Chapter 19 : Let Me In

By the time we got home from the post office I felt like my legs were on fire, I'd never ran for that long too and from all in one day. Why the hell did you insist on trying to keep up with him? I immediately crashed on the couch unable to stand for a moment longer when we finally reached our home. Elcrie set the fire and put a light blanket over me and I almost instantly fell asleep. When I woke it was morning and bright as could be in the living room. Elcrie was sitting with a cup of coffee and a book at the table and I could smell food on the stove, he must have eaten without me. My stomach yelled and Elcrie immediately got up to warm me a plate.

"You don't have to do that, I can warm my own food. Sit back down and I'll-" I tried to stand up and immediately fell back down, my legs are still incredibly sore from our run the day before.

"You know I can help you with that-" Elcrie began.

"Don't you dare." I warned from the ground, while dragging myself to the table.

It took an embarrassing amount of effort but I made it to my chair, as Elcrie placed a plate of food in front of me. I devoured it quickly knowing my body was tapped out from our journey. Elcrie got me another plate, this one fuller than the last, as soon as I had finished. Such a gentleman.

"So how'd the phone call go?"

"Um… Well… She uh… Didn't pick up." I replied, shoving my mouth full of food while staring into my plate to avoid eye contact.

"What?"

"She didn't pick up. Must not have been home." I said as I continued to eat.

"You were in the post office for an hour and a half Leah. Why didn't you tell me you needed more time? We could have stayed closer to town so you could have tried again today. I am so confused."

"Elcrie, it's really not that big of a deal. We will try again next week or something." I replied, shoving my mouth full once more.

"No."

"No?"

"No. Leah, you are going home. Today."

"What? What are you gonna kick me out?" I let out a short laugh but still did not look up from my plate as his tone became more serious.

"If I have to."

As he spoke those words, I knew they were a lie but I quickly lifted my head to meet his eyes now realizing he was clearly upset.

"Come on Elcrie… You're taking this too seriously, it's my family I can deal with this on my own time."

"Am I? Then tell me what this is." Elcrie said, slapping a missing persons poster with my face on it down in front of me. "You've had plenty of time. If I would have known you had an entire town nearly searching for you I would have found a way to contact them for you sooner. This is my fault… I knew you were important to someone, but I let my emotions get in the way of finding out who you are sooner… "

"What the hell is this? Where did you get this?" I replied in shock.

"Well when you want to go call our mother since you wouldn't let me inside, I decided to stop over at the farm, I asked them if they heard your name before and it took them all of 10 minutes to find you on something they call a computer."

"You gave them my name?!"

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't trust them and I knew you weren't telling me the whole truth about your mother wanting to see you."

"Elcrie-"

"I know you think I overstepped but look at this Leah! It's filled with letters from loved ones who are begging for your safe return! How could you-"

"This is none of your concern Elcrie!" I shouted.

"It is entirely my concern! You are my concern! My only one in the entire world! Why couldn't you be honest with me about this? Look at all these people who are hurting because you can't summon the courage to send them a damn phone!" He shouted back his voice on the verge of tears.

Elcrie had never shouted at me before, not even when I deserved it most. Even though I knew I didn't have the energy to spare I stood up and forced my legs out of the house and commanded my body to shift the second I was off the porch.

"Leah!" Elcrie shouted as I ran off, "Where are you going?" I could hardly hear him but as the distance grew I heard what sounded like the door slam and a loud howl that shook my entire body.

I froze for a moment at the tree line and watched as he phased and started to chase after me. I ran with what felt like four broken limbs but he caught up to me quickly of course. It didn't matter though we couldn't talk. Our wolf forms created a barrier and I intended on keeping it that way.

"Leah… I'm sorry for shouting. Some of these letters… They're just quite upsetting… Please talk to me." Elcrie said, shifting out of his wolf.

I ignored him and continued now at a walking pace, as running was far too hard, away from him.

"Leah come on, I know you're tired and I know your legs and arms are in pain. You have no idea how much self control it took for me to not heal you while you slept last night…"

I let out a low growl as he neared me once more.

"Alright, fine." Elcrie replied, stopping in his tracks. "If you want to stay here with me and never see your family again then that is entirely your prerogative. I just feel… Connected to these people because either your people… I'm so happy to know you're so loved.. But I shouldn't have overstepped and I will never pressure you into leaving again. I would never kick you out and I should never have insinuated such. Just please stop walking away."

