Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or it's characters. This is merely a work of fanfiction.

A/N: This is unbeta'd. Any mistakes are mine. This takes place after Jacob pulled her out of the water. We are not killing off Harry Clearwater, cause fuck that.

Bella returned to consciousness all at once, spitting water out of her mouth. Warmth surrounded her freezing form at nearly every point. A warm hand was running up and down her back as she heaved water out onto the sand.

She finished being sick, and turned, burrowing into her source of heat. The wind blew cold around her, but she was quickly beginning to warm in his arms.

As soon as Bella had jumped off the cliff, she knew she had made a mistake. The waves crashed harder than she thought. The wind and rain pelted down on her from all sides.

This was downright suicidal, but she hadn't been able to think clearly until it was too late. Her mind was fogged with the desire to feel a thrill, to put herself in danger. The pack had worked so hard to protect her. She hated that she had done this. There was no way to repay them.

She stretched her arms around Jacob's muscular torso and clung to him tightly. Jake moved his head so he could smell her hair, and nuzzled the crook of her neck. She was here, she was alive, he kept telling himself.

Bella pulled back to look at his face, and her heart dropped at what she saw.

Had she done this to him? He looked broken. He looked furious. His eyes glew the gold color that she had only ever seen from him in wolf form.

"Jake, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

A deep growl rumbled through him and resonated in Bella's chest. He cut her off and drew her back into his arms. He nuzzled behind her ear and smelled her hair again.

His wolf was completely in control. He was convinced that they had almost lost her, and he wouldn't be repressed any longer.

Bella sat there in his arms, sheltered from the storm. Jake stood to his feet and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her bridal style towards the treeline, but he didn't stop there. He ran through the forest in the direction of his home. He had to get Bella out of these clothes before she went into shock.

Bella closed her eyes and allowed herself to be comforted by Jacob's heat, and the steady beat of his heart, as he ran. As they neared his house Bella opened her eyes, and was struck once again by Jacob's beauty.

She realized all at once that she wished she could love Jacob the way he loved her. Simple, pure, strong. He had never said the words, but it was clear to see in everything he did.

She hated the way her mind obsessed over Cullen's absence when she was left alone. It was as if only the wolves could ease her mind. She didn't want to be that girl anymore. She didn't want to be obsessed with her ex and his family. She didn't want to put the pack in unnecessary danger.

She wanted to be Jake's girl, happy and drinking warm cokes in his garage, laughing at Quil and Embry for being idiots. She wanted to cook outrageously large amounts of food for the pack, and grow old with them, and…

Jake's arms tensed as he left the woods. He seemed to hold her impossibly closer as they approached the house. Billy was out. Jake walked straight to his room with her and laid her on his bed. He threw a blanket over her as he looked through his dresser.

Bella freed herself of the blanket, and stripped out of her clothes while his back was turned. She knew she would get sick if she kept them on, that was basic survival knowledge.

"Bella, I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore," he told her with his back turned.

For a moment, Bella panicked. Her heart hammered and she felt like she was going to throw up. She dropped the bra she held in her hand, and froze. What did he mean? Was he going to leave her too?

Jake turned around at the sound of her heart rate increasing. She was naked in his bed.

Naked. In his bed. And shit, she was going to have a panic attack if he didn't calm her down.

Jacob stripped out of his clothes and pulled her into his arms so she could warm up quickly. He held her as her heartbeat returned to normal. It didn't even occur to Bella that they were naked, and this should be awkward. It just felt right. He was her Jake, comforting her.

Jacob swept her long wet hair to one side of her head, exposing her neck to him. He sniffed down the length of it, taking in her scent. She smelled like vanilla, and home.

He couldn't let these things keep happening to her. He knew something had changed on their way here from the beach. He could feel the shift in his own desires as her's changed. His wolf was urging him to claim her, to free her from their enemies' shackles.

Jacob wrapped her hair around his hand and tugged gently until she bared her neck to him. His eyes glowed yellow once again, as he felt his canines elongate.

"I love you Bella," he whispered into her ear, before sinking his teeth into the soft skin of her throat.

Bella was swept away in a sea of pleasure as Jacob bit her. She dug her nails into the skin of his back, and moaned loudly into his ear. Jacob fought his body's urge to react to her. She needed to ride this out. He need to explain.

Bella was slowly floating back down to earth. She had no idea why Jacob had bitten her, but if it felt like that, she was fine with it.

Was it supposed to feel so amazing?

She slowly came back to her senses, and realized Jake was watching her with wary yellow eyes. There was a drop of Bella's blood running down from Jake's mouth and she reached out to wipe it away. His eyes were hypnotizing, drawing her in.

It felt like she was seeing Jake for the first time in a long time. He was so much more than "sort of beautiful". He was as radiant as the sun.

He wasn't the little boy she saw him as, anymore. He was strong, and resilient. Authority poured off of him in waves. For the first time she could understand why he was born to be the Alpha.

She was done running, she couldn't do it for one moment more.

This had to be an imprint. She had never felt something so strong before. She felt like something was tying her to him. She would follow him anywhere. She loved him.

Jacob Ephraim Black. Future Alpha of the Quileute Wolf Pack.

"Why couldn't I see it before?" Bella asked as she stroked his cheek. Jacob nuzzled his cheek into her hand.

"The contact with the cold ones poisoned your mind, Bells. You were around them constantly for months. You got used to being glamoured, and now that they're gone, your mind has gone into free fall. It's like you were addicted."

"The bite?" she asked, fingering the still sore spot.

"One of the only ways to get you free. I went to Old Quil when I imprinted on you in the clearing. I wanted to wait and see if you would come out of it on your own. I didn't want to take away your choice, but Bells I can't let you keep risking your life. You could have died today."

Bella ducked her head in shame, and realized they were both naked and she was sitting on his lap. She squirmed in an effort to move.

"Please, for the love of God, stop moving."

Jake's deep voice sent a thrill through her body as she recognized the Alpha timber. She wasn't bound to obey it, but she couldn't deny it made her feel all tingly.

"So...I'm yours now?" Bella questioned, a small smile working its way onto her face.

"No, I'm yours, Bella. I've always been yours." Jacob assured her. He ran one finger over her mark gently, and his touch sent a surge of pleasure straight to Bella's core. She sucked in a breath and squirmed, pressing her chest up against his.

"Would you like to make me yours?" Bella asked mischievously as she looped her arms around Jacob's neck. He gulped, the brown coming back into his eyes, and nodded.

"Okay then," Bella muttered as she melted against him and pressed her lips to his.