Here is the next chapter, standard disclaimer applies. though i do own all the characters that came willy-nilly out of my own brain. Sorry, about the long update time
Thanks also go out to my amazing beta, Wolfen Dreams, she had a lot of input on this chapter and made it the better story that it is today
The pack waited until after dinner to meet. Jacob had been dispatched to the local department store with a pay advance to buy more clothes, so they had an hour's time to talk.
"He's aware that there are wolves. I don't think that he is connecting the wolves with us, just that they come right up to the house. He was ... curious about them, not afraid like I had been expecting. Almost as if it was normal for him to see them like that, he was way too blasé about it." Theo was pacing in front of the fireplace as he spoke, rehashing his quick conversation with Jacob that morning.
"He mentioned that he lives near a forest back home, maybe it is normal." Carl offered, his brow furrowed as he remembered what else Jacob had told him. "His tribe, or whatever they are called, they also see the wolf as the family protector. It's a symbol to him already; maybe he's just seeing his family here."
"Whatever the reason, we need to be more aware of what we do around the house while he is here. We can't turn him out, or else the town will start talking again. We can't afford the questions, and he is a very good worker and an excellent craftsman. The figurine that he made yesterday was amazing, and the table that he started today looks like it will also turn out to be very well made. We need him, but we also need to remember that he is not one of us." Gabriel stood from where he had been sitting and turned to his pack, his family.
"That's right, he is human, and therefore innocent. He is more aware than other humans, so we need to be more careful. His father didn't know that he was here until he called, let's keep in mind that he seems to be a loner and just leave him be. He doesn't seem to confide in other people so we don't need to worry about someone in town becoming a buddy of his or something. Let's just be our human selves and there is no reason not to trust him We haven't really had a problem here or with him yet, let's keep it that way.." Vivian reached up for her husband's hand and gripped it hard as she remembered the last human that the pack had known. He gave her a sad smile and wrapped up the meeting.
"This is not how it was 25 years ago, and we are not the same people. Let's go for our run, Rena darling. Stay behind and wait for Jacob, let him call his dad, and then come join us." Without looking at his daughter for her consent he walked to the door and the rest of the pack followed and left her alone.
Serena scowled at the door and wanted to kick something. She got to play babysitter while the rest of the pack got to play. And she knew why, she was unmated and males had started to sniff around her when they thought that their mates weren't looking. Her father wanted some time for the pack to loosen up before she came and joined them. If everyone was in a good mood by the time that she got there, there would be less problems. Technically, wolves mated for life, but that didn't mean that their human counterparts would have the same ideals.
Serena plopped down into the main couch and turned on the T.V. While she waited for Jacob to get back so that she could ditch him and get the hell outside. She would tell him the normal story, they went to bed early because they had to wake up so early. Then she would leave him in his room, tell him to get some shut eye and go have fun herself.
It would be easy.
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Jacob drove into town in Carl's truck wondering a little about the brush off that he had received earlier after dinner.
"Jacob, here is a pay advance. Get some clothes in town so that you aren't wearing the same clothes every day. We'll all be asleep when you get back, so just head upstairs and get some sleep okay?" Gabriel had handed him an envelope and walked away without another word.
Jacob knew that there was probably nothing going on, but it was still a little weird that Gabriel had seemed so tense around him. There had been nothing wrong yesterday, and even the guys in the shop had been fine with him being late until after dinner.
He shrugged and peered through the windshield looking for the turnoff into town. He wasn't sure that the stores would even still be open, but Vivian had assured him that they were. She had also advised him to get a better haircut. He ran a hand through the uneven locks and winced. She probably had a point, his hair was suffering from a point when he had cut it again because of Bella and the choice that she had made. He knew that they loved each other and everything, but still she would rather be a bloodsucker than live with him?
He forced himself to stop thinking about it, especially when the steering wheel started to groan under his hands. He relaxed his grip and then noted that there were several cracks along the areas that people place their hands. He hadn't done all of that, it must have been Carl. He could recall with vivid clarity that last night Carl had also made the steering wheel groan. Jacob decided that he really needed to look into that.
He made the turnoff into town and parked in front of the Wal-Mart. He wanted to be able to get enough stuff that he wouldn't have to make this trip again anytime soon. He noted that there was also a Big & Tall next door, he could go there if nothing here would fit. And he just might, he had grown even more if that was possible. He got his haircut first as it closed before the Wal-Mart and for $5 it was pretty good. Better than anything that he and his dad had done in the kitchen. He ran his hand through it as he walked into the store, it was much shorter now more like the cut that Carl and Tristan had. Almost a crew cut, but longer than the Marines regulation.
As he flipped through the racks of clothes grabbing pants that were in his size, he would try them on just to make sure, and one style of shirt in many colors, an older man approached him. He glanced over at the man and immediately didn't like the way that he was being looked at. Almost as if he was under a microscope and the man was the scientist.
