AN: Hey guys! I have been really busy lately which is why the Epilogue is not out yet for "Want and Need You" so I decided to treat you guys with the next chapter of "Torn." I am so glad I wrote it a couple chapters ahead in case something like this happened. Lol! Hopefully, the Epilogue for "Want and Need You" will be out next week Monday so look out for it then. Now on to "Torn." Hope you like it.

Leah stood there and faced Jake, her hand absent-mindedly moving to the mark on her neck again. She flinched from the slight pain of lightly pressing on it. It was highly sensitive and she wondered how it looked. She was even afraid to look in a mirror at the moment. For now, she would face Jake and get to the bottom of this. Both of her hands were clenched into fists on the sides. Her whole body was shaking; she remembered the words exchanged only moments before. 'Was Seth right? Am I now officially his whore?' She knew she had no one to blame but herself. Yes the situation was wrong, but she never in a million years thought Jacob would mark her…claim her. The thought of it brought so many mixtures of emotions. She wanted to be happy, and a part of her was, but the imprint held her back, then the matter with Sam. She felt like she would just explode at any moment.

Jake just stood there watching Leah, not saying a word. He was still naked and could not move from his spot. Leah's gaze was piercing through him, like she could see right through to his soul. She was always beautiful, but now with the alpha mark on her neck, she looked radiant. He was a little surprised at his actions. However, he did not feel sorry for what he did. He was claiming what was rightfully his; he just made it official. He did not fully understand the magnitude of what he was doing while in the act, but since it registered in his head, he was rejoicing. He felt whole and now his alpha female was the one holding him together. The downside to this was, Leah was not only feeling happy, she was upset, angry, and hurt. Her emotions were out of control and he was feeling everything she was feeling and he was almost brought to his knees because of those feelings. He wanted to go to her and comfort her, make her feel better.

After what felt like an eternity, Leah spoke. "Why?"

"Because I love you." Jake said to answer her question. It was a simple answer, one he hoped would say it all.

Leah closed her eyes when she felt the sensations of his love for her throb from the mark. Her whole body felt so warm and tingly, like the mark let loose waves of static electricity throughout her body. She almost got lost in the feeling, but she fought to overcome them. She shook her head in defiance. "Because you love me? Really? Don't you see what you've done? How could you!" Her voice turned into a shout.

"How could I? I had to do it Leah; I wanted to. I missed you so much this week and I was going crazy. I love you so much and I could not bear not seeing you again for a while. Seeing and having you in my arms tonight gave me such a release. You have no idea the hell I've been through without you." Jake knew he had only one chance to convince her to stay. He hoped she hear him out and consider being with him. He made up his mind that she was who he wanted, needed. He was going to tell her everything. If she did not believe him, then he would let her go…For now. He shook his head of the thought. The possibility of that was far from his mind.

"One week? One week Jacob! You're acting like you never even heard my voice! We spoke on the phone, and texted each other!" Leah reminded.

"Yes, but it was not enough!" Jake shouted back. He lowered his voice. "I thought it was something I did or you just did not want to see me anymore. I understand you working overtime, but every day? Really?"

"It's my job Jacob! You know how much I love my job! Even if I am working overtime, it did not mean I forgot about you. That's why we spoke on the phone!" Leah missed him too and was going crazy without him as well, but she did not get the urge to bite him. Then again, she did arch her neck in submission and actually gave him better access. Flashes of that moment went through her mind. She wanted him to do it; it felt as natural as them breathing. The only thing was, Jake had no idea the predicament she was in nor the plan that was up her sleeve. Hell…She was not going to spill it now, not when things were heated like this. Not only that, her and Jake were bonded now. They could feel what the other was feeling and Leah could feel the power that radiated from him. If she was to tell him about Sam, she knew Sam would not see the sun rise.

"Like I said, it was not enough. When we were together tonight, I felt whole. It was like a missing piece of my life came together when I had you in my arms. Not being with you made me feel empty. I am sure the guys told you how I've been behaving. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe it was your fault?" Jake knew he should not blame her for his actions, but damn…It really was her actions that drove him to doing what he did.

"My fault!" Leah was appalled. Now he was blaming this whole situation on her.

"Yes…If you hadn't pulled the disappearing act, then this wouldn't have happened." Jake explained.

"Fuck you Jake! It's not my fault I am living my life! What? Having me as your secret girlfriend was not enough for you anymore? You just had to claim me didn't you! Now I am your mistress and will be parading around here with this mark on my neck when you have a fucking imprint! How is that fair to me? Huh?"

