Chapter 9
Leah Clearwater would never be caught dead wearing an apron. She wasn't completely useless in a kitchen and she could follow a recipe, but she wasn't exactly the type to be humming along to the radio while mixing a batch of brownies. She wasn't going to be making heart shaped sandwiches for school lunches and happily folding laundry for a pack of puppies someday. Much to Sue Clearwater's disappointment.
Both Clearwater parents were on the council so they knew all about the pack. Including Leah's destiny as Jake's partner. Harry and Sue were hyper focused on the wife potential of that. They had been harassing her about when she was going to get married and give them grandbabies. Were they forgetting Kaliso was this mighty female warrior? She wasn't just a human incubator for the next generation of wolf pups. Leah wasn't even sure she could have kids now that she was a wolf. She hadn't had her cycle since she phased so she wasn't sure what was in her future as far as pups went.
And right now, she couldn't care less. She had plenty of problems to figure out before she worried about getting into a relationship. If they really were meant for each other and their coupling was inevitable, then they had the rest of their lives to get to that. In the meantime, she had other priorities. Like how to be a leader of a pack of supernatural assholes. They still had to pick a Second. Sam was a placeholder Beta for now, but he didn't want the position. She needed to talk to Jake about that. She was due to patrol with him in just a little while so maybe they could figure that out tonight.
Her main concern right now was Seth. They had been wolves for a few weeks now and he still had a hard time phasing at will. Almost as if he was fighting it. Seth refused to patrol with Leah so she didn't know what he was thinking and feeling about all of this. That's probably why he won't patrol with him. Who wants their big sister hearing their thoughts? She'd spent enough time in the pack mind to know how often these guys thought about sex, and that was when they were trying not to because she was there. Seth was probably mortified.
They had him scheduled as little as possible on patrols, but he still struggled. He has to be provoked to phase and soothed to phase back. Just the other day Jared had to deck him to get Seth pissed enough to phase for a routine patrol. Once he's in fur he just goes on autopilot. Seth had no desire to hunt anything, especially scary as fuck vampires. He just wanted to go to school, lay low, and have nothing exciting ever happen to him ever again. He didn't want an imprint, he didn't want super senses, he just wanted to be 14 and play call of duty. He had even admitted to Jake that the girl he had a crush on before all of this is terrified of him now. Seth was supposed to be a freshman in high school, but now he looks like he could be the football coach.
Leah had to do something about her baby brother and the only solution she had so far was to try to get Seth to stop phasing all together. She knew that wasn't an option though. If the spirits thought they were in need of an Alpha Female, they needed all the wolves they could get for whatever was coming. The pack needed to be a merciless killing machine that operated as a unit.
Quil and Embry's situation wasn't helping with that. They were depressed and their wolves were near useless chomping at the bit trying to get at each other. And Jared wasn't as good as he thought he was about hiding his distaste for the couple.
Maybe if they figured out all of those problems, killed whatever leech apocalypse the spirits thought was coming, and survived? Maybe then she could worry about finding eternal happiness and rainbows with her soulmate. Jake hadn't broached the subject with her yet either so maybe he was thinking the same thing. They could wait to deal with their wolfy love story when the leeches were just ashes in the wind.
She stepped into the treeline in her backyard, pulling off her t-shirt dress and securing it to her ankle with a length of elastic. The boys used leather straps but with her stretchy cord, she'd never lost a piece of clothing. Idiots. These oversized dresses were pretty much all she wore anymore. No bra, no underwear, just a comfy cotton dress and the breeze. If she could walk around shirtless like the guys did, she would. Who wouldn't want to show off tits like these?
The guys were weird around her when they phased in and out. She definitely wasn't peeking and she honestly didn't care if they did. She had no desire to see their flaccid dicks and they were all too afraid of her to check her out anyway. Except Jake. This was the only acknowledgement of their connection from either of them. They were both unashamed of the way they watched each other after phasing back to human. Sometimes even going as far as phasing back a few paces early and cataloging each other's every movement before reaching for clothes hidden in trees or tied to ankles.
Jake was nowhere in sight now as she stretched out, falling forward onto four paws with such ease she barely noticed the transition. Jake was by far her favorite patrol partner because as Alphas, they had near impeccable control over what thoughts they chose to share. The imprinted wolves were the worst and unfortunately that meant everyone but Seth and he refused to patrol with her. Every three seconds they thought about their imprint and most of the time it wasn't a PG rated memory.
