I found her by the scent before I saw her.
Silver, sharp, electric, fear tangled with adrenaline and something brand new that hummed through the pack link like a live wire.
I slowed as the trees thinned into a small clearing.
She stood there.
A silver wolf the size of a pony, her frame powerful but sleeker than Paul's or Jared's, maybe half a foot shorter than them, though the difference was softened by her fur. Long, shaggy, almost wild-looking, it rippled faintly as she shifted her weight, every movement uncertain, overstimulated.
Oh.
That's why everyone cut their hair after phasing. I'd never really thought about it before, but seeing it now made it obvious, the long hair translated. The wolf carried it the same way the human did but wilder, I could see how that'd be a problem.
{I'm here, Leah,} I sent gently through the pack link. At the same time, I stepped out from the trees, deliberately snapping a twig under my paw, letting my presence announce itself instead of ambushing her.
The silver wolf's head snapped around.
Our eyes met.
And the world stopped.
Her pupils blew wide, swallowing the silver of her gaze as the imprint slammed into place.
Not a wave.
Not a pull.
This wasn't gravity.
It was more like a star collision.
And the pack link detonated with it.
Suddenly, I wasn't just feeling my reaction, I was feeling hers. Shock, awe, fear, wonder, devotion, love so raw it burned. And she was feeling mine at the exact same time, the bond looping back on itself, amplifying everything until it was impossible to tell where I ended and she began.
Images crashed through me.
A future.
Our future.
Leah laughing, human again, eyes bright and alive. My hands fitting naturally at her waist. Rings. A home. A family. Kids running through the trees while two wolves watched from the shadows, protective and proud.
It was too much.
So much more than it had been with Bella.
That imprint had been strong, overwhelming, even, but this?
This was like comparing a spark to a wildfire.
The pack link fed it, reflected it, doubled it back again and again until we were drowning in each other's certainty, each other's need, each other's absolute, unquestionable devotion.
We stood there, unmoving, locked in place, staring into each other's eyes while time stretched and blurred. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes like hours.
My lungs burned before I realized I was panting.
So was she.
It was me who finally managed to look away, breaking the feedback loop before one, or both, of us completely short-circuited.
The world rushed back in all at once.
Wind. Leaves. The ground beneath my paws.
{Woah, that was…} Leah sent, her thoughts shaky, breathless, still reeling.
{Yeah,} I answered, just as unsteady. {I know.}
I didn't hesitate. I pushed the memory to her, Bella, the imprint, the way it had felt then.
She absorbed it instantly.
{…You're right,} she said, stunned. {This was so much stronger.}
{At least a hundred times,} I agreed grimly.
We stood there, both still panting, still trying to recalibrate around the weight of what had just happened.
The pack link hummed between us, alive in a way it had never been before.
No one had ever documented this.
A female wolf.
An imprint between wolves.
Shifted. Linked. Amplified.
There was no precedent. No explanation.
Only certainty.
Whatever had just happened between us wasn't normal.
And it had changed everything.
If before I had felt like I needed to see Leah to feel comfortable, now I needed her more than I needed air, and this was probably even stronger for Leah, since it had been her who imprinted on me. I just hoped this didn't cause much trouble in the future.
Hearing my thoughts ripple through the link, Leah sent back, {I think we're going to have to talk about living arrangements. I don't think I can sleep without you by my side now.}
The sincerity of it hit almost as hard as the imprint itself.
{You're probably right,} I replied, a little wry. {I just hope your dad doesn't try to kill me.}
I couldn't help the wince that crept into my thoughts.
Leah's response came with a burst of amusement so sudden it startled me. Her wolf form let out a strange, breathy huff, half snort, half bark, that was apparently the wolf equivalent of a laugh.
{Please,} she said. {If he tries anything, we'll just sic Mom on him. You know how whipped he is.}
The mental image hit me instantly.
Harry Clearwater, stern and imposing, somehow wearing an imaginary collar. Sue standing beside him, calm and smiling, one hand holding an equally imaginary leash.
