Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Five

"Alright, let's get this meeting started," Sam sighed, rubbing his face tiredly.

I felt really bad for him. We had stayed up really late last night working on the bond between us. It had been exhausting. And then he'd had to come home and explain everything to Emily. I could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep in the few hours left.

The entire pack was crowded around his and Emily's living room. Jake and I were sitting on the love seat. Quil was leaning against the wall to my left with Embry right beside him. Paul and Jared flanked Sam, taking their rightful places at his side. In a few more days, Seth and Leah would be taking their places in the pack's order. Truthfully, I was supposed to be sitting beside Sam, but I refused to play into the formalities in such an informal meeting. That could be saved for the Elders.

"Now, you are all aware that Bella is our Omega. You also know she and I stayed after the meeting to work with the Elders last night. We worked together for about four hours trying to form a bond between us. This bond allows her full access to the pack mind. She will be able to find any of you, no matter where you are. She will be able to contact you, no matter if you are in wolf form or not. She can heal any damage done to our bodies or souls. She is as much a part of this pack as the rest of us," Sam explained.

"What is the connection?" Jake asked, gripping my hand.

"Don't worry. It's just as if I was a new wolf. Sam and I just have a stronger connection. It's nothing anyone needs to worry about," I smiled.

"Bella's right. Now, since she can't get into our minds because she can't phase, you can't lie to her. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't, but that you won't be able to," Sam continued.

"If I ask you a question, or even just speak to you, and there's something you know that I don't, you'll be compelled to tell me," I clarified.

"Right. As for her ability to break an Alpha command; she is our Omega. The Omega is just like the Alpha except her sole purpose is to bring peace to the pack. She protects the pack just as strongly as the Alpha. She is able to break my command because she would never do anything to endanger the pack. If my command is for the best, she won't break it. Again, not that she can't; she just won't," Sam informed them.

"So she's the female version of you?" Embry asked.

Sam nodded wearily.

"Anything else?" Paul grimaced.

"You can't hurt me," I said.

They looked at me in surprise and I laughed. Sam smiled slightly, giving a little huff of a laugh.

"I'm not saying any of you would! You just don't have to worry about accidentally phasing and hurting me. You won't be able to phase if it will hurt me. Your wolves won't let you," I explained further.

As everyone settled down, Sam looked up at me.

You'll need to come by tomorrow. Seth and Leah are close to phasing, Sam thought to me.

I know. Don't worry. I'll be here, I promised.

Sam nodded once.

"Alright, boys! Food's ready!" Emily called from the kitchen.

It was like a mad house, suddenly as all the boys made a dash for the kitchen. I smiled slightly as Emily hurried out of the warzone.

"Oh, you are going to enjoy being around them constantly," Emily said sarcastically.

I laughed lightly as she took Jake's previous seat.

"I'm not worried. I enjoy their company," I assured her.

"I can't imagine why. Have you seen them eat?" Emily asked, eyes wide.

"Just Jake," I admitted.

"Whew! Count your blessings," Emily smirked.

We laughed together, falling into an easy silence after. I looked over at her nervously. I wasn't sure how much Sam had told her about last night, but I needed to make sure she was okay with the bond between Sam and I.

"Emily? You're alright with this whole thing between me and Sam, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Bella! Sam explained it all to me. I must admit, I'm a little envious of your position in the pack, but I'm not worried about you and Sam," Emily smiled.

"Good, because no bond we ever formed would come close to outshining yours'," I promised her.

She beamed at me, obviously pleased with what I'd said.

"Besides, I don't think Jake would let either one of us form any sort of bond that might threaten his," I giggled.

Emily watched me, a small smile on her face.

"You have no idea how much you mean to him, Bella. I swear, it's like he did imprint on you. Sam and I have talked about it nearly every day. We just can't understand how it didn't happen. You two are so perfect together," Emily sighed.

"I'm not good enough for him, Emily. He deserves someone who can love him with their whole heart. I still have feelings for… someone else," I informed her sadly.

