𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. sam uley

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨

When Paul howls loudly in the woods, Sam knows that something bad is happening; Paul never needs help on his patrol.

All at once, he and Jared follow the cry, rain pattering onto their fur and matting it up. His feet carry him with the urgency of all his ancestors, the Alpha in him needing to make sure that his pack is okay. Safe.

He's fine, Jared tries to soothe, but Sam spots black tendrils and a body on top of Paul's wolf form, and he snarls before launching himself at the vampire who's haunted his dreams for months now.

He tries to grab onto her with his canines, tries to maul her, but she weaves around him with the swiftness of the wind, too quick for him to hold onto. Jared swipes at her angrily, his paw falling inches away from her as the cold one strips her cloak off, crouching in a defensive position in front of them.

Sam stands in front of her, crouched, ready to make the next move. Paul and Jared flank him.

The vampire holds up her hand. Surrendering. Sam snarls at her. He knows a false sign when he sees one. The minute their guards are down, she's going to strike and kill them all.

"I do not want to kill you," she says. Paul snorts like this amuses him. Sam scolds him internally because he did need help after all. "I promise. I am looking for my brother, Elis. He is here, I am sure of it. His scent is clearest here. Or, it was before--" And she glares at Paul now, who snuffs in victory that he did something to annoy the vampire. "Well, anyway, I am certain he resides here. I only wish to find him. Please." When she says it, she turns to Sam directly, like she knows he's the Alpha, and says, "Please, hear me out. I beg."

Sam's heard about it from Paul and Jared. Leah's own imprinting experience is branded in his mind. However, nothing could have prepared him for imprinting himself.

All at once, he (the bond) wants to surrender to her, to give her everything he has and more. Sam's heart (bond) settles in his chest, curling up in relief at finally finding the other half to him. Warmth blossoms in his chest like a flower expanding on a summer day, blocking out the bitter cold of the rain, and he rumbles deep in his chest, appreciative and exuberant that he found her.

Paul and Jared outrage against it, and Sam growls at them, commanding them to back down. They shall not hurt her or go near her. She is his. He will protect her.

But Sam himself is reeling from it, too. As soon as he feels it, he wants to smash down on the imprint and throw it away. He doesn't want it. Doesn't need it. Not with a leech.

Which meant none of it is his true feelings. The protectiveness, the sympathy. None of it is Sam. It is all coming from his wolf. From the imprinting bond.

Because there is no way that Sam would even allow himself to imprint on a creature such as herself.

And when she leaves, when her lips curl down on her face because her brother doesn't remember her, Sam doesn't feel disheartened. The supernatural side of him does, for sure, because it's what his ancestors are telling him to feel, but Sam would never imprint on something so horrific. Something so sinister.

When she leaves, he howls only because he knows not what he's doing. Sam lets the instincts take over only because he can't help it.

But when he comes back to himself, he will refuse this imprint, even if it's the last thing he does.