Jacob talked for a long time. He told her about the legends of the Quileute tribe regarding shapeshifters that could turn into wolves. He told her about his ancestor encountering and destroying a Cold One. He told her about his great-grandfather making a treaty with a clan of Cold Ones that resided in Forks that only fed on animals. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have believed a word he said. She would have been respectful and accepting as she always tried to be but deep down she'd find the stories fanciful. She knew better now.
"The wolf I saw last night was a shapeshifter, wasn't it?" She questioned. "Like the ones in the legends?"
"Yes. Turns out they weren't just stories," He sighed, taking a seat on the couch. "Sam Uley was the first to shift two years ago."
She concluded, "Just as the Cullens moved to Forks."
"Or moved back," He countered. "You know what they are."
She took the seat beside him on the couch, feeling drained. She felt immense relief of finally not being the only one that knew, at finally not being alone with this knowledge of the supernatural. She felt like she could breathe again instead of being afraid to speak a word lest her tongue slip. She wished she spoke to Jacob sooner.
"How many are there?'
"Not that many," Jacob replied. "Since the Cullens left, there haven't been any more shifts. It's their presence that caused all of it."
She remembered seeing Jacob and his friends at La Push all those weeks ago and realized it wasn't puberty alone that caused these boys to get so tall and muscular. Whether it was magic or genetics or a mix of both, she didn't know. She should've been afraid that werewolves, like vampires, were real. She found herself too numb from the past week.
"Who was the wolf from last night?"
"Seth Clearwater," Jacob groaned, exasperated.. "He's new at it so he doesn't have the best control yet. He ran into a tree while doing his rounds. Damn puppy."
The name sounded familiar. She remembered that the man who died in the woods was named Clearwater too.
"Is he the son of Harry Clearwater?"
"Yes," Jacob nodded, gravely. "Seth shifted after his dad died. It can be triggered by strong emotions."
That poor boy had to lose his father and his body became a stranger to him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like. It must be painful to remake and remold your body into another form. And she thought puberty was hard.
Still, there was one concern she needed to clarify. Because there was a pack of werewolves in town then it wasn't a big jump to a conclusion she hoped was wrong. She didn't want to think the nice boys at La Push were murderers. Then again, she thought the same about the Cullens.
"The people that were killed, was that-"
"Not us," He cut her off. "We protect people. We don't harm them."
"Then who?" She demanded. "Who murdered them?"
"Vampires," He shook his head at her expression. "Not the Cullens. They were new ones that came into town last week, two men and a woman."
She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms as she absorbed the information. She had been torturing herself with guilt that she had been playing nice with murderers. And all this time, it hadn't been them. She didn't know how to feel.
"We chased them out of La Push territory but they got to the coach before we could stop them," He closed his eyes, guilty at his failure. "They left town the same time as the Cullens."
"Did the Cullens know what those other vampires were doing?" She asked. "Did they try to stop it?"
"Maybe. I've never talked to the Cullens directly so it's not like I could've asked," Jacob leaned back on the couch, as if a great weight had been taken off him. "Not that they're all gone everything can go back to how it was before."
She knew that things were never going to be the same. Their town was touched now by death and tragedy. She could never see the town the same way, wondering how many secrets it kept buried under the surface. Even she was changed.
She turned back to Jacob and assessed him. He hadn't directly told her what he was but she knew. He trusted her implicitly with his tribe's secrets and that wasn't a light thing to do. She wondered what his intentions were.
"Why did you tell me about all of this?" She kept her gaze upon his, refusing to look away. "You didn't need to. It might even be safer if less outsiders know about what you and your friends are."
He moved closer to her and grabbed her clenched fist on her palm, gently prying his fingers open and tracing the indents her fingernails had made into her flesh. His touch was warm but soft. That almost scorching body heat might've been another clue to what he was. How different it was to a vampire's cold touch.
"Do you remember that day in La Push a few weeks ago?" His fingers traced the delicate veins on her wrist. "I saw you sitting there and my world was turned on its axis. One look into your eyes and I was a goner."
She stared at him and traced the lines of his face, high cheekbones and a broad jaw. He had thick eyebrows framing dark brown eyes, long lashes for a man, a straight nose, and full lips. His skin was a warm, russet that her skin could never be no matter how much time she would spend under the sun. She'd thought he was attractive before but she was not prepared to see it so up close. She couldn't turn away from him.
"The pack has this thing," He continued, his fingers travelled down the length of her arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. "Where we find this person and suddenly they're that only thing that matters. They're the center of your very existence. We call it imprinting."
"Like ducks?"
He stared at her in surprise. "What?"
"Ducklings imprint," She explained. "They form a bond with their parents and siblings."
He chuckled, his deep voice sending shivers up her spine. "Not quite like that. Imprinting is more…romantic."
"Like soul mates?"
It was almost cheesy. The term commercialized in movies and books to the point they lost their value. Maybe she had more of Anna Weber in her than she thought because the term had always sounded beautiful and romantic to her. Somebody who's soul compliments your own, not to complete but to better your existence.
