Old Soul Imprint
by Wizardtho
AUTHOR NOTE: This story is not historically correct in terms of speech and clothing. I know this. If the whole story were set in a historical setting, I would have made the effort to research everything and write it appropriately. As it is not, and I started this story during my medical scare, please keep the above notice in mind.
Chapter 01:
Magical. Supernatural. Whatever you wish to call it, whether blessing or curse, my life has been surrounded in it since birth. I am the epitome of said magic, as I am now 103 years old, yet look as if I am still 24.
It was at that time, in 1937, that two of my tribesmen and I transformed into our spirit wolves. Our natural enemy -the cold ones- were too close to the tribe, therefore it needed the protection only our spirit wolves could provide.
Ephraim Black, my dearest friend, was actually the first of us to phase. I was second, then the final one to join us was Quil Ateara II. We had not come across the cold ones but knew they were too close, so we started marking our borders and taking shifts patrolling. I was not surprised in the least when I heard the howl one dark night only a week later.
I phased in, only to hear Ephraim yelling frantically in my mind. “Get here quickly, both of you. I found the scents. This is more than just one or two cold ones.”
Ephraim quickly put his nose to the ground as Quil and I rushed toward his direction, where he was able to detect 5 distinct scents. I could feel Quil’s mind cringe along with mine at the sickeningly sweet stench that accompanied the scent of each cold one. Ephraim was actually coughing violently when we reached him.
It took a few minutes to help calm him, but soon Quil and I were flanking Ephraim while following the trail to these cold ones. What we came upon when we found them, was nothing we could have ever expected. They were actually feeding on animals, not people, as we had always been told in the legends. That’s the only thing that stopped Ephraim from giving us the kill order that we were waiting for.
One of the cold ones -the one with the odd copper penny hair- snapped his head up from his kill, even though I know we had not made a sound in our approach. He immediately called for one named Carlisle.
After only a few seconds of whispered conversation, Carlisle called for everyone to fall in, then they raised their hands in a gesture of surrender. This only confused us more. Our alpha told us through the mind link to be cautious, sticking to his sides, but we would find out what was going on with these cold ones.
We advanced slowly, unable to contain our growls at the stench saturating the small clearing. The penny haired one offered as he stared directly at our alpha, “We mean you no harm. If we are on your territory, we did not know. There were no markings to this land, as far as we could discern.”
His eyes were the oddest gold color, also unlike our legends, which claimed all cold ones to have blood-red eyes.
The cold one then shot his eyes to mine, “We do not have red eyes, because as you can see, we feed on only animals. Please, allow me to make introductions. My name is Edward Cullen. This, next to me, is Carlisle Cullen. He is our leader. Next to him is his mate, Esme. To Esme’s right is Rosalie and her mate, Emmett. We truly do not wish you any harm.”
Quil was taken aback by the one with copper hair knowing our thoughts, but the cold one nodded, “Yes, some of us have extra abilities that are enhanced during our transformation. No, Carlisle did not change us to make us powerful against other supernaturals. We were each dying when he changed us… to the point where Esme was already thought to be dead and was in the morgue when Carlisle rescued her.”
Shock radiated through all three of us, then Ephraim told us, “I will phase and speak to these cold ones. Stay on guard. Just because I am choosing to speak to them, does not mean I trust them one bit.”
We both agreed, then Ephraim came around behind us to phase. Once on two legs, he quickly donned his pants after taking them from the thin strap around his ankle.
When he was covered, he took his place between us and offered, “I am Ephraim Black. If -as you say- you mean us no harm, you will be willing to speak to me about your uniqueness. Your very nature has forced us to change into our spirit wolves to protect our land and tribe. Without the threat of cold ones so close to our land, our people do not change. Many generations have passed since the last threat.”
The one named Carlisle responded, “Of course, we will speak freely and truthfully. We honestly only wish to live in peace, Alpha Black. Please, ask your questions.”
Ephraim nodded, asking, “You only hunt animals? None of you feed on humans, ever?”
Carlisle smiled, “Always animals. That is why, as Edward explained, our eyes are golden in color. Human drinkers have red eyes.”
I thought to Quil at that knowledge, Well at least it would be easy to tell if one of them went off the rails.
The penny haired one chuckled slightly, nodding as his eyes caught mine. When Ephraim snapped his head in my direction, I nudged my nose against his side in apology. Penny -damn I should really try to call him by his name- Edward actually came to my defense, saying, “Your black and white companion… I apologise, I do not know your names… said that at least it would be easy to tell if one of us went off the rails. I was only letting him know that yes, it would.”
