- La Push, Washington -

- Embry -

"Holy fuck !"

Embry Call had no idea what to expect as he pulled up to the 'Paws and Oil' garage that morning for his seven till eight shift, but slamming on the breaks and cutting the wheel to avoid the gaggle of bodies gathered outside really wasn't on the list. He wasn't going that fast truthfully but this was Washington where rain was the predominant weather meaning the weathered road outside of the garage was wet causing the car to spin out and it was only his skill behind the wheel that made righting it possible.

The 1978 Dodge Charger came to a skidding stop a whopping two inches from the bumper of the Ford Explorer that was parked outside awaiting one of the mechanic's to check it over. A glare planted firmly on his face, he throws the car in park and cuts off the engine before climbing out. His body congealing to his six foot five frame as he looked over the gathered bodies with a death wish.

Embry could identify just who everyone was without even trying, all of their faces familiar despite the fact they didn't belong outside the one level garage. Nor was he too shocked to see that right in the middle of the bodies was his fellow mechanics Paul Lahote and his fiance Skylar Ragnulf. The two of them inciting what looked to be a full-scale riot with nothing more than a matching feral smirk on their faces.

Normally Embry would enjoy the show, laughing with unbridled mirth as Paul and Skylar showed just why the two carried the titles as the deadliest fighters to ever be birthed from the bowels of La Push. But given the agitation from his less than pleasant parking and the early hour, he just wasn't in the mood.

"What… the fuck is going on."

The bodies closest to him turn to look at the speaker of the words as Embry allows his hazel eyes to drag over the bodies and examine them closer. He could already see a few were carrying wounds varying from bloody noses and bruises that were yet to fully form on the skin meaning at the moment they were just a bloom of red. A glance to Paul and Skylar's fists showed they were the weapons behind the destruction.

It does nothing more than raises Embry's agitation further through the roof.

He feels a presence to his side and clicks his tongue as he glances at his long time friend, and Skylar's cousin, Jacob Black. The usually composed and smiling male scowling as he looks at the bodies, a bruise forming on the curve of his jaw. The slow forming of it stood out against the russet colouring of his friend's skin, yet it was the dark look in his eye that stopped Embry short for a few moments.

Deciding to forgo the questions settling on the edge of his tongue, he runs a hand across his face before sighing through his nose. His agitation still pulses like a heartbeat within him as he returns his eyes to his friend. The questioning regarding Jacob's forming bruise could wait. He'd rather learn why he nearly committed vehicular manslaughter.

Yeah, the perfect place to start. A soft snort is the only indication of how humorous that thought was to him. Of all things he should be arrested for, that was far down on the list. He wasn't a fighter like Paul and Skylar was, not that he didn't if the occasion arose. But he was more of a smooth talker than someone who threw a punch first and asked questions later.

"What the hell happened here ?"

A soft growl rumbled in Jacob's chest as the fellow Quileute steadily watches the scene before him. "It's to do with last weekend. The bastards before us took offence to the shit Skylar said but decided to wait till now to get revenge for it."

If he was agitated before, it was nothing compared to how he was feeling now. Embry knew the situation Jacob was speaking about and even now, a good six days later, he was still firmly rooted in Skylar's corner. They may be a group of delinquents as most would call them but they had morals and seeing a woman being hit by a male was something they all couldn't stomach. It wasn't Skylar's fault that idiots took offence to the truth she had let slip with no restraint before teaching the woman beater the true damage a woman could do.

God knows Embry had wanted to do the same.

"Why wait till now ?"

It was a stupid question really and yet there was no stopping it falling free of his mouth. Skylar was one of those people that always knew when a threat was coming her way, a sixth sense of sorts that was honed by her military background, and thus she was the hardest person to pin down. It was also the reason none of them was in jail. She kept them all free of it and whilst she did that, Paul protected her.

Anyone daring to touch Skylar had to go through him and he wasn't fucking scared to kill someone to keep his girl safe. None of them was, Skylar was family and they'd kill to protect their family. It was the same when it came to Seth's girlfriend Jade, Jared's fiance Kim and Sam's wife Emily. The girls were family, a family they had to protect.

