I'LL BE THERE
He's trying to coax Bella to change into dry clothes, but she refuses to let him leave the living-room, if only for a moment, as he tries to give her privacy, clinging on to his arms, refusing to let go – who knew her grip could be that strong? - and when he sighs and gives up but is still turning his head to look away to show her the kind of respect a girl is to be given when undressing, she pretends to be too cold to take off her clothes on her own.
Jacob's not going to help her change clothes, so instead he gives her the warm quilt. For some reason this makes her start sobbing and whimpering again about how nobody cares about her, and now she'll probably catch a cold and maybe even pneumonia and die, and it would probably be for the best because everybody wants to get rid of her anyway.
"Your dad loves you more than anything Bella, he wouldn't survive if something happened to you. There's a lot of people who care about you. A lot. I care about you, my dad, your friends at school. We all care." He tries to protest.
"But-but you rather spend time with Leah than me." She sniffles. "And you're so disgusted with my body that you don't even want to help me put on something dry."
What's he supposed to say to that?
"You're my friend Bella." He tells her softly. "And suicide isn't the answer."
"SUICIDE?!" She shrieks. "I wasn't trying to kill myself, I was cliff-diving! It was an accident. If you were my friend you wouldn't accuse me of something so horrible!" Now she's pounding her fists against his chest, and Jacob has to take hold of her arms so she won't hurt herself.
"If you would've been a real friend you would've spent time with me and not abandoned me. I only went cliff-diving because you don't want to hang out with me anymore. How was I to know it wasn't safe? If you had been with me I wouldn't have gotten hurt!"
He's gritting his teeth against the thinly veiled accusations coming from her mouth. He's not going to let her guilt-trip him into thinking that he had a share in her almost drowning, in her almost killing herself.
"LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME!" She yells in hysterics, foaming around the mouth like a rabid dog.
He tries to shush her, soothe her, get her to calm down and after a long while she collapses into a heap against him, and he lays her down her on the couch.
Jacob knows that his dad has talked to Charlie about him needing to get professional help for Bella, but Charlie had immediately dropped his insistence that Bella should see a psychologist when she had began crying about Charlie not loving her anymore and wanting to get rid of her just like her mom, and then threatened to move back to her mom in Arizona. But no one thought it would go this far, that she would try to kill herself, no matter how she now claims she was only cliff-diving, that she only went cliff-diving because Jacob wasn't spending enough time with her, like her idiotic decisions could be blamed on him.
"Bella. We're always responsible for our own actions. No matter what someone else does or doesn't do, we always choose what we'll do." Jacob tells her softly but firmly, kneeling by her side, stroking her hair, repeating a wisdom he once has learned from his father. Words that have helped him in his life. Maybe they could help her too?
"Sometimes we make bad choices, but we can't blame those on others. There are people who want to help you Bella, but you have to want to help yourself too."
"You don't understand anything." Bella's sobs and curls up in fetal position.
He sighs, frustrated, again glancing over his shoulder out the window.
Maybe he doesn't understand what she is going through, but he does understand some things, like that he's in the wrong place with the wrong girl when the one he loves goes through the worst times of her life. Fuck! He should be holding Leah in his arms and here he is stuck with Bella.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Both girls need him. One is his friend and the other is... the other... Leah is the love of his life. Leah's strong and Bella's not, she tried to kill herself, but he loves Leah. He needs to be out there with her, help her. He can't stay here.
The loud howling and the growls coming from deep within the forest, growls that only can be heard to someone with supernatural hearing, intensify and he can clearly distinguish a female's agitated snarls, his mate's, his Leah's.
The wolf inside of him is panicky and desperate when he recognizes the anguish in the sounds coming from the female wolf, and even more so from hearing a male wolf's - Sam's - aggressive growls. Jacob needs to get out there NOW.
There's no way the wolf can stay when his mate is in distress, maybe even being hurt by a rival male. The wolf can't follow orders that contradict his nature, his entire being, the core of his spirit, since that core is her – Leah Clearwater. She needs him. He needs to be there for her.
