Title: Two Parts Of One Whole
Author: Lacrymosa_91
Fandom: Twilight
Pairing: Jacob/Paul
Rating: NC-17 ~ M
Declaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters, plots or conceptions of Twilight, unfortunately. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
A/N1: Hello people! You missed me?
Well, I am finally back with the second part of chapter 10! Sheesh, it was hard writing this one... I just kept losing enthusiasm and motivation, or put in other words I had a writer's block.
Personally I think that I could do so much better with this one but I decided not to force my muses too much. So, here is the final result. I really hope that you will like it though. Jake finally found out what is going on and in the next chapter which I call with the code name "The Rescue Mission" hell will break loose! Beware of the wrath of the Alpha!
A/N2: Special thanks to everybody who reviewed the previous chapter! Love ya guys! Thank you for the support! That really means a lot to me!
THANKS TO: twimama77, JEEDAi6189, Enigmaheart , Agarwaenloth , JessieMundaiFan , KiTkAtIsLoVeLy14 , KhairulJBlack , chaserno1 , Ratts , PsychoticHero , Impronta , BBlacy , smileyface
Thank you babes! You give me motivation to continue!
~ Chapter Ten: Revelations and Explanations (Part Two) ~
The storm was still away, but Embry could already smell the dampness in the air. They had to hurry up before the rain had started and erased the trails they were looking for.
He was running evenly through the forest, his paws hitting the wet ground with faint, dull sound as he followеd Sam's enormous black form, which was pushing between the trees rather swiftly despite the Alpha's impressive size.
After a short discussion they had decided that it was better to examine the situation first and try to find the trails of the black wolves before making any contact with the Quileutes. It was only the two of them. They had left Quil in the house with Emily despite his protests and insisting to join them. He needed rest and to calm down and Sam had had no other choice but to order him not to leave the house till their return. Emily had taken the responsibility to take care of him.
The more they neared the Ahote's house the more anxious and nervous Embry became. Something just wasn't right. The air reeked of something unknown to him…of something wrong and unnatural. It wasn't anything like the vampires' smell…it was different, stronger, musk and more saturated.
They reached the meadow in front of Paul's home and Embry saw how Sam stopped, looked around and sniffed at the air, his muzzle scrunching with disgust as a raspy, short bark left his throat.
"Phase back Embry, they've left at least a day ago."
They both phased back and put on their shorts before looking around the meadow. The ground was practically plowed up, deep trails of enormous paws could be seen all over the deserted place.
It was unusually quiet, they couldn't hear any sound except for the light whisper of the leaves moved by the wind. There were no animals, no birds…not even a single squirrel. It seemed like whatever had been here had scared any living creature in the area.
Embry frowned and brushed his fingers through his hair. Even in his human form the smell was killing him, flooding his senses and making his head spin slightly. He saw Sam crouching lowly on the ground and picking something up.
"What the fuck is this?" Embry asked curiously as he looked over the older male's shoulder.
"Fur…" The Alpha examined the little lock. The hairs were pitch black, thick and stained with black, sticky substance.
"That shit was all over Quil!" Embry exclaimed as he recognized the fluid. "What could it…"
"It's blood Embry…." Sam noted silently as he threw the little lock of fur on the ground and straightened up. "It's their blood."
The moment they entered the quiet house the strong smell of blood hit Embry's nostrils…the smell of Paul's blood. His guts clenched at the thought of what they might have done to his friend.
"We will find him, Embry." Sam whispered reassuringly, having read perfectly the boy's worried expression. "Quil said that they want him alive, remember? They won't kill him because they need him."
Embry just nodded, even though he barely suppressed the urge to ask what would happen when the council didn't need Paul anymore.
There was mud all over the wooden floor. They could see broken chairs and furniture, the couch was overturned and the glass of one of the huge windows of the living room was completely shattered.
"You look around here and I am going upstairs." Sam whispered silently as he made his way to the staircase." And Embry…"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful….call me if you find something wrong."
"Okay…"
Embry started his inspection from the living room. He didn't find anything suspicious, if you can call the almost demolished room nothing suspicious. He was passing by the heart and was just about to head for the kitchen when something caught his attention, or rather the lack of something did.
John Ahote's hunting knife was missing. It wasn't on its usual place, where it hung above the heart. He remembered how when they had been kids, he and Paul had been taking it secretly and playing with it. They had pretended to be hunters and killing bears and wolves.
The weapon was beautiful, with fine workmanship and masterly engraved bone handle. But now the idea of it provoked only unpleasant memories. Embry remembered how one afternoon he and Paul had sneaked in the house and had taken the knife, like they had done thousands of times before. They had gone upstairs in Paul's room, wanting to play with it. The moment they had opened the door they had found John Ahote there, sitting on Paul's bed and waiting for them. Then in a very calm and cold voice, at the memory of which Embry still felt his stomach tighten, the old man had asked Paul to give him the weapon back and Paul had done.
Embry didn't know what had happened next, since he had been asked to go home. But it wasn't too hard to figure out what had occurred in the Ahotes home, since the next day when Paul had come to play on the meadow in front of Embry's house, his left cheek had been red and swollen.
Embry shook his head as he forced himself to clear his mind from the uninvited memories. With slow but sure steps he made his way to the kitchen and the moment he passed through the door he made a grimace and his nose scrunched. The smell of blood here was stronger and heavier, but it was mingled with something else…it stunk of alcohol.
There were bloody tissues, cotton wall and needles on the table along with a toppled down empty bottle of, what Embry assumed, was whiskey. He picked one of the little tissues and examined it carefully, the blood was not crimson red but almost brick colored, a certain sign that it wasn't fresh. Like Sam had said, they had left at least a day ago.
He left the kitchen and was just about to go upstairs and check if Sam had found something when he heard a faint creak coming from his left. After a short moment of bewilderment Embry found the source of the sound.
The back door of the house was left open and the wind was swaying it back and forth, making the rusty hinges creak faintly.
Embry peeked through the slightly ajar door and looked around the back verandah. A dull thunder echoed from the east, and a bright flash of lighting lit up the gloomy sky. Embry sighed faintly and rubbed his face, he was just about to close the door and continue with his inspection when he noticed a slight movement in the farthest, left side of the verandah. There was someone there.
