“Still tired from your long night of stalking?” Max’s voice cuts through my once peaceful slumber.

I hold in a groan and roll on my back to squint up at the outline of my brother leaning against the bedroom door frame. “Go away,” I mumble, before turning to my pillow once more.

“I can see why you haven’t introduced yourself. William Reed is kind of...an oddball.” He snickers to himself.

“What are you going on about?” I grunt and push myself up as I give up on Max leaving me the hell alone. He’s so annoying when he’s bored. If he weren’t such an ass he could have made some friends to play with instead of bugging me all the time.

“Your mate. I met him this morning at Jojo’s.” The calm in Max’s voice does nothing to prevent me from jolting out of bed, and my pillow plops to the floor when I spin around to face him.

“Well, lookie here...an actual reaction!” He throws his head back in a laugh. “You really did imprint on that weirdo. Poor, sweet Emma bear.”

“Wha...how do you…?” I point at his chest as thoughts only form halfway in my brain.

“Spit it out, Sammy.” Max snaps his fingers and grins at the wall.

“His name is William...?” My breath runs out before I can say anything more.

“H-hold on...” He actually looks surprised for once, his bright golden eyes wide. “You didn’t even know his name? You really are a lost cause. No wonder Mom got me involved-”

“Huh?!” I blink multiple times because it seems I can’t see so well right now. “Mom told you?”

“Well, yeah. She came over to our place last night after you admitted to imprinting. She said you left mid-conversation, and she was crying and seemed freaked out. So I followed your scent and observed you stalking your mate like a total creep.” Max merely shrugs like he’s just told me the weather forecast.

Then he takes my stunned silence as some sort of indication that he should open his mouth again.

“Jojo called this morning saying the designs for the remodel were ready and asked me to come and meet her. Low and behold, your Willy Boy is her little artist friend, so I met him. He’s really not that-”

“You met him.” My voice sounds like it’s coming from underwater.

“Yep.” Max chuckles. “...jealous?”

“Don’t follow me.” I growl and brush past him out of the room.

His laughter echoes behind me as I dash outside. I’m not even down the steps to the backyard before I’m transformed and hurling faster than his stupid voice can follow into the forest.

William...so that’s your name.

I stay in the woods until the late afternoon sun peaks gently through the trees. It’s the place where I can think and find some clarity. I’ve been watching over William for two weeks now. The first time I saw him he was swimming in the lake, his pale white skin turning almost blue from the cold.

I got lost on my morning patrol that day, which never happens. I should have known there was a reason I suddenly found myself near the shoreline miles from home. I heard laughter from the water and there he was, floating on his back and trembling uncontrollably.

I watched him sprint out of the waves and up to his house, his black hair strewn across his face like seaweed. He was…completely naked.

“That’s one way to sober up.” He’d mumbled to himself as he giggled like he was three years old.

I remember the fear and worry. It was an instant reaction, and it hit deep inside my body until I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare as he wrapped himself in a towel and hopped around the fire pit in his backyard. His eyes matched the dark blue hues of the water as the firelight flickered across his face. I couldn’t even smell the burning wood as it succumbed to the embers, because all that existed was him.

I stayed for the entire day after that. It didn’t take me long to realize he was basically nocturnal. 

So every night I come back. Just in case. Just in case he needs me.

~

After a few hours pass, I take a rest just inside the tree line and peer through the leaves at the back of my house. I don’t feel jealous of Max anymore. Just because he’s met him doesn’t mean he knows him better than I do.

I’ve seen William so drunk, he’s fallen asleep on the lawn after tripping over himself. I’ve snuck inside his house on four separate occasions to grab a blanket to cover him, caught in the act each time by his sassy black cat. She’s been on to me since day one.

I've eavesdropped on his conversations with her, amused by his quick wit and fiery temper. Wondering sometimes if maybe he thinks she's a person. Deciding that he’s most likely insane.

I’ve watched him through the window in his shed, working tirelessly through the night with cigarette after cigarette dissolving in his fingers.

I know his scent by heart. The faint smell of paint that lingers on his skin, even after a shower. And a mix of burnt pinewood and maple syrup from the whiskey that flows through him like a river I can’t control.

I’ve felt that helplessness while I watch him. Felt scorched ash hitting the back of my throat as he takes a drag. Felt weakness in my limbs as he stumbles inside to bed every morning.

I know his habits by heart. I know he’s killing himself, and he’s taking me with him. I just don’t know why.

I rest my head between my front paws while I blink at my home, an indescribable weight crawling over me. I’m not angry at Mom. Just annoyed. It was honestly brilliant of her to tell Max about my imprint. She knew he would butt in and force me to actually do something about it. Mom definitely hasn’t told him about me being a Shadow, though. Max has never kept a secret in his life, and that would have been the first thing out of his mouth if he knew.

Wait.

My stomach plummets to the forest floor as I shift back to human form, burying my toes in the thick green moss as I rummage in my shorts pockets only to discover I left my phone inside.

Max probably already told Sylvie. His mate. Who just so happens to be Emma’s best friend.

Damn. I guess tonight’s the night I break up with my girlfriend.