I made a typo in previous chapters with Seth's age in the first chapter and the year in chapter five. Sorry about that.

june, 2016

Naomi

"Mimi," Laura grabbed my right hand and pulled me to follow after Paul and the others to Bella's room, "Come on, Mimi." I tore my eyes from Seth and looked down at Laura grinning up at with bright dark brown almond eyes.

Today was very strange. It felt like my ears have been waterlogged and stuffed with cotton balls, the hole in my chest mending. Everything was sharper with my senses, I felt like I was waking up from a deep sleep.

"Okay, okay," I let her pull away after the group, the strings of the imprint bond pulling at the strings of my soul.

Kim, Fiona, Katelynn and Milena all cradling their babies of the babies were in car seats held by their father's, Kim turned to me with her son, a baby boy that looked just like his mother already at a month old. Oddly, and literally enough the babies are all one month apart, Jacob and Milena had twins, they were oldest a boy and a boy, Makayla and Michael Call they arrived first and have been exhausting Jacob and Milena to the max, well Jake was kicking into wolf stamina the past couple of weeks, they all were. Fiona and Quil had a baby girl, Claire Ateara was fifth, Embry and Katelynn also had a girl, Serene Call, she was the third oldest, and Kim and Jared had a boy, Lucas Cameron he was forth. But final but not least, Bella and Paul's newborn son, unnamed still.

Laura was the oldest out of seven kids by seven years. I had it easy out of all the kids, a seven year old who loves music and she was mature for her age. They had crying babies who didn't love anything but to be fed, loved, clothed, warm and dry, well Laura needed that too but she didn't wail her head off about it. She only screamed unless she was overjoyed, it's more a squeal but to my ears it's a scream. She's an awesome girl.

I couldn't breathe in that same moment looking at Lucas and Mimi sprinting ahead to Embry, that tunnel was coming back and I can feel beginning to peak to the surface.

Everything I shoved aside came back, everything I had been angry about, everything I was still angry about. I waited. I waited ten years. I waited. I waited ten years for him to come back, I waited ten years to see him again just for the hope of imprinting. I waited.

But it didn't change the damage already inflicted. Couldn't take back ten years of waiting. But I had waited. Why did I wait? For this? Why did I wait so long? Why didn't I see him sooner?

But he lived all the way across the country, and I never had the money to do anything else but do what I've been doing the past ten years. Why now? Why now out of all time when I was just getting over it all? So it could repeat?

I didn't look at him again. And he didn't approach me. It was a baby boy alright and he looked like Bella. And just like every other baby in the room, I fell in love with this one just as much as the others.

"Carson Lahote," Bella announced the name proudly, tired.

"You know, you only smile unless it's kids involved," Paul muttered to me.

"Sucks to be you. Pay attention to your wife," I pushed him closer to Bella laughing covered up on the hospital bed.

"I have to agree with that," Dad chimes.

"Hey, this is about babies. Not me."

"Exactly. I want grandchildren." Dad remarked.

"Right here." I gestured to the babies and Laura.

Carson was passed around the room until Bella's nurse kicked us out, Laura was doing the pee-pee dance. She didn't want to miss a single thing. It was stupid to ignore the imprint and I know my resistance to it was causing him pain, I heard his sharp gasps of pain that were silent to human ears.

"Hey, Naomi."

I glanced over at Renee trying to catch up to me, I slowed my steps and glanced back at Laura jogging into the girl's lavatory.

"Hey, Renee." I glanced back at Renee, her skin was still fair and her face was more mature now, it reached her eyes.

"It's been years. How are you? How old are you now?" She smiled at me,

"26."

"Holy crap. I remember when you were just four."

"It's been a long time." I said, "A very long time."

She smiles wider, relaxing, "It has. I'm so glad I got to see you today. You have grown to be a beautiful woman, Naomi." Her eyes held a motherly love, sincere and kind. "How are you doing? Are you still working at the Auto Shop?"

I smiled back, "I'm okay. Yes, I am, it's been hectic over there lately. How are you? What's been going on with you?"

"I'm doing good. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for the past eight years. I'm more stable than I've ever been, back on my medication. I divorced Phil, focusing more on providing something to leave behind for my kids, try to make up for what I didn't do. Maybe go back to school soon."

"Really?" I asked surprised and genuinely happy to hear this.

"Yeah. It feels like I'm actually living now. Not just… you know."

I didn't know. Our roles were reserved now.

"I know… I'm happy for you. I'm so glad you came, I'm happy to see you to. You look fabulous."

Renee laughed belly deep, "Oh please. Please tell your doing some modeling on the side because you look fantastic."

