---Paige's POV---

We spend the rest of the evening and night goofing around until Jacob's father came down in his PJ's and demanded us to go home and sleep. I laughed quietly when the others groaned out loud but I had to admit; I felt slightly exhausted.

I waved a goodnight at the guys while I gave the girls a quick hug for the night. Just when I was about to turn around, I noticed a torn expression on Jacob's face. His eyes flashed, wolf clearly struggling with wanting to stay with me and letting me have some personal space. He snapped out of it when he saw me staring, and gave me a smile before he went upstairs.

"Quit your daydreaming sis," Nick muffled a giant yawn behind his hand before he mumbled, "I want to go to sleep..." I laughed at his whiny tone and playfully pushed him out the door, making him growl half-heartedly.

-------

A tender smile curled my lips when the sun started peeking through the curtains before I looked at my radio. In exactly one week, I would be a full-grown shifter. My smile faltered when I realized that it would also be the beginning of my so-called heat.

My door jolted open and I jumped out of bed. Unfortunately for me, my legs were tangled in the sheets and I landed in an ungraceful pile of limbs and bed sheets with a loud bang. I heard Nick's roaring laughter, echoing through the whole house while Grace and Amy looked slightly embarrassed when I managed to rip the sheets off my head.

Well, the blush on Grace's face indicated embarrassment; Amy's face was strained red from holding her breath whilst biting her lip to keep her from laughing as hard as Nick. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry Paige." Grace muttered, turning scarlet red while Amy started shaking a little.

I made my way out of the mess, brushing over the sore spots on my shins and head. Nick popped his head in, tears leaking from his eyes while he gasped for breath. "What's wrong Paige? Can't the almighty shifter win from some bed sheets?" My eyes narrowed at him before I took a small step forwards.

Nick's eyes flew to my foot; he blinked, looked up at me and then bolted out the room, with me close on his heels. "Too slow Paige!" he hollered out while he dashed for the second pair of stairs, racing to the front door. I heard the sound of shuffling feet downstairs but paid no attention on it when I pounced on him, balancing on the edge of the stairs.

I let out a small yelp when we tilted, accompanied with the typical loud rumbling sound of two absolute idiots falling down a flight of stairs. I landed flat on my stomach, the air squished out of my body when Nick fell onto my back.

We both groaned loudly; his chin had collided with my head on the way down, I think I elbowed him in the ribs on accident and we both grasped the source of our pain.

That's how Jacob found us; me lying in fetal position with both of my hands wrapped around my head cursing under my breath while Nick was rubbing over his chin, groaning in pain.

"What happened here?" Jacob asked, looking at me with concern in his eyes before he murderously glared at Nick.

"HE STARTED IT!" I shouted at the same time Nick shouted, "SHE STARTED IT!" while we were both pointing a finger at the other accusingly. We glared at each other before we both screamed, "I did NOT!"

Jacob was looking back and forth between us like it was a tennis-match, instead of two teens, spewing accusations at each other.

"You just jumped on me while we were on the edge of the frickin' stairs! What kind of idiot does that?"

"Oh, like you're mister innocent! You and those two," I replied, jabbing a finger at a slightly red Grace and Amy, whom were both leaning against the wall while they held their stomachs, "Decided to scare me to death this morning!"

"Guys, just-" Jacob said but he was completely ignored by everyone.

Nick huffed at me before a grin pulled at his lips "Well, you did look ridiculous when you fell out of your bed."

I growled at him; I didn't know what was wrong with me but my thoughts were all over the place. One moment I was happy-go-lucky, the next moment I was annoyed to death. I growled again and curled myself up in a ball, rubbing my temples soothingly.

Taking a deep breath didn't help either; every sniff of air was loaded with scents, waiting to be discovered. Nick, Jacob, Grace, Amy... all of their normal scents where heightened for me, revealing every little aspect of them.

"Paige?" I heard Jacob ask with a voice filled with concern. My nose scrunched up when excitement and the putrid smell of fear waved at me. I frowned in concentration while I raised my hand, the palm facing Jacob, before I held up one finger. He understood and waited for a moment while I was thinking.

