The Wolf Within!
Title: The Wolf Within
Chapter: Fifteen - The Secret That Couldn't Be Kept
Time: New Moon
Rating: Mature
Notes: I don't own or claim to own these characters, they belong to SMeyer.
Summary: Jake and Bella are now together and spending a blissful weekend on their honeymoon of sorts. This chapter is from Jake's POV.
Again, this chapter has been a long time coming. I hope you all enjoy it!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14
Chapter Fifteen
The Secret That Couldn’t Be Kept
Bella’s POV
The morning bathed me in light from my window and a smile was on my lips when I rolled over, but it soon faded when I realized that the other end of my pillow as cold and that Jake wasn’t there with me.
I climbed out of bed, trying not to let his absence get me down, even though it was hard after having spent almost three days with him. As I hurried to the bathroom to start getting ready for school, I tried to find comfort in the fact that I would be seeing him in just a matter of hours and until then, I had so many memories to replay in my mind.
The kitchen was empty when I finally made it down to grab some breakfast. I settled for a quick bowl of cereal and two slices of toast, hoping that would hold me until lunch, then left for school.
The drive, though not long, gave me time to reflect on the weekend and I couldn’t believe I was now secretly married to Jake. He was finally mine and I was his, we just had to make it for the next few months then we could be together out in the open and not have to hide our love and union.
When I got to school the parking lot was filling up with other students making their way to class. I jumped out of my truck and grabbed my backpack as I hurried into the building. The student bodies flowed through the double doors and I just tried to blend right in, but fate would not see it that way and Mike merged into the flow with me.
"Hey, Bella. How was your weekend?" he asked holding the door open for me.
"Oh, it was great. Just perfect," I replied with a smile much larger than I wanted to exhibit, but I couldn’t help myself.
"I’m glad to see you so happy this morning. It must have been some weekend to have you looking that radiant. You look great today. You know that?"
"Um, thanks Mike. Hey, I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you around," I said, as I tried to make my escape.
"Bella, wait," Mike said, taking me by the arm and moving me across the hall to a nook in the lockers where he guided me into the notched out area between the last row of lockers and the wall, leaned me against the wall, and placed a hand on the wall above my head leaning in a little too close for comfort. "I just want you to know that if things don’t work out with this guy, Black, that you’ll give me a chance. I’d really like to get to know you better," he said, and I almost felt bad for him because he had cut out all the games and was honestly telling me how he felt.
"Mike, you’re a very nice guy and I like you as a friend, but Jake isn’t going anywhere, not now. He and I have something very special. I hope you understand and I hope that you will find someone who will be the kind of girl you deserve. I really wish that for you," I said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Okay. Okay, I get the picture, but you can’t blame me for trying."
"I’ll see you around Mike," I said, pushing off the wall and sliding past him on my way to class.
That was weird, I thought. I had no idea what people would think about me being with someone who was never around this stupid school, but they would just have to take my word for it that Jake and I were together.
The rest of the morning I found myself in one solid daydream. Jake was all I could think about. I saw his face when we woke up together, remembered how it felt to hold him while we went to sleep, and how perfect things seemed to be when I was with him.
I kept catching myself smiling for no reason and by lunch, Angela had caught up with me and was giving me a hard time.
"You must have had a fabulous weekend and it wasn’t because you spent time shopping with me?" she teased as we sat down at the table in the lunchroom.
"I did. I had the best weekend of my life," I replied, and I know my face was beet red, I could feel the heat.
"Well, when are you going to fill me in on the details?"
"Oh, there’s really not much to tell," I said, skating around the truth. "Hey, besides how are things going with you and Eric? Has he asked you out yet?"
I thought if I got her mind off of me, she might forget about what she was asking and that way I wouldn’t feel bad for not telling her everything.
"Well, actually he did ask me out. He invited me over for dinner on Friday night. He said his mom had some new recipe she wanted to try out on someone other than a family member so he thought of me. Does that sound weird, or what?" she said, laughing.
"You are so lucky," I replied, and we continued to talk as we ate our lunch.
That afternoon was more of the same. I was lost in daydream after daydream and even got called on a few times for questions in class, because I looked like I wasn’t paying attention. Which I wasn’t, but I made smooth recoveries every time.
When school was over, I threw my extra books into my locker and practically ran to get out of the school ready to go see Jake, but as I pushed the door open and stepped outside, taking in a deep breath, I smelled the most tantalizing aroma and quickly began scanning the parking lot for the source.
I saw him leaning against my truck. The black T-shirt he was wearing was stretched tight against his hard body and the smoldering look in his dark eyes, told me all I needed to know. I ran down the sidewalk, not particularly caring who saw me, but I did try to keep from knocking anyone down to get to him.
