@HotHeadSheWolf
Her body seemed to ease against mine, and it was incredible... It was Leah, and she was letting of that constant self-control.

It didn't last long, but the moment had been engraved on my memory. It was stunning how I had been holding on to her tight but... When she jumped back, my muscles instantaneously reacted and let her slip away without any resistance. But I immediately felt the loss of her warmth.

I cleared my throat and dragged my hand through my hair. “You’re not >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< the only one.” I fave a breathy chuckle... The closeness had left its mark on me too.

But get to say it was entirely different for me to. She was a planner... She thought through everything. “Okay.” I reached out and took her hand. “So let’s... Just sit then.” my gaze locked on hers and I pulled lightly on her hand just she knew I wanted her to sit next to me... But not trying to move her. “And think.”

@BadBoyEmbryCall

My eyes darted to the hallway, the windows and then back to him when he reacted out and somehow my fingers curled their way around his.

I was searching for my wolf, she was still radio silence. And I knew she told me I had to do this alone. But she’d never been this closed for this long.

I swollen down the sensation of… well… something, I wasn’t sure what it was. I wanted to being close to him, and run, and kiss him, and punch him for making me feel all these things. -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

I rubbed my free hand over my forehead trying to clear my thoughts, when he lightly tugged on my hand. And when I looked down at him, it was his deep brow eyes that took a hold. It felt like I was meant to be there, lost in them. I was myself with those eyes, because somehow those eyes had seen passed the walls.

“Hmm…” I stood there for a while before daring to step forward and take my seat next to him again.

“Thinking… thinking is good. Thinking of the path… we were -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

set… you… me… the evolution… you know about that… I know about that.”

This was the first time in my life I was saying what I was thinking, and I didn’t like it so I clapped my mouth shut.

@HotHeadSheWolf
She was flustered and I knew it shouldn't but made me smile.

But she sat down and fell silent I stopped. I knew that this was having a deep effect on her... She prided herself on having the answers or finding them when she didn't have them.

I let go of her hand but I didn't move away from her. “Leah... There's just the two of us here. We didn't need to figure this out right now. We can just...” I paused this really wasn't my strong suit... I wasng exactly known for being >

@BadBoyEmbryCall

When he let go of my head, I freed me to reaching out and pick up the glass of bourbon. Downing it in one, before I even dared to think about all this again.

“One step at a time, doesn’t give me my planning Embry.” I set the now empty glass back down before turning to face him.

It wasn’t a mistake to look at him, but it was so distracting. My eyes slipped to his lips, thinking about where they had been only seconds ago.

I shook my head and then looked down to his hands.-

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

And those had been in my hair. He’d had his hands in my hair and he was still alive.

“I’m not sure there are any right or wrong answers.” This made me scoff as soon as I said it. “The Great Wolf would be so proud.” I muttered. It was one of his lessons.

‘Don’t look for the answers, let them come to you.’

@HotHeadSheWolf
"Planning..." I repeated. Another thing I never did often. But I agree with her about there not being any right or wrong answer.

"Leah.." I said with a smile... "I'm not sure the great life concerns himself with things like this." Her eyes were on mine again and my heart stuttered. "I mean the big question here... is... what do you want to do with all of this? We can keep walking this path and see what happens... but if that isn't what you want then..." I paused and tried >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< to think straight but with her eyes on mine. I got lost too easily.

"Those are two very different conversations." I knew what I wanted the do... walking away earlier tonight was hard. even though I knew it was what she wanted but I couldn't be selfish right now when she seemed to be so deeply rattled.

"But either way Leah... Everything will be okay."

@BadBoyEmbryCall

My mind stopped again when his heart did that thing again. I was nowhere near him; we weren’t doing anything, and his heart still shuttered a little?

I rubbed my forehead again while I listened, he was really talking sense. But when did that happen? “When did you start speaking this way?” I’d noticed it in Seattle. He was thinking more than he was letting on.

-

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

“Two paths? There are so many more than just two paths Call.” But which one did I want? My hand flinched remembering what that feeling was when I hadn’t stopped him. Even when the Spirits had told me how to stop that pain, I thought I was doing the right thing for him.

“Call...” I took a step towards him and then stopped. “Do you still think that this… wasn’t something I wanted to do?” He’d said it a couple of times now, and I wouldn’t blame him if he was looking to run.

