Complicated 09
By: I Should Be Sleeping (AKA: Moar Sleep)
Seth was a useless mess on the floor, rolling around like a hyena between greedy gasps of air.
Embry was not far behind as he was doubled over, clutching his stomach and letting out loud barks of laughter that echoed through the clearing.
"Is that even possible?" Asked Brady.
Collin shrugged his shoulders at his cousin, his face the picture of absolute bewilderment as his sharp gaze bounced between the still frozen Paul and the female wolf. Suddenly, a frightening thought crossed his mind. "Does that mean we could imprint on animals too?"
Brady was thrown completely for a loop and started to envision living in a den and hunting for food full time. "Wolves don't have opposable thumbs! How can I play Fortnite!?"
As the entire pack spiraled into a mix of horror, panic and chaos. Paul continued to stare at the female lupine on the other side of the clearing.
He would be lying if he did not find her beautiful, because even as a wolf she was incredibly lovely. As an artist, Paul had a very discerning eye when it came to beauty. He especially loved it in nature. The climbing peaks of a mountain. The gentle slope of the river-bend and the delicate curve of his wolf's muzzle.
His wolf?
His inner beast growled in possessive delight as the words echoed through his mind.
The man in him, on the other hand, was falling into what he assumed would be called a panic attack. Considering he had never had one, he could only imagine this is what going mad felt like.
Hermione, for her part, did her best to maintain a stoic expression. She had locked eyes briefly with one member of Quil's pack.
Handsome was an understatement.
To be honest, all of them were prime specimens of what the human race could only hope to attain. Large, muscled frames, broad shoulders and strong jaws.
The one she had been stunned momentarily by had all of the above and then some. There was something incredibly alluring about his deep hazel eyes and strong Roman nose. He had the features of a Roman conqueror with the bronzed skin of a gladiator and the build of a minotaur. She supposed she could continue to wax poetic about his physique, and given her vocabulary she could go on for days, but it was his aura that caught her unaware.
There was something magnetic about him. Her magic had been incredibly calmed upon entering La Push and this male caused her magic to stir in the most delightful of ways. It rolled over her like a gentle caress and her breath stalled for a second.
Merlin! Who was that man?
Shaking herself in what she hoped to look more canine than anything, she looked up to Quil steadily. Schooling her features into an expression reminiscent of her old Potions Master, she waited.
Quil was torn between shock and amusement. He thought about letting the charade continue on and Hermione looked utterly unimpressed with his pack-mates reactions. In fact, she was staring at him with a bit of condescending boredom that he had seen cross her features when Ron had talked about his super soft shirts!
Well shit! His friends were making him look bad!
"Ok ok ok! Wait a second! Pull it in and get it together! You are making us look bad!"
Sam narrowed his eyes at the female, his head tilted to the side as he observed her form.
Was it?
He took a deep breath and shook his head in surprise. Well, how about that? Unwittingly, an easy grin stretched across his lips that disturbed Jaccob beside him.
Jacob was not comfortable seeing Sam smile so openly. He was always so serious, even as a child, that he rarely offered such an open expression. It was only with Emily that you could see him truly light up like this, but Emily was currently inside. Therefore, it was a bit disconcerting to the younger Alpha wolf.
"What is even happening right now?" Jacob asked.
Seth inhaled and struggled to speak through continued fits of laughter. "What's happening is that Paul the ho just imprinted on a fucking animal! A real fucking wolf!"
Embry who had begun to gain a semblance of calm, cracked up again and started another bout of uncontrollable laughter.
Quil sighed. "Are you going to shift back or just sit there? Because it's kinda vindictive and I never took you as the spiteful type Hermione."
Hermione snorted. He obviously did not know her very well. She could be downright evil when she so chose. However, seeing that this was leading them absolutely nowhere she conceded to his statement.
The shift back was fluid, graceful even. It was almost as if water had poured over her being and transformed her into the petite human woman Quil had been joking around with for the past few days.
Quil looked panicked for a moment and had been ready to jump in front of her to protect her modesty. Then something registered in his brain. "Wait. Why aren't you naked?"
Hermione frowned at him in contemplation. "We really do need to address that. Why is it that your clothing does not shift with you?"
