Chapter 8

I kept tossing and turning in my bed for almost the whole night. It was impossible to sleep after Jared had asked me to meet him tomorrow morning – or in this case today morning. Well as if it was not enough to keep me awake he had also told me that he'd be telling me his secret on which his life depended!

I never noticed when I fell asleep or what my last thought was before I had finally fallen asleep but when I woke up the sun was piercing through my window. I quickly turned to the other side of the bed to check the clock. It was 10 am already and I was running late! I had to meet Jared at 11 am and I did not wanted to be late.

So I did what I was best in doing. As I brushed my teeth I pulled out my outfit for the day. Since I was going out with Jared I had to look absolutely perfect! I took my clothes with me to the bathroom and locked the door. I placed my clothes on the cloth rack and quickly rinsed my mouth before stripping myself naked and getting in the shower.

It was a quick shower since I had no time but then I finally decided to wash my hair too! Just when I was massaging the shampoo in my scalp I regretted the idea of washing my hair because now I will also have to dry them! I cursed under my breath and then sped up my work, there was no time to spare!

Finally when I was done I wrapped a towel around my head and then towel dried my body. I got in my clothes quickly. My outfit of the day was black legging and a grey quarter sleeves tunic top with black horizontal stripes on it. I ran to my bedroom and removed my towel from my head.

I sat in front of my vanity table and glanced towards the clock, 10:40 am! Maybe I will just have to go out with wet hair. What if I catch cold? I quickly plugged in my hairdryer and dried my hair a little, only enough to not catch cold since there was no time to dry them properly. I combed my hair and then ran to the closet to get my shoes. I decided to wear my black ankle length sneakers, it was comfortable and stylish.

It was already 10:55 am by the time I was ready so I grabbed my phone and ran downstairs.

"Mom I am late, I am going" I shouted as I was about to make my exit. "Kim wait!" my mom shouted back and I stopped dead in my tracks. "At least eat something honey, Jared can wait for 15 minutes" Mom told me as she came by my side. "Mom, I am already late" I argued, "Okay but at least have a glass of milk, you are not leaving this house empty stomach" she shook her head. I sighed and followed her to the kitchen.

She poured me a glass of milk and I gulped it down in one breathe. "Kim, slow down honey" she said in an urgency but I was done before she could even complete her sentence. I put the glass on the kitchen counter and hugged her before leaving. "See you mom" and with that I was out of the kitchen and out of the house.

I practically jogged to the beach where we were going to meet but Jared was nowhere to be seen. I pulled out my phone to check the time. '11:16' maybe he left thinking I stood him up or maybe he stood me up. Should I wait? Should I call him? What if he is busy?

I finally decided to wait till 11:20 before making a call, so if he thinks I had stood him up he would know that I was only 16 minutes late and if he stood me up then – well we will see about that later. I sat down on the wet wooden log near the water and watched as the waves clashed with the stones and cliffs. I felt anxious as I waited for the four dreadful minutes to pass.

I kept glancing at the phone, 11:17

11:18

11:19

And then finally 11:20!

Without a second thought I dialled his number and waited. Jared did not pick up my call and after the ring it went to his voicemail. I heard his angelic voice, "Hey, I am sorry I could not pick your call because I am busy or sleeping or whatever, leave me a message" and then I hung up. I decided to wait for two more minutes before calling him again but rather I ended up calling him just after a minute.

Jared picked up the phone this time and he was panting. "Hey Kim, I am so sorry I am running late" he said, "It's okay, are you running?" I asked dumbly, "Yes, I am running to you" he answered and I could picture him grinning as he said that.

Just like that my heart did a summersault. I wondered if Jared could hear that over the phone and I wished he could not. "I will be there in 2 minutes okay?" he said, "Okay" I mumbled and then he hung up the phone.

I waited for Jared to show up while I watched the water again. It was fascinating how every time the water touched the shore it created new patterns on the sand. How could must that water be in this temperature? I was tempted to touch the water but I resisted myself. I felt a cool breeze hit me and I shuddered.

The temperature was dropping each day and today it was cold. I should have worn a jacket but I was in a hurry. As another breeze hit me I shuddered again. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to warm myself but in vain.

A few seconds later I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my shoulder and I jumped. When I turned around I saw it was none other than Jared who was trying so hard to hide his smirk. "I am sorry I did not mean to startle you" he apologized, but I knew him better, he did that on purpose.

He did not took his arms off my shoulder even when I had turned around to face him. I knew exactly what was coming next. In another second he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to his body. This was not the awkward side hug – it was the full body contact, romantic hug I have always dreamt of! And then I noticed Jared was shirtless, I had just hugged a shirtless Jared! Could my heart beat any faster? Nope.

His heat comforted me and he held me like that for a very long time, probably a minute! "You are freezing" he noticed, "Yeah I forgot my jacket" I mumbled as I pressed my cheek against his chest and eased in his grip, he also eased up. "Why do you need a jacket when you can have a personal heater?" he mocked and I could not help but laugh.

He was ridiculously hot both body wise and temperature wise. We dropped our hands slowly and then took one step away from each other and I immediately craved for his touch again. "C'mon let's go" Jared said as he offered me his hand. I took his hand immediately and then asked him "Where are we going?" "For a walk" he replied and I followed him like a lost puppy.

