He had given up hope a long time ago. At the age of 12 when his numbers came in and sported a zero, he was absolutely devastated. I mean, how did he not have a soulmate? Everyone he knew had numbers on their wrists or had already found their soulmates. He didn't understand how he didn't have one at all.

"Don't worry about it," his dad said. "You will find your special someone. Just be patient."

And he was patient. He went on multiple dates with multiple girls, trying to see if any of them could fill the void that he had in his heart. If he didn't have a soulmate, maybe he could find his life-mate. He had heard of cases where people either ignored their clocks or didn't have any and lived perfectly happy lives with a person that was good for them. He was determined to find that person. None of them did it. None of called to him. None of those girls were the one.

When he met Bella, he thought he had found her. Something about her drew him in. She was kind, clumsy, beautiful, shy, awkward as hell, and she made his heart beat faster. She had a clock, with numbers counting down until the moment when she met her soulmate but she didn't really pay attention to it. You see, Bella was determined to fall in love with a person by her own standards. Not because they were her soulmate, but because she felt like a better version of herself when she was with them. Besides, Bella had seen soulmate relationships fall apart. Her parents were the first sign that soulmate relationships weren't fool-proof. Sometimes life-mates were better suited for each other in the mortal world that they lived in.

So he decided to befriend her. They got along spectacularly. They were like two pees in a pod, always seeming to be on the same brainwave. It wasn't a secret to anyone that he had a crush on her. His dad noticed it the day they went over to Charlie's to welcome her to Forks and watch the game. That night he was teased relentlessly.

"Just ask her out, son. Who knows, maybe she'll be the one." Billy told him later that night after he had over-exhausted all of his horrendous jokes regarding Jacob and Chief Swan's daughter.

He had been going over various ways to ask her to go out with him on a date when he saw him. At first Jacob didn't really think anything of it. Bella had told him she didn't believe in soulmates so he thought he had a chance with her. But then he saw that smile. The smile that he had seen on all of their faces. The faces of the people in his life who were fortunate enough to have found their soulmates.

He knew he had lost the battle and decided to accept defeat. So when his dad payed him twenty dollars to go ask Bella to break up with her boyfriend, he assumed it was because his dad felt sorry for him and wouldn't see his son give up on a chance to be happy so easily.

Things started looking up for him when Edward left town. Bella was suddenly available and completely heartbroken and Jacob vowed to be the one who picked up the pieces. For him, Edward's departure just reinforced his belief that soulmates weren't always the only answer. If anything, they could make people bitter. When Sam Uley dumped his fiancée Leah Clearwater after he found his soulmate Emily Young, Jacob didn't get it. Sam had a perfectly loving, established relationship with a girl who was crazy about him. Sure, she wasn't his soulmate but that meant little these days. People weren't patient enough to wait for that sort of thing and it had been proven time and time again that just because someone is your soulmate doesn't mean that they are the only person for you. A soulmate was just supposed to complement you, not be your other half. It was as if something beyond the soulmate bond connected Sam and Emily. But that was ridiculous. Those things only existed in story books; in the legends that he had learned as a kid.

He could make Bella happy. He would make Bella happy. All he needed was time. He needed time in order to let Bella heal. A year and she would be his.

Everything changed when he phased for the first time. Suddenly, all of the stories were real. Werewolves and vampires existed. Imprinting wasn't some made-up fairytale told to little girls at night when they asked what finding their soulmate would feel like. Sam had imprinted on Emily. Freaking Paul Lahote had imprinted on his sister Rachel.

Instantly, he hated it. It wasn't like a soulmate bond that could be ignored or disregarded. Imprinting was a supernatural bond that was greater than a soulmate could ever be. Imprinting was a phenomenon where the wolf found his other half. The person that was truly made for him in every sense of the word. That girl became his everything. He no longer belonged to himself and no one else could possibly matter as much as she could.

