The Only Exception
AN: This chapter is dedicated to YankeeGirlNJ as she asked what is going on with Embry. She also gave me the idea that's going to help make this story make so much more sense. Thank you very much! I'm sure everyone also wants to know so here it is!
Chapter 6: Embry's POV (Five months ago)
Today is one of the first Saturday's that Jake, Quil and I are all free so we take a trip to Port Angeles. Jake wants to go to a parts store to get some shit for his rabbit, Quil wants to go to a comic book store and I just want to be away from La Push. We stop at the comic book store first since Quil knows exactly what he wants making it a quick stop. Next we stop at the parts store for Jake and while they're in there, I venture into the Spencer's little joke shop right across the street from it. Not really paying attention where I'm going, I run into a cute girl. She's got tan skin, long dark hair, big hazel eyes and dimples for days. I apologize to her quickly and we instantly hit it off. I'm generally pretty shy but I feel at ease with her. I ask for her name and number surprised when she immediately gives it to me.
We walk out of the store together and Kelsey joins her group of friends just as Jake and Quil come over to me. Her friends giggle and the boys wave at them before we head our separate ways. I tell the guys what happened and they don't believe me. I send her a text so she has my number and she instantly texts back gaining me an "ah-ha" moment. We text back and forth for the rest of the day and start developing a quick bond. We have a lot in common; neither of us know our fathers and are raised by our mothers. I ask her to meet up with me next weekend so that we could hang out and get to know each other.
(Three and a half months ago)
Kelsey and I have been spending almost every weekend together since we met. We alternate between her place and mine to make it fair to both of us. Tonight I'm supposed to go to her house but I've been feeling really shitty these last two days. My entire body aches and I've got a fever. Jake calls and asks if I want to meet up before I go hang out with Kelsey. I tell him I'm not feeling well and he calls me a fucking pussy. For some reason, it sets me all the way off. I hang up on him and walk outside to get away for a minute. I just keep hearing his words over and over again and get madder each time.
Before I know it, I can feel my bones breaking and changing. I go to yell but it comes out as a howl, looking down I see I have paws, huge paws. What the fuck? I think to myself. After a few minutes, I notice there are other voices in my head and I feel clinically insane. I might as well check myself in. Seriously, what the fuck is going on?
Embry, it's Sam. Stay where you are. We're coming to find you. A voice says. Who the hell is we? I can't help but wonder. Paul and Jared are wolves too; they are with me. The voice speaks again. I pace around in the woods behind my house and just wait for them to come to me. They finally get here and explain what is happening to me. Once they tell me we share a mind I immediately put up a block on my thoughts. I don't want them knowing every personal aspect of my life. That's too much. Once they've realized what I've done, they are extremely confused but interested. I can only allow them what I wish for them to see. It appears that I am the first one to do this. Next we start working on me being able to shift back which doesn't take long.
I go inside my house to throw some clothes on and send a quick text to Kelsey. I tell her I'm sick and won't be coming tonight but that we'd reschedule as soon as possible. She texts back quickly telling me to feel better and call her if I need her. Sam has me come over to his house with the rest of the pack for dinner and to talk more about what's going on. That night, Paul has Bella over and I feel this strong attraction to her. I can tell she feels it for me too. I stay at Sam's to ask him about it long after Paul and Bella leave. He tells me the story of imprinting, what I feel for Bella doesn't seem that different than what's he's explaining and it makes me feel some type of way.
What about everything I've been building with Kelsey? Does that just go out of the window? And she's got something going on with Paul. Would she just drop him for me? No. No to all of it. I ask Sam to help me stay away from Bella, under the pretense that I didn't think I could control myself around her. I ask him to have Paul keep her away as long as possible too. He agrees completely looking at Emily and seeing the permanent damage he caused her. I feel low for doing it but there's so many people involved. So many people that could be hurt. All over something that none of us can help or even control honestly. I will never understand why this had to happen but I'm going to do my best to make it work.
Two whole weeks go by before I get to see Kelsey again. She's been busy and I've been trying to get myself under control. When we meet up, we attack each other. I have to remind myself that I'm a lot stronger now and could accidentally hurt her so I let her take the reins. She fucks me senseless and I lose myself in her finally feeling semi back to my normal self. Afterwards, we lay in her bed cuddling and I tell her as much as possible without crossing lines about what's been going on. She listens intently and runs her fingers through my hair effectively calming me. I start to fall asleep and whisper the words "I love you" to her. Warning alarms go off in my head but I'm too tired to listen and I do love her. I have a connection with her that I don't have with anyone else.
