Deep in the Woods (A Twilight Imprint Story)

Chapter 9

~Bailey~

Explaining everything to Harper was easier than I could have ever hoped for. After I imprinted I didn't even take a moment to think before running to her house to tell her. Not even Sam's orders and Alpha status were strong enough to get in the way of the bond between a wolf and their imprint. I knew deep inside me, on a level I'd never felt before, that she would understand.

And she did. My declaration was met with nothing but gentle acceptance and affection, which was exactly what I needed. I could tell I was able to give her exactly what she needed too. In the small moments when she was afraid or hurt, I was able to bring her peace in the way I had always wished I could. It was a magical moment I'll never forget.

The only problem was Bella. I was so sure I could trust Harper that I got distracted from the real risk. Bella's connection to the Cullens, and apparently her irrational nature. She found out we were wolves, and immediately drove down to the reservation to pick a fight with the pack about them keeping Jacob from her. Paul almost lost control and ripped her head off. So my time with Harper was cut short and I had to go do damage control. Jake needed help calming down, and Sam gave me a lecture about how I should have discussed how to tell Harper with him first.

But the next day I was ready to be free of the drama. I had found my imprint and I was ready to start our life together. She wanted to get to know me better and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. So I had planned a date for us, and she trusted me to take her for dinner and a surprise. I was on my way to pick her up when it happened.

As I drove up a hill by the beach I saw Bella jump from a cliff into the water. I slammed on the brakes and immediately launched into crisis mode, swinging my door open and running towards the water, hoping I could swim out to her in time. Right as I was about to dive in, I saw Jake jump in after her, just after a large wave had crashed into the side of the cliff. I waited a moment before seeing Jake surface and look my way.

"I've got her!" he called, before plunging back into the rocky waters to find her. My rising heart rate steadied a bit as I paced back and forth, waiting for them both to reach the surface again. Eventually I saw Jake swimming to shore, dragging Bella behind him.

"Is she okay?" I practically shouted. All I could think of was Harper and how she'd feel if her sister was hurt. I knew she'd be devastated. Jake ignored me and immediately started CPR, desperately trying to save Bella. In almost no time she coughed up all the water in her lungs and gasped for air. I let out a sigh of relief and kneeled next to them. "Bella are you okay?"

"Mhm," she responded weakly. "I just wanted to see something." Jake and I looked at each other, absolutely clueless to what she meant.

"Let's get her to my car, we can take her home." I tried to pick her up, but Jake insisted on carrying her.

"Get her home! I'm gonna go help out over at Harry's place," I heard Sam yell from the other side of the beach. I hadn't even noticed he was there.

"What's going on at Harry's?" I questioned. Jake's face grew sad.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack. He didn't make it." My heart immediately fell. Harry had been like an uncle to me my whole life. He and Sue had been such good friends to my dad and always treated Jake and I like family. But I had more immediate things to handle. Bella was weak and Harper was expecting me, we had to get to their house quick. So we rushed her to the car and I jumped into the driver's seat while Jake pulled Bella into the back with him. The whole way there I tried to pretend they weren't basically about to kiss in my back seat. It broke my heart a little to see her play with my little brother's feelings like that. But I decided to focus on driving instead. When we pulled into the driveway something seemed off.