I loved the way it felt to run on all fours. There were some downsides to being a wolf, but there were lots of advantages too.  I loved to patrol on my own and stand on the bluffs and look out over the ocean.  

I didn't like having Jared and Sam in my head all the time. It pissed me off that I couldn't daydream about Rachel without playing my own personal sex tape for my now two closest friends.  I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't box anymore. I loved to box. I kept my job at the gym, but I had to tell Manny that I couldn't train anymore or be in another boxing match. I felt like such a disappointment to Manny.

I pretty much had to cut all contact with anyone but Jared and Sam.  I could only keep my job at the gym if I kept my head down and didn't get into any fights.  

 Luckily, my dad hadn't been around since that first night I phased, because he would definitely have set me off.

Over the past three months, I had to learn how to calm myself down without Rachel here to help me.  Hell, Sam didn't want me talking to her on the phone, but fuck all that shit. There was no way I could lose her.  I had to be home for our Sunday night phone calls. I lived for those nights.

Another thing I hated was lying to Rachel about what I was doing all the time. But she couldn't know about the pack until I imprinted on her.  Okay, I know that's not a guarantee but you can bet that I wished for it every chance I got. I just knew she was meant to be my girl forever.

I've spent an awful lot of time thinking about taking off to Seattle in my wolf form and showing up at Rachel's apartment just so I could imprint on her.  But no way would Sam let me go. I've also spent so much time worrying that this wolf life of mine might send her running from me. But that can't happen. I needed her.

By the time I arrived at Sam's house, I was ready for some food and some sleep.  I'd probably head home for the sleep but Emily's cooking was worth the trip over here.

I entered the house without knocking like always.  It was Sam's turn to patrol. I knew he would be thinking about who would phase next.  We all wanted more wolves to join. Jacob would be the next obvious choice and another complication for Rachel and I.  But I would look out for him, just like she had asked me to last year in school. 

School was a whole other problem.  My hearing made it impossible not to hear the rumors. I was also cautious about the girls in school. I always kept my head down, never wanting to imprint on the wrong girl.

But staying away from the girls proved difficult as well.  Our bigger, buffer bodies were magnets to the girls, as long as they weren't afraid of us. I had no desire to cheat and I was never really tempted, but it just got to be a pain being so fucking attractive to every available female.  Hell, if I had a dollar for every time a girl passed me her number, I'd be rich as shit. Like what the fuck?

With a full belly and a more relaxed mind, I kicked back on Emily's couch and reached for the remote.  "I don't think so," Emily scolded, her arm outstretched for the remote.

I chuckled and handed it over.  She raised her eyebrows when I jumped up from my spot on the couch, propped up some pillows and a few on the coffee table and motioned for her to have a seat.  "I have to…"

"Sit," I ordered, moving to guide her to the couch.  "I can wash my dishes and put the food away."

She smiled and shrugged.  "Okay then."

I made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen as Emily relaxed.  When I finished, I poured her a glass of wine and delivered it to her, giving her my best waiter impersonation.  "Will there be anything else, ma'am?"

She laughed as she reached for the glass.  "No...I think this will do."

"Hungry?  Did you eat yet?"

She shrugged.  "Not really."

"Let me make you something.  Turkey sandwich?"

She nodded happily.  "You don't have to…" she began, but I was already pulling ingredients from the fridge.

Emily looked amazed when I brought her a turkey sandwich with bacon and tomato and mayo.  Her eyes grew large when she saw the portion size. "Oh." I chuckled nervously. "I forgot you don't eat as much as I do."

She laughed as she handed me half the sandwich back.  "Maybe you should wrap this up and take it home with you for later?"

I nodded and stood, making my way toward the door.  "Wait!" she called. "I didn't mean you had to go now," she replied when I turned back to face her.

I rolled my eyes and nodded.  "Oh right. S..Sorry," I stuttered.

Emily's expression softened as she patted the spot on the couch next to her and said, "Come sit back down. You look like you have a lot to talk about."

I returned to the kitchen for a moment to wrap up my half of the sandwich and tuck it into the fridge.  I brought the bottle of wine back to Emily and topped off her glass. We sat for a few moments watching tv silently together while she finished her food.  She used the remote to turn the tv off, propped her feet back up on the table and turned part way toward me. "What's wrong, Paul?"

I faced my body toward hers and smiled.  "Who said anything was wrong?"

"Why did you do all this?" she paused to motion toward the pillows, wine and mostly eaten sandwich. "You're buttering me up for something."

