Waxing Gibbous

Getting better together (A)

A month.

It's been a month since the Cullen's returned. A month since I for a lack of better terms 'imprinted' on Rosalie. She wasn't an imprint, she was supposed to be my mate, what Emily is to Sam, or my mom was to my dad, what Kim is to Jared.

But she ran away.

That had to hurt more than anything, knowing that she would rather be alone than with me. It was more than a bruised ego, it was... I couldn't explain it.

Of course, Alice had stopped by on many occasions, trying to smooth everything over and become friends again, it was a nice distraction but a painful reminder that my mate didn't want me.

Only one of them, the second was the one right next to me. I quietly stretched my arms before sliding out of the bed. My eyes didn't need time to adjust to the dark light, they were always ready for it.

I found my clothes pretty easily, a pair of jeans, tank top and leather jacket. My blending in clothes. I would stick out like a sore thumb if I showed up anywhere in shorts and a tank top.

Jacob and I spent a lot of time together the first week or so we tried to rebuild the friendship, it almost always ended in a fight.

'she's in love with Edward' 'you're just friends' etc., whatever it was, he hated it. It was causing such an issue that I spent less time with the pack than before, Jacob and I couldn't be around each other at all.

I paused at the door, glancing back at the woman asleep in the bed. I shook my head then walked out the door. Leah was my saving grace.

Leah understood the heartbroken feeling that I had. The two of us were the outcast of the pack. Jacob was fine, he could mope but for some reason Leah and I were a menace.

Well, Leah was. Sam and Jared were more accepting of my pain, though no one really wanted it. But even that was not as bad as Jacob. At least Leah had a relationship with Sam, and I was without my mate.

Of course, when I phased for the first time everyone found out about my mate, worse so they found out about her running away and never coming back. It was like I shared my emotions with them, Quil had mentioned that it was the most depressed he ever felt. Quil who found happiness in the form of my ex-lover. I was happy for him, he was happy. But it only meant another person was happy with their mate while I was alone.

While they were upset that I was upset I could feel the joy leaking through the mind link. I couldn't be sure who, but at least one of them was happy she ran away, that I wasn't currently shacked up with a vampire.

I knew my mom and aunt caught on to it or onto something, they didn't know exactly what was happening but that was normal. I didn't dare tell my mom that on nights she thought I was patrolling I would finish early and spend the night with a woman.

I only went home to shower and change, spend some time with my mom and Eve. Today though I had to hurry so that I wasn't late to the BBQ Emily was hosting.

I pulled up to Sam's a little later than I predicted but it was still light out and there were still a few missing persons. I hoped off the bike just in time to see Emily and her niece Claire. The little on was a bright spot on the group.

"Alex!" she called out gleefully as I stepped out.

"Hey Claire bear" I laughed as she barreled into my legs. "hey, I brought something for you"

She let go of my legs and looked up in glee. I opened the compartment of the bike and pulled out a coloring book, a sketch book, and some crayons.

Claire wrapped her hands around the items and took off running but turned back when Emily saw her.

"tank you"