Now she just had a fuzzy presence in her mind that she knew was Jake. They exchanged a "Hey Jay" and a "Hey Lee" before falling into the routine of running the border. The nicknames were the closest thing to friendship they really shared. From there they only broke the silence to note something either of them saw. They might as well be communicating in human form at this point. If Leah tried even a little bit, she could shut him out so thoroughly that he couldn't even see through her eyes. Or any of her other senses for that matter.
They weren't friends, they were just partners in this weird supernatural game, so they kept it professional. They noted faint traces of old scents. The stale scent of the leech with dreads was still lingering in some places with heavy underbrush. The rain had washed most of it away but they were careful to catalog wherever even the hint of saccharine bleach could be scented.
The Alpha pair spent their patrols together hypothesizing what could be coming that would require a pack this size and the additional power an Alpha Female would give the rest of the pack. Last time Kaliso had to fight a whole coven. Maybe Laurent had friends they didn't know about? Jake had shared everything he knew about the Cullens and everything Bella had told him. Laurent himself had said he had no contact with the bloodsuckers in Alaska but maybe they could be working together. Any vamp that wasn't listed on the treaty was fair game and they couldn't risk assuming any leeches were friendly.
Leah suggested they train the wolves how to fight. The pack had very little actual experience fighting vampires so Jake proposed that the wolves that did could share their memories with the newer pups.
She did not like that he mentally lumped her in with the 'newer pups' even if she had been a wolf the shortest amount of time.
I'm Alpha Female, Jacob. I have instinct and speed on my side.
Ohh we're back to 'Jacob'? You've never even seen a leech in real life, Leah! Of course I mean you when I say pups.
He'd roll his eyes if he could. They need to be prepared for anything. How are they going to have time to train between patrol, Bella Watch, school, and sleep?
At least homeschooling with Emily was helping lighten the load. They usually got together in the afternoons so Bella could be there after Forks High got out. That killed two birds with one stone at least. Bella was getting suspicious that Paul and Jake were always trying to keep her on the rez. This way she was coming to tribal land on her own and the wolves were able to breathe a little easier.
Initially Emily was nervous that Embry and Quil would be too distracted to do any school work but against all odds, they were her best students. They paid attention and did their work as long as they got to hold hands or find some way to be in physical contact. She had only needed to smack them with a rolled up newspaper once when they got a little carried away with their kiss 'hello' at the beginning of one of their lessons.
All of the boys were on an accelerated time schedule to try and finish quicker. Embry and Quil were on track to finish school in one year instead of two and Seth was trying to catch up to graduate on the same schedule as the boys. With summer classes it was definitely doable.
Jake didn't tell the others but he was working nearly double to finish the bare minimum requirements to graduate after summer classes and just one more semester. With lots of help from Bella, he was managing. Well, barely managing if he was being honest. He had responsibilities to his pack and tribe so he couldn't be distracted by school. But what he couldn't even admit to himself was that his main reason for wanting to finish so quickly was Leah.
She was already done with school. He didn't want to be the dumb kid that was still in high school next to this goddess. How could she take him seriously? He may look twenty five, but he still carried the insecurities of the sixteen-year-old he was deep down.
Jake desperately tried to brush those feelings aside in case Leah caught wind of his thoughts. All it took was her being a little curious and she could wiggle her way into his head if he wasn't careful during patrol. To make sure he hadn't been caught he checked back in with her.
How's it going on your side?
She was over by the highway between Forks and the rez. She had stopped running but he couldn't pick up much else from her.
I've got a trail but it seems stale. Or maybe disguised? Come check it out.
Jake swallowed his panic and took off at breakneck speed toward her. She was alone, his mate, she could be in trouble.
Whoa where did that come from? She was a wolf herself. She could handle a threat. She wasn't a dainty human that stood no chance against a bloodsucker. He had a brick wall sealed around his head in case he slipped and called Leah his mate again. Can't let her hear you thinking that way. He must have been in the clear because she continued.
It's pretty overcast. It wouldn't be too risky for a leech to be outside during the day in this weather.
