Just to hear his voice say her name after seventeen years made the separation worth it. It would never validate her hurting him the way she had, but it was enough to help her move on and begin again with him. “Kota...” she whispered in a breath after him, a huge smile gracing her lips. And just like that she no longer fought the pull she felt towards him as she stepped away from Rebecca with her arms wide open towards him. In seconds she was tightly in his embrace, her own arms snaked around his neck with her hands buried in his hair. Her nose took in his scent; the “wet dog” smell masked entirely by the earth that seeped through his pores. Her knees grew weak being drowned in it and she was glad that he was holding her. Not that it mattered much since his towering build practically lifted her smaller frame off the ground until her feet were dangling mere inches. As they continued to hold each other in this position, she closed her eyes to take in this memory; to etch it into her mind forever. This was exactly how she envisioned this reunion to play out.
When Dakota pulled away enough for their foreheads to touch, a soft giggle left her and her hands untangled themselves from his hair—ignoring the fact that there were now strands standing at odd angles—to trace downwards to the sides of his face. Her skin tingled against his, grateful that they were the same body temperature; with Dakota being a few degrees hotter. She always thought that this meant they really were meant to be together aside from the fact that he had imprinted on her. Leave it to Clarke the Hopeless Romantic to find other ways to prove that she was his and he was hers no matter what anyone tried to argue. Now that she was back in Forks, nothing was going to break them apart again.
She opened her eyes once again to look up at him as he finally let go to take her hands. His grip was stronger than she remembered and it made her feel so safe and secure. But the brief light that was in her eyes and in her smile faded as she gazed up at him with grief and guilt. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered, keeping the conversation between the both of them. “I really did want to come back. You have to believe me...” She hoped he believed her. The last nine years were as tough on her as it must have been for him.
As Rebecca broke up the reunion to remind them all that they had hungry wolves to feed, Clarke took this moment to really observe him. Instantly what was left her smile disappeared and a frown took its place. Seventeen years may have been a long time, but even she knew that Dakota was dangerously thinner than when she had left. His large frame lacked much of the muscles she remembered him having. His skin was paler. And the dark circles under his eyes told her that he has lost a lot of sleep; almost as much as her own family. Suddenly she wondered what Rebecca had done with all the pictures she had sent her throughout the years to make that Dakota look completely different to the one standing in front of her. She instinctively tightened her grip on his hands as a means of defense as if this one movement would protect him from all the pain he had gone through over the years. For all she knew, maybe she was. Maybe this would reassure him that she was actually back and this was not some dream.
The smile she had before immediately returned to her lips as Dakota returned his gaze to her. He must have been fooled enough because his own smile appeared. Clarke's unusual heart quickened briefly before slowing down again. It was during that moment that a breath caught in her throat and she took a small step back to regain herself. She had felt her heart speed up like that before, but never as quickly as it had just now and not in such a brief amount of time. It was a strange feeling and a bit painful as a first experience. She questioned for a moment what could possibly be wrong with her just now. She had just been going over the anatomy books that Abram made her read through when she returned her gaze up to Dakota and felt all of her worries be brushed away. Her smiled returned.
“I missed you too, so much,” she responded as she released one hand to brush it against his cheek tenderly. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she couldn't help but giggle. “I'm tall enough that you don't have to kneel down for me to do that,” she teased with another giggle.
Someone close by cleared his throat and broke her attention. Clarke turned to see that Ian had come out of his house again and was making his way back towards them. He explained that while they wait for the rest of the pack to arrive, Rebecca needed to examine Dakota's arm. Her head turned right back to Dakota with wide, worried eyes. “You're hurt?” she asked, her voice cracking under worry. Her eyes wandered throughout his body to look for any signs of injury that Ian could be talking about; apparently forgetting in her panic that the Alpha had just said it was Dakota's arm. It took some coaxing and comforting from both men to calm her down enough for the both of them to explain that Dakota was technically fine and that his injury had healed. Ian only wanted Rebecca to take a look at it in case something went wrong in the midst of the healing. This relieved her, but only a little. With a small sigh, she followed behind both Dakota and Ian back into the house; never once letting go of Dakota's hand.
