Dear Cupid

Jacob Black is a shape-shifter or "werewolf" of the Quileute tribe. Once human, he phased into a wolf for the first time at the age of sixteen, becoming a shape-shifter permanently. Though he initially despised the forced change, he eventually learned to accept his magical inheritance.





The Quileute shape-shifters are descendants from the ancient spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe. Back then, warriors and chiefs could leave their bodies and wander as spirits, communicate with animals, and hear each other's thoughts. However, a change impacted the tribe members hugely during a certain chief’s leadership and permanently changed their powers to shape-shifting into giant wolves. Now, when a member of the current generation comes across the scent of vampires, their physiology is triggered and his or her physique will quickly build accompanied by phasing for the first time.

Shape-shifters of the Quileute tribe are often called or "Quileute werewolves" or simply or "the wolves" by others. Despite believing themselves to be "werewolves" for a long time, the Twilight wolves are much different than the classical werewolves of horror stories and other vampire/werewolf media. True werewolves, called "Children of the Moon" in the Twilight series, do exist and act almost identically to the classic werewolf of myths, but these beings have been driven close to extinction and don’t appear within the story. There are a few key differences between the two groups: 1) the "Quileute werewolves" control when and where they transform into wolves and are not affected by the phases of the moon 2) they don’t create other werewolves by infecting a human with a venomous bite 3) they are unable to assume a "hybrid or in-between" state of half-man-half-wolf and 4) they retain their human intelligence, memories, and character when transformed. Additionally, in Twilight, neither werewolves nor shape-shifters are harmed by silver.

However, like classical werewolves, the "Quileute werewolves" possess many supernatural abilities that enable them to effectively hunt and kill their mortal enemies: vampires. Many of these abilities are more prominently shown when the tribesman transforms into his or her wolf forms, but plenty are filtered back into the shape-shifter’s human form. Below is a list of these different abilities, and thus what you can expect to deal with if you entangle Jacob—or any other Twilight wolf—in a fight.





Jacob, like all Quileute wolves, can phase in and out of his wolf form at will, but the transformation had to be "activated" first. The instinct to phase is only triggered when a tribal member crosses the scent of vampires and senses the tribe's need of protection. There's no exact age to determine whether the member is old enough for the gene to activate, only the wolves’ numbers needed to counter the numbers of approaching vampires. The transformation generally occurs roughly when a boy or girl reaches adulthood and is accompanied by a sudden growth spurt lasting for about two months. Jacob transformed for the first time when he was sixteen along with undergoing the traditional growth spurt. While only males were believed to be able to phase, the transformation of Leah Clearwater surprised everyone, even though "she is a direct descendant of the spirit chiefs."

Initially, the transformations can happen at any time, and are independent of a full moon, unlike the Children of the Moon and classical werewolves. In new shape-shifters, the change is involuntary, since they have not yet learned to control it, and is certainly not easy, due to it being very disconcerting and confusing. Though phasing can be eventually controlled, bursts of emotion such as a loss of temper, increasing frustrations, or severe trauma (shock or grief) can easily cause the individual to phase by accident. When Jacob explained his first transformation to Bella, he notedit seemed to be triggered by anger. While Jacob’s first phase happened later than most shape-shifters, due to his happiness with Bella, after the transformation triggered, sometimes all it took was his father telling Jacob he looked weird to set him off.

Transformation or "phasing" is a sudden and violent process, usually depicted as the werewolf in question tensing up and quivering before arching and leaping forward as their body explosively swells into their lupine form. It’s important to keep new shape-shifters calm when around humans or to be very careful around one if he or she is angry, especially if standing too close to them. Lashing out with teeth or claws post-phasing is a common danger for those next to a shape-shifter if he or she phases involuntarily. Such a transformation can result in disfiguring injuries or death to those nearby if the werewolf loses control, as shown in the relationship between Sam and Emily, when the former scarred the latter, his soulmate, for life, in a "momentary slip" of anger.

To become human again, the shape-shifter needs to calm down and concentrate on phasing back into human form. Jacob's point of view explains the transformation back into human form: "... closing my eyes and pulling myself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around me, shaking out from me in small waves. I lifted myself up on my hind legs, catching the moment just right so that I was fully upright as I shimmered down into my human self." Since the shape-shifter’s clothes are instantly shredded by the transformation, most werewolves either wear little clothing, wear cheap replaceable clothing, or find a place to remove their clothes before phasing. For this same reason, phasing back into a human is usually done in private within the pack.

