A/N: Here we go...

Disclaimer:
All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not make money from this.

Chapter 9: The Garage

I was a fucking wreck.

It took everything in me not to turn my car around, head back home, crawl under the covers, and hope to wake up from this nightmare. Here I was, a self-respecting, tough as nails, feminist, going directly into the lion's den. I was playing with fire. I should not be doing this. If I go back home with yet another broken heart, Stella would kill me. She's only trying to look out for me. To be fair, she saw me at my absolute worst.

I showed up at the women's shelter after a dude kicked me out of his apartment. After we fucked, he didn't let me stay. For which I put up a fight. And of course I was in no position to be able to do that. I had no experience. No self-worth. No self-respect. I had hit rock bottom. I was hungover, starving, and couldn't remember the last time I showered. The men I spent my time with didn't have standards. That was the easiest way to get a bed to sleep in. However, this time it didn't work.

It was dead of winter, cold for California. Cold enough to force myself to keep walking when all I wanted to do was find a dim corner to sleep on. At that point, I was emaciated, physically weak. I only ate on the off chance someone would give me a couple of dollars. I didn't ask for it. I had that much pride. But, I still took it. I had blown through my savings within the first 6 months. Cheap motels, food, alcohol, weed, alcohol, food. My priorities were shit. I didn't have a hope in the world to be able to commit to a job either. I needed to fulfill my basic needs before I could hope to do that. And I knew if I continued on like that, I wouldn't make it much longer.

I searched in the hope to find the place I saw a flyer for a month prior. When I found the shelter, it was the only illuminated building on that empty San Francisco street at 3 in the morning. One thing I loved about my shelter, we were always open. I hated depending on others to take care of me at first. I walked in and I was quickly greeted with warmth and concerned faces and questions.

They quickly sat me down, gave me a blanket, a cup of water, and crackers. They asked my basic info. Stella was the one to sit with me as I quietly answered their simple questions. They let me take a shower, took my vitals, and gave me a bed in a room with other dreaming ladies. For the first time in a year I was actually okay. Or felt a little better at least. For the first time I was surrounded by people who were not only like me, but were willing to talk to me and cope with me. I couldn't remember the last time someone asked me how I was. I had no contact with friends or family. My phone had gotten stolen a couple of months after I left Forks. It got real fucking lonely when the only interactions I got were the pity looks of people handing you dollar bills and sleazy men looking for somewhere to stick it.

But, I pushed through. I formed a tight bond with Stella because she was the first woman in the shelter not to give me looks of pity. She saw something in me that I thought had died long ago. She wanted to bring the strength out of me. She didn't treat me like a fragile porcelain doll. To her, I was another woman with the fight knocked out of her and who needed an extra push. No one was ever a lost cause to her. Not even when women snuck out at the first sign of vulnerability. They would come back, she said. They couldn't handle confronting their demons. We fought tooth and nail to convince ladies to stay at times. And despite the amount of care and safety we offered them, they couldn't handle seeing the broken faces of the women around them. They would come back eventually. If not, we prayed that they were okay. We held out hope for the women who were suffering that they would one day find the peace they needed. And sometimes, death was they peace they needed.

We see a lot of heart break, pain, addiction, abuse, and mental illness. We take every woman in as if we had been expecting them. We don't ask for the gritty details at first. They run if you do that. We just let them feel taken care of and safe. Fed and warm. Fulfill their basic needs and let them trust you. Then we work on the hard parts. It can take weeks to months for women to face their demons. And some never do. We can't force them to do anything. Victims of abuse have a hard time getting told what to do. Understandable. So we let them pave their way. Give them free reins. Something as small as letting them choose their flavor of juice, or what craft they would like to do makes a huge difference in how they choose to make the most of their stay.

