An Envious Wolf 1

Summary: After discovering her girlfriend cheated on her, Bella reluctantly decides to spend her summer in Forks. It might not be such a bad decision after all.

Bella/Leah

Having a house to yourself for the summer, especially when you are in a relationship, sounded out of this world. At least it does until you have your heartbroken. Suddenly, the idea of moving to Forks for the summer, a dreary rain-soaked small town in the Pacific Northwest, is the best idea you've ever heard. Bella switched her phone on the minute she was free to do so, and she wasn't the only one. Unfortunately, she was the only one whose phone alerted her to a constant stream of messages. The first chance she got, she was changing her number; in fact, she had time to kill before her connecting flight to Port Angeles.

Fifty minutes later, she had a new number, a new plan that cost less than her previous one, and a better phone. She was sure Phil would be happy to be paying fifteen dollars a month less than he was paying previously.

Bella hadn't told Charlie she was coming, because the last time she spoke to him, she had said otherwise. She knew she had disappointed him with her decision. Bella was hoping to surprise him by turning up at his door. She could pretend she was always coming but had simply wanted to surprise him. The last thing Bella wanted to talk about was her girlfriend of fifteen months, who had cheated on her with the one girl Bella hated the most.

She was pleased to learn she only had to wait for a few minutes for the bus to Forks, and the journey took less than an hour and a half.

Her timing was downright perfect as Charlie appeared to be on his way out when Bella saw him. "Better let me in before you go wherever you are going." She teased. Charlie whirled around at the voice and leveled a dazzling smile at her.

"Well, this is a surprise." His smile stayed in place as he took her bags from her.

"That was the idea." Bella smiled back at her father. Suddenly, she found she was glad she had taken the trip.

"I'm sure Billy will not mind me canceling when he hears the reason. I was not expecting you, so I've got nothing in the fridge or the cupboards, come to think of it." Charlie admitted sheepishly. "A trip to the grocery store is needed." Bella was well aware of her father's penchant for takeaways and the diner.

"Yes, a little healthy eating is in order." Bella teased as she followed him up the stairs.

Of course, not much about her room had changed since the previous summer. Charlie had covered everything in dust sheets, so not much cleaning was required, something she was grateful for.

"When you are ready, we can head to the grocery store," Charlie said as he left her to it.

"Hey, Bells, Billy, and Jake want to come over if that's okay with you," Charlie asked with a grimace.

Bella rolled her eyes, knowing it was more likely Jake roping his poor father into coming over. The boy's crush on her was so obvious it was painful. "Yeah, sure, why not, another summer of dealing with Jake's sad puppy dog eyes." She grumbled, earning a chuckle from Charlie.

Half an hour later, an eager Jacob stared into her eyes as though waiting for something. He looked crestfallen as whatever he was waiting for failed to materialize. Billy gave his son a sad look and turned his attention to Charlie. Before Bella could question what that was about, Jake lifted her off her feet. Bella finally seemed to notice his height. A year ago, she and he were the same height. Now Jacob towered over her. "What in heavens name are you feeding him?" Bella asked Billy.

"I wish I knew." He said with a chuckle, except Bella got the distinct feeling Billy was lying. "Your dad said you weren't coming," Billy said, quickly changing the topic of conversation.

"I wanted to surprise him." She said with a shrug moving out of Jacob's reach, who still had his arms around her.

"Well, glad to see you," Jacob said, his ever present puppy dog eyes staring at her. She turned and rolled her eyes at Charlie, who looked thoroughly amused.

"So Bella, seeing anyone in Phoenix. Billy asked, earning a glare from Jacob.

"I was until I found out she cheated on me." She mumbled. Bella realized she wasn't as hurt as she had been a couple of days ago.

"She?" Jacob asked, nearly choking on his lasagne.

"Yes, you look surprised; I thought it was common knowledge." Jacob looked as though he was eating rotten fish. "Dude, I've been crushing on Leah for years; I thought it was obvious." Of course, she knew it wasn't; she'd never made her crush on Leah apparent.

"Right." He muttered dejectedly.

