Old Soul Imprint
by Wizardtho
Chapter 02:
LPOV
The next couple of months were difficult. Dealing with the knowledge that I would not find my imprint for several generations had my human side and spirit wolf at odds with each other 24/7. So much so, that either my depression would make me unable to phase when it was my turn to patrol, or my anger would cause me to phase out of the blue. I was at wit's end when my father came to me after a particularly hard day.
I was surprised to see him, but he just shook his head determinedly as he pressed his way inside. “We have a journey ahead of us, Levi.”
He plopped a large covered dish down onto my kitchen table, “Eat. We have little time to waste.”
I sighed as I took a seat in front of the dish, even my voice showing my weariness when I spoke, “Not that you are not welcome in my home, Father, but I am not exactly in the mood for company tonight. Please, forego the sidewinding, and explain what journey you would have me take with you in my current state.”
He actually chuckled, though he composed himself quickly to say seriously while staring me down, “We are going on a spiritual journey… for you to meet your imprint. The elders have come to the consensus that you will not be one with your spirit wolf again until you have gone on a spirit journey to your heart. We believe that once you both see her… know that you will truly have a future to look forward to with her… you will be one with your wolf again. Ephraim has told me that your main contention with your wolf is waiting. You wish to wait for her, while your wolf does not believe that is the best option for you both. We trust the ancestors enough to know this journey will help make that decision more clear for you.”
I was certainly intrigued by the idea, though it could end up backfiring on the elders. If I was truthful, it could also end up being my downfall. If my wolf and I could not come to some sort of agreement soon, I knew that either way, I would not be able to go on. I ran my hand through my hair before sighing in defeat, “Alright. I will go on this journey with you. Give me 20 minutes to eat.”
Thirty minutes later, my father and I were entering Quil Sr’s ritual teepee. We both gave a respectful greeting in our native tongue before taking places near the fire. Quil responded, but got right down to business, as usual. “You have been severely troubled, young wolf. Not only is this disrupting the cohesiveness of the pack mind, but more importantly, causing you to fight with your spirit wolf. Such is not the way of the Quileute, Levi Uley. It is the decision of the tribal elders that you take a spirit journey to your imprint. Thomas, as you are close to your son, along with the fact that you will be unable to meet Levi’s soulmate before you join the ancestors, you will accompany him on this journey.”
I nodded, patting my father’s back in acknowledgment, then took a deep breath. Quil silently passed me the pipe he uses only for spirit visions, already lit. As I brought it to my lips, he said surely, “Focus on your wolf and the longing in your soul, Levi. Nothing else. Three times, focusing only on those details.”
I did as he instructed, then closed my eyes after passing the pipe to my father. I barely even registered his instruction to Father, “Focus only on Levi to get you there, Thomas.”
At some point, Quil started to chant in our native tongue, but I kept my focus. I could feel my spirit wolf, intent on running, a strange but wonderful pull growing inside me. A flash of light morphed into a baby in the arms of a man in uniform… a white man. “Billy Black, you old goat. Stop ribbing me long enough to take a look at her, at least.”
The native man, looking very similar in features to Ephraim’s father, Joseph, was given the baby in the little pink blanket. Billy hummed, looking almost like he was the proud father while asking, “And does this little princess have a name yet? You and Renee never could agree on anything, Charlie.”
I felt my father edging us closer to the pink cocooned baby as Charlie offered, “Isabella Marie Swan, meet your Uncle Billy… well as much of an uncle as any little girl could ever ask for.”
I gasped as the face of the baby came into full view. Porcelain skin, adorable tufts of chestnut hair, and oddly enough, the purest green eyes. My heart felt like it was exploding with some emotion I’d never felt, but then my wolf was running again.
The forest blurred around me until I could see the trees ending in a backyard I knew… It was Father’s, but different. A pretty little girl, maybe 6 years old, was sitting alone on a back porch swing. She looked so sad, and I wanted to go to her. My heart was breaking for her.
That’s when I realized she was the porcelain-faced baby. She was fussing at her nicely done pigtails and fancy little dress, seeming very uncomfortable until a native woman came rushing through the door.
She sighed as she plopped down on the swing next to the little girl, “Oh, Bella. You had me worried. What’s wrong, darling girl?”
