Chapter 2

The usually green dreamscape of moss-covered life in the forest was now itself a dark, looming monster. Branches whipped Bella's skin as she gracelessly ran through the dense woodland.

Her bare feet were muddy and scrapped, but she needed to push herself faster. Faster. Her muscles burned with each stride. Her lungs burned with the exertion. She wanted to look over her shoulder. She needed to see how close those red eyes were.

She had no chance of outrunning them. It was impossible.

Nobody was here to save her this time. She could feel herself slowing down. No matter how hard Bella wanted to run, her legs just wouldn't cooperate. A sound cut through the terror. Over her heartbeat pounding in her ears, over the harsh panting of her breath, she heard...howling?

Bella froze. Skidding to a stop, she strained her pitifully human ears. Overlapping howls echoed through the trees into the night.

A loud crash from the kitchen startled Bella awake. Sitting up in her bed, she frantically looked around her room for her pursuers. The next part of the dream was always where James, Laurent, and Victoria tore her into human confetti.

When she realized it was just Charlie bumbling around downstairs, she could finally begin to catch her breath. The absence of a self-righteous ice sculpture in her rocking chair did wonders to reassure her nerves, but her heart was still racing from that same nightmare.

Her cold sweat had caused the sheets to stick to her like mod-podged crate paper on a friggin' pinata. She peeled her hair up off of the nape of her sticky neck into a messy bun and flopped back into her pillows.

When she didn't have nightmares, first light was the best part of her day. Bella usually woke up feeling like a brand new person, only to feel like a walking corpse by the time she crawled back into her bed at night. Mornings were blissfully free of the nausea, headaches, and shakiness. Usually. Stupid nightmares ruined that too.

Anxiety began to climb back up inside her as she remembered her dream. Damn vampires.

But they weren't alone in the forest. This time there were also.. Wolves?

Bella tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. Were they chasing her too? She couldn't remember the details, only the running.

Bella took deep breaths , focusing on the texture of the ceiling of her painfully purple room. She tried to remember any more details of the dream. Four howls. Four wolves. Chasing vampires with red eyes. Not the Cullens but real, human-drinking, evil, Dracula-wannabe vampires. Before she met James and his coven, non-vegetarian vamps still felt like a cheesy Halloween costume, not her living nightmares.

She still couldn't believe they were real. Nobody would believe her because it just wasn't believable. Almost as unbelievable as shape shifting wolves. Edward mentioned a current pack, but she still knew nothing about them. Why was she dreaming about four of them?

She thought of Sam's group of boys, but it was just too easy. They wouldn't be stomping around the rez like hall monitors if they were actual protectors. They'd be too busy doing...wolf stuff? It just seemed too obvious. They'd be all hidden away in the forest and keeping to themselves.

Wouldn't they? The Cullens kept to themselves. Kinda. Okay, they didn't. They went to high school like a bunch of dweebs. But they didn't have a duty like the protectors. The Cullens were simply existing and they just so happened to be existing here. She was going to drive herself crazy speculating about the wolves.

If they were half as deranged as Edward made them sound, nobody on the rez was safe. But they were protectors, right? Their whole deal was protecting humans. That left Edward with a good reason to be wary of them, he wasn't human. But he had been so worried for Bella's safety as if they'd maul her the second she stepped into La Push.

And now she worried for Jake. Shape shifting was in his blood! It would have to be dangerous to turn into something that could intimidate a vampire.

When in doubt, Google it!

She pulled out the laptop Renee had gotten her for her 18th birthday. Nowhere near as nice as the one the Cullens tried to give her, but they took all their fancy gifts and whatnot with them when they left. A hand-me-down macbook does the trick just fine, thank you very much.

She didn't know where to start her research so the basics seemed like a good first step.. "Quileute Legends" ..and *enter*.

Thousands of results loaded onto her screen. Thank the Google machine, one of the first links looked promising.

The first story was of how the people settled in the La Push area and of their relations with other nearby tribes. This story was vaguely familiar from a state history class somewhere throughout her public school education. Absolutely nothing supernatural stood out so she kept scrolling.

She started to recognize storylines and characters from the stories Billy has told around the bonfire, but they were nowhere near as detailed as his accounts. Reading on a computer screen was nothing like listening to Chief Billy Black's resonating voice boom over a fire. Storytelling is an art and damn, he was a craftsman.

"Oh, come on Bella," She groaned to herself, slapping her palm to her face. Bella must not have been fully awake, but she was now. Why was she reading stories on the internet when she could go straight to the source? She was going down to the rez later today anyway for Jake's birthday. She could just swing by early and get a word in with Billy.

