A/N: Hey all, I know it's been a long wait, and I hope I haven't lost any readers because of that. There has been a lot going on in my life and I love that my writing has helped me get away from it all.

A special note to my adviser 'Mythical Words' – I tried to work your advice into this chapter and I realllllly want to know if you see any improvement. Please please please let me know what you think.

As always – PLEASE REVIEW !

October

"Hey short stuff… you got any Halloween plans?" shouted Embry over the cacophony that was their lunch table, on a Wednesday afternoon in October.
"Yeah, it involves a cake, lots of chocolate, candles and one crazy best friend who is bound to visit," she grinned back at him.
"Wait, what?" asked the puzzled questioner.
"Umm… it's my birthday you dummy… I'm a spook…err… Why are you guys looking at me like that?" she asked as the rest of the table all turned as one to stare at her. The twins looked at each other in disbelief before turning to her and Brady asked, "You're not kidding us, are you? Your birthday's really Halloween?"
"Of course not you idiots, why would I make that up? Have you guys been slipping stuff in your soda when I wasn't watching?" was her now annoyed reply.
"We are truly some kind of cosmic related sibling type stuff," was Collin's unhelpful explanation while Brady just looked from one to the other.
"Rachel is really going to flip when she hears about this," guffawed Paul, "she is already constantly talking about how you 3 must have been separated at birth, and now I get to tell her you even have the same birthday."

As the light finally dawned, Kaia's eyes grew wide before she burst into laughter and asking, "Are you serious?" through her giggles. "Wow" muttered Embry, looking at the three of them, Kaia sitting between the twins, with Seth, Embry, Ryan and Paul across from them. All 3 were now wearing identical expressions that usually meant trouble for anyone who had the misfortune of being their next prank victims. "It's freaky how alike you are. And now you've got the same birthday, it's gone from freaky to the freakin Twilight Zone." Ryan began humming the theme song just as the 3 freaks in question narrowed their eyes at the rest of them. The bantering continued when Lester burst into the cafeteria sounding hysterical, shouting about wolves and how they were haunting the school grounds. Embry and Paul exchanged smirks when Kaia was not looking, and Seth's face took on a very satisfied expression. Kaia looked at the shouting boy with disdain and then asked Ryan, "What's with him?"
That worthy arranged a suitable baffled expression on his face before turning to her, "Not a clue. I don't think even the wolves around this place would touch him with a ten foot pole. He's been wandering around telling people wolves are following him everywhere he goes." "Weirdo," muttered Kaia, as their conversation veered away from the still agitated boy being led to the nurse's office by a classmate. Seth watched him go with a stone faced glare, going over the next step of his plot to get even with the bully.

Later that evening.

"Paul, it's getting a little too cold for walks on the beach every night." Rachel mumbled while cuddling closer to her boyfriend, grateful for his warmth when his arm tightened around her. "Sure baby, I just like the alone time you know, no Jake, no Billy, just us." He smiled down at her. "Even though I know that Embry is just beyond the trees right now, on patrol, I like that, for now, it's just us." Rachel turned her head slightly and inhaled, relishing the smell of pine, and damp earth that she associated solely with her boyfriend. "Mmmmm, me too, but maybe we can just stick inland, or go for a drive or something, the wind coming off this water freezes me right through."
"That's why I'm here, baby" he half-whispered, pulling her to him and bending to kiss her. For a few moments, Rachel forgot all about feeling cold, or her father who was probably waiting up for them, and heard nothing but the pounding of their hearts racing.
The sound of the waves slowly came back into focus, as he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. "I love you Rach," he whispered, adding 'forever and always' in Quileute, knowing how much she loved to speak in their native tongue.
"Always and Forever," she replied, in Quileute. They stood like that a few minutes, before he felt her shiver a little, so he pulled her under his arm again, and started heading back to her house. He laughed to himself at her disbelief when he told her that Kaia and the twins were literally born on the same day, and her groaning that they were bound to get worse now, with their new found bond. He knew her groaning was a lot of show, to hide the affection she felt for the girl who had fit into their family like she had always been a part of it.

