This Chapter has been edited and revised
Jacob's Pov
"Relax, Jake. You're scaring the freshman." Embry observed my tense stance.
Easy for him to say. He hadn't imprinted yet, and I hadn't seen her all morning.
I glowered over my friend's heads, scanning the student body.
The ones that accidentally locked eyes with me ducked their head and scurried away.
"Come on. Let's head inside. It's about to rain." Embry sniffed the air again, and the guys circled with him.
"I'll be another minute." I lingered behind them, taking my time in case I caught a glimpse.
I didn't see her, and I waited until the second bell.
Seth saved me a seat. This was going to be annoying.
By the look on Embry's face, he felt the awkwardness of being held back a year, too.
Classes dragged on. I did my best but felt confined, rigid, and distracted.
I was so used to prowling around for hours and days that staying seated and staring at a board of information took some additional effort.
Another period later, I began worrying about whether Layla was attending this school.
"Maybe it's better this way." He whispered.
I shot Embry a look while a quiet, low, annoyed growl erupted from my throat. He stomped on my foot.
I had to start coughing to cover up the inhuman sound.
"Do we have a problem, Mr. Black?" "No." I frowned as Mrs. Goff turned around for the remaining lesson.
"I mean for your studies, idiot," Embry whispered lowly.
Time ticked on. Each teacher was the same. Syllabus, class rules, lecture, lesson, repeat.
When lunch hour finally rolled around, I practically bounded out of my seat.
"Jacob Black." The teacher called me aside, just like the others. Here came the lecture on the importance of attendance.
Bonus irritation points for asking how I was doing since my face was plastered on all those flyers Charlie passed out to the public.
The pack had to rip them down repeatedly, but I was sure some still floated around somewhere.
I tried to retain a complacent face."-Don't expect my class to be easy."
"Sure, sure." "All exams have been rewritten, and I'll be eyeing your work carefully for any repeats."
"Okay. Can I go now?" I impatiently inched towards the door. "Go ahead."
The next wave of students blocked my path to the cafeteria.
I almost ran over everyone on my way there when I caught Layla's scent.
"She's here." I smiled, relieved.
"Jeez, Black." "If he keeps eating, maybe he'll reach seven feet." I ignored the passing jibes.
Following my imprint's scent trail, I rounded the fruit stand and then headed for the outside—to an empty space.
Was I imagining things? No one was out here.
Then I heard the sounds of someone eating coming from around the corner.
On the ground against the wall, Layla sat eating an apple.
Surprised, she looked up at me with large, dark brown eyes. I froze, staring at how beautiful she was to me.
"Jake? What's up?" Embry interrupted. I glanced back, irritated at him for interrupting.
"She's here," I answered in Quileute. "Where?"
When I looked, she was gone—nothing but the mostly eaten apple rolling on the ground where she had sat with a sweatshirt with the same irresistible scent as my imprint.
Layla's Pov
The woman at the main office took forever to create a schedule for me. I had made it in time for Spanish.
I placed a note on the teacher's desk without saying a word and took an empty seat up front.
The teacher seemed surprised to see me when he turned around from the board but didn't make a big deal about it.
During the remaining lecture, I could feel my peers' gaze boring into the back of my head.
I counted down the minutes until the bell rang again.
When they got up in a rowdy haste, realization struck. I had not been through enough classes to make friends yet.
I wouldn't have anyone to sit with during lunch hour.
Was I doomed to sit awkwardly alone? I collected my things slowly, following the masses to the lunch hall.
Was new girl syndrome real, like how I've seen it horribly depicted on TV?
The image of eating lunch in the girl's bathroom seemed gross and unhygienic. Maybe I could hide in the library for a while longer.
My stomach growled, disrupting that plan. I might as well see where the cafeteria was.
Letting other students proceed, I hovered the entryway, peeking inside.
The room was shaped like a giant trapezoid. The base opened up for seating, where the top had two angled lines into the serviced kitchen.
Those two lines were separated by the saddest excuse of a salad bar I've ever seen. It looked like a tiny, deserted island beside an abandoned fruit stand.
That's what I had to work with.
Some students pointed in my direction, whispering. I casually made my way across the spacious room.
There were no cashiers here, which was strange.
I hoped the apple I took off the cart and the bottled water I plucked from the counter wouldn't be considered stolen.