Jacob has barely enough self-control left to dial the number to Embry before he leaves, because no matter what he still needs to help Bella too, make sure she's alright. She can't be left alone in her fragile state of mind and Charlie is still at the hospital. Embry is calm and sensitive but also sensible and surprisingly firm when needed, he's the right person to be on suicide watch for Bella until Charlie arrives to pick her up and that way Jacob can be where he must. With Leah, helping Leah.
Despite his desperate need to be with Leah right this very minute, he does one more thing for the broken and battered Bella, one more act of kindness. He calls Emily, who's been left at the Clearwater's when Sue went with Harry in the ambulance.
Bella has for some reason bonded with Emily and maybe she can be of help too, but he's sadly mistaken.
" Bella needs you Jake. Stay with her. Sam is helping Leah and Seth." Emily says with an air like she is some sort of an authority figure.
"Leah needs me more! You're Bella's friend, please come over." Jake's voice is firm but Emily won't budge, sounding even more arrogant if possible.
"Jacob, you've been making my Sam really upset lately. He told me that you constantly try to undermine his orders and have been acting like a baby throwing tantrums. And I've heard of your lack of self-control too. Sam hasn't said that much, but he's been very stressed out lately, crying out Leah's name in his sleep. I'm sure he's dreaming of what could happen to Leah if you lost self-control around her. And she's not your imprint, so I can't really see how she would need you, what can you do for her that my Sam can't? Besides there's a storm raging outside and I'm not going out in that weather. It could be dangerous for me. I'm telling you Jacob that your place is to stay at home with Bella like Sam ordered you. He's the Alpha and the future chief of this tribe, he knows what he's doing."
His father has taught him to never swear at a woman so he slams down the phone before he curses her profusely.
Sam, the future chief... No way would that ever happen! Who the hell would vote on Sam to be their chief! And even worse, how can Emily claim that Jacob has no business helping Leah? Fuck Emily and fuck Sam!
The moment Embry gets there Jacob runs, shifting midair, not even bothering stripping off his clothes as they shatter around him, ignoring Bella's cries after him.
It's a mess, all the thoughts he's met by. Seth's are easy to find, although all jumbled up in a whirl of confusion and fright. Whimpering and howling for help, for someone anyone to help them, his mom, his dad, Leah, and Jacob's names spinning in Seth's frightened mind.
"Mommy! I want my mommy!"
"Who is that evil black monster? Is it the killer-boar? He's hairy and scary and mean. Is he going to kill me and Leah? Go away evil monster or my mommy's gonna come and whoop your butt! HELP! HELP! I want to wake up! MOMMY! DADDY! JAKE! HELP! LEAH! "
"Go away evil monster. I don't like you!"
"Am I in hell? I don't like it in hell. I promise never to think bad thoughts anymore, please God I promise to be good and never touch myself at night or have naughty thoughts ever again. I won't curse ever again either. I only said 'fuck' yesterday so Jacob would think I was cool. Please God, please. I promise I'll be a good boy from now on. I don't want to roast in hell and have the hell-hound kill me and Lee."
"I want to go home!" Seth howls, whimpers and cries.
Her thoughts are confused too, but a bit calmer and a lot more rational than Seth's, but still filled with a range of conflicting emotions, the need and want to comfort her scared little brother, distress and confusion over what is happening, pain and guilt that she's not with her father and mother, rage at having Sam trying to order her, at Sam being all up in her face.
"I'm a fucking wolf. The legends are true. A shapeshifter...." she thinks. "Seth calm down. It's gonna be alright once we figure this out, but I need time to think. Sam go away. I need time to think. GO AWAY! You're scaring Seth."
But Sam's not going to go away. "I'm here to help you Lee-Lee! Trust me and it'll be fine."
"Like I would ever trust you again! I don't want your fucking help. Get lost! And my names not Lee-Lee."
Sam gets angrier and angrier by the second. "Listen to me Lee-Lee and I'll explain everything. I'm the Alpha, that means I'm the one in command and you're in my pack now. So just listen to me and I'll take care of you."
"Why should I listen to you? Fuck you, I can take care of myself just fine. Get away from me!" she snarls.