"Leah, my imprint and I are not like that. We're not-"

Leah interrupted him. "Oh spear me the lies! I've heard how chummy you are with Renesmee so don't try to tell me otherwise. You two are affectionate with each other and spend time together. I heard you two are fine."

"How the hell do we spend time together when most of my time is spent with you! We are not like that. I've told you from the beginning about how things are with Renesmee-"

Leah interrupted him again. "Yeah and they were all lies. You were just telling me those things to get me all along weren't you? That's just messed up Jake, even for you."

"Leah…Please listen to me." Jake took a chance and stepped closer. He could feel her pain through their bond and wanted to make her feel better. He wanted to take her pain away. "I am not with Renesmee; I give you my word. She and I are just friends and yes, we do hang out together. Remember the imprint causes pain when the imprinter does not see the imprintee for a while. I hang out with her so I could satiate the bond. You know it hurts like a bitch; you've seen me in distress before. Please believe me when I tell you it's not like that…Please. I was not going to do what I did tonight. That was not planned and was not my intention. It's just that the intensity of my feelings went deeper and I had you in my arms after what felt like an eternity to me. You know we're in control of our wolves and I guess…I don't know how to explain it. It was just the right thing to do and I knew it was meant to happen or else it wouldn't have. We were so in sync with each other and we moved so good together Lee. The feelings, the sparks, the electricity were all there. We both wanted it, needed it, craved it."

Leah tried to process his words. She did remember him being in pain one time and that was the day she tried to end their affair, but he refused to let her. Because of her love for him, she agreed not to after all. But how could she believe something like this? This was too good to be true. She did not think she could be with someone who had an imprint. What if their feelings changed for each other ten years from now? Five? As a matter of fact, why would their wolves want to bond, knowing the alpha already had someone? It did not make any sense. On the other hand, what he said was true. She felt everything he described and more. To her it was just the two of them in the room; the outside world did not matter. All that mattered was Jake, but still him having an imprint was an issue.

Why would Jake get the urge to claim her when he already imprinted? She wanted to believe it was because he loved her and only wanted her, but she could not help but to feel that he just did not want to let her go. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Jake was no different from Sam. When that last thought went through her mind, she gasped, putting a hand on her chest. The pain was unbearable. To her, Jake took the easy way out and did not want to let her go or risk her being free. She stepped back from him, her back to the door, one hand on the knob. When she spoke her voice was soft, broken. "I can't do this, Jake…Not with you having an imprint. I know we have been together before this happened, but now I'm not free to do what I please. I'll be all about you and that's not fair. You took my choice away from me." She opened the door, but paused to say one more thing. "I love you…I do. This is something I wanted for a long time, but not like this."

"Leah…Please! Please believe me! My intentions are not what you think…You're my life! I'd be lost without you! This bond we now have is more powerful and stronger than any imprint bond. It has a lot more meaning to it and I chose you, my wolf chose you. It took us a while to realize it and I'm sorry it took us not seeing each other for a week for this to happen, but it did and it's you." Jake said, his heart was pumping fast in fear. Nothing he said or explained was working. He wanted to go to her, but he knew if he took a step toward her, she would bolt. "Please reconsider Leah."

Leah wanted so badly to run into his arms and be with him, play the role she was meant to play, at least that was how she felt while the mating was going on. She did feel she belonged with Jake, her instincts were screaming at her to just give in, but she couldn't. Her body, mind, and heart were on overload. She could feel Jake's fear, anguish, guilt, and love on top of her feelings wash over her and she felt like she might collapse. She had to get out of there and regroup. "I can't Jake…not right now. Probably never. I'm sorry, but I need time. I love you." She whispered then disappeared out the door. She was always the fastest of the pack and she was on foot as well too. She walked, almost ran into the safety her brother's arms by her car.

Jake just stood there, unmoving. He could not believe she walked out. He sat on the bed, still naked and put his head in his hands. The love of his life walked out on him and he did not know what to do. He already went a week without her, now he might go without her forever. He could still feel her…Heavily. They were already connected, but her becoming his alpha female strengthened their connection and now their bond was one. He did not know how long he would be able to last without her this time. Now that they were bonded, there was no telling what would happen. His mind was still reeling from it all. He loved being with her, around her, inside her.

