Chapter 12 - Jared

I stood there and watched as Bella pulled out of my driveway. As she drove away, I could feel a tug in my chest. I knew that it was the imprint. I just didn't know why. I knew the moment she left the Reservation because my wolf started getting antsy. I ran off the front porch and headed for Sam's house. I needed to know about this feeling that I was having. When I got to Sam's he was sitting on the front porch with Emily. "Jared? What's wrong?" He asked me.

"There's a tug in my chest." I said. "My wolf is antsy."

"Bella went home?" He asked me and I nodded. "You're feeling the separation."

"What do I do?" I asked him.

"What do you want to do? Rather what does your wolf want to do?" He asked me.

I thought about it for a minute. My wolf needed to make sure that she was okay. "My wolf needs to make sure that she's okay. I need to see her. Breathe in her scent." I said.

"Then go to her. Just remember, Charlie doesn't know about us. Try not to scare him when you go up there." Sam told me. I nodded.

I stepped off his porch and immediately phased. I ran to Bella's. When I approached her house, I could hear Charlie in the living room snoring with the tv on and the upstairs shower running. I climbed the tree right outside her window and made my way inside. I calmed a little bit, just by being in her room.

I heard the shower cut off. It wasn't long after that Bella walked into her room. "What are you doing here?" She asked me. She looked damn sexy in just the towel that she had wrapped around her body.

"As soon as I felt you leave the reservation my wolf started going crazy. Sam tried to calm me down, telling me that it was normal. The second I left his house, I phased. The next thing I know I'm outside your house. My wolf had to know that you were okay." I said looking down at the floor.

I heard her cross the room and she lifted my chin so that I was looking into her eyes. "And am I?" She asked me.

I could feel the wolf trying to surface. I grabbed her hips and gently pulled her to me. I wrapped my arms around her and immediately went to smell her hair. It smelled just like it did earlier in the day but at the same time it smelled even better. Once I felt calm again, I released her and took a step back. "You are." I said.

"You okay now?" She asked me. I nodded. I couldn't find the words that I wanted to say. "Let me get dressed, okay?" She said and I nodded before I turned around and looked out the window. A few minutes later, I heard, "You can turn around now." I turned back to look at her. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of short sleep shorts. She looked amazing. "Are you staying?" She asked me.

"I don't think I can go home. The pull to be near you was too great after you left." I said.

She nodded. "I know what you mean. The further I got away from you the more pain I felt in my chest. I almost called you. I didn't want to seem needy though." She said, looking down at the floor.

I crossed the room to her, cradling her face in my hands making her look up at me. "Don't ever be afraid to tell me that you need me. It's you and I forever, Bella. You are my everything. My world. My future." I told her and it was the truth. In the short time since I'd imprinted on her, I could picture our future together…I could see us living together, getting married, someday having kids. I wanted it all with her.

There were a few tears running down her face. I reached up and wiped them with my thumbs. Then she managed to surprise me. She stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. When she did, I felt the imprint bond shift again. She'd made the decision that she wanted a romantic relationship with me. I wouldn't bring it up until she did, but I knew that I loved her. I'd felt it when I watched her drive away from me earlier. It didn't take me long to respond to her kiss. I gently pulled her closer to me. I needed to feel as much of her as I possibly could. When I realized that we both needed to breathe I released her from the kiss. "Wow." She said, her breaths short.

"Yeah." I said, staring into her eyes.

"Come on. We should get some sleep." She said pulling me over to her bed.

I laid on my back and she snuggled into my side. She laid her head on my chest while I wrapped an arm around her. "You know we're gonna have to figure something out. I can't spend all my nights up here with you, cause some of them I'll have to patrol and I'm sure that Charlie's not gonna be okay with you spending all your nights down on the Rez." I told her.

"Actually…Uncle Quil found me a solution. I was gonna keep it as a surprise but I can feel how worried you are about it." She said.

"What is it?" I asked.

She leaned up and looked at me. "Uncle Quil has rented me the apartment above Joy's store. He's paying my rent and the council will pay me for digitizing the archives." She told me.

"Your moving to the Rez?" I asked her and she nodded.

It was the best news that I'd heard all day. I quickly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to me, crashing my lips to hers. "That's incredible. I mean it would be better if you were living with me but I know that you're not ready for that." I said.

She laid back on my chest and sighed. "Just give me time Jared." She said.

"All the time you need." I said, before we drifted off to sleep.