Embry

Jake hadn't screamed or phased. I was shocked. I hadn't expected him or Billy to seriously consider my family's proposal, but it seemed they were.

"Could you all give us a few minutes?" Billy asked. "Except for Embry, of course."

I wasn't sure why I was being included, but I assumed it was because of my ties to the Cullen family.

"You can't actually be considering this." Harry said.

Billy's head snapped toward him so quickly I would've missed the movement if I hadn't been watching so intently. "Wouldn't you be if it were Leah? Or Bella, Charlie?"

Both of the men held their hands up in defeat and backed away. I knew this wouldn't be the last we heard from the council on the matter, but that was hardly my problem to worry about.

"I'll have Old Quil ready for an emergency meeting." Harry commented.

"Don't bother." Billy replied. "This is no business of the council's." He turned to Edward. "Get Carlisle here, now."

Quil started to get in Seth's car to leave but Jake stopped him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He demanded.

Quil shrugged. "He said everyone but Embry needed to go."

"Didn't think I had to tell you to stay." Billy responded. "Besides, telling you to leave has never worked before."

Jake sat on the ground next to Quil and I and talked through some of the potential ramifications if they accepted Carlisle's offer. The council was the least of our worries. The treaty would be broken, and anyone that heard Rachel was injured would have to be told the truth. Jake swore only Rebecca knew and she hadn't told anyone else about her sister's condition. She had only told Jake it was bad. The doctor hadn't released any information to Rebecca because Billy had a medical power of attorney for his daughter. He and Jake were the only ones who knew she'd been declared brain dead, and of course the rest of the pack. I quickly sent out a group text to the pack instructing them not to share Rachel's prognosis with anyone until Jake made it to Hawaii to confirm it himself.

Jake was warring with himself on what decision to make, and finally admitted he'd defer to his father's judgment. It was a huge decision, whether or not to turn his sister. Carlisle showed up in Esme's car and offered Billy a ride back to our family home. This wasn't a conversation to be had in the woods, anyway.

I phased and ran with the guys. Edward and Alice opted to ride in the car with them, which I could only assume was to give us privacy as Jake thought everything over. My heart sank when I made it to our house and saw Rosalie sitting on the porch steps.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. "You were supposed to be with Leah."

Her glare was hard and it didn't feel like my sister I was in front of. "Seth is with her. I needed to be here."

Rosalie had very strong feelings about humanity. She never would've chosen the life she was given, and she didn't believe anyone else should choose it either. I knew she was here to sway Jake and Billy out of this decision. I didn't argue with her, it was pointless. Instead, I followed the guys into the house. Esme had made food in anticipation of our visit and I took some even though I didn't feel like eating. Quil did too, but he always felt like eating.

We sat around our large, unused dining table, and I still couldn't wrap my head around the situation at hand. I was genuinely surprised nobody had told Carlisle to go to hell yet.

"Tell me how this would work." Billy said. "I need to know everything. I'm assuming the details of your offer have been thought out carefully."

Jasper spoke up. "We actually have some questions first. How much does Rachel know?"

"As little as possible." Quil answered. "She's heard the legends, doesn't know they're true."

I hated those rules. Rachel was the chief's daughter, there was no reason she had to be kept in the dark. I felt the same way about Leah.

He nodded. Alice spoke next. "I have seen her being like us. Carlisle wasn't sure that venom could overcome brain damage, but it can."

"We have to make sure it's what she wants," Rosalie said. "And that you both understand the magnitude of this decision. She'll never age. She'll never have children. She'll outlive everyone she's ever known."

"But she'll live." Jake said. "I know none of you know me well, but I lost my mother at a young age. I lost Bella because I phased. I lost Rebecca when she met her husband in Hawaii. I can't lose Rach, too."

I hadn't ever understood the magnitude of Jake's grief. I had lost my mother, too, but I found solace in my new adoptive family. It hadn't been an easy loss, but I hadn't been dealt a hand as bad as Jake's.

"Carlisle," Billy said. "We've made our choice. Tell me what happens next."

