Loved, Left, Lost, and Loved Again

Meeting the Pack

Arabella's POV

Today, after school, I'd be going over to Jacob's house to spend the night with him. I don't know what it is, but he's different. I've only known him for a few days and already I feel like he's my world. I love spending time with him. He just makes me feel comfortable and I can be myself around him. It's not only the comfort and familiarity that I love about him it's everything...as weird as it may seem. Weird because, I just met him. Yet, it feels like I've known him my whole life. My mom has though, which is a plus. She already approves. My dad though, he doesn't seem to like him. I'm not sure why though. I think it had something to do with the relationship between my mom and him.

When Jacob explained to me what imprinting was, he described everything that I was feeling. Carlisle says that it could be possible that I, half vampire half human, could have indeed imprinted. It's a theory though, nobody really knows for sure since my kind is so rare. But I'm sure it's true. I've never felt this way about someone and I don't think I will with anybody else.

School was great. I met more people and made new friends. Mom seemed to be in a better mood. The classes weren't hard so my day was a breeze. When it was over she took me over to Jacobs,I'd be spending the night with him. She hung out with us for a little while. She had brought over the ingredients for the dinner Jake was going to cook me. Jacob had inquired about my diet before. I remember how his face looked a little hesitant when he asked me. But I reassured him when I explained how I eat both human food and animal blood.

"Okay you two, I'm getting ready to leave." We walked my mom to the door. Jake grabbed my hand and held it. " Ara, remember you're going to The Cullen's tomorrow night. That's where I'll be." She reminded

"I know, mom. And you know you don't have to call them that anymore. They're our family." I said. Jacob squeezed my hand.

"I know, I know. It's just a habit." She looked down at our intertwined hands and smiled,"You guys are so cute together." I leaned into Jake's side and just smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Thanks, Bells." He said

"Mhmm. Alright, bye bye you two. I love you." She gave us each a hug.

"Love you too" We replied.

"Okay, have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She joked causing me and Jake to giggle.

After we closed the door behind her, Jake turned towards me, "So what do you want to do this evening?" He asked raising his eyebrow, making him look sexier than ever.

"I don't know. You have anything in mind?"

"I do actually." He grabbed both of my hands in his.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I want to take you to meet my pack."

"There's a pack of you?!" I asked, surprise filling my voice

He let out a chuckle," Don't sound so shocked Ara, you never heard of wolf packs? Or that wolves travel in packs?"

"I have I just...I guess I'm surprised because I've never met a werewolf before." I explained

"Well get ready to meet plenty more. These guys are like my brothers. We're all one big family. And it's important to me that you meet them." He pulled me to his warm body and wrapped his arms around my waist.

Smiling at the thought of meeting them I stretched and wrapped my arms around his neck, "I feel honored." He smiled back down at me. I got on my tip toes in an attempt to get my face closer to his. Noticing my struggle he picked me up in his strong arms. I let out a small giggle before I closed the remaining space between us and softly placed my lips against his. Whenever I kissed him it was always familiar, like I'd been doing it my whole life, and I loved it. Jake's lips moved against mine rhythmically.

As we furthered the kiss he paused for a second,"On second thought, we could just stay here."he breathed

"No no no, I want to meet your pack. We have plenty of time to spend together."

"But-"

I interrupted him with a quick kiss on the lips," I promise." I smiled

He sat me back down on the ground," Okay fine, well let's go now so we can get back." I giggled as he hurriedly grabbed his keys off the counter and headed for the door.

The ride there was quick, just a few turns and we were there. We rode on his motorcycle. I loved doing this, it almost gave me the same exhilarating thrill as when I am running; I'm going fast, the wind's blowing through my hair, and I'm in my most natural form. Plus, I was snuggled up into Jake's muscular back, holding on tight to his waist.

"We're here." Jake said. We pulled up in front of what looked like a big house-like shack rather than just a regular house. I waited for him to get off the motorcycle before I did. He picked me up off of the bike and sat me down on the ground. It was stupid of me to think I'd be doing that on my own. He's so protective of me. I love that in him.

"You know, I'm capable of doing some things." I teased

"Yeah, but I like doing them instead." he flashed a big smile. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Grabbing my hand, he led us forward towards the shack, "This is where the pack hangs out basically all the time. If I wasn't with you, I'd probably be here now." We reached the steps leading to the door and were welcomed by a group of boys that looked just like Jake; tan, tall, and muscular.

"So you're Arabella, it's nice to finally meet you." one of the guys said, reaching his hand out for a hand shake

"Hi, it's nice to meet you too." I smiled and extended my hand out to his. "You can call me Ara."

"Whoa you're hot!" He exclaimed, causing me to blush.