@HotHeadSheWolf
I knew she was right... but there was no way to cover every potential outcome. "I know Leah... this isn't going to be simple no matter what, but were jump ten steps with taking the first one." I knew I wasn't explaining this right... but if she let every potential scenario in she would spiral.

"No... maybe that thought entered my head for a moment... but I know that you make your own choices no matter what." I looked up at her again.

"And you certainly wouldn't lie when >

@HotHeadSheWolf < you told the same thing. But just because you wanted to... that doesn't mean you have to want it again. This is me and you... neither have all that much experience with the /After/ part of things. So... doesn't that make the biggest question whether or not this is something that you want again?"

She owed me nothing... I mean... I had crossed a few too many lines tonight. And I knew I shouldn't be putting this all on her shoulders, but I knew in my gut that I did want it. >

@BadBoyEmbryCall

Mow my mind was thinking about a million outcomes. He was right of course, but hearing it coming from his lips made it real. And I’d hit hard. What were we thinking?

𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 /𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳/ 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘚𝘰... 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯?

“That’s… that why I said you needed to be protected.” I swallowed taking a few steps back from him. Giving him the distance he clearly needed-

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

Turning away I stepped into the open window my eyes looking out to the new day, one that brought so many questions with it.

“We’ve both never done any of this. Do we even know how…” it was a whispered question one the air. Closing my eyes I let my elbows rest on the windowsill.

Did I feel something I couldn’t explain to anyone when he was around.. Yes. Did it make it right for me to be stood here and act upon it? I didn’t know.

Those words that had become my reason -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

For being were playing in my mind over and over again.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦.

This wasn’t sacrificing, this was hoping for more. Did I even have the right to want that?

@HotHeadSheWolf
“Don’t do that Leah.” I stayed where I was but my body was buzzing with the want the close the space she made between us. “I don't need to be proud tea any more than you do... And more importantly, I don't want to be.”

Spirits! I really wanted this... I wanted to do this with her. “All we need to know is how we feel.” I couldn't stay sitting still so I stood up and poured a health measure of the bourbon into my empty glass and knocked it back. I moved a to be the coffee >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< table, just to try and sate the urge to be closer to her.

“Just be... Selfish for one minute. What do want to do right now?” I chuckled at my own words. That was like asking the sun not to rise. “You don't have to say out loud, just think about it. Not tomorrow or a week from now. What do you want right now?”

I thought about the same thing, and my stomach the same thing again. My fingers tracing the contours of her lips, learning the details of her face and then... I >

@BadBoyEmbryCall

I could hear his feet moving behind me, and from the sounds I could tell where he was and what was happening without needed to turn. I let my head drop a little between my arms with my eye remaining closed to the world.

He was asking me to not be me, okay that’s not what he was asking. But for me not to see the impact something like this would have on those around us was like asking me to change who I was in my eyes.

-

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

“Be selfish?” Slowly I allowed myself to open my eyes to glance out again. “I don’t know how to do that. It’s not in my DNA to be selfish.” And I’d never wanted to be. It’s why it was easy for me to put my walls up and never look back.

He asked me what I wanted, that was something that made my heart do something it never did before. I began to feel that weight close around my chest, making it hard to pretend it wasn’t happening. I closed my eyes once again. -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

The Spirits had told me to stop him for me, and my wolf when she had spoken, had told me to listen to him. So, I did as he asked. For a moment, I tried to push everything that lay on my shoulders to the side. I stopped thinking of myself as the beta of a pack of Spirit Warriors, and for a second, I let myself become Leah once again… Just Leah….

I straightened up like a bolt at what I saw. It was light, it was warmth, it was joy, and -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

it wasn’t something I ever had aspirations of.

Those deep brown eyes, the smile, the hair falling into his eyes when it was a little too long. And dimples… When did it register in my mind that Embry Call had dimples? A long time ago, but when did they become something, I looked forward to seeing? Spirits! I didn’t even know.

Turning to face him my eyes searched for those things… For the pull that I was feeling, and I wanted to be there with him in case I missed them.

-

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

“Spirits… Embry…”

Before I could stop my feet, I closed the space between the two of us. My eyes still searching him for a sign, did he really want this too?