Generally, it takes practice for a shape-shifter to learn how to phase back and forth; further experience and skill enables a shape-shifter to morph faster and with more efficiency than involuntary phasing. Jacob seems be an exception, as he phases between wolf and human form more swiftly than most even without practice. He has enough control over his phasing that he’s able to phase in mid-jump, while it takes the rest of the pack several seconds to phase. Jacob later explains to Bella that this swiftness may stem from his ancestry to Ephraim Black, a tribal chief, or because Jacob is also Quil Ateara II's great-grandson and thus inherited the shape-shifting gene from both sides of his family.





Quileute wolves reach great speed, running in excess of one hundred miles per hour, which allows them to outrun motor vehicles. According to Jacob, it’s better and faster than a motorcycle, and it’s "the best part" of being a wolf (outside of getting to kill vampires). Being compared to the Twilight vampires, the wolves are either very similar or quite equal in their supernatural speed. This may have to do with the werewolves being quadrupeds (using four feet to run) as opposed to bipedal vampires. Jacob is the second fastest in his pack, barely edged out by Leah, and followed closely by Embry.

Bella muses to herself: "I couldn't imagine the wolves running faster than a vampire. When the Cullens ran, they all but turned invisible with speed." However, it’s stated that a fast wolf can outrun an average vampire and, conversely, a fast vampire can outrun an average wolf. This balance was best shown in two of the vampire hunts occurring in the series. The wolves easily caught Laurent, who was running and fighting for his life against the pack, but were unable to catch Victoria, who was not only exceptionally fast but also gifted with a powerful self-preservation skill.

The shape-shifters’ combined speed and strength as wolves are their main weapons against enemies, along with the exchange of thoughts within the pack that makes them able to coordinate when they hunt. In addition, their reflexes are supernaturally developed and heightened, enabling them to sense and react to danger occurring at the nigh-invisible speeds of the vampires attacking them. Jacob showed this sort of reflex in Alice’s vision, reacting to Santiago leaping on him from above by abruptly twisting onto his back, rolling, and ripping the vampire’s head off, only to resume running without breaking speed or dislodging Renesmee who was riding on his back at the same time.

Even in their human forms, shape-shifters are easily faster than humans and keep their enhanced reflexes. As Bella notes while watching an exchange between the wolves: "With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared's head. Jared's hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face." Another time, at the Quileute bonfire, after Paul harassed Jacob into giving him his hot dog, Jacob flung it across the circle and Paul caught it easily before it landed in the sand.





Like the other Quileute shape-shifters, Jacob possesses superhuman strength superior to that of regular humans in his human form but reaches his peak in strength when in his wolf form, which is not only much larger than normal wolves, but also are also supernaturally stronger. In this form, the werewolves’ incredible strength is nearly equivalent to that of a vampire. A full pack can easily overpower and kill any vampire, as seen with Laurent in New Moon, and is a formidable force when dealing with an army of newborns in Eclipse. Discussing being a wolf with Bella, Jacob explains, "It's what we're made for, Bells. We're strong, too," showing that the wolves are linked by both strength and ferocity.

Jacob often doesn't seem as aware of his strength as the much-older vampires or more experienced wolves, which is probably due to the newness of his phasing. Bella notes that Jake handles her "too roughly" at times and that, when he hugs her, it's so "crushing" that it nearly suffocates her. When brought two run-down motorcycles, he easily lifted one from the truck bed without an issue and carried it towards the garage. And later kicked one of those 280 pound bikes a dozen feet away from himself without a problem… In Breaking Dawn, Jacob snidely comments on how Rosalie would react if he threw her into a wall. He took this notion even further when he kicked her across the room when she lost control of her thirst over Bella's blood during Renesmee's birth. While she broke the door in the process due to her granite-hard body, Jacob compares the experience to "kicking concrete."