Back in the house, Clarke let go of Dakota so that he could be led by Ian to the couch where Rebecca was waiting for him. She hovered behind him with her arms crossed over her chest and a small frown on her face as Ian recalled what had happened. A low snarl vibrated in her throat as she too listened to the story. So it was a vampire that was the reason for Dakota getting hurt. She felt her own blood boil over the thought of one of her kind being the cause of her wolf getting hurt. But she didn't say anything to interject into the conversation, instead opting to just keeping her eyes on the one being examined right now. It wasn't long before everyone let out a sigh of relief to find that he was perfectly fine. That was the magic of werewolf healing. Dropping her arms to her sides, she walked around the couch to take the spot Rebecca had vacated on the couch; right beside Dakota.
“I'm glad you're okay,” she said in a soft voice as she took his now dubbed healed arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Hey, Clarke,” suddenly came Ian's voice from behind them. She adjusted her body so that she could turn to face the pack's Alpha. “How come you didn't let anyone know that you were coming back?” he asked as he helped carry the platters of food onto the long dining table.
Clarke looked briefly at Rebecca, who avoided her gaze with blushing cheeks. She then turned to look over at Dakota with a confused expression. “I sent you a letter back in September when I first found out. Did you not get it? It should have come in before this week?” she asked him as she looked from Dakota to Ian. Ian then explained that they had been on assignment, which Clarke guessed would have been an okay reason. She pursed her lips at the thought of said assignment and the thought that a vampire had been the reason Dakota had gotten hurt.
She let out a breath and placed a bright smile on her face. “Well, what's done is done! At least I told Rebecca! I just hope, Ian, that it's okay I stay here? If it's going to be a problem, I do have half of my stuff back at the house...” Ian made no objections, but she could also tell that he wasn't that too fond of the idea since he didn't have a say in the matter. Clarke decided not to say anything about it so as to not challenge the hospitality of her hosts.
It was a good thing that right at that moment, the door to the house swung open and a crowd of tall men similar in built as Dakota and Ian barged in a whooping frenzy. However, all movement stopped momentarily as every single one of the pack members stiffened and turned their attention over to her. Eyes wide, Clarke cleared her throat and stood up from the couch to face them. No one moved for seconds as they all looked at her with caution while she looked at them with uncertainty. Eventually, it was Ian that broke the silence and introduced her. The pack looked over at their Alpha as if waiting for some kind of order from him, but when he gave none they all walked away towards the table to fill their plates with food.
Clarke bit down on her bottom lip then looked over at Dakota. She flashed him a small smile as she took his hand in hers. “Go eat. You look like you've been starving yourself...” she told him then pushed her hand holding his forward to turn him in the direction of the dining table. “Go ahead. I'm not hungry,” she then added.
From her place in the living room, she marveled at the size of the pack. Compared to before she had left, it was massive now. Before it had been Dakota, Ian, and two others. Now, the two from before were gone and two new males joined. What surprised her the most was the presence of the two women. Both were beautiful. The younger one—who had some obvious resemblances to Ian—stuck close to the older one as they filled their plate and then ate. She wondered when had they joined the pack.
It was some time after everyone practically filled their plates with more than half of what Rebecca had cooked that Clarke noticed the stares she was given from the others in the pack; especially the males. If she wasn't herself, she would have been nervous about what they could be thinking about her. But, given the talents she possessed, she had some idea. They were wary of her. It wasn't the nervous fear kind. No, they were wondering if she would do something that only her vampire half would do. It had to be the werewolf part of them that hated that there was one of them—even if it was only half—currently in their lands. And she knew without her talents that they were well aware that she was technically breaking the treaty their ancestors and her family had agreed upon. Half human or not, she was a Winters. And Winters were not allowed to step foot on their lands.
