J X K

The Imprint

Jared's POV

"No! More! Fighting!" Sam's voice explodes inside my head, deep and authoritative like always. My paws hit the ground hard as I come to a four legged halt at the sound of his voice.

"That punk started it!" Paul runs on ahead instead of stopping. He's a blur of earthy beige with hints of dirty blonde patches. The two of us ditched school after Paul got into a argument with some senior who kept insisting why Paul cut his hair and disappeared. By fight, I mean Paul nearly beat the twelfth grader bloody, and almost transformed in front of the entire student body.

We barely made it to the sports field behind the school house when Paul couldn't hold back any longer and transformed. He just needed to run off, maybe break a few tree trunks before he evens out.

It took only Sam five minutes to chase us down. Bigger than both of us, Sam's pitch dark fur is a spot of black as he races after Paul. I lazily pace circles around a tree while Sam makes Paul's anger worse.

"You need to control yourself! You could have exposed all of—Jared, did you imprint?!" Sam stops mid argument just as I picture Kim's face. I couldn't help myself, she's been on my mind her all day.

"You imprinted?!" Paul's voice bursts in my mind, ruining the nice and clear image of Kim I was picturing. Paul's snout crinkles up, something of a deep scoff that as close as possible to a chuckle. "On Kim? Out of all the girls in the world, you imprinted on the one girl obsessed with you?"

"Shut up, Paul." I warn, growling a heavy snarl that makes the birds up in the nearby trees stop chirping.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Cameron." Paul readies for a fight, his fur prickling up as he lowers down to launch for my neck. I snap my muzzle at him, teeth bared and threatening just like my claws.

"What did I just say? No fighting!" Sam roars, this time scaring off the birds, they fly away in a hasty swarm. Paul and I whimper in submission, doing what we're told and backing down. "You two are brothers! We only fight the cold ones, we protect everyone else," Sam snaps his muzzle at Paul, bringing up the human twelfth grader. "and especially not with our brothers! Have some respect, the ancestors chose you for this power! Handle it with some responsibility! It's not for seeing whose the toughest guy!"

"I'll say sorry, if you say sorry." Paul's paws kick at the ground as he softly whines at me. His massive furry head hangs low, with his ears tucked in close, while I know I'm trying to keep my tail from wagging.

Later

The first week after My Change, shifting back into human was harder and harder with every morph. Not because it's painful. The transition itself is natural as stretching. At first I was always scared that I wouldn't be able to change back into human, because with every transformation I didn't want to change back less and less.

That first sudden change? The most terrifying moment of my life. Every time after that? Having the earth under you, all your senses on such an adrenaline high, yet everything makes more sense because every human problem shuts off. It's a powerful, yet peaceful gratification that can't be compared.

Now?

Having Sam's and Paul's voices being a constant in my head is one of the reasons to commit to the change. The second being how I excited I am to see Kim again, and I can't do that while being a wildebeest.

Tugging on my shorts with one fistful, I wipe off the beads of sweat of my face with the back of my other hand. I smirk though the sweat, knowing it's a sign job well done. It's like an endorphin high. Starving, I drop down on the front steps of Sam's and Emily's Porch while I wait for Sam and Paul to catch up, trying to control my growling stomach. Coming out of the underbrush, Paul lowers down next to me on Emily's and Sam's front steps "So, what did it feel like?"

"What did what feel like?" I'm not privy to his thoughts anymore.

"Imprinting."

"Why aren't you asking Sam?" He is our alpha.

"Because I'm asking you." Paul retorts.

"I'll tell you, but you're not gonna get it. Just don't laugh, Lahote." I warn. I heard enough of his shit about Kim already. Needing support, I stretch out on the steps with my head leaned back to rest on the top porch step. I can already feel the goofy grin spreading across my face at just the mention of Kim. "You know how love at first sight everyone is always talking about?"

"Yeah?" I expect Paul to give me a roll of his brown eyes, but he's surprisingly focused.

"It's kind of like that, but also nothing like that." I start, "It's instant, but forever. It's not something new. It's more like I've loved her my entire life already, yet everyday I'm somehow loving her more and more."

"That's..." Paul snorts. "You're right I should have asked Sam."

"I said don't laugh." I jokingly push at him, needing some of my werewolf strength to move him. He clutches his side as he doubles over in a fit of laughter. "You're the one who asked, Lahote."

Kim's POV

"Hey." I nearly drop all my books from my arms when Jared decides to make a stop at my locker before school starts. In actuality, he kind of just appeared out of thin air right as I was about to take off towards my homeroom.

"Hi." I drop against the cool metal locker, trying to regain something of my peaceful morning from a moment ago by trying to think straight. My heart is thundering against my chest so hard it might just leave a nasty bruise against my ribs. I can't remember my last train of thought with Jared so near.

It's still a huge shock that Jared is suddenly on friendlier terms with me.

"Are you up for going out this weekend?" This time I do drop my books. My arms drop first, falling down to my sides just as my books slap against the title at my feet.

"Oh, I'll get those—" Jared rushes to collect my stuff.

"Is this a joke?" I glance around the hall to see if I'll find one of his friends snickering at me. I'm too shock to feel excited. I've wanted this day to happen SO badly, but it feels too out nowhere, too good to be true. The only thing that makes sense is that his friends must have put him up to this to get a good laugh.

"What?" Jared gets up so fast the ends of my hair fly back. The dark look on his face makes me tense up, a sour taste at the tip of my tongue from the sudden seriousness between us.

"No." He firmly protests. "Do you not want to go out with me?" His jaw is tense, with his shoulders hitching up. He towers over me, his fist balled up on his side.

"I've never seen you this angry before." With nowhere else to go, my back lands against my locker. Jared is a lot of things; snarky, flirty, loves making a joke out of everything, and if he doesn't like you, you'll know, but never the type to have a fit of anger.

"Cameron, my man." Speaking of out of nowhere, Paul Lahote throws an arm over Jared's shoulders like they're the best of friends. Nostrils flared, Jared rages like a bull, focusing up at the ceiling.

"Kimberly." Paul adds my name with a strained smirk. Paul starts shoving Jared off "Sorry to interrupt, but I got to steal Jared for a minute."

And I don't see him for the rest of the day.