Chapter 36 - Friends

Jake's POV

I heard Edward tell Bella that I was thinking about giving up my imprint. I saw her eyes shine at my wolf form as she hugged me.

I could feel her inhaling my scent as she nuzzled me.

"Does this mean I have my best friend back?"

I barked.

She hugged me tighter.

"I've missed you, Jake. Every time I come around you were so busy doing things that I have missed hanging out with you"

I licked her cheek as I watched Edward visibly tense in the corner of my vision

"I will come by and hang out with you all the time" she told me earnestly

I just rumbled in agreement that would be great.

"We can go back to being us again" She said as she hugged me again

Yes. Bella was the only thing in my life that was constant after losing my mom and my sisters leaving us. She had stayed the same. Her feelings towards me had stayed the same. She picked the leech but she had never truly left me and if I had a chance to show her that I was worth all the effort that she was putting in, I had to stay. I had to stay and fight for her. The alternative would be that someday she would be a parasite too. I just couldn't stand the thought of that.

Lisa as beautiful and perfect as she was, was a fragment of the wolf that had taken over my life. My need for her was too deep. I felt more like a wolf than man when I was with her. Maybe I needed to just Jake for a bit.

I knew Sam, Seth and Quil were listening to all of this but they hadn't said a word, we left promising to practice every day until the battle on Thursday.

Four days to go we told each other. Four days to prepare for the war.

We ran through the forest in silence not acknowledging the fact that half of my brothers had walked out on me. It made me feel bad, but I wanted to do what my head was telling me. My heart might have been a slave to the woman who would be waiting for me to come home but my head was telling me to fight for the one who needed me the most.

Shit. Lisa would be home. What would I say to her.

If Sam had heard me, he didn't say anything else. Just that we would meet tomorrow.

I phased in the woods behind my house and started walking towards it when I realized that I could only hear the snores of my dad no sign of Lisa. No heartbeat and no scent of my imprint. I could smell my other brothers. I walked in my breath quickening, I could smell them inside my house. I could smell Lisa's scent, flowers and mangoes like a tropical paradise but no sign of her. All her things were gone.

I picked up her scent, they had walked together, the fact that she was no longer here certifying that they had told her about my decision. They told her that I wanted to be friends with Bella, maybe I was lying to myself a little. I think I wanted to be more than friends, but I didn't want to push my luck.

I thought about Lisa, as I walked towards Andy's, she was amazing, I was even convinced that she was my mate till today. I had dreamt about her and a life with her all the time, but something didn't feel right today when I saw Bella.

Lisa had been too easy, not freaking out like the other imprints, she had done everything to earn me maximum comfort. Could the spirits be wrong? No! Maybe she was meant to fix me and now I was fixed. I felt stronger than ever before, I'd definitely grown an inch since I met her, and mating had made me stronger I could feel it in my bones.

But maybe this was the end of it.

I heard three hearts beat in the silence of the night.

I turned around and headed home.

I woke up early next morn, my hands reached out to feel my imprint I could smell her on the sheets and on the pillows, but I couldn't find her.

I realized then. I decided to break my imprint last night.

Oh. I felt at loss for words, but I couldn't sit alone with my thoughts, I headed into the living room to get a glass of water. I noticed my dad out on the porch

"Good Morning Jake"

"Morning Dad"

"Is Lee still sleeping?"

Crap

"Hmm dad there is something I have to tell you"

He looked at me and nodded.

"With the army coming into town and the war coming up I realized that I still want to fight for Bella. She is the only thing in my life that has remained the same dad. This might be my last chance to save her and I could be the only one to do so. She needs me!"

"What about your imprint, your mate?"

"I'm thinking that maybe that wasn't meant to be"

"Jake" he sighed "I don't know to tell you. You had something solid in your hands and you let it go for something that is not even real. Lisa loved you, accepted you , put your needs ahead of hers and what did you reward her with? She is your mate Jake, how is this going to make her feel? Did you even think about her son? Think about the innocent girl who let you mark her forever? The spirits are never wrong Jacob, fighting the imprint might be your choice but she is definitely going to pay the price" He looked away

"She was family Jake, she trusted you. You threw her out"

"I didn't. She left"

"You gave her no choice"'

"Dad don't you care about Bella"

"I do, but I care more about the girl who trusted us and loved us enough to make our lives hers, to accept us the way we are and paint herself into our picture. She loves you, Jake, she must be hurting so bad right now. I remember when Sue told me how she felt sick when you kissed Bella. I was surprised to see her home like nothing happened, when I asked her about it she tried to act like it was not a big deal. She asked me not to say anything to you about it because she thought you messed up but would never do it again. Now how are you going to tell her that you are breaking the most sacred and pure bond in our heritage to be friends with someone who doesn't care about you"

"Dad, this isn't about her, it's about me"

"Well you got her involved Jake, what were you thinking when you told her about the imprint? What were you thinking when you marked her?"

