Learning To Trust

Chapter Two

(Lost and Found)

Jake's POV

It's been three weeks since I became one of the protectors for my people. The once normal life I had was now a thing of the past. I had to give up my friends, including Bella, who was not only my best friend, but the love of my life and it physically hurt when I had to tell her we couldn't be friends anymore.

Sam said it was for the best and the protection of our pack, our people, and my future imprint. Sam didn't want what happened to him, to happen to me and Bella.

He was once in love with Leah Clearwater and they were planning to get married when her cousin Emily came down from another reservation to visit. Sam took one look at her and never looked back and ended up breaking Leah's heart.

I understood what he was trying to do, but it didn't mean I liked it. I missed Bella terribly. I broke every promise I had ever made to her, just like Cullen had done. My only hope was that I might see her again someday and ask her to forgive me.

The pack was getting annoyed with my constant thoughts of her, but I didn't care. Thoughts of her and the time we had shared were all I had left and I just wanted my Bella back.

The other guys love the attention they get from girls because of the way they look now, but not me. There was only one girl I need or wanted that kind of attention from and that was Bella, my Bella.

It was Saturday and it had been quiet lately so Sam gave us a couple of hours to go hang out and relax. We all made our way to the beach to sit around the same place we used for our bonfires, the place where they welcomed me to the pack.

We had been sitting there for about fifteen minutes, talking and enjoying some corny jokes. I had joined in just to get my mind off things. That's when a group of girls came by and decided to join us. I was hoping I would be ignored, but no such luck. I felt someone sit down beside me and looked up to see that one of the girls had decided to lay claim to someone, that someone being me.

I guess to some other guy she might be pretty, but she had nothing on Bella.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Jacob," I replied, "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm really not interested in meeting anyone, so..."

But before I could finish that sentence, I heard someone say, "Isn't that your friend Jacob? Wow, he got really big."

I looked up and was staring in the eyes of my Bella. She was beautiful, more beautiful than I remembered. I knew I was in love with her before, but my heart opened up to pull of her to me in at that very moment and I felt like I was somehow connected to her. It was even hard to breathe not being near her.

But how is that possible, I wondered? At that moment, nothing was more important than to love and protect her, making sure she was happy for the rest of her life - the rest of our lives. She was my gravity, the only thing that was holding me to this world and then I understood, I had just imprinted on Bella.

She really was mine, my soul mate. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me and the pain and rejection that shown in her eyes right then would have killed me, if I hadn't been in such dire need to be near her, but she then turned around and started running down the beach away from me.

I had to stop her and beg her forgiveness and ask her to give me another chance.

I got up to go after her and only then did I notice the girl's arm still entwined with mine. That's when I realized what Bella had seen. Oh crap, I thought, she probably got the wrong idea and thought that I was with this girl. This couldn't be good.

I yanked my arm away from the girl and ran after the love of my life. My heart was pounding, as I felt the pain I knew she must be feeling. I reached her and gently grabbed her arm.

"Bella, please let me explain," I begged, hoping she would. If she walked away now, she would be taking my life with her.

"Why should I? You had the chance to explain two weeks ago when I called but instead you told me we couldn't be friends anymore, breaking every promise you made to me," she said, and her words cut deep.

But she was right and I heard the pain in her voice, the pain I had caused when I abandoned her. My heart broke into a million pieces at that point.

"I know and I'm so sorry Bella. I didn't want to but I had no choice. It hurt like hell saying those things to you. Please if you'll just let me explain you will understand and I hope you can forgive me and trust me again."

I was praying hard that it will be true and that she would forgive me and welcome me back into her lifeCinto her heart.

"Okay, fine Jacob, I'll listen to what you have to say, but I'm not promising anything."

When she said that, I realized all the promises I had made to her and broke and I knew that this wouldn't be easy, but I had to try, so I led her over to a tree limb, shaped like a bench that growing out of the sand. I sat down and was a little hurt when she sat as far away from me as she possibly could. I also noticed her looking at all the changes in me since she last saw me.

Yeah, I had gone from being a seventeen-year-old boy, to a guy that looked at least twenty. She seemed amazed and I liked the way she looked at me, but that only lasted for a few minutes before her whole demeanor became serious as she looked into my eyes. She seemed a little puzzled.

"Okay, Jacob, say what you have to say. I don't want to keep my friends waiting too long."

Well here goes, I thought, "Bella, please keep an open mind? You might not be able to believe what I'm about to tell you but every word I say will be the truth."

I told her how my dad had asked me if I was okay the night I was to meet her at the movies and how I had gotten really angry and ran out of the house. I told her how my whole body began to ache and stretch, then about the uncontrollable shaking. I told her the next thing I knew I had morphed into a giant wolf and that there were other voices in my head, which I later found out were, Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil and Sam.

"Sam, who is the Alpha of the pack, helped him calm down and morph back. He also explained the rules to him and that we were protectors. We are all about protecting our people from the cold ones, vampires, the Cullens."

She just nodded for me to continue. I explained to her what happened the day I was to meet her to go to the movies and about the whole werewolf thing and about Sam being the alpha and him ordering me not to see her. She was quiet, until I brought up the Cullens.

"So you know what the Cullens were?" she asked.

"Yes, that is the reason we are morphing into wolves now. Whenever there are vampires in the area, our wolves are called forth to protect our people, even though they are not in the area any more, the process had already started."

