Ok so this took longer than expected. I also had to push off some of the excitement but this should still be interesting…
Chapter 16: Wolves That Gnash Their Teeth
I think it's a staring contest. I can't think of a single word to say. I don't think he can either, the way we're waiting to see who will break first. I'm trying not to blink, and he's trying not to breathe.
It's him. He smiles first and looks absolutely beautiful against the sunlight, tousled hair down and behind his ears. Jake's thumb brushes along my chin, and like sticking a fork in a socket, my heart squeezes in on itself in violent currents. This is when he's the most dangerous. His disarming smile and gentle touch turn me to goo. I believe he has the power to destroy the world.
This is what happens when I let my guard down. I release all power to him. I smile until my cheeks raise to my lashes. Massaging the tattoos along his neck, grabbing his ears, waiting for him to lower his lips onto mine, I beg for it all.
Jake rests his forehead on mine whispering, "When are you going to learn to take what you want?" He lightly brushes his lips over mine again and again, teasing me.
I fist his shirt and bring him closer. I dare to deepen the kiss. I part his lips and soul with my tongue. His sinful essence oozes and bleeds for me. Yes, that's it. That's what I crave. All of the darkness curls around me in a sexual chorus.
It's silly and sensual, like I'm finally in the right place at the right time. I'm playing in the milky way at noon on a sunny day.
I'd gladly follow you in a continuous spiral. "Where are we going?" I don't care where you take me, as long as it's with you… Pleasure or pain, take me there.
I fervently kiss along his neck and jawline. I feel the wetness pool at my core when he moans in my ear.
He's back to his silent game. I'm mostly forced into answers and admission, but he takes his time, choosing words wisely. Jake pulls away and closes the car door between us, popping an invisible rubber band.
The frigid cab of his Range Rover feels hollow until he starts the ignition. Just like the shell of all sense and inhibition, the silence is run off by his voice. "I'm taking you to my home," he says with a hint of tension.
His home. His home is on the reservation, miles away from forks. I'm going to stick out. "Should I be afraid?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of when you're with me." His free hand warms my fingers as he twines them together.
The car is going 40mph, but it feels like he's speeding to our deaths. I drive on this same road every day, but he's taking us much further. There's no going back now. He's letting me into his bubble.
"It's a meeting with the bloodlines, and I want you to meet my dad before that happens. Old Quil has asked for Wolves to-"
"Old Quil?" I'm studying his facial expressions for clues. The learning curve feels steep and intimidating. He never starts at the beginning, always in the middle.
"One of the elders from the second bloodline. Don't worry about remembering —" His tone downplays the discomfort. He doesn't want me to understand everything. Why does he want me to forget?
"And you're taking me to meet your father?"
"Yeah." He finally looks away from the road, taking glimpses of my reaction.
"What about your mom? Is she gonna be there too? I should have worn something nice. Why didn't you tell me?" I fidget in my faded flannel and look down at my worn jeans. You should have given me a chance to wash away the grime, wash away the town that I've crawled out of.
"Bella, slow it down. My father is a man of few words. You don't have to impress him. And nobody is worried about what you're wearing." His voice breaks and shrinks before adding, "My mom is long gone. She died when I was really young. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want it to be like this. I don't want you to feel scared or nervous."
I can feel the sadness roll off of him. I can feel the root of the darkness, the source of the beginning of the end of Jacob's childhood. It's waning pain, "But it still hurts you. I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's fine." He shrugs, "I don't remember much… And the bloodlines take care of each other. Mothering is communal. Sue took care of me the most. I didn't miss much. No need to feel sorry."
"It's still not the same. No one can replace your mom. You miss her."
"Yeah. What about you? Where's your mom?" His eyebrows raise, eyes soft and searching.
My throat tightens at the question. "I never had anything to miss. She left. I never really had a mom while she was here, actually, if I really think about it."
"You still miss her," he parrots my remark.
"I wish that were true." You can't miss what you've never had. My shoulders hunch in exhaustion. "My family isn't really 'family oriented'."
"That's ok. I have plenty of moms you can choose from."
We both look at each other in stiff humor before I roll my eyes and watch the trees from outside my window.
"The energy you're made of, your life decisions, I feel all of it." Protection, death, sorrow, pain, pleasure, strength, and weakness. "Why is that?" Why can I understand your feelings without understanding my own?
"Don't get sucked into it. It's poison." He starts to pull away from me but I grab his arm.
I worm my arms around his side like a Virginia creeper plant on limestone. "No, it's the greatest gift." His eyes snap to mine like I've said something crazy.
