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Chapter 21- First Fight
When the fire died down and the group started to head back down to the reservation, Emily urged me to go find Sam. I didn't protest. That was my plan anyway.
I found him sitting beside a creek, staring at the moon's reflection on the rippling water. He was deep in thought. I didn't want to interrupt him but I had no choice. I could hear everything he was thinking, every torturous, self-loathing thought he had was now mine to bare. Most of his thoughts were about Emily.
Over and over, the image of what happened the night of Emily's injury replayed in Sam's mind. Sam was usually in complete control of his emotions. He had never phased in front of Emily before. But the conversation between him and Emily, over Leah of all people, had set him off.
"Sam," Emily had said, "you have to talk to her. Can't you see that she's hurting? You're the only one who can fix this!"
I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say to Leah, Sam explained to me. She wouldn't even talk to me, even though I tried.
But Emily didn't think that Sam was doing enough. The hurt that Leah was feeling pained Emily to no end. She loved Sam, more than anything…but so had Leah. And no matter what, Leah and Emily were family.
She kept pressuring me to do more, Sam's thoughts were remorseful. As much as I tried to convince her that Leah was fine, that she had you, Emily insisted that I try to talk to her…again. I got frustrated. I wasn't mad, Jake, I swear. I wasn't mad. I was just frustrated because there was no way I could explain to Leah what happened between me and Emily without telling her our secret. And you know Leah; she wouldn't have listened or cared anyway. Before I could explain, the shift started to happen. Em stepped closer to me, yelling for me to calm down. There was nothing I could do, I couldn't stop it…his thought trailed off in anguish. Images instead of words tore through his mind. A large black paw swiping at the air…Emily, screaming and clutching her face as blood poured from three deep scratches on the left side of her face. The images were difficult for me to process. Sam's pain was harder.
She forgives me, Sam stated. I don't deserve her forgiveness. I'm a monster. No matter what the stories say, there's no honor in this, not when we can so easily hurt the ones we love.
What can we do about it? I asked. We didn't ask for this.
I know! He barked. I wouldn't have hurt her if those bloodsucking monsters had not come back! Every day I pray that they come back from wherever they are, he thought. Every single time I look at Emily I wish they would come back.
But there's a treaty.
His black fur shook in the moonlight as he shuddered angrily.
Screw the treaty, he snapped. You see how close that one got to Bella…your friend. You saw what he did to her, made her fall in love with him. Don't you want to kill him?
Do you think that he would have broken the treaty for Bella?
One of them almost did.
If I could have gasped, I would have. My heart pounded in my chest. I panted heavily. One of the…Cullens had almost broken the treaty. When? How?
You don't know? Sam asked me.
Does my reaction sound like that of a person who is in the know? What happened?
For a moment Sam's thoughts switched back and forth between telling me the truth or waiting to see if Bella would answer my questions. I growled at his indecision.
Tell me.
Bella lied to you, Jake, he finally thought. That Cullen leech she was dating didn't leave because he broke up with her. The Cullens left because one of them attacked her.
What the hell happened? Someone was going to tell me the truth. If Bella didn't trust me enough to do it, I knew that Sam would.
I only picked up on bits and pieces of the story. I was in the woods that night, her birthday. I heard them in the woods so I ran to the treaty line. Something stopped me from going any further. At the time I didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. I always suspected that there was something strange going on with the Cullens but I never knew why I didn't quite trust them…until tonight. Anyway, they were all upset over something. The smaller blonde male was the most upset and the tiny dark haired female kept saying "It's okay, you didn't hurt her." But he did try to bite her, I did hear enough to get that much out of it.
I wanted to destroy something as the anger inside threatened to consume me. First the damn Cullens come back, riding on the hopes that they were protected by an age old treaty and turn us all into fucking werewolves, and now I learn that one of the filthy creatures had tried to kill Bella!
I don't know what hurt more, the fact that Bella didn't tell me or the fact that she didn't care! She didn't care that one of them wanted to drink her blood! She didn't care that the other one had cast a spell on her, making her fall madly in love with it, most likely so she wouldn't care if he bit her.
They're vampires, not witches, Sam chuckled, interrupting my tirade.
I don't care!
But you're right. She doesn't care. She doesn't give a rat's ass about them hurting her. She doesn't care about anything or anyone except them.
I'd heard enough. I didn't want to think about Bella, vampires, treaties, legends, or anything else anymore. I especially didn't want Sam or the rest of the pack to know the inner most thoughts that I was having.
Phase back then, Sam suggested. I'm gonna be here for awhile.
I heard his thoughts jump back to Emily as I ran off. Sam was just as conflicted over this new life and our new responsibility as I was.
He didn't want to be a wolf. He wanted to grow old and live out his life with the woman he loved. He didn't want any of this. But – and this feeling was much stronger than any of the others – he didn't want anyone in our tribe to be in danger. He was determined to rise to the occasion and protect us, now that he had no other choice.
I had no choice either. The Cullens had taken away my chance at a normal life when they stepped foot on Quileute land. I wished that my grandfather had destroyed them all when he had a chance to. But he hadn't. And now it was up to us.
Bella had taken away my choices too, by keeping such a big secret from me. I had professed my feelings for her. I had put aside my feelings for Leah for her and she lied to me. By lying and telling me half truths Bella had chosen vampires over friendship. I could not be friends with her…for her safety and my sanity.
****
Sam and Emily have the biggest house out of all of the pack members. It was just big enough to hold the five of us, despite our size, quite comfortably so that's where we hung out when we weren't running around the forest.
Without any help, I'd already demolished two large pizzas while watching American Pie with Paul. And the chicken that Emily was frying smelled delicious and was making my stomach growl.
"Still hungry?" Paul laughed.
"Whatever. You ate half my pizza anyway," I fired back. After almost a week of being around him, Paul still hadn't got tired of joking and teasing me. I had.
"Boys!" Emily yelled from the kitchen. We both laughed. Emily was always yelling at us to quit our bickering.
There was a soft knock at the screen door and I turned my head.
"It's me," she called to her cousin.
"Hi Leah," Emily greeted her and then turned her head to me. I knew what she was thinking.
