CHAPTER TWO

I was exhausted, and felt pretty gross. I stripped Jacob's sweatshirt off, and brushed out my shoulder-length hair. I saw myself in the full length mirror on the back of my door, and barely recognized myself.

I looked fierce.

My muscles were suddenly defined. I looked strong, and felt powerful. I wasn't any taller, but I felt like I could jump through the roof. I turned around and looked at myself from all angles.

I looked hot.

I smirked to myself. I suppose this was one advantage of suddenly exploding into a wolf. Maybe now the boys would be all over me.

That thought stopped me dead in my tracks.

I knew I couldn't date. Not after what had happened to my father. He had put Leah through a hell storm. I didn't even want to think about what pain I could cause. I had seen firsthand what had happened to my best friend when he imprinted, and I couldn't even imagine if that had happened to someone I felt more deeply about.

There was one boy, but I had always been too shy to talk to him. His name was Liam Kite, and he had been attending the tribal school with me since we were in preschool. He was drop dead gorgeous, and all the girls loved him. I was just one of those girls. I had been assigned to work on a quarter project with him a few weeks ago, and since then, I had grown to like him even more. He was a hard worker, and very smart.

I sighed wistfully at the thought of him, and felt an overwhelming urge to see him. I shook my head, and knew that there was no point even having those feelings anymore. They could be taken away from me in a split second.

I could hear the outdoors perfectly, even all tucked into my bed like I was. I was asleep almost instantly.

I awoke with a start, and was shocked to realize it was only five am. I heard a loud wolf howl from what sounded like literally ten yards behind my house, and was suddenly wide awake. I almost ripped the door off its hinges as I raced out of my bedroom and through the back door. Some unbeknownst part of my head reminded me to take my clothes off, and somehow I managed to get them off and drop them there in the woods.

In the next second I was flying, and so confused. It felt like there were a million voices in my head, even though there really were only about ten.

Would you all shut up? Jacob thought. He sounded irritated.

I wasn't sure how to silence my thoughts, so I tried to focus on Jacob's. That would probably be best.

Atta girl, Jacob thought. You see, Jenny isn't retarded like the rest of you.

Screw you I heard several of them think at the same time. I chuckled, and it sounded like a bark.

Alright Jacob thought. I could picture where he was standing, and hear the wolves I was near. I followed my instincts, and found Jacob. So yeah, there's another new wolf Jacob thought.

What in the hell.

A few of the others laughed at my reaction. My thoughts exactly, Lucas thought.

His name is Liam Kite, Jacob thought.

My heart fluttered, and I smiled at the thought of him.

Stop that Jenny that's awkward, Nick thought.

Go screw yourself, I told him.

I'm so glad the two of you get along so well, Jacob thought.

Mm, we thought in unison.

Anyway, Jacob continued. He's fourteen. He's freaking out. And in all honesty, so am I, because I can't figure out how the hell this kid is related to us.

It could be anything, Nathan thought. We'll figure it out eventually. He does have Quileute parents?

He has a Quileute mom, Jacob thought. She's about two years younger than me in school. She got pregnant when she was like sixteen. Do any of you remember her?

Nope, Nick and I thought at the same time. The other's had varying reactions.

Wasn't she in Collin and Brady's year? Caleb asked.

I think so, Jacob said.

I remember my sister's gossiping about her, Bryce said. If I remember correctly, she never told anyone who the father was.

I remember that part, Matt said. It caused quite the soap opera.

Yep, Jacob said. Anyhow, I got him calmed down enough to phase back. He's sitting in his backyard right now. I was thinking we could all phase back and then go get him.

I subconsciously took a step backward.

Let's meet back here and we will all walk back over together, Jacob concluded.

I didn't wait for further instruction. I was already racing back to where I had left my clothes. I focused on calming down, and soon was in the comfort of my own thoughts. I pulled on the pajamas I had raced out in. Fortunately, they were decent. It was a pair of spandex shorts and a tank top. I was really hot, so they seemed appropriate for the night.

Even in my bare feet and human form, I was fast. I got back to meeting place last, but they didn't seem to have been waiting for long.

"Sorry," I said.

"No big deal," Jacob said. "I'll get you something so that you can tie your clothes to your leg next time."

"Perfect," I said.

Jacob led the way through the woods to Liam's house. I knew where it was, but I had never been of course. I had to jog to keep up with the boys' long legs, but I didn't mind. I was going to be spending lots of time with Liam. I tried to stop the feelings bubbling within me, but I just couldn't shake them.