Ephraim nodded, “That is a good point, Levi, but try to keep the internal monologue to a minimum for the rest of this meeting. As for their names, the black and white wolf is Levi, my beta. Flanking my other side is Quil, the vanilla and grey wolf.”
They nodded in our direction, then Ephraim shook his head, “This is too shocking to believe, Carlisle Cullen. Too many pieces of what we have witnessed tonight do not fit with our legends of cold ones. I must speak with our elders before a decision on your presence here can be reached. My instincts say to rip and burn, but my mind tells me you are truly unique… that you may be useful to us in the future.”
Carlisle nodded, then said, “As I said, we are not here to be harmful to you or your people, Alpha Black. If you would like to take time for us to prove that fact, you are welcome to it, of course. I would like us to make a boundary line, or if one exists already, please allow us to know where it is located. As a show of good faith and honorable intention, none of us will cross that line into your territory. We also promise not to bite a human, to either feed or change, during our stay here.”
Shock rippled from Quil and me straight to Ephraim, who looked at both of us in turn. We took a second to think it through before nodding to him. He, in turn, nodded to Carlisle, “That would be acceptable. Our territory is all of reservation land, which is clearly marked. Where is your territory?”
Carlisle offered with a smile, “Our home is on the very outskirts of Forks, in the forest area. Our territory is clearly marked as well. Shall we consider Forks neutral territory for now?”
The three of us nod, then Ephraim promises, “We will watch, make sure your intentions are true, and speak to our elders. Once a decision has been reached, we will meet back in this clearing to speak again.”
Our fathers had heard the howl, so we were not surprised when we reached Ephraim’s, only to see the small house packed full with our fathers hovering around Ephraim’s imprint, Martha. She was in his arms within seconds of us dressing and entering, so he reassured her with a kiss to her temple and one to her slightly swollen stomach, “All is well, my love.”
He reached to shake his father’s hand, then Quil Sr’s and my dad’s, saying, “I am glad you are here. We had an interesting night, to say the least. Martha, would you mind fixing coffee for us while we fill in the elders?” She smiled before pecking his lips and retreating to the kitchen.
Ephraim got right down to business as we sat down in the small living room. “The cold ones, plural, were not like the legends you told us of. Are you positive of the red eyes and being blood crazy?”
My father scowled but answered right away. “Yes, of course. Why?”
I offered honestly, “Because these cold ones had GOLD eyes and were perfectly civilized. They were all feeding upon animals when we found them, Father, not humans. Even though they could have fed on any human in town or on the reservation, they were feeding on deer.”
All three of our fathers gasped, but it was Quil Sr. who spoke. “Gold? This was not in our legends. And you say civilized? You interrupted their hunt, yet they were not defending their kills?”
Ephraim shook his head, “They dropped their kills, then gathered in a group with their hands up in surrender. They claim they only want to live in peace. We thought about it on the way back, after coming to a tentative agreement with their leader. Though I loathe saying this aloud, I believe they are different enough from our legends to warrant further investigation. First, the eyes and civility. Then there was also their number, as well as the fact that they admitted that some cold ones have powers. There were 5 of them… one with the ability to read thoughts.”
Martha came in with coffee and cookies, barely setting the tray down before gasping right along with the elders this time. Joseph Black’s was loudest, though, asking in disbelief, “Five!? You were outnumbered… they could have easily chosen to fight, yet they chose to talk? How do you know that one could read thoughts?”
I took this. “When the leader, this Carlisle Cullen, was explaining about their eyes, I thought to Quil that at least it would be easy to tell if one of them had fed off a human. One of them kind of chuckled at my comment and nodded to me, then explained to Ephraim what I had said when his head whipped my way. He told Ephraim, word for word, what I had thought in my head to Quil. The cold one that answered me, Edward, said some vampires have abilities... that human abilities are enhanced when they are changed. One of us must have thought something about Carlisle changing him for that reason, but he told us that none of them were changed by their leader because of abilities. They were all close to death when they were changed.”
Ephraim chuckled in response, “That was me, actually. To get to the agreement that was proposed… the leader offered to let us observe them, to see that their words are honest. He said they would respect our marked land, in return for us respecting theirs. Forks is neutral, as apparently, their home is on the other side in the forest. He also agreed that none of them would bite a human, whether to feed or change. This is what my wolf is urging me if you want my opinion.”
