late-march, 2018

…

I started my day off as I always did, early and always ending after dark, I shower, get dressed and eat before I leave the house to patrol. There was nothing else to tell, it was routine and not very entertaining. And the day was the same, as always. But tonight, as I walked onto my porch with drizzling rain falling from the black sky, my head turned to the sound of a car engine turning off. A red sedan parked next to my old Camaro and the drive door opened as I fully turned towards my driveway in confusion. And then my heart jumped into my throat as I saw distinctive features of only one person I would never forget, his head turned to me as he closed the driver door while he shoved his keys into his jacket pocket. My eyes scanned his face swiftly before meeting his dark orbs.

His eyes pulled me in like I was being grappled, he was outlined in a light I know from pack memory, I felt my world shift and the gravity from under my feet go out from under me. I fell instantly, unconditionally, purely in love all over again with my senses heightening, gravity snapped into place on him as the tunnel I had been crawling through the years flew past me. I let out a heavy exhale as the connection solidified into place and I was brought out of the abyss and my wait, just as quickly as I snapped back to reality he stepped forward with his very need and want being spoken through his eyes, the connection. I imprinted.

He needed me. He wanted me. He needed and wanted me how? Sexually, romantically, emotionally, physically.

I blinked and so did he. I felt my heart fluttering in my chest as he approached me.

"Hey," he says, an uncertain smile on his face.

"Hi." I said back. My eyebrows furrowed, "What are you doing here?"

Seth's eyes begin to burn with a fire, "I moved back."

"What?" It was a mental and verbal response in surprise.

My mind began reeling with thoughts for the first time in months.

"I moved back."

Why? I hummed, "Welcome back."

"Thank you," his eyes scrutinized me again, "I'm glad to be back."

I looked away, I looked to my right to the sporadic trees before they merged with the forest. I imprinted. I actually fucking imprinted. And I… I imprinted on him. I looked back at him.

"You want to come inside?"

I would be an asshole if I didn't invite him into shelter from the weather. And I physically couldn't let him be in the rain any longer.

"Yeah," his shoulders relaxed and he climbed the stairs as I opened the front door.

I stepped inside and held the door open for him, "Are you hungry? You want anything to drink?" My stomach instantly filled with butterflies and my heart started racing again.

Seth walked into the small foyer with the upstairs staircase in front of us, off to the right was my living room and then the other two rooms wrapped around behind the staircase and behind the wall to the left of the staircase. He pushed his hood back and looks down at me as I closed the door.

"I…" He smiles like he was encouraging himself to say something, and he was nervous, "I-I wanted to know if you'd want to go out and get dinner."

My head tilted, go out and get dinner? Like a date? Or just friendly dinner? Wait, why does he want to go out and eat?

"You want to go out and eat?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," he nodded, he stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets, "Do you want to come with me?" He asks looking at me like I was an angel or something, my heart skipped a beat.

I considered it, naturally, and I considered it quickly, I shrugged, "Sure, sure. I'll be right back down. Make yourself at home."

Why did I say that? Make yourself at home? He's home, right? He's home. My heart is fluttering in my chest. He's in my home and I told him to make himself at home. This could be his home, right?

He releases a breath in relief, "Okay."

I went upstairs and showered. I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, I pulled into a pair of socks and pulled on a pair of sneakers. I went back downstairs and looked for Seth, I found him looking around in the kitchen and was walking back into the dining room. He was curious and I had an idea to give him a tour of the upstairs.

"You want to see the upstairs?" I asked, he looked up at me and he nodded.

I jerked my head towards the foyer and walked towards the staircase, I climbed the first part of the stairs and stood on the landing, I turned to look at him following behind me. Seth just walked into the foyer and looked up at me waiting on the landing.

"When did you move here?" he asked as he follows up the rest of the stairs.

"When I was 22." I replied as we got to the top.

"What have you been doing… since Quil and Fiona sold the shop?" He inquires while observing the upstairs hallway with three doors.

"I'm the Rez's Chiefess." I replied and he looked at me like he heard that but still surprised.