"What's wrong sis?" Nick asked in my mind and I sighed before I grumbled slightly "Hold on for a second means: please be quiet for a moment Nick." I could feel his embarrassment but I pushed it aside while I took another deep breath.

I caught the scent of freshly mown grass, raw eggs and bacon coming from the kitchen. Strangely enough, I caught the scent of popcorn, chocolate and honey, making me frown when I noticed that Nick was breathing that scent out. Oh, right; he ate that yesterday during the movie-night.

This wasn't right; my viper instincts were very active, making me smell more than normally. But I had to allow those instincts to come forwards. It wasn't making any sense.

"Jacob." I said slowly, not looking up at him, "Do me a favor and call the Alphas here immediately." I said, my voice sounding strained in the end. It might have something to do with the fact that the air flowed through my mouth, intensifying the scents around me.

But it certainly had to do with the fact that Jacob was literally fanning out pheromones. I growled under my breath while I dug my fingernails in the palm of my hand. All of my animal instincts were yelling at me at the same time, and most of them where chanting the same thing.

Mate.

I groaned out loud, refusing to answer to my animalistic instincts but froze when a warm hand cupped my cheek. My eyes snapped open to lock with Jacob's and I heard his startled intake of breath. The reason for it was clear; when I glanced back at the others, the mirror at the staircase caught my eyes: they were my cat-eyes.

I was still staring in Jacob's eyes, willing myself to ignore the chant while I gritted my teeth together. Jacob was looking at me intently, as if my eyes held the answer to a long lost question. I licked my lips before I explained, "My change is starting and the instincts are...taking over." I muttered in the end, embarrassed.

Jacob gaze had dropped slightly when I licked my lip, his eyes following my tongue's path, and he seemed to fight for his control before he nodded and slowly removed his hand from my face. I closed my eyes again but snapped them back open when Jacob pried my clenched fist open, examining the small marks.

"They are on their way." He muttered, examining the wounds before he pulled my hand towards his face. Shock spread through my body when Jacob lapped his tongue over the wounds and I yanked my hand out of his grasp. "Eeeew!" I screeched, waving my hand in the air like a lunatic before I glared at Jacob.

"You LICKED my hand! What the HELL is wrong with you?" I nearly screamed, my face scrunched up in disgust while I wiped his saliva off of my hand on HIS trousers. Serves him right.

Jacob chuckled, clearly amused with my reaction before he shook his head lightly. "Just look at your hand Paige." I did, and gasped when I noticed that the wounds have disappeared. Examining my hand closely, I turned it around, prodding at the place where the nail-marks were before. "What the..." I whispered in shock.

Jacob smiled at me when he explained "My saliva is beneficial for my mate, meaning that I can heal basic wounds with it." He wriggled his eyebrows slightly while his smile turned into a grin. "That means that kissing me would be good for your health."

I snorted and shot out in laughter, quickly followed by the rest. Jacob helped me on my feet just at the moment that his father and Alpha Jackson walked in.

---Jacob's POV---

I noticed that father and Alpha Jackson had the same concerned expression stuck on their faces. A part of my mind was wondering why they looked concerned but a very large part of my mind wasn't paying attention. It was for the first time since Alexis was kidnaped that I held Paige in my arms, and she was distracted by the Alphas.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with her sweet scent and slowly loosened my arms, allowing her to step out of the embrace. We weren't on a mate-base just yet. I would probably still be pushing the friendship base, but I could only hope.

"Jacob said that your instincts are acting up?" father said, his question sounding more like a statement. Paige nodded her head slowly before she walked down to the living room and sat down on the couch. "I can't go to school like this." She murmured, holding her head in her hands.

Jackson nodded his head while he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I agree." He stated before he gazed through the window, clearly using the mind-link. I frowned and looked from one to the other. "Sorry to butt in, is there a reason Paige can't go to school?"

