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Chapter Six


Embry downed an entire bottle of Jack Daniels after Nicky fell asleep. He drank straight from the bottle and it sloshed and burned around the inside of his gums like mouthwash if mouthwash tasted like liquid grease fuel.

Paul raised his eyebrows and gave him a quizzical look but said nothing. Embry's actions clearly showed he was not in the mood to talk. That's why Embry liked living with Paul. He was intuitive. Embry dumped the bottle into the trash and made his way outside in the direction of Jacob's house.

Embry ran as fast as his human form would allow. He didn't want to phase or else all of his thoughts would be shared with the others. He wanted to keep his imprinting a secret for now. He was definitely breaking the speed limit, so he made his way through the forest to get to Jacob's house.

Jacob used to live in a small red house with his dad, the chief. He'd lived there for years. When he was seventeen, and Bella had left, he started building his own house in the rez to keep his mind occupied on something other than the love of his life marrying and turning into his worst enemy and moving to Alaska.

The whole pack helped during their days off. It gave them something to do. It also gave Quil, Embry and Jacob more time to hang out. The pack finished building Jacob's house in six months.

After that project, the pack started their own construction company. They could only take job offers around LaPush and Forks but it helped the pack go from having only the rez stipend giving them money, to making hundreds of thousands over the years from their company.

When they decided it was safe to stop phasing, they collectively agreed that's when they would try to expand their company. The construction offers they got in Port Angeles and Seattle were two or three times the pay in Forks, they just couldn't leave the rez for that long. Although sometimes a couple of them would go there for minor house repair jobs. But the big money was made in building houses.

Now Jacob lived in his three-bedroom, two-story house, they'd all helped him build. It was close enough to the chiefs so that Jacob could still help out his dad get to places in his wheelchair.

Jacob's house was made of spruce pine wood. It was dark brown, with an orange tint. His house almost looked like a small resort villa or a two-story cabin. It had large windows on the first floor. It had a ramp in the front and a deck in the back, overlooking the forest.

Jacob lived with his imprint Cara, who he met just a month after his house had been built. Cara and Jacob were the same age. Their imprint was perfect. Everyone thought it was kismet. Taha Aki had perfect timing with their imprint.

Embry however, did not feel like perfect timing was on his side, in regards to his own imprint. Nicky was only sixteen and Embry already felt romantic, erotic and sensual thoughts towards her.

It fit Embrys MO. He had a hard life and now figuring out how to manage his feelings for his imprint was going to be just as grueling.

Embry felt like a pedophile. A stain on the planet. A vulgar, contemptible person. He might just be going to Jacob's so Jacob could just beat the fuck out of him on principle. Embry was in self-loathing agony.

But Embry knew that Jacob was his Alpha, and the best person to get advice from. He had also started by befriending his own imprint Cara, before they got into a relationship. Embry wanted to know how Jacob was able to just focus on the friendship aspect for so long.

Embry arrived at Jacob's house quickly. He smelled Jacob's scent so he knew that he was here. He also smelled no sign of Cara here. That was lucky. He had just run three miles through the forest, shirtless, in bare feet, smelling like liquor. He knew he probably looked deranged and unbalanced. And he might be.

He jogged up to Jacob's porch and knocked on the door. The strength he used almost broke down the door. The alcohol must have hit his system at some point during his run-over because he had no intention of breaking into Jacob's house. Although his knock would show otherwise.

He heard Jacob coming down his stairs and then stand on the other side of the door. Jacob opened the door and looked Embry over. Jacob's eyes looked up and down Embry's frame and then they landed on his eyes.

Jacob's face was stoic. Jacob had on the Alpha mask that was combined of composure, patience, and restraint.

"Come inside." Jacob drawled.

Embry walked in, closed the door behind him and followed Jacob into the house. Jacob walked into his kitchen and grabbed two beers from inside his fridge. Embry quietly followed behind Jacob. Jacob led Embry to the back of his house. He opened the glass door that led to his deck and left the door open for Embry. The sunset was shining through the open door. Embry walked out onto the deck behind Jacob and closed the door behind them.

Jacob sat down on one of the chairs on the deck, set one of the beers in his hand onto the wood at his feet and kept the other beer in his hand. Embry took another chair adjacent to Jacob and sat down. The sunset was reflecting off his eyes. They sat in silence for a moment while Jacob sipped on his beer.

"You reek." Jacob purred.

"And you look like shit. Get it off your mind." Jacob said.

"Talk." Jacob ordered in his baritone, deep Alpha tone.

"I imprinted." Embry whispered.

Jacob's gaze left the sunset as he peered over at Embry.

Embry guessed that if Jacob didn't have on his stoic mask, his mouth would be wide open in shock.

Jacob knew how to keep his expression apathetic. His face had gone stoic as soon as he smelled Embry's arrival. This expression was always easy to reach. It was right below the surface. It became pragmatic in situations where Jacob couldn't give away any signs of his mood or thought process.