For the last week, I'd carefully been avoiding Leah and Quil. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to keep from phasing in front of them. But that wasn't the main problem. Nobody in the pack thought I was strong enough not to blab to Leah and Quil. I wasn't sure either. Therefore, I stayed away from them. It was easy since I was hardly ever home. But I certainly hadn't expected Leah to show up at Emily's. And it was clear she hadn't expected to see me there either.
"Jake, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Just hangin out," I answered carefully. Leah eyed me suspiciously. I knew that she was wondering why I was hanging out with Sam, Jared, Paul, and Embry…especially at Sam's house, considering the bad blood between us, just last week.
"Is it weird that I find that hard to believe?" Leah asked Emily, deliberately avoiding eye contact with me. "I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, Jacob was complaining about Sam and the other boys and now they're best friends? I'm confused."
"Jake's come around," Emily smiled. "I guess he wants to hang with the guys instead of always being around you and the Swan girl."
Leah rolled her eyes. "I don't buy that."
"What's up, Leah?" Paul called from the living room. "Did you come to see me?"
"Shut up," I hissed at Paul. For the last few days, Leah had consumed his thoughts, especially since I couldn't keep her out of my mind. Paul enjoyed every image of Leah that passed through my mind. I don't know where his sudden fascination with her came from but I didn't like it…not one bit.
"In what parallel universe would I ever come to see you?" Leah fired back. "I came to see my cousin. I didn't think you guys would be here."
"Where else would we be?" he asked, ignoring the angry look on my face. I couldn't hear what he was thinking but I knew from the way he kept peeking into the kitchen that he was thinking something lewd. He always was.
Leah walked into the living room and I almost died. Not seeing her for a week made me forget how gorgeous she was. The tight white tank top she wore hugged her chest and her tight jeans fit snugly around every curve of her body. She crossed the room quickly and as she plopped down on the floor next to my feet, her mouth watering scent of honey and lavender filled the room. Both mine and Paul's eyes widened as the scent hit our highly sensitive noses. I heard Paul's heartbeat start to quicken and I had only one thought…get Leah out of the room.
"Hey Leah, come take a walk with me," I suggested. I felt better about her being alone with me than her continuing to enrapture Paul without her knowledge or consent.
"What?" She looked up at me. "You're talking to me now?"
I got up from the chair and pulled Leah to her feet.
"I never stopped talking to you," I said as I ushered her out of the house.
I felt much better as the fresh and salty air blowing off the ocean hit my nostrils. Leah wasn't as tantalizing outside where she wasn't the only thing in the vicinity that smelled great.
Leah walked slowly in front of me, making sure to keep enough distance between us so that I didn't hear her mumbling. But I did hear...every single word that she muttered. And Leah Clearwater was not happy with me at all.
With a few long strides, I was right next to her. I took her hand in mine and held it tighter when she tried to pull away.
"What do you want, Jacob?" she snapped.
I stepped in front of her. She tried to walk around me but I blocked her path. I was so much bigger now; it was really hard for her to get away.
"Stop it, okay," she pleaded. "You don't have to pretend that you care about me, Jacob, or even that you still like me."
"I'm not pretending anything," I replied. "I've never stopped caring about you."
"But you..." Leah's eyes started to water and her face was troubled. I'd seen her like this before, only this time it was me who causing her to hurt. I was starting to believe that I was doing more damage to Leah than Sam had ever done and I hated myself for it.
Leah had confided all of her feelings to me when she wouldn't talk to anyone else. She had come to me, heartbroken and desperate for someone. She had become the best friend I've ever had.
Then I'd kicked her out of my house. I made her cry. I'd taken my friendship away without a valid explanation. I'd broken our bond. She had every right to hate me.
"Lee-lee," I started to say but her eyes flashed with anger.
"Don't call me that," her voice was low but filled with anger and frustration. "You are not allowed to act like we're still best friends."
It was apparent that my dad's words had no affect on Leah or too much time had passed for her to be the supportive friend that she had promised him she'd be. This was all my fault. I had to fix this.
"I'm sorry, Leah. I'm sorry for everything. I went about this all wrong."
"You went about what all wrong?" she questioned.
I sighed. "Leah..." I struggled to find the right words to say. I was never good at apologies, especially since I wasn't allowed to tell her the truth. How could I get her to understand?
"Spit it out, Jake," she pressed. "I don't have all day."
"It's...well, it's complicated."
"Oh yeah? I supposed this complication is the reason why you decided to join Sam's little band of misfit boys?" Her sarcasm was impossible to ignore.
"You could say that," I mumbled. "But we were wrong about Sam. You know he's a good guy. And the rest of them, well, they're pretty cool too."
"Really? And so you choose to spend all of your time with them over me and Quil, your real friends? You're turning out to be a really fickle person, Jacob," she accused. "One minute you're putting Bella Swan before us. Now's it's the Steroid Freaks, which by the way, are you on? Because you've gotten really big." She shook her head. "Either way, you still tossed me and Quil to the side like old play toys."
"I've haven't forgotten about you two," I said. "I told you, I needed some time to sort things out."
"Have you done it?" she asked, staring straight into my eyes with a gaze so intense that I had to look away.
"Have you done it?" Leah repeated. "Have you sorted things out?"
"Almost," I answered truthfully. I knew what I was now and why it had happened to me, but I still didn't know if I was fully capable of accepting it.
"So, I guess you can almost be my friend again?"
"Leah, I'm trying okay?" I was getting frustrated again. "I'm trying to apologize and make things right."
I tried to concentrate on taking deep breaths and keeping my heartbeat regular. I had to get through this without losing my composure. I had to.
I walked over to a fallen tree at the edge of the forest, pulling Leah along with me. I sat down and pulled her into my lap. She didn't protest, thank God.
"You are my best friend," I whispered. "I didn't mean to make you think anything different. All I was trying to do was keep you safe."
"I'm always safe with you, Jacob," she whispered. "But I need to know what's going on with you. I worry about you."
"I know you worry, but you don't have to. I admit, I wasn't in my right mind a couple of weeks ago, Lee-lee. But I'm okay now, for the most part. Sam and the guys have been very helpful.
"Things are getting better for me," I continued. "But even with them, I can't do this alone. I need you."
