"Tomorrow morning at sunrise"

"That's in" I looked at my watch counting the time "6 hours" I let the horror soak into my voice.


Chapter 38: Stay in Hell or Go Home.

As Always Happy Reading


POV: Bella


"Don't Say His Name!" I screamed at the man I didn't know.

He looked at me with a questioning gaze. I could see a familiarity to the one person I was trying desperately to forget. Ignoring that, I glared at the man.

My search for more substances was thwarted each time I tried. If I had the energy to bet, I would put money down that this man was a wolf. They are the only people, that I have met, that move that smoothly. Either that or I was more intoxicated then I realized. Feeling the burn in my chest, no, I was sobering up, if not completely sober.

At least - that is - from substances. I was not sober from pain. Instead I was drenched in pain, a women burning on a pyre. Bringing the hoodie to my nose I breathed in the scent of wolf, not my wolf. Shaking my head, I reminded myself I have no wolf, not anymore.

The front door opened with a hesitant urgency. My body didn't react to the people pilling into the room. I should have felt something, potentially a primal sense of fear, or even a sparkle of will to live. I felt nothing in the life affirming direction. Maybe this was it, this is how I would die - not that I could bring myself to care.

"Who are you?" Mom asked. I could hear confusion in her tone.

"I could ask you the same thing" Seth sounded stressed.

Seth… why would Seth be here? Did they bring me back to him already… Back to the person my soul called out into the darkness for?

"You're in my house!" Mom barked.

"Don't be rude to Seth." I could hear the lifelessness in my tone.

I didn't want them fighting, not over me. Not because I made a decision to leave. Decision… I wouldn't call it a decision. My hand was forced, it felt like I needed to leave before the pain of him cheating burned my very being. No, I didn't decide to leave, I decided to run, with the hope that I could breath again.

I could breath again, when I had a substance in me. Not now. Sober.

"Bella" Embry breathed out almost in a silent prayer. He wasn't saying it to get my attention, only as resignation at how far I had fallen.

"You called for a witch?" The unidentified man growled.

A witch. I don't think I have ever met a witch before, I thought looking at the party gathered almost in a protective stance in the entryway. Embry was a wolf, not a witch. Seth was a wolf, not a witch. Flic. My eyes stayed on the girl I had tried to tie into my now painful existence. I was glad she hadn't been trapped into imprinting. If she was, and they caused her the same pain I was currently in, I would never forgive myself.

"Joshua, no need for all the theatrics" Flic sounded perfectly relaxed.

Watching her, I could see that she had been in these situations before. I don't know how, only meeting her the once. Maybe she was a witch. Maybe this is what witches did. Wait for people to be at their most vulnerable and offer them a choice, a tilted deal. If The Little Mermaid taught me anything, I would definitely be classified as a poor, unfortunate soul right now.

The man, Joshua, turned to look at Flic directly. Both Embry and Seth matched his movements, shielding her from his direct view.

"How do you know my name, witch?!" Joshua demanded.

"If you want to waste time and go over the semantics, I can. Your son will be out of an imprint by then, though" Flic stepped around the people in the room. Like they had been frozen by time itself.

"Hey, don't freak out at me. I just-" Flic paused. Sitting down carefully on the couch beside me, she held her hands out to me. "I don't do things without consent. There are a lot of people in this room that out of" she paused. Looking at each person in turn, I noticed a slight change in her face when she looked at the man she called Joshua. Shaking her head she continued "mostly good intentions, want to help guide your path. The next move will be completely in your control."

"I don't want to ruin his perfect life" I could hear the hoarseness in my own voice.

Flics eyes moved around I was a math problem on a whiteboard, and she was trying her hardest to solve it. I watched as her eyebrows crease together like the conclusion she came to made absolutely no sense.

"Don't get mad at me. What guy do you think, you being happily imprinted to, would ruin his perfect life?" Flic whispered.

"Sam" my voice cracked at his name.

"You are his perfect life" I could hear the sincerity in her voice. "Regardless. I know the others in the room would like to talk to you about this. They are all way closer to the situation then I am. I just, I guess I am asking that if they convince you to go back, would you like to go back?"

"I can't go back, he is in love with her" Anger lit in my tone.

Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that Flic was an outsider to this. An outsider that I almost condemned to be potentially in the same amount of pain as I currently was in.

"Hear the people in this room out. If what they say makes you feel ready to return to Sam, do you consent to going home?" Flic asked again.

"Obviously, but, I don't see how they can tell me he-"

Flic cut me off.

"The consent is all I needed to hear. Would you like a tincture before I unfreeze them and the arguments start?" Flic offered.

"Tincture?"