Billy invited them to a bonfire before leaving with a reluctant Jake in tow. Despite Bella's attempt to kill his crush, Jacob was still on Bella's case with his constant attempts to stay close. "There is no killing that boy's feelings for you." Charlie teased. Bella said nothing, but her sigh was enough of an answer.

"We can leave the minute Jake becomes too much." Charlie offered.

"No, no… I can handle Jake. Just maybe I can catch Leah's eye instead." She said with a laugh when Charlie frowned. "Could be worse, it could be Paul. Although, he has settled down since he started dating Rachel." Charlie muttered absentmindedly as he got out of the truck.

"I'm sorry. Did you say Paul Lahote is dating Rachel Black?" Bella looked agog at her father.

"I know, took us all by surprise. Those two were constantly going at each other." Charlie laughed.

"Well, you know what they say. It's a thin line between love and hate." Bella said, waving back at an eagerly waving Jake.

"Good luck, kid." Charlie guffawed.

"Hey, Bells." Jacob's excitable demeanor reminded her of a dog.

"Give me a minute. I have to find Paul and Rachel." She laughed.

"Ahh, you heard." He chuckled.

"Yeah, what the fuck happened." Jacob shrugged. Had Bella been paying attention, she would have realized Jacob knew precisely what happened.

"Lahote and Black sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G." Bella teased as she walked up to them. The pack broke out in laughter. "Wow, you two… really." Bella was still struggling to believe it.

"Thin line between love and hate," Rachel mumbled.

"You don't say." Bella chuckled.

"Can I get you a drink?" Jacob offered.

"Yeah, sure, get me a coke." She mumbled, distracted by the sight of Leah Clearwater walking up to the group.

Leah looked up and smiled at Bella but then froze. "Clearwater and Swan sitting in tree K.I.S..S.I.N.G." Paul teased. "You will soon understand, Swan." He chortled, not that Bella heard a word he said as she was moving toward Leah.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked as he trudged back to the group drinks in hand.

"Leah imprinted on Bella Swan of all people." The smile that had started to form on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by anger.

"She what? No, Bella is supposed to be mine." He growled.

"Leah imprinted on her so clearly she is not yours." Paul snarked. He had known about Bella's crush on Leah for the last couple of years but kept it quiet to not embarrass the girl. Bella Swan had saved his hide once, and he owed her as far as he was concerned.

"Jake looked towards the beach looking for Leah and Bella. Before he could make his way toward them, Sam stopped him.

"Jacob, let's go for a walk." Jacob reluctantly followed, knowing he had little choice.

"Jake, what is this? You have never once said anything about Bella. Nothing in your thoughts even showed an interest, and all of a sudden, she is meant to be yours." Sam asked. Despite his words, his tone was far from angry.

Except, it wasn't all of a sudden; he had always loved Bella, hoped she would be his. It was why he had been so eager to go round for lunch when he knew Bella had arrived. Charlie had gifted her a truck that morning, one he worked on every spare moment he had, all because it was for her. Jacob kept his thoughts regarding her to himself because he did not want the guys to tease him. Maybe that was a mistake. Leah would not have been so quick to take Bella from him had she known how he felt. Worse, Sam was questioning his love for Bella. He'd had a crush on her for as long he could remember. Jake remembered the first summer she did not come to Forks. He spent the entire summer in a mood, holed up in his room. "It's not sudden; I have had a crush on her for a long time, and now…" His voice trailed off as the implications of Leah imprinting hit him.

Sam sighed, rubbing his face furiously. "I hate to break it to you, but a relationship with you and Bella was never on the cards. Unless she is your imprint, she cannot know about your wolf." Jacob's eyes widened, having never thought of it.

"Surely…" He started.

"No, especially the man who will one day lead us, you, above anyone, cannot break the rules. Do you truly want a relationship based on lies? Bella will not stand for it, and you know it. Worse, what if you then find your imprint." Sam was struggling to understand Jacob. Had Jake honestly not thought of the consequences of pursuing Bella.

"My imprint can be a friend." He replied quickly, feeling like he had control over some aspect of his life.

"You are what the imprint requires, not the other way round." Those words swiftly crushed that little hope.

