A/N: So here is the next chapter, hope you all had a great New Year! Thanks again for the reviews, story alerts, favorites and hits, you guys are just fabulous.

I've completed my story 'The Truth I Hide', so I can finally give this story my full attention.

And to answer Kiki, one of my anonymous reviewers: Nina will definitely not turn into a werewolf. So don't worry about that ;)

Anyway on with the chapter.

Chapter 16: When The Wolf Takes Over

I was in a clearing, the sun shooting beams down upon me as I turned in circles, wondering how I'd gotten there. Nothing looked familiar to me, all that surrounded me were trees, trees and more trees. I knew for certain that this was not the clearing Jacob had taken me to, all that time ago…

All that time ago?

Warm hands clasped over my shoulders, spinning me around to face him. My love. He stared down at me with soft eyes, a small smile on his face. "We were looking for you, what brought you here?."

Cocking my head to the side, I frowned up at him. "Jacob I'm sorry, but I don't know how-."

He cut me off. "I understand, you don't need to explain. Now come, we don't want to keep them waiting."

"What do you mean?," I asked confusedly as he took my hand in his and lead me towards a tree line.

"We're already fifteen minutes late, honey."

"Stop," I ordered, just as we entered the woods. Jacob froze, before slowly turning to face me, it was then that I noticed what he was wearing. A tux.

Cocking his head to the side, he watched me carefully. "What is it?."

Suddenly, I felt unbearably cold. Glancing down at my body, I realized I was clad in only my underwear. "Where's my clothes?," I asked. Meeting his eyes once again.

"What are you talking about?."

"My-." I paused, glancing back down at myself. Except this time I was wearing a puffy white dress. "I don't understand."

Closing the space between us, he pulled me into his arms, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "We don't have to do this."

"Do what?."

Breaking our embrace, he held me out at arm's length. "Our-."

My eyes fluttered open, and I was no longer in the clearing but in familiar surroundings. Jacob's house. Relief washed over me as I realized it was just a dream, however, not knowing what he was about to tell me left me feeling unsatisfied. There was something about that dream. Something strange but meaningful.

Glancing up at the silver clock which hung directly over the TV, I gasped at the time. It was just a little past one am. The fact that I had slept that long in someone else's house was shameful. How rude of me.

If Billy had seen me, what would he have thought? Or Jacob! I had come here to speak with him, not sleep on his sofa.

A minty smell drifted into the room, invading my nostrils and I recognized the smell instantly. It was shampoo.

As if my ears had only started to work again, I could hear the shower running from down the hall. Which meant Jacob was in there washing himself… which meant that he'd seen me sleeping on the sofa. How embarrassing!

So to avoid any further embarrassment, I remained seated until he was done.

"Nina," he croaked, appearing in the doorway ten minutes later wearing a tight fitted black t-shirt and jeans that clung to his thick thighs. His long hair hung loosely over his shoulders, still wet from the shower.

Snapping my head up to stare over at him, my cheeks burned with mortification. "J-Jacob I'm sorry I.. I slept, I shouldn't have.. it was r-r-rude of me," I stuttered, the words coming out in a jumbled mess.

There was no denying that I was still quite terrified of what he was, not because I was afraid he'd hurt me but because it was actually real. That people on earth could actually transform into gigantic wolves. And now that the moment was finally here, the moment I'd tell him that I was willing to accept him for what he was, I was more nervous than I'd ever been.

Leaning against the doorframe, he watched me with careful eyes, as though he was waiting for me to give him bad news. His whole body seemed to tense up with each passing second and I knew that this wouldn't go as smoothly as I'd imagined it to go.

"I'm sorry if I sound rude, but what are you doing here?," he asked, his voice still sounding very strained.

"I… came here to talk to you about something."

Clicking his tongue, he said. "Last time I checked, you didn't want me to talk to you."

His seriousness caught me off guard, I thought he'd be happy to see me, not that I was living under any illusions but he'd wrote me a letter to tell me that I was always welcome at his home. So why the cold attitude?