All three elders nodded seriously, so Ephraim continued, “We need to know more. What kinds of powers can these cold ones have? How do we fight against these abilities? How many of them are there? Are they the only civilized ones, or are there others? Are their mates like imprints? Do they go mad like we would, if our imprint dies? Our legends are incomplete. Two of the three males had mates, and though they were protective of them in the unknown situation, they were not aiming to rip us apart to rid of the threat we posed.”
He gave the elders a second to take in what he was saying, then offered, “With all of the other differences, I believe we need to cautiously take them at their word. We will keep up the patrols and observe these Cullens, but I would like to request the tribe stay on reservation land unless they are accompanied by a wolf for now. We will make a schedule, so that anything that is needed but not available at the general store, is gotten once a week in Forks, in the company of a wolf.”
My father rubbed a hand along his face after a second, saying seriously, “Give us a few moments to discuss this, Ephraim. Quil, I know you must be anxious to return home to Lucy. Go. Your father will inform you of the final decision on his way home.”
After much deliberation, as well as two weeks of one of us almost constantly observing the cold ones, it was decided that a treaty needed to be formed. The Cullens had proven themselves to be honorable, only feeding upon animals, and had not once come within reaching distance of our marked land.
The treaty put in writing everything we had gone over that first night, but it also stated that if we needed the Cullens to come back to trigger the spirit wolf in future generations of Quileute men, they would do so willingly. In turn, we promised to put our treaty and experiences with them into the legends, so future generations would know the Cullens were not to be harmed unless they did something to violate the treaty.
We learned, only 24 hrs after the signing of the treaty, many of the answers we had been seeking. Oddly enough, when I returned to my empty home that night, I felt more alone than I ever had. I suppose that learning even cold ones felt love and had mates, as well as seeing both my pack brothers starting families with their imprints, made me long for my own even more.
~~~Time Jump~~~
It was a year later that my father dropped by to see me out of the blue one night. I could tell something was wrong, but he would not speak about whatever was bothering him.
When I finally asked him outright after an hour of meaningless conversation, he offered sadly, “We elders have been looking deeper into old legends. We worry about you, Son.”
I sighed, sitting back in my chair, “This is about me not finding my mate, yet. You must have found something, or you would not be distressed by the thoughts on your mind.”
A thought crossed my mind, causing my heart to seize in my chest as I choked out, “Have… have the ancestors deemed me not worthy?”
My father’s eyes widened, then he took my shoulders while catching my eyes, “NO, Son. You are a protector, Levi… worthy of the love only a true soulmate can give. Your pack brothers were very lucky to find their imprints in women they were already starting their lives with. When you did not find your soulmate after the first several months of phasing, I became worried, so the other elders and I turned to the old legends. I hesitated to believe it when Quil found something last night, but after talking to your mother and truly thinking about it, it fits.”
I was waiting on pins and needles for an explanation, so I urged my father to continue. “Tell me… when you see the females around the reservation, or even in Forks, what is your first thought? Take a second to really think about it.”
He seemed serious, so I took a long moment to think. Though there were differences, all the women seemed so focused on the newest fashions and gaining status. What those things were in both places differed, but that is what it boiled down to. They didn’t value family above all else. “They value other things above family. They want more than they have.”
My father sighed in response, “I thought you would say something to that effect. Son, you are part of what is called the ‘Old Soul’ legend. Your heart longs for its other half to be someone who values family, tradition, and community above all else. Unfortunately, she will not be born for generations, according to legend. Your wolf will not rest until you are united with her, but Son, we do not expect you to put your whole life on hold until she is born and of age. We hate to think of you alone, with no love at all or children to rear, until you find your mate.”
The very breath was stolen from my body, knowing it would take several generations to find my imprint. When my lungs protested their lack of oxygen, my father clapped me hard on the back, “Breathe, Son… look at me. You do not have to be alone. The whole tribe knows of the wolves. You can find love. No, it will not be what your pack brothers have with their imprints, but it will be all that it can be until you are finally united with your imprint. I honestly do not think your imprint would begrudge you the love of a woman before her birth.”
After letting out a shaky breath, I choked out, “I… I need… need to think,” before rushing out the back door. I barely made it to the treeline before phasing with a loud anguished howl.
Only seconds later, I felt my brothers phasing in to find out what was wrong. Shocked silence met me, but then I felt and smelled my brothers surrounding me on either side, where I had fallen to the ground just inside the treeline of my back yard.
