"Are you sure I'm not intruding?" I ask bashfully, as Leah, Seth and I walk up to the front of Sam Uley's house. I was shielding my small frame behind their tall statures, very nervous to step inside a house full of strangers. Especially intimidating strangers like Sam Uley's posses. They were all impossibly good looking, and they only kept to themselves. Here I was, this average, plain girl who never talked, when people looked at me, all they could identify me with is the dead parents thing.
"Lilah, you're one of us now." Leah says to me, exasperated, and I feel guilty for being so insecure, needing to be reassured all the time. "If anything, you enhance, not intrude. Right, Seth?" She smirks.
"Yes." Seth answers too quickly, then reddens. "I mean, you don't intrude."
I feel my heart increase as Seth holds Sam's front door open for me to squeeze behind Leah, and I'm suddenly in another typical Quileute Reservation home- they were all pretty similar. Tiny, made mostly of wood, with chipping paint on the outside. The inside of Sam Uley's house was much like mine of Seths, open, with the kitchen, living room, and dinning room all in one.
Sam's living room seems even smaller as it's giant members of Sam's pack fill iy, the only ones I recognize are Embry and Paul, who I met the night before. The rest I had vaguely seen around school, but had never learned their names. No one looks too interested in anything in particular as I enter the room.
"What's up man," One of them, sitting at a chair at the kitchen counter, greets Seth, who plops down at the counter.
"Not much. Where is everyone?"
"Out... searching," The tall man cuts off his sentence, looking awkwardly at me, like there's some secret I can't know.
Seth follows the guys eyes, "Oh, Jared, this is Lilah. Lilah, Jared. I'm about to tell her." Tell me what? I wave awkwardly.
This catches everyone's attention, Embry turning away from the TV and Paul jumping up, "Nice man! Lilah, welcome to the family officially."
"W-what do you mean?" I ask softly, embarrassed.
"Oh you'll see." Paul smirks. "How are you gonna do it? Want me to just let it rip? I could go for a run."
Embry starts laughing, "We both can! Let's go to the backyard!"
Jared, who seems older and more mature than the other two, rolls his eyes, "Shut up, you idiots, leave them alone. Can't you see Seth's freaking out as it is?" I turn my head to notice Seth nervously teetering on his chair, unable to sit still, looking incredibly troubled.
"Whatever. Cmon, Lil." Seth ignores them all and grabs my hand, sending warmth from my fingers straight to my heart. I can hear my heartbeat pick up at the contact, as Seth pulls us out through the kitchen, through the back door, and into the secluded back yard.
"S-seth what's going on? What were they talking about? What family?" I crinkle my eyebrows.
Seth sighs, running his hands through his hair. He seems extremely nervous. He paces around a little bit, "Lilah I don't know how to do this. I've never done this before, or even thought about doing this before. I thought once I found her it'd all come so natural, but I've never been more on edge in my life! I overthink every move with you and I can never get it right! I plan all my moves but then you're just here and you're so Lilah, and it makes it so much harder because I never want to upset you or make you afraid of me-"
"Slow down," I laugh at his nervously babbling. "We talked about this last night. You don't have to be nervous, it's just me: Lilah. I'm not scary."
'But you are," He complains, "You absolutely terrify me."
I blush, and he continues, "You may be scared, but please don't run. Please just hear me out, I promise I'll shift right back in a second."
"Okay... I won't run..." I say skeptically. "Just tell me what you have to."
"I'm not completely human,." He confesses, "I'm part of the quileute legends. Wait here," He takes a step back and closes his eyes, and I close mine too because I'm nervous about what's going on.
After a sharp ripping sound, I open my eyes and gasp: a carmel colored, brown eyed, playful wolf is wagging it's tail at me. His eyes are kind though, there is no mistaking the look in them.
"Seth?" I say in wonder, reaching out my hand this magnificent creature in front of me. I should've been scared, I should've taken off screaming and running, but I couldn't. This wolf was beautiful, and I felt safe around it. The wolf nuzzled itself into my hands, and playfully licked my hand.
I giggled at the gross contact, and the wolf's eye lit up at the sound, it looked like he was throwing me a grin. "It is you!" I giggled out, in awe of how calm I was in this situation. Both my parents were from this land, the legends had been bedtime stories I grew up with. But actually hearing they were true was incredible.
I pet the wolf for a moment more before it runs off into the dense forest, I wait a few moments before Seth emerges, hastily pulling on a pair of shorts. My eyes can't help but wander down at his nakedness, and my mouth goes dry. I'd never had these types of physical feelings before... but looking at him... I just wanted to touch his muscles.
"Y-you're naked," my mouth stutters out without permission, yet again, and it's all I can do to not completely slap myself in the face. Why would I say that?
"I'm wearing shorts," Seth says cautiously, approaching me, "Are you okay? It's a lot to take in. I can answer any questions-"
"You're naked," my mouth says again, in a daze, staring at his almost nude body. He wasn't shirtless, he was covered by a pair of boxer shorts. My mind didn't care about him being a giant wolf, but couldn't seem to look away from his chest.
Seth realizes what's distracting me, and laughs, "Can't look away? My shirt ripped, but if I'm distracting you-"
"What?" I snap out of my embarrassing distraction, "I didn't mean to say that. I meant, you're a wolf?" Nice save, Lilah. So smooth.
