Chapter 3

Before we went hunting Ren, Leah, and Jacob went upstairs, which just enough time for Emmett to request my presence outside. "So I heard about the imprinting thing, good choice if you don't mind me saying so, Leah's funny as hell," he laughed.

"I don't know how funny she is, but she has amused me a couple times since my arrival here." I said anxiously waiting for their appearance outside. "Will you be joining us?" I asked hoping that he would say no. I wasn't used to hunting with so many people. I didn't know how good I was going to be a hunting the way they did. I had tried it a couple times since I went back to Brazil just so I wouldn't look like a complete idiot but still I rather not have an audience.

"Uh, no even if they are shape shifters and smell like nasty gym socks, they still smell a lot better than deer in my opinion anyway," he sighed "I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt anyone." He looked back to the house, "but do me a favor, don't waste your time with all that gentleman stuff on Leah, besides Ren, she pretty much hangs out with dudes most of the time she's not all that feminine."

"Yes, Jacob said something along the same lines." I said not wanting to talk about it anymore. I understood what everyone was saying, that I would better off to just get the situation out in the open, but the repetition of having the same conversation over and over again was a little annoying.

"I hope you take us seriously . . . but on a less serious note you shouldn't hunt in one of Jasper's shirts Alice will kill and not think twice about it." After my talk with Emmett, I took his advice and removed Jasper's shirt. I took the time to go upstairs and place it back in my room. By the time I returned outside everyone was outside waiting for me. Jacob and Renesmee again were in their own little world. Leah was talking with them at first but then noticed my presence. Her eyes traveled along my abdomen, then she closed her eyes and shook her head, I would assume to gain some composure. I was actually glad that she looked at me that way, at less I would no longer have to question whether or not she was physically attracted to me.

They started to walk into the forest, Renesmee and her imprint walked ahead of Leah; I easily caught up to her and walked by her side. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and focused her attention in another direction. After a while of contemplating what to say I decided to speak about what was in front of me. "Renesmee and your Alpha are deeply in love." I said matter of factly; through their actions it was more than apparent. It seemed like they never stopped touching. Leah looked at me her face full of concern, and then it seemed she tried to mask the emotion, as if it were taboo to feel concerned for me.

"Yeah, since the day she was born they have been connected." She murmured trying to speak as if it wasn't a big deal, but she unwilling shot me another look of concern, "Are you okay?" She finally asked giving in to her concern for me.

"Yes, after Renesmee came and talked to me last night about Jacob and her relationship I was devastated and heartbroken," I said playing on her concern for me, her eyes grew bigger with worry, "until Edward conversed with me." I heard something moving in the distance, talking with Leah had completely made me forget that I was supposed to be hunting. I crouched momentarily, then took a moment to really take in the aroma, and it did nothing for me. So I regained my composure and Leah frowned at me, I couldn't tell if the expression she wore was due to my statement or my behavior. "Now I feel more enlightened knowing of Jacob and Renesmee's history, he also told me about imprinting and how it works, the whole thing is very fascinating." She scoffed at my statement and looked up into the sky. I took the moment to briefly admire her figure without the bulky coat she was wearing earlier, I could see the curves of everything I wanted but shouldn't see.

"Yeah I guess so." She sighed and frowned at me once more. I wanted to laugh, but I held a straight face. I think she was trying to figure out where I was going with this conversation, which was a good thing because I was opening the floor for the conversation that would start our lives together . . . hopefully. I figured I would give her a minute to fit all the puzzle pieces together, while she stood there and looked adorable albeit dumbfounded I took the opportunity to attempt to hunt again. Nothing really gave off the right scent for me, so I temporarily conceded once more.

"I wonder . . ." I started to revisit our conversation when the scent of a bear hit my nose, with their massive size one is bound to be filling if nothing else, "excuse me for a moment." I ran after the animal conquering him quite easily considering the pace at which bears run. I looked over to Leah who was now standing in the middle of the forest with her eyes clamped shut. Emmett was right Leah could be more than comical at times. I made sure to wipe my mouth before approaching her again considering her ridiculous attempt at avoiding my more grotesque side.

"My hunting disturbs you almost as much as watching you ingest those eggs disturbed me." I laughed; at least she didn't look as if she were going to vomit as I had looked earlier this morning. Matter of fact I would go as far as to say she had perfect coloring . . . maybe she just looked perfect to me anyway. I stared into her eyes, after a moment they widen and she shook her head to gain clarity from the trance like state she was under.

"You are much faster than Ren," she said walking away from me; she placed her hands in the back pockets of her shorts. I tried to pay the action little to know attention, but it seemed that every moment she made encouraged me to look at her inappropriately.

