A/N: Well here's the next chapter! Be warned, mild lemon ahead, I don't know that I'll do a full one any time soon but the flashbacks will appear here and there. More drama of course, we can't let it get boring. I struggled with the title for this, I didn't really want to use this song yet but if I split it into two parts I guess it'll work. I wasn't able to put Jacob's POV in this chapter, probably in the next one though, and a little of Paul here too. The song title is from Luke Bryan's song, give it a listen if you haven't heard it. Enjoy!
Strip It Down Part 1
Bella awoke slowly, feeling sore and disoriented, blinking in the bright light to try and get her bearings. A quick glance around revealed she was in Jacob's room and she relaxed slightly as she tried to remember how she'd gotten there. Lifting her head off the pillow she noticed a dark shape by the bed she was laying on, quickly realizing it was Jacob. He was slumped over, his knees drawn up as he rested his arms and forehead on them, and she could see him shaking slightly. "Jake?"
His head snapped up at her soft whisper, eyes glowing their now normal half yellow and she frowned at the mix of worry and misery on his face. "Bella?"
She nodded, pushing herself up with a wince, Jacob hurrying to help her into a sitting position. She leaned against him for support, rubbing her forehead as she looked at him. "What happened?"
He shook his head, concern knitting his brow, and rubbed her arm as he explained, "I don't know. I was talking to Sam about patrols and then my wolf freaked out, I nearly wolfed out in the living room, and I could…feel you. Or my wolf could. That you were in trouble. I ran out the backdoor and found you unconscious in the backyard. Your vitals were fine, so we brought you in here instead of calling a doctor; you've been out a couple hours."
With a frown Bella thought back, remembering the pain flaring in her shoulder before she'd collapsed and touched her shirt where the mark was hidden.
"Bells? What's wrong?" Jacob's eyes followed her fingers and she tried to brush him off as she stood.
"It's nothing."
Jacob grabbed her hand, halting her movements, and peered at her in concern. "Bells, no more secrets, remember? What's wrong?"
She sighed, not sure how Jacob would take seeing the bite mark after all that had happened the night before, reluctantly letting him pull her back down next to him, staring at the floor as he gently pulled her collar to the side. Silence pressed in from all sides, Jacob frozen next to her as he stared at the mark and she finally glanced sideways at him, seeing an unreadable expression on his face. "Jake?"
He moved away from her so quickly it made her head spin, his chest heaving as he gripped his hair with his hands. She pushed herself up, approaching him slowly as he backed against the wall and tried to wave her off. "Don't Bella! Why didn't you tell me? How could you let me…"
He shook his head with a disgusted look and Bella tried to calm him as she brushed her fingers over her shoulder. "Jake, it's okay. This was part of the claiming, your wolf needed this."
Jacob looked at her in confusion, realization slowly dawning on his face. "You…you knew this would happen? That the wolf…that I'd…" When she bit her lip and nodded Jacob's face became angry. "Why? Why would you risk it Bella? What if I'd really hurt you? How would I be able to live with myself?"
Bella couldn't stop the tears that welled in her eyes, brushing them away impatiently as she glared back at him. "I didn't know for sure it would happen! Old Quil said it was a possibility, especially since you were Alpha. And I told you, the wolf couldn't do anything unless I wanted it! I knew the chance of being marked, I wanted it Jake! I told you, I want all of you; even the parts that you think make you a monster. You're not Jake, you're as far from a monster as can be. You're a protector, and I'll never see you as anything but that. I'm happy the wolf did mark me, and nothing you say will make me regret it."
She stopped her passionate tirade, panting a little as she stared at him with a challenging look, and Jacob relaxed slightly. Hesitantly, he approached her, his fingertips barely brushing over her shirt, and he swallowed before looking in her eyes again. "Why didn't you warn me?"
