Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Guys, I am sooo sorry for the spacing out. College isn't as overwhelming as I'd thought it'd be, but damnnn it sure kill the creative vibes, you know? Idk how you liberal art majors get any inspiration. I love college a ton, but there's no room for me to be creative!

Anyhow, I'm sorry. So this is the last chapter :( and it's super short BECAUSE I've accidentally made the epilogue really long. So I'll post this and then hopefully after some feedback of what you think the epilogue will include, I'll post that. It may or may not be two parts ...

"You guys really did each other in, huh?" Jared howled as Paul and Raven finally walked through the door around three in the evening the next day. Paul laughed along with him while Raven flipped him off and pressed a hand to her neck. The wound had just barely closed by morning, and now a deep scar was making its way through.

"They won't heal," Paul snorted, wrapping an arm around Raven's waist and pressing his lips softly against her wound. She smiled slightly.

Jared stepped closer as Ryker came running into the room. "What the hell did you guys do?"

Raven's face was on fire. Paul continued to smirk. "Just had to mark what's mine. See the great thing about us both being wolves is I don't have to hold back. At all."

"It's a double imprint thing, we think," Raven reexplained as Paul nuzzled his face in her hair. Jared snorted before holding up a hand for Paul, who gladly high fived him like the child he was. Raven elbowed him in the gut before turning to the jumping child at her feet.

"Hey, Ryke," she inhaled as he jumped into her arms. He smelled like baby wash and strawberries, most likely because his face was smeared with them.

"Missed you!" He squealed, trying his best to wrap his arms all the way around her arms. Raven smiled into his head of hair. He was so adorable it hurt.

"I missed you, too, buddy," she mumbled. "Did you annoy Kyle while I was gone? We can't have him getting comfy in my room or I'll have to leave again."

Ryker grinned mischievously. "Yep! No leave Cat alone wid him awwwlll night!"

Raven glanced at Paul with a smirk. "You see why I love this kid?"

"Hell yeah," he agreed whole-heartily and lowered down a hand for Ryker to give a fist pump.

"Raven?" Luke called from in the kitchen. She quickly kissed Ryker's cheek before bounding into the kitchen. In there, Emily and Sam sat alongside her father. Paul trudged in behind her reluctantly. "Be careful around Ryker."

"I am," she frowned.

"Anger flashes can come at any moment," Sam reminded her. Raven gritted her teeth. She was feeling one come on now. "Kyle is about halfway healed. We should be able to move him from your room tonight."

"Good," she grunted, rocking back on her heels awkwardly. "Sooo, is there a reason you're here?"

Sam shrugged. "I figured you'd need a run down. Knowing Paul, I doubt he answered many of your questions last night."

Their eyes drifted to the scars slowly forming on their necks. Raven felt her face burn as Paul hugged her from behind. "Sure," she said. "Can I see Kyle first?" Sam seemed to exchange a hesitant glance with Paul. She held her hands up and snorted. "I promise not to flip out." Sam nodded reluctantly.

"It's coming out of your paycheck if you break your doors. They're glass remember?" Luke called after her as she exited the house. Paul stayed upstairs, which she was grateful for. She hadn't had a real talk with her brother since they moved, truly. Raven missed him. It wasn't fair that she'd had to lose her brother just because he had a secret.

When she entered her room, she found Kyle asleep with his head in Catori's lap. She seemed at peace while strumming through his hair. It was weird. She was weird.

"How are you, Raven?" Catori asked peacefully as she continued to gaze down at Kyle's face. He was drooling on her bedspread, she realized. It was amazing what imprints could do to a girl. If Catori didn't run from that, she didn't know what would get her to leave. "Your name is very beautiful, by the way. Do you know what it means?"

Surprised by her comments, Raven sat on the back of the couch curiously. "My mom said it meant metamorphosis. Change."

Catori smiled. "Yes. You're very adaptable. Maybe that is why you phased as well. Good under pressure. You can adapt to anything. It's admirable."

While she wanted to gag, Raven knew Catori meant well. She smiled tightly. "Uh, thanks. So…how come they told you their secret so soon?"