Jacob is known as the physically strongest wolf in both the Uley pack and his own Black pack and is very capable of handling his opponents in battle. In addition to his strength, Jacob also has far greater endurance and resilience than a human, both in his human and his wolf form. He carried Bella nine miles from a field through a thick forest to a campsite atop a mountain without taking a rest, showing any sign of strain, or breaking a sweat, all the while having a conversation with her the entire time. His resilience is more famously seen when Bella punched Jacob in the jaw with all of her strength and ended up badly breaking her hand while Jacob, who wasn't even remotely hurt, couldn't tell that she was trying to hurt him until she started screaming. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob mentions that it would take a van moving at high speed to break his bones, exemplified when the raw strength of a newborn vampire was able to crush all the bones on the right side of his body during the battle in Eclipse.





Shape-shifters have greatly enhanced senses, sharp enough to rival those of the vampires they hunt. Like vampires, they can see, hear, and smell things from miles away, but like many living creatures, can be disoriented if they’re suddenly subjected to a sensory overload. They all have excellent hearing even in their human forms, although not the same extent as their wolf forms. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob was in his bedroom and still able to hear Quil playing with Claire at First Beach.

Their sense of smell is highly adjusted to help them identify their one enemy, vampires. It is not clear whether it is heightened in other circumstances, but they certainly know vampires at a distance, finding their smell sickly sweet and repellent. However, some shape-shifters can get used to the smell of the vampires via prolonged exposure, such as Seth Clearwater and Jacob Black in Breaking Dawn. They both spent time with the Cullen family and thus feel more comfortable than before around vampires.

The werewolves’ eyes are extremely sharp and can see very far away but lack any sort of binocular vision or magnification. Their sense of sight is known to be ten times better than the average human and twice as good as the average bird of prey's. Even in their human form, a wolf can easily recognize a vampire. They see much more than the characteristic paleness, eye color, and beauty. To wolves, a vampire appears reflective and angular, almost like moving crystal. It’s unknown if shape-shifters can see into the invisible spectrum of light, like vampires.





All Twilight werewolves have supernaturally-enhanced physiology, most famously having a constant body temperature of about 108°F (42°C). When Bella first feels it from Jacob on the way home from the movies in New Moon, she believes he’s running a fever. Since vampires' temperatures are lower than humans', it’s hypothesized that the two species’ physiological differences reflect the tension between them. This constantly-high body temperature allows the shape-shifters to withstand severe cold weather and makes it difficult for their bodies to overheat in very hot weather.

It especially useful in combat with vampires, as it makes it very hard for vampires to harm them due to vampires being extremely sensitive to high temperatures. After Bella becomes a vampire, she describes Jacob's skin as like "touching an open fire" and "unbearable to the touch." It’s unknown if the wolves likewise have a similar physical-temperature aversion to touching vampire skin, which has been compared to ice. This temperature also prevents illness by killing any potential pathogens the shape-shifters come into contact with before they can become sick. Jacobs mentions this aspect of the ability to be quite beneficial. As a side effect, the Quileute wolves cannot go to a hospital for treatment, as they are regularly running a temperature that would be fatal for a human.

The wolves themselves are noticeably larger than normal wolves, ranging anywhere from 5' to 6' in height and emphasized repeatedly as "monstrous" in size, often compared to horses in terms of height and build, but thicker and much more muscular. In addition, due to the nature of their lupine bodies and the Northern area they live, the shape-shifter’s coat of fur is impressively thick, protecting them from bites from vampires or other wolves, and also providing a strong handhold for anyone they might be carrying (or trying to grab hold of them).

The wolves also produce an animalistic scent that makes them unappetizing to vampires, often disparaged as "wet dog" stench, making it easier for vampires to resist the temptation caused by their blood. It is possible that their scent is less revolting to vampire hybrids due to their half-human sides, but it currently remains unknown, though Renesmee has yet to react negatively to Jacob’s scent. It’s similarly possible that vampires can get used to the smell of the wolves if they spend enough time around them, with the Alice and Edward Cullen being prime examples.

