Belonging
by Momma2fan
Chapter 14
The four of them sat and stared as their bronze haired brother paced back and forth. He was mumbling under his breath and had they been human, they wouldn’t have been able to hear him. As it was, they got every word and they knew they were going to have to try and stop him, before his plans came to fruition and put all their lives in jeopardy. They looked at each other and wondered who the main obstacle would be.
***B***
“Jared, where are we going?”
He smiled when he heard her giggle as he pulled her along behind him. “You’ll see.”
He’d been planning this date since their first kiss two weeks ago. When he found the place, he knew he wanted some time with her, away from her parents, her brothers and the pack, especially since Jacob had phased a week after her spirit journey. Baby Alpha had immediately decided Bella was the one for him and was pissed Jared had imprinted on her.
He stopped a short way from where he was leading her and turned to smile at her. “I need you to close your eyes and trust me. Can you do that?”
“I do trust you, Jared.” With a small smile, she closed her eyes.
Jared swooped down and scooped her up in his arms, chuckling at her squeal. He carried her bridal style until he reached the cabin and pushed the door open with his foot. He and Paul had set things up earlier and he was happy with their work. He placed her on her feet, making sure to hang on to her waist so she was balanced. “Open your eyes.”
Bella looked around at the small, one room cabin. There was a stone fireplace with a comfortable looking couch in front of it. Behind that was a kitchen, with a table for two against the wall. The whole space had a homey feel to it and she immediately felt herself relax.
Looking around further, she took in the fire burning in the hearth, the heat spreading around the room. On the table were two place settings, with a candle burning between them and a beautiful single white rose with red tipped petals sitting in a vase.
“Jared,” she gasped in a whisper as she saw it. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Do you like it?”
Bella smiled and looked up at him. “No one has ever done anything like this for me. This is amazing. I love it.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Jared grabbed her hand and walked her over to the table, pulling her chair out for her. Once she was settled, he walked to the kitchen and retrieved the plates which held their dinner.
“Now, I can’t cook, so your mom helped me out with this one.”
Bella giggled when he set a plate of her mother’s spaghetti in front of her. “I guess it’s a good thing mom is teaching me and I had to cook for Renee before that.”
“Babe, if you can cook as well as your mom, I’m gonna be a very happy wolf.”
They were silent for a few minutes as they dug into their food. There was plenty they both needed to say to each other, but neither was sure where to start. Jared cleaned his plate long before Bella was halfway done with hers and decided he would start the conversation he knew they needed to have.
“Babe, we need to talk about the imprint.”
Bella stood up and began clearing the table. Jared watched her, thinking she was trying to avoid the conversation, but she was actually trying to gather her thoughts. After she had all of their dishes stacked, she turned to look at him.
“When it changed, I was surprised. It happened faster than I was prepared for.”
Jared turned in his chair so that he was looking at her where she stood. “Do you...” he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say.
Bella met his eyes, “Do I what? Wish that it hadn’t changed?” She continued when he nodded. “Jared, do you not want me?”
He stood then and walked over to her, caging her in against the counter with his arms as he leaned closer to her. “I want you more than you know, Bella.” He then leaned down and captured her lips with his.
Feeling his warm lips against hers caused Bella to sigh and wrap her arms around his neck. Her sigh allowed him to deepen the kiss and he slid his tongue along hers, groaning at her taste. Moaning, Bella tried to pull him closer, but he broke their kiss instead.
“Babe, we still need to talk about this.”
Bella pecked his lips one more time and nodded, “Okay.”
She grabbed him by the hand and led him over to the couch, pushing him down to sit. He grinned at her, wondering what she planned next and was stunned when she straddled his thighs.
“Bella,” he groaned as he grabbed her hips. “You’re testing my limits, babe.”
She grinned and played with the hem of her shirt. “If my actions aren’t enough to tell you that I am ready for whatever comes next with us, I only know one other way to convince you.”
