PREVIOUSLY-
"Already declaring yourself as a Clearwater? Bold move, Swan." Leah said, clapping me on the back. The hoodie must've had the name written across the back.
"Well, it's comfy, so I think I'm going to keep it. It's not like Seth needs it now, anyways." I retorted. She burst out in laughter as Seth watched with wide eyes.
"Nice braid, too. I think we'll get along just fine, Swan." She said before going up the stairs. "Come on, you can borrow something of mine to wear tonight."
I followed Leah up the stairs and she let me borrow a black dress for the funeral. When I went back down the stairs, Seth was attempting (and failing) to tie his tie, and Charlie was walking back in in his dress uniform. I walked up to Seth and moved his hands away, tying it myself.
"You look nice, Bells." Charlie said as he came over.
"Leah lent me the dress. I didn't really have time to go home and change." I told Charlie and he just nodded and went off to find Billy and Sue. I looked back over to Seth.
"You okay?" I asked him. He nodded, not fully 100 percent. "I'll be here with you the whole time." He swallowed and nodded again.
The rest of the pack trickled in, including Jacob, who looked like he wanted to speak to me but couldn't. I wondered if Sam had placed an alpha order on him.
Sue had decided that Harry's funeral was to take place at the cliffs, where they would then sprinkle his ashes into the ocean.
All of us walked to the cliffs in a large group. Seth stayed next to me the whole time, and I knew it was for the support. Old Quil had performed a ceremony in Quileute and afterward there would be a bonfire in his honor.
Once we were back to the house, Seth handed me his hoodie again, somehow knowing that I needed it. I quickly put it on and we made our way out to the bonfire.
The bonfire passed quickly as we listened to the elders speak the legends of death and how it was only the next journey for the soul.
All too soon, it was over, and Charlie had left, saying that he expected me home before midnight.
I knew Seth had heard my conversation with Charlie, so I made my way up to his room and knocked on the door. He opened it quickly and let me inside before closing the door back.
"So, you have to go home?" He asked, sounding apprehensive.
"You know I do, Seth." I told him as I began to take his hoodie off. His hand stopped me.
"You keep it. Like you said earlier, I don't need it anymore. I like it better on you anyways." He told me with a smile. "Will you come to the pack meeting tomorrow with me?"
I looked at him, not expecting that. "I thought pack meetings are only for, you know, pack?" I asked quickly.
"You are pack now, Bella, just as much as the rest of us. I, uh, I'd like it if you were there with me. It'll be my first official pack meeting, too." He said honestly and I couldn't help but say that I'd go.
"Will you walk me out to my truck?" I asked him. He smiled up to me brightly and nodded his head.
We made our way out to my truck in silence and he opened my door for me. I climbed in but sat there on the edge of my seat. I could tell he was on edge. It was almost like I felt it myself, but it was like an echo that I somehow knew was coming from him. He even began fidgeting with his hands, unsure of what to do.
I opened my arms and he looked relieved, leaning into me to hug me tightly. His warmth was so soothing, it felt like everything else just faded away. After a minute I pulled back slightly and, feeling daring, placed a soft kiss on his cheek. It was only a friendly gesture, but one I could tell he appreciated, nonetheless. He pulled back with a huge smile and red cheeks.
"I'll see you tomorrow after school." I told him.
"See you tomorrow. Drive safe." He said before shutting my door. I drove home with my mind on the weekend's events, not failing to see flashes of sandy colored fur in the trees as I drove.
I got inside my house and saw that Charlie had already gone to bed, so I made my way up to my room and laid down, myself, keeping the hoodie on.
I slept restlessly and cold, not nearly as comfortable as I'd been the night before. The next day at school passed by excruciatingly slow as I waited for the final bell to ring. I'd already told Charlie that I was heading down to the res after school, so I left as soon as school was over.
I didn't know where I should go when I got onto the res. Should I go to Seth's house or Sam and Emily's? I decided to try Seth's first.
Pulling into his driveway, I saw him already walking out of the front door, down the porch. I hadn't even turned the truck off before he was opening my door, reaching for me. He nearly pulled me out of the truck as he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair, breathing deeply.
After a minute, he pulled away sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to ambush you like that…" He rambled.
"It's okay, Seth, are you alright?" I asked as my hands rested on his shoulders.
"It… was a long night for me. When I heard your truck coming down the road, I just couldn't help myself." Seth told me, looking away nervously.
"Hey, look at me. What do you mean it was a long night for you?" I asked him curiously.
"I shouldn't have said anything, it was nothing, really." He said as I finally closed my truck door.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this one. Tell me what you meant." I said commandingly. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Sam had to alpha order me to stay home because my wolf freaked." He said in a rush. "And apparently Sam didn't tell me an imprint can override an alpha command because he told me not to tell you that."
"What, why?" I asked him immediately.
"Why did my wolf freak or why did Sam order me not to tell you?" he responded.
