Don't own anything except OC's.

Chapter 15: Love

Kim's POV.

My head fell automatically sideways.

"Imprinting?" I repeated. "Like an imprint of something in your skin?"

"No…well, yes, but that's not what I'm talking about," he shook his head, engulfing my right hand with his large ones. "Imprinting…imprinting is something that wolves do," he said, his eyes flickering to me to take my reaction. I nodded, eager for him to carry on. "It complicated, no one really knows how it works or why, but there's theories. You see, Sam imprinted on Emily."

"Huh?" I grunted, then blushed vividly at my awkwardness.

"Sam imprinted on Emily when he was still dating Leah," he said as if this explained everything. Seeing my puzzled face as I tried to work it out, he continued. "He found his soul-mate, the person he is meant to be with forever. They were made for each other."

My heart sped up as he stared at me.

"What about Leah?" I found myself asking breathlessly.

"That didn't matter," Jared answered instantly. "Well, it wasn't that Leah didn't matter to Sam, he cared for her, still does. But Emily…Emily became his life, his world. She was the only person he could think about."

"How?"

"He looked into her eyes…that's all it takes."

I blinked. "Just like that? They make eye contact and they're brainwashed?"

"Not brainwashed, Kim. Imprinting is the most perfect thing in the world. Without being a wolf, the couple would have ended up together somehow. Imprinting is just a push from fate, it doesn't change it."

"How do you know?"

"I—I don't, really. But the feelings, the strength of it…it can't be explained any other way. It has to be fate. Nothing else makes sense."

"Imprinting doesn't make sense," I cried back. Admittedly, I was a little freaked, and if my conclusion was correct, I was about to have a panic attack in the next five minutes. "Being a wolf doesn't make sense…none of this makes sense!"

"Kim—"

"Imprinting," I interrupted shrilly. "That's what you did, didn't you? That day in history class when you couldn't stop staring…oh, God. It all makes sense now. How you suddenly noticed me after ten years of being in the same classes!" I yelled, ripping my hand from his. "It wasn't a change of heart, it was a freaky wolf thing. You were practically forced to do it…you wouldn't even know me if it wasn't for the imprint."

"Yes I would! Kim, please—"

I nearly relented. The look in his eyes made tears spring to my eyes, so heartbroken and lost. Shaking my head, I reminded myself that his feelings, his care and kindness towards me was all a lie. One big, fat, supernatural lie.

Against my better judgement, I started to cry.

"I can't believe this," I whispered shakily. "How could you do this? How could you lie and play with me like that?"

"Kim—"

"Shut up!" I screamed, yanking the door handle and throwing myself out the truck. "You—you idiot!" I snapped as he walked over to me. He gently grabbed my arm and I flinched back. "Leave me alone, Jared," I mumbled before running down the road.

I wasn't far from my house and I pushed my legs as fast as they would go. When I got to my bedroom, I collapsed onto the bed and sobbed. I felt like a pathetic teenage girls from a romance movie, but I didn't care. My heart was throbbing like someone had beat it to a pulp and then shoved it back into my body. Everything from the past couple of months was a lie. The fluttering feelings, the smiles, the kisses…they were all forced by a stupid wolf thing. Jared hadn't been the one to do those things, to make me feel like a princess, it had been the 'imprint'. The stupid connection that Jared hadn't chosen to do, he hadn't chosen to be with me. The imprint had made him be with me.

If he had had the choice, would he have still imprinted on me? No, I knew he wouldn't. He would have chosen a pretty, popular girl with an awesome personality and a winning smile. He wouldn't have picked me, plain Jane Kim Connweller. My crush would have gone unnoticed forever, he never would have noticed me in history class that day.

I fell into an uneasy sleep that night after homework. When I awoke the next day, my eyes swollen and red, I stumbled downstairs and ate some cereal. My siblings were still at their sleepovers, leaving me alone with my clumsy and crowded thoughts. One side was telling me I was stupid, that Jared had been my dream guy since I was ten and now I was denying him. Why would I deny Jared? The other side, however, told me to be strong, to not give into the imprint. I had to stick to my morals, I couldn't let the imprint make my life a lie.

Jared may think he was happy with me, but was he really, or was it the imprint making him think he was happy?

It was more confusing than my algebra homework.

Later that day while I was sat on the sofa completing some homework that didn't have to be in for three weeks, there was a knock on my door. Throwing my papers onto the floor, I pulled the door open and Emily was stood attentively in front of me.

"Emily? What are you doing here?"

She smiled softly, her grip on her bag tightening. "I came to see you," she replied. "Jared came to my house last night…Kim, he's devastated."

I cringed, even though I wanted to hate him, his pain made me ache. "Oh, well…sorry."

"That's not what I meant, Kim. I—I came to talk to you about the imprint. Jared told me about what you said…I think I might be able to help you, I know you must be confused and angry and annoyed…I know, Kim."

I stared at her, my eyes flickering to the red scars on her face and then to her almond-shaped brown eyes. Biting my tongue, I stepped aside for her to come in. She was too nice to say no to and I also wanted to hear what she had to say. I motioned to the sofa, she smiled with one side of her lips as she sat.