"There's more you should know." Emmett said.

He glared at Alice and she eventually spoke. "Rachel wasn't just like us in my vision, she was with us."

"What does that mean?" Jake asked. "Like she'll live with you?"

"With me." Edward answered. "Alice's vision tells us your sister is my mate."

I braced myself for him to phase, or react poorly, but he didn't.

"My sister was married to the devil himself-"

"Ha, she's not married to Sam." Quil interrupted.

That stung. Leah was married to someone worse than the man Jake considered to be 'the devil himself'.

Jake slapped the back of his head and kept talking. "I still feel uneasy about our alliance at times, but you can't be worse than Paul. My brother trusts you, so I trust you. Besides, from what I've heard of newborn vampires she'll be able to kick your ass herself if she needs to."

"Alright, then." Carlisle said. "Let's make a plan to get her here."

Carlisle and Edward left alongside Billy and Jake hours after our meeting. Esme insisted I sleep in my own bed before going back to Leah the next morning. Quil stayed at my house at Esme's demand that we needed to be together for safety and to provide support for one another. He promised her he'd stay with me until our alpha returned.

I woke up the next morning dreading my shift. Carlisle's leave of absence meant another doctor would be taking over Leah's care, and she'd already been there longer than most would've kept her. I knew there would be a discharge order for her as soon as I got there.

I had missed calls from every council member, but Billy had told us to ignore them. Quil was beta of our pack, and he'd be taking over in Jake's absence.

Quil had ran here, so he drove me to work so he'd have my car to get back to the rez. He was usually talkative, but he'd been quiet since Jake left.

Jasper and Rosalie were waiting for me by the doors to the hospital, but he didn't have bad news this time. Jasper was following Rosalie everywhere to keep her calm, but it wasn't really working. We went straight to Leah's room where a nurse was working on her discharge.

"Good morning, Dr. Call," she greeted me. "Leah is being discharged, I can handle this myself."

I rolled my eyes. "Leah is family, I'm not here in a professional capacity." I said, dismissing her.

She frowned and left the room, telling us she'd be back with the paperwork.

Leah was dressed in regular clothes and she looked absolutely pitiful. It broke my heart to see her this way.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. I knew she didn't want to go home.

A tear streamed down her cheek. "I won't get to see you every day anymore. I won't be back to work for awhile."

I sat down next to her and laced my fingers with hers. "Why would you think that? You'll see me anytime you want to, I promise."

She shook her head. "You can't come to my house, Paul is staying there. Sam will be home soon, I'm sure."

"You could stay at Seth's." I suggested. "He doesn't live far from me, and you'll have to be in Forks for follow up appointments anyway."

She didn't respond for a moment, contemplating what I'd said. "That could work." She whispered. "But what about when Sam gets released?"

I squeezed her hand. "We'll cross that road when we get there. I'll be right back."

I went to find the attending on the shift. My confidence dropped to when I saw the name scribbled on the schedule where Carlisle's had been crossed out. Dr. Hawkins thought I was a hotshot from Harvard and we had quite a few run ins in the few short weeks I'd been here. He wasn't going to be easy to convince that I needed the day off, but I didn't care. I'd give up my residency for Leah if I had to.

I found Dr. Hawkins behind the nurse's station just outside of Leah's room and he handed me a chart as I approached him.

"Need you to take care of my rounds, Harvard," he barked at me. "Unless you're afraid to ruin your manicure."

If only this asshole knew I wasn't a privileged Ivy League kid. Even with Carlisle's money and resources, I'd been seen as the poor rez kid there. It was clear that I was behind my peers in every way that mattered. Dr. Hawkins wouldn't ever get to know me, though. He didn't like Carlisle either, and that didn't help my case.

"I actually need to take the day off." I told him. "I have a family emergency."

He scoffed. "Are you joking? Cullen is out for a suspicious family emergency, too. Is yours the married woman you're so fond of that I'm discharging? I do know Leah, you know. I've met her husband, too. I don't know why she'd leave someone like Sam for you."