Jake could tell the clouds were moving. They might not have cover for long, but it was enough that a leech might risk coming out. Stay back until I get there. Anything else?
The scent gets stronger the closer I get to the highway. What would one of them be doing here?
Jake skidded to a halt next to the silver grey wolf sitting back on her hunches waiting for him. He could tell in an instant that the dreaded leech had been here. The trail was clearly leading out of the trees.
We gotta check it out. Let's follow it closer to the highway.
With the fluid motion of controlled power, Jake stood up onto two human legs. His back was still to Leah but he could feel her eyes. They had only phased near each other for patrol shift changes or pack meetings. There had always been other wolves around or at the very least one of the guys. But now it was just them. In the middle of the woods. About to be naked.
He debated if he should bend over to grab his shorts from where they were tied or turn around first. Either way he was flashing some rather personal bits of his anatomy. He was no coward and he had nothing to hide. She was supposed to be his mate after all. Leah certainly had no qualms with her own nudity so why should he be the awkward one. Forcing a stance of nonchalance, he turned to face her.
She was still sitting as the wolf. Watching him. Slowly and without taking her eyes off of him, she pulled the dress out of the cord with her teeth and phased.
Eye contact was important to the hierarchy structure of wolves. Lowered eyes were a sign of respect to a wolf higher on the food chain. But Jake and Leah were supposed to be equals and they frequently used it against each other. During pack meetings, during arguments, or pretty much any time they were in the same room. The first to break eye contact was the loser in their little game and Leah was stubborn as shit.
The problem was, to put her dress on, she had to break eye contact to pull it over her head and that just wouldn't do. So she stood there. Naked and proud. One hand held her dress and the other was planted defiantly on her hip, daring him to look down.
And oooooh boy did he want to. Just out of focus of his direct line of sight were nipples that he knew from experience would be hard from the exposure. He could smell her wanting him. Or at the very least, his body. Which was having a really hard time not reacting to the perfection standing before him.
Still without breaking eye contact, Leah spoke first, "Why don't you take a look? Mate?"
Shit, she heard that. His eyes widened in horror, confirming what she thought he slipped up and said.
She continued, "Yeah, you thought I'd miss that didn't you, Jay?"
Jake schooled his features and fought to remain stoic before answering her with all the bravado he could muster. "It's inevitable, Lee. Our wolves want it."
She dropped her gaze. That's all it took to break her. The wolves wanted it. Not Jake, just his wolf. Another choice the big spirits in the sky had made for her. They took Sam, they took her future away from the rez, they took her autonomy, and now they took away her choice of life partner too. Her wolf wanted him, but of course she did too. She didn't care that he was younger, just look at him. He had a great sense of humor and that smile could knock her off her feet. He was built like a fucking tank and she wanted to climb him.
But he didn't want her. His wolf did.
She pulled the dress over her body, suddenly wanting to hide. She hated feeling vulnerable. Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin she walked right passed him out of the trees. It took every ounce of self control she had to not admire his still naked form as she walked past. That's where her control ended though because she purposefully brushed against his arm, sending an electric jolt through them both. Maybe she could use that wolf voodoo in her favor.
Calling back over her shoulder she asked, "Do I need to start talking about dead kittens again or do your shorts fit over Vlad the Impaler?"
Quickly stepping into his cutoffs and discovering that no, his shorts couldn't zip up, he followed her out of the woods still struggling with the zipper. "Can we not call my dick Vlad the Impaler, please?"
She quirked her brow at him, struggling not to laugh at him, still fumbling with the hard-on still poking out the top of his shorts. She cocked her head to the side before observing, "Why not? It looks like it could do some damn fine impaling."
"Fuckin'-A, it's never going to go away if you say things like that, Lee," he grumbled before looking back up to see her smiling. Was she just kidding? He couldn't tell but damn she was cute when the tough girl mask slipped out of place.
"Fuck, Lee," Jake stopped dead in his tracks when the wind changed. He quickly sobered, remembering why they were here. "This trail isn't that old."
The two wolves wandered around the side of the highway sniffing for any more recent signs of leech. It wasn't just passing through. There was a concentrated area of stench. There were even tracks in the mud where the leech had been pacing. Waiting.