"Really?"

I nodded, scrutinizing him. I didn't know what to expect from him, I walked over to the bathroom door and opened it, "This is the bathroom." I stepped aside so he could look in my small bathroom that I decorated in blue shades, he followed me as I walked to the second bedroom and opened the door to a purple and white decorated room, "This is my guest room, not that I ever have guests." He looks down at me and into the room as I talk, I walked down to my room and opened the door. Maroon red decorated with dark wood furniture and contrasting nicely to the white walls and ceiling, "And this is my room." I spotted one of my toys out and about, I almost had a heart attack when he started laughing.

"Nice décor," he says looking at my dildo in plain sight on my dresser.

I had planned to use it last night but I didn't. I was just in here, how did I miss that? I chortled nervously and closed my door. I didn't know what to say and he was making it hard to say anything as he looks at me and starts laughing again.

"You weren't supposed to see that. Nobody was actually."

"Well I seen it and now I know what you do."

I sighed and walked away quickly, I ran my nails along my scalp, "Are you going to dinner or no?" I asked looking over my shoulder at him, I squeaked in surprise to see him stopping a foot or two away from me.

He stepped back, his face tinting with blood, I heard his heart beat pick up in pace, "Yeah."

The drive to the diner was quiet expect for the rain coming down and the radio playing, I looked out the passenger window with my nails picking at the skin around my nails. It was close to 10 at night and I know the diner will be open until midnight, I know we were going to the diner because it's the only business open for food. But we only had the pizza parlor and the diner as it is. I blinked out of my thoughts noticing the familiar road and scenery, Seth drove past the familiar road and my eyes glued to the little red house with the garage in the back. A wave of despair ran through me as I wished that my father was still in that little red house, cars were in the driveway and the house looked lively. I had to swallow to rid the throat from forming in my throat, I missed him so bad and I wanted to cry. I swallowed the knots in my throat that threatened to form and make me sob like a baby.

When we got to the diner, there were three other customers besides us, one small family and two lonely men. Seth and I followed the hostess over to a booth, she smiled at us as we sat down and she handed out menus as she listed off the specials. She asked for our drink choices and then she was gone to get our drinks. And then I was ridden with anxiety.

Why is he here? Why did I agree to this? What's going on? I fucking imprinted… this is weird. I bet I look like an idiot right now. I always look like an idiot. I'm so nervous I don't know what to do, I don't even know what to think.

"How was your day today?" he asks snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him from the tabletop, "It was okay. How was yours?"

"It was good. I worked today."

My head tilted in curiosity, "You worked? Isn't the plane ride like five hours from Jacksonville."

He smiles with knowing, "It is. I've been here for a few weeks now."

I blinked at him blank astonishment, he chuckled, "A few weeks?"

"Yeah. I wanted you to know for sure that I moved back before coming to see you." His eyes flickered over my face as he spoke and continued to scan as I felt blood rush to my face and I clasped my hands on the tabletop.

"Oh." I said, I looked down at the table and then back up at him with just my eyes, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you move back?"

"Because of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I missed you. I missed home."

He missed me?

Our hostess came back, she looked like she was one of the only ones working expect for the ones in the kitchen, I can hear the cooks and the dish boy talking about wanting to go home. She placed my glass of water down and Seth's own glass water.

"Are you two ready to order?" she asks taking out a notepad.

I looked down at the menu in front of me, I scanned it quickly before deciding on a soup and a salad. Seth ordered a chicken and rice dish and then we were alone again. It was quiet between us for several moments, the small family's children were laughing and chatting with their parents. It made me miss Bella and Paul, and their family of three kids and another on the way, their last baby is supposed to arrive around my birthday.

What does this mean? He missed me? Why did he miss me? Why after all this time?

I looked back at him from scanning the diner, "You missed me?"

"Of course."

I looked down at the tabletop, picking at the skin around my nails.

"I know you missed me too… Mom has been telling me that you call about me."

I gaped for like two seconds before I fixed my face and crossed my arms over my chest, "I don't just call her about you."