"Could you do that to Bella? Do you really want to enter a relationship knowing any day now, the one for you is more than likely around the corner? The elders said imprinting was rare; we now have proof it is not." Four out of the eight in the pack had now found their imprints. "You, Embry, Quil, and Seth, you are still young; there is still time." Sam sighed, placing a hand on Jake's shoulders as the boy fell apart in front of him. "Bella is not for you, and the sooner you accept that, the better it will be for all involved." Jacob shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and took off towards Bella and Leah.

Sam could have ordered him to stay away from Bella, but clearly, Jacob wanted to learn the hard way. "So be it," Sam whispered as he made his way back to the bonfire.

Jacob stood by the fallen log shaking, it was where he had last seen Bella and Leah, but now they were nowhere in sight. "Charlie, did you see where Bella went?" He asked, his anger making its way into his tone.

"No," Charlie answered, eyeing him cautiously. Billy tried in vain to get his son's attention. He knew about Leah imprinting on Bella. He also knew Jacob would not handle the news well. "Jake, come join us." He implored but was ignored as Jacob took off without a word. Billy looked around for Sam, hoping the alpha would stop his son before the boy made a scene.

Jacob soon found Bella, who was wrapped around Leah kissing. The scene before him hurt every fiber of his being. He understood Bella was not his and would never be, but it still hurt to see the girl he had loved for so long with a girl he didn't particularly like. He took a step forward, ready to rip Leah away from Bella only to feel a hand on his shoulder. "I think it would be best if we left them alone." It was not a suggestion but an alpha command. For the first time since he phased, Jacob Black hated handing his birthright over; maybe it was time he took on the role of alpha.

Sam jumped back as Jacob phased and took off. He let the wolf go as some distance was best for all involved.

Learning the stories from his childhood had been all too real made him angry beyond words. What had made him angry, the most had been his fear that it would cost him Bella. Over time he had come to think it might have been a good thing when he learned of imprinting. He had been so sure he would imprint on Bella, the thought of her imprinting of another wolf had never once crossed his mind. As he ran to parts unknown, that anger that had faded so long ago came back with a vengeance. Thoughts of Bella had quelled his anger about Sam and him choosing Leah as his Beta. Jacob had no desire to be the alpha, but Sam should have chosen him as Beta, but instead, he chose his best friend. Jacob had had a chip on his shoulder about the fact he could so easily be alpha anytime he wanted. Sam and the rest of the pack had known this. He felt superior in that knowledge, but Sam had quickly destroyed that feeling. Sam had offered Jacob the position in front of the pack, and the elders knowing Jacob had no desire to take on the role of alpha. He had been forced to turn it down. He had seen the disappointment in his father's face when he had turned his birthright.

Well, now that was about to change because he was ready to be alpha, and as alpha, he would make damn sure Leah stayed well clear of what was his.

Leah had a lot of explaining to do before things went any further with Bella. With a great deal of reluctance, she pulled back from the kiss. "Before we take things further, I have some explaining to do." Looking at Bella's flushed cheeks and hooded eyes, she really wanted to say fuck it and take the girl back to Sam's.

"Okay," Bella whispered, although it was apparent she also wanted to get back to their previous activity.

"Let's go to Sam's." Hand in hand, they made the short trip back to his. Sam had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. The two were often accused of being joined at the hip. She vividly remembered when Sam went missing and her desperation to find him. Then out of the blue, he was back. The elders didn't seem to think anything was wrong with him going missing and returning without a word of explanation. Leah was going to take it lying down. One ordinary evening, she confronted him and refused to let it lie. He started shaking and ran out the door; she had followed him and watched him phase. Her life changed that day, but strangely, it had been for the best as she had helped him come to terms with it. She had never expected to phase, but she did soon after Sam. In fact, Sam had his work cut out for him as she and Jared changed within hours of each other.

"Okay, what do you remember about the stories of Taha Aki and the cold ones?" Leah asked, Bella's hand still in hers.

"Is that the same story with the third wife? She cut herself distracting a cold one… vampires, and it saved Taha Aki." Bella murmured, unsure where it was going.

