Chapter Twenty
Kate
My feet stood at the edge of the beach, my bare toes curling into the crumbled asphalt at the point where it met the sand. My eyes scanned the coastline, trying to take in everything at once. The steel of the pounding waves almost blending in with the sky above, only their foamy tops marking the shifting divide. The sea state was rough, but it suited the moody atmosphere of the beach, it's darkened sand littered with the skeletal remains of once magnificent trees, now reduced to pulverized shells of their former glory, washed up on the shores by the greater force of nature that was the ocean itself.
I felt at home here. I'd never seen this place before, but it felt familiar in a way I hadn't experienced before. The large sea stack out in the surf stood like a proud sentinel over the coastline and even with the overcast day, it threw a wide and long shadow almost to the beach. The noise of the water was constant, and just shy of deafening at this distance, but it was calming in its continuous nature, like white noise but with a spectacular view.
I wasn't sure how long I stood there, only that time didn't seem to have any meaning. The waves kept their rhythm, and the clouds kept their covered state. I wasn't concerned however, I could easily stay here forever just watching the hypnotic pull and push of the water.
Having my fill for the moment, I decided to step onto the sand and explore the beach. The trees, Redwoods I assumed, were in various states of decay and it was a visceral reminder of the power and danger of the water close by.
I poked around, exploring like I had in my youth, no cares of meetings to attend or responsibilities of being an adult. It was liberating to climb the wood, draw lines in the sand with a long stick I found, and to pick seashells out of the crevasses of the trees without fear of judgement.
My brow puckered at the thought, and I stood upright to look around the beach again. For the first time I realised I was alone, there were no other signs of life. My entrance point looked to be some kind of parking area for vehicles, but it was empty. I reasoned it was because of the dull overcast day, and the hostile water, but on another look around, I realised it wasn't just people missing, but animals too. There were no birds flying high around the sea stack or through the surf, nor sounds coming from the forest hugging the start of the beach. It was slightly eerie and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
Feeling calm still, I continued my walk down the beach and soon I ran out of hands to carry my load of pretty shells and rocks I had collected on my way. Spotting another beauty at my feet, I carefully adjusted my load so I could pull out the long hem of the T-shirt I was wearing and, with a quick switch of my hands, I was able to transfer my treasures into the scoop of the shirt. I briefly wondered why I was only wearing such a long T shirt, but thought nothing more of it, as I happily plucked the new shell from the sand in front of me.
I stood back up, smiling broadly at my accomplishment when I spotted my first sign of life. I froze at the sudden appearance of someone. He had made no sound and was no more than a hundred feet from me. I scanned the edge of the forest -it was his only entryway to the beach- confused slightly at how he'd managed to walk the vast distance and get so close without me seeing him.
He stood facing the ocean, arms relaxed at his sides, radiating power and authority even I could see from this distance. His broad shoulders were back, covered by his long hair and given his skin tone, musculature, and reluctance to wear many clothes, he had to be someone from the Pack.
I stilled at that thought. I haven't thought of the Pack at all up to this point, and with the reminder came the memories of the past months. I let out a shuddering breath as pain and turmoil flooded my system, taking away the peace and calm I'd managed to find in this place.
With the memories came the panic. From my view of the side I could see he wasn't someone I had met before and I baulked at the very real risk of another Imprint. Before I could make a decision on what to do, he turned his head to face me.
For a moment we stared at each other. When the pull of an Imprint failed to materialise, I let out a quiet but shaky sigh of relief, before a pleasant smile graced my face. Still mindful of my cargo, I adjusted my grip on the shirt's hem, and made my way to the only other soul in sight. He turned back to face the water as I made my approach, and I made no effort to speak until I was closer to be heard over the sound of the waves.
