Old Soul Imprint
by Wizardtho
Chapter 09:
Making love to Levi was a truly spiritual experience. It was tender and loving at times, but also passionate and wild at others. By the time our final orgasms waned, Levi was tenderly kissing where he’d repeatedly bitten the crook of my neck without breaking skin, and I could barely speak from how breathless I was. Levi wasn’t fairing much better, but was able to pant out, “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head, leaning into his kisses, “No… but can I ask why? I mean, did your wolf realize I wasn’t…”
Levi cut me off quickly by turning us to hover over me, his eyes dark and intense as he promised, “I think the repeated bites to your neck are proof of how much we wanted to mark you, Isabella. Please, never think that you aren’t my mate… our one and only. I don’t know how to explain it, other than my wolf sensing that now was not the time to truly mark you. Plus, with the several times I released inside you, my wolf felt confident you would be seen as mine for now.”
I nodded then cupped his cheek, thinking about what I’d told him before, “When it’s meant to happen, it will. With marking, with children, with how fast or slow our relationship deepens… it will all happen when the ancestors deem it the right time.”
He smiled, then groaned when his phone rang. His eyes widened at the screen when he pulled his phone from the nightstand, never moving from his place between my thighs. He mouthed, “Cullen,” before pressing the green call button, then placed it on speaker and laid his head against my chest.
“This is Levi.”
The man on the other end sounded like he was in his early twenties, though his manner of speech sounded as if he were much older. “Levi, this is Carlisle Cullen. I am glad to hear your voice. Are you well? One in my family has seen some disturbing images as of late, which caused me to fear for your wellbeing.”
Levi groaned, then asked, “Not Edward… someone new and small. The one spoken about during my vision quest, am I right?”
A new voice came on the line, sounding no more than my age, “Yes, Levi. Alice. She and her other half found us in the early fifties. I hate to say this, but I think we need to meet. The images she’s had are quite disturbing, especially considering the rumors spreading through the community.”
He nodded, then looked me in the eyes before saying seriously, “I know. I don’t know what the rumors are, but there has been a significant increase in certain activity around here in the last few years. I was actually going to call you, asking for your family to fulfill one of the terms we have in writing, for just this reason. How soon can you make it to Forks?”
Carlisle answered right away, “Give us until midnight, Levi, and we will meet you at the line to renew our friendship. Also, I would like to ask that you invite your mate, as we believe the rumors include her.”
Levi sighed, then muttered “fucking legends,” before offering in a normal tone, “Consider it done, Carlisle, as she has been with me for the whole conversation. We’ll see you at midnight.”
When I looked at him in confusion as he pressed the end button, Levi smirked, “Well, he didn’t really need to know you were currently naked underneath me, did he?”
I smacked his shoulder in reply, “Jesus, Levi. No, he didn’t. My confusion was the ‘fucking legends’ mumble of yours. What am I missing?”
He kissed my sternum between my breasts, then said, “The Old Soul legend not only pertains to finding my mate in you, little firefly, but with a gift you may have that will help us defeat the cold ones who threaten to destroy our people. I’ve thought much about this, Isabella, and I always come back to the same conclusion. I was loathed to believe it myself, though, until Carlisle’s claim that the rumors in the vampire community pertain to you.”
I nodded, urging him on, so he sighed, “I believe they somehow know about you. I don’t have all of the pieces yet, to put the full puzzle together, though. I believe you contain a hidden strength that the vampires want for themselves… one that could be their downfall if they can’t get their hands on you. Please, my love, be very cautious in the coming months.”
I nodded, then let out a breath before saying, “Okay… I’ll have to call Dad tomorrow unless you’ve told him your suspicions. He’ll need to know that I’m not leaving rez land for any reason, so he needs to come here for visits. Do you think… maybe… that the Cullens would mind helping him? Maybe they could keep an eye on him in Forks? I’m afraid if the vampires know about me, they’ll target him.”
