AN: Sorry that it's been forever since the last update. I've been traveling and have been quite busy. Thank you to all of you that have reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story. It really means a lot to me. Hope that you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Never play leapfrog with a unicorn."

Embry's POV

I breached the surface of the water, entering its murky depths. I could immediately feel the current pulling me around under the surface. This is what I always hated about the ocean. On the surface, it could look calm and the waves might seem relaxing. Underneath, however, it was unpredictable, capable of causing all sorts of issues. Still, I didn't have time to focus on my thoughts on this, as I still hadn't been able to find Quil.

Knowing that Quil would have surfaced if he could, I allowed myself to be pulled by the current. I was drifting out a bit, kicking to try and go with the flow of the water. I was beginning to panic until I felt my leg brush across something warm. I reached around and sure enough, I found my imprint as he continued to sink. He was unconscious, a scar leaking blood carved across his forehead. I wrapped an arm around him, kicking towards the surface. We were fortunate that there was still enough light to actually figure out which direction that was.

I could see the shore, but it was a couple hundred feet away. The current was powerful and I wasn't all that confident in my abilities to swim this alone, let alone hauling the dead weight of my mate. Hell, I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually tried swimming, but the basic concepts were still there. As I felt myself continue to drift away from the shore, I realized that I couldn't do this alone. I called out to my wolf once again, not wanting him to surface completely, but to help give me the strength that only he possessed. He had to know that his mate was in danger as well, and just like the first time, I felt his energy surging through me, but he remained just below the surface. With this newfound strength, I began to force my way back to the sand, all the while keeping Quil's head above the water.

After several exhausting minutes, I finally felt my feet touch sand. I quickly hauled Quil out of the ocean, finding it deserted with the exception of a lone boy running from the tree line.

"Is he OK?" he asked quickly. I didn't recognize him, but I'd never really paid much attention to people outside of Jake & Quil. He seemed like he was pack, but I still wasn't really sure.

The answer to that question was easy: No. His chest was still, and as I put my hand to his heart, I realized that he had no pulse. My wolf and I were beginning to freak, but I at least knew the proper thing to do in the situation.

I began chest compressions, alternating with breaths. The boy stood nearby, looking worried. The fact that he was naked was the only indicator that he was probably one of the wolves that we'd just encountered. As the rain began to pour, I continued my reps, praying that something would bring him back to me. It'd been several minutes and I was beginning to lose hope when finally he lurched over, coughing up water as I rolled him into the recovery position.

"Em" he choked out before I shushed him, stroking his head as he drifted back into unconsciousness. His breathing was ragged, but it was there, along with a heartbeat. I looked at the other boy now, seeing relief softening his features.

"Who are you?" I questioned, not wanting to betray our secret if I was mistaken.

"My name's Collin. My friend, Brady, was the wolf that…um…got thrown into him." He added guiltily.

"Where is he anyway?" I asked, scanning the area for another boy.

"He can't change back. I don't know why I was able to, but he feels the guilt for causing this. He was in the woods when I saw him last." He concluded.

I nodded, picking up Quil with the help of the pup. Three naked guys walking up the beach would have been grounds for calling the police, but modesty was irrelevant. I was exhausted, surprisingly cold, and still had Quil to worry about it. A streaking ticket was the least of my potential issues.

We breached the trees without encountering anyone, only to be met by the other pup. He looked distressed, which played a huge part in why he couldn't phase. You either needed to be exhausted or calm to change back, and he didn't seem to be either of those yet.

"You mind giving him a ride?" I asked the newcomer. He hunched down, allowing me to place Quil across his back.

I turned around to see that Collin had phased as well, leaning down to allow me a ride. I was grateful, as running right now seemed like more than I could handle. I told them to go to Quil's house and they took off carefully, seeming to know the way, the rain pelting us as we cut through the woods. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that they'd know where to go on this small reservation, as the head of the Ateara family was part of the council of elders. Anyone that held the blood had a healthy respect for their heritage, including the tribe's leaders.

We reached the back door to Quil's house without incident and I got off of Collin, walking over to pick up Quil from Brady. I told the pups to come in if they could phase back, pointing to the cupboard where I knew Quil stashed a few pairs of shorts. Afterwards I carried him into the house, feeling mixed emotions that the place was empty. On one hand, I was glad that his mom wouldn't see us like this, but on the other, it wouldn't be bad to have her here just in case.

