PSA: The more mature content will begin in this chapter!
If anyone is uncomfortable with graphic content I advise to skip.

Embry's POV

"I need you to take an extra shift." Sam decides.

"Me?" Paul asks around a mouthful of food.

"Or me?" I question, wrist deep in a box of pop tarts.

Paul and I have just gotten back from patrol to Emily's house. It's late, the kind of late that had Emily in bed hours ago. We stopped by hungry and needing to eat something before heading home, the run tiring us out. Sam was still up when we came over, us assuming he stayed up to say a job well done or to offer us to crash instead of having to go home so late like he usually does after a late shift.

We were wrong.

Sam thinks our question over, flipping through the calendar hanging on the inner door of Emily's cabinet he uses to keep track of all our patrols. We should use a more organized system, but we're all use to Sam marking up the calendar with our initials in marker then telling us later when and how we'll be patrolling for the week.

"Embry." Sam finalizes. "You'll be working extra shifts with Leah this week."

"Okay." It takes a lot of effort to stifle down a sigh and to just nod. This extra shifts takes away the only two days off I had this week. They weren't the weekend or even two days off in a row, but I tried to setting up at least one day a week to align with Winnie's days off on Thursday while also trying for Mondays so I can help my mom at home or whatever needs to get done. I already work my ass to see Winnie once a week.

"I can take a few extra shifts." Paul offers. Sam's eyes have that serious look to them as he looks us over, looking at us like he's seeing everything we've ever done wrong in our lives rather than through us.

"Paul, you said you were going to help Quil build a tree house for Emily's niece Claire. You'll be working at Emily's sister's house all week up at the Makah reservation." Sam reminds him. Ah, I get it now. The extra's shifts with Leah were originally Quil's. Since he's so great with kids, Quil is Claire's favorite babysitter and Emily's sister loves that Quil is the only one to make the drive for eight bucks an hour.

"I'll be back home after," Paul shrugs.

"You'll be too tired after. Either you'll sleep in and miss going with Quil. Or skip the shift because you crashed from a nap." Sam grunts, drawing my initials in with permeant marker to ensure the matter is final.

"Our metabolism doesn't let us drink coffee." Paul mutters with a cross of his arms.

"Paul, I need to talk to Embry." The seriousness in Sam's voice did the impossible and ruined my appetite. A sense of doom bolted down my spin and hit my stomach. All I could left was hand off my poptarts to Paul to finish since he didn't seem to notice the determined set to Sam's jaw or the more irritated gleam in his eyes.

"Whatever, I'll go finish my food in the living roo—" Paul's halfway to the couch when Sam gets to the point.

"Paul," The warning tone in Sam's voice is considerably kinder than the impatience under his words. Sam dismisses Paul with a tight jerk of his chin that signals 'go home.' "You should head home and get some sleep."

Paul gets the hint.

The room goes silent. For a second, I wasn't sure if Paul is going to tell Sam he's an asshole for kicking him out or threaten to tell Emily or even start shifting. A bruised look crosses over Paul's features, his jaw moving and clamping, and we can see how hard he's trying to think before he speaks.

"You could have just asked me." Paul finally gets out, giving Sam a disappointed shake of his head. The measured tone wasn't like Paul, it wasn't his usual heated curse or angry bark, but Paul's bluntness is still there. Bowing out, Paul exits the house through the way we came, only sparing me a quiet goodnight before shutting the sliding door quietly after him.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow." Sam promises more to himself than me. The way he says 'talk to' rather than apologize sounds like Sam is going to parent Paul when he should do what he can to smooth things over.

"I feel like I should be standing for this." Sam can't help the brooding, so I meet him halfway and stand at my full height. The two inches between our height difference completely re-kilter the pressure in the room. Whatever Sam is about to say to me, I don't want to be spoken down at. I rather he say face to face, man to man.

Sam has always been short with his words. His position as alpha of the pack never helping to lighten his words. At one point, we all needed that discipline and structure, with Sam trying his best to keep a pack of high schoolers in order—and alive.