Moments later, Clarke remained at her spot on the couch; legs crossed and hands folded on her lap. With her back towards the pack now, she depended on her enhanced hearing to get some idea of what was going on. Ian was trying to persuade Dakota to go the council meeting later that night. Rebecca was fussing over some rolls that were in the oven. A few of the other pack members were muttering to themselves about the assignment, though she caught how strained their voices were as if they were trying hard not to talk about the elephant in the room. Clarke kept her head down and her eyes on her hands as soon inhaled a deep breath— “Hi!”
Clarke jumped at the sudden voice beside her. She turned her head to find the younger female wolf standing above her with what must have been her second or third plate full of food. “Can I sit here?” the girl then asked, nodding to the empty spot beside Clake on the couch.
“Oh,” she managed to let out as she looked at the empty spot. “Of course,” she then responded, unfolding her hands so that she could scoot a bit to the side to give the girl some room for her to sit. The girl smiled briefly then moved to sit down beside her.
The two sat together in awkward silence for seconds longer than deemed comfortable; Clarke as still as her half breed body would allow her and the younger girl forking at her food. “Sooo...I guess you and I are going to be roommates?” the younger one finally said slowly. Clarke looked at her with a confused expression, not even the string of lights above her head could give her any clue as to what she was talking about.
Her staring caused the other to blush and look down at her food to compose herself. “Um, sorry. I'm Scout, Ian's little sister,” she said. Clarke ignored the sudden silence from one part of the room after this introduction. “Yeah, the extra room in this house is mine actually. And, um, Rebecca told me that you're staying here and if it was okay if we shared a room.”
Clarke looked over at Ian who had glanced up at them for a brief second before turning away to continue his conversation. “Right. I believe Rebecca mentioned you in one of her letters. She didn't tell me you were part of the pack though,” she responded when she returned her gaze over to Scout.
Scout let out a small laugh then commented that she had just joined when she was fifteen. Clarke stared in amazement; she had phased at such a young age. From what Clarke recalled, Dakota hadn't phased until he was seventeen.
“I think it's good that you're back,” Scout suddenly said, this time looking right at Clarke. “The pack has been through...a lot...while you were gone. It's been pretty rough, from what I got since joining.” It was Clarke's turn to look away. However, it was because she felt ashamed for what she must have put the pack through while she had been gone. After seeing how much Dakota's health had worsened, she could only string the dots together and realize that there was more damage to her departure than she had let on or what she had been made to believe. She tried to keep her frustration towards her family, and towards Dakota a bit, to herself as she moved conversation along with Scout. After the initial awkwardness, she realized that she got along well with Scout; probably because they were closest to each other in age.
Eventually, the pack started to leave to go back to their own homes. The first to leave was Nathan, who apparently had his own imprintee that he wanted to see. Later on, the twins, Kale and Kaya, too departed to go back home. Clarke never got to meet any of them; she overhead their names in conversations and then when Scout talked about them to her. Scout was tasked with helping Rebecca wash dishes. Ian had managed to pull Dakota away from Clarke long enough to help carry all of her things that were still in the trunk to Scout's room. As for Clarke, she tried to make herself as useful as possible by putting the leftover food—as little as it was—in smaller containers so that the bigger platters could be cleaned.
When Dakota walked out of Scout's room after carrying the last of her things inside, she just finished stacking the containers into the refrigerator. At the sound of his footsteps, she smiled over at him then walked around the table to meet up with him. For some time, she just stood there with him with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head on his chest. But when Ian walked passed to kiss Rebecca and then leave, she realized that she should do something about the obvious tension between the two in regards to the council meeting.
“Why aren't you going with Ian to the meeting? Aren't you needed there?” she asked him slowly. Instantly, she saw Dakota's objections to going on his face even before he could say anything. She frowned up at him then pulled away from his embrace. “But, you need to go. You're supposed to take your place as Alpha soon, right? Shouldn't you be a part of the decision making of the tribe?”
