Sorry I disappeared for so long. Enjoy the new chapter...

Brady POV

"Get up,"

I groaned as someone pulled open the curtains in my bedroom.

"Come on man. It's been three days."

Pulling the duvet above my head I tried to block out the sunlight. The whole reason I had moved in with Colin was to stop my Mom from harassing me in the mornings, but he just seemed to have taken over the role.

"Fuck off Colin."

"Seriously man. Have you even eaten?"

Of course he had brought reinforcements. Pulling the duvet tighter around me I counted at least three different pairs of footsteps walking around my room.

"You've missed three patrols man. Jake is an hour away from hauling your ass out of bed himself."

I didn't care. What was the point?

All I could think about were her eyes. Her bottomless brown eyes that had sucked me into her world from the moment I had seen them. She plagued every one of my thoughts.

I thought about the last time I had seen her. Those eyes so wide and apologetic as that slimeball had taken her hand in his before dragging her out of the door. Wisps of brown hair had been escaping from her simple ponytail, a pile of textbooks under her arm. She was so tiny, so breakable.

"Right. Enough is enough."

I growled under my breath as someone tugged the duvet from around me.

"Dammit," I hissed as my bare back hit connected with the cold, wooden flooring. They could at least have given me some warning.

"Don't any of you have anything better to do?" I mumbled getting to my feet. Colin smirked at me as he held up a case of beer. Seth and Embry nodded their heads almost in sync.

"We have many better things to be doing, but we thought you might like beer too."

"Dude. I just woke up."

"Dude," Seth mocked me before pointing at my alarm clock, "It's four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Well shit."

"You need to stop moping," Embry tossed me a can before turning his back and walking towards the kitchen, "You're boring when you mope."

"I'm. Not. Moping."

"Yeah, you kind of are," Seth shrugged his shoulders as he glanced sympathetically at me, "but I don't really blame you."

Typical Seth. Always the peace keeper.

"I just-" I ran my hands through my hair as I sat at the kitchen table, "I just needed some time to think."

"I know you take a while to think but three days is kind of alot," Colin smirked. I didn't even have the energy to joke with him. Sighing, I opened my beer and took a long swig.

"What did you decide?" Embry probed.

"I-I don't know," I coughed to hide the rough edge to my voice, "I mean fuck. It's not as if he's just some random guy, he's her fiancee. How do you even compete with that?"

"But you're her soulmate," Seth shrugged as if he didn't understand the problem, "There's no competition."

I circled my finger around the rim of my can as I glared at the table.

God. It was so freaking painful to think of her being with anyone else, to think of another person touching her, of sharing her life. She was mine, but-

"If she's happy, how can I destroy that?" My voice was hollow. None of them would understand. I hadnt even understood a week previously. The thought of upsetting my imprint, of her being in pain physically tore at the muscles in my chest, it was so painful to think of her being hurt. I would rather face a coven of angry vampires every day of the week, than see her even in the slightest bit of pain.

"You need to fight," Colin punched me lightly on the shoulder, as if trying to knock some sense in me, "You're Brady. You don't give up."

I didn't. Normally.

"One thing is for sure. You can't go on the way you have been, you need to get out."

"The girls have been worried sick about you," Embry told me, "Emily has made a batch of your favourite muffins. She whacked me with that bloody wooden spoon for going near them the other day."

I wasn't even hungry. Normally the thought of Emily's cooking would of had me running straight for the front door, but it was as if my appetitie had shrunk.

"What did you tell them all?" I asked instead.

"We told them that Jade was lovely," I winced as Colin said her name, "but that she was involved with someone right now. We didn't mention the marriage factor, but I think Kim might have gotten it out of Jared the other day."

"Great." The whole pack would know my business within minutes, Jared could never keep anything to himself.

I wanted it to be easy. I wanted to take her on a date. I wanted to kiss her lips over and over. I wanted to hear her laughter. I just wanted her.

I sighed, taking another gulp of my beer.

"I hate to break it to you but you're on double patrols all next week," Colin attempted to change the subject as I reached for another can.

"Jake's an ass."

"Hey," Seth whacked me on the shoulder, "Jake is just doing his job."

"Well-"

I paused as I heard a light knock at the door. Nobody ever knocked. The only people who ever visited were the pack, and their imprints, and none of them had any manners between them.

"Colin I swear if you've invited girls or something round to cheer me up I will personally kick you in the balls," I grumbled as I made my way towards the door. It was exactly the type of thing he would do. Why couldn't he just let me wallow in my own self pity? I only wanted-

"Oh." My thoughts stopped mid ramble as I flung the door open. Her scent engulfed me; she was wearing some sort of vanilla scented shampoo, and the salty smell of the sea seemed to cling to her as if she had just come from the beach.

"Jade?"