When he stepped on the verandah, being extremely careful and cautious in order not to make any sound, he saw a dark figure, lurking in the shadows of the penthouse. Embry's curiosity overpowered his wariness and after a short moment of hesitation the boy made his way to the further, darker side of the verandah.
After a few stable but slow steps Embry had gone near enough to distinguish who was hiding in the darkness. A faint, startled gasp spilled from his lips and he stopped dead on his tracks when his eyes landed on the person who stood hidden in the shadows.
"What brings you to my home, Embry Call?" John Ahote whispered quietly, his dark eyes focused on the boy, who seemed to had frozen on his place. "You've lost something?"
Embry just shook his head, still too shocked to manage an actual answer. The boy's eyes passed over the old man's figure with curiosity and faint frustration.
John Ahote looked so much older than the last time he had seen him. He looked smaller, thinner and almost worn out. The old man was sitting in a heavy, wooden chair, his body lax and languid, his face marred by deep, prominent furrows.
The old man huffed hollowly with ignorance at the boy's staring and reached for the half empty bottle of whisky, that was on the wooden table beside him.
Embry's eyes unconsciously drifted to the piece of furniture when they followed the movement of John's hand. His forehead furrowed when he saw John Ahote's old, hunting knife stuck into the table, the silvery, polished blade shining dully in the shadows of the house.
"What do you want, boy?" The old man growled after taking a big gulp from the amber colored liquid. "You are going to say something or you are just going to stay like a statue all day?"
Even though he could speak comparatively clearly the old man was obviously drunk, he stunk of alcohol. Embry went nearer and crossed his arms in front of his chest, he was about to speak up when a light, silvery glow caught his attention. It's wasn't coming from the knife though, it was coming from John Ahote's chest. Embry's eyes widened and he felt his body tense up with interest.
There were three identical silver medallions hanging around the old man's neck, and Embry found himself biting his lower lip nervously when memories from his childhood flooded his mind for second time that day.
It had been cold, the air eerie with premonition of a slightly gloomy autumn day. He had been only eight back then, just a kid, and yet he remembered that day clearly. So clearly, that just the mere memory of it still filled him with anxiety. It had affected him deeply and it still filled his mind with the creeping feeling of inevitability and helpless, inexplicable fear.
Embry's mind filled with memories – the heavy, cold silence that had been almost crushing and choking him, the smell of congealed blood and moist soil… his heart still clenched at the memory of the women's weeping and the terror in Paul's eyes.
He, Paul and Quil had been at the Atearas' home, along with part of the children and the women from the tribe. The elders had ordered the civil people to stay in and not to leave their houses until they were allowed to go out. There had been a big melee by the border that day, and Embry remembered the heavy silence in the enormous room, when everybody had been waiting in quiet, anxious and tangible anticipation for news from the battle.
His mother had held him tight, pressing him to herself while Paul had been sitting rigidly on the floor, his arms wrapped around him knees and his eyes glazed with fear, confusion and childish horror. Jason, Paul's only brother left, had been out there, fighting with the Quileutes.
They had stayed like this for hours, and it hadn't been before the dusk had fallen when Tom Hakan, the leader of the then pack, had come to the house. He had been covered with blood and dirt, his bare chest marred by deep gashes and his face scrunched in silent, gloomy determination.
The women in the room had tensed up, their children snuggling closer to their mothers – everybody had known why the man had come. The battle had been over and now Tom Hakan had come to inform the relatives about the losses….
He had come to tell the women who were unfortunate enough that their sons, husbands or brothers weren't coming back, ever.
Embry's eyes had followed the man's every movement as the Alpha had made his way to one of the women, who had been sitting by the hearth. She had been an old woman, with grayish, long hair, her bony hands fisted in her dress rigidly. The moment Tom had stopped in front of her, the old woman had fallen to her knees, a harsh, piercing and heartwrenching bawl leaving her throat as she had buried her face in her hands.
Her one and only son had been killed that day.
Embry was never going to forget that cry, he was never going to forget the horror, sorrow and immense pain that had vibrated through the whole room and torn through the death silence.
He remembered his mother sobbing while stroking his hair and cradling him in her arms. And he did remember how Paul had cringed and pressed his face to his knees with fear and anxiety. Unlike Embry, Paul hadn't had anyone to hold him close or sooth him.
Embry had watched how the Alpha had approached Paul's curled against the wall figure. He had seen how Paul's head had snapped up harshly, eyes welling up with tears and his whole body shaking when the man's stained with dried up blood hand had rested on his little shoulder lightly. Tom Hakan had pulled a little silver medallion out of his pocket, and Embry had found himself unconsciously snuggling closer to his mother, a cold shiver running down his spine.
Paul had let out a choked sob when the man had taken his tiny hand in his and had put the stained with blood necklace in his small open palm.
"I am sorry, little one." The Alpha had whispered silently. "Tell your father that Jason…Jason fought well and died with honor."
Later, when John Ahote had come to pick his last son left from Embry's home, Paul had had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from crying and bawling in anguish and childish horror. Embry remembered how John had kneeled by the couch and had stroked Paul's tearstained cheek softly, the gesture had surprised him back then, and it still did. John Ahote never showed emotion or affection, especially when it came to Paul. But this day…this day Embry had seen the man's eyes fill with tears when he had carefully taken the bloody medallion, that had been still clutched in Paul's tiny hand. John Ahote had put the silver, still stained with his son's blood necklace around his neck, where it had hung heavily along with another two identical medallions – Simon's and Tyler's.
"You better leave, boy." John Ahote's harsh, gruff voice pulled Embry out of his stupor and the boy snapped back to the present. "There is nothing that concerns you here!"
Embry scowled when the old man took another big swig of whiskey, and slammed the bottom of the bottle against the table harshly as he cleared his throat. The boy looked around briefly and massaged the bridge of his nose as he wondered whether to call Sam or not. Embry looked at the man in the heavy wooden chair again, hesitating if he should take the bottle away from him when his breath got caught at his throat.
His wide eyes followed the movement intently when John Ahote reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a little silver medallion. The old man's shaking fingers fumbled with the necklace as his face scrunched harshly, in emotion which Embry couldn't quite place. Embry's eyes focused on the little item in John Ahote's hands and the boy felt the same numbing feeling of gloomy premonition and fear flood his senses, just like it had happened so many years ago.
The medallion was Paul's.
It was the fourth one…the last one left. The other three that hung around old man's neck belonged to Paul's brothers…to Paul's dead brothers.
