Author's Note:
I. AM. SO. SORRY. It has taken me an eternity to get this chapter up. I went on vacation to Hawaii and things got so hectic this past couple of weeks..I am so sorry! I am definitely going to try to get chapters up faster and this hopefully will never happen again!
Life unfortunately went back to normal as soon as we returned home. We have yet to find a place of our own to stay at—classes don't start for another two weeks—but the faster we can find a house, the better. I would like some privacy every now and then.
But be that as it may, we are so thankful for my dad and Sue allowing us to house-hop every couple of days.
The entire pack greeted us when we returned home which was such a relief. Leah worried that even though things seemed picture-perfect at the wedding, that some people were just putting on a happy face for the day, considering marriage is always a joy.
"Look who came back in one piece!" Embry teased, grabbing Leah into a hefty embrace. She laughed and socked him in the shoulder when he put her down.
"Very funny, Em."
"I'm genuinely surprised—Jake is humongous. And you know what they say about big…"
"EMBRY. Can we not?" I yelled, his sentence dissolving beneath the volume of my voice.
"You know I'm just kidding, Jakey-Poo." He grinned before also bear-hugging me. Leah just giggled and flushed crimson before disappearing into the house to most likely find Emily.
"Jake!" Paul called as he came running from the forest. "Sorry, I heard you come back but I had to change first—didn't think Leah would want to see me naked…she probably wanted to see a clothed man for once…" He and Embry high-fived eachother and snickered.
"You guys are so funny! I'm not telling you about any of it." I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Paul threw his shirt at me, covering my entire face.
"We're going to find out the second you phase, remember?" Jared's voice came out from somewhere in the background, and I could hear that he too had a smile in his voice.
"I hate you all. Nosey assholes." I grumbled, ripping the shirt off my face and launching it back at Paul. "I missed you guys."
After we reunited with everyone, we all went our separate ways for the night. Ever since the Cullens fled down, vamp hunting has been on the low, considering no new ones were migrating into town.
Seems to me like Bella is always an issues, anywhere she goes. Thank God they're all gone; the thought that my kids would have been in mortal danger, every single day if they would have stayed here makes me nauseated. Good riddance they left. My quality of life increased exponentially in more than just one field.
"Jake, come eat!" Leah's voice shattered my reverie, and I swiftly hopped off of my bed, sauntering to the kitchen. Leah and Sue were hovering around the over, anxiously waiting for the timer to go off so the lasagna could be taken out of the oven.
I tiptoed up behind Leah, wrapping my arms around her lower waist and kissing her on the cheek. I felt her cheeks lift up a tad as she smiled, and she reached up to stroke me cheek with her right hand.
"Hi," She whispered, too quietly for Sue's mortal ears to hear.
"Hello," I replied, just as quietly, pecking her neck.
"Not now," She hissed, playfully swiping at my face. I smirked, stealing one last kiss before she shooed me out of the kitchen.
Seth was sitting in the living room watching TV, so I joined him while dinner was still being prepared. He greeted me with a smile and then turned back to the show.
The show consisted of eight lunatics wasting away their nights getting drunk and having sex with random strangers that they met at the club. They all have ridiculously stupid nick names for each other and they are about as trashy as you can get.
"Seth..what the hell are we watching?" I finally burst after about five minutes of this garbage
"Jersey Shore." He snorted, kicking his legs up onto the coffee table as if he was preparing to be here for awhile.
"May I ask why we are watching this garbage?"
"Because this is the only thing on the TV that isn't news or wrestling right now. Oh, or the Spanish channel. We could always watch that."
"For the love of God, why is this even airing?" I could feel a migraine coming on by the second. "Well if you would like to sit here as your brain turns to oatmeal, be my guest. I'm going to find my wife." I stood up in disgust and sauntered back into the kitchen.
"Babe…it's been five minutes. I promise I'm almost done." Leah said the second I walked into the kitchen.
"I either sit in here and wait, or I sit and watch shitty, I mean Jersey Shore. Your brother is an idiot for watching that." Leah snorted and tossed some forks into the sink. They clattered against various pots and she untied her apron.
"Yes, that he is. That show is useless. Ready to eat"
"Is that even a question?"
After dinner, Leah and I went for a run in the forest. It had been awhile since I had phased, and it felt great to be in wolf form. The mud was smooth against my paws as we cut through the Canadian forest; Leah was right beside me the entire time.
The familiar thoughts and voices from the pack welcomed us home, but there was one voice in particular that I didn't recognize. It was a male's voice, and he had a slight accent that I couldn't put my finger on. He sounded like he was American, but certain words that he said were slightly different…
Leah.
Yes?
Do you hear that voice? I have never heard it before.
I haven't noticed anything…everything sounds like buzzing. You know that.