Bella slammed her macbook shut and scrambled to get ready for her mission. First, a quick shower to get that sweaty layer of nightmares off her skin. The strawberry vanilla shampoo and conditioner set was originally a gift from Renee a couple of birthdays back, but ever since then Bella bought every product she could in that same scent. Body wash, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, perfume, even hand sanitizer. It was her favorite bit of creature comfort.

Her mind drifted while she soaped herself up with the sweet smelling body wash. Just the last day felt like a week in itself, but that is only because she's been so preoccupied with him. Paul. She thought of the man she barely knew as her hand lingered between her thighs. She remembered their odd encounter the day before and gave her nipple a tug. His hands would surely feel so much better doing this. He was so tall, she would fit snugly against his body at just the right height to be able to reach his mouth if he leaned down and she went up on her very tippy toes. Lazy circles of her middle finger against her clit sent her eyes rolling into the back of her head. She wished she had said something to him. Maybe introduced herself? Even just caught his eye to give him a shy smile. Anything. How could she be reeling from an encounter that lasted less than a minute? And that's about as long as it took for the faster circles against her clit to send her over the edge with a soft whimper drowned out by the sound of the shower.

Bella wasn't completely unfamiliar with masturbation, but never had she been able to come to an actually satisfying conclusion like that. And that quickly?! She'll have to thank this mysterious Paul for that if she ever got the chance. She wrapped up her shower quickly and stepped out onto the plush bath mat. Bella giggled at the thought of actually thanking him while she blow dried her hair and finished her simple routine. No makeup, just drying the frizz out of her curls and making sure she had a hair tie with her just in case the wind on the beach got annoying.

Layered in jeans and a thick hoodie that once belonged to Jake, she ran down the stairs, surprised she didn't see Charlie at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Instead, in his customary spot was a note that he went into work to catch up on paperwork, but would be back for Jake's birthday celebration. On a Saturday? He really needed a girlfriend.

She grabbed a poptart, her thick overcoat, and climbed into her beast of a truck to head down to the rez for some answers.

Pushing open the screen door like she owned the place, Bella stepped just inside the front door to pull off her boots to avoid tracking mud into the house.

"Didn't expect to see you this early, Bella! Did you come down to help get ready for the party? Jake is out with Quil but I could call down to the Ateara's for you?" Billy spoke from across the small living area, gesturing for her to join him in the kitchen. Bella grabbed her favorite mug from the shelf and made herself a cup of coffee before turning back to Billy.

"I'm always willing to be put to work, you know that Billy, but I was hoping to catch a word with you before anyone else got here." Bella didn't know how she was going to breach the subject of supernatural protectors and stone cold enemies from fairy tales, but if anyone was going to know about the truth, it would be Billy Black. He was the Chief and his own grandfather was a wolf himself. She knew the legends were true so either he's about to pretend he thinks she's insane or she'll get some of her curiosities satisfied.

Billy could tell she was nervous about whatever was on her mind from the slight frown and the way her eyebrows were drawn together. She wore her emotions plain as day ever since she was little. He noted that she looked better than yesterday, but the withdrawal symptoms of thrall were still evident in the slight tremor of her hand and bags under her eyes. It deeply saddened his tired heart that this was considered an improvement. He tried not to remember how bad it had been when they first left.

He didn't pity the girl, she was too tough for that, but he did have some mercy.

"Just spit it out, honey," he urged. "You know you can tell me anything." Billy could tell she was at war with herself about whatever she came here for. Knowing her, they could be here all day while she tried to find the perfect words.

Squaring her shoulders and looking the Chief straight in the eye, she jumped straight to the point.

"Are the Quileute protectors dangerous? I mean, to humans?" Bella tried not to stumble over her words, her bravado failing as she imagined the straight jacket he was bound to strap her in any second.

Instead, her shoulders relaxed as a slow smile creeped up his cheeks.

He always wondered how much she really knew about the Cullens. She was a smart girl, of course she would be curious about what else was really out there. Unfortunately, it seems the Cullens had passed on their prejudices as well. Billy took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

"I understand why you would see the pack as a threat and your Cold Ones as the heros, but you are mistaken, Bella. The Cullens may not be human-drinkers, but most other Cold Ones out there are. The wolves protect the tribe from the red eyes and are dangerous to no other beings. Especially humans." There was no point in denying the existence of the pack. Now that he knew she was aware of vampires, his main goal was to help her with the thrall that was still affecting her somehow. It had been months and Billy was very worried how it could still be hurting her the way he has witnessed.

