Chapter 83

I'm so sorry for the late update, we only just got WiFi half an hour ago, the last router was faulty so we had to wait for another one to be delivered!

I won't babble on so you can get reading! Have a great day and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

- Sian

When the dawn approached, Hunter and Jacob were sleeping proudly side by side. The duvet covered their lower half and exposed their bare chests. The sun peeked through the open window, filling the room up with light and warmth.

Memories of last night would linger in the atmosphere for a while, especially when it was so exciting to have finally made love to one another.

When Jacob woke up, the one thing he strongly smelt was Hunter. His addicting scent filled his nose, making him turn over and bury his head into his warm shoulder. It was bliss and comfort mixed into one.

"Good morning," Hunter's husky voice fluctuated his breathing.

"I didn't think you were awake," Jacob whispered. Thoughts of what they shared at three in the morning were vibrant in his mind. He was finding it difficult to believe that he was comfortable enough to go through with it. Not one moment made him worry. Hunter was very patient, slow, and considerate.

"I only just woke up." Hunter's eyes were closed and he was still drifting from a very sleepy state. When he felt Jacob's body move against his, they flickered open and a wide smile spread across his face. "Wow, I really did mark you last night."

Jacob looked down, his eyebrows raising immediately. Hunter had left love bites all over his skin, ranging from past his hip bone, all the way up to his neck. They were everywhere as he traced his fingers over the little bruise-like circles.

"How long do they stay for?"

"A couple of days I think," Hunter yawned.

"What! I can't hide them for that long."

"I don't think you can hide them at all," Hunter chuckled. "There's two on your neck that will show even with a t-shirt on. "There's nothing to worry about though, it just shows how much I love you."

Jacob turned and stared at the ceiling.

"It's just... I don't want to talk about it with anyone else."

Hunter allowed his fingers to trace lightly over his chest muscles.

"Tell them that. You can say no to people."

"I think my dad might want to talk about it."

"That's fine, my parents have talked to me about it several times. We're quite open about stuff like this, I know your family isn't but it's not weird for him to ask, he'll just be making sure everything is fine. It might be good for you, you'll get more comfortable with it."

Jacob nodded, he had a point. He is the one that's awkward about it, not everyone else.

"Anyway," Hunter yawned once more before climbing out of bed. "Come on, it's shower time."

Jacob didn't flinch at his naked body, not like he did the first time he saw it. Instead, he simply climbed out of bed and followed him to the bathroom, ready for some warm water.

* * * * *

"Sam and William, will you stop doing that, I've cleaned up after you twice now." Anthony shook his amused head before picking up more cereal. They had spent the morning throwing it at each other across the room, trying to catch it in their mouths.

"Fine," Sam groaned and spun himself on the kitchen stool, thinking of something else they could do. "Will, can you throw sticks for me again? It's sunny and I want to be outside before Jacob's storm comes."

"Sure," William grinned. He loved to see him shift into his magnificent black wolf. As Sam jumped off the stool, Hunter and Jacob made an appearance in the kitchen.

The werewolves in the room stopped and stared, only able to smell Hunter's scent. Jacob's was not detectable to them anymore, indicating that he had been successfully marked.

Margo smiled and faced away, not wanting him to see. Anthony crossed his arms and examined the little bruises on Jacob's neck with a smirk.

"Fun night last night?" He questioned, just as Scott entered the kitchen with damp hair from his recent shower.

"Obviously," Hunter mumbled, already seeing the red appearing on Jacob's cheeks. When he looked away, he frowned at his dad, warning him to stop talking.

Anthony grinned wider and gave up, knowing he would get the chance to ask about it later.

However, Scott's eyes performed a double glance at the markings on his son's neck, he was surprised. But he didn't mention anything, embarrassing him was not his intentions.

William didn't notice and pulled on Sam's shoulder, instantly grabbing his attention.

"Are you ready?"

Sam looked down and into his creamy hazel eyes.

"Yeah," He beamed, resisting the urge to fling his arms around him. "I wish you could turn into a wolf."

"Me too," William sighed and entered the garden.

"So," Flora was sitting at the dining table while her husband made himself busy in the garden. "You've marked him."

Hunter sighed. He could always count on his Nana to be very straight forwards.

"Marked him?" Scott frowned, not understanding what it meant.