While their skin is much more durable than that of a human being (to the degree that the bones in Bella's hand are broken when she punches Jacob in the face), it is not granite hard like a vampire's and can be pierced or bruised by strong enough means. However, their supernatural resilience enables them to take blows from vampires, as seen when Laurent struck Sam in New Moon and sent him flying but failed to do any real damage. In their wolf form, their fangs—described as "dagger-like" incisors—are strong enough to penetrate a vampire's granite-hard skin, allowing them to easily rip a vampire’s limbs from their body or tear their heads off, as Alice saw in her vision regarding Jane’s end courtesy of Sam. Bella witnesses this for herself during the climactic battle in Eclipse when she sees Seth easily biting through Riley's skin. It’s unknown if the claws on their feet are of similar sharpness and strength, but not improbable to assume so.





Another characteristic of the shape-shifters’ supernatural physiology is their powerful regenerative healing factor. The Quileute wolves can heal and regenerate at an abnormal rate, faster than any human being. Their regeneration is so powerful, Jacob comments in Breaking Dawn that even a bullet through his temple might not be enough to kill him. Small cuts and minor injuries heal within seconds while larger, more damaging injuries, such as broken bones, blood loss, and vampire venom infection seem to heal completely within minutes.

These capabilities allow them to continue fighting even after serious injury. But in some cases, this accelerated healing can be detrimental. After Jacob was crushed by a newborn in Eclipse, his skeleton healed before Carlisle could set his bones, forcing Carlisle to rebreak a number of them to induce proper healing. Additionally, the wolves’ healing factor is not completely reliable and can be neutralized if enough vampire venom is inserted into their system. While venom alone isn't generally enough to kill a healthy shape-shifter, it can be fatal in combination with other injuries.

While the Twilight werewolves are not nigh-indestructible or immortal like their vampire counterparts, once they first phase into a wolf, they cannot start aging past young adult maturity until a solid period of time without phasing goes by. It is unknown the exact length of time that would be needed to "restart" their physical aging, only that it would be very difficult to accomplish because a shape-shifter’s phasing is instinctual, along with the fact that vampires often come through Washington and the wolves are needed whenever vampires are close. But should a werewolf consciously manage to avoid phasing and no vampires passed nearby, the shape-shifter would eventually resume aging as a presumably-normal human rate. However, even if the shape-shifter decides to stop phasing and live a so-called "normal" life, he or she never loses the ability and can still phase back into a wolf if given enough incentive.





In their wolf forms, Quileute shape-shifters show the general behavior of their titular animals, in that they group together in packs, engage in both patrols and hunts within the pack, are organized on a system of rank similar to what is found on real life wolves. However, they retain their human intelligence, memories and character, up to and including showing their human eyes. When the wolves rescued Bella from Laurent, she realizes that the russet wolf has Jacob's familiar, black-brown eyes. As they utilize their natural instincts and lupine physiology alongside their human intellect, it’s unknown if they can fall back on feral instincts at moments of crisis. The pack’s basic structure is based on an Alpha, Beta, and Third, the highest ranking and usually strongest members, from which the rest of the pack’s position pyramids down.

Traditionally, the Alpha of the pack is the leader of the entire Quileute tribe. The pack Alpha is the highest-ranking member of a shape-shifter's wolf pack and its leader. He holds absolute control over his pack members, allowing the whole pack to act as a single unit in hunts, fights, emergencies, and when otherwise needful. This eliminates any delay between an order and its execution. After he rises to Alpha status, Jacob mentions feeling paternal towards the other wolves in his pack, as if he should put himself between them and an eventual danger. Despite his position, the Alpha is no different from other wolves with respect of slowed-down aging while phasing, rapid healing, enhanced senses, telepathy, and physical strength, and likewise shares the same weaknesses.

The Alpha wolf can choose his most trusted companions to become his second, also known as Beta, and third, simply known as Third. Both are then subsequently given the responsibility to lead the packs if the Alpha is unable to. The chosen mid-level leaders can also select their own second and third to assist them, allowing a finely tuned organization of the pack. If the Alpha candidate has no interest in the role, he can, on approval of the rest of the pack, pass it to another wolf (generally the first phased among the possible choices), seen when Jacob initially refused to lead the Uley pack and thus passed his role as Alpha onto Sam. However, should a genetical Alpha be unavailable, it is possible for a pack to select a new Alpha, possibly from its own ranks.