I hated what he was implying, but I understood how things looked from the outside looking in. My blood boiled at the implication that Sam was better for Leah than I was, but I wouldn't let this asshole get the best of me.

"Hospital policy allows me to take leave without notice in the case of a family emergency and doesn't require verification unless the absence spans more than three shifts. I'll be going now." I shoved the chart back at him and walked toward Leah.

"You leave and you're done." He called behind me. "Carlisle won't be able to reinstate you, either."

I knew he didn't have the power to fire me, so I kept walking. Even if he did, Carlisle could reinstate me when he returned. Hawkins was just blowing smoke. I didn't bother turning around to face him again and went straight to Leah's room. She was already in a wheelchair, but there were tears streaming down her face.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I knelt next to her and kissed her face.

She shook her head. "You can't lose your job for me, Embry. I heard what Hawkins said, you have to stay and work your shift."

Jasper pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at me with defeat in his eyes. "She's right, Em. I'm not so sure Carlisle can have you reinstated if you leave."

Leah didn't know that Jasper wasn't just guessing, but I did. Alice must have seen it. Seth was fine with my family, but if they were at his house with Leah it would be too suspicious to Sam's pack. Bella had to work today, too. I wanted to go anyway, even knowing my career was over. I wanted to throw it all away for Leah. But, I looked down at my wrist the way I always did when I had a tough day at work and remembered why I was doing all of this. Lucy didn't know I was a doctor, but it still felt like I'd be letting her down if I walked away now.

I smiled at Leah. "Don't worry, darling. You won't be alone, and I'll be there with you as soon as I'm off. Just wait here."

She wouldn't like her company for the day, but she'd be safe until I could get home to her.

Leah POV

I second guessed my trust in Embry after I saw who was taking me to Seth's house to keep me company. I didn't know Quil Ateara very well, and this afternoon had reminded me why.

Between being mangled half to death by my werewolf husband and still having a broken wrist, I wasn't capable of doing much other than lying on the couch. Dr. Hawkins had given me pain medication when he discharged me, but I wanted to only take it when I had to. The headache Quil was giving me made me want to grab the bottle.

"Soooooo, did you love it?" Quil said as the credits rolled for Mean Girls.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I've seen this movie dozens of times, Quil. You didn't introduce me to it."

He looked offended as he muttered his response. "Boo, you whore. Should we try a game instead?"

"My wrist is broken." I reminded him.

He slouched back against the couch in defeat, but jumped up out of his seat only a moment later. "I've got an idea!" He yelled as he ran back towards Seth's room.

He started plugging up the game that I'd just told him I didn't feel like playing, and came back to the couch with only one controller and a headset.

I laughed at him. "Was the idea for you to keep yourself preoccupied so I could take a nap?"

"No, it's better than a nap!" He handed me the headset. "You're going to talk shit for me. I'm really good at this game, but I let people get under my skin. If you do my shit talking, I won't hear what they say and I won't get mad. Plus, this way they think they got their asses kicked by a girl."

I laughed so hard it hurt. This sounded like an idea Seth would have, and I was surprisingly excited for it. I used to play games with Sam, Paul, and Seth, so I knew exactly what to say to get under the other players skin.

Quil and I worked wonderfully together and each time we won the victory was sweeter. I was convinced we were playing with a bunch of twelve year olds, but they were all sore losers, especially when they were losing to a girl.

We took a break when Quil ordered us pizza. He didn't know how to cook, and I would've been worthless in the kitchen if I were able to make it there. Seth stopped by and ate with us, too. We told him about our morning and all of the fun we'd had playing their favorite game.

"Sethy," I greeted him. "One of the nurses asked me to give you her number the other day. She's really sweet, you should call her."

His face hardened. "I don't date, Leah." He didn't say anything else in the subject.

Quil lightened the mood back up and told Seth an animated story about a fight he'd had with a stray cat at the garage he runs with Jacob on the rez. I was finding it hard to be around Quil without laughing, and I thrived in the positive environment he created.

Seth looked nervous after he ate. I could always pick up on my little brothers mannerisms.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. "You seem nervous. Did I upset you when I asked you about the nurse?"