"The separation from your mate is hard. I have a tiny drink that can help. It doesn't contain alcohol, its completely safe. Just something to sooth the distance for your soul. It also will have no effect over how you truly feel about the situation. It only takes the pain from the separation away" Flic spoke fast.

For the first time I noticed sweat building on her brow. It looked as if she was straining to keep the world frozen.

"Sure"

At this point I would take anything. Flic handed me a vial of glistening green, I shot it back, expecting it to taste horrific. I had never heard of a tincture not tasting like a mix of old gym socks and tears. Yet, this one tasted delicious, like a mix of cotton candy and pure sunshine. Flic retrieved the bottle from me.

She stood, brushing my cheek with her hand. I leaned into the kind touch. If I did go back, I hoped that we could be friends.

Just as she said, my soul began to feel better. Almost as if Sam was in the next room. I could think more clearly, my breathing came in and out in even breaths. Thinking of Sam didn't cause me immense pain. Instead, I still felt the betrayal, but, I also could feel his outpouring of love to me through the bond.

Without warning, everyone started moving around us again. Looking at Flic, she wiped sweat from her brow. The movement didn't go unnoticed by either Seth or Embry. Hopefully they would just attribute it to the Phoenix heat.

"What do you mean my son will be out of an imprint!" Joshua yelled.

Embry and Seth stood as shields in front of Flic. Maybe one of them did imprint on her. They are all here together. A pain sliced my heart as I remember the happiness I had felt with my imprint.

"Who is your son?" Embry was the one to break rank and ask.

"Sam Uley. I am his father Joshua Uley." Joshua spoke confidently.

Embry froze, looking at the man in front of him. The man that Embry had been told had the potential to be his father. After a moment Embry subtly shook his head, almost as if he was telling himself this man was not his dad.

"Is that who imprinted on you?" Mom demanded from me.

The tincture was in full effect, I felt no pain from the separation now. Only a growing desire to return to Sam. Looking at Flic, I didn't think she would manipulate me and add anything that would do that to the tincture. I did miss Sam.

"Yes. Sam imprinted on me"

I watched my mothers face mix between overjoyed and enraged.

"Why are you here then? Did my son…" Joshua seemed to choke on his question. "Did my son hurt you?"

Pain lit along my sternum at the memory of him and Emily locked in a intimate show of mutual affection.

"Bella, if he laid a hand on you, or, if he did something that you didn't consent to I will…" Joshua began to shake "I will be rectifying that with him. I might not have been allowed to stay to raise him, but, I am still his father. Which includes teaching him there are consequences to his decisions"

I could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"No. No. Nothing like that. Sam is the best partner. Aside from him choosing to have two girls in rotation at the same time"

I tried to say it in the best way possible, not wanting Sam to get a chunk taken out of him over this. It wasn't his fault he had a girlfriend before he imprinted on me. I mean, I did ask, and he said no when I did, but still, if Emily made Sam happy…

"That's not possible after the imprint takes hold." Mom looked at Joshua for confirmation.

"Hey, don't look at me, you were the home wrecker" Joshua joked.

"They had been dating for three months before he imprinted on me. Hardly a home to wreck" Mom argued back.

"She was pregnant" Joshua countered

"So was I" Mom shot back.

Joshua raised his hands up as if in surrender.

"Bella, I think we need to hear him out before you choose to break the imprint" Joshua sounded sincere.

"You are just saying that because if they break the imprint you will lose your chance at a daughter." Mom sounded slightly bitter.

"You will lose your chance at a son if the imprint breaks as well" Joshua pointed out.

"I think its up to Bella" Seth countered.

Looking over I saw the kindness in my friends eyes. They looked tired, as if the stress of finding me had taken all the energy they stored.

"I want to return" I spoke to not one in particular "I left without letting him tell me his side. Maybe it was a goodbye kiss"

"Imprints don't kiss other people" Mom spoke softly "are you sure you imprinted?"

Three distinct growls sounded at that. Flic quieted the men still standing in front of her. Joshua watched the interaction with a silent fascination.

"Well, he did. She walked up to him, he didn't stop it. They looked as natural as breathing, Mom. It was…" I swallowed hard "horrific"

"There has to be more to this story. Once you are imprinted, and it is deemed a romantic imprint, you can't pursue anyone else unless your imprint dies." Joshua reiterated.

"Well, I'm not dead" I could hear the exhaustion in my voice.

"Honey, let's go up there together. We can see what exactly happened." Mom spoke with a fire I hadn't heard from her in years.

"Okay" I agreed.

Joy exploded in my chest at the thought of going back, going home.

"Let me just pack some things" Mom made a move to grab packages.

"Can I help?" I heard Flic ask. She was completely hidden behind Embry and Seth.