"I know, but the imprint would erase him from your heart. It's a wonderful feeling, Bella! I just wish you could feel it with Jake," Emily claimed passionately.

"Me too," I mumbled.

Emily patted my hand in an effort to comfort me.

"I just don't get it. Jake is so perfect. He's everything a girl could want. I don't understand why I can't fall in love with him. And then, sometimes I find myself thinking I already am in love with him. When he kisses me, the feeling is… indescribable. And I've never felt safer than when he's holding me. I want so badly to lose my heart to him, but I'm scared," I whispered, unable to hold my words back.

"Everyone is scared when they fall in love, Bella. And you have even more reasons than most people. Look at what your last love did. He completely broke you. It's going to be hard to learn to trust in someone again. But Jake has all the patience and time in the world when it comes to you. He'd do anything to make you happy," Emily swore.

"I know that. My head is all for Jake. It's my heart that keeps holding back," I sighed, sinking into the couch.

Emily gave me a sad smile.

"I think you have that backwards. I think your heart is all for falling in love with Jake. In fact, I think your heart already has fallen. It's your head that's forcing you to hold back," Emily said softly.

I frowned at the coffee table in front of me. There was a wet ring on the wood from where some one had placed a sweating glass. I stared at that, trying to sort through Emily's words and the feelings and thoughts in my head. Everything was really too much and I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.

"Come on. Let's go see if they've finally finished eating," Emily groaned, standing up.

I smiled slightly, following her into the kitchen.

Jake held my hand as we walked along the beach towards our piece of driftwood. He was frowning into the sand, rubbing my hand absentmindedly. I had already asked him what was wrong. He'd just shaken his head and denied anything was bothering him. Instead of pestering him, I focused on the sound of the waves crashing and the smell of salt water. He would tell me when he was ready.

We made it to the fallen tree and Jake set me up on it so I was sitting facing him. He stood in between my knees, far enough away that it wasn't too intimate, but close enough that I could feel his warmth. He was frowning at the ocean now, still rubbing my hand. I sighed, giving it a little tug. He looked at me as if just realizing I was still there.

"Are you going to talk to me now or what?" I asked impatiently.

He frowned again. He was looking at me as if trying to read behind my face and into my soul. It made me a little uncomfortable, but I didn't move away or break contact.

"Bells? Did you-" he cut himself off, turning his frown back to the sand.

"Did I what? Spit it out, Jake," I grumbled, grasping his hand in both of mine.

He looked at our hands, his frown still in place. I didn't like to see Jake's frown. I liked to see him smiling and laughing. He should be happy. Why wasn't he happy?

"Did you mean what you were telling Emily in the living room?" Jake finally asked, looking up into my eyes.

I gasped quietly, my eyes popping wide. I held my breath as I realized he'd used his werewolf hearing to eavesdrop on my conversation with Emily. God, had he heard everything? What was I going to say to him? I couldn't tell him the truth. I didn't want to lead him on. It wouldn't be fair. But, he'd see right through a lie. I didn't know what to do.

"Bells?" Jake prodded gently.

I swallowed reflexively, taking in a deep breath.

"Jake, of course I did," I murmured.

His face lit up and he lifted me into his arms, spinning us around. We were both laughing as he spun faster, tightening his hold. When he came to a stop, he set me back on my feet, keeping his arms around me. One hand came up to brush a few strands of hair out of my face while the other moved to cup my cheek.

"I love you, Bella," Jake whispered.

My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't breath. Slowly, Jake lowered his lips to mine, kissing me softly. My breath rushed out of me with a soft sigh. It was so like our other kisses, but different. My arms came up and wrapped around his neck, pulling him close. He responded by wrapping his arms back around my waist, lifting me against him. I held on for dear life as he continued to kiss me.

His tongue flicked out and brushed against my lips causing me to gasp. He took advantage of my shock and latched back on, slipping his tongue in between the seam of my lips. He tasted like fresh watermelon and honeysuckle. It was a heady combination and I was finding myself getting drunk on his taste. I moaned slightly, wanting him closer. He responded with a growl, grasping my hips and pulling them to his own. The movement shocked me, breaking me out of the haze I was in.

