Shelby ran until she was breathless even though everything inside of her was begging to go back to the house and be near her Imprint. But the very thought that she had an Imprint freaked her out. Her father briefly explained what an Imprint was, but she had no tangible concepts to compare it to. Nothing concrete to anchor it to. She collapsed in the middle of the forest, her lungs pumping for much needed oxygen. She heard Sam approach and whined weakly. Sam circled around her before nudging her to her side and covering her with his body, trying to get as much contact with her as he could in the hopes of comforting her. He gently licked her head, remembering seeing Leah do that to Seth many times to comfort him. Shelby scooted until she was out from underneath him and shifted, sitting and wrapping her arms around her legs and laying her head on her knees. Sam sighed mentally, wishing they could communicate in his head. Or at the very least he'd thought to bring clothes. He moved behind her and shifted, sitting back to back with her and, even though it was dark, keeping his eyes straight ahead.
"Why does this scare you?" Sam asked softly.
"Dad explained it…that whoever you Imprint on, you're theirs and they're yours. Forever. No matter what." Shelby whispered.
"Is that a bad thing?" Sam asked.
"For other people? For you and Emily? No. But it's a disaster for that guy…Seth. Is there a way to free him of it? To redo his Imprint and…pick someone not…me?" Shelby asked.
"Why do you think it's a disaster that Seth has you for his Imprint?" Sam asked. "And as far as I know, the only way to break an Imprint is death."
Shelby felt herself whimper.
"Seth should not be the one to die. It will be me. He will not have to suffer me. He will be okay." Shelby said.
"What? No! No. No way. You're not dying. No. I think Seth would agree with me. You dying, even though he doesn't know you, would destroy him. He wouldn't recover. You're not a disaster, Shelby. Give him a chance. Get to know him. Let him decide if you're really the disaster you think you are and if he wants to end the Imprint." Sam pleaded. "I just found you, Shelby…please, God, don't leave me. Please? You don't have to marry Seth. You can choose to be friends only and be will abide by that. Happily. Please, don't leave…"
Shelby whined sadly at the amount of pain in her brother's voice and what quiet desperation she felt through their link. Sam reached his hand back and pulled Shelby's hand in his, holding tightly. Shelby brought his hand up, gently rubbing her face against his hand, openly seeking comfort.
"All I'm asking is that you stay. You can talk to Seth. There's absolutely no law that says you have to have a romantic relationship or anything at all. You remember Quil? He Imprinted on Emily's niece and she's 2. There's absolutely nothing romantic or sexual there at all. He's a big brother, playmate, babysitter type of Imprint to her right now. And when she becomes an adult, it's up to get what kind of relationship she wants with him. The same with you and Seth. If you just want him as a friend or a brother or protector or whatever… that's what he'll be. But if you try to keep your distance and stay away and deny the Imprint…you both will suffer. Physically, mentally, emotionally. There needs to be something. Don't torture Seth and yourself because you are scared." Sam said.
The thought of hurting Seth left a bad taste in her mouth. She rubbed her face against his hand for a few moments longer. Sam mused that this must have been how Joshua comforted her. Shelby let his hand go and stood up, moving a few feet away and shifting. Sam shifted where he sat and walked off to her, nudging her in the general direction of his house. Shelby nipped the back of Sam's thigh and took off running. Sam barked a laugh and took off after her. Several minutes later, they came back to the backyard of Sam's house. Sam barked to signal someone to bring clothes out. Within seconds, Seth was out of the house and onto the back porch, followed by the rest of the pack. Shelby shifted before Emily had found the clothes to bring out and headed for the steps without a second thought. Seth turned his back quickly and growled in warning for the guys to not come out or look out the windows.
"Shelby, Emily isn't out with clothes yet!" Leah called out.
Shelby paused, confused.
"I can find my clothes and repair them…" Shelby said.
"But you're naked." Leah said. "The guys are here."
Shelby shrugged, not seeing the problem.
"The guys will see you." Leah added.
Shelby looked lost.
Seth pulled his shirt off and held it out for Leah to take and give to Shelby.
"You're naked and the guys will see that you're naked…" Leah said, tossing the shirt to Shelby.
"Is that…is that bad?" Shelby asked, pulling the shirt on. It came almost to her knees.
"Uh, yeah?" Leah said.
Emily came out with clothes and tossed Sam's out to him. She chuckled when she saw Seth's shirt on Shelby.
"Why?" Shelby asked. "I know I have scars, but they're from fighting vampires. They aren't going to make anyone scared."
Leah sighed.
"It's not about scars. Doesn't it bother you knowing that the guys would be seeing you naked?" Leah asked.
Shelby shrugged.
"Nudity is part of life. Do you not be nude in front of your pack?" Shelby asked.
"Only Jake. And that's because he's my Imprint." Leah said. "Not in front of the others. And they're not nude in my presence."
"Wow. That sucks to have to hide every time you need to shift. What do you do if your clothes are inside and you're outside? You cannot open doors and drawers with wolf paws." Shelby asked.
"I send Jake to do it. He's a guy and guys can be nude in front of each other."
