CH 5

"Hello Bella. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" Billy's voice still had that command to it that never seemed to age as his body did. I had walked into the house after Jacob, still in his canine form, pressed the door open with his over sized wolf nose. It still amazed me how Billy wouldn't even flinch at the sight of his son turning into a freakishly large animal, but then again, he wouldn't flinch at vampires in his house, any longer, either.

"I have an important question to ask you." I showed myself the couch and calmly sat down on the gray cushion with a Native American woven blanket folded over the back.

"Well, shoot." He pulled his wheelchair up to the side of the couch, showing his care, yet refraining from touching my cold vampire skin.

"Yeah, Bells, what's so urgent that we had to leave?" Jacob had walked back into the room, wearing nothing but his torn off jeans, exposing his chest's severely warm skin and, somehow, heating the air without intending to. Jake sat down on the couch next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, making me feel even colder and even more of a monster.

"How does imprinting work?" Jacob stiffened slightly. It was true, he was one of the few of the pack that had yet to imprint, but he hated talking about it because he wished he could've imprinted on me before Edward had 'accidentally' turned me. Part of me was wishing he did imprint me, that way I wouldn't deal with this whole Edward mess.

Billy looked at me from Jacob and then back at me, "We aren't 100% sure how it works Bella. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sure Sam or Jacob told you but Edward and I aren't doing so well at the moment. And I'm just curious as to how it works."

"Actually no one told me that. I'm sorry to hear that." he replied with a smile on his face. "But you came here to discuss imprinting... as you know we aren't sure exactly how it works but we have theories. One of those theories, is that werewolves imprint with the most compatible person with whom they can have children so that our line of ability isn't lost. A second theory that the pack and I have been discussing is, that imprinting allows a person to find their soul mate."

"Soul mate?" I asked.

"Your one true person that you are supposed to be with for the rest of your life." Jacob explained.

"I know that that means Jake. I asked because I didn't know why your pack thought this now..."

"Oh well, you know that Sam and Emily got married 3 years ago right?" Jake asked.

"Oh course! I was there." I said rolling my eyes.

"Well, they have been trying for 3 years to have children and so far they haven't been able too. Which got Sam thinking that maybe we were wrong about why we imprint." Billy spoke before Jacob could. "Now why are you asking about this Bella?"

I sighed, "The reason me and Edward are having problems is because we have a new member of the family. His name is Malachi and Edward is jealous beyond all eternity. As soon as me and Edward walked toward the house before we even knew about Malachi being in the house, I felt like I was being pulled toward the house. Then when I saw Malachi it was like something was tugging at my heart, and earlier before Malachi told me he was feeling a tugging at his heart." I sighed again.

"Is Malachi a vampire?" Billy asked. I just nodded. "Hmm... this is interesting. I've never known another species to imprint." Billy thought for a second then looked at me and said, "Tonight I would like you to bring Malachi over to meet the pack. I mean it if that it OK with you."

"That's fine Billy. What time?"

"About 8pm?"

"That's fine. I'll see you then." I stood up to leave. "Thank you for your time. Oh how's Charlie and Sue?"

"They are doing wonderfully, actually they may be here later tonight for the meeting." I nodded and then walked out of the house.

I calmly walked back to the cottage, which gave me time to think about everything that was changing so quickly. Charlie had no idea that I was a vampire, he thought that I was a collage graduate and that I was still in Alaska working as a teacher. Won't he be surprised to see me... I thought. I'll have to fill Malachi in about everything so he doesn't freak out or try to eat Charlie or Sue.

"Malachi?" I called as I walked into the cottage.

Suddenly I felt arms around my waist from behind me, "I'm right here Bella." Malachi said.

"I need to talk to you about something." I checked the time on the wall clock, it read 2:00pm. I turned around and faced him. "At 8 tonight we are going to see some friends of mine. If that's OK?"

"Sure I'd love to meet your friends."

"There's a few things you need to know. You already know that Jacob is a werewolf, well the rest of his pack is going to be there when I take you over. They won't do anything but sniff you to get your scent. Also the major thing that you need to remember, is my father and his wife may possibly be there. They know about werewolves but they do not know that I'm a vampire. They think that I went to collage in Alaska, and that I live up there and work as a teacher." He nodded. "So if my father is there you and I are dating, you are my coworker at the school I work at, and you are my boyfriend. IS that OK?"

"That's fine with me baby."