Author's Note:

This story is a companion piece to my Jake/Ness fic, 'Untouchable'.

While you may still read this story without reading that one, there will be details and plot specifics that you may not understand. I would recommend reading that story first, as this story merely goes along with that timeline. Essentially, this piece was just a sub-plot that I wanted to explore both out of curiosity and from the reader feedback/love for the character Collin and my OC, Estrella.

So, once again - you might want to read 'Untouchable' first before reading this story. We have the prologue and then it begins when Collin first walks into the kitchen and imprints on Estrella in Denali.

Enjoy!

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Prologue – Nothin' funny about it

Collin

Do you want to know the funny thing about imprinting?

Nothing.

Are you nuts? There's nothing funny about it.

It's a crazy phenomenon that has cemented itself as a permanent fixture in the already not-so-normal tribe that I belong to. One would think that the fact I can explode into a giant wolf is crazy enough, right? Well, so I thought.

It took me a few weeks to get over that one. It had its perks – freedom, a pack of brothers, speed, agility, power, a sense of belonging…it wasn't all bad. I got used to it.

Then, I learned about imprinting.

Over the years spent in my strange state of being a young adult, frozen somewhere around my early twenties, I had seen this horrific magic do more damage than anything.

Take Jake for example: Here we are, about to leave for Denali, or Arctic Vampire Land, as Quil calls it, to go and protect his imprint from what could be a crazy rouge vampire. Why is she in Denali? Because they were friends, and then he went a kissed her a few weeks before her seventh birthday and they both freaked out like fourth graders. And don't even get me started about Quil. He can barely stop agonizing over Claire's junior high drama long enough to tie his shoe.

Some of them had happy endings, I'll give them that. But hardly any of them start out pretty. Both Sam and Embry had been happily dating other people when suddenly-WHAM! They went and imprinted. That had been a huge mess. Then, there were people like me and Brady. We were two of the oldest wolves who had yet to imprint. But what were we supposed to do in the meantime? Hide from girls? Become monks? Form a vow of chastity? We didn't' really have many options. If we did date and become attached to someone, we would have to do what Sam and Embry did – dump the unlucky girl and move on. And that was if we even imprinted in the first place. Some wolves never do.

That was the easy part – what if we imprinted on children? Or worse, a baby? It would be a little awkward to explain that to a crying teenage girl. 'Sorry, I can't date you because I have a date at the sandbox with my..uh..friend.'

And what if it never happens? Do you remain lonely your whole life? Just on the off chance that the odd form of Quileute magic will suddenly pick your perfect mate?

This was something I struggled with for a long time. Most of my life had been lonely enough. I wanted to date someone, as negative as I sound. I wanted love and happiness, just like the rest of my pack, and well…anyone really.

Don't we all want the same thing? To love and be loved in return? I think so.

I was no slow kid. Poor, yes, prone to bad luck, yes, but slow? Nah.

I had lived my whole life as a child who wasn't really wanted. I had spent more time alone in the first decade and a half of my life than most people ever would in their entire lives. I figured out early on that my parents didn't really want me. How do I know? Well, my dad hauled off and beat it early in my childhood, and I became the first one of many birth control mistakes my mother would make in her life. The first one of five, to be specific. But moving on…

Frankly, I wish my parents would have figured out birth control rather than bother with having me sometimes. What sucked more than feeling like that? Well, knowing that they probably felt the same way. They had never wanted me, and I had never really wanted them. I had a troubled childhood that was littered with crappy memories of my mom's stupid, abusive boyfriends, not enough food on the table, and being labeled a permanent babysitter and care-giver for all my younger siblings. Needless to say, I was basically a prisoner in my own house with no hope to ever escape. I would stay in La Push forever, try to finish high school…but that wasn't really high up on the list. Get a low-paying job, maybe get myself an old lady eventually, and let the cycle repeat. Well, maybe not. Maybe I was just being cynical; but really, if hearing all that didn't make you feel sorry for me, then what would?

Finding out that I was part of something bigger than my awful family, was the only thing that saved me for a long time.

Needless to say, discovering that I was a wolf was invigorating. I was one of the few that was absolutely thrilled. Sure, it was a little scary fighting the vampires and all, but it offered me something I had never had before: freedom. It offered me a way of escape from my awful, meaningless little life, something to do, something to belong to, and most importantly, a hope that I could actually be something significant. I didn't need to be important….I just wanted to matter to someone, anyone.

Being part of the pack was life changing. For once, I belonged. I had a place, a purpose, and friends. It was unlike anything else I had ever even dared hope for or dream of. One little peek into the minds of most of the guys would show you that they were scared; they felt like they were bound to a life time of having their inner most thoughts probed and poked at by their pack mates, and forced into a life of service and protecting our lands from monsters.

I loved it.

Once I got over the whole exploding/ spouting hair all over my skin/becoming a giant dog….yeah. Once I got over that, I was absolutely in love with the idea. I automatically had friends and a place to go when I couldn't take being at home anymore. Pack life offered me something I had never had before – an escape. And finally, I had a reason and a way to escape from life and all the crappy aspects of the one I was currently living.

I was big, strong, and practically invincible. Well, I met one vamp that nearly proved me wrong, but that's another story.

Finding out that there was a downside to all of this was shattering. I remember Sam explaining to it to me when I accidentally caught a glimpse into Leah's memories.

'What do you mean, 'imprint'?',' I had asked in complete shock and disgust.

Who did this Quileute magic think it was, choosing my girlfriend for me? 'Mate', Sam had corrected me.

Geez, sorry.

Because that sounds normal. Not.

After having it explained to me, I was horrified with the idea. When I first found out about it, I was only fifteen. I had a terrible home life to deal with, brothers and sisters to care for, and too much responsibility to even consider thinking about girls. I just didn't have the time. And now he tells me that I could one day run right smack into my soul mate? I didn't even get to have a say in the matter? I was astounded.

What if I imprinted and I didn't like her? Forget the 'true love forever' junk. What if mine was messed up? What if the cosmos sent me the wrong girl? What would I do then? What if I was bound to her, even if I didn't want to be?

See what I mean? There's nothing funny about this imprinting thing. .

Especially when it happened to me.

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There you have it! I hope you enjoyed a small peek into Collin's mind. Remember: if you haven't read Untouchable, you're still more than welcome to read this fic but you might not understand everything that's going on.

This was only the prologue; I'm expecting this fic to be about five or six chapters total. I'm going to post chapter one later on this week, so look for that! Chapter one picks up when Collin walks into the kitchen in Denali and lays eyes on Estrella for the first time. Like I said, this is just a sub-plot that I really wanted to explore more. I don't have an update schedule for it, but the chapters are shot and sweet so far, and I'm really enjoying writing it. All of you really loved the characters Collin and Estrella, so I thought I would indulge this little plot bunny that wouldn't go away.

Please let me know what you think!