After two minutes Jared spoke again, "Kim, you wanted to know my secret right?" he asked hopefully and I nodded. "How long have you been at La Push?" he confused me, what did that have to do with his secret? "Since I was a baby" I replied still confused. He sighed as he struggled to find the words and I could not help but give his hand a gentle squeeze.

Jared's eyes shot up immediately and he gave me a weak smile before he looked down and asked me another question "Do you know the Quileute legends?" "Yes but not completely" I told him honestly.

"Well, what do you know?" he asked, still not looking at me. "I know that it is believed that people of the Quileute tribe are considered to be the descendants of the wolves and are their brothers still. It is against the tribal law to kill them" I choose every word carefully since I knew Jared belong to that tribe and I did not wanted to offend him in anyway.

"You are right" he mumbled, I mentally sighed of relief at the fact I had not said anything nonsense. "What do the legends have to do with your secret?" I could not make sense of it. Jared stopped dead in his tracks and since I was holding his hand I stopped too. I realized we had walked into the forest area now but we were not deep inside the forest.

Jared was still not looking at me, he kept his gaze to his feet so I turned to face him and then with my free hand I touched his perfect face and then finally cupped his cheek. Slowly at first and then in an urgency, Jared's eyes met mine. "Kim" he started "The legends are true" and I immediately dropped my hand, I pulled away my hand from his hand.

Was he making fun of me? Did he wanted to make fun of me all this while? Was this the reason he became my friend? Without a word I turned away from him, "Kim" he cried and it broke my heart to hear his voice like that but I did not turn around. "Kim" this time he held my hand and twirled me around but I did not look at him.

"Say something please" Jared begged but I remained quiet. How could he make fun of me like that? I don't know for how long we stood like that – him trying to catch my gaze and me looking at my feet.

Finally Jared let go of my hand and he took a good 10 steps back before I noticed his legs shaking terribly, I looked up to see him and realized his whole body was shaking terribly and before my eyes could register Jared somehow turned into a gigantic wolf!

The wolf had short, but thick, brown fur. It was almost as gigantic as a horse, and there were dark grey fur around his eyes that resembled a mask. I realized I had stopped breathing for a while and then my breathing increased rapidly. I saw shreds of Jared's clothes lying around the wolf who then turned around and disappeared into the forest faster than my eyes could register.

The only sign that there was a wolf here who ran away at the speed of light was the cold breeze that his sudden swiftness and speed has left behind not just making me shudder but also making the leaves and the grass shudder.

I dropped to my knees right on the forest floor and stared right where the wolf had disappeared.

Jared was not lying or making fun of me, he was telling the truth and this would have been so difficult for him. I had just made him run away to god knows where and what was I going to say where had he disappeared? I could never tell anyone about Jared! I had to protect his secret, but how am I supposed to find him alone when I have never been in the forest before?

I sighed and got up from my place, it was my mistake and I was going to set things right.

I was not sure where I was going or if I would even find some trail that Jared would have left behind but I had to do something! But just when I had taken two steps forward I heard the bushes move and I froze at my place. "Jared?" I managed to whisper, was he trying to scare me?

"Jared if this is you please come out, this is not funny" I felt dumb talking to myself. Who came out of the bushes was not someone I had expected.

"Kim are you okay?" Paul was concerned about me? "Yes" I replied as I looked past him, did he know about Jared's secret? "Why are you in the woods?" I asked trying to sound calm, "Jared is fine, let me get you to Emily's place" Paul told me clearing ignoring the question. "Where is Jared?" I practically begged him for answers.

"He needs to calm down, let me just get you to Emily's place" Paul said calmly. "Who is Emily?" where was Jared? "Emily is Sam's fiancée" Paul told me. "I want to see Jared" I demanded, "It is not safe here in woods, let me just get you to Emily's place and by that time Sam will bring Jared to you" Paul reasoned with me and I could not help but agree. I was not getting anywhere like this maybe if I do go to Emily's house Jared would come to me sooner.

Paul walked me out of the woods and then led to Emily's house which was not far from the beach. I remembered Emily now that I looked at her small yet beautiful house. She was the girl who got mauled by a bear a few months ago.

"Let's go inside" Paul said as he saw me waiting on the front poach steps of Emily's house. Just like that without even knocking Paul entered Emily's house and I followed him. "Emily" he called out, "In here" a melodic voice came from the kitchen, I could smell cookies being baked and then I saw Paul's grin as he smelled them too.

He jogged to the kitchen and I followed him. I saw a beautiful young woman place a tray on the small wooden dining table. Paul immediately picked up four cookies and started stuffing his mouth with them when Emily noticed me awkwardly standing in the doorway.

She turned around me in a way that only now I could see her full face and I saw those scars that everyone talked about but yet she was so beautiful that it would break any girl's self-esteem. "Are you Kim?" she asked me with a small smile and I nodded with an identical smile. "It's so good to finally meet you" she said as she walked around the table to me and then gave me a small gentle hug, "It's nice to meet you too" I told her as we dropped our hands.

"Jared has told me so much about you, it is like I already know you" Emily grinned and I could not help but grin back. So Jared has talked about me? Even the possibility of that set my heartbeats faster but then my heart sank to my stomach and my grin disappeared as I looked behind me. Why hasn't Jared came yet?


A/N: Hey Readers,

Thank you for your immense support, it means the world to me! I hope you guys are liking the story, please leave a review to let me know and hit the Follow and Favourite button if you like my story. Thank you :D

-JT