I

t's been a week since I came out of my three day comatose state. Three days was all it took for my life to flip once again.

I stop and slip off my shoes and sit down on the dock. A sigh escapes me as my feet hit the cool water of the lake. I swing my legs back and forth causing the water to ripple up and around my feet.

I've learned a lot in the last seven days. I don't want to believe them, but how can I not.

My eyes close as I tip my head back letting the sun shine down on my face.

I still can't get over the fact that the man I thought was my father is actually my Uncle and not only that but his twin sister is actually my mother.

That's not the strangest thing I've learned these past couple of days either.

My whole family is composed of werewolves. Maybe I shouldn't say werewolves they don't like that term. They call themselves shifters or guardians. They're able to shift into a wolf from the moment they're born.

Crazy right. My life is turning into a bad movie.

At least I finally learned why I am the way that I am. I'm an Empath. Able to feel others emotions. That's it. I'm not suppose to be able to block out my own emotions but I can. And I'm definitely not suppose to see them as I do. But me being me, I do.

When Jeff asked if I could sense others I said no. He said it would be very unlikely that I might be an empath, a very tiny one since the Blackwell line is made up of entirely werewolf's. Pure is what he called it till he married Shelly and they had Lilly. I remember the red angry ribbons going crazy has he told me that. I'm guessing others didn't like him tainting the Blackwell line.

After he explained my lineage I thought it wise to deny I could do anything knowing I'm even more different than they are.

He looked disappointed but said it's not uncommon. I'm what you would prefer to as a dud. Where the wolf DNA skipped me. Not totally unheard of for a pure line, but then again they don't know who my real father is . I'm just a plain normal dud.

I laugh at that. Me be normal, if only that could be true.

I've been careful now more than ever before. I don't want to slip up and let anyone know I can feel Cameron sometimes like I did on the first day here. Or with what happened at the lake. Which I still don't understand.

Yeah they questioned me a million questions , but my lips stayed shut. I have an inkling if they know I'm sorta like them my days of feeling nothing is over.

My hands come up to rub across my arms as the buzz tingles decided to take over my skin. Kayden's near. The others are probably close to.

I look out across the smooth lake as I start to hear foot steps, more than one.

Ugh. I should've known better than leave my room. Ever since everything went down I've stayed away from everyone liking my solitude. But I've wanted to come back to the lake since day one. It's the only good thing I have in my life right now. The memories from the lake is something I'd actually like to remember.

"Hi ya Avery." Cameron says excitedly as he sets down beside me. He's always so hyper.

I look over at him. He's cute in a boyish kind of way with his warm brown eyes and dimples when he smiles.

"Aden come sit." Cameron says childlike, making Aden grumble but he moves to Cameron's side.

Those two couldn't be more different in looks and personality.

Looking behind me I try to spot Kayden. I don't see him but I know he's there. He's always close. Why I have no idea.

"So. How are you taking everything?"

I ignore Cameron's question and ask one of my own. "How long have you and Aden been together?"

I watch Cameron's eyes get big and sense a nervousness from him. While Aden lets out a snarl and leaves. I still don't like him. Something about the way he looks at me, like he knows I'm chalked full of secrets.

Trouble in paradise perhaps. I think watching Aden stalk off into the trees.

"We're not together together." Cameron stutter outs, his eyes following Aden. "We have an em-bond."

My eyes stay locked on him waiting for him to explain. He shifts back and forth letting out a sigh.

"I'm a empath. Aden's a wolf."

I raise my eyebrows, waiting.

"This so hard to explain." He looks out towards the lake gathering his thoughts.

"A male shifter needs an Empath bond. I don't know if Jeff told you or not but when they hit a certain age their wolf starts to take over more and more. It's like the human part slowly disappears, the only thing that matters is the wolf. Their basic predator instinct." He lets out a breath and looks at me, "Empaths are critical to a males wolf survival. We share our human emotions with them, it helps ground them, push back on the wolf to an extent."

"So, you and Aden are bonded. You feed him your basic human emotions." I say looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, but it's more than that."He shrugs,"They also help us. Some empaths feel more than others. Their bonded wolf can pull that out of them. Their bodies can handle it better than our body's can."

