"Suddenly no one wants to talk?" Layla asked, looking around.
Layla walked over to Seth and crossed her arms, giving him an expectant look. Seth actually whined softly. Layla reached out and grabbed Seth's hands and pulled him down the beach, out of earshot.
"Do you wanna tell me what's going on?" Layla asked, maneuvering until she was in his line of sight. "Don't worry, you won't get in trouble with me. You'll have immunity."
"Paul needed a punishment for kissing you knowing you were Sam's and also for you getting hurt by his mother and everything and Sam never had time to think of something so Jake stepped up. His punishment was basically to be the Omega of our group. Like the lowest in the line of command. And I guess without Sam there it got out of hand. He had to do patrols the others didn't want and run all the errands and be the last to eat and everything." Seth said in a rush.
"Uh huh. Thank you, Seth." Layla said, heading back for the group, heading for Jake.
Layla got to Jake and grabbed his plate, handing it to Paul and smiling sweetly. Layla plopped down on the small space beside Jake and looked over at him. She tapped her foot in the sand, not saying a word. Jake raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?" Jake said. "Can I help you?"
"Oh, I'm just waiting." Layla said, turning fully towards him with her chin resting on her hands.
"For?" Jake asked.
"For you to explain to me why you thought it was necessary to punish Paul for something he had no control over." Layla said, her voice low and sweet.
"That's pa-" Leah started, but was interrupted.
"A-B conversation babe. C your way out of it, thanks." Layla said. "Come on, Jake. Out with it before I start cracking nuts."
"Because his actions warranted a punishment. Pack law." Jake said stiffly.
"I mean, were you there? Either time? Cause last time I checked, ya weren't, hun. Ya just weren't. Let me fill you in. I did the kissing. I, being such a little shit, took his face and kissed him. Would have been rude and terribly embarrassing for me if he hadn't obliged me. Right? I'm an ugly crier. No one needs to see that, am I right? Don't answer that." Layla said, her fake laugh all over. "And as for the other thing."
"Layla-" Embry started.
"Not your station either, train wreck, keep moving." Layla said, cutting him off. "You're already dangerously close to me ripping your shriveled sack off, boo. Now where was I...oh. As we can all agree, Paul's mother isn't a delight. Let's be frank, Jake, she's a bitch. Mega bitch. And she kept yelling at Paul. Hitting him. My sweet Paul. God, that pissed me off. I mean, if she's going to act like a heifer, she should be treated like one. Put out to pasture. Or sent to a butcher. She kept hitting him and I could hear it and see it and he just stood there and accepted it because he wasn't raised to ever strike his mother. So yeah, I might have snapped and jerked her backwards by her doll hair and took her to the door. She hit me in the leg but honestly? 1/10 easiest pain I've ever been through. So her hitting me was not a problem."
"He didn't stop her from striking you. Twice." Jake said.
"Twi…" Layla frowned, looking over at Paul. "You… the big…" she said, looking to Sam and back to Jake.
Paul nodded.
"Baby girl, that's why we had your party out here. Why you got to come over last night. Sue and Billy and Jake and Leah told Charlie. And you need to know, too. Remember the legends?" Sam said, repeating the words he'd rehearsed for a month.
"So you did turn into the big horse wolf dog!" Layla said excitedly, pointing at Paul.
Paul nodded. "Yeah, princess. I do. Me and Sam and everyone else around this fire. Except you, Sue, Billy, old Quil, and Charlie." he said.
"I knew it! I'm not crazy! Ha! Not crazy!" Layla said, whirling around and pointing at Jake. "Not crazy."
"You're… okay…. with it?" Leah asked. "Not going to freak out or call us monsters?"
"I've seen monsters, babe. My mother was one. You can't stab your own child and sell her for a hit and burn her and starve her and all that other fun shit she did without being a monster. So you turn into big dogs." Layla said, before whirling back around and going to Sam. "Can I see? Can I ride on your back? Do you get fleas? Can you talk to like dogs like house pets?"
Sue started laughing.
"Sam's had this big speech rehearsed for weeks because he thought you'd be freaked out about it." Sue said between fits of laughter. "And you're just glad you're not the crazy one! God love you, honey."
"He can still tell her about Imprinting." Seth said excitedly.
"I'll show you my wolf in a bit." Sam said, pulling Layla to his lap. "There's one more thing I need to explain. When those of us chosen to shift do shift, we are given the gift of being able to Imprint. That means we will know our soulmate just by looking in their eyes. We are so drawn to them and love them beyond anything and everything. That night you first came here and voluntarily gave me your food and I looked in your eyes? Instantly Imprinted on you. And I've loved you ever since. Why it hurts so badly to be away from you. And why Jake chose to punish Paul. Because Paul, more or less, overstepped his boundaries concerning you and me."
"He didn't overstep them. I did. I did the kissing. And there's no way Paul could have known his mother was gonna do what she did. No way. So Jake needs to remove this punishment." Layla said. "Jake, remove the punishment and apologize."
"No." Jake said simply.
Layla stood up and walked over to Jake, frowning.
"Do it or I'll make it so that you and Leah won't be able to screw for a good month." Layla said.