I know…but listen carefully. There's someone new. A male. Listen.
She was silent for a few moments before she answered.
I have no idea who that is…
I want to find out.
What do you suppose we do?
He's close. I can tell. Do you hear how loud his thoughts are becoming? He's got to be within a fifty mile radius…
Go east. I'll go west.
See you in a bit.
I swiftly cut right, sprinting through the thicket, bounding over boulders and fallen trees. His thoughts were wondering; something about leaving home, something about a young girl namedNatalie, but it was extremely scatterbrained and I couldn't pick up anything concrete.
As I jumped over a river, the thoughts were so close that he could have been right next to me. I stopped running, scanning the forest in an attempt to catch a glimpse of anything that would give away his position. I turned my head to the left slightly when his thoughts said something about jumping on me. I couldn't move in time, and he slammed into me.
He was a pretty moderate-sized wolf, but even at that I skidded across the mud a few feet before I threw him off of me.
What the hell, man? I growled, shaking the mud off my fur.
It was all too easy; I couldn't resist. He barked as he chuckled, scratching his back against a nearby tree.
Who are you?
Lance. Lance Docherty.
Where are you from?
Canada. He answered wittily.
Thanks, couldn't have figured that out myself.
I'm originally from Quebec.
Then what are you doing all the way in Vancouver?
I have nothing left in Ontario. I'm the only person of my pack and family left. That's why. Any more questions, Sherlock? Last time I checked, I don't answer to you.
I struck a nerve. Oops.
Yea, oops is right. Maybe that will teach you a lesson about being so nosey around strangers.
Look, I was just trying to make sure you're not a threat, okay? I have a family to protect.
Do I look like a threat to you? I'm not a leech.
So he uses derogatory names for vampires too…I think I might like him.
I'm Jake.
I know. He rolled his eyes and plopped down on the mud, resting his head on his paws.
My pack is open to newcomers. You're more than welcome to join us.
I prefer to roam; I don't like people very much. They always let you down.
In case you haven't noticed, we're not really people.
Yea, I guess we're not.
Lance took me up on my offer in the long run. He had been alone for almost three years. How did he not go absolutely mad? I don't know what I would have done or where I would even be without the pack. Even when I was going through my depression, they helped take a lot of the pain away. And that made everything worth wile. Community actually meant something, and regardless of how often we piss each other off and argue, we love each other.
"So you're telling me that you randomly run into this guy in the woods, and you decided that he is trustworthy enough to bring home. Have you lost your damn mind, Jake?" Sam exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose in disapproval.
"Sam, he is harmless. Have you even looked at him?" I retorted, motioning to my left towards the window. Lance could be seen laying on his back in Sam's front yard, eyes closed, enjoying the sun. "He is absolutely harmless. And I bet you he isn't a day over eighteen. He needs people."
"Jake's right, you know." Emily appeared from the kitchen, holding two beers. She placed them on the table and went to stand behind Sam, placing her hands on his shoulders. He relaxed and closed his eyes, slowing leaning his head back against her.
"I don't know about this…" Sam's voice was monotone, but I knew that he wasn't going to argue any further. "If he causes any discord, he's gone. Do you hear me? And I am holding you accountable for anything and everything that he does. And if anything goes awry, it's on you Jake. Got it?"
"Yes, I understand. You don't have to worry about him. I'll take care of it." I replied, grabbing my beer and sauntering towards the door. "Thanks Emily, see you later." I waved a hand over my head as I closed the door.
"I think he likes me." Lance mumbled without opening his eyes.
"Sam just worries. He has a family to take care of."
"So you've told me," he replied in a bored tone, rising from his grassy bed, leaving the indention of his body on the ground. "And I'm twenty, by the way."
"Eighteen…twenty…what difference does it make? You still can't drink." I smirked, taking another sip of my beer.
"Touché my friend." He called over his head as he disappeared into the woods.
It's been about two weeks since Lance joined our clan, and he has fit in easier than I could have ever expected. He and Paul seem to have the most in common, which no one ever saw coming. Paul typically is the hardest person to warm up to when you join the pack, because he's just an asshole, but Lance doesn't even seem fazed by Paul. Which I thank God for. I knew Lance would fit in well, but I was most worried about Paul accepting him.
Paul being who he is, doesn't naturally become friends. With anyone. And he is the last person I would have wanted Lance fighting with. Sam most likely had the same precautions, but he too has grown fond of Lance.
We haven't found a permanent house for him yet, so he has been house hopping between me, Paul, and Jared's houses until he can find a permanent residence. Leah and I currently have the same problem; we want to stay close to the pack, but that means we will have to build a house. That is not even close to being affordable considering the little funds that Leah and I have. All of the houses around here are occupied, or aren't for sale. Not even for rent or lease, either.