"No, she stabbed herself in the heart; her sacrifice helped him kill the cold one. Her sons phased into wolves at that moment due to how angry they were." Leah looked up at Bella.

"Okay, what has that got to do with us?" Bella had that sinking feeling. She knew precisely what was coming.

"Cold ones… seven of them..." Leah took a deep, cleansing breath.

"You can phase into a wolf. I'm guessing so can Sam, Paul, Jake, Jared, Quil, and Embry." Leah's jaw dropped, and Bella couldn't help but giggle at the sight. It was too damn cute.

"Seth as well." She added absentmindedly.

"He's a little young, isn't he," Bella asked worriedly.

"He is," Leah grumbled.

"So, is that what you had to tell me." Bella shifted closer, whispering into Leah's ear. "I would love to see your wolf sometime." She purred, licking the shell of Leah's ear.

"Erm, this sudden pull we feel…" Leah forced past the lust threatening to envelop her.

"Leah, I've had a crush on you since I was fourteen. There is nothing sudden about this… not for me anyway." She interrupted.

"You have." Leah's elation had Bella thoroughly confused.

"I was desperate to ask you out last summer, but Paul mentioned you had a girlfriend back in Phoenix," Leah muttered.

"I did, we broke up, and I wish I'd known then." Honestly, Bella would have dropped the cheating whore in a heartbeat. "So, what about this sudden pull." She muttered sarcastically.

"I imprinted on you." Leah blurted out. "It's a wolf thing; it's effectively finding your soulmate."

"Wow," Bella whispered.

"Yeah, I was worried about it because Jared imprinted on Kim, a girl he had never said boo to. And well, I didn't want you to feel as though…" Bella slammed her lips against Leah stopping her tirade. Bella was practically on top of Leah by the time she pulled away.

"Leah, If there is a guest bedroom here, I want in there as soon as possible." Bella was on top of her at this point. She was about to lean in for another kiss when her phone rang.

"Fuck." Bella groused, angrily answering her phone. "Dad." As it stood, he was the only one with her new number.

"Where are you? Jake was looking for you earlier. Charlie's voice sounded a little slurred.

"I'm with Leah, dad." She said, looking at the girl in question who was carrying her down the hall as though she weighed nothing.

"Leah, as in…"

"Yes, dad… please, I'm begging you, don't ruin this for me." Leah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Okay, just erm… well, see you tomorrow." He said, dropping the call. Bella stared at the phone in shock at Charlie's response. She had honestly thought he was about to order her home. "He's clearly had one too many," Bella murmured as Leah put her back on her feet.

"Well, we will thank the gods of beer later." She murmured against Bella's throat.

Bella was hoping against all hope that Charlie would not be home so she could delay the inevitable awkward talk that was sure to come. Despite that, the drive home was done with a big grin she could not tame. She had spent her morning at Sam's with Leah and the pack learning more about the Cullens and the treaty. Leah introduced her to the other imprints, Emily in particular, who was Sam's imprint and Leah's cousin. Bella had a major decision to make, she could not imagine leaving Leah. She needed to talk to Charlie about making a permanent move to Forks.

Unfortunately for Bella, she knew Charlie was home when she spied his cruiser in the driveway. She trudged in as though headed for the gallows. "Good morning, dad." She greeted sheepishly when she found him in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Have a seat." He pulled the chair out for her. "Right." He murmured, needing a second to think over his words. "There was a great amount of double standards involved last night. First, it was Leah, a young woman I have known her entire life. Second, had it been a boy, I would have dragged you back to this house faster than you could blink. Third, you have one pass, and you used it last night. Fourth, there is no amount of beer that would allow me to make a stupid decision where your safety is involved. Above all else, I know how you feel about Leah, and well…" The 'I hope you had fun' was left unsaid. "I know you are a couple of months away from your eighteenth birthday, but no matter your age, you are still my kid.

"Thanks, dad," Bella mumbled. With nothing else to say, she poured herself a cup of coffee and made her way upstairs, her walk felt a hell of a lot lighter.

AN: I have added to She'd Still Be Dead, Bella and the Three Musketeers, and minor edits on the others.