Lost and Found

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Seventy Three-Fate Worse than Death

Jacob and Ephraim ran for miles. The light winds ruffled their fur as they weaved their way between the large boles of the trees. Both of them gave themselves over to their wolf as their senses became heightened. Their hearing was sharper, which enabled them to hear the smallest creature moving restlessly amongst the undergrowth. Their eyesight was keener, which meant they could pick out the smallest bugs buzzing around in the air. Jacob had never felt so alive before. He felt really attuned with his surroundings. He couldn't describe the feeling of being at one with nature. He had never allowed his wolf to have complete control before, had in fact been afraid to do so, as if by letting his russet counterpart take over completely, he would somehow lose the man inside. But Ephraim had taught him that was not the case. Jacob was still in control; instead he had mentally taken a step back and allowed his own senses to be enhanced by his wolf.

The two wolves slowed their pace as they came upon a body of water. It was surrounded by some of the tallest trees in the forest. Because the woodland was much denser they were sheltered from the wind. As they broke through the foliage they stopped at the water's edge, bending their heads to the mirrored surface as they slaked their thirst. It was some time before they were both fully satisfied. Ephraim was the first to phase back into his human form, with Jacob following more slowly. Jacob felt the loss of his extra senses as soon as he breathed the air as himself again. The rush he had been enjoying had gone. He could see how letting himself become as wild as the wolf inside could become addictive.

Ephraim sat down in front of the lake and waited for Jacob to join him. It was so quiet and peaceful. The insects buzzed around on the water's surface, occasionally causing a ripple. A few times he noted bubbles drifting to the surface as a fish darted about near the top and then dived back down to the safety of the muddy bottom. "Everything feels so much more alive here, doesn't it?" Ephraim said as he gestured toward the lake.

"Rather like you." Jacob pointed out astutely as he sat next to his new mentor. "I have refrained from asking, but how can you still be alive."

Ephraim's face became grave as he turned to look at his reflection in the mirrored surface of the lake. He took in the few lines that marred his smooth complexion. There was no grey in his hair and he had the build of a man in his prime, yet he was probably older in years than the trees that surrounded this lake. "I was wondering when you would finally ask."

"I sensed you didn't want to divulge much, not in front of all of us." Jacob revealed. Unlike his brothers, he had a closer connection to his ancestor and could read his moods. They had the same blood running through their veins which inextricably linked them.

Ephraim picked at the tall grass and began to peel the long strips apart with his nimble fingers as he began to weave it into the shape of a crown. "There is much your elders have not told you. I am alarmed at the limited knowledge you do have."

"They thought they were acting in our best interests." Jacob replied irritably. "They didn't trust that we could handle the full truth. Instead their decision has caused nothing but chaos and resentment. We all phased so young."

"Yes, and there lies the anomaly. I have never witnessed such a thing." Ephraim finished weaving his grass crown and threw it into the water, causing the smooth surface to ripple outwards, scattering his reflected image to the four winds.

"None of your pack changed young?" Jacob dared to ask.

"No. We were all around sixteen or so." Ephraim sat back, leaning on his elbows as his mind drifted back to his past. It was painful thinking about his own brothers. They had given up their wolves long ago. They wanted a chance at a normal life and he had not stopped them. They had married and wanted to live out their lives next to the women they loved. But for Ephraim it had been a different story, and as he covertly studied the young boy sitting beside him, he worried how Jacob would take the news that he was about to reveal.

"You want to know how it is that I can still be alive." Ephraim couldn't hide the bitterness in his tone. Jacob frowned as he turned to look at the older man. He immediately became tense. Ephraim noticed his reaction and sighed heavily. "What do you know of imprinting, Jacob?"

Jacob recited everything that Old Quil had told him about it. His tension eased and his eyes shone with love as he revealed he had already met his other half. He waxed lyrical about Bella and how much he loved her, which had nothing to do with their special bond. He spoke about her grace and beauty, her deep compassion for others and her ability to calm him when life ground him down. Jacob told Ephraim about the day they first met when they were very young, and that he had known even then that Bella was someone special. He had carried that moment in his heart his whole life and every day he thanked the spirits that Bella had come into his life, she was his inner strength, she grounded him. Without her influence in his life, he wouldn't strive as hard as he did to be a better man.

Ephraim listened to Jacob in silence. The more Jacob spoke about his love for Bella, the heavier his heart became. Finally Jacob stopped speaking, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had gone on so long. "Sorry about that." He apologised.

"Never apologise for loving someone. Your Bella sounds very special indeed." Ephraim sat forward again and looped his strong arms around his legs as he stared out at the water. "I have had five imprints throughout my lifetime, Jacob." He confessed. "But even though I was loyal to them while they lived, I never loved any of them."

