CHAPTER TWENTY- EIGHT

(JPOV)

Everything in my body physically ached and my head continued to pound as I laid there in bed. Every passing hour feeling longer than the last and making me more eager to get the hell back out into the woods.

Sam and the others needed me. We had been lucky to beat the first army without losing any of us, but I knew that it was just the start. More of them were coming and they were closer than Sam knew. I could feel it in my bones.

I waited until Bella was asleep before detangling myself from her and swinging my legs out over the edge of the bed, my movements slow and deliberate so I wouldn't wake her. She barely stirred as I got to my feet with a whispered cuss from the stabbing pain that tried to stop me in my tracks. I drew in a steadying breath and waited for it to subside before taking another few steps toward the door.

The woods had been calling me now for three days. It was like a chant that wouldn't stop in my head until I phased and dug my paws into the snowy ground again. The longer I ignored it, the louder the call was for me. I had to get back out there.

"Jacob..."

The sound of Bella's tired voice made me pause and look back at her. She was sitting on her knees in bed, her face full of apprehension as she looked me over.

"I can't stay in this bed any longer, Bells." I admitted, leaning my back against the wall for support as another jab of pain hit me in the side.

Bella was on her feet faster than I could blink, her hands reaching out to steady me better as I tried to remain upright.

"You're weak, Jacob. Sue said not to push yourself-"

I raised my head and met her doe eyes with mine. Her words fading out when she read something in my gaze.

"Bells-"

"You feel something... sense something... Don't you?" She quietly asked.

I nodded to her in reply, marveling at how she could see the pull for me without me telling her. I felt her body press closer to mine as she stared up at me, her eyes wandering over my face in a way that told me she could sense it, too.

The silence in the small guest room became very loud as she reached up and gingerly touched my cheek, her breathy words settling over my restless soul.

"I feel what you feel. Everything." She softly admitted to me. "The night you were attacked, I felt the pain. All of it."

I took her face in my hands as she struggled to further explain what she meant. As if she feared I would think she was crazy for it.

"I don't know what it means or-" She stammered, her heart now hammering wildly against her chest, like a humming birds wings.

"I believe you, honey." I told her, my mind filling with a memory from a time when Billy had delved into one of his many legends. Casually telling the story after dinner to me as a child like it were just that... a damn story. Only now it had tangible meaning. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I was so scared for you... when everything happened... I-I just wasn't thinking to-"

"I feel everything you feel, Bells. Because of the imprint. I can sense when you're not okay or when you're in danger. I've never seen it take hold of both the same way. Billy told me of something like it when I was just a kid, but-"

"We need to ask him."

I drew her in even closer to me as she pressed her forehead to mine, her breathy tone scared when she spoke again.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know, honey. But I'll find out."

Her hands skimmed over my chest as I tried to ignore the intoxicating desire that gripped me when her lips lingered dangerously close to mine. The room was dark and the house was silent, making me all the more aware of every breath she took. I saw the longing and the confusion behind her gaze as I leaned in closer and told her every truth I'd wanted to say to her for months now.

"I loved you before, Bells. Before we were tied like this. Before your heartbeat became the only sound that existed to me, and before the monsters and all the magic became real for us, honey. I loved you in the wholesome, simple things. Like the way you chew on your bottom lip when you're nervous, or in the way dirt bikes needed fixing and reckless choices that we made. Like warm sodas and cold pizza out in my garage. Those kinds of simple things, Bella. I wanted you with me... to be mine... before the fever set in... before I became this and everything changed. I kept the imprint from you because I wanted your life to have more meaning than just all of this. Than just Washington. More meaning than being stuck here, to something you didn't choose, somewhere you didn't want to be or someone you felt obligated to love because it was the right thing to do and not what you really wanted. I was more terrified of that than of keeping it from you. The pain without you was nothing compared to knowing you may have stayed here and chosen me for any other reason than-"

"I would have chosen you, Jacob. Not out of obligation or guilt, but because you're who I want. Going to New York was wrong for me. You're where I belong. I will always choose you. Imprint be damned, because I love you. I don't know why I can feel everything you feel or sense whatever you sense, but I know that none of it changes who you are for me. None of it could ever change how much I want you-..."