Embry's heart clenched inside his chest, his breathing steadily speeding up until his chest started rising with light, irregular pants.
He knew that his best friend would never part with his medallion willingly. It was too important and precious to him. Did that mean that…. They were late? Did that mean that Paul was already…
"W-where is Paul?" Embry barely managed to choke out. "What have you done to him?"
John Ahote's chest rumbled with a low, aberrant growl as he closed his eyes briefly and his fingers curled around the medallion so tightly that his knuckles went white.
"That doesn't concern you, boy!" The old man roared as he glared at Embry with resentment and frustration. "Just go home and leave me alone!"
Embry inhaled deeply as he tried to keep his anger and irritation at bay. It didn't work quite well, though. Being worried, nervous and angry at the same time wasn't a good way to suppress the natural instinct in his body that urged him to phase. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, his fists clenching and relaxing slowly by his sides.
"Where the elders keep him?"
"Are you deaf, kid!" The old man snarled as he tried to stand up from his chair but without much success. "It's none of your business! Get out of my face!"
"Not before you've told me where is Paul!" Embry growled, his body started shaking with light tremors, the old man's attitude and ignorance flaming the strange jumble of worry, anger, anxiety and stubborn determination inside his chest.
"You better forget about, Paul…he is not your concern…. he isn't anybody's concern anymore!"
Embry's eyes widened at these words, his jaw clenching in anxious desperation and his heart sinking at the horrible possibility of his best friend being dead.
"Paul was a mistake…" John Ahote trailed off as he ran his hand over his exhausted, furrowed face."He is the biggest mistake of my life. He crushed everything that I've ever valued or cherished. The boy violated his mother and brothers' honor with his betrayal!"
"He has done nothing wrong!" Embry growled through clenched teeth and shook his head with agitation."He hasn't betrayed anyone…the imprinting..."
"Don't talk about things you don't understand and know nothing about, boy!" John Ahote snarled as he finally managed to stand up and stared at Embry with full with resentment and disdain bloodshot eyes. "You don't know what he has done!"
"Whatever he has done doesn't justify what you are doing to him! Paul is your son you can't let them…"
"He is not! Not anymore! He stained the family's honor!" the old man growled vehemently, his breath stinking of alcohol, his face so scrunched and twisted that Embry could barely make out his features. "Since the moment he has let the Quileute bastard touch him… he doesn't exist for me!"
Embry fell silent for a second, his eyebrows raising in bewilderment at the old man's words as his balled till now fists relaxed slightly.
"Paul hasn't been with…."
"He has slept with him! He has let that mongrel touch him! My own flesh and blood has sullied the Ahote name! ... Paul doesn't exist for me anymore! He is dead for me!" The old man reeled slightly backwards as he growled in frustration and rage through clenched teeth and collapsed in the heavy wooden chair again.
John Ahote grabbed the bottle from the table and gulped down what was left from the alcohol. He groaned brokenly when he threw the bottle away and his shaking fingers clenched hard around the medallion in his hand. Through wide eyes Embry saw how the man fell silent for a while, his pitch black orbs brimming with tears as he stared unblinkingly at the little silver necklace in his hand with exasperation and sorrow.
And then John Ahote did something that Embry had never expected. The old man sighed heavily, as heavily as though the pressure of the whole world was over his shoulders, and swung his hand back. John Ahote threw Paul's medallion on the ground and Embry saw how the little silvery necklace hit the muddy, wet soil in front of the house, its clear and light gleam fading when the mushy dirt started swallowing it slowly.
"Embry, what is going on?" Sam's low, bass voice broke through the boy's dazed with anxiety and confusion mind. Embry shook his head harshly as he barely managed to tear his eyes away from the medallion in the mud and looked at his Alpha briefly, frustration and desperation written all over his face.
Sam stood in no more than two meters away, his face stern and serious as his dark eyes were roaming over the verandah, scanning and observing the situation.
"Oh, look who has come again!" John Ahote sneered bitterly when Sam's eyes stopped on him with a hint of curiosity. "I should have known that this is your job, Uley. You always poke your nose in other people's business and now you drag the poor kid with you…." The old man trailed off as he motioned towards Embry, who was standing right in front of him. "What the fuck do you want this time, Uley?"
Sam's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at the old man calmly. His features twisted in worry and pity when his dark eyes slid over the haggard, bony and worn out figure of the man in the chair. John Ahote had aged at least ten years for the last two months. The pressure, the stress and the resent events had finally crushed the stubborn and strong man, who had managed to go thought so much with his head high up. John had watched his wife dying, he had lost three of his children and he had managed to endure it, he had continued. But now Sam was seeing that the old man was finally broken down, devastated and crushed…. John Ahote had finally had too much.
"John, what happened with Paul?" Sam whispered quietly but firmly, his eyes roaming over the old man's scrunched face, trying to read his expression. "What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter…. Nothing does matter anymore… it's all so pointless and hopeless…"
John Ahote was starting to fall into drunken sorrowful stupor, his words barely audible and slurred.
"Where they keep him? To whom did you leave your son, John?" Sam was calm and careful, but also persistent. John Ahote had calmed down, his voice shaky and quiet, all the emotional pressure and all the alcohol he had drunk were finally taking its toll on the old man, and Sam saw his chance for extracting information.
"Where is Paul, John? " Sam whispered silently, and Embry could feel the strain in his voice. They had lost too much time in wandering and that wasn't making their chances of finding Paul better. "Did you leave him to Quil Ateara Sr.? "
"I…I disowned him… the boy is sullied …. The clans took him… he belongs to them now… they took him." The old man slurred with quiet and sharp voice and Embry saw how Sam tensed up at these words, the Alpha's features twisting in gloomy apprehension as his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Sam?" Embry asked tentatively as he stared at his Alpha, fresh wave of anxiety filling his chest at the sight of the desperate and drawn with sternness features of Sam's face.
"We got to go, Embry…" Sam suddenly whispered as he went down the creaking, slightly cracked from the time wooden steps of the verandah, and stared at the mountains to the north from the house. "Prepare to phase. We can't afford ourselves loosing more time. We have to get in touch with the Quileutes!"
"But Sam…" Embry was confused, it was Sam who had demanded that they find out where Paul was before informing his imprint about the situation. "We still don't know where…."
"I know where Paul is!"
