin revealed as usual as he stood topless on the road. Sadie met his gaze evenly as he had reminded her on the journey there that she had become the Alpha of her pack when her sister had perished. It made them equals, even if she didn't want to think about how she had earned that position of power.
"Hey," she greeted, stepping over the invisible border.
"Sadie," Sam greeted. "You said that you wanted to talk with me? Alone?"
"I did. Can we walk too?"
Sam nodded and turned, leading her away. Sadie fell into step next to him.
"I'm confused," she began. "I have all of these feelings in me and I can't explain them. My sister talked to me about how she felt the same confusion when she met her boyfriend. She said that she knew that she should hate him or at least, mistrust him, but she couldn't. And he couldn't hate her either. The other pairs said the same thing and they never could explain the reasons why they felt like that. They said it just happened and they couldn't fight it.
"And now, I'm beginning to get confused about being around this stupid giant of a vampire," Sadie continued. "I don't want him around and at the same time, I like being around him. He makes me sad, mad, and happy all at the same time and I hate feeling like this. I hate having him in my head. I hate being this confused. Sam, what the hell is going on with me? Am I losing my mind?"
"I wish I could say yes, but I can't." Sam stared straight ahead as they walked along the road. "No one ever explained to you or your pack about Imprinting, did they?"
"Imprinting?"
The older wolf sighed. "I guess that's my answer." He ran a hand over his face. "The easiest way to explain it is that you've found your soulmate. Even if you wanted to get away from him, you can't forget about him and be with anyone else. Your heart will reject everyone else in the world, even if you love them – you may love them, but never to the degree that you'd love your soulmate."
Sadie jerked back a step and stared at Sam. "Soulmates? With that vampire?"
"Weirder things have happened."
"Are you saying that's what happened with my sister? And the others? They Imprinted on their vampire counterparts?"
"That's what it sounds like."
"But why did the vampires fall just as madly in love with them? Aren't vampires and wolves supposed to be these great sworn enemies? Why did my pack stay so close and peaceful with the ones that joined us?"
Sam shrugged. "I've heard from the vampires you live with that they experience their own form of Imprinting. It has something to do with the scent of a person's blood. Your sister and the other members of your pack must have had the right scent to their blood that caused this form of attachment."
"Oh."
The wolf Alpha looked over at Sadie. "And you're afraid that you are experiencing the same thing with the giant vampire?"
Sadie ducked her head and stared down at the ground, letting her hair form a curtain between her and Sam. The man bumped his elbow against hers.
"It's nothing to be afraid of, Sadie. It's something that you were fated to do by your creator."
"But it's wrong," Sadie muttered, shaking her head. "It's very, very wrong. This is the reason that my pack was killed. This is the reason I had to run away from everything that I've ever known." She glanced at him. "And if you haven't had the pleasure, the vampire that claims him is one of the biggest bitches that have ever existed. She scares the hell out of me and she hasn't even gone into full bitch mode yet."
A small laugh came from Sam's lips. "I've heard about that one."
"You should be glad that's all you've done about her. If you experienced her, you'd be running for the woods with your tail between your legs." Sadie sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets again. "Is there a chance that this is a one-sided thing? Like, maybe Emmett only likes me because I'm a new person in the group. One that can keep up with him and actually has a personality that changes unlike the other houseguest that comes around."
Sam shot a warning look in Sadie's direction. "I wouldn't talk about Bella like that if I were you. There are people that can hear you and some of them actually like her."
"I didn't say that I didn't like her. I just said that she doesn't have much of a personality." Sadie waved his next comment off before he could speak it. "Do you think it's one-sided or not?"
"I can't tell you that. That's something you have to discover on your own."
"How?"
"You could ask him."
A laugh burst from Sadie's lips and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She stopped walking and stared at Sam when he turned to look at her.
"You have got to be joking!" Sadie said, lowering her hand. "I can't ask him something like that. I can't just walk up to him and ask him if my blood smells special to him or if he likes me more than a friend. I can't do that, Sam."
"Why not?"
Because I'm scared…Because I'd have to leave.
"Because he's with Rosalie," Sadie told him, keeping her other thoughts behind mental walls. "And he's been with her for decades. That's not something that a person can forget or get over just because of some infatuation." She shook her head. "I can't ask him. I won't ask him."
"Then why did you want to know about all of this?"
"Because I wanted you to tell me that I was crazy and that there was an easy way to forget what I was feeling."
A small smile turned up the corner of Sam's lips. "I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"Yeah, me too."
The two Alphas stood silently in the middle of the road for several minutes before Sam turned his back on her.
"Come with me," he ordered. "I know something that will make you feel better. If just for a little while."
Sadie fell into step behind him. "You're not going to get on me for not going to school?"
"No."
"Oh." Sadie shoved her hands back into the pockets of her jacket and followed the man into the woods.
The cool breeze moved through the trees, brushing against her and blowing her hair into her face. Sadie breathed in the earthy scent and listened to the trees speak to one another on the wind. Her boots crunched on the dense forest floor and she carefully picked her way over roots that stood aboveground.
They walked for several minutes before Sadie could hear the sound of the ocean and laughter. Sam moved aside and let her stand next to him. The girl brushed her hair back out of her face and watched as a couple boys jumped from a high cliff into the ocean below.
"What are they doing?" she asked, glancing at Sam.
"Blowing off steam," Sam said, watching his pack. "In a way that doesn't hurt anyone." He glanced at her. "You could do the same, if you want. It might make you forget about your annoying giant vampire and the other one for a while."
Sadie looked back at the boys as one pushed another over the edge of the cliff. "That works for me."
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie walked down the road to the Cullen's house several hours later, her jacket draped over her shoulder and her damp clothes still clinging to her body like a second skin. She'd pulled her hair back into a sloppy ponytail to keep it out of her face and turned her face up to the warm sun as it peeked out from behind some clouds.
"Where the hell have you been?" Emmett's voice demanded before Sadie saw him.
The wolf opened her eyes and saw the giant vampire standing mere feet away from her, eyes dark with anger and something else.
Oh God, no.
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: And we're going to leave it right there for now. Please leave a little comment or two in the box and have a wonderful day. Thanks! -Scarlet
