Jacob's POV
Somehow, Seth has convinced me to patrol with him. I'm trying very hard to hide my thoughts, but he catches glimpses of my leech.
Ungh. My leech? This is crazy.
Do you plan on attacking him? he suddenly asks.
I frown, stopping near the river—the natural boundary line between werewolves and vampires as the Treaty states. Why do you say that?
You're hiding your thoughts, and I can catch glimpses of you alone with him.
Don't worry, Seth. I sit down, stretching my head to lap some water from the river.
Suddenly, all my hair stands up. I am hyperaware of his presence.
Seth perks up next to me, growling softly. I turn to him and bare my fangs, surprising myself.
Just as Seth figures out what's going on, Edward appears on the other side of the river, leaning against a tree, his hands in his pockets.
Jacob, I'm going to end you! Sam shouts in my head.
No, you won't! I'm the true Alpha! Watch me leave your pack! I jump across the river, just as he breaks through the trees behind me.
Get back, Jacob!
"Let him make his own choices, mutt!" I hear Edward hiss.
Don't interfere, leech. It's your fault this happened.
You know what we have to do, Paul says gravely, joining our small gathering.
They're thinking of killing Edward. It makes me insanely angry. I move in front of him, glaring at what used to be my pack.
I dare any of you to go anywhere near Edward. I'm leaving, Sam.
Turning around, I nudge Edward's back with my muzzle, urging him to move. There is laughter in his eyes as he falls in step beside me. The farther we go, the dimmer the voices in my head get, until they disappear entirely.
"You're on your own now. You're an Alpha," he says quietly.
I know. I learned about that a while ago. I've been an idiot to allow Sam all the power, but he's older and he phased first.
"It's okay, Jacob. Though, now you can't return to the Rez." He sounds sad.
Yeah, well. These past few hours have been hell. I can't live without you around.
Edward groans, scrunching his nose. "Listen, I kind of told Carlisle about what happened."
Obviously. Your clan has no secrets.
"Yes. There's more," he murmurs, stopping.
Shoot. I urge him to talk.
"They want to have a sit-down and discuss this change, what is going to happen now."
A sit-down? That's funny. Why are you worried?
"Because my family isn't going to be supportive." He groans, fisting his hair. "I'm not supportive, heck! I can't believe something like this happened! We're enemies, Jacob!" he shouts, scaring me.
Do you think I stayed up at night plotting a way to find the perfect moment to imprint on my mortal enemy? Are you insane, bloodsucker?
"This is absurd! This situation… We need to find a way out," he mutters, almost talking to himself. His black eyes find mine. "Let's say I accept this situation. What does happen in such a…relationship?" He cringes visibly.
I'm whatever you want me to be—friend, lover, your dog, a clown. I'll do anything. We won't think rationally. The way we acted back there, at the river? That was the imprinting speaking.
I truly hope he can see it in my head.
"I don't want to be friends."
It's a huge fat lie. I can tell by the way his eyes close and he sighs in frustration.
"Bro, do you need help with shoving the mutt in the ass?" One of his "brothers" approaches us, looking menacing.
"No, Emmett. We should head home."
"Bite the dust," Emmett shouts at me.
I wave my tail angrily, but shocking everyone, Edward puts a hand on my shoulder. Neither of us cringes—weird. "Emmett, he's coming with us."
"Sweet. We're having mutt for dinner. Do you think Esme knows how to cook?"
I growl at him. Is he always so rude?
"This is how Emmett rolls. You'll get used to it," Edward says softly, running his fingers through my fur.
Emmett watches us with huge eyes. "The fuck, dude? What are you doing?" He points to where he's stroking me.
Edward drops his hand, and I bet if he could, he'd be blushing.
The three of us make our way to their house. Emmett keeps shooting us weird looks, but whenever he catches my eye, I glare at him.
Once at the grand house, I realize it's not nice or respectable to be wearing only a pair of shorts. Picking on my thoughts, Edward offers to fetch me some clothes of his. Before I can shout after him not to leave me alone with his brother, he's gone.
I'm not so confident anymore. This imprinting has affected my brain.
I've never been scared of a vampire, but right now as big, burly Emmett advances on me, wringing his hands, I back away with my tail between my legs.
"Emmett, for crying out loud! Leave him alone!" Edward yells, rushing out of the house, a bunch of clothes in his arms. "You don't see me stalking and threatening Rosalie every step, though I hate her guts. Just go inside and stop bothering Jake!"