Bella's concerns were, as usual, not on herself. "Does Jake know? It's in his bloodline, is he going to become one? Is he going to have to fight vampires? He can't! They're crazy strong and fast and he's going to get hurt, Billy. Jake can't fight them! They're practically made of stone and –"

"Bella!" he had to stop her before she turned blue. "Bella, you don't have to worry about Jacob just yet. Yes, it is likely that he will become a protector. He's already showing most of the signs. The temperature, the growth spurt, the appetite, the mood swings. If he's going to phase it will happen soon. We were hoping the boys would stop phasing when the Cullens left but it seems there are still some… visitors... passing through."

Her relief for Jake was short-lived when she realized that meant there were still vampires in the area. Jake was safe for now, but he wouldn't be for long. It made sense that the Cullens would dislike the wolves and Edward was known for being a bit dramatic. Before she could bombard Billy with more questions, he continued.

"Jacob doesn't know about the wolves yet and it is a well guarded secret. You aren't supposed to know. Not even the families of all of the wolves know the secret. Bella, you cannot tell anyone. Even Jacob."

She didn't want to overstep by asking even more questions so she simply nodded. Clearly he wasn't thrilled with how much she already knew and she didn't want to disrespect Billy by pushing for more. She didn't know what to say so she said nothing. Bella pushed her chair back from the table and put her untouched mug of coffee in the sink. She always kept a book in her car so she thought about wandering down to the beach until Jake's celebration. Avoiding eye contact with Billy, she made a beeline for the door. It wasn't like her to be so bad-mannered, but she needed to leave. She needed to think.

"Honey, wait," Billy called before she could make her escape. Feeling like a chastised child, she hesitated to look him in the eye. He turned his wheelchair to fully face her again and she saw, not anger, but concern written plainly across his stoic features.

"Bella, this isn't just about the wolves. I'm worried about you. Now that I know you understood what the Cullens were, I was hoping to help you." She didn't understand and he saw the confusion in her features so he continued, "Do you know what vampire thrall is, sweetheart?"

She didn't know where he was going with this so she just nodded.

"We've been searching the journals of the last pack for any new information on the Cold Ones. Honey, we think you've been affected by thrall. We've been discussing your state these past few months and-"

She stopped him there, suddenly irate, "My state? Why have the elders been talking about me? They left me! I have no connections with the Cullens anymore and I don't want to either!" She felt the slight burn of tears forming in her eyes. She hated that she cried when she was mad.

"Those stuck-up pricks just up and left and it was the best gift they ever gave me." Her stomach churned even at the thought of her stone cold family. Who she thought was her family. They left her. She was mad at Alice for leaving without a word and she hated Edward for how he left her alone in the woods.

The sudden change in blood pressure from her outburst was beginning to cause a migraine. She could already feel it building in the base of her skull. Right on time, the now familiar cold chills ran down her spine, down her arms to her shaky hands. She already knew what was going to come next and preemptively ran down the hall for the bathroom. Like clockwork, up came her breakfast.

Billy must have followed her down the hallway because his comforting tone came from the bathroom doorway. "Sweetheart, this is what I'm talking about. You're going through withdrawal. I have no idea why it has lasted this long, but their scent affects humans. From what we found in the old journals it's like a drug that draws you in. There has to be something left behind that's still affecting you."

Drawing from the rage that had replaced the hollow cavern in her chest, she spoke in a tone she never would have imagined directing at Billy Black. "I am what was left behind," she spat after wiping her mouth. "They left me in the middle of the goddamn forest and if that sparkly bastard shows up again I'll gladly introduce him to your wolves."

Well that answers that question, Billy thought to himself. At least she wasn't missing the Cullen boy. Billy was worried what would happen if they ever returned. He rolled back to make way for her after she rinsed her mouth out and splashed water on her face. Bella stormed past him back towards the kitchen. He was hoping to continue their conversation, but he knew that wasn't happening when he heard the smack of the screen door closing behind her. He hated to see what that coven had done to her. This bitter woman wasn't the girl he watched grow up. With a sad huff he rolled over to the phone on the wall and dialed a familiar number.

"Sam, we gotta talk about Bella Swan again."

Jacob and Quil helped Sue Clearwater carry things down to the beach to start setting up tables for food at the bonfire. Jake thought it was ridiculous that all of this was for him, but the elders insisted on a traditional bonfire to acknowledge the coming of age of the heir to the Chief. The least he could do was help set up even at the protests of Sue and Emily.

