We walked deep into the forest. Embry was excited about showing me this I could tell. Every few seconds he would smile at me or squeeze my hand. When we were deep enough he stopped and released my hand. I sat down on a wide tree stump a yard or two away.
He crossed his arms over his body. The shirt, that had to be the first one he had worn in days, hit the ground. My eyes widened as I watched him unbutton his pants. "W-What are you doing?" I had to force myself to make eye contact.
He smiled, seeing my obvious struggle. "If I keep my clothes on they'll get shredded." If I wasn't totally distracted by his body I would have known that.
Suddenly the air felt different. Mother Nature was shifting with her wonderful creation. I gasped as I watched him. His back arched and the growing process began. Fur was sprouting out of his skin. His beautiful face was the biggest change that I noticed. His angular nose became a long muzzle. His teeth were sharper. His eyes spread apart. His ears came to a point. I let my eyes wander to the rest of him. He grew wider. His hands and feet were now paws on the dirt. The change had completed and his once muscular, tall body was now a grey furred over-sized wolf. I still thought he was beautiful.
I slowly stood up from the stump and walked over to him. In both forms I could see the care for me in his eyes. Standing in front of him there was at least a foot difference. He lowered his head so we were leveled. I placed my hand on the side of his face. He purred as he leaned into it and closed his eyes. I smiled.
"Alright," I told him after awhile. "You can change back now." I went back to my stump, facing the other way. I turned back to him when he placed his hand on my shoulder. He was only in his cut offs and shoes. His shirt was clumped up in his hand. "I should get home before Charlie worries."
His face immediately looked depressed. "Okay," he mumbled. He was silent the rest of the way to my truck. I always hated it when we had to separate. He would always get so sad. "I'll see you tomorrow." He sighed.
I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. He bent down for me and rest his chin on my shoulder. His warm arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I wondered if he thought the way I did about him. If he was afraid sometimes that I'd disappear or that someone would take me away from him. Someone like Victoria. It was terrifying to think of life without Embry. I needed him.
"Can you come over? I sleep better when I know where you are," I told him truthfully and ran my hands through his hair. The truth was always so easy with Embry. He never criticized my thoughts or worried about them. He usually just responded with something sweet.
"Of course. You know I'd do anything for you." I smiled to myself. "I'll meet you there." He reluctantly pulled away from me.
I stared up at him, taking in his features. He was so good looking he didn't even realize it. He gazed back at me with confusion clear on his face. Usually he was the one that stared at me while I turned away blushing. Without giving it much thought, I leaned in.
A shock went through me as our lips met. I let my eyes fall shut and enjoyed the feeling. Embry pulled me close to him again. This, us, felt so right. Unlike everything else in my life, this made sense. Embry had always made me feel cared for but now…I felt perfect. The policy of imprinting never really came into my mind into now. We were soul mates. And in all honesty that freaked me out.
I slowly pulled away from him. He traced his fingers along the side of my face. A small smile slowly spread across his face. There were no needs for words in this moment. We knew the answers to anything we could possibly ask. We belonged together. It was as simple as that.