Leah is extremely frustrated; I don't mind having a little distance between us and the pack, as long as it's not an entire city away. Leah just wants to be close because when we have kids, we want them to be able to play with their cousins. She is looking into the future. But considering we are going off to college soon, I assumed we would have enough time to figure something out by the time that we graduate.
Not many Quileute tribe members end up making it to college; they usually just stay in the pack, manning the territory lines, protecting the village, etc. But that was when we had vampires around…so seeing as there is no real posing threat right now, Leah and I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a college education while we could.
It was a beautiful night tonight; the sky was virtually cloudless, the moon hung luminously in the sky, casting a perfect silvery twilight throughout the forest. It was a perfect night for a walk in the forest. Leah had just jetted off to Emily's to drop off some casserole she had just made. Billy wasn't home; he went on a fishing trip, and Lance was staying at Paul's tonight. So we had the house to ourselves.
I really wanted Leah to be home with me right now. I literally do not have anything to do with her being gone. I tried to go walk around outside, but that only lasted about five minutes before I became bored and returned inside. I attempted to read, but my thoughts kept wandering back to how badly I wanted Leah to be in my arms.
I had about carved my footsteps into the wood paneling in our front room when I heard her approaching the door. My heart instantly sped up, and I had the door open before she could even put the key into the keyhole.
"Finally," I half-whispered, exasperatedly before pulling her through the threshold and into my arms.
"Woah there, buddy. Take it easy." She smirked, tossing her bag onto the coat rack by the door. The second she had turned back around, I had her in my arms again, my lips whispering against hers. She ran her fingers through my hair, and I could feel her smiling slightly beneath my lips.
"Could you have taken any longer? I was about to lose my mind," I whispered, leaning my forehead against hers.
"You are such a drama queen; I was gone for maybe thirty minutes."
"So be it. I don't like being away from you."
"Mmm," she let out a throaty laugh before pushing past me seductively, disappearing into my bedroom. I followed in suit, and found her lounging leisurely on my bed.
"Billy isn't home." I said casually, walking over to my window.
"Oh? Fishing trip?" She replied just as nonchalantly, pretending to inspect her fingernails.
"Bingo. Lance is staying at Paul's tonight too…"
"That's good. I'm glad he and Paul clicked. Paul needs someone who can put up with his bullshit."
I didn't reply this time. I simply walked over to my bed and sat down beside her, stretching out on my back.
"You're killing me," I groaned, folding my hands behind my head and closing my eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, but I could hear the humor in her voice. I felt her shifting in bed next to me, before she had crawled onto my stomach, resting her elbows on my chest.
That was the only cue I needed. "I think that—" she began, but I didn't let her finish before I rolled over, hitching her leg up on my waist. She grabbed my face, forcing my lips to hers. I felt fire shoot up my entire body, my heart felt like it was going to explode from my chest.
She groaned slightly, wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. I paused slightly only to remove my shirt. I slowly crept one hand up her shirt while the other gently cupped her chin, while she fidgeted with the elastic band on her running shorts.
I helped her slide them off her legs, and she gave me a sheepish smile after I had tossed them next to my shirt.
"You know…I was going to suggest that we look at some more college scholarships tonight…but…"
"Oh we could totally stop if that's what you want…" I replied as I began to reach for my shirt.
"Shut up." She replied, launching herself onto me. I chuckled and fell backwards; she was now straddling my hips.
"Ugh, I hate it when you wear jeans…" she mumbled as she unbuttoned them.
"Liar."
"I hate when you wear jeans when I am trying to get them off of you. Good lord why are they so tight?" Her brow furrowed as she attempted to yank them off of me.
"Well...I thought you would know the answer to that by now," I replied wittily, flashing her a childish grin.
"Ha-ha. You're hilarious. Help me, dammit." I shooed her hands away and slid out of my jeans with ease. I couldn't help but smile as a cute pout formed on her lips from embarrassment.
"You're almost too good at this, Jake. Sometimes I start to wonder…"
"You cut that out." I grabbed her, pulling her into my lap and softly kissing her rosy red lips. "You know you're my first, and my only. It's just cute watching you struggle to simply get my pants off. You horny little frog." I whispered, kissing her neck.
"You're one to talk." She half-whispered as my kisses trailed down to her chest and back up.
It took about another ten minutes of Leah teasing me before she finally had all of her clothes off. Our bodies softly moved in synchronization, each curve of her body fitting perfectly into mine. She kept whispering my name, over and over again, and that only fueled my fire.
I buried my face into her neck, kissing every single inch of her body possible before I would bring my lips back up to hers.
"Oh God, Jake," She moaned, arching her back and curving her body into mine. I didn't think anything could possibly ruin this moment until Lance walked down the hallway.