A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I've been kind of busy this week. I went to go see Eclipse for the second time a few days ago with a friend, and the whole theater probably thought we were insane with the way we cackled when Bella tried to punch Jake in the face and ended up hurting herself. XD Ah, good times. When Seth (Booboo Stewart) came up, we were all "awww wook at da wittle puppy!...oh crap, not so cute anymore...go Seth! Nom that vampire!" We also came up with an invention that we will most definitely patent. Here's the advertisement: "Vampy Chews! The vampire flavored chew toy that is the favorites of werewolves worldwide! Vampy Chews, they're a HOWL of a good chew toy!" What do you guys think? XD We're such nerds but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. :3 Thank you guys soooooooooooooooooooo super duper much for all of the reviews and alerts and favorites! I really really appreciate it, you guys make my world go round. ^_^ Please enjoy and don't beat me up too much! (you'll see what I mean. _ It gets better I promise!)
Chapter 8
I couldn't believe it. The last thing I saw before my vision was blocked by trees was a huge, russet colored wolf standing with Jacob's clothing shredded around its feet. A second wolf stood on the other side of Bella, silver fur standing up on end and teeth bared in a snarl.
Leah was running impossibly fast, the younger guys hot on her heels. Seth kept throwing me worried glances as he ran, his legs pumping furiously beneath him. No one said anything or bothered to explain what was going on, we just kept going until we made it to La Push. I recognized Jacob's car parked in a yard as Leah walked up the steps and banged on the door. I heard it open and she walked right in, Seth, Collin, and Brady following behind. A man in a wheelchair, who I recognized as Billy Black, was sitting there looking confused. Leah put me down on the couch where I sat frozen in shock. They were talking but I didn't really register what was going on until Billy wheeled in front of me, concern evident on his lightly wrinkled face.
"Ina, I'm Billy Black, Jacob's father," he stated. I nodded slowly, feeling numb. "How do you feel?" he asked. I glanced around the room, Leah standing at Billy's side watching me with her arms crossed, Seth on the other looking like he was about to cry, the other two leaning against the door frame. I felt suffocated, their stares making me itch uncomfortably.
"I need some air," I choked out, getting up suddenly. Brady made to grab my arm but Collin stopped him and I ran out of the house, tears blurring my vision. I ran and didn't know where I was going, not caring that I couldn't breathe and that my legs ached from the buildup of lactic acid in my muscles. I no longer knew who I could trust, who I could turn to because it seemed like everyone had been lying to me. Paul, Jacob, everyone. I knew it had been a mistake to go on that date with Jake, I knew that there was something holding me back, telling me not to go because it would all end badly. I ran deeper into the forest in the opposite of the direction I had come in an attempt to get away from all of them. I ran until my legs completely gave out and buckled underneath me, making me fall and land face first on the ground. I spit out dirt and tried to crawl the rest of the way, but ended up stabbing my hand on a sharp rock. It started sprinkling, but I ignored the pain and the cold and crawled farther, my wound stinging with invading dirt. Eventually the rain got harder, and the adrenaline along with all my energy left me at once. I lay in flat in the dirt, eyes stinging, body aching, heart pounding, and sobbed uncontrollably. My muscles trembled from the cold, but I couldn't feel it. I was starting to go numb, and that was completely alright with me. Flecks of darkness prodded at my vision, so I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift away.
"Ina. Ina! Wake up! Ina wake up please, baby don't leave me, please wake up!" Jacob's voice floated through the air from somewhere far away. My slowly beating heart suddenly thrust against my ribcage.
Something warm and soft and moving was underneath me. It smelled like wet dog and dirt.
I was placed on something soft. A woman's voice ordered Jake to leave, and I watched him get dragged out by Sam and Paul before I went under again.
Mom yelling at someone and them telling her that she needed to leave, that I needed rest and to not be stressed out right now.
Dreams flickered through my head but all I caught were a few images here and there. Jake's smiling face before it melted and formed into a snarling wolf head.
Being twelve years old and playing tag with Paul and some of the guys. I tagged Paul and ran, but when I looked behind me I was being chased by a pack of huge wolves. I tripped and felt teeth sink into my flesh.
I watched my mom and Jathan being cornered, their eyes wide with fear before the beasts attacked. I screamed for them but nothing happened.