Suddenly his guard shot up, as he felt Rachel come to a sudden stop, next to him. Instinct kicking in, he glanced around, already looking at ways he could best defend his imprint, when he realized that she had turned to face him, a brilliant smile on her face. Only then did he relax, realizing that she hadn't stopped because of something bad. "A surprise party, a big one, on the beach… not like the usual bonfires on the cliffs… a huge party, like fires and all, maybe a barbeque?" she squealed, talking faster than her normal pace, with such disjointed sentences, that even her true soul-mate had trouble following her.
"Rach, baby, I can turn into a giant wolf, I can fight and dismember vampires, but I can't understand a word you're saying right now. Slow down. Please?" he said, grinning at her impatient look before she slowed down enough to explain her idea of throwing the 3 'spooks' a huge birthday party on the beach. Paul, glad to see the happiness on her face, readily agreed to do anything she needed to get things moving. If only the poor, hapless, boy had known the trouble he was asking for. But as with all men in love, he dealt with it; he also made sure that Rachel roped in her brother and therefore the rest of the wolves as well. He was in love, but he wasn't dumb enough to think he wasn't going to regret offering to help soon enough.

He and Billy grinned at each other as they sat in the living room and listened to Rachel enthusiastically explaining her plan to Kaia's best friend, Michelle. She had thought of getting the younger girl involved immediately so that Kaia wouldn't be left out when it came to what she would like in a party. From the squealing on the other end of the phone, that Paul's ears could pick out, this plan was going well. "Ok so most of it is settled," Rachel declared, throwing herself on the couch next to Paul and shooting her father a happy grin. He smiled back, glad to see his daughter with such joy in her eyes. It had taken the girls a very long time to recover from their mother's passing, and Billy Black knew that she was finally beginning to leave the past behind her. He shook off his reminiscing to pay attention to what Rachel was telling them. "So, Michelle, that's Kaia's best friend, she said that she and her family were planning on driving down to spend the weekend in Forks so they could visit for her birthday, but she loves this idea and is calling me back as soon as she runs a few possibilities past her folks. They can't wait to see her and this Michelle sounds like a real blast actually," she gushed.

Just then the phone rang and Paul and Billy both burst out laughing at the way she jumped up and rushed to answer it. They heard a few excited exclamations before she hung up and came back into the living room with a smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. "So that was MISTER Morgan I just spoke to, Michelle's dad, and he says that he and his wife love this idea so much, he wanted to know if he would be allowed to help in some way. So I said I'd love for them to be involved and you'll never guess what he wants to do."
She poked Paul in the chest with excitement. "He said that since he doesn't want to get in the way of us girl's planning, he would like to pay to hire a tent so that the beach won't affect the costumes if anyone wants to get dressed up for Halloween. Soooo after that Michelle and I decided to make like it's a normal Halloween party and then bring in the surprise cake or something later in the evening… what do you both think?" she demanded.

Paul grinned and gave her a thumbs up while Billy rumbled, "Sounds like a good plan sweetheart, but can you keep it a secret that long? Especially with the boys?" he glanced at Paul while he said this. "I don't patrol with Collin or Brady, since they usually have each other to partner with," replied Paul, and then he added, "But I think I might ask Sam to use an Alpha command, just to be on the safe side," remembering how the twins had kept Seth's imprinting a secret while on patrol.
"It's a good thing all of them have gone to a movie tonight," Paul said to Billy, "I don't think she would have been able to wait until later to organize something." Billy laughed at the disgruntled expression on his daughter's face as she scowled at the shape-shifter with his arms around her.
"I'm not that impatient, am I Daddy?" she pouted at him, knowing he couldn't resist it when she called him that.
"Sure sure, sweetheart" he smiled at her. Paul looked up right then, and winked at Billy, "They're back, I can hear Seth's truck coming down the road." A few minutes later, they heard doors open and close, before the front door opened and Collin's head poked through. "Hi there," he whispered, "Sleeping beauty coming through," before Seth walked in after him, a sleeping Kaia in his arms. "She fell asleep on the drive back, and so did Kim actually. Emily said to just carry them in when we got home, because it was late, and they needed more sleep than we did," shrugged Brady as Seth came back from where he had deposited a sleeping imprint in her room. Collin added, "Yeah, also, Rachel, Leah said to tell you, and I quote, 'you ditch me with the junior squad again, and I will tell everyone about the frog episode' quote unqote. What is she talking about?"
"You will never find out Jameson, and you either Paul," she interrupted both their protests with a theatrical shudder.

