The beach near La Push was quiet tonight. Waves rolled gently onto the shore, the salty wind tugging at your clothes as you sat on a piece of driftwood beside Seth.
The moon hung high above the water — bright enough that it made the sand glow.
It had been a few weeks since your first shift.
And Seth had been there for every second of it.
You glance down at your hands, still remembering how terrified you were that night.
“I seriously thought I was going to explode,” you mutter quietly.
Seth laughs beside you, kicking a small rock into the sand.
“You did kinda scream like you were,” he teases.
You groan, nudging his shoulder. “Seth!”
“What? You did!”
Despite yourself, you smile.
Out of everyone in the pack, Seth had been the one who stayed closest to you. When the shift hurt, he talked you through it. When you panicked, he stayed calm. When you doubted yourself, he reminded you that you belonged here.
Even now… he still looked at you like nothing about you was strange.
Which was ironic, considering you were the smallest wolf in the pack.
Smaller than Leah. Leaner too.
You sigh softly.
Seth notices immediately.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
You hesitate.
“It’s stupid.”
“Try me.”
You stare out at the water.
“It’s the imprint thing,” you finally admit.
Seth tilts his head. “What about it?”
You force a small laugh. “I mean… one day you’re gonna imprint on someone, right?”
He frowns slightly.
“And?”
“And then everything will change,” you say quietly. “You’ll have someone you love more than anything. Someone who becomes your whole world.”
Your voice lowers.
“And that person won’t be me.”
Seth goes very still.
You keep staring at the ocean, unable to look at him.
“I know it’s how our biology works,” you continue softly. “I know it’s not something you choose. But… the idea of watching you fall in love with someone else…”
Your chest tightens.
“It really hurts.”
The words slip out before you can stop them.
Silence falls between you.
Then Seth suddenly blurts—
“Good.”
You blink in confusion and turn to him.
“Good?”
Seth runs a hand through his hair nervously.
“Because… that means I’m not the only one.”
Your breath catches.
“What?”
He looks straight at you now.
“I’ve liked you for a long time,” Seth admits quietly. “Like… way before you shifted.”
Your heart skips.
“But the imprint thing scared me too,” he continues. “I thought if I said anything and then imprinted on someone else later, it would destroy you.”
You stare at him, stunned.
“You… like me?”
Seth smiles softly.
“Yeah.”
Your eyes meet.
And suddenly—
Everything shifts.
The world sharpens.
The air feels brighter.
Time freezes as your gazes lock.
Seth inhales sharply.
“Oh—”
You feel it too.
A sudden pull.
A connection snapping into place between you.
Stronger than anything you’ve ever felt.
Seth whispers in awe.
“Did we just—?”
Your voice comes out breathless.
“I think we did.”
Two wolves.
Imprinting on each other.
Something the pack had never seen before.
And neither of you can look away