"She doesn't ruin her clothes? How is that even fair!?" Leah cried out, breaking the shocked trance from the rest of the members of the pack.
The silence was deafening considering that it was filled with uncontrollable laughter just moments ago. Hermione, seeing everyone staring at her, smiled it what she hoped was a welcoming manner. "Good evening."
"Good evening? That is all you have to say?" Quil asked incredulously.
"Well what else am I to say? It is a perfectly normal greeting," retorted Hermione.
As the two bantered between themselves, Paul felt his heart skip a few beats and stutter in an unsteady staccato. Was he having a fucking heart attack? Shit!
His mind was a whirlwind of emotion as he processed everything in front of him. He imprinted on a female wolf only to have her transform into that skinny piece of wild curls on legs and now she was talking in that fuck hot accent of hers and scolding Ateara.
He was pretty sure that was everything so far. Ah fuck, Jared was next to him and saying shit.
"Paul? Hey man, you ok?" He asked as he approached his longtime friend. The other pack members were focused on the petite brunette, but they were also casting covert looks at their newly imprinted brother.
"Fuck," said Paul, unable to really say anything else.
"If you're lucky, but she doesn't look like your usual type," replied Jared.
Paul swiveled his head towards the other wolf, his gaze narrowed. "Don't be saying shit like that about her."
Oh ho! Was Paul feeling possessive? This was new. He had watched countless women fall for his brother with ease and each and every single one of them were nothing to the other male. He was the type to have a good time and then move on.
Was it a dick move?
Yes.
Were these women victims?
Fuck nol
They knew exactly what they were getting into when they slept with Paul. He was blunt as they came and gave the no false promises. Some came back for a tumble, but most were shocked they could not tame him. Really, Paul was stubborn and nobody was going to change Paul unless it was Paul himself.
"She's a shifter," Paul said needlessly.
"Yea she is," replied Jared.
"Fucking thank the spirits!" He said after a moment.
Jared chuckled at his relief. Honestly, seeing Paul imprint on what they all thought was an actual wolf was the funniest shit he had ever seen in his life.
"Samuel, I cannot say I am surprised." Hermione said with an amused smirk. That caught everyone's attention as the tiny female easily addressed their eldest Alpha.
"I cannot say the same Hermione," said Sam with a small grin.
Hermione.
A Winter's Tale.
Daughter of Helen of Troy.
Paul's mind supplied him with various origins of the unique name, his memory recalling various myths and epic poems from his mother's collection of literature. Never had he been so thankful his mom read that flowery shit to him.
"From A Winter's Tale actually," said Hermione with a pleased smile that lit up her entire face and caused Paul's mind to go blank.
Fuck!
Did he say that shit out loud?
"How do you know all of that?" Brady asked as he stared at him as if he grew a second head.
Paul ignored the question from Brady and instead looked at this tiny female beaming beautifully at his correct assumption.
Fuck.
Hermione frowned.
Paul cursed inwardly.
Did he say that shit out loud too!?
Judging from Jared's shaking shoulders at his side, the answer was probably yes.
Sam seeing the myriad of reactions her presence was now causing, gestured towards his home. "Please come in Hermione. We have a lot of discuss."
The witch let out a long breath as she tore her eyes away from one particular male that had caught her attention amongst the entire group, before Sam spoke.
Shaking herself free of her wandering thoughts she nodded to the large male on the porch. "Yes. We do."
Emily Uley stared at the young woman accompanying her mate.
Tiny was the word.
She reminded Emily of the delicate ballerina from her childhood music box, twirling gracefully on pointed shoes. Her wild curls surrounded her frame in an untamable cloud and probably acted as a deterrence of sorts in order to make her small frame seem larger than it actually was. Despite this, there was something foreboding about her. Something that told her that this woman was more than appeared.
Welcoming her husband with a chaste kiss, she kept her gaze locked on the petite female. "Sam. Introductions please?"
"Emily. Hermione. Hermione, my mate and wife Emily."
The witch knew that Sam was making Emily's position within the pack irrefutable.
Alpha female.
His steady gaze also told her that should she even think of harming her, he would rip her throat out. She met his stare and nodded ever so slightly in acknowledgement.
