Stella's POV
I was filled with confusion from the scene that I just witnessed.
Nate who has been like an older brother to me for years has finally Imprinted and to no other than Leah who has been like a protective older sister.
At first it made me unbelievably happy for them to Imprint but what happened next baffled me.
Leah ran out just as Nate was trying to properly introduce himself.
As I looked at my heartbroken friend I didn't know If I should chase after Leah or comfort Nate.
Before I could decide Nate ran out, probably in search of Leah.
I take a step forward about to go after him but Seth stops me.
He shakes his head, "I think we need to leave them alone, they need to solve this themselves."
I want to help them but Seth right.
With a sigh, I hug him and he embraces me back.
I hope everything gets solved and they come back together.
Nate's POV
I ran out of the house and look around me trying to find a trace of the raven beauty.
I still feel very hurt that she just left me like that, but I know she must have her reasons.
Not to mention this immense pull I feel for her and the need I have to see her again.
Unfortunately I don't know the area very well, I have only received one tour from Stella and Seth.
I rely on my sense of smell to track her.
I growl.
Damnit, I wish I had Stella advanced smell.
I calm myself knowing I won't be able to do much If I get angry.
I'm the best hunter in my pack, If I can track a rabbit I can track my pretty Imprint.
I think back to her scent.
It was a lavender-like smell, light and fresh.
With her scent in mind, I run through the forest looking for her scent.
After a few minutes, I pick up a slight trace of her scent.
With determination swirling inside of me I follow the scent.
Not long after I find her leaning against a tree with a frown on her face.
I wonder how she would look with a smile on her face.
Her face then snapped towards mine and her eyes narrowed, not liking that I was here.
I felt a pang of hurt at that.
No! I finally found her I'm not giving this up.
I walk up to her and with each step she tenses and I can sense her guard is high.
Just what happened to her to make her so wary of me?
"Listen I know we didn't meet in the best terms but I really want to get along with you." I tell her hoping she can hear the sincerity in my voice.
Her brown eyes are centered on me and I feel warm just knowing she's here with me.
"You don't want that." She says firmly before turning to her side.
What? Of course I do! I've been looking for her for YEARS.
"I really d-" I was saying but her piercing eyes turned back to me and sharply said, "No, you don't."
I felt exasperated, I can tell she's stubborn but I am too and I will get to know her!
Before I could talk again she said, "I'm a very complicated girl, I… have a lot of baggage."
She was looking down and I could see the sadness, and tiredness she held in her gaze.
"I can handle it." I tell her firmly.
She looks at me and she barks out a self-deprecating laugh.
"No, you can't."
I felt sad by her lack of faith in me but what hurted me more was how sad her smile was.
She looked at me and said to me in a broken voice, "I can't love you."
Those words froze me in place as I felt enormous pain inside of me.
She… can't love me?
Why? I haven't done anything to her.
What did I do to deserve this.
I felt tears form in my eyes but I refuse to let them fall.
No, no!
I can't give up, I'll fight for her.
I blink the tears away and get closer to her.
She's looking down, deep sorrow obvious in her features.
"Why do you think you won't be able to love me?" I ask.
"Because I've loved before and I got my heart broken." Leah mutters.
I feel my chest hurt as I think of Leah with another guy but the sadness in her face hurts me even more.
"What did he do?" I ask, suppressing a growl.
"He imprinted on another girl." Leah said, her voice sounding detached.
I widen my eyes, "He's a..."
Leah nods, "He's a shapeshifter."
"And it wasn't just any girl, he Imprinted on my cousin." Leah continued.
"Leah..." I mutter.
"I know he couldn't help it, we don't choose on who we Imprint but it still hurt." Leah sighs.
"We had been dating for three years when he phased and then Imprinted on my cousin." She continued. "Not long after my Dad died and both me and Seth phased."
"His death must have caused you to phase." I say.
"Yeah and my breakup didn't help." Leah said sadly.
"Things turned even worse when I found out he was Alpha." Leah glared at the ground.
"Jacob's your ex?" Nate asked, confused.
Jacob is younger than Leah, I didn't think they had been together.
"Oh god no. He's my current Alpha but at the beginning there was only one Alpha."
"Sam..."
Leah nods, "Yeah... and as my Alpha I couldn't avoid him even though I wanted to."
I could understand Leah turning bitter after that.
Leah sighs, "Things got better when Jacob challenged Sam and created his own pack."
"I'm surprised he was able to challenge an Alpha." I tell her.
"Jacob has Alpha blood so he was able to do it." Leah explains.
"Anyways Seth and me quickly joined his pack. Seth did so because he admired Jacob from a young age while I did so to protect Seth and to distance myself from Sam."
I understand now, Stella and Seth had told me about her sarcastic attitude and this explains it.
I can imagine how hard it is to hear your ex's thoughts about their Imprint all the time, it must be torture.
"I still see Sam and Emily since our meetup and hang out place is her house but it's more bearable now." Leah tells me.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through that." I tell her, sincerely.
I'm glad she doesn't have a boyfriend that would have made it harder for us to be together but its also awful she had to endure that much pain because Sam Imprinted on someone else.