Jacob now wished that he didn't like being kissed on the neck so much.

"Your son is no longer the innocent young man you see before you." Flora was very happy for them.

Scott then understood. It was like a ripple of realisation that changed on his face. Making eye contact with his son, he could see that he was embarrassed, yet proud of himself for making this relationship work.

"I'm very pleased for you both, but get some breakfast. You must be hungry after that strenuous exercise." Anthony was grinning wide.

Hunter groaned when Jacob considered going back to bed. He couldn't cope with the constant blush.

"Dad, please don't start making jokes," He spoke when Sam and William re-entered the kitchen. It had started to rain. "We had sex last night for anyone who didn't quite understand that. I marked him, he now smells of me and only me, so will you just get over it and stop making him feel awkward."

Anthony stalled, not expecting such a mature reply.

"Uh... sorry, Jacob. It's just my humour," Anthony shrugged after receiving intense stares from his wife.

"Is that how it works?" Scott asked. "Once he's marked, werewolves smell only Hunter on him? Is it a territorial thing?"

"It is indeed," Flora said and patted the seat next to him so they could have a hushed discussion.

William was watching his brother until Jacob flashed him a little smile, indicating to him that everything is fine and he didn't have to be an overprotective big brother.

"Can we go into town now please," Jacob thought to his mate.

"Okay. Are we teleporting there?"

"Yes."

Hunter wrapped his arms around him but before they left, he thought he would give them something to talk about.

"Oh, by the way, we met an angel yesterday and he's Jacota's guardian angel. Also-"

"Flora told us everything," Anthony interrupted, saving him from explaining it all.

"Nana," He whined.

"You can't expect me to keep something like that down my dear. We saw the angel too, he was beautiful, and so was his soulmate."

"Wait, what!? I want to see an angel," Sam said with big eyes.

Flora then patted the seat on her other side.

"Come over, I'll tell you everything."

* * * * *

"It doesn't feel right." Jacob was sitting at a table in a restaurant, surrounded by humans who were also having their lunch. Hunter was sitting opposite him, feeling strange in this environment too.

"Is it different now that you're not human?"

"Yes. I just really don't fit in here." People kept glancing at him, wondering why he looked so mighty and powerful. He was just a teenage boy.

It felt odd to be surrounded by people who he once thought were the same as him. Yet, his life is completely different now and he has changed for the better.

"Do you want to go for a run?" Hunter asked, his eyes glistening from the subtle candle light on the table.

Jacob's lips curled into a smile and a simple nod of the head was enough confirmation for the werewolf.

He flagged down a waiter, paid the bill and left. People stared as they walked hand in hand through the tables but both of them were past caring. Nobody is going to make them feel uncomfortable for being themselves, especially when they won't be on this earth in one hundred years time and they will still be in their teens.

"My wolf form is desperate to come out today," Hunter thought when they smelt the fresh air. "You know, Zac gets out of hospital today."

Jacob glanced at him before they crossed a road.

"Are you going to see him?"

"No, he means nothing to me. I can't be bothered threatening him. I'm sure if he tried anything, you could just glare at him and he'd start crying."

Jacob chuckled while intertwining their fingers.

"Let's hope he doesn't try anything then."

When they reached an alleyway, Jacob looked around before they wrapped their arms around each other.

"You know, people kept staring at the hickeys on your neck. I wonder if they thought I did them." Hunter traced them with a satisfied smile. Thoughts of last night still caused quite an excited stir between them. They felt deeply connected on a much more personal level.

Jacob has never let anyone other than his family be this close and intimate in his life. He was glad he could be this way with Hunter, he deserves someone who loves him just the way he is.

"Judging by the way you constantly undressed me with your eyes, they definitely knew it was you," Jacob spoke quietly.

"Take us home and I'll undress you with my hands instead."

Jacob blushed and diverted his eyes.

"U-Um-"

"You're so cute," Hunter chuckled. "I'm just trying to make you embarrassed so you change into your pup form on our run."

* * * * *

After running for almost half an hour, Jacob had changed from his pup wolf to a regular wolf, one that portrayed the same size as his mate.

As they travelled over rough terrain and jumped over fallen trees, they reached a clearing in the woods and Hunter instantly slowed down, knowing that civilisation would be close by.