Clarke let out a sigh then took a step close to him again. “Kota, you should go. I promise I will still be here when it's done. I'm not going anywhere anymore.” With a warm smile, she took his right hand in hers then linked their pinky fingers. She had a brief flashback to the day she left him and doing the exact same action as she promised that her leaving wouldn't be forever and that she would come back. “Go~”
“Do you need me to move some of my clothes so you can fit yours in?” Scout asked as she led Clarke into what was now their room. Smiling gently, Clarke explained that she could go to the store tomorrow and buy a clothes rack for her clothes and leave the rest in the boxes. Scout wouldn't have much of this though and insisted on at least putting the clothes that didn't need to be hung in her drawers. She ignored Clarke's objections to this as she cleared out a drawer for her. After that, they went through as many of Clarke's clothes as they could to fit into that now empty drawer. Clarke figured that whatever clothes didn't fit in this small room, she could bring it to the house and leave it in her old room.
Just like Dakota's room, Scout's room was pretty tiny but it was the right size for her. It was for this reason that she felt a little guilty that they had to put another bed in the room. Clarke had mentioned to Rebecca plenty of times before that she would have been fine sleeping on the couch or on the floor. But the older female wouldn't have any of it; especially since the pack was notorious for taking the couch anyway. She had to picture just how she would fit in this small room. Even if it was true that Scout rarely slept in this room nowadays, she still felt like she needed to do something to feel more welcomed.
When Rebecca entered Scout's room with extra blankets, the two younger girls had abandoned the unpacking progress. They were now sitting on Scout's bed, which the two had agreed would be big enough for the both of them to sleep on for the time being. Clarke was in the middle of telling Scout about her time in Forks and all the times she spent with Dakota before she left. She found out that Scout had been fascinated with imprinting since Ian's wedding and was curious about what it was like for her to be the object of a wolf's imprinting; especially since that someone was Dakota Crescent. Clarke was more than obliged to share any stories she could tell. Rebecca had soon joined in to add her own stories even though Scout had probably heard them already. But this would be the first time Clarke would hear them.
Before any of them knew it, the front door opened once again and Clarke heard two heavy footsteps enter. Smiling brightly, she excused herself then rushed out of the bedroom to go back to the living room. It wasn't long that she was standing in front of Dakota again, doing anything she could to have some form of physical contact with him. She was about to ask how the meeting went when her eyes looked up above him briefly and then decided against it. “Let's go for a walk?”
The walk and the fresh air helped. It wasn't until they were outside again that Clarke realized she had been inside almost all day since Dakota's return with the pack. Time seemed to escape her as she walked with him and kept to his side the entire time. They walked along paths that she still remembered. For the most part, she did much of the talking. Even with the long letters she had sent, she still found something to tell. Before they knew it, the night was growing late and they had to go back. But even saying good bye for the night was hard.
The next morning, Clarke woke up alone in Scout's room. Straining her ears for any other sounds in the house, she caught some movement in the kitchen once again. Probably Rebecca preparing food for the pack. There didn't seem to be any other sounds so maybe Ian and Scout were both out patrolling? She would find out later.
After a quick shower, she changed into a simple white t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and white Keds. She figured this was appropriate enough to wear while here. It would make her stick out more than she already did to wear something designer that Natasha made her pack. When she walked out to the kitchen, Rebecca greeted her just as she was transferring pancakes onto a platter sitting on the table. For any other human, the smells coming from the kitchen would have made their stomach grumble with hunger. Clarke, on the other hand, just couldn't appreciate human food despite being able to live off of it. When she was asked if she wanted to eat anything, Clarke smiled politely and grabbed a muffin from the batch. She didn't move to eat it though.
“Kota is still at home, yes?” she asked as she switched the muffin from hand to hand. Rebecca confirmed that he was. With a grin, she excused herself with the reasoning that she would go over to his place to see him. She left the uneaten muffin behind.
The day was starting for the people in the Quileute tribe. She could hear movement in all the houses that she passed and all the light chatter. Life really had not changed since she left. This was a relief. She followed her memory all the way to Dakota's house. When it was in sight, she couldn't help herself and sped up to close the distance between her and the front door.