The last rainfall had been the morning before so sometime since then, this asshole had been waiting along the highway between Forks and the rez. Far enough out of the city to be densely surrounded by trees and not be well lit, close enough to the rez to be an infrequently travelled stretch of road. And right along the route Bella took to come to the rez from her Dad's house. Jake thanked every spirit in the sky that Bella had come over straight from school yesterday, taking a different road into the rez. She would have driven right passed Laurent and that fucker would barely have to jog to catch up to her. And that wasn't even a dig at her old truck, these vamps were just that fast.
"That's it," Jake bit out, "Bella is going to have a wolf on her person at all times. No more watching from the trees."
"How practical is that, Jay?" Leah tried to be the voice of reason. "We'd need someone living in her house and going to her school to make that..."
The breeze carried the burnt candy and bleach smell of a walking corpse through their noses. The two wolves didn't need to discuss or plan or strategize. They just needed to kill. Without a second's hesitation they lunged for the trees onto four paws and followed the scent. Laurent must have been coming back to wait for Bella once again.
A call to arms in the form of a howl echoed across the rez. If anyone got here soon enough maybe they could corner him.
Lee, you're faster. We're downwind so we have the advantage. Sprint north and maybe we can pinch him in before the slimy motherfucker gets away again.
She was so focused on pushing her muscles the hardest they could carry her that she shut off the mental link. For once, Jake was glad nobody else could do that because now he couldn't see what she was doing. She probably didn't even realize she did it and now he was operating alone. He took off towards the scent in a winding path, hoping not to approach him head on. He could feel Jared enter the pack mind, heading towards the chase. Seth and Sam phased in but were too far away to get to them in time so Jacob instructed Sam to stay by the imprints and Seth to run the treaty line.
Leah could hear the sounds of a creature moving through the woods at a supernatural speed. She was in full instinct mode. This was the first time they had encountered Laurent again since she phased. The terror of having to face a real life monster pushed her human brain aside. The Alpha Female had no room for fear or hesitation and her wolf would not allow it. The animal took control, running full speed towards the enemy.
The silver wolf could see the leech through the trees. Target locked, the predator was on autopilot, chasing its prey. Dodging trees and obstacles effortlessly, Leah's wolf quickly caught up to the leech. She could feel her pack nearby, coming in hot as backup. She was chasing the leech in towards the other wolves. The bloodsucker paused to turn back to her and screech "STOP". The command fell on deaf ears because Leah wasn't home in her head. She was running on instinct and instinct alone. Her wolf had taken the wheel and her human mind wasn't just in the backseat, it was hog-tied in the trunk.
Laurent tried again, "Stop, wolf!", sounding more desperate than before.
Just like the wolves suspected, the words worked their magic. Jake, Jared, Sam, and Seth froze in place. Sam and Seth had been far enough away that they had only heard the leech through the echo of the pack mind. Apparently that was enough for the leech's ability to leak through and the black and sandy wolves were rooted to the ground as well.
Leah's wolf just kept running.
She was on his heels. Laurent kept looking back, throwing commands at the snarling beast nipping at his coat tails. The silver wolf remained unphased. The cliffs were close. If Laurent could make it to the water, he was in the clear. He looked back one last time and the wolf was closer than he thought. He frantically swung at her muzzle. This slowed him down just enough for her to stretch and get her jaws around his hand. Choosing life over limb, Laurent ripped his arm from her steel teeth and vaulted the last few yards over the edge of the cliff to the water below.
Leah skidded to a stop, flinging dust and rocks over the cliff's edge after the parasite. She leaned over just in time to watch him swim away under the surface. The disembodied hand wiggled in her mouth, still skewered in her teeth. Foaming spittle sprayed with each exhale as she panted, catching her breath.
The pack caught up to her, finally snapping out of their paralysis. Jake, Jared and Seth stood around her in a semicircle. Sam was pacing behind his house, guarding the imprints inside. Paul was on Bella duty, staying in Forks on Jake's order. Embry and Quil must not have heard the howl or just weren't here yet. It had all happened so fast. Now that the action was over, time felt like it stood still while the wolves around the cliffs waited. For what, they didn't know. For Leah to do something? For an explanation?
