Chapter 24: Werewolves

Bella POV:

´I was annoyed, because… Well… I'm a werewolf, Bella.´

I gasped in surprise. Surely, he was joking, right? It would be next to impossible for the small town of Forks to inhibit not one, but two magical creatures. No, I probably heard it all wrong. Or I misunderstood it. That had to be the reason. A silly joke. And I had thought for just a second that it was true. Oh, how stupid of me. Silly Bella. She believes everything you tell her, haha. Silly girl. I was sure Jacob and his dad would get a good laugh out of this conversation once he told Billy. I signed.

´Haha. I get it. You´re large, you have tons of muscles and your hormones make you hairy in puberty. Nice joke, Jake. You almost got me.´ I was almost annoyed at him. What a stupid joke! And it wasn't even funny, to begin with.

Jacob looked unbothered by my remark. He kept looking at me, to see when I would finally connect all the dots. ´I understand you think I'm joking, but I´m telling you the truth, Bells. I wasn't allowed to tell you, but I wanted to.´

It absolutely couldn´t be, could it? Was everyone I grew close with, suddenly a magical creature? I could not believe my ears. ´I absolutely do not understand, Jake. What does this mean?´ I asked him.

´I want to tell you, Bella. Tell you everything I know. But please do not interrupt me, because I'm afraid I can't continue if I stop before I´ve told you everything. I´ll promise I will answer every question you still have for me at the end. Is that alright with you?´ Jacob looked up, his eyes filled with innocence and hope that I would hear him out. And I felt in the pit of my stomach that even though he had just told me he was different, to me he was still the same.

I nodded.

He closed his eyes for a second. ´Thank you, Bells.´

I did not answer him, afraid that would scare him off.

He opened his eyes and kept looking over my shoulder. ´So… I'm a werewolf. A real one. A giant wolf, so to say. I haven't known about it for too long, actually. And believe me, finding out about it was an even bigger shock to me than to you. I guess that's one of the reasons why I love hanging out with you so much, Bells. You didn't know that part of me, and to you, I was still human. And for a moment, I could pretend I was human. But I can't pretend anymore,´ Jacob explained. He made eye contact with me and I shivered.

´Please, don't be scared of me, Bells,´ Jacob pleaded, misinterpreting my reaction.

´I´m not, Jake. I promise. Please continue,´ I whispered. And I knew it was true. This man in front of me was still Jacob Black, I was sure of it.

He swallowed. ´Alright. So, I can't pretend anymore, since you're now way closer with the Cullens again, so you will learn about it sooner than later. And I´d rather have it if you learn it from me….Bella, I´m sure you saw how Edward and I reacted to each other in the parking lot just now. And I'm sure you wondered why. Do you know why?´ He hopefully asked me.

I, unfortunately, had no idea what he was talking about. ´No?´

´Werewolves are the natural enemies of… Vampires,´ Jacob explained to me. I was sure all the colour drained from my face as I was shocked to hear Jacob knew about vampires. How did he know? Surely, he didn't know about the Cullens, right? But he already answered my unspoken question.

´I know the Cullens are vampires, Bells. It´s a tribe legend that they are. And I know you know that too.´ Jacob stared intensely at me. I could not keep my face in check as I was truly surprised by the turn of this whole conversation. This could not be real.

´H… How?´ I managed to stutter. Denying it was pointless anyway as I´m sure Jacob knew more than I at this point.

´Look at your wrist,´ Jacob ordered me, his eyes flickered with anger. I did. I had a bright, white scar, where I had been bitten by a vampire from another coven a year ago. It was almost invisible, and only the trained eye could see it.

To me, the scar reminded me of the fact that not all vampires were vegetarians, like the Cullens. Not all vampires only feed on animal blood. Luckily, I only had a scar to remind me of the attack. It could have been much worse if it weren't for the Cullens.

´You´ve been bitten by a vampire, Bells. You were in danger. And… each time a human is in danger due to vampires, we as werewolves shift for the first time. Don´t worry, I haven't been a werewolf for over a year, but I did shift just two weeks ago. You know… When you and the Cullens got closer, again.´ Jacob stared at me, but I could not understand what he was saying. My eyes widened.

´But that can't be possible. It´s a mistake. I mean, the Cullens would do me no harm, I'm sure of it. You´re wrong, Jake. I´m sorry.´ I was begging him to hear me out. There had to be a mistake here. The Cullens would never hurt me. Jacob probably didn't know they were vegetarians, that had to be it.