It was hard work, but it was fulfilling. I woke up every day with a purpose. I wasn't waking up with concerns about myself. I woke up with the worry that the women we took in last week would be gone. I would mentally prepare for the worst case scenarios to show up each day. I would run through my schedule, meet with Stella, chat with the ladies over coffee. Live their lives with them. Even when we weren't specifically sitting down with them to open up, they would sometimes just let it flow out of them. Sometimes breakfast would span for hours because a woman would finally be ready to talk about her journey. And fuck all if I was going to ruin that by following the schedule. So we would sit. Have coffee. I would chat with them as if we were talking about the weather. But they would be telling me the gruesome stories of their past. I wouldn't give them looks of pity. They've had enough to last them a lifetime. I would nod and sip. That's all they needed. I would make sure to add my mental notes to their files. I would slip away into my room above the shelter and cry it out when the stories were just that bad. And I then I would continue about my day. They weren't the first and they wouldn't be the last.

That was my life. As hard and as mentally exhausting as it was, it was everything to me. Being in Forks almost sweeps away all the work I have done throughout the years. Suddenly my life isn't about those women anymore. I'm thrusted back into a world those women would never know or understand. I was expected to care for and build trust with a man that wanted nothing to do with me. A man I wanted nothing to do with. A man of my worst nightmares. The type of man I protected my women from. The type of man my women run away from.

And instead of running, like Stella wants me to, I was facing him.

/

I pulled up to the garage. A one story building of metal and steel. It looked fucking badass. They must have been doing well. Large metal grates were pulled up to reveal the plethora of cars parked inside of them. And with the cars came the hulking men working around them.

Leah jogged out from one of the openings of the garage to meet me.

"Sup, Bitch," she smirked and yanked me out of my car for another hug.

I never pegged Leah as a hugger.

"Hey, Lee," I choked out.

She laughed and let me go to whack me on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it," she winked and gestured to me to follow her.

"Geez," I cringed and rubbed my shoulder. "I'm still human, you know."

She shrugged. "Eh. Barely."

I laughed and followed her into the noisy belly of the beast.

"Sis!" Seth popped his head over a car on the other side of the garage. A chorus of 'hi Bella' echoed around the garage.

"Hell yeah," Paul grinned as he slid out from under the car next to us. He heaved himself up, dusted his hands off, and hooked his arm around my neck and gave me a squeeze. "How you doing?" he mumbled.

What the fuck was happening? Since when have they been so touchy feely?

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," I laughed uncomfortably and slid out of his arm.

"We didn't think you would make it," Seth bounded over to us, a bright smile on his face, and pulled me into a gentler, yet still tight hug.

"Okay, what the fuck?" I said as he let me go. "What's with all the hugging?"

Leah laughed and patted my shoulder. "We're huggers in this family," she grinned and sauntered off to her desk nestled off to the side of the garage. She had a computer, phone, and papers scattered across the surface.

"It's fuckin' weird," I grumbled and readjusted my ruffled sweater.

The guys laughed. They all heard my complaints even at the farthest end of the garage.

Paul smirked and threw a heavy arm around my shoulder. "Eh, you'll get used to it."

"Geez, your arm feels like an anaconda," I grunted as I tried to push it off.

He laughed, keeping it firmly on my shoulders. "That's not the only thing that's-"

Suddenly Paul went rigid, dropped his arm and sped back to the car he was working on. The other guys quickly looked away from me and went back to their work without a backwards glace. I looked a Leah who also held a neutral expression as she sat at the desk. She motioned to me with her chin and patted a seat next to her.

I looked around and the guys were back to working as they were when I walked in. Music played over the speakers. Nothing but the sound of tools at work.

I gave her a questioning look but went over and took my seat anyway.

"What the fuck was that?" I whispered to her, feeling as though we were supposed to be quiet.

She motioned with her eyes to the right. I followed her gaze.

Jacob walked boldly and determinedly through the door at the far end of the garage. His deep, bronze skin smoothed over his firm, rippling muscles. He wore the matching black shirts that the rest of the guys were wearing with the name and logo of the garage on the back. He walked past each car, saying a few words to each of his men. He would clap them on the shoulder, lightly kick their legs sticking out from under the cars, and inspect beneath a hood with a neutral expression. His brow would furrow as one of them would explain whatever the fuck they were working on to him. He would exchange a few more words, pointing at things under the hood, and continue on his way.

Paul quickly straightened up from his position underneath the hood of a Toyota Tacoma as Jacob approached him.

"Alpha," Paul greeted him and held out a hand to Jacob.