The position of Alpha can apparently be fought over, but it seems the lineage of the wolf has more to do with it, and it’s unknown whether a lower-ranking pack member can challenge the Alpha for status. A genetically-determined Alpha has a stronger voice than an elected Alpha and can ultimately wrest back his position as Alpha at a later time if strong enough. Jacob did this when he rebelled against Sam and took his rightful place as Alpha to keep Sam from attacking the Cullens. Jacob explains his fight for wolf claim as "My body was responding to the challenge. The primitive core of my wolf sense tensed for battle of supremacy." However, this came at the cost of him splitting off from the Uley pack and making himself the Alpha of his own pack, the Black pack, with others of the Uley pack joining his pack soon after.

The "Beta" is the term Bella unofficially gave to the second-in-command of a shape-shifter's wolf pack. Jacob laughs at this in Eclipse after explaining to Bella about the Alpha's role and authority, but the term stuck. Similarly to the Alpha, the "Beta" is able to give orders to other pack members, which they can't disobey, and which can only be overruled by the Alpha, if need be. To be promoted, the chosen wolf must be trusted by the Alpha. How the chain of command extends to lower ranking members is unknown, but it may be surmised that it is similar to what is found in wolves. When running in formation, the Beta runs on the Alpha's right side. The Beta can also choose another wolf to rule under them if something happens to them.

The "Third" refers to the third-in-command of a shape-shifter's wolf pack, and his or her authority and capabilities are supposedly similar to the ones of a Beta, only of one rank lower than them. Similarly to the Alpha and Beta, the Third is able to give orders to other pack members, which can be overruled only by the Alpha and the Beta. While running in formation, the third-in-command runs on the Alpha's left shoulder. Like the Beta, the Third can also select a pack member to assume authority for the pack if anything happens to him or her. Though unknown, this trickle-down effect presumably continues throughout the entire pack, giving each wolf a defined position within the pack to augment the group’s strength and foster better communication and formation.





The Quileute wolves are telepathically linked with each other, meaning that each member of the pack is constantly broadcasting his or her own thoughts, sights, and feelings with the others, while simultaneously receiving the same from their packmates. Jacob, simply put, can speak with other members of his pack telepathically and hear their thoughts. It can be described as both a gift and a burden. For while this group link greatly enhances their coordination during hunts and fights, there is no privacy left in the pack because of it. Their thoughts are open even when they try to hide them, which usually only tends to draw more attention.

In addition to the regular telepathic link with other wolves, Alphas can share their thoughts with Alphas from other packs, though in this case communication is far from indiscriminate. They can select the thoughts they want to share and freely choose to voice a thought, even from a distance, and can willingly close themselves off, something they can't do with their packmates. The subordinates of different packs, however, don't show this ability. As the telepathic link only works within the pack, the members of different packs are unable to communicate with each other mentally, outside the packs’ Alphas with each other.

The dominant male shape-shifter of the pack, the Alpha, whether genetic or elected, has total control over his pack via an ability referred to as the "Alpha" voice. Once an Alpha shape-shifter gives orders to members of his pack, his orders are obeyed blindly. The pack members cannot directly disobey commands even if they disagree. As Jacob states, "… The compulsion to follow orders felt like puppet strings hooked into all of my muscles. One foot forward, now another. … No one could refuse the Alpha." How it works and whether an Alpha can use his Alpha voice to command his pack members in human form as well as wolf form is unknown, but it’s probable given some events within the series. This ability, however, is limited to pack member and can be resisted by a genetic Alpha shape-shifter. Similarly, the Beta, or Alpha’s Second, can command the others in the pack below him or her, but cannot command the pack’s Alpha. While it's implied, it is unknown whether this characteristic is also extended down the pack hierarchy. Though the Alpha of his own Black pack, Jacob refuses to use this ability and never uses his voice to force his packmates to do something against their will.

Another aspect of the pack’s connected nature is seen in Breaking Dawn: should the Alpha's mind become mentally protected from harm, the other wolves in the pack will also be protected. When Bella Swan focused her mental shield solely on Jacob and Sam, she mentally shielded the entire pack of shape-shifters, with the provided protection cascading down through the ranks. Somewhat analogous to a computer net, this suggests that a pack does not simply operate as a highly-integrated group of intelligent and trained wolves, but rather almost akin to a neural net with multiple consciousness foci operating together and the Alpha being the coordinator. However, this link also makes them vulnerable to mind-based powers; for example, Edward can access the thoughts of the entire pack when just one member is present. This implies that in wolf form, the entire pack is likely vulnerable to offensive mind-based powers; if the Alpha falls victim to a supernatural psychic power, the rest of the pack is also subject to it, making the Alpha a prime target for mental assaults.