I cackled, "Thank you, Renee."

"Are you seeing anyone? Multiple boyfriends? Two husbands?"

I laughed again, shaking my head my smile widening on my face, "No. Single as a lonely stale pringle hidden under the couch."

"What?!" She said this much like Bella, "Oh come on! Not even a vibrating friend?" Renee smiled with a severe mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

I chortled, "I wish!"

Renee laughed, "So not even a date?"

"What is a date?" I asked, looking around the space.

Renee chuckled, "Ah. Seth wasn't wrong about your antics."

I stared at her, stunned, "Huh?" I squeaked.

Laura saved Renee from answering as she sprinted from the restroom.

"Hi, pretty girl!" Renee's attention went to Laura and by the time we reached the car Renee was wondering over and asking to kidnap her for the night.

"Oh, my goodness. Can I keep her overnight?" Renee gushed while Seth stared at her stunned, I wasn't supposed to look at him.

"Of course," Charlie agreed immediately before I could even say anything, "One night couldn't hurt."

"But its our movie night." I whined in protest; Dad patted my arm from beside me chuckling. "You know mountains ice cream and skittles? We were supposed to build a fort."

"What if we movie night tomorrow night?" Laura asked bouncing on the balls of her feet, "Please?" She looked up at me giving me her innocent eyes.

"Okay," I sighed in defeat, she gave me her puppy dogs eyes after all which made me bend and she knew that.

"Let's make it a party. We did have a dinner planned tonight, old man." Dad says wheeling over to Charlie's newer cruiser.

"That we do." Charlie clarified with a smile.

"See you tomorrow, Mimi," Laura waved before climbing into the cruiser.

The babble disappeared into the car and then I was just standing there as they reserved out of the parking lot and drove away. The sky releasing chilly mist that didn't effect me.

"They forgot about me."

I glanced over at the mumble of disbelief; Seth was standing next to me and I didn't even notice. He turned to me and I smiled sheepishly, I didn't know what to do with myself now and I didn't know what to do with this situation. Laura had a charm to soak in attention and attract it, and I shouldn't have been surprised Renee wanted to take her for the night.

"Laura has a tendency to steal attention." I scratched the back of my head and gave him one glance over.

He had healthy muscles and the muscles fit his tall, slim structure. It definitely wasn't his body I had seen years ago. I looked back up at his face, meeting his eyes. His pretty brown eyes.

"I've noticed." He has stubble on his chin, his jaw, and his upper lip, it was sexy with the shape of his face.

He's so handsome and delicious, and I know what he wanted then and I looked away quickly. All the feeling swarming in me caused my mind to go sluggish and I had to get out of here before things could be ruined. I looked up at the sky and cleared my throat, I ran a hand through my hair and started searching for my car. I had to get out of here before he was really decided to act on the unknowing imprint. But I smelt the scent coming off him, the need, the desire, the way the connection translated it was something I didn't understand because is this what he really wanted? I know that we can feel what they want before they verbally say it and I shouldn't be surprised by knowing that want, Fiona and Quil started off having sex before she popped out a kid. Oh goodness, this imprint was really accepting to every need and want and that frustrating.

Maybe I should talk to Quil about this, no, no, they just came in for a visit, Renee said it herself. Just a visit. Everything will go back to normal after this.

"Can I have a ride please?" Seth called after me.

"Sure, sure," I mentally cursed myself but this imprint was fucking my brain up already.

I found my Camaro, opened the driver door, slid into the seat, and closed the door behind me, Seth opened the passenger door. He slid in as I started the ignition, I switched from the CD player to the radio when Journey started playing again, I was not listening to that right now. The streets were busy, and it was an excuse not to talk until we got to the highway and he turned volume down on the radio.

"You really hate me after all these years?"

And the conversation began.

"Hate you? No. Don't want to talk to you? Yes. Beside you left."

"You broke with me." His voice was quiet and hurt.

"And your sister stalked me like she was my girlfriend."

"You were hanging out with your ex." He snapped.

"Oh, you just gave up? Gee, Seth, tell me something I don't know." I glared out the windshield.

"Gave up? You broke a promise you made to the both Bella and I. You didn't call after you guys became buddy-buddy again." He rolled his eyes and looked away from me.

"Neither did you."

"So, this is my fault."

I groaned in frustration, "No, its not."

"That doesn't sound convincing."

"You left. You didn't stay, Bella stayed, you said you didn't want to hear from me first."

"No, I didn't… You said that. You couldn't have friends and you couldn't be in a relationship. What did you expect me to do? What did you expect? You were spending time together with Paul and all I could think about maybe that you were back with him. But then Bella started talking about him and you. I was hurt. I thought it was me over the years."

