Bella followed Jacob as he stumbled into the house. He still hadn't touched her. He was almost afraid to. The baby in his arms wriggled, snuggling closer, and Jacob looked down at him. His son. His whole body felt unbearably heavy, anchored to the earth by the tiny warm bundle of baby he still held. His wolf almost purred with satisfied contentment. He stepped into the house, the screen door slammed sharply behind him, and Jacob blinked in the low light of the kitchen. His pack was there, watching him with sharp eyes. He could smell their questions, their worry, their relief. And then there was Charlie, and Sue, and—

The familiar squeak of wheels and his father's low voice tugged something loose inside Jacob and he felt himself sink to his knees again, one arm still holding his baby, the other clutching his father close. "Dad." The word choked out of him. He suddenly felt small and tired and so heavy. "I'm sorry."

"No." Billy shook his head and wrapped his strong arms tighter around Jacob. Then Billy kissed the top of his head, like he used to, so many years ago, before everything around them fell apart. "You're my boy and you're home, and that's enough. No apologies."

Jacob nodded, and pulled in a shaking breath, trying to stand. But his legs wouldn't cooperate.

"Come on," Charlie's gruff voice said, almost in his ear. The older man had crossed from the kitchen into the living room. "Let's get you some clothes, Jake." Charlie helped him to stand, and then moved as if to take the baby.

"Don't!" It was sharp, almost a growl. Charlie flinched back, as if he'd been slapped. Jake straightened to his full height, his wolf growling beneath his skin. "Don't touch him."

Charlie blinked against the Alpha command, but held up his hands in front of him. For the first time in their acquaintance the chief looked at Jacob with a new respect in his expression. It was the way he looked at Billy, and Harry, and even Sam—like a man and an equal. His wolf bared it's teeth at the thought of Sam Uley, but Jacob held the impulse back. He would have to deal with his old Alpha. And soon.

"Jacob," Billy's voice was low and cautious. His sharp black eyes darted towards where Sue Clearwater had moved closer. "Son?"

"I...I'm sorry." Jacob shook his head, as if to clear it, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that no one should touch his baby. No one except—

"Something happened," Bella said softly. She stepped from behind him into the soft yellow light. "When Jacob saw the baby, he—something happened." She glanced up at him and her eyes softened in a way that almost hurt. "I felt it. It was like gravity sort of shifted," she said slowly, still holding Jacob's gaze. "And then…it re-centered."

"Around the baby?" Billy asked, his voice tight and tense.

She nodded. "And Jacob."

Billy shook his head, and looked at Bella curiously. Then he glanced sharply at his son. "Jake? Did you feel the same?"

"Yes." Jacob swallowed. "And more."

So much more. It was like the world had blurred at the edges, fading into a grayer version of itself, while Bella and their baby glowed in sharp, tangible color. mine. mine. mine. But there was an edge to this impulse. This was everything. Bella and his baby were everything in a way that sank into his bones.

"Imprinting." Billy sounded dazed. "He's imprinted."

"Is this another crazy wolfy-weird thing?" Charlie demanded. "Like the whole alpha-mate nonsense?"

"The council wasn't sure it was real." Billy's face was pale, but he was smiling, a soft look of awe lighting his whole expression. "We thought it was a legend."

"What is it?" Jacob demanded. He was so tired of wolf-things messing with his life. "What happened to me?"

"Not you, son." Billy's smile widened. "Baby Jake."

"That's great, Billy," Charlie growled. "Would you mind filling the rest of the class in?"

"Imprinting is a natural phenomenon, most commonly found in ducklings. It's nature's way of protecting infants," Billy explained. "Wolves—especially Quileute spirit wolves—are vicious predators. The body's fear response to a predator is instinctual. We can't help but be terrified, especially children." Billy smiled and looked at the small bundle Jacob still held. "With imprinting, little Jake will always know his father, even in wolf form. He won't ever be afraid of him."

Half a beat of silence. Then it seemed everyone in the room took a breath at once.