"So why did you not tell me any of this when you called? I would have understood and wanted to be there for you," she said, with a pleading and dejected look on her face.

Hearing her say that let me know she truly cared for me and it gave me hope.

"I wanted to. I even planned on meeting you for the movies anyway that day but Sam said I could not tell or even be around you because it is too dangerous. If I get too angry, I could morph and hurt you," he replied, "Plus only people in the pack and their imprints are allowed to know about us. I'm sorry Bella. It was hell being away from you these past weeks."

I sat there, staring intently in her eyes, waiting to see how she would react to all I just told her.

"Isn't safe to be around me or people in general?"

This is one of the questions I never thought she would ask.

"Yes, people in general. We never know what will set us off so we had to learn to control ourselves before we could even go back to school. We basically stick to ourselves not getting personally involved with anyone, just our families, tribe members, and the pack."

Maybe things will work out and she will understand, I thought.

"You know, Jacob, you were my best friend. I told you everything. I kept no secrets from you. You and Billy are like family to me and my dad. You could have trusted me with your secret. I would not have told anyone. And you say you don't get personally involved with anyone, but what about that girl you were just with, that looked like you getting personally involved to me? We were best friends and I was even falling in love with you but you couldn't take the chance to be around me?"

No, no, no, this was not good, of all the days to run into Bella, it had to be the day some stupid girl decided to take an interest in me. And the fact that Bella thought I could trust myself around some stranger over her was unbearable.

Then she continued, "You say you were upset not being able to see me," she said pausing, then continued, "But you didn't look upset when I saw you. You were having a good time with that girl on your arm. I don't want you to be unhappy but I don't need you to lie to me either. I'm a big girl and I can take it. I believe you about the wolf thing and that you were ordered not to tell me but don't try to tell me that you were miserable being away from me."

Maybe I should have just pushed that girl off me and spared myself from having to explain about some girl I know nothing about or care to know anything about. I didn't want that girl there. All I wanted was Bella.

"What you saw with me and that girl is not what it looked like. I don't even know her. My brothers and I were just relaxing when they came by and decided to join us. She sat down and put her arm through mine, asking my name. I didn't want to be rude so I told her and was trying to find a polite way to excuse myself, that's when I saw you."

"Well Jacob, isn't that nice. You trying to find a polite way to tell a girl you knew for only a few minutes to get lost but you had no such problem when it came to me. I guess it's better to hurt your best friend than a stranger," she said, sounding angry and hurt as tears began running down her face.

She did have a point there. I felt like a jerk. I hated what Sam made me do to her at that point. She was silently crying now. I wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but I knew she would not let me.

"I had no choice. Sam ordered me to do it and to do it in a way to make sure you did not try to see me. He is the alpha and when the alpha gives an order, we have no choice but to obey, it's the way it is for us as wolves."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, letting her think about what I just said.

"Okay, Jacob. I believe and forgive you, but...."

I didn't give her a chance to finish what she was saying. I was just so happy to hear that she believed and forgave me.

"Thank you Bella. I really do miss you and our times together. Maybe we could start hanging out again. I love you now more than ever, Bella."

Then she said something to put an end to my happy thoughts.

"I love you too, Jake, but I don't think I can trust you again. How do I know that if we start hanging out again, something won't come up where you send me away again? What if for some reason Sam decides again you shouldn't be around me and orders you to stay away from me again? You know of my involvement with the Cullens and he could use that as a reason."

"No, he won't, Bells. He can't. Not now," I said, trying to reassure her.

"What makes you so sure, Jake? And how is it you can tell me all of this now, when you couldn't before?"

Now is my chance to explain to her about imprinting and that I imprinted on her. I wondered how she would take it.

"Well, there's this thing called imprinting...." that's when I was interrupted by that damn girl, who couldn't seem to get the message that I had no interest in her.

"Jacob, are you coming back to join the party?"

Before I could even reply she came over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. What the heck is she trying to do here? Acting like we're together, literally destroying my life here and hurting the woman I love.

"Who is this?" she asked me.

I hated how she asked that question, like we have known each other for while and Bella was the stranger. I didn't even know her name and didn't want to. I just wanted her to go away.

"I thought I told you before? I'm not interested in anything you have to offer. Do you know what you just did? Now go away and leave me alone," I screamed at her while pushing her off me, but not enough to hurt her.

I turned around to see what Bella was doing, but she was not sitting there anymore. She had left. I looked toward the spot where some cars were parked and saw her and her friends getting ready to into an SUV. I ran, trying to catch her before she left. I was desperate. I shouted, hoping she would hear me, and how much I needed her, "Bella, please wait? Let me explain. Please give me another chance?"

I was too late. I dropped to my knees in the sand, covering my face in my hands, while sobs shook my body. My heart ached and I felt as though she took half of me with her.

I got up and ran to the woods where I phased, not even bothering to undress first. I ran to the woods across from her house, waiting for her to get home. I let out a small whine "Bells," and a tear fell slipped down the russet fur of my muzzle.

i would like to thank my wonderful alpha and friend itslikenature,for her hard work and help with this,that's right alpha,she is too wonderful to be a beta,hugzz hun,her stories are up for some awards check them out and vote.

i would like to dedicate this chapter to her and riryuuen23 another big jacob/bella fan.

thanks to all who read this,your support means more than you know,reviews are important,but if even one person read and enjoy my story,with the same love i have more than i can ask,thanks everyone:)