Imprinting is the involuntary mechanism by which Quileute shape-shifters find their soulmates. It is a profound, intimate phenomenon that exists among the Twilight werewolves. When a werewolf imprints, it seems as if time stops and gravity doesn't hold them to Earth anymore; they are instead held by the person they have imprinted on. Jacob Black describes imprinting as a "It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like… gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it’s not the earth holding you here anymore. She does… And nothing matters more than her. You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend." When it happens, the experience is described as being gravitationally pulled toward that person while a glowing heat fills the imprinter’s body. Sam Uley describes his imprinting on Emily Young as instantly feeling compelled to go to her side and touch her hand.

When a shape-shifter imprints on a specific person, he or she becomes unconditionally bound to their imprintee for the rest of their life. Everyone and everything else in the wolf’s life becomes secondary. Only the imprintee is left to matter, leaving the shape-shifter with a deep need to constantly be around their soulmate and in their presence as much as possible. In Sam’s case, after imprinting on Emily, every step he took away from her was physically painful but getting back to her was a physical relief for him. The imprinter feels a fervent desire to unconditionally give their imprintee whatever they want or need, to do anything to please and protect their soulmate, and to be anyone or anything their imprintee may desire. This devotion supersedes all and the wolf will follow any request or command given to him or her by their imprintee, including leaving his or her pack or even killing themselves should their imprintee tell them to. If the imprintee is too young to date, the imprinter will not fail to wait for his or her soulmate to age, since the wolf does not "see" any other boy or girl or man or woman. Because of this, should the imprintee be an infant, the shape-shifter will act as an older brother; if a child, the shape-shifter acts as a friend; romantic feelings will not develop until the imprintee comes of age.

The shape-shifter cannot control anything about the happening or outcome of his or her imprinting. The first time the wolf lays eyes on the person they will imprint on, the phenomenon happens. It can occur any time after a wolf's first phasing and can happen with anyone, regardless of previous personal feelings. For example, while Jacob loathed vampire and was deeply in love with Bella, once he imprinted on Renesmee, both these feelings were forgotten and vanished instantly. He also changed his opinion on imprinting itself, as he previously stated "None of them belong to themselves anymore. And the sickest part is their genes tell them they're happy about it," when watching other members of his pack resting on the beach with their imprintees. Likewise, Sam Uley was in love with Leah Clearwater, but once he imprinted on her cousin, Emily Young, his love for Leah evaporated. However, even though the shape-shifter has imprinted, it doesn't necessarily mean he or she won't suffer, particularly when the imprinting means that the wolf would instantly break the heart of a loved one held before imprinting. In Sam’s case, he felt horrible for breaking Leah's heart after imprinting on her cousin, Emily, but continued to pursue Emily.

Imprinting can't be forced on anyone, no matter how much the shape-shifter may want it, as shown by Jacob Black when he unsuccessfully tried numerous times to force himself to imprint on Bella and later took a futile road trip to try and find someone he would imprint on to erase the pain of his broken heart. The same is also true for Leah Clearwater, who didn't look for someone to imprint on, like Jacob did, but admitted to either wanting to imprint or be imprinted on to escape from the pain of Sam breaking her heart when he imprinted on Emily.

In addition to imprinting, the shape-shifters' sense of duty toward the pack and the tribe is probably the only other important element in their lives. This can lead to some hardships, particularly in having to balance their duty toward pack and tribe with time spent with their imprintees, and the wolf and his or her imprintee aging on two different tempos due to the wolf phasing while the imprintee does not. However, since all other commitments in the shape-shifter’s life—even his pack—become secondary, if the imprintee wants their imprinter to leave the pack so they can live on peacefully together, he or she would without any hesitation.