Sam seemed appeased by the action and smiled at his wife. "Hermione is the newest resident of La Push."
"Oh, thank you!"
The brunette was confused. What was she being thanked for?
Emily, seeing her bewilderment, smiled softly. "I work with the younger children at the local school. Since we have such a small number of students, we divide our grades into manageable sections between younger and older children. Brady and Collin are part of the older group of kids and are set to graduate soon. Anyways, your donation has allowed us to finally buy much needed materials like new books, better quality equipment and even a few new desktops for our computer lab!"
Hearing all of the good that Harry's charity produced was rather humbling. As a decorated war hero, she was very well off. In addition, her father Harvard Granger, was actually part of the English peerage and held a title. He rarely used it, but he came from old money and she was no stranger to charity dinners and events. Technically, she held that title now. The Queen herself was very aware of Hermione, Harry and Ron and awarded them with a Victoria's Cross in addition to the Order of Merlin: First Class they had been bequeathed the week previous.
Charity and donations were something her parents always supported. However, it was so disconnected. She had never really witnessed firsthand how much good monetary assistances could make. It was truly wonderful, and Hermione was deeply touched.
Stepping towards the older woman, Hermione smiled gently and reached for her hands. "Emily. The money was given by my friend Harry because he knows how much I value education. If we had been aware how much it helped, I would have added to it myself. Nothing is more important than educating the future generation and if you ever are in need, please do not hesitate to ask. Whether it be time, money or even help making lesson plans, I would love to be involved in the community. I am really liking it here."
Emily was amazed. Hermione was one of those people that you knew came from money. The curly haired brunette had a certain elegance that could only be bred from station and wealth. It was something she and many others on the reservation could spot whenever tourists came rolling through. However, unlike her arrogant counterparts, Hermione did not seem condescending. The tiny brunette was absolutely genuine and very open. It was refreshing to have another so passionate about learning.
And not once had she flinched or looked away from her scarred face. In fact, Hermione treated her as if she were simply another person. Everyone, including Sam, had winced at some point or another. It took ages for even Kim to look at her without frowning in sympathy.
Yet, here was this stranger making direct eye contact and not once batting and eye. It was such a simple thing and it completely overwhelmed her. Unwittingly, tears stated streaming down her face and before Sam could bite out a growl, Emily embraced the tiny woman.
Hermione was a bit startled by the action and looked to Sam in alarm. Sam's puzzled expression was her only answer and all the brunette could do was allow her to cry. "Hey, it's ok," she soothed the older woman gently.
"Thank you Hermione," said Emily after gathering herself and falling back into Sam's welcomed embrace. "I know it is not easy to ignore, but you are the first person to just meet me and not stare."
At this, Hermione finally understood. Of course she noticed Emily's scars and it did not take a genius to connect how that happened. However, it was not her place to question. More importantly, she was very familiar with scars. She and many of her friends carried them.
Professor Lupin had held various scars that littered his body from head to toe. Harry still had the faint trace of his lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Ron had a nasty one that ran down his chin towards his neck. She, herself, had been carved into, burned, clawed and maimed. Her entire body was a roadmap that showed her triumph and strength. She did not see them as problems, but it did take time for her to accept them.
"Emily," Hermione began, "you cannot see it, but I am also a bit banged up. I have a past and I did not come out of it unscathed so trust me, I understand where you are coming from."
At this, she pulled down the neck of her shirt to showcase the deep wound of Dolohov's failed curse that nearly bisected her body. Still an angry reddish color, it looked fresh due to the nature and intent of the dark spell. It started at her right clavicle and disappeared into the fabric of her top. "This is one of many."
At that, a fierce growl echoed through the house as Paul's body began to vibrate violently. His eyes flashed an eerie gold and his canines sharpened to a point. His voice was guttural, caught between man and wolf, as he bit out the next few words. "Who the fuck is responsible for that?"
AN:
Sorry for the late update. RL is busy and I have not been in the mood to write as much! Trying to get inspiration so hopefully it will come to me.
Speaking of, is there anything interesting you are hoping will happen? LMK!
Thanks for the reviews!
- Me