Jacob's sharp eyes scanned a road and a little bridge, hovering above a wide lake with slow moving currents. It was beautiful, but a sudden pained memory invaded Hunter's head. His wolf let out a little whimper and he backed away.

"What's wrong-" Jacob stopped when he read his mind and felt his misery. He quickly realised that this wasn't any random lake, and it was far from unfamiliar to Hunter.

It was where he lost his grandparents and Jacob lost his grandfather.

"I-I haven't been here since the accident." Even in Jacob's mind, his voice was quiet and frail.

"Maybe it'll do you good to revisit?" Jacob suggested warily. "I mean... you can find peace here if you tried."

"How am I supposed to find peace? The accident ruined me."

"I lost my grandad here too. I know it's not the same, I didn't watch it happen but for me personally, I'm going to pay my respects." Jacob looked around and smelt nobody before allowing his soft pads to touch the warm concrete road.

Hunter watched him trot down the bridge and jump onto a patch of grass. Even after all these years, he could see the change in colour on the railing where they had to rebuild it because the car broke through it, sending them straight into the water.

After intense hesitation, he took a breath and followed his mate. The air was crisp but the sun was warm, allowing him to see his breath.

"I wish dad was here," Jacob thought. "He visited a lot after it happened."

"So did my dad," Gloom masked Hunter's voice. So many unwanted memories were taking over. He knew exactly where he sat and cried for his grandparents.

He was kneeling on the grass, his fingers were gripping the water as he tried to pluck up the courage to jump in after them. Even though he was young, he still understood that after five minutes, they had drowned and there was nothing he could do.

He watched Jacob's wolf gently lick the water until he turned into a little puppy. He sat down with his tail curled up around his left foot. Hunter sat behind him and watched the gentle current.

Jacob felt his warmth above him and snuggled against his fur.

"They'll be really proud of you," He thought. "One day, I want to be as courageous as my grandad. Then hopefully he'll be proud of me."

Hunter's eyes traced a bird as it skimmed the horizon.

"He's proud of you already. And I think..." He paused and Jacob was trying not to invade on his thoughts. He wanted to hear it from him instead of snooping. "I think it's time for me to move on." Something inside of him was starting to settle. He didn't know how or why he was feeling more relaxed. He thought that being in such a traumatic area would make him feel horrible. Yet, it wasn't.

But what Jacob said was eating away at him. Paying their respects was finding his peace and it surprised him.

"They'd be upset, knowing how hard it's affecting me."

Jacob felt his wet nose skim the top of his head before he gently licked his ear.

"Grandad told me that death is only sad if you think about the life they're missing out on, instead of cherishing the life they had. I know that we can't see them or be with them, but they will always be with us. And now that I know angels exist, I know he was telling the truth. They'll be with us in spirit."

"Your grandad sounds wise."

"He was." Jacob didn't want to think about what it would have been like for him to take his last breath on this very spot. "I miss him." Looking around, the area really was incredibly pleasing.

With the clear sky and the orange glow of the setting sun, it made the hills look dark and mysterious as they turned into distant outlines on the horizon. So much open space gave Hunter a lot of freedom to think. The grass was vibrant in colour and generous in length. It felt soft against his paws and cool against his pads.

His purple ear suddenly twitched when he heard quiet footsteps.

"We need to leave," He thought desperately but Jacob was in his pup form and couldn't run very fast. Hunter gently bit down on the scruff of his neck, picking him up like a parent would with their cub and started running. It didn't hurt Jacob but it felt odd, he couldn't move.

They made it back into the trees just in time. Although, he kept running to make sure they were not spotted.

"I'm glad- I'm glad we ended up there," He breathed and jumped over a tree trunk. "It helped more than I thought it would."

"After such a long time, it's only right that you confront what is scaring you."

"I think I needed a bit of wisdom in my life." Hunter stopped and put him down. "Well, I think I needed to hear it from someone other than my family."

Jacob then shifted into a wolf that matched Hunter's size. He licked his face with substantial meaning and tilted his head, making his ears flop to the side.

"I'll race you home."

Feeling a lot happier, Hunter started panting lightly, creating the illusion that he was smiling.

"It's not a race if you know you're going to lose." He shot past him and started to gallop through the trees. Jacob reacted quickly, chasing him and watching the beautiful purple swirls mingle within his enchanting white fur.