Disclaimer:
All characters and known situations belong to their respective owners. Everything else came from my own mind- scary place that it is sometimes. In no way shape or form have I made or intended to make a profit from this story…. All rights still belong to Stephanie… though it's a shame she never did anything more with the wolves… ah well.. There's always fan fiction

Author's Notes:
I'm not entirely thrilled with this chapter, but I also wanted to introduce Leah's new guy and allow him to meet the pack as the only male imprint. That and Jacob and Bella having their own place now while working towards getting their respective businesses up and running. Like it, love it, hate it, lol… It's here.

Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews and feedback. Makes me smile to see it ^_^

Chapter 14

"Leah… are you sure they're going to be ok with me being here?"

Leah smiled and turned around to look at the man who had completely stolen her heart. His handsome face was creased with worry that radiated from his gentle grey eyes. His jet black hair was pulled back into a pony tail that sat at the base of his neck. Her eyes roamed over his broad shoulders, down to his muscled arms and toned body. She loved the caramel color of his skin, just a shade darker than her own due to a life time spent in the Alabama summer sun. This man was her best friend, her lover, her confidant- next to Bella- and her soul mate.

"They're going to love you Tristan. Just please, I told you, my friends can be a little… crazy. Don't let them scare you. I'm not going to feed you willingly to the wolves." She snickered.

Tristan took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, standing to his full height- a mere 6'3"and sighed. They were outside Jacob's front door after having been on the road for almost 48 hours the day before hand. Sue had sent them straight to bed as soon as they were through her front door. Now, after having slept all night long and most of the day, they were about to be thrown to the wolves- literally. Leah hadn't seen her pack since she left the month after Bella graduated. She could hear them wrestling around and had to chuckle.

With a knock on the door, the house went quiet. Bella gave a small giddy squeal along with the other girls in the house. Leah shook her head and listened to Bella and Rachel as the two almost raced to see who would get to the door first. In the time that Leah had been gone, she had done an almost 180 in personality. Now that she and Paul were together officially, she was more like Jacob, more like the girl she used to be before her mother's death had hardened her heart.

Jacob chuckled as the two fought good naturedly to reach the door first. He knew Leah was bringing her boyfriend home. He also was the only one who knew that he was her imprint. He had overheard Leah telling Bella about it on the phone. She was finally healed- and the last one to imprint- and he couldn't have been happier for her.

"Come on in. don't mind the chaos, you'll get used to it soon enough. They're harmless mostly. If they get too obnoxious, the girls will handle it." Rachel told Tristan with a small chuckle.

A deep laugh echoed it. "I'm sure they can't be that bad." He answered politely.

The wolves shuddered at the very thinly veiled threat. She had said it on purpose knowing they would all be listening it. Brady didn't have to say anything- the pack knew. Wolf girls were scary when they were mad. And when they were all together- it was downright horrifying. They were their own pack, and at the top of the pack pecking order was Bella. If she was angry or upset- everyone was in trouble.

Leah's familiar scent hit the pack's noses as soon as the door was opened. It was followed soon after by the smell of sage, grease and rubber. Jacob smirked when he had learned that Tristan was a mechanic by trade. He watched as his pack took in the scent, letting it waft over their slightly open mouths before Seth stood and made his way to his sister when they came into the living area at the back of the house.

"Lee lee… what has mom told you about bringing strays home?" He teased as he pulled her into a hug.

Leah glared but hugged her brother tight to her. "Shut it you. Last time I checked you were the one to bring the strays home. And we all known I put YOUR strays down when they because too much of a handful."

Seth chuckled and held his hand out to Tristan. "Hi, I'm Seth, Leah's brother. We spoke on the phone a few weeks back."

Tristan nodded. "I remember. It's good to put a face to the name." He grinned.

"So, Tristan, let me introduce the guys… I'll start with Bella and her boyfriend- Jacob. Then you have Embry his girlfriend Angela, Quil and his girlfriend Nicole. You've met Rachel, that lazy mutt of a man on the couch is her boyfriend Paul."

"Hey! Leah!" Paul huffed causing Bella and Rachel to giggle. He had definitely calmed down since having Rachel on his arm.

Tristan took in the faces Leah had pointed out and tried to commit them to memory. These were her friends. She had called them family. He smiled and shook the hands offered, completely shocked when the girls simply gave him hugs.

"You get used to it. Trust me." A voice said from behind them. "Hi, I'm Kim. This is my man Jared." She said before hugging him.

"I'm glad everyone is so welcoming." Tristan said with a smile.

