[Jacob POV]
He'd been gone far too long, and it wasn't fair. Not to his father and not to his pack. Jacob had needed the months during his absence to put himself back together again, and to mourn the loss of the only woman he would ever love. Bella had been everything to him, and knowing that he had lost her to that bloodsucker…
His hands began trembling, causing him to take a few deep breaths until it stopped. The urge to phase was unmistakable; he had spent most of his time in his wolf form during his absence anyway. Being human again felt…strange. Foreign. He already longed for the forest, his fur swaying in the wind as he ran. Nothing else mattered when he was a wolf. There were no voices, no pain, no feelings. It was no way to live, but it was what he had to do in order to survive the heartache. He sighed heavily as he stood in front of the house, working up the courage to enter.
This is ridiculous, he thought, He's your father; he'll understand… Jacob shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up onto the porch, his hand poised to knock before moving to turn the doorknob, entering quietly, as the hour was late. He smirked slightly; of course Billy was still up. He doubted he had been sleeping much at all since his departure from Forks. Billy worried about him, but Jacob had tried his best to check in with Sam and let everyone know he was still alive. Clearly, he hadn't been doing a good enough job. Taking a few steps closer, Billy jumped, startled by the sudden movement in his house. Wheeling his chair around, his eyes widened in shock, taking in the sight of his son for the first time in months.
"You look older," Jacob insulted, with a smile. Billy held open his arms, holding Jacob in a hug for longer than felt comfortable. Jacob explained some of what he had done in his absence, sparing his father the gory details of just how much pain he had been in. Yawning, Jacob stood, stretching before taking a few steps towards his room. "Well, I'm beat, I think I'll just get a few hours of sleep before I go and see the pack." Billy was rolling quickly after him, whispering, "Jacob wait, don't—"
But he was too late. Jacob had already opened the door to his room, shocked at seeing someone else in his bed—a girl, at that! "Who the hell is she?!" he whispered angrily, gesturing to the girl. Billy was about to answer when the girl stirred in her sleep, turning onto her side, facing Jacob and Billy. Jacob held his breath, waiting a few seconds before turning towards her, making sure she was still asleep.
His breath caught in his throat, eyes focused on nothing but her face, everything else falling out of focus. Heart skipping, Jacob took a few steps closer, kneeling down on the floor, mere inches from where she slept, staring at her. Nothing could move him right now, and nothing else mattered. In this moment, all that mattered to him was this beautiful creature, her chest rising and falling evenly as she slumbered. "Jacob," Billy hissed, rolling in to grab his arm and pull him from the room. Jacob didn't budge—he couldn't. He couldn't move from his spot. He was vaguely aware that Billy was trying to pull him from the room, but it didn't matter.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there for. The only thing strong enough to break his obsession was the deep howl of Sam, the pack's alpha. His head snapped up, eyes focusing on the room around him for the first time in hours. He stole one last glance at the girl before forcing himself to leave the room, lightly closing the door behind him so as to not disturb her.
Heading outside, Jacob stopped short, the entire pack staring at him incredulously, Billy nearby, hands crossed on his lap. "What's up, Jake?" Embry asked, a smirk on his face. Jacob shook his head, apologizing to Billy. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I guess the stress of everything just finally caught up to me." Paul snickered, Sam's elbow connecting with his ribs to silence him.
"Jacob," Sam started, choosing his words carefully before continuing. "You imprinted."