Imprint.

Four

Dean took a pan from his mother's hands and walked it over to the table. Every time she wanted to walk something from the stove or counter to the table, Dean was there to take it from her and do it for her.

I was putting the silverware down when Dean walked over to me. Worry lines were etched on his forehead. He ducked his head down to speak to me in a low voice.

"She's not giving you a hard time, is she?"

I raised my eyebrows. "No, why would she?"

"She's been talking to Carter since you were gone. I don't know about what but I'm sure your name was mentioned a few times."

I sighed. "I knew someone would talk about me while I was away."

"She was only doing it in your best interest."

I nodded. I knew that Patricia cared about me. Parents always cared about friends of their children. Even Will's parents would talk if I asked.

He patted my shoulder. "We'll get your mind off things."

"Don't you always?"

Patricia walked over to us and put her hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to set the table. You just got here."

"My dorm room didn't have a table. I ate in bed most days. I'm happy to help."

She gave me a squeeze. "We're glad to have you here, Victoria."

Dean sat down  at the table beside me and set a beer in front of me. "Don't let mom see it."

"Dean-" I whispered. I didn't drink in front of anyone's parents. It was weird to me. I couldn't even drink in front of my own mother.

He cut me off, shaking his head back and forth. "Just drink it."

I pushed it over to him. "You can have it."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Don't tell me you didn't let loose in college."

"I didn't."

He stayed silent and took a sip from his own. I knew what he wanted to tell me: You've changed. I was pathetic. I couldn't even have one beer and relax a little?

College didn't change me. Time did. Time away from the boys and Carter and my mother really made me think about myself. I wasn't Will's girlfriend or Will's fiancé anymore. I was just Victoria. V. I needed to figure out who that was.

Patricia sat down on the end beside Dean and Carter chose the end beside me. Bentley sat across from me and whenever he decided to show himself, Gage was left across from Dean.

I leaned over to Dean and lowered my voice. "So why doesn't he ever come out of his room?"

Dean shrugged as if he didn't care. "Beats me. Maybe he doesn't like you."

I rolled my eyes. We hadn't even met so how could he not like me? I wasn't that unlikeable... was I?

Carter walked out first and rolled his eyes at Dean as if he knew what we'd been talking about. With his werewolf hearing, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had.

Gage walked out and I was surprised he looked... normal. He wasn't dirty and his clothes weren't even wrinkled. His light hair stuck out with his dark skin but it blended well. His figure was thin but there were muscles hidden on him, mostly around his arms. Unlike the other three, all of the time, he was clothed.

"Look who finally decided to show his face." Dean said, elbowing me.

I bit my lip to hide the smile that was threatening to appear on my face.

Gage rolled his eyes at Dean then noticed me sitting beside him. And that was... it.

I'd only been imprinted on once. Those things only happened once, didn't they? As far as I knew, they only happened once. I only wanted it to happen once. Why would I need anyone else, anyway? I didn't want to fall in love.

Imprinting was rough. Mostly on the human involved. Not many wolves imprinted on one another. None of us knew why. The human had no control over the situation. At least the werewolf accepted they were a werewolf. The human didn't get much of a chance to accept it as their new normal. I certainly hadn't. It'd taken several weeks to finally be used to it all.

Gage stared at me and it was like everything else disappeared. I knew the feeling Gage was having; Will had told me hundreds of times. He even had it in his vows I'd found after he died. He said it was like every good feeling bundled into one, exploding out of you like sunlight. It made you feel warm and bright and... in love.

I held his gaze for a few seconds before I realized what was going on. I blinked several times before looking just beyond his shoulder. I took three deep breaths before I pushed my chair back from the table and ran out of the house.

I collapsed on the ground by my car, hiding myself from sight. I couldn't breathe... Why couldn't I breathe?

My heart was pounding and my chest and rising and falling like I was having a heart attack. My eyes were filling with tears and I couldn't stop them from falling down my cheeks.

Inside, I could hear Dean, "You go out there and you're a dead man."

Carter walked around the side of the car and sat down beside me. "Do you want me to call mom?"

"Mom's the last person I want to see right now." Maybe not the last person...

He let his head fall back and stared up at the stars above us. "I wish there was some way to control it, you know? Imprint on who you really want to be with."

"I can't do this again."

"You don't have to, V."

I looked at him, my eyebrows raised. "What?"

He looked down at me and his face was serious. "I mean it. You can't reverse the imprint but you stop it from meaning anything."

My brain was telling me to do it and make things easier on myself. But my heart wasn't agreeing. How could I tell someone that imprinted on me to just... ignore their feelings? I wouldn't have done it to Will so why would I do it to Gage?