Jake sensed the change in me and slowed down, gently nipping at my lips once more before pulling back. We were both breathing heavily. His eyes were a little crazed, but I could still see my Jacob in them. His hands hadn't moved from my hips and mine were grabbing his shoulders. I found myself liking him touching me so intimately. It was nice, kind of possessive.

I leaned up and gave him a quick peck before coming back to my feet. His eyes changed to become fully Jake's. They sparkled a little as he looked down at me, nothing but love in them. I sighed and snuggled into his chest. His arms moved to wrap around my waist, securing me to him.

"Be mine, Bella," Jake murmured into my hair.

I tensed against him. His arms loosened a little and he pulled back just enough so he could look me in the eye.

"I know, Bella. I know you still love him. But you love me, too. I know you do. And I can wait for you to realize it. Please, just say yes. I won't push you. We'll take everything at your pace. I promise. I just need to know that you're mine and no one else's," Jake pleaded softly.

"That's just it, Jake. I'll never fully be yours. Part of me will always belong to him. And it's a pretty big part. You deserve someone so much better than me," I whimpered, tears coming to my eyes.

"There is no one better than you, Bella Swan. And I can wait. One day, I'll hold the bigger part of your heart. Give me the chance, Bella. Please," Jake begged.

I could never refuse Jake anything he wanted. He was my sun, my light. And I did love him. I couldn't deny that, didn't want to. I just wish he'd imprinted on me. Which brought up another thing.

"Jake, what if you imprint?" I asked, my voice quiet.

"Not going to happen, honey. The only girl I see is you," Jake whispered.

"But-"

Jake silenced me with a finger to my lips.

"Say yes, Bells," Jake said.

I bit my bottom lip.

"Yes."

The word barely came out, but Jake heard it. He smiled softly, closing his eyes, and breathing deep. Then, suddenly and without warning, he shouted, lifting me up and spinning me around again. And we were laughing, happy.

It was perfect.

It was hell.

When Sam told me yesterday that Leah and Seth would be phasing soon, I hadn't realized he'd meant today. We were standing in a clearing with the brother and sister before us. Sam was in wolf form so when the two phased again, he could be there to talk them through everything.

Leah Clearwater hated me on sight. I wasn't sure what I'd done to make her so mad, but she obviously had a vendetta against me. I think she blamed me for her transformation. I didn't see how it was my fault, but I wasn't arguing with her. That would just make her hate me even more.

Jake had told me the story about Sam, Emily, and Leah. It had broken my heart to hear about their story. I had hoped I'd be able to help Leah move on. That we could maybe become friends.

No such luck.

Seth Clearwater was the complete opposite of his sister. He was cheerful and eager to please. He and I instantly formed a bond. He reminded me so much of Jake before the change. Easy going and quick to laugh.

Tell Seth to go change in the woods and come back, Sam said, nodding his head in the direction.

"Seth, why don't you go over there and phase?" I suggested, motioning towards the trees.

"Sure thing, Bella," Seth chirped, moving over to where I'd indicated.

"Leah, do you want to try again?" I asked calmly.

"No," Leah snapped.

I couldn't blame her. It must be hard to be inside Sam's head and see all his thoughts about Emily.

I nodded once and waited for Seth to come out from behind the trees. I felt the moment when he phased, just like I did when any other member of the pack phased. Soon, I'd be able to tell who was phasing instead of just knowing that one of them was phasing. Apparently, just because I was the Omega and had the bond with Sam, didn't mean my powers were fully controlled. They still needed to be developed and worked on.

Seth trotted out of the woods, obviously pleased with himself. He wagged his tail, showing off his sandy colored coat. I smiled endearingly at him, enjoying his pleasure.

I heard Sam tell Seth they were going to try getting him to phase back. The two walked off into the woods again. I looked over at Leah, feeling the awkward silence.

"Did you have any questions or need help with anything?" I asked.

"No," she replied shortly.

"Okay. Well, I don't think Sam has anything else for us. Do you wanna get out of here?" I offered.