Jasper almost hurt you, a nagging voice at the back of my mind whispered to me.

No, that was a mistake. He didn't want to.

But he could…

No, stop it. I shook my head. The Cullens would never hurt me. Period. There had to be another explanation for it.

´What other explanation do you have, Bells? It all points out. Suddenly, you see them each day and suddenly, I change? Seems too much of a coincidence, don´t you think? Billy told me the tribe legends, told me the Cullens are vampires and we as werewolves try to protect humans from vampires. It's the only explanation I can think of that actually makes sense.´ Jacob grew agitated as a line appeared between his brows. I had to calm him down somehow.

´Jake, hear me out. When I hear your explanation, I can understand your reasoning, I really do. But please listen to me; the Cullens would never hurt me. I understand that you will never be friends with them and I understand your attitude towards them, I really do. But they would never hurt me. There was to be another explanation for your shift. There has to be!´

Jacob turned his back on me. I tried to approach him so I reached my hand out to him but he quickly put a stop to that.

´Please don´t, Bells. I shift form when I'm angry or upset so I need to calm down first. This is also very new to me.´

He walked away from me. I saw how upset he was as I waited, trying to give him his peace.

´What can I do to help you?´ I asked him, once I saw he returned.

´I suppose staying away from the Cullens is too much to ask?´ he asked me. And I saw he tried to say it as a light and funny joke, but with a very serious undertone in it. It did not have the desired effect, as I felt a knot in my stomach at the thought of losing the Cullens, again. His statement reminded me of my original plan for this afternoon.

´Jake, regardless of you being a werewolf, I actually wanted to talk to you about that.´ I maintained my distance, as I was sure this next conversation had the potential of upsetting him. ´As you know, Edward and I are working on a Biology assignment together. These past few days, we've talked a lot about us and I actually want to try to rekindle our relationship...´ I looked up and saw that Jacob grew angry. His jaw tightened and he tried to take a step in my direction. I quickly took a step back. That seemed to remind him of his current state and he looked away, trying to calm himself again.

´After everything I've just told you? They could be dangerous, Bells! Even Edward!´ He took a few deep breaths and gritted his teeth. ´How can I protect you?´ He said, much calmer now.

´Please, Jake. I really feel that there has to be another explanation for it. Maybe another vampire coven is coming to Forks? That could be it! I mean, you shifted and it doesn't have to be because of the Cullens, right? Just a vampire threat so it could be anything. Please just trust me on this, Jake. Trust that I know the Cullens better than anyone else.´

He turned to look at me, sadness filling his eyes. ´Bella, if they ever hurt you… Knowing I could have stopped it...´

I nodded. I could understand his reasoning and I knew he wanted me safe, but I also knew he had nothing to worry about. ´I would never ask you to be friendly to them Jake, not now I know this about you. I understand you´re both natural enemies. But please, trust me on this.´

He signed. ´And Edward?´

The corner of my mouth involuntarily lifted up. ´Edward will stay. Hopefully for a long time. As I said, we've talked and I understand him. The feelings that I had for him never really went away and we want to try again. It… it's still new, it's still fresh. But I'm willing to give it a shot.´ I hadn't noticed I avoided eye contact and kept staring at my shoes until Jacob stood in front of me, lifting my chin up.

´Look at me, Bells. You could be right, alright? That I shifted could be from another vampire coven. It could be. But I don't think so. So all I'm asking you is, to please keep your guard up. If they make you feel threatened in any way, please come to me. If you´re uncomfortable around them, call me. And if Edward ever dumps you again, I will piss on his car, alright? I mean, what 17-year-old drives such a nice car anyway? It's uncanny!´ Jacob said, half-jokingly.

Even though this conversation didn't turn out the way I expected it to be, I still had to laugh. I tried to bite my lip to prevent it from happening, but it was unstoppable. ´Did you know Jessica wanted to key his car if he dumps me again?´

´Even better. But back to what I've said before, will you promise me you´ll come to me if you feel uncomfortable around them?´ Jacob offered me his hug and I ran into his open arms.