"I don't know dad, it seemed so perfect. I thought I loved her but now I'm feeling all these other things"

"You need to figure this out son. You might be a warrior Jake, but you are also a man, a wolf, a mate and today you failed your imprint."

He rolled away with that. Fucking hell.

I growled. Fuck.

I could feel the bond calling me to my imprint, little tugs. I could see her if I went to school, with a school as small as ours, we had almost all our classes together. I knew after last night I had to clear my head and decide how I felt about Bella before I could do anything else with Lisa. I knew what that meant. Nothing to break the bond until I was certain. I would have to navigate this situation very very delicately. I felt bad for Lisa, but I felt worse about not knowing it.

So, I went to school. Pretending like everything was okay, giving nothing away. I didn't know what to feel.

I knew she was in the building, I could feel the bond tugging me towards her, but I tried to ignore it as much as I could. I knew I would see her today at some point, I knew I had to say something but for now, I'd be quiet. But I couldn't for some reason go in. I tried to talk myself into going to our first period, but I walked past Jared and Kim and the look they gave me was just so dirty. Ok.

I couldn't, and I skipped. I walked to the cliffs and sat there thinking when my phone pinged.

Hi Jake: Bella

Hi Bella: Me

Did you really break your imprint?

I'm thinking about it

I want to hang out with you Jake. Spend some time with you, us as old friends. I'll be at the practice tonight. Are you guys coming?

Yes, Bella! I'll see you there.

Okay, maybe these next few days could be stage one in figuring this mess out.

I headed into school knowing I couldn't hide forever, it was lunch and as I walked in I could feel the hum of the bond get stronger, it was literally singing. It had been over 12 hours since I had last seen her, it felt weird.

I walked into the lunchroom slowly as I spotted her talking to some of the kids in the line picking up food as she went. She was laughing head thrown back, she looked ok. Good at least that wasn't going as bad as I thought it would.

She walked to the table and I knew she could sense my presence, but she acted like nothing was different. I saw Paul make some space for her. I was sitting down but hardly anyone talked to me. Jared, Kim, Leah, and Andy wouldn't meet my gaze but kept up the conversation that was light and funny. Paul and Embry looked at me and acted like they looked right through me. Seth and Quil were the only ones who nodded but they didn't say much either. I watched and waited until Lisa was done and she was walking away to catch up to her and ask her if I could talk with her.

I didn't want the imprint bond to knock us out cold.

I told her that it wasn't about her. She was a great girl. I wanted us to be friends, to be able to talk to each other without being awkward.

She nodded, and her eyes had zero emotion in them. Or maybe I was reading it all wrong. She walked away from me without saying more than a couple of words.

Later that night

I phased in behind my house; the pack link was quiet, I knew they were all there but there was no easy banter, no talking. It was all silence. Okay. Fine, be this way I thought.

We walked to the clearing and saw the Cullens already there. The brothers teaming up and fighting each other and their mates. Except for Bella, she was huddled in a corner with Edward gently cooing to her.

My senses could pick up what he was saying, he was telling her that he wished she would stay home as he knew how cold she got. At least the monster cared about her.

When Bella spotted me, she ran from her spot bounding up to me. None of my brothers reacted. Almost like they had talked about this beforehand. They watched the Cullens with extreme interest, asking Edward tricks and explanations if some of the moves they had been thinking about would work. He watched Bella and me with forlorn eyes but said nothing.

We watched and interacted for about a couple of hours. When it was time to leave she leaned into my shoulder, hugging as much of it as she could grab. I nuzzled her back watching a smile bloom on her face.

Finally, Sam spoke the first words to the pack

Remember pack tomorrow we meet at our place for Dinner before meeting the Cullens. Don't forget to bring your imprints, it's time we tell them about the war and prepare them for the future. It's important that we find strength in our bonds with them, it will make us stronger and faster for the battle.

I could hear Jared mumble about worrying Kim

I know Jared but do remember as a mated wolf, our imprints have the right to know and in case anything happens to them, they need to be prepared. Also, we need their blessings before we fight. You know the traditions as well as I do. Sam countered

Wait, reiterate them for me please Andy sounded a little spaced out

Well, the imprints as our better halves can gift us strength believing and trusting our bond, it would make us stronger. There is an old traditional bracelet that a mate gives his/her warrior before our ancestors went to war. It's said to bring us good luck. Quil recalled

So, I'll see you guys tomorrow at 7 Sam said as he veered off.

Fucking great. What would I say to Lisa now? Would she even care? Would she turn up or skip it? If she did either, which one was better?