Once again, at six o'clock we all sat around the table eating the sub par spaghetti noodles I had prepared.

"Do you expect us to eat with our fingers?" Kail laughed at me, getting up to grab silverware for everyone. He grabbed five forks and knives and passed them around.

Holli made a disgusted face when she lifted the noodles off of her plate. "Am I supposed to eat this?" She asked, plopping it back down.

I groaned. "Like you could do any better."

"Claire's a way better cook than you, Genie," she snickered at my girlish nickname and Kail gave her a high five from across the table. I just glared at him while shoving a good amount of spaghetti in my mouth to prevent me from saying something I'd regret.

Eric slurped a noodle into his mouth. "I think it tastes fine," he said, glancing over at his little sister, and then back to smiling at me.

I knew there was a reason for me wanting to be at home. Though Claire was gone, and Kenzie miles away, I always had Eric to count on at home.

By six thirty the table was empty. Kail and Holli were in the living room fighting over the remote, Eric was sitting on the floor working on homework, and Tyson who was leaning against the counter, texting Sarabelle.

"Any luck?" I asked him after his phone made a loud beeping noise to indicate that he had gotten a text.

His eyes flicked over the screen and he sighed. "Sort of. She wants me to come over to her house, but Jake's in town, so there is no way I'm going there."

I didn't blame him. Jacob was our pack's official alpha, but since he was gone in Canada most of the time, his two sons co-ran the pack. He was pretty much a hard ass if anyone was there to mess around with his family, even his vampire relatives.

Vampire, I shivered. Claire's one now.

I had no other option other than to force the thought from my mind and sit down with my siblings in the living room. Holli had won the battle of the remote, so we were watching some sort of show on the Disney channel. But Kail wasn't mad, he sat with her on his lap and tried to look interested. It reminded me of the way Quil was with Claire when she was younger.

As nine rolled around, I helped Eric finish his math homework, and then tucked him in for the night. Eric asked me to stay for the night, but I had my patrolling duties. I kissed him on the forehead and exited our bedroom silently.

I threw my shirt over the couch and began to head outside. I saw my father's headlights pull in just as I entered the woods, already phased.

Immediately my mind was invaded with the thoughts of my pack brothers.

And sister, Tala reminded me.

How's everyone holding up, Gene? Tona asked with sincerity.

Better, I thought of how this afternoon had been almost normal.

Skah interrupted our conversation, Hey, Embry told me to tell you that Quil is coming back to town tomorrow. Him and Jake are going to be at his house to give him the news.

I shuddered, thinking of the moment when either Embry or Jacob would be forced to tell him what happened to Claire a few nights ago. I didn't pity either of them.

Nearly an hour later, I went to do a couple laps around the perimeter near Kenzie's house. Sometimes if I looked hard enough, I could see the window to her room through the layers of trees. Though usually I would just keep running, tonight was different.

I heard whispering from away. "Gene!" the voice called to me.

It was Kenzie, of course. I stopped in my tracks and saw my sweetheart leaning out of her bedroom window, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Gene! Can you hear me?"

I phased back quickly, threw my shorts on, and began a fast jog over to her yard. Warily I walked across the lawn and up to her at the window in the front of her house. She reached her hands out on to my shoulders. "I knew you were around. What are you doing?"

She was just as beautiful at this time of night as any other. Though she had removed her make up and was wearing baggy clothing, she was equally stunning. Trying not to smile like an idiot, I told her, "It's my night to patrol. I thought that I'd just run around your house to check up on you."

I looked past her to her bedroom. For some reason, I always expected her room to be filled with pink and purple fuzzy pillows, make up laying around everywhere, and some male celebrity's poster on her walls. But it was nothing like I'd imagined. Kenzie's favorite color was green, and you could tell just by looking at her room. She had a large tree mural on the wall behind her queen sized bed, and a desk with books and pens lying around on it.

"Nerd," I laughed at her, playfully, gesturing towards what looked like a unorganized office space.

She hit my arm and twisted her lips up to the right side of her face. "So, you going to come in or what?"

I'm sure that she thought my eyes were going to pop out of my eye at the reaction I gave to her question. "Into your room?"

She raised her eyebrows and turned away from the window. "Yeah. I mean, I'm just so lonely." She sat down on her bed gracefully and patted the spot next to her.

That's more like her, I thought to myself. Kenzie was a book nerd, but she sure knew how to make a man yearn for her. I groaned before hoisting myself through her window.

"Do your parents care?" I asked, still standing across the room from her bed.

She shook her head. "They went to sleep a while ago. As long as we're quiet... my bed doesn't squeak." She bounced herself a few times and there was no noise.

Nervously I scratched the back of my neck. "I don't know..." It's not that I didn't want to mess around with her. But, she was my imprint and I was not going to screw it up by moving too fast.

"Gene, you shy boy," she giggled, crossing over to where I was. She put her tiny hands into mine and started to take backwards steps. Entranced by her eyes, I began to fall in step with her. Before I knew what I was doing, we were sitting side by side on her bed.

Not that that position lasted long. She moved her hands up to my shoulders and swung herself over my lap, leaving her lips on mere millimeters from mine.

What happened next was so fast, I barely processed anything except for the placement of her fingers and lips. "Okay," I said finally, as she started to push me down all the way onto her bed. "We should stop."

"Why?" she asked, between kisses on my neck, "What's so wrong with this?"