And so the plans were made. The rest of the pack were duly informed and forbidden to say anything to any of the three. Sam's pack were also told he could command them to keep the secret if they thought they might let something slip about the birthday part. But the fear of Rachel Black and what she might do to them if they messed up was enough to still their tongues.
No alpha commands needed.
Brady and Collin had turned into slightly more overprotective guard dogs than earlier, especially when they figured that if you got technical about it, Kaia was exactly 5 hours younger than the both of them. They had practically adopted her and Embry was feeling slightly pushed aside, until he had been cornered by Miss Reynolds one afternoon after school, demanding to know why he had skipped movie night at Rachel's house. Collin and Brady were not a part of movie night and it made him feel better to know that he had been missed. Seth, on the other hand, began to withdraw into himself, as everyone seemed to have a claim on his imprint except himself. This lasted until Leah told him to man-up and explain the secret to her. Then feeling sorry for him, she showed him the memory she had picked up, of Kaia refusing to let the twins join them on the way to and from school. That cheered him up. She cherished their time together. Leah, for her part, marveled at the way the young girl had seemed to wind her way into the hearts of the entire pack.
They all loved her, in such a short time, for the way she just became a part of them.

And she had already formed unique relationships with all of them. While she spent a majority of her time with the twins, Seth finally understood that this was because they were literally like 3 peas in a pod. They got into all sorts of mischief and had already been called to the principal's office thrice. The only way they hadn't received suspensions yet was because Kaia was adept at turning on the waterworks to get out of trouble.
Embry was like her surrogate older brother, and she had even been able to get around him to drive her into Port Angeles to do some shopping, which ended with the both of them sitting on the hood of his truck eating ice-cream cones and comparing the merits of their respectively chosen flavors.
Paul was her sounding board and someone she would trust in a heartbeat. Ryan was the only one she debated school work with, because they others ran a mile at the mere thought of homework.
Leah and Rachel were the ones she truly looked up to. Because when she saw them, she saw strong, independent women, who were not afraid to put friendship first, if the situation called for it. She knew that if the situation ever arose, she would be able to put Michelle first instead of a boyfriend.
And Seth… she knew she had a crush on him the first time she saw him, but she also knew that those feelings were slowly changing. Every time she walked out to the truck where he was waiting with her door held open, the intensity of his gaze before that sunny smile broke out, was enough to give her butterflies. And not just crush sized butterflies. These were dinosaur butterflies. 'Maybe this wasn't some random crush,' she told herself. 'Just wait and see.'

Halloween

"Happy Birthday to me," she whispered to herself as she watched the clock on her bedside table glow brightly in the dark. The luminescent 12 was the only bright spot in the room. She smiled and looked at her phone, knowing it would be mere seconds before it rang and her screaming best friend would be on the other end. Sure enough, the thought had barely crossed her mind when the first notes of Pink's 'So What' rang out, and she answered with a stifled laugh, trying not to wake anyone else in the house. Rachel had planned on throwing a huge bonfire party to celebrate Halloween that night, and she knew that they were going to have a barbecue for the birthday people sometime later that week.
Embry had realized that she would see right through any kind of subterfuge about forgetting her birthday and so had convinced Rachel that telling her they would celebrate later was the best option.