When I turned for the empty tables, a second wave of students descended into the room, blocking my path.
A neon red exit sign caught my eye. On the other side of the glass door, beneath it held a small patio area.
Luckily, no one was out there, and it wasn't raining yet. No one seemed compelled to stop me as I pushed the door open to the cool air.
I took a seat on the metal-wired bench and consulted my cell phone. EJ had texted me.
'Thanks! I hope all is well with you, too. My family wouldn't stop taking pictures this morning. It was embarrassing because no one else was doing it.'
I humorously rolled my eyes at his formal text, relating to him about my morning with Syd and the office. Hopefully, he'd feel less alone, too.
After a while, I felt eyes on me through the glass.
Feeling like an animal trapped in a zoo, I rounded the brick corner and sat down in the grass for a moment of privacy.
My folded-up sweatshirt acted like a cushion, blocking the dew from seeping into the back side of my jeans.
The tree line across the open field behind the school looked enchantingly green, and the canopy of moss-draped elegantly over the branches, creating pockets of dark tunnels into the deeper parts.
I let my imagination run wild to give me a short reprieve from the anxiety.
There must be dozens of places to hike around here. Maybe it would be fun to explore and document each trail.
Ashley had been asking for pictures since my departure anyway. I wonder what she and our friend group are doing now.
The apple in my hands suddenly seemed unappetizing.
My vegetarian needs would not be so easily met here. I would have to consult the cookbook or pull some recipes offline.
Then, there was the matter of teaching myself how to cook. I forced another bite of the apple to fuel myself.
A long, dark shadow covered me. I lifted my eyes to see a tall, handsome boy.
We held a prolonged gaze for a considerably long moment. Somehow, he seemed familiar. What was his name?
Embry? No, that was the boy with the white truck. Quil? No, he was shorter and much more talkative.
Maybe I didn't know him, and I was making things awkward.
From how he was built physically, he had to be an athlete, most likely a senior.
My face flushed, realizing I was scrutinizing him.
I looked down to the grass, immediately embarrassed by my lame arrangement on the ground.
"Hey, Jake!" Another boy's voice caught his attention.
When the tall one looked at his friend Embry, I grabbed my bag and ran in the opposite direction.
I'd find another entrance into the school and carry on with my day like he hadn't found me.
Entering the empty biology lab, lined with black countertops and pine cabinets, I made my way to a middle table and chose a seat by a window.
"Layla?" A timid, husky voice called for my attention.
My eyes widened into saucers to see the ridiculously tall, good-looking guy who found me outside.
"You left your sweatshirt," he said, handing it to me.
His large, warm hands grazed mine, sending magnetic shocks up my arm. I visibly flinched, tugging my sleeve down.
"Thank you," I murmured, finally recognizing him to be the one in the back of Embry's truck the night I rolled in.
He was considerably cleaner, with a fresh haircut and new clothes.
"No problem." Jacob took a seat next to me, out of all the open tables and chairs.
The inevitable question came. "What were you doing outside?"
"I needed some fresh air." I wished he hadn't asked, and I had a better excuse for my seclusion.
"Are you not feeling well?" He asked, more concerned than a stranger should.
His black eyes didn't hold the judgment I thought they would.
"I'm fine." More students filed in around us as the change of classes ended.
I looked away, realizing I was staring at him again.
"You could sit at our table next time." Jacob offered. The acceptance made me lower my guard as I considered his offer.
With a loud clammer, a boy in front of me turned to lean on my portion of the table. He seemed to have a high opinion of himself as he intentionally flexed his unimpressive arms and leaned toward me.
"It's the new girl from Spanish. I didn't have a chance to say, Hola Bonita." He winked at me and then grinned broadly.
Overconfident jock. What kind of person wore their jersey on the first day?
I thought I heard Jacob suck in a sharp breath.
"We didn't see you at lunch." His friend leaned in as well.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Being new, I didn't have the option to push them away.
"I decided to have a look around." I fibbed through a polite smile.
"I'm Chayton; this is-" "Elu, but my friends call me Rivers." Elu took over the conversation.
He had long jet-black hair woven into double braids and had sharper facial features than his friend.
The overconfidence in his looks seemed to diminish his appearance to me.
"Layla. If you don't mind, I can't see the board, so could you-" I waved them apart to write down the semester exam dates and the field trips posted.