The only words thought the rest of the night were by Ephraim, and only to offer soothingly each time I started to whimper at my swirling thoughts, “Release all this pain, Brother. We will not leave you.”
Magical. Supernatural. Whatever you wish to call it, whether blessing or curse, my life has been surrounded in it since birth. I am the epitome of said magic, as I am now 103 years old, yet look as if I am still 24.
It was at that time, in 1937, that two of my tribesmen and I transformed into our spirit wolves. Our natural enemy -the cold ones- were too close to the tribe, therefore it needed the protection only our spirit wolves could provide.
Ephraim Black, my dearest friend, was actually the first of us to phase. I was second, then the final one to join us was Quil Ateara II. We had not come across the cold ones but knew they were too close, so we started marking our borders and taking shifts patrolling. I was not surprised in the least when I heard the howl one dark night only a week later.
I phased in, only to hear Ephraim yelling frantically in my mind. “Get here quickly, both of you. I found the scents. This is more than just one or two cold ones.”
Ephraim quickly put his nose to the ground as Quil and I rushed toward his direction, where he was able to detect 5 distinct scents. I could feel Quil’s mind cringe along with mine at the sickeningly sweet stench that accompanied the scent of each cold one. Ephraim was actually coughing violently when we reached him.
It took a few minutes to help calm him, but soon Quil and I were flanking Ephraim while following the trail to these cold ones. What we came upon when we found them, was nothing we could have ever expected. They were actually feeding on animals, not people, as we had always been told in the legends. That’s the only thing that stopped Ephraim from giving us the kill order that we were waiting for.
One of the cold ones -the one with the odd copper penny hair- snapped his head up from his kill, even though I know we had not made a sound in our approach. He immediately called for one named Carlisle.
After only a few seconds of whispered conversation, Carlisle called for everyone to fall in, then they raised their hands in a gesture of surrender. This only confused us more. Our alpha told us through the mind link to be cautious, sticking to his sides, but we would find out what was going on with these cold ones.
We advanced slowly, unable to contain our growls at the stench saturating the small clearing. The penny haired one offered as he stared directly at our alpha, “We mean you no harm. If we are on your territory, we did not know. There were no markings to this land, as far as we could discern.”
His eyes were the oddest gold color, also unlike our legends, which claimed all cold ones to have blood-red eyes.
The cold one then shot his eyes to mine, “We do not have red eyes, because as you can see, we feed on only animals. Please, allow me to make introductions. My name is Edward Cullen. This, next to me, is Carlisle Cullen. He is our leader. Next to him is his mate, Esme. To Esme’s right is Rosalie and her mate, Emmett. We truly do not wish you any harm.”
Quil was taken aback by the one with copper hair knowing our thoughts, but the cold one nodded, “Yes, some of us have extra abilities that are enhanced during our transformation. No, Carlisle did not change us to make us powerful against other supernaturals. We were each dying when he changed us… to the point where Esme was already thought to be dead and was in the morgue when Carlisle rescued her.”
Shock radiated through all three of us, then Ephraim told us, “I will phase and speak to these cold ones. Stay on guard. Just because I am choosing to speak to them, does not mean I trust them one bit.”
We both agreed, then Ephraim came around behind us to phase. Once on two legs, he quickly donned his pants after taking them from the thin strap around his ankle.
When he was covered, he took his place between us and offered, “I am Ephraim Black. If -as you say- you mean us no harm, you will be willing to speak to me about your uniqueness. Your very nature has forced us to change into our spirit wolves to protect our land and tribe. Without the threat of cold ones so close to our land, our people do not change. Many generations have passed since the last threat.”
The one named Carlisle responded, “Of course, we will speak freely and truthfully. We honestly only wish to live in peace, Alpha Black. Please, ask your questions.”
Ephraim nodded, asking, “You only hunt animals? None of you feed on humans, ever?”
Carlisle smiled, “Always animals. That is why, as Edward explained, our eyes are golden in color. Human drinkers have red eyes.”
I thought to Quil at that knowledge, Well at least it would be easy to tell if one of them went off the rails.
The penny haired one chuckled slightly, nodding as his eyes caught mine. When Ephraim snapped his head in my direction, I nudged my nose against his side in apology. Penny -damn I should really try to call him by his name- Edward actually came to my defense, saying, “Your black and white companion… I apologise, I do not know your names… said that at least it would be easy to tell if one of us went off the rails. I was only letting him know that yes, it would.”