"Paul!" Jacob yelled

"No dude, her hand." He looked down at our hands, "Although, you're hot too" he winked

I quickly let go of his hand, "Um yeah, thanks." I tried to stay polite

"Ara, that's Paul, don't mind him he's the asshole of us all." Jake explained while everybody else laughed. "This is Sam, Quil, Embry, and Seth." He went down the line "Everybody, this is Arabella."

"Hi." I waved to all of them.

"Ara, I'm glad I can finally add Jacobs mate into the family. I'm glad he's found you." Sam welcomed me. He was bigger than the other guys, and he looked older. Jacob wrapped his arm around me.

"Okay so I have to ask," The one named Seth, I think, said," Are you really Bella's daughter?"

"Yeah, I am."

"And Edward's your father?" he was really fascinated

"Yes."

"Wait! So you're really a vampire?" Embry asked, he looked at Jake, giving him a weird look.

"I'm actually Half vampire and half human. My mom gave birth to me when she was still a human."

"Okay so, what can you do that's vampire? I mean, you can't be that strong if you're human" Paul inputted.

A grin formed on my lips, "Actually, I'm pretty strong and I'm pretty fast. I'm sure that I could take you on."

"Whoa" "Ooh" everybody chimed in.

"Are you sure that you want to do that."

"Oh, I'm plenty sure. Didn't Jacob tell you all how we met?" I asked. They all looked at him in question.

"What? Okay, I might've left out a few details." He said, raising his hands in innocence.

So I explained to them how we met, from my perspective. Told them how we fought in the woods. They all laughed when I got to the part where Jacob changed back into his naked human form and how shocked I was.

"So you really managed to get Jake down?" The one named Quil asked

"Yes. Yes I did." I bragged

"Well then you must be some kind of strong if you managed to do that. We've been trying for years." He said.

We all laughed. "So, you still up for it Paul?" I asked him. I never back down from a fight, ever. I know that I'll always win.

"Oh definitely." He rose to the occasion.

Jacob stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Paul," No. you are not. You are not going to put your hands on her. None of you will"

"Jake I-" I tried to intercept him

"No."

"Well, you heard him. She's off limits." Sam told the guys.

Jacob finally backed down when I grabbed his hand. He looked down at me, "Jake I appreciate that but I could've handled that, you know."

"I know but, it comes with the territory. The thought of them virtually trying to bite your head off just doesn't sit well with me. You know it's my job to protect you, and I want to."

"You're so sweet." I cupped his cheek and stood on my toes to kiss it.

I met the rest of his family. There were a lot of them and I couldn't remember all of their names; that was my human side. The vampire in me memorized their face and scent though. Jake held my hand and stayed by my side the whole time, never wanting to leave me. It was almost as if he believed that I'd leave him if he let go. I enjoyed it though.

As much as I wanted to stay with Jacob he had to go. Him and his pack had to have a "meeting" so we were forced to separate only after he promised to be right back. I watched as they retreated into the forest quickly stripping out of their clothes and into the form that I had me Jacob in. I focused on Jacob. I watched the rippling muscles on his bare back as he ran. That man was sexy, I don't think I can ever get tired of that. I mean, sure I've seen him naked before during our many times of intimacy, but that's just not something that you can get used to.

Emily, Leah, Claire, Jada, and I all sat around the bonfire just talking. Emily was Sam's wife, Claire was Quil's mate, and Jada was Embry's mate. Leah sparked my interest, she was a female werewolf. I guess that'd explain why her appearance was similar to that of the guys. These ladies were nice and I liked them. It was as if I fit in perfectly with them and this family. They sure knew how to make a person feel welcome. We watched the sunset over the horizon and the view was spectacular. This would be a romantic moment but we were missing something; the men. I missed Jacob but I didn't want to be rude and leave them to go find him.

"So what is it like being... you know...half human half blood sucker?"

"Leah!" Emily snapped at her.

"It's fine," I reassured her, "Well, it's ugh...life. If you want me to say something about how it's weird, then I don't know what to say. It's all that I'm used too. I guess I'm basically human; except for the fact that I've got super human speed and strength, can live off of blood or human food, have an incredibly fast heart beat, and an amazingly increased body temperature." I explained "I'm even hotter than Jake, so you can imagine how hot it gets when we touch." I winked, causing the girls and myself to giggle.

"So like, are there any challenges that you face being different?"

"Well, usually I wouldn't be telling anybody this; it's a defense mechanism, but I feel comfortable with you all and I feel like I can trust you. I'm...not as fast and strong as normal vampires. That's where the human comes in. I'm more vulnerable. Now don't get me wrong, I am very, very strong and smart. I can defend myself in any possible danger; I was taught to be able to do that. But I feel like now, I have nothing at all to worry about because I have my Jake." I smiled, now staring into the fire.

"You have that look." Emily said, causing the girls to look at me.

"I'm sorry, what look?"

"That look we've all had before, You're in love." she explained. I didn't say anything, I just let the huge grin that took over my face do all the talking. We all watched the fire in silence for a moment. I guess everyone was consumed by the thoughts of their mates. I missed Jacob so much, and at a time like this I yearned for his warm embrace.