My footsteps swallowed up the remaining few feet and I came to a stop at the man's side. Up close, his stature was impressive. Like the Pack, he was tall, dwarfing me by at least a foot. I tried not to oggle him, but he was particularly stunning. Unblemished skin, shades darker than my own flowing over curves and waves of formidable and ropey muscle that had clearly been built from hard graft rather than from the insides of a gym fueled by protein shakes. I'd never been one to openly check someone out, but I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming his form. It wasn't just his physicality that was pulling me in, but the way he held himself. It was regal, noble, and he stood as though he owned the whole beach.
He remained silent as I looked him over, keeping his eyes fixed on the surf. As more moments of silence passed, the need to say something never came, and I found myself turning to face the water, standing next to this stranger still holding my treasure.
The feeling of belonging in this place increased the longer we stood there. It was the most comfortable I'd been, mentally and physically, in some time and I relished in the notion, inhaling deeply letting the briney air fill my lungs and my soul with it's cleansing scent. However, with that feeling came the realisation that this would have to end at some point and I frowned at the thought and dropped my head.
"What were your plans with them?"
I lifted my head in mild surprise as the stranger finally spoke. His voice was quiet, but I caught it even over the sound of the ocean. I raised my head further to look at him, and once he caught my eye, he nodded deliberately at the shells and stones in my shirt.
I shrugged. "Dunno." I scanned the beach behind us, and into the forest. "Figured I'd just leave them here, I guess…"
I felt sadness at leaving my trinkets behind, they were all precious to me.
"It would be wrong to take them." He murmured. My head shot up to look at him again, and I caught the small joke by the twinkling in his eyes. It faded as he continued. "Some things are best left behind."
He turned back to the surf once more, and I felt a sudden chill work itself down my spine at the tone of his voice. There was pain there, bone deep, and with it, the scene before us became menacing. The crashing waves and overcast day were no longer calming, but spoke of an incoming storm. An uncontrollable violence brewing closer with each breaking wave. I turned back to the parking area and the surrounding forest looking for an escape, only finding the darkness of the swaying trees less appealing than remaining on the beach. The parking area had vanished from my sight and I suddenly felt breathless as panic encroached.
"You are safe, daughter."
I jumped as a hand, a very hot hand, touched my shoulder. I swung back to face the stranger as the panic receded at the contact. He was smiling calmly down at me.
"Look." He jutted his chin again, this time towards the forest behind me. I turned once more to see a wolf standing at the treeline, watching and waiting quietly. It was joined by another, then another, until four of them stood together.
"They need you." He said, quietly.
"Why me?" I asked as I looked back to him. He gave me a small, but sad smile before dropping his hand and turning back to the waves.
"Because you are everything, daughter." He whispered.
I frowned at that response, and glanced back to the trees again. The wolves still stood, quiet, waiting for me, I guess.
"What does-" I didn't finish my words as the man had vanished. I turned in all directions quickly, he couldn't have gone far without me seeing him, there was no cover for him to hide.
I was confused, but surprisingly unsurprised at this.
"A dream." I rolled my eyes at myself and turned back to the wolves, still waiting. Shrugging my shoulders and deciding to just roll with it, I started my trek to the tree line, keeping my eyes firmly on the uneven sand until I hit the undergrowth that signaled the end of the beach and the start of the forest. Here, I looked up…
… and saw a bare chest in front of me. My eyes flicked up to take in the sleeping form of Embry. He was on his side, mirroring me, with his head pillowed on his bicep. The other arm was trailed over my waist inciting peace and contentment where his wrist and palm touched the bare skin of my hip.
I closed my eyes and reopened them slowly, the switch from beach to what I now realised was Jacob's living room was abrupt. Like waking up suddenly from a deep sleep by external factors, rather than through the lighter part of the natural sleep cycle, it was disorientating and made my stomach churn slightly.
The feeling passed quickly and the man and the beach slowly faded from realism to dream-like the more seconds passed as I laid here. It had felt so real though.
I wasn't sure what had woke me. There was a low light coming in from somewhere, which gave me enough to see, but other than the soft breathing of Embry, and someone pressed up behind me, I couldn't pinpoint a cause. My head swam with exhaustion and rather than ponder it, I snuggled further into my little cocoon and allowed sleep to take me again.