Chayton seemed to get the picture I didn't want to talk while Elu continued to conversate.
"If you're not doing anything after school, I could drive you around La Push. I know all the best spots."
"Yeah, we could show you around." Chayton wedged himself back in.
"That's nice of you, but I have my own ride." That much was true. I could drive myself when I picked up my car from Doweling's.
Before they could rope me into any plans, the teacher called for the class's attention.
"Let's start going through class expectations-" Mr. Moore began the overview.
"You know what else I'd like to write down?" The annoyances were back at my table with more nonsense.
"Your number," Chayton whispered, sliding me an empty piece of ripped notebook paper.
I thought I heard a disturbing sound from my right, so I glanced over at Jacob. He seemed to be clutching his pencil and his end of the table a little too hard.
I sighed, tapping my pen on the countertop as I deliberated a good response. Then I lifted my pen, smirking to myself.
Jacob watched me curiously through his peripheral.
I wrote down a number alright, but it wasn't mine. I hope this wasn't going too far. Writing down overprotective Syd's number, I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Imagining him picking up the phone to one of Chayton's pickup lines almost sent me.
Jacob's pencil snapped when I passed it back. "Calm down, Black." Chayton took the note, looking smug.
"Anything you want to share with the class? Or is the wolf sanctuary field trip not exciting enough for you?" Mr. Moore asked the boys in front of me.
"Which one are we going to?" I questioned.
"The Washington State Reserve. It's almost two hours by bus, so make sure you pack a lunch." He continued informing the class.
I smiled to myself. That means my grandpa would be running things.
"Why would we want to see a bunch of stupid dingy dogs?" Chayton snorted. "Have you seen the ones around here? They're huge." Elu raised a brow at him.
"Nah. Everyone's making that crap up." He continued. "It's more than just our school mascot. They're our heritage." Elu stated.
Maybe I had misjudged Elu too soon.
"You're not afraid of wolves, are you?" I didn't notice Embry sitting behind us until he leaned between Jacob and me.
"Why would I be?" Chayton scoffed at him. "They're bigger than the bears around here." Embry grinned wildly.
Jacob cracked a smile, enjoying his friend's antics.
"The only thing bigger than a bear here is that guy." Chayton pointed at Jacob, who stiffened at the comment.
I didn't like the tension building around the boys, so I asked Elu a question. "What do you mean by a part of our heritage?"
"Our heritage." Chayton rudely circled his finger to the boys around me in exclusion. I shrunk at his insinuation that I was the outsider.
No one but him had said it outright.
The realization that I was surrounded by young men also suddenly made me self-conscious.
I had mostly girlfriends back home, so this made me mildly uncomfortable.
"Does being half Quileute not count?" I lowered my voice, and my eyes meekly dropped to the desk.
Elu stole the paper I gave Chayton and ripped it up, thus saving him from Syd's scorn.
"That old man Syd of yours is just as ancient as these Quileute lands." Embry laughed reassuringly. I raised my head in relief.
"Of course you are." Jacob's gruff, husky voice sounded gravely like he had difficulty speaking, but he sounded genuine.
I whispered a thanks to him when everyone turned in their seats.
As I was the last to walk out the door, I was surprised to find Jacob and Embry waiting for me.
"We thought we could help you find your next class." Embry insisted. "Okay, I have Geometry with Evans?"
"Looks like you're with Jake. I'll leave you to it." He elbowed Jacob's side and then headed off for his class down the hall.
I followed the quiet giant to my next destination. Jake didn't speak, and I wondered if I had said or done something to offend him.
"Why'd you give Chayton your number?" Jacob's husky voice sounded gravelly like before.
"Oh." I giggled to myself. "What?" He raised a brow.
"I didn't give him my number." I smiled mischievously before passing Jake into the classroom.
Even though Jacob didn't talk much, I was happy to have his and Embry's company in my classes with them.
After school was chaotic; all the students, still on vacation time, bolted for the door.
Several students almost knocked me over in the flood of limbs flying by.
I would have landed face-first if a hand had not caught the handle of my backpack. The person carried me out like a marionette.
"Watch where you're going, Moon." Quil chuckled, releasing me inches from the ground.
