Last night was bizarre.

I laid in bed contemplating my predicament. It only made sense for me to leave early and go home. I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention to myself and ever since arriving to Forks that's all I've been able to do. I could make a phone call to my dad and be home in no time.

But I didn't want to. I had this unexplainable feeling that I should stay. Not only because it would break Grandpa Charlie's heart but because I felt like I had unfinished business here. And I had a hunch it had something to with Jacob.

Last night he went from completely ignoring me, to wanting to attack me, to begging me to talk to him in the span of ten minutes. There was no way to explain it. He had something against my family, Jacob said that the Cullen's were unwelcome, but I didn't stick around to hear why. I was scared that a fight would break out or worse and I didn't want to be there when it did. But Jacob's voice as he pleaded with me to hear him out stopped me in my tracks. He sounded so desperate, like he would die if I left in that moment. And I almost stayed, until I remembered his girlfriend inside. What kind of a man begs for another girl's attention with his girlfriend 30 feet away? Not one that I want to associate with.

I decided I wouldn't let Jacob ruin my Thanksgiving. I would spend the weekend with my grandpa as originally planned and avoid the gang of giant Quileute men for the rest of my visit.

Grandpa Charlie was downstairs when I came down. He stood in his tiny kitchen looking at the ingredients spread on the counter with his hands on his hips. It looked like he was assessing a crime scene.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Grandpa."

"Hey kiddo." He greeted, "I picked up all this stuff last night on my way home, I thought we could make dinner here."

There was a frozen turkey, some cans of cranberry sauce, and a couple boxes of instant mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Very impressive.

"Cool. Do you know how to cook a turkey?" I gestured to the 8-pound bird, still in its packaging. "Cause I'm pretty sure we were supposed to defrost this already."

"Uh, no, I can't say I do. I was hoping you picked up some of your mom's cooking skills over the years."

Not likely. My father forced me to learn how to cook when I was moving out. He insisted I should be able to at least keep myself alive if I was going to live on my own. He and Mom taught me some basic recipes, but a full-sized turkey was not one of them.

"Umm, I can follow instructions on the box." I shook the mac and cheese. "That's about it."

"I'm sorry, I'm really screwing this up, aren't I?" He looked so disappointed in himself; it broke my heart.

"No! I don't mind! Honest! Mac and cheese is delicious."

A knock on the front door interrupted our conversation and he went to go answer it. I overheard him talking to a familiar deep voice and almost dropped the box in my hands.

Jacob was here. In Grandpa Charlie's house. How the hell did he find me? Did he follow me home? Did he drive all around town searching for my car like a psychopath? What the hell was he doing here?

"Hey Jake, what brings you around here?"

"Hi Charlie, sorry to bother you on Thanksgiving. Can I come in?"

"Sure, no worries, come on in." I heard the door shut. "I actually have a visitor. My granddaughter came into town yesterday to spend Thanksgiving with me." Their footsteps approached the kitchen and suddenly Jacob's very large frame appeared in the doorway. "Renesmee, this is Jacob, he's the son of a good friend of mine. Jake, this is my granddaughter."

I felt a rush of heat through my body as we locked eyes. I felt like I was hypnotized, his eyes were so deep and intense, boring into my soul. My god. I already forgot how beautiful he is. His face was so handsome. And he was so tall and masculine. Just his presence in a room demanded attention. And his scent was intoxicating. Like pine and campfire and a hint of male musk. There was a long awkward silence as neither of us moved, staring at each other from across the kitchen. Charlie looked between the two of us, confused.

"… Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

Jacob's mouth snapped shut when Grandpa spoke, as if he'd forgotten he was even in the same room. "Yeah, everything's fine. Actually, I was hoping I could talk to Renesmee for a second. I wanted to ask her a question."

Both men looked at me, waiting for a response. I felt my cheeks flush. "Um, sure. Give us a second Grandpa." I put on some shoes and my mom's coat before heading outside, Jacob following closely behind.

I turned to face him, hands gesturing for him to proceed. "Go ahead, ask away."