"It's a bad dream, it's a bad dream, it' a bad dream. I'll wake if I pinch myself." Seth thinks. "I don't have fingers to pinch myself with! Aaargh, my hands are hairy! Is it because I touched myself in a naughty way that my hands have become hairy? Why can't I wake up? I want to wake up!"
"I will never listen to your commands so you can just shove it and leave me the fuck alone!" Leah growls at Sam. "Where's Jake? He'll help us. He said he was coming to help me and Seth. We're waiting for him. Jake always keeps his word, unlike some other people I know. We're waiting for him so you just go away." At her direct refusal to follow orders, or is it from throwing Jacob's name in the mix, whatever it is, Sam loses it.
"You will listen to ME! I'M THE ALPHA! You'll do as I tell you! "
Jacob can feel how Sam pounces at Leah in his tries to control a subordinate who is defying him, a subordinate that Sam wants to make submit in more ways than one, a subordinate who's hostile and has already has managed to bite Sam several times.
"Let go of me you fuckin' asshole!" She growls as she bites back. For being completely new at this she's holding her ground pretty good, but Sam's hurting her, and that makes Jacob run even faster. He's gonna make Sam pay for hurting Leah.
Sam's thoughts get confusing but Jacob can pour the feelings of rage, pain – she's managed to claw at him quite painfully over his snout – and lust. Goddammit!
All thoughts leave Jacob's mind, and all he is, is the running of his paws, thundering against the ground, massive body pushing through the trees, all he knows is the need to reach her, help her. Faster, he needs to go faster. Now, he needs to be there now.
"The faster you'll surrender Lee-Lee the faster we all can go home. I'm sure you want to go and see your father at the hospital."
That's a fuckin' low blow, even for Sam as Leah gets even more distressed. "Oh God. Dad! I need to get to dad! Now. And mom. Mom, she needs me too! Get out of my way Sam!"
"You'll go nowhere until you surrender. You are a part of this pack and I'm your leader. Give up! Say you're MINE... MINE!"
Roaring Jacob barrels closer at full speed, rage coursing in his veins. He won't let anyone try to take her away from him.
"It's a dream, and that means I can do anything." Seth thinks to himself and that gives him the courage to stealthily crawl up behind the black wolf who now has his jaws locked around Leah's neck, slamming her head down against the hard ground. She's still struggling, trying to claw at him, trying to bite, her jaws snapping in thin air, but her minds getting dizzier by his tight grip around her neck, by his pounding of her head against the ground.
"Ugly monster, get off Leah." Seth snarls as he sinks his teeth in Sam's tail biting hard, making Sam howl in agony.
Sam releases his teeth from Leah's neck to slam Seth with his large paw, sending the little puppy flying into a tree, and that's when Jacob barges in to the clearing.
"Oooouuch. That hurts... Lee, the ugly monster hurt me. I want my mommy! MOMMY! I want to go home!" The little puppy cries.
Sam, only now sensing Jacob's presence, since he's mind had been so occupied with having Leah submit, steps over Leah like a victor over his pray. But she hasn't yielded to him... yet.... and she never will if the russet wolf has his say. Which he intends to have, even if it kills him in the process.
"What the fuck are you doing here Jacob? You were to stay with Bella. It was an Alpha -command!" Sam growls, and as an afterthought surely not meant for Jacob to hear, "How the fuck could he break it?"
Jacob doesn't answer.
His eyes land on a slender silvery gray female lying on the ground, completely ignoring the black wolf standing over her pressing one of his paws forcefully, much too forcefully, over her chest.
She's the most heavenly creature the russet wolf has ever seen in his life. Was he human he would be speechless, but as a wolf all he can do is stare. Stare at this... this... this she-wolf. This...this... this MATE. His mate. Mate for him.
Where has she come from? Who has sent this wonder to him? What spirits will he thank? Has she come from the great sea that he has stared at so many times wondering what is on the end of it, or from the depths of the well where he sometimes catches the reflection of a great warrior with russet fur but when he tries to put his nose and smell him, the warrior disappears in a blur of rippling water? Is she sent to him by her father the Sun and her mother the Moon to shine on him and guide him in darkness and warm him during the day? Has she grown out of the earth like the grass that sings to him, like the wind that lulls him to sleep at night, like the trees that give him shelter and shadow? Has K'wa'iti – the Creator - seen how the female his heart already had chosen needed to take this form to forever be with him, making her change too, like he once made the first Quileute by changing a wolf. Who has sent her to him? Is it the spirits he hears whispering to him, the voices of those before him, has they granted him this heavenly gift? He had not known such perfection could exist, such a creature anywhere in this world, such beauty.