As soon as the words left my lips, I knew it was true. The guys were starting to look at me like they did Sam because I was his second. But I wasn't sure I was comfortable being that. There was so much I didn't know, like being a leader. I was more comfortable with being the only one I had to look out for; making decisions that only affected me. I felt like I was playing a role when I was with them.
But with Leah, she had no expectations of me. She didn't look to me for leadership and guidance. She was her own person and with her, I could be myself. I needed that feeling back. I needed her.
I wrapped my arms around her slim waist and leaned my head on her shoulder.
"I need my best friend," I whispered softly against her neck. She shivered and turned to face me.
"Need me for what?" she asked and her face was a mask of confusion.
How could I explain without violating Sam's stupid gag order?
"Something happened to me," I started but the rest of the words got stuck in my throat. Shit! I hated this part.
"I know none of this makes sense, but you've got to trust me..." I broke off my sentence. I had an idea. Emily!
Emily wasn't part of the pack therefore she didn't have to obey Sam's orders. She probably wouldn't tell Leah everything but she could tell her enough so that Leah wouldn't stay mad at me.
"Leah, I know I'm in no position to ask you for anything," I said, "but can you do me a favor and wait here for just a minute? I'll be right back."
"Sure, Jake," she sighed heavily and moved from my lap to the tree stump.
I ran towards the house calling Emily's name. When I was a few yards away she met me on the porch.
"Jake, Sam's looking for you," she said.
"Come here for a sec." I motioned for her to come off the porch. I didn't want everyone to know what I was up to. Sam would not be pleased that I enlisted his fiancée for help with his ex-girlfriend.
"What is it?" Emily asked when she met me on the road. "Where's Leah? Oh Jake, what did you do?"
"Nothing," I answered. "Leah's fine. She's right over there." I pointed to Leah, sitting on the fallen tree. I could see her just fine but Emily had to squint to see her cousin.
"Well, what is it?" she asked again.
"I need your help," I told her. "Leah's really mad at me and nothing I say is good enough to fix it. Because of Sam's order, I can't tell her anything that would help her understand. Please help me."
"I don't know, Jake," Emily shook her head. "Sam doesn't think that anyone should know about you guys."
"But it's Leah," I protested. "Her father's on the Council, for God's sake. She can be trusted. Plus, she's hurting, Em. I hate that I'm doing this to her. Please," I begged.
"You really care about my cousin, huh," Emily smiled.
"Yes."
Emily took a deep breath but I could tell from the look on her face that she was going to help.
"I hate that she's upset. First Sam, and now you. This has to be so hard on her. Both of the men she loves share the same secret and she ends up hurt by both of them."
Surprise was written all over my face. I couldn't hide it.
"Leah loves me?" I asked. "She's never said that before."
"She loves you in her own way," Emily amended. "She'll never admit it but I can tell. It's so obvious when she looks at you and by the way she smiles and her eyes light up when anyone mentions your name. She's just confused, and hurt." She patted me on my shoulder and smiled.
"I'll talk to her," Emily assured me. "But you better get inside. Sam's really anxious about something."
I walked into the house. Emily was right. Sam was anxious. He, Embry, and Jared had joined Paul in the living room. The energy in the room made the hair on my arms stand on end.
"What's going on?" I said, standing in front of the now off television.
"We found something in the woods, out by the cliffs," Embry spoke up. He was super excited.
"What?" Paul asked, his own excitement was growing.
"I don't know," Sam answered. "But I think we have a vampire around. It might be a Cullen. And if it is, it broke the treaty."
"Seriously!" Paul whooped. We all were thrilled now. The source of all our problems was back! And if it really had broken the treaty, we were going to kill it, if that was the right word.
Sam explained that he and Embry were out running the perimeter when they came across a sickly sweet smell that they didn't recognize.
"Just like Old Quil said," Sam told us. "The smell really did burn my nose. It smelled like burnt marshmallows and fruity cough syrup...and icy. Like breathing in ice cold air in the winter."
I wrinkled my nose. I wouldn't be roasting marshmallows again, that's for sure.
Sam continued to tell us that they followed the scent until it mixed with another scent that they had immediately recognized...human blood.
The local news had been reporting on a missing hiker for the last few days. The police and rangers had found his camp but there was no sign of him. That was another reason Sam had us up, running around the woods until all hours of the night. Since the authorities couldn't find the poor college kid, we were doing our part to help out, like Sam had done the night he found Bella in the woods.
After they had picked up the scent of blood, Sam and Embry hightailed it back to the house to get us, alerting Jared on the way. If there was a vampire here and it was hunting humans, it probably wouldn't be alone. It would take the five of us to bring them down.
We didn't have to be told to phase. Adrenaline was racing through our bodies and our hearts were pounding so hard that any second Emily and Leah could walk through the door into their worst nightmare.
"Let's go," Paul shouted. He raced out of the back door – the quickest way to the forest – and we followed right behind him.
"I'm going to tell Emily what's going on," Sam yelled. "Don't go anywhere without me!"
Emily and Sam's place was so secluded that we didn't have to wait until we were in the woods to phase. Nobody would see us. We burst out of our clothes before the back door slammed shut.
What the hell is Sam doing? Paul was eager to get running. He always was. I was the fastest in the pack but Paul was definitely the strongest. And he couldn't wait to test his strength against a vampire.
You know there's no way that Sam's going on a vampire hunt without kissing his bride-to-be goodbye, Jared commented.
For a second I was lost in my own world, forgetting about the pack, and thinking about what Emily was telling Leah that would help our situation.
What was that, Jake? Paul interrupted after hearing Leah's name in my mind.
Nothing.
Emily's going to tell Leah everything, isn't she? Embry wondered. If she does, Sam's going to kill you for even asking.
Asking what? The pack turned at the sound of Sam's approaching voice.
What did you ask, Jake?
There wasn't a way to keep it to myself, with the rest of the pack already aware of what I'd done. I didn't even have the energy to try.
I asked Emily to talk to Leah for me, to help her understand what's going on with me.
Why? Sam's voice was angry.
Because, I snapped. She deserves to know something. You may have let this wolf thing ruin your relationship with her but I won't. I don't see why it's such a big damn secret anyway. Back in the day, the entire tribe knew who the wolves were; at least that's what the stories say. We should at least be able to tell the people who love us.