There are stages of imprinting, especially if the shape-shifter imprints on a child or someone very young, as shape-shifters can imprint on anyone regardless of age. It starts with direct eye contact with his or her imprintee:

1st stage—If the imprintee is young, the shape-shifter will act as an older sibling, protecting and nurturing his or her soulmate with affection.
2nd stage—As the imprintee grows older, the shape-shifter will also come to be their best friend, engaging in activities with them and constantly seeking to be in their presence.
3rd stage—Once the imprintee reaches a certain age, the shape-shifter will become their intimate friend. Meaning, the wolf’s feelings for his or her imprintee are changing into romantic feelings. This stage may or may not happen to the imprintee, but the imprinter will unequivocally fall in love with his or her imprintee. They will not "see" any other man or woman at all. Their imprintee is all the wolf cares about and he or she will love their soulmate even if the imprintee rejects them.
4th stage—When the imprintee is old enough, the shape-shifter's feelings will grow into romantic love and he or she will begin seeking to win the love of their imprintee and begin a family.

The nature of imprinting is not fully understood and there are many unknown facets to the shape-shifter’s imprinting.

Unlike the imprinter, the imprintee can choose whether he or she will accept the werewolf as his or her "soulmate" or not. It is, however, implied that rejection is highly unlikely, since the imprinter is deemed to be the "perfect match" to the imprintee—he or she will be anything the imprintee may want or need, making rejection extremely difficult. It’s also said that the imprintee feels incomplete without his or her soulmate nearby, and that it would be very hard to resist the levels of "commitment, compatibility, and adoration" given to them by the imprinter. What would happen if the shape-shifter is rejected by his or her imprintee is unknown, but if the imprintee chooses someone else, the imprinter will almost assuredly be left in deep emotional pain, as it’s noted that even being away from their imprintee causes the wolf great discomfort and longing. Nevertheless, the shape-shifter will devotedly respect the imprintee’s choice, as their soulmate’s happiness is all that matters to him or her.

Similarly, if an imprintee dies, the imprinting shape-shifter shatters and spirals into emotional agony and intense depression. The pain and sorrow may even be enough to cause the wolf to go insane and/or commit suicide out of grief. If a shape-shifter's soulmate is killed, he or she will never forgive or forget whoever's responsible for their soulmate’s death. In the case of the killer being another pack member, purposefully or by accident, the inevitable result is a fight to the death. Because of the intensity of this bond, the La Push shape-shifters established their most strictly followed law: no wolf may harm or kill the object of another wolf’s imprinting; no exceptions, as this will only lead to destructive in-pack fighting. After Jacob imprints on the newly-born Renesmee, the shape-shifters' feud with the Cullens is put to an end due to this sacred vow, as Jacob states to Sam and his pack, "If you kill her, you kill me." It is unknown whether or not a shape-shifter can imprint on anyone else if their soulmate is killed.

As only five members of the Twilight wolf pack are known to have imprinted, all of them male, it’s uncertain whether female members are able to imprint or be imprinted on. If they are able to, how imprinting will be for a female wolf is currently unknown. Similarly, four of the five wolves have imprinted on humans, and in Jacob’s case, he imprinted on a half-human/half-vampire hybrid, so it’s unknown if wolves can imprint on other wolves or full-blooded vampires.

The rationale for imprinting is unknown, although some members of the Quileute tribe have theories. Sam Uley believes that a shape-shifter imprints on the person with whom he has the best chance to reproduce. How this applies to Jacob Black and Renesmee Cullen is debatable. Billy Black, however, thinks that imprinting is designed to make the shape-shifter stronger, though whether this means the shape-shifter as a person or the resulting offspring is unclear. While never stated directly, Billy's theory may explain Jacob's imprinting on Renesmee. She may provide him with the greatest support, or, if they can reproduce, some vampire traits, such as hardened skin, perfect memory, or supernatural gifts may be transferred to their offspring, reducing their weaknesses in human form. Additionally, Billy’s theory offers a reason behind Paul’s imprinting on Rachel beyond reproduction; Rachel helped to calm Paul’s anger issues, thus making him a stronger wolf on his own merits and better member of his pack. While from an animalistic point of view, imprinting is likely based on reproduction, from a human point of view, it is just as likely based on strength and bonding. For the current time, the reasons for imprinting in canon are subject to assumptions and individual theories but ultimately remain unknown.





~ Under Construction ~