But we're not high schoolers anymore.

Jacob was one the first ones that didn't like the way Sam spoke to us, nearly spitting our pack in two when he wanted to defend Bella when she got pregnant. Second to Leah who never let Sam order her around. While Paul still might appreciate Sam's fathering tone, Sam can't parent me like the rest when we might be brothers.

My mom never admitted who she followed to La Push from the Makah reservation, only to abandoned her when she was pregnant-who was it that gave me the wolf gene. It wasn't Jacob's dad, Billy. Maybe it was Quil the 4th, Quil's dad, but everyone knows he would never have cheated on his wife Joy. But Joshua Uley was known to get around before he took off to where most people believe was the Makah reservation.

That what if always swirled between Sam and I. We ignored it most of the time, but in moments like this it's just there lingering between us.

"We need to have a discussion about you and Winnie." Sam comes right out with it. No beating around the push.

"What about Winnie?" I have no reason to be upset, but I don't appreciate how whatever the problem is, it's about my girlfriend.

"Now that you've imprinted, you can't slack on your duties, Embry. Jared and I still manage our responsibilities even with our relationships. You can't let the pull distract you."

"I'm not distracted." I cooly state, but I have to put my all into the calmness in my voice. There's a matching effort to keep calm between Sam and I. Both of us thinking over our words, both of us trying to stand straight and commanding, with our shoulders back. Both of us trying to keep the impulsiveness out of words.

Paul's words from the beach come back to my mind. "Out of all of us, you have the best control. Give it a year, and you'll have better control than all of us, even Sam." Paul's faith in me grounds me and suddenly it's easier to think.

"I know how much you rather be with Winnie than patrolling." Sam continues, his words firmer but he drops the decibel he frequents between yelling and lecturing for something lower as he tries to appeal to me. "I feel the same way with Emily whenever I have to take an extra shift when Leah has work, or when Seth has school, or when anyone of you can't show up, but I still step up. It's not easy to be apart from your imprint, but it's something you need to learn to bare." Sam's arms cross his chest in his usual authoritative stance, which I meet with a head on stare.

"I bared the pull for years. I've bared the longest out of any of the pack." I remind him in an even tone. For years Winnie avoided me. When I imprinted on her she wanted nothing to do with me. I had to work my way back into her life, whereas Jared and Sam told their imprints in weeks.

"I know Embry. I saw how badly you wanted to tell Winnie." Sam rubs his jaw as he remembers the countless times I dragged the pack with me to the Lodge just for excuse to see Winnie. For years I had to wait at that stool just to be close to her.

"Sam, I have to be upfront with you. I've been okay this far with the pull. I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me, Sam."

"It's good you finally got to be with her, but now that you're with Winnie, I need you to remember your responsibilities. What I said only makes Sam double down, his tone putting a heavy layer of finality on his words. "As much as it feels like you have to prioritize your imprint, the pack needs to be a priority to. The pack needs you focused, the res needs you committed."

"I've never missed a patrol. I always take extra shifts." How more focused and committed can I be? "I'll be there to patrol with Leah, I never said I wouldn't."

Sam must have been expecting a yes sir, but it's undeniable fact that I've never missed a shift. Winnie's question, the 'Do you like being a werewolf' feels reverent. The answer was no, but times this, I wish I was just normal Embry again.

"I'm going home." Instead of Sam dismissing me like he did Paul, I decide the conversation is over. Heading for the nearest exit with a barely audible "Take care, Sam."

"I'm happy for you, I hope you know that." Sam says lowly but sincerely, just as I'm halfway out the backdoor.

"I know you are." Is all I can force out before I'm desperate to leave. Just as I wrap around the front yard in the direction of my house, I find Paul sitting on the ground, waiting for me with an understanding look.

"I thought you were going to snap at him." Paul admits. I haven't gotten that pissed off in years. Then I remember how I shifted at the Lodge and feel a heavy sigh sink my chest in.

