Embry, Jacob, and Renesmee were on their way to La-Push in Jacob's new black pick-up truck. They had picked Renesmee up and were off to Embry's for dinner. Renesmee was sitting in the back seat listening to the I-pod her father gave her on her birthday. Jake drove quickly, just at the speed limit-he would have gone faster had Renesmee not been in the car. He slowed when Renesmee complained about the truck swerving on a patch of ice. He would do anything for Renesmee.
When Renesmee was satisfied, Jake brought his attention to Embry. Embry was looking out the window and trying to hide the pain on his face. He hated the fact that he had not imprinted like most of the pack. He felt left out from his closest friends, all of whom, even rather obnoxious Paul, had imprinted. What hurt the most was that his best friend Jacob had finally imprinted, and Jake almost never let Nessie out of his sight.
"Embry. Embry." Jake called. Embry didn't move, like he was ignoring him, which was essentially what he was doing. Jake elbowed him. "Hey, earth to Embry."
"What?" Embry snapped.
Jake was taken aback and almost threw his hands into the air to defend himself, but he kept his eyes on the road, and his hands firmly on the steering wheel. "Hey, I just wanted to know what was going through your head. You seem distracted lately." Jake observed.
"My mom still doesn't know that I am a wolf and I…" he trailed off and looked out the window again.
Jake rolled his eyes. He had heard this many times. "Haven't imprinted yet I know. Just give it time. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later." Jake then mumbled something that Embry didn't pay attention to because his eyes spied something in a roadside ditch. He looked closer as the truck approached it. In the ditch, was a girl passed out in the snow.
Embry shouted at Jacob. He swerved, and Renesmee shrieked from the back seat, "Jake, what's going on?"
Embry couldn't concentrate on that. "Stop the truck." He ordered. Jake pulled over, and Embry shoved open the door and ran to the girl in the snow. He turned her over. Renesmee and Jacob rushed over to him. Embry felt her pulse. It was weak, but he discovered something far more important. "She's ice cold." His kind heart was pulled to this girl. "Help me get her into the truck."
During the ruckus, the girl regained consciousness momentarily. "Please help me." She whispered weakly, and opened her medium blue eyes for an instant to make eye contact with Embry, but it was enough. Inside Embry, everything that tied him to who he was; the love for his mother, the loyalty to his pack, the love of his friends, his home, everything, fell away from him. What held him now was the freezing girl in his arms.
Jake felt through the mind link they shared what happened. "Embry, you imprinted."
Embry ignored him as he lifted the girl up into his arms and Renesmee opened the back passenger door to Jake's truck. Embry gently laid the girl on the seat and spread a blanket from the floorboard of the truck over the girl. "Nessie, can you warm her up?"
"I'll try, but she is so cold." Renesmee resumed her seat beside the girl and rested the girl's head in her lap, brushing the girl's cheek in an attempt to warm her up.
Jake and Embry sprang back into the truck. "Get to my house as fast as you can." Embry instructed.
Jake looked back at Renesmee. Her safety was his first and foremost priority. "Don't worry about me Jake, I'll be fine. We just have to get her somewhere warm."
"Ok." answered Jake as he pressed the gas and barreled down the road to Embry's house. If the speed bothered Renesmee, she didn't complain.
"How is she?" Embry soon asked, worriedly.
Renesmee took the girl's hand between hers and tried to warm them. "She's still cold Embry." She said. Embry's heart ached. "Is she going to be ok?" asked the-one-and-a-half-year-old-who-looked-eight with tears in her eyes.
Embry didn't know how to answer, but he could feel in his heart that his imprint was fading, and fading fast. He simply could not allow her to die. He didn't even know her name, but he knew that he would sooner rip his beating heart from his own chest than let her be taken from him.
The drive to his house felt like an eternity, but Embry sprang into action the instant they pulled into the driveway. He pushed open the passenger door once he was out of the truck and immediately wrapped his imprint tighter in the blanket and cradled her gently while he sprinted into the house. His mother was in the kitchen putting dinner on the table, and she was instantly alarmed. "Embry, what is going on?"
"Not now mother. I need your help." He said exasperated.
He ran to his bedroom and laid the girl on his bed, still wrapped in the blanket, and tried to warm her. She was still freezing. His mother walked into his room with her arms crossed. "Embry, what is going on?" she demanded.
Embry grudgingly took his eyes off of the unconscious girl. "Mother I promise to tell you everything; her, the sneaking out, everything. But right now I need you to help me save her." He pleaded.
His mother analyzed her son for a long moment, but she saw the pain in his eyes, and realized how important this young girl was to him. "Alright Embry." She said, and walked into the room.
Her medical training kicked in, and she took the girl's vitals. "She needs to be warmed." She said, stating the obvious. "Jacob, get water on the stove. Embry, get more blankets from the closet."
Renesmee was on her phone calling her grandfather to come and help. He was the resident doctor for the hospital in Forks.
After the girl was bundled and finally warming up, Embry's mother demanded his explanation. "Renesmee, could you stay with her?" He pleaded.
She nodded and promised. "I won't let her out of my sight."
The trio of Jacob, Embry, and his mother walked into the small dining room. "Embry, I'm begging you. Please tell me what is going on?"
Embry looked at Jacob. Can I tell her? He asked through his mind link.
Jacob answered. I give you the Alpha's permission to tell her.
Embry breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally worked up the courage to tell his mother that he was a werewolf. "Mother, with how unbelievable this is, it will be easier for me to show you than to tell you."
His mother looked puzzled, but followed him out the front door. She stopped at the door, but Embry continued into the snow. He took his shirt off and his mother instantly objected. "Embry, what are you doing?"
"It is ok mother." He assured her. Embry's remaining clothes flew off of him and where Embry Call had stood a moment ago, a huge gray, black spotted wolf stood in his place.
His mother was completely taken aback and in truth fell backwards in fright. Jake caught her, but her hands were shaking and she was stunned that this horse sized wolf was actually her son.
"The legends are true?" she asked.
"Yes Mrs. Call, all of them." Jacob explained. She simply nodded. "One of the legends is imprinting."
"Yes, I know that one. A wolf imprints when he finds his soul mate, and she can never be harmed by anyone, lest it destroy the imprinted wolf. I always thought that they were stories."
Embry was human and dressed when Jake and his mother were finished talking. "Mother, now you know what has been going on. I'm sorry I had to lie to you all that time, but I had no choice. A wolf can never disobey the alpha." He explained.
Embry's mother walked up to her son and placed her hand reassuringly on his cheek. "I understand now Embry. You're not grounded anymore."
Embry smiled at his mother before they walked together back inside the house. "Mother, the girl in my room, I imprinted on her." He explained.
His mother nodded before opening the door for Doctor Cullen. The blond haired man with amber eyes walked straight to the room where the girl was. Renesmee was still trying to warm the girl and Embry was holding onto the girls hand tightly. Doctor Cullen checked on the girl, and found her extremely hypothermic. "She needs to be warmed, but all that you are doing is sufficient."
Embry asked dejectedly. "Will she be ok?"
Doctor Carlisle turned to him and said, "Yes Embry, she will be just fine."
Embry breathed a sigh of relief. The girl moved her fingers in Embry's hand. "Hey, she's waking up." Renesmee held onto her other hand as Embry stood over the girl's face when she opened her eyes. He soon saw her beautiful blue eyes stare at him.