Shifted #Wattys2016

XXIV

Felix

I came back to the house, barefoot and naked. I hate shifting in my clothes. It ruins everything. But I wasn't about to strip in front of her. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

I flipped on the light in my room. Emmett was sitting on my bed.

And I was still naked.

Emmett covered his eyes. "Hurry up and get dressed. We need to talk."

I sighed and pulled on underwear and sweat pants and a t-shirt. I sat down beside Emmett. "What?"

Emmett looked at me. "You shifted. It was for her, wasn't it?"

I let out a breath. "Yeah. I did. But you've got to understand—"

Emmett held up a hand. "Why didn't you tell us that you imprinted?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're a teenager and making stupid choices. Everyone is like that when they imprint. How bad do you think I was? I nearly killed a horse to impress Bloom. A horse. It was stupid. It was impulsive. It was primitive."

"Emmett,"

"Listen. I don't care what happens: if she threatens this pack, if she becomes a threat to this pack, I will not hesitate to kill her. I understand you are imprinted on her. I understand that you cannot help that. But you need to understand that the safety of the pack comes before her. Understood?"

I nodded, a little scared, a little relieved.

I swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."

Emmett smiled. "I'm happy you love her so much."

I shrugged a little. "It's not like I had a choice."

"You know," he began, running a hand through his hair, "It's really hard on Ronnie. Seeing how much you love her, Max. She imprinted on you. You imprinted on Max. It's hard on her. It hurts her. Just... be her friend, okay?"

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Emmett looked down. "I don't really know. I just see how she acts around you. Just... be considerate."

"Emmett,"

He looked up, his expression unreadable. "Yeah?"

"Please get out of my room."

Emmett smiled and stood up, pounding a hand onto my back. Like a coach to a player. A father to a son. A friend to a friend.

I watched as he walked out of the room. I stood up and turned off the light and walked over to my bed in the dark. I plopped down on top of the sheets, listening to my fan whirl.

I grabbed my phone.

And I texted Maxine.