"When you get tired of feeling mine, you should let me feel yours. I know you think you don't have a presence, but everyone has a spirit. You'll have to let it out sooner or later. Don't be afraid of it."
The cold and boring me is not worth exploring. "If it was worth the time, you' would've felt it by now." Maybe that's why it was so easy for you to leave the diner without looking back. Maybe that's why our first chance meeting was so casual on your part. Maybe that's why I had to beg you not to leave. "Nothing can compete with your aura."
"They're not meant to compete. It's about complementing and completing, a form of balance with the people you tie yourself to. You'll understand when you meet my brothers. They're not just friends. You already met Embry, he's from the third bloodline, and then there's Old Quil's grandson, Quil."
"You only trust two out of the nine bloodlines?"
"There are different levels of trust, especially with the divide between me and my brother. Leave Paul and the others alone. They all fall behind Sam since he was part of the pack years before me. Jared's pretty neutral but then again anything after the fifth bloodline doesn't have much power.
"The fourth bloodline is Clearwater, Sue's bloodline. She's one of the nine mothers, but her son is too young and women aren't normally seated at the table. Her daughter, Leah, can only tip the scale so much. Her son, Seth, will fall behind me when the time comes."
This crash course is overwhelming and leaves me with more questions than answers. "What table? There's a special table? Or is that some metaphor?"
"Yes," His breathy laugh lightens the mood. "There's an actual table, and depending on who you ask, it may or may not be magical. You'll understand once we get there."
He's driven past Anita's bar, past the border, and down a side road I've never been on. There aren't any street lights or sidewalks. It's just road for miles. Nothing looks familiar, not even the two lanes that extend past the territory signs. The road turns to a dirt path and a big but simple log home that's stained mahogany sits in front of us.
Jake doesn't waste any time pulling me out of the car. Somehow he stands even taller as he leads me inside.
I'm brought to the living room with a huge cowhide rug and wooden furniture. There's not much to the interior, only open space and tons of windows with a view of the forest. The natural lighting pours in adding warmth to the quiet room. I can clearly smell the familiar incense that sticks to Jacob.
"So this is your place?"
Jacob wraps his arms around me from behind. "Yes, sort of. It is the home of the first family, my family. Things will change when the new alpha is chosen. If my brother is the next alpha, I'll be moving out."
We have a moment of deep breathing before something makes me straighten my spine, inflate my ribs with air, and tightly grip Jacob's arms resting around my waist.
The old wood floor creaks behind us and a man who resembles Jacob with long, gray hair and crows feet, rolls his wheelchair into the room. His face is rounder and his eyes are impossibly darker. His thin lips turn up in a closed smile emphasizing his hollowed cheeks.
"Father, this is Bella. She's my chosen," Jacob stops himself, clearing his throat. "She's my woman. She completes me."
What an odd way to put it. Is it wrong to think he said something with more meaning than I can understand? Wouldn't it be easier to say 'This is my girlfriend.' Does his dad need to know the depth of our relationship? Does his dad no more than I do?
His father's eyebrows lift almost as high as his hairline. He appears visibly shocked, but his voice is calm and steady, "Oh, Old Quil said it would be soon, but I didn't think…" His words trail off in thought before he continues, "It's nice to meet you, Bella," eye contact intense and oddly unguarded.
I'm catching phantom waves and residuals of Jake's vibe, or rather Jake holds a part of his dad's aura within him. But there's nothing playful about his dad, not in the slightest.
"H-hi, nice to meet you Mr. Black."
"Billy, the name's Billy." He takes a closer look at me, leaning slightly forward. "How old are you Bella?"
"I'm eighteen." A blush runs to my cheeks. I'm a couple days shy of my eighteenth birthday and I've been sleeping with your twenty-eight year old son. Jake's arms suddenly feel a bit heavy around my waist.
"Ah, I assume you still live at home. What do your parents do for a living?"
"My dad is a fisherman."
"And your mother?"
I cringe at the question and my obvious omission. "Oh, I'm not sure. She left us about eight years ago." Jake kisses my cheek and holds me tighter. His strength keeps me from shrinking my form.
"Hmm, and does your father work for the Volturi Fisheries?"
I'm tucked into Jake but it feels like his father has a hold on me, a force of candor. "Um," I'm sucked into his steely stare. My words come out strangely, like a subconscious thought, "No, he works for a smaller contract vessel, a subsidiary under Daitoh."
He nods his head, blinking slowly. "Jacob has a lot of people to introduce you to."
Jake firmly cuts in, "The more I think about it, the more I think it's a bad idea. She's not staying for the meeting. There are other ways to go about this."
"I think she should, son. Show some respect to the other elders and declare yourself worthy of becoming alpha." Billy's eyes turn sharp, and his voice grows stern.