Seth was grinning at me, and I looked away again, "Either way, you miss me."

I leaned back in the booth, I looked out the window to dead Forks streets, "Missing you is an understatement." I mumbled, I hope he didn't hear that.

"How?" he asked.

Fuck. I don't feel like explaining and I really don't know if I can do this.

"Because… it is." I didn't look at him even though I can see him looking at me front he reflection of the lights against the glass.

"I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

I don't know that statement made my heart overreact but it did. I didn't say anything, I maybe a bitch right now but I am at a loss of words honestly about everything, him being here and this right here. When they said everything changes, they weren't lying and everything did change, already I can feel it doing what it does. Bringing us closer and I… I don't know what to say eventually I did met his eyes again. His hand reached out to my clasped hands and picking fingers, his hand was so cool and tender on mine. An electrical shock sparkled against my skin and traveled up my arm, his hand retracted and he looked down at his hand as he opened and closed his fist. It's quiet again for a few short minutes and then our food arrived.

He turned to me after starting the ignition, Seth scrutinizes me as he begins to smile. The smile is nervously optimistic, "What so you want to do now? … I don't want to… go home yet." He looked at his steering wheel and he sounded unsure and frustrated with himself.

I didn't want to leave him either as stupid as it is. "That's okay," I replied, I looked out the passenger window, "We can go back to my house. I just got the Transformers movie collection."

He chortled, "You still like that fandom?"

"Of course. I'd fight beside Optimus any day." I turned back to him, smirking. It would be cool to wake up in the world of Transformers for a day.

"You still want to marry Bumblebee?" he asked humorously.

He remembered that.

"No. I was five, give me a break."

"No, you were fifteen."

"Oh please." I scoffed.

He chuckles, it was light-hearted and it was music to my ears. Not that he'll ever know that.

"What else you got?"

"I also have the collections series of the spin off TV shows."

"You watch Transformers 24/7?"

"No. I got others. It was the first thing that came to mind."

"Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"

I shook my head, I don't know why I did that, "No." Yes, I do, patrol my territory. Well I guess I don't have anything to do tomorrow since I said I did, fuck, this fucking imprinting shit, I looked down at my feet.

He looked back at his steering wheel, "Okay."

I swear… I can feel what I think is going to happen right now, in the air. We started chatting about Jacksonville and the family down there, he missed them but he didn't miss the constant sun. We talked about he did for work and he asked me about my work by the time he parked in my driveway.

"I know that your run everything but you were wearing shorts and a tank top. It's 12 degrees."

I chuckled once breathily. I crossed my arms and looked down at my sneakers. "Full truth?"

"Full truth."

"Our legends about spirit warriors that protect tribe land, the shapes shifting wolves like my great-grandfather Ephraim Black, are living realities."

I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my face for a long moment, "Wait… what? Are you asking that you are…?"

"A shape shifting werewolf? Yes." My eyes were stuck on my sneakers.

"Whoa, wait. Wasn't Ephraim Black like the leader or… what?"

I hummed in confirmation, "Alpha. And I am an alpha."

He was staring silently at me again for a brief minute, "So that's why you were wearing that in this?"

I snorted breathily, "Yeah. It comes with high body temperature. My temperature is like… 109 the last time I checked."

"That's not normal."

"Neither is phasing into wolf but hey, this is La Push for you for the last twelve years."

"You broke up with me because you 'phased'?"

"I did, I wasn't alpha then, Sam Uley was. He had reasons for it. Sam had phased too close to his wife and scarred her for life. So, friends and boyfriends were off limits unless they were—well just people meant to be around the wolves."

A pause of silence.

"And Sam thought that Bella and I weren't meant to be around you. But then she was around after I left."

"You left the day I became alpha."

A pause of silence again. Well, the rain was slamming against the car but what else is new?

"If I had stayed…"

"You would've been my boyfriend again." I admitted.

He leaned back in his seat and I felt his gaze leave my face. A long moment followed, my eyes flickered to my hands clasped in my lap. My mind was quiet and everything was… still.