"Yes, I"m a wolf. Here, can we sit down? I don't want you to go into shock." I'm still in surprise when Seth grabs my arm gently and guides me to a seat on the porch steps, stepping down next to me. I shiver slightly as a cool breeze comes by, I should probably have a million questions, but I can only sit in silence. After a beat, Seth starts babbling away, giving me every piece of information I should probably be asking about.
"Will I change? Because I'm a Black?" I finally ask after him talking for a good ten minutes.
"I don't think so," He says quietly, "I don't think your dad had the gene, I asked Sam."
"You asked Sam about my dad?" I cringe my nose. "Why didn't you ask me?"
Seth shrugs, "I wasn't sure if you'd know. Your dad probably would've stopped shifting by the time you were born."
"Stop shifting? So you can turn it off?" I ask.
Seth nods, "I should've mentioned that. Eventually, if we choose, we can stop phasing so often, that way we can age with our imprints. It'll take some practice, but I look older for my age anyway. I'll never look younger than you, if you were worried about it."
One word stuck out to me, "Imprint?"
Seth froze when I said the word and nervously looked down at the ground, his hand itching the back of his neck. "Let's just focus on the wolf stuff for now. Are you okay with this all? I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm not dangerous. I would never hurt you."
"I trust you." I say simply, finally meeting his eyes, and I'm unable to look away. "I probably should be scared, but I'm not... I feel, forget it." I shake my head and look down, embarrassed.
"I want to hear it," Seth says, reaching out and resting his warm hand against my rosy cheek, and tilting my head so I'm looking at him.
"It's not important," I say softly, my eyes locked on him.
"Please, Lilah?"
Once he says my name, I'm putty. "I don't know. Since my parents died, I thought I was happy just planting flowers with my grandparents. But now I don't think I was really living until I started being your friend. I'm worried you'll get bored of me, and I won't be able to go back to my life."
Seth smiles slightly at my confession, "Lilah, you never have to worry about that. I'm not going away. I'm not going to leave you, I wish I could be with you all the time." My heart inflates at his words, and he frowns, "That came out wrong. I mean, I like spending time with you. I hate saying goodbye and having to think of excuses to see you again."
"You don't need an excuse," I say bashfully, and we seem to just stare into eachothers eyes for an non-measurable amount of time, before the porch door bursts open and pulls us both from our reveries. We both blush, jumping a good foot away from eachother as if electrocuted.
"Seth! You making the moves out here!" Embry bounces down the porch in front of us, teasing.
"He's telling her the secret, dumbass." Jared scoffs, a hot dog in his hand and he takes it all in one bite, talking with his mouth grossly full, "she's our new wolf girl!"
Leah pads out onto the porch, her eyes narrowed. "You guys are idiots. Can't you see they want privacy?"
"Shut up, Leah," Seth grumbles, and I blush at her words. Oh gosh, they all know I'm hopelessly attracted to Seth. I'm sure it's painfully and embarrassingly obvious. "You guys are so embarrassing."
"You're just mad we're teasing you in front of Lilah," Embry mocks, "Lilah, you should seriously hear how much he talks about you when we're on patrol. Always finding an excuse to run past your house to make sure you're okay-"
"Enough," Seth grumbles, "That's not true."
"Yes it is, dude." Jared chuckles with Embry, "So are you two established now? Like me and Kim status?"
I realize that everyone is looking at me, expecting an answer. I feel my face turn into a tomato again, and I stutter, "U-uh-uh n-no. We're j-just friends..." Damn my shyness.
"Really?" Jared squeaks, "Seth, what are you doing? Kim took like a day with me."
Seth seems angry at that comment, "It's not as easy as you think."
"W-what's not as easy?" I ask quietly, looking at Jared.
"Making you his girlfriend." Embry speaks up, and they laugh. At those words I am mortified. Seth and me? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Maybe in my dreams. I'm too plain, too quiet, too shy.
"Okay, you guys, enough. You're scaring Lilah." Leah steps in, and I'm grateful. This has been a whirlwind of a day. Sleeping in Seth's arms, talking to his mom this morning, learning that werewolves are real. None of it is as tolling as this conversation I'm having right now, Seth is being majorly teased about me. "We should be getting home anyway, right Seth?"
"Oh. Um..." Seth tenses at her words and blushes again, the guys chortling at his embarrassment. "Feel free to say no, Lilah. It's probably totally lame, but my mom wanted you to come over for dinner."
"Oh." Not sure how to respond.
"And I-I did too," He squeaks, "My mom did, but I did too, she really l-likes you. And I do to," He stutters nervously, then curses, "enjoy you company. I enjoy your company too."
At the end of his stuttering, even Leah is crying with tears. Jared is howled over in laughter, "Now I understand why you haven't sealed the deal,"
"Dude," Embry shakes his head, unable to stop hysterically laughing. "Let me do it for you." He clears his throat, his eyes still watering, "Seth's mom likes you. Seth likes you. Seth's mom wants you to get to know her better over dinner tonight, and Seth would be tickled pink to have you there. Will you have dinner with the Clearwaters?"
"S-sure." I chime, answering Embry. And Embry taps Seth's head, "See, it's easy when you don't stutter, Seth."
"Okay, we're leaving." Seth announces loudly, standing up angrily and storming in the house. "Cmon Leah!"
And with that he slams the door.