I kissed her then, stopping her mid-sentence and feeling my very skin heat at the sound of her moan as my lips claimed hers. My hands tangled in her hair as I pulled her against me and deepened the kiss. Something stirred deep inside me when her tongue languidly brushed mine and I found myself high on her taste and craving more of her like the very next breath I took. She let out a whimper, wrapping her arms around my neck, the fire behind our kiss making us forget in the moment just whose damn air we were breathing.

All I wanted was the taste that her lips allowed.

Her hands roamed down over my chest and a shudder coursed through her when my lips soon trailed across her neck. She tilted her head back and my hands moved to the hem of her shirt, my fingertips rimming the edges of it now and barely grazing her soft skin underneath.

I stilled at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw the look of true disappointment cross Bella's face when Sue popped in.

"What are you doing out of bed, Jacob?" Sue chastened, her eyes wide in disbelief as I untangled myself from Bella and met her icy glare.

"I can't sit in that bed for one more damn minute. I need to see Sam and the others. It's important."

Sue looked to Bella with a shake of her head at this. "That's not an option for you right now-"

"Sue..." Bella softly interrupted. "I think we need to help him get back to the pack. There are things he needs to tell them."

"He is not strong enough-"

"Sue- Please." I countered. "Their safety depends on me with this. There was more to this attack than Sam knows and I've got to tell them. Warn them. Staying cooped up here won't help anyone."

Sue looked downright irritated as she snatched up her house phone and handed it to us. "Than you can call him. Or I'll call him and he can come here with Paul."

"I have to get back out there." I heavily sighed. "You don't understand."

"I do understand! I understand that you were nearly crushed, Jacob. You're not healed yet. Do you know how painful it will be for you to phase right now?"

"I can get through it."

"You don't know that." Sue hastily protested.

"I have to try." I replied, feeling Bella press herself into my side as the two of them exchanged a loaded glance.

"I know you're worried for him. So am I, but we have to trust Jacob with this, Sue. He knows what he needs to do and the risk involved. We need to stop fighting and help him."

Sue went mute upon hearing this, her hands fidgeting with the phone while she looked between the two of us with uncertainty plaguing her features.

"I'm telling Sam to come here and help you. You can't do it on your own." She finally stated before leaving the room and hurriedly dialing Sam's number.

"This doesn't mean I'm not scared out of my mind that you're making a mistake here." Bella softly sighed, her eyes meeting mine when I glanced down into her pretty face.

"I know, but I have to-"

"I know you do." She agreed, pushing lightly on my chest until I sat back down on the edge of the bed. "But I want you to know that I support you, Jacob. With whatever you do."

She stepped closer and ran her fingertips through my hair, the simple touch from her enough to send a jolt straight to my groin. My hands twitched to touch her, feel her creamy skin beneath my palms. The desire for her was heavy enough that it stole every other thought in my mind, holding captive all else for the time being.

I swallowed hard and tried to get a grip as Bella sat down next to me, while we both waited for Sue to come back in.

"Do you think she'll really call him?" Bella hedged.

"I hope so. I can't get rid of this feeling that more of them are coming."

"Maybe it's because you're the true Alpha of the pack. It's who you are."

"Who told you that-" I whispered to her in reply, stunned that she knew.

"Your dad. He's proud of you. So am I. You know... aside from being sort of beautiful, your kind of awesome, too."

I glanced up and saw the half a smile that touched her lips as she said this, my own returning smile feeling a bit foreign to me, given the events of the last few days.

"You place far too much faith in me. I didn't even want to be in a pack at first. I can't imagine running one."

"... but you will. It's your destiny, Jacob."

Something about the look on her face told me that she truly believed this. That it wasn't simply lip service for her but far more.

Sue entered the room again then with her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Sam is on patrol right now, but I spoke to Embry and he said he would give him your message. I'm sure he'll come straight here when he's done. So please don't try anything foolish until then. Do you think you can wait a few more hours?"

I nodded and saw Bella offer her a smile in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension in the room.

"You have my word, I won't let him take off."

"Thank you, Bella. I have somewhere I have to go."

"At this hour?" Bella asked in concern.