Leah grinned. "Only a few more to go, I promise. Hey, where are Collin and Brady?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "They'll be here soon. They went to go get their girls."

Jared snorted. "Speak of the devils and they shall appear." He said nodding his head out the front window.

"Do you not like them that much?" Tristan wondered.

Quil shrugged. "They're just… prissy."

"Not another Amy?" Leah asked Bella.

Bella shook her head. No… but very… girly." She grinned when Leah whined. "Seth's girl is amazing though."

Seth grinned. "Yeah, you'll meet Maggie tomorrow. She's visiting her grandmother." He told them watching as Brady and Collin followed their girlfriends into the room.

Sam watched as introductions were made and took his turn to shake Tristan's hand. "Hey, I'm Sam, this is my girlfriend Emily. Pleased to meet the guy who stole Leah's heart." He joked.

The pack laughed when Leah blushed. "Shut it Sam." She huffed.

"I'm happy to have stolen it. She's got quite a few guys nursing broken hearts around campus." Tristan grinned.

Leah rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him. Save for Tristan, there's no guys who really talk to me."

"I beg to differ. You have guys trying to approach you all the time. She just won't give them the time of day." He teased.

Leah protested when she saw the girls' eyes narrow at her. "It's not that bad!"

Bella's feathers were ruffled at the fact that Leah wasn't telling her everything that was going on at school. "Alright… girls… kitchen… Tristan, we'll give her back in a few minutes." She said dragging a protesting Leah behind her. The girls dutifully followed behind the older women, intent on staying on Bella's good side.

"I hope I didn't get her into trouble. Bella looks angry now." Tristan said with a worried frown.

Embry chuckled. "Nope. She'll be fine. Bella has Napoleon syndrome. She's tiny so she has to pretend to be big and fierce. They're just going to gossip."

"Well that's a relief. I was beginning to wonder if I hadn't just fed her to a den of lions." Tristan quipped.

Seth shrugged. "More like wolves. Female wolves at that. Those girls are vicious when they wanna be."

Jacob laughed along with the rest of the pack. "So.. Tristan… what do you do for a living?" He asked after guiding the man to sit down with them.

"I'm a mechanic actually. I'm taking courses in psychology though." He told him honestly.

Quil offered him a drink and sat next to him. "That's cool. What made you choose that, if I'm allowed to ask."

Tristan smiled in thanks. "My best friend growing up is one of a few reasons. We didn't know he was being abused until he started becoming… withdrawn, I guess would be the best way to put it. It took me a little over a year and a half to crack through the wall he put up, but once I did, I literally became the one person to hold him together. His step dad… he was a piece of work." He all but growled out darkly.

"So where are you from originally. Leah said you were native American, but she kept most of the details to herself. She said she'd have to share you enough come winter." Jared grinned.

Paul nodded. "Yeah, all she told us- our girls more than us- was that you're name was Tristan, you're native American and you're 20.

Tristan laughed. "She did say it would be like feeding me to the wolves. I think I was more nervous about meeting the people she grew up with rather than holding my own against a down to earth group of guys. Some of the men from my reservation are more rambunctious. I'm Creek by the way."

Brady grinned. "That's cool. So are you gonna do what Leah is, get a degree then move back home?"

"I don't think so. I love my tribe, but I had to get away." Tristan said after a minute. A small, sad smile danced on his lips as he stared down at the can of Mountain Dew in his hands.

Sam tilted his head in curiosity. "Why is that? If I can ask."

"Sure. It's just… a lot of bad memories. I've had a few really bad relationships. Before Leah… I was known as the sweet go to guy for a shoulder to cry on. I was raised by a man who viewed women as the gods gift to earth. So I have a healthy respect for them. I think Leah has a hard time seeing it sometimes. From the moment I saw her, and it was like nothing else I've ever known. No one else has mattered but her, at least not as much. She's… amazing. I already told her when she asked me, when she moves back, if we're still together, I'll come with her."

Jacob grinned while the rest of the pack stared in shock. They had found out what Jacob had known since an hour after it had happened. She had yet to tell him about the she wolf that took up residence in her mind, but he was confident Tristan would know before winter break was over. He looked at Sam who seemed only mildly shocked. His brothers were all in various stages of either shock or happiness, with Seth being the most pleased.

"Alright, I hope you guys are hungry. These cookies just came out of the oven. And Quil, no you can't take a tray full home for later." Angela grinned as she led the girls back out into the room. She grabbed a cookie and perched herself on Embry's lap before offering him a bite of the chocolate chip delight.

