Jacob POV
The nights were beautiful in our little corner of the earth. The bright stars and the glow of the moon on the water was a welcome sight after the chaos of the day. The pack had performed well, taking down the vampire in the meadow with ease. I could feel the energy and the elation of our first kill on everyone's minds.
There was a new energy coursing through my veins that was not from our success, but from something entirely different. It felt fresh, alive, carefree, three emotions I hadn't felt since I first phased. I wasn't complaining, the feeling was like drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day. But why?
I phased back and made my way to the section of cliff that was dedicated to my peace and sanity. Even before becoming a wolf, I would come here to clear my mind. It was the most peaceful spot on the reservation. The cliffs overlooking the water were the perfect spot to stargaze and listen to the crashing of the waves against the rocks.
"Jacob?"
I turned to see Sam walking up to where I sat. It barely even registered that he knew where to find me. I had gone to great lengths to keep this place a secret, but right now, it hardly mattered that he was here, the calm feeling was too strong to allow anything else in.
"Hey Sam, I'll be ready for patrol in an hour, I'm just decompressing, you know?" I said with a laugh, It was a strange sound to hear from my lips. I put my hands behind my head and laid down on my back to look at the stars.
"Oh, yeah, no worries, it's fine. I just wanted to come talk with you about what happened earlier. I have to say, I wasn't expecting that." He sat down next to me and hung his legs over the edge.
"Well, I mean we have been working on our team building exercises. Quil and I were doing trust falls just yesterday."
Sam turned to me with a strange expression on his face.
"I meant what happened with Bella…"
I chuckled, "I know, I would be more pissed that she put herself in danger like that if I wasn't so amazed she actually made it that far out there alone. Every time we try to hike together, it's usually me that's leading. The girl doesn't have the slightest sense of direction."
Strange silence hung in the air, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the loud ass cicadas. After a few more moments of silence, I sat up and looked at Sam.
He was staring at me with confusion, like I wasn't making any sense.
"What?" I said in an accusatory tone.
"Jacob, how are you feeling right now?"
"Uhh, pretty good. Excellent actually, haven't felt better in days. I think the adrenaline from earlier is still coursing through me. It feels like I don't have a worry in the world which is strange because, well you know. There's a lot going on."
Sam continued to give me a confused but knowing look. He picked up a rock and started turning it over and examining it. Weird, Sam wasn't the type to get nervous.
"Uh, Jacob. There's no easy way to say this but, earlier in the meadow I recognized something in your mind. A shift, it's the same one I felt when I imprinted on Emily…." he trailed off.
I looked at him with a blank expression. My mind suddenly started processing at hyperspeed.
Today in the meadow, that weird dizzy spell, the one that came suddenly and felt like a shift in gravity. I walked into the meadow and suddenly my whole world flipped upside down. What was that?
"Jacob, you walked into that meadow and saw Bella." Sam was clearly trying to help me come to this realization on my own without actually speaking the words. But it was too much, it couldn't be.
I had walked out into that meadow and saw Bella for the first time since I phased and my whole world changed. No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen!
"...I….imprinted on Bella..?" I said weakly.
For the second time that night Sam looked at me with strange confusion in his eyes.
"I thought you would be happy. Now you can tell her anything, or everything if you want. Nothing has to be kept from an imprint."
The feeling of calm that seemed to be radiating through my bones kept me from exploding in anger, but it wasn't enough to ease it entirely.
"Is it too much to expect for one thing in my life to be normal? She will hate this, being magically attached to me! It's not fair for her or for me. Look what it did to you and Leah!" I spat in anger, knowing deep down I was directing my anger at the wrong person.
"I wanted to do everything right. I wanted to take her out on dates and fall in love naturally. And if in the end she didn't want me, that was okay because it was her choice. Now that choice has been taken from both of us!" My anger was rising, and even the calm energy couldn't ease it. I felt myself trembling, the telltale sign that I was in danger of phasing right on the spot.
Bella would never forgive me for this.
I choked out a sob and stood up quickly making my way towards the forest, I only made it halfway before I phased.