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

welcome here. So I mind as well leave.” Hayden jumped off the bed then, her head down, wiping vigorously at her eyes. Watching her, Seth’s heart clenched tightly. Was she...crying? Seth leaned out to grab Hayden’s arm as he past her, but she side-stepped him.

Seth’s hand brushed against her arm. Hayden was almost at the door when Dylan moved in front of her, blocking her from leaving. Hayden stopped, but kept her head bowed. “Move out the way”, Hayden voice was shaking violently. Seth, even from standing where he was, could see tears spilling down to the floor around Hayden’s feet. Hayden raised a shaking hand, and placed it on his chest, weakly trying to make Dylan move. She didn’t make him budge, not even flinch. He smelt it now. The salt from Hayden’s tears. He could even smell it, the smell making his stomach twist and pull in sickness. Tears were streaming down her face.

“Dylan. Move out of my way, please.”, Hayden said weakly. When Dylan didn’t move, Hayden’s legs gave out, making her crumble to her knees in front of Dylan. Seth instantly walked over to her, bending down on his knees to look her in the face. Seth’s heart clenched again, tighter this time. Absolute pain was written across Hayden’s face. It was like someone drew it on her face with a pencil, pain. Pain. Pain that i’m causing her. No. Pain that Ashley caused her.

Seth whipped around to look at Ashley. She was staring at Hayden guiltily. “You”, Seth said through clenched teeth. “You. You did this! You hurt Hayden!”. Ashley flinched as if Seth was about to strike her down. “S-Seth...i'm sorry. I didn’t know…”. Seth stood up, standing in front of Ashley. Towering over her like a statue. “Why do you always have to be so dumb. You know you shouldn’t treat my mate like that!”. As Seth’s anger rose, he could feel his eyes turn bright yellow, his fangs poking his bottom lip painfully. Seth felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He knew it was Dylan but he still grabbed the arm, twisted, and pushed him back, hearing a loud thud and Dylan yelp in pain. Anger was blurring his vision. Seth didn’t even realize it when his hand made it’s way to Ashley’s throat, picking her up off the ground. Seth could feel Ashley’s pace. It was beating faster and faster with each growing second.

“You will apologize to Hayden. Do I make myself clear?”, Seth said in a growl. Ashley couldn’t speak, so she shook her head instead. He dropped Ashley with a thud and turned to where Hayden had once been on her knees, tears cascading down her cheeks. But know there was nothing. Hayden was gone.

Chapter Twenty

 

Hayden ran faster. Tears blurring her vision as she ran as far away from the cabin. I have to get out of here. The moon was out, shining brightly, casting a silvery-white glow on the forest ground. Hayden’s heart was pounding loudly in her chest. The cool wind blowing Hayden’s hair behind her. She could feel her blood pulsing in her ears. Hayden slowed her pace, knowing that she was far enough away from the cabin. And more importantly, from Seth.

Hayden’s heart clenched tightly when she thought of Seth. His glowing yellow eyes, hand clenched around Ashley’s throat. Hayden shaked her head viciously. No, she wasn't going to think about him. About Seth. Seth. Hayden’s hand involuntarily moved to her lip and rubbed her fingers against them slowly. He said it. Seth said it right then and there that he would kiss her if it wasn’t to try to pry a lie out of her.

Hayden smiled inwardly, thinking about the softness of Hayden’s lips and how his lips tasted strangly of strawberries. Nevertheless, Hayden liked the taste. Hayden stopped walking and leaned up against the nearest tree trunk. What are these feelings…? I can’t…, Hayden thought. I can’t love him. And with that thought, Hayden flung herself off the tree trunk, running at top speed.

 

Once Seth saw Hayden gone, he instantly dropped to his knees, feeling hollow and empty. Seth ignored Dylan as he walked over to check on the gasping and choking Ashley. Seth glanced over towards Ashley, who was leaning on Dylan, an arm draped around his neck. He instantly felt bad. Seth’s sudden protective nature just kicked in when he saw Hayden crying, begging on her knees for Dylan to move away from the door. Seth stood, turning to face Dylan and Ashley. Ashley had indents that were already healing from where Seth’s claws had sunk into the skin.

“I..I'm sorry Ash, I don’t know what came over me”, Seth said apologetically. Ashley shaked her head weakly, “It's fine. Really Seth, it is. I knew she was your mate, I should've kept my mouth shut.”. Seth bit his lip softly. He honestly did feel bad for hurting Ashley. Seth then turned to Dylan, who had his arm wrapped around Ashley’s waist securely.