"But how … his father hasn't said…"
"We got no time for explanations!" The Alpha cut off the boy sternly, his strides as he headed for the woods were fast, curt and urgent. "Now move your ass! We need to go!"
Sam didn't even spare a last glance at John Ahote, who still stood in his wooden chair on the verandah, the old man's body starting to go limp from the alcohol and his mind falling into daze as he closed his eyes and leaned his head far back. Embry moved away from the house as he made a few hesitant steps after his Alpha, his features still twisted in something between hope and confusion.
But then the boy suddenly stopped and turned around. He looked at the house again, his eyes stopping on the almost unconscious old man who was slumped in the heavy wooden chair, the light gleam of the medallions around his neck visible even from this distance.
"Embry!" Sam growled at him over his shoulder, urging the boy on. "Come on!"
Embry flinched slightly from the harsh snarl but didn't follow Sam immediately. He stood still for a few seconds before he shook his head lightly and then returned to the verandah.
When he reached the edge of the forest Sam stopped abruptly and turned around quickly, only to find that Embry wasn't following him. The Alpha was about to shout at the boy to hurry up again when he noticed Embry gazing at the ground, as if he was looking for something. Then Embry bent down, picked something from the muddy, mushy soil in front of the house and jogged to Sam, who had't moved from his place.
"What's that, Embry?"
"It's… it is Paul's medallion." The boy mumbled as they both entered the dark, quiet woods. "It's important to him and he will want it back. I am going to give it back to him when we get him out of there!" Embry rubbed the little necklace against the side of his cut offs in order to clean it from the mud and the dirt.
Sam didn't say anything, he just nodded curtly and hurried forward.
It was typical of Embry. The boy was optimistic and positive by nature, he always hoped for the best. Sam didn't want to think of the horrible possibilities which the fate could make them face. Too much depended on them – Paul's life and the lives of innocent and unsuspecting anything people. Sam was realist to the bone but this time he chose to believe to Embry's words, this time he preferred thinking positively rather than musing upon all the things that could go wrong. They really needed hope right now… they needed any glimmer of hope they could muster.
The sky was murky, dark and gloomy. Heavy, gray clouds were gathering above the cold, moist and hostile forests. The storm was about to strike in two hours, or even less and the promise for profuse, merciless and pouring rain hung heavily in the tenuous air.
It was warm and cosy in the big living room at the Black's home. The fire was crackling cheerfully in the hearth, and filling the air with the calming smell of pine wood, while the golden flames showered the room with their soothing and comforting glow.
The quiet babble of the old men in the room was a constant and nagging reminder about the reason they've gathered together. The council meeting of the Quileute elders was arranged for the Saturday evening as usual, and this time it was held at the Black's home.
Jacob was sitting silently in an armchair near one of the huge windows, his eyes roaming aimlessly over the sombre, dull and murky landscape beyond the thick, slightly blurry glass. He vaguely registered that Harry Clearwater was talking about how the woods were unusually quiet and peaceful recently. There hadn't been any attacks by vampires, and the pack hadn't found any trail or caught a whiff of a cold one for almost a month now.
Not that Jacob was really listening. As an Alpha and a leader of the pack it was his duty to be present at the meetings, to take part in the discussions and the taking of decisions, but right now he just couldn't bring himself to listen and pay attention. He had completely spaced-out from the whole discussion a long time ago.
His mind was wandering, his body now unusually relaxed and limp. He felt as though he was sinking into stupor as he rested his head against the back of the armchair and closed his eyes. The drowsiness and the exhaustion were something new, new compared to the tension and the filled with fluster and tingling anxiety hours that Jacob had been spending running through the woods till his legs had given out from exhaustion.
He felt restless, nervous and confused by the reactions of his own body. It had been like this for the last two days. He just couldn't stay still, couldn't calm down and find quiet. The feeling was perplexing and strange, but most of all tiring.
Jacob had dwelled over the reason for all this nervousness, and at first thought unreasonable restlessness, but he just couldn't come up with proper or accurate explanation.
The first thought that had crossed his mind had been about Paul. Jacob had felt something close to this anxious fluster when his imprint had been in danger a month ago but now it was different. The feeling was close to what he had felt the first time, but now there was a significant difference - it wasn't that intense, clear and overpowering.
Every time when Jacob tried to focus on the thought of Paul, to focus on the feeling for his imprint, it felt as if something was missing, as if the strings attaching him to the other boy were thinner and weaker than before. The connection bonding him with Paul was slowly fading and crumbling, it felt as if his imprint wasn't as strong and powerful as it used to be. Jacob could neither explain it nor comprehend it, but it felt like Paul was slipping out of his grasp, melting into a fog of numbing fluster and perplexing despair.
If it depended on him, Jacob would have gone to see Paul the moment when that anxious restlessness had corrupted his mind and body, but he knew he couldn't. He had promised Paul that he wouldn't act rashly. Jacob had promised his imprint that he wouldn't pass the border and visit him without they'd decided the time and the place of the meeting beforehand.
His control and reasoning had failed Jacob once. He had gone to Paul's home with the desperate need to see him, to hold him, to be closer to him. And his slip, his inability to control the desire that inflamed his insides had almost cost the life of one of Paul's friends.
Paul hadn't expected Jacob coming at his home that day, just like he hadn't expected Embry coming to visit without mentioning that he would do so, and it all had almost ended with a disaster. Jacob had acted on instinct and he had almost attacked the nothing suspecting Embry, considering him as a danger and threat for his imprint. Paul had barely managed to put sense into him and get him out of the house before Embry had seen him.
And since then, since this single time when Jacob had acted hastily, Paul had demanded that they should have rules. No unexpected visits. Paul had made him promise that he wouldn't come to see him without they've talked in advance. It was for good, it was going to ensure both their safety, and the safety of those around them who had nothing to do with it.
It had broken his heart when he had to leave Paul two days ago. But the moment when his imprint's fingers had slipped from his grasp Jacob had already made up his mind. He couldn't and didn't have the intention to let that happen again. Jacob couldn't let Paul spend yet another day in that gloomy house, he wouldn't leave his beloved in a place where he was lonely, crushed and oppressed daily. It was high time he took Paul with him, it was high time Jacob had taken the matters in his own hands.
Jacob inhaled deeply though his nose as he tried to calm down and gather his thoughts. He had to be focused and calm if he wanted to do this properly. Jacob had decided that the time, to finally confront the elders and inform them for the choice he had made, had finally come.
