Chapter 9 – Wanted Answers

Emily had been prepping food for most of the afternoon. The guys were doing a barbeque in their back yard in about an hour or so. Emily had tried several times to get Audrey to unlock her bedroom door and join everyone in the lower half of the house. After her last attempt she walked back downstairs as she looked at the guys in Sam's pack sitting around the kitchen table. They noticed she was staring at them. She pressed her lips together in a thin line as she threw her thumb over her shoulder to point behind her. "Does anyone know what the heck is going on with Audrey?"

Paul frowned. "You should ask Jake that when he gets here. He was a real dick to her earlier and honestly, I don't want him around her anymore." Paul stood and walked out the door.

Emily jumped when the door slammed shut. Her eyes looked over at Sam. "It's gotta be serious if he's acting like a pissed off older brother. That's so un-Paul like."

Sam chuckled slightly as he shook his head. "I don't know what that was all about. I'll get to the bottom of it when Jake gets here. I can't exactly ban Jake from coming, not since he took his alpha status for his own pack. And I can't exactly alpha order him not to go around his own imprint."

Emily nodded. "I know. I just wish I could get her to unlock the door and come out. She's been so depressed lately because of the all the therapy and because it's taking so long for everything to just go back to being normal for her. I don't know what to do for her. I literally don't know how to help her."

The front door swung open as Jared and Kim walked inside. "Hey what's with Paul, he's over at the tree line pacing in wolf form." Jared asked as Kim and Emily shared a hug.

Sam shook his head. "He's pissed off right now. I wouldn't mess with him too much right now. Apparently Jake did or said something to Audrey and he's just not having any of it right now. Audrey's locked in her room and has been there since we got back from grocery shopping and refuses to unlock the door and come out."

Jared cringed. "Yea Paul was extremely pissed off. Looks like he's still mad; can't say as I blame him though, the things Jake said to her were completely out of line. Audrey walked to the beach alone; we figured he would go and talk with her so we called him. Jake confronted her and then just was a complete dick to her. Paul and I were both on patrol, but were close enough to hear their conversation. He was not like himself. He wasn't the normal Jake we're all used to; not even close."

Emily sighed heavily. "Well I have to do something to get her out of that damn room."

"Get who out of what room?" Came two voices at the same time.

Emily looked over and scowled as Jake walked through the door with Seth. "Well you in all your infinite wisdom decided today was going to be the day you decided to be a shithead to my niece and now she's locked herself in her room and we can't get her to come out."

Jake's smile was replaced with a scowl of his own. "Em – I…"

"I don't want to hear it Jacob Black!" Emily growled as she threw a wooden spoon at him and he caught it. "Look I don't know what the hell has gotten into you. She was in the burn unit for five months and you stayed with her damn near every night and suddenly you can't be bothered with her because other people are more important to you. If you had no intention of getting to know her outside of the hospital then you should've never went back in after you imprinted. You have no idea what she's been through since she got released from the hospital and I gather you don't give a shit either. And since you can't be part of the solution then stay away from her. I refuse to allow you to hurt her further then you may have already."

Jake sighed heavily. "That's just it Em, I don't know what to do. I have this ache in my chest when I stay away from this place for too long because of my imprint to Audrey, but then every time Bella calls or texts me I get pulled back to her too. I just don't know what to do anymore. Every time I even speak to Audrey I can't help my sharp tongue and just be absolutely mean to her. I know the guys seem to think I'm trying to get with Bella; but I'm not. She's married to Edward they have a child together; I would never do that to someone. Mortal enemies or not Bella will always be one of my best friends. I just feel like if I let the imprint take over me I won't be there for her anymore and I'll lose myself completely. I've known Bella practically my whole life and I've not even known Audrey for a year and yet I'm so drawn to her."

Emily's scowl turned into a frown. "Jake when you finally accept the imprint you will lose yourself. But you won't be alone. Audrey will lose herself right along with you. Imprinting is the strongest bond a wolf and their soul mate can have. Jake you've been around all the others who have imprinted, losing yourself is just a give in. If you want to continue to be friends with Bella you need to introduce Audrey to her and then you need to explain your friendship, and the pack and your wolf side and the vampires you keep as friends. All of it has to be explained it can't just be this big surprise to dump on her in three seconds or less. I will tell you right now I don't trust vampires much for all obvious reasons, but I know the Cullen's would never hurt Audrey and I trust that you'd protect her no matter what."

"What if she rejects me? It's not like I've been the nicest guy since she got released." Jake questioned seriously.

Emily shrugged. "Standing here asking me about it rather than going up and apologizing for being a dick isn't doing you much good right now is it? Go up and try to get her out of her room. She's not a wolf and she can't hear you from down here like you guys can."

Shit! Why did he have to be such a dick earlier? Why couldn't he just have been nice until he got her back to the house and then took it out on the damn forest animals? Jake shook his head. "I think I'm going to just let her be right now. She actually called me an asshole earlier and I fully deserved it. She needs time to calm down and you want her to come out of her room on her own, you don't want her forced she'll resent and hate whoever does it. She needs her alone time. She'll come out when she's ready Em."

Emily nodded. "Okay, I understand. Just talk to me next time. Christ you boys are all friggen stubborn when it comes to your imprints." She shook her head as she walked over and pulled the hamburgers and sausages out of the fridge and handed the plate of raw meat to Sam as she pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Start cooking babe. Everyone is hungry."

Sam nodded. "Yes ma'am." He turned and walked out the back door as he stepped up to the grill which he already had lit and waiting.

Audrey watched from the window in her room. There was something about all these guys that just didn't seem right. Half the time they were all shirtless as they strolled out of the forest like it was suddenly the best place to hang out. Yet Jake had completely flipped his freaking lid when she walked to the beach alone. Anytime she'd gone to visit Emily in the last few years she'd always walked to the beach alone. And the way Jake had spoken to her; it just made the ache in her stomach and chest intensify.

Her blue eyes watched as Jacob walked out from underneath the back porch and walked along and well worn path to the BBQ grill Sam had set up in the back yard. She watched the exchange between the two large men; but for the life of her she couldn't pull her eyes from Jake. She didn't know what it was about him, but it was there just under the surface. There was something there with all of them under the surface. They were keeping something from her; hiding it on purpose. Somehow she knew Emily was involved as well. She wouldn't ask though. There was obviously a reason why they were keeping it from her.

If she wanted answers; just maybe she'd have to do some investigating on her own.