Imprinted (Progress), Sara Imes [essential reading txt] 📗

get it. Seth, on the other hand, kissed Hayden with a certain fragileness, like she was a precious china and would break easily if he was too rough with her. Jake made a noise deep in his throat. Hayden felt Jake’s hand on the bottom of her shirt.

Do I really love Jake? Can I really do this? What about Seth? What would he do if he saw me and Jake like this? Hayden pushed those thoughts away violently. Hayen placed her hand on Jake’s chest, over his heart. He didn’t have a heartbeat, and if Hayden wasn't half human, she wouldn’t have one either. Jake lifted her up suddenly, wrapping his arms around her back. Jake’s skin was ice cold, making Hayden shiver. Jake, didn’t think her shivering was from the cold, though. He erased all space between them and kissed her deeply, running his hands roughly through her hair.

Chapter Twenty Seven

“This is a very bad idea”, Dylan was saying to Seth. Seth, determined that Hayden wasn’t faking those two kisses and had feelings for him, was climbing up the side of the house to Hayden’s open window. Seth wouldn’t listen. “Just stay here, Dylan”. He wanted Hayden to admit that she had feeling for him. Admit that she loved him, like he loved her. Seth was halfway up her window now. Almost there. Almost to Hayden. Seth then reached the window sill. He raised himself into the room and landed silently. Then he froze.

The sight before him made thousands of emotions go through him. Sadness, betrayal, hurt, heartbreak, anger. Anger. Hayden was is Jake’s arms, his arms securely wrapped around her back. Hayden’s head was thrown back, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, her hair like a black waterfall down her shoulder. Jake was kissing her neck softly. Seth felt rage like a burning fire rise in his body.

He felt his eyes turn red, his nails turn into claws, his black fur grow back onto his arms and face. He let out a low growl. Hayden’s head snapped up and turned to the window, where Seth was standing. “Seth!”, she said, surprised. She pulled her slightly drawn up shirt back down and scrambled out of Jake’s arms, toward him. Jake was staring at Seth, with the same cocky smirk on his lips. That only made Seth angrier. So angry when Hayden touched his arm softly he pushed her. Hard.

Hayden went flying against the wall across the room. She hit the wall hard and came crumbling down, unmoving. “Hayden!”, Jake got off the bed and ran over to Hayden’s body. Before he could reach her, Seth grabbed him by the shoulder and flung him back, making him hit the window and fall out of it. He heard a loud thud. At that point, Seth wasn’t controlling himself, only the wolf part of him was. And that part of him said to kill Jake. To destroy anything standing in between him and Hayden. Seth walked over to the window and jumped out of it. He landed right beside Jake’s writhing and shaking body.

He grabbed Jake by the back of the throat and slammed him into the ground hard, over and over again. Harder each time until he was suddenly pulled back by a hand. He turned on that hand when he was kicked back into a tree, making the wood splinter and crack under him. It was Dylan. Kneeling over Jake, his hand on his throat, at his pulse. Seth shook his head, his claws turning back into nails, his eyes turning back to its regular color.

Dylan walked back over to Seth, anger coloring his face. “What were you thinking Seth! You nearly killed him! What happened up there anyway?”, Dylan asked angrily. Seth looked to Dylan, his eyes slightly glazed over. “He..he was kissing Hayden’s neck...I got so angry I-”, Seth suddenly sucked in a cold breath. Hayden. He was so angry he threw Hayden across the room, making her hit the wall and lay on the ground, not moving. Seth was on his feet then, jumping back up to Hayden’s window, Dylan yelling after him. Hayden was still laying on the floor, still not moving.

Seth ran to her. Falling down beside her, turning her over so that her face was showing. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, making her hair sticky with blood. “Hayden!”. Seth was holding Hayden close to his chest, tears suddenly stabbing the back of his eyes, threatening to spill out. “Oh God. What have I done?”. The tears then started to spill. Spilling rapidly down his cheeks down to Hayden’s face.

Seth started to rock her back and forth. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. It was Dylan. “Come on. She’s fine, just knocked unconscious. We can take her back to the cabin.”. Seth nodded, taking Hayden into his arms and walked back to window, jumping down gracefully. Dylan jumped down next and looked at Jake, still lying unconscious. “We should hurry before he wakes up”. Seth nodded and started walking into the woods. Dylan followed after his best friend.  