It's a secret because that's the way it is, Sam was speaking to all of us, not just me. And you are not to put Emily in a situation to explain to your friends, your girlfriends, grandmothers, parents...anyone...what has happened.
She's already promised to talk to her cousin, I replied smugly.
Just don't let it happen again, Sam warned. Now let's go. Stay tight and alert. We don't need to be separated under any circumstances, especially if this scent is vampire.
We took off in a thunderous race to get to the spot where Sam and Embry had picked up the strange scent. It felt like we were flying as we raced through the thick forest. My feet didn't even feel the ground underneath them as adrenaline pumped through my body. This feeling was more exhilarating than anything I've ever done!
We ran for a couple if miles before Sam started to slow down.
Stop, he ordered and the four of us ground to a halt. I stopped beside him on the right, Jared on his left.
Immediately, I smelled the awful sugary smell that we were expecting. We yelped in pain as the scent singed our noses.
My God, that shit stinks, Paul griped.
And definitely not human or animal, Jared added.
We started a slow trot, sniffing at the trail until the sweet scent disappeared and all that was left was the smell of decaying meat and blood.
Is that what I think it is? I thought. My eyes flashed to a backpack and a bright yellow sliver of vinyl hidden behind some trees. The only thing they made in that bright yellow was raincoats.
We eased closer to investigate and the stench of a rotting corpse overcame us. We all groaned. Charlie and the forest rangers could give up their hopes of finding the hiker alive. We'd found him and he was clearly dead.
Aww man, Embry groaned. It ate him!
The ashen grayish color of the boy was the grossest thing I've ever seen. Seeing death in real life was so much worse than in the movies.
I growled as I thought about the innocence that was taken away from the poor kid, lying on the ground, the terrified look of his death mask. All he wanted to do was hike through the forest, maybe camp out for a night or two, before having to go back to school. And some filthy, smelly bloodsucker had hunted him down and sucked the life right out of him...literally.
What do we do with him? Jared – the more compassionate of us all, besides Sam – asked.
But Sam was at a lost. His mind was racing as he tried to come up with a decision that would protect the pack from discovery or something else we hadn't even considered...a manhunt. Of course everyone's first instinct would be that an animal had done this. They'd come searching for the giant bears that everyone was afraid of and we'd be running around searching for vampires. We'd probably get ourselves shot.
That's what I know, Jake, Sam grunted. But we have to alert someone that this body is here.
I think we should do a quick search of the area. That thing may still be around, I suggested. If we don't find it, we can get the Council assembled and let them know what we found. They can decide what to do about the body and we can hunt.
That sounds like a good plan, Jacob. Sam was even a little surprised that I'd been the first to make a good suggestion.
I just don't think that we need to be wasting time. There's a bloodsucker in the area, I explained.
Yeah. I like Jake's plan. I wasn't surprised that Paul agreed with me. He was literally chomping at the bits for Sam to give us permission to do something.
Okay, let's go, Sam decided. Remember what I said about staying together.
Leaving the dead kid where we found him was hard but we had to. The pack ran off in the direction that Sam thought that the vampire would have gone. We picked up the scent again, a little further out but it wasn't fresh. It was a couple of days old.
Damn it! Sam howled in frustration after we'd covered miles of forest without picking up a fresh trail.
Where the hell is this thing?
Let's go back to the rez, Embry suggested. We'll talk to the Council and we should come up with some kind of strategy. Running around looking for something that we've never seen before could get one of us hurt.
Sam agreed and, defeatedly, we went home. Surprisingly, the Council had no answers as to what we could do to find the leech. We settled at Emily's house, once again, and over dinner, we strategized, deciding that there was only one vampire out there. That allowed us to take shifts, to hunt in pairs like we'd been doing. We wouldn't give up. We'd find this creature and destroy it. We were hoping to send a message to the others...stay the hell off Quileute lands.
****
I was lying on the couch, half sleeping and half watching television. I'd just finished an eight hour shift in the woods, with Paul and Embry. Our search was long and fruitless.
I came home, devoured a pack of hot dogs with chili my dad made and a bag of chips, and then stretched out on the couch. I fell asleep watching one of my favorite television shows but I couldn't even pay attention to what was happening. It was just background noise.
Even in my sleep, I heard light footsteps crossing my yard. I opened my eyes. There was only one person who was ballsy enough to come over for a visit at three in the morning.
"It's open, Leah," I called out when I heard her on the porch. I was just glad that my dad could sleep through anything.
The front door creaked open and Leah smiled sheepishly when she slipped into the dark living room. She was wearing pajama shorts, one of my old t-shirts that she'd stolen months ago, and she was barefoot. Her long hair was disheveled and despite her small smile, something was bothering her. I made room for her on the couch and she snuggled next to me like she had done so many times before...before Bella, before the phasing...when life had been so simple.
"What brings you over here?" I whispered. Even though Billy Black could sleep through a tornado, I didn't have the energy to speak in a regular voice.
"I needed to be near you," Leah whispered too. But she was whispering for a different reason. The light from the television revealed the glistening of tears in my best friend's eyes. Leah was whispering to keep me from hearing the tearful cracking of her voice.
"What's wrong, babe?" I tightened my arms around Leah's waist and pulled her tighter against my bare chest. I felt a familiar stirring as Leah's backside brushed against my crotch. Inside, I groaned. This was not the time.
"I talked to Emily," Leah whispered. "After you ran off, she came to talk to me. She told me some...things."
I took a deep breath and hoped for Leah to continue. It probably wouldn't be the easiest conversation we've ever had but at least she'd know and could decide what she wanted to do with that information.
"What did she say?"
"Well," Leah hesitated and shifted her body nervously.
My heart started to pound as her movement caused the luscious smell of her hair to invade my senses. She smelled so good!
"She said that you, Embry, Jared, Paul, and Sam have a special gift, a gift that was passed on to you from your great-grandfathers."
I wouldn't have qualified the ability to transform into a monster as a gift, but to each his own. Only the people who this supposed gift affected thought it was a curse. Everyone who knew – and that number was few – thought it was more special than it was.