@HotHeadSheWolf
I watched her... the confusion seemed to run deeper the more we talked about it. I didn't want this to cause her stress and I really didn't want this to cause her anything negative.

It all seemed to all disappear for a moment and there she was again... the same woman only not guarded, her eyes were filled with all the things I could get glimpses of were there... wide open and laid out just for me to see.

She moved towards me and I threw all the caution I had wrangled to >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< let Leah come to her own conclusions to the wind. I smiled and meet her halfway.

"Thank the Spirits!" I smiled and brought one hand to her waist and the other to her cheek again. My eye's locked on hers and my heart thumped loudly again. I leaned in and kissed her, there it was again. The heat of her body next to mine and the electricity of the kiss coursing through my body at the contact.

Maybe I had no idea what I was doing but I was going to figure it out. I knew that >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< there was something here, something I wasn't ready to walk away from.

My mouth moved against hers and a deep, low sound swelled up out of my chest and my hand slipped back into her hair again, it was a feeling I couldn't resist now.

@BadBoyEmbryCall

His reaction left me blinking and taking aback once again, it was like he was reading my mind. The questions where all still there of course, but the main question that I’d been in search for he answered without even saying a thing.

He met me half way, 50/50, we both took those steps towards each other when we were the two most unlikely to do such a thing.

When he thanked the spirits, they were listening. They were never far from these lands or their people.

And the -

@BadBoyEmbryCall - moment Embry placed a hand on my waist the wind came to life and pushed me forward.

My arms slipped around him, I stepped into his broad chest and closed my eyes. Listening to words of the unspoken conversation that he had started.

Our lips moved together like this was the rightful place for them to meet, I tilted my head slightly as I heard and felt his heart. The rhythm of it played like a song, one that only a few could understand.

His fingers found their way into -

@BadBoyEmbryCall - my hair once again, and this time I didn’t want to kill him. The calm washed over me and I told myself. “Let yourself have this.”

Whatever 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 was. There were no guarantees in life, and I never asked for them. So, it was time to take a leap of faith with the one you trust, maybe?

@HotHeadSheWolf
Something somewhere deep inside of me clicked into place, something that I just realised now that had been disjointed for a while. Heat flooded my veins again, I wound my arm around her and tilted her face up to me to deepen the kiss.

She wanted this too? She had let in the moment, had she truly taken just what she wanted into account?

“Spirits.” I muttered softly against her lips, my fingers twisting in her hair. I wanted this... I wanted more and more moments like this >

@HotHeadSheWolf
< with her.

The strangest feeling of all was the this was everything I wanted. Standing in the middle of her living room, holding her... And kidding her like we had all the time in the world. When was the last time I kissed a girl without the sole intention being to fall into bed with her?

I knew that was something more here... Something better... Something that stretched out beyond tonight, and that idea didn't fill me with dread.

A low hum left my lips and I leaned >

@BadBoyEmbryCall

Waterfalls…. That’s what came to my mind as he deepened the kiss. I felt like the water that was flowing down a river until there was a unforeseen turn, and then I was alive with the current. Which elevated me and filled me with something more. But going over the edge, it wasn’t scary, it was enlightenment.

His arms engulfed me, which wasn’t easily done for someone like me. I never gave this to anybody. I didn’t trust any guy enough to be in a place where they could take a -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

hold of me in this way. But with Embry, it all just fell into place.

I twisted my fingers into the back of his shirt, tightening the fabric in my hand as I let myself take this moment in. It was his murmurs which caused my eyes to flicker one.

“I believe we both answered that just now.” I whispered like it was something I only wanted him to hear. Because I didn’t want to share this moment with anyone but him.

Resting my forehead to his jaw I -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

closed my eyes and then they flew open. I was resting my forehead on him! That was new for me!

My scent? It hadn’t changed, but like me his outlook on it had maybe?

“We both…. Want… this…” we were repeating ourselves. But the more I said it the more calm washed over me.

I swallowed closing my eyes when he kissed my temple ( another first ), and slowly pulled back to find his eyes. Nodding my head.

“That’s the next steps. You know it’s going to be….” I wasn’t sure -

@BadBoyEmbryCall -

Right now what it was going to be.

The two words kept dancing in my mind…. 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭.