Chapter 5:

Jacob:

The gaping hole Bella had left in my heart was ripped open once again. I couldn't stop myself from saying the words that might as well have been true. It would be better if she was dead, then at least there would be an excuse for why she never called, why she had abandoned me.

I looked at Cara and felt my heart fill up just a tiny bit, though I tried to stop it. The Pack hounded me all the time, teasing. "Imprint this, imprint that" I had prayed that it wasn't true… but as I looked at her- small and fragile now but so powerful as a wolf- I knew there was nothing I could do.

The love I'd had for Isabella Swan had just been human Jacob, just that one half of me. This… was something so much more intense. I loved Cara with all of my being, wolf and human. And I didn't even know her last name.

The wind carried the smell of rain as it brushed against my skin and I could see the puffy rain clouds over head, ready to burst. I grabbed Cara's hand and lead the way through the trees. She followed without question, her hand molding into mine, perfectly.

I was smiling slightly as the first rain drops hit my face and shoulders. Hopefully, the rain would turn to snow, and cover everything in soft white instead of brown mud. I could just see the entrance to the alcove ahead, a good enough shelter from the rain and cold wind- though the cold didn't have much effect on us.

The rain had picked up in the few minutes it took to get to the tiny shelter and stopped suddenly as the roof covered us. She was in a tank top and jeans and looked as if she had just walked through a summer shower, not even shivering. I noticed how quiet she was, how her eyes stayed cast downward.

"Cara?" I kept myself from reaching for her hand. I may have accepted that I had imprinted- really imprinted- on her, but that didn't mean I had to…

Oh hell, I thought and grabbed her hand, feeling how warm it was in mine. Her touch set my nervous system on fire- even before I had realized I'd imprinted- something, I realize now, Bella's touch had never done. I hadn't been able to feel warm her skin was, just how cold she always seemed to be.

"…I'm sorry" She said, looking into my eyes. Cara's grip tightened on my hand as thunder rumbled outside.

"About what?" I asked.

"About her…. The girl. You loved her didn't you? More than anyone… I can see it in your eyes" She whispered, not quite looking at any one object. My heart constricted again to hear her say it aloud. But I could tell there was something she wasn't saying…

" Yeah… I loved her, but not anymore." I stared at her face, trying to meet her eyes. " And I'm beginning to realize that maybe… I didn't quite know what love is"

"And you do now?" Cara looked at me skeptically, eyebrow raised.

"I'm getting there, whether I want to or not"

Cara:

What did that mean? There was so much about Jacob I didn't understand, wasn't even close to grasping. I could tell he was still hurt about that girl, his first love. He claimed he didn't still love her, but I saw the way his eyes darkened slightly every time it was brought up, his smile slipped.

Was this love, the way I felt for him? I had nothing to compare it to, I hadn't even seen what people in love really look like. My mom had died before I could really remember her, but in pictures she and my father were always looking at each other, at nobody else. Well, except maybe me.

The silence stretched on between Jake and I, the tension building. I was afraid to look in his eyes, afraid I'd never be able to look away again…. I should say something, anything. Do something to break the silence, but how? Turns out I didn't have to.

Jake stood suddenly and peered out into the heavy rain, looking for something among the shadows. I could see shapes moving in the trees, huge and graceful, almost gliding.

"What is that?" I asked, standing too.

"You mean who? Just the Pack, nothing to worry about… their coming in though, so you may want to reclaim your seat before someone else does" He said with grin but remained standing.

"Who is the Pack?" There was no point asking though, because seconds later, three wolves lumbered into the alcove, dripping and panting. Two seemed vaguely familiar, but the third was small and grey. Female. "Oh… they're the Pack"

"Part of it anyway" Jake moved to the side as the biggest, darker one brushed past him and walked further into the dark at the back of the cave. "You may want to turn around" He said, twirling his index finger.

I turned back to the other wolves, my heart soaring. For the first time, I really wasn't alone. Sure, Jake's a werewolf too, but to know that there was a whole Pack of them? It gave me hope for something I had never had before. A place to belong to.

"Cara!" A deep, rumbling voice shouted and I twirled to come face to face with Quil, who pulled me into a tight hug. In cut off shorts and a loose shirt, he looked more comfortable than I had ever seen him, a huge grin plastered to his face. I had suspected from the first time we shook hands that he wasn't the normal Quileute teen, but to see proof shocked me to the core.

The light brown wolf disappeared into the dark and seconds later, Embry appeared, grinning slyly at Jake.

"By Jove, I think he's done it!" He laughed and Quil chuckled. They stopped instantly with a glare from Jake.

