Pov ??
I swear the world does not want me to make progress. Every time I fix one problem, a new one seems to find me. I can count my lucky stars that the Cullens were very understanding about my accidental use of my ability. I would have run for it. If not for Jacob's strong hold on me.
Emmett was the biggest surprise. Once he was on his feet. He laughed and asked me to do it again. Moving to poke me before being dragged off by Rosalie and Jasper. As they were dragging him away, I could hear Jasper lecture Emmett for scaring me.
"Our apologies as well. Emmett has not been near a lot of newborn vampires and didn't know his action would scare you. We will make sure to educate him." Carlisle apologized as he watched them leave.
"Noo, it's okay, it's my fault too," I say, trying to assuage his guilt.
Esme moves to grab her husband's hand and says calmly, "Well, now that this is taken care of, why don't you both go to your room and relax?"
I agreed, and Jacob and I made our way up to the guest room. Once we finally closed the door, we both stood there for a moment. As if neither of us knew what to do now that we were both alone and the situation was relatively peaceful.
Even though no words were spoken, the silence was not unwelcome as we both stared at one another. I wanted to say something. Tell him how I felt. How grateful I was to know he was here for me, but the words got stuck in my throat.
How strange, I know we just met and are still totally strangers, but I knew from the moment I saw him from in that tree that everything would be fine as long as we were together.
I brought my hand up to his cheek, resting it there, brushing his jaw line before resting it on his cheek. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before I I moved my hand into his hair and pulled him into a hug.
We stayed like that for a while, both of us wrapped in each other's embrace.
I wanted to stay like that forever. With my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. Even if my throat burned to do so.
He sure smells good.
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.
I let out a small sigh.
Ba-dum, ba-dum , ba-dum.
Jacob responded by rumbling circles into my back.
"What's wrong?" A simple question.
Ba-dum, ba-dum.
The sound of his heart was almost hypnotic. I needed to move. Before I did something I would regret.
Even as my mind was full with these thoughts, my heart and my throat begged me not to move.
After what seemed like hours of convincing, my head finally lifted from his chest. I released him from my hold, taking a half step back. Jacob's head was slightly tilted to the left as I moved. His long arm still rested on my lower back as if to keep me from leaving.
I half forced a smile and said, " I'm okay. Why don't we talk for a bit?" I moved out of his hold. My throat still burned, but I was still in control. I remind myself. I made my way over to the couch facing the window. Jacob moved with me, taking my hand as we sat down.
His palms were sweaty. Was he nervous? Mmm, maybe this was also another wolf thing.
"So tell me about yourself?" I ask.
"W-Well, I was born and raised here. January 14, 1990," Jacob said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've got two older sisters—Rachel and Rebecca Black. My mom passed away in a car crash when I was younger. My dad survived, but… he's been in a wheelchair ever since."
He trailed off near the end, his voice softening as his gaze drifted toward the window. Rain tapped gently against the glass, like it was trying to fill the silence.
I reached out and took his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I'm sorry to hear that."
He nodded, lips pressed together, watching the droplets race each other down the pane.
Ba-dum, ba-dum. Ignore it. Focus.
"Are you close to your siblings?" I asked, hoping to shift the mood.
Ba-dum, ba-dum, Ba-dum, ba-dum.
Jacob snorted. "Not unless you count passive-aggressive holiday texts. They're both older, so growing up felt like being the annoying little brother in a sitcom. By the time I was old enough to actually hang out with them, they'd already left for college. One went to Hawaii she hasn't been back since. The other came back and got imprinted on by Paul. So yeah, family reunions are... lively."
I raised a brow. "Imprinted? I hear you say that before. What does it mean exactly?"
Jacob leaned back slightly. He looked at me before his gaze flicked back toward the window, where rain traced lazy paths down the glass. "Right, I haven't had a chance to explain," he said, voice low but steady. "About us."
I leaned my head on his shoulder before I even realized what I was doing.
Ba-dum, ba-dum. Easy, easy—no sudden movement.
Keep it light. light, I repeated like a mantra.
"The bond?"
He nodded. "Yeah. It's called imprinting. It's a werewolf thing. Not something we choose—it just happens. One moment you're chasing vampires, and the next… You see someone, and everything shifts. Like gravity itself decided to center itself around them."
I watched him carefully. "And I'm that someone?"
BA-DUM BA-DUM!!! His heart spent up.
Jacob gave a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah. You are."
Even though my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of blood, the feeling that engulfed my heart was almost just as strong.
I couldn't suppress the smile that came to my face. "So, what does it mean? For you. For us."
He hesitated, rubbing his palms together. "It means I'm… connected to you. On every level. Emotionally, instinctively. I'll protect you with everything I have, even if you didn't want me to. It's like the universe picked you and said, 'This is your person."
I nodded slowly, letting the weight of that settle. I couldn't help but think that the universe had bad taste. Or at least a bad sense of humor. Even with that being said, I wasn't mad about it. "Sounds a lot like mating bonds," I say, coming back to the conversation.
Jacob chuckled. "Yeah, but with less sparkle and more fur."
I let out a small laugh before becoming serious, lifting my head to look at him. "And you're okay with this. Being with me, being with a vampire?"
Jacob's smile faltered just slightly, the humor in his eyes dimming into something more thoughtful. He looked down at his hands, then back at me. "Honestly? I don't know how this ends. A werewolf and a vampire. It's not exactly the kind of story you tell around a campfire."
I gave a soft laugh, but that didn't reach my eyes. The weight of his words settled between us. We both didn't, we were quiet for a moment.
He continued, voice quieter now. "We're supposed to be enemies. Everything in our history and biology says this shouldn't work. And I've got responsibilities to my pack, my people. They count on me to protect them. Sometimes I wonder if being with you means I'm betraying that. "
I swallowed hard, and an ache in my heart that I hadn't noticed before began to throb. "It's not wrong to feel that way. A couple of days ago, we were enemies. I also worry about letting you down, too," I admitted. "I'm still new to this. The thirst—it's like a storm under my skin. I have to fight to hold it back, but if one day I can't? If I hurt someone? If I hurt you?"
I didn't want to tell him. But he needs to know even if I wasn't ready to admit how much I wanted him… in more ways than one.
Ba-dum, ba-dum.
Jacob's eyes softened, but he didn't interrupt.
"I don't want to be a danger to you," I said, trying and failing to keep the tremble out of my voice. "You're the only thing that I have, since this horror show started. And I'm terrified that one day I'll lose control and ruin everything."
Ba-dum, ba-dum.
My voice broke at the end. I could help the sobs that escaped my throat even though no tears fell.
Ba-dum, ba-dum. My throat ached again as his heartbeat sped up once again. Not now.
He pulled me back into a hug. Rubbing my back and whispering sweet reassurances as he did.
"Wait, Jacob--"
******
Hey everyone, I'm back ;)
Short update on my life. I recently got my dream job, and also simultaneously lost my dream job because I was unable to complete the training course. :( Not gonna lie, it hurt. A LOT. I was so close to, I just let myself get the best of me and flopped on the final test. So to all those out there who are going through a hard time or just had life slap them in the face. It's gonna be okay. Life is not about the times you failed; it's about how you pick yourself up.
I'll try to update soon, thanks to all those who follow and support this fic.