Chapter 24: Embry

Even if it was the weekend, I didn't sleep in. By nine I was heading back to Forks. Waking up alone wasn't doing it for me. The sooner I saw Jacob, the better.

I didn't go into the Cullens' home right away. After parking in the driveway, I ventured out into the trees to try and find Jacob. He should have heard my car on my way in, so if he was in the house, he would have run out to meet me. That didn't happen, so here I was, tracking him down.

A low thud to my left and I realized that it wasn't him I ran into first.

"Leah?" I called, unsure. I'd never really seen her wolf form before—apart from when she steered Jacob toward me on the cliff not too long ago—but everything about it was feminine. She nodded once and I smiled faintly. "Jake on his way?"

She nodded again, though there was a slight smirk in her expression. Clearly his urgency at meeting me wasn't so far from typical.

I noticed then that she didn't have her clothes tied to her leg like the wolves usually did. The clothes I brought her were still at the house. Did she never take a break?

Jacob ran up and stopped beside her. I nearly flinched at his wolf form, since it was part of my nightmares in the past. Regardless, the brown eyes I grew to adore locked onto me and the pull was there again; I wanted to be in his arms and feel his heart beating beneath my fingertips. Those eyes would always be the same—as would his heart—even if his appearance changed.

Jacob looked to Leah and motioned over his shoulder for her to get going. A part of me was disappointed to see her go, but then I realized some patrolling needed to be done. Maybe we could have some girl-talk later, if she was even up for it.

I turned my back when Jacob began phasing, allowing him privacy as he tugged his clothes back on. It was when I felt his strong arms around me that I melted into his chest. He forgot the shirt, but that was alright. I wouldn't complain.

"Good morning," he murmured into my skin, kissing my temple.

I couldn't resist a smile. "Morning, handsome. Have you been out all night?"

"For the most part," Jacob replied, his hands on my stomach. "Seth slept through the night. He just hopped back on the trail a few minutes ago."

"Good." He got a good night's sleep, something he needed.

"Leah's next to crash. She's kinda bitchy without her sleep."

I smirked and turned in his arms, his large hands now resting on my back as I lifted my arms to wrap around his neck. "She's not the only one."

He lifted an eyebrow. "You're not talking about me, are you?"

I glanced to the side. "Maybe you, maybe me, maybe every single person on the planet."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning don't be so rude to her," I told him, meeting his gaze. "You guys may get on each other's nerves from time to time—"

"All the time."

"—but she's working hard. She didn't have to run patrol for you, you know. She could have easily done something else. If I remember correctly, you don't like ordering people around."

"I don't know. Bossing Leah around is kind of growing on me."

"Jake, lay off," I ordered then, only to see him frown. "She doesn't have a lot of people she can confide in or trust. She might not confide in you, but she does trust you. Give her some respect for that."

"Sure, sure." Jacob pulled me a little closer. "I think half her problem is she doesn't like having to protect the vamps. But apparently she prefers that over Sam."

"Can you blame her?"

He shrugged. "Guess not. I sometimes try to put myself in her shoes—think about you with someone else." He flinched and squeezed me. "I just…I can't. Hurts too much, even just the thought of it."

I pushed myself on my toes and kissed him. His lips were warm, soft—a wonderful addition to my morning. "Don't think about it," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours."

Jacob sucked in a breath. "Thank God for that," he muttered, then taking my face in his hands and kissing me again, this time with more urgency. It was as if he was thanking Fate for bringing us together, sealing my promise with a kiss.

I pressed my hands to his chest and felt his heartbeat beneath my fingertips. It was steady, strong, a perfect reflection of the boy kissing me. Even if we weren't tied by a magical bond, I could never leave him. Jacob was too good, too amazing to leave behind. Any girl would be out of her mind to do such a thing.

Jacob leaned his forehead to mine and exhaled heavily. "I've waited hours to do that."

"You can never get enough of me, can you?"

"Oxygen, remember?" He pecked me on the lips. "I can't live without you. You're my life. Have been since we ran into each other in that stupid hallway."

I smirked. "I kinda like that hallway."

"Hmph."

My smile fell away after a moment of silence, as I reflected on his words. I was his life. That flattered and terrified me at the same time. "Jacob…"

"Hm?" he hummed.

"You say I'm your life, your reason for existing, right?"

He pulled back slightly, eyes meeting mine as his eyebrows furrowed. "Yes…"

"I just…I want you to know," I began, lifting my hand to hold his against my cheek. "Ever since meeting you, I've never wanted to be your whole life. I only wanted to be your favorite part."

Jacob blinked, but then his smile appeared, beautiful and bright against his skin. It melted my heart. "You don't have to worry about that, pretty girl." He tucked my hair behind my ear. "You already are."

I stepped closer and embraced him, hiding my face in his chest. Did he hear the stutter in my heart? Did he know what words like that did to me? Sometimes I wondered if he could read me like an open book. With him, my heart was on my sleeve; it should have been easy for him.

Jacob rubbed circles into my back, and the gesture alongside his warmth made me want to stay glued to his side all day. But it couldn't be like that, not with Sam threatening murder. I had to let Jacob do his job. I would wait.

