"Seth!" Leah Clearwater's voice rang through the house. As she barged right in to find her brother sleeping in the living room with Karen. "What in the hell? I had to hear about this when I went on patrol this morning and you were not there!"

Phyre groaned as she heard Leah smack Seth. "Leah, we were sleeping." She said as she nuzzled into Embry more, trying to go back to sleep. It had been a late night.

He rolled to face her and ran a finger over her face to sweep loose strands of hair out of the way. "Good morning sexy." He kissed her gently. Phyre smiled back at him. She could get used to waking up like that.

"Enough!" Karen screamed. "Why in the hell are you hitting him?" Oh shit. Karen just yelled at Leah. Phyre and Embry jumped up to run down to protect the girl.

"None of your business little girl." Leah growled.

But, Karen did not back down. "I am his imprint, so it is my business."

Phyre watched Leah's jaw drop. "You know already?"

"We all told her, last night." Phyre yawned. "She took it all really well. Turns out that Karen and Seth had huge crushes on each other when they were children, until Karen went to Forks High." She moved into the kitchen to start making coffee.

Leah tilted her head. "Your Karen Beckett?" Karen blushed. Obviously the statement of Seth having a crush as a child was not over stated for Leah to remember her name. Seth was a few years older, so Karen had assumed the crush only went one way from her to him. But, even when she was dating Eli, if she saw Seth, she would get all gooshy and melt. Seth couldn't believe the years they could have had together if they would have just approached one another. More than that, he couldn't believe that he had never looked her in the eye after he turned wolf. Granted, he rarely saw her anywhere, but they both lived on the reservation. They did walk past each other from time to time. And, he said that he always drooled over her. How had they not locked eyes before? Seriously?

"Yeah."

Leah growled. "But, you were supposed to be my partner." She threw an accusatory glare at Seth.

"I'm sorry Lee Lee. You know that I can't control the imprinting. And, honestly, I am not sorry about imprinting. Just the part about you. I know how angry you are about imprinting and stuff. But, please be happy for me. Please."

Her shoulders dropped. "Fine. Whatever."

Phyre sighed as she heard Rory babbling to herself. "Great, you woke the baby."

"Bitch, look at the time. We are supposed to be leaving in 30 min if we are going to get to class." Leah scoffed.

Phyre stuck her tongue out at the woman. Leah was cranky, but the two had found their footing. Leah had helped Phyre learn a lot about being a female wolf. It was disappointing to learn that Phyre wouldn't have her menstrual cycle while wolf, which meant that her body could not conceive children. But, she took it well. While growing up with Thomas, Phyre never wanted to have kids anyway. She had only allowed her self to even contemplate a family once she imprinted on Embry. So, it wasn't something she had to grieve over, yet she was still a little disappointed. Surprisingly, Embry took that part a little bit harder... such a softy. But, it all made sense. There was no telling what phasing would do to a baby.

However, Phyre understood Leah's pain. It wasn't just the loss of the man she loved, or her cousin that she had been close to, but the loss of all of her dreams. She and Sam had planned to move away, get married and start a family. None of it was an option for her anymore. Sam imprinting on Emily took half of that away. Leah becoming a wolf took the rest. That grief was something Phyre could still relate to.

Phyre climbed upstairs to get Rory up and changed, only to find Paul in there already. He really was a cute daddy. Rory's smile was bright as she reached for the man who smiled back down at her. "Come on jelly bean. Let's get you cleaned up. I could smell that diaper from a mile away." He kissed at her neck making her laugh and smack at his face. Then, he cradled her to his chest as he walked across the hall to the bathroom. Phyre assumed the munchkin was going to get a bath as he turned on the tub water and she could hear him set down the baby tub inside. She started to turn to go back down stairs, but was stopped by Paul's voice.

"Phyre. I won't apologize for last night. I don't expect you to understand. But, it won't happen again unless he hurts you. Then it will be a hundred times worse. Your imprint or not." She walked into the bathroom and hugged her brother from behind. He twisted to place a kiss on top of her head.

Rory babbled and managed to work on her 'da' sounds. "Come on jelly bean. Say da-da. Make your mommy jealous." He tried to coax.