"Renesmee," He breathed my name like a prayer. "I'm sorry. Last night I acted like an idiot and there was no excuse for how I treated you."

I smiled, "Yeah, you did. I can forgive you for that, but I still won't forgive you for ditching your girlfriend to beg me to hang out with you. I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but I-."

"It's over." He interrupted. "I broke up with her last night."

I wasn't sure how to process that information. It didn't seem like he was lying, but still. He broke up with his girlfriend for me? Someone he just met last night. "So what? Just because you broke up with her, I'm supposed to be interested? I don't even know you!"

"No! It's not like that! I just want to talk, to explain. Can you give me a chance? Please?"

"Is everything all right out here?" My grandpa came outside looking ready to intervene. He didn't seem too pleased. "Is there something I should know?"

I looked at Jacob whose eyes pleaded with me. Fine. I would hear him out if he was so desperate. "No, everything's fine Grandpa. Jacob just offered to show me around. I'll be back in a little bit." I ignored the look of triumph on Jacob's face as Charlie grumbled.

"Really Jacob? You're taking my granddaughter from me on Thanksgiving?"

"I promise I'll take good care of her." He grinned, his eyes not leaving my face. His smile took my breath away. It lit up his whole face in the most beautiful way. "In fact, Billy and I wanted to invite you both to spend Thanksgiving with us. Sue and Rachel are each making a turkey, there will be plenty of food."

Grandpa's eyebrows rose, his frown disappearing. "Uh well, that actually sounds kind of nice, what do you think kiddo?"

"Sure, whatever." I agreed, wanting to get out of here so Jacob and I could finally talk in private.

We drove in silence which was surprising considering Jacob was begging me to listen to him just a few minutes ago. We pulled into the parking lot of a beach. The sky was clear and blue this morning, accentuating the beach's beauty. There were islands popping up from the ocean and the rocky beach stretched on for miles.

"Wow, where are we?" I asked as he stepped out of the car.

Before I had a chance to open my door he was already there, helping me out of his truck. "It's called First Beach. We're in La Push, this is where I'm from."

We walked down the deserted beach side by side. There was a strong wind blowing cold air against our faces, but it didn't seem to bother him one bit. I waited for him to start speaking but he stared straight ahead, fists stuffed into his pockets as we kept walking, not saying a peep. He went through all this trouble to get me alone and now he was having cold feet? I guess it was up to me to break the ice.

"So, how do you know my family?"

"Charlie? He and my dad have been friends for years."

"No, my other family."

Jacob paused, looking down at me with uncertainty. I wondered now, not for the first time, if he knew my family's secret. It was impossible. How could this man who I'd never heard of before know my family were vampires, something we kept even from Grandpa Charlie. I waited patiently for his answer.

"Oh. That family." He scowled, not meeting my eyes. "I uh, didn't know them too well. We weren't exactly friends."

I wasn't sure how much I could trust Jacob, no matter how much I wanted to. "Oh… did you know my mom? Bella Cullen?"

He grimaced, finally looking at my face. "Bella Swan, yeah, I knew her. You're her daughter."

"Yeah…" I wasn't sure where this conversation was leading.

"Look, I don't want you to jump to conclusions, so please, just hear me out before you say or think anything."

"Ok, I'm all ears."

"Your family, the Cullens, and I, did not get along. We disagreed on almost every fundamental level. Your mom was the only reason I even tolerated them. Bella and I were… friends, really close back then. We used to spend a lot of time together around the time she stared seeing Edward." He took a deep breath. "I tried talking her out of marrying him. I was desperate to protect her because I knew. I knew that he was dangerous. I knew what he was."

I held my breath as his eyes bored into mine, gouging my reaction as he spoke his next words: "I knew that he was a vampire."

"How?" I whispered, horrified that our secret was out. Did my family know about this? The Volturi?

"I'm not sure how much your mom or family told you but my tribe, the Quileute, has an old legend about shapeshifters, men and women who can change into wolves. We were told it was to protect the tribe from predators outside our borders, but the truth is, we were created to hunt down vampires. Renesmee, I am one of those shapeshifters. I am a wolf."