I lay him on the bed, covering his body in blankets. I wrapped one around myself as well, still feeling the effects of the ocean and storm's penetrating cold. After bumping the thermostat up a few degrees, I found some bandages and wrapped Quil's head. It was still bleeding slightly, but it looked as if his healing was beginning to take effect.

I sat on the edge of the bed, clinging to his hand as I felt shivers running through me. I wasn't sure if they were from the situation or from being actually cold, but I knew that I didn't like it. The only thing that was for certain is that I wouldn't be able to leave his side, especially after all of the times that he had stayed with me.

Quil's status remained stable as I was joined in the room by the two pups. Collin sat down quietly to the side, but the other one looked extremely tormented as he watched over Quil. I didn't really recognize either of them, but it wouldn't be long before they were as much my brothers as the rest of the pack. I decided to find out a bit about them.

We began to talk, trying to get Brady to calm down a bit. He was still upset that he hadn't been able to take down the leech as easily as Collin had and that it had led to this mess. I tried to explain to them that it was alright and that he'd heal, but I'm not sure who I was trying to convince.

"How did you guys come to find us anyway?" I asked, suddenly curious. I mean, most of us phased due to a major emotional event, or in Quil's case the pull of my imprint.

"I can't really explain it. We've both been feeling feverish, had random spurts of anger, and had some growth. I mean, it may not look like it, but we were much smaller than this before. But anyway, I at least felt restless, as if something inside me knew that I was needed. At that, I took off into the woods, only to find Brady doing the same until we both exploded into our wolves. We both knew the legends, but it was still weird to feel the wolf take over like that." Collin explained as Brady simply nodded. He was definitely the more outspoken of the two.

I was intrigued. Each of our phasings had been different. Mine had been emotional, Quil's had been tied to me, Seth & Leah had dealt with their father's death, and the pups seemed to just know that they were needed as pack. It was the first time I realized just how interconnected our wolves really were. Sure, I understood that I was tied to Quil, but it seems that as a pack our bonds go well beyond just being friends. It made me appreciate the brotherhood that we shared even more.

I went on to explain some things to the youngsters, as Sam wasn't here to do it. Having already gone through this with Jake, it wasn't hard, especially since they knew about the legends. Even though they understood the reason why they were here, I still went over some of the more important fundamentals. You know, controlling emotions, imprinting, pack mind, patrols, and other key points. With the exception of imprinting, they didn't go into a lot of details on those topics in the history books. It made me wonder if it was just something that Alphas could figure out, but I didn't linger on the thought for too long.

I also asked the pups questions, wanting to know about our new packmates. They were barely 14, and I felt bad for them entering this life at such a young age. Still, it wasn't something that could be controlled so we would just do what we could to make things easier for them. I also learned that they were best friends and linked by some distant blood, but pretty much already considered themselves brothers. Once Brady actually opened up, I found him to be a really nice kid. Ultimately, both of them seemed like they would be great additions to the pack, even if I hoped that they wouldn't be needed for an extended amount of time. We had to be getting to the end of this nonsense, right?

After a while the storm subsided and I told the two that they should probably go home and talk to their parents. Although I'm sure that they – like many of the families on the reservation – were probably aware of what was happening, it would still be good for them to talk about it. Brady seemed reluctant to leave while Quil was still out, but I told him to stop worrying about it and he eventually caved. I appreciated that he was so caring, but he definitely needed to stop beating himself up about it.

I was still sitting on the bed as Quil began to stir. I smiled down at him as his eyes flickered open. The groan that came from him was enough to remind me that he was still in pain. I made a move to get up and go find him something to help with that, only to be caught in Quil's firm grasp. He pulled me down to the bed, shrugging off the layers of blankets that were still piled on him. As usual, I ended up molded up against his chest, a sigh of content escaping his lips as I nuzzled against him. This was where I was meant to be. I knew Quil had fallen back asleep behind me and it wasn't long before I joined him. There was something about being in his arms that provided me with the greatest sense of security imaginable.

I woke up, still enveloped in the warmth of my imprint. The lights had been turned off and the door was closed, so I had to assume that his family had come back. Not sure how I felt about them seeing us like this, but I guess there was nothing that could be done.