I was on the cusp of falling over that ledge, I may have already reached it, when I felt the reason for my sudden lucidity.
No, I'm dreaming again…
My eyes opened slowly, fighting the urge to sleep once more as that feeling, that sensation happened again.
It took me a moment to work it out, but as soon as I did, I felt my cheeks heat with mortification.
I peeked up at Embry, he was still fast asleep, none the wiser to my predicament. The memories of the latter part of my evening popped into my head and I recalled Embry coming in from Patrol and the sedative, before that, curling up with Paul's wolf, my shower and all my clothes being exchanged for that oversized shirt I was wearing…
Or, partly wearing.
With Embry's hand on my bare hip, I realised now how far up my shirt had ridden, and how exposed I was below. But, it wasn't the exposure that was my problem, even though it contributed to my current quandary
I took a small sharp gasp as I felt Paul rock into me again. He had at some point changed back to man during my sleep and clearly hadn't dressed as I felt all of him behind me
Fully awake now, I was overly aware of where Paul was. Spooned at my back, his outer leg had entwined itself with my own, propping it up slightly, leaving him enough room to slip between my thighs.
I bit down on my tongue to stop a moan as he rocked again, pressing his considerable length along the apex of my legs and hitting my clit in a way that had my eyes rolling in the back of my head. A small voice, but quickly rising in volume was urging me to just lay there and let him sleep hump me to climax, and imagine what it would feel like if I just shifted my hips back…
It took all my will power to scream at myself that he was married and it was wrong, wrong, WRONG!
It took more strength to move to try and untangle myself from him. So centred on what was happening down south, it took me a long moment to realise how tightly Paul held me against his body and my squirming and delay earnt me another thrust that both told me how long this must have been going on for, and how much I had been subconsciously enjoying this from how wet I was.
Oh God...
Gathering all my self control I grabbed Paul's upper arm and managed to push it off me. He stirred slightly and mumbled something, before shifting slightly and pulling me further into him.
I froze at the movement, panic rising at the change in position, one false move and the 'dry' humping would be the least of our worries.
"Ssh babe…" Paul muttered into my ear, humming slightly as he flexed his hips again. My sanity returned as he gained part entry into me and I flung my arms out in panic and grabbed on to Embry's arm to pull myself away as much as I could.
My sudden and jerky movements had both men awake, uttering confused mumbles in the lingering moments of sleep. Embry was the first to come to his senses, I guess the panic in my face had him on alert. His nose twitched slightly before he took in a couple of deep breaths. His eyes flickered closed on the last inhale before he reopened them to bore into mine. I felt my face heat again as I realised what exactly he had smelt, and if I hadn't already been a hot mess already, the look of absolute smoldering heat in his eyes would have had me squirming for friction.
As it was, in those fractions of seconds, his desire morphed into molten rage and before I could even think, he was up and yanking Paul away from me.
"You fucking pig!" He threw a punch at a confused looking, and still half asleep Paul, and I screamed at the sudden violence as instinct took over and Paul half ducked the shot and started swinging back in defence. Luckily the rear door was open and they crashed out together as they grappled to get the upper hand.
I jumped to my feet vaguely aware that I was no longer hooked up to tubes, only to find gravity was not my friend and I crashed back to the floor again, thankful for the mattress under my arse for breaking my fall. Another attempt to stand was just as wobbly, but now expecting the sudden headrush and dizziness, I managed to stagger a few feet in the direction of the door.
I was halted from my second face plant by a pair of arms banding around my middle.
"Sssh, Kate, it's OK." Sam spoke into my ear as he pulled me upright and away from where my head had come dangerously close to hitting the corner of the bench under the TV.