"She said that you guys use this gift...this special talent...to protect us. Then she gave me a notebook to read. And she said to read my father's old tribal books and journals if I didn't believe what she written in her notebook."
"Did you read it?"
"Jacob," she whispered. "I've been reading for the past twenty-four hours. I read the notebook. Then I read a couple of my dad's books. Then I got online and did some research on the stuff I read."
"And..." I pressed. Leah was like me when it came to a project, a bit obsessive.
"I believe it," she finished. "I believe everything that I read. It makes sense. And after I finished, I went back to Emily's. Sam was asleep. I asked her about it. She didn't confirm what I'd read, she just asked me how I felt about it."
"And how do you feel about it?" I asked her. I was afraid to know the answer but I had to. No matter what she said, it would be honest. Leah always told me the truth, no matter what it was.
She rolled over in my arms and looked me in my eyes.
"I know what happened to you, Jake, and to the others. And I feel that you are the bravest, most special person that I've had the privilege to know. I don't know how you feel about what you have, but I feel like it's quite an honor and I'm blessed to have you as my best friend."
I wasn't sure if I'd fallen back to sleep and was dreaming. I had to be because there was no way Leah could be so understanding about all of this.
"Are you serious?"
"I wouldn't joke about this, Jake," she assured me.
Leah ran her fingers over my arms, massaging my tender muscles. Her hands were soft and warm as she continued to roam my body as she gazed into my eyes with admiration.
"Brave," she whispered. "Strong, beautiful...Protector. You're officially my hero, Jacob Black." She smiled and pressed her lips against mine and kissed me.
We hadn't kissed like this in awhile and suddenly, when I slid my hand up Leah's shirt and felt her smooth warm skin, my heart started to pound and the painful fire started inside me.
"Leah...I can't," I said as I tried to pull away from her lustful embrace.
"It's okay," she soothed and massaged the muscles in my back. "I know what's happening. If you need to leave...go," she said. "I'll be here when you need me."
Her massaging hands and soothing words seemed to calm me down as the heat began to fade. This was new. Leah had always been the one person who could make me frustrated, angry, excited, or anything else that could trigger the phase, but here she was, calming me when I needed it the most.
She planted soft kisses on my shoulders and chest as my heartbeat regulated itself. I didn't know what was turning Leah on more, the fact that I was a werewolf, or the fact that we could be friends...we could be together again.
"We need each other," she said to me. Her voice was husky with the desire that I could smell emanating off of her. The scent was like no other that I've smelled before. My instinct to take her was animalistic but I couldn't do anything about it.
I scooped her up and lifted her off the couch in one fluid motion. She wrapped her legs around my waist eagerly and crushed her lips against mine as I walked to my room. I didn't even turn on the light and much to my amazement I didn't trip or run into anything as I walked blindly down the hallway.
Lean nudged my bedroom door closed with her foot. Then she expertly eased my shorts down to the floor with her legs, and her lips never left mine. I eased her onto my bed and slid her shorts off.
Urgently, she wrapped her legs around my waist again as I entered her with raw animal passion. She was so wet, so tight...so beautiful. And I missed her.
For a moment – just an instant – I was afraid that the thrill of being with Leah was enough to send me over the edge. Only when I obliged and saw the wild, yet serene and peaceful look in Leah's eyes did I realize that I was going to be okay.
****
Later, I laid next to my gorgeous best friend...my rock, the only person in the world who I was willing to do anything for. I would die for Leah Clearwater and would do it with a smile on my face if I had to.
Leah curled up next to me, our naked bodies drenched in sweat and glistening in the moonlight. She looked like an angel.
"It's been a long time since we did that," Leah smiled.
"That's because you didn't want to," I reminded her.
"You know why," she replied. Then she became quiet again.
"What?" I asked sleepily.
"Since we just did that, I'm thinking that things didn't go well with Bella."
I took a deep breath. Hearing Bella's name sent angry ripples through my body.
"You can say that," I muttered. "We're not really friends anymore."
"We don't have to talk about that," she said. "I'm not trying to upset you. I just didn't want to feel like I just seduced some girl's boyfriend. Sorry," she added.
"About what? I'm not anyone's boyfriend. Seduce me all you want."
She smiled up at me. "Not again tonight, tiger. You need to sleep." Leah giggled. "I mean wolf."
****
I don't know how long I slept. When I finally woke up it was dark and I was alone. I literally fell out of my bed when I rolled over to get up. I looked at the small twin sized bed that I had outgrown way before I became a werewolf and had this growth spurt. My room couldn't hold a bigger bed unless that was all that I wanted in my room. But I had to do something. Maybe I could make it a little bigger, modify it a little bit, with Jared's help. He was good with building stuff.
I walked into the kitchen. There was a note stuck to the fridge...pink paper with Leah's curly handwriting.
Jake – took your Dad to the council meeting. Sam came by but told us to let you sleep. He said to call him when you get up. TTYL, Leah
Balancing a giant bowl of cereal, a gallon of orange juice, and the cordless phone, I walked into the living room and settled on the couch. I called Sam first. He answered on the first ring.
"What's up?" I asked. "You came by?"
"Leah..." he said angrily. "She knows." He said it like a statement instead of a question.
"So," I answered back. "I didn't tell her. Neither did Emily, actually. She figured it out."
"Figured it out, my ass," Sam snapped.
"Whatever," I said, irritated with the conversation. "What's done is done. You should be happy that she understands what happened. Maybe she won't hate you so much now."
"That's not the point, Jake," Sam replied. "I told you not to tell her."
"And I didn't tell her," I reminded him. "Besides, I already told you how I feel about your gag order."
"Who else did you have 'figure it out'?"
"No one. My dad knows. Leah knows. Quil's goin to change any day now so I'll let you tell him. I'm good. Every one I care about knows what's going on."
"What about Bella?" he asked.
I cringed. "How the hell would she know? I haven't seen her since that night I phased for the first time."
"That's good."
But I couldn't tell what he meant by 'that's good'. Was it good that Bella didn't know or that I hadn't seen her? I didn't feel like asking for clarification.
"So you came by to ask me about Leah? That's it?" I changed the subject. I didn't want to talk about Bella. I didn't want to think about her. It was too difficult.
"No. They found the hiker. Harry called Charlie and let him know. It was on the news. They took the body."
