When Amelia was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, she had just turned eighteen years, and she felt like her whole life was over. The chemotherapy had drained her of energy and made her acceptable to infections, she was constantly sick, and she wished every day that someone could take her pain away. Then when she got diagnosed again three years later in the mid-seventies, her body was invested with infections and sickness that even her magical immune system couldn't cure. Now here she was, a hybrid vampire whose powers were practically unstoppable, laying in an unknown room with a high fever that caused her to fade in and out of consciousness while voices yelled in the background. All she wanted at that moment was her family, the mother, and father that adopted her, and the siblings that protected her; she wanted to feel protected again.
"Paul, you're ridiculous," Sam groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as the pack gathered in his living room, everyone watching the imprinted wolf pace the room, shaking yet somehow maintaining his cool. He was still refusing to accept that the unconscious female in the other room was his mate since she was a vampire. "Your mate is laying in that room somehow sick, and here you are rejecting her. Do you understand the damage it can cause to you?" He questioned as Emily walked in the room with a plate of muffins for the boys and a first aid kit for the white-haired girl.
"It's not normal!" Paul shouted, shaking his head as the wolf inside of him whimpered, crying out for its mate as he bared his teeth, trying to keep himself from going to her. "She is a blood-sucking leach; how could my wolf want that as a mate?" he felt himself wanting to scream and tear out his hair as everyone watched him helplessly.
"It doesn't matter who you imprint on; this person was made for you, our ancestors magic thought of you when it matched you to this girl," the alpha explained, wanting what was best for his friend, wanting him to realize that this wasn't a bad thing. This Cullen girl was unlike the rest; she helped the tribe in many ways by hunting and supplying them with food; the Elders respected her, and Paul should have been proud to have her as an imprint. "You need to go to her, Paul; she needs you during this time," he spoke, watching the other boys look on with worry; even Jacob, who despised vampires, kept glancing at the door anxiously.
"No, I don't want her!" Paul cried out, tears jeopardizing to fall from his eyes as they traveled over to the closed door where she was lying helpless. "She's not the one for me, Sam, and you have to accept that," his body was shaking, but not with anger. Sobs began to escape from his lips, and he felt relief roll over his body as his pack members placed their hands on his body, showing their support as Jacob began to speak.
"Stop fighting it; you're killing yourself every second you fight it," he spoke close to his ear, his hand grasping hard and shaking him slightly. "She's not evil; she's a Cullen, but when I met her a month ago, it was almost like she wasn't a vampire," he explained, hoping his words would help ease his new brother's pain. They all could feel his shoulders relaxing, and he wiped his face roughly before standing up straight and nodding his head.
"I'll go to her, but I'm not accepting this just yet; this will take some to get used to," he spoke, cursing himself for being so vulnerable; he knew he would never hear the end of this from the rest of the pack. With his head held high, he walked to the backroom, the scent of honeysuckle hitting him again as brown eyes landed on a perfect vision. Laying there was a woman, white curls falling upon her pale face that was blushed lightly. Her height was short, but what she lacked length, she made up for in curves. He couldn't see her eyes at that moment, but his memory kept on replaying those sapphire blue eyes that burned into his soul.
She was shaking, sweat forming on her forehead as she whimpered in her sleep, causing Pauls's heart to tear underneath his chest. This. This was his mate, the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, and here he was working hard to reject her. She was nothing but helpless right now, and all he did was push her away. Taking a deep and calming breath, he walked toward the bed and sat down, his fingers reaching out to take her hand. It was hot due to the fever, but it fits perfectly within his, and he could feel a small smile playing on his lips as she unknowingly grasped his hand back.
"It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?" Emily whispered, walking into the room with the first aid kit and a wet washrag which she gently patted to Amelia's forehead. "She's gorgeous, and from what I heard from the boys, she's mighty powerful," she smiled at Paul, who was fighting a blush just from talking about her. "Listen, I know it's hard to accept that she's not what your dream girl would be, but I'm pretty sure you're going to make each other happy in time," Paul listened, his heart aching, wanting it to be accurate. Still, he had to see if she accepted him as well since she did attack him once he imprinted on her.
It felt like Amelia had been trapped in her sickness for years, the fever never letting up as she kept on begging for relief. Her magic was fighting against something; she could feel the earth's energy pushing and pulling within her body, growing more dominant as it filled her soul. The white-haired witch could hear voices; she felt water hit her skin to cool down the fever, she could feel blankets covering her body to keep her warm, but the one thing that stood out was a touch of someone's hand. They were warm, fingertips rough, but the feeling was gentle every time they intertwined with hers. It was the safety she needed.