"Plenty of reasons." Dad answered while he waved his hand towards Paige, who tensed at the movement. "Her instincts are fighting for control now, meaning that every single animal sense will be heightened to an almost painful way." My gaze immediately snapped back at my mate, concern leaking in.

"Can't we do anything about that?" I asked, moving towards Paige while I held my eyes on the two Alphas in front of me. Alpha Jackson sighed, shaking his head while he pinched his nose bridge frustrated.

"Normally, another shifter would lead her through the process. She has to have someone guiding her through because her instincts will only get stronger and stronger until she's a fully immortal soul-shifter."

"I'll do it." I blurted out before I realized what I said. Paige's head snapped up to look at me, her green eyes tainted with hints of gold. She was struggling with her instincts but a soft smile crept over her face, making me feel like I won the jackpot.

----

A few hours later, we were all sitting in the yard. Nick, Jack & Emilie, Adrianna & Damon, the triplets and the Jacksons were all watching Paige while she was sparring with that Zack boy, who had the nerve to lust over what was mine. Luckily, Paige didn't seem interested in him.

Right now, she seemed more interested in squeezing the air out of his lungs while she held him in a chokehold, his face down in the dirt. I couldn't help but smirk while I looked at my fierce mate. I was lucky to have her. I frowned when I realized that I was also stupid enough to throw it away as soon as I laid eyes in her.

Alexis' playful chatter crept through my clouded thoughts and I smiled subconsciously at her; Paige had invited us to go with her to the zoo in a few days. She would learn some new forms and she had promised Alexis that she could pick one of the new forms.

I smiled when Paige stood up with another victory in her pocket. "Remind me to stay on your good side. You're scary when you're ticked off." I teased and heard her huff slightly, making me smile. "Do me a favor?" I asked and I saw Paige looking at me, her head slightly cocked to the side.

Nodding towards Zack, I pleaded "When you learn some new forms, please kick his ass for me?" I threw in the puppy-eyes, just in case. She smirked at me, discreetly nodding her head. "Deal!" her sweet voice was filled with excitement and she seemed eager to take him on again.

---Paige's POV---

Training was harder than before; now the Jacksons were coaching me alongside Drake, who had an almost cruel pleasure in wearing me out to the brink of fainting by having me run around more, using weights with every run and he once locked me in the gym, threatening that he wouldn't let me out until he could see some muscles on my body.

Logically, I had become stronger since I first joined the pack, but it wasn't enough to truly compete with the werewolves. That's why I invited the others to the zoo with me, so I could choose some stronger animal forms.

I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, feeling the stress seep out of my body. Although it was still strange to temporarily live with extraordinary heightened senses, I started to get used to them. I could use them to my advantage, but then again, others could use them against me.

Although my training was officially over, I still needed to stretch my paws, so to speak. Alexis was looking at me, a sliver of hope in her eyes and I smiled at her. For me, she was the little sister I've never had.

"Can I ride you?" she asked hesitantly, looking at her feet while she was playing with the hem of her shirt. A smile crept over my face and I nodded. "As long as you hang on tight Alexis, because I'm going to shift several times."

"YAY!" she screamed, jumping around me whilst clapping her hands in excitement. I rolled my eyes at her playfully, making her stop to scowl at me, her small hand placed firmly on her hips. I saw Jacob and a few others looking at me but I paid them no attention while I pulled my hoodie off and gave it to Nick.

He smirked knowingly, and when I frowned at him, he nodded towards the running tracks. I looked at the direction of his nod and smiled widely before I shifted in my wolf. I stretched all of my limbs before I stretched my back, letting out a small whine when I stood back up.

Alexis jumped on my back and wriggled around until she had a firm hold on the fur in my neck. She clamped her knees tightly to my sides and I growled slightly, pushing her leg away from my front paw. If she would do that while we were running, we would crash to the ground. Painfully.

She giggled a little before I walked towards the tracks, with Nick, Jacob and Amy close to my heels. My ears fluttered forwards while I was slightly wagging my tail. I glanced over my shoulder at Alexis and asked "Ready?", my tone filled with excitement.