Dylan looked up to meet Seth eyes. Seth nodded, hoping the apology was written on his face. Dylan smiled and nodded back. Seth felt instantly relived. Good they didn’t hate him. I’ll help you find her, Seth., Dylan spoke in his mind. Thank you, Dylan. I really appreciate this., Seth spoke back. Seth really had a good friend in Dylan. Dylan swung Ashley into his arms, holding her bridal style, and carried her out of the room. Making them look like a just hitched married couple. Seth sat back on the bed, suddenly feeling weak. Where are you, Hayden?, Seth thought.

Seth remembered the look on Hayden’s face when she saw the room. It held a look of complete bliss and awe. It was the first time Hayden had actually smiled. Like, actually smiled. Without any of the sarcasm or arrogance in the smile. Moments later, Dylan was back without Ashley. Seth sat up on the bed. “Ready?”, Seth asked. Dylan nodded, “Yeah. But how are we supposed to find her? Who know’s how far she is now.”, said Dylan. “Oh yeah. Thats right.”, Seth said, worrying his bottom lip. “Wait”, a light bulb sprang to life in Seth’s head as the thought came to him.

“When I asked you to leave, I wiped some of Hayden’s blood off with my shirt.”. Seth pointed down at his shirt. Dylan smiled. “Well now we have her scent. Let's go.”, Dylan said, already stepping out of the room. Seth smiled and followed Dylan down to living room, which was empty, and to the front door. “Wait, maybe we should write a note first,”, Seth said.

Dylan nodded, going into the kitchen and grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. Seconds later Dylan hunk a note on the refrigerator and walked back to Seth. “Now are you ready?”, Dylan asked. Seth nodded and held up his shirt to Dylan. “Sniff first, catch her scent.”. Dylan nodded, bending down to smell Deth’s shirt. Dylan stood back up, “Got it”. Seth nodded, sniffed his own shirt, and opened the door, jumping into the air. And in mid-jump he turned into a pure black wolf with glowing yellow eyes.

Chapter Twenty One

It was raining hard when Hayden walked up to the door and knocked on it. Her midnight black hair plastered on her forehead, and neck. She heard his footsteps clamber noisily down the stairs and then walk up to the door. The door opened and Hayden saw Jake standing in the doorway. The light from the living room was surrounding him, making him look like an angel.

Jake smiled, that bright warming smile that made Hayden’s hard tug and pull inside her chest, like it always did. “C’mon inside, before you catch a cold”, Jake said. Hayden stepped inside the house, closing the door behind her, and rolled her eyes. Jake knew she couldn’t catch a cold, nor could he. Jake was a vampire, and she was a vampire-human hybrid. Neither of them felt heat or cold, nor could either of them catch a cold.

“So. How did the hunt go?”, Seth asked, walking into the kitchen.  Hayden didn’t say anything for a while. Hayden sitting on the couch slipped off her drenched shirt and put on one of Jake’s shirt that was laying around the living room. Hayden didn’t want to tell Jake about what had happened during the hunt. That she didn’t get the answers from the Mayland pack alpha. That a werewolf somehow imprinted on her. And not to mention that the Head Councilman knew she existed. But she had to tell him. But how… . Hayden shrugged nonchalantly and got up from the couch, walking into the kitchen. Jake was holding two small cups of dark red liquid.

The rich, familiar mouthwatering smell filled Hayden’s nose and she breathed in deeply. Blood. Jake handed her one of the cups, and she nearly drank down half the cup in one gulp. Jake stared at her in amusement. Once Hayden was done, she set the cup down on the counter, wiped her mouth, and met Jake’s eyes sheepishly. “Sorry. I haven't fed in a while.”, Hayden said. Jake smiled. “Yeah I see that”.

Hayden smiled back and jumped up on the counter, letting her legs hover over the white tiled floors. “So”, Jake said, leaning up against the counter next to Hayden. “You still haven't answered my question about the hunt”. Hayden bit the inside of her cheek. She had hoped he wouldn’t ask again since she ignored him the first time he asked. Hayden shrugged. “It went okay, he didn’t talk, though. He managed to get away”. Jake looked up to Hayden questingly. “You seem very calm about it. You never would be this calm about not getting the answers you need.”. Hayden was silent. Hayden dedicated all her life since the age of twelve to finding out which werewolf pack had killed her parents. Once Jake came and saved her from being killed by the werewolves, she learned about the Crestfallen Society, and about herself. She knew she was half human and vampire. But she hadn't discovered her true power yet and what Hayden could do with it.  Hayden could hear the rain outside, once coming down hard, now coming down onto the roof in soft pitter patters. Hayden jumped down from the counter, turning to walk up the stairs to her room. Before she could, Jake grabbed her wrist