Don't own anything except OC's.

Chapter 12: Determination

Kim's POV.

"Um, what?"

Those were the first words out of my mouth. I hadn't spoken for ten minutes, waiting for Jared to laugh and tell me he was joking around. He didn't turn into an animal really, he just wanted to see my reaction. However, it never came. He was still staring into my eyes, his expression a mix of serious, worried and anxious.

"I'm a wolf."

My stomach churned.

Surely he wasn't serious?

"You're lying."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"You have to be."

"But I'm not."

The room began to spin and I stepped away from Jared, his heat and his confession too much to handle in the confine of my small room. I didn't stop walking until my legs hit my bed and I plopped down, my throat suddenly very dry.

"Kim, are you okay?" Jared rushed to kneel in front of me. "You're not going to faint, are you? Sam said Emily nearly fainted when he told her. Do you need water? Food?"

I shook my head furiously and took a deep breath. "What—what do you mean wolf?" I croaked.

"I mean one of those things that howls at the moon."

I glared at him, he stopped smiling.

"I'm a horse-sized wolf, Kim," he admitted, shrugging as if he had just told me he forgot to do his homework.

"And you think that's normal?" I squealed shrilly and then swore. I was going to wake Anna-Marie or Mike up. "Why are you acting like this isn't a big deal?" I hissed lowly.

"Because to me it's not," he replied. "I've been a wolf for months."

"And you never thought I needed to know this?"

"Of course I did…but I didn't want to tell you too soon and you get angry and…and leave or something. I wanted us to get to know each other, to be friends before I dropped the bomb of being a wolf," seeing my clenched jaw, he sighed. "You can't honestly say that if I told you from the beginning that you wouldn't have ran or called the mental hospital. Even I think I sound insane and I know it's true."

"But it can't be true," I jumped to my feet to pace around my bedroom. "It's not possible. How can someone turn into a wolf? That's not right, it's not…" I trailed off, my voice lost as I thought of why Jared would lie about something so stupid and trivial. Did he want to see if I would believe him? Did he want to see how far he could go without me losing my cool and shouting at him? What was in it for him?

"Kim, I'm not lying, I swear," he almost begged. "I'm a wolf."

I bit on my lip, staring at him to see a twitch of his lips or and body movement to show he was messing with me. There was none.

"Show me."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Show me, become a wolf," I requested with an air of determination I didn't know I possessed. "If you're really a wolf, you can show me right?"

"Kim, it's half one in the morning…plus I'll mess up your room and—"

"So I was right, you are lying. I knew you were," I said.

It had the reaction I had wanted. Jared frowned and shook his head. "Fine." He snapped and I straightened up, hurt that he had snapped at me but too curious and excited to dwell for long. "Give me your hand," he demanded, holding his big one out for me.

My heart hammering, I took it, gasping as he threw me onto his back and skilfully climbed out the window. He landed on the floor soundlessly and jogged to the edge of the forest. I should have been afraid, scared that I was near the dark forest at half one in the morning with a potential wolf-man. But I wasn't, I was restless from excitement. I wasn't a person that broke the rules or did dangerous things and finally doing something so reckless was elating.

"Are you sure about this?" Jared asked, smirking at me cockily. "You can say no and we can go back."

"No." I murmured, licking my lips. "No, I want to see."

"Okay."

Nerves set in, my stomach dropped and my heart thumped against my ribcage painfully. I couldn't hear the rustling of the trees of the wild animals in the forest, my loud and vigorous heartbeat took over every other sound. My hands shook and I crossed my arms to stop them as Jared raised his eyebrows. I stuck my chin in the air and nodded twice, he smiled. That did little to settle my fear.

He reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and took it off in one smooth motion. My eyes snapped to his defined chest, the coppery colour that shined in the light of the moon and the thick muscles on his abdomen that made my mouth water. I gazed at him for a while and then realized what was happening.

"Jared, why are you taking you clothes off?" I squeaked, turning bright red.

He chuckled. "I have to. If I phase with clothes on they rip and I've already ruined too many clothes, so…" the corners of his lips curved as he placed his hands on his shorts.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I turned my head to the side and gulped. My whole body felt like it was on fire. I wanted to look, so badly, but if I looked I would get distracted and that wasn't going to answer my burning questions. Taking several deep breaths, I closed my eyes for a few seconds to try and calm my erratic heart.

