Chapter 1 -
Strangers in the dark
Jake's PoV

"FUCK, YES! Look at THAT! Tonight is going to be my lucky night I can feel it in my - Ow!" Quil squawked loudly, as Paul cuffed him sharply around the back of his head.

"For fuck's sake, what have I told you about playing it cool, Dipshit!" Paul snapped. "23 and he still acts like a pre-pubescent virgin seeing a naked girl for the first time!"

Everyone laughed as Quil rubbed his head.

"But look at those honeys!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm not dampened at all. We had already seen the group of girls totter in, in their skyscraper heels, shimmering their way through the club to a reserved booth. Having already given them a cursory glance as they entered, I didn't bother to look again. Instead, I stared down at the bottle in my hand, before a loud smack caught my attention. Looking up at the boys, I saw they were still discreetly checking out the 'fresh meat'. Quil, however, was openly ogling them while rubbing his arm; he didn't have a subtle bone in his whole entire body.

"I'm going ov - ow! Stop fucking hitting me LaHo or I'll…"

"Don't you fucking dare! You'll fuck it up for the rest of us." The other single boys nodded in agreement, silently forming a barrier between the girls and Quil. I smiled and laughed at their banter. I should be pissed off, my first boy's night out in ages was going to turn into another night of "pussy patrol", but in all honesty, I couldn't have been happier. I just wanted to go home. I was missing Cass, and wishing I was back in Seattle with her.

I checked my phone, for the eighth time, just to see an empty screen - again. I was home, on one of the very few weekends I actually managed to get home, to see my dad and somehow I'd been dragged out by these morons, despite my protests. The gesture meant more than the actual deed, but I knew Cass wouldn't be thrilled to know I was out with my boys tonight, when I'd promised I was only coming back to see dad on the down-low. Who knew the old man had practically made a public announcement? The sooner I could get these guys off my back, the better, and the only way that was going to happen was if they got distracted by breasts. So, I was quietly biding my time until I could silently slip out of the club and disappear.

"Jake, bro?"

"Hmmm, yeah?"

"You okay, man? You spaced out," Embry asked tentatively. Quickly checking to see if anyone else had noticed my momentary lapse of concentration, I nodded, and gave him a false smile in return. He gave me a knowing look, unimpressed.

"That fake smile doesn't fool anyone, you ass! Come on, relax! Cassie won't give two shits that you're out. She knows you're a good boy!" He muttered, under his breath, so only I would hear over the base of the loud music.

"The guys wanna go try their luck with those girls, you coming?" He asked, smirking at me. He knew damn well I'd have my balls ripped off if I so much as looked at another girl.

"Nah, I need another beer, Em," I raised my still half-full beer at him. He arched an eyebrow at it and gave me another knowing look, as I downed it in one mouthful.

"Ok, now I do need one," I replied, resulting in husky laugh. I smiled back at him, winking "Go get 'em Em. Show the rest of those idiots how it's done!" He gave me a gravelly laugh, smacking me across my back, as I turned and headed towards the bar.

Shoving my way through the mass of intoxicated people, I finally made it to the crowded bar, raising my hand at the bartender for service; he nods in acknowledgement before serving the customer in front of him. I turn around, propping myself up against the bar, to watch the boys in action. It had been a while since I been out with them, especially in this environment. Normally, we went to the beach or hung out at someone's house. The guys had well and truly integrated themselves amongst the group of girls, who seemed to be enjoying the attention, if you could judge by the amount of smiling, giggling and hair-flipping going on. I watched my brothers work their magic, shaking my head and smiling at their antics.

I had really missed them while I had been away at college, until I'd met Cassidy. But being here now, surrounded by hordes of drunken idiots looking for a hook-up, just made me miss her more. The overwhelming stench of alcohol, cigarettes and sex made my stomach churn and my wolf desperately wanted some fresh air and to run.

Suddenly, a sharp stabbing pain shot through my foot and I yelped more in surprise than from the pain.

A shadow fell over me, letting out a curse as it fell forward, almost crashing into the bar. I grabbed for it instinctively, steadying it back onto patent black stilettos. Her, it was a her.

Concerned, I asked the unsteady girl if she was okay, my own pain forgotten. A head of reddish-brown hair, which had been curled, teased and sprayed into stiff perfection, bobbed up and down, but hadn't yet looked up from her feet, as she teetered closer to the bar, gripping on to it for dear life.

As inconspicuously as possible, I took a deep breath. I was surprised to find that, despite the array of odours surrounding me, this girl only smelled of too much expensive perfume. She had finally anchored herself against the bar and seemed to be trying to dig her perfectly painted blood red nails into the wood.