"That's what you thought!? Really?"

"Yes! Don't do that, Naomi."

"Do what?"

"You know what."

I sighed and I inhaled deeply realizing my hands were shaking and I was just talking out of my ass right now mostly because of anger, I exhaled and the cool hair hit the crown of my head. Another deep inhale through my nose snapped me out of my own self-anger to attention to his feelings, these were his feelings these were his thoughts. This was his point of view, what was I really that selfish and bitter to ignore the fact that maybe he was truly hurt and he was scared of his own fears because of someone else and was it really right to be mad at him because he was scared that I betrayed him that way? No, no it wasn't right and it wasn't in any way healthy. My anger was always a problem and over the years it just simmered subconsciously towards myself and my own issues had nothing to do with him.

Let's be honest here, let's be truly honest here, what have I done over the years? What have I done? I have a career but I have waited for him, I admitted that, and what have I done other than fucking wallow over the fact that I let Sam's actions get in the way of picking up the phone and calling him. Could it be that he had waited for me too? If he loved me, did he wait for my call like I waited for his?

But we never picked up the fucking phone like fucking cowards? And now ten years later when his older sister pops out a baby he's here? And we're here, talking about it.

He sighed, "You weren't though. You didn't go back to him." They weren't questions, they were answers he already knew.

"I'm getting the sense you knew the truth all along." I glared at him quickly before looking back out the windshield.

"I did."

"And you're accusing me of shit!"

"I'm sorry! I just. —Fuck! We were young and we both didn't do shit about it. We're mad at each other over something we should've talked about years ago."

"Thanks for the clarification, fucking Captain obvious." I kept glaring out the windshield to the highway.

"You're welcome! I fucking love you. You're making the vein in my eye throb."

"You're making me scare the other drivers!" I gestured to the man pulling over to the right lane with swift scared glanced at me and in front of him.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You love me?!"

"What?"

"You said you love me."

Seth glared out the passenger window, "I wasn't supposed to say that."

I scoffed, "Well, it's out there Seth. Can't quite take it back."

"We were arguing."

"Yeah we are! Wait, no. Not anymore! There's nothing argue about anymore. It's over. It was over as soon as it started."

"That's great communication, Naomi."

"Don't give me that condensing tone. You're right, we were young. We didn't talk about it meaning it was over." The fact I imprinted on him meant that it wasn't over, and we were never going to be over.

"It's not over. It wasn't over."

"You left!" I had to get out of this car, I was so thankful to see my turn for my house, I could relax. Have space to breathe and get myself under control.

He could walk back from here.

"It's not over."

I inhaled deeply to force myself not give into this imprint. I could avoid this, I could. It's just a visit.

"It is. You're just visiting. You're going to leave again. Everything will go back to how it was." My heart began to pound against my ribcage demanding to be let loose.

"Renee is visiting. I'm staying. Like I said it wasn't over."

"I'll see you again in another ten years, Seth." I threw the Camaro in park and opened the door and got out and closed it behind me.

I didn't want to believe that. Should I really believe that? After all this time? Ten years, ten years is a long time to forget about somebody and only acknowledge them when you see them again, this wasn't real. This wasn't real.

Right? I was just dreaming. I was just hallucinating this. I was just in one of my many dreams where he came back to me, where I imprinted, this wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Everything happened so fast. This wasn't real.

"Naomi. Naomi. *passenger door closes* Wait! Wait! *His footsteps behind me* Naomi." Seth grabbed my left forearm; I turned around at the electrical shock from the contact of his hand with my bare forearm. I gasped as it ran up my arm and into my chest that stopped every tremble in my body, I looked up at him with an intensity in his eyes I had seen years ago.

I felt like the earth was shaking underneath my feet, the shaking of another shift that took my breath away and his soul was open to me just as quickly as his other hand cupped my left cheek and tilted my face towards his.

"I left. Whatever. But I'm here and I'm not leaving," His hand slid to the back of my head as I let him pull me closer, "I don't plan to leave. I don't want to leave. Ten years is a long time to think and an exceedingly long time to realize that I love you."

"No. You don't."

"Yes, I do. I love you." He loosened his grip on me, "I love you. I'm sorry I never called. I'm sorry I left. But I loved you, I was scared and I forgive you. I can't be mad at you. I forgave you. Everything is different now. Everything. I'm here. And I'm not leaving, I can promise you that."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." I got myself free from his grasp, I exhaled sharply at the turmoil within me, "I should be apologizing to you for allowing you to think those things. I should be asking you for my forgiveness."