"Kim, look," Jared's deep voice cut through the air and I turned slowly towards him. He was stood behind a nearby bush, his bottom half covered so only his beautiful face and chest were in sight. "Ready?"

I nodded, unable to speak.

He smiled softly at me, a change from his arrogant attitude seconds before. Then he started shaking. Not like he was cold or had a muscles spasm, but shaking so violently he was almost vibrating. I took an involuntary step forward and in that second, he burst from his skin and stood before me was a giant brown wolf.

Shit.

My mouth fell open as I stared at the wolf. That couldn't be Jared, it wasn't possible, I was dreaming. My grip on my arms tightened to the point that I cut of circulation as the wolf carefully trotted from behind the bush and laid on his stomach. He looked at me, his deep brown eyes familiar and warm…

"Jared," I whispered. The wolf wagged its tail. I couldn't help but giggle. "Shit, it really is you."

The wolf nodded.

"Oh, shit," I breathed shakily. "You're a wolf…I'm starting to see why you kept it from me for so long."

He barked softly and ran back to the bushes. A minute later, human Jared stepped out fully clothed and with a small smile on his face.

"I can't believe it," I muttered as he stood in front of me. "You're a wolf."

"I told you," he replied smugly and I rolled my eyes. Laughing, he took my hand in his and I couldn't help the grin that crossed my face. Taking this as a good sign Jared lifted me onto his back. He strolled back to my house and I rested my chin on his broad shoulder.

"Am I heavy?" I asked quietly.

"Nope, I have super strength, I can lift a car and still run up a hill."

Sniffling, I lifted my head up so his raven hair tickled my cheek. He smelt like ginger and something I couldn't distinguish, though it smelt delicious. My hand slipped along his left bicep as I moved and I glanced down at his face. It was strange to think that this man, this man I had crushed on since I was ten, could easily turn into a wolf. In the blink of an eye, he could change species. It was mindboggling, weird, crazy…amazing, astounding, beautiful.

"What else can you do?" I questioned.

"Um…I have super hearing."

"Really? How far can you hear?"

"I can hear Mike talking in his sleep," he replied, sniggering. "He's being chased by a cookie monster."

I glanced up from Jared's profile and saw that we were at the end of my street. My house was visible but only just. I couldn't even see my car yet. "Wow," I mumbled. "What else?"

He laughed at my excited voice. "I have super speed, I can run to Canada in about an hour. I can see and smell really well. In wolf form I have sharp teeth to rip up vampires—"

"Vampires?" I spat, interrupting him loudly.

"Oh, yeah. I hunt vampires. That's why I became a wolf, to destroy them."

"And you failed to mention this before, why?"

"Forgot."

My grip on his neck loosened. "Destroy them?"

"Yeah, we kill them before they hurt a human," he explained lightly. "The presence of a vampire triggers a gene in us that makes us phase. Once we phase, we're one of the only threats to vampires in the world. We're one of the only thing that can kill them so we kill as many as we can, but not many come through the La Push area. Well, until now."

"So you destroy them? They can't hurt you?"

"Well, yeah. Their venom is poisonous to us, but us getting killed by a vampire is less likely than being struck by lightning. There's usually too many of us for the vampire to dare to fight so they run. When they run, we catch them and kill them, or they escape but are so freaked out by our existence they don't dare to come back."

"P-poisonous?" I stuttered in fright. "Jared—"

"Don't worry, Kim. It's nothing to freak out about, promise. I'm really good at being a wolf, believe it or not. The chance of me getting hurt is nearly none existent."

"But there's still a chance," I whispered lowly. "You can't die, Jared."

Suddenly he pounced through the air and landed in my bedroom. I hadn't even noticed getting near the house. Jared placed me onto the floor and turned to me, his hand smoothly moved from my thigh to my hip. "I don't plan to, Kim," he said. "And I probably won't."

"Probably?"

"Well, there's always a chance," he responded like he had thought all this through. If it was hard for me to deal with, I couldn't imagine what it was like to for him. "A very slim chance, but still."

I nodded as my mind began to shut down. I was tired and it had been a long, informative and unbelievable day. "Okay," I said though it really wasn't.

"I think you better sleep, I'll go—"

"Stay with me."

"What?"

"Stay," I requested, grabbing his hand tightly. "I want you to stay."