Shifting nervously on the sofa, I diverted my gaze to the floor. "I've changed my mind."

"About what?."

"About you… us," I replied in a small voice.

He let out a deep breath. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?."

"It's-."

"Look at me," he ordered, causing me to immediately stare up at him. "I don't like it when you look away from me."

"Okay…" I trailed off before continuing. "It's a good thing… well for me it is, I guess."

"How so?."

Growing tired of his interrogating behavior, I sighed. "Look, I'll…I'll leave if you want Jacob."

Pushing himself off the doorframe, he walked into the middle of the room, wide eyes staring down at me as I bit down on my lip. "Nina, I don't want you to leave. I told you in my letter that you are always welcome here. Always."

"Well it certainly doesn't look like it..."

I felt humiliated and ridiculous sitting there as he threw questions at me as though everything he'd told me was a lie. Hadn't he said he cared about me? That he understood why I was so afraid? Well things didn't look that way. At all.

I wasn't angry with him, he had a right to be pissed off with me for treating him the way I had. But I thought he would've at least made me feel welcome, well whoever wrote those letters would've… because Jacob wasn't anything like that person right now.

"Why? Because I'm questioning you?," he asked, resting his hands on his hips. His dark eyes watching me expectantly, waiting for an answer. "I really don't think that means I want you to leave."

"It's your whole attitude Jacob," I told him. "You're nothing like your father."

That seemed to stir a couple of emotions inside of him, each one flashing across his face; disbelief, confusion, realization, hurt, betrayal. Swallowing thickly, he walked across the room and settled into an armchair. Obviously shocked by what I'd said.

It surprised me that he'd react to something so small in this way. All I'd said was he wasn't anything like his father… well right now he wasn't, besides, what else was I supposed to say? I hated hurting him.

I came here to make amends.

"You know me," he said suddenly, my head sapping to the side to stare over at him in the corner of the room. "You know so much about me, hell you.. you saw me completely naked Nina."

Memories of that night rushed to the front of my mind, particularly ones where he stood before me, nude and soaked in the pouring rain. Jacob's bare body couldn't even compare to his body when clothed, it was so perfect. God-like couldn't even describe it.

At that, I blushed. "Forget-."

"No," he interrupted. "I will never ever forget that night, I never wanted you to see me change, well not under those circumstances anyway. But you did, and now things are complicated." Spreading his legs wider, he leaned into the armchair, his eyes closing. "The look on your face tore me apart, and when you told me that you never wanted to see me again, I was too shocked… to hurt to even let the words sink in. I felt so vulnerable, standing there in front of you, a naked monster in your eyes. That's what you thought of me right?."

"I… I did think of you as a monster for a while but-."

"That's all I need to hear," he said, eyes still closed. "You telling me that I'm nothing like my father is unfair, I've always been good to you."

Hearing him talk like that, made me feel guilty in so many ways. "I know Jacob, I'm sorry."

Slowly opening his eyes, he stared right at me. "I haven't replied to your letter yet, if that's why you're here."

My jaw dropped. "No, I came here to talk, I told you that."

"Yeah, you did but you asked me a lot of questions in your last letter, I'm sure you want them answered."

"That's why I'm here."

"So you want me to answer them right here?."

I nodded. "If that's okay with you."

"Well, yes other people know what I am, Bella included. No, I didn't think you'd accept me… I hoped. Yeah, phasing hurt in the beginning but not anymore-." He paused, running a hand through his long, damp hair. "-changing… It happened because of consequences. No, I'm not from someplace else, I'm from La Push. I'm eighteen, but I've got the body and features of a twenty-five year old… I'll explain that later." Then he stiffened, an angry look crossing his face. "That man.. he.. just don't ever go near him okay?."

Firstly, I was surprised he'd memorized my questions. Secondly, I was starting to feel a little scared by his attitude towards that man— who was he?

"Why?," I asked carefully.