Jacob pushed through the last group of trees, and I looked for Liam. He was sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest.

His head jerked up when he heard us, and his eyes scanned us. They paused for just a second on Nick, and then locked with mine.

His eyes widened, and I felt like I'd just been punched in the gut.

Everything went dark.

I felt something cold on my head. The ground underneath me had changed, and I realized that I was in a bed.

Liam.

Where was he? What happened? I had to know if he was okay.

"She's coming to you guys," I heard Liam say. I knew it was him.

My eyes flew open, and I jerked my head towards him.

Our eyes locked, and I felt like I was drifting up.

Jacob came into the room, and behind him was Ashley, the youngest eagle. I took notice of the room around me, and realized that I was in the big white house that used to be the Cullen's. It was now owned and lived in by the eagles who were men. The women all lived with their husbands on the reservation. I wondered why Ashley was here, and not at home with her baby.

I started to sit up, and Liam touched my shoulder and pushed me back down.

"Just stay down for now Jenny," Jacob said. I was still staring at Liam like a total freak, but he was staring at me too.

With sudden clarity, I knew what had happened.

I had imprinted on Liam. Imprinted. As a brand new wolf. Well, I wasn't the first.

I ripped my eyes from Liam's, and looked at Jacob. "I imprinted on him, didn't I?"

Jacob chuckled once. "Well, you tell me Jenny."

I just nodded, and then looked back at Liam.

"I'm really confused," he said. "But from what I've been told in the last hour, I'm pretty sure I imprinted on you too. Actually, I know I did. I'm sorry if this is creeping you out. I'm really scared."

I chuckled at his lack of focus. He was very doglike. "That's alright. I'm scared too." I looked at Ashley. "Why are you here?" I asked her.

"Wyatt's on patrol," she said. "So I thought I would bring Mackenzie over to see her uncles. They haven't seen her in about a week."

Now that I listened, I could hear the quiet sounds of a little baby. I looked at Jacob again, my brain turning very slowly. "Why am I here?"

"Well," Jacob said. "You passed out. And then you smacked your head on a rock. And we waited about ten minutes for you to wake up, trying to explain everything to Liam. When you still hadn't woken up, I texted Carlisle and he told me to get you inside and put something cold on your head. So, here we are."

My head didn't hurt at all. This rapid healing thing could work out nicely.

"Huh," I said. "Alright then."

"Yep," Jacob said. "I'm going to let you guys talk it out. You know each other, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "Or we will."

He smiled. "Make wise choices." He followed Ashley out, and shut the door behind him.

"So," Liam said. "Tell me about yourself. Tell me… everything."

I smiled. "Well, that'll be a whole lot easier now that you know about the wolf gene and all."

He laughed. "Yeah…"

For the next eight hours, we literally just sat there and talked. At some point, he climbed up onto the bed with me, and folded his arms. I had finally sat up, with fortunately no pain. It wasn't until Jacob knocked on the door that we finally shut up.

"Are you guys really still here?" He asked.

"Apparently," I said. "Where did you go?"

"I went home," he said. "And I took a nap with Cade. It was glorious."

"Hm," I said. "I suppose we should both go home."

"Yeah," Jacob said. "I have to talk to your mom though, Liam. And you need to talk to your parents Jen. They'll want to know where you've been all day."

I looked down and then quickly looked back up. "They'll understand."

"Of course," Jacob said. "Your father will without a doubt."

I took a deep breath and stretched as I stood up. I was still in my pajamas. Thank God they were remotely attractive.

"Oh," Jacob said. "We are having a meeting at eleven o'clock tonight. Just follow your noses to the spot, but we are going to meet in human form. It'll be more productive that way."

"Alright," Liam and I said at the same time.

We got up, and said goodbye to the eagles. Jacob offered us a ride home, and we gratefully took it. I felt like I was having my heart ripped out as I got out of the car, leaving Liam. Yet, I knew that I would be seeing him soon. It was already five o'clock, and I could smell my mother cooking dinner. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten anything since last night.

I walked into my house, and my mother looked relieved to see me. My father did as well, which surprised me a little bit.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi," My mom said. "What have you been up to all day?"

I could tell that they were both dying to know. I took a seat at our kitchen table, and made sure my brothers and sister were distracted. This was something I wanted to be able to tell my parents by myself.

"Well," I said. "There was a new wolf today. His name is Liam Kite." I took a deep breath, and from my father's expression, I think he knew what I was going to say before I said it. "And we imprinted on each other."