I lost it.
Leah did too.
The clearing filled with the most ridiculous sounds; deep, rumbling huffs and breathy, broken growls that were definitely not intimidating. Two massive wolves, bent over with laughter, trying and failing to regain any semblance of dignity.
If anyone had been watching, they probably would've assumed we'd both completely lost our minds.
And honestly?
They wouldn't have been wrong.
…
Leah's voice came through the link, a little tentative now that the initial adrenaline had faded.
{So… how do I turn back?}
I paused, glancing instinctively toward the direction of her house.
{Before you try, how about we move closer to your place?} I suggested. {That way I can grab you some clothes. Unless you're really into the idea of being naked in the middle of the forest.}
Her answer wasn't words.
Instead, she sent me a vivid mental image, moonlight filtering through trees, bare skin against moss and bark, tangled limbs and breathless laughter.
Prom night.
She finished it with a distinctly wolfish look, ears tipped forward in smug amusement.
I froze mid-step.
God, she was dangerous.
For a second, I let myself linger in that memory, a wistful ache settling in my chest. Then I shook my head, forcing my focus back where it belonged.
{As much as I'd love a repeat of that,} I said, trying to sound composed, {this probably isn't the right moment.}
Her amusement brushed against me, warm and teasing.
We took off through the woods together.
Leah was fast, really fast. Not quite on my level, since my much longer legs gave me an unfair advantage, but she kept up far better than I expected. Definitely faster than a vampire. Honestly, probably faster than any of the current Quileute pack.
I slowed as we reached the woods behind her house.
{Wait here,} I told her. {I'll be right back.}
I shifted smoothly back into my human form, and immediately yelped as something wet and warm licked my ass.
I jumped straight up.
"Leah!" I shouted.
Her laughter exploded, her wolf form making a ridiculous huffing sound that somehow managed to sound smug.
I scowled, grabbed the shorts tied to my leg, and pulled them on as quickly as possible, muttering under my breath about mature behavior.
I made my way to the house and knocked.
After a moment, the door opened to reveal Harry Clearwater.
He stared at me.
Then at my bare chest.
Then back at my face.
"Mike?" he asked, genuinely confused. "What are you doing here? And… where are your clothes?"
"Hi, Harry," I said quickly. "Sorry about the, uh, state of dress. This is kind of an emergency."
I glanced inside to make sure Sue or Seth weren't nearby, then lowered my voice.
"Leah phased. She needs clothes to shift back."
Harry's eyes widened.
I heard his heart stutter hard enough to make my own tense.
'Please don't give my future father-in-law a heart attack,' I prayed internally.
He clutched his chest and took a slow, steady breath. After a moment, his heartbeat settled again.
"Alright," he said hoarsely. "Wait here."
He disappeared upstairs and returned with a bundle of Leah's clothes, handing them to me.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She's… taking it well," I said honestly. Then, because apparently my mouth hated me, I added, "She imprinted on me, and there was a little accident."
Harry's heart jumped again.
'Idiot.' I cursed myself.
His face flushed red, but he forced himself to calm down. "That's… good," he said carefully. "I'm glad it was you. But what do you mean by 'accident'?"
I swallowed and explained more carefully this time. "The pack link amplified it. The imprint looped between us, her feelings feeding into mine and back again. It made it a lot stronger than normal." I hesitated. "That might be a problem. We're probably going to have a hard time being apart. Even now, I can feel it."
Harry nodded slowly, thoughtful.
"I can see how that'd complicate things," he said. After a moment, he added, "Maybe you could stay here a few nights a week. And Leah could stay at your place the others. Short of you two moving in together, that might be the best option."
I blinked at him. "You… wouldn't mind?"
He shook his head. "I trust you. And Leah's already an adult."
Something in my chest tightened painfully.
"Thank you," I said, my voice thick. "You don't know how much that means to me."
Harry gave me a small, sincere nod. "Just take care of her."
I tightened my grip on the clothes and nodded back. "Always."