Bella softened, leaning into his touch as he brushed her cheek with his other hand, and smiled sadly at him. "Because I know you. If you thought there was a chance of hurting me, even a tiny one like this, you never would have listened to me. And I didn't know for sure it would happen, Old Quil said it could happen the first time we were together or the hundredth time. If it hadn't happened last night, I would have told you about it. It was more important to me to have you back."
He sighed, shaking his head as he pressed his lips to her forehead, muttering, "You are going to be the death of me."
Bella couldn't help the laugh, smiling up at him before her brow knit in confusion. "You mean you don't remember last night?"
His eyebrow lifted as he gave her a smoldering look, sending a shiver down her spine, and he growled, "I couldn't forget last night if I wanted to. Of course I remember, I just don't remember doing…that."
He gestured to her shoulder and hesitantly asked, "Can I…is it okay if I look again?"
Bella nodded, pulling the material aside so he could see, and heard a faint, almost purring sound come from Jacob. She raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged slightly, looking a little embarrassed. "It's the wolf. He…likes seeing our claim on you I guess."
He lowered his head near her skin and sniffed and she saw his eyes flash yellow as he swallowed hard. Reaching out to stroke his face she gave him a quizzical look and he murmured, "It smells like us…"
She bit her lip, waiting patiently as his hand hovered over her skin, nodding when he sent her a questioning look and watching as he slowly stroked a finger over the teeth marks. A gasp left her lips as sensations swept over her and she clutched his arm as her knees buckled, Jacob catching her as a growl rumbled out of him. She saw his eyes glow as he lowered his head to inhale the mark again, groaning as he suddenly latched on and Bella was suddenly thrown back into her memories of the night before.
She panted for breath, chest heaving as she moaned, Jacob thrusting into her again making her back arch. She clutched his arms as he pressed hot kisses against her skin, crying out as he brought her over the edge, Jacob groaning into her neck as he stilled for a moment to let her catch her breath. She could feel him trembling, he had been for a while now and as she came down from her high she turned to look at him, wondering why he'd stopped. "Jake?"
He buried his face further into her shoulder and she lifted her hands to tangle in his hair, tugging lightly as she whispered, "Jake, look at me. What's wrong?"
He turned to face her and she saw the golden glow of his irises, making her breath catch for a moment. The wolf had returned and she could see Jacob fighting to keep him at bay, panting from the effort and she shushed him as she cupped his face in her hand. "Jacob, look at me. It's okay. Trust me. Don't fight it."
His brow knit in confusion and she smiled as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "It'll be okay. I promise."
His eyes closed for a long moment and then opened to reveal fully yellow irises staring back at her and she turned her face away, baring her neck and nodding. Jacob growled deeply, making her gasp as it vibrated through their joined bodies, and started thrusting into her again, harder than before. Bella moaned, gripping his arms as she found herself quickly approaching the edge again and cried out her release as Jacob suddenly ducked his head down, his teeth sinking into her flesh and sending another orgasm flooding through her, overriding the pain from the bite. With a growl Jacob followed her over the edge, hips stuttering to a stop as he panted and lapped at her neck, purring deep in his chest. She was theirs, forever.
Bella snapped back to the present with a gasp, panting as she clutched Jacob for support, her body tingling with need. Jacob growled as he pulled away from the mark, his face a mix of confusion and arousal and Bella couldn't help the urge to press herself against him as she moaned. "Jake…"
He growled again, eyes a mix of brown and gold, and pulled her up to wrap her legs around his waist, kissing her deeply as he stumbled backwards and kicked the door shut, flicking the lock for good measure.
Bella lay draped over Jacob's chest, still panting from their frantic lovemaking, her fingers tracing patterns into his skin. Jacob quiet beneath her, stroking her hair gently, and she turned her head to rest her chin on his chest as she watched his face. "Well. That was…unexpected."
Jacob chuckled lightly, and she couldn't resist sliding up his chest to press a quick kiss to his lips, pulling back before he got carried away. "Tease."