Leah mimicked Angela and curled up on Tristan's lap. The wolves were shocked to see such an open display of affection coming from their lone female wolf. It was as if the stoic woman she was had been replaced with the sweet natured one before them. She turned and looked him over, checking to make sure he was well and truly in one piece.

Tristan chuckled. "I'm fine. They just asked basic questions. I promise." He teased.

"Yeah, well… they're being tame right now. They've got their girls in the house to keep them in line." She snickered.

"HEY!" Leah out right laughed at the indignation in the shout.

Tristan poked her ribs causing Leah to squeal. The sound was so out of character for her, the wolves couldn't help dropping their jaws. Even Seth was looking at her as if she were some stranger impersonating his sister.

"Be nice Leah Bean." He whispered in her ear before nipping lightly on her lobe.

Leah nuzzled his neck and all but forgot she was in front of her pack. "If you insist."

Bella cleared her throat and shook her head. She was entirely happy for Leah. The woman she knew had come a long way to shine as she was now. It made her think back to just after Leah had first phased. What would have happened if Bella hadn't talked to her. What would have happened if she had let the pack tease and antagonize her for hours on end as they sometimes joked about. More over, what would have happened if she and Emily had never made right the wrongs between them?

Jacob chuckled and nuzzled the exposed skin of her neck, kissing right over his mark. Her eyes slid closed gently as she hummed and tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder. The action gave Jacob more access to her delectably pale skin and his wolf hummed in content. It was their turn to be brought back out of their own world by none other than Charlie.

"Dad!" Bella grinned and jumped up to hug him.

Charlie grinned and hugged her back. "You forgot your books at the house." He told her gently. "I'm off to Sues. Leah, Seth, your mom wants you guys to come home tonight for dinner."

Seth grinned at Leah's gob smacked face. "Sure Charlie. We'll be there… is 7 ok?"

Charlie nodded and walked out. Bella giggled when Leah rounded on her. "WHEN did that happen?!"

Bella tried her best to look innocent. "When did what happen?"

"Don't you play innocent with me Isabella Marie Swan!" Leah huffed playfully.

Seth and Tristan snorted in amusement. Tristan found himself almost wishing they could stay here after the winter holidays were over. The familiarity of this group, the friendship and sense of kinship, it had him longing to feel something like that again. Ever since the death of his mother when he was 13, his father had still treated women the same, but he had closed himself off of everything. It was the other main reason he wanted to study psychology. He has had to watch his father deteriorate in front of him and for the life of him, was helpless to stop it.

Jacob took pity of Leah finally. "They've been dating for about a month now. Billy, Joy, Tiffany and Allison had to almost knock their heads together to make them see that they liked each other."

"That sounds like mom alright." Leah huffed. "So how are the classes going you guys? Are you any closer to getting ready to open the bakery?" She asked effectively changing the subject.

Tristan shook his head in amusement. Leah always did that when she didn't want to dwell on anything. He smiled and listened as the girls became more animated at the thought of the bakery they wanted to open on the reservation. He watched their eyes light up as they playfully teased one another and joked with the men in the room. When his eyes met Sam's he frowned. There had been a pang of something he'd seen there- something almost sad as he watched Leah.

It wasn't until a little bit later on- once most of the pack members had left- that Tristan learned Sam was Leah's ex. He finally understood what the sadness in Sam's eyes had been from. It was sad to see a first love moving on at the best of times. He was thankful Sam had the grace to admit that she was happy in her new relationship.

He had loved meeting Bella. For such a small woman, she ran a tight ship and had all of the boys jumping when she told them to jump. It was downright amusing to say the least. He loved watching Bella come to life as she talked about the bakery she and her friends wanted to open. He was skeptical at first, most women who claimed to be able to cook had some skill, yes, but Bella blew his taste buds out of the water when the first bite of his cookie touched his lips. Leah had watched him with amusement shining in her eyes as he gushed over them. Bella had effectively turned him into a simpering fool with just one bite of junk food.

Leah sighed from her place on the couch. It was finally just her, Tristan and Seth left in Jacob and Bella's new home. She curled herself into Tristan and smiled at Bella and Jacob. The two were lost in their own world for a moment before Seth cleared his throat. The elder's had gifted the young couple with it after Jacob had graduated. All the additions that Jacob had been making to Billy's house were taken over by Paul and he and Rachel had moved in to help take care of Billy, greatly putting Jacob's mind to ease.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Shut it Seth. Or do I need to have a talk with Maggie?" She teased.