They share a silent conversation before Jake withdraws, and Billy pushes himself down the hall.
Jake's arms cross over my shoulders, his chest against my back, speaking into my ear, "Don't worry, all you have to do is sit close behind me. I'll take care of the rest."
I trust myself to stay quiet, therefore I trust him. Or maybe it's the other way around. He said himself not to trust his own brother. Does that extend to the rest of his family? How many people in this room actually support Jacob?
I let him lead me further into his home, cast in his shadow. Our hands join in a death grasp as we get closer to the hushed tones and constant low hum of people talking. The room is just as natural as the living room.
And just like the living room, it's plain wooden furniture in a plain room. Only this room isn't empty. The room is filled with inky black hair and watchful eyes. Everyone is standing in small clusters orbiting the table, very cliquish and high school like. But all of that is of little importance once my eyes settle on the reason we're here.
In the center of the room is a table with intricate hand carvings of symbols that resemble the tattoos on Jacob's body. This is the magical table. It's huge, nearly covering the entire middle of the room. I've never seen anything like it, short stubby legs and natural live edges. And then it hits me, there are no chairs. Everyone has to sit on the floor.
I work up the nerve to look around at the groups and notice the divide. The older men are at the furthest end, while the younger people sit at the end closest to the door.
"Oh shit, you brought her." I whip around to see Embry smiling behind us.
"Hey, man," Jake warmly greets him.
"Hi, Embry." I sigh in relief at the friendly, familiar face.
"Hi, Bella. We missed you at the bar." He looks over at Jake and laughs. "Relax, Bella. Just look the elders in the eye when they talk to you. You'll be alright."
As if the room can't get any more intimate, two more people join, A tall woman with cropped black hair, and a guy a little younger than me. There are about twenty people in the room with open gaps around the table, but she sits next to Jacob.
"Hey, Leelee." Embry bends down to kiss her on the cheek.
The strong woman half-heartedly swats him away. "Don't call me that. Go sit your ass down, number 3."
Embry laughs over to his place on the other side of the table, across from Jacob, alone. All the little clusters have two to three people behind each man. The women are seated on their heels, the men cross legged. Embry has no support.
Where's the rest of Embry's bloodline? Doesn't he have a family? His keen features stick out more than ever. He does look a little different from everyone else. He notices me staring, so I wave. He waves back with a slight smile.
A hand juts out next to me "Hi, I'm Seth."
"Hi, I'm Bella." I shake his hand before we take our places behind Leah and Jake.
"I know. Jacob didn't say anything about bringing you before the elders. Welcome, I guess?"
"Are you ready to answer the elders?" Leah cuts into our odd introduction.
"Answer the elders? I don't —" Now I'm really confused. I pull Jacob's hand into my lap and squeeze for help.
"She's just here to show respect and then we're leaving," He whispers within our cluster.
"You've got to be kidding me," she hisses, "This ain't a powwow. If you're not here to help Jacob become our leader, then what the hell are you doing here?" She looks at me like I'm useless.
The conversations around us come to a halt when Billy speaks up, "It appears both of my sons have found their other half, both Jacob and Sam should be considered equally for Alpha." The old men sitting at the furthest end of the table grunt, nod with pursed lips, and stare at me silently.
"But why is she here?" A woman seated behind Sam objects.
One of the elders speaks up, "Emily, please. She's been chosen by Jacob-"
"No, why is she at this meeting? She's a fucking outsider. She doesn't even share a family tattoo yet. First it's allowing an unclaimed woman to sit at the table, now this." Emily's harsh words make the table fall silent and stiff.
And now I'm a flimsy book jacket hanging on to Jacob's shoulders. It doesn't take much to flick my hands, and toss me out of the room. I know I have no rightful place to be here. I'm unnecessary, potentially annoying, and good at making the actual book slip between your fingers. One wrong move and I can make Jake's respect fall from an otherwise steady grip.
"She is here for the same reasons you are. Her name is Bella, and you will respect her. Watch your mouth, and don't let it happen again." Jake's demand feels vicious and territorial. His beast has awoken.
I tug on the bottom of Jacob's shirt and lower my head. This was a bad idea. My being here could hurt Jake. I have become one more thing to count against him.
"I see what's going on. Instead of embracing Sam's birthright, you all are trying to fast track Jacob to being alpha. Unbelievable!" Emily yells over Sam's shoulder.
"Nobody's doing anything of the sort and if you dare question our authority again, you will be asked to leave." A man with white hair and barely open eyes, cracks down.
"I think it's fine. Jacob has chosen her. What's the difference between now or next week?