He nodded slowly, looking shocked. I couldn't blame him, I had shocked myself, but I didn't want him to leave yet. He had shared a big secret with me and our relationship had deepened without me even trying. I didn't want to share something so amazing with him and then be left alone. I wanted him with me, to wake up in the morning with him beside me to let me know this was all real and that I wasn't going crazy. I led him to my bed and got into the cover, pulling him down with me. Feeling awkward, I peered up at his face to see him smiling. He opened his arm out for me and I slipped into the crook of it, grinning like a loon as I closed my eyes.

Who would have thought I'd share a bed with Jared Cameron?

The next thing I knew the bathroom door slammed shut, waking me from my slumber. Light streamed through my partially closed curtains and I groaned, rubbing my eyes. Something moved beside me and I jumped, almost screaming when I saw Jared asleep.

It had been real. All of it. Jared at my window, being a wolf, the forest, me asking him to stay…

I blushed and cringed. I hadn't been thinking straight, so tired from the day's events and my midnight wonder into the forest to really care about what I said. Now was different, I was no longer overly confident from lack of sleep and, God, I had practically begged him to stay with me. I must have sounded so desperate and whiny…

"Morning."

His voice shocked me. I whipped away from the wall that I had been scowling at and smiled shyly at Jared. He was grinning widely, his eyes hooded with sleep as he stared at me. I flushed again and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"So last night really happened then?" I asked and then shook my head at myself.

Of course it happened, idiot, why else would he be in your bed?

"Yeah," he chuckled. I gnawed on my bottom lip and his eyebrows knitted together. "Are you okay with it still?"

"Yes…apart from the whole vampire, poison thing."

"I told you to forget about that," he shuffled forward to grab my hands.

"It's hard to forget."

He nodded and kissed my hand. My heart jolted.

"D-do you want to get breakfast?" I whispered.

Jared agreed eagerly and we quickly ran downstairs. I started off helping him with the food but I was so distracted by my thoughts I couldn't make my hands moved. Jared eventually took over, stopping once in a while to ask where something was. I stood leaning against the kitchen counter as I watched him cook, the memory of him phasing stuck in my mind. A wolf. In all my wildest thoughts I had never thought of Jared being a wolf. Then again, who would? It should be impossible and now it wasn't and it was mindboggling.

We ate our breakfast in mostly silence. I washed the dishes and then went into the living room. Jared was leant against the back of the sofa and watched me as I came into the room. Flustered, I stood in front of him and shuffled.

"Kim, are you okay?" he asked lowly.

"What do you meant?"

"You're acting weird…are you okay with the wolf thing…I mean I can give you some time—"

"No, no. It's just…it's weird. I thought stuff like this was impossible and now I find out the guy I'm dating turns into a wolf…it's a lot to take in."

He grinned widely, "Dating, huh?" he smirked and I blushed. "I get it…but make sure you tell me if you're not okay with anything. I'd rather you talk to me than keep it in."

"I promise."

"Awesome."

We were close now, inches apart and I leaned towards his heat. Smiling, he bent down and then his lips were on mine and my stomach exploded into butterflies. He enclosed me with his long arms so I had to stand on my tiptoes to keep the kiss going…and God I wanted it to keep going forever.

I wondered if all kisses felt like this or if only Jared could stir these emotions inside me. I had kissed only two other guys, a boy called Curtis when I was eight as a dare on the playground, and my "boyfriend" Dean when I was thirteen and we wanted to know what making out was like. It had been sloppy and awkward and we had broken up a week later because he bored me with his constant talk of football.

Then again, Jared had been the only guy who I had ever really wanted to kiss and that made them a hundred times better.

I was so occupied with Jared that I didn't notice nor hear the front door opening and closing.

"Kimberly!"

I jumped away from Jared like I had been electrocuted. My parents stood near the doorway, their jaws slack and eyes wide.

Shit, shit, shit!

"Mom, dad," I panted shakily. "What are you doing home?"

"I think the better question is why this boy in our home?" mom screamed, pointing wildly at Jared.

"He's—he's—"

"I'm Jared Cameron, Kim's…boyfriend."

Despite the situation, my heart skipped a beat and I smiled softly as I looked over at him. He winked at me and I sighed. Sadly, my mom didn't take the gesture as well as I did.

"Get out of my house!" mom yelled.

Jared gulped and turned to me with a concerned look. "Kim—"

"Go Jared," I muttered and he frowned. "It's fine, I'll call you later."

Nodding, he took one last look at my parents and disappeared out the door.

Turning, I faced my parents determinedly.

I was finally ready to confront them.

Thoughts?

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-Laylax