Work Text:
Forks, Washington is a small town. Everyone knew each other and trusted everyone to the point where most people didn’t even lock their doors anymore. So when a new family moves to town so soon after Bella did, just before Christmas break, news spread fast.
Y/N hated the attention but knew it was inevitable. She sucked it up, walking with her head held high in an attempt at confidence. Her younger brother loved it, and when he came home from his first day of school he excitedly talked about all the new friends he made. Y/N didn’t know how to tell him that soon, the children would get tired of the new kid in town.
After about a week in High School, Y/N found that she enjoyed chemistry, even if she was a Senior in a Junior class. She had a lab desk all to herself, but that didn’t stop anyone from trying to talk to her, telling all the school gossip to get her in the loop as fast as possible.
From what the other kids were saying, the Cullen family were the go-to for gossip. The family was relatively new as well, having only been there for about two years. The five teens kept to themselves, not talking to anyone outside of the family. Some of them were even dating, which a lot of people thought was weird.
The only other person to speak with them outside of their family was Bella Swan, a girl that moved to town in the middle of last year and eventually ended up dating Edward Cullen.
Bella’s old group of friends were particularly bitter that she left them for the Cullens, and it was all Jessica would talk about in History. Y/N mostly ignored her, not really caring about what she had to say about the quiet girl that was clearly upset about her breakup and then him moving away.
//
Most days her parents weren’t home after school, her father was a nurse at the hospital while her mother worked at a factory just outside of town. That left Y/N to do most of the work around the house, since her parents were never home.
When Y/N got home from school three weeks after she moved to Forks, it was to find the fridge almost completely empty, and a note in her dad’s loopy handwriting taped to the front.
“Got called into work so I wasn’t able to get groceries
There’s money on the counter, make sure to take the shopping list with you”
That’s where Y/N found herself, bagging the last of the apples when a cart ran into her right side. Thankfully the woman wasn’t walking that fast, but she ran around the cart to check Y/N over as if her leg fell off. Y/N took note of the scratches on the left side of her face, but it did nothing to take away from her beauty. It wasn't hard to keep her gaze on the other woman's eyes, away from the scar.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Are you alright? I wasn’t -”
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about it," Y/N knew her hip was going to bruise, "What got you so distracted?”
The woman looked embarrassed, turning around to fish her notebook out of the cart. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. When it was in Y/N hands she eyed the recipe, taking note of the crossed out words and scribbles all over the paper.
“They said it was good, but kind of flavourless, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
Y/N nodded, having already found where she went wrong. She fished around in her purse for a pen, and quickly edited the measurement, adding vanilla in the empty space left.
“This should do the trick. Hopefully, you won’t run over unsuspecting teenagers now,” The woman laughed, taking the notebook with a smile. The woman look at the revisions before extending her free hand. Y/N took it with a smile.
“Emily.”
“Y/N”
//
It was barely a week later when Y/N found herself back in front of the apples. Y/N was turning over a shiny red apple in her had when her name was called. Startled, she looked up to see a grinning Emily coming her way, cart filled to the brim with food.
“The banana bread was a success! Thank you so much for helping me!”
“Good, I’m glad,” Y/N said, eyeing the many packages of meat and vegetables in the cart, “Are you feeding an army or what?”
Emily shrugged, “Something like that. Hey, do you have any more dessert recipes I can use, I’m getting tired of making cookie all the time.”
Y/N nodded, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Y/N opened the contacts, and passed it the Emily to fill in, “I’ll text you when I get home, I’ve got a few I have in mind.”
Emily handed back the phone and said goodbye as she pushed the cart towards the very short checkout line.
When Y/N got home she immediately went to her cookbook, flipping it to the back were her desserts were. She looked for recipes that made a lot of portions since it seemed Emily was baking for a lot of people, if the cart was anything to go by. Y/N came across a simple Apple crumble recipe that just might do the trick. She took a picture of it and sent it to Emily. She got a reply almost immediately.
The following day Y/N got a text from Emily with an update on the success of the desert. They spoke periodically throughout the day, slowly learning more about the other. Y/N found that she enjoyed taking to Emily more than anyone her own age.
Just over two weeks later when Y/N find herself driving to Emily’s house on a Sunday morning to bake for Emily while she cooks for the “hungry horde of boys with black holes for stomachs.” With Y/N in school and Emily at work, this was the only time they really had to see one another.
There are three loaves of banana bread on the table and an apple crumble in the oven when Y/N hears them. They're yelling off in the distance, male voices shouting over each other broken up by laughter. Emily wipes her hands off on a towel before moving to the door where the boys start pouring in. They’re all incredibly handsome, and to her horror, not a single one of them is wearing a shirt.
With all the strength in her body, Y/N keeps her eyes above their necks, looking to Emily from her spot wrapped in Sam’s arms. She lists through them all, and Paul smirks as if he knows the inner turmoil Y/N is going through. The last one to be introduced to Y/N is Embry, and when she turned to look at him his entire body froze, back hammered strait as he gaped at her.