It had been five days since Paul had imprinted on the Cullen girl, which he found out was named Amelia through Jacob, and just like any other day, he was arriving at Sam's house to see if she had awoken. "Good morning!" he called out, entering as Emily cooked breakfast in the kitchen; the backroom door closed again as he sighed before grabbing a muffin. "Sleeping beauty still out of it?" he asked with a mouth full, causing Emily to swat him with the back of her hand for taking on the muffins and talking with his mouth full.
"Yes, but her fever has gone down, and her shakes have stopped; she might be waking up soon," the alpha's mate smiled at him, seeing his eyes light up slightly, but he tried to give it by keeping his head down. Even though Paul was fighting the imprint, everyone knew he was slowly falling into the role of being a mate; they just knew he would admit it. "What are you going to do once she's up?"
"I don't know," the third in command answered, feeling a little stressed out by actually talking to her. He could feel the imprint getting stronger, but he still wasn't over the fact that she was a vampire even though she looked perfectly human, and there was the fact that she would accept him as well. "I'm going to check on her," he smiled at Emily, heading over to the room, opening the door to finding nothing in the bed. "Emily, wake up, Sam!" he yelled, running out of the house as he fazed into her wolf form.
Amelia had awoken to the sun pouring in through the window, her blue eyes squinting in the light as her head spun in a haze. She wasn't in her room, the area around her didn't smell familiar, and the fear of who brought her here was causing her terrible anxiety. Carefully she slipped out of bed, seeing her tattered and mud-stained clothes, flashbacks of running through the woods for survival hitting her as she tried to shake it off, already climbing out the window to find she was on the reservation. Quickly she ran, weaving through the woods and houses of pack members towards where her home was, all the while using her wards to hide her trail, trying to protect herself at any cost.
Why did the wolves want her? What happened to her? All Amelia could remember was confronting them as they burned Laurant, but then that gray wolf had appeared, causing her to lose all her senses. What could he have done to her? Her magic was out of control; it felt unstable with no boundaries, while her immortal body acted as if it had a human infection. It made no sense to the hybrid-witch as she arrived at the Cullen residence, shooting through the door as her vision still blurred and the floor underneath her began to wobble. She still wasn't healed enough, all that time of being asleep and whatever occurred between her and that wolf…
"Imprint…" Amelia gasped, her usually slow beating heart speeding up within her chest, air flowing through her like she was a newborn babe using their lungs for the first time. The sight that was once blurred cleared, cleared showing off new colors and hues all around her, and the ground below clung to her feet, stabling her as she looked around the room. "He imprinted on me," the witch whispered, turning her head as a howl was released within the wild, the smell of burning beech wood and cinnamon filling her nostrils, indicating that her mate was close.
Quickly Amelia ran to her room, throwing off the tattered clothes and jumping into the shower where she was met with hot, steaming water. She had no idea why she was preparing for a man she had never met, but something in her, almost like a spark, was pushing her to at least look presentable. Once out of the shower, the witch dried herself off, slipping on a black laced blouse along with some skinny jeans, before placing her curly hair into a bun and walking out onto the porch where she waited for the arrival of her mate.
The pack had gathered moments after Emily woke up Sam, and they were on the hunt once again for this mysterious imprint. She had somehow masked her scent, confusing most wolves as they ran around blind, but Paul could detect the faint aroma of honeysuckles leading out of the reservation territory. Howling, he let the others know where to follow him as the gray wolf bounded toward the Cullen property, an area where known of them had dared to go, but some rules were meant to be broken.
"Soooo...How are you going to introduce yourself?" Quil asked, a teasing yet curious tone in his voice as Paul rolled his eyes, trying to concentrate on her scent, but the newbie was proper. How was he going to introduce himself? He did kind of imprint on her and did not explain anything.
"Yeah, why do you gotta be so rude?" Jacob laughed as the others chuckled, having heard the third in commands worried thoughts that flooded their minds. "Enough," Sam warned, knowing his best friend was already nervous as is, and the teasing wasn't helping the situation that they were going to be on enemy territory. The plan was once they were at the house, Paul would introduce himself, and, if necessary, they would step in if she retaliated. Of course, they couldn't harm her due to Pack Law, but if there were any chance of controlling the situation, the wolves would take it.
