"my heart just sank the moment i saw you

you're the image of a girl that i used to know

don't be alarmed, if it seems hard, for me to explain,

but every detail of your face makes me recall the name"

-Treading Water by Alex Clare

Chapter VII – From Midnight to Morning.

The forestry blew past Ahala so fast that it was a blur, but the only feet that were hitting the ground were her human ones; it would be so much easier to phase, but with Jacob in such a tedious position, her thoughts would just overwhelm him.

Sam and Embry seemed to realize the same thing, because they thundered beside her in their human forms. Even though they were all unconnected, their minds worked as one; with a glance to her left, Ahala knew Embry would be the first to approach. It was better if someone familiar helped him through the first steps.

"Ahala, I want you to stay in the trees when we get there. Okay?" Sam said, now at her right.

She vaulted over a log, while they ducked under it. "He's my imprint," Ahala ground out through gritted teeth. "I think I deserve to be there for him."

"You do," Sam replied, "but it'll be too much for him. Let me and Embry do it."

Ahala hated to admit it, but it was true; just her presence would overwhelm him. In his mind, he would connect the dots. Her strange visits would align with all the commotion going on around La Push, and he would remember the fight between human and wolf in her eyes when she looked at him that last time and something in his head would click –

"Got it," She agreed, cutting off her thoughts; she had to stay focused.

They were getting close. She could smell the faint traces of his musty scent, muddled by the sharp tinge of fear and agitation and sweat. Her heart was beating fast, because she knew the moment they reached the edge of the treeline she would have to stop and she wouldn't have a clear view of what was going on – which meant that Jacob could get hurt in the few minutes he was alone with Embry and Jacob and oh god she was going to be sick –

She forced herself to a halt when she saw the dim lights outside of Jacob and Billy's. She could hear the labored breathing of a large creature and the rustle of fur. As her two brothers continued past her into the yard, she watched as they hurried behind the house, finally vanishing from her view.

Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought her ribs were breaking.

In what felt like a vain attempt to save her shattered torso, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and held as tightly as she could. Her stomach was doing summersaults and her knees were knocking together – she was nearly seventeen years old, but all at once, she felt like a defenseless child.

If something were to happen to Jacob, it would be like unplugging her life support; everything would begin to slowly shut down, and then – in the blink of an eye – the lights would go out and oblivion would be there to catch her fall.

She would be nothing but a vacant shell.

And that thought scared her more than anything. She was staring into an abyss and Jacob was the only one who was keeping her from falling. All she needed to see was him emerging from behind that house, wolf or human; anything to prove that he was alive and well.

And then, he did. Wolf form intact and a jet black wolf leading him.

All of Ahala's muscles relaxed. Her ribs were suddenly glued back together and perfect – as if they'd never been broken – and holy shit his fur was so perfect – it was a deep russet, so different from anyone else's –

Embry, still human, came jogging up to her. "You can go now. He's calmed down."

"He's okay?" She asked.

"He's okay," Embry replied, grinning.

A little faster than she cared to admit, Ahala bolted towards the russet wolf. Sam maneuvered out of her way, and Jacob stumbled forward as he stopped. As she got closer, she slowed, until she was placing one foot in front of the other in a manner that showed she meant no harm.

He was looking anywhere but her eyes, and with a soft smile she gently cupped his head in her hands and coaxed his gaze to hers.

Brown eyes widened as midnight hit.


Ahala leaned against her russet wolf and breathed out a deep sigh.

Jacob was lying soundly just inside the treeline outside of Emily's house, resting. She was positive he wasn't asleep, not with everything that had happened that night, but she was content with sitting in the silence of the forest with him; they hadn't spoken a true word since his imprinting, but who needed words when you had wolves who communicated for you?

Just being around each other was a satisfying means of communication.

But Ahala had always liked to keep in touch with her human side; so she spoke. "Promise we'll talk a lot in the morning?" She said quietly, letting her head lay against his shoulder blade.

The wolf gave a small huff in response.

She let out a breathy laugh, "We've got to teach you how to phase back first thing," she said, "but you gotta sleep for that. It's a lot of hard work."

Jacob huffed again.

In response, Ahala huffed.

Jacob huffed.

Ahala huffed.

She lifted her head and laughed, and he turned his gaze to her and she didn't need to hear a laugh to know that she was not alone in her joy. She could feel the emotions she had been feeling the past few weeks pouring over her, and she thought that in that moment no one had ever been as loved as Jacob Black.

After a long while, they fell asleep. It was early morning, but it was still dark out, and somewhere in the darkness of the trees, Jacob abandoned his fur and returned to his skin, and he lay curled around Ahala like she was his security blanket.


"Ooo, he's naked – think he already got some?"

"Probably not," replied a gruff voice.

"Come on, Paul – you're not being any fun right now."

"My head hurts like hell and it feels like there's a huge fucking hole in my chest."

There was a scoff. "That's 'cause you don't wanna accept the imprint, you idiot. Sam said –"

"I don't give a shit what Sam said. Imprints are for people who can't settle down on their own," a sniffle, "like these two. They're both lonely, tortured souls – now look at them. All together and happy and shit."

Ahala cracked her eyes open, gazing up at her two older brothers. Paul looked like shit, and Jared looked down at her with a grin. "Morning sunshine, finally lose your virginity?"

Ahala smiled tiredly, "I dunno, did you finally lose yours?"

Jared's smile was gone. He scowled. "Touché."

"What – Ahala," Jacob's groggy voice sounded from behind her, and suddenly Paul and Jared weren't there. She spun around to face him, hugging her arms tightly around his torso.

"Morning," She murmured.

He smiled, and she brushed a piece of hair out of his face. "Morning." He replied.

"Remember the promise you made last night?"

"I do,"

Ahala nodded and grinned widely. "Let's go get you some pants and then we can talk at breakfast." She slid out of his arms reluctantly and stood, looking to her brothers and raising her brows. "Go get some pants for him."

Paul turned on his heel immediately, eager to get back inside, while Jared wrinkled his nose at her. She ignored Jared's response and returned her attention back to Jacob, who was attempting to cover himself with his hands as he stood. He blushed as she laughed.

"Don't be afraid," She said, smiling.

Jacob scoffed, "I'm not exactly used to running around naked all the time."

Ahala opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped by the crunching of leaves behind her. Sam came to stand beside her and threw a pair of cutoffs to Jacob, "Nudity is something we all must get past if we want to work as an effective pack. It's inevitable."

"Sure, sure." Jacob mumbled in reply, as he quickly stepped into his pants and pulled them up.

"Okay," Sam said, nodding at both his Pack members, "let's get eat some breakfast. Em made it special today for the new arrival." He turned and began back towards Emily's, leaving Jacob and Ahala to themselves once again.

Ahala grabbed Jacob's hand, and he intertwined their fingers. "Hungry?" She murmured.

He nodded, and she took the chance to move closer and lean up on her toes, pressing her lips firmly against his.


A/n - this chapter was so fun to write! I missed out on doing my world history exam study guide to write this! Yay!

*dies inside*

read and review as always~