Shelby snorted and laughed.
"I'm glad nudity doesn't affect me the way it does you." Shelby said.
"You're saying you would walk into that house full of boys and it not bother you that they'd stare?" Leah asked.
"If they were my pack, it would not bother me. As they are my brother's pack, it still would not affect me. He is a capable Alpha." Shelby said. "You would not ever change from your wolf form if you lived outside like I do."
Leah laughed and shook her head. Sam came out and joined them, fully clothed.
"Your pack is not comfortable with each other's nudity." Shelby said, giggling. "Weirdos."
Sam laughed and walked up his steps with Shelby, stopping in front of Seth. Leah nudged Seth to turn around and he finally did. His eyes met Shelby's and he smiled softly.
"I think it's a nice night to talk outside here." Sam said. "Just talk. Shelby, I'll be right inside. It's okay, yeah?"
Shelby nodded and sat on the porch swing. Sam and Leah and Emily went inside after Emily brought a couple of plates and bottles of water outside for them to eat.
"Seth wouldn't eat until you came back and were okay." Emily said, smiling.
Shelby sniffed the food before taking a bite. She found she liked it and began eating in earnest. Seth watched with a smile.
"Do you want mine?" Seth offered, holding his plate out.
"Emily said you hadn't eaten." Shelby frowned. "You eat."
"But you like it so well." Seth said.
"Please eat?" Shelby asked softly.
Seth couldn't make himself deny her soft request. He nearly inhaled everything on the plate, feeling his hunger had come back with a roar. Shelby watched him as he ate, taking note of everything she could see. Seth finished in only a few minutes, downing his bottle of water afterward.
"Do you wanna play 20 questions? So we can get to know each other?" Seth asked, setting both their plates on the ground. "I'll ask you a question and you ask me a question."
"Okay." Shelby said.
Seth smiled. "What's your favorite color?" he asked.
"Green. Vampires never have green eyes." Shelby said. "How long have you been shifting?"
"About a year and a half. How about you? How long have you been shifting?"
"Almost 15 years, dad said when I was 4, I shifted for the first time." Shelby said. "How long have you known Leah was your sister?"
"My entire life. We grew up together." Seth said.
Back and forth they went with questions. Seth discovered he could make Shelby giggle and laugh and he would swear she sounded like an angel. Shelby found she really enjoyed it when Seth would smile and laugh at his own jokes. A couple hours had passed when Leah came to the back door.
"It's really late, Seth. Mom wants you home." Leah said.
Shelby frowned.
"Your pack does not sleep together? What if vampires attacked? A distant pack would take a long time to come together." Shelby said.
"We have 2 shifters on patrol." Leah explained.
Seth looked like he wanted to ignore Leah and stay close to Shelby. He just got with her to the point she wasn't running from him. He couldn't leave her yet…
"You can come see her first thing tomorrow. Come on, Seth." Leah said.
"I have to go. Will you be here tomorrow? Can I come see you tomorrow?" Seth asked.
"I will be here." Shelby said, frowning.
Seth gently took Shelby's hand and squeezed gently before letting go and standing up, following Leah. Shelby whimpered so softly and that sound nearly broke Seth. He stumbled slightly and stopped, turning to look at Shelby with a broken hearted look on his face.
"Can…can I go, too?" Shelby whispered.
"I don't think mom or Sam would be thrilled about that, Shelby. I'm sorry." Leah said, her heart tugging at the look of sadness that came over her face.
"Okay." Shelby whispered, her voice breaking halfway through.
Seth wanted to cry. He turned a pained look to Leah before looking back and Shelby. She had pulled her legs to her chest and laid her head on her knees, not looking at anyone. Leah held up her hand and went back inside to find Sam. Like a shot, Seth was at Shelby's side. He moved his hand to move her hair from her face and Shelby latched on, holding onto his hand and gently rubbing her face against the skin there. Seth opened his hand and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing soft circles. Shelby held onto his hand with both of hers, not wanting to let go. Sam, Emily, Leah, and Jake watched from the glass door.
"I can't make him leave, Sam. You should have heard her when I said she couldn't come with us. It hurt me, and she's not even my Imprint. I knew if Jake ever sounded that broken, I couldn't make myself leave." Leah said softly.
"I'll call aunt Sue and see if she'll let Seth stay the night." Emily said, going into the living room.
Sam rubbed his chest, feeling the tightness and panic creeping in quickly. He rubbed right circles, knowing his sister was feeling it intensely. He couldn't stand it. He opened the door and stepped out.
"Seth, you're staying the night. You don't have to leave." Sam said.
Seth's head snapped up, looking at Sam.
"Mom is okay with it?" Seth asked.
Shelby looked up at her brother and he could see how wet her eyes looked.
"I said. Both of you get in here." Sam said.
Seth smiled happily at Shelby.
"You stay?" Shelby asked softly.
"I stay." Seth said, grinning.
