Broken shades (Twilight)(Embry Call)

The Weight of Whats Lost

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
It's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
and she's always gone too long
anytime she goes away."
Aint No Sunshine- Bill Withers

**Chapter 6: The Weight of What's Lost**

Embry sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the vast expanse of water below. The cool breeze tugged at his hair, but he didn't feel it. His entire world had shrunk to the size of a single moment—the moment when he had looked into Kayla's eyes and felt... nothing.

It didn't make sense. He had been so sure that she was the one, that when he finally saw her again, he would imprint. Everything had led to that moment. The anticipation, the tension—it had all been building up to something that should have been life-changing. But when their eyes met, and she was hiding behind those damn sunglasses, all he felt was an overwhelming emptiness.

"What's wrong with me?" Embry muttered, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The pain in his chest was unbearable, a deep, gnawing ache that refused to go away. He had lost Kayla before he even had a chance to really have her, and he couldn't wrap his head around why.

Sam had explained imprinting to them, how it was supposed to be an undeniable, unbreakable bond. But all Embry had now was doubt—doubt in himself, doubt in everything he thought he knew.

Behind him, he heard the soft crunch of gravel as Jacob approached, the familiar weight of his presence settling beside him. "You've been out here a while," Jacob said quietly, his voice carrying the same sadness that Embry felt.

Embry didn't respond immediately, his gaze still fixed on the horizon. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he finally said, his voice thick with emotion. "I was supposed to imprint on her. I thought... I thought she was the one, Jake."

Jacob sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, man. I know. But... maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

Embry shook his head, his jaw clenched in frustration. "It doesn't make sense. She's everything to me. She always has been, even before all of this. How can I not imprint on her? What if... what if it's because of those sunglasses? What if I couldn't see what I was supposed to see?"

Jacob glanced at him, the weight of their shared burden evident in his eyes. "Maybe. But Sam says it's supposed to happen no matter what. Imprinting doesn't need a perfect moment. If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

Embry's shoulders slumped as he buried his face in his hands. "But what if I missed it? What if I never get that moment back? I can't stop thinking about her. About how much I wanted that bond with her."

The sound of footsteps approaching signaled the arrival of the rest of the pack. Paul and Quil appeared, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity.

"What's going on?" Quil asked, his eyes shifting between Jacob and Embry.

Paul crossed his arms, his usual bravado softened by the seriousness of the situation. "You still messed up about the imprinting thing?" he asked Embry, though his tone lacked the usual teasing edge.

Embry nodded, his throat tight with unshed tears. "It's Kayla. I thought... I thought she was the one."

Paul's expression hardened, and he looked away, his jaw working as he tried to find the right words. "Kayla's strong," he finally said, his voice low. "She doesn't need to be caught up in all this wolfie crap. Maybe it's better that she didn't get imprinted on. Safer for her."

"Safer?" Embry repeated, his voice rising in disbelief. "She's been through enough already. I wanted to be the one to protect her, Paul. I wanted to be there for her, but now I can't even do that. And you're telling me it's better this way?"

Paul's eyes narrowed, a defensive edge creeping into his voice. "Yeah, I am. Do you think I want my sister getting tangled up in all this? She's better off away from our mess. The last thing she needs is more danger in her life."

Embry's anger flared, and he stood up, fists clenched at his sides. "She's not safer, Paul! She's alone! And she's hurting, and I can't do a damn thing about it because I didn't imprint on her!"

The tension between the two was palpable, and for a moment, it looked like they might come to blows. But Sam stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Embry's shoulder.

"Enough," Sam said, his voice calm but commanding. "We don't know why the imprinting didn't happen, Embry, but fighting each other isn't going to change that. Paul's right about one thing—Kayla doesn't need more trouble in her life. We have to trust that whatever's meant to happen will happen in time."

Embry's anger slowly ebbed, replaced by a deep, soul-crushing sadness. He looked at each of them in turn, searching for some kind of solace, but all he found was the same helplessness reflected back at him.

"Just... give her some space," Paul added, though the softness in his voice was tinged with a brother's love. "Maybe things will be different later, but right now... right now, she's better off without us."

Embry nodded numbly, though his heart screamed in protest. He turned and walked away from the cliff, the weight of the world pressing down on him as he tried to reconcile the loss of something he never really had.

---

The next day, Paul was still trying to push his thoughts about Kayla to the back of his mind. The pack had enough on their plate, and the last thing he needed was to let his worry about his sister distract him. So, when Emily asked him to run to the supermarket to grab a few things, he jumped at the chance to clear his head.

Quil tagged along, mostly to get out of the house and away from the heavy atmosphere that seemed to hang over the pack lately. The two of them walked through the aisles, talking about everything except the issues that weighed on their minds.

As they exited the store, bags in hand, Paul's entire body went rigid. Standing across the parking lot was a man Paul never thought he'd see again—his father. He was leaning against a beat-up old truck, clearly intoxicated, shouting something incoherent at a passerby who wisely kept their distance.

"What the hell..." Paul whispered, his mind reeling as he stared at the man who had caused him so much pain growing up.

Quil noticed Paul's change in demeanor and followed his gaze, his expression darkening when he saw who it was. "Is that...?"

"Yeah," Paul replied, his voice flat and cold. He dropped the grocery bags, his fists clenching in anger as he stormed over to his father. "How long have you been here?"

His father looked up, blinking bleary eyes at Paul as if struggling to recognize him. "Paulie...? That you, boy?"

"How long have you been back?" Paul demanded, his voice rising as he fought to keep his temper in check.

His father shrugged, a lazy smile tugging at his lips. "A while now. Been stayin' around, here and there. You know how it is." A Quick Look at his father showed dirty hands with brown and red stained knuckles.

Paul's blood ran cold as the implications of his father's words hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd been here for months... which meant...

"Kayla," Paul breathed, horror dawning on him as the pieces fell into place. He didn't need to ask any more questions—he knew what had happened. His father had found Kayla, and Paul hadn't been there to protect her.

The realization tore through him like a knife. Without another word, Paul turned and bolted away from the store, barely registering Quil calling after him. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe—he just needed to get to her.

The moment Paul was out of sight, he ripped off his clothes, the familiar burn of the transformation ripping through him as he phased into his wolf form. He let out a howl, the sound filled with pain and rage, and took off into the woods, faster than he'd ever run before.

He had to get to Kayla. He had to make sure she was safe. And if she wasn't... God help anyone who had hurt her.