As soon as she nodded, I was flying. My paws touched the ground in rhythmic, steady steps and the scents around the yard were exploding in my nose. I noticed that Luke and Isabella were standing next to the track, smiling with their daughter.

"Faster, faster! Jacob is catching up!" Alexis screamed with delight and I smirked slightly. I picked up the pace, my muscles flexing and coiling before I leapt forwards and landed as a cougar.

The running footsteps behind me changed into running paws, the scent of Jacobs wolf clung to the air; his scent became stronger, the woodsy tones more intense. His teeth scraped on the tip of my tail, making me release a startled yelp before I hissed slightly.

"You're not even trying Paige." Jacob's voice ran through my head, mocking me while he showed me a look through his eyes; he was hot on my tail. I growled loudly, letting it run through my chest while I flicked my tail.

"Try this!" I snapped, turning into my horse-form and sped away. Alexis laughed loudly, waving at the little crowd that has gathered while I sped off. Jacob was falling behind, making me throw my head up while I neighed lightly. That'll teach him.

"You're ready?" I asked when we rounded the last corner, heading towards the finish line. Her fingers dug in my manes before she nodded. I quickly shifted in my cheetah, building up speed until my muscles were burning with heat.

We flew over the finish line, way before Jacob, what made Alexis cheer. I flopped down on the ground, panting heavily while Alexis jumped off. Before I could blink, Jacob was standing next to me, looking very...naked.

My eyes had a mind of their own while they trailed down his well-defined chest, his six-pack... I blinked when they were trailing down the V-shape on his hips before I tore my eyes of him, looking anywhere but Jacob.

Jacob chuckled slightly, making the hairs in my neck stand up while I was still panting heavily. He frowned slightly before he turned to Luke. "What's wrong with her?" Luke glanced at me before a knowing smile shot over his face. "She's overheated; running in cheetah-form builds up heat. If she doesn't cool down, she could have brain damage."

I rolled my eyes at him when Jacob started panicking. Did he really needed to tell him that? Licking my nose to cool the air that flowed in it, I sauntered to the pack-house and lay down in a shady area, my pants slowly getting shallower.

Jacob surprised me by walking towards me, before he sat down next to me. I flicked my tail, happy that he was around, but unsure what his reasons were. He couldn't really like me...could he?

A purr formed in my throat when Jacob began to pet me, rushing his fingers through my fur while he followed my spine. Unconsciously, I shifted back to my wolf-form and pushed my back against his legs while I closed my eyes, basking in the sun and the feelings that Jacob was stirring up.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a female voice interrupted, breaking the nice atmosphere around Jacob and me. I curled myself up against Jacob; before I slowly opened my eye when he answered politely, "Go ahead."

A young woman sat down, a few steps away from Jacob. The rest of our pack had scattered across the yard, mingling with the Jackson pack. Apparently, several members of the Jackson pack wanted to meet the soul-shifter.

This girl was looking at Jacob intently, making me focus my attention on her. She had long, blond hair, manicured nails and her clothes left virtually nothing to the imagination. I huffed with disgust before I slightly turned my head away.

"Sooo..." the girl purred, trying to be seductive, "I heard that you are the next Alpha in line for this pack?" I could feel Jacob's amusement when he felt the vibrations of my soundless growl rolling through his leg.

Jacob nodded whilst he laid his hand on my head in a calming, soothing manner. The blonde frowned, unhappy that I received more attention than her. She glared at me before she smiled sweetly at Jacob, scooting closer.

"I can imagine what kind of stress that must bring." She drawled, blinking a few times at Jacob. A new feeling was burning in the base of my stomach while I looked at the exchange. I growled softly when the blond bimbo trailed her fingers across my mate's arm.

No. Bleeping. Way. She was trying to seduce my MATE?

Jacob was constantly glancing at me, his expression told me that he was uneasy with this but he didn't know how I would react. The blonde was oblivious to the fact that she was majorly ticking me off, and she continued her 'seduction' by scooting closer and rubbing herself against Jacob's arm.