Jake stayed there for half an hour in silence before Quil came in to check on him. He heard the whole thing and knew when Leah left. He knew Jake needed some time alone so he waited for a little bit before going to check on his cousin. He has never seen Jake look so broken and he felt sorry for him. In a way, he did not see what the big deal was, then again, he was not Leah and he had no right to judge. She was right in him having an imprint and Quil knew she was scared because of what happened with Sam. Quil knew his cousin though and when Jake loved someone, he loved with his whole being. Nothing else mattered in Jake's world as long as he had the love of his life with him. He did a silent prayer for him because Jake was horrible this week and he could only imagine how he would be from now on. Quil took a deep breath. "Jake…Are you alright?"

Jake barely acknowledged his cousin's presence. He was too occupied in thinking about the night's events. "I'm fine."

Quil shook his head. "No you're not." He went over to the dresser and gathered some fresh clothes for him and put it on the bed. "I already called your dad and told him you would be spending the night. Sue took good care of him so he's okay."

"Okay." Jake's voice was quiet. He took the clothes from the bed and stood to put them on. His movements were like a zombie; he felt lost and empty.

Quil sighed. He has never seen Jake act like this, not even for Bella. "You don't need to tell me what happened cause I heard. What I say might not help, but I do support you all the way. Yes you may have gone about it wrong, but you were following your heart and your wolf and you did the right thing. I always believed you and Leah were meant for each other and I was not surprised to find out what was going on. I do support you though and have your back." He hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder.

Hearing that from Quil, made Jake smile weakly and he normally would've kept his thoughts to himself but he needed a friend right now. His voice was low and soft, but it felt good to talk. He had not been able to talk to his cousin or any of the other guys for the whole week because of his moods. "Thanks buddy. I know I can count on you. Quil…I don't how or why, but marking and claiming Leah felt so right. To be honest, it was not even about that. I'll start from the beginning…Leah and I have been seeing each for the past three months. At first we were just friends…You know…Hanging out and stuff. We fell in love in the process and I was the one who came on to her and told her I loved her first."

Quil nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Yeah…I spent most of my time with her, but it was on her time though. She was the one who would tell me to come over. I have never loved anyone like I love Leah. I hope you believe me when I say that things with Nessie are not what you guys think. We're friends and nothing more. As a matter of fact, she has a boyfriend." Jake informed.

Quil's eyes opened. That was news to his ears. "Really?"

"Yeah…His name is Peter and he's a half-vampire just like her. I've met him and he knows about me and the imprint. Carlisle and my dad have been trying for a long time to find out if an imprint can be broken and they found nothing. An imprint is what the imprintee wants the imprinter to be and she wanted to be my friend. Besides, we tried to date, and there was absolutely no spark whatsoever."

"Really?" Quil asked. He was stunned and intrigued.

"Yeah…None. Like we all know, the bond hurts when we go without seeing our imprints for a long time, so we hang out on occasion. We even hang out sometimes with Peter. I don't understand why things did not work though or why I still wanted to claim Leah or even wanted to claim another person at all." Jake wondered.

"Maybe it's because you're the alpha. Maybe having an imprint was not for romantic purposes. Maybe there's something else in store for you. Maybe you were truly meant to be with Leah." Quil advised.

"Well whatever it is, I'll find out. I do want Leah and she is my female, my mate, my life. I love her and I want to be with her, but I've got to convince her not to be afraid of what we have. I've got to convince her to trust me. It's because of the imprint, it's why she doesn't want to accept this." Jake was adamant about being with her. He was puzzled as well about this whole thing.

"Well Jake…I'll help you the best way I can. All I can say is just give Leah some time to cool down. She's been through a lot and even though she came through and remained strong after she and Sam broke up, I don't think she could take anymore heartbreak. Leah is strong, but she has a very soft heart and loyal to a fault. She will give chances upon chances until there is no more left to give. That's just how she is." Quil then perked up. "Speaking of Sam, he's going to be livid when he finds out what happened."

Jake scoffed. "Sam? Who's that?" He asked with feigned ignorance then sighed, not in the mood to be angry at that moment. "I love Sam and do care about his opinions, but when it comes to Leah, he has no say. I don't care how he feels; he has an imprint and they're together. That's the main difference between him and I."

"Yeah and he loves you too, but you and everyone else knows how much he still cares about her. He made it known so noone would be surprised at his outburst. By the way, how are you going to tell the guys? Do you plan on telling them or just letting them find out on their own?" Quil was curious. He was not one to talk and spread news and believed in letting people find things out for themselves. "On second thought, they'll find out once we're phased anyway."

"I don't think so. Leah will avoid me at all costs as much as she can. Also, you forgot…I know how to block my thoughts from all of you. It's from you they might find out what happened."