Y/N shifted uncomfortably but found she couldn’t look away from him. Jared caught onto the situation first, and let out a loud laugh as he nudged Jake and Paul who were standing on either side of him. Before Y/N could think about what their actions could mean the timer on the oven went off, and Y/N looked away from Embry regretfully as she went back into the kitchen.
The rest of the day is spent talking with the boys as they scarfed down the food. Y/N was sitting between Embry and Quil, who were arguably the quietest of the group. Though the boys were not her normal crowd, Y/N found she enjoyed their company. The boys were talking and cracking jokes, but Y/N could feel Embry’s eyes on her every once in awhile.
When it was time for Y/N to go home they all looked disappointed, Embry most of all. Quil suggested exchanging numbers, and Y/N went home with a smile and five new friends.
//
Almost every day Y/N would get a text from the boys, Embry most of all. Y/N found that she wasn’t listening to her teachers more often than not. Instead, she was texting Embry whenever the teacher's back was to her. Y/N got caught three times before she got more stealthy.
Most weekends were spent at either Quil or Embry’s house to hang out with the two boys. Though Y/N found whenever they were to hang out at Embry’s house, Quil would make a half-assed excuse and stay home.
That where Y/N found herself on a Friday night for a movie. Embry hung up the phone with a flush on his face, telling Y/N that no, Quil wasn’t coming again. He went to the kitchen to make the popcorn while Y/N set up the movie. They were watching the first Harry Potter movie since Embry has never seen it before.
Once the menu selection was up, Y/N left to go to the bathroom. When she came back Embry was sitting in the middle of the couch. Every time it was just the two of them watching a movie together, they would end up slowly migrating closer to the other one until they were cuddled up next to each other. Y/N wanted to skip it all and jump right into cuddling but found her face heating and stomach twisting at the thought.
Embry must have noticed her because he looked over the back of the couch to give her a welcoming smile. Y/N steeled her nerves, striding over to him with all the confidence she could muster. It wasn’t a lot. Y/N stopped in front of Embry, staring down at him while he looked at her questioningly. Spinning around, Y/N dropped onto the couch next to Embry. She pulled her legs up under her and leant into Embry’s side with bated breath.
It was a tense couple of seconds before Embry moved, throwing his arm over Y/N’s shoulder to pull her even closer to him. They started the movie, and Y/N basked in the warmth, barely paying attention to the movie.
Y/N fell asleep to Embry’s soothing warmth when Harry Potter was sneaking around the library under his invisibility cloak.
When Y/N woke up she was lying down on the couch with a blanket settling over her and Embry’s face moving closer to her own. Y/N held her breath as he closed in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. It felt as if Y/N’s eyes were bulging out of her head, and she watched Embry’s eyes flutter open. His eyes settled on hers, and the blissful look on his face instantly morphed to one of dread.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Oh my-” Embry scrambled to apologize, moving to back away from the couch. Still tired, it took Y/N a moment to hear what he was saying. When he moved away from her that was when Y/N's brain kicked into overdrive. Y/N reached out to Embry, her hand cupping the back of his neck. She slowly brought him to her, lifting her head up slightly to meet his lips.
Embry sucked in a breath before kissing Y/N back with all he had. The force of it pushed Y/N flat onto her back, and she let out a content sigh has Embry leant over her to deepen the kiss. His hands came up, one cradling the back of Y/N’s head while the other moved to her knee, running up to grip her bare thigh. His thumb rubs over the skin on the top of her thigh, sending a shiver through her body that caused her to gasp.
After what feels like forever they pull away, breathing heavily as they stared at the other. Y/N looked at Embry with unfocused eyes as she moved her hand from the back of his neck to caress his cheek. Embry nuzzled into it with a content sigh, turning his head to press a kiss to the palm of her hand.
He pulled back to give Y/N a bright grin, jumping up to his feet. Y/N watches Embry silently when he pulls her away from the back of the couch. Embry crawls over her to fit into the space he made, and Y/N rolls over to face him, throwing an arm and a leg over him so she wouldn’t fall off the back of the couch.
That’s how Embry’s mom found them hours later, curled around each other on the small couch. She whipped out her phone, taking a picture of the new couple to send to Emily.
//
Dating Embry brought up many questions. His strangely high body heat was a concern, but after getting a hug from Paul and Quil, Y/N found that it was common throughout all the boys. It explained why they never wore shirts, at least. They all seemed to get mad at the drop of a hat and had to be physically removed from the house by another one of the boys where they would go off into the woods, out of sight.
He also had a problem with her going anywhere near the forest and straight up banned Y/N from going into it without one of the boy’s with her.
Though Y/N didn’t understand, she never thought walking through the woods fun. Not when a bear could claw her to death. The boys looked glad to hear that, Sam and Embry most of all.