"It's your birthday, go do something fun," Emily insisted with a shooing gesture of her hands. "We can set up. Besides I've got the pack mules all put to work." She looked back at the two guys that looked like they were trying to show off by carrying a table under each arm with ease. Jake recognized Sam, Emily's fiance, and that traitor Embry.

"Hasn't hung out with us in weeks and now he's here helping them," Quil grumbled under his breath. Jake pulled him away to go do literally anything else before Quil caused any trouble. He was pretty pissed himself that Embry had ditched them, but right before an event for the whole tribe was not the time to pick a fight with the resident golden boys.

"Thanks, Mrs. Clearwater," Jake smiled, ignoring Emily. He wasn't sure why Sam's fiance was acting like they knew each other. She was related to the Clearwater's somehow, but Jake avoided all of the drama surrounding the lady. Something to do with Leah and Sam, but he didn't know the details of who broke up with who. He just knew Leah wasn't the same anymore. She used to be the Rez hottie, but now she just hid out at home and snapped at everybody on her rare excursions out of the house. Jake minded his own business. He would try to talk to Embry if he could get him alone, but he didn't care to mingle with the steroid gang now.

"We'll grab a plate and go track down Bella, I saw her reading down the beach," Jacob called over his shoulder, already pulling Quil away before their former best friend and Sam approached the women.

The pack Alpha was glad to see the two boys leaving. He didn't trust their newest packmate to keep his distance after seeing firsthand how badly Embry missed his friends. Sam dropped his cargo and leaned down to kiss each of Emily's scars first, as always, before a brief peck on her lips. As soon as the two cubs were out of hearing range he whispered, "I don't like you near them, Em. Jacob is closer to phasing everyday and I suspect Quil won't be too long after."

She knew his wolf and understood the need to protect, so she contained her eye roll and instead asked, "Is Paul on patrol tonight? If he won't be here I want to package up some food for him. We made tons and you know he won't take it unless I drop it off when he's not home."

Sam loved her generous heart, but she needn't worry, "He'll be here. As soon as my part with the elders is over, Embry and I will swap out with Jared and Paul. I can't wait to get some new wolves to lessen the patrol schedule on these pups." He was always looking out for them, often running doubles to cut them some slack. Sam had already given up so much to be a protector and he didn't want these boys to have to give up any more. Jared and Embry could still have promising futures some day. Maybe college but at least hold a job. Sam had a stipend from the council and Emily served tables at the diner so they were making due.

Paul was a different story. He worked at Jared's father's constriction company when Mr. Cameron could put up with him, but for the most part, being a wolf was all he had. His father, Alexander Lahote, got himself killed when he drove off the road drunk as a skunk three years ago. Paul had only been seventeen and alone in the world. Only Paul knew where his mother was and he didn't seem to care. He mostly lived off of his wolf stipend from the council and a small inheritance from his late maternal grandmother which was discovered amongst Alex's things after he died. If it wasn't for his wolf's high metabolism keeping him from getting drunk, Paul would have been following right along his father's footsteps. Emily worried for him like the den mother she was, but Paul made it difficult to help him.

People began to gather as food was ready to be served. Jacob took the opportunity as guest of honor to be the first to serve himself a massive plate and a much smaller one to bring to Bells. He knew what she liked and didn't like well enough to choose with 95% accuracy what she'd pick out of a buffet. Quil just got one of everything and two of his favorites before grabbing them three cokes and following Jacob down the rocky beach.

Bella was settled on a beach towel behind a boulder to shield herself from the wind and mist coming off of the sea. A worn copy of a book nestled in her lap and an aura of ease surrounded her like she was right at home here on the rez. Bella looked up as if she felt them approaching and grabbed her plate from Jake without a word.

Quil was always curious about how comfortable they were with each other. They never seemed to need words to communicate, only a look or a quirked eyebrow. It was only highlighted now that he always felt like the odd man out. He ate in silence while his mind drifted to their fourth musketeer who had abandoned them.

Whenever Jake and Bells got all cuddly (seriously who were they fooling with this "best friends" bullshit) he used to have Embry to talk to. Embry. He couldn't believe they hadn't talked in weeks. It's easily the longest they've been apart since kindergarten and Quil had no idea what he did wrong. He was brought out of his sulking by Bella.

