It was originally called, "The Hothead and The Lonely." This story is still up but this is going to be fixed in the ways I feel it should. It will have a better plot, characters, character relationships, etc.
Edward wasn't lonely before he met Bell...
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Artemis quickly made her way from the clearing after that. She just needed a moment to breathe. Her heart beat quickly in her chest. Her hand quickly made its way to her chest, taking in a deep breath.
She was trying to focus on her breathing. The leaves under her feet, the cool wet hair whipping around her. And maybe Artemis didn't need to breathe but it really felt like she couldn't at the moment.
Artemis spun on her feet when she heard a twig snap. She smiled when she saw it was Paul who had followed her.
"Are you okay?" Paul asked as he walked closer to her.
Artemis nodded her head quickly. "I am now."
"Do you mind if I join you?" Paul asked, a nervous look on his face. Everything about his posture screamed hopeful.
"I would love for your company." Artemis told him. Paul turned to the side and held his arm out to her. Artemis placed her arm through his and joined them together.
They walked in silence for a while. It was peaceful. Paul's mind felt like it was going a million miles an hour. He knew he had to tell her. She deserves to know she was an imprint and what that means.
Needs to know Paul didn't expect anything from her because no matter how much his heart beat for her it was still her life. He would dictate her life even if it would kill him for her to walk away because in the end he would rather be miserable and her be happy than her be with him and be miserable.
She was her own person, she belonged to herself before anyone else and Paul would never ask anything less from her.
What if she hated him? Paul wondered, swallowing harshly. His thoughts were interrupted by Artemis. "Paul, are you okay?" Paul nodded as he cleared his throat.
"Yeah. I'm uh, I'm fine." Paul cursed himself in his mind. He stuttered. He's never stuttered before. Artemis laughed gently and turned her head away from him to look in front of the two. Cute, Artemis thought.
She cut off her own thoughts. She keeps doing this to herself. Every time she's with Paul. All this was going to do was hurt her.
"I'm not fine actually." Paul suddenly spoke up. "Because I need to talk to you. And it's really important." Artemis nodded even though her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest.
"What is it?" Artemis found herself asking. Paul took a deep breath before stopping the two of them from walking anymore.
"Us shifters do this thing called imprinting. It's very important and sacred. It's like our imprint becomes the thing we breathe for. Our own personal center of gravity. It's not like love at first sight, really. And losing an imprint is like losing yourself. Imprints are very important to the pack and are protected first before anyone else." Paul stated.
"And you have imprinted?" Artemis asked. She could hear her heart in her ears as she looked at him. Paul nodded, Artemis removed her arm from his taking a step back. "Who?"
"You, Artemis." Paul told her. "It felt wrong to keep it from you. Imprints don't have to turn into a relationship. It can be a friendship. I'll be anything that you need me to be."
Artemis nodded as she tried to wrap her mind around what an imprint is. Paul was so nice. He was perfect. Everything about him was perfect. He was like sunshine in a bottle. Artemis has ruined everything good in her life since she was turned.
Everything sweet turned sour in her grasp. Every bit of sunshine had turned dark under her gaze. She ruined things. She ruined people. And just like she had ruined Edward she would ruin Paul.
Paul was like her own personal sunshine. He always knew what to say. Somehow always knew when to come and save her. Paul gently grabbed Artemi's hand, he held it loosely as he looked into her eyes.
"Say something. Please." His tone held a hint of begging. And when Artemis looked into his eyes, truly looking, she saw fear.
He looked at her like she had hung his moon and stars. Like she was the reason the world spun. And if she had understood the imprint to him she was. Artemis took a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart before she said anything.
"I don't know what to say. This imprint means we'll have to rely on one another. And every time I let myself rely on someone they end up leaving." Artemis rambled.
Paul shook his head, his hand tightening its hold on her. "That would never happen. This imprint simply assures it." Paul told her.
"/You don't understand Paul, I'm a monster." Paul shook his head.
"Don't say that." Paul told her gently, tears shining in the corners of his eyes.
"It's true." She whispered to him. "That's what I am. I am a monster created by other monsters. I was created to kill Paul. And That's what I did. I killed on orders. I killed because I had the power to do so. Even worse, I liked the power." Artemis said, trying to remove her hand from his.
Paul simply tightened his hold and placed her hand on his chest over where his heart was. "I don't care what you've done in the past."
"That's the problem Paul, you should care. You should be trying to be me at the stake." Artemis told him.
"I am not going anywhere." Paul stated, gently placing his hand on the side of her face. "You're stuck with me."
Artemis smiled slightly at him. "What a shame." Paul laughed at that, Artemis quickly joining in a second later.
"Please just don't push me away." Paul asked quietly when they had calmed down.
"I won't push you away." Artemis told him. Paul smiled at her, taking her hand in his, letting it fall between the two of them as they continued to walk.
Artemis's heart sped up, everything would change she realized. But she had been told of imprints before. Edward had found the information tucked away in one of their heads. She understood it to a certain level.
No imprint had ever rejected a shifter before to her knowledge. It was sacred in every form of the word. It was something you didn't just share with people but the one person who was your soulmate.
Artemis wasn't sure she believed in soulmates but to her imprints seemed as close as you could get to one. Artemis sighed as she took in the forest.
Sorry for not updating more, I've been going to school and cheering after school and on weekends. Hope you enjoyed the story.
