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All television shows, movies, books and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. This work is the interpretation of the original material and not created for profit. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Recap of Chapter 4:
Leah is clearly stressed out as her mom arrives, and she's feeling a lot of pressure. She didn't want to tell her mom about Seth locking himself in the vault, so she had Bella do it instead. Her mom's reaction is pretty calm, though, and she's just focused on seeing Seth. When Leah tries to resist her mom's request for her to go home and rest, she gets reminded of her exhaustion. Embry and Leah head into the woods to shift into wolves, and they have an awkward, tense moment. They start running, and Embry calls Leah out for always pushing people away when things get real. Leah is defensive and snaps back, but there's an underlying layer of pain that she's not ready to deal with. The chapter ends with a lingering, thought-provoking moment between them.
Chapter 5
The scent of damp earth and pine needles fills my nose as I wake, my body heavy with the kind of exhaustion that's been with me for too long. The air is cool against my skin—cooler than it should be. It takes me a second to realize something feels off. My limbs are different, stretched out, human. I must have shifted back while I was asleep.
Which means I'm—
I push myself up onto my elbows and, yep. Naked.
Great. That would be fine if not for the damn scent in my nose right now. I open my eyes and see him. Embry. He's sitting right there, leaning back against a tree, legs stretched out, arms crossed. Not exactly looking at me—his eyes are focused on the trees, his expression unreadable. But I know him. I know the way he holds himself, the way his face gives everything away. And right now? The way he's deliberately avoiding looking at me? That's guilt.
Which means that before, he wasn't looking away. He was watching me.
My arms cross instinctively over my chest. "Did you seriously just sit here all night and watch me?"
Embry's head snaps toward me, eyes wide, and he immediately turns away. "No!" His voice cracks a little. "I mean—no, not like that."
I raise an eyebrow. "Uh-huh."
He drags a hand down his face, sighing. "I knew you were gonna turn this around on me."
"Turn what around? I wake up, and boom—audience."
He groans. "I wasn't watching you. I mean, I was watching over you. Figured you'd do something dumb like run back here in the middle of the night and pass out. Which, by the way—called it."
I scowl and yank my clothes from where I tied them to my leg. "Congratulations. You win a prize."
He mutters something under his breath and turns even further away, giving me as much privacy as he can without actually leaving.
I pull my t-shirt over my head, glancing at him long enough to say, "Okay. You're safe now."
"I'm safe?" he looks at me dryly.
I smirk. "From your unbearable temptation to stare at my perfect body."
Embry blinks. Then groans. "You would make this worse for me."
"Just owning my power."
He presses his lips together like he's trying not to respond, but finally mutters, "Not my fault you sleep naked in public."
I exhale sharply, pulling on my jeans. "I just needed to be close."
There's a pause. Then, quieter: "Yeah. I figured."
The words hit me harder than I expect, and suddenly, my throat feels tight. I shake it off, shoving my fingers through my tangled hair. "You could've woken me up."
I kick a small rock at him, and he laughs, dodging it easily. For a split second, it feels almost normal—like we're just two wolves bickering as usual. Like I didn't wake up completely naked, with the ghost of his eyes on my skin.
Embry tilts his head, his expression shifting. "You needed the sleep."
His voice isn't teasing. It's quieter, more careful.
I glance away, my boot toeing at the damp ground. "Since when do you care if I get enough rest?"
He starts to make a smartass comment, but then he just shrugs. "Since you started acting like a stubborn idiot."
I roll my eyes. "Wow. Touching."
"Hey, I call it like I see it." He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees. "And what I see is someone who ran all the way out here in the middle of the night because she couldn't make herself leave."
The humor falls off my face.
I don't answer.
Because if I do, I might have to admit that he's right. And I'm not about to do that.
Embry doesn't push. He doesn't ask me to explain myself. He just stands, stretching, rolling his shoulders. "Come on. If we wait too long, your mom's gonna rip your head off."
