acob hadn’t really been paying attention to anything going on around him. His thoughts were on the car being rebuilt on T.V. which meant his guard was completely down. That was the problem with being at home, he felt completely at ease. He didn’t even hear the car approach the small, humble abode…let alone hear anyone get out of it. The truth was, Jake hadn’t been expecting visitors just yet - Bella was still at school and the guys were still avoiding him a little after he’d made the decision to go rogue Alpha on his own. The decision still made him flinch a bit, but ultimately he felt much better this way, happier. Not being controlled by Sam was a huge weight off his shoulders.

It was only the small voice that drew his attention away from the T.V. and made him jump up, stunned to have been caught so off-guard. At the door, his sister Rachel stood with her bags…somewhat unexpected. “Jeez Rach, a little notice would have been nice,” he choked, feeling his chest to make sure he was still alive and well. Jacob shook his head in disbelief before moving over to meet his sister, wrapping his big arms around her tiny frame. It had been so long, he didn’t realise quite how much he towered above her now. “No steroids here, just filling out,” he beamed, unsure whether or not to tell her the truth about his sudden change in physical appearance.

Grabbing her bags, he moved to place them out of the way before taking a seat back on the couch - turning the volume down on the T.V. with a little bit of a disgruntled feeling that he’d miss the rebuild. “What’s bought you back to La Push lil sis?” he said mockingly, obviously Rachel was older than him…but given his build, it felt right to tease her slightly about being so small. Rachel and Rebecca were the best sisters Jake could have asked for, taking over the mom role when his own mother unfortunately passed…he didn’t remember her enough to be too upset about it, but he had been grateful of his sisters support. As had Billy. “We’ve missed you, have you heard from Becks much?”

It had been a strange childhood for him, no-one really understood the ins and outs…Charlie was probably the only person in the world who had been there through it all. Hence the reason why he and Billy had always been so close. With everything going on, Jake felt slightly anxious about Rachel being back in town. He was really going to have to control himself, or at least until he’d figured out what exactly to say.

acob let a big grin spread across his face, he was happy to see her again…especially now he’d recovered from his momentary heart attack. She was so petite, and when it really boiled down…she was his favourite. The siblings had always been close, but with Rebecca moving away and settling down, it had left Jake and Rachel to become closer. Although, the secret he was currently keeping wasn’t going to go down well at all, after all…she was bound to find out. A pang of anxiety ran through him, he was worried about her reaction a little – Bella had jumped to conclusions but with her history of ‘monsters’ she’d accepted the weirdness fairly easily.

Jake shook his head, his grin dropping ever so slightly, “I’m good…just a guy thing I think.” Silently, Jake prayed that his ever-so-observant sister hadn’t noticed the look on his face, the one that made it obvious he was lying. Following her movements with his eyes, he settled a bit as she got comfortable. Having to act normal, like the old Jacob, was going to be a lot harder than he thought. He glared at her response, not buying a second of it. “O-kay…and now for the truth?” Shooting her a quick, warm smile Jake waited patiently. It wasn’t like her to be holding anything back – and as much as he wanted to believe she was there for quality family time, it just didn’t sound right.

“Good to hear about Becks, I wonder if she’ll spring a surprise visit on us too…” he winked, Rebecca didn’t always stay in touch – not that he could blame her. She was free from the res and everything that held Jake here…luckily she’d not inherited the family gene. Out of all of them, Jake had pulled the short straw there, and the worst part was…he couldn’t confide in anyone, they wouldn’t truly understand.

“Leah and Seth are…um…coping, in their own way,” he cringed, the siblings had both phased when the news of their father’s death had reached them, he was still trying to help them understand what they were. “Charlie has been down here a lot, with Bella…” he didn’t know whether to drop the bombshell or not…it was probably safer not to. “Put it this way, Billy…I mean Dad will be glad you’re here,” ever since he’d first phased he’d been calling his dad by his first name. A small habit he’d picked up when he’d been too angry to control anything…in a way he’d sort of blamed Billy for not telling him the legend sooner…or at least what it actually meant.

He glanced over at the kitchen, his stomach involuntarily grumbling as he did. “I’m starved, you fancy something?” Jake wasn’t the best chef, but he could make a tonne of mac and cheese…usually eating the whole lot himself. This time, he’d share – plus if he did consume such a large amount Rachel might get a little bit suspicious.

t was sure as hell going to be hard for Jake to keep his secret if Rach was so sure of staying – after all, he was now part of the elder meetings, and included a great deal in the way La Push was running. He was sure, like so many, Rach was going to be convinced of some gang culture in the small reservation. It had taken him long enough to convince Bella otherwise, and Bella hadn’t been around all that much at the start. Rachel was no doubt going to pick up on it sooner rather than later. “Hey, it is…kind of,” his attempt to argue back was feeble and he shot an apologetic glance toward his sister. Lying to her didn’t come natural to him, he hated it and the feeling made him uncomfortable.

Jake frowned, “so there isn’t some goofball out there that I have to go and set straight?” He eyed her suspiciously, so this was the reality. They were both lying to each other, keeping secrets well and truly hidden. Not for long though, Jake was going to wiggle it out of her somehow. “If you don’t spill, I’ll have to tell Bi-I mean Dad that you’re hiding something.” He grinned wickedly at his sister, knowing full well she would rather tell Jacob now than have to explain things to their dad later. Besides, nothing was going to be as bad as Jake’s new way of life, shifting into a wolf wasn’t exactly easy to accept let alone explain.

His expression turned thoughtful and Jacob nodded, “Becks was clever, that’s for sure.” It wasn’t easy for him to deal with the fact he was tied to this life. Both Rachel and Rebecca had a choice, they could leave with no strings attached…no matter when Jacob went his new life would follow him. He was kind of jealous that his siblings were both so free, able to follow any dream and do whatever they wanted. Not that he was envious of the sun or the heat, the weather barely affected him these days. “Still, I know a visit would be welcome…by everyone,” it had been a while since they’d seen her, and Billy was sure as hell missing the girls. Jake couldn’t commit to being around when he was needed anymore, he had other duties. Although Billy didn’t complain, Jake felt he was lonely.

Watching Rachel carefully, he noted her expression. She was clearly worried, and Jacob wanted to be sure his sister didn’t put herself in the way of danger. Both Leah and Seth weren’t in control, and the last thing anyone wanted was a casualty on their hands. “They just need some time, space to process things,” his voice was harder than he intended, full of warning. Werewolves weren’t great company to keep, Emily was evidence of that, but he couldn’t exactly tell Rachel this. Not yet anyway. Jake noticed her face change, this news of Bella had caught her interest more than he’d hoped…how to explain the imprinting without giving too much away. He sighed, dating was probably the best way to cover it – after all Bella was going to be around a lot. “She…well, hangs out with me. I guess, well…we’re kind of dating,” which was the truth, in a roundabout way, “it’s complicated,” Rachel was going to probe anyway. He waited for the onslaught of questions.

“Mac and Cheese coming up!” A wide grin spread across Jakes face, and he manoeuvred gracefully off the couch and into the kitchen in one swift movement. “Trying to butter him up, are we?” Shooting his sister a sly look, Jake laughed. He grabbed a saucepan out…and then picked up another. This was going to have to be a big batch, “grab me two packs of the pasta out,” he mumbled whilst rifling through the cupboard for the sauce. It was nice, feeling normal for a moment, being with his sister again. Sure, that was all bound to change when she discovered the truth. He held out his hand, waiting for the packets of pasta to be placed in his grasp.