"Because he's-." clenching his fists, his eyes hardened as though he was seeing red. "-he's a bad guy, don't you ever go near anyone like him."

"But-."

Jumping to his feet, his body started to shake. "Nina, don't question me about him. I know what I'm talking about," he hissed.

"Is he…" my face paled at the possibility. "Is he a cold one?."

Biting down hard on his lip, so hard that it ripped through his skin, he nodded very slowly. "Yes."

"Oh." Was all I said before bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

It suddenly seemed very cold in the room, as I sat curled up on the sofa , while Jacob just stood there, breathing heavily. There was still so much I needed to ask him, so much I needed to say, but he looked so frustrated and tired…

But it was true, my gut feeling had been right. The 'cold ones' existed, so the Legends were real. Everything was. That's why Billy had smiled at me that night at the bonfire, because he knew that his son was a shape-shifter and that eventually I'd know about it.

"… I have feelings in wolf-form," he said suddenly, answering the very last question in my letter. "You're still Nina, and I still care about you, and I'd do anything to protect you."

Touched by what he'd just told me, I gazed over at him as he lowered himself back down onto the armchair. My mouth opened, and the words I so desperately needed to tell him almost fell from my lips. Almost. However, I stopped myself from saying them before it was too late— I love you.

He sat there, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and face in his hands. Today had probably been a hard day for him; between going to school, me ignoring him, protecting his people in.. wolf-form and then having to deal with me when he badly needed his sleep.

Of course I couldn't make assumptions, maybe he didn't protect his people? He might just be a shape-shifter, nothing more to it, but somehow that didn't seem right.

Then I remembered that he'd said other people knew about him, Bella included.

"Jacob, those other people that know you're a shape-shifter-." The word felt weird on my tongue. "-who are they?."

With tired eyes, he slumped back against the sofa and smiled to himself. "My friends, Embry and Quil. My dad, Bella, Emily Young, Sam Uley and the rest of the guys… you know, the guys that are as big as me, you wouldn't know them by name since you're new here."

I gasped. "All those people? And how do they feel about it?."

"They're cool with it," he said, looking me in the eye. "They got used to it."

And I pushed him away, unlike everyone else. The guilt was eating away at me…

Throwing the sheet that lay over me, aside, I got up off the sofa and made my way over to him on shaky legs. I needed to tell him the main reason I came here, it was the only way we'd be able to move forward.

Yes, there were so many unanswered questions that I needed to ask but they could wait for another day. Tonight was about us, and about our friendship that I regretted letting go of. I just hoped he'd forgive me.

"Nina," he said slowly, confusion and wonder written all over his face as I approached him. "Are you OK?."

I shook my head, hands shaking by my sides as I stood in front of him. "There's so much we need to talk about but.. I didn't come here for that tonight."

Pushing himself to the edge of the armchair so that we were only inches apart, his eyes met mine and I could see the fear in them. "W-What-" he swallowed thickly. "-did you come here for?."

It didn't go unnoticed to me that he avoided all types of physical contact with me. There were moments when I'd think he was about to take my hands in his—like now— but he'd stop himself, which was completely against his affectionate nature.

"Jacob I… I'm sorry for the way I behaved that night, I shouldn't have treated you that way, you did nothing to deserve it and the guilt eats away at me everyday-."

"You tried to forget me Nina," he said sourly, cutting me off mid-sentence.

Hesitatingly, I reached out and pushed his long hair out of his face. "But I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Why would you want to forget me?," he asked brokenly, letting his guard down, revealing how upset he was about the whole situation.

"I didn't want to, I just thought it'd help me get over everything," I told him honestly, my fingers combing through his silky hair. "I was so afraid."

A shiver raked through his enormous body as I brushed off a spot behind his ear, leaving him at a loss for words. "But… I… Nee," he whispered as his eyelids grew heavy with pleasure. "I could've h-helped you."

To see such a strong man grow weak with just a simple brushing of behind his ear melted me and sent my heart into a frenzy. I loved everything about him, I'd touch him there one-million times if he wanted me to. Everything about him was just so perfect. I didn't deserve to know such a wonderful person.