Isabella -Bella- pulled harder at her pigtails with a grunt, making both my father and I laugh. “I don’t… don’t like poofy, Aunt Sarah. I want my jeans. I tried to tell Uncle Billy, but… ugh... he still made me play with Rach and Becca. All they wanna do is play dress up. Can’t… ouch… can’t I just go make mud pies with Jake? At least he believes about my wolfy dreams. Rach… grr… and Becca say I’m making him… him up. Ah-hah… got it!”
I winced, seeing several long hairs caught in the pigtail holder she was triumphantly holding in the air, then chuckled again as she rubbed the side of her head. “Here. Let me help. You know I think you’re pretty, even without all this fancy frilly stuff. Plus, remember I hear you talk in your sleep, Little Miss, almost every time your daddy has the night shift at the station. I know you dream of that special black and white wolf… no matter what my twins think. Why don’t we go inside and find your extra bibs? We’ll get your hair combed out, change you into your overalls, then you can go make a whole mud mountain in the front yard with Jacob. He was a little sad that his partner in crime wasn’t with him, so I know he’ll be happy to see you.”
Isabella’s face positively lit up at Sarah’s words before my wolf was running again.
When it came to a stop in a backyard -just outside the reservation on the outskirts of Forks- I was confused, until I saw Isabella. She was in shorts and a t-shirt... plain, but oddly attractive on her. Her long hair spilled freely down her back in chestnut waves. She was lying on her stomach on a blanket in the middle of the yard, her vivid green eyes trained on a book that looked worn.
I was shocked that it was a book I knew... Pride and Prejudice. A crack sounded in the forest right behind me. I could not move a muscle to see what caused the sound, because Isabella’s eyes seemed to lock with mine at that very moment. I was surprised when I felt everything inside me swirling around, then coming to a stop with her in the center of it all. She was stunning, and her smile made my heart leap for joy.
A native man who looked slightly similar in features to me walked out from the treeline to my side, causing my eyes to snap in that direction. He chuckled at my imprint, then scooped her up in a hug. She tried to squirm away, but he hiked her over his shoulder before heading back in the direction he came from. She screeched in reply, which was actually quite adorable. “Sam, let me down. Now, Sam, I’m not kidding. Samuel Uley, damn it... I said put me down, you neanderthal!”
He cut her off, “Did you decide on one last chapter at the old homestead? The time got away from you again, Bella. Everyone’s waiting for you to show up, so we can get this birthday shindig underway! It’s your 18th for Pete’s sake, and you know Mr. Alpha would kill me if you didn’t show up on time.”
She wiggled and writhed in his hold, intent on being put down, “Fuck, Sam! Down, now, or I’ll have Levi stick you on night patrols for the next month! That’s AFTER I tell Emily you manhandled me! Let’s see how well your baby-making goes when she cuts you off for the same amount of time you’re on night shifts!”
Isabella was quite feisty, causing my father to laugh in my ear, “Bella is perfect for you, Son. She certainly is not afraid to use any means necessary, even on your great-grandson.”
I nodded, chuckling in response as I followed them to the treeline, where Sam sat Isabella on her feet with a gasp.
“Now… Bells, please. You don’t really want to do that. You know Em and I have been trying for months.”
She bit her lip while trying to remove the hair from her face, then sighed before smacking his arm, “Well, now that you’ve put me down, I don’t suppose so. Emily is really looking forward to starting a family with you. I’m glad she’s your imprint. Now hurry up and go phase, so you can run me to the party. I would hate to worry Levi, especially since he spent all this time planning a party for me.”
Sam trotted off into the treeline, but Isabella continued as if this were an everyday occurrence. “Just promise me there won’t be any expensive presents from those Cullens. They make me feel uncomfortable, giving me things that cost more than I make in a year. Remember when Levi marked me? That little black-haired one gave me all these gift cards for stores, telling me it was for our mating gift. Well, I got clothes with them in all different sizes, then donated the whole lot to the community center. The only thing I got for myself was the new dish set, since we never have enough plates or silverware to feed everyone.”
Running her fingers through her hair, she scowled, then said, “I’d rather they just donate money to the tribal daycare if they want to give me a gift. We’re really in need of a new roof, and we go through normal supplies like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve been supplementing out of my own paychecks, but there’s only so much I can do on my own.”