´I'll promise,´ I said to him as I embraced him back. ´Will you now tell me more about this werewolf stuff?´

I felt him laugh as we pulled back from each other. ´I thought it would have been perfectly clear by now. I mean, there is not that much to tell anyway.´

´It had to be clear by what? That stupid werewolf movie you made me watch on Saturday?´ I rolled my eyes at him. ´I hated that movie, by the way.´

´I´m sorry, I´m sorry.´ Jacob held his hands in front of him, a universal sign of surrender. ´I thought it was quite funny, actually.´

´Did your humour leave you once you become a werewolf, or what? I was so scared that I had to watch a romcom afterwards to calm myself down a bit.´ I gave him a dirty look. ´Not funny!´

´So let me get this clear. Finding out I'm a werewolf is not scary at all but watching a movie about werewolves is super scary to you?´ Jacob grinned. ´You never made much sense.´

´Very funny. Now shut up and finally tell me more, please?´ I asked him instead.

´What do you want to know?´

´For starters, don´t you turn into a werewolf at a full moon?´

Jacob burst out laughing. ´No! That's just folklore. I swear I only turn when I'm upset,´ he said with a wide grin on his face.

Thinking about the Cullens and their diet, I asked him. ´Alright. So you don't turn at a full moon. What about your diet? What do you eat?´

His eyes lit up. ´Humans.´ I must have looked shocked as he started laughing again. ´Just normal food, Bells. Relax, you are not appetizing to me.´

I rolled my eyes at him. ´You sure think you´re funny. But how does this whole thing work? You say you protect humans from vampires, right? Since when? Who´s also secretly a werewolf?´

´That, I can't tell, Bells. I´m sorry. But I think you can figure that out on your own. I just told you my secret because I want you to be on your guard at all times, for your own good. I can´t tell you more than this. And since when... I don´t know actually. I only know the basics. Anything else you might want to know?´

Suddenly, a thought came to mind. Both Alice and Edward told me they could not read Jacob´s mind or future. Could that have anything to do with this? I debated whether I should ask Jacob about this, but I figured it wasn´t my place to ask. Jacob told me he knew about the Cullens and he might not know anything about their special abilities, so I would not be the one to tell him that.

´That would be all. For now,´ I smiled at him.

´Shall we go back then?´ He asked, relieved.

I hopped on his motorcycle and let him drive me to school. I felt that this would be a new chapter in our friendship and I was very pleased with the turn of events. To me, he was still the same Jake as before, only a little bit stronger.

Fifty meters before school, Jacob pulled over.

´I hope you don´t mind, Bells, but I don't want to deal with any Cullen right now. Do you mind walking this part?´

´No worries, I understand,´ I reassured him before hopping off the motorcycle. We silently hugged and Jacob drove away. I watched him leave before I turned around to walk to school, ready to face Edward. One man down, one more to go.

Edward POV:

Bella had been gone for almost an hour. The rest of my family members had taken the Hummer to return home but I couldn't wait to see her again. I needed to speak with Bella and I needed to do that alone. I needed to apologize to her because I now knew that Alice was partially right. I needed to respect that Jacob was a part of Bella´s life now and that the two of them would be intertwined.

Nonetheless, I also hoped that Jessica was partially right. Surely, my behaviour wasn't that out of line, right? I might have had a teeny tiny reason to be jealous.

So, I´ve been eagerly waiting next to Bella´s car, in the hopes that we could drive together. We might even go to my place again to work on our Biology assignment again.

Just as I wanted to relive the wonderful afternoons that we had spent since that Biology assignment, I heard both Bella´s and Jacob´s heartbeats. I heard his motorcycle stop just a couple of meters before our school and I heard the two of them talking. Apparently, Jacob did not want to see any member of my family right now. That might be a bit too harsh, as I wasn´t that rude towards him, was I? Bella agreed and she hopped off. Did she also think I was that rude towards him? Surely I wasn´t, right? And he wasn't that friendly towards me either. So why did he react that way? My forehead creased as I recalled our previous conversation. What important detail was I missing?

I heard Bella approaching me and as soon as I had her in my vision, my eyes lit up with anticipation. Finally! Bella's eyes widened in response as she had probably not thought I would wait for her next to her own car. She wasn't expecting me here. As soon as she saw me, I noticed she walked a bit faster, as if she could not wait to get near me again. Or at least, that's what I hoped.

´Bella, I…,´ I started, but she had already interrupted me.

´Edward, listen. I owe you an apology,´ Bella said while looking up, her eyes filled with regret.

´No Bella, I owe you one,´ I responded, hoping she was referring to the discussion after our kiss and not the kiss itself. I reached out to grab her hand. Her heartbeat quickened to our touch and her face flushed. She softly caressed my hand before she spoke again.