"Why do you phase?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because the knowledge of that kind could get you killed."

"You're bluffing."

"I'm serious." I said with an edge of firmness.

He sighed frustrated but silence followed momentarily, I felt his gaze on my face again, "I imagine this knowledge about you is sacred, so why did you tell me?"

"Because I'm the alpha and I can do what the fuck I want. Sams not here anymore."

Seth chuckled, "I still don't believe this."

"You want to see?"

"See what?"

"Me phasing into a wolf."

"You're serious?"

I looked over at him and then out the windshield, "Yes. Tomorrow. It's like… eleven something."

"Tomorrow then." He says, "I should probably head home…"

"I won't hold you up if you want to head home."

"I could head home or…" I can hear him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and his growing nervousness, "Could I come in for a cup of coffee?"

"Coffee sounds good."

I closed the front door after him while kicking off my sneakers. A wave of exhaustion hit me with the days events of nonstop patrol was finally catching up to me. A nonstop patrol of the same old same old in this peninsula of predictable rain. I walked to the kitchen running my right hand through my silly strands of hair, scratching my scalp to rid my skull my tension and exhaled heavily.

"You can hang your coat by the door. How do you take your coffee?"

"Black."

I filled the pot with water and scooped coffee grounds into the filter.

"What else comes with… phasing?"

I looked over my shoulder at Seth sitting down at the small island counter of my kitchen, "Super healing. It's great for when we get injuries, can't go to the hospital with a body temperature that's supposed to mean your dead."

"What else?"

I snorted a snicker, "No periods while phasing."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"So… no babies for life."

I nodded, and then shrugged, "Well I can if I stop phasing. But that would be horrid." I was thinking about Leah's call when she stopped phasing and her cycle afterwards, she was bleeding for a full year.

"What else?"

"Speed, immortally."

"You're immortal?"

"Only while phasing."

"So, you could phase for years to come and you'll still look like that?"

I looked over my shoulder at hi staring at my lower back, "Like what?" I turned slightly and his face darkened with blush when his eyes met mine.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat and looked down at the tabletop.

I looked back at the coffee maker brewing the coffee, "What else have you been doing in Jacksonville?" I turned to face him with my butt against the counter.

His chin tucks towards his chest for a few seconds before he levels and he looks at me, "I had this girlfriend down there before I enlisted… I may have gotten her pregnant before I had left for boot camp. I didn't even know until I got back three years ago and now I have a 10 years old son."

"Him? You got a boy?"

"I got a boy and his mother won't let me seen him."

"Why? What'd you do?"

He gawked in offense for a few seconds before he recovered, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't even know she was pregnant, I mean we talked when we could while I was away but she didn't say anything. And now I have to pay child support, she won't even have a conversation with me or let me see my son."

"Why did you move here? If he's in Jacksonville."

"That's the thing. He's not. I found out through Mom when I returned home. She hasn't been around for years and she won't tell me where she is."

"What kind of woman do you knock up? A fucking gold-digger?" I poured him a cup, turned around and slid the mug on the counter carefully towards him.

"That's what it's starting to feel like." He sighed heavily and his fingers are slightly lost in his hair as he drops his head in his hands and rubs his scalp with intensity.

"I'm sorry," I murmured after another moment of studying him.

I can't believe he has a kid. A kid he can't see but he has a kid. I leaned my forearms on the counter and crossed them, I shifted weight to my right leg.

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

I looked at his mug and the dark liquid inside, "Are you sure you don't want anything in that?" I looked at him with just my eyes.

He meets my eyes, "I'm sure."

"What else?" I was asking that now.

He chortles, "What else of what?"

I snorted once, "You, Seth. Jacksonville, whatever."

"That's kind of it."

"What is his name? Your boy?"

His shoulders deflate a bit, "I don't even know. She won't tell me."

"What is her name?"

"Brittney."

I laughed, "She is a bitch."

He hums a laugh looking down at his coffee mug, "She is."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"A couple days ago. Same as always, hi, how are you, that's good. I need money for him. Blah, blah, blah." He runs his hands through his hair again. "Sometimes I really wish I had just… left her instead of falling into her trap."