Pressing my free hand to his cheek, I looked him deeply in the eyes. "That's what scared me the most, knowing that you could help me when I was too afraid to be alone with you. You have no idea how much I regret that."

"And you have no idea how much I was hurting," he said, a pained look on his face. "My life didn't feel worth living anymore."

"Don't say that," I squeaked, feeling more guilty than I'd ever felt as I stood before him. "You don't mean that, you've got so many people who care about you."

He chuckled darkly to himself, his eyes watery as they bore into mine. "You have no idea how important you are to me Nee. I would never ever lie to you, everything I say is the honest truth."

Normally, I'd find what he just said a little weird. We didn't even know each other that long, yet he said that his life didn't feel worth living without me around, but the funny thing was, I had felt exactly the same way.

My life had felt empty and cold without him, but I hadn't got the guts to tell him that. I hadn't even got the guts to tell him how we'd been having similar dreams. I was afraid of his reaction. Yet he wasn't afraid of mine.

His skin burned beneath my palm, reminding me of what he was— a shape-shifter. A beautiful one with the most wonderful personality and a heart of gold. There was no denying that I was in love with a mythical creature, and nothing could change that.

"Jacob I-." pausing, I raked my mind for the right words. Unfortunately they weren't coming easily.

"If you're here to give me a proper goodbye, then just get it over with," he said suddenly, through clenched teeth.

Panicking, I grabbed his face in my hands and let the words spill from my mouth. "Jacob I came here to tell you that I accept you, I accept what you are. I want you and I to be friends again, or else my life won't feel worth living either. I'm so so so sorry I hurt you, I'm an idiot for letting you go in the first place and I'll do anything for you to take me back, anything you-."

Then the breath was knocked out of me as I was scooped up into strong arms, soft lips kissing me slowly. Sensually. A scorching hand holding my head in place as an intoxicating musky scent invaded my nostrils. Dazing me.

Somehow I ended up on the sofa, except this time I was laying down with Jacob hovering on top of me as I panted beneath him. Attacking my neck with kisses, shivers ran up my spine. His touch making me feel things I'd never felt before.

Moving his soft lips up my jaw, my eyes grew wide as a hand grabbed my hipbone, pressing me into his muscularity. To be this close to him… to feel his body against mine like never before, both excited and terrified me-

My thoughts were cut short as my lips were claimed by his once again, in a hungry, heated kiss. The sweet taste of his breath hitting my tongue, weakening me, as though I was submitting to him somehow.

On their own accord, my hands moved up over his broad shoulders and wound themselves into his now dry, black locks of hair, the minty scent of his shampoo making itself known. Our lips moved together in perfect sync, yet there was something about the way Jacob kissed me. Something animalistic.

Maybe I should've stopped him, but I physically couldn't. I felt as though this wonderful man owned me, and that he could do whatever he wanted to me, when he wanted. It was such a powerful feeling, making the love I felt for him rush through my veins— Possessing me.

I was kissing Jacob Black. Jacob Black was kissing me. I loved him. I needed him. He was the man of my dreams. The man I was meant for. Without him I couldn't breathe. He was my oxygen. I'd do anything-

"Jake!," I gasped as I felt a sharpness rip through the sensitive skin of my neck. My hands latching onto his shoulders, shoving him away from me.

Jacob had just bitten me. Hard.

Moving his flushed face away from my neck, he stared down at me with wide, horrified eyes. "I didn't… I.. that… I'm sorry.. Nee."

The bite felt sore and bruised, and for just a second, I saw the wolf in Jacob. This wasn't normal behavior. Not to mention, if it looked as bad as it felt, it'd be on display for everyone to see. He shouldn't have done that.

"It hurts." I winced as I turned my head to the side, exposing the wound to him.

Jacob remained silent, examining the damage he had caused to my skin while his breathing turned shallow. So many emotions were rolling off of him, and I could tell he was ashamed by what he'd just done. Then, faster than I thought possible, he was no longer hovering above me but running out of the room in a hurry.

