Imprint.

Eight

I unlocked the front door and pushed it open.

"You wanted to show me a house?" Gage asked, standing on the porch. His hands were in his pockets and his expression was flat. He looked bored.

"It's not just a house." I said, glaring at him. I hated when people told me it was just a house. It wasn't. It was memories and emotions and my life.

"Okay then... why are we here?"

I walked inside and he followed. "This is my house. I'm sure my brother's told you all about it."

"Everyone wanted you to tell me."

I walked into the living room and paused. The blanket on the couch was one from my bed. The one I used the night Will died.

I sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket over me. "Will was in the pack before my brother even turned. I didn't meet him until Carter moved in and he... imprinted. A wolf killed him several months ago and I moved out just two days later. This week was the first time I've been back since."

Gage walked over and sat on the opposite end of the couch. "I remember when Carter said you were moving in to check here. He said that you'd want to see him first."

"I never had any closure. You don't ever really get it when someone dies."

He didn't say anything but I knew that he was watching me. Just letting me get things out.

"I'm sorry I've been so mean. Imprints never go this way, normally." When Will first imprinted, I resented him. I hated the thought of being tied to a werewolf in that way. But overtime I found that he loved me just like I knew he loved me Gage would.

"I didn't make things any easier."

"There's not really much you can do to stop it."

"Do you want me to give you space? I don't want to make you hate me. That's the last thing I want."

I rested my head on the back of the couch. I knew how much pain being apart from an imprint caused a werewolf. It would put too much stress on him emotionally and mentally and I didn't want to be the one to do that to him. "It's gonna take me a while to get used to it."

"I figured you'd be a pro at it by now."

I threw my pillow at him. "I hope you're not making fun of me."

His eyes widened. "What? No, I would never-"

I laughed. "Relax. I get it. Dean would've said the same thing."

"Why didn't you ever... why not him?"

"Dean's like my brother. It'd be too weird."

"Like this is... with us?"

"I don't want it to be. It's bad enough there's tension when my mom's around. I don't need it every time I see you too."

He nodded and looked down at the blanket separating us.

"Do you want a tour of the house?"

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"Why haven't you given the house to your brother?" Gage asked, following me to the kitchen.

"And let him trash the place? No way. I know his cleaning skills and he has none."

"The house doesn't look so bad."

I scoffed. "I spent two whole days cleaning it and it was not clean."

"Right. I remember. I sat in my room for hours, waiting for you to-"

"Waiting for me to what?" I looked back at him, my eyebrow raised.

He exhaled. "I was too nervous to meet you. For good reason, I suppose."

I laughed and walked over the cabinet. The countertop was covered in dust. I opened the cabinet beside the fridge and pulled out two cans of soup. "Is soup okay? Everything else went bad."

"You don't have to make anything."

"It's not just for you. I haven't eaten since this morning."

I opened the cabinet to the bowls and came face to face with a mouse. It's black eyes held mine and I screamed. I slammed the cabinet shut and jumped back.

Gage laughed. "It won't hurt you." He reached for the cabinet door but I slapped his arm.

"Don't touch it! What if it has rabies or something?"

"I probably have rabies."

I rolled my eyes.

He opened the door and pulled out several stacks of bowls, setting them all on the counter. He reached toward the back and when he pulled his arm out, the mouse was in his hand.

I took several steps back. "Just get rid of it."

"You can live with wolves but one little mouse scares you?"

"I'd rather be afraid of a mouse than a person." I shot back.

He sighed. "Fair enough. Let me get rid of it."