“Trust me, babe, your actions are loud and clear.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Just out of curiosity though, how else would you convince me?” He heard her heart beating faster in her chest and wondered what it was that set it off.
Bella looked down at her hands. For the first time since she arrived in LaPush five months ago, she was nervous. Taking a deep breath, she looked in his eyes, bringing her hand up to rest her palm on his cheek.
“I’m in love with you, Jared.”
Jared sucked in a breath, not having expected to hear her say those words. He could feel his own heart racing in his chest and knew he felt the same.
“I love you, too, Bella.” He leaned forward and captured her lips, pouring all the love he felt into the kiss. He pulled her closer to him, so her chest was pressed to his as their kiss grew in intensity. Bella’s moan brought him back to reality.
He broke the kiss, landing a last peck to her swollen lips before smiling at her. “Sam told me Old Quil visited with you the other day. What’s going on?”
Bella shifted her position, sitting across his lap and settling her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. “When we first spoke about the imprint and everything that went along with it, he explained to me about marking. He had originally thought it could only be done when the imprinted couple was intimate. He came by yesterday saying he had been reading over some old scrolls and found a story similar to me.”
Jared ran his fingers through her hair as she spoke, enjoying the feel of the soft strands in his hand. “What did he say?”
“He said there was a young woman of the tribe who had become the obsession of a cold one. She had an imprint, but their relationship was complicated and they weren’t ready to be with each other. He said her mate marked her anyway, as the protection ward was not working as it should have been. The mark of her wolf sent the cold one into a rage, causing him to attack and allowing the pack to destroy him.”
“Okay,” Jared started while looking at her. “I thought Amara told you the ward would last for six months.”
Bella nodded, “She did, but we also haven’t really tested it to see if it does work. I never leave the res, Jared.”
The thought of her leaving the res caused Jared to begin shaking. He picked her up off his lap and set her away from him on the couch as he tried to calm down and not shift.
“That’s why,” Bella commented after watching him get up to pace. “The thought of me going anywhere brings forth your wolf and you have to fight the phase.” She got up and walked toward him, getting in his path. “I think if you mark me now, it’ll help. Not only with the vampire, but that stupid ass Jacob Black.”
Jared looked down at her, staring into her eyes. Bella met his gaze, praying that he wanted this as much as she did. She had talked about it with Old Quil and Emily and she was ready to take this next step with him. He must have seen what he was looking for, because his lips began forming a slow smile.
“I love you, Bella,” he whispered before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. He pulled away without deepening the kiss and stared into her eyes. If he was going to mark her, it was going to be now. “Do your parents know about this?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you about it first.” Bella chewed on her lip for a second, scrutinizing him. “Are you gonna do it?”
“I want to,” he started, but sighed. Jared ran a hand through his hair and took a step back. “I don’t want to hurt you, babe, and this will hurt.”
She smiled at him, “I don’t think it will. Mainly because you shy away from anything that will hurt me, including you.”
Jared thought about it and knew she was right. He couldn’t hurt her, the idea of it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were ready for what could happen when he marked her, but he knew he wanted it on her skin. He wanted to be able to catch his scent intermingled with hers. His mind made up, he gripped her hand and led her back over to the couch. Sitting down, he pulled her down to straddle his legs.
Bella placed her palms on either side of his face, “I love you, Jared. I trust you.”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her flush to his chest. Just before his lips met hers, “I love you, Bella.”
The kiss started out slow, but soon their passion grew. Bella could feel him hard between her thighs and moaned while rolling her hips. Jared growled deep in his chest as his wolf came to the surface. Wrenching his mouth from hers, Jared trailed his lips from her ear to her neck, to the juncture where it met her shoulder.
Bella moaned when she felt him sucking on her pulse point. “Jared...” his name came out as a breathy sigh, just as she felt his teeth pierce her skin. Her sigh turned to a scream of his name as her body exploded with pleasure.
Jared held her close as he laved his mark with his tongue, healing it over and praying it worked the way they needed it to. He couldn’t lose her, not to some psycho bloodsucker, not to anyone.