And right now, Jacob couldn't give away anything. Embry had sought him out for help. Embry was opening up for the first time in years. He was exposed, vulnerable. He needed to let Embry lead the conversation, he couldn't let his own emotions take away from Embry's chance to speak. Embry had the floor. Jacob would listen and advice with grace.

Imprinting was new to Embry. He'd seen it all from afar but never felt its effects. Until today. He knew he was spiralling. He let Jacob's face that was void of emotion, guide him into opening up.

Embry shook his head and grounded his teeth as he spoke.

"She's sixteen." Embry said, agitated as he spoke.

Jacob kept his guard up, kept his mask in place, and kept himself silent. But he could already guess why Embry arrived distraught.

"And I'm twenty-two!" Embry seethed, hysterically.

"I'm scared." Admitted Embry.

Jacob knew that Embry had been scared for years. He'd just never come to terms with it. He hid it behind the disguise of liquor, easy lays, and fighting. So did Brady and Paul.

But Embry was different. Brady and Paul were reckless, drank and used girls before they even phased. But Embry used to be the most kind, patient and easygoing kid out of their friend group. Nothing would ever bother him. He was so nonchalant to life's challenges. He rolled with the punches.

Embry was the guy who was scared to talk to girls. He was a momma's boy. He got all A's in school and read Nietzsche and Aristotle in his free time. He was the most book-smart, well-behaved, laid-back teen Jacob knew.

And then Embry phased. He lost his friends. He couldn't talk to his mom anymore. He couldn't keep up his grades. He lost his future at a scholarship to Seattle University because he could no longer leave the reservation. He lost everything.

Now Embry was dealing with regret, and shame for how he had chosen to deal with his anger over the years. And Jacob saw that coming a mile away. Embry was easy to read.

Embry had never had a friend who was a girl, except maybe Bella, but she'd always been claimed. Embry didn't know how to see a girl as not just a piece of meat, but as a human being. He'd wished he'd taken time to practice befriending girls or the other imprints over the years instead of pushing himself away to the margins of society.

He used alcohol, fighting and womanizing as an escape. Now was the first time in forever that he wanted to live in the moment, enjoy Nicky's company and just be at ease.

But Embry's years of just using women changed his perception of women. It had ingrained a different projection of what women could do for him, instead of what he could reciprocate and offer them, other than sex.

Sex was the only thing he was used to getting from women. But his imprint was sixteen.

Embry was losing his mind.

"The way I've viewed women over the years has been ingrained in my head. But now it has to change and I don't know how to do it." Embry confessed to Jacob.

"I didn't think I'd imprint. Fuck me." He admitted rubbing his head.

Jacob took a moment to get his thoughts in order. He had to be able to convey the best help that he could without wording it in a way that could be construed as interfering with Embry's imprint. Interfering with another pack member's imprint was not allowed. It was the biggest rule that the pack stood by.

"Come to more pack lunches and dinners. The pack is always open to having lunch at Emily's. You know that. And every Sunday, we have a pack dinner at my house. You'd know that if you'd shown up more." Jacob chuckled, breaking his stoic mask just a little, to ease the tension.

"Colin and Quil are just friends with their imprints. See how they interact with each other. It will help. And just try to be friends with her man." Jacob said as if it was going to be that easy.

But Embry would start to go to pack lunches and dinners more often. He listened to Jacob's words as if they were gospel.

"And stop going to the clubs for fucks sake. And clean up." Jacob stated.

Embry nodded. He could do that.

Jacob gently put down his empty beer, picked up the other one on his right and began to sip it.

"I can do that." He announced.

"Go slow. Ease into it. And you'll do okay" Said Jacob.

Jacob honestly didn't know if he'd do okay. He just said it to placate Embry's worries and hysteria. His friend, Embry from four years ago could easily ease into a friendship with his imprint, maybe a bit shyly, but he'd be able to. But the Embry that sat before him today looked like he was barely holding himself together. Embry needed to get his shit together.

"Who is she? How'd you meet her?" Asked Jacob.

"The girl that was swimming in the rez earlier today, talked to Paul." Embry paused, to think about how to phrase his imprints situation.

"She was looking for her dad, Terry Lahote. Her mom's a junkie, so she was looking to move in with him. Paul told her that he was dead and told her that she could live with him. I walked into our place earlier today and just saw her. I looked into her eyes and imprinted, man. Her name's Nicky." Embry said.

"Nicky." Jacob sounded out.

"I can't believe Paul has a sister. You guys should invite her to the pack lunch tomorrow." said Jacob.

"Yeah. I haven't told Paul I imprinted yet. But we'll invite her. Get the guys not to mention the word imprints, or anything wolf-related, alright?" Asked Embry.

"Will do. I'll Alpha order them when they get there. Just come five minutes late." Said Jacob.

"Sure, sure." Said Embry as he looked out into the fading sunset, and growing darkness.

Tomorrow was going to be life-changing. Every minute with Nicky felt life-changing.


Words Of The Day:

MO: modus operandi, meaning "mode of operating or working.

Contemptible: deserving contempt; despicable