"Exactly like soul mates," Jacob smiled at her and it was like feeling the sun on her face after a long winter. "You're my imprint."
She closed her eyes as she took the words in. She remembered how happy she felt when Jacob called her and told her she was worth the wait. How glad she was to finally be wanted by someone. And here it was and she wasn't expecting him to be a werewolf.
"I'm not sure how to process that," She confessed. "To be honest, I don't think I'd feel comfortable being the center of somebody's universe."
She would always be afraid to disappoint him. She would be afraid that she would prove unworthy of such devotion. She'd been honest when she told Edward that she never wanted to be like Petrarch's Laura. She didn't want to be somebody's sun.
"We can take things slow," Jacob's fingers traced hers, his longer than hers. The pads of his fingers were calloused. "I know it can be overwhelming."
Slow. She didn't want slow either. She felt stung by being abandoned by Edward without a word, like she didn't matter. For all his words of her being this 'delight', he just as easily threw her away. Now here was a beautiful boy that wanted her and she was afraid he would find her disposable too.
But he couldn't right? Now with this imprinting or whatever it did. She hesitated, unknowing how to act next. What did it even mean to be his imprint?
"What do you want from me?" She just wanted to know what was needed from her so she knew where to go from here. "What do you really want from me?"
He intertwined their fingers and he held her hand, quiet and steady. Jacob Black was forced from childhood to adulthood in a blink of an eye. This wasn't a boy she was dealing with, unsure of his place in the world. She remembered his great-grandfather had been a chief and that his bloodline had power. She wondered about the man he was going to become and she wanted to see it.
He finally answered her question, "You."
"And what else?"
He moved closer and rested his forehead against hers. His skin was almost feverish. He warmed her like a warm blanket heated by the sun itself. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep. She wanted to let him make her feel safe.
"You," He repeated. "I only want you, Angela."
Jacob had to get home so she walked him out to his car. The rain had thankfully stopped and she breathed in the cool air. It felt like the world had been cleansed and she could finally inhale and take it all in. Jacob didn't immediately go into his car, leaned on the hood of the car and watched her, content.
She smiled at him and he returned it. A rush of shyness overcame her and she looked down to her feet. Jacob stood up and nudged her chin up so she could look up at him. He was taller than her and it made her feel delicate like how she'd always wanted to be and not the tall girl that hovered over everyone.
"Chin up, Angela Weber," He said. "Don't let the world kill your spirit."
"I didn't mean to be…"
Angela didn't mean to be distant and sad. It just happened to her. She had always been content with her life. She had always been grateful at the blessing she received. She didn't like the change that overcame her either.
"Life tends to do that to you," He sighed, fingers traced the curve of her cheek, the constellation of her freckles. "Drop kick you for no reason than just for giggles."
That made her laugh. "Sounds like you can relate."
"Oh, you know becoming a werewolf puts things into perspective," His fingers were at her lips now, tracing the fuller shape of her lower lip. "Makes you think about what's important."
"And what's that?"
"That we only live once and we should enjoy every second of it," He leaned down and his hot breath brushed over her face. "Especially when it feels like nothing's going right."
She could only focus on his lips and how full they were. She looked into his eyes asking for permission and he dipped down to kiss her. She didn't know how many girls Jacob Black had kissed in his short life but she felt jealous of every single one of them. And it gave her comfort to know she would be the last if she could help it.
He deepened the kiss. His hands stayed on her belly and the warmth of them kept her from being cold. She felt consumed and cherished. She knew she was in big trouble.
Angela was in a good mood for most of the next day. She took notes and listened in class. The words didn't feel like they were passing by her like she was underwater. She actually felt like she'd been awaken and was part of the world again.
In the middle of their Geometry class, Tyler spoke to her. It was the one class that they shared together without the others. "You're smiling again,"
She gave him an amused look. "And?"
"You haven't smiled since…" Edward's name didn't really need saying aloud. Tyler cleared his throat and smiled at her. "I'm happy to see you smiling again."
She didn't know what to say to that. She and Tyler had always gotten along since they all became friends in middle school but she'd always been closer to the others. They didn't necessarily hang out without their other friends and she wondered if that was a shame. They had things in common and she didn't want to take things for granted anymore.
"You wanna go to La Push this weekend?"
"Isn't it still kind of dangerous there?" Tyler raised his eyebrows. "They still haven't caught the bear."
She didn't know how to explain how she knew there was no bear. There was really no way of reassuring him that they were safe without implicating the secret of the supernatural to him. At best, he would think she was insane. At worst, he would think she was trying to get them all killed.
"Right," She nodded, sheepishly. "You're right."
"Maybe once they get that dang bear, we can go," Tyler conceded. "I miss the waves."
She didn't miss the waves of the frigid temperature. She missed having all her friends around her. She missed the simpler times when that was the highlight of their lives. She wanted a piece of that innocence again.