"So it's like a quinceañera? Ya know, the celebration for a girl's coming of age in some Latin American cultures?" Bella joked with a playful elbow to the ribs.

"Shut up, Encyclopedia Brown. This is not a quinceañera," Jake protested, tickling her in retaliation.

Quil was already doubled over laughing, "Just imagine him in one of those big poofy ball gowns! Aww Jake, you'd look so adorable in your tiara. Maybe we could get you some glass slippers and a prince to kiss you at midnight!"

Jake punched him in the arm trying to hide his smile, "That's Cinderella, you dumbass."

Bella joined with a quip of her own, "Well some of that is Cinderella, the prince at midnight is just from Quil's fantasies."

Quil stood up in a huff and turned away from his friends to hide his red face before muttering, "I'm getting more food, you losers can go fuck yourselves." He stomped away leaving Bells laughing still.

Bella quickly sobered up when she realized Jake wasn't laughing with her. He ran a hand through his hair to push the flyaways back towards his ponytail and explained, "He's really sensitive about that actually. I joked about him having a crush on Embry once and he got totally weird about it so I steer clear of that.. uhh.. subject." He had an uncharacteristically serious look in his eye, but before Bella could speculate about Quil's sexuality, Billy's voice boomed over the crowd drawing everyone's attention.

"Today we are gathered to honor and celebrate our future Chief." Paul's eyes rolled so hard they threatened to pull a muscle. He was glad he was on two feet so he could freely think that maybe they should have done an extra lap so he didn't have to listen to this. Billy held his hand out to Jacob, gesturing him forward. "Son, come up here and join me."

Jacob walked towards the platform where the elders sat, throwing a wink back to Bella. As much as he moaned and groaned about being the center of attention, he sure fit the part. He was made to be a leader: fair, passionate, kind, optimistic, and he brought the best out of the people around him, accepting and giving support with charm.

Billy gave a sentimental speech about the Chief lineage and the accomplishments each generation was known for. Bella recognized the thinly veiled reference to the wolfpack when Ephraim Black was described as the last Chief with a true spiritual connection to the land. Bella felt a surge of pride for her best friend knowing he would carry that mantle as well. Billy spoke with an authority and power that made Bella realize how fortunate she was to have such a personal relationship with the Chief. Most of the tribe members in attendance knew him as Chief Black. He was just her Uncle Billy.

The bonfire was lit by Sam while Jacob gracefully wrapped up the speeches by conveying his gratitude towards everyone that helped prepare and to everyone for attending. With a final wave he hopped down from the elders' platform and walked back to Bella, wrapping her in a warm embrace.

Paul watched the annoying display of affection from his spot in formation behind the elder's table. Sam walked back from the now raging bonfire, past the bowed heads of the council, and took his place in the formation they all subconsciously fell into: Alpha up front, flanked by Jared as his second on the right, Paul on his left, and the pup just behind. They made a formidable presence, even to those who didn't truly understand their role. Most of the tribe didn't understand.

Paul guessed they could sense something by the way people gave them a wide berth wherever they went. They must instinctively feel it in their bones, their Quileute blood warning them. The protectors were revered and respected by the council. All of those old men had this grand idea of what a protector should be and how they should act, cheering and congratulating each new wolf. Old Quil was the only one to actually see the last pack and he had only been a child. They didn't know what these boys went through. They didn't understand the pressure. It was the job of four teenagers to keep a whole tribe safe? And the council had the audacity to look down their nose at Paul for not being perfect and nice like little Jacob Black. So what, he had a record? He kept in line now at least. Now that he couldn't get drunk anymore.

Sam could see Paul's clenched, shaking fists. He had been in the guy's head enough to know it took Paul five whole seconds to get worked up about something, anything. He still phased out of anger more than any other wolf, and Sam could not have that happening in front of the whole tribe.

"Let's check on Jacob," Sam suggested, slapping a hand to the back of Paul's neck and squeezing just hard enough to get his point across. "He'll be one of us soon. Let's go make nice."

Understanding the reprimand, Paul put up less of a fight than he wanted to. Pasting on a plastic smile, he agreed with his Alpha, "Sure! Let's go congratulate the baby chief and say our hello's so we can eat and get out of here."

Sam led the way across the beach. All four wolves noticed Jacob physically recoil at the sight of them approaching and take a step in front of Bella. Paul thought the act of protective dominance was laughable, but Sam just shuddered at yet another sign that his lupine instincts were just under the surface.