After a while, I felt Quil's grip around me beginning to tighten, almost to the point of being painful. He was mumbling something, and seemed to be having a nightmare. I'd be worried about him if I could actually breathe, but it was beginning to be a difficult task. I attempted to break free, but it was to no avail. He was my dominant and had a significant strength advantage on me.

"Quil" I gasped out, trying to break him from his dream. None of it was working and I was down to one idea on getting out of this. Using all of my strength, I rolled, successfully sending both of us crashing off of the bed. Quil woke with a start, releasing me from his hold.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. Then he caught sight of the bruise that had formed around my midsection. "Oh God…what did I do?" he asked.

I was hesitant to tell him, but I explained that he seemed to be stuck in a nightmare and wouldn't let me go until I threw us both off of the bed.

"I…I was dreaming that someone was trying to take you away from me. I'm so sorry I hurt you." He mumbled, running his hands over the already fading marks.

"It's alright Quil. I'm a wolf, just like you. No harm, no foul." I said, leaning down and placing my lips to his.

We got back off the floor, only to hear his mom call out to us for breakfast. We quickly pulled on some pants and I removed his bandage, happy to see that the wound was already gone.

We walked into the kitchen, another amazing looking meal presented before us. "I'm so glad to have you two here. It really lets me have my fun in the kitchen" Quil's mother chuckled.

We ate with her and Quil's grandfather. She asked about what had happened, acknowledging that she'd seen the bandage when she closed our room that night. I explained about the vampires, two new additions to the pack, and the trip into the ocean. Quil's hand tightened around mine when I mentioned jumping in and I rubbed my thumb across it to ease his worry. We both knew that all my other fears were nothing as long as I had him.

As expected, we had a pack meeting that afternoon, formally introducing Collin & Brady to the pack. We discussed the continued traffic of leeches through our territory and came to the conclusion that it might be time to talk to the Cullens. We weren't sure, but the thought that maybe their scent was acting as a beacon for vamps to consider this a safe zone was brought up. We decided to continue our patrols in the meantime, adding one of the youngsters with a pair of veterans for the time being. Collin & Brady fit in well with the group, absorbing information as it was presented to them. I was glad to have them around, but even with their excited attitudes about their new responsibilities, I still felt a bit bad for them for joining us at such a young age.

After the meeting, Quil & I went home. We were given the day off after having to patrol while everyone else got to go out. When we arrived, there was an official looking vehicle there. We walked in, slightly confused, to find a man in a suit with a stack of paperwork.

"Are you Embry?" the man said when we approached. I simply nodded, not sure how to take this guy's intrusion.

"Well son, I have some bad news. I'm sure you've heard about the killings and disappearances in Seattle. Unfortunately, your mother has disappeared in a similar manner. We found her belongings, but we believe that she was collected in the string of attacks." He said solemnly.

I stood there in shock. I had hoped to put everything about her into the past, but these reminders keep coming up.

"So do you have any other business here or was that all you wanted to say?" Quil asked, pulling me into an embrace.

"Actually there is something else we need to attend to. As she's formally been declared deceased, her life insurance policy has gone into effect, and as we have no will on record, it and all of her assets go to you as her remaining family. I just need you to sign a few papers."

I was stunned at that. I know mom would have probably have someone else in mind for this, but I couldn't help but to internally laugh at the irony that she was going to be supporting me whether she liked it or not. I still felt pain about knowing that I'd actually killed her – well, killed her again – but it was still necessary.

We signed the paperwork and I stared dumbly at the check that was enclosed with everything else after he left. I don't know why she had such a good life insurance plan (or that she had been saving up money while acting like she couldn't give me anything), but this was enough to keep me afloat for years. I immediately offered it to Quil's mother for taking me in, but she declined, offering instead to put it into an account to help it grow. I accepted without hesitation, not really understanding anything to do with how money worked.

I couldn't believe how things had turned out. I had a pack that I belonged in, a brother that accepted me, a family that treated me as their own, and an imprint. Sure, there had been downtimes, but I can't imagine being happier. I pulled Quil into a kiss, trying to express my undying love for him. I finally knew what it meant to be perfectly content.

The quote at the beginning of this one may not fit as well as some of the others, but I couldn't help but laugh at the imagery of it. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for sticking with the story for this long!