Angela had just finished getting ready for bed when she heard a scratching at her bedroom window. She nearly jumped and grabbed for the nearest weapon to her which was her hairbrush. Warily, she walked over to the window and found two massive brown eyes staring at her from the darkness. They morphed becoming smaller until Jacob Black appeared.
She put down the hairbrush on top of her dresser and opened the window. Jacob smiled at her sheepishly.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She whispered, fervently. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you," He answered, simply. "Do you have any clothes I can wear? I'm kind of lacking some at the moment."
He was naked. She refused to look down and kept her eyes above his waist. Not that it helped because Jacob Black was six foot seven of tanned skin and hard muscle. It made her mind go to places she didn't want it to go. Like also being naked…being naked with him…
Her face was so hot she was surprised she wasn't glowing in the dark like a neon sign. She told Jacob to wait and crept out of her room to go through some of the clean laundry. She found her dad's old grey hoodie and some sweat pants. He was a lot taller than her dad but at least he would be dressed.
She hurried back to her bedroom and handed the clothes to Jacob. She kept her eyes focused on her bedspread as he got dressed. He climbed into her bedroom and tapped her on the shoulder to signify it was now safe to look at him. Her dad's sweatpants ended mid-calf on him and showed off his ankles. He was barefoot and she thought he had nice feet.
Frowning at how weird her thoughts were, she looked up at him unsurely. "Hi."
He grinned. "Hi."
"So, this is my room…"
She waved her arm around like she was a realtor showing off a house to a client. Jacob only looked more amused as he looked around. He looked out of place in her childhood bedroom with the flowery bedspread and her old beanie baby, Quackers, innocently sitting on the bed.
He picked up Quackers and took a seat on her bed, playing with Quackers' little duck feet. She still stood by the window, not knowing what to do. She'd never had a boy in her room before especially with her parents not too far away in their bedroom. She didn't even want to think about the trouble she would get into if her parents walked in and caught them.
"You wanna take a seat beside me?" Jacob offered with a too-innocent expression. "I won't bite."
She remembered the nursery rhymes about wolves lulling the other animals to their demise. Jacob would never hurt her but he would bring her trouble. This boy was trouble and all her instincts knew it. Problem was that she found she was very tempted by the trouble he presented. He was the fun kind of trouble that tempted consummate good girls like Angela Weber.
Her feet unwittingly moved to the bed and when she was within arm's reach, Jacob pulled her to him. He put her beside him on the bed and his hands didn't leave her waist as he kissed her. She instantly melted and cupped his jaw to deepen the kiss. Quackers fell to the floor, forgotten.
His hands stayed on her waist, fingers playing with the buttons of her pajama top. Her fingers went through his dark hair and he exhaled his breath hot. Her hands travelled down to the nape of his neck as she traced the seam of his lips. His teeth nipped her bottom lip lightly and she pulled away.
He looked far too smug and it annoyed her more because she liked it. She knew she was flushed down to her toes. She picked poor Quackers off the floor, dusted imaginary dirt off him, and put him back at his place by the pillows. Jacob had lied down horizontally on the bed, his long legs touching the floor.
Still flustered, she cleared her throat. "How was your day?"
"Oh, you know. Same as usual," He replied. "I did my rounds, went to class, and thought of you. Not exactly in that order."
He was incorrigible. But sweet. It was a deadly combination.
"How was your day, dear?" He asked, smiling. "Did you think about me?"
Yes.
"No," She lied. "I was busy with school."
"Let me guess, you're in all AP classes?" He got up on his elbows. "You look like the type."
"What type?"
"Type A," He clarified. "Very serious about school."
There was nothing wrong with being serious about school. Her parents instilled in her a good work ethic that she knew would come in handy someday. Angela made a point to get all her homework done and get good grades. She prided herself on it. It was better to do her best than to not try at all.
Jacob chuckled, his deep voice rumbling and sending traitorous shivers through her. "You're too easy, Ang. I'm only teasing."
She forgave him because it was hard not to. Not when he was smiling at her like that. His stomach gave a loud groan and he looked embarrassed. He lied back down on the bed and covered his eyes with his arm.
"Sorry," He muttered. "I'm always hungry. The wolf metabolism burns through calories fast."
"We still have some leftover pozole if you want some?"
He dropped his arm and stared up at her happily. "Is that the spicy soup?"
"That's the one."
She moved to get up and he followed her. She was happier than ever her family was all deep sleepers. They made their way to the kitchen and she heated them both bowls of soup. They spent an hour talking about random things before Jacob had to leave. She went to bed and slept better than she had in weeks.
A lot of Jacob in this chapter. Now Angie knows the werewolf secret too.
1. Ducklings do imprint on their parents and siblings. Not like how our werewolves do though.
2. In the books, Harry Clearwater gets a heart attack after seeing Leah shift in front of him and that's what triggers Seth's shift. I decided to go with the movie version where he got a heart attack in the woods.
3. Title comes from the children's book by Tad Hills.
