A/N: I am working on an original story and on this one at this same time. The goal is to publish the original, so that one is taking precedence, but this story is dear to my heart and I have a tentative plan to finish it (if the characters play nice. They've already had minds of their own with things, lol...) Updates may be a little longer in between, but I pinky promise... It will be finished.
Beta: GoOasis726
Sam's warmth filled Bella's body as she stretched against him, enjoying being the little spoon in his loving embrace. As she wiggled to get blood flowing back through her limbs, Sam groaned.
"Babe, if you are still sore, I'm gonna need you to stop wiggling your cute ass like that."
Giggling at his gruff tone, she pushed back into him firmly, loving the effect she had on him. "What's wrong, Alpha?"
Surprise blew her eyes wide as she found herself flat on her back with Sam hovering over her, his weight supported on one elbow while his other hand skimmed up her side, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She couldn't hold back her breathless gasp when his lips descended to her neck, leaving featherlight kisses up and down her jawline. She whispered, "Sam?"
Raising his head, Sam met Bella's eyes, and she could see the fire of desire burning in the depths of them. Sam said, "Say it again."
"Say what?"
Grinding his hips into hers, he said softly, "Call me alpha."
"You like that, do you?" Pulling his head down by hers, she breathily whispered in his ear, "Alpha."
His answering growl rippled through her, and she arched up into him. Her hands traced over his shoulders and back down, feeling each crevice and relishing how his muscles jumped under her fingers in response to her touch. Lacing her fingers into the hair at the back of his head, Bella pulled him down to kiss him deeply, mouths opening to each other and tongues moving together.
Pulling back, gasping, Sam sat back on his knees to pull her shirt off over her head. He unfastened her bra and tossed both articles to the floor. Gripping the waistband of her pants, he peeled them from her body. Warm lips kissed their way back up her body, and she shivered.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him closer. He ghosted his fingers over her stomach to her breasts and over her nipples, causing them to pebble in response. Her back arched again, and she cried out from the pleasure. "Mmm, Sam," she moaned.
Feeling him smile against her cheek, she dragged a hand down over his back and trailed it to his ass. Hissing, he kissed her neck and trailed down to where his fingers were playing with her chest. He took one peaked nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, loving the way she cried out in response.
Bella grabbed at his shorts and undid the button, pushing them over his hips, using her feet to slide them down his legs until she couldn't reach any further. Knowing he was now as naked as she spiked her lust. She clenched her legs around him again, loving the way he moaned when his length rubbed against her hot center.
Pushing herself against him, she stilled when his hands gripped her hips. "I thought you were sore?"
"I am a little bit, but I don't care. I want this. I want you, Sam. Please," she practically begged.
Needing no more encouragement, Sam pushed slowly into her, and they both sighed at feeling complete. Bella urged him deeper and sighed again when he started moving within her, loving the way he filled her body and soul so completely.
He moved faster and faster, pleasure building to a breaking point inside of her. Bella felt entirely overwhelmed, and as she kissed his skin where shoulder and neck met, she opened her mouth and bit down. Knowing she had broken skin, she let warmth flow through her and knew it had healed as soon as she did.
With only one more thrust, they were both falling over the edge together, crying out in ecstasy.
When Sam rolled to the side, she cuddled into him, whispering, "I'm so sorry I bit you. I don't know what came over me."
Sam chuckled and held her closer, replying, "Don't worry, that felt amazing." He drew small circles over her arms while he gathered his thoughts. Finally speaking into the still room again, he said, "It seemed like you were marking me as yours. Claiming me."
Sitting up, Bella clutched a pillow against her chest and bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I've given you hell about not doing it to me, and I did it to you." Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked furiously, trying to hold them in.
"Hey, hey, hey," Sam said, sitting up and reaching for her. One hand on her cheek, the other on her hip, Sam leaned closer to say, "I meant what I said. It felt amazing. Bella?" When her eyes met Sam's again, he continued, "I'm already yours. Why would I care if this lets the world know it? Besides, I haven't scarred with any of the new wounds I've received, minor though they may be. You may not have actually left a physical mark."
Bella leaned closer to inspect the area she'd bitten and sighed when she found a small ring of teeth marks embedded there. "It seems as though this one scarred."
Standing, Sam scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom, setting her on the counter by the sink so he could look at it. Humming in introspection, he met her gaze again, "I promise you, Bella. It really is okay."
Hopping down from the counter, she encircled his waist with her arms, hugging closer to him. "I wonder if this has ever happened before," she said aloud.
"If an imprint has ever marked her wolf before?"
Bella nodded, resting her head against his back, still feeling guilty over having bitten him.
Sam released himself from her arms and adjusted his position to see her face better. Pulling her up in his arms, he looked at her again. "Babe, I need you to stop feeling guilty. I can feel that deep inside, and I need you to try to feel my sincerity when I say I'm going to wear this mark with fucking pride." Smiling at her upturned face, he kissed the tip of her nose. "Focus on my emotions. See if you can feel the sincerity in my words. I am proud to let the world know, supernatural and otherwise, that I belong to you."
Seeing her eyes fill with tears again, he kissed her eyelids and cheeks. Bella whispered, "I can feel you so much easier now. Your emotions are clear through our connection. It's the most amazing thing. I don't know if I could ever describe it adequately."
"I know what you mean. I can feel yours as clearly as my own."
"We need to work through the journals faster. We need to see if this has ever occurred before. What other ramifications might there be?"
Swiping her hair behind her ear, Sam carried her back to his room, saying, "If the answers are there, we'll find them. Maybe we need to read them first to get through them and then work on transcribing them?"
"What you say makes sense. I just want the option to review the journals when I have questions, and I won't be able to do that."