Sam spoke first, reaching out for a handshake to check for heightened temperature, "Jacob, Happy Birthday. I'm glad we could make it to celebrate. This is a big day for you." Paul rolled his eyes like it was his job and muttered "kiss ass" under his breath.

Jake gave Sam a tight smile and terse "thanks", not wanting to stretch this encounter out longer than necessary. Sam had other ideas.

"And who is this? I don't think I've had the pleasure. I'm Sam Uley," Sam continued, holding his hand out to Bella now. She shook it and tried to hide her reaction to the heat of his touch. High body temp? Check. After seeing them behind the elders in a place of authority, her suspicions were pretty much confirmed. They moved in unison like every step was a coordinated dance. The heat, the tattoos, the impossible amount of muscle, even just the air around them seemed to shimmer with magic. These had to be the protectors.

She found her voice again, "I'm Bella Swan. My dad, Charlie, is Billy's best friend so I was practically raised with Jake."

Sam introduced her to what she was now convinced was a pack of werewolves, "This is Jared, Paul, and you know Embry."

Bella was hesitant to actually meet the man she had fantasized about just this morning so instead she smiled at Embry and then focused on introducing herself to Jared. Shaking his equally burning hand, she gave him a tight smile and a meek "Hi Jared." He looked uncomfortable and she hoped it wasn't because he saw her checking out Paul in the store yesterday. She couldn't put it off any longer without being blatantly rude. She raked her eyes up that gorgeous body, now clad in a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else. Wasn't this man freezing? It's January in the pacific Northwest for goodness sake. It took all of her mental strength to drag her eyes away from his muscled chest and finally look up to his face. A smirk was the first thing she saw like he knew her dirty shower secret. Surely the others had noticed the way she was mentally groping the man by now, but she took her time meeting his eyes. And damn was she glad she did.

When her cinnamon eyes met his deep, dark brown pools, she wanted to dive right in. Her legs felt like jelly, her hands were clammy, and her ribcage felt like a boa constrictor. She forgot where she was, who she was. She forgot the group of people standing around them. She forgot why she was on the beach or even that she was on a beach.

She forgot how to breathe. He didn't look much better off. She could have sworn she saw his knees buckle for just a millisecond before he caught himself.

Paul's first reaction was to doubt what just happened. He saw her yesterday, right? How did he just imprint on Bella Swan when yesterday he was eye fucking every inch of her. Oh shit, Jared was right. I was too busy staring at her ass. I would definitely remember seeing those eyes. Those big, beautiful doe eyes that he could see his future in. Snap out of it, Lahote, none of that pussy shit.

His second and more powerful reaction was anger. This girl who was supposed to be HIS was standing here under the arm of the man (boy) that was undeniably going to be his Alpha. He hadn't seen Jacob in a few days and damn that dude was a hair trigger away from phasing. But with none of the red-hot rage that Paul remembered from this time in his life. Sam said that was all part of the package of being the "born Alpha" but his cool demeanor just pissed Paul off. He, by no means, was afraid of Jacob and he had no qualms with challenging authority, but being a wolf was the first thing Paul was good at. This was most definitely going to fuck that up.

Imprinting was supposed to be a beautiful, magical thing according to the elders and for Jared it was. It was a little messy for Sam at first, but now he had a fantastic relationship with Emily. Paul felt like a total girl for his reverent appreciation for the concept of imprinting. He was secretly hoping for his share of that magic, no matter how much he outwardly mocked the two for being pussy-whipped. His imprint was going to be a mess and he knew it. Just another way the great wolf-y gods in the sky were saying Screw you, Lahote. And that made him angry.

The whole group had been silent for far too long at this point and Jacob and Bella had no idea why. She was still a little love drunk from the direct, undivided attention of Mr. Sex-on-Legs to notice the awkwardness, but Jacob was uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, snapping the two hypnotized weirdos out of it. Paul took that as his cue to leave, dragging Sam with him. Jared gave a half-hearted wave "bye" and followed them leaving an awkward Embry standing with Jake and Bells. As Paul and Sam stomped away they heard Embry ask with an uncharacteristic timidness in his voice, "Umm.. you guys haven't seen Quil around have you?"

Sam trusted Embry to handle himself and allowed Paul to steer him away from the crowd. He ripped his arm out of Paul's grasp, annoyed that he had to wait until they made it into the cover of the forest at human speed before he could throw Paul into a tree. Sam's wolf did not like being manhandled. The Alpha had given him some leniency, knowing what just happened, but he can only tamp down the dominant traits for so long.

"What the fuck was that, Paul?" he yelled with a tint of Alpha tenor in his voice.