Besides, none of that stopped you. I've got a whole coverup to prove it." Leah nonchalantly gestures to the giant colorful tattoo on her arm.
Billy puts me on the spot. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop when he asks,"Bella, do you believe Jacob should be the next alpha?"
"Bella, don't answer that."
I look Billy in the eye and ignore Jacob's interruption. "Yes, I do."
"Are you ready to embrace the gift and carry the bloodline?" One of the unnamed elders adds.
"Don't answer that!" Jacob raises his hand, motioning for me to stay quiet. "Old Quil, this is not what we discussed."
"Have we made a mistake in considering you as alpha? You can't have it both ways, Jacob. Either you give your life to the bloodline and fulfill your duties, or step aside." Old Quil's white eyebrows raise in provocation.
Jake's voice resounds throughout the room, his temper on the edge,"You all asked me to bring her before the council because of Old Quil's vision. She's not a vessel. She's my woman! I brought her here to pay respect before the council. Your decision should not come down to Bella's involvement. I will not subject her to—"
"Yes, I am ready." Isn't this part of never letting go? Isn't this part of embracing our bond and accepting all of him? I'm not sure what any of this means, but I'm sure of Jacob.
"And just as Old Quil saw, you've already changed since meeting her. You've finally decided to grow a spine and use your voice. You're ready and she's prepared to take her place at your side," Another elder's raspy voice replies.
"This is bullshit! Did you know about this, Sam?" Paul complains from beside Sam.
"I knew Jacob was involved with the diner chick. I didn't know that the elders had already made their decision to undermine my rightful title as alpha."
"Oh cut the crap. You never were leader material. You're a brainless follower that rules with his fist." Leah fires back.
"Leah, that seat was never meant for you. Shouldn't you be sitting behind little Seth?" Emily sneers.
"Shouldn't you be on your knees sucking Sam's—"
"Sam, tell her to shut up!" Emily elbows him in his side.
My mouth falls open at Leah's offhand response.
"What? I don't get in between women's beef. I won't be addressing fourth family today anyway. Only a male Clearwater can speak at this table. Seth hasn't come of age yet. Technically they shouldn't even be here. Their vote doesn't count as far as I'm concerned."
"Enough! I'm still Alpha. It is not your place to decide who sits in the fourth chair." Billy's bellowing voice asserts its dominance.
My eyes are swinging back and forth like a pendulum clock.
"That was always your problem, father. You bend the rules when you see fit, to hell with everybody else." Sam's getting testy, slamming his fist on the table.
"It's not about what any of us wants, it's about what the spirits want. Our ancestors passed this duty down to us."
Sam's indignant rant erupts, "Oh you shut the fuck up, Jake. The only reason you're not complaining is because father thinks the sun shines out of your ass. The spirits this, the spirits that! It doesn't matter to me if our ancestors are watching or not. What I want is not the power of the ancestors, but the power of the people. I'm tired of letting the Cullens do what they want. We all know I'm the only one with the guts to push them out. If anything, the ancestors and their treaty get in the way!"
"We can't just push them out, Sam. Our word is our bond. The only thing clean about our relationship is the treaty. You take that away, and we play right into their hands."
"Except the Cullens are not moving shellfish, Jake. Vessels weigh anchor and there's no record of any trade, but it always stops on Denali's port before heading further out. I don't know if you're naive or delusional. You're the only one playing by the rules. Are you that gullible to believe the spirits will save us from the Volturi? They're lying about their intentions and nobody is pressing them to find out why."
"Yet you still won't tell us what happened in Denali or why the Cullens are looking for their members on our reservation. Maybe you're not worried about breaking the treaty because you already did. Did you kill them, Sam? Did you do the one thing father told you not to?"
Sam ignores Jacob's question, "It's time we restore the original power of the tribe. Some of the elders are tired of sharing the fruits of our land." A few of the older men stir and grumble.
"You become Alpha, and tear the whole thing down? Is that your plan? To hell with the safety of our people as long as you get what you want." Jacobs voice shakes in uncontrolled anger. His fists are almost vibrating.
"High risk, high reward." Sam's response comes with a resigned shoulder shrug.
"I finally understand. It's not greed, it's gluttony. You'd devour the deities if you could." Jacob stands, "I hope you all come to a decision you can live with." He grabs me by the arm, forcing my numb legs to walk. "We're leaving."
The fresh air rushes past my face as we hurry back to his car. I almost trip over my feet as he swings me around to face him.
"Didn't I say to sit behind me and let me handle it?" His frustrated gaze makes me do the unthinkable.
I reach up on my tippy toes and kiss him deeply.
Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think! I'm very interested.