CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sunlight was hard to come by in rainy Washington, so Zora took full advantage of it. She was lying in the sand, her arms crossed behind her head, her eyes closed. Although her body temperature was much higher than her human counterparts, she could still feel the warmth of the sun. It felt good on her naked skin, and despite already being dry and able to put on her clothes, she was too relaxed to move.

Jacob was sitting next to her, also opting for his natural state. He was staring into the ocean's horizon marveling at the vastness of the water. Surrounded by the land of his ancestors and listening to the breaths of the dozing girl next to him made him feel calm, a calmness that made him think if an asteroid were to strike Earth at that very moment and decimate everything, he would be content perishing.

It was that thought that pushed Zora's question to the front of his mind: did kissing her change anything? He could've said no, but he would only be lying to himself. Kissing her meant more to him than he thought possible. She came into his life so suddenly, changed the course of their fates with a simple glance into his eyes. It made him angry at first - he tried so hard to deny her, to deny what felt right, but she won in the end. And he was glad she did because he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.

He loved Bella for so long, though, and it was a love unaffected by any supernatural forces. He loved her because she was the clumsy, intelligent human who confided in him her darkest pain and fears, who figured out his secret and stuck by him anyway, who cared deeply for him and only wanted to see him happy. Yes, she had an immortal boyfriend who she stupidly risked her life for, but had Edward not pulled his suicidal stunt, and had Alice not come back to Forks, he was certain Bella would have been his girlfriend by now. The thought used to make him livid, and he wished so many times that he could change the past, but Edward was there to stay, so he had to fight harder than ever.

At least that was how he felt before Zora, but he wasn't sure anymore.

Were his feelings for her purely physical? He briefly thought so. The attraction between them was palpable, but he also realized that almost every time he watched her and Embry interact - the ease with which they spoke to one another, the level of comfort exuded between the two of them - a knot of envy twisted in the pit of his stomach. Plus, he genuinely enjoyed her presence, and though he couldn't find the right words to explain how she made him feel, he knew that whenever he was around her, everything was okay.

So it was more than lust - how much more, he had to figure out.

She twitched beside him, mumbling something incoherent this time. He glanced at her, marveling at the golden glow the sun cast upon her. He couldn't help his wandering eyes, though, and he was well aware that they were alone...in a secluded part of the beach where no one would catch them...and once she woke up…

Wow, calm down, you creep.

Jacob exhaled a long, deep breath, trying to quell the excitement rousing inside of him. Unfortunately, he hadn't quelled it fast enough.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Zora muttered.

He'd mistakenly thought she was still asleep, so suddenly hearing her voice made him jump with fright. His hands immediately moved to cover himself, but she had already seen his arousal, a smirk on her face.

"I…er, I can explain," he stammered, feeling very mortified.

"There's no need. I could feel you staring, and when I heard you take that deep breath, I knew something was up…pun intended."

He laughed, the gesture washing away some (but not all) of his embarrassment. "That was a good one."

"Thanks," she grinned. "I'm not upset you're having those feelings, by the way. It's...actually pretty flattering."

"I'll let you look at my boners more often, then."

He intended the statement to sound a lot smoother - truly, he did - but as soon as the words escaped him, they had the opposite effect. He and Zora looked at each other with horrified expressions, both remaining quiet for several painfully long seconds, before bursting into loud, side-splitting laughter.

"Oh, my god," he groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "I'm sorry. That was so creepy."

Zora, who was trying (and failing) to contain the chuckles still escaping her, managed to reply, "We'll just pretend that you didn't say that."

"Deal."

She was smiling at him now, face bright and eyes mirthful, and a fluttering feeling like thousands of butterflies bloomed in his stomach. There was something else he wanted to say, something that made him nervous. "Zora?"

She hummed a noise of acknowledgement, her gaze focused on the roiling waves.

"Would you...would you like to go on a date with me?"

She turned to look at him, brow furrowed in what he assumed was confusion (or worse, total aversion). "A date? With you?"

He nodded, regretting his boldness as she fell silent. Fuck. I completely blew it. She's gonna say no, she's gonna say no, she's gonna say -

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked. Just okay?

She gave an amused laugh. "Yes, Jacob. I'll go on a date with you."

He smiled then, the warmth of her eyes, shining golden brown in the sun, making his heart thrum unevenly. "Okay."


"So, let me get this straight: you guys cliff dived naked, hung out on the beach naked, joked about boners, and only decided to go on a date?" Leah was pacing in Zora's room, her voice and expression incredulous.