Jacob firmly clasped his hand to his. "Sup, bro," he said in a voice so fucking rich and deep, my toes involuntarily curled in my sneakers. Definitely not how I remembered it. He slapped his shoulder and continued on past him and walked with the same strength and dominating energy straight towards the desk. Paul shot me a wary look, but quickly returned his attention to the engine.

As he approached us I could feel the irritation in my belly fade. I felt the itch all over my body being scratched. His proximity to me relaxed the tension in my shoulders. I wasn't worried anymore.

"Leah," Jacob said shortly.

"Alpha," Leah greeted, and clicked through various screens on her computer.

I quickly dropped my eyes to stare at his boots. Fucking massive dude.

"Squeeze in Allen Hughes at 10:30 on Friday. He drives a Boss 429. Been itching to get him in. Don't forget to check the status on that fuel filter. We need it in by the end of the week. It's should come tomorrow. If Vince comes by again let him know we're handling it. And watch the fucking attitude when you answer the phone," he bit out and swiftly turned and walked all the way to the far side of the garage.

I wasn't shocked that he didn't even bother to acknowledge me.

"You got it, boss," Leah said plainly and rolled her eyes at me.

What the fuck?

"Told you he was pleasant," she whispered once he was on the other side of the garage. She rifled through papers stacked on her desk.

"Does he always talk to you like that?" I hissed, my blood boiling in my ears. It was one thing to hear how much a jerk he was. It was another to witness it right in front of my eyes.

She sniffed a laugh and kept her eyes focused on her work. "That's him being nice," she whispered.

"But, he treats the guys just fine. Why are you any different?"

She sighed again and set down her papers to look at me. "Bella, he's not very fond of me. In case you forgot, I beat the shit out of him a couple weeks ago. And plus, he knows I can't fucking stand him. He hurt my imprint. It's not something I can easily forgive," she spoke quickly and lowly.

"You had every right to defend Phoenix."

"Duh. But he's alpha. And alpha helps pay the bills. I'll take whatever shit he throws at me to keep the lights on. I'd rather work with my brothers than somewhere else itching to get out of my uniform."

She was wearing the same, comfortable t-shirt, shorts and sneakers like the rest of the pack. They were all able to dress some-what comfortably.

"Leah," I sighed. "That isn't right. You're just as important as any of them. You keep the place organized."

"You think I don't know that? They all claim they're too stupid to do my job but they know it's boring as hell. But I push through it to provide for Phoenix. Bella, please. I can take care of myself. Don't worry about it."

I was struggling to shut my mouth. But, this was my job clawing its way out of me. It was one of the many things I work on every day for my women. How could I sit here and watch Leah get spoken to in such a blatant manner? And no one else would dare bat an eye.

I watched her work quietly. As much as I wanted to stand up and help Leah fight for her place, I needed to remember why I was here. I wasn't here to work some feminist magic. I came to help Jacob and that's it. He clearly didn't want anything to do with me, but I would stick it out for the pack.

But, after I while I got an idea. It was so fucking tempting. What harm could it do?

"Hey, Paul?" I called quietly.

He looked up from his spot, glanced over to where Jacob was currently directing Seth, and walked over to the desk.

"Sup, sis?" he said, his voice more controlled and neutral than usual.

"Think you could answer the next phone call to come in?" I smirked at him.

"Bella, no," Leah said firmly beside me.

His face went from neutral to alarmed then settled on humor. "Okay, Bella. Very funny," he chuckled and turned back around to head to the car.

"Scared?" I challenged him.

He whipped back around. "No way. I could do it and do it with a fuckin' smile unlike some people," he said arrogantly as he sneered at Leah.

She laughed beside me. "Yeah. I doubt that. Once you pick up the phone you'll be begging for help," she said triumphantly and crossed her arms.

"You're on, Lee. Your job ain't that hard," he shrugged.

She stared him down for a moment and, as if on cue, the phone began to ring. Her eyes twinkled as she made no move to answer it. Paul narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. He picked up the phone off the hook and lifted it up to his ear. His baseball mitt of a hand made the phone look like it was made for children.