"Touch him and my wolf will come out." Leah warned.
"You think that's a threat? That that scares me? The only thing that scares me, that absolutely terrifies me, is losing Sam. You can hurt me all you want. Hell, pain is an old friend. Threats and pain is nothing. Starving is nothing. Being cold is nothing. Surviving my mother and her boyfriends is nothing. Drug runs are nothing. Seeing people die in front of me is nothing. But that guy over there? The one with the black shorts on and the wife beater? Something bad happening to him terrifies me. And if you or anyone ever… ever… threatens him? I don't care if I die in the process, but I will take them down to hell with me before I let anyone lay a finger on him." Layla growled, staring Leah dead in the eyes.
"Respect for that. But don't threaten Jake." Leah said.
"I didn't threaten. I promised." Layla said. "Jake, Paul literally has done nothing wrong. Besides, what's happening here is beyond punishment. It's downright cruel. Running him to the point of exhaustion? Starving him? I've been through both of those and it fucking sucks. Remove the punishment. You're weakening the pack through mistreatment of one of your own. Negate it."
"I agree with Layla. Remove it, dude." Seth said.
"You're just saying that to get on Layla's good side, suck up." Jake said.
"I'd rather be a suck up than someone who bugs someone else to shift so they can get a look at her… chest." Seth growled.
"Excuse me? Mind clarifying that statement for me, Seth?" Sam growled. "Don't make me compel you."
"Jake told the others that I accidentally saw Layla without a top on this morning and him and the other guys have been bugging me to shift so they can see my memories and see it too." Seth said. "Everyone but Paul. He told them off and to respect Layla."
Before Layla or Sam could react, Leah landed a hit square between Jake's thighs, nailing him right in the crotch. Jake cursed under his breath and fell to his knees from the log, hands covering his crotch.
"You're cut off. And Quil? I'll call my cousin and tell her not to bring Claire over for a few weeks since everyone is all sick. And Embry? You're going to tell your mom that you were bugging a girl to see her tits and accept whatever punishment she gives without complaint." Leah said. "Oh, and Jared? I'm telling Kim."
"Paul, as Alpha I am negating the punishment imposed by the former Beta. I install you as my new Beta, taking the place of Jacob Black. As for you, Seth, I command you to never show above the memory you have off seeing Layla without a shirt or bra on and you will alert me immediately anyone who tries to access it. As for Embry, Jared, Quil, and Jake, I will inform them of their punishments within 24 hours and no retribution may be made upon myself, Layla, Paul, Seth, or Leah." Sam said, using his Alpha double timbre.
One by one, each of the pack nodded. Sam walked over to Paul and clapped him on the back, welcoming him as his Beta. Paul smiled, grateful for the punishment to be removed.
"Can I see your wolf again, too?" Layla asked.
"Anything for you, princess." Paul said.
"Yes! Can I see your wolf, Sam? Please?" Layla asked.
"He's be so eager to meet you." Sam said.
Paul and Seth formed a barrier while Sam removed his clothes. Layla, naturally, peeked at him even after being scolded by Charlie.
"I like this already!" Layla said, getting excited.
Layla watched as Sam shifted into a huge, horse sized black wolf. Layla squealed with excitement, squeezing between Paul and Seth and going right up to him. Once Layla was close enough, Sam licked her on the face repeatedly, making her giggle. She grabbed his face and kissed his dark, wet nose.
"You're so pretty. And huge!" Layla said.
While Layla was distracted, Paul stripped quickly and shifted as well, coming up behind Layla and bumping her gently with his head. Layla turned around and immediately recognized him.
"Paul! I knew it! You're so pretty, too. And soft." Layla said excitedly.
'She took to this way better than I ever hoped. I kept remembering how Kim took Jared's news of it.' Sam said mentally to Paul.
'She's definitely amazing. And I'm sorry it hurt you, the kiss and everything. But...I just…' Paul said.
Paul mentally showed Sam what it was he was feeling because words could never describe it. Sam watched patiently, curious. It wasn't exactly Imprinting. But it was very close.
'We will work to figure out why. Just… don't take her away from me. I can't live without her.' Sam said.
'Never, brother. I felt her sadness, her despair over not being able to see you. It cut me to the bone. She only has eyes for you. Lucky.' Paul said honestly.
Sam turned his head and licked Layla again, giving his base side a few moments of pure affection from their Imprint. Layla giggled and nuzzled Sam's wolf, telling him how beautiful he was and how big and strong.
"You're my favorite. My big, bad, handsome wolf." Layla cooed, going to nuzzle his chest.
Sam gently stepped away, using his head to bump Layla to stand near Paul as he shifted back, pulling his clothes on. Layla smiled happily and ran to Sam as soon as he pulled his shorts on.
"I really like your wolf." Layla said.
"We both really like you, too. He's been crazy about you since you first offered us your food that night at the bonfire." Sam said.
Paul quietly shifted and dressed as well while Layla was distracted again. Layla noticed he had shifted and turned around, wrapping her arms tightly around Paul, looking up at him.
"You wanna come over and eat and watch a movie? I'll make pancakes and stuff." Layla asked. "Sam, can Paul come over?"
