Fortuity // Seth Clearwater

.10.

Seth and I walked through the forest near the Cullen home in obvious nervousness. Both of us were silently stealing glances from each other but too afraid to speak, anticipating the talk that was to come.

Finally, we reached a clearing which invited us to sit down, which I considered good seeing as whatever talk Seth and I were about to have was being postponed the longer we walked.

We took rest on the grass, leaning up against a few stumps of old tree. "This is beautiful," I said softly looking around the clearing. 

Seth's eyes never left my face as he muttered under his breath, "yeah, it really is."

I felt nervousness bubble inside me as I decided to break the tension and ask what this was all about. 

"So?" 

Seth sighed and rubbed his palms on his knees, showing how nervous he was. 

"Well...so you know about the legends being true, you know about the wolves and all that, right?"

I nodded along. "Yes, I am one, so..."

He laughed, once again showing his nerves and jumpiness. "Right, right...yeah..."

"Seth," I placed a hand on his knee and tried to ignore the feeling erupting through me at the slightest touch from Seth. I blinked away the feeling. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise I won't be weird about it." I said, offering my pinkie to hopefully shatter his nerves with our inside promise.

A cheeky grin danced on his lips and the sparkle in his eye was glowing as he accepted my pinkie promise gladly, calming himself slightly before continuing.

"Ok. Well once we phase for the first time, we have the ability to do something called...imprinting." It sounded familiar, and I nodded along. 

"Essentially, think of it as our ancestors choosing our soulmate for us, pushing us in that direction. When you meet eyes with that person for the first time, it's literally like your whole world stops spinning and every fibre of your being exists for that person now. You would jump in front of a bullet for them without a second thought, your happiness is dependent on their happiness, their safety is literally everything to you..."

As he spoke, I realised how familiar his words sounded. The way he described the phenomenon of imprinting was...exactly how I suddenly felt about him. I had already felt drawn to him in a way and like I was safe with him, but all of a sudden he was my world and I couldn't explain it. Was this what happened to me?

He continued. "Imprinting is sacred, special, and it's also one of the strongest forces in our world. It trumps all other priorities, she is your entire universe now."

I gasped slightly, realising how perfectly he had summed up my own feelings. 

"So...do I know anyone who's imprinted?" I tested.

"Yes. Sam imprinted on Emily, Jared on his wife Juliet, Paul on Rachel, Jacob on Renesmee," he listed. 

"Wait Jake on Renesmee? The teenager? Isn't that a little weird..." 

Seth laughed musically. "It isn't like that. Renesmee means literally everything to Jake and he would protect her to the ends of the earth and beyond but it doesn't automatically mean that they're...like that."

"What else happens when a wolf imprints?" I questioned, trying to understand if this was what I was feeling or not.

He looked off into the distance with a whimsical smile as he thought about it. 

"It feels like a physical tug towards that person. Like there's a string attached to your heart pulling you over there. When they hurt, you physically hurt as well. When they're in danger, the wolf takes over and your body automatically needs to protect them at all costs. You're calm when they're near, safe, you can't stay away from each other for too long without it literally hurting you both, and it...it feels like electricity when you touch."