"They're fighting Sam!" I cried. My lingering exhaustion and the swinging emotions from the day had me whining like a little kid. "You have to stop them!" I wriggled to try and break his hold, but my strength was no match for him and I gave up pretty quickly as the world lurched again. I was so tired that this small burst of energy had already left me panting like I'd run a marathon.
I heard snarling from outside and let out a small noise in fear that they were now ripping each other apart as wolves.
"It's OK, Jakes got them, he's getting them to cool off." Sam placated me. Knowing they were no longer fighting I let out a long exhale and sagged into Sam.
"Come on, you need to go back to bed." He lowered me back to the mattress where I sat in a heap.
"I need to explain, I'm so sorry… I don't know what to say or think! I was hoping to untangle myself from Paul before he realised. He was asleep, and not aware of what was going on. It happened so quickly. Oh God! Rachel…!"
I buried my head in my hands and sucked in a shaky lungful of air as my mortification got the best of me and tears built quickly. I was such a horrible person! How could I let this happen? I felt the buckling in my chest as the tears became sobs. I was an absolute mess, the lingering arousal was warring with the anger coming from the three wolves outside. Paul's confusion had turned into anger mixed with shame and regret which knocked my self esteem, and even though I knew I shouldn't take it personally, he's married for Christ's sake, I couldn't stop the feeling of rejection taking hold and it made me cry even harder.
Embry was pissed at Paul, and I'm sure I felt some of it directed at me too which didn't help me gain any control over myself.
And Jacob…
Barely contained rage was buffering me through our bond. It was muffled as though behind a door, but it made it all much more scarier to feel. It was surely to be horrific to feel the full force of it if he let rip. I shuddered at the thought of it being directed at me and Sam tightened his grip on me, rocking us back and forth where I'd crumbled over my lap. I felt exposed and pulled the bottom of the shirt over my knees and hooked my toes in the hem. Without Paul and Embry surrounding me, the cool night air was rapidly leeching heat from my exposed skin that wasn't pressed against Sam, and the draft where my underwear should have been gave a chilly and wet reminder of the night's events.
I shot up from where I sat, swaying where I stood, forcing Sam to bracket my hips to prevent me from falling again.
"I need the bathroom," I hiccuped through my tears "and more clothes." I added in a whisper, mortification peaking once more as I addressed the issue out loud.
Sam flowed to his feet and, keeping a steadying arm around me again, escorted me to the bathroom.
He placed me on the closed toilet lid and backed out of the room quickly as I held on to the lip on the nearby counter. He was back within a minute with an arm full of clothes. My clothes, but not what I was wearing earlier. I frowned at the material in my arms before rising to look at Sam.
"We got them from your place. I'll explain later." He said. He closed the door behind him before I could open my mouth fully and I let it close with an audible click.
I buried my face in my hands and choked on a sob in my chest. Oh god, what would they think of me? And Rachel! Paul! What if I'd given in to that voice in my head?
Feeling antsy and wanting to claw at my own skin for the very thought I staggered to the shower, turning the dial on full blast. Not wanting to sit and wait for it to heat I pulled off the shirt I was wearing and virtually flung myself into the icy torrent. The arctic temperature stole my breath and clung onto the wall to anchor myself to bear it.
What seemed like seconds later I felt heat coming from the shower head and as my skin thawed the tears started up again and I found myself leaning against the cold tiles trying to suppress them. It was hard to deal with my swirling condemnation of myself, and it blended with the guy's own heightened emotions. All four of them were transmitting so strongly I could no longer tell them apart, only that anger seemed to be the dominant one and I slipped down the tiles to the floor as it rolled over me in waves. I curled in a ball, sobbing into my knees as it pounded me from the inside out.
Jacob
"You never fucking changed, did you?" Embry roared in Paul's face as he took another swing at his Pack brother as they staggered from my house. It was only Paul's natural fighting skills that allowed him to dodge the blow as the last remnants of sleep cleared his features.