(Two and a half months ago)
Tensions are getting really high around Sam's. Leah phased recently, Bella and Paul are having some issues and I know it has to do with me. It's been getting harder and harder to fight my pull to Bella. Especially after Paul let some inappropriate shit between them slip into his thoughts during patrol once. She can definitely handle being fucked by a wolf and I seriously want to see if she can handle me. Later that week, I'm supposed to meet Kelsey at a bar in Port Angeles but she bails on me at the last minute. I decide to go anyway since I don't have to patrol tonight. Low and behold while I'm holding up the wall enjoying music, Bella and Leah come into the bar. I knew that Leah came out and had random hook ups, but I had no idea Bella was with her on those excursions. I decided that this is my chance to finally get to fuck Bella. I watch her as she teases me before I've finally had enough.
I walk over to her and make her come dance with me. The shit she way she moves and the shit she says has me damn near dragging her out of the bar. I take her to my house and I fuck her like it was the only time I'd be able to. And even though it should be, I can't help telling her that I want this to happen more than once. I got a taste of her and I do not want to stop while I know that I should. It's like I'm at war with myself. The man in me wants Kelsey but the wolf wants Bella. I am with and having strong feelings for Kelsey and even though Bella and Paul aren't really talking right now, she has him just like he has her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he imprinted on her as well. I'll have to talk to Sam about that.
The next day we lay around getting to know each other and I know we eventually have to part ways. I really don't want to though. I know once she walks out of that door life is going to get even more complicated for us both than it already is. I'm going to have to deal with the fact that I just cheated on Kelsey and have no intentions of ending things with either one of them. It's so fucked up. And Bella, what's going to happen with her? She tells me she needs to go and I basically force her to tell me that she's going to come back. This is so wrong. All day I go back and forth about what I should do. Who do I choose? How do I choose? Why is this happening?
When I return home, I can smell my scent mixed with Bella's and it's amazing. My wolf purrs in contentment which makes the man in me feel incredibly guilty. I check my phone and I have a bunch of messages from Kelsey. I call her quickly and tell her a half truth about the day's events completely leaving out that I actually went out last night and anything having to do with Bella. We talk on the phone until I hear Bella's truck coming and I tell her I'll call her later. I try to gain my composure walking to the door to greet Bella. I feel so guilty that I'm making shit awkward. She picks up on it immediately so when she comes in I basically kiss her ass. She's looking at me like I'm the answer to every question she's ever had.
I briefly think of the fact that she's been with all of my pack mates thus far excluding Leah and can't help but feel some type of way. I'd never hold it against her because I understand the situation and I'm in some shit my damn self. But I must admit it does make Kelsey a little more appealing. I know she's been with others before me but I've never had to see it like I do in the pack mind. I shake my head of those thoughts and focus on my conversation with Bella. We talk about any and everything comfortably and I find we have a connection forming already. Essentially, she's the one, the only one, I'm supposed to be with but I'm starting to realize nothing in life is easy or simple.
She gets into it slightly with her Dad on the phone about staying with me. Part of me is proud that she stands up to him but another part of me wouldn't really mind if she did in fact go home just to stop an even bigger issue from forming. I'm not shit for what I'm doing to both of the main women in my life and I damn sure don't want to ruin a father daughter relationship on top of the other problems I'm lowkey causing. I sigh sadly feeling even more guilty as my phone chimes. I know it's a text from Kelsey. I look at it quickly and it's a picture of her blowing me a kiss. I type a quick response and then set my phone down ignoring it for the rest of the night.
The next morning, I wake up to find out my best friend has finally joined the pack. While I'm sad at his loss of innocence, I'm glad that I can finally talk to him again. I just hope it's not long before Quil joins so he doesn't feel left out. As usual, the entire pack joins and explains everything to Jake but he's focused on what he sees in everyone's mind. Bella. And he is pissed. He's always had Bella on a pedestal and finding out about her and his pack mates completely knocked her off. It pisses Jake off so much that he can't turn back into his human self. Sam thinks it's best if he stays away from Bella for a while and I can't help but agree.
At this time, Paul learns about Bella and I finally hooking up and he's at odds with it. He promises to let go of her smoothly but threatens my life. I know he means it one hundred percent. I try to air out the house and spray some fragrance so Paul doesn't smell Bella and I's activities while he's there but it's no use. While we're at the house talking, Bella comes back unexpectedly and I can feel she's upset. Shit must not have gone well with Charlie. She sighs sadly, but the look of excitement I see on her face when she meets Paul has me feeling jealous. I know he's known her longer and if she's feeling down it's good that she sees him. I know she's feeling shitty about how things went down with them.
I try to remain neutral while they talk because it would be wrong of me to be pissed when I've got more going on with Kelsey than they do between each other at the moment. I also know this talk probably would have gone a little different if I wasn't right here and that's eating at me. She tells Paul that she hopes he finds someone to tame him but she looks completely jealous and hurt at that thought. The look does not get passed neither Paul nor I. He glances at me and smirks without her even noticing. Paul's underlying threat as he leaves goes over Bella's head but it sticks with me. He's a little suspicious of me and he has every right to be.