He doesn't move, staring at us—more accurately, gaping at us. His golden eyes shift between my face and Edward's.
"What's going on here, bro?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Please, join the others inside. Let them know we'll be there in a minute."
Once Emmett is gone, Edward leads me a few yards away so I can phase and have some privacy. He's attentive and caring with me.
"Stop thinking such things of me," he begs me.
I clear my throat, finally in my human form. "I can't stop these thoughts." Snatching a t-shirt from his hands, I tug it over my head after stepping into my shorts. He offers me a pair of jeans.
"About what you said earlier," he murmurs. "About what I want you to be…" He cringes. "I'm not…like that, but my body wants you."
"It's the bond, Edward."
"But I'm not into men!" he whines, balling the remaining clothes in his hands. "It's just that I can't think of anything else but you! And now that I've seen you naked—by the way, thank you for the visual—I'll never be the same again!"
I feel hurt. He doesn't find me attractive.
He shouldn't, but the bond makes me feel like a little girl. To my horror, tears fall from my eyes as rejection burns at my insides.
Cold arms wrap around me, and cold lips press against my forehead as a hand runs soothingly over my back.
"I'm sorry, Jacob. I didn't mean it like that. What I wanted to say is the visual makes me want things…things I only ever imagined doing with a woman."
"Oh?" I mumble into his chest, sniffing. I feel safe in his arms.
"We have time to talk in length about that, but now my family is waiting."
I nod, and we walk back.
Can you hold my hand? I'm scared.
He chuckles, but immediately encases my warm hand in his cold one.
It's strange how the difference in temperature doesn't bother me.
Carlisle meets us in the entrance hallway. His eyes immediately go to our joined hands. Edward only squeezes my fingers, not letting go, as he stares at the vampire in front of us.
"I see what you meant," Carlisle says quietly. "It's a strong bond?" he asks as he leads the way to the living room.
"Can't you tell?" Edward asks under his breath.
"I can," a new voice says confidently. His other brother, the blond one, is standing behind his mate's chair, his hands on her shoulders. "I haven't felt such strong feelings in a long while."
Apparently, he says something else in his head, because Edward tenses next to me, dropping my hand. "I loved Bella more than my own life!"
His brother stares at him, communicating silently.
"You're wrong, Jasper. This can't be right. Yes, Jake's imprinted on me and we're going to discuss our relationship soon, but never say I love him more than I love Bella. Heck, I don't even love him. Not that I know of." He tugs at his hair. "This is so complicated."
"It's not," I speak for the first time since stepping into their house. "It's natural, as easy as breathing."
"Aww, Eddie! The mutt is in love with you! How sweet!"
"Rosalie!" a few voices shout.
I'm trying to keep up. His family is crazy.
"Please, sit down. Be quiet. Your brother has something important to communicate to you," Carlisle says firmly.
Surprisingly, everyone takes a seat. Edward leads me to the only two chairs left empty—they're near Jasper and his mate, that future-seeing freak. He takes the inner seat, leaving me at the head of the table, but puts a hand on my knee, letting me know he's there for me.
"So, you have a desire to get us killed?" Rosalie, the blonde bitch asks snidely. "First, falling for a human, now for a dog."
"It's not by choice," Edward answers, glancing at me.
I bite on my lip, looking scared at the vampires around me. "I…imp-printed on him," I stutter out.
A commotion takes place the next second. Emmett stands up, his chair toppling over; Rosalie fake-gags; the doc's wife sobs dryly and the little future-seeing freak gasps loudly.
"That's why your future has disappeared! You decided to be around him!" she exclaims, staring at Edward wide-eyed.
"Did I?" he asks confused.
"Yes. Your decision is taken. I see you, but nothing clear—it's all a blur."
"Oh." Edward turns to look at me, offering me a small smile.
"This is unacceptable, bro!" Emmett yells. "Let me kill him. This madness will be gone."
Edward stands just as violently as Emmett had a minute ago. "If you hurt a hair on his body, I will make sure Rosalie keeps your ashes in a pouch."
"Like I'd allow that! I'll repay you!" she sneers.
"No, you won't! You're too uptight to go anywhere near a wolf!" Edward snaps. "See? I told you it would come to this!" he addresses Carlisle. "We can never have a normal conversation."
"Because you go and do the most stupid things on Earth!" Rosalie screeches, looking damn scary. "I was right about the human—two ways out of that: killed by you or changed."
