Embry
Harry's jaw dropped at Seth's question. Billy looked at him with a half smile, waiting for his answer. It would've been satisfying if I wasn't so damn terrified.
I'd never seen Harry Clearwater speechless. It was clear that Sam had been caught breaking a rule for the first time. We had to inform the council of our imprints. I was guilty of the same crime, but nobody knew that.
"Sam, tell me this isn't the truth." Harry said in a pained voice. "You're married to my daughter."
Billy scoffed. "Yeah, Paul was married to my daughter, too."
Jake had tried to stay quiet but he couldn't anymore. "Don't worry, though, he broke up with her over the phone."
Sam didn't respond. The way he looked at Seth made me shudder. Jake moved to block his view, sending the message that he'd protect him. We all would.
"It doesn't matter." Sam finally said. "I'm married to Leah and I'm not leaving her or letting her leave me. I talk to Emily as infrequently as possible, and have no plans to inform her of anything."
I felt the pain and fury to my core. Even when faced with the truth being exposed to the council, Sam refused to let Leah go. She was no more than a possession to him, he had made that abundantly clear. Looking at his scowling face, there was no love for her there. This was purely about control.
Old Quil shook his head. "That's not how this works, boy. All imprints are to be informed. Emily must be told the truth. Imprints are to be protected and not informing them leaves them vulnerable. Bella Swan will be, too. She puts herself in grave danger already, associating with those filthy bloodsuckers. Her relationship with him must come to an end." Old Quil looked as if he were on the verge of shifting with the way he shook with anger. Disappointment settled over his face as he regained his composure.
"Only if she chooses to." Jake insisted. "We will not force Bella to do anything she doesn't want to do."
I was silently grateful to Jake for not mentioning Leah. Seeing more of Sam's narcissistic views of his wife and how little he thought of her, I knew she not only needed to be ready herself to leave him, but she'd need our protection. I refused to take her choice away, though.
Sam and Paul both were fuming, but Jared looked indifferent. He was the only other pack member that had imprinted. He and Kim had married about a year after he imprinted on her and they were happy together. Kim was a kind soul, and even if I didn't like Jared or the company he kept, I was thankful that imprinting had benefited one pack member.
"I don't think this meeting is going anywhere." Billy announced. "I agree with Harry that we need some time to regroup. I want to make it clear to both packs that Leah will not be told about Sam's imprint. So long as she is not an imprint, she cannot be told about the pack."
Jake turned to look at me and nodded his head, but I shook mine. I wasn't ready for Sam to know, but he picked up on Jake's gesture.
"Unless another pack member has been hiding an imprint?" Sam questioned with a slight tremor in his hands and a yellow gleam in his eyes.
"Of course not." Seth said with a wide smile. "What reason would we have for doing that? My sister isn't in any danger with you, is she?"
I pulled my phone out and texted Jasper. Seth was becoming far too brazen with his comments to Sam. I needed a distraction to pull him away.
911. Get Seth out of this meeting. He's making comments that are going to put Leah in danger.
Seconds after my text went through Seth's radio went off with a call he needed to respond to.
"Goodbye, brother." Sam chimed smugly. "I'll tell your sister you said hello."
Harry wasn't amused by the exchange. The council dismissed the meeting, but Sam and Jake remained. The rest of us trudged outside. I started to follow Quil to his truck, but Jared pulled me back.
"What the hell was Seth talking about? Has Sam hurt Leah?" Jared demanded.
I tried to hide my shock at his words. Questions swirled in my head. How could Jared not have noticed if he was as close to Sam and Paul as we'd thought he was?
I jerked away from him. "How the hell would I know?"
Paul angrily spit out, " What? You and Leah didn't chat it up at the fancy gala the bloodsuckers took you to?" His scowl was laced with defeat.
"Embry wasn't invited by the Cullens. He's being recruited by the director of oncology at one of the most highly ranked hospitals on the east coast." Quil answered. "Not that either of us have to explain anything to either of you, but Embry was pictured with Leah because they're coworkers. You know, looking out for another pack brother's wife? Or would Sam have preferred his wife be pictured with a man he doesn't know? A bloodsucker, perhaps."