"Really?" I said pretending to be interested in her conversation. I assumed that Renesmee would probably like my sisters and carry more human characteristics; my opinion was that the reason for this is because they don't carry venom. In away it made them lucky they blended into the human society better and where my sisters were concerned it seemed as if they didn't hunger for blood as intensely as I did.

"Yeah," she hesitantly turned to look at me again, "I'm both stronger and faster than her even in my human form, but you seem to be faster than me." She put her hands on her hips and unintentionally eyed me seductively . . . I think.

"How fast are you?" I toyed with all the time fighting the urge to touch her.

"I'm pretty fast." She blushed, I wasn't sure if we were still talking about running. I stepped towards her and she stepped back and unfortunately sobered once more.

"How strong are you?"

"I'm pretty strong." She looked over my shoulder at Renesmee and Jacob, I used the moment to take her by surprise. I didn't like sharing her attention with them if even for a moment. I lifted her up in my arms effortlessly.

"I told you I was strong, you weigh nothing little wolf." She felt wonderful in my arms, like a new addition to my body, I rubbed my thumb gently against her thigh as I held her.

"Little wolf?" She poked her lip out, "I may not be as big as Jacob or Seth but I am by no means little!" Her laughter was enchanting almost as mesmerizing as the way she looked at me.

"Can I see?" I wanted to see what it would be like to kiss and taste her, as if she were mine. I knew it was time to put her down before I acted hastily.

"See what?" She asked and rightfully so, but there was no way I was going to admit to what I was really thinking.

"Can I . . . see you phase?" I settle for that instead, I was a little curious what she looked like in wolf form; however it was nothing I intensely concerned over.

"Why?" She seemed completely put off by me asking, but her antics were so amusing I was glad that I did, the more sides of her I saw the more she appealed to me.

"Curiosity." I smiled at her; I was intrigued to see if her will to make me happy would override her obvious reservations about phasing in front of me. She paced back and forth in front of me, eventually she went behind the bush, I heard as she unzipped her jean shorts. Ten minutes past and I grew concerned, from what I witnessed earlier it took Jacob no where near as long to complete this task.

"You alright?" I asked, "Can I come around now?" I badgered hoping that she would change her mind, I would have been just as happy with us simply engaging in another conversation.

"No!!" She barked, "I'm still very human right now!!" Meaning that she was nude behind that thin weak little bush, and if I thought in that area longer than a second, my mind would reveal her nakedness and I would no longer have to imagine what she looked like. However, I being that gentleman that I am, gave her the privacy that she deserved and tried to think of other things to preoccupy my mind. All of a sudden she laughed for reasons unknown to me.

"You laugh at the strangest times." I murmured not thinking she would hear me.

"Really Nahuel you have to find a new line!" She laughed once more, "Now be quiet so I can focus."

"Is it normally this hard for you to do? Is it because you are female?" She grumbled something in regards to my statement. I grew impatient and regretted asking her to phase, I felt like some kind of drug addict being forced to watch the product they wished to possess from behind a glass wall.

"No, it is only difficult when I don't feel the need to." She sighed I could hear her heartbeat as it raced, the rhythm increased violently, maybe she was trying too hard.

"Well if you cannot do it, then it is okay, maybe some other time." I walked toward the bush to be closer to her.

"Nahuel stay back!" I think that she thought I was going to come around to her. Within seconds I felt a jolt in the Earth. I came around the bush to make sure Leah was okay, she was more than okay; she was magnificent. I walked around her in disbelief, that a girl or a woman more rather that was so petite in size, could be transformed into this large albeit beautiful creature.

"Amazing," was all I could I think to say as I stared at her greatness. I sat down and she moved closer toward me and sat as well placing her head on her paws. Part of me wanted to bring up the imprinting issue while she was in this form, because it would be easier if she couldn't speak. She looked up into the sky and rose to her feet, I assumed to return to her human form.

"Wait," this was my last chance to approach the subject with her in this form . . . for today anyway. I couldn't do it, I wanted to tell the real Leah the truth so instead I rubbed behind her ears, and she closed her eyes. She let me do this for a while before returning to the bush.

"Ta Dah!" She said jumping from behind the plant. It had taken her merely seconds to phase back and return to me fully clothed, I couldn't help but wonder how quickly the opposite may happen.

"Impressive." I said trying to keep a clean and clear mind.

"Not really," She laughed her heart beat slowed down a lot in comparison to when she was in wolf form. Just as I go to move closer to her, both of our attentions are drawn in the direction of Renesmee and Jacob. Leah seemed quite put off by their playful behavior, which was slightly amusing. I wanted to distract her and throw her completely off guard, and I had just the subject matter for such events. I was going to have to do this while I had a shred of nerve left.