Jacob felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Ephraim spoke. His words echoed around Jacob's head. Five imprints, he hadn't loved any of them while they lived. "What are you trying to tell me?" He choked out.

Ephraim's dark eyes met Jacob's. His face was full of empathy as he caught the anxious tone behind the younger boy's question. "I was the Alpha, Jacob. My brothers could give up their wolves and live a normal life span as long as I allowed it. But I was not given that same choice. My wolf can never be banished. The Alpha blood runs strong in my veins as it does yours. We are kept alive; we are kept young and strong so we can pass on the gene for future generations. It's the way it always has been. I was never told this fact. It was kept secret from me until I lost my first imprint. I had to watch my brother's die one by one. They all died happy by the sides of the women they had chosen to love, and surrounded by the families they had created. I was never given this grace. Of course I had progeny of my own. My sons grew up to be fine men and my daughters were beautiful and hardy women. I met my second imprint and I had more children. I tried to live with the cards that fate had dealt me. But when my firstborn children began to die and I was forced to remain as I was, I couldn't stomach it anymore. I stayed by my second imprint's side until she too perished, then when my second born children were grown, I left La push for good."

Jacob listened to Ephraim's story in horrified silence. His mind was filled with Bella, and what this meant for both of them. Surely this couldn't be his fate, forced to remain as he was right now, while Bella grew old before his eyes and eventually died. He felt sick inside. He couldn't handle it. This wasn't what he had signed up for. If Bella died then he knew he couldn't go on without her. He didn't want to imprint over and over. He wanted a normal life, that's what he had been fighting for. He wanted to marry Bella, have children, and watch those children grow up and marry themselves, and then watch the cycle carry on with his grandchildren. Jacob wanted to grow old, and when his time was up, he would leave this earth with Bella by his side.

"After my second imprint died and I left La Push, I wandered restlessly around Washington state for a while. My head was a mess. I was so angry. I had never asked for this and raged at the unfairness of it all. My life was empty and so pointless. I met my third imprint two months after I left La Push. I was devastated at being chained once again to a stranger I never would have chosen. She was from the Makah reservation. I stayed loyal to her, but flatly refused to have more children. Unfortunately she was sickly and died two years after we crossed paths. Then fate forced me to wander some more. I won't go into where I went and what happened to me through those dark years as I roamed aimlessly around. I met both my other imprints during this time and as I said remained loyal to them, but when each one passed it took a further toll on me. Then one day I came across Carlisle Cullen again when I travelled to Italy and my life took another turn."

Jacob was barely listening now. His head was reeling. He was finding it hard to accept, that as the Alpha, he was going to be forced to share the same fate as Ephraim. The thought of outliving Bella made him want to curl up and die. It couldn't happen, he wouldn't let it happen. But how was he to prevent it. His dark eyes burned with a frenzied light as he glared at his ancestor and practically growled out his question. "You said you let your brothers banish their wolves and live out normal lives. You could do the same for me. You could release me from this fate."

Ephraim's expression turned dark as he locked eyes with his younger counterpart. He saw the desperation in Jacob's face; he could smell it pouring from the pores of his skin. "There is a reason I came back here now, Jacob. First because there is a new danger threatening our lands and I needed to make sure you were all prepared to face it, and secondly because of you."

"Me." Jacob echoed him dully.

"You are the new Alpha, Jacob." Ephraim stated coolly. "My time is almost at an end. I never understood that I was forced to remain alive until the next true Alpha was born and I could finally relinquish my wolf. I heard your wolf calling to mine. When you took up your birth right and accepted your destiny I finally knew my time had come. I am here to pass on the knowledge that I have accumulated during my lifetime. I am here to pass the torch onto you."

"I don't want it." Jacob said fiercely as he leapt to his feet. "I will not be forced to wander the earth like you did just to keep the gene pool alive until the next pack appears to defend our lands again. That could take centuries. I will not live while Bella and everyone else I love dies. I won't."

Ephraim rose to his feet and stood in front of Jacob. The power play between them was so apparent even the wildlife was affected. The birds began to shriek as they rose up from their roosts and took off wildly into the air. The smooth surface of the lake vibrated, causing ripples. The fish swam agitatedly below the surface while the mammals running along the ground and living in the trees began to move restlessly. Nearby Jacob's brothers felt the charge, like an undercurrent of electricity and were disturbed. One by one they phased into their wolf forms and howled as they called for their leader. Sam paused in his journey back to La Push and stared up at the darkening sky. He noted the odd behaviour of the birds and the strange movement of the animals. Like the other members of the pack he felt the call from his Alpha to join him. Sam growled as his human form shimmered and he morphed into his black wolf. His howls joined his brothers, but unlike them he didn't rush to join his leader, he sprinted for La Push.

A/N-thanks for reading!