She was surprised to find that the front door was unlocked. But she didn't hear any of his grandparents' voices so she assumed that neither of them were home. She did, however, know that he was there. His scent told her so. Grinning, she burst through the door to invite herself in.
“Good morning, Ko—“ Clarke gasped and then just stood there. And she stared. And stared. And stared. And stared. And kept on staring. Because standing in front of her was Dakota....without a shirt.
There had been those rare occasions seventeen years ago when Clarke had seen Dakota without a shirt on. But back then she didn't think much of it. Now, seventeen years later, things were so different. And that was why she was still staring, standing as still as a statue with her mouth open and her eyes wide. It was many seconds later that it finally processed in her mind that she should probably stop staring.
“Sorry!” she squealed out as she turned her back towards Dakota. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and turn them a bright red. Her heart beat dangerously fast from her embarrassment and her first instinct was to leave and wait for him to put on a shirt. She decided to go with this decision. With her head still down, and her hands now pressed on her cheeks to cover the rosy tint of them, she started out the door.
“Watch it!” said a voice as she bumped into someone. Eyes wide again, she looked up to find that she had bumped into one of the other pack members, Kale. He took a step back from her, a brief look of disgust on his face before it disappeared and he stood there nonchalantly. Clarke stuttered out some sort of apology as she realized that his large frame made it impossible for her to leave. She had no choice but to turn back around and re-enter Dakota's house.
Once back inside, she went to stand near Dakota, but avoided looking at him. The couple times that she turned to face him, her eyes landed right on his bare torso and remained there before she once again apologized and looked away. By then, Kale and his sister Kaya had come inside. “The way she's acting, you would have thought that she has never seen any guy shirtless before,” she overheard Kale mutter to himself. This only made her cheeks burn hotter.
“Put a shirt on and let's go. I'm starving,” Kale said after the three pack members spent some time conversing. Clarke stood to the side the whole time trying to find something to do to occupy herself. She ended up making tea just to give her hands something to do while she tried to lose the color from her cheeks. Kale led the way out of the house.
Just as she was going to follow Dakota outside, she caught something from the corner of her eye. She had just put her cup of tea down on the kitchen counter when she noticed the female, Kaya, take a glance over at Dakota. She didn't stare at him like she had earlier. In fact, him being shirtless didn't seem to bother her that much; almost as if she saw him in that form of dress often. Clarke wondered to herself, with the state in how the pack members phased, if Kaya had seen more. But, that wasn't what bothered Clarke the most.
The glance Kaya gave to Dakota only lasted a second, but that didn't stop Clarke from noticing the string of purple lights that emitted out from the front ride side of her head. Her breathing stopped for a moment as she took in how intense the light was. She looked from Kaya to Dakota then back to Kaya, but by that time, the female had turned and walked out of the house. Ducking her head down so that Dakota wouldn't see any changes in her expression, she followed beside him towards Ian's house again. The entire trip she grew more and more concerned that the purple strings of light had not disappeared.
When they arrived back at Ian's house, the rest of the pack had returned and was once again surrounding the dining table to fill their plates with food. Were they never not hungry? Entering last behind Dakota and the twins, she closed the door behind her then stood there as she watched the pack interact. She saw the ones that had already been there take note of her presence, but did nothing else about it. Watching all of them have their fill slowly made Clarke realize that she was actually kind of thirsty. Although the best thing for her to do now was to eat what Rebecca had made, she couldn't stop thinking about the prospect of the hunt.
“Kota?” she asked quietly, placing a hand on his arm. “Are you gonna be busy today? Because, if you were, I was thinking about going over to the house?” With the way she had been looked at by the rest of the pack, she figured it was best to leave out the detail about her wanting to go hunting. For good measure, she once again picked up a muffin and pulled off a small piece to put in her mouth. The taste was nowhere near appealing or satisfying.
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