"Both." I stated in return.
"Well, my wolf freaked out because you were too far away and, no offense, but you're a total danger magnet, not to mention the fact that big red is after you, which I didn't know until last night. I was outside your house as a wolf for two hours before Sam ordered me to stay home as a human. I paced my room all night and thank the spirits your scent was there because it was the only thing keeping me from breaking the command myself. He ordered me not to tell you because he didn't want you to be worrying about it, which we both knew you would." He said nearly all in one breath. "Wow, it feels like I've been given some type of truth serum or something…."
"I'm so sorry, Seth. I didn't mean to—I didn't know…" I sputtered, immediately feeling bad for making him tell me all of that.
"No, no, it's okay, I swear. There's a lot that both of us still don't know about the imprint. We'll learn it together, alright?" He said calmly. I took a deep breath, nodding, and thought about what he'd told me before.
"I'm sorry that Sam had to alpha order you at all. I feel like it's my fault somehow. I live too far away…" I muttered, just now noticing that we were actually walking down the street instead of going inside.
"I promise none of it is your fault, please don't think that." He murmured.
"So, uh, where are we headed?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"I guess I should've told you that we're walking to Sam's. It's only a street away, so it's not too far." He responded.
We walked the rest of the way in silence as I thought more about what Seth had gone through all night. Was that why I'd been so restless and cold? Would this happen every night for him? I had a lot of questions for Sam.
Arriving at Sam's, I was brought out of my reverie by Seth's wolf call. We walked directly inside and I was greeted right away by Emily, who came up to me and gave me a hug.
"Welcome to the pack, Bella. When Sam told me that Seth imprinted on you, I got so excited. I know Kim will be excited, too. She'll be here tonight with Jared." Emily said as she pulled away. Seth had already grabbed one of the cupcakes laid on the table as Sam walked into the room.
"Thanks Emily. I, uh, was actually wondering if I could come by one night this week so that we could talk." I asked her.
"Of course, Bella. You can come by anytime you want." She replied with a smile. I saw Seth talking to Sam and I excused myself and made my way over to them.
"Bella, Seth was just telling me of this new development." Sam said to me as I walked up.
"Uh, yeah. I just told him to tell me what happened, and he did." I explained.
"Despite my alpha command. I guess it just hadn't been tried before. I can't give myself alpha commands, so Emily can't override them, and I haven't given any to Jared. I assume it is because we can't lie to our imprints, not knowingly at least, and we'd do anything our imprints ask." He explained.
"Why was Seth having such a difficult time last night? Well, besides the fact that I'm a danger magnet." I asked.
"Our wolves need to be close to our imprints. It's an instinctual thing for us, just like the need to scent you. It's the need to protect. When our wolf knows that our imprint is too far away, no matter the danger level, we don't handle it well. When I first imprinted on Emily, she lived on the Makah reservation and was only visiting. I found myself running to Makah every night until she moved here, but she was old enough to make that decision. I was hoping that part of the imprint would be spared with the two of you, considering how young Seth is. It seems that the imprint doesn't take age into account, like I'd hoped." Sam told us.
"But Seth can't be running to Forks every night, and he can't be holed up in his room all night pacing, either. He won't ever sleep. I still have two months left of school, what are we going to do?" I asked Sam, worried.
"And that's exactly why I ordered him not to say anything. We'll figure it out, Bella. Though it would be a good idea for you to be on the reservation as much as you can outside of school. It's easier for all of us to protect you here." Sam suggested.
"I was thinking of starting a catering business. If Bella would like, she can work with me as an after school and weekends kind of job? We'd just be cooking and baking, maybe eventually open a shop if it goes well." Emily said, walking up behind us. I actually really liked that idea. I hadn't been working at Newton's since my depression started, and I wanted to do something useful. Charlie would even go for that idea.
"You know, that would actually be great, Emily. I love cooking. I was meaning to try to get my job back at Newton's anyways, but if I could work with you here, I think that might work out better." I told her honestly, not missing the way Seth's face lit up at the suggestion.
"And Seth can be our taste-tester when he's not on patrol." She mentioned.
"Heck yeah! That would be awesome!" Seth exclaimed excitedly. "You're sure you want to do this, Bella? You don't have to just because of me. I can find some other way around it if I need to…" he said, turning to me. I reached my hand out, putting it on his arm, enjoying the current that ran between us.
"I'm sure. I love cooking, and I've often thought of doing that as a career, so this is like the perfect opportunity. Not to mention, it'll keep me on the res a lot more, and Charlie would be cool with it, too." I explained, making his bright smile return.
"I wondered if his imprint would be different than mine and Jared's because of his age, but when I saw it in his mind, it was just as strong, if not more so. Neither mine or Jared's imprints have any age gap, but it's clear now that the age factor doesn't matter." Sam said as the door opened.
