Will moves away from me with almost inhuman speed. I can still feel him in my arms as he crashes his back against the deck railing, his eyes growing wider by the second while he merely stares at his feet.

“I learned some things last night.” I take a step towards him, my entire body yearning to instantly close this distance. “I’m so sorry, Will. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I-I just went…insane for a little while.” 

His eyes snap to mine, and goosebumps spread across my skin under the coldness of his stare yet again. “Did you try to kill yourself?” He asks, his lips barely even parting around the words.

“It...was the only thing I could think to do-”

“What things…?” He grits his teeth with an audible grind. “What did you learn?”

“Umm…a lot.” My hands are shaking as I brush them through my mess of hair, itching to just rip myself apart all over again. “He just...he wants to kill me, but he can’t do it right now.” I jerk my head towards the shed and try to remember how to breathe as Mom’s vague explanation bounces through my brain. “And she-the gray wolf was in his pack or knew him somehow…I dunno, but she deserted because she wanted to do it herself…? I don’t really understand! And she wasn’t even going after me, she was going after you because...well, they all will.” My mind is whirring, and I’m unable to process what I’m saying quickly enough to make any sort of sense.

“They’re going to come after you because you’re human and an easier target and they know...they know they don’t have to worry about me because it wouldn’t even matter. It would just be too much effort with my pack being around and all...” I’m right in front of him now, with my fingers reaching for his face.“ My mom was wrong about us,” I mumble as my entire body aches to touch him. 

Will flinches slightly when I brush his cheek, but he stays put, his eyes darkening with every word that falls from me.

“Mom didn’t know, but they know. He knows. So I went crazy and tried to die, but then I got scared and came back to you. I-I didn’t want you to hurt because of me, but I couldn’t stay away, you know?” I’m clinging to him now, with my hands in his hair. “There’s this...I can’t help it, I just have to be near you.” 

Will’s neck moves my arms slightly when he nods.

“He knows.” I bite down on my lip. “He knows it only goes one way. You and me.” I’m trembling now. “You won’t die if I die, okay? I promise I wasn’t trying to kill us off. It’s just...if you die, I’ll die.” I force myself to swallow as a lump creeps up my throat. 

“I didn’t want you to get killed because of me. It was the only thing I felt leaving my house, then my instinct to protect you just…took over.” I can feel Will’s hands suddenly gripping my waist when I pause to take a shallow breath. 

“I’m so sorry, I…wasn’t even sure what I was doing.” My nose is against his as I whisper into his lips, desperate to inhale his sweet scent as much as I can. “He wants to kill me, and the easiest way to do that is to kill you.” 

“That’s why it sounded weird?” His voice overtakes me and I find myself completely focused in an instant.

“What...sounded weird?” I nervously twirl my fingers around his thick black hair while his tongue pokes from the corner of his mouth. The strands are soaked with the early morning sun, and they’re warm. He’s warm, and that comfortable heat is spreading straight to me the more I touch him.

“The memory you showed me. When your mom told you you’re a Shadow.” Will presses his forehead to mine and sighs. “I thought she was lying to you or something, but in reality she just didn’t have her facts straight.” 

“You just...but…” I grip the back of his head and press him hard against me. “Aren’t you worried? Aren’t you scared? They’re coming after you! He wants to kill you so I’ll be gone and he can...aren’t you scared?” My voice falls to a croak when his hand gently brushes my jaw.

“Yep.” His voice is deep again, and I can’t help but notice his brows furrowing along to match the dive. “I don’t want you to die,” he says tightly.

“Will, don’t you get it? His pack is going to try to kill you. You’ll be fine if I die, it’s the-”

“I have zero interest in living if you’re not around.” He’s glaring at me out of nowhere, and I’m not sure why. “I heard you’re into math and shit, but you seem to be missing the point here.” His hand flicks frantically between us while he clears his throat. “This doesn’t just go one way. I’m freaking out about suddenly needing to be with a stranger every fucking second, too, so don’t ever try to take yourself out of this equation again.” 

“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes to avoid his burning straight through me. Oh my god. “I didn’t know what else to do. I’m so sor-”

He presses his lips to my forehead to shut me up while inhaling a deep breath. “Trust me,” he mumbles into my hair, “I understand the feeling, but you dying is not a solution to this problem.” 

My heart pounds through my chest and right against him when I open my eyes. The sunlight bounces off his skin, the mere shine of it forcing me to squint up at that beautifully pigmented mark on his face. Our mark. I blink myself away from staring too long, only to get caught in the darkest blue I’ve ever seen. His irises reflect my sorry ass back at me as they move closer, and suddenly he’s everywhere.

Will’s lips collect the tears I didn’t even know were flowing across my face while his fingers trace my jaw. His eyelashes tickle my cheeks as he dips to catch each droplet, which causes a chain reaction down my body, until suddenly I’m shaking and gripping his waist. 

“I don’t regret you coming into my life, understand?” His mouth brushes my ear before he plants a kiss on the side of my head. 

“But you’re in danger because I imprinted on you,” I mutter, struggling to stay focused as my chin is tilted upwards by every press of his lips. “He’s not going to stop until we’re both dead.” My voice starts to break beneath his kiss, so he pulls away. But I’ve got more to say, so I force the words out of me.

“Even if he kills me first, he’ll still come for you.” I direct my speech at my feet so I won’t have to see his reaction. “He wants my life. My family. My pack. And in order to erase me completely, he has to kill you.” I keep my focus on the deck boards when I feel his fingers nestling in my hair. “Mom told me tonight that our bond is different because I’m a Shadow. I guess she just found out more details. She’s been in contact with another Healer, and…since you’re my mate, my death won’t erase me from your memory.” I gulp as the truth of all this hits me yet again. “So he’s got to kill you, Will. Because even after they all forget, you’ll still remember me.”  

“Who is this ‘he’ you keep mentioning?” Will asks with a soft tremble inching through his voice.

I lift my head back up to blink at him, but I can’t hold his startlingly fierce stare for long. I clear my throat twice before I just blurt it out. “My father.”