That's what made him hate it so much. He didn't want to be a slave to some stranger that the universe decided he was supposed to be tied to for eternity. He wanted to fall in love. He wanted to be free to make that choice.

But he didn't worry too much. He didn't have a soulmate and all of the imprints were soulmates. Still, when he didn't imprint on Bella, he couldn't explain his anger. Maybe it was because he was worried that Bella, the hopeless romantic, would choose her soulmate, Edward—who just so happened to be a vampire—over him, the poor Native kid from the Rez that turned into a giant wolf with a father in a wheel chair and a dead mother.

In theory, he was the better choice. He was alive. He had a heartbeat. He was warm. He did not kill people or drink blood. He could age. He could give her children. He could make her happy.

But apparently she didn't see any of that. She didn't seem him. Sure, she loved him; but not the way that he loved her. It was a love that he couldn't really explain. There was a pull to her that he could not seem to get rid of. She called to him. She called to him so much that even when they got married, he showed up for a dance and to offer his congratulations. Because no matter how much he tried, he couldn't ever hate her and he couldn't break the soulmate bond between Bella and her leech.

He left after that. Decided to take off and start somewhere else. He didn't want to be there to see everything unfold. He didn't want to be there to see her become a vampire; his enemy. He would still phase. He would still protect the people that he encountered from any vamperic threats. He restricted himself to only human drinkers though. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that if it came down to it, he would not be able to kill Bella or one the Cullens; especially the leaders of the so-called family Carlisle and Esme. They had taken care of him after half his body had been crushed by a newborn vampire. Just the thought of killing them made him shiver.

About a month later, he laid on a bed in a motel he had checked into because he missed human food and desperately needed a hot shower. He had his eyes closed and was thinking about where to go next. Should he just roam around as a wolf? Should he try to finish school or get a job? Should he pull the Cullen's favorite trick and live in one town for a couple of years and then move from place to place? Honestly, he had no clue what to do with his life. He wanted to go back home eventually, he just didn't know when. No time seemed right. He knew what waited for him if he ever returned. The fact of the matter was that Sam would soon stop phasing and the pack would need a new alpha. His father wasn't going to live forever and the tribe would need a new chief.

He laid there contemplating all of the responsibility that would be placed upon his shoulders the moment he decided to step foot back on the Rez. But he couldn't run forever. Right now he had an excuse. He was a hot-headed, rebellious teenager that just wanted to figure out his place in the world. But that wouldn't always be the case.

He was just starting to doze off when he felt a warmness in his chest and stinging on his wrist. He looked down at the clock on the inside of his left wrist and saw the zeros start spinning rapidly. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening. Slowly, the zeros stopped spinning and all that was heard was ticking sound. He stared at his wrist intently when suddenly, the most incredible thing happened: the zeros disappeared. In its place were 3 numbers, displayed boldly.

12:03:09

He couldn't believe his eyes. He had a soulmate? For the past 4 ½ years Jacob had been trying to find his soulmate and had no success. He thought he didn't have one. There is no way, he thought, that's impossible. But deep down he knew it wasn't that strange of a thought. Stranger things happened every day.

A part of him was excited to meet his soulmate in 12 years, 3 months, and 9 days. But the larger part of him found the idea ridiculous. The universe had already taken so much away from him; his life, his family, his friends, his identity. There was no way he was going to let the universe dictate his relationship. The funny thing was it already had. The absence of a soulmate in the past four years had already marked him in ways he wouldn't even begin to understand.

Still, he was stubborn and determined to have autonomy over his actions and his life so in the morning he went to the store and bought some athletic tape to wrap around his wrist and cover the clock. He wouldn't look at it, he wouldn't think about it. He would just live his life as if this had never occurred.

And it worked for many years. He was able to block out the memory of that night of September 11, 2006. He grew up in that time. Even though he was frozen at 16, he had matured greatly. Of course, it didn't happen overnight.