"You make it sound really bad…is it?" Zora questioned, perched on the edge of her bed as she nervously bit her nails. After heading home from the beach - she and Jacob stood at a distance as they bid each other farewell, both feeling awkward and unsure of if they should hug despite the fact that they had made out the day before and skinny-dipped a few hours ago - she called Leah who immediately rushed over. And as soon as she arrived, she demanded to hear all of the "juicy" details.

"Not at all," she smirked. "A bit backwards, but impressive. Honestly, I'm proud of you, Medina. You're blossoming into the seductive minx I always wanted you to be."

Zora snorted. "Gee, thanks, Clearwater."

"I will say, though, that you just gave all the young ones—and Paul—prime jerk-off material."

"Real funny. Also, gross."

"Not to worry," Leah grinned. "I'm sure Jacob will beat them up for you now that you've got him wrapped around all of your fingers."

Zora laughed, but she couldn't hide her blush. She had hoped for so long that things between her and Jacob would change, and in the span of just one day, they had. Being asked on a date surprised her; she hadn't expected him to be so straightforward, especially since she was sure Bella continued to occupy his mind. Still, she was exhilarated (and slightly nervous) about their burgeoning relationship.

"You know I don't like being sappy," Leah began, suddenly feeling timid, "but I just want to say that I'm happy for you, and I hope…I get this same experience some day."

"My sweet, sweet Leah, if it can happen for me, then it will most definitely happen for you." She opened her arms, and despite her friend's protests, pulled her into a bone-crushing hug anyway.

"Alright, alright, enough of this sensitivity," Leah laughed. "You know I only accept one hug per month."

Zora snorted. "You love my hugs. Now let's go find some food and take a nap before we have to go."

"You always speak directly to my heart, Medina."


The night was peaceful, dimly lit by the faint light of a half moon. Stars shone brightly in the dark, leading the way for Zora and Leah as they strolled to Sam and Emily's house.

"I bet Sam is furious 'cause we haven't phased yet," Zora said, chortling at an image of him red-faced, blowing steam from his ears.

"Let him," Leah replied, giving a careless shrug. "I don't want to be in their heads yet anyway."

Though it didn't take long to reach the couple's house, the two girls took their time, walking slowly as they relished in the sounds of nocturnal animals, the cool air on their skin, and the comforting scent of moss and pine. When they arrived, they glanced at each other with knowing smiles. Sam stood at the front door, his arms crossed and mouth set in a firm line.

"You're late. We agreed on 2:30. It's now 2:32."

"Oh no, a whole two minutes?" Leah exclaimed dramatically. "Whatever shall we do?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't wait for him to respond, scoffing and walking past him to the backyard. Zora hurried after her, mumbling, "Sorry Sam" as she passed him.

What felt like thousands of voices invaded their minds as Zora and Leah phased.

"Finally, the two princesses show up."

"Watch yourself," Leah threatened, snapping her teeth at the wolf version of Paul.

Zora was waiting for the harassment to commence; she was aware that the whole pack knew about what transpired between her and Jacob, yet strangely enough, no one said a word. And then she saw it – a recent memory in which Jacob went to Sam and asked him to give an order that would forbid all of the guys from teasing her. Had she been human, her whole face would've turned an unsightly shade of red. She looked for the large russet wolf in the darkness, and when she found his eyes, she murmured, "Thank you."

"No problem," he replied, his muzzle pulling back in an odd, wolfy grin.

Sam gave a low growl as if he were clearing his throat. All of the wolves straightened, knowing that it was time to listen. "I want all of you to focus. And to be vigilant. Although we know the Cullens are…peaceful, they're still vampires. Your guard must be up at all times."

They nodded, some shouting "Sir, yes sir!"

"I want you to watch closely as well. Learn something tonight so that you'll be prepared when it's time to fight."

After more nods and grumbles of understanding, Sam turned around and began the long run, the wolves following eagerly as they headed to the Hoh Rainforest.


(Revised 1/10/2021)

AN: Yay! Another update. I've been trying to write like crazy so that I could get this chapter out and the next one (which is mostly finished). I did end up changing the rating to "M" just to be safe. I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I did switch around some of the events in Eclipse to better fit this story. Hopefully, it's not too confusing. I also wanted to make it clear that Jacob and Zora are a year older than what they would've been in the book (17, not 16); it just makes it a little more realistic if they were to become involved physically.

Enjoy! And let me know your thoughts. :)