Leah glanced at the clock. She and Ian had made plans to study for their upcoming exams together.
It wasn't even four o'clock, but she could barely contain herself. It was like Ian was calling for her across the campus. Like something inside was tugging her, pulling her in his direction. Memories of the night before consumed her thoughts. Leah couldn't contain herself any longer. She jumped off her bed and headed towards the door, barely remembering to grab her bag for their "study" date. She remembered the way he held her close. The way he said her name when his lips weren't pressed against hers. Leah's heart sped up at the memory.
As soon as her feet hit the sidewalk, she was jogging towards Greek Row. Before she had even made it to the corner, she slowed to a walk. Something felt wrong. The pull that had lured her out the door was now telling her that she was going the wrong way. She looked around at her surroundings. This was definitely the correct direction.
The voice inside of her said otherwise. Yes, this was the correct path to the frat house, but this wouldn't lead her to him... She knew she wouldn't find him there. Leah looked around, hoping to be able to spot him.
Leah froze.
The realization hit her like an anchor, tethering her to the ocean floor. She recognized this feeling from the memories of her pack brothers. It was like gravity.
She wasn't looking for Ian, she was looking for HIM. The man who would be her everything. Her reason for existence. Her light in the dark. Her everything. Her imprint. He was here.
"No," Leah muttered to herself. "No no no, this can't be happening. Not now."
Leah turned back the way she came. Yes! The voice rejoiced. This was the way.
It took all her willpower to keep her eyes locked down on the sidewalk in front of her. They fought against her, yearning to scan the surroundings for a glimpse of him.
She didn't know who he was, but he was between her and her sanctuary. A war raged inside of her as she fought against the imprint. She broke into a sprint. She felt like she was running in slow motion. She stared down at the sidewalk passing by beneath her feet.
She didn't hesitate before launching herself into the busy intersection, not even daring to look up to check the crosswalk. Leah didn't have time to register the sound of screeching brakes before she felt the impact. A car collided with her from the right side. She heard a crunch as a bone snapped. She rolled across the hood of the vehicle before falling to the ground. She looked up to register the green Corolla that had hit her before dropping her gaze again. A sharp pain shot through her side. Her body protested as she pulled herself up from the asphalt immediately.
"Hey!" The driver of the car called out.
Leah ignored her. She had to keep going. He was closer than he'd ever been before, she could feel it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she made it back to the house. She threw herself inside and slammed the door shut.
She crumbled to the ground. Her heart pounded in her chest. Each breath she took sent a wave of sharp pain through her broken rib. She ignored the pain. It would heal within a couple of hours. Her whole body was quivering. She felt like she was about to explode. She closed her eyes and focused on holding herself together.
All she could see was Ian's face behind her closed lids. She held onto the image of his smiling face. A tear escaped from her eye.
She growled in frustration. Why did it have to be now? A few months ago, she had been waiting, yearning to imprint–to have some kind of happily ever after. She'd finally accepted that Prince Charming wasn't coming. She built happiness in her own way, on her own terms. Now, a stranger was going to take everything away from her.
"Leah?" Seth called from upstairs.
She didn't respond. She wasn't sure if she could move without exploding. He came down the stairs.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Kat followed close behind wearing one of Seth's hoodies.
Leah shook her head.
"What happened?" Kat asked.
Leah was silent for a minute before responding.
"I imprinted," she answered numbly. Kat looked at Seth for guidance on how to respond.
"Oh," Seth answered calmly. "Who?"
Leah shook her head slowly and shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see him, but I can feel it. He's nearby, it's like I'm being drawn to him."
Seth thought for a second before responding. "Do you want us to try and help you find him?"
Leah shook her head. "I don't want to find him."
She pulled herself off the ground and headed up the stairs. Seth and Kat followed close behind.
"If he gets away, you might not find him again," Seth said.
"Good," Leah said. She knew it wasn't fair. She knew she'd feel differently if she met him, but at the moment, she loathed the unknown man with every fiber of her being. She hated him. She hated that she would love him.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Seth glanced at Kat with pure bliss and adoration.
Leah couldn't deny, the idea was tempting. It would be so easy to walk out the door and track him down.
She thought about Jacob and Quil. She imagined herself chasing after an entitled brat who could care less about her own emotions. Her stomach twisted in revolt at the thought.
One thing was for sure, she could never let herself be in a normal relationship. It wouldn't be fair to Ian–or any other guy–to ask for his heart when she knew hers was predestined for another.
She could wait out her imprint. In less than a century, he would be dead and buried. Her heart ached at the thought.
"I don't really know, but I don't want to find him right now," Leah said as she sat on her bed. "I want to talk to Ian first."
"What are you going to tell him?" Kat asked. She sat beside Leah.
"I have to break up with him," Leah said.
Her heart wrenched as she thought about the agony that she was about to put him through. She remembered how she'd felt when Sam put her in the same position.
