Chapter 18.

Kate's P.O.V

"Why isn't she waking up? Something's wrong, he was strangling her for god's sake!" I heard a familiar voice say as I slowly drifted back to consciousness. At first I panicked because I was afraid that Steven was still there, but then I remembered the wolf that had attacked him, and I slowly opened my eyes to see Embry's worried looking face stare back at me.

He relaxed slightly when he saw me waking up.

"Oh thank god..." he breathed and pulled me in to a tight hug. I breathed in his familiar scent and felt tears running down my face. Happy tears. Embry was here, everything was ok now. He ended the hug and looked at my face, wiping my tears away with his thumb.

"I thought... I thought I was too late..." he mumbled and I knew how much pain he must have been in these last couple of days. I took his face in my hands and looked in to his eyes. Oh how I had missed those eyes.

"Everything's ok. I'm ok. You saved me" I reassured him. I kissed him softly on the lips and Embry tightened his grip around me. We were together again, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat and Embry and I broke away from our kiss. Embry growled lowly at Paul who was standing a few yards away.

"I hate to interrupt, but we have a plane to catch" he said and I looked at the boys. Paul, Quil, Jared and Sam were here.

"Oh" I said and started to stand up. Embry helped me stand up then we started walking.

"Are we going to walk all the way to the airport?" I asked and Embry chuckled.

"Wait a second ok?" he said and let go of my hand that he had been holding. He gave me a kiss on my forehead and then walked away.

"Embry?" I said and panicked a bit when he left.

"He's phasing" Jared said and smiled at me. I smiled back and then saw a giant wolf, the wolf from earlier, walk over to us.

"Cool" I said and it almost looked like the wolf smiled. He motioned for me to climb on to his back and that's what I did, holding on to his fur to not fall off. I was so happy to be with my Embry again and that I would never have to see Steven ever again. I was safe.

I snuggled up to Embry's side on the airplane and he pulled me closer.

"I missed you so much" I mumbled, too tired to speak any louder.

"I missed you too" Embry said and I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I love you so much, Kate"

"I love you too" I said before yawning. Embry chuckled.

"Sleep. We'll be home when you wake up" he said but I still tried to keep my eyes open. I was afraid that if I woke up this would have been a dream, and I was just so happy to be with Embry that I didn't want to sleep.

"I'm not tired" I lied, knowing that I didn't convince him at all.

"Fine" Embry said, probably thinking that I would fall asleep anyway.

We sat there for a while, just happy in each others company. Happy to be together again.

"Can I ask you something?" Embry suddenly said and I raised my head to look at him.

"Of course. What is it?" I answered and he was quiet for a while before asking the question.

"Who was that? Why did he keep you there?" He asked in a low voice and I looked down on my hands.

"Steven" I answered, not looking at Embry. "My, uh, former teacher" I added, feeling Embry getting tense.

"What did he want?" he asked, and it sounded like he was bitting back a growl.

"He said he was going to..." I hesitated. Who knew how Embry would react if I told him Steven was supposed to change me to a freaking vampire? He would freak out.

"Was going to what?" he asked. "Kate, you can tell me. You're safe now, Steven is d... gone" For some reason he didn't want to say the word dead, he probably thought I would get sad or scared that he had killed someone. I don't really know.

"Change me" I said in a low voice. "He wanted to change me" I hope he understood what I meant, because this was a conversation I didn't really want to have.

"Change you..?" he got quiet for a while and I glanced at his face as the realization hit him. At first it looked like he was going to growl in anger, but he seemed to force himself to calm down and then he sighed.

"It's all over now..." he mumbled, more to himself than to me I think.

We dropped the subject and went back to sitting in silence and before I knew it I had fallen asleep in Embry's arms.

Emily picked us up at the airport and hugged me tightly when she saw me. She grabbed my hands in her own and got tears in her eyes.

"I hope that monster is dead." She said and looked at Embry and the others who nodded. She let go of my hands and frowned.

"I've been so worried. Ever since that text... with that picture..." she said. Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Embry seemed to be having a hard time keeping it together.

"Let's get you home" Embry mumbled in my ear before we got in the car and drove home.

Home. I was finally home again. I realized I had been at home ever since I had woken up in the forest earlier today, seeing Embry. I was always at home when I was with him. He was mine and I was his. We belonged together. And I could never leave him again.

Don't worry, it's not over yet! Please review! xoxo