"Fuck you, Call! What the fuck are you talking about?" He shouted back, taking his own swing. It clipped Embry, sliding off as skin turned to fur disrupting Paul's trajectory. Paul phased in response and used the power of his change to throw Emb off his feet. It was an amateur move by Paul, made more out of muscle memory than conscious decision, but effective as Emb's obvious rage hampered his usual grace. We'd all massively improved our skills over the years, but no one other than me could best Paul in a fight.
I'd barely reached the edge of my yard by the treeline when all hell broke loose. As soon as both had phased I was bombarded by a kaleidoscope of memories from Embry which sent my hackles up in seconds.
Paul's own memories were hazy, vestiges of sleep still lingering, where he'd tried to match what Embry was showing us compared to what he knew.
'Wha… that wasn't… oh shit.' Paul's denial quickly spun into horror as reality kicked in. The lingering scent of Kate on him and Paul's own recall of the very vivid dream being pieced together in his own heads with growing unease. A growl ripped from my throat at the fucker as my protectiveness of Kate and Rachel flared in my veins, matching Embry's white hot rage.
'Shit, Jake, man come on, you know it's not like that.' He tried to protest, but we felt his mental confusion as he questioned himself. It was only because we were privy to his thoughts that stopped me from ripping his head off. His mind was spinning out.
'I don't understand?' He whispered. 'I don't… I thought, how was I, we…?' He didn't finish as Embry cut him off.
'You know it ain't impossible.' Emb hissed as he paced in agitation in front of Paul. 'Jake and Quil fuck other girls, so don't use the fucking Imprint excuse-'
'I'm with Rachel!' Paul shouted back at Embry. 'You've been in my head! Fuck! You guys gave me nothing but grief when I Imprinted on her. I've never looked at another girl since. We both accepted our bond, I've never wanted another girl like that. You know it couldn't happen, we couldn't get it up for anyone else' He pleaded, eyes darting between us both. Embry huffed in derision, not believing it.
'So, how the fuck were you able to virtually fuck her then?!' He snapped his jaws close to Paul's shoulder and Paul responded with a snarl that shook the glass in my patio doors.
A shuttering heartbeat froze us to the spot as we heard Sam placate Kate, before she left the room. Her arousal and shame floated down to the yard, both igniting and smothering our rage slightly.
'I don't know.' Paul muttered, defeat in his tone as his wolf backed down. It was a sight to behold and not one I remember seeing before, and it stopped Embry's attack in its wake, even if it didn't completely compress his anger.
The sound of the shower turning on and Kate's gasp and building sobs brought me out of my wolf's head enough to bring order back to the guy's in front of me.
'You're gonna have to speak to Rachel about this, Paul.' I intoned. He surprised me once more by just nodding. His mind already mulling over the how and when, and already bracing himself for Rachel's hostile response. It was going to be a set back as, no matter how over Paul's past they were, the fact the Imprint bond wasn't as exclusive as we all believed was going to be a real test of their relationship. I don't envy the man, fully knowing how much of a bitch my sister could be.
'Yeah, thanks Jake.' Paul muttered, before turning his head back to the house, wondering if he could speak to Kate first. The feelings ebbing from her were intense and I felt Paul's confusion at why his wolf was upset at her perceived rejection of them.
"You guys need to reign that shit in." Sam snapped from the open doorway. "Can't you feel how she's taking this?" He hissed before turning back into the house.
"Fuck, man." Embry phased back, angry still but like me, not quite sure what to do with it. "You need to talk to Kate, Paul. Work this shit out." She shook his head and paced the yard as the two of us changed back.
"I know." Paul replied. He took a breath as to say more, but instead dropped his head and gripped the back of his neck. "I don't know what to say-"
"You can fucking apologize her her first, basically fucking her in her sleep-"
"Hey, back the fuck off Emb! It wasn't like-"
"Like hell it wasn't!" Emb stopped short and took a deep breath before continuing with false calm and a little quieter. "Look, I know what you think happened, but you need to work it out with Kate as to what actually happened. She wouldn't have leapt at me if it wasn't something innocent."