"Yes, seems Mrs. LaBree thinks she's in pre-term labor. She lives only four houses down on the reservation and her husband is away right now. She needs me to go check on her. I'll have my cell if either of you need me. I should be back before Sam arrives at daybreak."

"We'll be here, Sue. Promise." Bella obliged, waving goodbye to her as she gathered her things and headed for the front door.

"She's mad at me." I sighed. "I don't think I've ever seen her that mad. Sue's normally pretty mellow."

"It's only cause she cares. It's been a long few days. I think we're all on edge a little."

"Probably." I replied, reaching over and switching off the bedside lamp as Bella arranged the pillows and helped me back into bed.

"You should get some more sleep before Sam shows up. You'll need all the strength you can get."

She draped the sheet over me and I caught her hand in mine before she had the chance the turn away from me. The words coming out without thought now.

"I need you."

Bella stopped where she was and saw the regretful look I wore as she threaded her delicate fingers through mine. The silence was more than I could stand. With every pounding beat of her heart, the heavy pull to her grew until every fiber of my being ached to touch her.

"Sorry..." I whispered to her in the heavy silence, waiting for her inevitable dismissal and forgiving smile she always gave me to crest her mouth the same way it always had. The same way our complicated history played itself out in small and seemingly meaningless embraces or the brush of a hand against another. The same way she would hesitate and pull back from me whenever those seemingly innocent contacts between us became something more... something unknown and scary for her. I couldn't count on a single hand the many ways we had fallen apart and then fallen back together... over and over... again and again. It had become our pattern since the Cullen's had left and it was a pattern I wanted to break.

I sucked in a sharp breath as Bella ran her fingertips down my forearm and reached for my hand.

"Don't be..."

Her barely audible reply forced me to meet her gaze, holding it long enough to see every intricate detail of our future there. I longed for it more than anything else. I sat forward, unable to ignore the magnetic pull any longer, and reached for her. Her lips found mine first and her kiss wasn't timid or shy the way it had been all the times before. No, there was a desperation behind it... a hunger I recognized as her tongue slipped over mine. The feel of it like silk as I took her in my arms and held her body to mine the way it should be. The way she was meant to fit all along. Her kiss was the kind that made my skin feel like electricity and numb all my pain. The kind that left me feeling dizzy and drunk. She straddled me, her hips grinding upward in a rocking motion that made her gasp into my mouth. She kissed me deeper and I easily slid her body over mine, my hands gripping either side of her thighs as the strain in my sweats became prominent. Bella stilled then, her hair falling down around her face when she hovered above me. The only light in the room came from the moonlights glow, as it casted shadows around us, her heart raced and I bit back a groan when she rocked her hips again. I slowly moved my hands up under her shirt, the feel of her soft skin enough to make me rock hard for her.

Her lips molded effortlessly to mine and the heat between us made her pale cheeks flush with beautiful vibrant color. I broke our kiss just long enough to see the need in her gaze and it was my undoing. I sat up, taking her with me and reached for her shirt. My hands working fast to pull it up over her head and press her bare skin to mine. She gasped and her body trembled when I unclasped her bra, my mouth lingering a mere breath away from hers.

"Bells...-"

She was utter perfection. Every inch of her truly flawless. Her skin soft and supple and her beauty taking my breath away when I firmly cupped one of her breasts. She let out a moan and bit down on my bottom lip, and it was enough to make me lose my damn mind.

I flipped us, laying her body beneath mine and pulling her jeans down over her naked thighs as the scent of her sweet arousal filled the room. I was captivated by her every move and her every sound as she reached for the front of my sweats, her hands dipping below the waistband as she tugged them down. I pulled them off and kissed her deeply, my body covering hers as she thrusted her hips upward and tangled her hands in my hair, pulling me closer to her. I pressed her now heated skin flush to mine and filled her with a solid thrust. Her back arched and my name fell from her lips as I slowly moved in and out of her. Every part of her fitting perfectly with me the way I had known it always would. I took my time with her, listening to every gasp and moan that she made, her body in perfect sync with my own.

It was the sweetest torture I had ever known and I never wanted it to end.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. Thank you. Till next time :-)