"You think that's what she did?"

"Kind of. Our relationship wasn't the best when we started dating and we hadn't been dating long before I enlisted. She said she was on the pill and whatever. Nope, I'm tied to her until he's 18 and it's hell."

"The baby mama drama is real." I said absentmindedly.

Seth snorted a laugh, "With Brittany. Absolutely. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You got kids? A baby daddy?"

I laughed, "Right. You seen this house, I'm a loner."

"I have noticed." He looks back up at me, "No coffee?"

I gasped lightly, "I forgot." I turned back to the coffee pot and grabbed another mug from the cabinet. My head turned to knocking on my front door, I looked at him in confusion, "Are you expecting someone?"

He snorted again, a smile spreading across his face, "No. But looks like someone is here for you."

"Right. This is my house."

"It is."

I hummed once in wonder as I walked out of the kitchen to the door, I unlocked the door and opened it. I groaned in annoyance at the face of a man I didn't want to see. Why is he even here? I forgot his name but he's one of my many hookups from when I was 21, I told you I had to deal with this.

"Hi." He greets smiling.

"What are you doing here?"

"We have plans."

I scoffed, "We do not have any plans."

"Last time I checked we do. What are you busy?" His head turned towards the living room, "Who is he?"

"Who?" I looked over at Seth, he sat down on the couch with his coffee mug in his hand and sipping at the cup. I looked back at the other man, "Who are talking about?"

The man gives me a look and looks back over at Seth, "Him."

I looked back over at Seth, "Him? I don't see anybody."

I heard Seth stifle a laugh.

The man looked between us and he scowled, "This isn't funny."

"Who's laughing?" I asked, Seth was but that was beside the point.

The man looks back at me, his eyes are hard, "I know that you're a shore but I didn't know you were that big of a whore."

I did a double take, my shoulders quivering, "Excuse me?"

The man scoffs, "You heard me." And he turned away.

"A whore? We haven't had sex in four years? And I'm the whore?"

"We may haven't but word around town is different."

"Fuck off." I slammed the door closed.

I slammed it a bit too hard because I heard one of the hinges crack the wood frame. My quivering reached my hands, I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose.

"Someone was butt hurt," Seth says from the living room. He chortles, "Are you sure you don't want to do anything? He's got others in the car."

I walked away from the door and the living room to Seth peaking out the curtains like a peeping Tom with his coffee mug.

"I'd rather fuck you before I join the streets again." I grumbled feeling my face set into a scowl as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Come again?" Seth asks and I can hear his footsteps on the wood into the kitchen.

"Nothing."

"I heard something about me."

"He didn't believe you were a ghost," I said.

"I know that but you didn't say that. You said something else."

"It's not important."

"Naomi—"

"What do you want from me?" I demanded turning to him, my shoulders and arms quivering.

Seth blinks at me in surprise rapidly before his face set and he answered, "I don't want anything from you, Mi."

"That's bullshit. You and I both know that you didn't just come here to live or come to see me just to talk. What do you want, Seth?"

He sets the mug on the counter, "I don't want anything from you. Why are you shaking?"

I looked down at my hands gripping the edge of the counter, "Trying not to phase. And that's such bullshit." I turned to him, "I have expected you for the rest of your life to hate me and not to see you. I was fine with it. I have expected to be here alone and that's fine, but I just can't understand why you came back. Why are you here—"

I blinked at him stepping close to me and his scent filled my nose, his hands rested on the counter top, and it was quick. His lips falling onto mine, cutting me off and claiming my lips. I felt all of my shaking and borders break down instantly as his lips numbed mine with electric sparkles. He pulled back when my right hand rested on his chest, I didn't need to feel his thudding heart to hear the race of his vital organ. His hands on my waist tightened in pressure, I stared at his chest in surprise and confusion.

Did he just do that?

"I'm here for you… if it isn't obvious." His hands slide to wrap his arms around me loosely, "I want you."