Levi nodded, offering, “That is something we can surely ask them, Bella. If the Cullens still value human life as much as they did during our last encounter, Charlie will soon be well protected. Come, we need to fix dinner, then get to the meeting. I’ll inform the elders and Sam about the call once we get there. We’ll figure all of this out, my firefly, and I will keep you safe.”
As we neared the meeting hall almost an hour after finishing our dinner, I noticed that it looked like all of the families had, indeed, shown up. Levi and I stopped to give hellos to a few people here and there, but mostly, everyone just watched us in amazement and curiosity. I knew that Levi imprinting on me had been kept quiet to most of the residents, but it was also suspected that he had found his mate, so the Old Soul legend was coming to pass.
At the front of the hall, the elders sat at a long table, two empty seats at the very center. The front row was filled with the families of the elders, Sam, and surprisingly, Emily Young. I smiled while dipping my head in a nod, to which she gave me a tentative smile in return.
As I took my seat at the front table between Levi and Joshua, I noticed Charlie closing the hall doors behind him. The last group of residents to enter were taking seats while Charlie walked up to sit with Sam and Emily in the front row.
It only took a few moments before Joshua cracked a gavel in front of him a few times to call order. Levi held my hand in his on the tabletop, and though he seemed relaxed, I could sense the slight tension in him. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze just before Old Quil stood.
His voice was surprisingly clear for his advancing age as he spoke, “I know many of you have other things that need tending, so I will not take up much of your night. This emergency meeting was called due to dire circumstances and a threat to our people.”
The room went deathly still as Quil continued, “All among our people have heard the tales of our ancestry, and how our spirit wolves came to be. Some have even held fast to our beliefs, knowing the truth behind the stories. Though it has never been told to you this clearly, our very own Levi has lived with his spirit wolf for many generations.”
The confirmation was all that was needed for the room to grasp what was about to be said. I could see the fear on some faces, excitement on others, yet a combination of both on many more. “There has been a recent drastic rise in cold one activity in our corner of the world. In the last year alone, Levi has stopped several threats to our reservation, single-handedly. Unfortunately, the rise in cold ones so close to our land has caused a few of our young ones to show signs of their spirit wolf emerging. Sam was caught unaware of his emerging wolf. We hope, by calling this meeting, to prepare our young ones more properly.”
A few murmurs could be heard through the hall, but Quil kept talking as if nothing had been said, “My next question pertains to only those of the Ateara, Black, and Uley bloodlines. I am asking any males who are 16 years of age or older, who feel they can handle the heavy responsibility of being a tribe protector, to allow Levi and Sam to help bring your wolf forth in a controlled environment. I understand what we are asking of your families. I understand the danger, responsibility, and secrecy we are asking of you. I also know that if Levi and Sam don’t have help protecting our land soon, our people will perish.”
Quil stood silent for a moment before Paul stood up. “I would be willing… but you aren’t really telling us much, other than that you’ll be bringing out our spirit wolves.”
Harry nodded, then said, “Thank you, Paul. To explain a bit more, we would be putting the reservation on lockdown. No reservation citizens would be leaving our lands, other than those who are willing to try bringing their spirit wolf out. The reason being, we will be calling the gold-eyed cold ones we have a long-standing treaty with, to fulfill their end of the bargain. In the treaty, it stated that the Cullens would not ever come near our land again, unless they were called to help bring the spirit wolf from our descendants, in times of trouble. They have adhered strictly to the first part, and now is the time for them to hold up to the second. Something is going on in the vampire community… something that is bringing their attention, and ultimately them, too close to our land. We need the protection of the spirit wolves, or soon cold ones will have unrestricted access to feed on our people.”
As soon as the last word fell from Harry’s lips, Jared stood, saying in a sure tone, “I am willing.”
His mother gasped and cried out, but he said to her seriously, “Yes, Momma. You always tell me how proud I should be of my heritage. I am proud to be Quileute, so let me be proud of earning my spirit wolf… of doing something worthy of honor in our tribe by protecting our people.”