A yip sounded before Isabella trotted into the woods, not caring that she received no verbal answer from Sam.
Pride swelled in me at my mate’s statement, but I looked to my father. Happy tears filled his eyes, then he nodded before choking out, “Come… let’s follow.”
I ran alongside Sam’s smaller pure black wolf until we came to what I assumed was my backyard. I barely made it into the clearing before halting to watch Isabella jump into the arms of my future self, only three feet away. She kissed him soundly before recapping what Sam had done. Future me chuckled, looking straight in my direction for a second, then asked lovingly while caressing Isabella’s cheek, “Are you still happy I married and had kids before finding you, my little firefly?”
Isabella’s face grew serious, cupping my future self’s cheeks in her tiny hands. “Sam only did it in fun, Levi… and I will tell you as many times as you need to hear it. She loved you enough to have children with you, even though she knew she wasn’t your imprint. I can only be thankful she gave you love when I couldn’t. I would hate to think of you being alone all that time. I can’t even imagine not having Sam or Embry in our lives right now. They are an amazing part of you, Levi. Plus, you know every woman in the tribe is constantly trying to slip me that damn fertility tea they swear by -Emily and the other imprints, most of all- so that we’ll hurry up and start our own branch of your family tree. I just… I want it to happen in its own time for us. When the ancestors deem it time, we’ll have our own little Uley.”
I melted into a puddle -right there at the forest edge- as Isabella gave future me a tender but comforting kiss. I wanted to fight in the next second when all of a sudden my wolf was running again. I knew that I had found not only my imprint, but my answers, so I took one last lingering look at my heart before joining fully with my wolf.
Opening my eyes again was a surreal experience. I was flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling of the teepee, watching smoke rise lazily through the opening in the center. I took a shaky breath as I relived my journey, then felt a hand on my arm.
Quil came into my view, offering, “Your journey is only for you, your father, and your wolf family. No others need to know, Levi. When you feel stable, there is both water and food waiting for you at Ephraim’s. Thomas thought you might want your brothers close after your journey.”
I nodded, then offered hoarsely, “Thank you, Quil… for everything.”
I knew running in my human form would not get me to my pack brothers fast enough, so I quickly phased before dashing through the forest. I was eager to share my journey with Ephraim and Quil... not only to see if they would find something in the surroundings I may have missed, as my whole focus was on Isabella, but to meet my imprint in the only way they could for now.
It only took a minute or two for me to reach Ephraim’s back yard in my wolf form, so I yipped as I reached the edge of the treeline. He immediately came out with Quil, who offered, “Martha and Lucy made you a feast, Brother. They are both waiting anxiously inside, but Ephraim explained that you would probably want us to see before you talked.”
I nodded in agreement before laying down on the forest floor. They transformed quickly as I cleared my mind so that there would be as clean a slate as possible before I relived my journey for them.
After they laid down on either side of me, my alpha thought to me gently, “You are one with your spirit wolf again. It is good to see, Brother. We have worried about you much recently.”
I responded sadly, “Yes. I need to apologize to you both for how I have been acting lately. It has caused you both undue stress, and I am sorry for that. Would you like to relive the journey with me? See what caused me to finally agree with my wolf?”
Of course, they agreed quickly, so I allowed my mind to play out the whole thing in vivid clarity.
When we got through the first meeting when Isabella was a baby, Quil gasped, “Wait… stop for a moment, Levi.”
I gave him a curious look as I pressed a mental ‘pause’ button, so he explained, “Your imprint is a paleface. Not only that, but I could sense the beginning of the imprint forming right before your wolf started to run.”
Ephraim’s wolf head nodded before he offered, “She would not be ready for such as an infant, which causes me to believe that your wolf was protecting her. If the imprint had been completed, with Isabella being an infant, the ramifications could have had dire consequences.”
I nodded in understanding before mentally pressing play again.
Ephraim and Quil both gave a loud wolfy chuckle at seeing my stubborn little mate in pigtails. Quil was the one to say near the end, “Bella… that’s a pretty name… and she’s certainly an adorable little thing in pigtails. Did you catch who she was with both times? The Blacks… Ephraim, those are your descendants. Billy, Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob. The boy she wanted to play with had your grandfather’s name.”
