Chapter Five

I'm sorry this is so short. I don't really have anything else to say.

Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight but I do own Hetani.

Hetani POV

A week later, I was in Emily and Sam's living room with Embry watching some random TV show. He had been telling me about the red headed vampire that had been hanging around La Push and how she refused to give up. The pack thought that there was an accomplice with her but they couldn't be sure. Jake was on patrol at that very moment with Sam which meant Paul and Jared were around Emily's too. I wasn't quite comfortable and couldn't maintain eye contact if I managed to speak to them but at least I could be in the same room with them without worrying that my hands would fall off from shaking so badly. Emily was slightly different. I helped her cook or bake and she helped make sure that I didn't burn the house down. I liked her, she was easy to get along with and I could say at least one sentence to her when we were together which was an improvement. I watched as Embry talked animatedly, his gorgeous brown eyes glowing. When he got to a stressful point of the story, he would sweep his hand through his short, black hair and chew his slightly pouty lips. It was awfully distracting. A humungous howl wrenched through the air and I jumped so violently that I toppled off of the couch. Embry worriedly helped me up as Paul (who was massive) and Jared (who was stealthier) leapt out of their seats and bolted for the door. I glanced at Embry with wide eyes and he shushed me gently, rubbing my arms.

"I have to go," he said quietly then followed his pack mates out of the front door. I watched with pure terror from the window as the three ran for the forest, kicking off their shoes as they went.

"They'll be ok. This is what they do," Emily assured me softly and I sniffed back the tears threatening to burst forth. I didn't want Embry to have to put himself in danger but Emily was right. It was what he did. I turned away from the window and looked at Emily pleadingly, begging for something to do with my time to prevent frightened thoughts. She calmly showed me to the kitchen where some fresh dough was waiting to be rolled out. I willingly helped, focusing all my energy on the rolling pin and dough to keep my thoughts from drifting. My brother was out there, probably putting himself in huge amounts of danger, along with Embry and the rest of the pack. Yes, I was worried about Embry but I had known Jake as long as I chose to remember and it was with pain that I waited for him to return home. I didn't want to think about what would happen if he ended up . . . gone. I shook my head violently and paid more attention to my job to shove away those treacherous thoughts. It wasn't easy but I somehow managed it, only occasionally thinking of them returning home faster.

XXX

"We're going to be great friends, one day. I know it," Jared commented cheerfully then he returned to the scrambled eggs Emily had provided him with. The pack had returned from whatever they were doing with the news that Bella had been attacked by 'a leech with dreads' (Jake's words) and had been saved yet slightly freaked out by the wolves. I scoffed at the nature of the girl and the fact that Jake had to leave the house to stop from phasing. Embry had not been happy.

*Flashback*

Jake was violently trembling as I gazed at him through slightly scared eyes. He had returned, fuming, from saving Bella's life about various things. He wanted to tell her what he was and used me as an argument but Sam said my circumstances were different and the family had the right to know, especially considering I was around him so often. It was mildly amusing that he had once been loath to the idea of letting me know their furry secret. Paul was collapsed on the nearest couch with his eyes closed and his breathing even. He'd been in that position since he'd arrived back at the house. Sam, Emily and Jared had relocated to the kitchen where I was certain Jared was stuffing his face. Embry, on the other hand, was next to me and eyeing Jake warily. I couldn't really blame him.

"Jake, man, calm down. You don't want to hurt Hetani," he warned softly and Jake's eyes swivelled to me in alarm. He instantly whirled around and bolted out of the door. I glanced at Embry and he sighed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder before leading me into the kitchen. I got the impression that Jake wasn't the only one who didn't want me hurt.

*End Flashback*

I nibbled my way around the crust of the sandwich Emily had made me, feeling Embry's wonderful chocolate eyes on me the entire time. Then another set of orbs joined his and I let my eyes rise up to see Sam looking at me, an expression of contemplation on his face. I didn't want to ask so I hastily moved my eyes from his and ate my sandwich. He didn't speak until I had finished but he shocked me enough to choke silently.