Giving a deep sigh, she turned to look at me. Her overly glossed lips formed an 'o' as her eyes, despite her towering heels, met only my white t-shirt. Her eyes slowly travelled up my chest, finally reaching my face. Her neat eyebrows shot up, as her lashes fluttered like hummingbird wings.

She blinked, and spoke in surprise, "God! You're huge! Like massive!" Hearing herself, her eyes widened in horror and her face reddened immediately before her hand clapped over her mouth. Before I could stop, I chuckled at her reaction, which only made her blush deepen. There was something about her, maybe her obvious innocence, that intrigued me.

"Tall, I meant tall. You're…" She floundered, trying to find the word that wouldn't humiliate her further. "Like… a giant… I mean… argh!" Her hand smacked against her forehead in exasperation. "God, I'm a moron! This is exactly why I didn't- no, why I don't come out. God," she mutters to herself, oblivious to the fact that I could hear her clearly, even with all the other noise around me.

Despite the overwhelming perfume, heavy makeup, and the audacious choice of clothes, there was something about her mannerisms and general demeanour that drew me to her. Everything about her seemed to be in contradiction. Had she not literally stumbled into me, I probably wouldn't have given her a second look, simply based on the way she was dressed. But in the two minutes I'd been next to her, something happened. In the moment that I saw the look of horror over her word vomit and that delectable blush colour her features, I knew I wanted her. Even though I couldn't have her, I wanted her. I had never felt this before, never met someone that I felt such lust over. Even with Cass, I'd never felt like this. She had pursued me, and I loved her - I mean, I love her. Cass is hot, and funny, and smart, and….

But this girl, damn, I couldn't even explain it to myself, there was just something about her. And what made it scarier was this growing sensation inside me... something that made me want to take her someplace quiet, get to know her better, to take care of her, to wrap myself around her and protect her from the evils of the world. I realised I was staring at her, as she chewed anxiously on her fingernails. Fighting the urge to pull them from her mouth, I offered my hand, instead.

"I'm Jacob, my friends call me Jake."

She peered up at me, with animated surprise, as if she expected me to run off instead of introducing myself. I took my first good look at her face, now that it was no longer partly hidden behind a hand, or a deep shade of crimson. Behind the layers of foundation, that seemed to sparkle and dance as she gazed up at me.

"Er, Bella, I mean, ah, dammit!" she spluttered and another loud laugh escaped my lips. I relished in the feeling. Suddenly, I realized it had been an eternity since I had felt this light and carefree.

"Forgot your fake name? Already? Something tells me you're not used to doing this?" I teased, attempting to glance at her hand, looking for the tell-tale stamp. The last thing I wanted or needed right now was to fall for a minor, no matter how beautiful or bashful she seemed. She saw my eyes glance to her hand, and she pulled it sharply behind, making her sway on her feet and grab for the bar again.

"NO! I-"

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, interrupting her.

I gave my order and asked her for hers. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip, as if deciding what to order, which only intrigued me more. How and why was she here? She was clearly out of her depth, that much was obvious. She glanced behind her, and I followed her line of vision. I was surprised to see it landed on the group of girls in the booth. The same booth of girls that the pack was currently entertaining. So she was with that lot, I thought, confusion radiating through me. They all looked like they did the bar scene regularly and they all looked older than her, but she was clearly over 21 and able to drink. The bartender had asked for her hands the moment she ordered a beer, and I had looked to confirm that both her hands were stamp-free.

Gathering ours drinks in one hand, I turned to lead the way through the crowd. I felt two warm hands land on my back and quickly pull off, as if they'd been burnt, before she fell against me again. This time, her hands stayed there. Chuckling to myself, I threw my free arm behind us and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her and placing her in front of me as she let out a stunned squeak. She'd grabbed my forearm as I lifted her and her fingers were still digging in tightly. Just as I put her down, and she loosened her grip to step away from me, someone shoved past her, making her stumble on those reckless heels. Hoisting her up, and holding on to her tightly, I let out a rumbling growl as the culprit passed us. The growl vibrated through my chest into her back, and I internally cursed my error, as two unblinking, brown eyes tilted around to stare up at me. She precariously stepped away from me, wobbling her way through the crowd. Despite my irritation at being caught growling, I couldn't help but smile as I watched her try to hobble awkwardly through the crowd, back to her friends. I shook my head there was no way I was sharing her just yet. Grabbing her hand, I tried to steer her to the opposite side of the club. She swayed and wobbled, as I felt my face curl into a large smile; I was right, there was no way on earth she could walk in heels, which only cemented my certainty she wasn't the party girl she was dressed up as, and she unquestionably wasn't a high heels kind of girl.