Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. :(

PLEASE RR!! I dedicate this chapter to all of you who have reviewed and voted in Vote 2008; I hope you enjoy the update!

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For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, I was on my way to La Push. I drove as fast as my truck would allow – which admittedly wasn't very fast.

I pulled in front of the Blacks' house faster than I should have, and debris sprayed as I hit the brakes. An unfamiliar face appeared in the window and scowled. I ignored him, pulled my keys out of the ignition, got out and slammed the door shut.

The door of the house opened before I could storm up to it. I recognized Sam Uley frowning at me. "I told you not to come."

I stared back at him. "Jake's my friend too. I need to help." I stepped closer, but Sam didn't move.

"No, you don't."

I glared at him, but he didn't flinch. He gazed calmly back at me. Then a hand fell on Sam's shoulder. Sam turned and Jacob gave him a meaningful look. Sam sighed, but relented. Jacob turned back to me, about to apologize. Then he froze. I shifted uncomfortably under his fierce fixation. I glanced back at Sam, who was looking between Jacob and me, stunned.

The boy, whose face I saw in the window before, appeared over Jacob's shoulder, took one look at Jacob and grinned. "Way to go, Jake; got her already." He slapped Jacob on the back.

"Embry," said Sam, "go tell Billy and Old Quil."

Embry nodded and shouldered past Jacob, breaking into a run as soon as he passed me. Sam's voice seemed to reach Jacob; he wasn't staring quite so hard, and blinked once in a while. Sam put a hand on Jacob's chest and firmly pushed him back into the house. Jacob finally broke his gaze and looked at Sam, alarmed. Sam ignored him. "Come in Bella." Jacob relaxed.

I stepped hesitantly over the threshold, a bit unnerved with Jacob's reaction to me. I followed Sam and Jacob into the living room. Jacob sat down on the couch and immediately made room for me. As I sat down, I caught Sam giving Jacob a reproving look.

The couch started to vibrate oddly. "She can know now!" Jacob said heatedly. His voice was hoarse, as if he had lost his voice and was just now recovering it.

"Jacob, calm down," Sam said evenly. Jacob shook his head back and forth a few times. I looked between them. Sam was very obviously in charge here. "It won't do anyone any good if you lose control now."

I found my voice. "I can know what?"

Sam leveled a look at me. "Jacob isn't really sick."

Jacob snorted at that. "I'd prefer being sick to some of the side effects I have now." I frowned. This was making no sense to me. Jacob must have sensed my confusion. "I'm going to assume that you're pretty good with the weird things, seeing as you…" he trailed off before beginning again. "Do you remember what I told you, that day on the beach?"

I thought back. Of course I did. I'd tricked Jacob into telling me what I wanted to know about Edward. My heart lurched, but I nodded. "You told me legends about the cold ones."

"Of course you remember that part," he muttered, not meaning for me to hear. I barely caught it, and I didn't like his tone. "Do you remember the other part?"

I thought again, a bit harder. He'd started everything off by telling the background of his people, the Quileutes, and how they had supposedly descended from the wolves and were werewolves themselves. "You mean the part with the werewolves?"

Jacob exhaled, relieved. "Yes, exactly." He glanced at Sam, and so did I. Sam nodded and took himself into the kitchen. I looked back at Jacob. "Bella, I really don't know how to say this without saying plainly." He looked down for a moment, and took my hand. I gasped; his skin was so hot, like yesterday. He looked back up at me, a sort of urgency in his expression. "I'm a… werewolf."

I stared at him, and then looked at our hands. A werewolf. Jake's a werewolf, I thought, unaware of anything around me. And your point is? Edward was a vampire, I argued with myself, and you didn't seem to have that much of a problem with it.

"… take a while, but you'll see." I realized that Jacob was talking.

"What, sorry?"

"And I know this might add to the shock, but I have to say it now. I love you, Bella. It probably doesn't make much sense to you now, but I can explain it. It might take a while, but you'll see. There's this phenomenon; it's rare, but it happens. We call it 'imprinting'." I nodded when he pause to show that I was keeping up so far. "It's instinct, really. Once we see her, we know."

"Her?" I repeated.

Jacob smiled, and I felt some of the numbness I was feeling before evaporate. "Our soul mate, the one we're meant to be with the rest of our lives."

"O… kay." I wasn't completely sold on love at first sight. I had thought that Edward and I had shared a bond much like the one Jacob talked about. Obviously, it wasn't completely true.

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question. Jacob sighed.

I held up my free hand. "It's not that I don't believe you, Jake. But I thought I had found my one true love, and it didn't work out."

"The bloodsucker? Oh, I'm sorry." I was staring at him, wide eyed. How could he know? Face it, Bella. He's a werewolf now; he knows the legends are true. My logical self was definitely making some sense today. "Bella? I'm really sorry, I won't say it again."

"It's okay. So," I tried to recover the lost conversation. "Soul mate, huh?"

"Yeah, I know it's sort of hard to believe. But I won't ever hurt you. I'll take care of you like no one else can."

"Wait, what?"

"Bella, I imprinted on you. That's why I can tell you all of this." He looked at me, wondering why I hadn't caught on.

I was wondering the same thing. I was Jacob's soul mate? Jacob looked at me, a burning need for me to understand reflected in his eyes. I blinked, and then smiled at him.

I was Jacob's imprint.