There was a little mischievous hint to her smile. "Oh, it was easy to figure out. Between the anger flashes, massive bodies, hot skin, and the way Kyle would do anything for me…I guessed it within a week."

That peeved Raven off. It wasn't her fault she hadn't been studying the history of her people since she was born like Catori. "Well, you're lucky. How's my idiot brother?"

"He should really get up at some point. I'll go make some breakfast," she carefully got up so as not to wake him despite her earlier words. Raven snorted. It may or may not have given her some satisfaction knowing Emily had already made a large breakfast – whatever got her away faster. Catori was okay, but she was weird.

Once she was gone, Raven smacked Kyle on his head until he woke up. It only took a few tries. "What the fuck, Raven?"

"Get up," she plopped on the bed lazily. Kyle opened his eyes slowly, and that was as awake as he could get. His whole body was wrapped in gauze or casts.

"It's too early for this shit, Raven," Kyle groaned, throwing a pillow over his eyes. Ignoring his disinterest, Raven scooted herself up farther on the bed next to him. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you've been such a dick since you've turned," she grunted. "And you can't run away now. I'll catch up."

Finally, Kyle removed the pillow and squinted up at her, a frown gracing his lips. She'd forgotten how young he truly was. It felt like so long since she'd known the time of rushing emotions and hormones. She'd forgotten what it was like to have her mood become an immovable force no matter the reasoning. Becoming a shapeshifter brought on harsh memories of it.

His eyes were dull and tired. "I don't know, Raven. I guess I was just jealous. You got to go on living a normal life. I didn't. I couldn't even be myself here without you yelling at me for it, either. Fucking unfair," he muttered with true dejection. The words hung from her heart with heaviness. She hadn't had time to think about it from his side. Nobody would expect such a burden to be kept as a secret, but she still felt horrible for being so harsh on him.

"God, I'm sorry, Kyle," she shook his head lightly, to which he growled lowly. "I was just worried. And insulted. You changed so fast."

He snorted, yawning as he closed his eyes. "Yeah, so did you."

She frowned. "What do you mean? I just changed."

He shook his head. "Not now. When you met Paul. It was weird. You turned all girly."

"I did not."

He raised an eyebrow. "He kissed your cheek and you couldn't stop smiling all night. Fuck, every time you touched him your heart rate doubled." She rolled her eyes with a rueful smile. He laughed slightly. "But I get it now. Imprinting is crazy, you know."

"Oh, I know," she agreed, averting her eyes from his. Kyle smirked devilishly.

"You two finally fuck?" He asked with a chuckle. "You know Catori and I fucked before you and Paul. How does that feel?" She shrugged smugly and turned her head to the opposite side, exposing her new sex scar. "Holy shit! What did he do to you!?"

"Calm down!" She laughed, shoving his moving broken body back on the bed. "It was fucking weird. Some double-imprint shit we both did."

Kyle stayed silent for three long seconds, just staring at her face until he finally burst into obnoxious laughter. "You're both fucked in the head!"

Heat flared into her cheeks. Raven rose to her feet slowly, straightening her back. "It wasn't intentional."

Still chuckling, Kyle glanced at her tiredly. "Doesn't change the fact that it's weird. You better pray that shit heals. Looks like the world's worst hickey."

The air seemed to be buzzing with a low electricity, making her blood pound in her ears. "So what if it does?"

Kyle rolled his eyes and sat back in the bed – in her bed. "Just looks dumb. Sort of as if you'd gotten his name tattooed on your chest."

Annoyed. Angered. Invalidated. She could name her emotions, which was pretty good in her mind. However, she could not predict the way the emotions scratched at her. The taste in the air turned sour and all she could see was Kyle getting comfy on herbed, laughing at herin her room.

"Get out," she hissed lowly, voice growing deeper than she'd heard it before. Raven cracked her knuckles and loomed above him. "Now."

Confusion filtered across his face momentarily. "Wha – oh shit. Raven, chill out. I'm just teasing you."

"Chill out?" she scoffed, clenching her fists in effort to control this pulsing rage behind her eyes.

