Jacob stared at the underside of the bunk, his eyes tracing the details of the plywood in the dark, over and over. His wolf was restless, pacing the cage of Jacob's skin. It wanted out. Jacob refused to move. His wolf was always pacing, nudging him back home, back to La Push, back to Bella. Ever since he'd mated her, his wolf wanted her nearby. The only thing that distracted it was the hunt, and there were no more distractions now.
"She's not there." He muttered, and turned firmly onto his stomach. Talking to his wolf always made him feel slightly crazy. As if his life wasn't already peppered with the unbelievable, here he was talking to a wolf spirit that inhabited his body because he'd inherited some crazy shapeshifting gene. "You're a fucked up mess, Jacob Black. Why not add certifiably insane to the list?" His wolf growled, and shoved at him again. Harder. Jacob felt his skin vibrating. He took a deep breath, held it, focusing his mind.
Bella.
The wolf bared its teeth and Jacob tightened his fists. mine. mine. mine.
"Shut. Up."
He didn't sleep that night and he didn't dare allow his wolf out, to run off steam. So he laid in the dark waiting for dawn. His wolf whined with anxiety, tugging and pulling at him. bella. bella. bella.
Jacob was wound tighter than a rusty spring, when night slowly slipped into morning. His wolf paused its pacing. Jacob held his breath.
273 days.
Bella
mine. mine. mine.