"Skylar opened early this morning to get started on that Mustang. So the assholes thought it was prime time to get her. Safe to say it didn't work out for them." Jacob snorts as he watches his cousin punch the male in front of her. "Sam's on his way. He didn't sound too impressed when I woke him and Emily up to inform him we had a riot in our front yard."

A click of his tongue is the only answer Embry gives to his friend's words. When wasn't Sam happy lately?

Sam Uley wasn't a bad guy, he was actually the leader of their little group. He took them all in as teenagers and helped them find a way to let loose the mayhem that burned within them. From that simple action, 'The Wolf Gang' was born. A group of illegal street racers who let out their frustrations on the road, each stretch of road ticking by in a second and so did their rebellious natures. Sam taught them all the true meaning of a quarter mile and they all, in one way or another, owed him their lives.

The group had initially started with Sam and Paul - the two of them being cousins - before it expanded to include Jared Cameron and himself. Embry had been arrested for shoplifting when he was seventeen and that alone landed him on Sam's radar. He'd ignored the elder male at first but after being tempted into that first race, he was all in. Nothing beat the adrenaline rush that came from racing down an empty street with nothing but danger pumping in your veins and your hands to control the car.

From then on, others started to slowly trickle in. Jacob was the most unlikely initiate they had given he had the patience of a saint, Quil too, but they'd followed Embry into the devil's grasp and had never been able to get free since. Not that any of them really wanted to leave.

Jacob and Paul had opened the garage not long after they'd started to get a reputation and whilst to the outside world they were a group of simple racers, to the cops of Clallam County, they were the most dangerous group around. None of them had been caught, no matter what they did, and the cops were beginning to grow frustrated.

Skylar joined up with them about two years ago after being medically discharged from the army and due to her and Paul being childhood sweethearts, that managed to keep a relationship alive whilst she was away, it was a no-brainer that she'd become involved. The best part was she'd fitted straight into their crazy gang as though she'd always belonged there. Her skills under the hood of a car are just as prolific as her skills with technology and causing someone the most grievous of injuries.

Either way, his life was good.

As far as Embry was concerned there were only three things that he needed in his life. Fast cars, good sex and wild friends. The best part was he had all three of them in abundance, he wanted for nothing and nor did he truly have to seek too far to get whatever he wanted. More often than not it landed right in his lap, or sometimes he had to work a little but that work consisted only of a panty-dropping smirk and a well-worded line.

The guttural sound of Sam's engine breaks him from his thoughts, head-turning to the side as the black 1967 Chevrolet Impala pulls into the lot. From his vantage point, Embry could see the fury burning on Sam's face, his usually light eyes nothing but onyx pits of anger. His face was drawn tight in a scowl as he climbed out of the car, his large frame buzzing with anger as he drank in the gaggle of bodies still gathered around Paul and Skylar and shouting obscenities to the air.

A firm nod is the only indication Embry and Jacob need before the two of them jump into the middle, their hands grasping people by the necks and throwing them clear as Paul and Skylar did the same from the centre. Rich laughter falls off Embry's lips as he dodges a well-thrown punch and lands his own in the soft flesh of a males stomach. Uncaring eyes watching as the male doubles over before he shifts his attention to another and stops him throwing a punch to Skylar's back.

His agitation now had an escape route. His fists.

He's not sure how much time passes but soon the gaggle of bodies is dispersed and he lounges against the metal counter inside the garage as he presses a rag to the cut on his head. A cheap fucking shot that would now bruise this time tomorrow, ah well he'd learnt that women liked a man with war wounds. Maybe he could use the situation to his advantage and get rid of the blue balls he was suffering with after ending his arrangement with Angela.

"What the fuck was all that about ?"

Embry watches as no one now gathered in the garage dared to meet Sam's eyes. The elder male staring them all down and waiting to see who would crack under the pressure of his eyes alone. Not even Paul, who was dominant by nature dared to meet the eyes of his pissed-off cousin and boss.