The four of them sat and stared as their bronze haired brother paced back and forth. He was mumbling under his breath and had they been human, they wouldn’t have been able to hear him. As it was, they got every word and they knew they were going to have to try and stop him, before his plans came to fruition and put all their lives in jeopardy. They looked at each other and wondered who the main obstacle would be.
***B***
“Jared, where are we going?”
He smiled when he heard her giggle as he pulled her along behind him. “You’ll see.”
He’d been planning this date since their first kiss two weeks ago. When he found the place, he knew he wanted some time with her, away from her parents, her brothers and the pack, especially since Jacob had phased a week after her spirit journey. Baby Alpha had immediately decided Bella was the one for him and was pissed Jared had imprinted on her.
He stopped a short way from where he was leading her and turned to smile at her. “I need you to close your eyes and trust me. Can you do that?”
“I do trust you, Jared.” With a small smile, she closed her eyes.
Jared swooped down and scooped her up in his arms, chuckling at her squeal. He carried her bridal style until he reached the cabin and pushed the door open with his foot. He and Paul had set things up earlier and he was happy with their work. He placed her on her feet, making sure to hang on to her waist so she was balanced. “Open your eyes.”
Bella looked around at the small, one room cabin. There was a stone fireplace with a comfortable looking couch in front of it. Behind that was a kitchen, with a table for two against the wall. The whole space had a homey feel to it and she immediately felt herself relax.
Looking around further, she took in the fire burning in the hearth, the heat spreading around the room. On the table were two place settings, with a candle burning between them and a beautiful single white rose with red tipped petals sitting in a vase.
“Jared,” she gasped in a whisper as she saw it. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Do you like it?”
Bella smiled and looked up at him. “No one has ever done anything like this for me. This is amazing. I love it.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Jared grabbed her hand and walked her over to the table, pulling her chair out for her. Once she was settled, he walked to the kitchen and retrieved the plates which held their dinner.
“Now, I can’t cook, so your mom helped me out with this one.”
Bella giggled when he set a plate of her mother’s spaghetti in front of her. “I guess it’s a good thing mom is teaching me and I had to cook for Renee before that.”
“Babe, if you can cook as well as your mom, I’m gonna be a very happy wolf.”
They were silent for a few minutes as they dug into their food. There was plenty they both needed to say to each other, but neither was sure where to start. Jared cleaned his plate long before Bella was halfway done with hers and decided he would start the conversation he knew they needed to have.
“Babe, we need to talk about the imprint.”
Bella stood up and began clearing the table. Jared watched her, thinking she was trying to avoid the conversation, but she was actually trying to gather her thoughts. After she had all of their dishes stacked, she turned to look at him.
“When it changed, I was surprised. It happened faster than I was prepared for.”
Jared turned in his chair so that he was looking at her where she stood. “Do you...” he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say.
Bella met his eyes, “Do I what? Wish that it hadn’t changed?” She continued when he nodded. “Jared, do you not want me?”
He stood then and walked over to her, caging her in against the counter with his arms as he leaned closer to her. “I want you more than you know, Bella.” He then leaned down and captured her lips with his.
Feeling his warm lips against hers caused Bella to sigh and wrap her arms around his neck. Her sigh allowed him to deepen the kiss and he slid his tongue along hers, groaning at her taste. Moaning, Bella tried to pull him closer, but he broke their kiss instead.
“Babe, we still need to talk about this.”
Bella pecked his lips one more time and nodded, “Okay.”
She grabbed him by the hand and led him over to the couch, pushing him down to sit. He grinned at her, wondering what she planned next and was stunned when she straddled his thighs.
“Bella,” he groaned as he grabbed her hips. “You’re testing my limits, babe.”
She grinned and played with the hem of her shirt. “If my actions aren’t enough to tell you that I am ready for whatever comes next with us, I only know one other way to convince you.”
“Trust me, babe, your actions are loud and clear.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Just out of curiosity though, how else would you convince me?” He heard her heart beating faster in her chest and wondered what it was that set it off.