His arms came out and caught me, just as I jumped into them and his lips quickly found their way to mine, as we lost ourselves in an embrace of passion.
"What are you doing here?" I gasped as I pulled away from the heat of his lips.
He looked down at me, then quickly scanned the crowd of students that were still exiting the building.
"I’ve thought about you all day and I had to come. I wanted everyone here to know that you’re taken. That you’re mine now," he said, as he took my face in his hands and leaned me against the side of my truck, kissing me again.
Jake looked back up and stiffened against me. I followed his line of sight to where Mike was standing glaring at him. I guess this was proof enough for him that Jake and I were really together.
I didn’t hear anyone walking around my truck until Angela cleared her throat and I looked over to see her rocking back and forth on her heels.
"So, this is the reason you’ve been on cloud nine? Hello, I’m Angela," she said, extending her hand to Jake.
"You’re Bella’s friend, right? I’m Jacob Black. Bella’s.....um.....boyfriend," he said, shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Jacob. I hope to hear more about you," she said, winking at me.
"Angela," I said, feeling my face turn bright red.
Jake just laughed and pulled me against his side in a tight, possessive manner and I loved how it felt to be showing him off to my world.
"Well you two go have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow, Bella. Bye Jacob," she said, waving as she walked to her car.
"Bye. Nice to meet you Angela," Jake called after her. "So, is there anyone else I need to let know that you’re spoken for? I’ll be glad to have a talk with them," he said, smiling at me.
"No. I think you’ve about covered everyone here and those that didn’t see your public display of affection will surely hear about it from someone else by tomorrow," I said, pulling him toward the cab of my truck.
"Excellent," he said as he opened the door for me and patted my butt as he helped me inside.
"You know you can’t just come around here, kissing me like that and touching me like that without it causing a chain reaction?" I said, running my finger up and down his bronze arm.
"Good. Then I got my message across to you too," he said, giving me a cocky little grin as he cranked my truck and pulled out of the parking lot.
"So what did you have in mind?" I asked.
"You," was all he said, as he drove toward La Push.
When we got just on the outskirts of the reservation, he pulled onto a gravel road, then turned onto a dirt road and went far enough down it that my truck was obscured from the view of the main road. He killed the truck and turned to look at me.
"I missed you so much today, Jake," I whispered, as he brushed the hair away from my face.
"I know. I couldn’t think of anything but you. I even thought I smelled the scent of your hair a few times and had to snap myself out of it. I hope it gets easier. It has to get easier," he said softly as he pulled me to him and kissed me gently.
That was all it took for me and I wrapped myself around him, determined to never let him go. But as our breathing became labored and the cab of the truck began to get steamy, Jake opened the door and grinned at me as he looked out at the seclusion of the forest.
We started climbing out of the truck and pulling our clothes off, phasing at the same time. Jake circled around me and licked both sides of my muzzle then nibbled at my ear before turning and taking off at full speed through trees.
But I wasn’t about to let him get away from me, not after nibbling on my ear, so chased after him as fast as I could until he was just out of reach. I was right on his heels. But I caught him and got his undivided attention when I snapped at his bushy tail.
He spun around, breathing heavily, and phased taunting me to do the same but I hesitated for a few moments as I drank in the sight of him standing before me so strong, yet so vulnerable and in need of me being in his arms.
I phased then and waded through the ferns at our feet until I was standing right in front of him. He stretched out his hand and lifted my chin up to look at his face. The next thing I knew, we were gently tumbling down into the sea of ferns and sinking into our own private fantasy.
Our kisses became urgent, our hands searching and claiming, our bodies entwined, as our love and need for each other grew. We were both lost in the throws of passion, calling each other’s names, whispering our devotion and adoration for each other and we were both so very close to the point of utter ecstacy when Jake began licking the tender flesh just above my collar bone.
The sensation of his hot, wet tongue on my skin made me shiver. He bit down on me where he was licking and I screamed out in pain, yet triumphed in pleasure as we both peaked together. His jaws relaxed and he began cleaning my wound. When he had finished and it had already begun to heal, he finally spoke.
"Bella, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to do that. I had to give you my mark. I had to put it there so that the whole world would know that you are mine. I’m sorry, baby. Please forgive me?"
"Shhh, it’s okay Jake. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Besides, I know how it feels to need to mark your mate. Remember?" I asked, letting my tongue dart out and taste of the salty flesh over the mark I had given him the first night we were together.
"How could I forget? You’re sure you’re okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine. I love you though," I whispered against his lips.