I woke up gasping and covered in sweat, which was weird because I felt my body shivering so much it literally hurt. I looked around the unfamiliar, dimly lit room and my eyes landed on a sleeping form beside me, immediately recognizing it as Jacob Black. I tumbled out of bed and crawled to the wall, pressing my back against it as Jacob's head shot up and he ran to me. A vision of his snarling wolf form flashed before my eyes and I screamed for him to get away, fear coursing through my veins like poison. Paul and Embry raced into the room and pulled him out, while Sam tried coaxing me back into bed. I shrank against the wall as he came closer, grabbing the lamp on the table beside me and throwing it at him. He held his arm up to protect his face and the lamp crashed into a million pieces. Jared and Leah came into the room, shocked as they saw Sam's bloody arm. I screamed at them to get away, tears beginning to pour down my face like rain. Sam nodded at them and they all lunged at me at once, each grabbing a limb and dragging me back to the bed where they held me down as I screamed and thrashed around.
I couldn't shake the vision of the wolves closing in on my family, snarling with fangs dripping with blood.
"Get away!" I screamed, trying to bite at the arms that held my shoulders down. They were going to hurt me, I just knew it. I worked my foot free and kicked Jared square in the jaw and flipped over to push myself up to take on whatever hell awaited me. I gasped as I was pushed down hard against the mattress, large hands holding my shoulders firmly as Leah jumped on the bed and held my legs down with her knees.
"Jathan!" Sam yelled.
I sobbed into the pillow, my head being held down forcefully. Jathan's face appeared in front of me and he stroked my cheek, his black rimmed eyes filled with tears.
"Ina, shh, honey it's okay they won't hurt you," he soothed. I screamed at him to run and struggled some more, but it did no good. They were too strong.
"Jathan, they're not human," I grunted, clawing at the hands on my shoulders. He grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "LET ME SEE HER!" I heard Jacob roar from somewhere outside the door. I flinched at the inhuman growl in his voice and fought harder.
"Ina STOP!" Jathan yelled. I stopped fighting and just lay there, panting and crying.
The hands released me and I was in Jathan's arms in no time, gripping him tightly as I sobbed. "Jay I'm scared," I wailed, clutching at his shirt. The door closed, but I heard someone struggling outside and things being knocked down before there was finally silence. Jathan's shoulders were shaking and I realized he was crying.
"Don't worry Jay, we can call the police. We'll get away, don't worr—"
"Ina!" Jay yelled, pulling me away from him violently. He clutched my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh. "You're sick," he said, his voice cracking. "That's why you don't understand. They're not going to hurt you, they're here to protect you."
"But I saw them killing you and Mom," I blubbered.
"What are you talking about? I'm right here, and Mom is on the way."
"Jay I saw them turn into giant wolves!" I yelled. My head was pounding and my vision was flickering like a broken television. He bit his lip and looked away as more tears rolled down his tired face. He wiped them away and guided me back into the bed, pulling the covers up around my chin. My muscles were trembling violently even with the warmth of the blankets encasing me. He wiped away the wet hair that was clinging to my forehead, his own hands trembling slightly, and took a deep breath.
"You're delirious, Ina. You have a really bad fever and have been in bed for two days now," he explained.
"You don't believe me," I stated, tears forming once more. He shook his head.
"I believe you. It took a while for me to get it myself, but I believe it. I promise you they won't hurt you. Jacob," he hissed the name, "wants to see you really bad. He hates himself for what he did, and for not telling you sooner."
"So it really did happen," I said quietly, remembering the giant wolf covered in shredded fabric. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Ina, do you remember the old legends? About the spirit warriors and the cold ones? Grandpa used to tell them to us when we were kids."
Of course I remembered. Grandpa was an excellent storyteller, and we asked him to tell us the same story every night before bed when we visited.
"Ina they're…well, maybe it would be better if I got Grandpa to explain it to you," Jathan sighed, running his hand through his dark, unkempt hair.
"Explain what?" I asked. The dark spot in my eyes were getting bigger, but I fought against them. I struggled to hear what Jathan was saying.
"Don't worry about it, get some rest," he said, his voice seeming far away. I knew he was right next to me because I felt his hand on my forehead, but I couldn't see him. A tortured howl pierced the air as I fell once more into deep slumber.
Something cool was being wiped across my forehead and down my neck and bare shoulders. A woman's voice hummed quietly, singing an old tribal song that had been passed down through the ages. It took a few tries to open my eyes, and when I did it hurt. The lights were dim but my head was pounding, and the rag being wiped across me felt so good. I looked over to see a young woman sitting beside me, dark hair in braided pigtails with several long scars running down her face. Even with the scars she was undeniably beautiful.