"That is so no right." Phyre giggled.

Paul smiled. "It's gonna happen any day now. First words. First steps. All that. She is a smart kid like her mommy." He kissed her before he set her into the tub. The baby quickly splashed him.

"Yup. Very smart. Good girl Rory." Phyre laughed.

Everyone quickly got ready. The girls loaded into Leah's car since Anna's hadn't been fixed yet, forgotten in the chaos of the night before. The boys were left to fend for themselves for the day and Paul had Rory in tow.

Karen sighed as they pulled away. She hated leaving Seth. Not that Phyre was any happier about leaving Embry, she was just quieter about it. Her wolf paced in anxiety every time they went to Saturday classes. Still, she liked the physical release of the martial arts. She learned new things that she could practice at home. Paul and Anna were right when they said it would be good for her, to help process her emotions and grief. So, she went. Without Embry. Damn it.

"Oh no. You don't get to pine away quietly. Spill it Karen." Phyre poked at her.

Karen blushed. "But, Leah is here. I can't talk about her brother like that."

Leah scoffed. "Trust me. I will see all of his memories later anyway. In graphic detail."

Karen gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh God!" Her eyes went wide. "That is just mortifying."

Phyre laughed. "We all get used to it. They know all about my memories and Embry's so I am doubly screwed."

Anna nodded. "It is awkward. But, there are a few very strict rules about being wolves. First and foremost is that an imprint is sacred. No one in the pack will hurt you. They will all fight to protect you. And, that includes not trying to embarrass you by talking about what they saw in the pack mind. They might tease the hell out of Seth, but you are safe from it."

"But, Embry is Phyre's imprint, right? And, Paul beat on him." Phyre growled at the memory.

Leah piped up. "That is because both Phyre and Embry are wolves. It makes things more complicated. Your not a wolf, so less complicated. You are protected."

"So, if I talk to Phyre or Leah about things, then Seth will see what I said." She groaned. "Just all too embarrassing."

"It's not like we have to think of everything when we are wolf. We can keep secrets." Phyre explained. "So, stop stalling and spill it. I mean, I knew he imprinted, but shit it only took you two a couple of hours before you were screaming out his name and he was showing you his furry side."

Karen was bright red and covered her face with her hands. But, Phyre wouldn't let up. She was happy for her friend.

"God, I don't know. It was just so intense. And, he was so damn cute and sweet, and wonderful. We turned on a movie and the next thing I know we were cuddled up together kissing. And, we tried to move apart and take it a little slower, but then he asked about the Halloween party. He said that Collin and Brady told him what happened. And, he looked honestly angry at Eli for everything. I didn't understand why at the time, but I just couldn't hide anything from him. So, I told him the whole story of how Eli hurt me. And, he was so apologetic and talked like Brady about how a real man doesn't do that shit and takes care of his woman. And, just the idea of him treating me right had me so turned on... that.. well... you know."

The girls all giggled. "Yeah, we know."

"But, the question is, did he treat you right?" Phyre asked as she hugged her friend in the backseat of the car.

Karen blushed even more. "I can honestly say, I will never think of Eli again. Seth was amazing."

"Good."

Karen twisted. "And what about you Miss Nosey?"

Phyre smiled and blushed. "Amazing is not even close enough to describe Embry." She flushed with pride for her man. The only complaint that she had for their first time together was that they couldn't do more.

The day went by quickly as the women all bonded over kickboxing, shopping, and lunch. Karate was scheduled later in the afternoon before they drove back. They laughed and teased. Even Leah lightened up with Karen.

"Karen, you do realize that if you are serious about accepting my brother, that eventually, you will become my sister-in-law. Right?" Leah said as they ate lunch.

The look on Karen's face was a mix of pure ecstasy and pure terror. "But, I am still in high school." She whispered.

Leah rolled her eyes. "I said eventually. Geez."

Karen smiled. "I seriously can't believe this is happening. Seth Clearwater. The cutest and sweetest man ever, imprinted on me and might ask me to marry him? I died right?"