"So, you are the young man that the Baptistes hired. They don't normally hire anyone that isn't in the family. Turned down my own boy as a dishwasher of all things," the man leaned on the rack nearest Jacob and stared at him.
Jacob inwardly groaned and hoped that this wasn't going to become some sort of territory clash. All he wanted was clothes, not to piss some old man off because he thought he stole his son's job.
"Well, I'm not from around here and they were kind enough to give me a job when I had no where else to go. I'm working in the carpentry end of it." Jacob smiled and turned to go to the socks and underwear area when the man walked in front of him and stopped him.
"See, we have a problem around here with outsiders, we don't like them. We like them even less when they work with the freaks at the inn. So, you need to realize that you will answer to me if you want to get out of this town with your body intact. You will do what I say, and that means that you will watch the freaks and report back to me." He crossed his arms and smirked at Jacob, thinking that he had him good and scared. There had been few newcomers that hadn't bowed down to him, and even then they never stayed long.
He thought the Baptistes were freaks? Jacob could just imagine how the man would react if he saw him in his wolf form. Jacob smirked back himself and relaxed more against the rack as the very thought filled his head. He decided that maybe it would be fun to mess with this guy.
"Sorry, who are you?"
"Brett Karlson, my son's the quarterback at the local high school." Ahh, the father of the sex idiot that had all but refused to help in the search last night. Well, that certainly explained a lot.
"Mr. Karlson, I don't respond well to threats. That's why I left my hometown; they all wanted me gone before something else happened, think before you talk next time." He had lied through his teeth about why he had left La Push, but he figured that his size would led credence to the lie. Jacob brushed past him and headed to the checkout, he looked over the pants as he went, and figure that they would fit. They were the longest the store offered.
He really didn't need to get into a fight or something with these people that would show the fact that he didn't bruise easily. Maybe, it came from not even being allowed to tell anyone without Sam's permission that he was a little different from the next guy, but he didn't want anyone questioning anything about him.
He paid for his clothes and went out to the truck to leave before anything else happened. As he approached he saw that there seemed to be more people hanging out in the parking lot than necessary, and they seemed to be mostly around his truck. Jacob knew what he had to do.
As jacob approached the truck he slightly puffed out his chest and steeled his expression into something more fitting the 25 year old that he looked like rather than the 18 year old that he was. It was similar to what he had done when there had been another tribe that had some ancient beef with his. Some of the boys had come down to get pay back, but had run once they had seen the sheer size of the pack. It had also helped that all of them had looked like they wanted to carve out the other kid's entrails with spoons.
He wasn't going to let them think that they had him cowed, they seemed to back off as he got closer. Jacob frowned, this was not what he had expected to happen. He took the keys out of his pocket and started to open the door when a large meaty fist shut it again.
Jacob turned around and was face to face with a huge guy that had a nasty scar that ran over the bridge of his nose.
"Yes?" Jacob asked.
"You best not be coming into town anymore. And stay away from our kids, we don't want them hanging around with the freaks or their charity case."
"Don't worry, I had no intention of 'hanging around' with the wimps that you call kids, they couldn't even find it in themselves to search for a missing girl." With that said Jacob hopped into the truck and started the engine. Everyone backed away as he reversed and pulled out of town.
He finally let go of the temper that had been boiling away under the surface as the men mocked him. He considered slamming his fist onto the seat, but didn't want to risk breaking it. He pulled over when he was still about 5 miles from the inn and took his frustration out on a tree, beating it with his fists stopped the shaking in his body, and killed off the last of his anger. He stood for a moment fists still clenched at his side feeling the cuts heal as he stood there and considered his life. He was surrounded by people that didn't seem to trust him, and he didn't trust them back, and he couldn't even run to work out the last of his kinks because of the wolves that already roamed the woods. He also just didn't want to risk someone realizing that he never came back last night, and that would led to questions, which would led to more lies that he might not remember. He knew that even if the other pack was smaller than him, and he could take them, he didn't want to get into a fight. He just wanted to live his life in peace, or at least a small resemblance to the idea of it.
With a few choice swear words he climbed back into the car and started once again to the inn.
He never noticed that there was a wolf crouched in the bushes that had watched his temper burst. Zach ambled over to the destroyed tree and gave it a quick sniff, yes there was blood. But, Jacob didn't have any wounds on his hands, well, none that he could tell. Zach backed up a little and looked at the tree more closely. The damage to the main truck was amazing, and this wasn't a sapling. It was at least a 30 year old tree. He could tell that Jacob was going to have a lest some scratches to his hands and maybe even his arms tomorrow, he would look and maybe talk to his dad about it. It bore for greater watching at least, if the kid could do that to a tree there was no telling what else he could do. Zach decided to keep all this to himself, at least until he had more proof and ducked back into the woods. Maybe, Jacob was just one of those stronger people, his size was certainly impressive. Also, it would make others nervous about him, and Lucien Dafoe had been hateful to humans since that summer in the suburbs, something about his son and the cause of death.
