The emotions bouncing between Jake and I created a strange sort of tension that was hard to describe. As we climbed up to his room, Jake was picking up on my own anxiousness and reluctance to speak. That fueled his nervousness, and I could hear him mentally scrambling to figure out what this was about. It felt like his mind was scratching at my mental wall in search of a way in.

We made it to his room before he suffocated in nervousness. "Have a seat, Jake." I gestured to his bed and waited for him to sit on the edge.

"Did you know that you scratch the back of your head when you're stressed?" he blurted out with a tilted smile.

I suddenly became aware of my fingers subconsciously raking through my hair. I grumbled something incomprehensible and started pacing around the bed. "This is not easy for me to say after everything we've been through. But I feel like it is time to b-" as the words left my mouth, the steady tension in the room erupted into full-blown dread. Even though he remained still on the edge of his seat, Jake was freaking out for some reason. "Jake?"

It took a moment for him to respond with, "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

Another pause as he stiffly stared at me. "Yes, just get it over with."

His emotions were making it hard for me to concentrate, so I took a step back for more breathing room. "Alright...I will just be honest with you. These last few days have been hard, and I know that we've had a lot of fun in the past, but it's time to be serious.

"I am a werewolf, and that comes with the responsibility to protect my family and home. You are a human, mostly, and that means you belong to a whole other world. You should be focusing on picking colleges, building a career, and all that other normal guy stuff. But...our connection has made that very complicated. So, I-" a tear slid down Jake's cheek and hit the back of his subtly trembling hand.

I pushed onto the mattress beside him and pulled him into my arms. There was sadness shaking through his whole body, and I couldn't figure out why. I hadn't even told him anything yet, but maybe he had already guessed. I shifted some of the stray clothes lying on the bed away for room and then pulled us both up to lay down together.

"It's okay, Jake. You have to trust me on this. I don't know how it works, but we'll get through this together. If you start transforming and have a baby, I will protect him or her with my life."

Suddenly his soft trembling stopped instantly, and his body went rigid. A clear thought finally broke through, 'What?'

"And the pack already loves you as a human. Just wait until they see you as a Luna. I promise that we'll make this work. I love you too much to let a baby stand in our way."

'Baby? '

"You'll be a great semi-mother, Jake."

OMG the next chapter finally arrived? :D