Hello everyone! I've had this idea for a while and I finally decided to try it out. Forgive me for the first two or three chapters being kind of scratchy. reviews are always appreciated and I hope you enjoy.
Bella Swan couldn't believe it had been a month since she last made the drive down to La Push. Then again a month ago she couldn't believe she was flying to Italy to save Edward Cullen from killing his undead self. She could believe the grounding she got when she had returned home to an extremely worried and angry father. When she came home she had waited for Jacob, her best friend and more recently her werewolf protector, to call. He never did. After a week she started calling him but he never answered and talking to his father was like talking to a brick wall. So she decided to take matters into her own hands.
The Black house looked the same as it always had, faded red paint and a slanted porch with a bench swing. Light rain misted down and it gave the yard a dewy look. It was a little safe haven against the impending doom of myth and magic that surrounded them. Bella ran to the door. She hadn't realized how much she wanted to see Jacob. Opening the door she gave a quick survey of the room, no Billy, no Jake. She crept around, making sure if Billy was there he wouldn't hear her, to Jacob's room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door ready to be washed over by her personal sun.
Jacob's room was almost bare with several overflowing cardboard boxes on the ground. All of his pictures and posters were gone from his dark walls. Bella's eyes shot to the bed where, yes, Jacob was. Shirtless, he slept with a small smile on his face. It looked so serene and it took a second for Bella to notice the equally shirtless girl crushed into his side. Bella gasped.
Jacob's eyes fluttered open and the found Bella. He looked surprised, maybe even guilty, but his voice wasn't the voice she had left him with.
"Bella, out." He demanded and she slammed the door before scurrying away to the living room. She sat down on his couch and tried to breathe. Jacob came out a minute later. He looked taller, bigger. That's when she knew.
"You're Alpha now." He nodded to her gravely. "I thought you never wanted it."
"I didn't but," He took a breath, "After you left for your leech I realized what I wanted."
The words seemed to hang with a double meaning.
They were both silent for a minute. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Melanie." Even in his serious state Jacob seemed to wrap her name in love. A pang of jealousy flared in Bella's heart. She did her best to ignore it. She had Edward and wasn't that all she had ever wanted? "She's my imprint."
"Your imprint?" Bella didn't know what the word meant.
"It's when the wolf finds it's mate, the person they're destined to be with." He tried to explain.
Bella took a deep shakey breath and realized she was crying. "She's your soul mate?"
"Yes." Jacob's voice was strong and sure.
"But what about.." She trailed off before looking up at him. "What about us?"
A change took place in Jacob. His shoulders slumped and he sighed as he sat down in the recliner next to the couch. His head was in his hands for a moment before he crossed his arms, looking down at the old wooden floor of his home. "There never was an us. I realize that now. You were never going to love me like that."
Bella wanted to scream that it was a lie and that she did love him, that she wanted him and only him but she knew it would always be Edward. "Are you moving?"
"Yes but only down the rez closer to the tree line. It's more secluded. Better for a pack of wolves to meet at then here. I mean can you imagine if Mrs. Mayberry saw Quill come out of the woods naked? She'd have a heart attack. Again." He tried to joke with her but Bella felt like her world had been ripped out from underneath her. "You're still my best friend, you know?"
She nodded and smiled a small, tear-filled smile. At least she had that.
"Jake are you still here?" A voice came from down the hall.
"Would you like to meet her?" Bella nodded yes to his question.
Jacob smiled at her and turned his head towards the hall. "Yeah babe! I'm out here."
The girl, Melanie emerged from the hall in one of Jacob's prephase shirts and a pair of tight black jeans. Her hair was a light brown, lighter than Bella's, and her skin was a creamy pale that contrasted nicely to Jacob's tan complexion. She was pretty, with just the right amount of freckles covering her nose and cheeks. Her figure was tall with a slight hourglass curve to it. Her smile lit up the room.
Bella hated her.
"Mel," Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her gently around the chair, "This is Bella Swan."
Melanie's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh! It's so nice to meet you. Jake's told me so much about you."
Bella took her outstretched hand and shook it, mumbling a "nice to meet you too."
They suffered through some small talk, mostly led by Melanie, before Bella needed to go. Melanie hugged her goodbye and told her to visit again soon before heading off to the kitchen to make dinner. Jacob pulled her in for a quick, loving kiss before letting her go. Bella watched and felt bile rise in her throat.
Jacob walked her to her car. The sun was setting and the sky was purple with the slow fall of twilight. "How much does she know?"
"Everything about the wolves. As Alpha's mate it's her job to mother the Pack and she needed to know as soon as possible."
"How much does she know about me?"
Jacob sighed and didn't meet her eyes. "A lot. I'm sorry."
"What the hell Jake?"
"I'm sorry but are we going to pretend like you didn't tell your leech everything as soon as you got back?" His words bit her.
"You're right. I'm sorry."
Jacob sighed and brought her in for a tight hug. In his arms she could almost pretend like things were back to normal. She could almost pretend that he loved her. "I'm glad your home safe. Come back soon, I mean it."
"I will, Jake. Promise." He let her go and the absence of heat nearly broke her.
He walked back into the house and from the window Bella could see him wrap his arms around his imprint. She drove away before she could see anymore.