I nodded since I had put that together during the original journey.
Ephraim smiled widely, “Your Bella seems to prefer nature instead of dress-up. Honestly, a girl who would rather make mud pies with the boys than fawn over catalogs with the girls, well… that’s just what you need. And did you catch that she was dreaming of you?”
I nodded, explaining I didn’t know what to make of that yet.
Pressing the mental play button again, I couldn’t help but grin as I heard both my brothers give a slight gasp when we stopped at the treeline in Forks. Both uttered softly, “Levi, she is beautiful,” as my imprint came into view.
I felt the same consuming swirling/shifting feeling when our eyes locked again, then heard Quil gasp, “She could sense you… I understand it now.”
I wanted to ask him what he understood, but at that moment, Sam came into the back yard.
I had to admit, it was no less adorable watching Isabella put Sam in his place this time than it was during my original journey. Quil and Ephraim got quite a few chuckles in as well, but Ephraim noted seriously as my wolf ran with Sam’s, “It seems our tribe will need these gold-eyed vampires in the future. We have much to discuss, Levi.”
I dipped my head as we neared my backyard in the vision, “That we do, Brother.”
We watched the rest of the journey play out in silence before Quil said in a slightly choked tone, just as Isabella’s face faded from my sight, “It overjoys me to see that your mate is someone with such a loving heart, Brother. To know that she would rather help the tribe than to receive gifts… I wish I could meet her in person.”
Ephraim nodded, nudged his nose to my side, then stated, “As do I, Quil. Come, Levi. Your journey has weakened you, and so has your rush here. You need food, and our imprints are chomping at the bit inside waiting to hear from you.”
I chuckled at that, hearing the girls inside fluttering around the kitchen, Lucy asking Martha how much longer she thought we’d be. It only took us seconds to phase and dress, then I could hear two audible sighs from the kitchen.
Two imprints huddled together at the window, worriedly waiting for the three of us. Sadly, they would never meet their sister, Isabella… my soulmate, who had yet to even be born.
LPOV
The next couple of months were difficult. Dealing with the knowledge that I would not find my imprint for several generations had my human side and spirit wolf at odds with each other 24/7. So much so, that either my depression would make me unable to phase when it was my turn to patrol, or my anger would cause me to phase out of the blue. I was at wit's end when my father came to me after a particularly hard day.
I was surprised to see him, but he just shook his head determinedly as he pressed his way inside. “We have a journey ahead of us, Levi.”
He plopped a large covered dish down onto my kitchen table, “Eat. We have little time to waste.”
I sighed as I took a seat in front of the dish, even my voice showing my weariness when I spoke, “Not that you are not welcome in my home, Father, but I am not exactly in the mood for company tonight. Please, forego the sidewinding, and explain what journey you would have me take with you in my current state.”
He actually chuckled, though he composed himself quickly to say seriously while staring me down, “We are going on a spiritual journey… for you to meet your imprint. The elders have come to the consensus that you will not be one with your spirit wolf again until you have gone on a spirit journey to your heart. We believe that once you both see her… know that you will truly have a future to look forward to with her… you will be one with your wolf again. Ephraim has told me that your main contention with your wolf is waiting. You wish to wait for her, while your wolf does not believe that is the best option for you both. We trust the ancestors enough to know this journey will help make that decision more clear for you.”
I was certainly intrigued by the idea, though it could end up backfiring on the elders. If I was truthful, it could also end up being my downfall. If my wolf and I could not come to some sort of agreement soon, I knew that either way, I would not be able to go on. I ran my hand through my hair before sighing in defeat, “Alright. I will go on this journey with you. Give me 20 minutes to eat.”
Thirty minutes later, my father and I were entering Quil Sr’s ritual teepee. We both gave a respectful greeting in our native tongue before taking places near the fire. Quil responded, but got right down to business, as usual. “You have been severely troubled, young wolf. Not only is this disrupting the cohesiveness of the pack mind, but more importantly, causing you to fight with your spirit wolf. Such is not the way of the Quileute, Levi Uley. It is the decision of the tribal elders that you take a spirit journey to your imprint. Thomas, as you are close to your son, along with the fact that you will be unable to meet Levi’s soulmate before you join the ancestors, you will accompany him on this journey.”