They had all been yelling at her through the pack mind while she chased the leech through the trees, unaffected by his persuasive words. The theory of Laurent having abilities was confirmed when once again the wolves followed his words with the effectiveness of an Alpha order. But they had more questions than answers after Leah was able to completely ignore him. The pack mind was a cacophony of voices, all trying to figure out what was happening. All that was heard in response was the savage instincts of her wolf on the hunt. Her visceral rage reverberated through the pack mind. It wasn't human. Nothing they could feel from her mind was.
Leah's humanity came back to her slowly like waking up from a drunken stupor. She vaguely remembered getting to the cliffs but the details were fuzzy. Like an out of focus home movie. The horrible taste of bleach on her tongue caused her to spit out whatever she had been holding onto so tightly that her jaws ached.
If she didn't know what had happened yet, the humanesque hand that was writhing on the ground in front of her paws painted a clear enough picture. Leah slowly backed away from the appendage in horror. She was connected to the pack again but the sound of her own blood pumping drowned out their questions and concerns.
Jake slowly approached Leah, afraid to spook her. He purposefully rubbed his russet fur all the way down her side from her back haunches to her neck in an effort to calm her. Between the lupine instinct of touch and their budding bond, her heart rate slowed and her panting breaths quieted. Once she had turned her muzzle to look at him, Jake directed Jared to grab the hand before it wiggled off the edge of the cliff. They wouldn't dispose of it yet if it could prove useful.
Laurent had gotten away but his vampy superpowers had a weak spot. They could figure out how to exploit that. This was still a step in the right direction. He wanted to figure out what happened with Lee before they discussed this with the pack.
Seth can you do a loop before heading home? Jared, take the hand to Billy and have him lock it up in the gun safe. Leah and I will be back to finish our scheduled patrol soon. We'll debrief later.
Leah could still feel the flavor of his thoughts. Disappointment. The leech had gotten away and she was so close. She should have been able to get him. He was right there. That leech will come back and what will happen then? They couldn't watch Bella Swan forever. The wolves were tired and Laurent would get her eventually.
Don't let Paul hear you say that.
Leah realized she had relaxed enough to let Jake in. He phased back and for once neither of them noticed or cared that they had shredded their clothes by the highway.
In a low voice meant to be calming he spoke, "If you can control surrendering to your instinct, maybe we can get that leech. If we get the guys to practice focusing on their wolf and shutting down the human side, maybe we could overcome his ability and we could get him. We will get him."
She collapsed down onto human hands and knees.
And she sobbed.
Words poured out between heaving breaths and tears. Jake couldn't understand all of it but he got the jist. She felt it was her fault for him getting away. She was supposed to be this super wolf and he still got away. She was supposed to be the best.
He had never seen her show vulnerability like this. Nobody probably had in a very long time. Wolfy mate bonds forgotten, sexual tension pushed aside, this was just an Alpha wolf caring for one of his pack. Folding his large frame to sit next to her shaking form, he placed a hand on her back. Just his touch soothed her, but his words quelled the tsunami of self-doubt she tried to keep inside her.
"You got a literal chunk out of him while the rest of us were statues in the forest. We can try to get the rest of the guys to shut down their human side like that. You are more in touch with the spirit wolf than we ever thought possible. You can teach them that." He emphasized with a squeeze of his overheated hand on her shoulder. "You can, Lee."
Embry was stomping back towards his mother's house. Quil trailed behind him carrying a few bags of groceries and biting his tongue for fear of making the situation worse. They had been picking up a few things Ms. Call had asked for when some jackass felt the need to mutter under his breath how he felt about the two boys shopping together. They hadn't been touching, not even holding hands or an innocent hand on the lower back. The coward couldn't even say it to their face, but that didn't matter to a pair of wolves. Of course they heard the whispered slur across the store.
Quil ignored the comment. He was used to it by now. The rumors of why he was kicked out of Old Quil's house had spread across the rez in a matter of days and everyone seemed to know Quil's 'disgusting' secret. They weren't out as a couple, but it only took one time being seen alone together for the rumor mill to pick back up.
Maybe Embry wasn't ready to be 'out' to the community, maybe he was embarrassed? Or worse, ashamed? Quil didn't know, but any of those options stung as Quil watched his lover abandon him in the check out line and storm out of the store. Quil paid and gathered their items as quickly as he could to catch up.