"Thanks?" He was obscenely stronger than he looked. Not that Quil didn't look strong, not enough to carry me with one arm through a crowd.
"Want to hang out with us? We're headed to our friend Sam's place." Embry appeared on the steps with a girl seemingly related to him.
Syd honked his horn from behind the gathering group of boys.
"I have some unpacking left to do. Maybe another time?" I skipped past them towards the old Chevy.
I'd survived the day. I didn't think I could push myself further.
"How was your day?" Syd questioned me the moment we left the lot.
"Uneventful and different. I guess." I shrugged. Syd kept glancing over at me.
"Different, how?" he asked. "Just LA things. I'm sure I'll get used to it." I hoped, but deep down in the pit of my stomach, an unsettling feeling stirred—a fighting feeling that nothing would be the same.
"Give La Push a chance. It's better out here than those rat race cities your parents live in." Syd grumbled.
I sighed, watching the trees and sparse houses pass us by.
I didn't like the way Syd trash-talked about my parents or the way they chose to live their lives.
Everyone was entitled to that much. Even so, it was hard getting caught between those two.
Especially when no one cared much about my opinion, nothing but my cooperation was necessary anyway.
If the future didn't concern me so much, I would almost look forward to my legal liberation in a couple of years.
Maybe then they would find something else to fight about.
"Sorry, kiddo." Syd had his opinions, but he also knew more than anyone else about my predicament.
He was probably the only one left who genuinely cared.
"It's okay. I'm sure things will get better." I flashed a well-practiced smile that seemed to fool him.
The remainder of the ride home was relatively silent.
Syd was comfortable with silence, which was sometimes a nice thing, like now, when I wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
By the time we returned to Moon Ranch, the drizzling rain had ceased.
I wasn't ready to face my studies or the bigger dilemma of teaching myself how to cook, so I exited the back door to explore the grounds.
"Where you headed?" "I wanted to check out grandma's garden. Maybe visit the spot Zach, and I used to play by the river."
Syd nodded, flicking on the TV. "The Garden's empty, but the swing should be there. Past the blackberry bush—" "I remember." I acknowledged him.
"Return before sunset. I don't want you out there in the dark." Syd warned.
I shut the screen door and made my way past the giant field where my older brother and I would dig up old tribal artifacts.
We'd collect arrowheads and carved beads in a jar over the weekends we'd visit.
The edge of the property was marked by wooden beams propped up to mark the territory's boundaries.
The actual ranch portion beside the house's property hadn't been functional in years. Syd had transferred all livestock to his friend's place in Montana.
I stepped over the fence and ducked between another beam to enter an overgrown trail kept by deer trampling through it.
I followed that path along the vein of the Quileute River in search of old haunts.
Jacob's Pov
Embry and Quil ran through the woods with me for old time's sake.
We all knew I should be in human form as much as possible, but being on two legs was still weird.
"Anything interesting happen while I was away?" I asked them as we ran border patrol.
In those past months, I did my best to ignore anyone when they came to speak with me.
"Clare's entering middle school. She visits Emily a few times a month, and sometimes I get to see her there," Quil mentioned.
"Yeesh, that's got to be hard to navigate." I mentally cringed.
That had to be difficult with the age difference and physical distance, but also having to abide by the protector/friend role for years to come until Clare was of age and if she wanted more.
"Not everyone can be as lucky as you." Quil rebutted my thoughts.
"Oops, sorry." I hadn't made much progress, so I didn't have room to talk. It made me want to run over to Syd's place now.
"That's not a good idea." Embry heard my thoughts.
"I know." At least not yet. I needed to stabilize myself and be in a place where I could hold conversations.
"Showing up out of the blue when you guys aren't even friends yet could weird her out," Quil commented.
"I dunno. Sam's situation was worse. It could work." Embry countered.
"We'll help you as much as possible, Jake." I could hear Seth's voice from miles away.
"But out, kid," Quil grumbled. "But I was out here with Joseph first." Seth defended the new pack member he was mentoring.
"Tourist season is wrapping up, so I have to help my mom restock at the store. Oh, right, Sam and the elders wanted to throw a bonfire Friday for the tribe." Embry informed us.
"What. So soon?" I circled back with them to La Push to meet Seth and the new kid.
"Yeah. Collins also imprinted on a girl who moved down from Maca over the summer. April knows the secret, but they need to hear the legends again."