Ephraim nodded, “That is a good point, Levi, but try to keep the internal monologue to a minimum for the rest of this meeting. As for their names, the black and white wolf is Levi, my beta. Flanking my other side is Quil, the vanilla and grey wolf.”
They nodded in our direction, then Ephraim shook his head, “This is too shocking to believe, Carlisle Cullen. Too many pieces of what we have witnessed tonight do not fit with our legends of cold ones. I must speak with our elders before a decision on your presence here can be reached. My instincts say to rip and burn, but my mind tells me you are truly unique… that you may be useful to us in the future.”
Carlisle nodded, then said, “As I said, we are not here to be harmful to you or your people, Alpha Black. If you would like to take time for us to prove that fact, you are welcome to it, of course. I would like us to make a boundary line, or if one exists already, please allow us to know where it is located. As a show of good faith and honorable intention, none of us will cross that line into your territory. We also promise not to bite a human, to either feed or change, during our stay here.”
Shock rippled from Quil and me straight to Ephraim, who looked at both of us in turn. We took a second to think it through before nodding to him. He, in turn, nodded to Carlisle, “That would be acceptable. Our territory is all of reservation land, which is clearly marked. Where is your territory?”
Carlisle offered with a smile, “Our home is on the very outskirts of Forks, in the forest area. Our territory is clearly marked as well. Shall we consider Forks neutral territory for now?”
The three of us nod, then Ephraim promises, “We will watch, make sure your intentions are true, and speak to our elders. Once a decision has been reached, we will meet back in this clearing to speak again.”
Our fathers had heard the howl, so we were not surprised when we reached Ephraim’s, only to see the small house packed full with our fathers hovering around Ephraim’s imprint, Martha. She was in his arms within seconds of us dressing and entering, so he reassured her with a kiss to her temple and one to her slightly swollen stomach, “All is well, my love.”
He reached to shake his father’s hand, then Quil Sr’s and my dad’s, saying, “I am glad you are here. We had an interesting night, to say the least. Martha, would you mind fixing coffee for us while we fill in the elders?” She smiled before pecking his lips and retreating to the kitchen.
Ephraim got right down to business as we sat down in the small living room. “The cold ones, plural, were not like the legends you told us of. Are you positive of the red eyes and being blood crazy?”
My father scowled but answered right away. “Yes, of course. Why?”
I offered honestly, “Because these cold ones had GOLD eyes and were perfectly civilized. They were all feeding upon animals when we found them, Father, not humans. Even though they could have fed on any human in town or on the reservation, they were feeding on deer.”
All three of our fathers gasped, but it was Quil Sr. who spoke. “Gold? This was not in our legends. And you say civilized? You interrupted their hunt, yet they were not defending their kills?”
Ephraim shook his head, “They dropped their kills, then gathered in a group with their hands up in surrender. They claim they only want to live in peace. We thought about it on the way back, after coming to a tentative agreement with their leader. Though I loathe saying this aloud, I believe they are different enough from our legends to warrant further investigation. First, the eyes and civility. Then there was also their number, as well as the fact that they admitted that some cold ones have powers. There were 5 of them… one with the ability to read thoughts.”
Martha came in with coffee and cookies, barely setting the tray down before gasping right along with the elders this time. Joseph Black’s was loudest, though, asking in disbelief, “Five!? You were outnumbered… they could have easily chosen to fight, yet they chose to talk? How do you know that one could read thoughts?”
I took this. “When the leader, this Carlisle Cullen, was explaining about their eyes, I thought to Quil that at least it would be easy to tell if one of them had fed off a human. One of them kind of chuckled at my comment and nodded to me, then explained to Ephraim what I had said when his head whipped my way. He told Ephraim, word for word, what I had thought in my head to Quil. The cold one that answered me, Edward, said some vampires have abilities... that human abilities are enhanced when they are changed. One of us must have thought something about Carlisle changing him for that reason, but he told us that none of them were changed by their leader because of abilities. They were all close to death when they were changed.”
Ephraim chuckled in response, “That was me, actually. To get to the agreement that was proposed… the leader offered to let us observe them, to see that their words are honest. He said they would respect our marked land, in return for us respecting theirs. Forks is neutral, as apparently, their home is on the other side in the forest. He also agreed that none of them would bite a human, whether to feed or change. This is what my wolf is urging me if you want my opinion.”