"What I gathered from Jake, it's to do with what went down last weekend." Embry offers, breaking the stalemate between the group. "Seems more people took offence to Sky's actions than we thought."

A scowl colours Jacob's face as Embry turns to look at him, his own taunting smirk gleaming on his face. He didn't care if his friend was pissed, he wasn' the one who nearly died simply getting to work that morning. Embry's patience had long since disappeared and on top of that, he really wasn't in the damn mood to deal with an agitated and angry Sam longer than he needed too.

"Of course it's to do with last weekend."

Turning to look at Sam, he can see the elder male staring over at Sky who was burying her head in Paul's shoulder, her own shoulders shaking in silent laughter as she fought off her amusement at the turn of events. Sam wasn't even angry, the corners of his lips upturning with a small smirk as he watched her. It was no secret that Skylar's actions last weekend had been on Sam's orders, the elder Quileute knowing just which weapon to use and when.

"Try and behave this weekend please Sky, we don't want to be dealing with more bullshit because of your actions."

Embry snorts softly, the air of the action passing over his top lip as he tunes out the conversations happening around him. His hand coming up to grip the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head. His agitation had passed and in its wake was now a throbbing headache.

A grunt from Sam regains Embry's attention as he leans forward in his seat, his arms hanging over his thighs as he grips his fingers in front of him. Hazel eyes regarding the new tension buzzing in the air and anticipation warming his blood as he waits for the next words to come out of Sam's mouth. Over the years they'd all learnt how to read Sam's actions, knowing what was important to listen too, and what was simple bullshiting to pass the time.

And right now, it was gearing up for the conversations that mattered.

"What cars need doing today ?" Sam asks as he pushes off the counter he was leaning on and comes to stand in the middle of the group, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans as onyx eyes drink in those gathered. "Are there any we can put off till Monday ?"

He might not run the garage in name, but even here he was still the boss. Sam was still the one who kept them all in line and made sure that their actions didn't impact the group as a whole and land them in a world of shit they couldn't climb their way out of. They were a pack, one took the fall, they all did. But Sam in a sense was their Alpha, the one who carried their burdens and kept them in line. In and out of the garage and streets.

"We've got the Mustang that needs a new radiator then it's out of our way. Mr Sharp is also getting impatient for his Ford Explorer to be done. After that, not much is considered an urgent problem, boss. We could probably shove all the other junkers till Monday."

Embry's eyes drift around the garage at Paul's words, his own eyes cataloguing the machines waiting to be worked on. A silent agreement humming deep in his throat. The primary mechanics during the week were himself, Jacob, Paul and Skylar. Seth and Quill did the weekend shifts and despite the fact they were his friends, Embry didn't trust them to be able to get through the twenty cars waiting to be fixed. No, if anything to two would simply add a shit more hassle to the workload.

"Right well get them done, stops Mr Sharp coming down here stirring up shit we don't have time for. And leave everything else till Monday."

A murmur of agreement and nods ring out from the gathered group before a sly smirk uplifts Sam's face as he turns to Embry.

"All right, tonight we're racing them bastards from Seattle. Embry you're going to be primary with Skylar backing you up." Sam nods, his thumb running over his lip as he grunts. "Let's see if we can make up for the fucking shitfest that happened last time."

Embry cringes slightly at the memory of going up against the 'neon dogs'. It had been Jake that was trusted with bringing home the win but his friend had gotten cocky and at the last turn, overshot the speed meaning he went too far out and the 'dog' took the win. Leaving the wolves in the dust and Jake to deal with one pissed off Alpha. The price of that loss was a sting of embarrassment that had followed them for four more races, luckily Paul, Sam and himself had managed to win those and once more secure the knowledge that the wolves were untouchable.

But this was the first race against the dogs since the loss, and even Embry wasn't stupid to realise that a fucking lot was riding on this win. To correct the previous loss and to teach those dogs a lesson.