He rubbed his hands together, his go-to nervous tick. "No, it's not that. Mom and Emily want to come to visit you this afternoon."

I had dreaded seeing them, but Quil was here. It would be okay. I wanted so badly to ask Seth to stay, but I didn't.

Quil put his hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Lee. I won't leave my gaming partner behind."

I knew he wouldn't leave, but I wasn't ready yet. "What about tomorrow instead?"

Seth nodded. "I'll tell them."

I hesitated before muttering my next question. Mostly because I was afraid of the answer. "Have you heard anything about Sam?"

Seth hung his head. "It's a damn miracle they've held him as long as they have for his first offense. The judge told Charlie today he may be forced to lower the bail." His expression hardened. "Emily has been trying to come up with the money to bail him out. He may get out today, but I'll let you know if he does."

That did it for me. I felt an overwhelming sense of panic. I was hyperventilating and I couldn't form real words, but I pointed toward my purse and Quil handed it to me. How could they already be letting Sam out? Had Emily been in contact with him? I took an anxiety pill and Seth held my hand until my breathing slowed. I was embarrassed to have a panic attack in front of Quil who I didn't know very well, but he didn't seem to mind. He actually seemed concerned, which was more than I was used to from Sam and Paul.

Seth went back to work once I'd calmed down completely and the rest of the day with Quil flew by. We filled the time with lots of gaming, snacks, and another chick flick. I could see why he and Embry were so close. Embry wasn't as goofy or childish, but they were both soft and empathetic. I'd never felt this way around Sam's friends. It was nice.

It was almost time for Embry to be off work and Quil paused our movie and looked over at me.

"I shouldn't be saying what I'm about to say, Leah." He started. "But, we've had a really good day together and I feel horrible about the situation you're in."

I wasn't sure what to expect from Quil. I knew very little about him, but I trusted him. I didn't know what to say, so I gave him a slight nod.

"I heard you have some questions about the council." He sighed.

I hesitated before I answered. Had Embry told him what I said? He told me that I didn't need to know.

"Who told you that?"

He chuckled. "It doesn't matter, Leah. You know and I know you were attacked by Sam. I'd have questions if I were you." He sighed. "We're in a unique situation right now. Jake is gone, so I'm filling in for him. I can tell you whatever you want to know, but this is a one time offer. As soon as he's back I'll be sworn to secrecy and if Sam is out soon, we may not be alone together again."

I had millions of questions but Embry's warning echoed through my head. Did I want to risk changing things between us? I decided against my better judgement to at least get clarification on a few things.

"Where is Jake?" This one I was just nosy about.

"Nice try. I'm not telling you his personal business. Anything that pertains to you or Sam I'll share, though."

"Are you all wolves?" I asked.

His brow furrowed. "Define 'you all'."

"You, Sam, Paul, Embry, Seth.."

He nodded. "Jake and Jared, too."

"Seth told me he doesn't report to Sam. How does that work? Who do you report to?"

He stiffened. "Traditionally every pack has had one alpha, the leader, and a beta, essentially their back up. Sam did something that made Jake so angry he refused to follow him any longer. The Black line has always been the alpha line, Sam was only in charge because he phased first. He didn't want to fight Sam, and Sam wouldn't submit, so we split in to two packs. I'm sure you can tell who is in which pack. Both packs report to the council. Billy, my grandpa, and your dad."

I nodded. Sam's had to just be him, Paul, and Jared.

"Are the rest of the legends true?"

"They're all true." He confirmed.

"So, the Cullen's.."

He gave me a simple nod. "You know what they are, Lee. Ask me what you really want to know."

I sighed. I wanted to know why Sam attacked me as the wolf. I wanted to know anything Quil knew about him. But I didn't know how to ask.

"Does Sam hate me because he's a wolf or because of what we've been through? Do you know?"

"The wolf and the man aren't the same. Usually they're on the same page, but when they're not it's like half of your soul is at war with the other half." He explained.

"So half of Sam hates me?"