My mother kept cooking dinner, without even pausing. My dad put the paper down, and leaned against the counter. He folded his arms.

"Kite you said? Isn't his mother the one who-"

"Yes," I said. "She is Collin and Brady's age. You probably remember her."

"Of course," my mother said.

"I wonder how that kid got the wolf gene," my dad said.

"We haven't figured it out yet," I said. "But Jacob is talking to his mom right now. I'm sure they are working on it."

"Huh," my dad said. "Maybe it's from his dad's side. I don't think she ever told anyone who his father is."

"I don't think she did either," I said. "He didn't mention anything about a father today anyways."

"Well," my mother said. "Dinner is ready. Can you get your siblings please?"

"Yes," I said. I stood up, and looked across the room at them. "Thanks for not making this into a huge deal."

My dad smiled. "It's just another day, right? It's not like you asked for this to happen."

"No," I said. I smiled. "But I think I'm glad it did."

"That's good," my dad said. "I think you'll find yourself to be very happy."

"I know I will," I said without hesitating. I went and got my brothers and sister, and realized this was the first time I had seen them since I had changed. I knew Brandon and Allison understood what had happened, but I wasn't sure about Ryan. He was only eight. He was exactly like my father.

Dinner that night was very normal. I was more grateful for that than I could describe. Although, I kept thinking about Liam. I was distracted by his memory, and could smell him on my clothes. It was extremely disconcerting. After dinner, I rethought about my homework situation for the weekend, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Fortunately, the reservation school didn't give that much homework. The classes were so small that we had a lot of time in class for individual attention and homework. I was one of the smartest in my class, so I usually soared head and shoulders above the other students. I was smart, and not ashamed of it. Liam was easily my rival in class. He always had been. That's why we were assigned to do that project together earlier this year. Nick wasn't far behind us. He was smart like his mom, and had more common sense than anyone could ever ask for.

I finished all of my homework by eight o'clock, and managed to catch a few hours of sleep before eleven. My head was spinning from all of the day's events, so sleeping was more difficult than it should have been, considering how tired I was.

I woke up extremely quickly when my alarm went off, and heard Allison stir as I walked out of our bedroom. Hopefully she would go back to sleep. My father was still up watching TV.

"Have fun," he told me, even though he had no idea where I was going.

I smiled. "I will."

I got outside and took my clothes off. Jacob had given me a leather cord on the car ride home today, and I quickly rolled my outfit together and secured it to my leg. I found getting angry more difficult this time. I was still ecstatic about Liam. Yet, I focused hard enough, and soon I was flying. I was a dark black wolf, just like my father had been. Yet, I was much smaller than I remembered him being as a wolf. I had only seen him like that a handful of times, but those memories were seared into the back of my brain now.

The other voices were in my head, and I picked out Liam's immediately. He picked out mine too. That was nice.

Jenny you're a freak, Nick thought.

Wow I'm glad you're so mature, I thought back. And look who's talking. Pedophile.

Jeez, thanks for that, that makes me feel really good about myself.

Right, because that was totally my intention.

This is so fun, Matt thought.

Leah and I used to fight the exact same way, Jacob thought.

But you two are like best friends, Caleb continued.

Oh, but we weren't, Jacob thought. Not before Nessie. And not even really long before Joel. We were both pretty troubled for a while there. I got a mental image of Bella, back when she was human. Then I saw Leah, looking younger than I could ever remember. That was about four lifetimes ago, Jacob thought.

That was right before we changed… Lucas trailed off.

I noticed voices were disappearing, and realized that they were going back into human form. We were close to our meeting place. I began to phase back, and noticed that the last thing I heard was Liam being completely freaked out. I was still chuckling as I became human.

I untied the clothes from my leg and got dressed. I was fortunately not very large busted, just like my mother. I could get away with wearing built in bras for now. I pulled on a green camisole and some spandex shorts that I wore for running. I didn't care what I looked like. I was going to see Liam…

I burst through the trees and was only last by a few seconds. Liam had taken awhile to calm down. He was standing there in black athletic shorts, and I only took a second to admire his strong physique. Focus, I told myself.

"Sorry," I said.

"You're good," Jacob said. "You'd have to try to be slower than Brooke was. That woman took forever."

I laughed. "Hey now, girls will be girls."

"Yeah," Jacob said. "And she made up for it in her obnoxious ability to be laid back all the time. I swear the world could be ending and she'd just be like 'Eh, no worries.'"

"Do you miss them?" I asked Jacob.