In her skin she's gorgeous, but in her fur words can't describe how incredible she is to the wolf. It's not like the wolf needs words anyway, all he does is is have to feel her, be with her, have her by his side for all eternity.
This is her. His mate.
Slowly, carefully he approaches her, ignoring the other male. All is her. She is all.
For the wolf it's a dream come true and all human sapience, human thought and human sentiences leaves him completely looking at her. Her scent is even stronger now when she too is a wolf. He can taste her in the air, rich and full of promises. Looking at her, smelling her is pure bliss.
The black wolf is snarling aggressively, lips curled back, revealing sharp teeth, but the russet doesn't care, gently pressing his nose against hers, whining lowly to her. Only to her.
That's when the black wolf snaps his jaws at him, and only now the russet wolf acknowledges him. The russet wolf has smelled blood, her blood. The motherfucker has made his mate bleed!
The roaring is such never heard in these forests since the days of the first spirit warriors, making the woods fall silent, the howling of the wind quieten, all movements stilling, and making the black wolves ears flatten against it's head, making him recoil and instinctivly try to make his form smaller. Fear, the russet wolf can smell is fear.
The black wolf must leave his female alone or he'll drive him off these lands forever or worse – kills him.
"Jacob! I command you to go home. You're not needed here! I got it under control!" Sam tries, but can't hide the quiver in his thoughts and insecure posture as he's trying to get his trembling under control. Both russet and black wolf feel how the command the black wolf tries to issue isn't attaching, hooking the way the Alpha-command usually does, through steel-cables, it slips, doesn't get a hold on anything in the russet wolves feral mind.
"Jacob! Jacob! I knew you would come and save us. I'm having a horrible nightmare and we're all wolves, you're wolf too and that monster is trying to hurt Leah. I think he's the devil. But you're here to save us! And when you save us we're gonna wake up. And I'll be in my own bed with Mr Teddy." Poor little Seth whimpers lying by the root of the tree where Sam threw him, but his tail starts wagging at thinking of waking up in his own bed clutching his teddy bear.
"It's a fuckin' Alpha command, you'll do as I tell you." Sam snarls and barks, both males ignoring the sandy colored puppy's yips as they stare at each other.
The russet wolf doesn't answer, but his intentions are clear, he won't go anywhere, as he stands stiff legged and tall, ears erect, hackles bristling, tail held high. Snarling, his lips curling back. It's a challenge and a refusal, conveying the message of the russet wolf's dominance, of him never going to bend to the black wolves command ever again! The russet wolf's furious, but he knows he can't pounce when the rival male stands over the female, because she can get hurt. He'll have to get the black wolf to step away from her first.
Nervous energy is rolling off of the black wolf, making him bark and snarl in a try to cover up for his weakened stance, for his fear. But the russet wolf can smell it on the black wolf. The russet wolf is calm, sure his growls sound lethal, but he radiates self-confidence, strength and certainty. He has the demeanor of a true leader.
He waits, staring the black wolf down, his piercing gaze frightening, penetrating into the depths of the other males soul, and there finding nothing, nothing of worth.
He waits for the mistake he's sure the inferior male, the anxious, weak male, the one trying to act menacingly but succeeding so poorly will make when he moves. The black wolf's first move will decide it all. When he does the russet wolf will act. Whatever the black wolf does it will give the russet wolf the opening he'll need and he will conquer. He's completely sure of himself. If he lunges the russet wolf will be ready to fight, to win to drive him away from these lands. Far away from his female. Never will he ever let him come near his female ever again. And if he's stupid enough to ever hurt his female again, the russet wolf won't show him any mercy.
Like the coward the black wolf is he takes the easy way out. "Emily's probably scared and she needs me, she's afraid of storms and Harry's her uncle, she needs to be with her family, and I need to meet the council. Jacob, take care of Leah and Seth since you think you can handle that." Sam tries to order, struggling to sound unaffected, avoiding all eye-contact with the russet wolf as he steps off the female on the ground.
