It was clear he was having just as much of a hard time with this as I was and it helped me to relax a bit. When he mentioned he was also hungry, but only for the tougher parts (whatever that meant) I simply giggled and let the comment pass by. Finally, I got to learn his name. Shem. He had said it with such a careless shrug that I actually felt sad for a moment. Did he not realize that the sudden introduction had made my heart flutter in a way I could not explain? His name brought a warmth to my very soul that I thought I would never feel the cold again. It pushed away the loneliness that was my constant companion and made me feel wanted and… Whoa, hold on, girl!

What on earth was I thinking!? I had only just met this boy and here I was acting like he was my… my… No! There was no way. It hadn't even been a full season since I had lost Pagan. Had Fate really selected a new imprint for me in such a short amount of time? My brain tried to rebel against this realization, but my heart already knew what it wanted. Did he know? Surely Shem had some inkling of what had happened between us just now, right? Inwardly, I began to panic as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Outwardly, I continued to smile at him to the point I'm sure it was creepy.

His voice cut into my inner monologue and forced my attention to return to him. It was amazing how easily my body reacted to him already, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Stop it! But my ears were already tilting towards him to caress each word fondly. "Yes, I was on my way back from Spirane after completing my mission for Eden when I stumbled across this gathering. My uncle and cousins are here, so I thought I would see what's going on."

To be honest, I hadn't even bothered to say hello to my family as they mingled with the other wolves. Shem was the only one I cared about now. Ugh! "What about you? Are you from around here?" For now, I would spend this moment getting to know this mysterious wolf who had unwillingly given me his soul. I didn't know if I should tell him that I was his imprint or if he had come to the conclusion on his own. Either way, I was here for him alone and I was going to enjoy every moment of it, whether I wanted to or not.