"Well the guys were asking for you tonight and did not want to leave until they saw you. They were surprised at not seeing you. Jared saved your ass and said you were probably with the elders. We know how busy you get with them and they always have to tell you something no matter where we are. I may have a seat on the Council, but I'm not the next chief in line." Quil smirked at him.

"Well I'll admit I did see you guys when I first arrived but I went straight to the coolers to put the beer in and decided I would go inside. I did not want Leah to see me. I mean today was the first I've seen her since last week." Jake informed.

"Oh so you decided to go hide out in the house and wait for her? You are one lucky bastard. You couldn't have been sure Leah was going to come inside were you?"

"I was not sure; that's why I sat closest to the door and window so I could see if she was coming in my direction. Leah is a girl and I knew she would go to the bathroom to freshen up eventually." Jake smirked.

"Yeah…you're lucky alright." Quil chuckled.

Jake got serious. "Quil…You have an idea of how my situation is because you decided to date. Remember? You did not want to wait and you've seen Claire living her life. She's happy and so are you…Right?" Jake looked over at his cousin. He just remembered his situation with Claire.

"Well yeah…She deserves a choice when she becomes of legal age and I made up my mind that if I am serious about someone when Claire turns legal, then I won't even give her the chance to choose. Why disrupt her life and tell her about the supernatural world? I don't want to be another Sam and I'm sure Claire would be happy with her life. She won't need someone telling her she was destined to be with a thirty-two-year-old man when she makes eighteen. That'll be too weird. I think I imprinted on Claire because she needed me at the time. Her mother was so grateful for the help in watching her. Yeah she did not take it well at first, but she later came to accept it and loved the fact that Claire had an older brother watching over her. That's why I am rooting for you because I understand how you feel." Quil explained.

"That is nice of you to do and I can see why you would go that route. I mean Nessie was a baby when I imprinted on her as well and I only felt platonic feelings for her. I looked at her like a little sister. The only reason why we even tried something was because of the other guys."

Quil raised an eyebrow. "Other guys?" Then it hit him. "Sam, Paul, and Jared?"

"Yeah…they're all with their imprints so I figured that was the right thing to do and I just followed the trend. I mean…Kim always had a crush on Jared, but he never noticed her. When he imprinted on her, that was when his feelings changed. Not only that, Kim wanted to be with Jared, which made the urge and the bond even stronger. Rachel? That's a different story. She knew Paul from way back and was his friend. At the end of the day, she developed feelings for him…I don't know, but after that, they've been tied at the hip ever since. Sam and Emily? That's sort of a mystery. Sam was crazy about Leah so I found it hard to believe he would just up and leave her within the blink of an eye. But then again, I won't put anything past Emily that's for sure." Jake announced with a slight growl.

"Hm…Well I chopped it up to her wanting Sam and that's how they happened. I don't care if she and Leah were close; she knew what she was doing and I believed she did what she did to Leah on purpose." Although Quil was the clown in the pack, he was also the most observant and he has seen some things, especially concerning Emily. He just chose not to say anything because he thought it was not his place.

Jake perked up at him, his eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yeah…You should've seen how she was acting tonight. She never let Sam out of her sight; she clung to him all night. Even though she's his imprint, she's still paranoid about Sam and Leah. It's so obvious." Quil stated. He loved Emily of course, but his loyalty was to Leah.

"I never would've thought about that. She comes off as so loving and caring." Jake tilted his head in thought.

"Come on Jake…Emily was told what imprinting is and she decided she wanted Sam as her mate anyway. So therefore, she got him." Quil informed.

"And Sam being the idiot that he is, fell for it. But I don't particularly blame him. From what dad told me, an imprint is a connection and the couple could feel each other. Whatever feelings Emily must have felt, fed the bond, thus in turn, making Sam return her feelings." Jake speculated.

"And boy does he return them. Ugh…I hate seeing them together sometimes. They act like some love-sick super-couple that were in love in another life and were reborn in this one or some shit. They act like they're destined or something." Quil said in disgust.

Jake chuckled. "Hm…Sounds like something out of a movie. Whatever…I'll talk to my dad when I get home and see what he knows. I know we've established your situation, but the bottom line is, you're able to move on because Claire's a child. The decision was easy for you to make. What if she develops feelings for you when she grows up? What then?" Jake was very curious as to how his cousin would handle the situation when or if it happened.