"What's the pot ?" Embry asks, his neck rolling as he works out the tension gathering. "Are we racing for pinks or just money tonight ?"

God he hoped they were racing for pink slips, he had his eye on a certain dog's car and he wanted nothing more than to get that glorious dodge challenger in his garage and under his fingers. Already he could picture just what he'd do with the glorious machine. A repaint, whole refurb on the interior and it would be glorious.

"Yeah we're after pinks, and the pot is $10,000. So whilst that is enough incentive to win. We're racing to correct the fucking last loss. So don't get cocky Embry."

He bristles at the insinuation buried in Sam's words, a silent warning of what would come if he made the same mistakes as Jacob. He wanted to shake them off, but even he wasn't an idiot. Anyone could make a mistake, a quarter-mile was only determined by the racers involved and any small thing could change the outcome. A gear changed too slow, nitrous released too early. All of it could change things with a small blink.

"Don't worry, I've got Sky to keep me in line." His jest was false, an easy solution to soothe the alpha.

"Damn straight Call, we ain't losing to them dogs again. Jesus, I think I'll end up killing them this time if I have to listen to their cocky bullshit one more time."

Embry chuckles as his eyes drift to Jacob to see him staring at the floor, he had never forgiven himself for the loss and none of the others had done it either. The reminder of it wasn't a fresh occurrence, ever since it happened they'd all made sure to drive it home to Jacob of what he'd done.

"It's not the loss I'm worried about." Sam sighs, once more capturing everyone's attention as they look back at him.

Embry hitches an eyebrow upwards as he sees the stress painted freely on his friends face, his hands curling around the cola can as he brings it to his lips and takes a sip of the carbonated drink. Mentally he runs over the possibilities of what was bugging Sam but coming up empty with each passing second. Not that he was surprised, Sam thought differently to them all.

"We need to navigate around Charlie. He isn't going to let us rest if he catches us racing tonight. He's already far too close to realising which of us are involved and when he does... He'll bring hell with him to our door."

Ah yes, Charlie Swan. Chief of police in Forks and the one man dead set on bringing 'The Wolf Gang' to justice. He was a friend to the reservation, being close friends with Billy Black, the tribe's chief and he'd also seen half of them grow up. Which was the true reason he'd taken their presence so personally, whilst he wasn't sure just who was involved, he knew it was people from the reservation. Kids he'd watched grow and he wanted to be the one to personally bring them to justice.

Over the last few years he'd gotten close to arresting them, far closer than anyone else, Quil and Seth only just dodging a police ambush a few weeks ago. But the near-miss had made the Chief even more resolute in his determination to bring them down. Often they'd see him driving through the rez, wanting to see if he could spot any of the cars used in the races, or if he could catch a glimpse of something or someone that seemed familiar.

Embry had to commend him on his diligence, most officers had given up on trying to catch them. Some of them even said they were a necessary evil after Paul and Sam fought to get drugs removed from Forks and La Push. Yet as far as the chief was concerned, the illegal racing was still enough to send them down, good samaritans or not.

"I don't think the Chief is going to be an issue tonight."

Sky's muttered words gain everyone's attention, the question burning on the tip of Embry's tongue but it's Jacob that asks it first.

"Why's that cuz ?"

Skylar bristles under the weight of everyone's eyes before sighing softly. "Bella comes home today."

A trio of actions happen at once, Jacob gasps at the knowledge of his childhood friend coming home, Sam groans low in his throat and the Embry crushes the cola can in his hand. Standing up he drops the now battered piece of metal to the floor as he stalks out the garage. His hand wafting at his side to remove the traces of cola off his skin. His chest constricting as his mind conjures the images of Isabella with ease.

She was Chief Swan's daughter and had grown up with Skylar and Jacob, the three of them as close as thieves even with the random year difference in ages they all had. Embry himself had known her briefly and only truly got to know her when she came back to town at seventeen. The two falling into an easy friendship that soon burned into an intense and heated relationship.