"I love you too," he said as he returned my kiss. "I’d love to just lay here with you the rest of the day, but I think Leah wanted us to come over this afternoon. She and Embry are at her house."
"I’d rather stay here with you too."
"I’m sure we would give in to starvation sooner or later," he said, pulling me to my feet and laughing.
We phased and began racing back to my truck, phased again and started looking for our clothes. I pulled on my underwear, socks, and jeans, but I was still missing my bra. I looked up to see Jake slinging it around on his finger like he had won a prize, so I walked over and tried to snatch it from his hand.
"Jake, let me have that back," I said, watching his facial expression turn into a mischievous grin.
He had already gotten dressed in everything but his shirt so we both stood there topless while I reached up trying to retrieve my bra from him as he held it higher and higher into the air. I could tell that I wasn’t winning this little battle so I started kissing him across his chest, teasing his dark nipples with my tongue and wrapping my arms around his waist so that my exposed breasts were rubbing up against his abdomen and it worked.
"All right. You win, but if you don’t stop that I may have to take those clothes back off again," he said, giving me a sexy smirk.
"And what makes you think I would resist?"
"Mmm, that’s what I like to hear," Jake said, as he handed over the article of clothing he had captured.
We finished getting dressed, climbed into my truck, and Jake turned us around heading toward La Push. I sat as close to him as I could with my hand on his thigh. I guess I was absentmindedly drawing patterns on his thigh because he reached down and took my hand in his and brushed his lips across my cheek.
"What’s on your mind, Bella?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about you, about us, about the pack, I guess about everything," I replied looking out the window.
"Well promise me you won’t be worrying about things. It’s all working out," Jake said, nudging me in the side causing me to look up at him as he offered me the smile that could make everything okay.
We rode the rest of the way in silence, just holding hands and enjoying being close to each other. When we got to Leah’s house, Jake killed the truck, opened the door, and slid out gently pulling me with him.
When my feet were on the ground, he put his arms around pulling me close to him as his lips found mine. We were lost in a long, slow kiss, when I heard the sound of footsteps and reluctantly pulled away from Jake to see who had joined us.
Leah leaned against the truck beside me with a devilish grin on her face. I smiled and probably blushed, but Jake wasn’t letting me go.
"So, is this what it’s like being hitched?" she said, laughing.
"I guess one of the perks," Jake said giving me another quick kiss, before pulling me to his side with just one arm.
"So where’s Embry? I thought he was going to be here too?" I asked.
"He’s on his way. We wanted to talk to you guys about something," Leah said, kicking at the dirt with her foot. And if I didn’t know better, I’d say she seemed nervous. "How was your first day without him?" she asked looking back over at me.
"It was hard, but I made it."
"Yeah, she made it because she knew I’d be ready to wrap her up in my loving arms just as soon as school was out," Jake said, squeezing me into his side and kissing the top of my head.
Jake was also poking me in the ribs, when Embry got there. Embry came out of the woods behind Leah’s house and when his eyes met her’s, I could see a difference in them in just a matter of days. They looked at each other like they were dying to be together again. It reminded me of how Jake and I look at each other.
Embry strode right up to where we were and pulled Leah into a tight embrace. He looked at her, carefully caressing her cheek, then gave her a gentle kiss, before looking over at us.
"Hey guys. It’s good to have you both back around," he said, giving Jake a sly smile and wink.
"You knew we’d be around," Jake said, giving him a slap on his shoulder.
"So, did Leah tell you?"
"No, she just said you both wanted to talk to us," I said.
"I wanted to wait for you," Leah replied, and it was hard for me to believe that she was the same Leah I had first met, and I think I saw her blush beneath her copper skin.
"So what’s the big mystery?" I coaxed.
"Well, Leah and I have been talking and after spending the past couple of weeks together.....well.....it may sound sudden, but I love her and she loves me. It just feels right when we’re together," he said, running his hand down her bare arm.
"So, Embry and I have talked and we don’t want to have to worry any more about imprinting either, so we’re going through the ceremony in a couple of weeks. My mom has already said we could stay with her until Embry gets out of school, then we’ll find a place of our own," Leah said.
I pulled away from Jake’s side and pulled Leah into my arms as I hugged her away from Embry and he and Jake walked a few feet away leaving us alone. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I felt her happiness. This was the best news I had heard since Jake and I said our vows.
"I’m so happy for you Leah," I whispered into her hair.
She hugged me back and said, "It just feels right Bella. For the first time in a long time I feel like I belong with someone. Embry is the most gentle, kind, sweet, caring guy I’ve ever known. And when he says he loves me, I know it’s true because I’ve been in his head. I’ve made him run with me so many times, just wanting to decipher all of his thoughts. He’s said it feels like I’ve filtered through every part of his mind but he let me, knowing I could see how he really felt and knew I needed that."