"Wow Leah, way to push things along there. Can you give them a full 24 hours together before you start planning their wedding?" Anna scolded.

"You weren't complaining when I gave Paul a few nudges." She defended. "And, it's not like I am taking her shopping for a wedding dress yet."

"First, I didn't know about your nudges until after the fact. Second, Paul and I had a much longer intro to our relationship. And third, ah, her mom might want to be the one to take her dress shopping."

Leah stood up. "Alright, I will back off. I was just kind of getting excited for a moment."

Karen got up and tackled Leah in a hug, full of giggles. "Thank you."

Leah chuckled. "Yeah, you are going to be good for Seth. The same over the top persistent cuteness. You had better be good to him. Got it?" Leah hugged her back as Karen nodded her head in agreement.

"And, here you were worried about how the girls were doing without us." Embry said to Seth as they walked up. "Looks like everything is fine. I suppose we should leave then." He chuckled at Seth who grinned like a fool as he watched his imprint and his sister bond.

"Don't you dare leave!" Phyre jumped on his back. "All this gooshiness... I missed you." She pouted.

Karen squealed as she ran into Seth's arms and the two started kissing. "Jesus. They are going to be like Kim and Jared. All bubble gum and rainbows." Leah groaned.

"What about the garage?" Anna asked.

Embry laughed. "Paul's there. Lucy is working today in the office, so, she is watching Rory while Paul works. Just small stuff. Diagnostics and things like that so he can spend more time with the baby. And, Jake has the bigger stuff under control. My engine that I am working on needs a few parts that I needed to pick up here in Port Angeles. And, Seth was driving everyone crazy so, I was volun-told to take Seth with me to give them some sanity."

Seth blushed. But, he buried his face in Karen's neck quickly to hide it. Karen did not appear to mind. She had been pining for him all morning as well.

The boys joined them for food and shopping. They wandered as a group, but split into smaller groups once they got anywhere.

Anna and Leah needed a break from the sugary sweetness of the new loves, so they went off in search of a birthday present for Abbie. Anna gave birth to Abbie when she was 18 with everything in place for the baby girl to be adopted. The adoptive parents made efforts over the prior couple of years to include Anna and Paul in Abbie's life. So, they became like an aunt and uncle to Abbie and her adoptive brother Jayden. It had been Jayden's birthday when Phyre arrived. But, Abbie's birthday was that following week. So, another trip to Redmond was planned.

Seth and Karen would quickly find some corner of the store they walked into and spend the whole time giggling and getting to know one another.

Phyre and Embry would actually walk around and look at things, teasing and laughing as they went. There were a few stolen moments of kissing. But, they quickly realized that they wanted more and it was not the time or place for such things.

Phyre grinned when she realized that as head over heals as she felt around Embry, it wasn't all physical. Yeah, she really wanted to throw him to the ground and ride him until they were both passed out. However, that was not all it was. She truly enjoyed just being with him. And, he seemed to enjoy the same. It wasn't just filler time, getting to know her so she would be comfortable to have sex. They did have sex and he was still there. Finding all sorts of goofy stuff to make her laugh. In one store, he found a pop out rubber spider that made her scream. He was rolling in laughter. She smacked his chest and then laughed too. In another, he wandered around the store with a 'sorting hat' on his head, from Harry Potter.

His words floated through her head. The words that she heard him say to her brother, Jax. He said that he loved her. With all of his heart. He hadn't said it to her yet. And, she hadn't said it to him. She didn't want it to be said just because they had sex, so she didn't say it the night before. She wanted him to really understand how she felt. More than just sex.

"Bree?"

"Yes love."

She looked at him askance. "Why do you call me that?"

His brows were stitched together in confusion. "Love?"

She nodded. "You called me that the first night we met. Before you even knew my name."

Embry's face softened. He could see where she was going. "Phyrianna, you are my imprint. I will always love you. Even when I didn't know you." He pulled her closer. "But, now that I do know you. I am falling in love with you."

She smiled up at him. She understood what he was saying. There is a difference between loving someone and being in love. It was the difference that Paul and Anna talked about when they were friends who loved each other and the growth of their love over time until they were in love. It was the difference between how she wanted to be near Embry and protect him, and how she felt standing there, wanting to see him smile and laugh with her and share her life with her. She had fallen too.