As impossible as it seemed he hoped for their benevolence and good will - he was going to ask them to give Paul a new home, a refuge and acceptance when he brought his imprint to the Quileute's lands. Yes, Jacob was hopeful, but he was neither naive nor stupid. He had considered and thought over all the possibilities that the future could bring.
The council had to be informed about his imprinting, but that didn't mean that he was going to let the elders stop him or restrain him.
Jacob was going to take Paul away from his home, he was going to give him safety and security no matter if the council approved or not. If they didn't accept Paul, if they scorned his imprinting, if they rejected it… Jacob was just going to take Paul and leave these lands.
The pack, his home, the tribe and all the family bonds were minor and insignificant to him compared to his imprint. If he had to leave the tribe, quit the pack and break the relations off with his kin in order to be with Paul and keep him safe, Jacob was going to do it without second thought or hesitation.
"Jacob…" A masculine but soft voice pulled the young native from his musings. "Jacob? Son, it's your turn to speak. You said you that you wanted to announce something important."
A warm hand rested lightly on his shoulder, and Jacob shook his head slightly in order to clear his mind as he gazed at his father's smiling face. Billy Black smiled warmly to his only son as he patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, and Jacob managed a smile back which looked more like a grimace.
The young Quileute inhaled deeply as he stood up from his place by the window and looked around slowly, his eyes slid over the old men's scrunched and serious faces and he knew that every furrow was sign for their wisdom and experience.
Jacob bent his head slightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat silently. The moment he raised his head again his eyes met Billy's reassuring fatherly gaze, and Jacob found himself wondering, whether the old man would look at him with so much pride and affection after he was done with what he had to say.
Though Jacob knew that it was now or never. The sooner he got this off his head, the sooner he could go and take Paul away from there once and for all.
"The reason I am making an announcement aside from my usual report is that…"
Jacob couldn't even finish his sentence when he heard a loud bang from the front door. It sounded as if someone slammed it shut, and the next thing that could be heard was the loud stomping of a pair of bare feet.
"Jacob!" A familiar female voice, laced with urgency and insistence, echoed from the corridor next to the living room. "Jacob, where are you!"
Everybody in the room shifted in their seats and shared questioning looks, surprised by the unexpected and harsh interruption. Jacob frowned as he gazed towards the direction of the door just in time too see Leah Clearwater rushing in without even bothering to ask for permission.
"Jake, you have to…" She started with hoarse voice, her chest raising and falling erratically as she was panting lightly, her skin covered in light sheen of sweat.
"Leah!" Harry Clearwater roared angrily and cut off his daughter as he stood up from his seat by the hearth. "What do you think you are doing you disobedient girl!"
The rest of the elders remained silent, their faces twisted in stern and serious expressions. They all knew that Leah was wild and unruly by nature. Her becoming a shape shifter had only added fuel to her hot - blooded and tomboy attitude and behavior. Harry was having hard time in trying to curb and control the volatile girl.
"Dad, it's important…" Leah huffed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face giving away her determination.
"Jake must…"
"Jacob is at a council meeting just like the rest of us!" The old man growled, his eyes blazing with irritation as he glared at his rebellious daughter. "…A meeting that can't be interrupted by outside people and you are not an exception, girl! Leave the room we will talk about it later!"
Leah just scowled indignantly and rolled her eyes as she leaned against the door frame. She clearly showed that she didn't have the intention to obey her father and leave the room as she was ordered.
"Leah!" Harry's annoyance was steadily growing, his face scrunching with anger when the girl didn't move even with an inch from her place by the door.
"Harry, it might be something that can't wait." Jacob said as he gazed at Leah, who was staring at him nervously and with a hint of impatience while fidgeting with the hem of her faded tank top.
"Oh, come on, Dad…" Leah whined and brushed her fingers through her messy, raven-black hair.
Jacob saw how Harry Clearwater frowned and let out a heavy sigh. The old man glared at his daughter warningly before he nodded in agreement rather reluctantly and sat in his seat again, his stern face giving away his irritation. Leah was definitely going to have troubles at home after this.
Leah turned on her heels and exited the room without saying a single word and Jacob hurried to follow her.
He didn't know what he should think about this – to be angry because she had interrupted the meeting just when he had been ready to speak up or to be really curious about the reason for the whole situation. What might be so important that she had to rush into the house in the middle of the council meeting?
They went out on the verandah and Jacob was just going to ask what all the noise was about, when he was cut off. Actually Leah didn't give him a chance even to open his mouth.
"You have to come with me right now!" She whispered urgently, her eyes focused on her Alpha with intensity and determination as she grabbed Jacob by the hand and tried to drag him down the steps of the verandah and towards the woods.
Jacob didn't budge even with an inch. He just glared at the girl with annoyance and sternness. He had defended Leah in front of her father, but that didn't mean that he had time to lose with insignificant and irrelevant to his duty problems.
"Leah, what is this all about? Some of Jared and Seth's pranks! I don't have time for bullshits!"
"It's not bullshits, Jake! You got to come with me! It's really important!"
"All I know is that the meeting was particularly important for me and you rushed in and…"
"There is a Quilcene at the border! He says that he is from the Quilcene pack!" Leah blurted out in a harsh voice and threw her hands in the air. "We were patrolling and we came across that guy and he didn't even try to escape or phase. Jared and Seth are with him now and I came to get you! He refuses to tell us why he is here… he says that he will talk with you and you only!"
Jacob stood like frozen on his place, eyes focused on the woods in front of him but seeing nothing, his breathing suddenly becoming shallow and harsh. He had stopped listening to what Leah was saying after "… he is from the Quilcene pack!"
Something was wrong. Something serious must have happened if Paul was coming to look for him so openly.
Yes, Jacob was sure that it was Paul, who had come to look for him, and his heart made double turn at the thought that his imprint had needed him for two days and he hadn't done anything. Jacob was no longer confused and hesitant about the reason for his restlessness over the last couple of days.
It was about Paul. Something had happened to his imprint.
"Did he say something else!"
"No… he didn't even tell us his name… but…" Leah fumbled the pockets of her denim cutoffs frantically, her hands slightly shaking with excitement. "He gave me this! He said that you will know what it means when you see it!"