I retreated and with a quick push on my toes kissed him again. "I'll let you get back to work. I'll go say hi to the Cullens."

"No…" At my look, he sighed. "I know the main reason you're here is for me, but…don't put yourself through this if you don't want to. As much as I like seeing you, I can't really see you with this stuff going on."

"So what do you think I should do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's Saturday. Go be with your friends. Check on Hayley. I haven't talked to Embry since I split. She's the only one who could know how he's doing."

"…Two birds with one stone," I figured. Check on Hayley and get the details on Embry at the same time.

"Basically."

"Sounds like a good idea." I took a step back. "I'll stop by later. Be careful, and give Leah a break, okay?"

"Promise, but before you go…" Jacob grasped my wrist and pulled me to him, his lips finding mine instantly. He kissed me gently, slowly, and I forgot how to breathe for a minute. He retreated only an inch and smiled. "I had to steal one more from you. I'm not sorry."

I laughed softly and squeezed his hand. "Get going, silly boy."

Jacob winked at me before vanishing further into the trees.

. . . . . . . . . .

I was almost out of Forks when it happened.

Following Jacob's advice, I left the Cullens' and started back to La Push to check on Hayley. It was nearly ten and I still hadn't heard from her, which was odd considering all of the questions she'd had lately. Had she given up on me? Did she figure she was wasting her time by asking me all those questions? Did she finally hear the truth from Embry?

A part of me feared that possibility, and its outcome, when I took a turn in the road and had to slam on the brakes. My car skidded to a stop, my seatbelt pressing against my chest as it kept me from hitting the steering wheel. After getting forced into the back of my seat, I looked ahead to see a gigantic wolf in the middle of the road, which was thankfully empty.

They seriously had to stop surprising me like this.

The wolf's coat was grey with black spots, a dark nose on its head, and of course the brown eyes all the boys had in the tribe. These eyes held fear, panic, and I gasped upon recognizing whose they were.

"Embry?!"

He whined and nodded his head, stepping over slightly as I scrambled out of my car. He still stood in front of my vehicle, but I approached him anyway, setting a hand on his head. He whined again, as if trying to tell me something. It was another Seth situation all over again.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked, scared of the look in his eyes. He was afraid too, but also sad. What happened?

He looked me dead in the eye and gave me the one answer I feared.

"Hayley," he said, canines showing as he spoke her name.

My heart dropped. He wasn't phasing for a reason, but couldn't Sam see him? Couldn't Sam hear him? I kept a hand to Embry's head and looked to the trees. If he couldn't speak with me, he could with someone else. That someone was a person we both trusted with our lives.

"Jacob!"

. . . . . . . . . .

Jacob

"Howl if you need me," Leah insisted.

"Will do," I replied, running through my half of the trail as Seth covered the other. Within minutes Leah's thoughts went blank. Unconscious.

"Thank God she's out," Seth said with relief. "Her vibes were killing me."

"I guess what they say is true—girls need their beauty sleep. Not just for the physical aspect either. For prettier minds." I shuddered. Leah was crazy when she got sleep-deprived. She wasn't exactly someone you wanted to hang out with, let alone hear their thoughts. "Sarah said to lay off, but it's kind of hard when your sister pisses me off."

"Try living with her, man."

"I practically am."

"Sucks, right?" Seth snorted. "You should've seen her back when she was with Sam, though. She was happy—nice. Ever since Emily and Sam happened, she lost it."

"Can't say I blame her." Thoughts of my conversation with Sarah earlier returned, and I whined.

"Aw, Jake. That'll never happen with you guys."

"I know it won't, and I'm glad for that, but didn't Leah think the same thing about Sam?"

"…Yeah. She did."

I didn't doubt my relationship with Sarah for a second, but feeling what Leah did when she thought about Sam… I wasn't sure how she could see him with Emily and not lose her mind. She didn't have the choice to leave Sam's pack until now, but if she did upon her first transformation, I'd bet she would have immediately. Anything to get away from that anguish.

"Jake, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I instantly silenced my thoughts and paid more attention to my surroundings. Even so, I couldn't hear anything more than the obvious, and that was what surrounded me for a few miles. Seth had good ears from the start, so he had an advantage. "What is it?"

"Hard braking, tires screeching," he answered. "…I can hear Sarah, too."

The panic he felt impacted me in the same second. I turned and headed in his direction, the forest a blur of green as I ran. I then howled for Leah, needing her to cover me while I left. Even if Seth's thoughts were full of fear for Sarah's sake, he had to stay. What if Sam knew about this and used it as a distraction? What if they turned the tables by using my Sarah?

It didn't sound like Sam to be so heartless. He loved Sarah like family, as everyone did. He wouldn't use her like this. He couldn't.

Even so, the thought alone boosted my adrenaline. I found Seth and soared past him.

"Stay here! Tell Leah to keep an eye out!" I ordered.

"Got it!"

As I got closer, I nearly stumbled. Someone else's thoughts were interfering with my own. Not Seth, not Leah, but the voice was familiar. Panic and sorrow were present, as was worry.

"What do I do? What if she hates me? What if she never wants to talk to me again?" it said.