For about a year after he left the Rez, he went wolf. Phasing back to human had been a hell of an experience. He had forgotten what it felt like to be on two feet and sleep in a warm bed and eat a cheeseburger. God how he had missed cheeseburgers. After that short period of going animal, he decided it was time to get his act together. He wanted to finish high school at least. He called his dad and was able to make arrangements to take a placement exam that would put him in the classes necessary to finish his schooling. Turns out he was right on track. He enrolled in Alpine High School in Alpine, Texas. Amount of students enrolled: 277.

The experience was a strange one for him. Unlike back in Washington, here, Jacob was popular. He was the quarterback of the small town football team. He was Captain of the basketball team. He was the leader of interest groups and involved in the few clubs the school offered. He had friends, he had great relationships with his teachers, he had good grades, and he loved feeling the sun on his skin every day. Most importantly though, he had the girls. And boy, did he have a lot of them. His good looks, popularity, intelligence, and overall charming nature had all of the girls willing to drop their panties at a moment's notice.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't agree to any of the scandalous proposals made towards him. It almost seemed as if he had a new girl every other week. Now this was different from the old Jacob. The old Jacob was worried about not having a soulmate. The old Jacob was in love with the idea of Bella. The old Jacob was a cute but shy kid who lacked confidence. The new Jacob was different. He was confident and demanded attention wherever he went. The new Jacob realized he had never been in love with Bella, just the idea of being able to have her. The pull that he felt to her mysteriously disappeared that same night of September 11, 2006 and it was redirected somewhere else. Most importantly, the new Jacob kept his soulmate clock hidden from others.

This was convenient when he was out looking for girls to win over. He always used the same line, "I keep it covered because I want to be surprised. You never know baby, you might be it." Gosh, high school girls ate it right up. The night he lost his virginity was one he wished he could forget but probably never would. It wasn't because the sex was bad, because it wasn't. Truth be told, it was actually really good. He held out a lot longer than he had expected and he made the definitely more experienced girl orgasm so that was always a good sign. But no, it was a night he wished he could forget because it was the first time he had ever thought about the soulmate he was supposed to meet in 11 years. Oh great, I just fucked a girl and now I'm thinking about another one. I'm an asshole.

That's why he wished he could forget it. He didn't want to think about the future and destiny or fate or whatever you call it. He was going to cheat fate, he was sure of it. There was nothing out there stronger than his personal desires and personal needs. He was determined to satisfy them.

So came along the string of "girlfriends" and "study partners" that he went through. Once he bedded them, he left them. Oddly enough, no one seemed to be mad at him because he was never a jerk about it. It was comforting in a way, being able to take out all one's frustrations in such a physical way. Sex was an outlet that he enjoyed and looked forward to. It always seemed to be the highlight of his day.

After graduation, he decided to go visit La Push. When he got home, everyone embraced him as if he had never left. It was sweet being home for a few months. He had grown up and matured a lot in the time he had been away and everyone could see it. Jacob was different, but it was a good different. Still, he was never the same happy, go-lucky kid that loved putting a smile of someone's face. He couldn't ever figure out why he wasn't like that anymore. He wished he could be like that still. It was as if a part of him was missing.

Determined to find that missing piece of himself, Jacob set off from La Push in pursuit of greater things. He ended up in Dahlonega, Georgia. It was a charming little town with a population of about 5,000. It was in northern Georgia and had a beautiful view of the mountains on the horizon. He was able to get a lease on a little cabin house on the outskirts of the town. It was perfect for him. He could go out for runs, phase, and bring girls back to his secluded home without hearing any talk from the townsfolk. He even enrolled in classes at the University of North Georgia which had a campus in town.

He stayed there for about 4 years. Dahlonega was comfortable for him. He was an engineering major at the university. He had his own place. He bought a car. He had a good job as a mechanic's assistant. He even had a steady girlfriend. Everything was good, but nothing was grand. Dahlonega was a lovely place but it wasn't home. Nothing exciting ever happened. The simple life was great but he needed more.