"The pack and their Imprints have always been welcome at my house." Sam said.
Layla smiled brightly and looked back at Paul who nodded. She looked over at the rest of the pack. Seth and Leah were talking while the rest were looking down and Layla could feel their sadness. She walked over to the table and grabbed a tray of cupcakes and walked over to Embry.
"Sorry I took your food." Layla said sincerely, holding out a cupcake. "Cupcake?"
Embry looked up, clearly confused. The last thing he expected after his behavior was a birthday cupcake.
"Aren't you mad at me?" Embry asked.
"Yeah but… cupcake? You have to eat a cupcake. I think its a birthday law. Besides, just because I'm upset doesn't mean you don't get to eat. You're still a member of Sam's pack. And a pack is like family yeah? Better grab it and eat it before it goes on your face." Layla said, pushing the cupcake closer and closer to his face. "Om nom nom!"
Embry smiled and took a cupcake, looking over at Sam and nodding. She stopped by Jake and sat beside of him, holding out two cupcakes.
"You get purple and blue cause I'm pretty sure they're purple now and they'll be blue balls later." Layla said. "Birthday law says you gotta."
Jake smiled and took both cupcakes. Layla leaned over and handed a second one to Embry, for fairness. She repeated the same thing with Quil and Jared. She handed more out to Seth, Leah, Sue, Charlie, and Old Quil. The last bunch she took over to Sam and Paul. Sam had watched her interacting with his pack just then and pride filled him. She was already making an excellent pack mother. One by one, Embry, Jake, Quil, and Jared came up to Paul and Sam to apologize.
"That's one quality Imprint you've got in her, Sam." Embry said. "If that was me, I'd probably have forbidden us from cupcakes."
"For real. She even apologized for taking our plates. Strict and hard nosed but very loving and forgiving. Like a good mom." Jake said.
"Thanks. But one thing? You ever disrespect her or try to see her breasts then you've had it. I won't fucking tolerate it and you're all lucky that I haven't banned you from your Imprints or from shifting out of wolf form for a month. And from now on, punishments will only be handed out from me. No more Beta instituted punishments. Jake, you took Paul's too far and it ended up really hurting him and the pack and even Layla. If you're going to ever claim rank and be your own Alpha one day, you have to think of a punishment that's suitable and not cruel. You gave him several cruel ones that provided no recourse for what happened. I agree with Layla that you do owe him an apology." Sam said.
"I'm sorry, Paul. I shouldn't have ordered punishment out of anger. I should have monitored the actions of the others and myself better. I'm sorry." Jake said sincerely.
"Accepted." Paul said.
The others made their apologies and were each forgiven. Sue announced that it was time for presents since they'd all eaten cupcakes already. Jake and Leah gave Layla a photo album full of pictures of her and Sam. Sue and Charlie gave her a gift card so she could pick out something she really wanted. Old Quil and Billy gave Layla a leather bound book of the tribe's history and legends with pictures and drawings. Quil gave her a hand drawn picture of Sam's wolf in full Alpha glory. Jared gave Layla his cell phone as he had gotten a new one.
"So you and Sam can keep the lovey dovey down to a minimum." Jared teased. "Just needs activated and minutes added but it works fine."
Seth gave Layla a dream catcher he'd hand made. Embry gave Layla a blank journal and told her she can write down how many times he'll piss her off with a grin. Paul smirked and handed Layla a book of the 1,000 Best Pick Up Lines. Layla laughed.
"Saved the best for last." Sam said grinning at how Layla just puckered her lips. "I made you something besides from kisses." he added, giving Layla a quick kiss.
"Really?" Layla said, looking excited.
"I've been working on it for a month." Sam said, pulling out a braided leather bracelet with her name and his hand stamped into it.
"Sam…it's beautiful." Layla said, wiping her eyes.
"It's a Quileute friendship bracelet, technically. But, uh… it means something way deeper than friendship when a guy makes it and gives it to the girl he loves…" Sam said, suddenly nervous.
"Loves?" Layla whispered.
"Yeah. Loves. For us, it's our version of a promise ring…something that shows how much we love and how dedicated we are. And yeah, I should have picked a more romantic time to drop the L bomb but…" Sam said.
"I love you, too!" Layla said just before launching herself at Sam, holding tightly onto him.
"So you officially accept Sam, wolf and human both?" Old Quil asked.
"Yes!" Layla said happily, full on crying.
Sam kissed her before tying the bracelet on her wrist and then wiping her eyes. Layla held tightly onto Sam.
Old Quil nodded, giving his approval. She was indeed Sam's blessing as well as already showing signs of being a great pack mom.
...
Okay so there's only going to be maybe 1-3 chapters left in this story. Let me know what story you want me to work on next: Seth/OC or Leah/OC
Loving my comments! They make me super giddy and I need giddy in my life. I'm currently sat with a bum right hand and wrist and ugh I laid in the tanning bed to see if it would help clear up my psoriasis and I'm burned. Ugh.
How'd you like this chapter? And the story? Satisfied with it so far? I hope!
Leave some love! I'll try to get a new one typed out by new years but no promises!
xoxo