Chapter 3: A New Plan and a Puppy

After the excitement of the day, it was nice to get back to Seth's house. It was outside town, a little off the beaten path. It is a nice wooden cabin= the kind of place that you think of when you think of cabin in the woods. Inside, it was modern and had a wonderful view. There were some large sofas and Seth and I settled there.

"So, what do you want to do now?" said Katie

"Want to race in Mario Kart? Do you want a snack, I'm kind of hungry?"

"Yes, and yes," said Katie grinning.

I grabbed some chips and drinks from the fridge. I grabbed a Gatorade for Katie. She might want a Diet Coke, but I'm going with what Dr. Carlisle said.

"Seth don't eat too much. Dinner is in an hour," called Sue.

"I won't. Katie just didn't get lunch because we were at the hospital." I replied

"We're having ribs, corn, and salad for dinner," said Sue," Katie does that sound good or do you want something lighter?"

"Ribs sound amazing" said Katie

Great.

We played a few rounds of Mario Kart. Katie beat me twice.

"I win," said Katie, with a huge grin on her face.

"I'll get you next time"

"No, you won't" said Katie

"Best of three?" I replied

"Sure," she replied, "You just can't stand the fact that Princess Peach can beat Mario."

"I get to play the winner," shouted Paul, Seth's brother.

"What does the winner get?" asked Katie

"The drink of your choice on ice, served by the loser," said Paul, "that is the standard bet in our house.

Katie beat me twice.

"Wow, you're taking this loss very well. Are you sure you didn't let me win?"

"No, I didn't," but I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face. It might be the fact that I imprinted, but I know that I will be perfectly happy if we are together. It is kind of like an invisible string that binds us together.

"Supper" called Mrs. Sue. There was a commotion as everyone raced to the table. In addition to Seth and his brothers, Jacob joined us. The ribs smelled wonderful and it took a lot to just wait until after grace.

"Katie are you feeling better?" asked Mrs. Sue.

"Yes, I'm feeling a lot better" said Katie.

"Did you talk to your parents", asked Sue.

"Yes, I facetimed them at the hospital. I told them not to come home early."

"Did you get to ride in an ambulance?" ask Will.

"I did."

"Was it cool? Did they use the sirens?

"It was cool, and they did use sirens. Seth can tell you more- he got to come, too."

"Awesome" said Will.

"The funny thing is that Seth seemed to know before it happened. Do you all have super senses or something?" asked Katie

"Well, kind of, I mean, I just have a strong sense of smell. It runs in the family," said Seth.

"No, I know there is something else going on here." Said Katie, "I don't know what, but something." Said Katie.

I wanted to tell her right now. I wanted to tell her everything- that I'm a wolf, that our lives are intertwined, that I loved her- that she was the sun and I the moon. But there is no way I can do that right here in front of everyone. For one thing, the tribe tried to keep our ability a secret from others. Since I did imprint on Katie, she could be an honorary tribe member, but I have to check with Jacob first. Also, what if this whole thing freaked her out and she got scared and ran?

"Hey, Katie," said Jacob, "I've got something that will cheer you up. Ginger had her puppies. I took Nessie over to see them. They are really cute, see."

He pulled out his phone and showed us pictures. The pups were adorable. I counted 10 little furballs.

"What kind of dogs?" ask Katie.

"These are labs. And Ginger is a great dog. Really smart, so the puppies Will be too."

"What did Nessie think?" asked Katie

"She loved them. I practically had to pry her away. I'm going to give her one when they get older. She can help me train it. It Will be a nice project." Said Jacob

Jacob practically glows when he talks about Nessie. I wonder if this is the same look Carlisle saw this morning. If I'm this bad, then I'm not surprised that he could see it.

"I train them for hunters. I keep them for the first few months so I can get the house broken and get them used to hunting. It's a lot of fun," said Jacob

"Cool" said Katie, "Have you ever thought about training one to be service dog or therapy dog?"