"N-no! I was just teasing!" Seth whined.

Leah tilted her head to the side. "Who's Maggie again?"

"Seth's girlfriend." Jacob said, coming to his rescue.

Tristan shook his head and poked Leah in the side playfully. "Don't pick on your little brother! It's mean."

"Oh trust me… Leah and mean used to go hand in hand." Seth said while Jacob nodded.

"HEY!" Leah huffed before a giggle escaped her lips. Bella had smacked Jacob's head for agreeing with Seth. Tristan merely shook his head.

"I'm sure you couldn't have been that bad." Tristan told her with a smile.

Bella grabbed Leah's hand after a few minutes of silence, telling the guys still sitting down they were going to make some coffee. Once they were in the kitchen, Bella turned the radio on as well as started filling the coffee pot.

"What's got you so…not happy?" Bella wondered.

Leah watched her and shrugged. "For the first time in a very long time, I don't feel any kind of pain, or anger. I'm… happy. I'm going to school for my degree, I've got an amazing boyfriend, and my pack seems to like him. I just don't want things to change."

"Why would they change Leah?"

She sighed. "I haven't told him about the imprint yet. What if he doesn't want to come back here with me? I promised Jake I'd come back. But if he doesn't want to, then I'd stay near him. I can't be away from him for too long."

Bella giggled. "I'm sure he'll be ok. Look at what he's done to see you smile so far. I mean, you've known him since September, been dating him since Halloween, and now he's here in your territory for Christmas. I think it's a safe bet to say he'll be ok."

Leah grinned. She noticed Bella's text books and thumbed through them. "Jeez Bella. You guys are really serious about this aren't you? I mean… this is some hard stuff." She teased.

Bella shrugged. "Emily and Kim are helping. We're each taking a different course. Emily is taking a class for graphic design and advertisement. Kim is taking one for business management. I told them I'd take the class for accounting. Its grueling, but it does what we need it to do. Within the next year, we should have enough money to get the bakery up and almost ready to be opened. We've been looking into furnishings and kitchen supplies… that's going to be the expensive part."

Leah smiled. "You'll have to tell me about it if I'm not here to see it." She made her promise.

Bella fixed them all cups of coffee, asking Leah to carry the creamer and sugar back out to the living room with her. "Here you go guys. Sorry, we started talking."

"No worries. Jacob and Seth were entertaining me with stories about you two. Baby, you never told me you had so many funny moments in your past." Tristan teased.

Jacob watched Tristan watching her and couldn't help but smile. Leah had found her happiness. He smiled when Bella slid into his lap with a cup of coffee for him made just the way he liked it. He inhaled the smell and sighed. Work was exhausting, running the pack was draining and school seemed to be trying to drag him into the mud. All of that disappeared whenever Bella was in his arms. She was right where she needed to be.

"So, Jacob, Leah has told me that you're looking to open your own garage. Can I ask why? I don't mean to be rude, but I noticed one in Forks on the way here. Wouldn't people just go there instead?" Tristan asked.

Jacob grinned. "I wanted to open one here to help people out on the rez first and foremost. I've been working on cars since I was just a kid, had my first car completely built by the time I was 16. It grew from there." He said with a shrug. "With the garage here, more jobs are available, and with it being closer to home, the prices won't be as high. At least that's my goal."

Tristan nodded. "I love meeting fellow gear heads. I've been working on cars since I was little too. My neighbor taught me everything he knew about them."

Leah snickered. "That's how I met him. My room mate's car broke down. She was in tears and I had just popped the hood to see if I could find anything wrong. I heard him asking if we needed help and my room mate telling him that I had it under control."

"The phone call!" Jacob laughed.

Leah rolled her eyes at that. "Yeah, the phone call."

"Care to enlighten the rest of the class?" Seth wondered with a raised eyebrow.

Bella giggled having heard about this story from Jacob after it happened. "Leah called Jake thinking that maybe he could talk her through finding the problem."

"I hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to him before Tristan's face was in my line of view. He had just gotten off of work and was poking his head under the hood right next to mine. Turns out something was wrong with the radiator valve…tube…line… something…" Leah said with a wave of her hands.

Tristan grinned. "Her radiator was cracked right down the middle and the hose was leaking too. When I asked her if she knew about it, she told me that when she saw it, she immediately let her boyfriend know about it. He had told her he looked at it and didn't see the problem. He tried to fix it with superglue."

"Damn. What an idiot!" Jacob cringed.