My heart was beating so fast, my brain trying to process this information. Jacob? A werewolf? It wasn't unheard of, but that didn't make it any less bizarre.

What did this mean? That my family had a feud with a pack of shapeshifting wolves when they lived here? And my human mother was in the middle of it all. My parents had always told me stories about how they met and the challenges they faced while living in Forks, but not one of them included Jacob or werewolves.

"I was very upset when Bella left town. I blamed the Cullens for taking her, I knew that she wanted to become one of them and it made me so angry. I hated them for so long, that last night, when I heard their name, I couldn't think clearly, I just acted." He looked at me apologetically. "It wasn't until I saw you for the first time that I realized what a mistake I was making."

"Why?"

"I imprinted." He breathed, his face glowing with happiness. "On you, Rensemee. I know you don't really trust me or know me. You probably think I'm crazy but I'm telling you the truth. I am yours forever, whatever or however you want me. I just want to make you happy and safe and loved."

What.

We stared at each other, standing on the beach a couple feet apart. The only sound was the waves lapping close to my boots and the wind blowing my hair up. I was shocked into silence, unable to come up with any words.

"What are you thinking?" He stepped closer to gently pull a strand of hair away from my face. "If you need time to process this, just say the word and I'll give you space. Just please, please," He begged, "Don't run away again."

"I- I don't know what to say. What does this mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to. I just want to get to know you, be in your life. Is that ok with you?"

"I- I don't know. I just learned you're a werewolf who hated my family and imprinted on me, that's a lot of information."

"I know! And I'm sorry it happened like this, I wish it was under better circumstances, but that doesn't change the way I feel. I'm don't expect anything from you Renesmee. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

He looked so sincere, and I couldn't help myself. I was enthralled. "Can I see?"

"See?"

"Earlier, you said you were a wolf. Can I see before I make any decisions?"

"Yes! Of course." His hand grabbed mine and led me towards the forest as fast as humanly possible. My skin prickled where his touched. He was so warm. Like a furnace, but I liked the way his hand felt in mine. It was comforting and safe. But I was still caught off guard.

"W- Wait! Now?" I stammered as he pulled me to the edge of the forest, his strides long and assured.

He frowned, looking over his shoulder. "What better time than the present?"

I allowed him to lead me deep in the forest, where the trees were thicker and it was harder for humans to find us. I had some doubts the further he took me. What if this was a trap and he was just luring me to my death? Jacob chuckled, "Calm down, I can hear your heart pounding from here. I promise, I won't hurt you." We stopped in a small clearing and Jacob turned to face me. "Alright, I need you to turn around, I need to take off my clothes."

"Why?!" I exclaimed my entire face immediately turning red.

"I'm about to turn into a giant wolf, Nessie," He laughed. "I kind of need my clothes to walk back to the car. If this makes you uncomfortable, I can do this somewhere else."

"No, that's alright." I tucked my face into the front of my coat as I turned around, giving Jacob his privacy.

"Alright. Don't turn around."

I heard his clothes rustling as he removed them. I couldn't help but imagine what he looked like underneath his shirt and jeans. From the look of his muscles, I'm sure it was delicious. I mentally blocked any more thoughts. He could hear my heartrate increasing and that was embarrassing enough.

There was silence and then a strange shimmering sound, like nothing I'd ever heard before. I wanted to turn and see what was happening, but I kept my feet planted in place, knees shaking with anticipation.

A large, wet nose pressed into my back, making me jump in the air. Behind me was the largest wolf anyone had ever seen. He was russet colored and as big as a horse. My first instinct was to run, find any way to escape. But his eyes kept me grounded. They were Jacob's. The same deep, dark brown. How strange that this wolf's expression perfectly matched his? It was uncanny.

There was no way to deny it, this wolf was Jacob.

"Wow." I breathed, reaching my hand out to touch his nose. "It's really you, isn't it?"