"Maybe you can train one to help Katie with the fainting." I said

"I haven't trained a full-service dog, but I've trained a few therapy dogs. Mack, one of the dogs in town goes to school to help kids read. Charlie has been asking me to train a dog to be a police dog. I just haven't found the right one yet. Police want their dogs to be a little more aggressive than normal."

"Now that would be awesome, said Katie. "It could go everywhere with me."

"Could you do it Jacob?" I asked.

"I haven't trained one for that before, but I'm sure I could." Said Jacob.

"Jacob, can we take a look at the puppies tomorrow?" .

"Sure," said Jacob, "Nessie is coming over, too. You should have seen her smile when I showed her these pictures. She's adorable."

I wonder if I have the same googly eyed look when I talk about Katie. You can tell there is something special there even with the huge age and species gaps. Jacob is a wolf like me. Nessie is half human, half vampire. She is only two years old but looks and acts like an eight-year-old. Jacob imprinted on her just after she was born. In fact, this is what split the tribe into two packs for a while. I went with Jacob.

"Katie," called Ian, "Come see what I made with Legos."

Katie got up and went to survey the newest addition to the Lego city.

I wanted to talk to Jacob about imprinting, but I couldn't do it here. I know that he can something happened. Indeed, if we were in wolf form, I wouldn't be able to hide it. Jake is the alpha, the leader of the pack.

"So, did you finally get that car built?" I asked

"Yes, " said Jacob, "and it only took three years. I've just been busy. I'll show it to you tomorrow when you come see the puppies. There is one that needs a home. Maybe Katie would like it."

"Will, you are a great builder!" said Katie.

"Who wants Ice Cream Sandwiches?" asked Mrs. Sue.

"I do," said Katie.

"Cool, these are cookies and Cream. My favorite," said Jacob

"Mine too," said Katie.

After dessert, Katie and I watched some tv. She fell asleep with her head in my lap. She looked so peaceful but stirred a little.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." Said Katie

"Come on, it's time for bed." I said, holding out my hand to help her up. She took it and then something strange happened.

I didn't mean to fall asleep on him. I hope I didn't drool on him or anything. He is being really nice. He didn't have to stay with me today. I hope he doesn't think I'm throwing myself at him.

"Katie, you are actually really cute when you sleep" I said

"Thanks," said Katie

"What are you thanking me for?" I asked

"You said I was really cute when I sleep." Said Katie

"No, I didn't," I said. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't said it our loud, but Katie had heard it. Is this an imprint thing."

"Why do you look so surprised?" asked Kate.

"I'm just happy you are here." I replied, opening the door to Ian's room.

"Here's your stop," I said as we approached the room. Ian is sleeping with me tonight. So, you'll be sleeping here. I hope you don't mind Paw Patrol Sheets." I said

"I love Paw Patrol," said Katie, "And more wolves. I've noticed you family likes them."

"Yes," I replied, "they are sort of the spirit animal of our tribe. There's even a legend where our ancestors turned into wolves."

"Cool," said Katie, then she hugged me.

I've hugged Katie before, but not like this. This was a hug I'd remember- the kind of thing you never want to forget. It just felt right. It felt right- like this is where I was meant to be.

Wow, this feels nice. Really nice. I can hear his heartbeat. And what does he do to get all these muscles?

I nearly jumped back for a second. Did I just hear Katie in my mind? The only people I hear like this are other wolves and then, only members of the pack. Is Katie a wolf? I relaxed my grip. I turned my head and kissed her cheek, but she turned her head at the same time and our lips met briefly.

Wow! Thought Katie.

Wow is right. I could have stayed there, but a voice interrupted us.

"Seth, Katie, it's time for bed," said Mrs. Sue, "Will is waiting in your room for a story. Katie, do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, thanks, Mrs. Sue," said Katie.

"Sweet dreams" said Mrs. Sue.

"Good night sleep tight. If you need anything, I'll be just down the hall," I said