"Are you going out tonight?" I asked. I was refreshed and ready to track down the creature that had killed the boy. In the back of my mind, I was still hoping that it was a Cullen.
"Yeah, but it's just me tonight."
"Why? Where are the others?"
"Embry's grounded for sneaking out the other night," Sam answered. I laughed.
Poor Embry. It was harder for him, Paul, and Jared because they weren't allowed to share the secret with anyone either. Their parents had no idea of what they were. Thankfully, Paul's mom worked nights so she wasn't aware that he was up half the night, running with the pack. Jared's mom was cool. I guess single working mothers couldn't pay much attention to the antics of their teenage sons. It probably wasn't even worth it, as long as they weren't getting into trouble.
The Calls were different. Both of Embry's parents worked during the day and fully expected their son to conform to the life of a regular teenager. He had a curfew and was punished if he broke it. In order to run with us, he had to sneak out at night. Sometimes he got caught and his parents grounded him. He still continued to sneak out though. He didn't have a choice.
"I figured I'd let his mom calm down a bit before making him come out on another late night run," Sam said.
"Yeah, but Embry probably isn't too happy with that. He likes running with us. Maybe you should let him tell his folks what's going on. It would be so much easier for him."
"He hasn't asked for permission, Jake. Unlike some people, Embry recognizes the need for secrecy."
I caught his not so subtle jab and rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Where are Paul and Jared then?"
"Paul took your place this morning so he's probably asleep. Jared...well, Jared's a little occupied," Sam chuckled.
"With what?"
"You'll see soon enough," Sam stated.
"Well, I'll come with you," I said. "I'm not doing anything."
"Leah's on her way back to your house with Billy," Sam answered. "I'm sure that she's going to want to talk to you."
"Believe me, she won't mind." I was a little irritated that Sam still felt that he knew Leah better than me. Sure, he was in relationship with her but I knew Leah in ways that he only wished he knew. He was quite aware of it too...and he didn't like it. I didn't care. He had his chance with her and blew it. I would not.
"Alright. Meet me by my house, then," Sam agreed and we hung up the phone.
I heard Leah's Honda coming down the street and exited out of the back door. It would be easier for me to not be there when she arrived if she did want to talk. I ran into the woods and stripped out of my shorts and shoes, hiding them behind some bushes so that they would be available when I came home. I could not be seen emerging from the woods stark naked. I wasn't that guy.
I met Sam at his house in a matter of minutes. My speed still continued to impress our fearless leader.
Will you please stop calling me that, Jake, Sam asked. It's annoying.
Oops.
We started our run in silence. The night sounds of the forest and our large paws thudding against the moist ground was the only thing I could hear. I could tell that Sam was being overly careful not to think about anything. But I wasn't. I kept thinking about Leah and what had happened and how good I felt knowing that she finally knew the truth. It was like a burden was lifted from me.
Suddenly, Sam came to a grinding halt. I sniffed the air and didn't smell anything that should have made him stop dead in his tracks.
What's up? I asked. What do you smell...or see?
Sam stood, frozen like a statue, all of his short black fur standing on end. He panted heavily.
You and Leah had sex? he growled. I gulped. I thought he already knew that. The rest of the guys did.
When? I asked. Maybe he was just mad about last night.
You've been sleeping with my ex? A guttural snarl left his body and I stepped back into a defensive stance. I've never seen Sam this angry, not even when we found the body of the hiker.
What's the problem? I asked nervously. It's not like I slept with your girlfriend. You and her aren't together anymore. You have Emily.
What the hell are you doing, Jacob? he snarled. Just because I'm not with her, doesn't mean Leah Clearwater is fair game. She's not some chick you just sleep with and be done with. And what the hell are you doing having sex? You're only sixteen.
Don't give me that age crap, I fired back. And I'm not just sleeping with Leah. I'm not using her for my own pleasure, if that's what you think. I didn't even start it last night. Most of the time, I don't. Maybe you should be yelling at her!
I let my thoughts go back to the first time that Leah and I had sex without getting too explicit and some of the other times when she instigated the situation so Sam could see that I wasn't lying. He groaned in agony.
I don't understand, I snarled. And I was a bit angry. Am I not good enough for Leah, in your opinion? And what gives you the right to determine who's good for her and who isn't?
She's special, Jake. And after all that she's been through, she deserves more than someone who can't love her the way she deserves to be loved.
Like you?
No, like you.
I growled menacingly and changed my stance. Leader or not, Sam was going down.
You better not attack me, he warned. And you know I'm telling the truth. You're the one who's always thinking 'Bella this' and 'Bella that'. How can you love Leah if you're in love with a girl who's in love with a vampire?
His thoughts stopped me in my tracks. I wasn't even aware that I'd been thinking about Bella that often while I was in wolf form. I tried to keep those thoughts to myself for times when I was alone.
You're not doing a very good job of it, Sam answered.
You need to mind your business, I snapped. Besides, how can you be so concerned about someone hurting Leah after what you did to her? She still hasn't recovered from that and whether it's me or some other guy, I don't think she ever will.
The low blow was something that Sam didn't want to hear but I was determined to let him have it. He took off running again but I caught up to him all the same.
You can't run away from it, Sam, I told him. If I have to hear about it and see how bad you hurt her, then you do too.
You say it like I meant to hurt her and I didn't. I loved Leah. I was happy with Leah. I couldn't tell her about me being a werewolf but we were working through it.
Yeah, then you saw her cousin and everything changed.
Exactly! He thought the word with so much emphasis that for a second I thought that he said it out loud.
What are you talking about, Sam? Cuz I don't believe in any of that love at first sight, romantic comedy bullshit. Neither does Leah.
We were at the top of the cliffs, looking over the water and miles from where we started before Sam spoke again. His heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would jump out of his chest.
There's something about us that you need to know, he said but his voice was the familiar voice of the Alpha. He often spoke that way when he gave an order or talked about what we are. Being that you're such a hopeless romantic and all, he added sarcastically. Or at least because you've got your own little love triangle.
What?
We're supposed to pass along the wolf trait to our offspring. Therefore, it's much easier if you have a mate that is allowed to know what you are. It's not common but I think it might happen more in our pack because of its size.