She shook her head, her smile fading as she saw his eyes land on her mark, regret in his eyes. "Jake. Don't. Don't you dare ruin this."
He sighed, making her glare at him, and he reached out to smooth a thumb over her skin next to the mark. "I didn't mean to…"
She shrugged, trying to hide a wince at the pain it caused, and he shot her a pointed look. "Jake, it's fine. It was already bruised this morning; a couple more bites just made it sorer. I'll be fine."
He grumbled, making her grin, and she brushed a finger over the bite with a thoughtful expression. "The real question is what the heck was that?"
He nodded, rubbing a hand up and down her back, and stared at her neck. "I didn't remember that from last night at all until I bit you again. And it felt so real…"
She shuddered and nodded, the memory sending a tingle over her skin, and she forced herself to roll away from Jacob, careful not to fall off the bed. He gave her a disappointed look and she chuckled as she grabbed her clothes off the floor. "Easy there Alpha, I'm starving and I'm sure you are too. You can wait awhile."
Jacob rolled off gracefully, grabbing her hips as he pulled her in for a kiss. "Honestly, if it was a decision between you and food I'd pick you and starve."
She smiled, pressing another quick kiss to his lips, and handed him his cutoffs. Jacob yanked them on quickly, following behind her as she made her way to the kitchen, and she stopped suddenly when she saw Billy at the table, a mug of coffee and the paper in front of him. "Hi Billy."
He nodded at them, taking a sip of his drink, and she hoped her blush wouldn't give them away as she moved to open the fridge. "Jacob."
She saw Jake freeze, glancing down at his father with an innocent look and she saw Billy raise his eyebrow at him. "Next time you want privacy, have Sue come get me."
Bella swore her face went twenty degrees higher, shooting a glare at an equally blushing Jacob as he muttered, "Yes sir."
Bella still couldn't look Billy in the eyes that evening, his teasing glint making her turn red every time she glanced at him. She just prayed he wouldn't tell Charlie anything, the last thing she needed was her dad trying to shoot Jacob. She rubbed her neck as she glanced at the clock, Jacob and her father would hopefully make it in time for dinner, although she wasn't sure she could sit at the same table as their fathers and not give herself away. Jacob was out running patrol, as Alpha he wanted to be sure he picked up the slack, and that everyone was working smoothly together. She frowned as her thoughts turned to Paul; she hadn't seen him since he'd run out that morning and he wasn't answering his phone. Jen had also vanished, leaving a note that she needed to run some errands and she didn't know when she'd be back.
Seth had stopped by before his patrol to check on her, Jacob had let everyone know she was fine but he wanted to see it with his own eyes. Bella had chalked her collapse up to overexerting herself the night before with Jacob and brushed off any concerns, assuring Seth she was fine and there was nothing to worry about before sending him on his way. She rubbed her neck again, wincing at the pain and wandered into the kitchen looking for some Advil. She kept the mark covered for now, until she and Jacob spoke to Old Quil about the odd vision/memory they had shared Jacob didn't want anyone else to know about it.
When she'd checked it in the mirror earlier it had looked a little more inflamed than before but she figured that was due to the extra bites from that afternoon. The back door opening pulled her thoughts back to the present and she smiled when she saw Jacob come in, his hair damp from the rain as he locked eyes with her. Striding to her side he swept her up and pressed his lips to hers, making her moan lightly as he pressed her against him. Pulling back he leaned his forehead against hers and smiled, murmuring, "I've been waiting all day to do that."
Bella rolled her eyes, smacking him as she leaned back and shook her head. "You've been gone four hours Jake. Didn't you get your fill this morning?"
"Never." He kissed her again and she forced herself to pull away before they got too carried away, eyes watching him in concern.
"How was it today? Easier?"
Jacob nodded, making her sigh in relief and he gestured to her shoulder thoughtfully. "I think the wolf is convinced you aren't going anywhere now. I wanted to come back to you still, but it wasn't an overwhelming need like before. I could actually focus on patrol without driving everyone insane."