"Coward!" that's the first human thought Jacob forms, throwing a fast glance on the retreating figure of the black wolf, who as soon as he's out of sight phases out.
"Leah. Lee, are you alright?" He asks tentatively, nuzzling against her neck and licking at the wounds there. They aren't that deep, healing fast, but her beautiful silver fur is blotched with blood. Carefully he's cleaning her fur, admiring the beautiful color of her coat. It's silkiness so unlike his own much coarser fur. She smells so wonderful, and tastes even better. Soon her fur is clean and shining again, but he doesn't stop licking, only moves his muzzle to hers and gives her long slow licks on her muzzle, making low whining sounds, touching his nose to hers and sniffing her face, before starting to lick her muzzle again. Slow, fast, then slow again, all the while wolfishly telling her how he adores her by his whining.
She's so pretty, she's so his.
"I'm fine." She finally manages to formulate in her mind a little groggy from Sam's hard shaking of her and the blows she got to her head when he managed to throw her down, a little startled by Jake's wolfish attention, starting to raise to stand, turning her head a little out of the reach of his meticulously working tongue. When she stumbles Jacob rushes to carefully press his head under her chest, helping her up.
She's so beautiful, exquisite, the most precious thing ever wander these lands.
Mine he affectionately thinks, his thoughts soft and fuzzy, and soon he's licking her again.
"Seth? Are you alright Seth? Did Sam hurt you?" She turns to her brother, mind confused and then shaking it as if to clear her thoughts and to escape Jacob's tongue. Seth's limping towards them, whimpering pitifully, and she runs to him. Jacob follows.
His, his, his, the russet wolf inside him chants.
"What are you thinking about Jake? Your thoughts are so weird to follow, like all... I dunno... animal or something. Something is yours? Like, what's yours...?" The frown is evident in Leah's mind as she takes a step away from his body that once more is pressing against hers, snapping her jaws against him on instinct.
"No-no-nothing.." He stammers, the human boy inside him blushing, but the wolf's already brushing lightly against her again and then trying to put his head to rest on top of hers. "You need to try to change back. I'll help you both."
"JAKE! You're a wolf too. Isn't it funny, we're all wolves. It's the weirdest dream I've ever had. And you saved us from the evil hell-hound. Now you can help me wake up! You're a hero Jake. I always known you're a hero and that you'll come and save me if I'm in trouble! Can I be your side-kick when you go and fight monsters if I dream this dream again some time? Please!" Seth bounces eagerly forgetting all about his hurt paw. "Together we'll chase all monsters away! Like that mean boar who threw me in the tree and bit Leah. Can I get some cool special-powers too, like that stare thing you had, the one that made the evil and ugly monster give up! Wouldn't it be cool if I could be invisible? Then I could spy on everyone, like on you and Embry and Quil."
"Seth, that was Sam and he's a wolf too. This isn't a dream. Dad has told you the stories millions of times. We're shapeshifters, skinwalkers, protectors, whatever. Like Taha Aki. And I don't think we have special powers like that... Besides, I don't think it's smart to announce the one you want to spy on of that..." Leah informs, with the kind of patience only an older sister can show a somewhat strange little brother. Once again she's moving her body a little away from Jake's, but the russet wolf keeps following her, not letting their bodies lose contact.
Seth's mind goes completely blank at the information from his sister, staring dumbfounded at Leah and Jacob.
"It's not a dream?!"
And Jacob has to bark a laugh, Leah giving a wolfish smile, shaking her head and gently pushing her nose against her brother's neck.
"Oh, I'm a wolf, a protector of the tribe. Jake, does that mean that I'm cool too?! Like you?" Seth yips in excitement bouncing around and jumping up in Jake's face, licking his muzzle, Jacob having to push him away with his head and growl a little at the puppy. Not that it deters Seth the slightest who now jumps up again, slightly from the side taking hold of Jacob's ear trying to put it in his mouth. The russet wolf is shaking his head trying to make the pup stop, the puppy falling down, trying to mimic the growls coming from the older dominant male, the male that the puppy admires so much. Now he has his mouth on the russet wolf's paw.