A sharp knock at the door caused Leah to jump. She shot Seth a panicked look.
"I'll get it," Seth said. He pulled the door shut behind him and bounded down the stairs.
Leah nodded and pulled her curtains shut tight. She curled up in a ball on the edge of her bed and strained her ears as the front door creaked open.
"Hey, Lizzie," Seth greeted.
Leah breathed a sigh of relief as a feminine voice answered.
Leah pulled out her phone and stared at it.
Kat frowned. "Are you sure you can't talk to him in person?"
Leah shook her head. "I want to talk to Ian now, while I'm still me. I can't risk leaving…"
She couldn't escape the feeling of urgency. He was closer than ever before.
"What do you mean by that?" Kat said.
The question caught Leah off guard. "Seth explained imprinting to you, didn't he?"
"He did, but he didn't say anything about not being himself," Kat said.
Leah realized what Kat was asking. "No, I didn't mean it like that… imprinting changes our priorities. I don't want to be thinking of anyone else when I talk to Ian."
Kat didn't seem satisfied by that response but didn't push further.
Leah's fingers moved numbly across the buttons as she made the call. A small part of her hoped he'd let the call go to voicemail.
"Hello?" Ian answered.
"Hey, Ian," her voice shook. She was grateful he couldn't see her face. Kat squeezed her hand in support.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked.
Leah took a deep breath. "The night after our first date… at the bar… Do you remember what I told you?"
"At the fraternity house?" Ian said. "I don't know, you said you were going to stay the night, then you ran off. Why?"
"Before that," Leah choked out. The tears were streaming down her cheeks.
The line went silent as Ian struggled to put the pieces together.
"You said you might have to leave… And you wouldn't be able to explain why," Ian recalled.
Hearing him say the words hurt more than if she'd said them herself. She opened her mouth to respond but no sound came out.
"Leah what's going on?" Ian demanded. "You sound like somebody has a gun to your head."
"I'm sorry," Leah replied. "We can't be together anymore."
"What are you saying?" Ian said.
"Ian, I'm so sorry," she apologized again. "This is for the best, believe me. You have no idea how badly I wish things could've been different."
"I'm coming over," Ian said. She could hear the rustling in the background as he dropped whatever he was doing and hurried to leave.
"I tried to warn you," Leah said.
"Yeah, I know you did. I didn't think it would be like this," Ian said.
"What did you expect?" Leah said.
"I don't know, I thought you were going to enlist or go into witness protection or something," Ian rambled. He stopped for a moment. "Wait, are you going into witness protection?"
"No, no it's nothing like that," Leah assured him.
"Then what is it? What changed?" Ian said.
"I can't explain, but we can't be together anymore," she said.
"No," Ian responded. "You're not breaking up with me. And you're sure as hell not going to break up with me over the phone. I'll be at your house in five minutes."
"That's not how this works," Leah could almost laugh at his stubbornness.
"Tell me this is what you want," Ian demanded. "Tell me you want to break up with me."
"This is for the best," Leah said.
"That's not what I said," Ian growled.
"This is what I want," she choked on the lie.
"I don't believe you," Ian said.
"You're not going to change my mind," Leah said.
"Then you're going to have to figure out how to change mine," Ian said. "The past three months, everything has been perfect and now you're going to try to tell me this is what you want? That's bull and you know it."
"Ian, there's nothing you can do," Leah said. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"Then tell me what's going on!" Ian shouted into the phone.
"I can't," Leah's words were barely more than a whisper.
"Fine, whatever. I'll talk to you when I get to your house," Ian snapped. The call went dead.
Leah lowered the phone from her ear. Kat wrapped Leah in a hug.
She wasn't sure when, but at some point, during the conversation, Leah's resolve against her imprint started to ebb away. She wasn't going to let this heartbreak be for nothing.
She was going to get her happy freaking ending, one way or another. Mr. Right better be Mr. Perfect.
Not yet though. She had to wait for Ian first. She wanted to speak to him one last time before her heart was divided. She owed him that much, even if she couldn't give him an explanation.
Seth came into the room. "You got hit by a car?"
Kat looked at Leah with concern.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Leah wiped away a tear.
"Well, that was Lizzie. She followed you here to make sure you were okay," Seth said.
She could hear a set of footsteps coming up the steps.
"Yeah, sorry," Leah called out to Seth. "I ran out in front of her car—"
Leah met Lizzie's soft brown eyes as she came into view on the stairs.
In that single moment, everything changed.
Leah felt like she was floating. Everything in her life—Ian, her pack, her plans, her goals, even gravity itself—seemed to slip away. But she couldn't float away. As quickly as she started drifting, a new tether formed, anchoring her. New hopes and dreams formed, replacing the old. She'd never been more sure of her own future.
It was like gravity. She'd seen the sensation recalled in the minds of her pack brothers. Experiencing it for herself was every bit as strong as she knew what it would be.