That was both of the boys who were already showing signs, so I was curious as to who else would come forward. I wasn’t let down when Quil V, Embry, and Jake all stood as one. “We’ll do it,” Embry said, then Jake added, “Jared’s right. Finding our spirit wolves and protecting our tribe would be an honor worth earning, even if we have to subject ourselves to being near cold ones for it to happen.”
Billy nodded seriously to his son, then Levi kissed my hand before standing. “Thank you, all of you. The young men who have come forward will meet me at my house first thing in the morning. Be prepared with several days worth of clothes, as you will be staying at my house for the duration. While the reservation is on lockdown, you will be making the runs to Forks for needs that can not be filled here on reservation land. You will still be attending school as much as possible, and you will have Bella and myself tutoring you where needed. For everyone else, please stay on reservation land. I can not guarantee your safety outside our borders. Right now, there is only me and Sam keeping our people safe around the clock, and we can not be everywhere at once. If you need something that can not be obtained here and must be gotten in Forks, please let anyone at this head table know. Once or twice a week, we will be sending a few chaperoned boys into town to get you what was asked for.”
I saw a round of head nods, then Kim raised her hand tentatively. “Umm… Mr. Levi? Is it safe to assume that Bella is your long-awaited imprint?”
I smiled widely at Levi, then Kim, answering for him, “Yes, Kim, I am. Levi has known since his spirit journey while Ephraim was leading the pack many years ago. For safety reasons, no one besides the elders and my Dad knew, until now. I didn’t even know until just before I went away to college... after I put the pieces together for myself. Levi and I became close while I was away, and I have fully accepted the imprint. I transferred colleges to be close to Levi, but still be able to work on my degree.”
I saw smiles lighting many of the faces around the room, then Levi kissed the top of my head as he sat back down. Quil made one final note, “Not all who are willing ever find their spirit wolves. There is no guarantee you will find your wolf if you decide you want to go through with this. The next several weeks will be very difficult for you. Think long and hard on your decision tonight, young ones. Spend time with your families. Goodnight to you all, and may the ancestors watch over us in the coming weeks.”
I saw Jared hug his mom as the meeting ended, in an attempt to ease at least a bit of her worry. It was only minutes later that all the boys converged on our location, right as Charlie stopped in front of me. I kissed Levi’s cheek, whispering, “I’ll just be over there with Dad. I want to talk to him about earlier real quick.”
He nodded, so I wrapped an arm in Charlie’s, guiding him to the side of the room. “That was quite the meeting, huh, Bells?”
I nodded, then explained, “I’m meeting them with Levi at midnight. The Cullens called before Levi had the chance. Something big is happening, Dad… something that has to do with me. I need you to be really careful, okay? I’m afraid that the red-eyes will try to hurt you to get to me… that’s why I’m going to ask the Cullens if they will help protect you in Forks. There aren’t enough wolves to patrol the rez, let alone both the rez and Forks. That’s one of the main reasons I’ll be going on lockdown with the rest of the community. You’ll have to come to me for visits, I’m afraid, as I don’t want Levi even more worried than he already is for my safety.”
Charlie nodded, hugging me, “Good. I’m thankful you’re taking your safety seriously, Bells. I’ll gladly come to you, and I won’t mind the protection if it doesn’t become invasive. As long as they don’t make trouble and keep to eating animals, we’re good in my book.”
I laughed as we walked back toward Levi, who was wrapping up his conversation with the new recruits, “You’re too easy, Dad. Really. I’ll call in the morning to let you know what they said... unless you want to come for breakfast.”
He grinned, then Levi offered, “That’s when the boys will be around, so you might as well, Charlie. It might be helpful to get your take on a few things, after letting the meeting at midnight settle in for a few hours.”
He nodded, then promised, “Then I’ll be around at breakfast. Be careful tonight, you two. Love ya, Kiddo.”
With that, Charlie kissed the top of my head before leaving the meeting hall. Levi and I followed, headed back to our house, for what was sure to be the last few hours of quiet time we’d get for a long while.