"He’s a great guy Leah and I know the two of you will be so happy," I said, pulling back to look at her.
We continued chatting quietly, but I could hear Jake asking Embry if they had talked with Sam. Embry shook his head and looked down for a moment then looked back up at Jake. We had just walked back over to where they were standing when Embry spoke again.
"No. We aren’t going to talk to him. I’m going to talk to him tonight. I want this to be man to man and I want him to know how I feel about Leah. He already knows how I feel about all that has happened between the two of them. I’ve made sure of that when we were phased. But this is going to be in person."
I had never seen this side of Embry before. He seemed so brave and determined. He seemed to have matured even more since the last time I saw him and I knew by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to be asking Sam for his blessing, he was going to be telling him how it was going to be.
"I’m so happy for both of you," I said, as I gave Embry a hug.
"So, what are the two of you going to do the rest of the afternoon?" Jake asked, pulling me back into his arms and resting his chin on my shoulder.
"Embry had homework, so I promised I would help him while I make cookies," Leah said, blushing again.
Leah making cookies? I was amazed at how alive she seemed to be. I didn’t see the bitterness in her eyes anymore and I was glad that she seemed to be getting a chance to have some sort of normal life. If anyone deserved it, she did.
"Yeah, I have some homework too. I’ve got to get back home and make dinner for Charlie and get mine done," I announced.
"I’ll call you tonight Embry and see how it went with Sam," Jake said, as he pulled away from me so he could pat him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, well, wish me luck," Embry said smirking, but I could tell he had no problem with having the courage to talk with Sam.
We parted ways and Jake and I climbed back into my truck. He said he wanted to check in with Billy before we went back to Forks so we stopped by his house. Jake took my hand and helped me out of the truck then pulled me along with him as we went inside.
Billy was in the back doing some laundry when we went in the house. Jake grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and offered me one, but I just took a sip of his.
"Hey. What are you two doing here?" Billy asked, as he rolled down the hall to the kitchen.
"I just wanted to check and see if you needed anything," Jake said.
"No. I was just about to start some dinner. Are you going to be eating here tonight?" he asked Jake and winked at me.
"Well, I haven’t invited him yet, but I was hoping he would stay for dinner at my house," I said, giving Billy a hug. "What are you fixing for dinner? I could get it started for you Billy," I offered.
"I was about to put on a stew but I don’t want you to....."
"It looks like you’ve got it all laid out here, it won’t take me but a few minutes to get it started then you will just have to watch it while it cooks," I said, washing my hands in the sink, before grabbing the potatoes, onion, and carrots out of the sink and starting to peel and chop them up.
I saw Jake shrug his shoulders out of the corner of my eye, as he went to the cabinet to get out the pot and grabbed the cans of tomato sauce I asked for from the cabinet. Within twenty minutes, Jake and I had the stew on to cook and I put some seasoning in it, but told Billy to taste of it in about 30 minutes to see if it needed more.
"Jake, I might get used to her being around," Billy said, as he smiled and eyed the pot of stew on the stove.
"Well good because she’s going to be around a long time," Jake replied and pulled me in for a quick kiss then he and I told Billy goodbye and we left for Forks.
"So what do you think about Leah and Embry?" I asked, as Jake drove.
"I know Embry and I know he’s sincere about how he feels about her. He really does love her, you know."
"I know. I can see it in the way they look at each other. I’m very happy for them. But I’m especially happy for Leah. She deserves happiness for once in her life-a happiness that no one can take away from her," I said thoughtfully.
Jake smiled at me and nodded but we rode the rest of the way to my house in silence. When he got me home, he helped me get things ready for dinner. We made fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
When we got everything ready, I pulled out my homework and tried to get started, but that was hard to do with Jake there.
"You know it’s very difficult for me to concentrate with this fingers of yours mapping my territories," I said giggling as Jake just smiled at me and continued on his present course.
"But I’ll be gone in a few hours and you can do your homework then, when you’re all alone and missing me," he said, blowing a stream of warm air directly into my ear while holding my hair up out of the way.
The shivers hadn’t yet stopped racing up and down my spine when my dad came home. Jake had a sly look on his face as he pulled away from me placing once last kiss along the side of my mouth, then he went to sit down at the table. Something told me he didn’t want the tell tale signs of his actions to be seen by Charlie.
"Well that put a damper on your mood," I said, laughing as I started getting the food ready for the table.
"You were saved the interruption my dear. I was about to reclaim you," he said quietly, giving me a look that made me feel weak inside.
I was just setting the table, when my dad came into the kitchen.