"But you didn't do anything!"

"I broke my promise!"

"And I just forgave you for breaking it!" He reminded me. He exhaled sharply before inhaling sharply, "Do you really hate me? Is that why you keep looking at me like that?"

"I don't hate you, Seth."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're here!"

It went silent and I realized that the most turned into a full-on angry downpour that soaked our clothes to our skin.

I scoffed, "If this isn't The fucking Notebook."

"You're comparing this to The Notebook?" Seth demanded running a hand through his hair that was short but not as long as it was years ago.

Am I really that blind that I just noticed the military dog tags hanging around his neck.

"You're in the military?" I asked in blank astonishment.

Seth blinked at me confused and then looked down at the dog tags on his chest, "Yeah," he looked up at me, "Another reason I couldn't call…" He ran a hand through his hair again as he seemed to remember something, and sighed, "After boot camp, I got deployed. About like a year or two in our base got ambushed over seas by these… creatures."

"Creatures?" I glanced at him sideways the way he emphasized and the edge concerned me.

Seth sighed, "Can I ask you one question?"

"Uh?" I stepped back and pulled my hair sticking to skin as the rain continues to pour down.

"One question before I answer you." He held up one finger.

I sighed, caving, "Go ahead."

"Are you a Quileute spirit warrior? A shape shifting wolf?"

"That's two questions."

"Mi." Seth sighed; he was sexy when he was getting impatient with me. The rain falling down him, increased that effect.

"How do you know about that?"

"Because the creatures I encountered overseas—the ones that ambushed us—their Britain mythology, Lycans. Werewolves."

"What the fuck kind of branch did you join?"

"The Marines."

"The Cultists." I put my hands on my waist, shifting weight to my right hip.

"The Marine Corps aren't Cultists. We're just trained to be fighting while bombs are going off. The Seals and Air Force are pussies compared to what the fuck I have seen over there."

"So, you were in the United Kingdom."

"No, actually. The Middle East, but they're not the only ones over there. Vampires and Ghouls."

"Ghouls?"

"You know like Fallout? But they don't die after consuming human food or created from radiation. It's this liquid from this flower the military laced with their ammunition."

"Wait. You're not here to haul me off to an experimentation lab because I have a feeling you already know what I am so what would it matter if I answered you."

"No," Seth stepped forward, he shook his head, "No. No. Yes I do know. They know, but they know that's there's no need to take actions towards the pack. They've been watching for years and they're more concerned about the other mythical creatures."

"Right."

"I'm serious, Naomi. I wouldn't bring threats here. I wouldn't allow any harm to come to you."

"Right." I said thick with sarcasm more than the first right.

"Naomi. Do you really think that if the government believed you all were a threat that you would be standing here with me? They've would've taken you, all of you, years ago."

He had a point. He honestly has a point. There had to be no way that the government was completely clueless to the realities of the world, if they were then humanity's survival instincts were shot.

I heaved a sigh, I looked up at the sky that looked like it would be wailing for a few more hours, I looked back over at him, "Come inside before you get sick."

I opened the front door to my childhood home and stepped aside to let him in, I closed it and put a out a hand for him to stay where he was.

"I'll be right back," I said before walking away and into the hallway closet for old clothes of Ren and Ryan. I pulled out a pair of pants and a T-shirt and I snatched a towel from the basket on the floor.

I walked back over to him and handed him the clothes and the towel; he took them and I went back to my room to change. I changed into the pale pink cargo shorts Laura begged me to get for myself, and a random T-shirt and waited to make sure he was decent from barging back out there and demanding more answers. I walked back out to the kitchen and living room and he was holding his wet clothes in one hand and the towel in the other, I took them from him and put them in the washing machine and started it.

"So, you got ambushed and you found out about them… so why are you here really?" I asked once I was in his view as he stood at the kitchen table, he tapped his knuckles on the tabletop. "I can't imagine the military letting you leave after knowing what's out there."

"I was out there twice in the past six years. The first time I went missing for three years, I woke up near civilization to get to an American embassy. I recovered, spent more time training to fight them again for a year. The second time it was more recon than fighting for four years, I just got back two weeks ago. I'm not due to go back anytime soon."

"Why?"

"Because… they're figuring out what to do. Everything went dark when they found me and there haven't been sightings of them since."

"So, you think it's time to settle down with your ex?"

"Is that a bad thing to want?"

"Not when it sounds like this is just a made-up story."

"How could I have made that up after not seeing you for the past ten years? I know you're a shapeshifter. That my sister is married and had a baby with a shapeshifter. I haven't seen any of you for ten years, how would I have known that if I went to college and started a career or married someone else?"