Making love to Levi was a truly spiritual experience. It was tender and loving at times, but also passionate and wild at others. By the time our final orgasms waned, Levi was tenderly kissing where he’d repeatedly bitten the crook of my neck without breaking skin, and I could barely speak from how breathless I was. Levi wasn’t fairing much better, but was able to pant out, “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head, leaning into his kisses, “No… but can I ask why? I mean, did your wolf realize I wasn’t…”
Levi cut me off quickly by turning us to hover over me, his eyes dark and intense as he promised, “I think the repeated bites to your neck are proof of how much we wanted to mark you, Isabella. Please, never think that you aren’t my mate… our one and only. I don’t know how to explain it, other than my wolf sensing that now was not the time to truly mark you. Plus, with the several times I released inside you, my wolf felt confident you would be seen as mine for now.”
I nodded then cupped his cheek, thinking about what I’d told him before, “When it’s meant to happen, it will. With marking, with children, with how fast or slow our relationship deepens… it will all happen when the ancestors deem it the right time.”
He smiled, then groaned when his phone rang. His eyes widened at the screen when he pulled his phone from the nightstand, never moving from his place between my thighs. He mouthed, “Cullen,” before pressing the green call button, then placed it on speaker and laid his head against my chest.
“This is Levi.”
The man on the other end sounded like he was in his early twenties, though his manner of speech sounded as if he were much older. “Levi, this is Carlisle Cullen. I am glad to hear your voice. Are you well? One in my family has seen some disturbing images as of late, which caused me to fear for your wellbeing.”
Levi groaned, then asked, “Not Edward… someone new and small. The one spoken about during my vision quest, am I right?”
A new voice came on the line, sounding no more than my age, “Yes, Levi. Alice. She and her other half found us in the early fifties. I hate to say this, but I think we need to meet. The images she’s had are quite disturbing, especially considering the rumors spreading through the community.”
He nodded, then looked me in the eyes before saying seriously, “I know. I don’t know what the rumors are, but there has been a significant increase in certain activity around here in the last few years. I was actually going to call you, asking for your family to fulfill one of the terms we have in writing, for just this reason. How soon can you make it to Forks?”
Carlisle answered right away, “Give us until midnight, Levi, and we will meet you at the line to renew our friendship. Also, I would like to ask that you invite your mate, as we believe the rumors include her.”
Levi sighed, then muttered “fucking legends,” before offering in a normal tone, “Consider it done, Carlisle, as she has been with me for the whole conversation. We’ll see you at midnight.”
When I looked at him in confusion as he pressed the end button, Levi smirked, “Well, he didn’t really need to know you were currently naked underneath me, did he?”
I smacked his shoulder in reply, “Jesus, Levi. No, he didn’t. My confusion was the ‘fucking legends’ mumble of yours. What am I missing?”
He kissed my sternum between my breasts, then said, “The Old Soul legend not only pertains to finding my mate in you, little firefly, but with a gift you may have that will help us defeat the cold ones who threaten to destroy our people. I’ve thought much about this, Isabella, and I always come back to the same conclusion. I was loathed to believe it myself, though, until Carlisle’s claim that the rumors in the vampire community pertain to you.”
I nodded, urging him on, so he sighed, “I believe they somehow know about you. I don’t have all of the pieces yet, to put the full puzzle together, though. I believe you contain a hidden strength that the vampires want for themselves… one that could be their downfall if they can’t get their hands on you. Please, my love, be very cautious in the coming months.”
I nodded, then let out a breath before saying, “Okay… I’ll have to call Dad tomorrow unless you’ve told him your suspicions. He’ll need to know that I’m not leaving rez land for any reason, so he needs to come here for visits. Do you think… maybe… that the Cullens would mind helping him? Maybe they could keep an eye on him in Forks? I’m afraid if the vampires know about me, they’ll target him.”