Bella smiled at him, relief that he seemed to be back to normal taking a weight off her shoulders and she kissed him quickly before glancing at the clock. "You've got just enough time to shower before dinner, and make sure you put a shirt on, Dad is joining us."
Jacob nodded, squeezing her hand before heading for the bathroom, and Bella moved to set the table, feeling a warm glow of happiness that things finally seemed to be going right for once.
Dinner was rather quiet, Charlie and Billy doing most of the talking as Bella and Jacob focused on their food, afraid that too much interaction would give them away to her father. Fortunately they were too caught up discussing the latest Mariners' scores to pay much attention to their offspring. When they moved to the living room to watch the game Bella traded a look of relief with Jacob as she started to clear the table, smiling when he took his place next to her at the sink to rinse and dry. As they worked she shared the situation with Paul and Jen, making Jacob's brow crease as she told him her observation that what had happened was not a one night thing as they both claimed.
"Are you sure Bells? Paul is certainly not a relationship type of guy, one night stands are practically a nightly thing for him."
Bella shook her head as she scrubbed a pot, satisfied it was spotless and handing it to him. "Not anymore Jake. He quit all that a couple weeks ago; I think Jen's been the first girl he's been with in almost a month."
Jacob's eyebrows rose in surprise and she quickly filled him in on her and Paul's relationship over the last month, how he'd changed from the angry, womanizing man they'd all thought of him as. When Jacob shot her a look of admiration Bella looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"You. You're amazing Bells. I mean, you saved me from myself, you tamed the worst member of the Pack in a month…" He shook his head in amazement and she flushed as she shrugged and started scrubbing the plate again. Grabbing her hand to stop her movements he turned to her, pressing a kiss to her lips as he tangled his hand in her hair, making her moan softly. Pulling back he smiled again, pressing a kiss to her forehead and then turned back to the dishes, chuckling at the look she gave him.
"What was that for?"
"For being you." She rolled her eyes but there was a light in them and her smile as she handed over the plate to be rinsed. "If you want I'll have a word with Paul, see where his head's at if he'll let me. If he's mellowed as much as you say he has there may be hope for him yet."
Bella nodded, smiling her thanks, and then turned the conversation to other matters.
Paul ran out of the house ahead of the piercing shrieks of the angry woman behind him, yanking his cutoffs up his legs and dodging the flower pot she threw after him. Not stopping until he reached the safety of the woods he looked back to see the woman storm back inside, slamming the door behind her, and he groaned as he leaned against a tree and rubbed his hands over his face. He'd been doing fine at blocking out everything but the woman in front of him until Jen's face slipped unbidden into his mind and he'd moaned her name by accident. He cursed himself for his stupidity; there was no way to cover up his mistake when the woman he was trying to bed was named Amanda, nothing close to Jen.
Obviously, she hadn't taken his slip up very well, and he found himself somewhat happy about the sudden turn of events. He hadn't been able to focus like he usually did; with his history he was far from subpar in the bedroom, but something kept him from taking any pleasure from it this time. Sighing he turned to head home, knowing if he phased the Pack would instantly know of the recent events and so he stayed on two legs as he took his time. He couldn't keep his thoughts from turning to Jen and her puzzling hold on him; he didn't understand why she was affecting him so deeply.
He tugged the ends of his hair in frustration, wishing he didn't have the wolf metabolism so he could drink her memory away. But after his last run in with Old Quil's moonshine he knew better, a volatile shifter drunk beyond reason was not a good thing. Maybe the spirits knew what they were doing when they gave them their abilities. He looked up at the sky, the rain finally having stopped, and wondered if the spirits were behind whatever was between Jen and himself. He knew he hadn't imprinted on her, he'd seen the experience through Sam and Jared's eyes enough that he would recognize the event instantly, but he couldn't deny the pull he felt.
