It's Our Last Chance to Feel Again

JACOB

I was torn. I wanted so much to go up to her, to comfort her, but I knew that if I took another step, she'd be stepping closer to the damn bloodsuckers, and who knows what those leeches might do to her.

I barely felt Edward glaring at me, and I really didn't care. All that mattered to me was the fact that she was afraid. Afraid of me, of the rest of the pack.

I watched as she cried, listened as she spoke, and all I wanted to do was... Phase. I could phase back and then explain everything, and get her away from those bloodsuckers and spend every single waking moment with her.

Yeah, okay, that's a bit far out. I mean, there is always that possibility she doesn't want anything to do with me. But it wouldn't matter, as long as I could comfort her, keep her safe.

Geez, hopeless romantic, I heard Embry's voice in my head.

Oh, the perks of being a werewolf. Phasing back would also mean that I wouldn't be able to hear everything they thought.

You make it sound like we're the ones thinking such cheesy stuff.

I rolled my eyes, and thought, Bite me.

Howling in pain, I turned to look at the Paul who was standing directly behind me, and my now wounded butt.

I didn't mean it literally! I thought furiously, while Paul just stuck his tongue out in a goofy manner.

I made to lick my wounds, but caught sight of a fear striken...

Katherine, Paul thought, and I saw... Read, or whatever you call it, Paul talking to Katherine. Just the two of them. Alone. In a room.

Anger washed through me, and I heard Jared's voice, Oh for goodness sakes.

I growled, and noticed once again that Katherine was looking at me with fear in her eyes.

"I suggest you stop bickering amongst yourselves," I heard that mind reading bloodsucker say, and immediately felt the need to start an argument among ourselves.

God, you don't have to try, Jake. Just keep being yourself.

I really wanted to kick Leah.

Jake, stop it. He's right, you're scaring Katherine, Sam's authoritative alpha voice rang in my head, and I sulked.

They started it.

A chorus of 'pfft's and 'whatever's ran throughout the pack, and I let out a bark laugh. Literally.

The pack groaned inwardly, and I mentally slapped myself.

"Okay, seriously. You talking to no one in particular isn't exactly helping me calm down with a bunch of manic wolves who are probably going to kill us now," Katherine spoke, and I was immediately overwhelmed. Her voice, sweet and fragile, sounded so afraid, and yet the courage to speak up made me burst with pride.

Man, Jacob. Stop it already, Embry thought.

Guys give it a rest. He can't help it.

Thanks, Seth, I thought, and my thoughts returned to helping Katherine. If I did phase, Katherine wouldn't be so afraid, and I could bring her back to La Push.

Jacob, you're not going to phase back.

And why not, Sam? I mean if I did, Katherine wouldn't need to be so afraid.

Yeah, you've been thinking that many times now. We know.

Shut up, Leah. Seriously. I don't stop you when you think about S-

Jacob. Sam the alpha. Great. It would be fine if you listened. Stop getting so heated up. We understand what you're going through, but you're not going to phase.

You still haven't explained why, Sam.

Because the possibilities that something bad could happen are outweighing the possibility that your fantasy comes true.

It's not a fantasy!

Look, Jacob. She's scared out of her mind, she's exhausted from running away from you for so long, and she's definitely trying her best to stay calm. Seeing you phase back to a human will not only freak her out, she'll be crossing over to the Forks line.

I still don't get how she can run that much. Jake, your girl must really be terrified of you, Quil butted in, and I had to hold in a growl for fear of scaring Katherine. Again.

Not if I tell her what those bloodsuckers are.

You're just putting her through hell, Jake.

Yeah, as if she isn't already in it. Even that emotion manipulating freak had to step in.

Leah and Sam did make sense...

Jake, we get how you're feeling, but you have to start thinking.

And that's coming from you, Jared? Ugh. I should never have brought her into the woods.

YOU BROUGHT THIS ON HER?! Paul was suddenly roaring, well in my head that is, and I winced.

She was asleep. And...

The whole pack turned to look at me.

Even though we all know Jared has no brains-

Hey!

-Shut up, I'm making a point. You really should start thinking first, Jacob. If you keep acting impulsively, you're eventually going to end up hurting Katherine.

And immediately, a picture of Emily's scarred face came to Sam's mind, and of course, it ran through our minds too. The rest of the pack winced at Sam's guilt, and the hurt that Leah felt.

Yeah, being a wolf sometimes sucked.

But at least you get to run really fast. That's awesome beyond awesome.

So if I can't phase, what do we do about Katherine? I asked, and the pack's minds were immediately filled with ideas from everyone.

None of the ideas seemed good or realistic (yeah, like as if she's really going to be able to walk or run back to La Push. How she ran so far in to the boundary line is beyond me. And it's not as if she's going to willingly hop on our backs for a ride back to La Push), and so I was truly thankful when the mind reading thing said, "Katherine, I don't think the wolves are going to attack."