He pulled his arm free before he glared at her. "I'm not interested." He said with a growl. I smiled happily, wiping the floor with my waging tail while I hummed slightly. The blonde blinked a few times, her mouth forming a small 'O' before she smiled again.

"Honey, you know you want me." she smirked, full of confidence while she placed her hand on Jacob's inner thigh. Before either of them could react, I barreled against her, sending her flying over the yard while I stepped over Jacob's legs.

I widened my stance while I raised my hackles and the fur on my back. A growl rasped through my throat whilst I glared at the blonde, who was sprawled out on the floor. My tail twitched from side to side, in a swift but anxious way.

Lowering my head when the bimbo crawled to her feet, I curled my lips up to show all of my teeth. "Mine!" I growled loudly, my mental voice rolling over the field. The blonde shook with fear, lowering her head in submission before she mumbled an excuse and fled the scene.

"Pay up, I win." Joshua said and I turned around to see David and Eric give him ten dollars each. Jacob noticed the direction of my stare and asked incredulously "You set this up to bet if Paige would become jealous, didn't you?"

I turned towards Joshua, who grinned cheekily and nodded, confirming Jacob's suspicions. Jacob smirked at me, mumbling "I knew you felt something for me."

Taking a step forwards, Joshua, Eric and David tensed slightly when they noticed that my anger was turned on them.

"I'm going to give you to the count of five to run like hell." I snapped at them, making them look at each other.

"One." I took a step forwards whilst their heads shot up at me.

"Two." They ripped out of their clothes and dashed for the cover of the woods.

"Three, four five!" I quickly counted down before I dashed after them. Eric was slacking behind, so I nipped at his heels, making him tumble down before he lowered his ears and tail submissively.

I growled lowly while passing him by before I closed the distance between David and me. He was smarter than his brothers and grinded to a halt before he lowered himself on his back in complete submission.

I barked happily at him, pointing my nose over his shoulder to indicate that he could move. Joshua was still running for the tree line so I ran at full speed, slowly but surely gaining on him.

He tripped when he looked over his shoulder, giving me the opportunity to land on him in a snarling ball of fur. After a few struggles, I had my jaws clamped over his muzzle while I pushed him down. Eventually he gave up and whined lowly, wagging his tail between his legs.

I growled at him while I slowly let go of his face. "Try that again Joshua, and I'll turn the tables around when YOU find your mate." I snapped and I saw that my threat came through. I huffed before I ran back to Jacob, who was slightly shaking with laughter.

Trotting towards him, I nuzzled his shoulder while I sniffed. The smell of that blonde was still on Jacob's arm, making me growl lowly. I pressed my side against his arm, rubbing my fur across it to cover the scent with my own.

When I was finally pleased with the scent, I noticed that Jacob's eyes had a golden shade to it, and they quickly darkened with lust. I shivered slightly before I pushed myself off him. Jacob smirked and playfully pulled at my tail, causing me to spin around and snap at his fingers.

Suddenly, the others started laughing while Jacob smirked. I was standing there, probably looking like a confused puppy before Nick managed to explain. "You just defended Jacob because you were jealous! Girl, I never knew you could be that protective." He said before laughing again.

I grumbled under my breath before I stalked off and laid down, a few steps away from them. They calmed down finally and I huffed slightly when I felt Jacob push against the barrier in my mind.

"What?' I whined slightly while I turned my head to look at him. He glanced at Tyler before he looked back at me. "When are you going to prank Tyler?"

I smirked at him, showing my wolfy grin before I said "I'm letting him fall in a fake sense of safety before I'll get back at him." Jacob chuckled with me and the others gave me knowing looks before they smirked slightly towards Tyler.

A commotion started at the edge of our group, making us look up. Luke and Jackson where talking towards a group off people. A very odd group of people. Jacob stood up and walked over, with me in his trail.

"Dad, who are they?" he asked, eying the intruders suspiciously. Luke looked at his son before his gaze dropped at me and pointed between Jacob and the woman next to him.

"Anna, meet my son Jacob. Jacob, this is Anna. She's the leader of the northern witch clan."