A little bit after he left, Bella tells me about her fight with Charlie and her moving out. She tells me that she's going to stay with Leah and I know she believes it; I also know she'd most likely end up at Paul's. That just does not sit right with me nor my wolf. I immediately, and regrettably, offer for her to stay here with me. I insist on it because the wolf is gnawing at me to not let her go. Not to Paul. Not to any other man. She is unsure but I can't stop my fucking mouth and she agrees with conditions. I don't like them because deep down I know she isn't going to turn to Leah, she's going to go to Paul. That thought is on repeat in my mind and it's pissing me all the way off. We bring her shit inside and then I bury myself in her trying to make her forget everyone but me.
Over the next month, I've been completely on edge. I feel like absolute shit going between two girls. I hate having to share my living space with such a neat freak. I love having Bella around, she's great company but we definitely butt heads. I don't know if it's her or just me and my guilty ass conscience. We fight, she tries to leave, I basically hold her captive because the wolf doesn't want her to go. I've been fighting with him a lot lately and it's got me so fucked up. I still talk to Kelsey daily and I see her as much as possible but even that's been kind of rocky. I'm so temperamental and I need to reign it the fuck in.
Today I'm unusually aggressive and guilty. I haven't talked to Kelsey yet today. Bella has been so down lately and I can't seem to make her feel better. Patrolling is helping me run off some of my frustration and I'm very thankful for it. I want to talk to Bella about everything I'm going through when I get home. I know I need to tell her about Kelsey, but I'm not sure how because I still don't want to give either one of them up. I'm almost to my house when I smell amazing food, Leah and both of my girls. BOTH OF MY GIRLS?! FUCK! This is not gonna be good. Not good at all.
I'm half tempted to turn around and leave but I know Leah can smell me now. It's time to face the music. I walk into the house and I'm surprised to see everything is clean and in order. I just knew my girls were going to have fought it out and have my house destroyed. The daggers Leah is throwing at me with her eyes are enough for me. I can't imagine the hurt in Kelsey's or the confusion in Bella's. I decide to try and talk to her first but with no surprise she dismisses me quickly. I walk into the living room to find Kelsey and she greets me like she normally would. Completely unaware that I also have a relationship with the woman in my kitchen.
Fuck, this is so fucked up. Dinner is so damn awkward. I wonder who came up with the lie that Leah was my cousin and Bella was only her friend. Once dinner is done, Bella and Leah make excuses to leave so I offer to walk them out. Again I attempted to get Bella to stay so I can talk to her. She points out that all of her shit is gone and we're done. My wolf is in complete despair while the man in me feels guilty, relieved, but guilty nonetheless.
I go back inside and let Kelsey take care of me. I'm definitely grateful for her presence tonight, even if it caused problems she has no idea about. Eventually I'm gonna have to tell her but I can't lose them both in one night. Call me selfish, but I need someone tonight. The loss of Bella is a big one but it's necessary. One knows, and one needs to find out but it's not gonna be tonight.
I catch shit from the entire pack about this situation. Jake is so pissed at me, Sam is disappointed and Jared can't understand how none of them knew about Kelsey. Paul on the other hand, he literally tries to kill me and I almost let him. I feel like complete shit and there's nothing I can do about it. It's been a week since Bella left and I have not heard from her once. I've tried to contact her but she won't answer me. If anyone knows where she is they aren't saying. While she's gone I stay in the comfort of Kelsey. I still can't bring myself to let her go. I don't want to. I already know that things with Bella are ruined. Why hurt Kelsey too?
Another week passes and rumors of Bella's return spread around the pack like wildfire. I want to see her and talk to her but there's nothing I can say. Since she left I haven't made any changes and really don't have any plans to make any. I'm a selfish fuck and I don't know how to change it. We heard Bella has a full house to herself but Sam alpha ordered me not to go anywhere near it. That doesn't mean he isn't rooting for me to end shit with Kelsey and get back with Bella because he wants that to happen. He just knows Bella needs to come to me when she's ready.
Kelsey and I are having a movie night and needed to go to the store to grab the things needed. We run into Bella and I can tell seeing me hurts her. I just keep fucking up and digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole. Kelsey really likes Bella as a person and it's sad because Bella knows her as the girl who's fucking her imprint. I don't know what to do, where to start or how to fix it. Kelsey tells me that Bella is cooking for Paul tonight and I'm instantly pissed off though I have no right to be. Deep down I knew she'd run right back to him. I'm kind of glad that I didn't give up Kelsey but then I remember me keeping shit going with her is the reason why I'm not the one Bella is cooking for tonight. It's a vicious cycle and I can't get myself out of it. Can't or won't? my wolf tells me. Touché, wolf, touché.
AN: Well, there's what's going on with Embry. Thoughts?