"You're very lucky to have Jake, he's such a nice person." Claire said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, and he'll make sure nothing hurts you, he's so protective." Leah added

"I know, I know. It's like, my life is finally complete now that I've found him. I just can't imagine would life would be like if I didn't have him anymore." I gushed

"Well luckily for you, you don't have to." A deep voice boomed from behind me. I turned around to see a bare chested Jacob walking out of the forest towards us with the rest of the pack. I couldn't help the blush that burned my face. "Hey, ladies." they all greeted us.

Everyone sat down around the bonfire and began to have their own conversations. "So what do you think?" Jacob asked. I was now situated against his side as his arm was wrapped around me. I rested my head against his chest.

"Honestly, I love it. They're so welcoming towards me."

'Well I'm glad you like it Ara." He laid a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm glad that you're glad." I said, grabbing his hand and kissing it.

He laid another kiss on my forehead, slowly on my temple, and then my cheek. I twisted my body so that I was facing him now and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed me again, then stood up. He leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Why don't you join me for a walk on the beach?"

"Okay." I said, grabbing his hand as I stood up to join him.

"Ara and I will be back." He announced to the rest of the group. Although he really didn't have to say anything at all because everyone else was in their own little world with their significant other.



We walked hand in hand along the beach. Neither of us talked, just listened to the waves as they crashed onto the shore. It was dark and the only light that we had came from the moon; which added a romantic effect. We stopped and found a spot to sit.

Jake sat first before he pulled me down in between his legs so that we could both look at the view. He held me in his strong arms, "Could you get used to this?" he asked

"What? The beach? Yeah, I could definitely get used to this. It's beautiful here." I gushed

"No, I mean with me. Could You get used to being with me?"

"Oh." I turned around to look at him and smiled, "Well...I think that it's something that I could do. I want to be with you, forever. I love being with you. And your family...they're great. Jacob, I love you. So yeah, I could get used to being with you."

"Well that's great to hear." he hugged me tighter as we sat and watched over the view

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering... Ara?"

"Yes?"

"Can you promise me something?" he asked

"Depends on what it is."

"Promise me that you'll never leave me."

I turned around to face him, wrapped an arm around his neck, and placed my hand upon his cheek. Words wouldn't have been able to explain what I felt, so I channeled my gift and placed pictures into his mind. I showed him how I felt when we were together and how I pictured our future together. There was no way I was ever going to be leaving this beautiful man. "I promise" I whispered.

"Good."

"Now...where were we earlier?" I raised my eyebrow and grinned deviously, "Back at the house..."

"Oh yeah!" Jake raised his eyebrows, "You know, I don't think I remember. Could you remind me?"

"Hm, well it was a little something like this", I moved and sat on his lap and cupped his face in my hands as I leaned in and kissed his soft lips. His hands traveled down my body and finally settled on my waist as I wrapped my legs around his " and this," I kissed him again, this time allowing our tongues to meet. I could feel the heat tingle throughout my spine. This always happens to me with him.

I pushed him back a little so that he was now lying on his back with me on top. One of his hands ran through my curly hair while the other ran down my body. My hand felt along his hot, chiseled chest; evoking a growl to escape his lips. Rolling around in the sand he ended up on top of me. His hand rested at the bottom shirt, where he slowly began to lift it up.

I stopped him, "Jacob!"

"What?" he asked confused

"We can't do it right here, on the beach." I explained. I moved from underneath him

"You're right, lets go over there under the trees" he pointed over towards an area covered with trees and bushes.

"Um, yeah right! Let's just go back to your place." I stood up

Jake, still sitting, grabbed my arm," But Araaaaa" He whined. He is so cute when he does that.

I bent over and whispered into his ear, "Believe me, you won't regret it." I purred, turned, and walked away through the sand. I smiled as I heard his heavy footsteps behind me. Next thing I knew, I was swept up into his arms and thrown over his shoulder as he ran the rest of the way.

"Bye everybody! It was nice meeting you!" I called out as we passed everyone at the bonfire who looked at us in confusion. I waved goodbye as Jake got further away from them.

A chorus of "good nights" and "good byes" called back out to us.

When we got back to the motorcycle, Jake placed me in the seat, hopped on in front of me, and sped all the way home. No time was wasted. We made it home in no time, I'm not sure how long the ride was but it couldn't have been any longer than five minutes. It was safe to say though, that Jacob and I would be spending the entire night together, wrapped and tangled into each other, not thinking about anything else but us.

I WANTED TO INCLUDE A CHAPTER JUST ABOUT ARABELLA AND JACOB FOR A LITTLE INSIGHT AND DETAIL ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP SINCE THIS IS A STORY ABOUT EDWARD AND BELLA. HOPE YOU ENJOYED.