Bella looked down at her hands. For the first time since she arrived in LaPush five months ago, she was nervous. Taking a deep breath, she looked in his eyes, bringing her hand up to rest her palm on his cheek.
“I’m in love with you, Jared.”
Jared sucked in a breath, not having expected to hear her say those words. He could feel his own heart racing in his chest and knew he felt the same.
“I love you, too, Bella.” He leaned forward and captured her lips, pouring all the love he felt into the kiss. He pulled her closer to him, so her chest was pressed to his as their kiss grew in intensity. Bella’s moan brought him back to reality.
He broke the kiss, landing a last peck to her swollen lips before smiling at her. “Sam told me Old Quil visited with you the other day. What’s going on?”
Bella shifted her position, sitting across his lap and settling her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. “When we first spoke about the imprint and everything that went along with it, he explained to me about marking. He had originally thought it could only be done when the imprinted couple was intimate. He came by yesterday saying he had been reading over some old scrolls and found a story similar to me.”
Jared ran his fingers through her hair as she spoke, enjoying the feel of the soft strands in his hand. “What did he say?”
“He said there was a young woman of the tribe who had become the obsession of a cold one. She had an imprint, but their relationship was complicated and they weren’t ready to be with each other. He said her mate marked her anyway, as the protection ward was not working as it should have been. The mark of her wolf sent the cold one into a rage, causing him to attack and allowing the pack to destroy him.”
“Okay,” Jared started while looking at her. “I thought Amara told you the ward would last for six months.”
Bella nodded, “She did, but we also haven’t really tested it to see if it does work. I never leave the res, Jared.”
The thought of her leaving the res caused Jared to begin shaking. He picked her up off his lap and set her away from him on the couch as he tried to calm down and not shift.
“That’s why,” Bella commented after watching him get up to pace. “The thought of me going anywhere brings forth your wolf and you have to fight the phase.” She got up and walked toward him, getting in his path. “I think if you mark me now, it’ll help. Not only with the vampire, but that stupid ass Jacob Black.”
Jared looked down at her, staring into her eyes. Bella met his gaze, praying that he wanted this as much as she did. She had talked about it with Old Quil and Emily and she was ready to take this next step with him. He must have seen what he was looking for, because his lips began forming a slow smile.
“I love you, Bella,” he whispered before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. He pulled away without deepening the kiss and stared into her eyes. If he was going to mark her, it was going to be now. “Do your parents know about this?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you about it first.” Bella chewed on her lip for a second, scrutinizing him. “Are you gonna do it?”
“I want to,” he started, but sighed. Jared ran a hand through his hair and took a step back. “I don’t want to hurt you, babe, and this will hurt.”
She smiled at him, “I don’t think it will. Mainly because you shy away from anything that will hurt me, including you.”
Jared thought about it and knew she was right. He couldn’t hurt her, the idea of it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were ready for what could happen when he marked her, but he knew he wanted it on her skin. He wanted to be able to catch his scent intermingled with hers. His mind made up, he gripped her hand and led her back over to the couch. Sitting down, he pulled her down to straddle his legs.
Bella placed her palms on either side of his face, “I love you, Jared. I trust you.”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her flush to his chest. Just before his lips met hers, “I love you, Bella.”
The kiss started out slow, but soon their passion grew. Bella could feel him hard between her thighs and moaned while rolling her hips. Jared growled deep in his chest as his wolf came to the surface. Wrenching his mouth from hers, Jared trailed his lips from her ear to her neck, to the juncture where it met her shoulder.
Bella moaned when she felt him sucking on her pulse point. “Jared...” his name came out as a breathy sigh, just as she felt his teeth pierce her skin. Her sigh turned to a scream of his name as her body exploded with pleasure.
Jared held her close as he laved his mark with his tongue, healing it over and praying it worked the way they needed it to. He couldn’t lose her, not to some psycho bloodsucker, not to anyone.