Without a word, Leah walked away. I didn't even bother trying to follow. It would only make things worse. So, I stood there and waited for Sam and Seth to come out from behind the trees.

It didn't take long. Sam was a very good Alpha and with me close by, Seth was phasing easily. The two walked out less than five minutes after Leah'd left. Seth was grinning like a madman while Sam watched him with a small smile on his face. Sam glanced around the clearing once before resting his eyes on me.

"Leah left?" he asked.

"Yeah. I figured you were done with her. She caught on so well," I shrugged.

Sam nodded, frowning at the ground.

"Bella! Did you see me?" Seth asked excitedly.

"Of course I did, Seth. How could I not? You're a huge sandy wolf," I chuckled, rubbing his head affectionately.

Seth laughed, dodging my hand.

"Come on, kid. We'd best get Bella here back to Jacob. No doubt he's paced a trench in my living room waiting for us," Sam smirked, giving me a teasing look.

"Oh, shut it, Mr. Alpha. You shouldn't be mean to me. I can make your life much more difficult than it already is," I warned, laughing.

Sam let out a little chuckle, shaking his head. The bond between Sam and I was different from the rest of the wolves. Because we had worked for some many hours together to form the bond, we had developed a friendship along with it. He really didn't need to voice his thoughts to me; I already knew what he was thinking as he thought them. We were completely in sync. It made working with the pack much easier.

"Do you think Emily will have food ready when we get there?" Seth asked hopefully.

"Unless Jake ate it all," I smiled.

"We'd better hurry up then! I'm hungry!" Seth said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

I laughed as we raced through the trees, Sam close behind us. We made it to Sam and Emily's house in about ten minutes. Seth barged right through the door, already completely at home doing so. He let go of my hand in the doorway and raced into the kitchen.

No sooner had my hand been released, it was grabbed up again and used to spin me into a very warm, very hard chest. Jake's arms wrapped around me, his lips pressed against the top of my head.

"I missed you," Jake murmured.

"I missed you, too," I said.

I was surprised by the truth of my statement. We'd only been apart for about two hours and, yet, I'd missed him like crazy. There had been an absence in my heart I hadn't really taken notice of until it was gone. Jake filled up the hole.

"How was it?" Jake asked, pulling back and leading me to the sofa.

"Good, but I don't think Leah likes me," I sighed, leaning into the couch.

"I wouldn't worry about her. She doesn't like anyone," Jake shrugged.

"Jake!" I admonished, slapping his arm.

He chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand. He kissed each finger once before kissing my palm. I trembled a little as his tongue darted out to taste my skin. His brown eyes trapped mine in their gaze. I felt the brush flood my cheeks as I bit my lip nervously. I couldn't believe he was being so… seductive in Sam and Emily's living room. It was wrong on so many levels.

But I didn't want him to stop.

He smirked at my disappointed expression when he placed our joined hands in his lap. His other hand reached up and brushed some hair behind my ear. He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss.

"I love you," Jake murmured.

I smiled sadly at him, not sure if I should say it back. I knew I loved him, but my love for him still overshadowed my love for Jake.

Before I could answer Jake gave me a brilliant smile.

"I'm so glad you aren't saying it, Bella," he admitted.

"Why?" I asked, giving him a confused look.

"It means that when you finally do say it, you'll mean it. Completely. I'll have your whole heart at that point. I'm willing to wait," Jake promised, kissing me again.

I leaned into it this time, enjoying the movement of his lips against me. He pulled away all too quickly and I gave a little moan of disappointment. Jake just chuckled, backing further away.

"You don't play fair, Jacob Black," I accused.

"Guilty," Jake grinned.

I sighed and stood up. I glanced over at the mantle above the little fireplace and saw it was about four in the afternoon. Charlie would be getting home in about an hour and a half. If I left now, I'd still have plenty of time to fix him dinner.

"Sam, I'm heading out!" I called into the kitchen.

"Alright, Bella. See you tomorrow," Sam called back.

