JACOB

He walked through the front door and tossed his shreds that were once his clothes into a basket by the door: his bin for clothing he forgets to remove before he phased into a large russet wolf. His naked form trudges into the kitchenette, grabs a glass, and flips on the tap. He looks out the window above his sink where the lush blanket of green that is the forests edge of the La Push Reservation. Thick sheets of rain started moments after he stepped inside his cabin and the thought of running back outside crosses his mind to feel the cold relief of the rain on his skin.

Several raps on the door broke his concentration.

"Jake?" The familiar deep tone of Seth Clearwater muffled by the sound of the rain and wind. "Hey man, can I come in?"

Guess I'll be social Jake today. Jake thought as he found a spare set of sweatpants lying over the back of the loveseat. He quickly slips them on before answering the door.

Seth was soaking wet and had a pair of ripped-up shorts on and nothing else. He had grown substantially in the past few years and instead of a young curious kid, he looked more like a grown man with a shadow of a beard and jet-black hair that touched his shoulders.

"Hey Jake," he walked into the cabin, water steaming from his near 104-degree skin. He plopped down on the couch as Jake threw him a towel hanging on the coatrack by the door.

"What's up Seth." Jake turned and leaned against the sink. Seth stretched out his legs on the coffee table and his arms along the length of the back of the loveseat.

"Just thought I'd come see my bro. It's been a minute." He said casually, but Seth had a knack for being a terrible liar. Jacob's lips stretch into sarcastic smile.

"Sure, you did bud." Taking a drink of his water. Seths eyebrows arched in mocking surprise.

"You wound me. Can't I come to see you because I miss you?" Seth scoffs as he leans forward slightly.

"No." Jake says laughing back. To be honest, this is the most Jake has smiled or laughed in about a year.

Seth flashed a bright toothy smile back as he leaned back into the couch again.

"Okay, well, in all honesty, I'm worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were still alive. It's been months since you've been at a pack meeting, or been to a get together with the guys…"

"Oh, I'll bet Leah loves you using that turn of phrase." Jake smirks.

Seth shrugged and continued. "It's been a year, man. We miss you. If this is about…"

"Don't…" Jake cut him off, a hard edge to his tone. His eyes sharp as he looked at Seth with clear warning.

Seth held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry man, I just…I get it, okay?"

"Yeah, I seriously doubt that." Jake takes a few short steps to his fridge to grab a soda. Flashes of long mahogany hair and liquid gold eyes pass behind his eyes as he snaps the top of his drink. "What do you want Seth?" Jake barks, taking a sip.

Seth puts his feet back on the floor, his elbows on his knees. "Just to check in on you."

See if you've seen her yet…

Jake stood very still as Seth's thought slinked through his brain.

"What?" Jake said, stepping into the living room to stand in front him.

Seth licked his lips and smiled cautiously this time. "Yeah. Um…I was running by the Cullen estate this morning, to say hi to Emmitt and…I saw her." His eyes were bright and sincere. There was a dull ache in Jake's chest that felt like something had just stirred to life for the first time in a year.

Jake set down his soda and headed straight for the door briefly hearing a shuffling of footsteps behind him as he set out into the woods, Seth audibly ambling up to go after him.

"Jake, hey wait up!" Seth yelled after him as Jake took off in a run, the cold rain hitting his skin and evaporating into steam as he began to run. The rain piercing and stinging his face as his speed increased. He began to sprint, and a rush of heat surged through his body as he felt the phase begin to take over. A sound like thundering water in his ears, feeling his whole body turn to fire and with a pop he phased into his russet wolf.

Jake! Wait! I need to tell you something!

He ran as fast as could to get away from Seth. The world around him a smattering of green and gray as he ran through the forest, hearing the faint calls of Seth as he went, erecting walls around his mind to try and keep out the prodding thoughts of the wolves and Edward. A clever and useful ability taught to him by Bella.