It was a short walk back to the Call residence. Embry was stomping around the kitchen when Quil came in the side door, depositing the bags on the counter. Embry starting putting the refrigerated goods away, slamming items a little too roughly into place and muttering to himself. "Motherfuckers can't even let us go to the store without saying shit. Everywhere we go we make people uncomfortable as if it's our problem that they are stuck in their stupid fucking ways."
He knew Embry was talking to himself but he decided to address him anyway. He gently turned Embry to face him. Quil wanted his undivided attention to drive the point home.
"I don't care what that asshole had to say, you're mine and I'm not ashamed." Quil spoke into Embry's neck, holding him tightly in an embrace. Embry's arms hung limply at his sides, begrudgingly accepting the hug. But Embry tried to push Quil off him the second his hands drifted like magnets to his ass, kneading the muscle like dough before sliding hands up the lean muscle of his lover's back.
"My mom will be back from work in an hour, babe," Embry whined, trying to get out of the other wolf's iron grip.
"You don't think I can make you cum in an hour?" Quil leered. He nipped his teeth along the taller wolf's neck, earning a begrudging groan.
"We're going to get caught one of these days, Quil!"
"I can't hold your hand in the damn grocery store so I'm sure as hell going to show you how I feel in our own house." Quil growled. He grabbed his boyfriend's hand and roughly shoved it against his straining erection.
Embry's voice raised to match Quil's passion. "This isn't our house! We have nowhere to just be ourselves. We are always hiding!"
Quil spun his lover around and folded him over the dining table, spitting through clenched teeth, "I'm not hiding anything." He emphasized his double entendre by pushing his rock hard length into the cleft of Embry's ass, rocking into him until Embry couldn't hold back his moans. Quil peeled off his shirt before taking a step back to yank down the gym shorts barely containing Embry's weeping member. He knew Embry liked his dominant side. It was the very nature of their wolves to submit, and Quil was the Alpha when it came to this.
Quil wished there were two of him so he could also be on his knees worshiping Embry's cock where it hung low and heavy under the table. Fucking him would have to be enough for now.
"You can't fuck away your problems, Quil!" Embry argued. His body betrayed his words, arching his back to push back against the tent in Quil's jeans. He braced himself in anticipation. His fingers tightened on the edge of the wooden tabletop. Quil yanked Embry's head to the side by his hair, exposing his neck to appease the dominant wolf raging inside him to take his mate. Claim him for the world to know who he belonged to.
Popping his fingers out of his mouth Quil whispered, "Watch me," before plunging two wet digits into his lover's heat, scissoring his fingers to stretch him as efficiently as possible. With his free hand he made quick work of freeing himself from his jeans.
They were usually very diligent about using lube, but today they would have to make due. Spitting into his palm and fisting his cock, Quil lined up with Embry's entrance. He hesitated just enough to hear Embry's whimpered "please" before thrusting in to the hilt.
It was rough and animalistic. With supernatural speed, Quil pounded into his mate. One hand still in Embry's hair, holding him right where he wanted him. The other hand locked onto his shoulder to help pull him down harder onto his cock. Quil could never let loose like this on someone who wasn't a wolf. They would just break in half. But Embry was his mate and his wolf. He was made for this and loved every second of the pain/pleasure mixture only Quil could give him.
Embry wailed under his lover. Being taken by his dominant mate like this was everything his wolf begged for and the only time he was truly at peace. Quil leaned back, changing the angle that he ruthlessly pummeled his mate. He knew exactly what he was doing, moving just enough to hit bullseye. The sudden pressure on Embry's prostate made him instantly cum, screaming his lover's name for any wolf in a five miles radius to hear.
A few more jerking thrusts and Quil was falling over the edge right behind him. He roared, squeezing Embry's shoulders hard enough to break a normal man's collar bones. It was just enough to leave four finger shaped bruises over the top of each of Embry's shoulders and two purple thumb prints on the back of his neck. These were marks he wore with pride and hoped they didn't heal too quickly. A poor substitute for a real mark Embry hoped to get someday.
As the tingling bliss of his orgasm faded, Embry plummeted back to reality. Quil had collapsed against his sweaty back, forehead resting between shoulder blades.
