Total eclipse of a heart (Embry Call)

24. The Voicemail

"I won!" Paul gloated, rushing inside Emily's kitchen head first with a wide grin on his face. Tumbling after Paul, Seth, Jacob and Embry ran inside as well, pushing each other, sending poor Seth flying into the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, a painting that took Emily a year to find falling from the impact.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Act human you animals!" Rachel screamed, slapping Paul's hand away before glaring at the wolves who seemed to have lost their common sense and all their manners.

"Sorry, love." Paul raised both eyebrows, batting his eyes slowly as he hoped his cuteness would do the trick and let him back in her good graces. The last thing he needs is to fight with his imprint over a silly race.

"You always are, but the puppy eyes won't work with me today." She huffed, looking over his shoulder at the three panicked boys trying to put the painting back in its place without Emily noticing it fell or the small crack on the frame.

"Embry, your phone was ringing just a while ago. I was gonna pick up, but it wasn't your mom. Some unknown number out of state." Rachel told him, her lips pressing together as he nodded, walking over to a small pile of cellphones they had left in the fruit bowl for safe keeping while they went on patrol.

"Weird. Must have been a wrong number." Embry mussed, flipping his phone open to check on it. He thought he should see the number, just in case he recognized it although he doesn't know anyone's number by heart...well, maybe Quill and Jacob's, but no one else's.

"Says I got a voicemail." He frowns, wondering why his heart had suddenly picked up speed. It's as if he knew, as if he had felt it...felt her, before he even heard her voice.

And as he placed the phone against his ear, the message playing, Embry lost all feeling in his arms and legs, falling to his knees as he was forced to remember his greatest pain, his heartwrenching regret...his imprint...his Valerie.

"Uh...I kinda hoped I'd get to hear you, but this is fine too, I guess." Embry's brown orbs widen, brimming with tears and he couldn't stop his lips from trembling nor his entire body from shaking.

Pausing, he looks up at his pack brothers, at Rachel and Jacob who have crouched to his level, possibly the only two people who know what it feels to have loved her and to have lost her. She was like a ray of sunshine, warm at times, but also cold when winter comes. Neither of them turned away from her even when the winter chilled them for they knew her warmth would return eventually...and then she left and the sun disappeared altogether and they were stuck living off the little light moon provides in the darkness that had consumed them.

"It's her. It's Valerie." Embry croaked, his attempt at doing what she asked and moving on now gone after months of trying to follow her orders. He was taken right back to the start, back to the night he watched her walk away, helpless as he was.

"Put it on speaker!" Seth chimed in, bending over with his hands on his knees as he awaited to hear her voice too. He barely knew her, however, thanks to Embry and Jacob and their constant thoughts about her, Seth felt like she was a dear friend to him too.

"Or maybe he can do this on his own terms when you guys aren't smothering him." Quill tries to reason, wanting to give his best friend a break, but even he wanted to know what she has to say. Even Quill missed her, despite being angry with her for making Embry suffer.

Embry was angry too, but he'd never admit it.

"No, it's...fine. I'll do it now. Get it over with." Embry feigned a smile, his lips forming a crooked, weak smirk to hide his fear of what she might have said...of why she called now, after all the time passed.

With a shaky finger, her put her voicemail on speaker and held his breath as her voice filled the room.

"I, uh, know I left abruptly and you probably did as I asked and moved on but I haven't and I.. I'm rambling, sorry. I just wanted to let you know I'm alive and uh, I'm sent overseas for a different mission and I don't know if this will be a one way ticket or not. But I want you to know I'm...I'm sorry we never finished that date. I'm sorry I never got to kiss you that night or tell you just how much you mean to me. Maybe in another life? Stay safe, Em. For me."

No one spoke a word as the beeper sounded, ending the message. What could they possibly say? Would it make a difference? There is nothing anyone could do to comfort Embry, not even Rachel and certainly not Jacob who began to spiral out of control.

"One way ticket? Is she fucking serious right now?! What is this? A measly goodbye?! Fuck!" Shaking, almost vibrating, Jacob knew he had to run outside fast, shifting only a step outside the house.

Rachel walked out herself, needing a moment for herself. And Embry...He didn't know how to feel. Far too many emotions overcome him, drowning him in anger, pain, love, longing, and most of all, worry.

"You okay?" Quill asked, looking at his friend with sympathy. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if Claire was in danger, knowing this must be hell for Embry.

"No, but I have to trust she knows what she's doing. I love her, but she made her choice twice now. I can't do anything...I don't even know where she's going."

And while Embry had to accept his imprint is a headstrong individual with her own ambitions and dreams that didn't include her fighting for their future, he also took some comfort in her call...it meant she still thought of him and their connection. She still cares.

Valerie had a different person on her mind on this day. If she could even consider Alec as a person. It was debatable.

Ever since she stepped foot out the plane, she felt eyes on her. It is hard to tell if that's because she's paranoid and on edge since the last dream she had was unpleasantly cut short before she got her answers, but she knew she could very well be right to worry...after all, this is his territory and he is much more powerful than she could ever be.

Valerie checked into a small hotel, looking around carefully for any signs of someone following her, feeling uneasy and vulnerable. Happy when she found no reason to be concerned, she hummed in delight and retreated into her room, planning to relax for the evening before starting her mission the next morning.

Little did she know her instinct was right...she was never truly alone.