Early Imprint [Book 3] ✔️

19 • Eating Crow

QUIL'S POV

I woke up the next day feeling sick...literally sick. I had an upset stomach and severe headache. It was worse than any hangover I had ever had. Worse, my entire body felt like it had been beaten by a crowbar. My hand, which I had broken last night when I'd punched that boulder, throbbed painfully. It should have healed by now.

I knew the legends said that wolves couldn't hurt their imprints. The legends should have been more specific. You could hurt them, but it wasn't advisable because you felt like absolute shit the next day.

Like anyone who suffered from a hangover, I thought about the previous night's events and winced. I had been completely out of control in my anger with Claire. She had a right to date and kiss anyone she wanted. Just because the idea of her doing exactly that made me want to get up and punch something, didn't mean she couldn't explore her options.

I crawled slowly out of bed, wincing the entire time. I sat on the edge of the mattress trying not to move. It felt like tiny jackhammers were pounding all over my head...hell, all over my body. If I hadn't been in such a rage last night, I probably would have doubled over in pain the moment I yelled at Claire. Sighing, I put my head in my hands.

Claire. How was I ever going to make up for what I did and said to her? Would she even want to speak to me again after the way I behaved? How could I do that to her?

No one else had ever behaved like that towards their imprint. They had fallen instantly in love and had their happy ever after. Sam, Paul, Jared, all of them. Not one of them ever went through what I was dealing with.

Well...except for Jacob who had also imprinted on a kid, but he didn't really count as going through what I was because Nessie had aged so quickly. And Embry wasn't exactly living his happy ever after, but at least he imprinted on an adult. And I guess Collin didn't really count either as dealing with the same problems that I had, because Lindsey was almost legal. It wasn't like he had had to go through the long, painful process of transitioning from big brother to best friend to whatever the hell stage we were in now. The only one that might have an inkling of what I felt was Ryan.

Because like his relationship with Gracie, I had waited years for Claire. I felt so mixed up inside it was unreal. I didn't know if I was still feeling so overprotective because I wanted to look after her like I had done since she was a toddler. Or was it because of something more? Was I finally falling in love with her?

All I knew was that my average day was determined on whether I got to see Claire or not. If I didn't see her, it was the worst day possible. If I got to see her, then it was the best day I ever dreamed of. Just being around her, breathing in her sweet scent and seeing her smile, was enough to lift any mood I was in. I needed to be around Claire like I needed to breathe air or drink water. I needed her in my life.

But there was nothing unusual with that. I had always needed to be near Claire. So how could I tell if I was falling in love? Like my grandfather said, I couldn't force it; it would just someday hit me. So maybe the fact that I felt so confused was because I wasn't in love with her yet? The one thing I couldn't discount was the fact that the idea of anyone but me touching Claire was enough to drive me insane. Sighing, I made my way slowly out of my bed and into the bathroom for a shower.

No matter how I felt, I knew one thing for sure. I wasn't going to be able to function until I spoke with Claire again. Ironic that the one person causing all the confusion in me was the one person I wanted to speak with most. Anytime either of us had a problem, we'd talk it out with each other. Whether it was something simple or something complex, Claire and I always had turned to each other. Perhaps if I just talked to her about my feelings, she'd be able to help me sort them out.