"I am in love with you too."

His lips captured hers once again. She could never get enough of his lips.

"Oh God." They heard a female voice mutter. "Let's leave."

Phyre and Embry pulled apart to see the blonde waitress from their first date, surrounded by her friends. Phyres blood was ready to boil over. Embry squeezed her tighter.

Some girl with auburn hair looked Embry up and down. "Why do we have to leave? There is plenty of eye candy here."

Embry growled. But, the waitress beat him to it. "Remember how I got fired?" Then she jerked her chin toward Phyre and Embry. Phyre kind of felt bad. The girl shouldn't suffer too much for it. But, then again... she wasn't doing her job with all of the insults and flirting.

The other girls eyes went wide. "But, I thought you said he only did hook ups? That doesn't look like a hook up." The blonde was pulling her friend out of the store.

"Uh, what was that?" Leah asked.

"First date flash back." Phyre groaned. "I seriously can't take him anywhere."

Embry lifted her chin to look at him. "But, you remained calm. Monumental improvements." He pecked her lips.

Anna sighed. "I wish I could say that it all goes away, but it doesn't. I still have girls try to hit on Paul sometimes, even with wedding rings and a daughter. Try to not let it bother you unless he is stupid enough to flirt back with them."

"That's easy for you to say. Your not a wolf." Leah scoffed. "Wolf anger issues complicate it. Plus the territorial nature and possessiveness... I am sorry Phyre. It will be tough. Try to follow Anna's advice. Then, come hit the bags with me afterwards." She winked. "And, with that, we have a class to get to."

By the time everyone made it back into La Push, Emily had arranged a full pack dinner for everyone to welcome Karen.

"You know that eventually here, you are going to have to meet my parents." Karen laughed at the look of panic on Seth's face as he walked her up to Sam and Emily's house. Collin and Brady ran out the door to scoop her up into hugs. Seth growled halfheartedly. He knew they were all friends and that they had protected her reputation at the Halloween party. But, still, every wolf gets jealous.

"They are cute." Embry whispered in Phyre's ear. "But, we already know them. And, I have a surprise for you."

The two ducked into the woods where they left their clothes behind before they phased to wolf. Embry lead her off into trees until they came to a beautiful pond filled with floating candles. A large blanket laid out next to it with more pillows and blankets on top.

"Bree." Phyre breathed. It was amazing. "You did this?"

He phased to human and held out his hand for her. She quickly phased as well.

"I wouldn't change anything about what happened last night. It was right for us. But, still, I wanted a chance to be the one making the plans, to give you something more romantic than the garage."

"When did you have time?"

He smiled. "You had a Karate class remember? Seth and I already got the parts needed. So, we got back with a little time to spare."

Tears filled her eyes as she saw the love written on his face. Phyre couldn't believe she imprinted on such an incredible man.

They spent hours curled up in each others arms, kissing, making love, cuddling, and then finding the drive to do more, again and again.

Water hit her face as it started to sprinkle. Phyre woke to realize that she had fallen asleep with Embry out in the woods. It had been such a perfect night. But, the rain was picking up.

"Bree. Emmmmmbry."

"Hmmm."

"It's raining on us."

He pulled her closer to him. "I don't care about a little water." Just then, the rain picked up more. He slowly opened his eyes. "Yeah, okay. Let's get you home and dry. I will come back for our stuff and the clothes we left outside of Sam's later."

They both phased and ran back to her home. They didn't even bother with clothes as it was such a late hour, they were sure that Anna was in bed. And, Paul saw them naked all the time anyway. Embry pulled her into the shower to wash away the mud and grass before the made a mess in the house. The warm water and Embry's hands flooded Phyre with heat. He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her again. Her hand snaked out to caress his swollen anatomy. They both moaned.

"Cut it out you two." They could hear Paul say in the other room. Phyre blushed and Embry grinned.

He leaned his forehead to hers. "We need sleep." Then he carried her to bed, where they cuddled together, still naked. And sleep took them once again.