"Sorry about the papers," I said quietly, kicking them aside.

"Its fine," she intertwined her fingers on her knees. "I know how you feel, Kim. I felt exactly the same way when Sam told me about the imprint…even more so because of Leah," she paused, gulping loudly. "I refused the imprint…in fact, I hated the imprint. I kept calling Sam awful names, telling him he belonged in a mental home. I didn't understand, I was so confused with my feelings and everything he was telling me."

She ran a hand through the ends of her shiny raven locks. I fiddled with my pant leg, feeling the tension of the room grow as she opened her mouth to continue. "We were the first, you see. We had no one to go to for advice, both of us had no idea what was going on or how to handle it. One day I was so angry at myself and I said Sam was like his dad," her eyes slammed shut, like what she said pained her. "His dad's a horrible man, one of the worst I've ever heard of. Sam's nothing like him…that was when I got this," she pointed to her scars.

"W-what?" I spluttered. "Sam give you that?"

She nodded as if we were talking about the weather. "He was a new wolf, unable to control his anger and he just…phased. Both of us had no idea what was happening until Jared and Paul came running over and called for Sue to help," she sniffled. "Everything was a mess after that. I figured out Sam was the black wolf and I asked Jared where Sam was…Jared told me Sam wasn't doing too well. Despite what happened, I didn't hate Sam. For some reason I knew it wasn't his fault. I know you think I'm crazy, I would too, but it's hard to explain. Anyway, I went to see Sam and I found him staring at a bunch of pills bottles. He told me he'd tried to kill himself by getting ran over by a bus and when that didn't work, he was going to try and overdose."

I gasped, leaning back into the sofa in shock at her story. Never would I have expected something like that. The story was so complicated and messed up. I couldn't imagine what Emily had gone through, it was confusing enough for me, and I found myself wanting to hug her tight but refrained.

"We saved each other. In the hospital I realized Sam was the only person I wanted by my side and I felt incomplete without him. After that, Sam and I got together and I understood the true meaning of imprinting. It's not forced or stupid…its fate. I believe even without the imprint Sam and I would be together because we were meant to be with each other. Even if it took an extra fifteen or twenty years, we would have ended up together eventually because that was what life had planned for us. Imprinting is just a nudge in the right direction."

I opened my mouth to respond but I had no words. What did I say to that?

"Give the imprint a chance, Kim," she leaned forward to pat my knee. "You won't regret it."

She stood, I silently let her out the door and watched as she walked down the front lawn and out of sight.

Was she right?

She had to be, didn't she? After all, she was an imprint, too, and she and Sam had been through so much together and they always looked happy…

Had I overreacted? Maybe imprinting really was a nudge in the right direction. Jared made me happy and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he felt the same way about me…maybe imprinting was what we needed to finally be together. Imprinting could have made Jared mature enough for us to be together, for him to realize what was right in front of him.

Even when I wanted to hate Jared, I didn't regret our time together. I cared for him even when I shouldn't have, I missed him being around, I felt lost without him…I loved him.

Laughing softly at myself, I shook my head and tugged on the ends of my hair.

I loved him. I loved Jared Cameron.

And not in a teenage crush kind of way that made my stomach soar, but the real, selfless kind of love that I had seen and read about. Jared had had my heart since we were ten-years-old, I wasn't about to take it back now because of a wolf thing that, in the end, really made no sense at all. Jared and I were meant to be, I had known at ten-years-old, and the imprinting had opened Jared's eyes and made our relationship happen a little sooner than I would have without it.

Running my hands over my face, I ran up the stairs and changed into the nearest clothes I could find. Grabbing my car keys, I ran to my car and drove to Jared's house as fast as the law would allow me. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins when I pulled up outside his house. Halfway up his front lawn, the front door opened and Jared stood in the doorframe with dark circles under his eyes and slumped shoulders.

"Jared," I breathed, rushing forward. "How'd you know—?"

"I smelt you," he answered gently. "You have the most amazing scent."

Snorting, I stepped forward. "Jared, I—"

"You don't have to say it, Kim. We can just be friends if that's what you really want—"

"Jared—"

"Just—just go easy on me, okay? If I step out of line spray me with water or something—"

"Jared, I don't want to be friends," I rolled my eyes as his rambling. He looked like he'd stopped breathing. "I want to be with you…as a couple," I admitted shyly. "I—I love you, Jared," I confessed as heat consumed my face. "I want us to be together."

His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He made a croaking noise, ran his hands through his hair and then stared at me again. I started to get nervous, had I said it too soon? Clenching my jaw, I tucked my hands into my pocket and shuffled.

It took him a second to take me into his arms and pull me into a kiss that left me breathless.

"I love you too," he mumbled against my lips.

If I hadn't been putting all my effort into kissing him, I probably would've cried. I had always wanted Jared to say those words to me and they were finally happening.

With that thought, I knotted my fingers into his short hair and moaned.

My fairy-tale had come true.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and remember about the pictures on my profile!

Fair warning, next chapter is a lemon. This story has the rating M for a reason and if you don't like them, I'd just skip near the end of the chapter where there's a little bit of fluff.

Two more chapters left of this story!

-Laylax