"We're here," Paul spoke quietly within their minds, the smell of honeysuckles overwhelming his senses as he stepped out into the clearing. There on a path stood a moderately built house, its primarily interior glass, and standing close to three stories tall. "I guess if you have money like a vampire, you can afford this shit," he grumbled to the others who nodded their heads, eyes wide as they looked for the new imprint. "I can smell her, but where could she be?"
"Looking for me?" Amelia spoke softly, having seen the pack of giant wolves make their way up her driveway. She had decided to sneak up on them, using her wards to shield her as she stepped behind the beast, who in return jumped in surprise, muzzles baring before the one gray wolf met her gaze.
Her voice, Paul had forgotten how her voice sounded, but it was almost like a symphony of harmonies and melodies mixing in one sentence. The sound of her voice caused his wolf body to melt as his honey brown eyes stared up into those sapphire jewels that gleamed as she smirked at the lot of them. She was wearing her hair up now, white curls framing her face, while her tattered clothes were replaced with an outfit that clung onto her figure perfectly. She was beautiful.
Once his honey gold eyes had met hers, Amelia felt her heart speed up once more, and she had to keep herself from smiling like an idiot. So this is what love was like? This is what having a soulmate felt like? When her ancestors created the shapeshifters, they had a vision in mind; they made warrior-like monsters that could kill the NightCrawlers, but they also gifted the tribes with a rare treasure. The power to find their soulmate, a being that once found, could tame the beast inside and reward them with a happy life for protecting the world against bloodsuckers.
"Would you all like to go inside and have a cup of tea?" Amelia asked, watching them all eye each other before nodding their heads in agreement and heading to change into their human forms. Meanwhile, the witch had headed back to the house, preparing mugs filled with green tea and lavender to calm the group of nerves in a place that belonged to vampires. She could hear them making their way into the house, steps hesitant, but it was still lovely they had agreed to sit down with her.
"There are no coffins; you need to pay up, Jacob," one of the wolves spoke, Jacob cursing at the boy before passing a few dollar bills as Amelia made her way into the living room, chuckling to herself. "No, vampires don't sleep...Well, I have a bed, but there's no need for coffins," she smiled at the group, recognizing Jacob and Sam Ulley, of course, but her eyes clung to one in the corner of the group, his gaze clinging to her. "Anyways, let me introduce myself. I'm Amelia Grace Cullen, and you all are?" Amelia asked, sitting down opposite of them all, her eyes never leaving the tall dark man in the corner as everyone began to speak.
Paul stayed in the corner of the room, his honey-colored eyes stuck on the vampire in front of them, her blue eyes smiling as she sat down, waiting for everyone to make their introductions. Sam began explaining that he was the Alpha, while Jacob sat down on the couch waving toward her since they had already met each other. Soon Quil and Jared sat down as well, sipping on their cups as everyone looked over to the man of the hour. "And you must be my imprint," Amelia spoke, a kind smile playing on her face as he swallowed hard and squared his shoulders.
"I'm Paul Lahote," he spoke, his voice threatening to break as he stepped forward to stand in front of her, caressing her hand in his large rough palms. "It's nice to meet you, Amelia; I've been excited to see you finally awake and well," a slight smirk pulled at his lips as her eyes brightened, and she encouraged him to sit beside her handing him a cup of tea, as soon as he sat down the questions began.
"So why do you look like that, and what's with your freaky deeky powers?" Jacob asked, ignoring Paul's glare, while Quil and Jared continued to bombard her with questions. "Yeah, you said you sleep while the others don't, and how are you drinking tea? Also, how did you know about imprints? That's classified between pack members; even the Cullens don't know that" their questions circled in the air, heavy and slightly worrying Paul that they were too much. Still, to his surprise, Amelia placed her teacup down and straightened her shoulders, preparing her answers.
"I was born in the mid-1950s to a coven of great powerful witches, who happened to be the creators of both vampires and shapeshifters such as yourself," Amelia explained, watching shock play on all their faces as she continued, "By the time I was eighteen, I had gotten diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer while being treated with chemo, I met Carlisle, who offered to change me, but because I was a witch it was prohibited due to the laws of Magic and Nature. So I went on living my life, my hair grew back, but was white instead of the red curls I used to have and I was being trained to take over as an elder like my grandmother…" the hybrid paused, eyes looking down at her feet, swallowing hard as if remembering a bad memory. "That's when I got the diagnosis that the cancer was back, stage four and spreading. I had turned to my family for their magic; witches live to be around two hundred and fifty at the most, but they denied me their powers and chemo. They said it was the universe's ultimate decision and that was I was supposed to die the first time I got diagnosed,"
There was an unbearable silence as the wolves toward her in shock, Paul shaking slightly with just the thought of his mate losing her life so early and all because of her own family. "But you changed into a vampire?" he asked, attempting not to grit his teeth from anger as he inched closer to her hand, wanting to hold it for reassurance.