I inhaled quickly, his hands slid up to the middle of my back, I exhaled as I met his eyes. My heart started fluttering in my chest, I went to speak but another knock rapped on the front door. We pulled away and my front door opened.

"Hello?" I demanded walking out of the kitchen.

"Hello?!" Leah Clearwater walked around the corner and grinned at me widely with tall tinted glass bottles in her hands.

"Leah?!" my eyes boggled out of my skull.

"Hey!" Leah laughed.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked looking at her laughing at me with a wide smile stretched across her exotically beautiful face.

"What do you mean?" She accused. "What am I doing here?" Leah smirks. "I'm here to celebrate on your twelfth year as Alpha! I finally perfected it." Leah grins holding up one of her bottles in her hand. "I finally got the right calculations of alcohol to get a wolf drunk."

I cackled and went to speak when all of her jaws dropped as she looked behind me.

"Seth?" Leah inquires blinking.

"Hey, Leah." Seth greets.

Leah shoved a bottle into my hands, leading me over into the kitchen, laughing with the gears turning in her head, "Oh, fucking drink."

"I was just having coffee," I said as Leah took out glasses and turned to me and looked at the countertops.

"Oh really?" she asks while gestures to my coffee mug that was moved and spilt some of the dark liquid onto the polished wood.

Did we do that? I don't remember that. The kiss wasn't long or it didn't feel like it was long.

"That's what I thought." Leah says with mischievous knowing.

I looked up at her, she was grinning and looking at Seth sitting at the island counter, he was stifling a smile.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She shrugs pouring a clear liquid into a cup that smelled like pure rubbing alcohol, my nose scrunched up, "Nothing, Black."

"That smells like the purest form of rubbing alcohol."

"But it isn't. Took me a while to get this right. Costed me hundreds to make."

I squeaked, "I don't like the sound of that."

"You will once you try this." Leah handed me a glass that was halfway filled with the alcohol.

I took it from her, examining it, "You do it first."

"I already know how it is. The test is on your ass. I've been trying to get her drunk for years."

"The wolf heat burns it off."

"He knows?"

"Of course."

Leah scrutinized me, "What else does he know?" she asked in Quileute.

"Just about the legends." I replied back.

"Did you imprint?" She asked in Quileute again.

My shocked, timid silence clarified her answer, she smiled at me and turned back to Seth who looked completely lost.

"Seth, you drinking?"

"Uh, I don't know."

Leah looked at the liquid and then back up at him, "It might knock you out."

Seth shakes his head, "I'm okay."

"But that's no fun," Leah turned to me with a slight pout to her lips.

I snorted, "Classic party pooper."

Leah sighs, "I guess that's fine. Someone has to watch over the sloshed she-wolves."

I looked at the liquid intimidated, "Right."

"On 3." Leah holds up her glass smirking at me.

I smiled nervously with a breathy nervous chuckle, Seth chuckles.

"1, 2."

I followed Leah in suit of bringing the glass to my lips.

"3."

I drank a shot but Leah tipped the bottom of my glass back. I choked and coughed at the pure burn in my throat as the liquid traveled down smoothly light, and I felt an instinct warm fuzz in my stomach. I put the glass back down on the counter, I stared at the countertops for a few seconds.

What is this? Is this what alcohol is supposed to feel like? The after taste was hint of berries and that alcohol that began to taste like… juice.

"Oh!" I shook my head and grabbed onto the countertop, my vision was already hazing.

"Yes!" Leah cheered, "Finally!"

Seth was laughing at Leah, my legs and arms are tingling. I couldn't remember anything else after that.

…

A rumble of thunder three miles woke me up. I felt an instant churn of my stomach, I groaned as I sat up from the floor of my living room. I closed my eyes and blinked at the light coming in from the sheer curtains, why did I choose sheer curtains? I'm an idiot, I inhaled through my nose to settle my nerves but the scents around me made my stomach churn, I covered my mouth and nose. I sprinted upstairs to the bathroom and fell in front of it and pushed my hair back as the sour bile crawled up my throat quickly. I brushed my teeth and kept my eyes closed. The heaviness of sleep was weighing me down along with the painful twist of my stomach.

