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Brown eyes. Allie never thought they could look so good. They always seemed simple, mundane. But now, with the eyes she was meeting from across the beach, they looked like the handsomest eyes she’d ever seen. She could almost forget everything else around her - the book open in her lap, the wind in her hair, her phone vibrating in her pocket. There was only the boy and his eyes.
“Hey,” is what came quietly from his lips. He finally tore his gaze away from her, for only the shortest second, to check back on the group of friends he had come with. They were further down the beach, and were waiting for him to return with the soccer ball they’d kicked a little too far. Taking long strides, he closed the space between them until he was standing directly over her. “I’m Embry.” He tucked the ball under one arm and offered her his hand.
She gingerly accepted the gesture and shook. “Allie. Hi.” Her voice came out softly. It was then that she noticed his bare arms; not only for the sculpted muscles he had, but for the fact that they were, in fact, bare. He was only wearing jean shorts and a hoodie vest. “Aren’t you cold?” she asked. “It’s like thirty degrees out here.” Even she pulled her two coats tighter around her torso.
“Heh, nah, not really. I, uh… naturally run a little warm, I guess you could say.” He pointed to the empty seat next to her, and when she scooted over slightly, he sat down. “What are you doin’ out here alone?”
Allie held up her book. “The sounds of the water make it easy to read.” She blushed a little under his watchful eyes, which never seemed to leave her face, and closed her book. “But it’s getting late and if I stay out here any longer, I might freeze.” She giggled and stood, her feet sinking into the sand as she did so. “It was really nice to meet you, Embry.” She started to turn back to the parking lot, when a large hand caught around her wrist.
He had to be careful to not hurt her as he reached out. He knew that if he wasn’t, his strength could easily snap her arm. “Wait…” Embry bit his lip nervously, hoping she wouldn’t be scared by his sudden advances. “My friends and I have a bonfire going, just down the beach. If you want, you could come hang with us.” At the sight of her skeptical expression, he shrugged and smiled awkwardly. “They love new people.”
She let out a scoff, silencing herself before it could turn into uncontrollable laughter. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he had a certain effect that made her feel effortlessly comfortable and at peace. “Sure,” she replied simply, linking her fingers through his. “Lead the way.”
- - -
It had been almost three weeks since Allie had met Embry. They’d spent quite a bit of time together, as school was on a break, so it was easy for them to get to know each other. Allie learned that Embry didn’t know his father, but that his older friends occasionally helped fill that role with advice and comfort. On one of their many long walks down First Beach, he told her that, if she ever heard rumors about him being in a ‘cult’, to ignore them. She made sure to tell him that no, it definitely doesn’t scare her that he’s suspected of being in a cult . He also learned a lot about her, in turn. She was new to La Push, having just moved from Philadelphia with her mother. She was finishing her last year of high school, and planned to study journalism in college.
“Why journalism?” Embry had asked her one day.
Allie pressed her bare feet into the coarse sand. “I don’t really know,” she answered. “I just really wanna be able to tell people’s stories. Like, real stories.” She moved her hands emphatically as she spoke. “I wanna be able to give people the truth about the world!” Her eyes met his.
He nodded, hanging on every word she said. A shy smile played at the corners of his lips. “That’s incredible. You’re incredible.”
She bit her lip. “You know, you’re not too bad yourself.” Her voice was quiet against the crashing of the nearby waves. A sudden gust of wind gathered her dark brown hair, blowing it all across her face. “Ah!” Her jaw dropped in shock. It was hard for her to see, but she could feel a pair of hands on her cheeks, working to push her hair away. The fingers were calloused, but gentle when pulling the hair from her eyes. When her vision was finally cleared, she saw Embry’s face mere inches from hers. She let out a soft giggle. “Hey there.”
Embry cradled her face in his hands. “Hi,” he whispered back. They stared at each other, in wonderful silence, for a long minute. Then, almost in slow motion, their lips came together. It was soft, and surprising to Allie, but entirely welcome.
Her hands found their way to the sides of Embry’s neck. She pulled herself closer to him on the driftwood log, sitting so close that their legs were draping over each other. It was hard for her to tell how long it lasted, but eventually, she pulled away. Her hands remained on him, as did his. She blushed and ducked her head, pushing her lips into Embry’s palm. “I feel like I know you so well already.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Is that weird?”
He shook his head. “No.” His thumb ran over her cheek. “I feel it, too.” In one fluid motion, he swept her off her seat and into his lap. He held her close to him, both gazing out at the ocean. He rested his chin on her head, thinking about how he was going to tell her who he really was.
- - -
His entire body was tense. It was giving him a headache. All he could think about was if she would react badly. He definitely wouldn’t know how to handle that. But he had decided that today was the day to tell her. They’d been together for almost two months, and hiding his true nature was getting harder. So he told her to meet him at Emily’s house. His lack of explanation made her nervous, but she still trusted him.