Interesting, I wonder if that's why I can see the ethereal ribbons. Is that my body telling me to pull at their emotions. Nah, that doesn't make any sense. I shift and scoot forward as I feel Kayden moving close. What if?

My head snaps toward Cameron, "How do you know if you have an em-bond to someone?"

He looks at me strange, " You just know."

My eyes narrow on him. That's not good enough. Is the tingles I get from Kayden 'my knowing'.

"How about I tell you about me and Aden." Cameron smiles and I give him nod.

"I came to visit Aunt Shelly and stumbled upon Aden and Nick arguing. This would be the first time I met Aden, before he kept to himself a lot. Anyways the closer I got the more I felt from him. Well it was more the wolf. I got a feeling of Nick being the prey. Of wanting to hunt. Taste blood. It was all coming from Aden and I had this need to help him. They're was no human feelings coming towards me, like angry or hate. So I pushed my emotions towards him. It took awhile but he eventually calmed down, reigned in his wolf." Cameron lets out a laugh, " Aden then snarled at me and took off. And ever since then you can't find one of us with out the other close by."

"Aden still seems really touchy."

Or should I say wolfy. Is that even a word?

"Well yeah, it will take him a couple of years to get back to being somewhat human. Aden was fifty at the time and ten years from going into the rage."

Huh. Cameron's just full of information. I didn't know any of this and as for their age that's crazy. But what of me and Kayden. Nothing he said explains what's been going on between us. That's what has my thoughts going crazy. Could Kayden make me feel? I feel my face clinch up. I don't want that. To feel. It would be terrible.

"Is that the only kind of bond." I ask not looking at him. I feel his excitement and that bothers me.

"No there's the life mate bond." He gushes.

"And?"

"I've never experienced it and never will being at empath and all. Only wolves do and few have. It's really rare. They say each person feels something different, but the wolf always know. Why do you feel something?" Cameron leans out to the side trying to catch my gaze.

I ignore him. Yeah I feel something. From day one, Kayden's muscle tensing tingles. Is that the life mate bond. No that doesn't make sense only wolves feel it. All though I have pure wolf in me, I've showed no sigh of being one. Just a empath with strange powers. Is it consider powers? Who knows.

"Are you and Aden life mates?" I ask watching the sun shift across the water.

"NO." Cameron gasps. "Empaths don't mate with wolves. We kinda of like fill in until the wolf finds his mate, then the bond gets turned one sided. The empath can no longer push feelings into the wolf but the wolf is still there, able to take away what the empath allows when the feelings get to much for our weaker bodies to handle ."

"How are Jeff and Shelly together. She's an empath and Jeff's a wolf?"

"Gosh this is so hard to explain. Growing up around here you would of just known this stuff." He huffs out, kicking his legs.

"Jeff lost his mate in an accident when they were in their teens. It's not like she was the only one he could be with. At the time it was because well the wolf won't let you be with anyone other than your mate but both Jeff and his wolf choose Shelly when he met her in their late twenties and well the rest was history." Cameron says grinning.

"So wolves can be with some one else if their mates die and empaths are tossed to the side when the wolf they have a bond with finds their mate."

This is just crazy. Who would want to get tossed out like trash?

"I won't get tossed aside like trash Avery." Cameron says, upset with me "I will always be apart of Aden's life when and if he finds his mate. We will still have a bond like brothers and we will still have the em-bond, it will just be a little bit different is all."

"So, I can't be a mate, but can form em-bonds."I mumble more to myself.

Ugh it sounds so animalistic. And I defiantly don't want it. Maybe the tingles is the em-bond trying to tell me 'Hey right here'. I shake my head. I don't want that either.

A harsh breath of air leaves my lungs as the tingles get stronger to the point I'm no longer able to make them seem imaginary.

I stand up and see Cameron jerk back out of the corner of my eye. I pay him no heed as I strip of my tank and shimmy out of my shorts.

I hear Cameron gasp as I jump off the deck. I do a perfect dive, smoothly into the refreshing water, never making a splash.

I cut through the water like a fish. No longer able to feel the tingles. They're muted.

When my lungs need air I come up take in gulps full. I look to the shore and my eyes lock with a pair of familiar green eyes on a majestic chocolate wolf.

"Kayden." It's barley a whisper but I know he heard me. His eyes flash a freaky yellow. I watch as he disappears back into the tree line.