To anyone else I might have been offended, but with Emily, I knew better. She had spent enough time around me to know when something was weighing heavily on my mind.  "You deserve to be pampered, Emily. You take such good care of us and we never even say thanks."

She smiled widely and nodded. "I appreciate that Paul...but seriously, what do you want to talk about?"

I let my head fall against the back of the couch and ran my hands over my face.  "I just have some questions that I don't think I can ask Jared or Sam."

"Love or sex?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Both," I cringed.

She nodded slowly.  "This is about Rachel?"

I smiled at the mention of her name.  "It's just they we've never fu…"

"Had intercourse?" she offered.

I nodded quickly.  "I really wanted to wait and she'll be home in a few months."

"You're hoping you'll imprint on her?"

"More than anything," I replied a little too quickly.  "She's the one, Emily. Like, I can't imagine my future without her."

She sighed.  "Sounds like you're all decided then? Imprint or no imprint, she's the one you wanna be with?"

I took in a deep breath and groaned.  "What if I imprint on someone else? What if she can't handle me being a shapeshifter?  What if…"

Emily gently pressed her fingertips to my bouncing knee.  "I have a feeling everything will work out."

I stared at her incredulously.  "How could you know that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know anything for sure.   But it sounds like you have a strong bond with her.  And I've seen how determined you can be. You can show her the softer side of you...IF you can control your wolf."

I scoffed. "Yeah, my wolf. He's who I'm worried about."

"You have to control him, Paul.  There are parts of him that will be dark and scary to Rachel.  But you are the one she fell in love with.  You have to protect her from that animal instinct inside you that doesn't always make the best decisions."

"I always had a bad temper.  I always made bad decisions before I phased.  And we always had these heated arguments."

"And she stayed with you.  So that says something. It's sounds like you two have a lot of passion."

I smiled when I thought about it.  "She's so perfect for me. She doesn't put up with any of my bull.  She knows how to calm me down when I'm about to lose it. And I can't believe she's mine."

"You deserve love, Paul.  You have to keep telling yourself that."

"And the sex?"

Emily bit back a smile, stood up and moved to the kitchen.  "Let me guess, you're worried about hurting her?"

I chuckled.  "Yeah. I mean she saw my…" I paused.

"Anatomy?" Emily offered as I brought her plate to the kitchen, reached past her and put it in the sink. 

I glanced at the floor.  "I'm just worried that she'll freak when she sees how I've changed."

Emily chuckled as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the sink.  "Oh, you boys and your obsession with your dick size."

I scoffed.  "Emily!" She never cursed so it caught me off guard to hear talk that way.  I could feel my ears getting hot, well... hotter than normal. 

"Well!  It's true," she teased.  "If Rachel is your imprint, then she's made for you and you'll fit together perfectly.  And if not, you seem to forget that women's bodies are made to accommodate childbirth. There's not much else we can't handle, Paul."

I nodded, realizing how stupid I sounded. "I guess I'm freaking out over nothing."

"All that patrolling leaves you boys with way too much time on your hands. Just trust that you are exactly what she needs...in every possible way."

I smiled when I saw her retrieve my half sandwich and a bottled water and guided me toward the front door.  "Rachel is lucky to have someone who cares as much as you do."

I beamed with pride. "And Sam is very lucky to have you...we all are."

"Paul…" she sighed. "That's so sweet."

"Come here," I urged, sliding my hand behind her head and pulling her to my chest.  I held her loosely, but when she didn't respond, my guilt had me backing away. "I'm so sorry, Emily.  I really shouldn't have touched you like that…"

She sighed softly. "You didn't do anything wrong. We're friends, therefore hugs are allowed," she explained gently.

"Don't tell Sam.  I know you said it was okay but I don't think he would agree."

Emily touched my forearm gently.  "I won't say anything. But I think you feel guilty because of Rachel, not because of Sam."

I shrugged and left before she could say another word.

~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

I walked home thinking about Rachel...and Emily.  I missed Rachel, there was no denying that. I hadn't touched a girl in three months, so looking for a little comfort from Emily wasn't that hard to understand, right?

I was nearly home when I heard howling. Shit.  It wasn't far, so I ran in my human form to a clearing in the woods less than a mile away.  I saw three wolves circling each other and I sighed. Another wolf had joined the fold.

Not being in my wolf form, I couldn't mind link with them so I had no idea who this was.  I imagined Jacob would be larger, more Alpha looking, whatever that meant. When the unknown wolf locked eyes with me, I saw a look that I recognized and my stomach sank.

"No fucking way...Embry?  Is that you?"

