Thanks, as I ever will be, to any readers and reviewers. This chapter gets a BIT more interesting, but next one will definitely be getting into the good stuff!
And double, double thanks to my amazing beta, laurazuleta18. She is one amazing girl, I swear I owe her my life!
Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter One
Shannon yawned as Embry pulled into an empty parking lot. She had been sleeping for a couple of minutes and now she was facing a slowly darkening beach which was lit with the dancing rays of a sunset. Sighing happily, she tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder and tipped her head to the side in question.
"Emb, where are we?" she questioned sleepily. He grinned and waved Chubby and Nico out of the car dominantly. Shannon was about to rebuke him for his rudeness but, to her immense surprise, both climbed out and walked toward the silent, lumbering forest. Her eyes followed their movements until they had all but disappeared. She was used to this odd sort of behavior from her three friends, but it never failed to confuse her even more. Chubby was always joking, poking fun at Embry or Nico without fear of retaliation, but as soon as a situation would get mildly serious, he'd shrink back and stay completely silent.
"We are right in La Push," he said while gesturing to the sand and waves in front of them, "my home." Shannon was surprised momentarily by this revelation, although it made more sense why Chubby and Nico had gotten out of the car so readily. Looking around more closely, she realized how beautiful the beach really was. She inhaled sharply and smiled softly at her boyfriend. Embry's eyes were twinkling in delight as he climbed out of the car and jogged to the passenger side to open Shannon's door for her. She beamed and took his hand as he helped her out in a very gentleman-like fashion.
"Why thank you, Kind Sir," Shannon breathed in a very fake, very bad English accent. Embry chuckled and wound his arm around her waist. They walked in comfortable silence towards the crashing waves before finally stopping. She leaned deeply into his arms and closed her eyes. The air was fresh and salty and so comforting…Shannon had grown up on the beaches of Northern California; therefore she'd practically lived in the water during her childhood until moving to Oregon in her junior year of high school. Eventually she'd gone to college in Washington, and then got a job as a receptionist there. Her boss, the fucking freak, liked to order the exact same lunch every single day, which was how Shannon and Embry met.
He was a delivery boy for Harry's Burger Fries, the very restaurant Shannon's boss liked to order his lunch from, so they met and talked day after day before finally going out. Soon after she met his friends, and surprisingly all of them got along very well, although she and Nico did bond over making fun of poor Chubby. She thought that 'Chubby' was an odd nickname, but he explained that it was because when he was a baby, he had infamous cheeks that could make any mom melt. He also said he'd punch anyone who called him Robert.
Compared to Chubby, Nico was a relatively calm and quiet guy but extremely clever. He used silent humor to get his jokes in the open and Shannon found that positively hilarious. She seemed to be the perfect fourth person to their threesome so she slid in and made their apartment her second home. No one minded…on the contrary, Embry was thrilled. They confessed their love for each other after a couple of months and hadn't looked back ever since.
Snapping her out of her reverie, Embry suddenly grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before yanking her legs around his large waist and falling back to the sand. They landed with thump and Shannon laughed wildly as Embry rolled over and over until they were at the water's edge. Embry stuck a strand of her hair between his thumb and forefinger and twirled it speculatively. Shannon's eyes zeroed in on this movement but she didn't say anything…she knew immediately he had something important on his mind by the way his mouth was puckered and his nose was scrunched up. It took all she had in her to stop herself from smirking…he looked too fucking cute. She could swear on her life that Embry could get her to do anything she wanted, anything at all, so it was a good thing he didn't know just what he did to her.
Finally, he let out a long, drawn out sigh and sat the both of them up. Shannon's legs were still hooked round his waist, so he supported her back with his hands. She would have assumed this would tire him, but he looked rather casual about it. "Shannon?" Embry asked with trepidation.
She peeked at him through her eyelashes. "Yeah, Emb?" she asked bemusedly. He sighed again and began to fidget with her hair even more than he already had been doing seconds ago. His nervousness was almost contagious, and she too began to squirm where she was. At last she crossed her arms and fixed him with a petulant glare. "Embry, what is it?" she demanded in irritation. Embry looked down, closed his eyes then opened his trembling mouth.
"Shannon, remember how I told you I've always had an irregularly high temperature? That…um well, it wasn't exactly true," he paused and ducked his head in shame in response to her hurt expression, "I'm sorry, Shan. But I…I had to. Don't give me that look. I did need to lie, for my protection and for my pack's protection."