It was late at night when Y/N was driving back from Emily’s house, the dark woods flying past her as she made her way home. Y/N blinked and there was a woman in the middle of the road. She was so scared her scream got caught in her throat as she swerved to avoid the woman. Y/N quickly pulled over and looked out the back window only to find the road empty.
Assuming it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, Y/N turned around, but movement to her left caught her attention. Y/N jumped in her seat when her eye’s landed on red ones. The woman had a wicked grin, sharp teeth prominent. In what felt like a second the door was ripped off and thrown down the road, followed by her seatbelt.
Before she knew it Y/N was thrown over the woman’s shoulder. They ran deep into the forest so fast that Y/N had to close her eyes in fear of vomiting. Almost immediately after Y/N is thrown to the ground, the wind getting knocked out of her.
The woman in front of Y/N in the blink of an eye, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to a nearby tree, “Looks like the mutt left his little bitch unattended.”
Y/N was confused but was only able to stare up at her while she struggled to breathe through her tight grip. The woman took note of her confused look, and the look on her face somehow got more predatory.
There’s howling in the woods that catches both of their attention, and the grin on her face widens. She grips Y/N’s neck tighter, and Y/N scrambles to pull the marble-like arm away, brain buzzing from the lack of oxygen, “Looks like play times been cut short. Maybe next time we can get to the real fun.”
With that she’s gone, disappearing into the woods just moments before the wolves descend upon them. They run past her so fast Y/N believes that they were faster than whatever that woman was.
One stops out of the pack, staring directly at her from a few feet away. Y/N doesn’t know what to do, with the woman gone Y/N noticed that she was shaking violently, and she felt light-headed after being choked half to death.
The wolf slowly moves forward with its head ducked, as if Y/N were a deer, easily spooked. When it was close enough it dropped down to its stomach, laying it massive head on her lap. Y/N moved her unsteady hands to pet the massive animal, noticing the black spots on its back. The wolf lets out a wine, lifting its head slightly to nudge at Y/N’s jaw to push her head back. Y/N doesn’t fight it and held back a flinch when the wolf licked her neck before letting out another whine.
Footsteps catch Y/N's attention, but the wolf doesn’t move from where it's now snuggled into her stomach, so Y/N figures the. The other wolves come back, running past at a slower pace. They all look to the both of them as they pass, and the looks seem human, as if checking if she was okay. The wolf laying on her gets up reluctantly, sending her one last look before running after the others.
Y/N takes a shaky breath, slowly looking around. She's so deep in the woods that she can't see anything but trees and darkness. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket with an unsteady hand, Y/N clicks it open and calls Embry. Once she presses the call button she slowly starts to stand, getting a better look around as the phone rings.
Off in the distance she can hear a phone ringing, and Y/N looks over to see Embry running towards her in just shorts. At that point Y/N doesn’t care how he found her, instead she runs over to him where he pulls her into a tight hug. He mutters reassurances as he rubs her back. Y/N tries to tell him that she’s okay, that she’s not hurt, but her voice comes out scratchy and basically inaudible. Embry’s face hardens when he hears it.
Embry scoops Y/N up into his arms, walking off the way he came. Y/N noticed that it was the same direction the wolves went. “How," Y/N cleared her throat, "how did you find me?”
His jaw clenched, and he shoots Y/N a quick glance before looking back out ahead of him, “The wolf that stayed with you, it was me.”
//
Embry took Y/N back to the house where Sam and Emily were waiting for them. Sam explained everything to Y/N, that the woman in the woods were Vampires, and the Cullen’s that used to live in Forks were too. It unnerved Y/N but they assured her that she would be safe since they took turns on patrol and made sure that one was always close to her house.
When Sam got to what they were Y/N was intrigued, looking to Embry every so often to find him watching her worriedly, leg bouncing and hand fidgeting. Sam gave an edited version of the tribe legend and how they came to be. When he explained imprinting, Y/N hoped that she was Embry's imprint, but felt it would be too good to be true.
Y/N was silent when Embry brought her out to the car. He insisted on driving her home, and Y/N didn’t put up much of a fight. The drive was silent, but Y/N didn’t know how to ask her question, or if she was even allowed to. In no time they were pulling up to Y/N house, and she was glad that nobody was home.
He followed her into her house, waiting on her bed while she changed into pyjamas. Y/N came back into the room to find Embry pacing a hole in the floor, “Embry? What’s wrong.”
“Are you scared of me?”
“If I was scared do you really think I would have been in the car alone with you?” Embry shook his head, but looked hesitant. Y/N moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in her own. It was slightly clammy, but Y/N just tightened her grip.
“And if you were my imprint?”
“Am I?” Y/N felt the hope come back full force and watched Embry give a jerky nod. A wide grin stretched across her face, and Y/N pressed it to Embry’s cheek in a kiss, “Well then I guess I’m one lucky girl.”
Embry whipped around and took Y/N face in his hands. He had a bright smile that lit up his face. He shook his head, “I’m the lucky one.”