~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

I rolled my eyes as I leaned against a tree, munching on the sandwich I had brought from Emily's.  Jared gave me a wolfy whine but I shook my head at him. They were all still in wolf form, but I had refused to phase.  Sam growled at me when I finished my sandwich and guzzled the bottled water. He wanted my help. He needed me to phase so we could help Embry.  But why in the hell would I want to share my thoughts with that asshole?

Another thirty minutes had gone by and still nothing.  I was sick of this shit and ready to go home, so I removed my clothes and phased, not bothering to hide my nudity at all.  The moment I phased, my head was overloaded with all their thoughts.

"Paul, I assume you and Embry know each other?" Sam mused.

"Unfortunately I do know this fucker.  And by the way, he's no great addition to the pack. Lying ass, untrustworthy, piece of shit..."

"Well, that escalated quickly," Jared quipped.

"Isn't anyone gonna help me?" Embry whined.

I growled.  "I honestly don't care if you ever phase back."

"Fuck off, Paul.  Youre just jealous because Rachel finally forgave me."

"You're lying. She would never forgive you for what you you did."

"She did, Paul.  She started calling me again and we worked everything out.  Too bad for you."

"Oh no," Jared commented as I began to snarl and snap at Embry.  

"Let's go, bitch! I've been waiting all year to kick your ass!" 

I only got a couple shots in before Sam broke it up and sent me home.  Fucking assholes. I hope they spend the whole night dealing with that weasel.

~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

Shortly after Embry phased, things seemed to ease up a little. The Cullens left town and Sam found Bella damn near dead in the woods behind her house. We all noticed Sam giving Jacob that knowing look.  When I had seen Jake in school, I saw the changes and we knew it wouldn't be too much longer. Embry was miserable without his friends and I enjoyed his pain.  

I talked to Rachel on the phone and found out that Embry had tried to call her a few times but she never picked up. That lie he told me earned him a broken jaw and thinking about how I delivered it still made me smile.

It didn't take Sam long to realize that Embry and I could never patrol at the same time.  So Jared got stuck with him and he would let me know if Embry was thinking anything that I needed to know about.

"So Rachel really sent you nude photos for your birthday?" Jared asked casually one day.

"Who told you about that?" I accused. 

Jared gave me a knowing look and I growled.  "That little fuck."

"Why'd you show him and not me?"

"I didn't show him!" I snapped.  "He came in my room when I was drunk and passed out and he found them."

"Wow."

"You can't ever tell Rachel that you've seen them.  She will kill me."

Jared looked confused.  "Why didn't you tell her what Embry did?"

"I have my reasons," I answered cryptically as I tossed a beer bottle into the bonfire behind my house. 

Jared stared into the fire for a few minutes and gasped.  "What if Embry imprints on her and not you?"

"Oh fuck."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

For weeks after Jared put that idea in my head about Embry imprinting on Rachel, I had nightmares.  I imagined her running off with him, marrying him, fucking him, and having his kids. And seeing him damn near everyday was more than I could handle.

A week after Jacob finally phased, we were having a meeting at the beach in our human forms.  We rarely ever met in our wolf forms because Embry wouldn't stop thinking about Rachel and I always ended up breaking some bone of Embry's. Boo hoo.

Sam was detailing new patrol schedules with the addition of Jacob to the pack.  I could barely concentrate on anything he had to say. Jacob had told me that Billy would be picking Rachel up at the train station sometime today and I just couldn't wait to go meet her.

"Are we done yet?" I whined.

"No," Sam argued.  "And we'll never get done if you don't stop interrupting me."

"Somebody's a little anxious today," Embry teased.

I sighed deeply and scowled at the back of his stupid head.  Sam furrowed his brow at me and mumbled, "Is she coming home today?"

"Yes!" I stressed.  I saw Sam's expression and I dialed it back a bit.  "Can I please leave? She could be home any minute."

I was damn near bouncing on the balls of my feet just waiting for an answer.  Sam scowled. "You really think you've got your temper in check enough to be around her?"

I rolled my eyes.  Sam was crazy if he really believed he could keep us apart.  "I know I can. It's been six months, Sam. You don't need you to baby me."

"Someone's coming," Jared observed, long before the rest of us thanks to his super freaky good eyesight.

I lifted my nose in the air and caught the scent.  My chest tightened and my stomach lurched. It was my girl.  She had finally come home to me.

"So can I go?" I asked Sam again, barely able to contain myself.

He made a face and shook his head. "I don't think you two should be alone right now."