She raised her eyebrows confusedly. "Your pack's protection? When did you get a pack, exactly? And why do you have a hot temperature if it's not some genetic thing? Oh fuck, Embry are you sick? Are you…dying?" she choked, suddenly filled with horror and anger. Embry grabbed her hand and began to stroke it comfortingly.
"Shan, babe, I hate that I had to lie to you. I fucking hate it. The reason I did, though, was because I needed to protect a secret…a secret I feel I can trust you with now. I…" he looked to be struggling with something deeper than anything he had before. Shannon pressed a hand to his cheek in silent support of what his confession was to be. She loved her Embry, after all.
"Shannon." He offered a twisted half-smile, "I'm a fucking werewolf."
She stared at him. Then she stared at him some more. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, and then curled her hands into tight fists of fury. "Oh. Oh, really. So when did this, uh, magical transformation happen, hmm?" Shannon was pissed off. Embry could tell that right away, and worse yet…he had no idea what to do next. How could he possibly convince this smart, beautiful woman that he was…that he was a monster, a supernatural impossibility?
Embry figured that honesty might not be the best policy at all times, including this one, but he'd follow that policy anyway…though he'd leave the whole vampire concept out just for now. "Well, when I was...god, sixteen must've been…I phased for the first time. It was hell a confusing and just…it was a pretty terrible time. I mean, suddenly I could transform into a giant wolf and hear these guys' thoughts in my head. It freaked me the fuck out, Shan. And I know you don't believe me right now, but the thing is I'm telling you the truth, the one hundred percent truth. I love you, and I would never, ever lie to you in a million years. That's why I have the boiling temperature…that's why, when we have sex, I have to be so damn careful even though all I wanna do is go fucking wild without any fucking restrain. The reason why Chubby is so much less dominant than me and even Nico…he's at the very bottom of the pack. It's also why I'm so packed with muscle and so tall. It explains everything and…and if you're not convinced, babe, I'd be willing to phase in front of you. Because this is me, and I know you won't tell a single soul. I realize that you…you might not want to continue our relationship, because this is a lot to take in, but –"
"Shut up," Shannon interrupted, pushing a hand against his mouth. He stopped immediately, but looked at her with pain-filled eyes. He hesitantly tried to speak again, but she only pushed her hand more firmly against his lips. "Ssh. I'm thinking, Emb. I'm thinking."
And then Shannon removed her hand and crashed her mouth into his and began kissing him, because truth be told, his explanation was the fucking hottest thing she'd ever heard. She could look into his eyes and see it, see the truth and sincerity and she knew with all her heart he was telling the truth. So Shannon kissed him with all her might and Embry kissed her back with enthusiasm and love and everything he had in him.
"So beautiful," he murmured. This was the reaction from Shannon he could have only dreamed of. It had taken everything he had to say all that shit to her, and now that it was out there he had absolutely no wish to take it back. Something heavy had been lifted off his chest and he liked it exactly where it was – a long fucking way from him. She breathed deeply.
"I wanna see, Emb," she finally whispered.
"What?" he asked in shock, pulling back from her. She smiled slightly and drew him back in with long fingers and misty green eyes.
"I believe you, Embry. With everything I have, I'd bet you were telling the truth. But if this wolf is a part of you, then I want to know that part. I love you, so I should be able to love your…your wolf. Whoever he is," she finished. Embry looked at her, then stood in one fluid motion and carried his girl to the edge of the forests. He set her down carefully on her feet in the light of the moon before backing into the protective cover of the forest. Carefully, he stripped of his clothing, tossed them all to the ground and warned her to stay where she was in a soft, rumbling growl.
And then, he turned into the most amazing animal Shannon had ever seen. His skin rippled like it was going to burst at the seams, and she guessed it did. Fur spread out over his body which then grew into a long, larger than life wolf. It…he, was grey with silver freckling. She slowly walked forward until she was eye level with the great beast…he was absolutely amazing. Even more slowly than she had walked forward, her hand raised and ran through his fur. It was one of the softest things Shannon had ever felt, it took her breath away.
"Emb," she whispered, then licked her lips in nervousness. "Embry you're beautiful." His muzzle pulled back, and then he sneezed. Shannon giggled.