"Paul! Sam!" Kyle shouted, scooting across the bed. "Raven, seriously –,"

"Get the fuck out of my place, Kyle. I'm not kidding," Raven rolled her shoulders, trying to push back the urge to release all her suddenly pent up anger. Her body started to tremble without reason.

"Okay, but it's not really your place. You know that right? It's still connected -,"

Raven fell backwards as tremors ripped through her body, and then she was eight feet above the ground, panting like a dog, and crouching in a position ready for attack. Originally, her target had been the annoying pest on the bed, and he seemed to be ready to reciprocate her phase, but then two human bodies slammed into her.

She went tumbling through her door – the glass having been broken during her previous phasing – and into the grass. Instinct taking over, she turned on her new attackers only to be faced with Sam and Paul, both of whom she hesitated to attack.

"I think we underestimated her anger control," Jake snickered smugly from somewhere far off in patrol.

"Shut it, Leech-Lover," Raven grumbled, shooting Paul and Sam one last look of loathing before taking off into the woods behind her house. Paul followed.

"Already taking after Paul's mouth. Wonderful," Leah sighed. Leah Clearwater was a girl Raven could hardly recall meeting for longer than a minute before. She'd heard bits about her from Paul – mainly that she was a complaining, annoying girl.

"Oh, I'm annoying?" Leah retorted to thoughts Raven hadn't recalled thinking directly. "I'm not the fuck up who went on all night about getting to kiss a girl on the cheek. What the fuck kind of guy are - ?"

"Enough!"Sam ordered in a voice so stern it made Raven's legs falter. She noticed Paul coming up behind her and slowed, feeling her anger slowly disperse. "Raven, work on your anger. We're easily set off, especially after you first phase. Fix it or you may never keep those doors."

Without bothering for a response, Sam phased back to human. At the same time, Paul caught up to her. His dark grey fur reminded her of the wolves that howled at the moon, the ones seen in the movies. Power radiated off of him in levels she knew she didn't possess.

"Let's go," he said, a hint of smugness in his voice. He was pleased she'd accidentally phased so soon. "Hey! I'm just glad I wasn't the one to piss you off!" Raven had a good feeling he wouldn't be able to that easily. After all, looking back on their times together, she'd seen Paul stop what should have been multiple phases just by her touch.

"Can you have this talk alone?"Leah pretended to barf as she sprinted around the reservation. Jacob seconded her question, which only made Raven want to continue in their ways. However, she already saw Paul phase back to human form. With a begrudging huff, Raven followed suit, taking longer due to her still racing emotions.

"Wolfed out on Kyle, huh?" Paul grinned, strutting to her with a shirt in his hands. "Here. We're close to my house." Dressed in jean shorts of his own, Paul stopped walking directly in front of Raven's frowning form. "Come on, baby. The sooner we get dressed, the sooner we can get back and eat."

"I'm not hungry," Raven lied, crossing her arms across her chest. However, that only brought attention to the fact that she was still naked. Paul smirked, eyes sticking to her chest and tightening his grip on the spare shirt he was offering.

"You're a shitty liar, DuBois," he shook his head ruefully and walked all the way forward, sending her back into the trunk of a hard tree. She hardly felt the scratchy bark, however. Her main focus was on the electric feel of his hands wrapping around her waist. "Fine. No food. How about sex? I could go for some sex."

The thought hadn't sounded so tempting two seconds ago. Now that their naked bodies were so close, it was all Raven could think about. Biting her lip, she glanced at the thick woods. "It's stupid to dress only to undress in minutes. Why wait? Let's fuck here."

Paul smirked, lips speaking against her throat as his hands squeezed her ass. "Hell yeah. We'll flatten out a whole fucking clearing."

Raven raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Then, his lips caught hers in a sudden, burning hot kiss, and all thoughts were lost. Maybe he did have a way of distracting her well.

A/N: again, so sorry for how short it is! BUT what do you all think I'll put in the epologue? What do you want to see? Bc epilogues mean jack shit to the plot or overall story, please lmk what you're all wanting. I can include really anything.

I'll post again soon! Thanks for your patience!