"Hetani, can I speak to you privately?" he asked in his low, even voice. I gaped at him unattractively. What could he possibly have to say to me? I wasn't the most talkative of people and I knew not to tell their secret. What more was there? His eyes travelled to Embry who, up to that point, had been gazing at the ceiling as though unaware of the conversation. Said wolf suddenly looked away from the wooden panels above our heads to stare at Sam with pure disbelief. Jared was silently laughing beside me and my head swivelled between Sam and Embry in the search for answers. Sam didn't say anything, merely looking at me questioningly before I got the drift. He was very like me – able to portray his meaning through simple actions even though I knew the reason he didn't speak much was not because he was shy. It was more like he didn't need to. I sighed, nodded then followed the alpha out of the kitchen with one last confused look towards Embry. He was once again looking at the ceiling but looked terrified instead of falsely ignorant. When Sam and I had reached outside, I looked around idly in search of a sign of Jacob. Finding none, I turned back to the instigator of the trip outdoors expectantly.

Embry POV

I drew my attention away from the ceiling as soon as Sam led Hetani out of the back door. He was going to tell her about imprinting because I downright refused to. She wasn't ready to know – why didn't he see that!?

"Are you sure that you're not just worried about her completely rejecting you?" Jared asked and I growled at him before looking out of the window at my imprint and Sam. They weren't talking or I would have been able to hear them.

"It's not about a romantic interest – why does no one get that? She's too young!" I cried defiantly, staring intently at Hetani and Sam. I waved my hand to shush Jared before he said anything because they had started talking outside.

"Do you know what imprinting is?" He didn't even build up to it! Hetani shrugged.

"I'm not sure I want to."

"It's a rare occurrence amongst our kind where we find our soulmate. We are anything they need to be: brother, friend or lover. They will always be a protector, whether the imprint knows it or not." I watched Hetani anxiously as her body language was always the key to figuring out what she was thinking or feeling. She had stiffened and I instinctively knew that she had just thought of something. Her hand twitched involuntary in an action I knew meant she was nervous.

"So . . . romance doesn't always . . ." She trailed off with a hand gesture, inviting him to answer her unasked question. Despite being intelligent and sharing a mind with four other people which would give anyone a great perspective, Sam didn't seem to know that she was looking for reassurance. I almost banged my head against the nearest cabinet but Emily stopped me, watching out the window too. After several long, agonising seconds of silence, Sam finally seemed to get the message.

"Calm down Embry. The only reason you know something is wrong is because you imprinted on her," Jared stated casually as he came up on my left side. I rolled my eyes but didn't comment, knowing that Jared was just being insightful.

"No, it doesn't necessarily involve romance. The wolf is there to be whatever their imprint needs." Hetani nodded.

"Was that all?" Sam nodded and she turned around, leaving him standing there. I immediately leapt away from the window with Jared and Emily returned to bustling around the kitchen. Hetani entered about a minute later and her gorgeous eyes instantly locked with mine and she moved her head. I rose from the table, smiling thankfully at Jared's supportive expression and left the kitchen for the living room where Hetani was already seated in an armchair. I breathed deeply, accidentally inhaling her scent of raspberries and fresh air. I nervously shuffled over to the couch and sat on the end of it, avoiding Paul's feet, watching Hetani closely.

"Are you ok?" I asked, trying not to act like I had heard every word of her conversation with my alpha.

"You imprinted on me," she stated although there was the hint of a question in her voice. I nodded reassuringly, trying not to terrify her with the fact that I had a rather large 'claim' on her.

"Yeah, I did."

"I'm your soulmate."

"Yeah, you are."

"Does Jake know?" That caught me off guard. I had thought she would have run away screaming (quietly) but instead she asked me whether her big brother knew. It was a valid question, though.

"Yeah, he does." She nodded, smiled and left the room. I took that as a good sign and went to look for Jake.