She looked as if she was about to retreat at any second. Her eyes were wide and bright as they darted between me and the hallway that led back to the stairs. She was wearing a pink parka that seemed about two sizes too big for her, and her long brunette hair had become knotted in the wind.

God. She was so damn beautiful.

"Sorry. I just-" She faltered, staring at her sandy red converse, "I hope you don't mind, I asked around for your address and I came and-"

"Of course I don't mind." My hand ached to reach out and pull her closer towards me. She looked so cold, I could warm her up in seconds.

"It's just-" she wrung her hands infront of her as if struggling to find words. How had I not realised how shy she was before? I kept silent, wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Brady?" Colin came clambering down the hall behind me followed by Embry and Seth, "Who's there? Did I order pizza and forget again?"

I gritted my teeth. Jade took a small step back, her eyes growing even wider as she took in the three massive guys behind me.

"Who's this?" Embry was grinning as he peeked over my shoulder. I growled at him under my breath. He better not be flirting with her, I would have him pinned up against the wall in seconds if he even thought about it.

"Oh," Jade take another step back, "If you're busy I can just come back another time. I-"

"No," my voice came out panicked, my hand reached out to hold her arm, "No. It is not a bad time at all."

"Ohh, so this is Jade," Seth's voice was no more than a whisper behind me but I heard it none the less. I was going to kill them.

"Maybe we should leave Brady to it?" Colin suggested backing away, "Let's play some Fifa?"

I let out a shaky breath as the guys retreated back down the hallway. It was then I remebered why I kept Colin around, we were two sides of the same coin.

"They seem...big," Jade managed, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her. I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me, and I heard the guys chuckling from the other room. Damn wolf hearing.

"Nah," I shrugged, "They're not that big. I'm definitely the tallest."

"If you say so," she smirked. She actually smirked.

"Hey!" I laughed.

It was only then that I realised I still had my hand on her arm. Her arm looked so pale beside my tanned skin. Her eyes also flickered to my hand with a frown. She coughed, taking a step away from my hand, putting a wall up between us again.

"Anyway," she coughed again avoiding my gaze, "I-I just came to give you this."

I stayed silent as she delved into her pocket before holding out some crumpled money in my direction. I shook my head refusing to take it.

"I told you it was on the house," I tried to smile at her, but she looked so damn serious all of a sudden. I wanted her to be happy to be around me. I didn't want to be paid for doing things that made her life easier.

"Look, I know that's what you said, but I'd just be more comfortable if you took the money. Matt," I flinched as she said his name, "said the job you did was amazing, and it must have cost you."

I shrugged, and shook my head.

"It was just stuff I have lying around the garage," I lied, "No biggie."

She took a deep breath before her bottomless brown eyes finally met mine.

"It would just make me more comfortable," she whispered, "And Matt," she added as an almost afterthought.

"We're friends." Friends was a totally inaccuratte word, but it would have to do, "Friends do favours for each other."

"I didn't even know you last week, we're not friends."

I frowned.

"Well, I'm a really friendly guy, once you meet me you've got no choice but to be my friend."

Her lips curled up at the corners into an almost smile. Yes.

"Friends hang out with each other and-"

"We can hang out."

"Not what I meant," she sighed, exasperated. I couldn't help but laugh slightly. She was working herself into a right state.

"Does Matt," the name felt sour in my mouth, "Does he not let you have male friends?"

"Of course he does."

"Then what's the issue?" I knew what the issue was. She could feel it, the magic, of course she could. Every inch of my body ached to touch her. The electricty that sizzled between us was undeniable. She had to be able to feel it, there was no way she was ignorant to the imprint. She was just fighting it with everything in her because she was so damn loyal, and nice.

"There is no issue," she finally said defeated.

"Then let's use that money to hang out and buy pizza if you're so determined to pay me?"

Jade closed her fist tighter around the bundle of money as she searched for something to say. Her phone went off in her back pocket, but she ignored it.

"In a group?" She said finally, her voice wary.

I tried to keep the frown from my face. I would do whatever she wanted, whatever she needed to feel comfortable.

"Of course," I smiled.

Some of the tension seemed to disappear from her body at my words. Was she really that afraid of spending time alone with me?

"Okay. Good," she was almost talking to herself, "When?"

That was when a full blown grin took over my face.

"Well, there's no time like the present, is there?" She looked caught of guard as I gently grabbed her elbow and pulled her over the thresehold and into the apartment.

"Oh. I don't know. I-"

"Look," I tilted her face up so she was forced to look at me, "If you leave right now, I have no way of knowing if you're ever coming back," her eyes were shining, "Did you have plans tonight?"

"No, but-"

"Then it's settled," I laughed tugging her gently down the hallway.

"Guys," I shouted, "Looks like we have a dinner guest."

I genuinely couldn't decide if Jade looked terrified or excited about the situation. It was definitely going to be an interesting night.

Thoughts?