´No, Edward. You had every right to be jealous. I see that now. I never talked to you about Jake so you wouldn't know anything about our relationship. But the truth is, we're friends. We have always been friends and we will always be friends. We know each other since we´re both toddlers and he quickly became one of my best friends in the whole world.´

Talking about Jacob brought a smile to her face and I nodded in return, asking her to continue. Until she reached the next part of her apology, which made her smile fade.

´We argued and I thought he would leave me. So I was afraid and I saw red. I tried to stop him by kissing him. It was a mistake and it was rude to him. It should've never happened. I simply wasn't thinking straight. Because I have never felt for him, what I feel for you, Edward. Jake stopped the kiss, saw I was upset and he did not get mad at me for it. He understood my reasoning.´

Bella looked up, her lower lip trembling as she was fighting back tears. ´Please, don´t ever feel jealous of that kiss or Jake. I never felt for him what I feel for you.´

I slowly kissed the tears away that had fallen on her cheeks.

´In return, Bella, I should apologise to you. I cannot read Jacob´s mind so I immediately thought the worst. While I should have respected your judgement. I was jealous, extremely jealous, because I was scared. Scared of losing you. But I should have realised that Jacob obviously means a lot to you. He is a part of your life and I hope to be, as well. You guys are friends and I should not have acted that way.´ I kissed the tip of her nose which made her smile. ´Please forgive me as well.´

Bella signed. ´I should have told you already that the kiss meant nothing. I let you in the dark because I was partly embarrassed.´ Her nose wrinkled. ´We´re both acting stupid.´

I had to laugh. ´You´re right, we´re both acting stupid. But believe me, Bella. You have done nothing to be embarrassed of.´ I kissed her forehead and she wrapped her arms around me in return.

´But… How was the ride?´ I asked while planting a soft kiss in her hair. I felt her getting tense and that surprised me. I thought we had already done the hard part of this conversation. What more could there be?

´It was… unexpected,´ she eventually told me, not letting go of our hug.

´How come?´ I asked her. She took a deep breath and faced me. Apparently, whatever it is she is about to tell me, has been weighing her down.

´I can't tell you, Edward. Believe me, I want to but I'm afraid it's a secret. Jake doesn't want anyone to know and I need to respect that as it is not my secret to tell. I mean, I respect your secret as well, right? And believe me, I don't want to leave you in the dark on this, but I owe it to him. I might tell you about it someday, but not today. Not so shortly after I discovered it myself.´

I could see she desperately wanted to tell me, but her loyalty to Jacob was holding her back. I respected that. I gave her a quick kiss on her lips to assure her I would not push further.

´Okay,´ I said to her.

She closed her eyes for a second. ´Therefore, you won't be seeing Jake again for a while. It has to do with his secret. Trust me on this.´

´It's alright, Bella. I won't interfere.´ I kissed her lips again and this time, she kissed me back. Memories of our more than pleasant lunch break in the woods came flooding back to me. Unfortunately for me, Bella pulled away before we could deepen our kiss. She had way more self-restraint than I! She seductively bit her lip - something I would love to do if my teeth weren't razor sharp.

´Duty calls, Edward. I can't kiss you here all day, we have to work on our assignment,´ Bella winked at me.

´You should not have bitten your lip, then,´ I whispered at her, stealing just one more quick kiss for the road.

This time, we managed to work a little bit on our assignment. No one kept interrupting us, so we sat down at the kitchen table and quickly wrote down a few pages. I was positively sure we would be almost finished with it altogether. A part of me would miss these study sessions, but I knew we would find something else to study together instead. Or we would be occupied with something else…

I smiled and quickly kissed Bella on her cheek.

´What was that for?´ she asked me.

´I was just thinking about this assignment, and that we´re almost done with it. I will miss it,´ I explained to her.

Bella raised an eyebrow at me. ´Is this your way of saying our relationship ends when this assignment is over? I´m just joking, by the way. I understand what you´re saying. Who would have thought we would rekindle over Biology?! The same class we've met in. Full circle moment, I say.´ She smiled warmly at me.

´Indeed,´ I agreed with her.

´But Edward… There is something else that is bothering me,´ Bella hesitantly said. I was on guard, because after everything that we discussed today, I could not understand what was left undiscussed. For some reason, her announcement did not alarm me, but it made me immensely curious.

´What is it, Bella?´

´Something is missing...´ Her face reddened.

´I don´t understand, what do you mean?´ I felt my forehead creasing as I tried to understand what she was saying.

´Edward, would you please come to my room tonight? I miss you.´