Edward growls so loudly the windows vibrate, then he jumps on top of his sister. It takes Emmett and Carlisle to pry him off, along with Jasper's calming waves. The false calm allows me to sort through my head, because I want to get a word in, too. I need to make them understand how this imprinting works.
"Can I say something?" My voice shakes horribly.
Everyone turns to stare at me. Beside Edward's warm gaze, they're all glaring. Oh, well.
"I want to explain to you how this works," I add, wishing like hell Edward would return to my side. The way Jasper is looking at me sends chills up and down my spine.
Hearing me, he speeds to me side, placing a hand on my shoulder, while stroking my hair with the other. "I'm here, Jake."
"Oh, puh-lease!" Emmett groans.
"Please, explain to us, Jacob," Carlisle speaks up. He's resumed his seat, his hands linked in front of him on the table.
"Imprinting is not like love at first sight, really. It's more like gravity moves. It's not the Earth holding you here anymore, the imprint does... You become whatever they need you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, a friend, or anything else." I'm becoming more confident. I know what I'm saying and it gives me strength.
"Oh, sweet. We might find a dog bowl around here and some treats." Rosalie laughs sadistically.
Edward keeps stroking my hair. "Don't pay any attention to her."
I take a shuddering breath, and continue my explanation. "When a shape-shifter imprints on a specific person, he becomes unconditionally bound to them for the rest of his life. When it happens, the connections of everything else become severed, or simply secondary, and only the imprintee is left to matter. The shape-shifter is left with a deep need to do anything to please and protect the person.
Imprinting can happen with anyone, regardless of previous personal feelings. It happens the first time he sees the human object of his imprinting; if the shape-shifter does not react to a human subject the first time he sees them after he phases, he will never imprint on that human."
"You say human, but do you realize Edward is a vampire?" the little freak questions, not sounding rude, just mildly curious.
"There are always exceptions, uh…" I frown, unsure of her name.
"Alice is right," Edward says softly. "What you just said it applies to humans."
"No. Look, we already have exceptions in the pack…or what used to be my pack. Seth is only thirteen, yet he phased a week ago for the first time. Then there's Leah—she's a girl."
"Oh, is that possible?" Carlisle asks curiously.
"Yes. They're all myths, legends…but they're true, apparently."
"Is there more to the imprinting legend?" Jasper asks suddenly.
I feel my ears turning red. "Yes. It is implied that once a shape-shifter imprints, he will be able spend the rest of his life aging alongside his imprintee once he is able to quit phasing. It is also implied that should the imprintee be long-living or immortal, the imprinter will live alongside them as long as he can phase regularly. It is unknown whether shape-shifters need to stop phasing, and for how long, before breeding." I want to say that I'm not sure if this is real, or if I can actually live around Edward forever, but at the stupefied looks on their faces, I realize the last sentence was too much. "It's not necessary. I mean it's not like we can…" I wave my hand between Edward and me.
"Do you want to test that legend, too?" Carlisle wonders, raising an eyebrow. "It may be virtually impossible, but your body may change in time to…accommodate breeding."
Ewww!
I share a horrified look with Edward.
"Regardless of how relationship progresses, the shape-shifter will be at all times very protective and loving to the imprintee. We've already experienced that," I add.
"And vice-versa, apparently," Edward murmurs.
"There's also something else, and I'm just telling you this so you know. I doubt it will be the case, unless one of you irks me. After I've stopped phasing and living a so-called 'normal' life with my soulmate, I can still phase back into a wolf if I'm angry enough, meaning, if my imprintee has come to any harm." I look solemnly around the room.
"I doubt you'll stop phasing with us around," Edward says gently, squeezing my shoulder.
"So this means he's going to live with us?" Esme, the doctor's wife, asks softly.
"Yes. He ripped himself from the pack. He's his own man now. If it bothers any of you, we can move out. A few nights ago, I found a small cottage a few miles into the woods."
"I think that is best, son," Carlisle agrees. "At least, until we get used to his presence. Regardless of how you feel toward him, we still don't like him very much. It's nothing personal, Jacob. You're our mortal enemy. I hope you understand."
I nod.
"Okay, then." Edward pats my shoulder. "Good. Help me pack?" he whispers.
I nod, and follow him up the stairs to his room. The second we're out of the room, I hear an explosion of comments and remarks about us and what's going to happen from now on.
All the information about imprintng is from Twilight Lexicon. I twisted it a little to fit my story.