Jacob almost gasped when the girl pulled a little silver medallion from one of her pockets and showed it to him. Leah swayed the necklace right in front of his face, and Jacob didn't even try to suppress the urge to snatch it from her hand.
The medallion was all too familiar to him, and Jacob felt light tremors running through his whole body, his hands slightly shaking when he trailed the wolf's head and the engraved "Paul" at the back of it with his fingertips.
Leah stared at her Alpha unbelievingly, the harsh and unexpected movement with which he had taken the medallion from her hand had, to say the least, startled her. A confused and worried expression crossed her face when she noticed that Jacob had paled suddenly, his features drawn and tensed with alert and anxiety.
"Jake?"
Jacob didn't say a single word as he clutched the medallion in his fist and made his way to the woods, barely fighting the urge to phase.
"Jacob, wait!" Leah called but the boy was deaf for her demand, his pace not even slowing down as he continued towards the dark forest.
"Jake!"
No result. No reaction. Jacob just ignored her completely and Leah was starting to get annoyed.
"You don't even know where they are! What are you going to do? You will run the length of the whole border?"
That seemed to have effect on the frenzied boy, who stopped abruptly on his place and bent his head slightly.
"Where are they?" He all but growled in a harsh voice without even turning around to look at Leah, who desperately tried to catch up with him.
"They are by the rocks in the south area, a mile inside our side of the border!"
Jacob didn't answer, he just nodded to himself and disappeared among the trees so fast and swiftly that Leah couldn't see which path he took for.
"Damn it, Jacob!" She roared through clenched teeth as she removed her clothes as quickly as possible and hurried to follow her Alpha.
Jared stood silently next to a big pine tree, his arms crossed in front of his chest while his eyes were following carefully and warily the Quilcene's every movement.
The boy looked completely harmless and innocent, but Jared was sure that there was something far more deep under the surface.
He didn't know why, but something in the Quilcene bothered him, or to be more exact the way his body reacted to the boy bothered him. It was strange and perplexing feeling, which almost clouded his mind and filled his chest with a warm, anxious and uneasy fluster. Jared didn't like the feeling, it confused him and even though he'd be damned if he admitted it out aloud… it scared him.
Jared huffed under his nose and shook his head harshly in order to clear his mind. No, he wasn't scared. Jared Nosh wasn't scared of anything … let alone of a Quilcene boy, who he had seen for the very first time an hour ago. He groaned lightly as he brushed his fingers through his short, cropped hair and massaged his scalp. Okay… if he wasn't scared then why the fuck he couldn't bring himself to look the guy in the eyes?
"Won't you at least tell us your name?" Seth inquired while he paced around the rock on which the Quilcene sit on. "You got a name, do you?"
Jared almost burst into laughter when he saw the confused and a bit puzzled expression that crossed the Quilcene's face.
Seth had asked him so genuinely that it had sounded as if the boy actually didn't have a name.
"Okay I will start first. I am Seth!" The youngest member of the pack all but squealed and smiled brightly as he sat next to the other boy. "And you are?"
Jared kept a little distance and remained on his place by the tree as he continued to watch Seth's literally comic attempts to start a conversation with the Quilcene. It was rather amusing to watch. Seth was just so excited and agitated to meet someone from the opposite tribe, that Jared thought that the kid was going to piss his pants at any moment.
The Quilcene boy stared at Seth for a few seconds before letting out a light sigh and brushing his fingers through his hair.
"Uh… I am Embry." The boy finally whispered in a soft voice, as he finally took pity on Seth and his desperate attempts to get his attention.
Embry decided that it won't harm anybody if they actually talked a little till the girl returned with the Quileute's Alpha. If everything passed as he expected and hoped, they would have to work together in order to save Paul. Hence, it would be good if he got to know the other boys.
"Great!" Seth exclaimed cheerfully as he bounced on his seat and clapped his hands, obviously too happy to finally get some reaction from the other boy. "Nice to meet you, Embry!"
Embry just nodded and smiled lightly at the boy's enthusiasm, which was rather surreal. They were enemies and the younger boy was actually acting as though they were soon to be best friends or something. That Seth guy, as he had claimed to be his name, was definitely an interesting, unusually friendly, but most of all a strange boy.
Embry's eyes unconsciously drifted to the larger Quileute, who stood silently in a few meters away from them.
Now, that seemed more like a usual behavior in such a situation. They were enemies. Quileutes and Quilcenes weren't used to being so close to each other without feeling intimidated, alerted or anxious that the other might attack when least expected.
Of course there hadn't been any brushes or clashes between the tribes for almost a decade. These particular packs had never been set against each other in a battle, but that didn't mean that the suspicion, the distrust and the resentment between them didn't exist. It confused Embry to no end how he and Seth, who was supposed to be his enemy and to hate him, could sit next to each other without actually trying to rip each other's hearts out.
"That guy over there is Jared." Seth said as he pointed at the boy who stood next to the tree. "Generally he isn't that silent, but now he just plays the role of the bad cop." The boy laughed shortly at his own funny remark and Embry smiled lightly in return. "Don't worry he doesn't bite. He just pretends to be the tough guy but we all know that he is a…"
"Shut up, kid!" Jared growled as he glared at the younger boy. "We are not here for a picnic."
"I have a name!" Seth retorted as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I am Seth! Not kid!"
"Whatever you say, kid!" Jared grinned nonchalantly, which only made Seth glare at him and growl through clenched teeth.
Embry laughed shortly and shook his head at the guys' antics. That continued for a couple of minutes until Jared decided to stop and leave the younger boy alone.
"Hey Embry, can I ask you something?" Seth whispered barely hiding his excitement, and Embry was surprised to see no sign of the boy's irritation just from a few minutes ago.
"Sure…"
"Is it true…" Seth shifted uncomfortably and looked at his hands, which rested in his lap. "I mean… is it true that you guys… I mean your pack…"
"Yeah? What about my pack?" Embry whispered encouragingly to the younger boy and urged him to continue.
For a reason unknown to him he really liked Seth, even though he knew him just for a little more than an hour. The boy was just so genuine, kind and friendly that Embry couldn't help but wonder how Seth could chase vampires – he looked as though he was unable to hurt even a fly.
"I've heard…well some of the guys here say that you… I mean your pack..." Seth stammered lightly, it was clear that he felt a little uneasy about the question. "Is it true that you guys feed on leeches?"
"What?"