So on June 27, 2012 at the age of 22, he packed his bags and set off for somewhere that he could find adventure. The next evening he was in Miami. Now this was somewhere that he could experience life in a whole different way. For a small town kid, the Miami culture was a shock. It was truly its own little world. Everywhere he went there were people speaking Spanish, signs and billboards written in Spanish, Latin restaurants and bars, Cuban coffee houses and clothing stores. It was unlike anything he had ever seen or been exposed to. But it was what he needed. It was what he craved. The partying, the nightlife, the women, the culture, the sun; it was all a breath of fresh air.

While in high school and college, he discovered that he was actually a very fast learner. Maybe it had to do with the werewolf gene finally kicking in. He had an almost eidetic memory and the rate by which he was able to perform was astounding. This prompted him to learn Spanish. He picked it up rather quickly. Being surrounded by the language was incredibly helpful because it gave him opportunities to practice. And he spoke it rather well. People were always so surprised when they heard the tall Native man-child speak to them in the romance language that he took it upon himself to learn Portuguese and French as well.

It was especially useful when he tried to pick up girls every Friday night. Most would call him a player, a lady's man, a womanizer. But it wasn't true. Yeah he liked having sex, who doesn't? But he was always kind and always courteous. He prided himself on being a caring lover and just a good human being. Not to say that he didn't like it rough, because after all, he was part animal. He didn't want to cuddle after sex. He didn't want to talk. He just wanted make sure that his partner for the night didn't feel like he had used them or taken something from them. That's what led to one of his most important rules: never sleep with a virgin. He hadn't yet and he wouldn't ever. From what he heard from the guys at work, the ladies seemed to get a little too attached if you took their virginity. They were harder to shake off.

And that's something he definitely didn't want. He wasn't going to stay in Miami forever. It was a temporary filling of the void that he seemed to carry with him every day.

After about 3 years in Miami, he decided to leave again. This time he made his way up the state and stopped in Tampa, Florida. It wasn't as fast-paced as Miami but it definitely had a different atmosphere than what he had grown used to. Tampa was pleasant; unbearably hot but it rained enough to remind him of home. Why the hell do they call this the sunshine state? Sometimes he wondered if he was still in Florida.

He started school again, taking some engineering courses here and there just to give him something to do. He got a job as a substitute teacher and enjoyed getting a chance to feel like a kid again. True, technically he was eternally 16, but he had lived through so much he felt 35. Surprising even himself, he got involved with a church. Goodness he hadn't stepped foot in one since before his mother died. But something about the place made him feel safe. It made him feel important and for once in his life he felt he had purpose.

He obtained a new family within his church. He learned how to play guitar and joined their worship team. It was a close-knit sense of community that he had been missing ever since he left La Push so many years ago. He even went on a mission trip to Panama and tested out his Spanish among the locals. Everything finally seemed like it was falling into place. But he knew he couldn't stay there forever. As much as he wished he could, people were going to notice that he wasn't aging. The oldest he could pass for was 25, but even that was a stretch.

Not to mention, the pull in his chest was getting stronger. It was pulling him away from his beautiful Tampa sanctuary. Where to, he wasn't sure yet. And that's how he found himself sitting in the prayer pavilion on the church grounds. He needed guidance. He needed direction. He needed a sign.

"Staring at the floor isn't going to get you any answers, you know."

Jacob jumped slightly in surprise. He turned around to see Pastor David walking towards him. Lovely, I just got scared by the pastor. I'm a wolf for crying out loud. "Hey Pastor,"

"Jacob, how are you?" Pastor David asked. He was rather young for a pastor. He was in his early 30s and had opened up the church about five years ago in an area that was in need. It had all started in the auditorium of the local high school but as more people were drawn in, the congregation grew and called for an expansion. It was now on a 7 acre plot of land and had multiple buildings to fit the congregation of over 2,000.

"Honestly, Pastor, I'm lost." Jacob replied. "I don't know what to do. I came here searching for answers."