I exhale, relieved for the subject change. "Good call."
We shift, paws hitting the damp earth, the cool morning air rushing past us.
And this time, when we run, it doesn't feel like I'm running away.
y the time we reach the Cullens' house, the last of the morning mist has burned away, leaving the air crisp and unnervingly clear. The glass facade gleams in the sunlight, reflecting back the dense forest like a mirage—something untouchable, unreal. A place suspended in time.
But the illusion shatters when I catch the scent of my mother. Sharp. Familiar. Unyielding.
My stomach clenches instinctively, like my body already knows what's coming.
She's on the porch, arms crossed, her jaw tight with frustration barely leashed. Charlie stands beside her, his fingers hooked into his belt, feet planted wide like he's bracing for impact. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. I don't blame him.
I slow without thinking, but Embry doesn't. He keeps walking, easy and loose-limbed, like he hasn't noticed the crackling energy rolling off my mother in waves. But I know better. He notices everything. He just doesn't care.
"Where were you?" My mother's voice is sharp, the words cutting through the open air as soon as I step into range.
I inhale, steadying myself. "I—"
"You weren't home." She doesn't even let me finish, her voice as unyielding as stone. "You weren't anywhere reachable."
A flicker of annoyance sparks in my chest. "I was—"
"If something had happened to Seth, where would I have found you?"
Her voice drops, not loud, but firm. The kind of voice that doesn't need to shout to make me feel like I'm seventeen again, caught sneaking in past curfew.
My teeth clench. "I was here."
Sue's expression flickers. It's brief, a fraction of a second, but I catch it—some mix of relief and something else she won't let herself show.
"Where?"
"In the woods."
Charlie shifts uncomfortably beside her, his mustache twitching. He doesn't say anything, but his gaze flicks between us, like he's assessing whether or not this is his problem. He seems to decide it's not.
Sue exhales sharply, fingers pressing against her temples for a beat before she meets my gaze again, all sharp edges and disapproval. "You slept outside?"
I lift a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "I wasn't alone."
Sue's lips press together. "Who—"
"Embry kept watch."
I realize my mistake the second the words leave my mouth.
Charlie's eyebrows lift.
Sue's gaze flicks to Embry, assessing, unreadable.
And Embry—because of course he does—grins.
"Yeah," he says, casual as ever, hands sliding into his pockets. "I had it covered."
Heat crawls up my neck.
Charlie clears his throat, deliberately neutral. "Well, uh… that's… responsible of you."
Sue doesn't look impressed. "You risked yourself staying out there all night. What if something had happened to you?"
I cross my arms, my jaw tight. "Embry was there." I don't add that I didn't exactly plan on that.
"And if he wasn't?" she fires back.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
She's right. I hadn't really thought about it that way. I've spent so long convincing myself I don't need anyone—don't want anyone—that the idea of relying on someone, of expecting someone to be there, hadn't even crossed my mind.
Sue softens, just slightly. "Leah." Her voice is quieter now, not angry so much as exhausted. "I know you want to be close to him. But you need to take care of yourself, too."
The words scrape against something raw in me.
I exhale sharply. "I am."
Sue doesn't look convinced. But she doesn't push it further, either.
She just turns toward the house. "Come on. Seth's awake."
Charlie follows her, but not before shooting Embry a long, considering look—one I can't quite read.
I watch them go, my pulse hammering in my ears.
Then, without thinking, I turn to Embry. "You had to open your mouth."
Embry grins, completely unfazed. "What? I did keep watch."
I glare at him. "You enjoyed that."
His grin doesn't waver. He lifts a shoulder, shameless. "A little."
I let out an exasperated huff and shove past him toward the house, but the irritation still lingers, sticking to my skin like static.
Because even as I step inside, my mind keeps circling back to Sue's reaction.
To Charlie's raised eyebrows.
To Embry's smirk.
It's nothing.
Nothing.