"We also have two new wolves that need to hear the histories." Quil insisted to Joseph, listening in.
"And Sue might be kind of, sort of, dating Charlie." Seth chimed in. I stopped in my tracks at the mention of his name.
"What?" When did that happen, and how many wolves were in the pack now? There were ten, including myself, when I left.
"Four more, so fourteen," Quil noted.
"Sam agreed with the elders that Charlie should come for the storytelling. You know, just in case he ever wants to know the truth."
I let out a deep growl. Sam and I got along in most ways, but I couldn't jive with some calls he would make.
"What's the point in that now? It's not like it would change anything." I thought bitterly.
"It's not your choice," Embry commented ruthlessly.
I knew that. I just thought Charlie ought to know before Bella married that bloodsucker.
I hated how a part of me still twisted away from anything Bella-related. But I was incredibly thankful the pain was only skin deep now.
My ties of bitterness and resentment had been cut off a few short nights ago. I never thought I'd be able to breathe without that heavy weight.
Layla restarted my heart and melted away all the depressive chains baring down on me.
She became the one thing that was easier than breathing—the other half of my spirit.
"No doubt. He's got it, bad boys." Quil teased, bringing me back to reality.
"That's great, Jake." Seth was pleased to hear this.
We were in La Push, beginning to branch off toward our homes. It was almost supper, and our families would be expecting us.
"See ya tomorrow." Quil's consciousness peeled away as he phased away.
"Aren't you going home, Jake?" Seth asked, watching me wander off.
"In a bit." I still had a wolf-sized stomach to fill, and regular food still didn't fully satisfy me yet.
"Got it. See ya tomorrow then! Come on, Jo." Seth trotted off towards the Clearwaters.
I prowled around the back woods, slipping all too easily into the wolf's mind.
I caught the scent of some deer on the bank of the Quileute River and ran northward alongside the trail, where it spread into several streams.
The trees thickened in number, and I had to weave around them.
I found the deer. I let it run farther away, watching it bob over tall grass.
I lowered myself to the Earth, preparing to launch from the foliage.
The deer's ears tilted back, hesitantly looking for me, the suspecting danger.
A nearby twig snapped, and it took off with several others.
I leaped out, snarling and snapping. I hit my mark.
Breaking the deer's neck with my teeth, I tossed its body into the base of a tree to shatter its spine—a quick kill.
A scream erupted beside me. My wolf mind dissolved, and my heart raced fearfully to see my imprint frozen in fear.
I turned my head slowly to assess if Layla had been hurt. Shock flooded her face, and the color drained from it.
I pulled in my teeth, closing my snout, and my ears pressed back to my skull.
Letting out a low whine, I begged her not to be scared of me.
"Bear." She blurted out, backing away from me. Then Layla shook her head as if clearing it.
"No, a wolf! The bear-sized wolf!" She corrected herself, panic building in her voice.
Layla took another step away from me and tripped, falling onto her butt. She continued to scoot backward whenever I took a step forward.
Her heart was beating so fast you'd think she was the fawn I was hunting. I winced at the accurate comparison.
"Please," Layla begged, her eyes never leaving mine. "Please don't eat me." How my imprint trembled shook me to my core.
I wished there was a way I could make things right. If I shifted now, I knew I would make things worse.
I stepped forward again, carefully debating it. She forced herself to remain still, but her body still tremored.
"Please." She whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Jacob, back off." Sam's voice rang loudly in my head.
"But I-" I thought to Sam. I wanted to tell her I meant no harm.
"Jacob." Sam was getting closer, and his thoughts were becoming clearer.
I turned to look at Layla, who stopped trembling.
"You have to be more careful. You don't want to make the same mistake I did and regret it forever." Sam's thoughts echoed strongly.
Slowly, I backed up, creating distance between us. Layla's eyes reopened, fixating on me.
She stood up with caution and moved slowly. Only to turn and run once she was far away enough from me.
What had I almost done? Fear and dread washed through me in a tidal wave of guilt.
I could have killed her. In seconds, I missed.
I scanned the area for the deer carcass that I still had to finish but had no will to.
"You did the right thing." Sam turned around to go home. He left me alone to process the incident.
Picking up the fallen deer by its broken neck, I dragged it deeper into the woods to satiate the wolf's hunger.