…
After Harry handed me the bundle of clothes, I promised I'd bring them straight to Leah and headed back into the woods.
She was waiting exactly where I'd left her, silver fur bright even in the fading light. The moment she saw me, her ears perked up, tail swishing nervously.
"I've got your clothes," I said, then softened my voice. "Okay. I'll walk you through it. You need to calm down and focus. Think about pulling everything inward. The same way it felt when you phased, just… in reverse."
She tried, but nothing happened.
She paced, shook herself, took a few deep breaths that came out more like huffs. Still nothing.
After a few minutes, I sighed. "Alright. New plan."
I stepped back, tied the clothes to a low branch, pulled off my shorts and shifted again. The world snapped wider, sharper. I padded closer and reached out through the pack link.
{Watch,} I told her, and sent her the memory.
Not words. Not instructions. Just the feeling. The instinct. The exact moment where I focused and let my body follow.
She stiffened as it hit her.
Then she tried again.
The second attempt worked.
Silver fur melted away, bones flowing back into place, and a heartbeat later Leah stood there in human form, completely naked, breathless and wide-eyed.
I shifted back a moment later.
For a second, neither of us moved.
We just… looked.
No embarrassment. No rush to cover up. Just heat, familiarity, want, bare and honest between us.
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to remember where we were. "You should probably wear your…"
I didn't get to finish the sentence.
Leah closed the distance in two steps and jumped into my arms, her lips crashing into mine. Whatever self-restraint I'd been clinging to shattered instantly.
What followed was familiar. Intense. Desperate in that way that only happens when you already know exactly how the other person feels.
Just like prom night.
Only shorter.
Because even through the haze, I knew Harry would be waiting, and Leah deserved better than giving her dad a heart attack on day one.
Eventually, breathless and grinning, we broke apart. I handed her the clothes, and she got dressed, still flushed, still glowing.
Worth it.
…
I reluctantly stepped back, already missing her warmth.
"I'm going to run home, grab some clothes," I said. "I'll be back as fast as I can."
Leah nodded, still a little dazed, eyes bright. "Hurry," she said, then added with a small, crooked smile, "I don't think I like being away from you anymore."
"Yeah," I admitted. "Same problem."
I shifted again once I was far enough into the trees, sprinting hard toward home, every instinct screaming to turn back instead. It took effort not to. The pull was… new. Stronger than anything I'd felt before.
By the time I was gone, Leah was already walking toward her house.
…
(Leah)
As Mike disappeared into the trees, the absence hit me harder than I expected.
Too fast. Too sudden.
I exhaled slowly and turned toward the house, clothes now on. Everything felt… different now. Quieter. Like the world had lost a layer of sound I hadn't even realized was there until it vanished.
Okay, I told myself. Think.
Dad knows.
There was no point pretending otherwise. Harry Clearwater didn't miss things like this, not when it involved his family, not when it involved wolves, and definitely not when it involved his daughter sprinting out of work and exploding into fur in the woods behind town. And also because Mike had already told him…
But Mom?
That was the real question.
She deserved the truth. I knew that in my bones. She'd always been steady, always honest, always stronger than she let people see. If anyone could take this in stride, eventually, it was her.
And then there was Seth.
My steps slowed.
Seth was… Seth. Curious, enthusiastic, incapable of keeping a secret if his life depended on it. If I told him, it wouldn't be malicious if it slipped, but once you knew something like this, there was no putting it back.
Would Dad stop me?
I didn't think so. Not out of control or anger. But fear? Worry? Wanting to protect Seth from something that could change everything?
That sounded exactly like him.
I reached the edge of the yard and paused, staring at the house. The lights were on. Warm. Familiar. Normal.
Nothing about me felt normal anymore.
One thing at a time, I decided.
First, get inside.
Then talk to Dad.
Then figure out Mom and Seth.
And beneath all of it, beneath the nerves, the questions, the weight settling in my chest, there was something else. Something constant. Steady. Like a pull I could still feel even now.
Please hurry back, Mike.
…
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