Discover Twilight

chapter xix

I sit down on the couch beside Embry and Jared. Paul's sitting on the arm of the armchair, pouting for God knows what reason. I bounce my knee anxiously as Sam paces in front of me and the boys, trying to formulate the best way to convey my new state of being. He stops pacing, planting his bare feet, firm in front of his bulky television looking down at us as we sit on his furniture. He inhales for 5 and exhales slowly for 10 before commencing his "Welcome to Your New Life" speech.

"Kota. So I know you know the tribes legends," Sam starts looking at me for confirmation that I at least know some of the basics.

I nod, racking my brain to remember the one about our tribe being descended from wolves, "Yeah. We're descended from wolves and the strongest among us were chosen to be the tribes protectors."

I look to the boys on both sides of me, earning a set of proud smiles. Sam laughs nodding his head, "Yes. That's right. So when Jake brought you to me in June and you and Paul got into that fight about Mom, I had my suspicions. But you cooled yourself down so quickly and the fact of the matter is that in our history we've never had a female shifter, so I pushed it to the back of my mind. Then when Mom died you suddenly got super hot to the touch, like we all did when we started the Change. That's why I made you stay away because these guys were all Phasing and I wanted to keep you away from that to keep you safe. I mean have you seen what I did to Emily, that was an accident."

Everyone looks to me expecting me to react but all I could manage to do was make an 'O' with my mouth. Embry wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze earning two growls, one from Sam and one from Paul. Sam I understand but Paul? I smiled grimly at Embry as he quickly removes his arm, scared of what would happen if he kept it there. "Okay. So you're forgiven. That makes sense as to why you did what you did. You have a job to do and at the time what was best, was to keep me away. What else do I need to know or do seeing as I'm now a Furball for the rest of my life?" I ask Sam getting everyone in the room to laugh at my choice of words.

He looks to Emily, who walks in the living room slowly with a stool and a pair of scissors in hand, then back at me. "Fine. Fuck it. It's getting way too long anyways," I give in plopping my butt onto the wooden stool. Emily tries to part my hair but has no luck, giving up completely and starts snipping away until my once long curly hair that reached my lower back now reaches the nape of my neck. I examine my new haircut in the handheld mirror, actually really loving it.

"So there is one last thing we have to explain to you," Sam says after I sat myself down on the empty armchair, "It's something we call Imprinting."

I furrow my brow at him, not knowing what the Hell he meant by Imprinting. I mean I knew ducklings imprinted on their parents so they knew who to follow, but I didn't think that was the case here. Emily chuckles sitting on the arm of my chair. Sam looks adoringly at Emily and begins to describe this part of being a Wolf, "It's a very important thing for wolves. It's how we find our Soulmate, how the Ancestors decided we continue our bloodline or that's at least our theory. It tends to occur sometime after our first Phasing. It's not like love at first sight, really. A better way to describe it is more like...gravity shifts. It's not the Earth or the physical force of Gravity holding you here anymore, she does. Everything you do, your whole world is focused on the one person. You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend. It's not something we can control either. As much as some people hope they could Imprint on someone, it doesn't work that way."

Sam speaks as though he knows the feeling, for both sides of the spectrum. But by how he looks at Emily, I know in my heart that Emily is Sam's Imprint. There is no denying that. "So Emily is your's. And obviously Jake is wanting to Imprint on Bella but can't because our Ancestors don't like her all that much. Wait, because you guys only know how it works with guys, does that mean I can't Imprint?" I ask realizing everything at once.

Sam exhales slowly and looks at Paul for some reason, honestly I don't care to know because I can't stand the guy. The sight of him alone makes me want to Phase. Sam grimly shakes his head no, "I talked to Billy about it and he strongly believes that you will not be able to Imprint because the wolf gene is naturally passed through the males. And it's like colorblindness in women, extremely rare. For some reason you obtained the gene and that alone is confusing. I'm sorry."

I scoff at the damn hand I've been dealt. I'm the only girl, I now turn into a massive dog, have a group of guys that include my brother with the ability to read my mind, and I don't get the basic damn ability to Imprint?! This is screwed up.

"Maybe it's a good thing Kody," Embry prompts trying to make me see the good out of the situation.

Emily runs her hand across the top of my head, making me look up at her, "Yeah. Don't look at this as something you don't get that everyone else in the Pack does, but as an opportunity. You don't have to be tied here or to a certain person for the rest of your life unless you want them, not your biology."

Sam snorts at Emily, pulling her and me into a hug, as Paul growls across the room. I shoot him a fake smile, which he reads as a smile nonetheless, and he loses the scowl, "What Lahote? Who's the unlucky girl you Imprinted on? Or is it that you don't have one and you really really want one?" I taunt making Sam and the boys snicker. Paul goes to say something but quickly changes his mind and leaves the room.

When Paul left the room, the giggling died down and they all looked to me. I shift uncomfortably in my chair, not a fan of all the attention being on me. Behind me I could hear Paul's retreating footsteps stop as Sam cleared his throat looking down at me, pulling me up out of my chair to stand across from him, "Kota, this is a very important part of becoming apart of this Pack. I am this Pack's Alpha, which means if you accept me as your Alpha that you too will be in his brotherhood- well family is now the better word. So Dakota I ask you, do you accept me as your Alpha and would be apart of the Pack?"

The room is dead silent except for the sporadic sounds of breathing. The wooden floors creak under my shifting weight from the balls of my feet to the heels. Five sets of eyes, all glued to my very existence, awaiting for me to either join the Pack or deny them. "Well, what difference does it make. You're already my big brother so you'd boss me around anyways," I joke, breaking the silence and receiving scattered laughter. "Yes. Sam, I accept your position as my Alpha and would like to be part of this Pack."

With those words Sam lifts me off the ground, smothering me in his arms. And as soon as he releases me my three Pack members, finally found out what to call them, pulled me into a bear hug.