"Play with me Jake!" the puppy growls in excitement.
God, the puppy's really annoying and needs to learn some manners!
"Not now!" Jacob thinks sternly. "Calm down, you need to change back to human."
"But I wanna play!" The puppy whines and the russet wolf is about to growl a warning and domineer the puppy a little to teach him better, but his beautiful, smart and wonderful female does that for him.
"Sethy!" she warns and instantly the puppy stops trying to put his mouth on the russet wolf's neck, whining looking at his sister and lowering himself to the ground in a sign of submission.
"But it's fun to play!" He tries, but Leah won't have any of that. Not now anyway.
"We need to get to the hospital. I'm sure you can play with Jake another time." And then she smirks devilishly.
The russet wolf's heart beats a little faster at the thought of playing with her, already moving a little closer again, since the puppy's jumping around had managed to create a divide between their bodies.
This time Jacob manages to stop his wolf from throwing his paws on her slender shoulders and his mind from racing to all the games he could think of playing with her. Games involving him wrestling, chasing and... uhhh...oooh...mounting her, the fleeting thought making his body bend in to a crouch on it's own accord as if he was ready to spring and his tail points straight out.
Distractions, he needs distraction, like concentrating on thinking of getting them to phase back. That's good to focus on to show them that.
But then she'll be naked. Oh god, now he's getting terribly aroused! He can really understand why Quil wanted to hump a tree, because he sure as hell wants to hump one now....
Not think, not think of what he really wants to hump. Not think of her....not, not, not...
"I'll race you to your backyard!" He shouts in his mind trying to cover his thoughts. Hopefully neither Leah nor Seth had time to read his true desires. "I'll show you how to change back there and you can get clothes inside and then we'll drive to the hospital." He adds starting a slow trot trying to entice the Clearwater siblings to follow him.
Think of nothing, think of noting, think of nothing, he sings in his mind.
"Is that other game you thought of fun too, the hugging of trees you were thinking of? Can we play that and the conga line dance you thought of before that too? But Jake you forgot to think of me dancing the conga, you only thought of you and Leah dancing conga." Seth innocently yips as he frolics and dances after Jake, tail wagging. "I'm really good at dancing and I've done the conga line at my cousins wedding. It was so much fun! I love dancing the conga."
Oh dear god, what is the puppy saying? Jacob is choking in mortification, not knowing what to do with himself, because if Seth saw these images then Leah...then Leah...oh god, she must know what he really thought...
And sure enough Leah stands frozen, and then she's howling in laughter, rolling around on the grass, but he can make out how her heart thuds a little faster than normal.
"You know we're not animals..." Leah throws out an amused thought, but he can feel a little embarrassment and...shyness?...lace it. "Or are we?" she adds as an afterthought, but the question is aimed more at herself, and soon her thoughts become a fast whirl that he has a hard time of following. Thoughts of their legends, of spirit-wolves and real wolves, thoughts of what she has learned in school about biology and her own beliefs.
"Are we gonna play soon? We can do the race, but I really think the conga would be much funnier..." Seth enthusiastically thinks, his mind filling with images of three wolves with their paws on each others shoulders dancing in a line through the forest, soon joined of all kind of other furry animals, until the entire forest would be in a conga line. Taha Aki, what is wrong with Seth's head? Why would a bear wear suspender pants and a fox have a hat on his head or a moose wear a tie? And why on earth would four rabbits join a bunch of wolves in any other sort of dance than them fleeing for their lives, and on top of that wearing ballet tutus?At least this image is very effective in driving away the other kind of conga Jake was thinking of from his mind and also the effects that original thought had on his body. Sure the aftereffects of the tingling still surge through him but now that it's mixed with his embarrassment his mind his desires become less prominent.
"We're not dancing the conga Seth!" Leah orders.
"Was he dropped on his head as a baby?" Jacob asks, trying this way to overcome the embarrassment he has created between himself and Leah by his animal desires.
"Of course, an't you tell? His crib was painted with lead paint too, and he used to chew on the bars." She laughs, and Seth who's used to his sisters teasing and very amused by his own fantasy pays no attention.