He fucking loved her, with everything he had. But after his arrest for shoplifting, the two began to argue. Their arguments often ending with the two saying shit they didn't mean. Embry was guilty of saying shit that should never have passed his lips and if his mother ever learnt the truth, he was sure his ass would be stinging from the ass ripping she'd deliver his way.

But his arrest cost him, Bella, soon after she fell in love with Edward Cullen, resident rich boy and adopted son of Carlisle Cullen. Within two months Bella moved away to attend college and he became nothing more than a bittersweet memory in her past. It was after that he finally gave in to Sam's offer and raced his first race. He lost his girl, but gained the devil as a sidekick.

He wasn't sure if the trade was worth it or not.

Soft hands settling on his arm have hazel eyes cutting to the side as he grunts, fingers fishing the cigarette and lighter out of his pocket and with practised movements he brings the cigarette to his lips and lights it. Inhaling the smoke deep as he lets it's soothing effect rattle in his chest.

"You okay ?" Sky as softly as her fingers knead his bicep softly.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner Sky ?" He tries to keep the bite out of his tone but as he watches her cringe, he knows he failed at that. A hum catching in his throat as he curses softly. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. I shoulda told you sooner." Sky sighs and Embry is once again reminded that underneath the outlaw mask she wore, she was still the most loyal of them all. "I didn't know how to tell you. Given the way shit ended between you both. I wasn't sure if you wanted to know."

Embry couldn't fault her for that. Everyone in La Push knew that after Bella moved away he lost himself in alcohol and free pussy. He didn't even register the people he was sleeping with, nor did he care to learn the names. They were a simple way for him to relieve his stress and he tossed them aside the moment he was done. Their names were not a high priority for him.

And as he became known within the outlaw circles, the women were easier to gain. He had girls from Port Angeles to Seattle clamouring for a taste of him and he indulged often. Sometimes he would stay with one girl, like his ex fuck buddy Angela - who was Bella's ex-best friend - he'd often call her up for a night of release and then the two would go back to ignoring each other come morning. A situation that worked well for him, he got his release, and she got to taste the outlaw lifestyle that resided outside of her strict pastor father and his rules.

Yeah, it was probably best she hadn't told him.

"Come on." he grins, his arm wrapping around Sky's shoulders as he leans her back towards the garage. "Let's get these junkers done so we can prepare to teach those dogs a lesson."

Her answering grin has him chuckling deep in his throat as he hands over the cigarette for her to take a drag. "What are you driving tonight ?"

He hums in his throat as he clicks his tongue twice. "Might race the GT40 we got outta that race a few weeks ago. Seems wrong the baby is hiding in yours and Paul's garage."

Skylar snorts softly. "Good thing I finished the refurb three days ago then isn't. Baby's all good to go."

He nods in appreciation for Sky's work. Whilst they were all hired as mechanics at the garage, it was often that the group took their work home. Sam, and Paul's garages being the main ones they use to store their prizes after a race. From there they often get moved to Jacob's home garage where the refurbishments are done. After that, the cars are either sold or used in other races. Either way, they get their worth from the machines.

Taking the cigarette back from Sky, he leans down pressing a kiss to her forehead before letting her go. His hazel eyes watching as she headed straight for the Mustang. He looks over at the ford explorer to see Paul and Jacob already dealing with it. Meaning for the moment he had nothing to do, nothing to stop his thoughts from haunting him nor his memories of Bella from coming and biting him in the ass.

Fucking lovely.

- x -

A / N : Reviews are love and highly appreciated- So this isn't a new story, I posted this over here ages ago but took it down due to shitty writing. I mean I was a teenager at the time. But lately, I've gotten the urge to bring it back so alas here it is, edited and hopefully makes a lot more sense now.

So your opinions are highly welcome. Is it written well, is it a good start. Do you enjoy the human side of the pack, that is still sort of structured like one. Please let me know.

Also, Skylar is an OC originally written by my friend Chaotic-Lauren. She's been my biggest cheerleader to come over to . So as a present for me giving in, I featured her girl Skylar in this story. Now Skylar is from one of my fave stories, Wild hearts. So do go and check that out.