Embry squirmed, his lover still embedded deep inside him when he spoke barely above a whisper. "Quil, I never want to do that again."
The wolf instantly recoiled in horror, slipping from his partner, "Oh my god, baby. Did I hurt you?" He had him flipped over and was kneeling on the table in an instant. Quil was straddling his hips, hovering over Embry and stroking his face and chest with the gentlest touch, scanning his lover as if looking for some sort of injury.
Realizing how his statement was misunderstood, Embry pushed Quil back to his feet off of the table to make room for him to sit up. "NO! No, no, no, babe. It was fucking amazing. I love when you are dominant like that" He reassured him with a quick kiss before explaining. "But in this context, it's super unhealthy for our relationship. Making love to you is the purest thing, and I don't want us fucking that up by having angry sex."
Quil still looked lost. Sex was sex, right? Sure, they argued and their situation was really rough on them, but he still loved Embry.
Embry thought for a moment how to explain what he meant. He knew Quil wasn't one to manipulate or use sex as a weapon in an argument, but he didn't want this to be the only way they made up or discussed their problems.
"The argument may be over for now because we stopped yelling just to fuck, but the issue we were arguing about is still there. We still are unhappy with our living situation and our wolves are trying to kill each other when we aren't together like that."
"Yeah but any time we are upset about something, I end up balls deep in your ass."
"Which, trust me honey, I love when you are balls deep in my ass," Embry emphasized with a laugh and a raise of his brow. "But we have to talk things out."
"Fine," Quil digressed.
"How about this?" Embry suggested, "If we argue or have something we need to figure out, we leave the house and talk about it in public."
Quil looked confused so he continued explaining, "If we talk about an issue at the diner instead of in my living room, we can finish the discussion instead of yelling and ending up defiling my mother's dining room table."
"But I like defiling your mother's dining room table," Quil pouted before getting serious. "You're right though. It makes sense and I think it's a good plan. You're so smart, baby." He glanced at the clock before he pushed Embry back down onto the table and started kissing up his neck to his ear. "How about round two before we get out of here and figure out what we're gonna do?"
Embry was defenseless once Quil started sucking on a nipple and palming his quickly reinflating cock. "Fine but you're disinfecting the table before we leave."
Quil hummed his agreement to the conditions before stepping between Embry's long legs and pulling that delectable ass to the edge of the table to take a bite.
Jake ran. He was supposed to be running to Bella's house to take over guard dog duty, but he decided to run off some steam and take the long way. And by the long way he meant doing a loop of the entire Olympic National Park.
Leah freaked out when he had suggested they would end up together. What was that about? She was his intended mate. Their wolves fucking loved each other. She was clearly attracted to him. He could smell it anytime they were in the same room. Anytime they were phased together they rubbed muzzles in greeting which he definitely did not do with the guys.
Coming to a stop in the trees behind the Swan house he checked the air one last time before phasing back. No new leech trails. He could hear three heartbeats inside and surprise, surprise, he could smell Bella's wetness from the backyard. Really guys? With Charlie in the house?
He could tell Charlie was already upstairs from the sound of it, meaning he didn't have to pretend he didn't just run here, so Jake just walked in the back door.
And ohhh boy did he wish he had knocked.
"Are you trying to operate her like a puppet?" Jake asked.
Paul jumped so high he looked like a spooked cat. In Paul's defense, the TV was on, the dishwasher was going, and Bella was moaing really fucking loud. He still should have noticed his Alpha walk in the room, he's a goddamn supernatural wolf! He should have smelled him at least? Paul was still sputtering, trying to come up with an excuse and Bella was trying to hide her beet red face behind her hands. Damn, that couch just can't catch a break.
"You're a disgrace to the wolf senses, Lahote," his Alpha joked.
Paul stood up, obviously tucking an erection into the waistband of his jeans, "Didn't think you'd be here this early, Baby Chief."
Letting out a low growl at the nickname, Jake scowled at Paul while he hurriedly kissed his girl goodbye and headed for the backdoor.
"Ew, you're not going to wash your hands?" Jake balked.
Paul had clearly gotten over the shock of getting caught because he was back to his usual wit. He called back with a wink to Bella, "Nah man, I'm going to run home on two feet to save this," he wiggled his Bella soaked hand, "so I can suck her off my fingers and jack off, you fucking cockblock." Flipping off Jake, Paul took off running into the woods.