What are you talking about? I asked anxiously.
Imprinting, it's something that animals do. And us.
What the hell is it? I started to ask but I remembered something I read in a textbook about certain species mating for life so that their offspring would be the strongest in the herd...or pack.
That's right, Sam stated. We imprint too. It's how we find our mates.
I wanted to laugh so badly and the bark that came out did in fact sound like a laugh.
Sure, sure, I'll bite. What is it?
It's hard to explain. But when I first saw Emily, nothing else mattered in the world, except her. It was like the dynamic of my world completely changed in one millisecond. Gravity was no longer keeping me on the ground. It was her.
His thoughts took me back to the day on the beach when he first saw Emily, walking with Leah. I was awestruck at the amount of emotion he felt for Emily before she had even spoken a word to him.
Wow, I whispered.
See, I didn't have a choice. As much I didn't want to break Leah's heart, I had to be with Emily. She completes me. We're meant to be together. I'm only telling you this so you'll stop thinking that I'm such a douche, that I left Leah for her cousin. And so you'll know that if it happens to you, not only will you hurt Leah too, you're going to hurt Bella, if she even feels for you like that.
How do you know I won't imprint on either one of them?
If you were going to imprint on Leah, it would have happened by now.
What about Bella? I wanted to know.
We'll just have to see. But I doubt it. That was all he would say about that.
I listened harder to see if he would slip and think something else about Bella but for the rest of the night, he didn't think anything else about her. Most of the time he filled his mind with thoughts of Emily, to try to erase the images I'd given him of me and Leah. But mostly, his mushy love scenes with Emily were his way to avenge the images I'd burned into his brain.
We ran for hours, halfway to Canada without catching a fresh trail. It had been like that for days. But we'd get it; there was no doubt in my mind that whatever type of leech was hunting on our lands, its days were numbered.
****
"What the hell happened to you last night?" I said to Jared as I approached him and Paul standing outside of the Ateara's General Store. They were wearing shorts like me and for once, it wasn't raining. It was cloudy though. It was early in the day, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. I had a feeling that something was going to happen today, although I had no idea what it was.
As soon as I spoke, Paul looked at Jared and burst out laughing. Jared punched him in the stomach and Paul doubled over, still laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked. "What happened last night?
"Jared had a date last night," Paul told me. It sounded reasonable enough and not as funny as he was making it seem. What was funny about Jared having a date?
"And?"
Paul leaned over close to me. "Watch his face," he said in a low voice. I looked at Jared.
"He had a date with...Kim from his English class." Then Paul burst out laughing again. I stared at Jared's face and immediately knew why Paul was laughing.
Jared's expression had softened and his eyes glazed over with a look of pure infatuation when Paul said Kim's name. It was the same look we've seen on Sam's face.
"What a wuss!" Paul whooped. "He's so in love with this girl that it's oozing out of his eyes!"
"Shut up, Paul," Jared shouted. But he knew it was the truth.
"Jared, did you imprint on Kim?" I asked and wrinkled my nose. There was nothing really special about Kim. She wasn't even that cute. I remembered when we were in Port Angeles on the ski trip and the look on her face when she saw me half naked. She certainly didn't look like she liked Jared then. I made a mental note to not bring that up at all while we were in wolf form.
"Imprint?" Paul said. "That thing that Sam told us about? Did that happen to you, Jared...with Kim?"
Jared nodded. "I think so. I mean, I've sat next to her every day at school and nothing. Then last week, I'm sitting in class and she passes me a handout. I looked up at her and all I could think of for the rest of the day was her."
"I'm so glad I didn't have to run with you," I commented, remembering how tortuous it was to be around Sam last night.
"I can't believe you imprinted on Kim," Paul jeered loudly. "Of all people. She's not even the cutest-" I poked him in his ribs...hard...so that he wouldn't finish his sentence. Jared would surely fight him if he said something derogatory about Kim.
A low howl came from deep in the forest, too low for anyone but the three of us to hear.
"That's Sam," I said. We were used to hearing the familiar howl, calling for us to phase and join him.
"Let's go," I told them. We took off running for the forest. We cut behind the store and darted across the highway. Cars honked at us but we kept running until we were safe in the trees.
We slipped off our shoes and shook our shorts off. Normally, I'd be hesitant about running through the trees naked with two boys but we phased so quickly I'm sure that neither of them noticed. We caught up with Sam and Embry at our usual meeting place. They were frantic and excited. They'd caught a fresh scent.
It's back, Sam told us. We caught a fresh scent a few miles from here.
Do you think it knows that we're looking for it? Jared asked.
That's the point of the secret, Sam said. Vampires don't know that we exist.
Unless, it's a Cullen, I said.
It's not, Jake, Embry told me. We caught a glimpse of him. I've never seen him before.
Well, why are we standing here? Paul questioned. Let's go.
Normally that would have been Sam's line – he even thought it – but in this situation, we all were thinking the same thing.
It's headed south, Sam advised and that's the direction we ran in.
A few miles later, I started to recognize the path we were on. I'd hiked this same path with Bella. I slowed and the rest of the pack roared past me. Something wasn't right. Something was very wrong.
A few yards ahead of me, Sam stopped the pack. I sniffed at the air and the icy stink of the vampire burned my nostrils. It was here!
But there was another scent too...floral and human. There was a vampire and a human nearby. My ears perked up when I heard voices.
Jacob, stay back, Sam ordered and my feet stopped moving. The pack was standing in a thicket of chest high ferns. I couldn't actually see what had stopped them in their path but I could see it in their minds.
Bella!
Bella was standing in the middle of the circular meadow just a few feet away from a Rastafarian looking vampire with dreadlocks. The stink of it was overwhelming the pack. So was our instinct to attack.
Shut up! Sam was yelling at the pack. I'd missed what they were saying.
She knows him, Sam said, shocked by the thought. Be quiet guys, I'm trying to hear what he's saying to her.
I didn't want to hear what the leech was saying. I tried to inch forward but the weight of Sam's command wouldn't let me. Instead I watched the scene play out from the eyes of the pack.
"You've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's mission. I was hunting. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell...simply mouthwatering."