Levi nodded, offering, “That is something we can surely ask them, Bella. If the Cullens still value human life as much as they did during our last encounter, Charlie will soon be well protected. Come, we need to fix dinner, then get to the meeting. I’ll inform the elders and Sam about the call once we get there. We’ll figure all of this out, my firefly, and I will keep you safe.”
As we neared the meeting hall almost an hour after finishing our dinner, I noticed that it looked like all of the families had, indeed, shown up. Levi and I stopped to give hellos to a few people here and there, but mostly, everyone just watched us in amazement and curiosity. I knew that Levi imprinting on me had been kept quiet to most of the residents, but it was also suspected that he had found his mate, so the Old Soul legend was coming to pass.
At the front of the hall, the elders sat at a long table, two empty seats at the very center. The front row was filled with the families of the elders, Sam, and surprisingly, Emily Young. I smiled while dipping my head in a nod, to which she gave me a tentative smile in return.
As I took my seat at the front table between Levi and Joshua, I noticed Charlie closing the hall doors behind him. The last group of residents to enter were taking seats while Charlie walked up to sit with Sam and Emily in the front row.
It only took a few moments before Joshua cracked a gavel in front of him a few times to call order. Levi held my hand in his on the tabletop, and though he seemed relaxed, I could sense the slight tension in him. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze just before Old Quil stood.
His voice was surprisingly clear for his advancing age as he spoke, “I know many of you have other things that need tending, so I will not take up much of your night. This emergency meeting was called due to dire circumstances and a threat to our people.”
The room went deathly still as Quil continued, “All among our people have heard the tales of our ancestry, and how our spirit wolves came to be. Some have even held fast to our beliefs, knowing the truth behind the stories. Though it has never been told to you this clearly, our very own Levi has lived with his spirit wolf for many generations.”
The confirmation was all that was needed for the room to grasp what was about to be said. I could see the fear on some faces, excitement on others, yet a combination of both on many more. “There has been a recent drastic rise in cold one activity in our corner of the world. In the last year alone, Levi has stopped several threats to our reservation, single-handedly. Unfortunately, the rise in cold ones so close to our land has caused a few of our young ones to show signs of their spirit wolf emerging. Sam was caught unaware of his emerging wolf. We hope, by calling this meeting, to prepare our young ones more properly.”
A few murmurs could be heard through the hall, but Quil kept talking as if nothing had been said, “My next question pertains to only those of the Ateara, Black, and Uley bloodlines. I am asking any males who are 16 years of age or older, who feel they can handle the heavy responsibility of being a tribe protector, to allow Levi and Sam to help bring your wolf forth in a controlled environment. I understand what we are asking of your families. I understand the danger, responsibility, and secrecy we are asking of you. I also know that if Levi and Sam don’t have help protecting our land soon, our people will perish.”
Quil stood silent for a moment before Paul stood up. “I would be willing… but you aren’t really telling us much, other than that you’ll be bringing out our spirit wolves.”
Harry nodded, then said, “Thank you, Paul. To explain a bit more, we would be putting the reservation on lockdown. No reservation citizens would be leaving our lands, other than those who are willing to try bringing their spirit wolf out. The reason being, we will be calling the gold-eyed cold ones we have a long-standing treaty with, to fulfill their end of the bargain. In the treaty, it stated that the Cullens would not ever come near our land again, unless they were called to help bring the spirit wolf from our descendants, in times of trouble. They have adhered strictly to the first part, and now is the time for them to hold up to the second. Something is going on in the vampire community… something that is bringing their attention, and ultimately them, too close to our land. We need the protection of the spirit wolves, or soon cold ones will have unrestricted access to feed on our people.”
As soon as the last word fell from Harry’s lips, Jared stood, saying in a sure tone, “I am willing.”
His mother gasped and cried out, but he said to her seriously, “Yes, Momma. You always tell me how proud I should be of my heritage. I am proud to be Quileute, so let me be proud of earning my spirit wolf… of doing something worthy of honor in our tribe by protecting our people.”