The sounds of pots clashing and a glass breaking told me he was in the kitchen.

"Nina?."

Jolting upwards at the sound of the deep voice, my face turned a crimson color as I met his eyes. "Billy."

A moment passed between us as his gaze zeroed in on the burning bite on my neck, a knowing look on his wise face. He didn't look too happy, in fact he looked something close to angry and without saying another word to me, he took off down the hall.

Due to the silence of the house, I could hear mostly everything Billy and Jacob said to each other.

"Jacob that was uncalled for."

Silence… "I got carried away."

"That's not good enough son, you have to control yourself."

"I just… I don't know what overcame me."

"You know what overcame you, that's why I'm asking you to control yourself. She's barely eighteen, and-." He paused. "-now is not the time for this conversation. But I suggest you take her home now, before anything else happens."

"Dad I wouldn't.. you know."

"Jacob you don't know that."

Tap water started running. "… mark… mine…"

I couldn't hear Jacob's whole sentence, but I probably wouldn't have understood what he meant anyway. Billy wasn't making any sense as it was, then again I hardly knew anything about Jacob when it came to his shape-shifting. Perhaps the animal in him did rear its ugly head earlier?

The thought left me feeling uneasy and a little frightened.

Pushing myself up off the sofa and straightening out my shirt, my heart fluttered at the memory of the kisses Jacob and I shared minutes ago. The fantasies and dreams I'd have of him never did him any justice. In real life, he was always much more perfect. And the fact that he accepted my apology by showing me affection, just made me love him even more.

"Nee," he breathed, making his way into the room and over to me. "Does it still hurt honey?."

I nodded as he held my cheek in one hand and pressed a damp cloth to the bite with the other. "That feels nice."

A pained look crossed his face as his gaze met mine. "I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot. I didn't even know what I was doing, it just happened. I'm so sorry."

"Jacob it's okay," I said softly, giving him a reassuring smile. "How bad does it look?."

"It looks…" he trailed off.

"Jacob?."

Pressing his forehead to mine, he took the cloth away from my skin. "I wish I could explain…"

"Explain what?," I asked confusedly.

"Things.. everything.. the bite." Leaning in, he pecked me on the cheek before pulling away completely. "We'll talk about everything soon, but I need to take you home now."

"Wait." I grabbed his hand. "When exactly is soon?."

Giving me that breathtaking smile, his eyes took on a mischievous look. "When you're ready."

"Ready?."

He just chuckled, leaving my question hanging in the air as he exited the room.

Jacob insisted on taking me home, so of course I let him have his way. The freaky part was how he'd driven my car and after kissing me lightly on the lips, made his way across the road into the darkness of the woods.

Yeah, totally normal.

I still wasn't happy about the fact that he was a shape-shifter, especially when I was alone, it made things scarier. He was part-animal and since I knew nothing about that side of him, I wondered whether he could lose control. Because I certainly wouldn't want to be in his presence when he changed.

Accepting him for what he was, was a big step for me to take in the first place and I was more than grateful that he'd given me a chance. But that didn't mean I liked how he was different to others, it was bazaar and quite frankly, scared the life out of me.

However I was in love with him, and the human side of Jacob was irreplaceable. He was the most wonderful, caring, beautiful person I'd ever met in my life and I wasn't willing to let him go. Not now, not ever.

Entering my bedroom on shaky legs—yes, he did that to me— I sat down at my dressing table and flicked my hair over my shoulder to reveal-

"Oh my god!," I gasped, horrified.

The bite he'd given me didn't look anything like it felt, it looked one-hundred times worse; It was an oval shaped bruise, with smears of red around it and Jacob's bite mark right in the middle. Both his upper and lower teeth had left their imprint on my skin. Leaving a very noticeable impression.

Staring at it, I realized that he'd marked me.

For what reason? I didn't know.

All I knew was that I needed answers.

Now.