"Damn kid! You are more retarded than I thought! You think that they eat leeches?" Jared exclaimed as he burst into a fit of laughter. "Who told you that? Your brain dead friends?"
"Oh, shut up!" Seth whined as he stood up and scowled in embarrassment, light blush covering his cheeks.
"Seth, it's not true…actually we…" Embry started, barely fighting his own laughter, but he got cut off by a harsh sound of snapping branches and rustling bushes.
"Shit, Jake! Wait for me!" A girl's voice came from a little more than ten meters away from them, and before Embry could wonder what was going on he saw a large, muscular figure coming out from between the trees.
He had never seen Paul's imprint in human form, but there was no doubt that this guy was Jacob Black.
His stance just screamed Alpha and demanded respect and submission, and there was no room left for hesitation on the matter who dominated the relationship. Suddenly Embry understood why his volatile, wild and disobedient friend had changed so significantly for so short period of time. Paul, who had been the pack's brawler had submitted, and now as he was looking at Jacob, Embry didn't feel even a trail of doubt or confusion for the reason.
The Alpha stared at him with stone cold eyes and Embry felt his heart leaping into his throat. He didn't know that guy, but something at the back of his mind was telling him that Jacob Black wasn't someone who people messed with.
The look on Jacob's face was completely stunning and astounding. It was a strange mix of surprise, anger, confusion, rage and desperation and Embry swallowed thickly when Jacob's fists clenched at his sides and the Alpha growled lowly through clenched teeth. It was clear that Jacob hadn't expected to find Embry here. Had he expected Paul?
Before Embry could react or say something Jacob grabbed him by the shoulders, and the smaller boy gasped in pain from the harsh and tight grasp.
"Where is he! What have you done to him!" Jacob growled right into Embry's face and shook him harshly by the shoulders. "Where is Paul?"
"I…I .." Embry stammered out, his legs dangling in the air in at least two feet from the ground, his eyes wide with shock and surprise from the unexpected attack.
"Jacob!" Leah tugged on her Alpha's arm, desperately trying to make him let go of the other boy, but without much success. "What the fuck are you doing?"
Jacob didn't budge, he didn't even made a sign that he was aware of Leah's presence. The grip on Embry's shoulders only intensified, it felt as though he was trapped in a vice. He would swear that he could hear his bones crackling.
"Where is Paul?" Jacob roared again and squeezed the boy's shoulders even harder, wanting to get his point across. "How did you take the medallion?"
"T-the council c-caught him…w-we can't free him… by o-ourselves…." Embry managed to whine out through clenched teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut from the intense pain. "S-Sam Uley… m-my Alpha s-sent me to ask for your h-help! The elders have created another pack somehow…. The other wolves are too many and we… we won't be able to fight against them by ourselves…. W-we need your help!"
Embry groaned hollowly as he slumped on the ground when Jacob suddenly released him. His hands flew to his shoulders as he started massaging them urgently in order to relieve some of the numbing pain.
He saw how Jacob took a few steps back and covered his face with his hands as he exhaled loudly, his whole body going rigid and tense. The rest of the Quileute pack stood completely silent and motionless, their faces marred by confused and curious at the same time expressions.
Embry knew that he had to speak now or never. He needed their help, Paul needed their help, and the sooner he got this over with the sooner they could save his friend.
"They saw you together in the woods two days ago." He started carefully but firmly, his eyes focused on Jacob's tensed figure all the time. He was Paul's imprint, he had to know what exactly had happened. "Paul was taken captive as soon as he got home the same day…"
"Guys… I'm sorry but… who the hell is Paul?" Seth mumbled quietly as he brushed his fingers though his hair and stared at his Alpha questioningly.
Jacob ignored the younger boy completely as though he hadn't said anything, his eyes focused on Embry with such intensity that the later thought that Jacob's gaze would burn holes into his head.
"Go on!" Jacob snarled and Leah let out a faint groan as she sat on one of the rocks nearby and stared at Embry expectantly. It was obvious that Jacob was too enraged and upset to give them any answers and explanations about the whole mess, so she assumed that the Quilcene boy would eventually tell them what they needed to know.
"His father disavowed him and now Paul belongs to the clans…They decide the destiny of those who had… committed crime against the community. " Embry continued as he finally managed to straighten up with quite effort, his bruised shoulders had started to heal already, and the feeling wasn't very pleasant. "They want to punish him… for bringing you to our lands. The elders consider him as a traitor to the tribe's rules and…and the punishment for that is…"
Embry didn't finish because Jacob lifted his hand harshly and motioned to him keep silence. The Quileute Alpha let out a faint groan as he pressed his forehead against the trunk of one of the old and tall oak trees, which were all around them. For a few minutes there was complete silence, except for Jacob's harsh, raspy and fast breathing. Embry saw how the Alpha's hands rested against each side of the trunk of the tree, his fingers digging in the bark harshly.
"Goddamn it!" Jacob growled through clenched teeth. His right hand balled in a tight fist and he punched the tree with such immense force that the massive truck of the old oak split at a few places with a harsh and loud crackle.
Leah gasped as she leaped from her place and tried to approach him, but Jared grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.
"Leah, he is out of his mind!" Jared whispered to her urgently, as the girl struggled against his grasp in desperate attempts to get free and go to Jacob. "He doesn't know what he is doing! Stay away!"
Jacob's chest wrenched with a harsh, deep and inhuman roar as he swung his hand back and punched the tree again, and again, and again blinded by his irrational and scorching hot rage and pain. Embry could only watch through wide eyes how the tall, thick and probably a few decades old oak shook from the powerful and furious punches, until it finally collapsed with loud and hollow thud on the wet ground.
Jacob fell to his knees with a faint groan, his knuckles squashed, bloody and bruised as he covered his face with is hands and bent his head. All Embry could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears and the Alpha's irregular, heavy breathing. The tension was tangible and the silence that fell over them thick enough to be cut with a knife, until the youngest member of the Quileute pack spoke up with a shaky voice.
"Is he… I mean have you…Is Paul your imprint?" Seth stammered out as he made a few hesitant steps towards his Alpha. "You act as though… you suffer for him….he must be your imprint then… you got to love him if…"
"Kid, that's not…" Jared cut Seth off, but his mouth dropped open in shock and he fell silent when Jacob just sighed and nodded in agreement.
"So it's true!" Leah exclaimed as she pulled away from Jared and stared at her Alpha unbelievingly. "You have imprinted on a Quilcene boy?"