Before long he was at a ridge overlooking the Cullen property. He saw the familiar modern home nestled in a barricade of tall trees with the Volvo and the Jeep parked in front. When he eyed a familiar black Tesla, his heart picked up in pace. His eyes danced around the windows and doors, searching for mahogany hair…

"J?" A soft voice whispered from behind him, and his breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't want to turn, just in case it was a dream, and he would wake up soon after with bitter disappointment. So, he stood there breathing slowly, waiting for the moment his eyes opened and he'd be in bed again.

A soft footfall, barely noticeable to any human ears treaded towards him.

It's me. He felt tickle across his brain and then he spun around. This was a new addition to his dream; she wasn't telepathic in the others. His knees buckled as he took her in.

Her mahogany hair flowed to her mid back and her eyes glowed gold and amber like he remembered but she was now taller, with full lips, breasts and hips, his eyes lingered for a moment longer than necessary on the lean musculature of her legs. It didn't help break his staring that she wore tight black shorts and a white t-shirt that was completely saturated by the rain, revealing the outline of her lace blue bra underneath.

He shook his head, trying to scramble the intrepid thoughts sinking into his mind and walked past her, through the cloud of her sweet scent: honeysuckle, vanilla and pepper. He kept walking to create some distance but still felt her close behind, not daring to allow the walls to faulter in case she could do exactly what her father could and would do to his brain.

Please. He heard her whisper like a ribbon of silk gliding across his brain and landing over his chest, surrounding his heart in warmth that he wasn't used to.

He hesitated for moment but then let the top of his walls crumble very briefly and allowed a thought slither through the cracks. How?

Dad taught me. He felt the smoothness of her voice slink into his brain. More movement in the trees ahead and Seth as his wolf and the towering form of Emmett appeared. Trailing behind was another vampire and Jacob immediately placed himself between her and the stranger, a low growl emitting from his chest.

"Chill, Jake. It's only Nessie's boyfriend, Josh." Emmett bellowed from across the trees.

Jacob's stance faltered at his statement, feeling his heart squeeze in his chest. She had a 'boyfriend'? He tried to breath as he saw the stranger more clearly. The vamp kid, Josh, looked like a kid you would roll your eyes at when ordering a coffee in the city. Long blonde hair fastened in a douchey man bun, with a hoodie, designer jeans, and sneakers that were caked with mud.

Jake scoffed audibly.

"It's Ren, Emmett, remember?" Renesmee projected out across the trees; her eyes narrowed. Her voice was still gentle but with an edge of warning and mild irritation.

Emmett shrugged passively and continued closing the gap with Seth and the douchey blonde 'boyfriend'.

Ren? Jake thought, daring a glance back to her briefly. He regretted it. A patch of sunlight broke through the clouds and set her hair aflame, and her skin sparkled like diamonds. Her eyes shone like gold as she met his eyes and he struggled to stay standing.

"I prefer it to Nessie." He was transfixed by the movement of her full mouth, briefly imagining putting his lips over them, brushing his tongue over them, tasting them, savoring them slowly, gently nipping her lower lip...

Fuck, stop. He thought behind his walls, hoping she wasn't prodding around his mind to hear him. He tore his eyes away and tried to shake off his arousal.

Douchey blonde walked over to Renesmee and kissed her gently on the cheek when they arrived and Jake feigned indifference as he looked at Seth, staring intently at him.

I tried to tell you, but you just took off man. Jake sighed, a bitter mix of frustration and longing swirled around his chest.

He could feel Renesmee looking over at him, tapping gently at the walls of his mind, but Jacob was already shutting down from the entire interaction. The thought of watching her with this coffee shop dickwad made him want to throw up.

He looked at her and willed out a single thought before the walls began to fracture.

I'm happy for you.

Her brows pulled together, and she turned to look at him as his mind began to seal back up again.

I've missed you. He felt her send back to him. The walls of his chest cracked as he took in her diamond light, her intoxicating scent and he decided this was enough…too much really. If she had a boyfriend, then she found what she wanted, and he didn't need to sit around and watch them paw all over each other. He'd rather fucking not.

Jacob began to saunter back to the tree line, feeling the lot of them watch him as he went, feeling both Seth and 'Ren' push as hard as they could, but his walls remained. He should make sure to thank Bella again for helping him learn to master such an priceless skill of keep people out of his head.