"So baby Jake is a little werewolf-duckling?" Seth asked, grinning. "That's so cool!"

Billy chuckled, "In a way."

"And what about my wolf?" Jacob asked hesitantly, his hands suddenly trembling.

"Your spirit wolf has claimed your son as his own pup. He can never hurt him, and neither can any member of the pack."

Relief rushed over Jacob, making his hands shake even harder. This couldn't be real. It was too easy and everything had been so hard for so long, he almost couldn't let himself trust this moment.

"We wouldn't," Leah Clearwater said, firm and low. She stepped closer. "Little Jake is pack."

Jacob raised his eyes and looked carefully at his pack. His family. They'd given everything for him, even as they suffered from his absence. Despite it all, here they were, standing with him when he needed them. He could smell his son all over them. Bella too. They trusted this ending. If nothing else, he knew he could trust them, even if he couldn't quite trust himself. It was time to finish this. Jacob took a breath and nodded at Leah. His pack needed their Alpha. He turned to Bella and held out their son. Her small hands slipped over his, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Jake?" she asked softly. He could smell the wave of worry and almost feel her heart begin to pound. "What is it?"

"Sam." He brushed a thumb over her hand before he let go. "This ends tonight."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Charlie demanded, his eyes darting back and forth between Jacob and the pack, who'd all moved towards the door, low growls filling the room. "What about Sam?"

"Charlie—"

"Nobody leaves until someone explains what the hell is going on now."

Jacob took a breath, but Bella laid her hand gently on his arm, stepping between them. Like she was protecting him. For once.

"Dad, don't," she said firmly. "It's just a wolf thing."

"Yeah, yeah, another fucking wolf-thing," the chief rolled his eyes, but he didn't try to stop the pack as they filed out the front door.

Jacob paused, the last to leave. Bella was still watching him. And she still stood between her father and him, cradling their baby in her arms. He could smell her worry sharpen, an acrid scent cutting across the softer smells of home, and pack, and his baby. He stared harder. It pulled at him. He stepped back towards her, suddenly desperate to make sure she was really there, that this whole thing wasn't a crazy stupid love-sick dream. He'd had those before; dreams where she loved him, where she stayed, where she was his and he was hers, building a life that he could lose himself in, happy and content for the first time in his whole damn life. He reached out, his fingers sliding into the mess of her hair, gripping it almost too tightly. She didn't flinch away and she didn't disappear. He took a step closer and bent, burying his nose in her hair. He breathed in deeply, her scent running through his body and soul like liquid fire. The honey smell that had always clung to her was there, and the strawberry-sage of her favorite shampoo was there too, and a tangle of emotions threading underneath something else—a woodsy brown smell of wolf. Jacob closed his eyes, frowning. It was so familiar to him, he'd almost missed it. She smelled like the pack. Like him.

mine.

Bella swallowed. "You'll come back."

Maybe she meant it as a question, but it came out as a command, soft, but firm. Like she wanted nothing more than for him to come back. To her. He felt the force of it shivering like an echo over his skin. It wasn't the same as when Sam had bent Jacob to his will. Still, Jacob almost expected his wolf to snarl in resistance, but all he felt was a purring agreement, and the tug of that new gravity, binding him to her and to his son. Jacob lifted his free hand and brushed his fingers through the downy black hair of their baby, still in awe. Every cell in his body seemed to exist for her, for the well-being of this new human, and for their little family. It almost scared him. He would kill for them, die for them, do whatever it took to protect them, be whatever they needed.

"Jake?"

"I'll come back." He tightened his grip on her hair, and pressed his eyes closed. He listened to her breath, her heartbeat as they mingled with the quick shallow breaths and fluttering heartbeat of their son. He would always come back to her.

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

She sighed, her relief like a warm brush across his skin. She didn't shrink back or pull away from him. She simply waited until he was ready to let go. When he finally untangled his fingers from her hair, she grabbed his hand. "Be safe."

He nodded.