"I've got it all figured out. I've already decided that I would only see her when I have to. Feelings develop when you spend time with a person. I mean…It doesn't happen to everyone but it depends on the amount of time spent. One thing grandpa taught me was to never put yourself in a situation where you know something can happen. I don't have to spend a lot of time with Claire. The most I need is an hour to satisfy the bond and then I can leave. I don't have to be with her more than I need to." Quil explained.

"That does make sense cuz. You don't want to lead her on or feed into whatever romantic thoughts or crush she may have." Jake said.

"Right…What I've learned from females is that they love attention and would sometimes mistake attention for something else. Like men wanting to be with them or something. You know what I mean? I just use my time wisely with her. Besides…She's twelve years old now and have been very active in school activities and stuff. Her mom does not really need me to watch her anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her mom or anyone else to think I was just doing a duty and that Claire was an obligation. I really enjoyed watching her and it gave me a little practice for when I have my own kids you know." Quil explained. He did love the babysitting and did care about Claire, but that was as far as it could go. He would never forget her…Hell he couldn't because of their connection. He just knew what he wanted for his life. He was really not worried and he would never be like the others.

"Right." Jake smiled weakly. "Thanks cuz for your words. I really appreciate it and am glad you came to check on me. It feels good to know I have your support and thank you for the advice, information, and kind words. I will remember all of it."

"You're welcome…Anytime. You're going home now or are you going to stay for a few hours?"

"I'll stay here for a while; I'm okay to be alone now."

Quil stood up. "Okay…I'll be in my room if you need me." He fist bumped Jake and then left.

Jake laid on the bed on his back with his hands behind his head. He could still smell Leah's scent on the sheets. He inhaled deeply and the bond in his chest throbbed. He could feel her so strongly; her feelings were still all over the place. He hid it from Quil well, but he could feel her pain and it felt like his own. He wished he could do something, but she needed time and he refused to push her. The only issue was that he was worried about how long this separation would last and if he or Leah could take it. With one last inhale of her scent, he fell asleep.

Meanwhile Seth and Leah arrived at his place. He refused to take her home and leave her by herself. When Leah came to him, she was a mess. Her hair was disheveled, her face puffy, and her eyes red. She was shaking in the car and Seth was still pissed. He would've said 'I told you so,' but it was not the time so he just kept driving. He had no idea it would come to this. He felt that a part of this was his fault. If he did not tell Leah of his idea, maybe this wouldn't have happened. He did not know, but he shrugged everything from out of his mind. He was worried about his sister since she came running to him earlier. He got out of his room and went into the guess bedroom to check on her. "Lee?" He called out as he opened the door slowly.

Leah was in bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. The night's events kept repeating itself over and over again in her head. Her hand would go to her neck and touch the mark every ten minutes and she would flinch every time. What the hell was she going to do? All she could think about was Jake. Every time she thought of Sam, Jake's face would pop up and tune him out. She still loved Sam though even if her love was small. She still refused to let him go and decided she would go over to see him when everything got better. She looked over in Seth's direction to let him know she acknowledged his presence. Despite what she was feeling, she gave him a weak smile.

Seth walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge next to Leah. He placed a hand in her hair and began stroking it. Leah loved getting her hair stroked because it gave her a sense of comfort. He did feel guilty for how he went on earlier. He was just so angry and he felt both her and Jake knew better. Not to mention he warned Leah about her secret trysts with Jake and Sam. A small part of him did feel guilty for her ordeal and he hoped she did not take his harsh words to heart. He just sat there stroking her hair and he knew Leah would talk when she was ready. He took off his bedroom slippers, pulled back the sheets, then climbed in next to her and just held his sister.

Leah wrapped her arms around her brother and she felt a little better. Her brother was who she needed right now and she basked in the comfort of his warmth. She buried her head in his chest like she used to do when they were kids and she would sneak into his room after she had a nightmare. She then began to cry; all of her feelings came pouring out because of her plight. All of the feelings she held back after her and Sam broke up came rushing out as well and she figured she might as well pour it all out. She had them bottled up for so long and it was time to let them go. So Leah spent the rest of the night in her brother's arms crying her heart out.

AN: That's the end of this chapter. I hope my readers are still around. So Seth and Quil were the first two to find out. As you read last chapter, Seth was livid. In this chapter, Quil is okay with it and supports Jake. Two down and four more to go. Who do you think will find out next and what do you think his reaction will be? Is Leah overreacting? What about Jake? Quil sure is smart when it comes to women or is he? Lol! He tried the best he could to help Jake. What do you think? Please Review and let me know. I love hearing your thoughts.