Imprint

Emma has always had a proclivity for long walks alone in nature. She prefers going somewhere secluded where she can play in the woods without fear of judgement from others thinking she’s odd for climbing trees or building a fairy house with sticks and rocks.

One Spring morning, Emma woke up with warm sunbeams peering through her pale yellow curtains. Her eyelids fluttered open and she stretched out her limbs with a soft yawn. The moment she saw the bright sun she knew it’d be a perfect hiking day. After a quick shower, she pulled half of her long light brown hair back and fastened it with a white bow. Emma decided on a white sundress paired with a simple pair of brown boots and lacy white socks. She’s gotten teased endlessly for dressing up for a hike but dresses are less constricting and more comfortable. Plus it helps that it makes her feel like she’s a character in a Jane Austen novel so she doesn’t mind the weird looks she gets.

When she’s finished getting ready, Emma packs a small backpack with water, snacks, her Polaroid camera, a book, and her phone. Then she grabbed her keys and heads to her favorite trail. The drive was quiet and serene; she rolls down the window and lets the breeze blow in and twirl her hair around. On the way, she daydreamed as she listens to Hozier and Sufjan Stevens.

Emma pulled into the parking lot and noticed how crowded it is today. She expected it’d be busier that usual on a Saturday but she’s never seen this many people here at one time. Emma started to feel anxious and briefly considered turning around and going home, but decided that she can just walk further than she normally does to have some peace and quiet. She popped in her headphones and played music to distract from the noisy families and groups of friends around her.

After an hour of hiking she finally found the peace she’d been seeking. She took out her headphones so she can enjoy the birds chirping and the gentle sound of the breeze running through the trees. She sat down under a tall oak tree near a small patch of daises and ate some of the food she brought. She savored the sweet taste of the strawberries and decided to pull out her book and read a few chapters. Emma was currently reading Jane Eyre and was already halfway through. She’s so enraptured in reading that she doesn't notice the large wolf peering at her through the trees.

Asher could smell her intoxicating scent from miles away. He knew it was the smell of his mate immediately and shifted into his wolf to go find her as quickly as possible. Asher had been the alpha of his pack for the past five years and had to watch all of his friends and family find their mates while he spent the nights alone. He was beginning to convince himself he wasn’t good enough to have a mate and had resided to spending his life without one, but as soon as he smelled Emma’s saccharine scent his feelings changed. He felt as though he couldn’t live without her and that one more moment apart would kill him. Asher fled through the forest, the wind gliding over his dark coat as he followed his instincts to bring him to his mate.

When he saw Emma, he felt like a changed man. His heart, which he had previously thought would always remain cold, felt like it had exploded in size. He felt a warmth running through his veins and setting him on fire. He had to get closer to her, to touch her, to love her. A werewolf’s imprint was one of the most powerful forces in the world and Asher knew there was nothing that could every separate then again.

He couldn’t stop himself from running towards the small girl curled up with a book. She didn’t even notice the dark wolf bounding towards her until he was only inches away. Emma let out a high pitched scream and backed up further into the tree. Asher was so quick to meet his mate he forgot to change back to his form, and all he could think about was getting closer to Emma.

Emma felt pure terror as she stared down the large wolf. Her panting breath was the only sound she could hear as she waited for the wolf to attack. Instead, it slowly stepped closer and licked her leg. Emma gasped as she felt the warm, rough tongue run over her ankle. She squeezed her eyes shut as the wolf continued to lightly lick her bare skin. Asher snapped out of tasted his mate for a second and noticed she was trembling. He felt terrible for scaring her and decides to shift back to his human form.

“I’m so sorry for frightening you, sweetheart” his deep voice said. Emma peers through her dark lashes and is surprised to see a tall, naked man staring down at her. He extends his hand to help her up which she shakily accepts.

“W-where’s the wolf? Did you see it? It was just here” She says nervously, looking around for any sign of the animal.

“And why are you naked?” The man chuckles as Emma tries to stare at anything other than his large cock. Asher holds onto her hand tighter as she tries to pull away from her. There was no way he was letting her go now after waiting so long to find her.

“Let me go!” She yells as she struggles to get out of his strong grip. Asher’s smile turns dark as his joy at finding his mate quickly turns to fury. How dare she refuse him? Doesn’t she know how long he’s waited? Why doesn’t she feel the same way that he does? He throws her over his shoulder and starts taking her back to the pack house, despite her fists pounding on his muscular back and her screams of protest.