"Mmm, Bella, dinner smells great. What are we having?"
"Jake and I made fried chicken, dad. How was your day?"
"It was slow, which was a good thing. Hey Jake. So is she torturing you with domestic labor?"
"No Charlie, I happen to think of it as a labor of love. Besides, she and I get along great in the kitchen," Jake said, and I caught hidden meaning to his statement, but didn’t dare look up at my dad.
We ate dinner and talked about everyone’s day then Jake helped me clean up the kitchen while my dad went into the living room to watch the news.
Jake had just finished drying the dishes when I felt a wet dish towel wrap around me as he used it to pull me toward him as he pressed me against the cabinet.
"You better watch out. He may come back in here," I whispered.
"Come on now. You know my hearing is better than that. I wouldn’t let him slip up on us unless you had me completely distracted," Jake teased.
"Yeah, well if you don’t let me finish my homework, you’re going to think distracted," I said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as I pulled away.
He took that as a slight threat and laughed while he went to watch the news with my dad, leaving me to finish my homework. When I had it completed, I went to join them.
We watched the end of a movie together, then Jake said he had to be getting home so I walked him outside. He told Charlie that one of the guys was going swing by and pick him up, which wasn’t exactly a lie because he was meeting up with Quil for patrols tonight. So I kissed him goodbye and told him to be careful as I watched him disappear into the night.
The next day went by fast and I found myself a bit hyper, anxious for school to be out. When the day was finally over, I raced outside, half expecting to see Jake and feeling a little disappointed when he wasn’t there, but I would see him soon enough.
I drove home and went inside to start my homework. I was just finishing it when the phone rang. It was Jake telling me he had to do some work on his car that it had given him some trouble today and that he would come see me tonight.
So, I got dinner ready for Charlie and I was just putting it on the table when Charlie came home.
"Where’s Jake tonight? I thought he might be here for dinner again," he said as he sat down.
"No, he had to do some work on his car. He said something went wrong with it today."
Charlie and I ate the rest of our meal with only a few words being exchanged, then I cleaned things up and went upstairs for an early shower. Afterwards, I climbed into bed and started reading a book. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew Jake was running his fingers through my hair and waking me up.
I apparently had been dreaming about him and the very sight of him in the dimly lit room made me immediately come to life as I pulled him down to me in the bed.
"I’ve missed you too," he said, kissing me with fevered and eager lips.
"A dream can’t do you justice, Jacob Black," I whispered back, as I started taking off his cutoff sweats, but he stopped me so that he could pull my gown up over my head.
We were trying very hard to be quiet, but as his hands became more needy, caressing up and down my body, I must have started moaning, but that sound wasn’t as loud as the sound of Jake nearly falling off of the bed when I tried to get on top of him.
That was the sound that Charlie must have heard that brought him upstairs. It all happened so fast and was a blur of events, each tied to one another. The door burst open and I grabbed the sheet to cover myself as I saw Charlie standing in the doorway with his gun in his hand.
"What in the hell.....Jacob Black," was all he said, as he flipped on the light and surveyed Jake and I in our precarious position in my bed.
I don’t know exactly what came over me, but I was on my feet and standing in front of Jake to protect him in a mere matter of seconds, still clutching at the sheet as my only covering.
"Charlie...it’s not what it looks like!" Jake shouted, but all I could see was my dad’s gun pointing toward Jake.
That’s when a low warning growl escaped my throat and Jake grabbed me from behind, trying to move me out of the way, but I wasn’t budging. My dad looked at me with hurt and disgust flashing through his eyes and that’s when I lost it and felt the heat consuming me.
"Bella, no!" Jake shouted. "Charlie get out of here!" he screamed, but it was too late, I couldn’t control it and the trembling got worse.
I phased and moved closer to Charlie, baring my teeth and snarling. His gun dropped to his side and his mouth hung open. He was whiter than someone having seen a ghost as he stared at what I had become.
Then the guilt and disappointment of what I had done overwhelmed me and I knew I had to get out of there. I turned and looked back toward the window, fortunately Jake had left it opened. I looked at Jake for a split second and whimpered, then jumped up on the bed and sprang out the window, clearing the eave and landing with a thud on the ground as I rolled onto my shoulder and side. The slight sting I felt was nothing and I quickly got to my feet and ran. I wanted to get as far away as I could. I didn’t want anyone to know what I had done.
Sam was going to be so mad at me and the others..... I couldn’t even process it all and I felt my chest heaving up and down. That’s when I realized I was actually crying in wolf form and I felt the salty tears run down into my fur as I pushed myself further and further away from my house not knowing what was going to happen now-now that my dad knew what I was.