His large, wolf head nodded, eyes closing as I rubbed his snout. I never thought I would be able to communicate this way with an animal, but here I was, talking to a wolf.

I spent some time getting acquainted with his wolf form. He showed me how fast he can run, easily weaving through the trees at incredible speed. I was amazed, he probably ran as fast as my dad, who was the fastest vampire in my family. He even laid his head in my lap, allowing me to scratch behind his ears. The reddish-brown fur was impossibly soft and beautiful, I couldn't help running my hand through it. When his giant tongue licked up my face I shrieked, bolting up as the wolf actually smiled at me.

I couldn't help joining in his laughter; his expression was comical to say the least. "Ok, I think that's enough for today. Can you change back now?"

It took him a moment to change back and redress, finally telling me it was safe to turn around. He led me back out of the forest, hand in hand again. I asked him so many questions about his wolf. How long had he been one? Was it genetic? How many were there? Who knew? Was there a time limit on how long he could stay that way? Did it hurt?

He answered them all too happily with a smile on his face. We walked up and down the beach, him telling me everything about the Quileute's legends and secrets. He even told me about imprinting.

"So, you're like forced to love me? Is that how it works?"

"No! Think of it as the universe's way of matching our souls together. Like soulmates. You've always been mine; I just didn't know it yet."

"Huh, and what happens if we we're separated? Would that affect you?"

He looked distressed just thinking about it. "Yes. It would affect me very deeply. But if that's what you want, I would be more than happy to leave you alone."

"Don't worry Jacob," I placed my hand on his arm. "You haven't scared me away, yet."

Jacob's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he scowled at the interruption, excusing himself to answer it.

"Ok, ok, we're leaving now. We'll be there soon." He hung up, looking at me apologetically, "Sorry, that was my sister, she says dinner is ready and we'd better get our butts over there soon or there won't be any food left."

"Oh my gosh! What time is it?!" I checked my phone; it was half past four. How did almost six hours go by so fast! "I totally lost track of time! Grandpa Charlie!"

"Relax, call him and tell him we're on the way. I'll drive you guys to my house. Is that alright?"

I blushed, my heart beating fast at the way he was looking at me. I'd never had anyone look at me the way he does. "Yeah, sounds good."

On the drive back to Grandpa's I brought up something I noted earlier in the forest. "What was that you called me back there? Nessie?"

Jacob grinned, glancing over at me, "Noticed that huh? No offense but Renesemee was kind of a mouthful at first. You don't mind?"

I laughed hard, my name had been mispronounced and made fun of all my life. No, I did not mind. "No, I kind of like it. Nessie."

We made it back to Grandpa's house in no time and I rushed inside to quickly change into something nicer for Thanksgiving dinner with Jacob's family. I had just met the guy yesterday and I already wanted to give them a good first impression.

In La Push, Jacob pulled up to a small red house right on the edge of the forest, but close enough that I could hear the beaches waves. Inside was packed, there were some familiar faces and some unfamiliar. Jacob introduced me to his older sister and brother-in-law, Rachel and Paul, the latter a former wolf and she, his imprint. They had two girls, a seven and ten-year-old who were so adorable. I recognized Seth and Leah there with their mother Sue. And Billy Black, Jacob's dad was very friendly as Jacob and Charlie introduced me as Bella's daughter.

As I looked around, I noticed that almost everyone here must know the pack secret except for Grandpa Charlie and Rachel's daughters. It was difficult, knowing you shared a secret you couldn't talk about. Especially since I had a secret of my own.

Jacob had shared what little he knew about vampires and claimed that I couldn't be one of them. But I doubt he could ever guess what I really was. Today was so strange and unexpected I didn't want to add any more surprises. But I was scared. Would Jacob accept me for what I am? Would he understand? Did I want him to?

As we all sat down for dinner, I looked around at the friendly faces surrounding me. I caught Jacob's eye as he stared at me, our hands linked while his father said grace. He winked at me and I realized that I did. I did want Jacob to accept me for everything that I am, vampire and human.

I just hope that when I tell him, it won't bite me in the ass. Literally.