He ran a hand over his face tiredly, glad to see he'd finally reached the ramshackle cabin, and hoisted his window up quietly, crawling through and dropping into his bed. He fell into a restless sleep, visions of swirling tattoos and violet eyes haunting him until dawn.
A week later…
Bella was showering, enjoying the hot water running over her skin, when a flare of pain from her mark made her gasp, staggering against the wall as she tried to keep from falling. Sliding down to her knees she clasped her hand over her shoulder, clenching her teeth as what felt like icy hot knives stabbed up and down her arm from her wrist to her shoulder. She bit her lip as she waited for it to fade, sighing in relief when it became a throbbing ache and she leaned her head against the shower wall. She was sure these attacks were getting stronger, and lasting longer each time, and she debated again about telling Jacob.
He'd finally gotten over the guilt from the initial bite, realizing that it was obviously something that his wolf needed and she wanted, and now made sure to pay it extra attention whenever they were together. He'd commented on the fact it seemed to be healing slowly the last time they'd laid in bed, basking in the afterglow, and she'd responded teasingly it was his fault for having to bite it at least once whenever they had sex. Not that she minded, it was as mind-blowing each and every time, but she wished Old Quil would return from the Makah reservation soon. Whatever was going on with the mark was getting stranger and stranger each time, between the shared memories, extra sensitivity and slow healing.
Shaking her head she stood carefully, her legs wobbling slightly as she shut off the water and climbed out, grabbing a towel to dry off. As she rubbed her skin she heard Charlie head downstairs to go to work, smiling as she heard him whistling. While she practically lived at Jacob's now, which Charlie had begrudgingly accepted when she reminded him that he had always wanted her to pick him anyway, she made sure to spend a couple nights a week at home. Charlie had even brought up the idea of selling the house, which had been a huge shock to her, and she'd assured him that while she would miss it, she wasn't so attached that she would want it for herself in the future. She knew that she and Jacob would live on the Rez for the rest of their lives.
They'd spent the last week starting to clean it out, Bella was excited to paint the faded old cabinets of the kitchen, she knew Renee had been trying to cheer the house up but her mother had horrible interior decorating sense and she would be happy to see them gone. Making her way to her room she grinned when she saw Jacob lounging on her bed, crossing to press a kiss to his lips. "Mmm. When did you get here?"
"Just after Charlie left. So looks like we have the place to ourselves." He tugged on the end of her towel, giving her a suggestive look and she shook her head as she backed away. Laughing at the disappointed look she walked to the dresser to find some clothes for the day. Jacob watched her with burning eyes, and she couldn't help the urge to drop her towel to the floor as she dug for come jeans, smirking at the sharp intake of breath behind her. Jacob groaned, yanking her pillow over his head as he grumbled, "Tease!"
She chuckled, pulling on her jeans as she glanced at the clock next to the bed. "Have you heard from Quil when his grandfather is coming home?"
Jacob shook his head, refusing to come out from under the pillow to resist the temptation of her walking around half naked, and she sighed in frustration as she pulled on her bra and shirt, ignoring the throb of pain in her shoulder. Jacob peered out at her, satisfied she was sufficiently clothed, and sat up while shooting her a dirty look. "I'm sure he'll be back soon, the mark certainly isn't going anywhere."
She bit her lip, debating whether to tell him the other reason she was eager to speak to the Elder, but decided to wait a little longer, instead asking, "Have you seen Paul lately?"
Jacob sighed, shaking his head slightly and shooting her an apologetic look. "Sorry. He shows up for his patrols but other than that no one sees him around. I tried to talk to him last week but he brushed me off and I didn't want to push it."
Bella nodded, knowing Jake was referring to an Alpha command and his reluctance to use it unless absolutely necessary. Brushing through her hair she pursed her lips as she thought out loud. "Well maybe I'll go see Jen then. I'm pretty sure she's as miserable as he is, even if neither of them will admit it."
