Sam’s POV

The little green eyed girl ran around the backyard of my house with the boys. They adored her. We haven’t officially named her, but for now we call her Rayne, seeing as every time it rains she will run outside and dance in it despite our protests that she might get sick, although we all know her getting sick is about as possible as us getting sick.

Rayne has really grown on Emily and I. We think of her and treat her as our own daughter. She even calls us mom and dad. The boys upendo her. She’s like their little sister; she adores them as well, giving them all nicknames. Rayne is best Marafiki with Quil’s imprint, Claire, who is also Emily’s niece. They get along really well and the four mwaka old Claire relishes in having someone younger to boss around. We all know that Rayne has the intelligence of a 20 mwaka old at least, but she likes uigizaji the age that she looks. I would like to say she likes uigizaji her age, but that’s not true, because then she’s be uigizaji like a mwezi old little girl, not a two mwaka old.

She squealed as Embry picked her up in a careful fireman’s carry and spun her around. If I couldn’t read Embry’s mind and see what he feels and his memories, then I would say he had imprinted on her, but since I can read his mind and I have seen his memories I know he hasn’t imprinted on her.

Paul hasn’t been around much, but no one seems to notice. During the patrols that he actually turns up to, we can see that he doesn’t like Rayne very much. It’s not that he doesn’t like her, he just doesn’t like the fact that she is of vampire decent. He’s been going out every night, drinking with a bunch of sluts and taking a new one nyumbani every night. I’m kind of worried for him, but he is a nineteen mwaka old kid, I can’t really blame him.

“Daaaaddy!” Squealed the little girl as she clung to my leg.

“Yes, sweetie?” I picked up my little girl and grinned at her.

“Can I have a drink please, daddy?” She giggled.

“Of course, my little Raynebow.”

I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard with my little girl still in my arms and half filled it with water. I put her on the ground and gave her the glass. She took it with two hands and held it tight, bringing it to her mouth and guzzling it down. A very sweat Embry walked in through the back door and picked her up. She giggled and lifted the glass to Embry’s mouth. He opened his mouth and she rested it against his lips, tipping it to give Embry the water. She grinned as she purposely lifted it too high, spilling the water down Embry’s chest. He gasped in surprise, water running down his chin.

“Did wewe just spill water on me?” Embry gasped, astonished.

Rayne grinned and giggled cheekily.

“I think she did, Embry.” I chuckled.

“I’m going to get you!” He laughed.

She squealed and squired out of his arms, landing lightly on her feet and bolted out the door. Embry followed her immediately. He chased her around the backyard, yelling and laughing. She was actually quite fast and if she was taller Embry may not have had to go easy on her, but as life has it, she only has a two mwaka olds body and terrible balance.

Emily was standing in the kitchen, looking out the window, watching Embry chase our little Rayne around, the pack watching and laughing, sometimes helping and hindering the two playing cat and mouse. I came up behind my beautiful imprint and wrapped my arms around her waist, bending down and resting my head on her shoulder. I kissed her neck lightly and she giggled girlishly, and then sighed as she watched Rayne.

“What’s wrong, babe?” I asked her.

“She’s not ours. We’re going to have to give her back to her mongrel parents soon enough.”

“We can keep her until they actually attack us.”

“We can adopt her.” Emily tried to persuade me.

“I wish we could, but that would involve police and the law and seeing as we have technically kidnapped Rayne, I don’t think that is going to go over well.” I muttered darkly.

“Her father abused her though!” Emily yelled appalled.

“I know, but remember, Isabella’s father is a cop. Things would go their way, not matter what we do au say.”

“Fucking scum of the Earth.” Growled Emily. I was shocked. Emily never swore. She never alisema bad of anyone either, even our enemies. I guess Rayne just struck a sore note for her.

I heard a squeal and looked back out the window. Embry had finally caught her. They both had big smiles on their faces. If I didn’t know that in the end at least three people would get hurt, I’d say that Embry and Rayne would make an excellent couple when she grows up.

Emily cooked chajio, chakula cha jioni and called in the boys and Rayne for dinner. They all ran in and Embry carried in Rayne. He sat her in his lap at the meza, jedwali and they shared the same plate of food. It was so cute. Rayne babbled on about her siku all throughout dinner.

“Embry and I played aaaaaall day! It was so fun! First we ran around and then the boys joined in and then we played football. Oh! And then Jared tackled Quil reeeeally hard! Quil fell on juu of me though, he’s really heavy! And then I spilled water all over Embry. He was really wet and then he chased me for ages!”

An interruption came when someone walked in the door. It was Paul. This was the first time he’d come up in the three weeks since we had that little ‘meeting’ with the leeches. Rayne suddenly got very quiet and shy. She wasn’t used to Paul and as a result she’s very timid. Since he walked in she hasn’t alisema a word. She has her head buried in Embry’s neck, him feeding her forkfuls of food.

We talked with Paul over chajio, chakula cha jioni and settled down to watching a movie. Rayne got up from Embry’s lap and walked into the kitchen.

“Mommy? What’s wrong?” She whispered.

“Nothing, baby girl.” Emily’s tearful voice replied. My moyo ached hearing my imprint sad, but I knew that I shouldn’t intervene.

“Can I help with the dishes?” Rayne asked sweetly.

“Of course, my darling.”