"That reminds me, I have another question," her attention immediately diverted back to me.

"What was that?" She asked as if she were concerned I was going to ask something crazy, like to ride her back as Renesmee rode Jacob. She began to walk away from me.

"Do you have an imprint?" I spit out as quickly as possible, luckily for me making this statement was not as hard as I thought it would be, "someone you care for more than your own life?" I clarified and she seemed more than surprised by my asking. She studied my face thoroughly, I tried to keep a straight face but could not help but laugh a little.

"What did Edward tell you?" She finally whispered.

"Nothing." Technically he hadn't told me anything, Bella was the one she should be sore with, "The question is . . . is there something to tell." Her heart began to beat quickly, I could tell by the look on her face that she was scared.

"No!" She said and quickly turned her back to me.

"No?" It never dawned on me to think that she may lie I lifted her so she would be forced to look me in the eyes. "Don't lie it's not becoming." A smile slowly covered her face.

"Well if you are sooo smart you tell me if I have imprinted." She touched my nose and laughed, she was not trying to make this easy, I would have to play her games and probe her for answers.

"Yes, I believe you have," I said placing her on the ground again. I didn't want to seem over possessive of her but in my head in so many ways I already had begun to think of her as mine. Even thought I placed her feet on the ground I stayed very closet to her in instances her arm would rub against mine.

"Oh really since you know me so well, then please tell me who my imprint may be, I must find him at once," she laughed at her own horrible joke. The whole thing is crazy we were both afraid to say it out loud; at this point I am filled with laughter that it cannot be contained.

"It's me of course." One of us had to bite the bullet, now I had stepped forward and not only did I bite the bullet . . . I swallowed as well I could feel the knots it had created in my stomach. She now looked at me speechless with her mouth open. When she finally closed her mouth, her eyes began to water as if she were about to cry. I had upset her and it immediately made me rethink my decision, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that a weight now lifted off my shoulders. "I can't say I came to this conclusion alone." I walked over to a tree and motioned for her to sit with me. I told her about the various conversations I had with the Cullens and she just sat there with her eyes glazed over. When I finally finished my confession of the nights on goings, all she could say was . . .

"Oh," she looked overwhelmed and still a little petrified, I wanted to rub her back and console her, but I still wasn't 100% sure she wanted me to.

"So do you mind? Nothing has to come of this unless you want it to. I am strong enough to let you go, my only wish is for you to be happy." She said looking down in her lap; she refused to look me in the eye.

"I could be happy with you." I was already happy with her now, and I couldn't ever see that changing.

"Are you sure about Ren?" She began to pace nervously in front of me, this ordeal had obliviously been causing her as much stress as it had me. I only wished she would sit still, it took everything in me not to stop her myself. "You came from your home to love her, and now you are okay to just forget about her."

"I don't plan to forget about her, she is and will always be a dear friend. I came here to find love, someone to spark my interests. Renesmee did that at first, being that she was the only female of my kind that I'm not related to . . . I thought we would be compatible, however our conversation seemed forced." I finally moved towards her and her heart beat irregularly as if it actually skipped a beat, "but with you everything seems to flow, plus you amuse me."

"Oh gee thanks!" She danced around in a circle, "I am you comic relief." I laughed as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms along her chest. As funny as she was acting I could that she did not want to be considered my entertainment.

"No," I said without thinking, "there is nothing comical about you." I finally allowed myself to do what I had wanted to do since last night, I held her in my arms. The she leaned toward me, and I was all too happy to oblige her in what she was after. My lip had barely brushed against her, when I heard footsteps rapidly coming towards us.

"Wait!" I heard Jacob, "That can't happen Leah, remember his venom!!" She hopped back in shock and covered her mouth. What was wrong with Jacob, wasn't he the just telling me to connect with Leah, now he was the one reminding her of my monstrous side.

"What's wrong, I won't bite Leah! Believe it or not I do have some self control." For example, I was not ripping his head off right now even though I really wanted to, again Leah laughed for no apparent reason. "Always at the weirdest times."

"Your venom would kill me; there is no way around it. I can't turn into a vampire . . . I would just die . . . but what a way to go though!" She laughed but I knew she had to be just as devastated as I was. Unlike her I didn't pretend to mask my frustrations.

"If I express my emotions for you fully . . . you will die, there would be nothing I could do to save you?" She simply nodded, couldn't even look me in the eye. I could still see the hurt all over her face. I felt that I had somehow betrayed her by simply existing. I was hoping to be her knight and rescue her from all the pain her ex had caused, but instead all I could offer her was an early death. The hurt I experienced turned into rage . . . I became angry at Leah, she was now the personification of everything I wanted but could never possess.

"I never felt more like a monster than I do at this very moment!"