I noticed how tense he had become, his jaw clenched and shoulders rigid. I didn't understand their jokes or Jake's reaction, but I had a feeling it was about me. Considering that Quil kept nudging me with his elbow and winking.

The grey wolf had slipped away un-noticed and a girl came out of the shadows, in shorts and a tank top. She was beautiful, by any standards. Perfect, tan skin and small features. Her hair was long and flowed freely down to her waist.

I tried not to be jealous, but it wasn't working so well. Instead, I dragged my attention away from her.

"Done what?" I asked and looked at the ground when they all turned to stare at me. Quil's eyebrows shot up and Embry just sort of flat out gawked.

"She doesn't know?" It was the first time I heard the girl speak and her voice was smooth as velvet. I noticed the wicked gleam in her eye.

"Of course not, she had no idea there were others like her let alone what that is" The anger in Jake's voice was enough to make even the bravest person shake a little, but the desperation could still be heard.

"What what is?! Just tell me! I'm sure I can handle it" I was pretty sure I could handle. I was having a hard time believing that there was a whole bunch of werewolves just roaming around when my whole life I had been the only one.

Quil and Embry exchanged a look before shrugging, but she- I hadn't learned her name yet- was almost writhing with anticipation, a faint smile working it's way onto her face. There was something about her that set my teeth on edge, maybe the way she seemed to come alive at Jacob's obvious discomfort.

"I'm sure you could… I just don't know how to explain it" he said and gave the other three a long look. I noticed how the respect they showed him, even in the way they stood around him. They were his friends- well, Quil and Embry were at least- but they still revered him. Was he their leader or something?

"Alright, alright… it's up to Jake. Come on Quil, you still have to pay your due on that bet" With that Embry and a very chagrined Quil sauntered out of the alcove into the light rain. "Come on, Leah! Get your bratty butt out here! It's just rain!"

Leah. She glared in their direction but took her time leaving, her face perfect and expressionless. With one last withering look, she took off at a run to catch up.

"Sorry about Leah… she's just got some blatant hostility issues" Jake sighed as he sat on a stump across from me.

The sky had darkened despite the rainfall, which had lightened up, and the sun was just starting to duck below the horizon. The sounds of forest animals scattering around and birds chirping in the crisper and cleaner world was the only sound for a few minutes. I breathed in the cool air, wishing for once that I had to wear jacket so I would have something to hide in.

Instead, I was left blushing under Jacob's intense stare.

"So are you going to tell me or not?" I said, snapping him out of his dreams. He sighed and looked down at his shoes. There was so much he needed to tell me, about the Pack and being a werewolf, starting with the last thing he wanted to say.

"Tell you what?" He asked, glanced up at me and smiled weakly." Yeah, yeah. I know… I don't know how to start, it's so weird. Well, I mean, it's not weird… it doesn't happen to every wolf, though it does for most of us. You've heard of love at first sight, right? You see someone and in a blink of the eye, you're head over heels in love." I didn't like where he was going with this… my heart was hammering in my chest and the blood rushed so loud in my ears I had to strain to hear him.

"Well, for us Were's it's called imprinting. You following?" I nodded and he continued, and I could swear there was a faint blush creeping along his dark skin. "Imprinting is stronger though, more intense. Once you imprint on someone, you'll never be able to see anyone else. Not the way you see that person. You're a planet floating in outer space and that one person is the sun. You orbit around that person because nothing else matters. Not even the world ending, just yo- your imprint."

Jake was blushing, his cheeks bright pink. He wasn't looking at me, but at everything except me. I tried to catch his eye, to understand what he was getting at. I couldn't.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked and it was my turn to blush. The way he looked at me should not have been legal. His eye burned into mine and I couldn't make myself look away.

"I imprinted on you" He said and before I even had time to repeat what he said in my head, he was kissing me.

I was frozen, so many thoughts running through my head that I didn't realize I had wrapped my arms around his neck until it was already done. His arms slid around my waist, pulling me closer. We fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces.

Jake's lips were soft and warm against mine, moving slowly and sweetly. My hands ran through his hair as his cupped my cheek. My heart was fluttering like a humming bird's wings and my knees felt weak, but I never wanted the kiss to end. I didn't want him to move even an inch away from.

I felt something shift between us, some unspoken words that changed everything I knew. He pulled away, his breath ragged like mine, but leaned his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes. His eyes were so warm and gentle, I couldn't help but look into them and melt.

Imprinted. On me?... He loved me. Jacob loved me, and just then looking into his eyes, I realized I loved him too. With every fiber of my being… wolf or human.

I'd imprinted on him too.