My speed made up for the distance from me to Sarah, and I heard her heartbeat—quick, unsteady—as I approached the road. Just as I leapt over the last log and landed on the pavement, the source of the voice registered. The confirmation was the wolf in front of me. My best friend.

"Embry?!"

He turned to me, eyes wide. Sarah stood next to him, mirroring his expression.

"Jake," she said, taking a step forward. "It's Hayley."

Embry whined and the images flashed in front of me, as if I was seeing them for myself. Hayley stood in the park late at night, green eyes full of anger and hurt. She jabbed Embry in the chest as she hollered. Her voice was strained, thick, as if she was holding back tears, but more than anything it was full of fury.

"You're lying to me! You're lying and you know it but you won't do anything to change it!" she screamed. "You're hiding something from me. Sarah is too, isn't she? Tell me! Embry, just tell me!"

I whined at the emotions that hit me, making me flinch, my ears flattening against my head. The feeling was all too familiar—it was what I suffered when Sarah and I struggled. Embry was going through the same thing.

"Fine! You wanna lie?! How about we just stop speaking altogether?" Hayley cried. A single tear fell down her cheek and she glared at Embry with furious green eyes. "I didn't sign up for this—for this lying and going behind my back. You want to keep secrets? Fine, but you're not keeping them from me!"

"What?" Sarah asked, approaching me and placing a hand on my head. "Jake, what's wrong?"

A low groan left my throat and I rubbed my head against her. The ache in my chest was one I suffered from for a long time. While the severity wasn't the same because it was secondhand, it still hurt. Embry was upset, disappointed and angry with himself—exactly what I felt.

I nudged Sarah with my nose to express I was alright and then focused on Embry. "You haven't told her," I assumed. Hayley knew something was going on and Embry wouldn't tell her.

"I can't. Not now. Not when things are so messed up," he said, whining. "I can't do that to her. I can't put this on her because of the pressure. But what am I supposed to do? She won't talk to me. She won't answer any of my calls and she won't let me see her. Sam was practically keeping me hostage so I wouldn't do anything reckless."

"Like coming to me."

Embry nodded.

He left Sam's pack before coming here. He was now part of mine. While I felt flattered that he found me so reliable, I couldn't help but think he made the wrong decision. This whole thing started from fear, from anger, from not wanting Sam to commit murder or hurt Sarah. Seth and Leah came on their own too, because they trusted me, but we weren't strong enough alone. The Cullens were willing to help us, but this pack was unstable. We were trading off patrol shifts for Christ sake. And Embry willingly came into that?

"It's not about that, Jake," he admitted. "You're my best friend. You were strong enough to go out on your own when you knew it wouldn't work for you, but look at what you've done. You managed to hold off Sam, you already have two of the best pack members Sam ever had, and you're not controlling them. Do you think I liked being hassled by Sam and Paul and everyone else? They didn't care about Hayley or me. They just didn't want me siding with you."

"What?"

"That family is broken. It's not even a family anymore, not to me. I was just angry all the time, and scared."

"You're kidding." I blinked. "I didn't know it was that bad."

"How could you? They practically banned you from your own home. You, Seth, and Leah."

"There can't be two Alphas."

"Maybe not, but La Push is just as much your home as it is theirs. You belong there. It's in your blood."

"It's not that easy, Embry."

"Why not? Why can't there be two packs? Why can't they work together for the same goal? Sam wants to protect the tribe, and I know that you do too, but right now you want to protect Sarah and Bella from that instability. Murder? I knew the second Sam considered it that he lost his mind. Murder isn't what we're about. It never has been. In my opinion, he shouldn't be Alpha when murder is an option. That thing might be killing a person, but she's going through this by choice. We can't interfere with that."

"But what about when it's born?"

He shrugged his wolf form slightly. "I don't know. Do you think it'll be dangerous?"

"It's killing Bella. It's already dangerous."

"But when it's born?"

I sighed. "I don't know either."

"Jake," Sarah called, looking from me to Embry. "What's he saying? Is Hayley okay?"

Embry's thoughts on our conversation vanished. Now, all he saw was Hayley. I steeled myself for the onslaught of emotions and looked to Sarah. I couldn't lie. Hayley wasn't alright, not emotionally. By my expression, Sarah clearly recognized that.

"We have to talk to her." She focused on Embry. "Embry, where is she? Is she at home?"

Embry shrugged again and I huffed. The only way to get to Hayley was to go back to La Push, but like Embry said, I wasn't welcome there. And now, neither was he.

But I was the rightful Alpha. I belonged in La Push. If Sam felt the need to challenge me when I got there, then so be it. I wasn't going to let him govern my life any longer. He didn't have the right.

"Let's go get her," I said.

A flash of anxiousness passed over Embry's expression, but then he covered it with determination, nodding. "Okay."

I moved behind Sarah and placed my head against her back, ushering her towards her car. She protested, questioning me, but once she was at the door, I backed off.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

It was a struggle, but I managed to form the word. "Home."

A/N: Surprise! Early update, like I hinted. Things are really heating up! Leave your thoughts on the chapter! I'd love to hear 'em. :)

Take care! See you next week!