She figured this was some wolf-like way of him telling her thank you. She pressed her forehead into his nose and closed her eyes, just relaxing in that moment. Shannon's emotions were dipping and skyrocketing, her mind blowing into different dimensions and spinning so sharply she could barely keep her breathing even. What she had just seen proved wrong all that she'd assumed about the world, and truthfully she felt she was about to be sick. She had believed Embry…but just seeing it, knowing that he wasn't lying or crazy for sure… She pressed her lips together and tried not to be too freaked out.
"So…so Chubby and Nico are wolves, too? And all of your friends?" she asked timidly. Embry nodded slowly, and she breathed out roughly.
"That's…that's wow. That's just wow," she finally murmured. The tips of his mouth pulled up, so it sort of looked like he was baring his teeth but seemed a lot more similar to a goofy looking smile. She stifled a snigger then backed away, indicating that she wished for him to phase back.
He did so and suddenly he was standing naked before her, which only succeeded in making Shannon's knees all the more wobbly. She was dating a fucking werewolf. Releasing a shuddering breath, she walked forward and launched herself in Embry's open arms, kissing him again and again.
"I love you," she swore with all her heart. Embry nuzzled her nose gently.
"I love you too, babe. With all my heart," he replied, stroking her long, brown hair with adoration. She leaned into his embrace and sniffed deeply, reveling in the feeling of his warmth. It felt so damn good to know why Embry was so special, because he had always been special. She just hadn't known why or how.
"We should…go see your friends. They're waiting," Shannon whispered with regret. She wished deeply to make love to him, but her mother had always ingrained in her that she could not be rude, so it would be almost morally wrong for her to keep Embry's friends waiting longer than they already had been. Embry sighed, but nodded in agreement.
"Alright, beautiful, throw me my clothes. Probably wouldn't end up well if I arrived naked," he winked. She giggled and winked right back.
"I, however, wouldn't be disappointed in the least," Shannon announced with a smirk as he fastened his khaki shorts. Embry laughed deeply then scooped her up in his arms and began to make his way back to the car. "By the way, have I ever told you that your abs fucking kill me. It makes so much sense now," she sighed dramatically. Embry rolled his eyes and then threw her high, high up into the air. She screamed wildly as she flew ten, eventually fifteen feet into the cloudy night sky. He caught her swiftly and then stuck her in the passenger side of the car.
Embry jogged back to the driver's seat and ducked in at inhuman speed that set Shannon's heart fluttering erratically. He grinned at her shocked expression. "Oh, yeah…did I mention I have superhuman speed, sight, smell and hearing?"
"No…no I, um, think you forgot, um, to mention that," she breathed. She blinked a few times as she tried to get this impossible theory ingrained into her brain before immediately turning beat red. "Oh my god. Superhuman hearing…does that mean you heard me talk to myself about you in the bathroom?" she asked in horror. Embry bit his lip to keep from busting out with laughter, even twisting away from her terrified face for good measure.
"Uh…I could have maybe heard you saying that I was an impossibly hunky, manly man and you could do me better than anyone I ever had before sleeping with me for the first time," Embry smirked. She gasped and hid her face in her hands as he started to drive towards Sam's house.
"Shit, Emb! I cannot fucking believe you did that! Oh my god…that's why you told me afterwards that it was the best sex you ever had…" she trailed off, humiliated beyond any reasonable amount. Embry smiled at her softly.
"Well, that might have been part of it…but mostly it was because I was telling the truth. You pleased me better than anyone else I've ever had," Embry murmured. Shannon blushed slightly, but stuck her chin up and offered him a full smile.
"Well, I do try my best!" They both chuckled and reached for each other's hand. Shannon watched the houses pass and she had to admit to herself that this reservation didn't look…well, it didn't look good. The walls were obviously ready to crumble and the lawns were brown and badly kept. She could tell from Embry's expression that he wasn't proud that his home was poor, but she really didn't care. To assure him of this, she gave his hand a squeeze. He shot her a half-grin then turned back to the road.
After a few minutes of slightly stiff silence, he pulled up a dirt road towards a small, rundown house not unlike the rest of the homes in La Push. "We're here," Embry announced after clearing his throat. Shannon could faintly hear the sounds of deep laughter and an underlay of what sounded like rap music emulating from the house, which made her grin. Embry despised rap, but she loved it and the fact that his pack was playing it made her smug. He looked at her and rolled his eyes, guessing what she was acting so excited about.