He nodded. "The wolf despises you, Leah. There's no way to change its mind, and that's why you're not safe with him."

I slouched back and took in the information. "So no matter what I do, Sam will never love me again? It's a magic thing that has to do with him being a wolf?"

"More like a 'genetic' thing, but yes. You're not the wolf's mate, even if you are Sam's wife."

Genetic? Being a wolf wasn't just genetic, but also who your mate was?

"How the hell is it genetic? Does the wolf choose your 'mate'?"

"Sort of." He said. "You must not remember that part of the legends."

I did remember. Imprinting. Sam used to tell me that's how he knew the legends weren't true, because there's no way the spirits would force two people together. It made sense now, the reason Seth had snapped at me when I mentioned him dating someone.

"Imprinting," I whispered. "I do remember. Has Sam imprinted?"

Quil nodded slowly. "I don't want to hurt you, Leah, but please believe me. You have to get away from him. His wolf is losing it. Jake is the only one that can face him and win, and he's gone. If Sam is released, you can't go home. I won't be able to protect you, and neither can the Cullens. Edward and Carlisle are gone too, and Embry told me earlier Jasper is leaving tomorrow."

"So Jake was the silver wolf?" He had to have been, if he was the only one that could stand against Sam.

Quil shook his head. "No, we aren't sure how that worked. I can't tell you who the silver wolf is, I'm sorry."

"I need to get out of here before Embry gets here." I said, trying to stand up.

Quil gently pushed me back down. "You're safe with Em, Leah."

I knew Embry wouldn't hurt me physically. But if the spirits had decided I wasn't good enough for Sam, who was to say the same thing wouldn't happen with Embry? We'd been taught wolves imprinted to make sure the gene was carried on. If that was the case, how could any wolf imprint on an infertile woman?

"I can't lose him too, Quil," I said through the tears. "I have to leave before he imprints, too."

He grabbed my hand. "Hey, look at me." His soft expression was replaced with a serious gaze. "You do not have to worry about that with Embry. Me, Embry, Jake, Seth, we'll never leave you. Embry will never hurt you, I promise."

I wanted to believe him, but how could I? How could I know he wouldn't imprint?

"You swear to me Embry won't imprint on someone else? You're certain of that?"

He nodded. "I am. Do not let this worry you, Leah. The important thing is that we get you away from Sam safely."

I still wasn't convinced, and I was honestly angry. How was it up to the spirits to decide who they could love? It wasn't fair.

I didn't say anything else to Quil and quietly waited for Embry to get there. Who could Sam's imprint be? Had he cheated on me? I didn't think he would, but I also didn't think he'd ever turn in to a giant wolf and attack me. My head was swimming.

Quil went over some other basics with me. They could hear each other's thoughts when they were phased. They healed quickly. They were always hot, and they had big appetites. They also had very quick tempers. All of these things made sense for Sam and Paul, but I never would've known Embry or Seth were any different.

Embry called Quil and told him he was going to the diner to pick up food before he came home. Seth was due to be off soon too, and we'd all get to eat together. I needed something to distract me from my thoughts, so I convinced Quil to play more of the game. We were still playing when Embry came in. He dropped the bags of food down on the table and I could hear his laughter over the headset. I muted myself and slipped it off my head.

"What's so funny?" I asked between my own chuckles.

He shook his head. "This is the most Quil thing I've ever seen. Did you watch mean girls, too?"

"Sorry, Call, you can't sit with us." Quil chided.

I loved seeing the easy relationship between the two of them. Paul and Sam's friendship had been tainted by their constant anger Lately, it seemed they were drifting apart and I noticed they didn't really have fun together anymore. But they were too used to each other's company to do anything else.

Seth arrived a few minutes later in a pink Forks PD shirt. Embry looked at Quil and back to Seth, but didn't say anything.

"It's Wednesday," Seth explained. "On Wednesdays we wear pink."

Seth and Embry both told us about their days. It wasn't usually busy in Forks, but today had been eventful for both of them.

"How's Rosalie?" I asked. "Quil told me Edward and Carlisle are out of town, and that Jasper is leaving soon."