"Yeah, for a minute there me too." Whatever we talked about at the beach earlier tonight about how I wouldn't lose my control feels completely irreverent now.

"Hey Em—" Winnie starts when she opens the door but I swoop down to press what I mean to be peck on her, hard. The peck lingers over into a quick kiss since I want to make it last, the fact that I won't see her for over a week coming to the forefront of my mind. If my hands weren't full with groceries the kiss would have boiled over into something much steamer.

"Those are the best hellos." I smirk, loving the feel of Winnie grinning into my mouth that just makes me want to kiss her all the more. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to stop to get a few things." Another peck at her forehead is just enough for me to separate us to head inside.

"A few things?" Winnie questions, seeing me drop all the bags on her counter.

"I like making sure you eat." I may have bought her enough groceries to last more than a few weeks. I bought her two of everything.

"You do remember I can't cook, right?" Winnie's brown eyes go big when she spots the two dozen eggs I got her.

"I have that covered. My mom packed you some dinners." I explain, pulling out tuber-wares filled with veggies, roast chicken, and just about every major food group.

"There's no way I can finish this all. You and your appetite are going to have to help me finish this." Winnie comes to help put everything away, only to bulk at the three boxes of cereal I got her.

"I won't be much help," I admit, scratching the back of my neck. The mirth in grin fades too quick, then my stomach bottoms out. I hate having to tell her, this the first of a hard week. "Sam has me on patrol all week."

"All week?" Winnie repeats back, the lines on her face sinking and sinking till there's clear disappointment on her face. "Sam's not making you work doubles, is he?"

"No," I answer with a shake of my head. "I'll just be working late hours everyday this week. On top of the hours I already do."

"So, just when I'm going into work at the Lodge, you'll be coming off from patrol. And when you're starting a shift, I'll just be ending my shift at the Lodge?"

"Yeah." I wince. I don't like how quiet Winnie goes, the disappointed look doing its best to force itself into something upbeat.

"It's okay," It's not okay. Far from okay. Though how Winnie steps into me to lace our hands together makes things slightly better. Winnie isn't very touchy feely, but when she is with me, there's nothing that puts me in a good mood as fast. "I have today with you, Embry. Let's make the most of today. Do you want to stay over tonight?"

"Yes," My answer comes out low, my mind still on that too brief kiss at the door. The idea of Winnie and I ending the day together in that tight bed of hers takes my good mood into better.

"You can help me eat some of this food, then we can watch a movie or whatever you want."

"There's something I've wanted since I first walked through the door." This time I don't just go in for a peck, I go in for a real kiss. I kiss her the way I should have when I first came in through the door earlier. The little gasp she makes is pleasant and surprised before it turns into an happier noise—an airy moan that makes it hard for me to remember to keep control.

Control...control... I have keep control.

I didn't know we were inching backwards till we hit the kitchen wall, the counter hitting Winnie's back. There's a groan of inconvenience between us that melts into a longing groan. Then my hands are taking hold of Winnie's thighs to lift her up on to the counter. There's a brief moment her lips are away from mine, a pause long enough for a surprised sound to slip through, only to be swallowed up by my kiss. Balancing on the edge of the counter, Winnie moves as close to me as she can without falling over the edge. I have one hand flush against her lower back, pressing her into me as much as she can fit against me. With my free hand braced up against the wall above her head because I need something—anything to support me.

Winnie catches me off guard when she winds her legs around my waist, and the feel of our cores pressed together makes my head drop back to release a groan.

"I like when you do that." Winnie breathes, the color in her cheeks making my blood go hot with a rush of excitement.

"Like when I do what?" I rumble, a lazy smile working its way across my face.

"When you..." The way her face goes from pink to red nearly has me cut her off with another kiss. "When you lift me up when you kiss me."

My hands are moving in an instant, hoisting her up as fast as I can. The little gasp of shock she makes is delicious and the way her legs squeeze me makes my jeans tight.

