Just Say Those Three Words

I got up and walked into the living room and found Sam sitting on the couch, sipping on a cup of coffee. I found Estelle sleeping on the couch opposite, so I grabbed her and sat down on that couch. Jacob followed me like a little puppy and sat down next to me.

"So, is this gonna be like family therapy?" I asked, stroking Estelle out of habit.

"No… more like history class if you wanna get a label."

"Ew."

"'Fraid so," Sam said, smirking. "So, have you noticed anything weird about the people of La Push?"

"No, not really." I looked at Jacob questioningly. "Does this have anything to do with the creepy fan club?"

He shook his head, smiling, but seriously looked back at Sam.
"Okay, Delilah, hear me out for a minute. Jacob and I… we're not normal. We are called shape shifters. We are supposed to protect the reservation from danger. There are a lot of us actually. Embry, Quil, Jared, people you don't know. The Quileute chief started it out, but you'll hear the full story tomorrow at the bonfire." He stopped and leaned back, watching my confused face.

"So… what? You're monsters?"

"No, no. We're the good guys, Dee."

"Who're the bad guys?"

"The Cullen's. They're… vampires."

I fell back onto the back of the couch and rolled my eyes. "This sounds like some cliché horror film."

"No," Sam said, leaning on his knees with his elbows. "It's real."

I looked at him, then at Jake, who was staring intently back at me. "Prove it."

Jake stood and grabbed my hand, leading me out the back door. Sam followed behind us. As he opened the door, he dropped my hand and took off running into the woods at an alarming speed. Halfway there, his body started to visibly shake, and then actually change. He leapt into the air, and his body morphed into a wolf.

There was no other way to describe what happened. He just leapt up, then suddenly was a wolf. And not a little normal wolf. He was bigger than a normal one, and he was definitely as big as a good sized bear. His fur was shaggy and russet colored. And his eyes were exactly the same as when he was human.

Apparently, my facial expression was hilarious, because Sam was on the ground, laughing. Jacob, if it was right to call him that, turned around and walked calmly to the house. He almost seemed to roll his eyes at Sam. I took a step toward him, and we both stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally, he moved his head, and in a swift motion, licked my cheek like a dog would. I laughed, wiping the saliva off.

"Ew, Jake!" I laughed and playfully moved his face away. He let out a laugh-sounding bark and moved his head closer to me, burrowing it into my stomach. I smiled and scratched his head playfully. The level of his back was at my shoulder, and when he moved his head, I saw our eyes were at the same level. I smiled at him and stroked his back, taking in the warmth radiating off him.

"Believe us?" Sam asked, still on the ground. "By the way, you should have seen your face."

"Shut up," I muttered.

Jacob growled at him, his chest rumbling under my hand.

"Dee, go with Jacob. He needs to tell you something," Sam said, getting up and walking into the house. "I'll see you at the bonfire," he said, waving.

I smiled at him, then looked back at Jake. He laid down right in front of me, looking at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked him, sitting down next to him.

He nuzzled me again in response.

"Jake, can't you just tell me whatever here?"

He shook his head, then grabbed hold of my shirtsleeve. He pulled me closer to him, and closer to his back. When he let go of the sleeve, he licked my hand, and looked at me with big brown eyes.

"You want me to get on you?" I guessed, petting his back again. He nodded enthusiastically. "Jake, if you drop me, I will hurt you," I warned, sitting on his broad back. He shook his head and barked playfully, and then took off running toward the forest. I held onto his overly long fur and leant my head down to avoid the cool wind. After running awhile, we reached a small clearing. He stopped and looked back at me. I smiled at him and slid off his back. Jake backed up into the trees, shaking his head when I followed. I gave him a puzzled look when he turned back to the cover of the trees.

"Sorry, Dee," I heard a moment later. Jake came out from the trees, with a pair of jean cutoffs on and a grey tee shirt in hand. "It really sucks not being able to communicate with people."

"Yeah…" I stared at him, still in disbelief. "You're a wolf."

He nodded, taking the several steps toward me. "I am."

I smiled and brought my hand up to his face. "Why was it so important I knew about it?"

"Your dad never told you about his childhood?" he asked. He put one of his hands on mine, closing his eyes in happiness.

"Not what you're thinking of, I bet."

Jake nodded and sat down on the ground. I sat next to him, leaning on his broad shoulder. "There's a chance you might go through the transformation."

My mouth dropped open a little, but I let him finish.

"Your dad was one. When he was our age. So, he figured you might go through the change, and it'd be better if you were here."

"How big of a chance?"

"Eh, it's not really that big, since you lived so close to bloodsuckers for so long. But there is still a chance."

"So, what else did you need to tell me?" I asked, looking at him.

He took a breath, then smiled at me. "There's a thing that the wolves have. Like a gift. We can attract and find a mate easier than when we're humans. It's called imprinting. And you just know that the two of you are supposed to be together."

"And what does that have to do with me?" I asked, moving in front of Jake. I had an idea, but I wanted to be sure.

"I imprinted on you," Jake said, taking my hands in his and kissing them.