Suddenly everything looked so clear and logical – Jacob's mood swings, the irrational rage and edginess, the pained and thoughtful expressions that had crossed his face every time when they had asked him what was wrong. Jacob had been missing countless times when they'd gone to look for him at his home. So he had been going to see his imprint…Jacob had imprinted. It all looked so clear now that Leah almost wanted to punch herself for not figuring it all out earlier.
"And you couldn't tell us, right?" Jared snarled in a cold voice, irritation and hurt evident on his face. "You fucking kept silence for… how long has this been happening? … I can swear that it is at least a month!"
"Two months." Jacob said in a calm, but stern voice as he straightened up and faced his pack and, what was more significant, his friends.
Seth was looking at him with slightly surprised but rather excited and agitated expression on his face. The youngest member of the pack could find something positive in every situation. It was just how Seth worked. He was genuinely good- hearted and kind. Jacob wasn't even surprised that the boy had made out the truth before everyone else.
Leah looked a bit confused, but other than that she wasn't looking at him with disgust or disdain and even though she hadn't said anything Jacob could swear that she would be on his side. It was typical of Leah. The she – wolf was tough, staid and earnest. She had no other choice though. Leah was the only girl in a pack of temperamental at times and high on hormones teenage boys after all. It took a lot to discourage or put her off, and Jacob knew that she was going to be there for him when he needed her support or help. In this exact moment he wished that he had told her, he wished he had shared his secret at least with her.
Jared was something different though. Jacob couldn't quite place the expression on his best friend's face. The second in command in the pack stood silent and tense, his eyes blazing with anger, frustration and disappointment.
"Two months!" Jared growled and threw his hands in the air. "And you were lying to us! You fucking didn't tell us a shit…"
"It's not your damn problem, Jared!" Jacob roared as he clenched his fists, his knuckles were already starting to heal slowly. "On whom I imprint or not doesn't fucking concern you!"
"But it does concern me when my best friend has turned into edgy bastard!" Jared snarled as he made a step towards Jacob." I can barely recognize you, Jake! You haven't been yourself for the last two months! And we didn't even know why! You didn't even give us a chance! What were you thinking? That we will tell the elders? That we will fail you because you have imprinted on someone you shouldn't have? Is that what you think of us?"
Jacob's eyes widened at these words, his mouth falling slightly open in surprise. In this exact moment he realized that he had read Jared's reaction wrong… so damn wrong. Jared wasn't judging him or blaming him for the imprint. No, his best friend was mad because Jacob hadn't shared with him, because Jacob had detached from them all without even considering that they might offer him their help and support.
"Jared, I…." Jacob started but he was cut off by a loud, crashing thunder in the distance.
A blinding lightning blazed through the thick, murky clouds and bright strikes of silvery white light tore at the dark sky. Suddenly it started raining. The little and light water drops quickly turning into heavy rain as it started pouring hard and mercilessly.
The cold water splashing down the heated skin of Jacob's bare back brought him back to his senses as he stared at Embry's pale and contorted with anxiety and desperation face. Jacob approached the boy quickly and urgently, the terrible possibility of losing Paul crossing his mind as his heart clenched painfully. He could sort out the things with his pack later. Now he needed to get to Paul, he needed to find his imprint before it was too late.
"You know where they keep him, right?"
Embry just nodded urgently as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, little wet strands of his slightly longer than the others hair plastered to his forehead. Jacob inhaled deeply as he turned to his pack again and stared at them with calm and gloomy determination.
"I am going no matter if you will follow me or not." He said in gruff and husky voice. "Even though I can do it… I won't force you into anything. I've made my own choice. This is my duty and my decision… and you are not…"
"I am coming!" Seth raised his hand suddenly and smiled brightly, as though he had just volunteered for going to the cinema instead of for a mission that might cost his life.
"Seth!" Leah gasped and glared at her baby brother in disbelieve and anger. "You are not going anywhere! You are too young! You can't…"
"Yes, I am! Jake is my Alpha!" Seth declaimed with his head raised high up as he pointedly walked to where Jacob stood. He stopped right next to his Alpha and took his place on Jacob's left. "He is my friend! Friends must help each other! Friends must be there for one another! Friends are…"
"Okay! Okay!" Leah whined and raised her hands in the air, an irritated scowl marring her wet from the rain face. "I am in, too!"
Despite the situation Jacob couldn't help the tiny smile that grazed his lips when he looked at Leah's annoyed expression. He was from the few people who could read her right. He could see the compassion and determination to help behind the bitchy and enraged pose of an overprotective older sister. Yes, Leah wanted to protect Seth, but Jacob also knew that she was giving him her support and help.
"Don't look at me like that!" She huffed at her Alpha and tossed her head indignantly. "Someone has to protect my little moronic brother's ass!"
Jacob just bit at his lip and nodded curtly, barely managing to suppress the so appropriate for the moment "Sure, sure…" that wanted to slip past his lips.
Letting a light sigh, his eyes unconsciously drifted to Jared, who had kept silence till now.
The second in command's face was unreadable. Jacob didn't know what to think or what to say to his best friend. He was just about to speak up when Jared cut him off before he could even open his mouth.
"If the shake of the bag is in…" Jared said sternly as he motioned with his head towards Seth. "… then I am coming too. Damn, the kid doesn't know where his tail is! Someone has to watch his back."
"Why everybody uses me for excuse?" Seth whined as he scowled and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Everyone smiled lightly, even Embry did, as they all stared at the youngest one of them.
Jared made his way to Jacob without saying a single word as he just held out his hand and Jacob took it without second of hesitation. Jared was going to be there for him no matter what, Jacob saw it in his eyes. He saw the unconditional loyalty and friendship that blazed through the other boy's brown orbs. Yes, Jared needed and demanded explanations but now as he clutched at Jacob's hand and shook it firmly, he clearly showed that it all could wait.
"The rain is getting heavier…. We got to go now." Embry whispered as he stared at the dark, murky sky just above the White Fang Ridges.
Jacob followed his gaze as he let out a heavy sigh and pulled Paul's medallion out if the pocket of his cutoffs. His fingers curled around the little necklace and Jacob clenched his teeth. He didn't know what would happen when he actually got to Paul, he didn't know what he would fight against tonight but he knew one thing….
He was going to save his imprint or die trying.
TBC