Which brought them to today, right now, with both of them standing on either side of a clearing in the backyard. Emily stood behind Allie, ready to hold her hand or comfort her in any way she needed; that had been her role with the other imprintees. Sam and Jared were behind Embry, prepared to jump in if anything went wrong. While it was unlikely, everyone preferred to have too many precautions rather than not enough. Everyone’s eyes were on Embry, but his were only on Allie.
He took a deep breath and blinked slowly. When his eyes opened, he smiled at Allie. “Just remember I love you, right?” He shook his hands, attempting to expel his nerves from his body
She nodded, a look of concern on her face. She could only assume that something was wrong, without knowing more.
In an instant, Embry’s body cracked and shifted, morphing into its other shape. He felt himself stretch and his bones twist, eventually landing on all four feet. He shook his head, getting his bearings. When he looked back up at his girlfriend, her expression was not at all what any of them had been expecting.
Allie’s face was fairly neutral, aside from her raised eyebrows. Her mouth was slightly agape, but she wasn’t running, which the others took as a good sign. She stared at the large wolf in front of her, it’s body casting a large shadow across her. “So…” she tried to start, but couldn’t exactly find the words. At this moment, she wasn’t sure she’d ever find the words. She looked over her shoulder at Emily, hoping that she could fill in the gaps.
The woman came to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “A lot to take in, huh?”
She nodded slowly. “You can say that again.” Her brows scrunched. “What exactly am I supposed to be taking in?”
Emily chuckled. “The boys all have a specific gene, one that allows them to do…” She gestured to Embry, who was now laying on the ground at Allie’s feet. “Well, it allows them to do that .” She rubbed the girl’s arms. “You okay?”
Allie crouched down to the creature, gingerly biting her lip. She stretched her arm out to his snout, cautiously patting the tip of his nose. Upon contact, she let out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. “It’s… still Embry, right? Like, he doesn’t have a wolf brain and want to eat me now, right?” She continued petting his soft face, quickly becoming more and more relaxed.
“Nope, still him and his own brain,” Sam answered.
Embry pulled himself forward, laying his head in Allie’s lap and gazing up at her with the same brown eyes she’d seen on the beach that first day. He nuzzled her hand, urging her to continue touching his face.
She laughed, obliging. “Well… cool.” They sat like that, together, until the sun sank down behind the trees.
- - -
The early dawn light had just started to shine through Allie’s bedroom window. But it wasn’t coming to wake her, as she had already been up for the last hour. She was straddling Embry, kissing him furiously and gripping his shoulders. She had become accustomed to waking up extra early to open her window for him, so he could come by after his evening patrol shifts. A few weeks had gone by since he told her all about the shapeshifters, and vampires, and imprints. But it made little difference to her in the end; she was hardly fazed.
Embry’s hands were on her waist, his fingers just barely creeping under the hem of her tank top. He was exhausted from his night of running, but their mornings together were worth perking up for. “Hey… hey,” he attempted to mutter between kisses. When she broke away, Embry pushed the hair away from her face. He laughed breathlessly as he stroked her cheek. “Don’t you have school? Don’t we both have school? In like,” he glanced over to her bedside alarm clock, “an hour?”
She shrugged. “So what, you wanna sleep? Get some rest before classes?” She raised her eyebrows at him inquisitively, and he automatically knew she was teasing him. Even so, she pulled herself away from him, instead laying next to him and closing her eyes. “Sounds good to me.” Try as she might, she couldn’t hold back the smirk on her face.
The boy raised his eyebrows. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” she answered back immediately. Her hands were folded over her stomach, and she almost looked asleep - or dead.
He laid his head back on the pillow, staring up at her ceiling. They were both silent for a few minutes. He could hear her breathing slowly, imagining the rise and fall of her chest in his head as he listened. His eyes drifted back over to her, and sure enough, she was still laying on her back and keeping still. But now, all Embry could focus on was the fabric of her tank top stretched thinly over her breasts. He scanned her form, eyes traveling down to her barely-there pajama shorts. With a bite of his lip, he rolled himself on top of her, startling the girl. He felt her body shaking with laughter underneath him. “You are the worst.” He locked his lips to hers, pushing his hands under her tank top, his fingers grazing her chest.
Allie giggled but pushed his hands back down. “Look who’s awake now.” She sits up, with her boyfriend still straddling her legs, and cocks her head to the side. “Sorry Em, but… this is gonna have to end here.”
Embry furrowed his eyebrows, confused.
“I have to shower.” She patted his chest and swung herself off the bed. “Sorry to disappoint.” She rummages through the drawers of her dresser, pulling out some jeans and a fresh shirt. Tossing them over her shoulder, she made her way towards the door. She cast a glance back at him. “You coming?”
The eager boy sprung from the bed, chasing her out of the room.