I nodded, patting my father’s back in acknowledgment, then took a deep breath. Quil silently passed me the pipe he uses only for spirit visions, already lit. As I brought it to my lips, he said surely, “Focus on your wolf and the longing in your soul, Levi. Nothing else. Three times, focusing only on those details.”
I did as he instructed, then closed my eyes after passing the pipe to my father. I barely even registered his instruction to Father, “Focus only on Levi to get you there, Thomas.”
At some point, Quil started to chant in our native tongue, but I kept my focus. I could feel my spirit wolf, intent on running, a strange but wonderful pull growing inside me. A flash of light morphed into a baby in the arms of a man in uniform… a white man. “Billy Black, you old goat. Stop ribbing me long enough to take a look at her, at least.”
The native man, looking very similar in features to Ephraim’s father, Joseph, was given the baby in the little pink blanket. Billy hummed, looking almost like he was the proud father while asking, “And does this little princess have a name yet? You and Renee never could agree on anything, Charlie.”
I felt my father edging us closer to the pink cocooned baby as Charlie offered, “Isabella Marie Swan, meet your Uncle Billy… well as much of an uncle as any little girl could ever ask for.”
I gasped as the face of the baby came into full view. Porcelain skin, adorable tufts of chestnut hair, and oddly enough, the purest green eyes. My heart felt like it was exploding with some emotion I’d never felt, but then my wolf was running again.
The forest blurred around me until I could see the trees ending in a backyard I knew… It was Father’s, but different. A pretty little girl, maybe 6 years old, was sitting alone on a back porch swing. She looked so sad, and I wanted to go to her. My heart was breaking for her.
That’s when I realized she was the porcelain-faced baby. She was fussing at her nicely done pigtails and fancy little dress, seeming very uncomfortable until a native woman came rushing through the door.
She sighed as she plopped down on the swing next to the little girl, “Oh, Bella. You had me worried. What’s wrong, darling girl?”
Isabella -Bella- pulled harder at her pigtails with a grunt, making both my father and I laugh. “I don’t… don’t like poofy, Aunt Sarah. I want my jeans. I tried to tell Uncle Billy, but… ugh... he still made me play with Rach and Becca. All they wanna do is play dress up. Can’t… ouch… can’t I just go make mud pies with Jake? At least he believes about my wolfy dreams. Rach… grr… and Becca say I’m making him… him up. Ah-hah… got it!”
I winced, seeing several long hairs caught in the pigtail holder she was triumphantly holding in the air, then chuckled again as she rubbed the side of her head. “Here. Let me help. You know I think you’re pretty, even without all this fancy frilly stuff. Plus, remember I hear you talk in your sleep, Little Miss, almost every time your daddy has the night shift at the station. I know you dream of that special black and white wolf… no matter what my twins think. Why don’t we go inside and find your extra bibs? We’ll get your hair combed out, change you into your overalls, then you can go make a whole mud mountain in the front yard with Jacob. He was a little sad that his partner in crime wasn’t with him, so I know he’ll be happy to see you.”
Isabella’s face positively lit up at Sarah’s words before my wolf was running again.
When it came to a stop in a backyard -just outside the reservation on the outskirts of Forks- I was confused, until I saw Isabella. She was in shorts and a t-shirt... plain, but oddly attractive on her. Her long hair spilled freely down her back in chestnut waves. She was lying on her stomach on a blanket in the middle of the yard, her vivid green eyes trained on a book that looked worn.
I was shocked that it was a book I knew... Pride and Prejudice. A crack sounded in the forest right behind me. I could not move a muscle to see what caused the sound, because Isabella’s eyes seemed to lock with mine at that very moment. I was surprised when I felt everything inside me swirling around, then coming to a stop with her in the center of it all. She was stunning, and her smile made my heart leap for joy.
A native man who looked slightly similar in features to me walked out from the treeline to my side, causing my eyes to snap in that direction. He chuckled at my imprint, then scooped her up in a hug. She tried to squirm away, but he hiked her over his shoulder before heading back in the direction he came from. She screeched in reply, which was actually quite adorable. “Sam, let me down. Now, Sam, I’m not kidding. Samuel Uley, damn it... I said put me down, you neanderthal!”