"Oh, shut up. It's probably just because of Bryson, the dude breathes rap," Embry growled, annoyance ringing his tone. Shannon giggled and shrugged.
"Your loss, our gain!" she sing-sang. Embry mumbled whatever and tugged her inside. She could almost feel the happiness radiating off of him, and in turn she was feeling happier than she had in a long time. Shannon had known that Embry's friends were as good as his family, possibly even more special, so she knew why he was a bit on edge. It made sense, perfect sense really.
"We're here!" Embry yelled as the door banged opened, and immediately they were faced with a horde of shirtless, hot (both kinds of hot), muscled men running toward them. Shannon squeaked as she was passed from one set of arms to another. Chests rumbled in excitement and there were many proclamations of excitement about meeting their new 'packmate'. Shannon purred happily at each one of these and tried to keep all the names and faces straight…but it was so damn confusing. They all looked the same, all except for Chubby, Nico and of course Embry. She supposed this was because she was only used to the three of them, but she couldn't be sure.
Sam was the grumpy looking one, Paul was the buff one with the wicked sideburns, Quil was the shortest wolf but definitely the buffest one, Leah and Hannah looked too much alike for Shannon to find a difference, but they both had short, edgy hair and looked around the room with a flat expression, Collin had huge but cute ears, George was the smallest out of everyone in the room except for Shannon herself, Craig had an impossibly large forehead, and Elki had this weird-ass buzz cut hairdo. Shannon's head spun from trying to remember all of this, and when she finally made it back to Embry, her face had flushed red and she was slightly dizzy from all the jostling.
Several of them were grinning, and Shannon smiled back. "So," one of them said, "Emb didn't scare you off too much, then?" She thought it was Quil, but she couldn't be sure.
"Well, he was damn near close…scared me like a bitch," Shannon paused to laugh. "Although I didn't mind too much, his wolf was so pretty!" Okay, so that was kind of payback for Embry not warning her nearly enough of his friends' obvious overwhelming nature. He turned just as red as she had been as the pack let out loud guffaws.
"Thanks, Shan. You know I'll never live this one down right?" he moaned, turning her head so her lips were brushing his. A dust of a growl sounded in the background, but she and he both ignored it as they began to kiss. Several catcalls sounded, and in response Embry swatted her ass lightly.
"Hey, Embry! Stop it!" she glared, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. He just grinned and tapped her again. Her glare deepened, and she was about to reprimand him again when a rough hand snagged her waist and threw her back against the wall.
"SHE SAID TO STOP!" a low voice yelled angrily. She gasped at the dull pain in her ribcage and looked up angrily at the culprit. She thought it was Collin, but couldn't be sure. The rest of the pack was staring at him in complete shock as he stood staring at Embry, his entire body shaking with anger. Embry's hands curled into fists.
"What the hell, man?" Embry growled furiously. He began to make his way to Shannon stiffly as she continued to rub her side, but Collin's hand snapped out and punched his cheek savagely.
"Stay the fuck away from her!" he growled, giving another angry shove so he stumbled backwards. Shannon let out a furious noise and scrambled to her feet painfully.
"Don't fucking touch him!" she screamed. The tension in the air had spiraled to a thick, uncomfortable, twisted darkness. The two men were glaring at each other with almost…hatred, and Shannon was almost scared.
Embry cracked his knuckles dangerously and slowly stood to his full height, a couple of inches taller than Collin. Growls were emitting from both nonstop as they circled each other. Embry's eyes looked so confused Shannon wished to hug him… though she knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea at the moment. He was fucking scary, and realizing this made Shannon shiver. She inched towards the door, but Collin caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and snarled. She froze immediately and instead opted to back as far against the wall as she could.
"What are you doing, Collin?" a voice shouted from the silent crowd of men, and he winced.
"You hurt her," Embry said in a trembling voice. "You hurt my girl!" He looked ready to rip Collin apart, and a part of Shannon almost wished he would. This whole situation was confusing and scaring her so badly she almost wanted to cry.
But, whatever he said next seemed to have more of an effect than anything he'd done before, because suddenly the whole pack was charging towards her and Embry had launched himself at Collin in an absolute wild rage.
"Mine," Collin had growled. "Shannon is my imprint. Mine."