"Answers to what?" the young minister inquired.

"When, I first came to Tampa, I wasn't expecting to become so attached. I thought that it would just be another place. But it's really been like a second home to me. I have grown and matured so much in the few years I've been here and it really put some things into perspective for me. I have everything I could ever want but there's something missing. Lately, I've been feeling a pull to leave here and just move. There's something out there waiting for me but I just can't figure out what it is or where to find it."

David stared knowingly at the young man's covered wrist, "When I first became a Christian, things changed. Life made sense. It had purpose and value and I finally felt like I belonged. I was content being a member of the congregation and listening to the preacher give a sermon on this, that and the other. When they started to give me opportunities to preach or give lessons I knew I had found my calling. It was perfect for me. I got to experience what it was like to be a preacher minus all of the responsibility that comes with leading the church. But one day, I was sitting on a park bench praying. Because much like you now, I had developed this need to just go. I wanted to go and build a church. I didn't know where, I didn't know when. All I knew was that something in my life was going to change dramatically.

"So I stood up from where I was standing and I looked up to God and changed my prayer. I said, 'Lord, you know what I want. Now, tell me what You want me do.' And it worked. What I had been feeling in my heart was true. I was meant to go out and plant a church thousands of miles away from home. So I quit my job, packed a few of my things into my car and drove.

"As I was driving through Tampa, I had a come to Jesus moment and that's when I knew that this was where I was supposed to be. It wasn't a feeling or a big neon sign that told me this. It was a sense of peace and absolute certainty with the decision I had made. That was it. Nothing complicated or extreme; I just knew."

"Have you ever regretted your decision?" Jacob wondered.

"Not once," Pastor David smiled. "I love what I do here. I love the people that I get to talk to every day. So no, I have never regretted it. And on the plus side, I found my soulmate here and I married her. You can't get much better than that."

And just like that Jacob knew what he had to do, "Thank you Pastor David. You have been an inspiration to me and I can't thank you enough for all that you do."

A few months later—just in time for December—he had sold his apartment along with the majority of his things and drove to where his heart was telling him to go. He was surprised when he discovered that the place where he was meant to be was Forks. He had been back almost every year for about two weeks at a time to spend time with his dad, sister, nieces and nephews, the pack, and all of the imprints.

In a way, it shouldn't have shocked him. He always knew he would have to come back and take charge of the tribe and take over from Sam. He just didn't expect that time to be now. The truth was, it had been twelve years since he left and life had gone on without him. People got married, had babies, imprinted, and he wasn't there for any of it. Well, he had been there for some of it. He tried his best to come down whenever someone got married. And let me tell you, it was quite often.

Sam and Emily had gotten married and were pregnant with kid number 3. Rachel and Paul were married and had 5 boys with a little girl on the way. Jared had imprinted on Kim and married her. Quil had imprinted on Emily's niece Claire and Quil was currently following the fourteen-year-old girl like a loyal guard dog. Even Brady and Collin had imprinted and gotten married. A big surprise was when he heard that Charlie and Sue had gotten married a couple months after he left. The even greater surprise was when he heard that they had gotten pregnant. It shocked everyone. Both Charlie and Sue were 43 and had grown children so they never expected something like this to occur. Regardless, Lucas Harry Swan was the light in everyone's life. He had this quality about him that made you wonder if anyone could be as good and as pure as he was.

Some things were the same, though. Embry, Leah, and Seth were all still single, but content. Embry was living the single life, much like Jacob used to, having a new girl on his arm every other week. His clock kept him that way for another 5 years. Leah was still alone but less bitter. She knew she had a soulmate and was just hoping that she would imprint one day. Seth was, as always, his happy go-lucky self, content waiting 10 more years.

When he knocked on the door of the house he grew up in with a pack on his back and a box in his arms, he didn't really know what to expect from his father. The hug he received was more than he could have ever hoped for. "Jacob, welcome home."