"He'll know it was you," Bella whispered. She was terrified. I could smell her fear from yards away. It overpowered me. This was the first time I'd seen Bella in weeks and it had to be like this...in my wolf form, about to destroy one of her friends.
"You won't get away with this," she added, ever so brave.
"And why not?" The leech's smile widened as he gazed around the small meadow. "The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your body. You'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal; let me assure you, Bella. Just thirst."
I hated the way the leech said her name. I hated that he even knew her name. What the hell was she doing with him? Why was she alone? Damn it, Bella.
Sam, Jake's losin his mind back there, Paul spoke up. Can we just do this, please, before he goes nuts?
Come on, Sam said. I've heard enough.
Just like that, I was able to move again. The pack moved stealthily, silently, as one unit. I saw the bloodsucker whip his head abruptly towards the ferns and slowly started backing up as we eased out of the trees, Sam first, followed by Jared, Paul, Embry, then me.
"I don't believe it," the dreadlocked monster whispered in awe. We saw fear in his cold, dead, red eyes as he started to back away from Bella.
That's right, bloodsucker, run away, Paul thought.
We continued a slow walk into the meadow. There was no telling what the vampire would do. Would he attack us?
A loud gasp escaped Bella's lips as she realized what was right in front of her, a pack of the biggest wolves she'd ever seen. I turned my head slightly and looked at her. She was still terrified but at that moment, I didn't feel what I felt in the movie theater. That feeling was gone, replaced by the knowledge that she was in love with the very thing that I was bound to kill. And that she hadn't told me. And by the anger that she had once again gotten herself into a precarious situation with only the help of her own two feet. Only Isabella Swan would go hiking alone in the unfamiliar woods.
Jacob, Sam snarled, pay attention.
The bloodsucker was staring at us with unconcealed shock and fear. Without warning he spun around and ran into the trees. We were after him a second later, sprinting across the field faster than we've ever run before as a pack. Anger and adrenaline was our motivation as we snarled in unison at the bloodsucker, letting him know that he would not get away from us. I only hoped that Bella had enough sense to run home too.
The creature was fast but no match for the five of us. He knew it too as he skidded to a stop and spun around, prepared for a fight.
No Paul! Sam yelled as Paul leapt through the air at the sickly looking creature.
With a powerful blow the vampire knocked Paul out of the air. He went flying into Jared.
A snarl ripped from Paul's mouth with the instinct to kill. At once we all lunged at the same time for the leech. There was no where for him to go as five wolves attacked him. He tumbled to the ground, kicking and screaming, trying to fight us off to no avail.
He was hard, like a marble slab and the closeness of his scent stung, but we were made for this! We tore at his rocky flesh, our teeth screeching and cutting through the granite skin.
He screamed when Paul tore off a chunk of his shoulder and spat the pallid piece of rock away.
We have to rip him to pieces, Sam reminded us as he sank his teeth into the bloodsucker's arm and tore. It ripped off and the thing howled in pain. I was able to get my teeth around his throat. I hated the feel of the vampire's flesh in my mouth as I bit down. This was no deer. I shook my head violently and a piece of its throat detached from its body as Jared and Paul clawed at his face and head. A loud ripping sound filled the small clearing and then the vampire was headless and its body stopped moving altogether.
What looked like an explosion of pasty rocks surrounded us as we gazed around the clearing.
Is it dead? Embry asked.
It was dead when we started, Paul said lightly. What do we do with it now?
We have to burn the pieces, Sam told us. Jared, Embry, phase back and start a fire. We'll stay like this just in case.
It didn't take long for them to build the fire. We helped gather all of the pieces of the destroyed creature and tossed them into the fire. As soon as we were sure that we'd gotten every piece, Jared and Embry phased back so they wouldn't have to sit around the fire, nude.
The atmosphere was practically celebratory as thick pillars of purplish gray smoke billowed into the sky. The thoughts of the pack were jubilant.
We'd done what we were made to do and it was easy! None of us had even been hurt, though the vamp did try to take a bite out of Jared's leg.
Man, that thing was fast, Embry said. But we're so much faster than them. I never thought I could run that fast.
He smelled like a bottle of Dimetapp, Paul joked. But when I bit him, he tasted like old sawdust.
Do you make it a habit of eating sawdust, Paul? Jared teased. Because if that's what your breath smells like, you'll never get a girlfriend.
I stood by the cackling fire, staring at the smoke towering into the sky. Yeah, we'd done what we were supposed to do and I shared the same joy as my brothers but something else was there...concern.
The vampire was going in for the kill when we found him. Bella had almost died. In that moment, I felt more than just anger towards her. She wasn't a Quileute but she was human and she was my friend. I had to protect her too.
But what would she think about me and my pack destroying her friends? Because that's what it would come down to. Would she be able to accept me as I am? Would I be able to protect her?
The only reason she was alone in that meadow today was because I wasn't there. I hadn't been there. Like I had done with Leah, I'd taken away my friendship without an explanation. At least with Leah, Sam was okay with her knowing the truth. I could never tell Bella...ever.
Like Sam had said earlier, the point of the secret was that our identity remain hidden from the creatures we were destined to destroy, our mortal enemies. Bella was friends with our enemies and she was not one of us. She was an outsider and could not be trusted with our secret.
I'm glad you see it that way, Sam spoke to me as he stood beside me. We'll do our best to protect her, for Charlie's sake. But she made her decision. She runs with vampires. Maybe she'll come around, maybe she won't. But you must not tell her.
It was meant to be comforting but I could tell when Sam was giving me an order. His injunction was clear.
Lighten up, Jake. We have something to celebrate, Sam urged. I saw you yelp when the vampire grabbed you by the neck.
I cringed. That wasn't a pleasant memory.
Yeah, I saw that too, Paul joined in. He wouldn't have been able to grab a hold of you if your fur wasn't so pretty and long, he teased.
Shut up. I can't help that my hair is long.
And that's why, when we get back to the rez, Sam announced, Jacob Black is getting his first haircut!
The pack...all five of us howled and yelped. In that moment, we were tighter than ever and apparently, indestructible. We'd protected our tribe and the hundreds of tourists and hikers that visited our forest from a filthy parasite. Leah's urgent whisper filled my head. At that moment, we were exactly what she had said we were...
Protectors. Heroes.