She snorted, and I was felt this warm fuzzy feeling run through me. Who knew a grunt could sound like a symphony?

"No, really. I'm quite sure they're not going to attack anyone. We hike enough to know."

Oh, what a liar. And he did it so smoothly too! No wonder Bella fell for him. Lying bloodsucking mind reading bastard. To think he's lying to Katherine too?

Stop it, Jake. He's helping us, Sam scolded, and I looked at the ground.

"Okay, well, woohoo," She said sarcastically, punching one fist in the air for added effect, but the relief in her voice was so obvious, even Jared was able to tell.

Hey!

Ignoring him, I looked on as the future predicting bloodsucker questioned, "You mean you don't want to live?"

I felt my heart drop, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. Katherine was suicidal? My Katherine? I wouldn't let her die. Never. I'd watch over her-

24/7. Yes, we got it. Please. Spare us.

See, this is me ignoring you, Leah.

Way to act like a girl, Jake, Embry laughed.

Some best friend.

Oh, you'd do the same. Stop playing the victim, Embry thought, still laughing.

"Oh yeah. Because I really wanted to be killed by a pack of wolves. I mean did you see me inch towards them, hoping they'd attack me?"

What the heck is she talking about?

Sarcasm, Jake. You've really got a lot to work on.

Ignoring Leah, that stupid smart ass (yes, I do realise that doesn't make sense), I listened intently to Katherine speak, memorising the way her lips moved when she spoke, picking up her tendency on not bothering to articulate some of her words properly, making her sound like she had a speech deficiency. Man, was she adorable.

"-because I somehow have to find my way back to La Push, and then explain to my uncle why I'm so dirty and gross and where I've been since I don't know what time, and how I have no idea how I ended up in the woods."

Way to go, Jake. Jared thought, and I rolled my eyes.

I know, I know. Think before I act, I got it.

"You could always hitch a ride from the wolves," The mind reading rat said, and it took me so much constraint to keep myself from leaping over to her side and picking her up and putting her on my back as I ran through the forest.

She'd cling onto me so tight, and she'd be so afraid, but yet she'd feel all secure, and she'd be with me. Which is more than enough.

Great. Now I sound like a girl.

Told you so.

Shut up Embry.

"Oh, right. Sure, make friends with the beasts that nearly killed me. Well, okay. Not beasts," She stopped to turn to look at us, and I swear that when she met my eyes, my heart skipped a beat and I felt something pull us together, "They're actually really beautiful. Did you know I like wolves?" She asked, turning back around to face the leeches with a huge smile on her face.

Okay, so I was wrong. Maybe it was just me feeling the pull. Fear took over me. What if there was some rare case of an unrequited imprint? What if I imprinted on her, but she doesn't feel the same? It would just be a repeat of Bella, all over again. Except that this time, the bond, what I felt about her, it'd be stronger, and I'd have to deal with the pain of losing yet another one.

My thoughts were cut off from Katherine's voice,"Right, you probably don't even care. Sorry about that. Just a slip of the tongue."

The happy gleam in her eye, and the huge grin that once inhabited her face disappeared, and in its place was a frown and a distant look in her eye.

"Well, uh, before this becomes awkward, I should probably start on my incredibly long way back to La Push," Katherine spoke up, and then turned a whole 360 degrees.

She looked at the leeches and coughing awkwardly, she asked timidly, "Uh, you're hikers, right?"

No! No, they're not. They're bloody leeches who suck the life out of the people I love. Or loved. I wanted so much to shout, to tell her that they were far from just innocent hikers, but I controlled myself for 2 reasons. Firstly, it would result in lots of questions from her, which would most likely mean an earlier confession of what I was, and the possibility of her running away from me. Secondly, I was still a in my wolf form, and shouting would result in a bark, which would mean freaking Katherine out.

"Yes, we are," The mindreader said with a certain edge in his voice, and he looked directly at me.

How rude. Haven't we always been taught to look at the person we were addressing?

Katherine must have noticed his tone because she winced slightly and addressed Edwhatsit, "Sorry to be a bother, but you guys would know where La Push is, right?"

Her voice was so soft, barely audible, and it quivered slightly. The look of hurt in her eye was so apparent that it made my heart sink so low. I felt her pain, her uncertainty, and I whined unable to keep it in. I didn't want her to feel bad. Not if I had caused it. If I hadn't been so smart in my head, that mindreading leech wouldn't have needed to respond in that tone, and she wouldn't feel that way.

Whoa, Jake. Are you actually taking responsibility for your actions?

But Quil's voice was heard in some distant part of my brian because right then, Katherine was staring directly at me. Her eyes bored into mine with such an intensity, and I was sure that mine did the same to her.

Not being able to take it anymore, I took a step towards her.