Hanging up after talking to Michelle, Kaia was relieved that she and her parents were driving up to spend the next weekend with her in La Push. She missed her best friend like crazy and was dying to talk to her; Michelle had always had a way of cutting through Kaia's muddled emotions to the issue that was most bothering her. She hadn't mentioned her growing feelings for Seth, deciding that she needed to do that when she could see Michelle's reactions in person. She had been shocked into silence when Kaia had revealed that the boy she had danced with at the club, had actually been living on the reservation she had just moved to. Just as her thoughts were starting to get fuzzy with sleep, she was startled by a soft tapping on the window.

Slightly apprehensive, she tip-toed to it and peered into the darkness. She could vaguely make out a large shadow that seemed to be hovering just beneath it, and was just about to get panicky when she heard a whispered, "Kai?" that immediately relaxed her. She knew that voice, could have picked it out of a room full of voices. "Seth? What the hell are you doing out this late?" she whispered back, opening the window so the young boy could climb into her room. "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday before everyone else, except for Michelle I'm guessing," he tacked on at the end with a grin. Overwhelmed by the sentiment this teenager was capable of, Kaia flung her arms around him for a hug; her brain picking up on the fact that he seemed to be shirtless, only after she was pressed up against his torso. Blushing, she stepped back from him, glad for the darkness in the room that hid her now red cheeks. Thankfully he seemed just as tongue tied as her at that point. "Anyway, I actually have an official birthday present for you, but I just wanted to give you this now," he said, pressing something into her hand, before ducking his head and pressing a soft, chaste, kiss to her lips. Pulling back, he smiled at her, the intense expression she had grown used to, back in his eyes, then grinned widely before ducking back out the window, and he was gone before she could process the kiss.

For a moment, she was about to convince herself that her mind had tricked her into imagining her visitor, when the crackle of paper in her hand made her look down. She snapped out of her momentary stupor, going to the tiny table in the corner of her room, and putting on the little lamp there. She looked down at the pale purple, wrapped package, smiling to see that he remembered her favorite color. Carefully opening it, she gasped lightly to see a thin silver chain, with a tiny enamel pendant in the shape of a white orchid with a deep purple center. She had mentioned in passing one day at lunch that Orchids were her favorite flower, and she was touched that Seth had remembered enough to get her the exact same kind she loved. Smiling widely, she placed the necklace where she could see it and wear it the next day. She was looking forward to school even though it was Friday, since ignoring Lester had become easier lately.

The next morning, she and the twins were inundated with wishes from their classmates, and their other friends at school. While Paul and Embry joined in the noise with some good natured ribbing, Seth held back a little, watching Kaia carefully every time he thought she wouldn't notice. Ryan noticed him staring once, and the other boy blushed at getting caught. However, the un-imprinted wolf said nothing, just giving his pack brother a sympathetic smile, before grinning at him. Ryan had always been an observant boy, more quiet than the rest, and he picked up on the signs that told him something was hurting Seth. Patrolling with him a couple of times had confirmed his suspicions. The boy was in love. It wasn't just the imprint's pull he felt. Seth Clearwater was in love with Kaia Reynolds, and he had no idea how he was going to tell her about it.

Not to mention the small fact that he also turned into a giant, sandy, wolf.

"Ok you guys, now make sure your costumes are all set up and stuff ok, Rachel says she wants us at the beach at 7 sharp," Kaia rattled off instructions as they all dispersed in the parking lot that afternoon.
Collin and Brady both snapped Hitler salutes at her, before racing out of the parking lot on their motorcycles. She shook her head at them, taking a deep breath and turning to find Seth standing just behind her, leaning against the door of his truck. Her smile fading, she looked him in the eye, and then reaching for the necklace she had worn all day, she spoke softly, "Thank you Seth, you have no idea how much I love this. It's a way to keep my family close today, and … and I can't even think how you remembered… " she trailed off, getting too choked to speak. He said nothing, just looking at her again; then without warning, he took her by the arms and drew her to him for a warm hug.
"I remember almost everything to do with you, you know," he murmured into her hair. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just wanted to give you something special."
"Oh that's not why I'm crying you silly boy," she giggled through her tears, "It's because you gave me something very special. Something I plan to keep always."
"You're a very special girl Kaia Reynolds. And not just to me, you know," he told her, smiling. "Now come on, let's get you back to Rachel's. You still keeping your costume a secret?" he asked, curious as to why she wouldn't tell them what she was going as.
"Obviously," she smirked at him. "Now I get to walk in and see all your jaws drop…. Mwahahahahaa…"
"Oh yeah? And how do you know there's going to be any jaw dropping?" he teased.
"Because your sister said that's what would happen." She laughed at his astonished expression.