"But I'm always up for a race!" and soon Leah's bolting off past Jacob and his wolf goes crazy. Again!
Not that it gets any better by her mentally shouting in glee, "Catch me if you can!"as she pushes past him like a silver arrow, fast and tantalizing. A temptress, wanting him to chase.
His female! Play! Catch!
He's rushing after her, now at full speed, forgetting everything but catching her. She smells so good.
"You smell kind of good too." Leah thinks surprising herself when that thought forms, trying to cover it up, but her thought is already making him push even faster, thinking of nothing, only wanting to catch.
"Your mind's really weird Jake, I can't really read it, it's like all colors and emotions and like... primal...Weird..." Leah thinks to him, but in his state, her voice in his mind is just a comfortable soft hum, because all he needs to know is communicated to him by her fleeing figure in front of him. The one he's closing in on. Soon... soon.... soon.
His, his, his!
"Wait Jake! Wait for me!" the puppy left far behind whimpers pitifully, giving a sad heartbreaking howl, followed by loud whining. "WAAAAAAIT! JAKE! LEE!"
Maybe, just maybe that's what gets the feral mind of the russet wolf to allow a sliver of human understanding to get through. God, he can't chase Leah like this, and most of all he can't catch her like he desires to. She already thinks he's a little crazy. And he can't let Seth behind like that, he needs to look out for Seth too, for the little puppy, all alone, far behind.
Jacob halts, panting and his heart hammers wildly, trying to keep his mind blank, not to reveal what his animal side really wants, longs for, what his animal sentiments tell him to do, what his instincts order.
"Lee, if there's still laundry hanging in your backyard try to get that and take it back into the forest. We all need clothes." He tells her, trying to zoom all his senses on Seth to hide the excitement the chase has again awakened in his body and mind, forcing his body to stand still and not rush after her.
After several minutes Seth catches up with Jacob, stumbling over his far too large paws, like the unsteady puppy he is, tongue lolling from his mouth and feeling miserable at being left so far behind, not being as fast as Jake and Leah.
"Don't worry Seth, you'll get the hang of it." Jacob comforts.
"Now what?" Leah asks dragging a basket full of laundry in her mouth. She puts her snout in to the basket and elegantly fishes herself a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and a pair of boxers for Seth, and then choosing between the last two items in the laundry basket – a sheet and Harry's pants- she puts Harry's pants in front of Jacob.
"Wait here, and I'll go and put the pants on, then I'll come and instruct you how to phase back." Jacob tells them, taking the pants in his mouth and going behind a tree, phasing to a human in an instant.
Please Champion, please, Jacob begs. He needs to zip up the pants he has managed to force his bulky body inside but Champion isn't co-operating – at all. Champion wants to have some attention bestowed upon him now!
Did it mean that Jacob was a pervert because he still had a hard-on from the excitement of chasing Leah in wolf-form and the want to mount her moments before, like an animal? It wasn't like he in is human form now wanted to fuck Leah in wolf-form, but the wolf was quivering inside eagerly cheered on by his cock to make him change back to his wolf-form again. His wolf wanted to go and smell Leah's wolfbody all over, especially her lady parts, but also every other part of her. The wolf wanted to nuzzle against her neck, lick her muzzle more, touch her nose, press his body against hers, and eagerly cheered on by Champion the wolf wanted to mount her and bury himself deep inside of her. It was clear how Champion tried to control both human and wolf, be the leader of their three-headed trio, but Jacob had already long ago decided that he, Jacob, was the one in control of this trio, of their decisions, whatever his cock or wolf tried to tell him.
The self-centred Champion didn't care anything about how much Jacob needed to concentrate on other much more pressing concerns such as helping Leah and Seth change back to human. Sometimes his Champion acted like a petulant child, unaware of other peoples emotions and needs. It was only me, me, me for Champion, all the time. No matter how Jacob promised to caress him later, once they got home. Why couldn't Champion think of the feelings of others just this once? It wasn't like Jacob could start stroking his cock right now, he had priorities, responsibilities that went far beyond his own pleasures.