He cut her off, “Did you decide on one last chapter at the old homestead? The time got away from you again, Bella. Everyone’s waiting for you to show up, so we can get this birthday shindig underway! It’s your 18th for Pete’s sake, and you know Mr. Alpha would kill me if you didn’t show up on time.”
She wiggled and writhed in his hold, intent on being put down, “Fuck, Sam! Down, now, or I’ll have Levi stick you on night patrols for the next month! That’s AFTER I tell Emily you manhandled me! Let’s see how well your baby-making goes when she cuts you off for the same amount of time you’re on night shifts!”
Isabella was quite feisty, causing my father to laugh in my ear, “Bella is perfect for you, Son. She certainly is not afraid to use any means necessary, even on your great-grandson.”
I nodded, chuckling in response as I followed them to the treeline, where Sam sat Isabella on her feet with a gasp.
“Now… Bells, please. You don’t really want to do that. You know Em and I have been trying for months.”
She bit her lip while trying to remove the hair from her face, then sighed before smacking his arm, “Well, now that you’ve put me down, I don’t suppose so. Emily is really looking forward to starting a family with you. I’m glad she’s your imprint. Now hurry up and go phase, so you can run me to the party. I would hate to worry Levi, especially since he spent all this time planning a party for me.”
Sam trotted off into the treeline, but Isabella continued as if this were an everyday occurrence. “Just promise me there won’t be any expensive presents from those Cullens. They make me feel uncomfortable, giving me things that cost more than I make in a year. Remember when Levi marked me? That little black-haired one gave me all these gift cards for stores, telling me it was for our mating gift. Well, I got clothes with them in all different sizes, then donated the whole lot to the community center. The only thing I got for myself was the new dish set, since we never have enough plates or silverware to feed everyone.”
Running her fingers through her hair, she scowled, then said, “I’d rather they just donate money to the tribal daycare if they want to give me a gift. We’re really in need of a new roof, and we go through normal supplies like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve been supplementing out of my own paychecks, but there’s only so much I can do on my own.”
A yip sounded before Isabella trotted into the woods, not caring that she received no verbal answer from Sam.
Pride swelled in me at my mate’s statement, but I looked to my father. Happy tears filled his eyes, then he nodded before choking out, “Come… let’s follow.”
I ran alongside Sam’s smaller pure black wolf until we came to what I assumed was my backyard. I barely made it into the clearing before halting to watch Isabella jump into the arms of my future self, only three feet away. She kissed him soundly before recapping what Sam had done. Future me chuckled, looking straight in my direction for a second, then asked lovingly while caressing Isabella’s cheek, “Are you still happy I married and had kids before finding you, my little firefly?”
Isabella’s face grew serious, cupping my future self’s cheeks in her tiny hands. “Sam only did it in fun, Levi… and I will tell you as many times as you need to hear it. She loved you enough to have children with you, even though she knew she wasn’t your imprint. I can only be thankful she gave you love when I couldn’t. I would hate to think of you being alone all that time. I can’t even imagine not having Sam or Embry in our lives right now. They are an amazing part of you, Levi. Plus, you know every woman in the tribe is constantly trying to slip me that damn fertility tea they swear by -Emily and the other imprints, most of all- so that we’ll hurry up and start our own branch of your family tree. I just… I want it to happen in its own time for us. When the ancestors deem it time, we’ll have our own little Uley.”
I melted into a puddle -right there at the forest edge- as Isabella gave future me a tender but comforting kiss. I wanted to fight in the next second when all of a sudden my wolf was running again. I knew that I had found not only my imprint, but my answers, so I took one last lingering look at my heart before joining fully with my wolf.
Opening my eyes again was a surreal experience. I was flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling of the teepee, watching smoke rise lazily through the opening in the center. I took a shaky breath as I relived my journey, then felt a hand on my arm.
Quil came into my view, offering, “Your journey is only for you, your father, and your wolf family. No others need to know, Levi. When you feel stable, there is both water and food waiting for you at Ephraim’s. Thomas thought you might want your brothers close after your journey.”