They did the dishes and a little while later they both came out. Emily was holding Rayne and they were smiling cheekily at each other. Rayne had bubbles on the tip of her nose and she was giggling wildly about it.

Emily came and sat on my lap with Rayne in her lap. I kissed Emily lightly on the lips and smiled at her. There was a flash. Embry had taken a picture of the three of us.

“The perfect happy family.” He alisema quietly, smiling to himself.

Rayne had stopped being shy. I guess she had forgotten that Paul was around. I started tickling her and Emily joined in. She was thrashing about wildly when suddenly she froze. I stopped tickling her and looked where her vision has frozen. It was stationary on Paul. Paul was unmoving too. I knew that look. I knew it all too well. Just when I thought things were getting better, they get so much worse.

Paul had imprinted on Rayne. And Paul just walked out the door slamming it behind him. Oh joy.

Paul’s POV

I did not just imprint. I refuse to believe that I imprinted, especially on a half vampire baby! I hate my life. I really do. Wait. Why hate my life? I didn’t imprint. I may be a shape shifter and I may hate it, but who cares? It’s been this way for nearly three years, I’m used to it kwa now!

Time to drown my sorrows in alcohol and sex.

Embry’s POV

Now I know why I had that feeling that I needed to be the protector of this little girl. Her imprint just walked right out the door, not giving a damn about this girl. Well I’m just going to have to make up for the jackasses neglected duties.

Sam’s POV

For the inayofuata few days, Paul didn’t return and Rayne didn’t seem to notice. I knew that sometimes, Paul would sit outside Rayne’s window at night au even climb the mti outside it and watch her sleep in her crib. When patrolling he pretended not to care about her in the least, he didn’t even acknowledge the fact that he has imprinted on her.

Carlisle called the inayofuata day. I knew my little girl had to go back to her abusive parents, au she would be taken kwa force. If she won’t let us go, we have to pretend we don’t want her. She can’t be with us anymore. I told Emily. She locked herself in our room and cried for the rest of the night. I phased and called a pack meeting.

‘Guys… Carlisle called. It’s time Rayne went nyumbani to her real family.’

‘NO!’ Yelled Embry and Paul at the same time. They turned and growled at each other until I told them to knock it off.

‘I don’t want her to go either, but she has to.’

‘What if she doesn’t want to go? We can’t make her leave and they can’t take her kwa force.’ Jared inquired.

‘If she is reluctant to let us go, we must pretend we don’t want her. We have to be as convincing as possible. It’ll be easier in the long run if we do this.’

‘Please don’t make us do this, Sam.’ Whimpered Leah.

‘It’s for the best. It’s like a band aid. Rip it off quick, no need to prolong the pain.’ I sighed. I didn’t want to let my daughter go.

The siku finally came for us to give her back. Emily came with us into the forest to meet up with the Cullen’s. My fiancé and I were holding hands as we walked through the forest, my daughter—I mean, Edward’s daughter—in my arms.

We reached the meeting place in no man’s land and found the Cullen’s there waiting. This included their own little security hounds. Rayne’s twin was in Jacob’s arms and her brown eyes widened at this sight of Rayne. All of their eyes widened at the sight of her.

“Rayne, sweetheart, this is your family.” I told her, pointing to the Cullen’s. She giggled.

“Silly daddy! You’re pointing the wrong way!” She grinned at me. I didn’t smile back. Her grin faltered. “What are wewe talking about, daddy?” She whispered.

“That’s your twin, Renesmee. Grandmother and grandfather, Esme and Carlisle. Your aunts Alice and Rosalie. Your uncles Jasper and Emmett. Your mother, Isabella and your father… Edward.” I said, pointing them all out.

“You’ve got it all wrong, daddy. There’s my brothers Quil, Jared and Booboo,” Booboo being her nickname for Embry, “my sister Kim, my aunty Leah and my mommy and daddy!” She laughed at my ignorance. I didn’t smile back. There was no mention of Paul in her statement and he looked pretty gutted.

“No, Rayne. We are not your family.” alisema Embry sternly.

I put Rayne on the ground and gave her a little shove in the direction of the Cullen’s. She turned back around to look at me.

“Daddy?” She whimpered. I glared at her, my face harsh. “Mommy?” Her bottom lip quivered. Emily tried to glare but couldn’t and kept her face blank and uncaring. “Booboo?” Tears had started to make their way down her face. Embry had the hardest job of all. He was the closest to her. He snarled at her. I have only seen his face harsher on a few occasions involving Wanyonya damu and people trying to hurt Rayne. Now we are the ones trying to hurt her and I could tell he hated himself inside for doing this.

Edward made his way towards my—his—daughter. He grabbed her and was about to pick her up she broke out of his grip and ran towards me.

“Daddy!” She squealed, but it wasn’t that happy squeal from the other day. No, this was filled with pain. Pain that I and my pack brothers caused. I could see the pain on Edward’s face when he heard her call me daddy. When she had denied that they were her family, there was pain on all of their faces. When she had called us her family there was pain on our faces and disgust on theirs.

Edward came and picked her up this time. She tried to squirm out of his grip, but she wasn’t succeeding. “Daddy! Mommy! Booboo!” She screamed. “Daddy! Daddy! DADDY!” Her screams were distressed as they echoed throughout the forest.

Once out of sight, Emily broke down in my arms and I started crying too. I could hear Embry sniveling. Paul and the rest had shed some tears too. I never knew that one little girl could have such an impact on us.