I sighed and crossed my arms knowing I was losing this. But then I really thought about what he was saying, I could try to deny but the evidence of his story was physical. He was different and no wonder it shocked me the way it did because of whatever he was shielding behind his eyes was an indication of trauma. Trauma from things that were unnatural and defied the realities of the world. Everything that we all grew up to believe was wrong and there were monsters lurking behind the scenes, waiting. Vampires were real, I know that for sure.

Chased a vampire down and killed her myself. But werewolves. Ghouls. I made my stomach churn and I sat down on the floor putting my head between my knees once my mind attacked me the memory of scents that tried to come back onto my land. Something that terrified Leah. Something that refused to think or utter a word about, she refused that conversation at all costs. Did she encounter them? Did she encounter one of those creatures?

What had they done to terrify her like that?

"Naomi? Are you okay?"

I looked up at Seth kneeling down by me and grabbing my forearms, "Can they cause destruction around them? Like for instance, can they make trees fall from there roots or cut them in half?"

Seth stared at me for a moment in confusion as my arms began to tremble, she was trying to claw her way out with this rock of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. He blinked once before leaning closer and searching my eyes.

"Why? Did they come here?"

"I don't know… I didn't see them… but I'm guessing Leah Clearwater did. When she phased for the first time, she was quiet and she was terrified, she wouldn't talk about what she saw. She still won't talk about it."

"Where is she?"

"Seth, no. That's not wise. She won't talk. She won't talk about it with anyone. And I can't force her to."

"Right. The unexpectancy of phasing and the close proximity risk. I forgot about that."

"How much about us do you know?" I narrowed my eyes at him, glancing at him sideways.

"A lot. Well, as much as you guys do from your legends if not less, but previous chiefs have provided information to rule you guys out as threats."

"Are you sure?"

"I swear on my life."

I didn't like that he swore on his life, he didn't need too. I believed him my head just needed to fully process literally everything.

"A simple 'yes' would've sufficed."

"Yeah but you look sick."

"I'm fine," I breathed through the remaining nausea swirling in my stomach, he helped me back to my feet, I breathed deeply a few more times with my arms tingling from his hands. "How did you survive?"

Seth shrugs, "I don't even know myself," he says breathily sincere.

"Okay. Can we please talk about something else so I don't go into red alert for a year and a half?"

Seth nodded and cleared his throat, "You really are a worry wart."

"A worry wart?" I demanded.

He smiles at me softly, scanning my face with his brown eyes, "Yeah. Like a mama bear. A worry wart over your tribe. They logged that."

"Are they watching right now?"

"No. I'm here."

"You must be pretty damn special."

"I was the only one out of two thousand men that survived the ambush." Of course, my mate also had to be a mysteriously strong character.

"That's an exaggeration."

"No, I'm serious."

"How did you survive?"

"I don't know," he laughed shortly with honesty.

I hummed, I paced away from him slowly a hand through my hair, I exhaled through my mouth sharply and sat down on the couch. My head began to ache with worry and with overload of information and sorting through the information creating a headache and tensing my back and shoulder muscles. I dropped my head in my hand resting my left arm on the arm of the couch, and breathed through the forming migraine in my skull, I glanced over to my right to the couch cushions beside me weighing down. Seth was sitting down there, there was enough space between us for another person to sit between us, he turned his head towards me and I looked away rubbing my head.

I then thought about Laura and her in one of Charlie's shirts for bedtime, "If you want to go back, I'm going to bring Laura some clothes."

"Okay."

I went into Laura's room, Ren and Ryan's old bedroom, I opened her pajama drawer and grabbed an outfit and then grabbed day clothes for tomorrow, I packed an extra outfit just in case. I went back out to the other rooms to see if he was ready to go, I remembered his clothes in wash.

"I'll bring your clothes back when they're done."

"Okay."

I put Laura's backpack in the backseat and started the ignition with the rain still heavily beating down, I reversed out of the driveway.

"Should I have to worry about a secret boyfriend?"

I glanced over at him, he was joking now but he was serious, "What if I said yes?"

Seth shrugged, "Still wouldn't change how I feel about you. I would be persistently insufferable. Plus, I still owe you a dance."

I snorted a laugh, "What are we? In high school?"

"No. But I do, for the motorcycles. And I still have to take you out on a proper date."

I glanced over at him as I slowed to stop at the end of my road to turn left, I assessed him carefully until he looked over at me slightly confused but stared back at me. His soul opened up to me again, a strong soul, scared and damaged but strong and immensely sincere. Seth never had a lying bone in his body, if he was going to lie he would crack easily under his own self guilty and shame, something Bella taught him. They were both horrible at lying and one would crack before the other and it was always Seth, but right now he was completely serious about staying, everything he said, I can see it in his eyes and I was never wrong about reading him. Ever.