I could feel my anger boiling. Her scent was getting stronger and my heart was beating faster with the anticipation of seeing her for the first time in six months.  I could hear Embry chuckling and the urge to break his face was overwhelming. I was starting to shake. I tried my best to slow my breathing and focus on the sound of her voice.

I had my back to her, still facing Sam when she first spoke.  "Jake? What the hell did you do to your hair?" I smiled at the concern in her voice.

"Hey, Rachel," Jared said happily.  "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

I glanced back to see Jared lift her off her feet in a warm embrace.  "Jared...you look great," she sputtered.

I glared at Sam, my eyes pleading. "I just need an hour with her.  I really need this, Sam," I whispered, knowing only he would hear me.

"Embry?" I heard Rachel say as she approached him.  "Is that you?"

"Yep," Embry beamed stupidly.  "So what do you think?" he asked, flexing his arms a bit for her.

"You got taller...but your arms are still scrawny."

I chuckled to myself.  Shot down.  She didn't even hug him.  Too bad for you, Embry.

I held my breath as she approached Sam and I.  I couldn't see her as I still had my eyes trained on Sam.  Sam scowled at me. "I'd feel better if you stayed close," he advised.

I clenched my jaw when Rachel stepped between us and faced Sam.  She was close enough that I was tempted to grab her and run. She looked up at Sam and said. "You must be Sam.  I don't think we've formally met before." She sounded professional and fake if I was being honest. She was holding back anger and I smiled when I heard it seep through her words.

Sam extended his hand and I noticed a grin begin to tug at the corners of his mouth.  "Rachel Black. Such an honor to meet you. I feel like I've known you forever with the way Paul talks about you."

She scoffed as she took his hand and shook it quickly.  "You're a real charmer, aren't you?" she asked sarcastically, dropping his hand as if it were on fire.  "But I guess you'd have to be, right? Otherwise how would you have gotten all these boys under your spell?"

"My spell?" Sam echoed.  "What spell would that be?"

"The one that makes them look like your clones.  The spell that gives all of you the same stupid haircut and this disgusting tattoo," she seethed, yanking on his bicep. "The spell that makes you stand on the beach in December with no shirt on.  That's the spell I'm talking about, Sam Uley." Her voice was raising and when she lifted her finger to poke Sam's chest, I stepped closer to her. My nervous trembling hands touched her hips gently and when I felt her hands cover mine, I sighed softly.

Rachel continued her tirade as we all watched in amazement. "Now since I haven't seen my boyfriend in a really long time, do you think you could get the hell out of our way and let us talk...please?"

Rachel pulled my hands around her waist and I squeezed her tightly.  Her hair was just under my nose and I had to refrain from getting lost in her scent.  Sam tightened his jaw and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Don't wander off too far. You may need some help."

Rachel scoffed and before she could say another word, I dragged her away from Sam.  I kept her tucked under my arm and I pressed my nose to her temple. She leaned into me fully, allowing me to guide her quite a ways away from my nosy pack brothers. I figured they would still hear us but I'd be damned if they could see us.

I found an abandoned fire pit and guided her to sit on a log there.  I turned my back to her and cast my gaze out over the angry ocean. I sucked in the deepest breath possible and steeled myself to face her.  All my bravery crumpled when she stepped up behind me and smoothed her hands over my back.

"Look at me, Paul."

I turned slowly in her arms and held my breath, waiting for the moment to finally happen. She raised her head slowly to me, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of a kiss.  I held her jaw in my hands, the pads of my thumbs stroking her cheeks gently. "Open your eyes, Rachel," I begged. "I need to look into your eyes."

No one can really prepare you for what it's like to imprint. I don't think there are actually words to describe something so life-altering. The moment her pretty brown eyes fluttered open, I no longer existed.  Suddenly every thought was about her. My mind ached to know if she felt the pull that I did. I rubbed her arms gently, as I was consumed with wanting to make sure she was warm enough.  

She stared at me so intensely and I got lost thinking about how my love for her would now turn me into some sort of hopeless sap.  I couldn't help but grin like a fool. I somehow tore my eyes away from her and let out the giant breath of been holding. Her hands traveled to my chest and smoothed over my heart.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she observed with concern.  "Did I cause that?"

I smiled down at her and nodded.  "Yeah, it's you. It's always for you. Because you're my girl...and now you always will be."

She sighed and pulled me closer.  She rested her head against my still thudding heartbeat and she whispered, "Was there really ever any doubt?"

…..

A/N: *deep breath*  I hope you're not disappointed.  I know some of you have waited a long time for this chapter. Thanks for waiting it out it. ♡♡♡  Oh and there's lots more story to tell.