"Sure. It will probably go a lot faster with your help." Mom told her.

As Mom spoke what she wanted to pack I watched in awe as it would gently fly through the air to rest on the table.

"Do you have a bag?" Flic asked.

"I do." Mom walked into her room. Retrieving the suitcase I had intended on bringing, before she had taken it.

The plain bag now seemed to small for all the things Mom and Flic had gathered onto the table.

"My friend used to have this way of packing" Mom winked at Flic.

"If you don't mind the bag being a one-use item I can do a quick enchantment. I haven't been trained in how to make the enchantment not break most bags." Flic looked apologetically at Mom.

"I don't plan on returning to this place. Too many bad memories. One time use is fine." Mom admitted

With that, purple smoke surrounded the bag, as items from the table flew into it until everything was packed and the bag zipped itself.

Mom clapped, looking as joyous as a kid on Christmas. Flic was visibly exhausted. Seth walked over to her, scooping her into his arms. She curled around him, fitting perfectly, like two puzzle pieces.

My heart longed for my other puzzle piece. 'This better have just been a huge misunderstanding' I sent through the bond. Not knowing if I could send words to Sam. The emotions that surrounded me through the bond was love and apologies.

"Let me go grab my van. Looks like we are getting the gang back together" Joshua sounded like a much younger man. He sprinted from the house, grabbing Mom's bag with him.

"I thought you imprinted on the witch" Mom spoke to Embry.

"Neither of us have" Embry told her. He looked at Seth standing with a now sleeping Flic with a genuine smile on his face.

It must have been a mix of seeing them both so relaxed, and knowing that Sam might be out of pain soon. Guilt crashed into me. I shouldn't have run.

"But, you both feel a pull to her?" Mom asked them.

I sat, shocked about the amount that Mom seemed to know about imprinting. Yet, she never let it slip as I grew up.

"Yes ma'am" Seth said, placing a kiss on Flics temple. She didn't stir in her exhausted sleep.

"The council isn't going to love that. They are very traditional" Mom shook her head. "So why haven't you imprinted on her, if you do feel the pull it should be instantaneous"

"We have been ordered to not look her in the eyes." Embry's voice was ladened with sadness.

Joshua returned before any more words could be exchanged on the matter. He ushered all of us out the door and into the waiting van. Mom piled into the front seat. Seth didn't let Flic out of his grasp, carefully cradling her into the backseat. Embry sat across from me in the middle.

"You can go sit with her if you want" I told Embry.

"Just because I feel a pull to her, doesn't mean I will drop you. This is hard on you. I'm here" Embry flashed me a genuine smile.

"Hey. I'm also being a good brother. I get to kick Sam's butt." Seth sounded like his normal happy self.

"Why are you kicking my sons butt?" Joshua asked.

"Oh, I told him if he ever hurt Bella I would kick his ass" Seth laughed.

I could feel the levity as we traveled towards the airport. Even though I didn't feel the pain of our separation, I could feel the elastic stretching between us becoming less taught with each mile closer.

Joshua pulled out his phone and rattled off words at a speed I couldn't understand. Instead, I was wringing my hands over and over again. What if Sam couldn't forgive me. I ran away like a child.

Embry reached over. I let him envelope my hands in his, leaching some of his warmth. Not fully realizing, until now, that I was freezing without Sam.

We drove past the normal entrance to the airport. Circling around back, Joshua flashed a badge to a gate keeper. He opened the huge chain-link fence, giving us access to the airstrips.

Joshua guided us to a private jet, parking the van in a spot with his name marked.

Joshua opened the plane, running safety checks at a speed I associated with the wolves. Soon I would be back to Sam, back to my wolf.

Sam had once offered to be my friend, I think if him and Emily are a couple, I will do just that. Be his friend. I would miss him in my soul, for him to be my partner, but, I will take Sam however I could. I loved him enough for that.

Mom guided us inside the plane taking our seats guiding us to sit in the luxury leather. I leaned against the padded leather wall, looking out the window. Embry sat beside me, on the couch. Seth and Flic across from us on another couch. Looking for seatbelts I did not see any.

"I guess that's how you know we are in luxury." Embry let out a surprised laugh.

"This is so fancy" I smiled at my companions.

Mom decided to climb into the cockpit with Joshua. My stomach rolled as Joshua guided the plane to the runway. My homesickness was fully settling in as the tires left the pavement. In the same moment, a giddy electricity was vibrating in my veins as we traveled closer to my wolf. My Sam.


Authors Note: Thank you for all your reviews! I love the community engagement, it helps me feel like I am writing this story for people other then myself. I am so excited about the next chapter... Evil Laughter.