He manages to fill others but with me, he always been an open book.

I sighed and looked back out the windshield and my window at the road, it was still empty, "Persistently insufferable, huh?"

"Yes. Even if you say no now, I might just talk Laura's ear off about it."

I gasped and glanced over at him as he laughed, "Evil."

"Hey. It's not my fault that Laura has a way of talking to you. Everyone knows that."

"Who told you?"

"Charlie, Billy, Bella… Paul, Jake, Quil, Embr-."

"I'm going to kill them all." I made the left turn and started down the road to Charlie blue house.

He laughed again, "Mi, they meant well."

"How did they tell you? Didn't you just arrive like today?"

"No, a couple days ago."

That made sense. No wonder Dad was at Charlie's every day this past week. "I'm still going to kill them."

"Kill them over what? That you love me? That you've been waiting for me?"

I groaned and gripped the steering wheel, I felt blood rushing to my face, "No."

"Right." Seth chuckled.

"One date, nincompoop. One date."

"Only one?" Seth asked in fake sorrow.

"Only one unless you can woo me for more. But I doubt it. I'm not easily caught."

"Is that a challenge?" He torments.

I glanced over at him when he said challenge, instantly accepting it as a challenge, "A challenge? Yes. This is going to be easy."

Seth just laughed again.

I parked behind the vehicles in the driveway, "Haha," I mocked scowling at him as he laughed more, and I grabbed Laura's backpack and shoved it towards him. "Keep laughing, I have your clothes and bleach."

He chortled, "You're going to bleach my clothes?"

"It's very tempting." I narrowed my eyes at him as his smile widened into a grin, it made my heart skip a beat.

What the fuck is this? After all these years it's just like it was when we were teenagers. Like nothing happened. Like the past ten years were ten days instead.

"You know your feistiness is what makes me most attracted to you right?" I scowled at him and it looked like he wanted to eat me, "Don't look at me like that. It's sexy."

My face deceived me, my nose twitched as I tried not to smile or let the giggle that was bubbling in my throat come out in surprise, "Get out of my car."

Seth locked the doors and my face fell before I scowled at him again, he pressed the unlock button for the doors, and then he locked the doors again smirking at me.

"Seth, I swear," I looked away from him dropping my forehead on the steering wheel and he chuckled. "You're being a pain."

"I don't want to leave you yet."

I sighed and looked over at him, "I'm right down the road."

"Yes and?"

"You'll see me on our date." That was weird to say.

"So you won't come in for cake?"

My eyebrows furrowed at him, "Cake?"

Seth gave me a look, "Its August 3rd."

I just stared at him.

"Wow, Mi, you forgot my birthday."

My jaw gaped, "What?! Fuck, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I share a birthday with my nephew."

I snorted a laugh, "Yeah. Carson stole your spotlight today."

"When is Laura's birthday?"

"May 3rd."

"Another one born on the third day. No wonder, we're the best."

"Oh please, you're a nincompoop and Laura's awesome so is Carson. He's just a baby."

"I am not a nincompoop."

I scoffed with humor, "Yes, you are."

I turned to movement by the front end of the car and saw Charlie approaching with an umbrella, I rolled down the window.

"What's up, Chief?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same, Chief. What are you two doing? You two coming in or do I have to give the sex talk?"

"The sex talk?" I did a double take.

"We're coming." Seth says.

"What happened to your clothes?" Charlie demanded, looking between us, he narrowed his eyes at us like we were teenagers again.

"We were hunting rabbits." I cracked a crooked smile at him.

Charlie playfully pushed my head aside, snorting a chuckle, "Yeah, whatever, kid. Get in the house." He didn't move from my door; in fact he stepped aside and held the umbrella over my door.

I glanced over at Seth as he unlocked the doors and went to open his door, I looked back up at Charlie and opened my door. I turned the car off and pulled my keys out of the ignition, I pocketed them as I climbed out of the car, I hit the lock button before closing the car up. Seth sprinted through the rain to the porch just as Laura came out through the cracked front door with a overjoyed grin on her face. I looked at the vehicles in the driveway, I looked at Charlie walking beside me smiling at the scene on the porch.

"Everyone's here aren't they?"

"Everyone but Bella, Paul. The babies are with the parents for the party."

"Why am I just now finding out about all of this? Him being in the military, him being back here?" I asked, stopping before the walkway to the porch.