Neither of them looked satisfied with his answer, but I didn't care. I wasn't in their pack, and I didn't have to answer to them.
"Come on, Quil, I'm hungry." I urged him toward his truck.
Paul called after us. "We'll come too. Since we're 'pack brothers' and all, right?"
Quil sighed. "I don't know Paul, are you sure you want to be seen with two of the founding members of the one parent club? Wouldn't want to hurt your reputation."
"Whatever. I'll go keep Leah and Bella company." Paul grinned spitefully, but he lacked his usual bite. He took off running into the trees.
I didn't know what he knew, but it was certainly more than he should, and much more than I was comfortable with. I hesitated briefly with the sick feeling of him being alone with the girls, but another part of me was questioning if Paul was having the same conflicting feelings about Sam's treatment of Leah. Leah had Bella there with her, at least.
"I'd like to come if you'll let me." Jared said. "I didn't know about Emily, I swear. Sam is,... well, he's not who I thought he was. I want to follow Jake."
Two hours later, Seth and Jake had joined us at a diner in Forks. Jared wasn't going to tell Sam he was leaving his pack right away. He understood the complicated dynamics of the two packs and the careful steps he would need to take. He also understood our hesitation in trusting him considering the convenience in the timing of all of this. He didn't let our hesitation deter him, though. With a fight for alpha looming, Jared wanted to be in the pack he believed in; the one he trusted to protect his imprint.
"Kim is my priority," He told us. "Her safety is the most important thing to me. I can't imagine hurting her or seeing her be hurt. If Sam is abusing Leah, he has to be stopped, and I want to help you stop him." A deep growl filled his voice, and I knew he was being honest with us.
We didn't share everything we knew with Jared. It would still take time for him to earn our trust. Seth did admit to using police tactics to bait Sam at the meeting, but it was Sam's admission that had changed Jared's mind about following him.
Jared felt a lot of guilt for not seeing what was going on with Sam, Emily, and Leah. He admitted to us that he had wondered more than once how Leah had suddenly become so clumsy that she was hurting herself all the time, but he never imagined his friend was abusing her. I was careful not to react as he recounted what he'd witnessed. He couldn't know Leah was my imprint. It was difficult, though. I knew Jasper had to be close by, because I would've phased by now if he wasn't.
Jared told us a lot about Paul too. Jake didn't know, but Paul had only married Rachel because she had been pregnant. They lost the baby, but tried to make the best out of the situation anyway. He was good to his wife as far as we knew. Rachel was the kind of strong woman that you'd expect not to take shit from a man, but Leah had always given people the same impression. As much as I hated to admit, learning the reason behind Paul's marriage made me feel a small amount of respect for him. A very small amount.
As Jared spoke more of Paul, a new side of him was introduced. Still, the things we heard about Paul and his temper before now only solidified our stance; we had to keep Bella away from him. We were adamant that we would not let her fall into the same situation I was trying to save my imprint from. Jake still wasn't sold on Paul associating with Bella in any capacity, no matter what Jared told us.
Jake filled us in on what had happened after we left. Harry was furious with Sam. He grilled him about his imprint and some of the injuries Leah had over the years. Sam ended up storming out of the meeting, so we decided Seth wasn't to be alone for the next few days. We weren't sure how Sam would retaliate, but it was inevitable. It seemed Harry had finally opened his eyes to the abusive nature of his daughter's relationship, and the fear he felt for her was apparent.
I was glad Harry was beginning to see what a monster Sam was. It was better for Leah if her parents were on her side. I wasn't one to put stock in something before it happened, but I was hopeful.
Chief Swan showed up and we changed the subject. He knew about the pack, but meetings were still mostly private. Jared let him and Seth know he was interested in joining the police force and that was the topic of discussion for the next half hour.
The waitress was as patient as she could be with us. They weren't very busy, so we didn't worry about holding up the table. We'd all tip her well for letting us take up most of her shift.