"Bye, Bella! Thanks for today!" Seth shouted, his voice muffled with food.

"No problem, Seth," I grinned even though he couldn't see me.

"Be safe heading back, Bella," Emily ordered, coming out of the kitchen to give me a quick hug.

"No worried, Em. I'll be with her," Jake scoffed, standing up from the couch.

Emily gave him a "yeah, right" look.

"Be extra careful, then," she told me.

I laughed at Jake's shocked expression.

"Emily! I'm hurt!" Jake cried, clutching his chest.

"You'll get over it," Emily assured him, patting his shoulder on her way back into the kitchen.

I continued to chuckle softly as we left the little grey house. Jake held open the passenger side door for me before climbing into the driver's seat. He gave me a look as he started the engine.

"Sure, Bells. Go ahead and laugh at your pathetic boyfriend," Jake pouted.

I stopped laughing, but continued to smile at him.

"I like that word," I told him, scooting closer.

"Which one?" Jake asked innocently.

"Mmm. Boyfriend," I answered, kissing him.

This time, it was the kiss I wanted. His tongue swept into my mouth, battling with my own. I moaned a little as his hands trailed down my sides, stopping to grasp my hips. He gave a little moan in response and broke the kiss.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" Jake whined, putting the truck in gear.

"Maybe," I replied slyly.

I laughed at his pained expression.

I was good for the rest of the ride, snuggled against his side with his arm around my shoulders. My hands stayed in my lap while his thumb rubbed against my upper arm causing goose bumps. He smirked down at me when I shivered against him.

"Cold, Bells?" he asked.

"No," I murmured, blushing slightly.

Jake laughed, bringing his hand up to brush against my heated cheek.

"I love it when you blush," Jake told me.

This just caused me to blush further. He laughed again as we pulled into my driveway. He sighed heavily as he turned off the truck. He began fiddling with the keys. I reached up to grab the hand draped over my shoulder. He squeezed it gently before pulling me into an awkward hug. Awkward because of our positions, not our feelings.

"I don't wanna let you go," Jake admitted.

"I don't want you to," I whispered.

He groaned softly and opened the truck door, sliding out. I followed after him, dropping into his waiting arms. He pulled me close, burying his nose into my hair and breathing deeply. With a quick kiss to my forehead, he stood up.

"Can I come see you tonight? After Charlie's asleep?" Jake asked.

I nodded once, smiling.

"Keep your window open," Jake whispered in my ear, giving the lobe a little nip.

I gasped and swayed against him. Jake growled softly and pushed me against the truck. His hands moved to my hips and lifted me up. My legs wrapped around his waist as his lips crashed onto mine.

This kiss was nothing like the ones we'd shared before. This was purely physical, animalistic. His tongue dominated mine, claiming me. His lips moved to my jaw line and down to my neck. He placed open mouth kisses up and down my throat, nipping at the skin gently. I was breathing heavily at this point, clutching his head to my neck. My fingers were threaded through his hair, my head thrown back in invitation.

With a feral growl, Jake wrenched his lips from me. His eyes were wild when they met mine. I shivered once at their brightness. Jake lowered me slowly to the ground, allowing me to rub against his entire body on the way down. He moaned softly in pain as I brushed against his sensitive, swollen member. I blushed at the feel of his arousal.

"I'm sorry, Bells," Jake panted.

"S'okay," I murmured, burying my head in his chest.

"You better get inside. I'll be by later tonight," Jake suggested, pushing me towards the steps.

I walked up to the door, turning once to see Jake still standing by my truck. I figured he would be around until Charlie fell asleep. One of the wolves was always around the house. Right now, who ever was on patrol was running around the back, giving Jake and I some privacy. I smiled slightly as I shut the door behind me.

It felt like everything was finally going right.

I can't believe I just wrote this in two hours! Oh my gosh, the muse was with me tonight!! You guys should be happy! I wasn't thinking I'd get another chapter done till mid-week! I really hope you enjoyed it! I think it's my favorite so far!! Little more Bella-Jake action!! Yay!! Love Bella-Jake action!!