"Who?" he asked. "The others?" I nodded. "Yes," he said. "All the time." He shook his head. "The whole dynamic changed. Everyone was so good at what they were assigned to do, and then suddenly, everyone was gone. Everyone I went through this with has disappeared. No one here knows who I was before Nessie was born. It was like losing my best friends, even though they all still live only about a block from my house."

"I'm sorry," I told him, thinking about how much older he was than me. "You must feel like a babysitter."

"I thought I would, considering I did babysit you and Nick as babies," he said. Nick and I laughed, remembering the good times we would have. "But I really don't. There is a connection between all of us, and it makes me seem younger, and you seem older. There is a gap in maturity and responsibility level, but it's not bad for the pack. This is kind of how it always was, even when your dad was in charge of most of us." Jacob stopped and sucked in a breath.

"Are you done now?" Nathan asked. "Jeez you go on rants sometimes."

"Shut up," Jacob said. "And yes, I am done now. Maybe I was just waiting for someone to ask."

"Apparently," Nathan said sarcastically.

"I'm glad I asked," I said. "It's good to talk about your feelings."

"Don't be such a girl," Nick said to me.

"You know what Nick, I'm going to make an effort to be even more feminine now," I told him. "Because God forbid I be the human I was born to be."

"Lay off of her," Kyle told Nick. "It's better that way."

Wyatt laughed. "If the woman isn't happy, no one is happy."

I chuckled. "We do have that way about us." I looked at Liam. "You are being awfully quiet."

He smiled. "I have no idea what to say. I barely know what's going on."

"Did you figure out how he is related to us?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh this is a long one," Jacob said. "But, the good news is, none of our fathers are cheating bastards this time. The wolf gene is from his mother." He took a breath. "We all descend from the great wolf and his third wife. We traced Liam's lineage back to his mother's great-great-great grandmother. We figured out that she is my father's great aunt. We kept going back until we figured out that Liam descends from a daughter of the great wolf, and that he is actually the first male to be alive in a time when the wolves are running. That is why he changed."

"Then why didn't his mother change?" Nick asked, surely thinking of his mom.

"Because at the time that we were all changing," Jacob said. "She was pregnant."

"I thought that didn't matter…" I said.

"Well," Jacob said. "It might if it was the first time she was changing. I was talking to her, and she got really sick, just like the rest of us did. She didn't even know she was pregnant when she was sick, but somehow that prevented her body from changing."

"Wow," Matt said. "You're a freak of nature Liam."

"Uh, I think my mom is the freak of nature actually," he said shyly. He was so cute.

"So yeah," Jacob said. "That was part of what I wanted to talk about tonight. Also, now that we have two more wolves, we get to change the patrol schedule. There will be less patrolling for everyone hopefully."

"More time to party," Wyatt said.

"Or to sleep," Jacob said. "Either way, I still want everyone out here with a buddy. There's a lot of territory to cover."

Jacob used his cell phone to make a schedule. He sent the schedule to all of us. I was running patrol fourteen times a week, just like everyone else. Though, to keep it exciting, we changed what time of day and who we were running it with for each shift. I got to go with Liam twice. I was super pumped about those times. The two of us would be alone inside each other's heads, and I couldn't wait.

"Also, remember that there will always be an eagle flying overhead. They can see more up there," Jacob reminded. Well, we would be almost alone.

"You guys should also know that the Cullens are coming for a visit over Christmas. They will be arriving here late on December nineteenth. They are going to all be staying at my house. They have been away for a while, and I am concerned that it might trigger new wolves to change. If that happens, and you witness it, come and get me immediately."

Kyle yawned, and Jacob noticed. "Are you tired Kyle?"

"No, I'm yawning because I'm hungry," Kyle said sarcastically.

"Mackenzie slept through the night last night," Wyatt said, talking about his daughter.

Kyle laughed sardonically. "Oh no, Logan is nowhere near that."

"Yeah," Wyatt said. "We think we just got lucky."

"My kids slept through the night when they were six weeks old," Jacob said with a smirk.

"Shut up, you married a nine-year-old," Nathan said.

"Oh come on, she was as developed as she'll ever be," Jacob defended.

"Still," Nathan said, holding up his hands.

Jacob flipped him off. "That's all I've got," Jacob said, talking to all of us.

"I've got to pee," Bryce said.

"Thanks for the update," Jacob said. Bryce was already trotting off back to his house.

"You don't say much, do you Liam?" Caleb said.

"No," Liam said. "Not much."