"Sam, you gotta order me. Order me not to think about it. He's gonna phase any day now and you gotta order me not to think about the imprint." Sam had never seen Paul like this and he didn't like it. Paul was his best fighter and most in tune with his animal side. Sam knew imprinting was a whirlwind, but all he was sensing from Paul was panic. And..fear? That was an emotion Sam had never tasted from Paul. He needed to get to the bottom of this and Sam knew the fastest route.

"Are you afraid of little Jacob Black, Lahote?" Sam teased with an exaggerated pout. Paul took the bait and phased on the spot, snarling at his Alpha. Sam stayed cool as a cucumber, standing down the grey wolf foaming at the mouth in front of him.

"First off, those were my shorts, asshole," Sam scolded. "Second, you will NOT throw a temper tantrum at me over this. I am your Alpha— " Paul cut him off by lunging at him, teeth bared. An imprint is the only thing strong enough to break rank and Sam knew that. Sam also knew that the only way he was going to get Paul to talk about this was to get him to fight first.

With the ease and practice of two years of shifting, Sam dropped his shorts and fluidly became his ebony wolf just in time to catch Paul in his teeth and push their fight further into the forest.

Bella made the first excuse she could think of to escape Jake's curious stare after the encounter with Paul. Charlie's cruiser was now in the parking lot so he must be around here somewhere. She wasn't particularly interested in actually finding him, she just needed a moment to catch her breath. More than once she had to reprimand her wandering eyes for tracing the path Paul had taken across the beach. She needed to remember why she was here. This was Jake's birthday celebration. She was here for her best friend, not some guy who was potentially a motherfreaking shape shifter.

Jake was not thrilled about getting left alone with Embry. They hadn't talked in weeks and now all he cared about was finding Quil. Jake not-so-kindly suggested Embry go find Quil himself and left him for another round at the food table. He tried not to let it bother him too much that Embry hadn't even mentioned his birthday. Bella cared. He just needed to go find her. Embry could go back to his steroid gang or whatever he did that was more important than their life-long friendship. Jake made his way through the crowd to find Bella. He knew she didn't like being left alone at these things and he wanted to make sure she was okay after that uncomfortable whatever-it-was with Paul.

Bella watched Jake move through his people like an actual prince. Everyone wished him a happy birthday or offered their congratulations. He played his part well, shaking hands and kissing babies. Jake's brilliant smile lit up the faces of everyone around him. That joy was infectious. She imagined Billy was the same way when he was younger, but now his charm had a few more wrinkles around the eyes and silver in his braid.

They finally caught each other's eye across the beach. Jake's smile somehow got even bigger when he finally found his Bells. She nodded her head towards the edge of the gathering and he knew exactly what she meant. She always knew when he needed to get away.

She knew he would catch up to her easily, so she headed down the beach to their driftwood log on her own. She pulled the small birthday gift from her coat pocket with a smile. She had forgotten about it with all of the weirdness earlier, but now she was excited again. It was nothing special, but she knew he wouldn't like anything flashy anyway. It's not like either of them had much cash to spare so their tradition had always been homemade gifts.

Wordlessly falling into step, they made the short walk in silence. Bella tucked her hand around his bicep and leaned her head gently against his arm. He was so tall these days she barely met his shoulder. Even through his light jacket, she could feel his warmth chase away the chill from the ocean breeze. They settled onto the makeshift bench and Bella tried not to think about what his body temperature implied. She was slightly nervous to be around him after her conversation with Billy this morning. Not that she was afraid of him, but she was afraid for him. She didn't know much about being a protector, but she knew more than she'd like about their enemies. Bella just wanted to enjoy this human moment, free of all things supernatural while Jake remained blissfully ignorant.

Jake had been wrestling on the whole walk down the beach whether or not to ask her about Paul. There was something that he didn't know, but he was too nervous to ask for fear of her answer. He didn't want to ruin the peace, so he decided to let it go for now. Bella would talk when she wanted to. Ever since her last horrible ex left, Jake realized that Bella would talk when Bella was ready. The best thing he could do was be there when that happened.

Finally breaking the comfortable silence, Jake asked, "Whatcha got there, Bells?"

She had been turning the gift wrapped package over absentmindedly in her hands. The dumb keychain she made him seemed so silly in the grand scheme of things, but for now, what was important to Jake was his car. She passed him the small box and watched him pop it open with an instant smile on his face.