"Alpha Automotive," he said in a chipper voice.

I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Paul speaking. How can I help you?" he asked with a weird ass smile on his face. "Uh, you want to make an appointment? Sure, sure. Let me just, uh, check," he quickly walked around me and peered over Leah's shoulder. He started to frantically shove papers everywhere. "Where the fuck is the thing?" he hissed as he shoved the papers aside.

Leah silently laughed. "Told you, dip shit," she whispered as she watched him struggle.

"Fuck you," he hissed into the receiver of the phone. "Oh shit. No, no, I wasn't talking to- You what? N-no," he stammered as the voice on the other end grew louder. "I'm sorry. Here let me- Hello? Hello?" he stared incredulously at the phone.

"PAUL LAHOTE." I my heart nearly burst out of my chest as a voice thundered from across the garage.

The entire garage went silent as all the wolves pulled back from their work and quickly averted their eyes.

"Oh fuck," Leah whispered and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had her eyes pinned to the papers in front of her.

Jacob took controlled and deliberate steps as he pinned his dark, menacing gaze on Paul.

Paul cursed under his breath and put the phone back on the hook. He kept his eyes trained on the desk, his fists clenched at his sides.

As much as I wanted to look away, I kept my eyes on Jacob. He looked like a fucking monster. The veins in his neck were bulging, his muscles were rippling through his arms. Fuck. I had only been here less than an hour and I already fucked it up.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Jacob growled as he stalked toward the desk, burning a hole in Paul's forehead.

"Nothing. Sorry," Paul bit out, not meeting Jacob's eyes.

"Didn't look like nothing. Looks like we lost a customer. Correct?" Jacob said, his voice suddenly switching from rage to eerie control.

"It was my fault," I said quickly.

"You shut your mouth," he spat, not even giving me so much as a glance.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Oh hell no.

I slowly stood from my seat. I had to crane my neck to look at his face that was still staring directly at Paul.

"Don't speak to me that way," I said lowly, my voice steady and strong.

"Bella," Leah warned.

"No, Leah. I'm not one of his wolves," I said and took another step toward him. "And don't punish Paul for my actions."

He quickly looked directly down at me, those soulless eyes piercing me where I stood. I fought the urge to look away. He bent over slightly to put his face right in front of mine. "You are in my garage," he spoke lowly, his voice bitter and cold. "And you do not tell me how to run my garage. I will speak to you however I see fit. You need to leave," he growled lowly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, looking directly into the fiery pits of his eyes. "Why don't you make me?" I whispered.

I was digging my own grave, but the fire was burning so deep in my belly, I couldn't pull it back.

"Bella," Leah said again.

"What? Are you gonna alpha order me? Huh?" I challenged and shoved my hands in his chest causing him to straighten back up.

"Bella, no," Leah hissed at me.

"I'm not fucking scared of you. They might be, but you can't control me like that. All you do is treat everyone like shit," I scoffed.

He kept his gaze steadily on me, his stoic mask giving me nothing.

"What? You're not used to a fight? Do something about it, Jacob," I sneered. "Get mad at me. Order me. Fucking hit me like all those other girls. Treat me like one of them, Jacob," I said throwing another shove at him. "That's all I am to you right? A weak little girl?"

He stared down at me, his coal eyes burning into mine. He held his hands behind his back, arms flexing as he continued to glare at me.

"Do it," I challenged.

He stared at me. His expression was full of nothing but hatred and rage. But, controlled. He was holding back. I could feel it.

I stared directly back at him, challenging the wolf beneath.

"Get out of my garage," he ground out through gritted teeth, his neck flexing with each word. His voice was lethal and sharp. It made a shiver run down my spine.

My eyes paced between his. Nothing. He saw me as nothing. Jacob. They boy I knew and loved was gone. Those dark chocolate eyes crusted over in volcanic rock. Nothing.

I looked at Leah and Paul. They both stood, necks bared, eyes averted away from us. No one in the garage dared to peek over at us.

I grabbed my keys from the desk and shoved my way past Jacob. He stepped away, my arm barely brushing his.

I wouldn't cry. I couldn't cry.

A/N: Oof. Let me know what you think!