I nodded, then offered hoarsely, “Thank you, Quil… for everything.”
I knew running in my human form would not get me to my pack brothers fast enough, so I quickly phased before dashing through the forest. I was eager to share my journey with Ephraim and Quil... not only to see if they would find something in the surroundings I may have missed, as my whole focus was on Isabella, but to meet my imprint in the only way they could for now.
It only took a minute or two for me to reach Ephraim’s back yard in my wolf form, so I yipped as I reached the edge of the treeline. He immediately came out with Quil, who offered, “Martha and Lucy made you a feast, Brother. They are both waiting anxiously inside, but Ephraim explained that you would probably want us to see before you talked.”
I nodded in agreement before laying down on the forest floor. They transformed quickly as I cleared my mind so that there would be as clean a slate as possible before I relived my journey for them.
After they laid down on either side of me, my alpha thought to me gently, “You are one with your spirit wolf again. It is good to see, Brother. We have worried about you much recently.”
I responded sadly, “Yes. I need to apologize to you both for how I have been acting lately. It has caused you both undue stress, and I am sorry for that. Would you like to relive the journey with me? See what caused me to finally agree with my wolf?”
Of course, they agreed quickly, so I allowed my mind to play out the whole thing in vivid clarity.
When we got through the first meeting when Isabella was a baby, Quil gasped, “Wait… stop for a moment, Levi.”
I gave him a curious look as I pressed a mental ‘pause’ button, so he explained, “Your imprint is a paleface. Not only that, but I could sense the beginning of the imprint forming right before your wolf started to run.”
Ephraim’s wolf head nodded before he offered, “She would not be ready for such as an infant, which causes me to believe that your wolf was protecting her. If the imprint had been completed, with Isabella being an infant, the ramifications could have had dire consequences.”
I nodded in understanding before mentally pressing play again.
Ephraim and Quil both gave a loud wolfy chuckle at seeing my stubborn little mate in pigtails. Quil was the one to say near the end, “Bella… that’s a pretty name… and she’s certainly an adorable little thing in pigtails. Did you catch who she was with both times? The Blacks… Ephraim, those are your descendants. Billy, Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob. The boy she wanted to play with had your grandfather’s name.”
I nodded since I had put that together during the original journey.
Ephraim smiled widely, “Your Bella seems to prefer nature instead of dress-up. Honestly, a girl who would rather make mud pies with the boys than fawn over catalogs with the girls, well… that’s just what you need. And did you catch that she was dreaming of you?”
I nodded, explaining I didn’t know what to make of that yet.
Pressing the mental play button again, I couldn’t help but grin as I heard both my brothers give a slight gasp when we stopped at the treeline in Forks. Both uttered softly, “Levi, she is beautiful,” as my imprint came into view.
I felt the same consuming swirling/shifting feeling when our eyes locked again, then heard Quil gasp, “She could sense you… I understand it now.”
I wanted to ask him what he understood, but at that moment, Sam came into the back yard.
I had to admit, it was no less adorable watching Isabella put Sam in his place this time than it was during my original journey. Quil and Ephraim got quite a few chuckles in as well, but Ephraim noted seriously as my wolf ran with Sam’s, “It seems our tribe will need these gold-eyed vampires in the future. We have much to discuss, Levi.”
I dipped my head as we neared my backyard in the vision, “That we do, Brother.”
We watched the rest of the journey play out in silence before Quil said in a slightly choked tone, just as Isabella’s face faded from my sight, “It overjoys me to see that your mate is someone with such a loving heart, Brother. To know that she would rather help the tribe than to receive gifts… I wish I could meet her in person.”
Ephraim nodded, nudged his nose to my side, then stated, “As do I, Quil. Come, Levi. Your journey has weakened you, and so has your rush here. You need food, and our imprints are chomping at the bit inside waiting to hear from you.”
I chuckled at that, hearing the girls inside fluttering around the kitchen, Lucy asking Martha how much longer she thought we’d be. It only took us seconds to phase and dress, then I could hear two audible sighs from the kitchen.
Two imprints huddled together at the window, worriedly waiting for the three of us. Sadly, they would never meet their sister, Isabella… my soulmate, who had yet to even be born.