"Okay. No worries, babe. We can do it the way we have been. We will just be patient while we get our answers."
Bella knew what he said made sense. They desperately needed answers faster than they were coming while she transcribed them. Then she had a thought that excited her so much she squealed.
"Sam! What if I record them while you read? I can replay it to type it, but we could still work through the journals faster. We won't have to go so slowly because it won't matter if my fingers can keep up with your words."
"You are a genius," he said before he leaned down and kissed her. Sam picked up his shorts and slid them back on. Then, he helped her redress, fastening her bra behind her and sliding her pants back up her legs. "You know, it's much more fun to take them off," he said with a waggle of his brows.
Giggling, she said, "I completely agree, but I should make lunch. Wait, dinner? What time is it?"
"It's only one, babe. You weren't asleep that long. Lunch sounds great. How can I help?"
They fixed lunch together before Sam went outside to phase and told Paul it was ready. When the guys came inside together, Paul's face scrunched up, and he laughed.
"Don't have to ask what you two were doing… Damn, Bro. You could bottle that scent."
Bella blushed deeply, and her ears turned red. Ignoring her embarrassment, she said, "Paul… you can tease or eat. What's it gonna be?"
"Harsh, man. Eat it is, though. I won't tease ya anymore, Little Bit."
"Why do you call me that? I'm not that small."
Snorting, Paul asked, "How tall are you when compared to Sam's gigantic frame? And when I checked this afternoon, I was six-four. So, you are a little bit."
Indignation evident in her voice, she said, "I'm five-three! That's perfectly average for human girls."
Smiling, he said, "Nah, you're a Little Bit, Ms. Alpha. You pick. I can call you Little Bit or Ms. Alpha."
Rolling her eyes, she said, "I prefer Bella. Oh! Don't forget, Quil, Sr. is coming to dinner tonight. He will likely have more information for all of us when he does."
"Fantastic. The ancient Dude is coming. Just what I needed," Paul said and pouted into his plate.
"You should be respectful, Paul. He communes with the Spirits and knows things they share."
"He's just always being so judgmental. Always spouting about how I should 'do better.' I can 'be more.' I don't know what the fuck he's talking about, but he's cryptic as fuck."
Giggling, Bella paused eating. "I think he knew you would be a protector of the tribe. He wanted to warn you the only way he could. And face facts, Paul. Even I know you make bad choices frequently and have issues controlling your temper. And I've only been here since June."
Patting his arm, Bella added, "I'm not judging you either. I just want you to think about it from a different perspective."
Chewing silently, Paul finished his lunch and said he would catch a nap before dinner.
As soon as Paul left, Bella was thrown into a vision.
Sam's black fur waved in the wind as he stood and watched his pack. They sparred and worked together to gain more knowledge on fighting. They needed to practice so they could be more effective. Bella could see Paul's silver wolf against a large russet-colored wolf. A spindly, sandy-colored wolf appeared caught between child and adulthood. It joined forces with a smaller gray wolf, who would not get overlooked because of its speed and agility, to take down a bigger brown wolf. Then there was a dark gray one with patches on its back who fought against another gray wolf with the markings of a mask around its eyes.
As they battled together, a loud sound, as though a herd of something was stampeding, made the whole earth tremble. Sam barked once, and the pack took their positions. Each was ready to intercept whatever was coming their way.
Every wolf's eyes grew large as they stared at the number of leeches rushing them. None hesitated when Sam lept to start taking them out. Multiple bloodsuckers fell to the wolves as they bit and clawed them apart.
The smaller, sandy-colored one was battling against a large vampire with bright red eyes when it managed to step on the wolf's leg in a lucky maneuver. The wolf whined, and the pack went rabid in response. Filled with ferocious anger over their young, injured packmate, Paul and Sam worked together to take down the biggest one.
The large brown wolf yelped when the one he was fighting with, an agile little brunette girl who looked no older than thirteen, got her arms around him and squeezed. She shook his body and Bella watched the life fade from his eyes.
But that was only the beginning.
More and more of the cold ones poured through the meadow, overwhelming the pack and Bella watched in horror as they each fell.
Coming out of her vision, Bella was unsurprised to find tears pouring down her cheeks and her body shaking with sobs.
"What did you see, Bella?" Rubbing soothing circles on her back, Sam tried to offer comfort. "Talk to me, babe. What made you so upset?"
"A great force of vampires is coming. I couldn't count them all, but there were well over thirty. Our pack contained eight wolves, and none of you survived. Sam…" her voice was lost as sobs once again shook her body.
"Baby, listen to me. This vision is a warning. We will figure out what this means. Quil is coming, and we can talk to him."
Bella let Sam pull her into his lap and cuddled against him. "I can't lose you, Sam. I just found you. I can't…"
"Shhh… it's okay, babe. We will figure this out. I promise."
Bella looked into his eyes, and her own glazed over yet again. Goosebumps covered Sam's body as she spoke.
"The prophecy of the great battle is at hand. Look to the elders for guidance, but do not let them discount you for your youth. They know not the danger that lurks around the bend. Use your talents and seek the olive branch of alliance extended from the treaty. Working together can eliminate this threat. As one, the enemy will fall. Heed the visions and wisdom of the healers of the tribe. Let not any attitudes of unworthiness taint the value of what they offer. Use the anger, the speed, the agility, the ferocity found within each pack member. Each is unique and offers different strengths. Listen to each and consider carefully the battle plans. Rule not in fear or anger but with patience and respect. The pack will respect your authority."
When she stopped speaking, Bella's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fainted.
A/N: I'm working on Ch 15 now. Thank you for being patient and hanging with me!