An (Im)Perfect Imprint (A Paul Lahote Imprint)

Chapter 2

Hours later, I was back at Billy's after a quick trip to the doctor to get my nose set. I had two black eyes, and my nose looked like a tomato, and Uncle Billy had found it hilarious when I walked in alongside Quil. I was laying out on my bed with Quil watching rerun of Seinfeld when he said, "How's the nose feeling?"

I scoffed and then whimpered when my nose moved. "Not much better since the last time you asked."

The bed creaked as I pushed myself off the bed and headed out of my room into the kitchen. I grabbed a soda and yelled, "Hey Quil, you want something to drink?"

A muffled yell came out, "Yeah, get me a soda."

I grabbed another soda and shut the fridge and walked back into my room and tossed it to him. He caught with ease and popped it open, and took a long slug. I jumped back on the bed, causing Quil to spill his drunk all over himself. I giggled and then immediately stopped when pain flared.

Quil glared at me and said, "Wow, yeah, so funny."

I smirked at him, and paid attention to the TV. Then a knock sounded at the front door. I groaned and Quil said, "I'll get it, dear."

I smiled at him cheekily as he got up grudgingly, and I heard him open the door and talk to someone. Then he yelled, "Hey it's someone from school, I'm just gonna head home, call me when you're done."

Someone from school? I got up and walked over to the front door, which was closed. I grabbed the knob and turned it, pulling it open to see Drew. I blinked and in that moment he shoved me down and shut the door. I fell hard, pain jolting up from my elbows and he stood above me, eyes hungry. I scooted away from him, trying to get up but he was unbuckling his belt, and I kept trying to move away, but he wrapped my ankle in a steel tight grip and tugged me back. I kicked and I scratched at him, and then he kicked me, and I coughed up blood, and I just didn't have the will to fight anymore.

***

After he was done, he pulled my jeans back on and left me, curled up in a ball, on the floor. I was so mad, and devastated, and there was a whirlwind of emotions going through me, so when Jacob walked through the door, I was ready to kill. I stood up and yelled, "Were you just out with your little gang? What did you guys do, beat up some kid for their lunch money? Take some steroids? Funny how Embry used to call you guys hall monitors on steroids; look at him now. You're a real piece of shit, you know that, Jacob."

I pushed past him, and stormed down the stairs, running into the forest, shaking. I heard him call after me, but I kept running, I could hardly see, everything was just red, and I was just so mad but then I felt this great pain, and I hunched over and went to scream, but it came out garbled and it sounded like a howl, and I felt like my bones were breaking.

I shut my eyes, hoping to die or for this to be over, whichever came first. My body twisted around, moving until it stopped. I opened my eyes and I saw two ginormous, dark grey paws in front of me. I went to shout, "what the fuck" but it came out as two barks.

Jake: Mer, listen to me.

Meredith: I think I just heard Jacob's voice in my head. This is just a big dream. It's fine.

Jake: No, Meredith, seriously. Listen to me.

Meredith: There it was again. How peculiar.

Jacob: Meredith, for the sake of all things holy, shut the hell up for one god damn second.

Meredith: Fuck you.

Then Sam Uley's voice came into my head.

Sam: Meredith, it's Sam Uley. I'll explain everything to you, but you have to trust this.

Mer: Fine.

Sam: Do you remember all the old legends about the tribe Billy tells at bonfires?

Mer: Werewolves and all that yada yada. Wait. Is that what's going on?

Sam: Yes

Mer: So you guys aren't all potheads?

Sam: No, but thanks for thinking so highly of us.

Mer: Most of you are douchebags. They said some pretty rough things to sever ties.

Sam: That was under my command. I forbid them from speaking to you or others.

Mer: Yeah, well, when I needed my friends the most they weren't there. And I don't think it was orders to completely humiliate me.

Sam: Follow me back to Emily's. We can talk more about it there.

A big, black wolf stood in front of me, and jerked his head, telling me to follow. I started to walk towards him when he took off, and I started sprinting after him. It felt like flying, the wind whipping through my hair, I felt so ecstatic, I was sad when a house came into view.

Sam: When you phase, which is what we call changing into wolf form, it, uh, destroys whatever clothing you're wearing. So I'm gonna go grab some clothes.

I nodded at him and he walked behind a tree, and stepped out from the other side, human, dressed in a pair of cut off sweat pants. He jogged over to Emily's and disappeared into the yellow house. I paced back and forth waiting.

Mer: Jacob? Are you still around?

Crickets. It gave me time to think. About everything. Drew. Wolf. Drew. Today, Drew came into my house and raped me on my floor. Not for the first time. And then, I phased into a werewolf. Seriously, fuck all of this.

Sam came back out with a t-shirt, sports bra, and a pair of running shorts. He walked over to me and said, "To phase back, you've got stop being mad. Only way. Whatever you gotta do, bottle it up, run it off. Something. But first, go around those trees."

I grabbed the clothes from him in my snout, the cotton sliding around against my razor sharp teeth, and I moved behind a tree. Then I did the only thing I knew how to do: I shoved it all down inside of me, to deal with later.

I felt my body start to change but this time it didn't hurt until I stood naked behind the tree with clothes in my mouth. I quickly put the clothes on and stepped out from behind the trees. I asked, "What now?"

"Follow me."