All three elders nodded seriously, so Ephraim continued, “We need to know more. What kinds of powers can these cold ones have? How do we fight against these abilities? How many of them are there? Are they the only civilized ones, or are there others? Are their mates like imprints? Do they go mad like we would, if our imprint dies? Our legends are incomplete. Two of the three males had mates, and though they were protective of them in the unknown situation, they were not aiming to rip us apart to rid of the threat we posed.”
He gave the elders a second to take in what he was saying, then offered, “With all of the other differences, I believe we need to cautiously take them at their word. We will keep up the patrols and observe these Cullens, but I would like to request the tribe stay on reservation land unless they are accompanied by a wolf for now. We will make a schedule, so that anything that is needed but not available at the general store, is gotten once a week in Forks, in the company of a wolf.”
My father rubbed a hand along his face after a second, saying seriously, “Give us a few moments to discuss this, Ephraim. Quil, I know you must be anxious to return home to Lucy. Go. Your father will inform you of the final decision on his way home.”
After much deliberation, as well as two weeks of one of us almost constantly observing the cold ones, it was decided that a treaty needed to be formed. The Cullens had proven themselves to be honorable, only feeding upon animals, and had not once come within reaching distance of our marked land.
The treaty put in writing everything we had gone over that first night, but it also stated that if we needed the Cullens to come back to trigger the spirit wolf in future generations of Quileute men, they would do so willingly. In turn, we promised to put our treaty and experiences with them into the legends, so future generations would know the Cullens were not to be harmed unless they did something to violate the treaty.
We learned, only 24 hrs after the signing of the treaty, many of the answers we had been seeking. Oddly enough, when I returned to my empty home that night, I felt more alone than I ever had. I suppose that learning even cold ones felt love and had mates, as well as seeing both my pack brothers starting families with their imprints, made me long for my own even more.
~~~Time Jump~~~
It was a year later that my father dropped by to see me out of the blue one night. I could tell something was wrong, but he would not speak about whatever was bothering him.
When I finally asked him outright after an hour of meaningless conversation, he offered sadly, “We elders have been looking deeper into old legends. We worry about you, Son.”
I sighed, sitting back in my chair, “This is about me not finding my mate, yet. You must have found something, or you would not be distressed by the thoughts on your mind.”
A thought crossed my mind, causing my heart to seize in my chest as I choked out, “Have… have the ancestors deemed me not worthy?”
My father’s eyes widened, then he took my shoulders while catching my eyes, “NO, Son. You are a protector, Levi… worthy of the love only a true soulmate can give. Your pack brothers were very lucky to find their imprints in women they were already starting their lives with. When you did not find your soulmate after the first several months of phasing, I became worried, so the other elders and I turned to the old legends. I hesitated to believe it when Quil found something last night, but after talking to your mother and truly thinking about it, it fits.”
I was waiting on pins and needles for an explanation, so I urged my father to continue. “Tell me… when you see the females around the reservation, or even in Forks, what is your first thought? Take a second to really think about it.”
He seemed serious, so I took a long moment to think. Though there were differences, all the women seemed so focused on the newest fashions and gaining status. What those things were in both places differed, but that is what it boiled down to. They didn’t value family above all else. “They value other things above family. They want more than they have.”
My father sighed in response, “I thought you would say something to that effect. Son, you are part of what is called the ‘Old Soul’ legend. Your heart longs for its other half to be someone who values family, tradition, and community above all else. Unfortunately, she will not be born for generations, according to legend. Your wolf will not rest until you are united with her, but Son, we do not expect you to put your whole life on hold until she is born and of age. We hate to think of you alone, with no love at all or children to rear, until you find your mate.”
The very breath was stolen from my body, knowing it would take several generations to find my imprint. When my lungs protested their lack of oxygen, my father clapped me hard on the back, “Breathe, Son… look at me. You do not have to be alone. The whole tribe knows of the wolves. You can find love. No, it will not be what your pack brothers have with their imprints, but it will be all that it can be until you are finally united with your imprint. I honestly do not think your imprint would begrudge you the love of a woman before her birth.”
After letting out a shaky breath, I choked out, “I… I need… need to think,” before rushing out the back door. I barely made it to the treeline before phasing with a loud anguished howl.
Only seconds later, I felt my brothers phasing in to find out what was wrong. Shocked silence met me, but then I felt and smelled my brothers surrounding me on either side, where I had fallen to the ground just inside the treeline of my back yard.
The only words thought the rest of the night were by Ephraim, and only to offer soothingly each time I started to whimper at my swirling thoughts, “Release all this pain, Brother. We will not leave you.”