Shelby looked from Seth to Sam and back to Seth. She wiped her eyes as she smiled, relief flooding her. Seth gently wiped her eyes with his thumbs. His Imprint was that close to tears and it hit him deep. He tugged Shelby inside with him. Shelby stopped and wrapped her arms tightly around Sam.
"Thank you for not letting him go away." Shelby whispered.
Sam hugged her close, feeling the tightness ease. Shelby pulled back a few moments later and looked over at Seth who was all smiles. Emily walked into the room.
"Sue said you can stay the night. Just don't mention it was with a girl…because I might have left that part out." Emily said.
"Just don't do anything to make me an auntie." Leah said, making Seth blush red.
"We aren't you and Jake, jeez." Seth groaned, rubbing his face. "You wanna watch tv, Shelby?"
"If you're content with it, then yes." Shelby said.
Seth put his hand against the small of Shelby's back and went with her into the living room, turning the television on. He flipped through channels to find something to watch. Shelby watched as images passing by. She'd seen television twice that she could recall.
"You two gonna camp out here tonight instead of the guest room?" Emily asked.
"I don't think a small, enclosed room with one bed is the right direction…" Seth said, looking at Shelby.
"Go tell Sam to show you where the air mattresses are. That way you can each have your own space but not be far apart in case anxiety hits." Emily said. "Do you wanna take a bath or a shower or anything? Are you hungry or anything?"
"It's not safe to wash at night." Shelby said.
Emily nodded, trying to see why Shelby would think that and the reasons she could think of made her sad. She didn't want Shelby to have to go back to that way of life. Shelby deserved to stay near her family, near Sam, and near Seth. Emily had the feeling of Joshua tried to take Shelby back to their old life that he'd have two very upset shifters mad at him. And if you angered or hurt Seth, that got Leah mad. And if Leah is mad, Jake is mad. If Sam is mad…Emily shuddered. He'd have the entire pack on him. Seth and Sam dragged a couple of deflated air mattresses into the living room and turned the air pumps on and waited. Emily snagged some sheets and blankets and pillows from the guest room and brought them into the living room and set everything up.
"If you get hungry, there's leftovers and stuff in the fridge, okay? Help yourself." Emily said, looking at Shelby.
Shelby nodded and went over to the air mattress, touching it with her foot. Sam watched with quiet amusement as his twin tested the limits of the air mattress, giving him progressively weirded out and amazed looks.
"Much softer than grass." Shelby said, looking up at Sam. "You must be rich."
"Do you like it?" Sam asked, grinning.
"Yes. I will have to see if Dad will get one of these for us when we are out." Shelby said.
"You're leaving?" Seth asked, frowning.
"If you stay, you can have it. I'll give it to you, but I don't want you to leave." Sam said.
Shelby looked at Seth and then to Sam before looking back at Seth again. She couldn't let her Dad fight the vampires alone. But she didn't want to leave Sam and her mom and her...whatever Seth was. She definitely didn't want him to follow her and end up getting hurt due to his inexperience.
"Please don't leave…" Seth said, reaching for Shelby's hand.
"I will stay until dad leaves." Shelby said, feeling Seth's hand sliding into hers.
Sam sighed heavily. Tomorrow he'd pay Joshua a visit and convince him to stay with here. Sam and Emily said their goodnights to Seth and Shelby before going into their bedroom and shutting the door. Seth turned the lights off and let the glow from the tv be their light. He turned the channel to Animal Planet as their were showing their underwater life shows and those were always his favorite. Shelby's eyes were glued to the screen in awe. Seth propped up the pillows and tugged Shelby down to the air mattress, showing her how to lay back and still watch the show. Seth watched Shelby watching the tv; how her eyes would light up, how she'd repeat the names of the fish under her breath, her smile at seeing how different they all were. Seth went to lay down on his own mattress and get settled in for the night. Shelby frowned softly. Before she could do anything more, Seth was over to her mattress with a grin on his face.
"I don't want you to frown or be sad when I'm around." Seth said. "And the fact that what made you frown just then was because I went to the other mattress is just icing on the cake to me."
Shelby smiled shyly and grabbed hold of Seth's shirt so he couldn't scoot away. Seth smiled even brighter and gently wrapped his arm around Shelby's legs and scooted her closer to him. Shelby laid down and snuggled against Seth, making him the happiest he'd ever been. His wolf was going into overdrive being surrounded by his Imprint. She was all but demanding to not be away from him and, God, he loved it. If you had asked him at the beginning of the night, when Shelby had looked into his eyes before running away in terror, if he thought he'd end the night by cuddling his Imprint, he would have cried and said no. But here he was, his skittish little Imprint in his arms because she didn't want him to leave, the happiest he'd ever been.
And nothing could ruin it.
...
Sorry this is going up so late. Mobile updating was screwing with this chapter because I HAD ONE FUCKING HIDDEN SPACE AND IT MADE THE WHOLE CHAPTER TURN INTO HTML BULLSHIZZLE. ugh.
so what do you all think? please let me know! i love writing this so much omg. i miss having my standby oc, Layla. She's my go to for everything lol.
what do you want to see happen? let me know!
hope you likes! leave me a comment or ten!