"Bells, thank you! For my car keys?" he asked unnecessarily, holding up the leather strap with his initials stamped into it. Jake was the crafty one between the two of them, but she managed the simple keychain with some help from Quil. They all knew how excited Jake was to be able to finally drive his beat up Rabbit after he could get his license at sixteen.

He had her up and wrapped in a cobra grip-like hug in a second. "Thank you, Bells. You'll be the first one I drive as soon as I pass my license test next weekend!"

"It's a date," she smiled back to him without a second thought of how that proclamation might be taken. He pulled back from the hug, taking his warmth with him, and looked down at her skeptically.

"A date? Really, Bells? You would go on a date with me?" His eyes were wide, giving away just a hint of the apprehension he felt awaiting her answer. Did he even want her to say yes? He had really weighed the pros and cons of asking her out. He loved her of course, but he wasn't sure he could love her like that. She was beautiful and she was his best friend. Was it worth risking a change to the dynamic of their friendship?

She seemed to think about it for a minute. Their fathers had been encouraging them towards a relationship as long as they both could remember. She knew he was objectively attractive. She had certainly caught herself imagining what he'd look like in his birthday suit since these muscles popped out of nowhere. Ignoring the likely wolf-y cause of those muscles, she looked back up to meet his eye. "Yes, Jacob Black, I would go on a date with you."

His stomach dropped and for a second he thought it might be from dread, not excitement. But they were best friends. Naturally they would progress into this type of relationship, right?

He finally remembered how to get words out of his mouth. "I.. I always figured you'd think I was too young for you. And we're best friends, I wasn't sure you thought of me that way." She wasn't used to seeing insecurities coming from her cocksure best friend and it faltered her confidence just a step.

Stumbling over her words and shifting her weight to her other hip she tried to sound reassuring, "We're best friends, what could go wrong? I mean, you're… you're beautiful. And I was never bothered by the age difference, Jake. And hey, the age of consent in Washington is sixteen so my own father won't have to arrest me!"

The implication sent Jake's eyebrows shooting up so fast that they nearly went missing in his hairline. Bella was already blushing bright red before she could smack a hand over her mouth to try to contain her nervous rambling.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, how about that, Bells?"

He wound his fingers together with hers, the same way they usually did when they walked the beach. It started as a necessity to keep Bella upright in the sand and quickly became natural between them. But this touch was different now. Maybe it's because now there was the possibility of more. A very real possibility, he suspected, by the last comment she made. He couldn't help but wonder, even hope, that Bella Swan had imagined their potential physical relationship.

Jake led the way back down the beach and towards the parking lot. It was already dark and Bella would have to go home soon. Conversation fell back into comfortable topics like school, updates on the twins, and speculating where Quil had disappeared to today.

The Rez was the only place her behemoth of a truck blended in. A car built in this millennium would stand out like a shiny thumb around here. They wandered through the cars until they found the familiar red Chevy. This thing was an honorary member of the Black family and Jake was proud to have Bells driving it now.

He could tell something else was on her mind when he opened her door and she paused instead of climbing in. Bella turned back to face him in the space of the open car door and startled a bit when he was already right there, nearly toe to toe with her.

Jake wasn't that close on accident. He wasn't ready for her to leave. It had been a great night, a great birthday, and he prayed she didn't bring up Lahote and ruin it all. She hadn't asked about him yet, and he knew it was only time. Something had happened. Either today during their staring contest or something earlier that had made things so awkward. He would flay that motherfucker head to toe if he so much as looked the wrong way at Bells again.

Bella startled him back to the present with a gentle hand on his chest. Noting the concerned crinkle in her brow, he noticed the tension in his own. He realized he was nearly shaking in anger like he never had before. Whoa, his heart was racing just from the thought of murdering Paul for whatever misdeed he had done. Bella's face softened to something Jake could only describe as pity while he took a second to calm his breathing. Shit, now he was the one ruining the moment.

Instead of dropping her hand, Bella surprised even herself when she brought the other one up to his chest as well. They've always been supremely comfortable with each other so why would this be any different? She tipped her head back and searched his eyes for clues on how to handle this next step of their relationship. Finding no answers, only a hint of trepidation, she made the decision for them both.

"Happy Birthday, Jacob," she whispered as she pulled him down with her hands fisted in the front of his jacket. The kiss was gentle and kind. A closed mouth pucker that broke with a light smacking of skin when they pulled away. There were no fireworks, just the slight tingle of trying something new. Nothing scary or exhilarating. Just comfortable. Easy as breathing.

(Revised 9/3/2020)