That was both of the boys who were already showing signs, so I was curious as to who else would come forward. I wasn’t let down when Quil V, Embry, and Jake all stood as one. “We’ll do it,” Embry said, then Jake added, “Jared’s right. Finding our spirit wolves and protecting our tribe would be an honor worth earning, even if we have to subject ourselves to being near cold ones for it to happen.”
Billy nodded seriously to his son, then Levi kissed my hand before standing. “Thank you, all of you. The young men who have come forward will meet me at my house first thing in the morning. Be prepared with several days worth of clothes, as you will be staying at my house for the duration. While the reservation is on lockdown, you will be making the runs to Forks for needs that can not be filled here on reservation land. You will still be attending school as much as possible, and you will have Bella and myself tutoring you where needed. For everyone else, please stay on reservation land. I can not guarantee your safety outside our borders. Right now, there is only me and Sam keeping our people safe around the clock, and we can not be everywhere at once. If you need something that can not be obtained here and must be gotten in Forks, please let anyone at this head table know. Once or twice a week, we will be sending a few chaperoned boys into town to get you what was asked for.”
I saw a round of head nods, then Kim raised her hand tentatively. “Umm… Mr. Levi? Is it safe to assume that Bella is your long-awaited imprint?”
I smiled widely at Levi, then Kim, answering for him, “Yes, Kim, I am. Levi has known since his spirit journey while Ephraim was leading the pack many years ago. For safety reasons, no one besides the elders and my Dad knew, until now. I didn’t even know until just before I went away to college... after I put the pieces together for myself. Levi and I became close while I was away, and I have fully accepted the imprint. I transferred colleges to be close to Levi, but still be able to work on my degree.”
I saw smiles lighting many of the faces around the room, then Levi kissed the top of my head as he sat back down. Quil made one final note, “Not all who are willing ever find their spirit wolves. There is no guarantee you will find your wolf if you decide you want to go through with this. The next several weeks will be very difficult for you. Think long and hard on your decision tonight, young ones. Spend time with your families. Goodnight to you all, and may the ancestors watch over us in the coming weeks.”
I saw Jared hug his mom as the meeting ended, in an attempt to ease at least a bit of her worry. It was only minutes later that all the boys converged on our location, right as Charlie stopped in front of me. I kissed Levi’s cheek, whispering, “I’ll just be over there with Dad. I want to talk to him about earlier real quick.”
He nodded, so I wrapped an arm in Charlie’s, guiding him to the side of the room. “That was quite the meeting, huh, Bells?”
I nodded, then explained, “I’m meeting them with Levi at midnight. The Cullens called before Levi had the chance. Something big is happening, Dad… something that has to do with me. I need you to be really careful, okay? I’m afraid that the red-eyes will try to hurt you to get to me… that’s why I’m going to ask the Cullens if they will help protect you in Forks. There aren’t enough wolves to patrol the rez, let alone both the rez and Forks. That’s one of the main reasons I’ll be going on lockdown with the rest of the community. You’ll have to come to me for visits, I’m afraid, as I don’t want Levi even more worried than he already is for my safety.”
Charlie nodded, hugging me, “Good. I’m thankful you’re taking your safety seriously, Bells. I’ll gladly come to you, and I won’t mind the protection if it doesn’t become invasive. As long as they don’t make trouble and keep to eating animals, we’re good in my book.”
I laughed as we walked back toward Levi, who was wrapping up his conversation with the new recruits, “You’re too easy, Dad. Really. I’ll call in the morning to let you know what they said... unless you want to come for breakfast.”
He grinned, then Levi offered, “That’s when the boys will be around, so you might as well, Charlie. It might be helpful to get your take on a few things, after letting the meeting at midnight settle in for a few hours.”
He nodded, then promised, “Then I’ll be around at breakfast. Be careful tonight, you two. Love ya, Kiddo.”
With that, Charlie kissed the top of my head before leaving the meeting hall. Levi and I followed, headed back to our house, for what was sure to be the last few hours of quiet time we’d get for a long while.