Embry glared at his friend before responding. "She's good. She misses you. I'm hoping my brothers won't be gone too long."

"Where did they go?" Rosalie would probably tell me if I asked, but I wasn't reaching out just to be nosy.

"Carlisle was asked to go to Hawaii to do an operation." Embry answered through gritted teeth. I could tell he was tense.

Hawaii was where Rachel was. Had something happened to her? Jake was gone too, so it would make sense.

"Rachel?" I questioned.

Embry's hand shook and he threw his fork down. I jumped as it clattered against his plate. I knew I was safe, but witnessing anyone's anger scared me.

"How much did you fucking tell her, Ateara?" Embry snapped. I tried not to think into his temper too much. I knew it came with being a wolf, and half of his family had left.

"Paul is the one that told me she was in Hawaii." I defended him. "If you didn't want me to make the connection, you shouldn't have told me that's where the Cullens are. He didn't tell me that, either."

Embry's harsh expression softened. "You're right, Leah. I'm just going to be honest with you. Rachel was in an accident. My family left with Jake and Billy to see if they could... help."

"Help?" I asked in a small voice. The pieces fell into place quickly in my mind. They weren't going to operate on her, they were going to turn her. "By making her one of them?"

Seth answered me this time. "I'd make the same decision Jake did if it was you, Leah. I wouldn't be able to sit back while you die."

I didn't disagree with what they were doing, but I wondered how Paul would take it. I also wondered what it would do to his new relationship with Bella when Rachel came back with the Cullens. My gut instinct was that Bella was Paul's imprint. My mind was in overdrive making connections as I wondered how I hadn't put this all together before. All the pieces were starting to fit. I didn't ask the guys about Paul and Bella, feeling confident that I already knew the answer to my question.

We finished eating and Quil asked Seth for a ride to the garage so he could finish a quick job for someone. They were closed while Jake was gone, but he wanted to finish a job that was promised to a customer to be completed the day after tomorrow. It was nice of him. Seth told me as they were leaving that Quil and Embry were going to stay with us while I was there, so they'd be back.

Embry cleaned the kitchen quietly and didn't say much. I could tell something was weighing on his mind, but whatever it was stayed in his head.

"Tell me what's wrong, Em," I said. "I can tell something's not right."

He sighed. "I don't want to be mad at Quil, but I really didn't want you to know anything more about the pack yet. You can't be around me if you go back to Sam, and I don't want you to feel bad. I don't want you to think you don't have a choice, because you do."

My heart started to race as I took in what he was saying. I had a choice? I would feel bad?

"What are you saying?" I asked him with a shaky voice.

He sat down and held my hand. "I want you to know that imprinting be damned, you and Sam can still be together if you want to be. I hope that you make the choice that will keep you safe, but you can still choose him, Leah."

There was a knock at the door before I could respond to him. Embry peeked out the window behind us before he went to open the door.

"Speak of the fucking devil," he muttered under his breath. He leaned in close to me and whispered. "If you don't want company, pretend you're asleep." He pulled the cover on the couch over me before strolling to the door.

Speak of the devil, was Sam here? He wouldn't give a shit if I was sleeping. Embry sighed loudly before he opened the door, but I barely heard it over the sound of my own heart beating out of my chest.

"Embry," I heard my mom's voice and breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. We know Leah said she wasn't up for company, but I wanted to make sure she and Seth had something to eat. I wasn't expecting you to be here, but there is plenty."

We? Who was with her?

"Thank you, Sue," Embry responded softly. "Leah's sleeping right now, but I can put this up for her so it will stay warm. I'm staying with Seth while my HVAC is being repaired. Quil is, too, but he and Seth just left."

"Of course she'd be sleeping." Emily responded. "You see this? Our Sam is in jail and instead of scraping together bail she's sleeping."

The pieces fell into place when I heard her voice. The 'devil' wasn't Sam, it was her. The way she called Sam ours sent a chill down my spine. Everything suddenly made sense; Emily was Sam's imprint.