Jacob shrugged, she knew he wasn't fully convinced about the witch, but he did trust her and that's what mattered. Smiling, she crossed the room and straddled his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed, looping her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. He groaned softly, hands coming to her hips as he reciprocated, letting her take the lead as she deepened the kiss. After several minutes she pulled away, both of them breathing hard and Jake gave her a confused look. "What was that for?"
"Because I can." She stood reluctantly, knowing if she didn't they'd never leave her room, and tugged on his hand. "C'mon, I'll make you something to eat before your next patrol."
His face lit up with a grin and he followed her willingly to the kitchen, making her laugh. While his wolf had finally settled down since their first night together, mostly because of the mark she assumed, Jacob still preferred her close to them whenever possible. They figured this was more of a wolf instinct than the frenzy of before; Bella had done some research in her spare time and found the Pack had more than just the Alpha factor in common with their animal ancestors. Jacob had found it interesting and was trying to use it to run the Pack a little smoother, with quite a bit of success.
The only thing that they couldn't figure out was where Leah fit into it all. Going by wolf hierarchy, as the only girl shifter she should technically be the Alpha female, but Jacob swore she wasn't that high up in the mind of their wolves. She fit the Beta role perfectly, with Sam still out of commission and Jacob in charge she was certainly less miserable but everyone worried what would happen when their former Alpha returned. No one was sure what Sam's role in the Pack would be either and the issues were causing an undercurrent of tension in the otherwise cohesive Pack. Bella and Jacob had discussed it and he had decided when Sam was closer to phasing again he would sit down with the strained love triangle and try to come to some kind of truce that would make everyone as happy as they could be with the circumstances.
Bella hardly recognized him some days, despite his many protests about accepting the role of Alpha, it was in his blood and he fell into the role seamlessly once he and his spirit wolf were working together. As she set his food in front of him he flashed a grateful smile at her and she felt the warm glow inside her that always happened when he gave her any kind of loving look. Letting him tuck into the stack of eggs and bacon she prepared, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket while leaning against the counter, pulling up Jen's name and pressing the call button. Jacob raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth full, and she mouthed Jen's name as she waited for her friend to pick up.
She was still staying at the local motel; despite Bella's offer of staying at Charlie's, while she looked for a place to rent and she'd already found a job in Port Angles at the hair salon. She worried about her friend, although Jen tried to act normal she had so far dodged any of Bella's attempts at talking about Paul. Bella was getting frustrated, normally she would butt out of something like this but it was two of her best friends and she'd seen Paul come too far in the past month for him to go back to the cut off, angry individual he'd been. Whether they liked it or not she would get one or both of them to talk about whatever was bothering them so they could move past it one way or another.
"Hey Bell. What's up?"
Jen's voice interrupted her thoughts and she smiled as she answered. "Hey, how do you feel about lunch? I haven't seen you in forever!"
Jen agreed, seeming hesitant when Bella suggested her house, but she finally sighed and consented. Bella knew she was being less than subtle, Jen undoubtedly knew what she was up too, but it seemed like her friend was tired of giving excuses and might finally open up. They hung up after agreeing on a time and Bella grinned triumphantly at Jacob, making him laugh as he cleared his plate and put it in the sink. "Well that's one down."
She nodded, quickly becoming thoughtful and tapped her chin with her forefinger. "Now what to do about Paul…"
Jacob shook his head, hoisting her up on the counter as he stepped close and pressed a kiss to her lips. "You deal with Jen, I'll try Paul again. He might find it easier to open up in the Pack mind to me; he's not exactly good at sharing his feelings, especially if he doesn't understand them."
She nodded, smiling as he pressed his lips more firmly to hers, hands circling her waist as she leaned into him and allowed herself to enjoy the moment, pushing their friends' problems to the back of her mind.
A/N: Well there you go! I wasn't too happy with this, I'm struggling with scene flow for some reason so my writing isn't at its best. And half of this was written late at night with way too little sleep. Hopefully it wasn't too terrible, drop a review to let me know what you think! Until next time!