"What else do you like?" I smirk against her neck, taking my time to press searing kisses up her neck.

"I like...I like..." Winnie keeps repeating just to never finish her sentence. When I run the tip of my tongue over the curve of her throat her hips bulk with a sudden moan bursting out her pretty mouth. "I like when you let me feel how excited I get you."

Fuck, that was attractive. Suddenly I'm at a tipping point. It's gotten too hot in here. My mouth goes dry as if I'm boiling from the inside out, while my clothes feel like they're strangling me. I want her bad. The want pulsating and thrumming till I feel how fast my heart is beating in every part of my body.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Winnie." I ground out, needing to lower her down before things go too far. I lower her as gingerly as I can onto the loveseat, putting a good seven paces between us so I can try to walk off how stiff I am.

"Sorry Embry, I shouldn't have pushed your limits like that." Winnie sighs, deflating into the cushions with a disappointed sigh.

"Don't apologize for turning me on." I smirk, my hand rubbing at my jaw. "I should be thanking you." Her laugh doesn't help the fire burning in me. The sound just makes me want to elicit more pretty sounds from her.

"You okay? Need water?" I give a shake of my head, hating how I'm killing the mood. Getting a grip, I force air through, taking deep breathes till my mind stops going hazy. It's like being on the verge of blacking out, the only thing I can see is Winnie. When I can remember Paul's advice about taking things slow, I know I can keep my control without shifting.

"No," I ground out. The flush of color rushes back to Winnie's face when I pull my shirt off over my head. "I need you."

"We're not stopping?" Winnie's eyes are bright, a rueful smile spreading across her face.

"Not yet." I close in on her, dropping down on her till her back lands flat against the loveseat. I barely fit on her loveseat just sitting upright. But she feels too good under me to care about if I'm going to break the couch or not. I press down on her, letting out a hiss of air when her legs spread to let me center myself against her.

"I didn't get to say what I like about you yet." I grunt out, my hands taking hold of her hips to force her against me all the more. Winnie arches into me, every inch of her body pressing and pressing into me everywhere... We both let out a moan when our hips meet, the friction making our hips rock for more.

"I like how you turn me on from just a kiss, Winnie. I like seeing the want on your face when I kiss you, and I like how you never want me to stop. I like how you want me just as much as I want you, because I want all of you."

"You're such a flirt, I should have known you'd like dirty talk." Winnie says between pants, her comment just turning me on more. The excited beam she gives me melts into a wanton expression when I ground down into her harder. The moan she lets out sends a bolt of satisfaction down my chest till it fuses with the heat in my abdomen, then I'm throbbing for more of her.

"I'm not all talk." I warn as my hands move up her body. The airy gasp of surprise she does when my hands go under her shirt to cup her breasts nearly undoes me. I blink, everything going red, then pitch black as my eyes clamp down. I go still, completely still except for the hazard breaths I'm forcing in.

"You okay?" Winnie's voice comes out weak. Raspy with want all the while wobbly with worry.

"Never better." I breathe. Then I'm running for the door.

Winnie's POV

"Embry!" My voice sinks further into the woods, finding nothing but trees and distance. Following the trail of clothes, I pick up the discarded pieces one after another. Folding or tying shoes as I go further into the tree line behind my cottage. He was in a hurry, that much is clear from how Embry half hazardly threw off his clothes to shift. From how he left them in a hurry, I can tell how frantic he was to get them off before he transformed. His shirt is stuck in a tree, his shoes on different sides of the path, his belt back on the front steps of my cottage.

"Embry, if you can hear me come back!" I call out again.

A minute ago I was aching, the only relief being Embry. Then he bolted, taking all the ache and satisfaction with him. All there's left now is a smug feeling lingering where he touched me. I know I should be worried but there's something so flattering about how I can rile Embry Call so much. I've never even seen get nervous around a girl before. And here he is, shaking with need till he's at his breaking point.

I wish Paul were here to high five.