Leah rose from the ground subconsciously, pulled by her new sense of purpose–towards her new reason for existing.
"Are you okay, Leah?" Lizzie asked.
Leah's heart skipped a beat. The sound of her own name sounded like a symphony of angels.
"Never better," Leah replied to Lizzie.
There was no Mr. Perfect. There never would be. It was Lizzie. Her imprint.
Kat gasped as she took in Leah's starry-eyed expression.
"Oh, sh–" Kat smacked her hand over her mouth. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between Lizzie and Leah.
Leah ignored her.
"I'm going to call the police so we can submit a report—" Lizzie said.
"No," Leah said. "I'm fine, really. We don't need to get them involved."
Lizzie looked at her suspiciously. "I don't know, I don't want to get charged with a hit and run…"
"Well, I think I'm the one who ran," Leah joked.
Lizzie didn't laugh. Leah chastised herself. Why did she say that? Now is clearly not the time for jokes!
"I'm okay," Leah insisted. "Really."
"You've been crying," Lizzie observed.
Leah touched her cheek. "Oh, I just broke up with my boyfriend," Leah said, sure to emphasize that she was now available.
A loud banging at the door interrupted their conversation. There was no mistaking who it would be.
Kat shot Leah one final look before sneaking out of Leah's room. She crept down the hall and hid in Seth's room. Kat was Ian's best friend. If he caught her here with Leah, it would only magnify the betrayal.
"That's probably him," Leah said to Lizzie. "He didn't take it very well."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I give you my number? You can call me if you want to submit a report," Lizzie said.
"Yeah, I think that's a great idea," Leah said. She got a pen and a Post-It note from her desk to give to Lizzie.
She could hear Seth getting the door downstairs.
Seth answered the door. "Hey Ian, now's not a good time—"
"Where's Leah?" Ian demanded.
"I should probably go," Lizzie said.
Leah forced herself to nod. It took all her willpower to let her walk away.
Ian's eyes locked on her as he ascended the steps. His hands were balled into fists.
"Ian I'm so sorry," Leah said. She wished she could have given him her full attention, but she couldn't deny the gravity pulling her downstairs after Lizzie.
Ian scanned the room. He looked like he was genuinely searching for some kind of hostage situation. Finding nothing, all the anger seemed to melt away as his icy blue eyes settled on her. His hands relaxed from their fists as he rose them to her face.
"Leah, tell me what's going on? What happened?" he pleaded as he stroked her cheek. "This isn't you."
"I just want you to know, I never wanted things to end like this. Please believe me, this is for the best," Leah said. She expected him to beg and plead, just as he had on the phone. In the few minutes since she had hung up with him, everything had changed. He felt it too.
Ian dropped his hands from her body.
"Are you sure?" Ian asked. "This is what you want?"
Leah nodded, "This is for the best."
"That's not what I asked," Ian said in a shaky voice, repeating the same line he'd said on the phone.
Leah took a deep breath, "I want to break up."
He stepped back and took a long, hard look at her. He believed her. It broke her heart that her certainty was so plain on her face. She loved him. In their three months together, neither dared to utter those three little words. Oh, how she wished she could say them now. Despite their truth, she knew they would only hurt him further.
"I want you to know, this isn't your fault. There's nothing you could've done—"
"Stop," Ian cut her off. "I get it. 'It's not you, it's me.' I've heard it before. I really can't handle hearing it again. Not now."
"I'm sorry," Leah said. "I never wanted it to end like this."
"And yet, you saw this coming from the start," he spat. "Have a nice life, Leah."
"Ian!" Leah called after him, but he was gone. He pulled the door shut roughly behind him.
The deed was done. Her biggest fear had come to fruition, and yet, she had no grief for their lost future together.
Nothing could shake the certainty she had in the next chapter of her life.
She had no idea where her life was going, but as long as she had Lizzie, she knew everything would work out… somehow.
Chapter Playlist:
IDK You Yet - Alexander 23 - Leah
All I Wanted - Paramore - Leah
Arcade - Duncan Laurence - Leah
Can't Help Falling in Love (Dark) - Tommee Profitt - Leah
Call My Name - Cheryl - Leah
Enchanted (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift - Leah
Goodbye in her Eyes - Zac Brown Band - Ian
A Soulmate Who Wasn't Meant to Be - Jess Benko - Ian
Another Love - Tom Odell - Leah
The beginning of this chapter wasn't working for me so I gave up and skipped ahead in the timeline. Sorry...
Also... I'm considering shelving this project. I don't write for enjoyment, I create content for community. I'm proud of what I've accomplished in this past year, but all in all, I've found writing to be a very lonely hobby. This project has been far more labor intensive than my other content and yields significantly less engagement in return. After the next chapter, I'm going to be taking a break to focus on other content. I know myself well enough to know I cannot guarantee a return to this project.