I was surprised that I liked Jared as much as I did. I had realized we didn't know him very well beyond the position he held in Sam's pack.
Seth got a text and bolted out the door without explanation. I knew he was still on his shift, and I assumed it was a work related text. Jake paid him no attention, so I didn't either. My phone had died an hour ago, but I wasn't on call so I didn't bother to go get a charger.
I knew I'd assumed incorrectly when Jasper walked in and came straight to our table. Jared tensed, and Jake and Quil tried to force themselves to look uncomfortable.
"My apologies, Dr. Call, but my father has been trying to reach you." He said. "There's an emergency at the hospital and he needs your help."
An emergency would've come through on Seth's radio. This wasn't a work emergency, and my entire pack knew it. Something was wrong with Leah.
"Please apologize to Carlisle for me, my phone is dead." I explained with forced calmness. "I rode here with my friends, but I will get to the hospital as soon as I can."
Charlie stood up. "Come on, son, I'll take you. We can turn the lights on in the cruiser, get there faster."
I didn't object. Jasper left, but I knew he wouldn't be far. I didn't bother saying goodbye to the guys. I had to get to Leah.
I tried to focus on my breathing on the way, but the thought of what the bastard had done to her took my breath away. Seth hadn't said a word to us, and I knew she had to be who he'd went to.
We pulled up at the front doors of the hospital and I ran inside. Seth was pacing pack and forth by the entrance of the emergency department with tears in his eyes. He was barely coherent and shaking. I knew Jasper had to be close by and helping, or he wouldn't have been nearly as calm as he was.
"Embry, please help her. They won't tell me anything. Th-there was just so much blood-" He collapsed to the ground and I caught him in my arms.
Charlie walked in behind me and wrapped his arm around Seth. He was sobbing so hard, I didn't think he could see. He fell back against Charlie and cried into his chest.
"I'll take care of him, Em." He assured me. "Go help your girl."
I was afraid to lose her before even having a chance to be with her, to give her a better life that the horrible hand she'd been dealt with Sam. Was she still alive? How bad was it?
I left Seth and walked through the doors of the emergency department. I could feel her before I could see her, and her screams halted my breathing. I saw Rosalie and Carlisle but I couldn't see Leah yet, and I was afraid to. Bleeding? He'd escalated. Seth was probably blaming himself for this, and I wasn't certain that he and all of us that knew the situation shouldn't be.
I was about to walk in the room when I got a text from Edward.
She still doesn't know about the pack. Do not tell her tonight.
The sight of Leah would haunt me for the rest of my life. Her skin was ripped apart from her cheek all the way down her arms. Blood soaked through her shirt and her pants. There were more gashes across her legs and on her torso, but they weren't all as deep as the one on her arms. Claw marks. The bastard had attacked her as his wolf.
The man and the wolf were different beings with different feelings. We could control ourselves for the most part, but Seth had insulted his imprint and outed him to the council. We had to know his wolf would react poorly.
The worst part was, she had no idea Sam had done this. She didn't fault him or blame him. She would think she was just attacked by an animal.
I ran in the room and reached for her hand. We hadn't talked since the gala, but I felt the sparks between us as our skin touched.
"Leah, it's going to be okay." I promised her.
She was sobbing. Her pain and the trauma she had faced were so overwhelming she couldn't form words right away. She held on to my hand like a lifeline.
Rosalie had finished cleaning her hand and I gently placed my lips to it. "What happened?" I asked her. Leah had started to calm down, and I wasn't sure if it was my touch or the pain medication that made her comfortable speaking.
She looked at the door, still terrified and a little unsure. It was open. Rosalie noticed and shut the door, locking it behind her.
"We're alone in here, Leah." I assured her. "You're safe with me, nobody will hear you."
She squeezed my hand tight. "I'm going to sound crazy, but promise me you'll believe me, Embry. I need you to believe me." Tears flowed from her eyes and her voice shook.
"Of course I will."