I watched Paul, wary of him kicking off again, but he just stood there, face pinched as if in pain.
"I fucked up, man." He whispered. "I didn't… I mean I didn't know it was Kate… I mean, I know it was Kate but it must have felt right, y'know, for the Imprint to let it happen." He looked at me then, pleading. "Right Jake? You and Quil know, it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to even get it up for another chick who ain't your Imprint. It's why my wolf didn't freak out and stop it, it's why he's still not freaking out…"
Paul trailed off frowning as he pondered it. He was right. The Imprint and his wolf wouldn't normally have let it get that far, but the Imprint with Kate was trumping his bond and marriage with Rachel.
"Then maybe you shouldn't put yourself in a position where your lines are blurred." Embry stated.
"Oh, you'd fucking love that, wouldn't you Call?" Paul huffed, standing taller and bracing his arms across his chest. "Paving the way so you can get your dick wet-"
"Fuck you, Paul! Unlike you, I don't have another Imprint, nor am I married so I don't need to pave any fucking way to get her-"
I let out a sharp growl, snapping my teeth at Embry. Both men paused in their approach to one another, heads dropping slightly to the side in deference to their Alpha.
"Enough, Embry." I snarled. "You both maybe single, " I virtually spat out the word, "but she's still a person and Imprint doesn't mean shit in that respect. She doesn't belong to you, to anyone, you get me?"
I held his rapidly darkening gaze and my wolf heated my vision as he rose to the challenge Embry presented.
"Oh, you'd love that too, wouldn't ya Jake. " He hissed, his own wolf peeking out, arms trembling slightly with the effort to contain the beast. "Not getting anywhere with Ness, so gonna use your Alpha status to get-"
He didn't finish the sentence before I pounced on him, hand around his windpipe, teeth to his neck.
"ENOUGH!" I bellowed. The world around us froze as my order silenced the creatures of the night and the two men with me.
"Just to make this very clear, Emb. You are my best friend, my brother and pack mate. But never forget that I am your Alpha and you will show me respect." I shifted my weight slightly, placing a measured fraction of pressure on his throat, just enough to mark my seriousness. Embry's eyes widen with shock, having never borne the brunt of me pulling the Alpha card on him before. "To be very clear. If I want Kate, I will have her." My eyes panned to Paul, including him in this conversation, noting his unease as he watched wolf dominance override man's decorum. I looked back to Embry, watching him swallow thickly as he realised how deep in shit he truly was. "It's only because I am a man, that I will not bend to my wolf's baser nature," I growled out, as I wrestled my own wolf at my declaration. I paused for a moment, letting that seep into them both as I composed myself enough to continue. "I would expect the same for all my pack. She is human, and she will be treated as such. Not as a female in heat for the pack to mount. And that includes throwing that accusation out at other pack members. Understood?"
I held his gaze until he gave a jerky nod. I pressed him further into the ground, just long enough that his breathing stuttered before releasing him and rising to my feet again.
"You're back on patrol." I spoke at him from over my shoulder as I walked to Paul, clapping him more than firmly on the shoulder as I turned him back towards the house, leaving my back exposed to the wolf behind us. He stood there for a moment more before phasing once again and silently padding off into the darkness.
"You're going to talk to Kate once she's out the shower. Then, you are going to go home, and speak to your wife." I murmured in Paul's ear, giving his shoulder a hard squeeze. This was not optional, and he bobbed his head as we stepped up into the porch and back into my house.
I pushed Paul ahead of me as we crested the doorway, slowing to a stop as I took in the makeshift bed in front of me. The scent of Kate blending with a dominant pack mate's arousal set my nose and my wolf alight, and it was all I could do to keep my reaction to just a twitch of my lips. Paul dipped his head, taking the show of my teeth as part of my talk, rather than it's real meaning.
As, for all my declarations outside, Embry was right. I wanted her and my wolf was willing to take down any male that got in our way.