Dammit, it was painful to squash Champion down in to Harry's pants and the thin fabric did nothing to hide the bulge underneath, in fact Champion was pretty much sticking up under the lining. Damn, damn, damn.
The yipping and pacing sounding from the other side of the tree tells that Seth and Leah were getting inpatient from the long wait. The pants already looked crazy on him, being too tight for his muscled ass and thighs, and far too short too. He looks like a clown, but he could've gone with that, was it not for the problem of his erection.
He has to do something, fast.
As always he gets a great idea to solve his problem. He takes a deliberately long step making the pants burst in the seems.
"Sorry, the pants ripped." He yells in direction of Leah and Seth.
"Turn around, I'm coming to get a sheet." He calls and the affirmative yip makes him stalk out from behind the tree into the clearing where the gorgeous female wolf lies with her head on her paws, and – thank you Taha Aki – with her head gracefully turned away. Unfortunately the puppy, who is trying to climb on top of his bored sister – whips around the minute Jacob emerges, tail wagging and rushing towards him with a happy yip, diving to get the sheet and starting to drag it towards Jacob. Well Jacob would've been grateful for Seth bringing it to him, if it wasn't for the fact that he is Leah's brother and if Jacob's member still wasn't standing in attention, and if the puppy wouldn't have dropped the sheet staring at it with round eyes. Now a normal person would've tuned their head away - wouldn't they? - but Seth stares and stares and stares.
Jacob snatches hold of the sheet while Seth continues with his wide eyed stare, his jaws hanging slack, Jacob silently cursing the mindlink, knowing Leah can see everything Seth sees, and is if that wasn't enough he can tell how she sneaks a peek through the corners of her eyes, as he manages top wrap the sheet around him like a toga. A toga whit a pole sticking up in the middle of it.
Jacob's never ever been this red in his entire life - his ears, his face, his neck, deep down his chest burning a fire-truck red.
"Errr…right…" he clears his throat. "Ehum…You both need to focus on your human feelings, maybe some memory you like to think of, or something that makes you feel human." And then he goes on explaining and giving examples of how to phase back, eyes darting everywhere except at either of the two wolves who he fears still are staring at a certain part of his anatomy. Although his cock has slackened – thankfully – by the power of the horrible mortification he feels.
A faint shimmer in the air tells him of a successful phasing back to human, and of course his eyes fly to where the shimmer came from, only to be met by a very naked Leah lying on the ground with her eyes closed. It's the sexiest, most beautiful sight he has ever beholded in his entire life.
Now that is such a magnificent performance Champion feels the need to give a full-blown salute to show his appreciation of her talent and success.
Jacob on the other hand can form no words to show how well he think she did, he can do nothing but stare at her, not even paying attention to the other shimmer right in front of him.
"I did it! I did it!" Seth rejoices looking at Jacob with big puppy eyes waiting for praise and a pat on his heads.
"Jake" Seth's voice is unsure, and once again he stares at a certain part of Jacob – albeit it's covered in cloth now.
"Are you thinking naughty thoughts? Are you thinking of the school nurse spanking you, because when I think of that, that happens to me too." Seth gasps pointing at the part of the sheet Jacob's wrapped in that stands straight out.
Oh god, what is the boy saying?!
Jacob whips around trying to hide his very prominent arousal, wishin for the ground to open up and swallow him as he hears Leah hurridly starting to dress.
"Don't worry Jacob. It's called a hard-on. It's normal. My dad says it happens to all boys, and he told me it's nothing to be ashamed of and it's not a sin. Jacob, you won't burn in hell! My mom gave me a book to read too. You can borrow it if you want to. It's called 'What's going on down there'. It's really good, but I think it's a little… naughty. It's about…sex" Seth whispers the last part.
Oh god, oh god, somebody please kill him now Jacob prays.
As on cue Leah starts giggling making everything worse.
No, no, no. This was not how this was supposed to go.
Why, oh why has he been made a fool in front of Leah once again!
AN:
Seth: *looking at you hopefully* You wanna come and dance the conga with me? I'll ask all the other wolves too and do my puppy-eyes. No one can resist my puppy-eyes. *Looks at you with his puppy-eyes* Please review! The I can tell you what I learned from my book!