Charlie stopped and looked at me, he assessed me for a moment before continuing, "Because kiddo… you took it bad when he left… You haven't been the same since and none of us knew how you were going to react to either of it. Jake was certain you would fall off the face of the earth if you found out he was here and he decided to come back. So, we waited until we were certain he was staying for you to see him."

"What am I? Five? I think I can manage myself."

Charlie reached out to me, he put up his hand as a gesture of surrender and wait, "Naomi, it's not like that. We were just worried about you that's all, kiddo… you've… you've been a shell since he left… Like Bella had been when Edward left. Waiting like a tone."

I remembered how Bella had been all those years ago, the absolute brokenness in her that she hadn't been able to escape until being around me and being imprinted on. But… I didn't wake up after four months, it took me a little over ten years when I was going to see him again only to imprint on him. He was meant to be mine all along, and I knew that even if I wanted to run away right now, the imprint was pulling at the strings of my soul. The intense gravitation, I sighed to relax myself and allow Charlie's words to sink in.

"You know we love you, all of us." And then Charlie got red in the ears, that was too much deep talk for him for two months.

I chuckled at his reaction, he rolled his eyes and scowled.

"Mimi!" Laura squealed clapping, she appraised my outfit, "I told you you'd like them."

"Get him!" I heard Quil shout and everyone at the door turned to Quil and Embry tackling Seth, the imprint guffawing almost looking like they were going to pee themselves.

"Hey!" Charlie called out when the men left a huge thudding sound that sounded like they just broke Charlie's floor, the men cackled and chortled as Jared snapped a picture snickering.

Seth's yelped, I started walking further into the house, as the men started doing the traditional birthday punch routine counting out the numbers of his age. It was like a fucking comedy but, that's what I felt like I was in right now but I was mortified right now.

"5! 6! 7! 8!"

"Get him!" Laura screeched about to blow off shaking with excitement.

I looked over at her in horror and over at Renee and Dad laughing, "What did you give her?"

"13! 14! 15! 16! 17!"

"Pixie sticks." Dad and Renee laughed.

"18! 19!"

"Get him! He's a mommy stealer!"

"Laura!" I grabbed the foam bat from her before she could charge the group. "What?"

"20! 21! 22! 23!" They didn't hit him in his face, the hits were hard slaps now by the sharpness, Seth desperately tried to escape from them.

"Nukies about to go off." Katelynn was in a fit of giggles.

"Get the mommy stealer!"

"I didn't steal any moms! Ow! Ah!" Seth started swatting back desperately trying to free himself.

"What did they tell you!?"

Everyone was laughing.

"24! 25! 26! 27!" The men ascended from Seth as he groaned on the floor, he was fine, he took all the hits and I imagine they didn't use that much power, they probably would've killed him.

Laura squealed about ready to blow, I grabbed her by her shoulder and turned her to the kitchen, "Okay miss, come on lets get some water."

"No!" She squealed, oh goodness gracious they created a monster.

"I take full responsibility," Renee laughed, "I promise. Enjoy yourself."

"Yes, exactly what Renee said," Leah came out of nowhere and then a sharp slap to my ass.

"Ow!" I went to backhand the movement to my left where the slap came from but Seth slipped past me too fast.

"Whoa!" Leah exclaimed in surprise with a fast ass grin on her face.

"What are you twelve?!" I demanded running after him into the kitchen where he was trying to escape through the back door.

"See what you guys started?" Leah asked.

"The crackhead energy is contagious." Jared retorted.

"Yeah Leah back off." I could hear Quil sticking out his tongue at Leah.

"You guys are grown men. You all have kids and decide to become one." Leah remarked.

"Persistently insufferable!" Seth flew out the back door and I ran after him and tackled him into the back yard.

I managed to get to my feet first and I smacked him back in return, "Ha! You mess with the bull you get the horns!"

"Ow!" Seth grabbed his ass with one hand as I jumped away from him.

"That's what you get!"

"Alright children, look at you two filthy!" Charlie shouts from the back porch, his arms without exaggeration to his statement, snickering and laughing from the pack who managed to peak out to see. I looked down at myself, mud was washing of my legs but stuck to my shirt and shirt even with the heavy rain, I don't know why it was strange but I started laughing belly deep. It was strange, I was 26 but I felt like I was 12, I looked up to Seth tossing muddy at me laughing, making me laugh harder.

"They grow up but they never actually grow up!" Charlie shouted.

I laughed harder as he departed and laughter followed by the others.

"Fucking nincompoop." I mumbled walking past Seth to the road as the rain started to lessen it's wail.