I went back downstairs and then Leah started sprinting up the staircase covering her mouth. I moved away against the wall of the landing, the rapid steps on the stairs radiated around my skull.

"One of the bad side effects of the drink." Leah grumbled gagging and forcing back her heaves.

I unlocked the front door groaning at the echoing sound of her vomiting, I walked out onto the porch and the rain began drowning out the sound but not enough. I vomited again in my side yard just because of… yeah. The rain was getting to be too much.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked at a normal volume level as I walked back towards the porch.

I covered my ears, and my eyes instinctively closed from squinting, his voice was to loud, "Is this what a hangover is? The consistent pulse in my skull?"

Seth chortles, "That would be a hangover."

I groaned and sat down on the stairs, keeping my palms pressed against my ears, "This is ass."

"Hang on. I got a cure."

I stayed on the porch steps and allowed the rain to wash over me and that helped smooth out the pulse in my skull.

Was I really crazy to deny that Seth was here? Was I really going to be stupid enough to choose to be an ass or let everything flow?

I'm not crazy and I'm not stupid.

A few hours after Seth made a concoction for a hangover and naps, I was looking over at him in the dining room with Leah as they bickered about something I wasn't following anymore. I don't know what happened last night and I think it's better that I don't remember.

But I do remember him saying that he wanted me. And I remember our kiss.

I guess I can just let it flow.

Like Toni Braxton said.

…

I turned to Seth as we walked out of my woods back to my house after I showed him my wolf. I looked down at our hands tangled together.

I looked up at him with a confident smile as I exhaled heavily gathering myself together.

"There's something else I have to tell you."

"What's that?" he asks amused, stepping closer to me.

I shrugged, "Well you know how I meant Sam only allowing the ones meant to be around us?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he was meaning our imprints?"

"Imprints?"

"It's a thing we don't find our other half."

He stared at me for a moment before he spoke with a thoughtful gaze, "What do you mean?"

"Emily is Sam's imprint. An imprint is a bond stronger than true love itself, deeper."

"And?"

"We can't have just anyone knowing and we can't just be with anyone because of what we are. We have to have someone that would be unconditionally loyal and supportive of us, someone that we could love and spend our lives with."

"You have an 'imprint'?" He asked going to pull his hand from mine but I tightened my hold.

"I do."

"Awesome." He looked away with nods of his head and his breathing shook just a bit.

"And my imprint is you. You're mine for the rest of my existence."

He turned to me when I finished, he stared at me.

"I feel like there's more."

"Whatever you want us to be I can be and I can never hurt you."

"Whatever I want us to be?"

"Yes."

"Why me?"

"Because… whatever you want or need from I can be. Do anything for you. I can be a loved, a friend, a sister, a protector."

"A protector?" He smiles widely stepping back towards me, "I like the sound of that but I think that should be reserved."

I sighed, "Either way… at the end of the day, we're supposed to be together."

"We're supposed to be together?" Seth wraps his arms around my waist, "I guess that could work." He rests his forehead on mine, his eyes boring into mine, "I didn't move here for nothing."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, "I noticed."

Even though I wanted to kiss him when he pulled me close. His arms around me and his arms shifting to mold my body against his and the cool warmth of his body and his presence was even more clarifying and peaceful. Embracing him felt like the world had stopped. It was tender. It was loving. It was pure.

It was everything.

I don't know why but I had déjà vu. But this déjà vu left me peaceful.

Like I wasn't waiting for anything to come out of the woods and tear my world apart. Like there was peace. Like shaking if the earth under my feet finally settled.

Dad knew talking about Katelynn's fights with Naomi and Leah were risky, he tried to rekindle his relationship with Sue after telling Katelynn he wanted her to be a second daughter. It wasn't going so well with Leah around and refusing to let him talk to her, but they talk on the phone, I don't know how any of that was going on. He knew he had a lot of power over her being an imprint, he got to choose what came about their bond, and he wanted to use it wisely and knock sense into the new wolf.