I froze checking his heart rate to see if he was being honest, he was of course. I let my wolf go and struggled to stand up but as he took a step in my direction to help and I waved him off.

"So… Then we can… Still get married too? The way your people do." I looked into his eyes now slightly embarrassed but not enough to stop me from trying.

Elcrie let out a low growl and rubbed his hands over his face and then let out a small defeated laugh.

"You know what Leah?" Elcrie replied, throwing his hands to his side.

"What?" I replied, scared that I wasn't going to hear what I wanted to.

"If you can catch me. You can have me." He replied with a devious smile.

"What?"

"You heard me if you can catch me you can have me."

Elcries arms were folded now and his eyes were focused, he was challenging me.

"You know I can't."

"Let me heal you, I can take your leg and arm pain and it'll be a fair shot for you."

I contemplated not wanting to hurt him but not wanting to back down. I wanted to be his wife. Plu he made a good point, it would make a race between the two of us closer to fair. I noticed yesterday morning and afternoon he had slowed down some from running the day prior from what I remembered of him from our time in the woods together but he was still faster than me even with his own pain but with the addition of my own… Like he said I might have a fair shot.

"What's the catch?"

"If you lose, you go home and make things right with your family."

"And once I win?"

He laughed and closed his eyes as he continued, "IF you win, we can do whatever you want to do… For as long as you want to do it."

"Fine. Deal."

"Deal." Elcrie said as came towards me.

As he grabbed my waist I was surprised to see his hands turn black as he abordbed my pain, I'd never noticed that before. I only watched for a moment before the relief made my eyes roll to the back of my head as I fell into his arms. The moment he stepped away I met his eyes and then watched as he flexed and stretched his leg and arm muscles. As much sadness as it brought me, to know he was in pain, I still couldn't help but be excited to know that I might actually have a chance. Horny much Leah? Get a grip, if you're gonna win this you need to focus on his scent. Even with more speed he knows these woods much better than you do. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply and as a breeze brought his scent to me, it was almost like the forest wanted me to win.

"You're going down old man."

"I really think you're missing the point of all this Leah." Elcrie said, stepping back some.

"Run." I replied, looking him dead in the eyes, my body ready to shift and hunt him to the ends of the earth if need be.

On que he took off and I was thrilled to see how his speed had slowed as I watched him shift and run away. It wouldn't be completely impossible for me to catch up to him for a change. I decided to give him a small head start. My last kindness as his fiance. Plus what's the fun in the chase if I catch him immediately? This was my game now and I planned to win. I would be his wife by the end of the day and nothing he could do would change that. When he took my pain he sealed our fate and he knew that. Elcrie might not say it flat out but he wants this just as badly as I do. Run Leah, run!

I chased him through the woods for hours twice he evaded me but each time I had intentionally let him go in an attempt to tire him out further. My pain was gone, I was full enough, I could go all day. Elcrie on the other hand was breathing loudly and clearly slowing down considerably. He needed to hunt but he knew if he stopped to hunt he'd lose and he was far too confident in his ability to win to risk me catching up. I was stalking him now through the mountains. The day was coming to an end and I could hear his stomach growling as circled in on his location. I felt bad about the details surrounding my advantage but a deals a deal. I'll let him eat before we marry, I'm not that much of a monster. I could eat a bite too.

*Bom!*

This time I was quick enough as I had heard his heart beating behind the large tree that he had just hit and I evaded the snow and shifted into my human form as I slid back in the slushy ground. I could hear Elcrie heavily breathing in his human form at the base of the tree and I noticed he wasn't running away, I won.

"Nice try old man." I said with a smile as I walked over to him with my arms folded.

"You're not hungry?" Elcrie replied, now laying on the ground completely exhausted.

"I could eat. Stay here." I ordered, shifting back into my wolf to find us a meal.

Maybe two hours later I returned with dinner for us to split, a caribou that was more than enough for the two of us. I tore it in half and watched Elcrie roll over and shift into his wolf and we ate in silence. Once we were done my mind refocused. I had one goal tonight and that was to marry the man I love, Elcrie. Not in the western tradition sense but the way his people the Adlet wed, we were going to sleep together and be bonded for life. I had decided a while ago that that must be the Adlet version of imprinting the other half that he was missing to understand why we're so connected. This is how he would know exactly how I feel about him and he would feel the same way and I'd finally be at peace with the future of our relationship. Elcrie had said he intended on marrying me and I imagine once it was said and done he would never ask me to go home again and all would be forgotten. I am nervous though, Elcrei is huge. In every sense of the word on every single inch of his body. I'd never been with someone as big as him before and I was slightly terrified but the sooner we got over the initial shock to my body the better.