I switched Seth's clothes to the dryer once I was finally clean and dressed again. I walked back down the hallway; I thought about Seth again and what he told me earlier. I walked to the end of the hallway, I glanced over at the windows in the living room, the lamp providing a warm glow to the pale silver light from outside.

I smiled, relaxing, what's the worst that could happen if I… if I see how this imprint plays out.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as a cold breeze hit me in the back like a suffocating weighted blanket, my heart jumping into my throat as my body went completely frozen in place. A sweet scent that made me want to vomit immediately, a sweet scent of rotting fruit and blood, heat and ice in waves creating an effect of gravity pushing down on me. Everything in my being screaming for me to run, that I was in the middle of danger, right in the middle of something that could take my life. Screaming for me to fight, screaming for me to run. I couldn't move. Fear began to prickle my skin, increasing my heat beat ascending it into my ears, I was shaking with a crippling weak numbness in my limbs.

I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. Something was here and for the fucking life of me I couldn't get myself to fucking move! Fear, and anger coursed through my veins and into the very tissues of my bones.

I gasped for breath as the numbing weakness traveled to my chest, increasing my shaking to petrified tremors. The feminine voice that murmured sinisterly amused in my left ear chuckled airily.

"Have you ever tasted human flesh?"

My eyes flickered to my left, trembling violently in fear and anger paralyzed in place, a red unnatural eye looked back at me. My heart stuttered painfully in my chest, beating faster and harder than it ever has before, it hurt with every strong beat against my ribcage. I could hear the intentions in consuming red iris to her pupil, white and lined with ink black eye lashes, her eyes wide open as if in shock but the crinkle of her forehead said otherwise. Permanently set in happiness.

"Have you ever felt the hot tender flesh of a terrified meat bag begging to live?" She asked with pure sinister curiosity. I gasped again, her blood red lips pulled up into an overjoyed smile against the white porcelain skin of her face. "Have you smelt the very potency of their meaty flesh?" Her voice got higher with every word from the feminine alto tone, and her words becoming more rushed with every word. "The very potent flavor of their blood? The crunch of their bones when you break their body apart?" She chortled evilly, she relaxed with a deep inhale and exhale and slowly stepped around to face me. "I am still surprised that you are alive within my presence." Her left hand slowly reached out to my face as she spoke slowly with delight and amazement, by the time she said Alice her index finger came out. A long sharp nail poked through the first couple layers of skin an inch above my eyebrow.

"You are managing to keep yourself alive… impressive. How?" Her nail hit bone; I was frozen in place hyperventilating with petrified tears streaming down my face. "Just like the other she-wolf… strong." I screamed as she swiped her nail down, slicing through my eyebrow diagonally through my right eye, through the flesh of my cheekbone, down my cheek, my jaw and then to my throat before her fist came to the center of my chest.

I felt her very fist break the bones of my sternum before I was flying backwards and into the wall and everything went dark.

Her laugh was waterlogged, spaced out as my vision spun.

"You didn't… answer my… question…"

I felt my body relaxing into a warm blanket. Oh. Oh, this is nice. So peaceful. So relaxing, everything slowing down. I want this peace. I want this peace that was eternal. No worries. No responsibilities. No… life. Just… rest.

Am I dying?

"Are you dying on me?... That's no fun…"

I screamed and writhed at the blood red flames engulfing my body as something wrapped around my neck, like a thick chain squeezing my throat in on itself. I clawed at my neck, my nails clawed into tense flesh harshly before I felt myself claw at what I wanted.

My life flashed before my eyes. The births of my pack's children, my father, Laura, Charlie, the weddings, Harry, everyone I held dear to me. Bella, Jake, the pack. Seth. All of them were smiling at me, all of their eyes bright with happiness. All of these years, all the way down to the very first unconscious memory I logged as an infant.

Ren and Ryan six years old, smiling at me in a mirror as I walked towards it, my chuckle spilling from my lips as I smiled at myself. The beautiful baby girl with russet brown skin and already a full head of thick black hair, I was trying to reach to her, cooing to myself.

"Butterfly." My Dad had called coming into the view of the mirror, standing tall, walking over with a huge grin of his face.

The memory began to fade with my infant chuckle echoing in my ears along with Dad calling me butterfly.

Everything went black and still.

A loud deep tuned soundwave vibrated in my ears like the echo of a rifting bass.

"You have been selected as a member for the Return by Death Curse Tournament!" her voice evaded my blissful abyss. She chortled evilly, "I like you but you died so quickly. We can't have that." She proclaims slowly, evilly delighted before she began to fall into a fit of laughter.

Laced with satanic murderous intent.

Another soundwave vibrating in my ears with a complete consumption of a black peaceful abyss.