"Yes, I called Carlisle since I had his business card; we discussed the consequences of what would happen if I chose this life, and from that moment to now, I knew the Cullens would be the family I needed," the witch turned her head to look at the third in command, the others couldn't see it, but her eyes had softened. The smile on her face was sad yet so sweet. "My family, on the other hand, since I changed into an immortal, has sought out to kill me," worry played on Pauls's face, his heart racing and sense of urgency and protection hitting him like a ton of bricks. "But my wards are vital in this area and Seattle; even my parents and their magic can't get through," she knowingly and reassuringly stated before picking up and sipping on her tea.
"So you're a hybrid: witch and vampire," Sam spoke, his deep voice ringing through the room as the white-haired witch nodded her head, watching the others take in her story. "And you said your ancestors created both vampires and werewolves?" Jake joined in, everyone on their toes as they leaned forward, wanting her to elaborate.
"Well, the first vampire was created by a priestess back in ancient Egypt, but since then, witches of all types of covens around the world have since then created vampires either while mourning a loved one or to use to fight another coven for land," Amelia leaned back in her seat, having read so many books while in families library, memorizing the history as if she had lived it herself. "My family, on the other hand, were the ones that created the shapeshifters after seeing your tribe and others suffering from the Night Walkers. We gave you a bit of our magic, the magic of familiars, warriors, and guardians of witches to the tribes, each taking on their guardian. Yours are the wolves, while I've met one tribe in Alaska who takes on polar bears and some in the Amazon who are giant panthers. Each tribe is a protector for not only witches but humankind itself, controlling the population of vampires and making sure the Law of Magic and Nature is in perfect balance." the witch sipped her tea eagerly before standing up to take everyone's cup as she walked over the kitchen leaving them all in silence for a small moment.
"Of course it doesn't explain why I'm like this," she spoke up, returning with a plate of cookies, placing them on the coffee table before sitting back down next to Paul, his presence already seeming natural. "I was changed like the others, but instead of thirsting for any type of blood like my family, I just wanted animal blood, so I fed and then made me a sandwich when I got home," she laughed seeing the boys stop in the middle of their eating, Paul raising an eyebrow curiously wondering what kind of vampire she was. "My eyes never changed color, I still have a tiny beating heart, and my magic got much stronger…Carlisle determined that my bloodline was strong and fought the venom till it had to compromise and allow some vampire traits to settle in my body. So I became this," she gestured toward herself, reaching over to munch on a cookie. "A witch vampire hybrid who only needs to hunt twice a month and sleeps every other week depending on how much magic I use,"
"Cool," Jake spoke, nodding his head as the others agreed, admitting to themselves that this was pretty weird, but they were a pack of werewolves living in a town full of vampires, so the reality of Paul imprinting on a witch turned vampire didn't seem too far fetched. "So you stayed in Forks because your blood family would kill you if you left, and why didn't you tell Bella?" the chief's son asked, causing the girl to laugh, shaking her head.
"I could ask you the same thing, Jacob Black; you've been MIA for several weeks, you are judging me for my actions are very hypocritical," the newly changed wolf grumbled to himself about Sam not letting him. Still, the witch ignored him as she continued to eat her cookie.
"If you're on our side, though, why did you try to attack Sam when we were killing the vamp with the dreads?" Questioned Jared, Sam nodded his head in agreement as Amelia let out a heavy sigh, this time standing to her feet as she began to walk around the room, finding the answer.
"I've been tracking Victoria since my family left, she started showing up, and I was planning to follow her to kill her since I had a feeling it had something to do with Bella. Edward had killed her mate last year, so I felt that was why she was here; I hadn't mentioned it to Bella since she needs to focus on school and not stress out. Laurant was a member of their nomadic clan. I knew he had information on that red-headed bitch, so I went after him as well, only to find you had been killed before I could get my hands on him," her demeanor had changed into a bright hostess to someone that bared the world on her shoulders, determined to make it right.
"How have you tracked her? We haven't sensed you on any of the lands?" Sam raised his eyebrow, arms folding over his chest as a smile flashed about Amelia's face, turning her head toward them all before she answered. "Do you want to see?"