And a couple of hours later, Leah was laughing uncontrollably at the stunned expressions on the boys around her. She had convinced Kaia that a smoking hot costume was definitely called for, and by the amused expression on that particular imprint's face, she currently agreed. Leah had remembered having been to a Greek themed party a year or two ago and she had bought a Greek Goddess styled dress as well. It had been a simple matter to find the right accessories and Kaia was now decked out as the Goddess Artemis. This would have been no matter one way or the other, until one took in the fact that the dress was more of a fitted floor length gown that left little to the imagination. But not because it was revealing; in fact because it concealed so much. The only part of the gown that was revealing was the back, where it plunged from her shoulders to the small of her back, with a few thin wisps of fabric holding it in place. Embry was frozen in place, Paul and Ryan simply stared, the twins were the ones whose jaws had dropped, but Seth seemed like a man possessed. As Leah watched, his emotions went from stunned, to confused, to desire, to jealousy and then finally settled on determined. 'Finally!' Leah though to herself. 'Maybe now he will get off his lazy ass and at least tell her how he feels.'

Meanwhile, Kaia had been hugged and greeted by everyone there, except the one who she wanted to see the most. She had noticed Seth looking at her in disbelief when she had walked through the large tent Rachel had had set up on the beach, and she had barely time to notice that he was dressed as Zorro, before he turned and walked stiffly out of sight. She was just exclaiming over Kim's costume as Princess Jasmine and laughing at Jared's obvious discomfort at being Aladdin, when she felt a warm hand on her arm. Turning, she found Zorro staring down at her, a set look on his face. "Yes Signor, how can I be of service," she questioned. "Does a Goddess ever take time out to dance?" he asked, a slight smirk on his face. Taking her hand, and leading her to the dance floor, Kaia was overcome with a strange sense of Déjà vu. "You know what I'm thinking right now?" she asked him, as he turned to grin at her over his shoulder. "Yeah, how we met, right?" She laughed, not surprised that he had guessed right. He always seemed to get it right, at least as far as she was concerned.

But this time, unlike the last, when he turned to face her, he pulled her close, until she was up against him, and he began to sway them to the beat, never once loosening his grip on her. Gazing into his eyes, she noticed the same intensity that they always seemed to hold. She was just about to open her mouth to ask about it, when he lowered his head to her ear and whispered, "You DO have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, you know." Stunned that he remembered what he had told her that first time they danced, she could only nod when he took her hand in his and murmured earnestly, "Take a walk with me? Please?"

Once they left the shelter of the tent, the cold wind hit them full force, and Seth cursed internally for forgetting about the weather for a moment. Improvising, he tugged off his costume's cloak and wrapped it around the shivering girl, before tucking her under his arm. Heading for the closest copse of trees, she mentally thanked heaven that her costume included flat sandals. Once under the shelter of the trees, she turned to look at him expectantly. "I have no idea how to say this Kai," he began nervously, calming down when she reached for his other hand as well, barely noticing that they were still holding hands from the tent. "I have honestly, and truly never felt this way about a girl before. You might think I'm nuts, but I honestly feel a lot more than 'like' for you. I also feel like an idiot right about now," he muttered as she began to smile, "but I guess what I am asking is, would you … would you go out with me…?" he stuttered over the last part. Leaning forward, she went up on her toes, before kissing him on the cheek, and then whispering, "What took you so long to ask me Clearwater?"