"She dumped him a month later. But Tristan sent her to his garage. The owner's son is now her boyfriend so she got a new car to drive around in." Leah snickered.

Bella shook her head. "That's just… wow. Well I'm glad Tristan stopped."

"Of course I would. Have you seen this gorgeous creature bent over under the hood of a car with daisy dukes on?" He teased.

Seth shuddered. "Um… hello… brother sitting right here!" He grizzled.

"Aww, it's ok sethy, we still wuv you!" Leah teased him causing them all to laugh.

Seth hopped up and hugged her. "Don't forget dinner tonight at mom's. It's getting late." He reminded her. "Bella, Jake, I'm heading out. Gotta get some things done." He told them. In reality, it was his turn to patrol.

It wasn't too long after that, that the house was quiet again. Bella sighed and took all the used dishes to the kitchen. She smiled when she felt Jacob's arms wrap around her waist. Her head tilted to the side and she hummed when his lips met the skin of her neck.

"I'm glad she's happy." He whispered.

Bella nodded. "You know he offered to help us out with the costs of the bakery? That was before he had even met us yet."

"Oh?"

"I guess he sees it as a good way to bribe us into liking him, but Leah told me he was willing to give us two hundred dollars towards a down payment. It's not that much, but, it still floored us." Bella mused as Jacob picked up a dish towel to dry the dishes.

"That is kind of cool though. I talked to Leah before they left. She's going to tell him tonight. It'll be the first time Leah has phased since she started school in September." Jacob mused.

"It'll work itself out. Have a little faith in your sister." She said before bending over to put one of the big cooking pots away.

Bella turned to stare at Jacob when she heard him groan. She loved teasing him and his wolf when they were alone, she mused that it was fun to force him to lose control every once in a while- tonight was no exception. She grinned when he stalked closer to her after the final pan was put back into it's rightful spot. With a playful smirk, a dish towel was thrown in his face and she darted out of the kitchen. She hadn't even made it half way to the bedroom before his arms were around her.

Her peals of laughter were silenced when he pinned her to the wall in the hallway. His lips met hers as he pressed his ever growing need in between her parted thighs. Her gasps filled the tense air before they separated just enough for her shirt to come off of her body.

Jacob inhaled her scent deeply, his eyes turning gradually more yellow. "You're not supposed to run from a predator little mate."

"Jake…" She gasped when he nipped at her mark in playful reprimand.

It was a whispered plea. She needed him in that moment. She wanted to feel his body against hers, feel him sliding into her body over and over.

"What do you want Bella." Jacob purred running the tip of his nose against her jaw line.

Bella swallowed and bucked her hips against his. "Please!" She whined. Her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders as her lips attacked his neck. She let a satisfied smirk dance onto her lips when she felt him shudder against her at the fleeting sting. Desire flooded the pit of her stomach as Jacob nipped and sucked against the sensitive skin of her neck, right over the mark he had already given her.

"Tell me Bells. What do you want?" Jacob asked her again, he and his wolf seeming to meld their voices into one as the question rolled out in a quiet but husky growl.

"I want you, Jake. It'll always be you." Bella whispered. She squealed when he gathered her to him and all but ran the rest of the way to their bedroom.

Their jeans were torn from their bodies and Bella's back hit the mattress of their bed before she realized what had happened. Above her, the man she loved was poised and waiting for an answer. She grinned and pulled his body flush to hers. The only barrier that still separated them was the black lace boy shorts and matching black lace bra.
They were engulfed in the heat of passion as Jacob ripped away the last remaining barrier of clothing, his lips and fingers worked in tandem to swiftly bring Bella to a writhing mess on the bed. Her words were almost incoherent as she begged and pleaded with him to allow her the release she craved.

"You look so sexy like this, my little mate." He purred into her ear quietly.

Bella's eyes flashed with ill hidden lust as she listened to her wolf talking above her. It may have been Jacob's body, but his wolf was in control for the moment. And Jacob was willingly watching from the sidelines as Bella screamed her release, her back arching from the bed.

"Jake…"

Jacob smiled, the yellow in his eyes receding away gradually. "I'm here, Bells. I've got you." He promised.

"Don't… you don't have to lock your wolf away Jake. I love you both." Bella said as Jacob pushed into her willing body slowly.

Jacob smiled down at her. "We're still here." He whispered. "Always."

Bella smiled. "Better stay that way." She said before giving over to the pleasure of having him fill her over and over. She would worry about everything else later. For now, she was safe and definitely loved, and she was content.