"Embry Call! Come back so I can see for myself you're okay." I shouldn't be worried. He's in these woods everyday, I remind myself. He's the biggest thing out here.

There's a rustle up ahead, bushes and greenery shuddering with movement that signals me he's not far. Moving in that direction, I already feel a giddy smile on my face because I don't get to see Embry transform often.

"Good, you came back—" When the wind blows, I get a mouthful of that smell. A stench so thick and heavy it smells too earthy to be fresh or dewy, but it's unmistakably the smell of the outdoors. It could be either be musk or the smell of mud, I can't tell.

"Embry?" I meant to call out again, but my voice comes out small.

There's a growl, then the greenery parts. No, it gets trampled down by something on all fours. A bear, a massive bear in thick black fur that makes my realization turn into freezing cold fear.

Everything in me stops. My heart stops altogether, my feet know to come to a halt, I even stop breathing. When my heart does kick back up again, it beats so painfully hard I have to keep down a gasp from the impact against my ribs.

The bear growls, it's eyes just as black as its fur. The only break in color being his barred teeth.

Old Quil's lectors rush to forefront of my mind. Between every lesson at tribal school he always repeated the necessities of living on the woods; don't run from a bear!

Don't move, I remind myself. Don't run, don't flinch, don't scream—don't do anything to make it think I'm edible or it's going to chase me down thinking I'm a tasty two legged deer.

I'd do anything to curse right now, because I can't remember the rest. Except for Old Quil's nursery rhyme, if it's brown lay down. I'm not even sure if he found anything to rhyme with black bears or if I'm just so scare I'm forgetting.

When the bear starts digging it's paws into the dirt that's when I finally remember the most important rule for bears; don't look them in the eyes.

No matter how fast I tear my eyes away, it's too late. There's a snarl, then the thudding of feet against ground surging in my direction.

There's not a chance I'll out run it.

"Embry!"

Gray and black rush into my vision so fast I only catch a glimpse of it. There's a snarl, so deep it's not animalistic but unearthly. The bear is only a few feet away, just a leap and a bound from sinking it's teeth into me. It's been halted by Embry, facing off and snapping its teeth at him. Embry is double the bear's size, growling and low to the ground as if he ready to tear it limb from limb.

After lots of growling, the bear only backs down when Embry lets out a noise so ferocious, so furious, it makes my ears ring from how loud it is.

The bear is gone with a huff, going back the way it came. The snapping of twigs and the crunch of ground under its track fading farther and farther till I can hear the birds again. That first intake of air undoes me, the tension holding me upright seeping away till I sag against Embry, burying myself into his soft fur.

This time I make sure to memorize what he smells like him—outdoors, fresh rain, body wash with a hint of wildflowers mixed with his natural smell.

The mask of anger on his snout breaks, facing me with a tight expression that reads as anxiety.

"I'm okay," I promise, running my hands through his fur in an effort to calm both of us. I can only hope Embry doesn't notice my hands are shaking.

There's a sound between a whimper and a grunt from him, something he's trying to tell me. Embry allows me to pet his fur as long as I want till I feel better. Not transforming back till he walks me back to my front steps.

It's a shock that I managed to keep his clothes at all, my white knuckle grip on them the only thing keeping me from dropping them back in the woods.

"You scared the living shit of me." Embry is up the steps so fast he almost bares down on me. His arms wound around me then I'm flushed against him, all heat and muscle again.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." I remind him, feeling how scared he was from how fast his heart is pounding in his chest. It's the same frantic rhythm as mine. The fear is like a bucket of ice water, dosing us both in a bone chilling realization that I would have been mauled if it wasn't for Embry.

"Keep saying that, please." Embry murmurs into my hair, pressing a soft kiss at my hairline.

"I'm okay, Embry." I repeat as much as he needs it. Each loop helping with the anxiousness in his body, till he's all warmth again.

Just wanted to say thank you to the readers who take the time to read my work. It means so much to me how you guys support me through every update and your comments are what keep me writing!