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Serena glanced up from the rerun of Cold Case that she was watching when the headlights passed by the window. She hopped up and made it to the door in time to see Jacob slam the door hard enough that some of the rusted paint spots flaked off a little.
"Hey, Carl is not going to like it if his truck is beaten up." She called out as he came up the stairs. She had started to smile at the joke, but it faded as she saw the expression on his face. If looks could kill she would be six feet under by now. She couldn't think that her slight reprimand had really affected him that much, or......shit, those people in town needed to learn to shut their mouths.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, following him into the house and up the stairs to his room. Serena was wondering what could have happened in an hour that could have pissed him off so much. There were many options of course thinking of where they lived. She was pinning her thoughts on the bigoted men that raised the idiot sons of the school football team.
"No, why do you say that? Could it be my temper or the fact that I just had to put up with being hassled because I work for your dad? Or maybe it's the fact that I was told to spy on your family or I wouldn't leave with all my parts? Yeah, you're right, there is something wrong." Jacob threw his bags on his bed and turned around and stared at her pale face, she looked like she was expecting the worst.
"Why does the town hate you? Huh, is there a reason that I pissed them off?"
"You said no?" Serena was rather surprised, he would protect them? Why? It wasn't as if he was one of them and knew why they had to keep to themselves, he was just the new kid on the block and kept secrets as well. Had the men said something to him, that would maybe explain why he looked so enraged at the idea of spying on them.
"Why would I tell you what happened if I said yes?"
"I don't know, maybe you got dropped as a child or something. But, did you say no?"
"Yes, I said no. Jesus Christ, your dad gave me a job for no real reason and is feeding and sheltering me, why would I betray a man that did that?"
"Well, thank you then. That was very nice of you to refuse them. I'll tell my father what you did for us." Serena turned to leave when Jacob stopped her.
"Why does it matter?" Jacob asked, he knew that there was more than met the eye with this family.
"It just does, that someone that isn't related to us is willing to keep us safe. We sometimes step on people's toes, that's all"
Serena turned toward the door again when she stepped back and looked at him.
"Do you want to make that phone call to your dad?"
"Yeah, I really do thanks."
Jacob walked down to the phone, pondering as he went. He enjoyed arguing with Serena, it was nice to have someone that was willing to fight back sometimes, even if she hadn't really fought this time. But, she was much more self-confidant than Bella had ever been and much more willing to stand up for what she believed in. Jacob picked up the phone and dialed his dad, hoping that he would be there and he wouldn't have to deal with Sue again. He didn't want another lecture over what he was doing to his 'poor father'.
Surprisingly it was Embry that picked up the phone.
"Hello, Black residence."
"Embry?"
"JAKE!!! Hell, man, what's up?"
"Why are you answering the phone at my house?"
"Well, Paul was here and I needed to talk to him, and then the phone rang and I answered it. And it was you! Dude, where are you?! I am so bored here that I am considering joining you, where ever it is that you are."
"Is Paul still living with my dad? But, I thought that Dad had moved in with Sue and the other Clearwaters."
"Umm, well, you see. Rachel came back to see your dad and look for you and then Paul saw her, and well, then he imprinted." Embry's voice dropped lower and lower as he spoke, knowing that Jacob was not going to like this.
"PAUL DID WHAT??"
Serena pressed herself closer to the wall as she listened, she knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but what the hell was imprinting and what was wrong with it? She hoped that Jacob wouldn't look down the hall and see her pressed around the corner, that would be rather hard to explain.
"Listen, your dad doesn't mind, and neither does Rachel. They are together, obviously, and now Rachel is in on the big secret. So where are you, all the love is making me afraid that it's contagious. I have no mind to get hitched any time soon, so where are you?"
"I'm not telling, it's all Sam needs is more people coming out here and not staying close to home. And you know that you are needed there more than anywhere else."
"Yeah, yeah. You are fine, right?"
"Yes, and I'll come home when I want to. There is some stuff that I want to deal with."
"Okay, be safe and stuff. You know, since we aren't there to protect you."
"Sure, sure. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye." Jacob hung up the phone and rubbed his chin, there was going to be a serious talk between him and Paul when he got the chance. Paul's temper was legendary and he didn't want what happened to Emily to happen to his sister.
Still dwelling on what he had learned and everything that had happened so far he headed upstairs and went to bed.
Serena peered around the corner of the wall when she heard the door to Jacob's room close, she also has some serious pondering to do. She slipped outside and went to join her pack, but she couldn't get her mind off the boy that made no sense.
Oh, and by the way.... please review