"Now you understand why I can't be with you?" She asks looking at me. "I'm still hurting from my past relationship and it wouldn't be fair for you to be with a girl who can't completely love you."
I feel a pang of sadness.
"Do you still love Sam?" I ask her.
She shakes her head, "No…not anymore. It's been years and I've given up on him but I'm still healing."
I feel a surge of hope knowing that she's given up on him.
I grab her chin and tilt her towards me, "I'll work hard to earn your love."
Her tears begin to fall and she tries to hide from me but I don't let her.
"Leah, please give me a chance. I know I didn't give a good first impression but I can show you I'm worthy of your love." I tell her, genuinely.
She takes a deep breath and replies, "It's not you. It's me. I'm incapable of loving anyone."
Incapable?
I think anyone can love.
"You deserve someone who can truly love you back and that's not me." She says sadly, looking to the side.
I grab her hand and pull her to me, "I don't want anyone else. I want you!"
I feel the electricity come to me the minute my hand touches her and I can tell she feels it too.
I kiss her hand.
"I know you can feel this. How much you affect me and the way I know I affect you." I say as I stare at her rosy cheeks.
She stays silent for a bit, regaining her bearings.
"You're going to regret choosing to stay with me." Leah mumbles.
My heart leapt with joy knowing she had accepted (in her way) that I'll stay with her.
"I know I won't." I smile.
I put my hands on the sides of her head, and get closer to her.
She tenses and closes her eyes in reflex.
I kiss her in the forehead and I feel her instantly relax.
"Relax, let's take baby steps." I smile at her.
She rolls her eyes.
"You think you're so smooth, don't you." Leah grumbled.
"Eh, I know I can be." I say with a grin.
She glares at me and shoves me.
Her strength actually surprises me and almost makes me lose my balance.
"Hey!" I barked.
"You're fault for being such a flirt." She scowls.
"But I'm your flirt." I wink at her.
"Ughh you're impossible!" Leah blushes furiously and shoves me with more force.
This time I do fall to the grass but with my luck Leah also fell.
In top of me.
She quickly jerks her head back.
"Damn, well we can go at a faster pace if you want." I tease her.
Her glare intensifies and she hits me on the chest before getting up.
I don't know if it's a good thing that she's a shapeshifter…
With a wry smile I also stand up.
"With that smooth tongue of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you left a string of broken hearts in Canada." Leah narrowed her eyes at me.
"That's not…true." I say, hesitantly.
Leah's eyes flash at me, her lips forming a tight line, silently fuming.
Oh god I can feel her guard coming back up.
"Of course my Imprint had to be a player! Lucky me!" Leah growled, sarcastically and started stomping away.
"Hey! I'm not a player!" I grabbed her arm. "Listen to me."
She turned her sharp glare in my direction and I internally gulped.
"Will you please listen to me?" I asked her nicely.
Her hardened expression didn't lessen but at least she hadn't stormed off so I continued.
"I'm not a player. I actually haven't dated in two years." I let my hand slide down to her hand. "Since I've been waiting for my Imprint." I smile gently. "For you."
With each word I tell her, her posture relaxes as do her features.
She told me a bit about her life, I think it's fair I do the same.
"Let me tell you a story. "I tell her and guide her to the floor, where we sit side by side.
"I was never a player, but I did went on many dates, hoping I would meet my Imprint. If the girl was nice enough we even dated but my relationships only lasted a month or two since I wanted to go back to looking for my Imprint." I explained.
"I can imagine the girls didn't take it well." Leah said with an unreadable expression.
"No they didn't and well to be honest I didn't really give too much care on how they felt." I tell her, being maybe too honest.
She narrows her eyes at me, "You're awful."
"I'm sorry! Now I know better but years ago I just had the pack and looking for my Imprint in my mind, what someone else thought and felt didn't really register to me." I explained, trying not to sound like a douche.
"So what made you realize other people also have feelings?" She peered at me.
Damn it, she totally thinks I'm a douche.
"It was Stella actually." I tell her with a wry smile.
Leah eyes widen, "Don't tell me you dated her too?"
"What?! No! no, no." I quickly deny it. "Stella has always been like a sister to me. Like an adorable little sister. Totally platonic." I made sure to specify.
Leah gave me a look that read, 'You better.'
God, she really has the worst view of me.
"Anyways as my close friend, sister-like figure she is," I made sure to put emphasis. "She gave me advice and told me what I was doing was wrong."
"She gave you advice? Your little sister figure?" Leah says with a mocking smile.
She's mocking me but at least she's smiling.
"Yeah so? Hasn't Seth ever gave you advice?" I countered.
"No." she quickly says. "I'm the one always advising the goofball."
I highly doubt Seth never gave her advice but I'm not going to risk angering her by telling her that.
"She really was mature for her age." I chuckle. "A 14 year old girl giving me advice."
I notice Leah giving me a gentle smile.
I still remember the day.
I was walking home, I had just finished my patrol.
I hear my phone vibrate and check who messaged me.
Olivia 2:34 pm
I'm so confused... we were happy, why did you suddenly want to break up...?
I had broke up with Olivia yesterday, she was a nice and gentle girl. And there was nothing wrong in our relationship, I just started feeling restless and wanted to look for my Imprint again.