"What about my imprint?" I heard Jared ask as he walked in, hand in hand with his imprint, Kim. He was shirtless, as always. Kim was beautiful, she had long black hair tied in a braid, gorgeous russet skin, and curves in all the right places. I had to admit I felt a bit inadequate comparatively.
"I was just explaining some things to Bella about our imprints and how hers and Seth's seem the exact same as ours so far, despite Seth's age." Sam told Jared as the other wolf wrapped his arms around Kim from behind, kissing her on the cheek before whispering something in her ear, making her laugh. They seemed so happy and in love.
I looked over to Seth, who was also watching them with what looked to me like a longing in his eyes. He then looked over to me and I blushed, having been caught staring.
"I'm totally stoked that there's another imprint in the pack, anyone who gets something like this is the luckiest person ever. But I thought it was supposed to be a rare thing?" Jared asked Sam.
"I did, too, but perhaps it's because the last pack was only 3 people. We already have 8 wolves, making us the largest pack in the history of our tribe. It could be more common than we think." Sam replied.
Kim made her way over to me and hugged me immediately. She seemed like such a happy and bubbly personality already and it was really refreshing.
"Hi, I'm Kim, you must be Bella?" She said as she pulled away.
"That's me. It's nice to finally meet you, Kim. I've heard a lot about you." I told her with a smile.
"All good, I hope." She said, laughing.
"All good, I promise." I replied.
"What's up Bella? How is it being imprinted to Seth?" Jared asked me as he came over and slung his arm around my shoulder.
"It's great, really comforting in a strange way, but I'm really happy about it." I told him.
I could see Seth giving Jared the death glare as he muttered something too low for me to hear. Jared carefully lifted both hands in surrender and stepped away from me, as Seth came to stand by my side.
"Woah man, chill. It's just a friendly gesture." Jared said as he returned to placing his arms around Kim.
I gave Seth a pointed look, wanting to know what he told Jared.
"Sorry bro, I wasn't expecting that." Seth told him apologetically, making me even more curious.
"It's alright, I'm the same way. My wolf doesn't like it when other guys touch her either, but I thought that was because our relationship is a bit more… advanced than yours." Jared said to him.
"I told you it's more like ours than we thought it would be. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if…" I couldn't hear the rest of what he said because he lowered his voice to below my hearing range. I did, however, notice Seth's cheeks turn bright red.
I didn't have the chance to ask as the other pack members began to file in, one by one. Leah came in first, but stayed in the corner, unwilling to look at either Sam or Emily. I made a mental note to ask why.
Jacob came in next, and I felt Seth's hand slide around my back, pulling me closer to him as he watched the older wolf. I was still extremely mad at Jacob and planned on having a conversation with him after the pack meeting was over.
Jacob sneered when he saw how Seth was standing with me and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. I could tell he was slightly shaking, but not quite enough to phase.
Embry and Quil were the last to come in, joking and laughing together.
"Damn dude, you sure work fast!" Quil said once noticing Seth's arm around my waist.
"Dude, just don't." Jared actually told him with a serious tone, making Quil raise his hands in defeat.
The pack meeting went on for about an hour, as we sat on the couches in the living room. I was nearly sitting on top of Seth because of the size of the boys on the couch. We were talking about patrol schedules and eventually about 'Big Red' aka Victoria.
"I think she might have a gift, like some of the other vampires." I spoke up. It was the first time I'd spoken, but I felt like they needed to know.
"Gift?" Sam asked quickly.
"Yeah, um, some vampires have gifts. Edward could read minds, well everyone's but mine. Alice, the pixie, could see the future, but it was subjective. Jasper, her husband, could manipulate emotions. I think Victoria may have the gift of evasion? She seems to be able to get out of anything." I explained, surprised they didn't know already.
"Well that's definitely valuable information. Thank you for sharing that, Bella. We'll need to coordinate our attacks accordingly. Maybe we can surprise her somehow." Sam said thoughtfully.
"Or distract her. She's after me, I could—"
"Bella, please don't finish that sentence." Seth said from beside me, pleadingly.
"But I could help, it would only take a drop of my blood—" I argued, trying to make my point, but instead, Seth stood up from halfway underneath me and just walked out the door. A moment later, I heard a howl and I knew he'd phased.
"Jared, go check on him." Sam ordered the younger wolf. I felt awful. I couldn't believe I'd made Seth phase like that. I felt like I was changing the happy, carefree teenager, making him grow up too fast. The thought invaded my mind like venom, poisoning all of my thoughts. I didn't want to do that to him. He already mattered way too much to me, even in the short amount of time I'd known him.
A/N- Another long chapter, I know, but once again, I couldn't bring myself to split it up. This story has quickly taken over my heart, almost as much as my other stories, The Right Path (Bella/Sam), and Part of the Pack (Bella/Embry-complete), which you can access on my profile. Don't forget to review and follow for new updates!