Hi everyone!

I'm so sorry about the delay in updates. I have been really busy and I've had a very bad case of writer's block lately. I'm not giving up on this story and I hope none of you have either. There may not be regular updates all the time, but I will do my best to update as often as I possibly can.

I want to thank everyone for sticking with me. Enjoy this chapter :)

Aunt Kim and Uncle Jared's backyard was lit up like it was the Fourth of July.

Lanterns were strung along the fence and overhanging tree branches, glowing in amidst the setting sun. A bonfire was set in the middle of the yard and the flames stretched high towards the darkening sky. I stepped past the smatter of lawn chairs that had taken over the majority of the yard, returning greetings half-heartedly as I tried to find a quiet spot to sit.

I hadn't wanted to come to the party in the first place, but after my mother had lectured me about spending all my time in the house and that I was too young to become a permanent hermit, I'd allowed myself to be coerced into my father's truck later that evening.

I wasn't happy about it, though.

It was Kim and Jared's youngest daughter's thirteenth birthday, hence the large celebration. I didn't consider myself to be very close with any of the Camerons, but our parents were best friends, so it only made sense that we would be spending our Saturday night here.

I was a little surprised that they had decided to go along with the party after everything going on with the rogue vampire, though. The boys were spending more time in wolf form than not and the entire situation was grating on my nerves. However, Dad had told me tonight that everyone needed a distraction and that the yard was heavily patrolled, so there was no reason to worry.

But, I couldn't help myself.

I sat down in the far corner of the yard, trying to keep myself hidden beneath a large willow tree. All I wanted was a few minutes where I wasn't being watched like I might break down in a fashion that would put Britney Spears to shame. Not that I wasn't feeling it—the pressure of everything weighing me down like a giant anchor. It was safe to say I was barely treading water at this point.

I was mostly healed from my accident. Dad had taken me back to Uncle Jake's house so Nessie's father could remove my stitches and my concussion was pretty much gone. My house arrest had been removed, too. I should have been feeling much better.

But, I wasn't.

I was finding that I was having a hard time moving past it all. I was barely sleeping at night, plagued by nightmares every time I closed my eyes. I could feel the wear and tear on my body caused my lack of sleep and just simple exhaustion. I knew my family was becoming concerned, though I refused to talk about it.

I just couldn't be that weak person that everyone had to protect all the time. For once, I wanted to be the one doing the protecting. And, since it didn't look like I was going to phase any time soon, I figured keeping my stupid problems to myself was a good start.

A paper plate holding a giant piece of cake appeared in my peripheral vision and I blinked furiously, trying to shove my thoughts away for the time being. I grinned softly at the person before me, trying not to feel uneasy about the fact that I hadn't even noticed him walking up to me.

"Saved you a piece before Collin ate it all," he murmured as he sat down on the ground next to me.

I grabbed at the plate and immediately took a forkful of the chocolate-y goodness that was my mother's famous cake. "My hero," I sighed, pretending to swoon in his direction.

It worked. A full-fledged grin appeared on his handsome face.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while. I worked away on my cake until I felt so full that I would burst, passing it in his direction without a word. He'd already finished his own piece, but had no hesitation at packing mine away as well. I shook my head as he finished it in less than two bites. It was a wonder these boys didn't weigh as much as elephants with how much they were able to eat.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I sighed.

It was the most daunting question he could have asked. Did I want to talk about it? Did I want to talk about how I was more terrified of vampires now than I was when I had first found out they existed? Did I want to talk about how I couldn't remember the last time I had slept through the night without waking up to scream into my pillow so no one would hear me?

Did I want to talk about how I still refused to admit to myself that I was falling in love with the boy sitting next to me?

No. No, I did not.

His knee nudged my own gently. "Don't think so hard," he teased. "You might hurt yourself."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Gee. Thanks for that."

He slung his arm over my shoulders, giving me a squeeze that turned my insides all gooey. I couldn't help but lean into his warmth a little and the voices from the party around us became nothing but background noise.

"C'mon," he said. "I was just joking."

I heaved a sigh. "Yeah, I know."

Silence took over us once more. I knew Brady wanted to push for more information; he was never one to give up easily. I also knew that he was all for "respecting my privacy" and was probably trying to give me some space. I wasn't sure which one I wanted him to act on more.

I did know that I was tired of hiding my feelings. I had known Brady for as long as I could remember and I swore from that very moment, he had been special to me. He had always been the most important person in my life and there was never a time I didn't want to be with him.

But, Brady was a werewolf and he had been since he was thirteen-years-old. From that time, I knew he had been waiting—and maybe even actively searching—for his imprint. An imprint was so special to a wolf and Brady definitely deserved to have someone like that in his life.

I tensed, suddenly; feeling like my heart had just plummeted to the pit of my stomach because I had just realized that no matter how I felt about Brady, no matter how much I loved him with every part of my being that he would never feel the same way. I was not his imprint—that much was obvious. It was also obvious that I would never be that special to him; never be what he was to me.

I had never hated werewolves before in my life, but right in this very instant, I hated them.

Brady gave me a little shake. "Lills, are you alright?" he asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

I pulled away from him, feeling dizzy. I stood rather quickly, trying to ignore the fact that the backyard and the people in it, were spinning around me. Brady, having gotten to his feet too, reached out to steady me and I stepped out of his grasp.

Vaguely, I sensed that we were being watched. The backyard was not as loud as it had been. We had an audience.

Tears pricked my eyes and I had to swallow hard several times before I felt like I could actually breathe.

Brady would never love me back.

It was like a bad mantra in my head; like a horrible taste in my mouth.

"Lilly," Brady whispered. He seemed to want to comfort me, but considering I wouldn't let him near me, he didn't seem to know how.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if I could hold myself together easier. "I—I need to go home."

Brady, now looking more confused than ever, reached for me again. "What's wrong?" he asked softly and the confusion in his tone just seemed to break my heart even more. "What—what did I do? I can fix it; whatever it is."

I hiccupped a sob, covering my mouth with my hand. "You can't fix it, Brady. No one can."

No one would be able to fix my broken heart.

Because, without getting to have Brady by my side for the rest of my life, it would always be broken.

So sad :(

Sorry it was short, but it's about to get very interesting!

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