Bella just giggled. Giggled? Jake turned back to her, "Who are you and what have you done with shy little Bella?"
"Paul Lahote happened," she laughed, happier than ever that they could still be like this with each other. Friends without any weirdness. "Just wait until you get corrupted too. I'm sure you and Leah will go at it for weeks straight with your wolfy stamina."
Jake followed her into the kitchen, glad he didn't have to sit on the couch. Bells, it seemed, had caught on to that. She was real good with all this wolfy weirdness. Maybe it was because she had studied lupine behavior or maybe she was just hyper-aware, but she was the only imprint that understood the wolf instinct side of all of this. As best as one could without experiencing it themselves.
Jake sat down at his usual spot at the table with a groan. Bella busied herself making tea for them both before settling down across from him.
"Yeah, that's not happening," Jake sighed in defeat, deflating his barrel chest and slumping down onto the table with a resounding thump of his forehead on the wooden surface.
"Why not? She's hot, dude," she pointed out as if he hadn't noticed.
"Trust me, I know," he started with a humorless laugh, lifting his head to quirk an eyebrow at her. "But she doesn't seem interested". Jake told her about every interaction he'd had with Leah since she phased. Even the blatant once-overs every time they happened to be coming in or out of the wolf together. Bella laughed a deep belly laugh at the nickname 'Vlad the Impaler' and they got off topic for a few minutes exchanging the funniest names they could think of for penises between sips of tea. But what immediately struck a chord with Bella was when Jake got to the part about telling Leah they were inevitable.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Jacob, you are an idiot. I say that with all my love, but you are an idiot."
"What did I do now?" He looked incredulous. "I know it's gonna happen, she knows it's gonna happen, and our wolves are begging for us to get with the program."
"Is she a wolf?" Bella prompted.
"Duh, Bells. Now who's the idiot?" He scoffed, reverting back to the sixteen-year-old boy he was at heart. These days his Bells was the only one who saw that side of him. He was an Alpha and a Chief-in-Training to everyone else, no vulnerabilities allowed, no weakness, and definitely no dumb jokes. He missed hanging out with Quil and Embry, drinking warm sodas and flipping through playboy's in the garage. Oh shit, how much of that had been a complete lie to stay in the closet? They had to constantly hide their truth even to their best friend, and worse, to each other. Shaking his head as if to physically remove the thoughts, he focused back on the present. He would address that whole bucket of worms later.
"Yeah, but is she only a wolf?" Bella continued, finally making her point. "After the chaotic heartbreak of losing Sam, do you think she's thrilled to have her love life dictated by the spirits once again? You told her that your wolf wanted her. Does she know that you, the man, want her too?"
Damn, women are smart.
"You're a genius, Bells," his brain jumped into overdrive planning how he was going to woo Leah Clearwater.
Bella snapped his attention back before his eyes completely glazed over, "Try focusing on a relationship from the ground up, not built on the wolfy magic mumbo jumbo."
"Mumbo jumbo? You know that mumbo jumbo is what brought you and Paul together, he might not accrepiate your tone on the matter," Jake pointed out with a chuckle.
Bella scoffed and smacked him on the arm before resting her chin on her knuckles, her elbows propped on the table. "Oh shut up, he knows I love him."
Bella hadn't even realized what she had said until Jake raised his eyebrows at her in question, "I'm glad you're finally figuring that out, but can you repeat that for me. Sorry, I didn't hear you." He playfully cupped his hand behind his ear. "Maybe a little louder for the people in the back?"
"Oh my god," her hands dropped to the table with a smack. Her big doe eyes were wide with the realization. "I love Paul."
She frantically got up from the table, tripping over the leg of the chair, and bounded gracelessly to the front door. She awkwardly shoved her feet into her favorite purple chucks, crushing the back of them to avoid having to do up the laces.
Keys in hand, she paused to look back when Jake spoke through his laughter, "Bells, where are you going? It's dark out!"
"I need to tell him!" Her eyes were wild with excitement and determination. Her mind was made up. It was so obvious now that she could admit it to herself. What was she waiting for?!
"I have a boyfriend I need to go sleep with!"
Revised 10/10/2020