The relief on his face was almost comical as he picked her up and swung her around before placing her back on her feet and slowly lowering his head to hers. The kiss the night before, in her room was an impulsive peck, that didn't come close to explaining how he felt about her. This one was slower, more intense; a little more raw and a little less chaste. She sighed as they pulled away from each other, "Now that is what you call a kiss Clearwater," she mumbled at him. Grinning, he pulled her to him again and asked, "So, was that a yes?"
"No, I just run around kissing boys dressed like a folk hero," came her snarky reply.
"Does this mean I can give my girlfriend her birthday present now?" he asked, giddy as a child on Christmas morning. He knew the others would be on his case about his reaction, but right now, he didn't really care. "You already gave me a present, you know?" she smiled at him.
"Yeah but this is different," he assured her. "I promise I didn't spend any money on this one, so you can't tell me I went overboard ok?" he continued. She grinned back, not able to help being affected by his infectious good humor. "Ok, lay it on me," she demanded. He pulled something from his pocket and once more, she had tears in her eyes at what he held in his hand. It was an intricately braided bracelet, with a charm attached. The colors included in it were magnificent and blended together in riotous beauty. The charm was a symbol that looked like it was stamped on a medallion, and it looked like jade to her, but she couldn't be sure. "Oh Seth, its beautiful," she murmured, holding out her hand for him to put it on her wrist.

He hesitated. "Are you sure you want to wear it? Its gonna clash with your costume you know…" For her part, she just scowled at him, before raising her free hand to her neck and holding up the necklace she still wore. "Yeah, coz silver and orchids were all the rage back then as well… I don't know if I want such an idiot boyfriend," she mused. Laughing now, he pulled her in for another hug, before kissing her again, leaving them both breathless. Although he felt like he could stay here for the rest of the evening just kissing her or gazing into her eyes, he knew he had to get her back to the tent, and quickly, if he wasn't going to ruin Rachel's plans. "Let's get you back before you freeze to death out here," he said, before scooping her up and carrying her back inside. They had barely walked into the tent, when Rachel appeared and dragged her off somewhere. The twins and Ryan were watching Seth closely and when the goofy expression on his face didn't fade, they cornered him and demanded to know where he had taken Kaia. He looked at the three of them smugly, just as the lights started to dim. Knowing the surprise was about to come, he pushed the twins in front of him and Ryan and muttered under his breath, "A guy has the right to talk to his girlfriend in private you know," as the lights switched off altogether.

Knowing that every shape-shifter in the room had heard his comment and that they could all see him right then, he didn't stop the wide smile that crossed his face. He noticed thumbs up signs and congratulatory messages being mouthed at him from every corner, before the twins laughed softly and Ryan muttered, "About time," just as the lights blazed back on. "Surprise !" screamed the occupants of the tent, at the three dumbstruck birthday people, who were shocked to see a few new occupants that had slipped in, while they had been absorbing Seth's news. Collin and Brady's parents were there, as well as a red head dressed like an old Mafia bad guy, pin-striped suit and all, and an attractive, middle-aged couple. Kaia shrieked as she flew at her best friend, hugging her tightly before embracing the couple with her. While Birthday wishes were being shouted out from around the tent, 3 of the 4 wolves standing just a little away from Kaia and her best friend were aware that a much bigger surprise had just hit the shape-shifter standing with them.

When the red head had arrived, one of them had stiffened, and although Seth hadn't been able to put his finger on it immediately, he had realized that his pack brother had seemed jittery all evening. He had gotten worse around the time the Morgans had arrived outside the tent. The same listlessness that had alternated with sudden periods of heightened awareness. The same shell-shocked expression when he saw her for the first time.

The same thing that had happened to him, and the other wolves, when they had imprinted.

Then Michelle Morgan had walked in and a life was changed forever. Eyes had met across the room and another wolf could officially claim to have found his soulmate. Whether she would want him or not, would be a story they had to figure out, but from the moment her grey eyes had met his black ones; he was a goner.

This was going to be interesting.

A/N: I love being finally able to get this twist out. I thought it might take 2 chapters at least, but I just couldn't resist. After this extremely long chapter, I feel like being a little demanding, so I am not going to post an update until I get at least 5 guesses as to the identity of the wolf who just imprinted on Michelle. Please review and I promise to reply asap.

Loves!