I found it mean to look for my Imprint while in a relationship so I decided to break up with her and focus on my search.
I get another text.
Olivia 2:36 pm
Did I do something wrong? Why do you suddenly 'not feel the same for me'
Of course I can't tell a human girl, I'm looking for my Imprint. It's against the rules so I simply tell them that I don't feel the same for them as I did before.
I give her a quick text back.
Nate 2:38 pm
I'm sorry, I'm sure you'll find a better guy than me
With that, I put my phone back in my pocket and continue my way home.
I hear the phone vibrate again but choose to ignore it.
She'll get over me, humans have that advantage.
They get to choose who they love and can move on to someone else if things don't work out.
Not us though.
When we meet our Imprint, they are everything, we can't move on from them, we are forever irrefutably in love with them.
It has its pros and cons.
Pros
1. That person is our soulmate.
2. The person will complete us in every way.
3. We will feel inmense love and adoration for our Imprint.
4. They will make us happier.
Cons
1. We can't choose our Imprints so if we get a bitchy Imprint we're stuck with them. CoughJenniferCough
2. We might never meet our Imprint.
3. If they die, your life would lose its meaning and you will feel unbearable sadness.
4. If they reject you, you have to accept it and stay as a friend but will forever love them, which must be the worst friendzoning ever since
5. You can't move on from them, we will have to be in pain as they choose someone else.
There hasn't been any Imprintee to reject the shapeshifter in Shapeshifter History but it could still be possible.
In a way our Imprint is our Strength and our Weakness.
By your side they make you happy and strong but if they were to die our life would be destroyed.
But even though there's risks, I want to know the feeling.
I watch my parents and other Imprints and I can tell nothing else can compare.
No amount of relationships I have can make me as happy as my Imprint could.
I still try to be happy with my girlfriend but its hard.
Knowing my Imprint is out there and I'm not there with her.
I sigh loudly.
But I'll find her.
I'll take a quick shower and start looking for her further North.
"Why the long sigh?" I hear a familiar voice say.
I turn and see its Stella.
I smile.
The mischievous girl has been my friend since she phased two years ago.
She has quickly become one of my closest friends.
Much to my annoyance my friends (from high school) bothered me about being friends with a middle schooler.
Of course I didn't care, she's my packmate and friend, we share a different type of friendship than I do with them.
Her and Jade are definitely what made the pack fun.
"It's just Olivia." I tell her with a tired smile.
She frowns, "I'm guessing she didn't take the break up well."
I nod, "Yeah, but I can't help it y'now?" I smile. "I need to find my Imprint and I know that its not Olivia."
Stella narrows her eyes, "Or Sophie, Lyla, Abigail, Sophia, Chloe, Elena, Addison, Lily, or Emy."
"Emy? Wasn't her name Amy?" I ask confused.
Stella sighs, "No it was Emy."
Huh all this time I thought her name was Amy.
Wait…
"Wait, why are you naming all my ex's?" I ask her.
"Because you knew none of them were your Imprint and you still dated them." Stella frowns.
"Well yeah..." I say uncomfortably. "But they wanted to date so I didn't see a problem with it."
Stella's frown deepened, "What would you do if you found your Imprint but you're dating someone?"
"I'd break up with my girlfriend, of course." I say without hesitation.
"Then why bother dating her when you know you're gonna leave her?" Stella asks seriously.
"Well..." I say, not knowing how to reply to that.
"Put yourself in their shoes, you're having a happy relationship and out of nowhere the girl you've been happily dating breaks up with you. How would you feel?"
"I'd feel really sad." I reply, looking down.
"That's how they feel, most of them wanted a serious relationship with you and you didn't." Stella says, looking at me sadly.
"I do want a serious relationship." I defended myself.
"But not with any of them." Stella debates.
"Well yeah I want to seriously date my Imprint." I say.
"Then why do you play with their feelings?" Stella asks.
"I don't play with their feelings." I frown.
"Yes you do Nate. I know you don't realize it but you do." Stella tells me.
"They can find another guy, they're amazing human girls. They have that advantage." I tell her.
"That still doesn't take away that you hurt them, you broke their hearts."
"I don't mean to…" I sigh.
"I know you don't, you're a good guy but you're doing the wrong things by dating girls you know you aren't going to stay with." Stella says, and puts her hand on my shoulder.
"Well yeah..." I look at Stella, helplessly. "I just get so lonely sometimes, I really want to meet my Imprint."
Stella gives me a hug.
"You will find her." she tells me and I hug her back. "You just need to stop dating girls and instead focus on looking for her."
"I will." I promised.
"Afterwards I stayed single and focused on my pack, my friends and looking for you." I smile at my pretty Imprint.
"Two years later, I have a new pack, met my close friend again and finally found you."
Leah gently smiles.
She doesn't say anything but I can feel her softly grab my hand.
With newfound happiness and hope, I interlock our fingers together.
Awww! They solved their differences! Also for anyone wondering Leah has been wanting to find her Imprint more than anything but at the same time she was scared of getting hurt again.
In a way through this flashback you can get some background information on Nate.