Chapter Twenty Eight

 

Seth laid Hayden down into the spare room’s bed, where they had there second almost-kiss. Hayden’s smell of tears still lingered in the room. But now it was filled with the smell of Hayden’s blood. It took at least an hour to get back to the cabin. Seth and Dylan walked in silence. The only sound was the rustling in leaves,the crunch of leaves under their feets, and the crickets chirping happily. Once they got back to the cabin, the whole pack swarmed toward them both, asking what happened.

But Dylan told all of them to give Seth some space and, if Seth wanted him to, tell them what happened when they were gone. Now Seth was sitting in a chair next to Hayden, holding her cold hand. Seth watched the rise and fall of Hayden’s chest. Seth remembered the emotions whirling inside him when he saw Hayden and Jake locked in the intimate embrace. Jake’s lips brushing Hayden’s neck. Seth felt his hand tighten around Hayden.

“Ow…”, Hayden said softly. Seth jumped loosening his grip on Hayden’s hand. “Sorry. Are you ok?”. Hayden turned her head to Seth. She smiled and raised her free hand and touched Seth’s cheek. “W-what happened? Seth?”, Hayden asked, sounding drunk. Seth sucked in a breath. He had to tell her. “Hayden. I hit you. I walked in on you and Jake… I'm so sorry. I lost control. I was so...angry. Angry at you. I was going in there to get you to confess your love for me. I...I know you love me Hayden. I just know it.”. Hayden looked up to Seth, skeptical. “You...hit me?”.

Seth felt his heart clench. He looked down. Not being able to look at Hayden’s shocked face anymore. “Seth. Look at me…” Seth slowly looked back to Hayden’s face. She was smiling. Actually smiling. “I don’t care that you hit me. I saw your eyes turn red and I knew you weren’t yourself. I forgive you.” Hayden said slowly, as if choosing her words wisely. She was slightly drowsy from the medicine they gave her while she was unconscious. Seth was grateful for it now.

Seth gulped and looked into Hayden’s round burgundy eyes. “Hayden..do you love me?”. He asked it. The question that would change everything. Hayden smiled and shook her head. “No. I don’t. I love Jake. That’s why I was kissing him last night. I'll never love you”. Hayden giggles and rolled over, taking her hand out of Seth’s hand. Seth only stared at Hayden, disbelieving.

I love Jake. He replayed the words in his mind over and over again. Seth then stood up, kicking his chair back. He walked to the door, opening it. Before leaving the room, Seth looked back at Hayden, hoping she would say something. Anything.

She didn’t. Only layed there in the bed, wordless. Seth sighed and closed the door behind him. Hayden sat up in the bed. She looked at the door that Seth just closed. She lied. She lied to Seth. She did have feelings for him, but she couldn’t tell him. Wouldn't tell him. Hayden laid back on the bed, and looked up at the ceiling.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Hayden cried. Hayden cried until her throat burned and the white of her eyes were blood red. She kept replaying what Seth had said to her downstairs. But she couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe. He looked as terrible as she felt. Apparently they both hand’t left there room and they both hand't eaten anything in three days either. Maybe I should’ve told him how I felt last night, Hayden thought bitterly. Then I wouldn’t be feeling this way. Neither of us would.

As if on cue, Hayden heard a knock on the door. She hoped it was Seth, here to apologize for what he said and tell her that he still loved her. She peeled herself off the bed, walked over to the door, stopping to look in the mirror briefly. She still looked terrible, the skin around her eyes were puffy, her eyes were still bloodshot, and her throat was still burning. Pushing how she looked aside, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned. Seth wasn’t there. But someone else was.

It was one of the other members of the pack. She was short, almost reaching Hayden’s stomach. She looked about fifteen, with pale skin, light brown freckles across her cheeks, dark brown eyes, and black blue hair that ended at her jawline. Hayden could tell that the girl was strong, despite her age and her height. She looked up to Hayden and gave her a nervous smile.

“Hi”, the girl said. “My name is Natalie. Have you