Once I finished eating I shifted back and cleaned my face and hands with the snow. I could hear Elcrie shift as well but he laid back on the tree where I had found him, covered in blood, making no effort to clean himself up. As his eyes closed I panicked. I made snowballs and began to throw them at him laughing as I did so.

"Come on old man, all of a sudden you don't wanna play anymore?" I said as I sat on his lap and kissed his lips. "I hope you don't think a little blood is going to change my mind."

He let out a small laugh before I put his lips back on mine. The passion began to intensify quickly and our hands searched each other's bodies with excitement. This thing is going to rip you in half Leah. My cheeks were red at the thought as I felt his manhood but my body was ready for whatever came next knowing if I felt pain, Elcrie would take it. This was going to be amazing no matter what. Elcrie rolled me onto my back and the weight of his body made my heart race as he kissed my neck I began to beg under my breath for him to start. As his breath became heavy I could hear his wolf growling from his chest. The sound was driving my whole body wild. Elcrie pulled himself up and controlled his breath for a moment.

"Leah?"

"Yes please!"

"No, Leah. I want to counter an offer on our deal."

"WHAT? A million times no! I won fair and square! Get inside me, now!" I snapped, wrapping my legs tightly around his waist as I pulled him closer and continued to kiss him gently.

He let out a small laugh and pulled back and I let a growl slip through my teeth.

"Just hear me out first, please."

OH COME ON! I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. Knowing if I said no again I might ruin the mood completely.

"Fine. What?"

Elcrie took a deep breath and sat me back on top of his lap. I kissed him again hoping he was just teasing but he continued, "Let me in."

"Yeah that's what I'm trying-"

"No, not in here." He smiled as he squeezed my ass. "In here." Elcrie closed his eyes as he touched our foreheads together.

He wants to hear my thoughts? Could we have done this this whole time? Did he know? Why is he only now saying something?

I reluctantly stood up conflicted by this information. Letting him in my head ment he could hear everything or most everything which might be too much, though I'm fairly certain he knows what's on my mind. On the other hand having access to his mind knowing how he feels, wow… That would be amazing. Or terrible. I pondered my options for a moment longer but in the end my curiosity won out and I took a deep breath and turned back to him. Elcrie looked peaceful, and happy but overall defeated by exhaustion. I realized I was asking too much of his body at this moment. I had chased him for hours. He was in pain, full from our meal and now exhausted from my chase. As badly as I wanted him, I'd want him even more the next day and the day after and so on.

"Okay. Deal but know this is all a lot more your loss then it is mine."

"You have no idea how aware I am of that."

I laughed as I sat down on his lap once more and opened my mind. Elcrie took a deep breath and opened his. It was insane. I felt like we were looking at each other's souls. The feeling was overwhelming and we both cried tears of joy as we held each other close. I was wrong before about sex being how he imprinted and I was right initially he had imprinted on me the day he found me dying in the water...

"How the hell did I miss that all this time?" I thought to myself, forgetting I wasn't alone anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me there was a word for this?" Elcrie said, kissing my hand as a tear fell from his eye.

"I didn't know if you'd understand how deep the word ran…"

"I do."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"Good, you should be."

"WHAT?" I laughed as I lightly punched him in the chest, he laughed with me.

"Can we go home now? Actually let me rephrase that: Can you drag me home now? I am so tired."

"No, you can walk." I replied getting up as I started to walk in the direction of our home. "Come on old man keep up!"

Elcrie groaned as he picked himself up and lightly jogged to meet my pace. I thought to race him but he told me he'd drop to the ground and sleep there if I did. I realized messing with him was going to be a lot harder at that moment but I was happy to be in his head. It was a wonderful place. All he ever thought about was me. I'd never felt so loved before.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I thought to myself, forgetting again that I wasn't alone.

"You didn't run at a time when running was easier, you stayed and fought. If you hadn't I never would have found you. I would have died, of that I'm sure." Elcrie disrupted my thoughts referencing how I had fought for my life in Canada where he found me.

He was right, even though it was completely unlike me, that's exactly what I had done… I could have tried to swim away in that moment and the Vam- Bloodsuckers would have drown me and I would never have gotten to meet-

"Tag you're it!" Elcrie shouted breaking me from my thoughts of the past, we were at the tree line now and he clearly had gotten some energy back.

"You're on old man!" I laughed as I chased him up to our home.