"N-nothing," I lied. "I just have to get back to my pack. They are going to be pissed."

She met me with her hazel eyes and an understanding look. She stood up and I stood with her. We gazed in each others eyes for a while, before she broke the contact. "What time should I be over at your house tomorrow?"

Still not fully recovered over what had happened, it took me a few seconds to understand her question. "I'm not going to school tomorrow, remember?"

She nodded. "I know. I told my mother the cover story about Claire. She says it's okay if I pull out of school for the rest of the week, and just help you guys with funeral arrangements and stuff."

"Oh." I knew there was a reason why I liked Kenzie's mother. "Don't come over. I'll come and pick you up. Seven AM sharp, okay?"

She smiled and reached up on her tip toes to give me a quick peck on the lips. As much as I wanted, in that moment, to slam her down onto the bed and give her everything she deserved, I started walking towards the window. "Get some sleep," I told her, as I climbed out of her window. I tried to do so quickly so I wouldn't be tempted to lengthen my stay.

"I love you," she whispered towards me as I crossed her lawn again.

I turned around and mouthed "I love you too," in her direction, then finally went back into the woods to finish off my shift.

The rest of the night was unbearable, as I tried so hard to suppress my tensions.

Sexual tensions, Skah added. I know exactly how you feel my brother.

Before Skah could go into detail about what he wanted to do with Kimi, Tona let out a whine. Please for the love of humanity, don't think about that.

Skah shut up then and just tried to force images of fluffy kittens into his mind.

The following morning, I pulled into Kenzie's driveway in Tyson's van at precisely seven. Kenzie was already waiting for me on her porch, with her duffel bag in tow. I got out to open up the passenger door and she got in gracefully.

Just as I was about to turn the radio volume down to ask her how she had slept, she began to speak. "Did Quil imprint on Claire?"

I clutched the steering wheel, turning out of her driveway, and cleared my throat. "What would make you think that?" I couldn't lie to her, but I could hold the truth off a little, couldn't I?

She crossed her arms. She started numbering off her reasons on her fingers. "Well, from what you explained to me, imprinted people are pretty much attached at their hips, no matter their age difference. And I always kind of thought it was weird, him being a nearly 30 year old man, and always hanging around Claire. He always stares at her kind of the way I catch you looking at me. He's oddly protective over her. He doesn't try to get in her pants. And for as long as I've known him, he has never had a girlfriend."

My silence gave away the obvious answer. It's not that I didn't want Kenzie to know, but there was some fear in me that if Kenzie knew, then she would tell Claire. That wasn't going to be the case now, since most likely they would never see each other again. At least, I would have thought so.

"I knew it!" She gasped. "That makes so much sense. She knows, right?"

Again, my lack of words led her to a conclusion. "She doesn't? Oh my god... he must be so distraught."

Before I could reply with the truthful answer that he didn't know yet, we had parked in my driveway. What I saw made my heart stop momentarily.

Standing in our driveway was Quil, opposite of him was Kail. They appeared as though they were arguing and Quil threw a newspaper at him.

"Oh, shit..." I fumbled around for my phone in my jean pockets. I handed it to Kenzie. "Call Embry and tell him to get over here now. Don't get out of the van." Hastily, I exited the vehicle and walked over to my brother and Quil.

Quil looked at me, and his eyes were crazed. He held up the newspaper right in my face. On the front page there was Claire's school picture, the headline read 'GIRL ATTACKED BY MOUNTAIN LION' "Tell me this is some kind of sick fucking joke, Gene."

I gulped and rattled my brain for something I could say that would calm him down.

"She's dead!" Kail yelled at him.

Quil grunted fiercely. "She is not dead. I can feel her. She is alive. What is wrong with her?"

Again he turned to me for answers. I remained absolutely silent, though, unsure about anything I could possibly say or do.

Quil's voice got louder as he closed in on me. "Tell me now, Gene, or I swear I will-"

Before he could finish his threat, Kenzie screamed from behind me. "Get away from him!" She stomped over to where we were standing and forced her way in front of me. Quil started to shake, looking between the three of us. I pushed Kenzie behind me.

"Get inside," I told her.

She started to protest, but not for long as Kail grabbed her, picked her up, and practically dragged her inside. She cussed and yelped the entire way.

"Where is she Gene?" Quil's voice suddenly dropped a few notches as he looked at me, with almost tears filling up in his eyes.

I opened my mouth to begin to tell him the story, but again we were interrupted by Embry and Jacob. They ran out of the woods, struggling to quickly button up their pants.

Quil looked at them and started to shake again. "Will some one please tell me what is going on?"

Embry looked at Quil solemly, and Jacob put his hand on Quil's shoulder. "Quil, come with us," the three of them started heading back into the woods.

I let out a sigh of relief. Turning around to head back in the house, I saw Kenzie shutting the front door of my house. She walked down the wooden stairs and straight to me. "You okay?" She asked as I held her in my arms.

My lips formed a smile as I looked down at her. "I'm fine. Can't say the same for Quil though."

A ear piercing howl rang out from the forest and I cupped my hands over Kenzie's ears. She stared at me in fear and I touched my lips to her forehead.

"Let's go inside."

Well, that was long overdue! Sorry, but recently I've been having breakdowns about my writing. I've always had a hard time writing prose because I am just horrible at describing things, but maybe I've gotten a little better?

Next chapter we will be back in Claire's POV!