"Good morning sleepy head," she said softly, smiling. I tried to speak but no words would come out, so she grabbed a bottle of water and raised it to my lips. After a few swallows I could finally talk.
"Are you an angel?" I asked in confusion. She laughed and shook her head before dipping the rag in a bowl of water and ringing it out. She finished wiping my body with the cool rag, and I realized I was completely naked except for a pair of underwear. I blushed and covered my chest, looking at her with wide eyes.
"Don't worry, Ina, I'm not a wolf. I'm just a puny human giving you your daily sponge bath," she smiled, returning the rag to the bowel and pulling the blanket up around me. She sat back in the chair crossed her arms.
"I'm Emily Uley, Sam's wife. I'm his imprint."
There was that word again.
"Where's my mom? And Jathan?" I asked.
"Your brother hasn't left my house since he found out you were here, and your mom is at home resting. She's normally the one that bathes you, but I do it whenever Sam makes her go home and get some sleep. She's been worried sick over you," she answered, her face turning grim. She picked up a folded shirt from her lap and held it up. "Want me to help you get dressed?"
"S-sure," I stammered. Emily helped me to sit up and I raised my arms up over my head as she pulled the shirt over me, then put a pillow behind me so I could lean against it while sitting up. I felt a little dizzy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before. Emily stuck a thermometer in my mouth and told me she would come back, taking the bowl with her out the door. I heard a knock and Jathan's face peeked in through the crack in the door.
"Hey kiddo," he said, a tired smile on his face. I gave him a small wave and he came to sit on the bed beside me, taking my hand in his. "How do you feel?"
"Lile I need a toofbruf," I said, the thermometer making me speak funny. He chuckled as Emily came back into the room. She took the thermometer out of my mouth and smiled.
"Ninety-nine point five. Almost back to normal," she said cheerily.
"Are you ready to talk to Grandpa?" Jathan asked, his face worried. I felt so bad. I had never seen my brother so worn looking, even when he had worked four jobs at once. His skin was paler than normal and his eyes were circled in dark bruises. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I cupped my hand to his cheek and felt the tears starting to well up again. "Jaynini, I'm so sorry about this," I sniffled. He shook his head, a hint of a smile ghosting across his face.
"Just get better soon, kay? You've had us all worried about you these past few days. We weren't sure you would make it, and if you did…" he trailed off.
"We thought you might go crazy. But obviously you're not, so all is well!" Emily finished for him. I sniffed and wiped my face.
"Let's get this over with," I said, taking a deep breath. My heart ached as if it was missing something, like a piece of it had been brutally ripped out. I gasped as it gave an extra hard thump as if to rebuke me for being an idiot. Emily gave me a knowing glance and took my other hand.
"Do you want to see Jacob?" she asked softly. My heart gave another hard thump and I clutched my hand to my chest and winced. "N-not yet," I gasped. I was still a little afraid of what I had seen, and I wanted to know what was going on before I saw any of them. She nodded and called for Grandpa Call to come in. He soon entered, his long gray hair tucked under a hat and glasses hanging on the end of his nose, just as I remembered him last. It had been a while since I had visited him, the last time being about a month before school had started. Emily gave him her seat and helped him to sit down, then stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. He leaned forward and patted my hand.
"Ina, are you ready for a bedtime story?" he chuckled. I gave him a watery smile and nodded, and soon I was lost in his spinning tale. He told of a time long ago, of cold ones and spirit warriors, of war between the two kinds, and how our ancestors turned into their original wolf form in order to protect those they loved. He told me about how the shape shifting trait has been passed down from the original spirit warriors, and makes itself known when the cold ones are near. The cold ones, vampires.
"The spirit warriors had not been seen for a very long time," my grandpa mused, his eyes looking far into the past. "They decided to appear again when the Cullens came into our territory."
"The Cullens are cold ones?" I gasped, wondering why they were being allowed to live so close to us. Grandpa nodded.
"They are different. They do not feed upon the blood of humans, but of animals."
"Vegetarians, kind of," Emily interjected. The thought of a vegetarian vampire made me laugh a little.
"Our tribe created a treaty with them long ago, that as long as they did not take any human lives, or turn a human into one of them, they could live in peace with us. They also have to stay away from our lands," Grandpa said.
"So since the Cullens are living close to us, some of our people turn into wolves to protect us?" I asked. Grandpa nodded.
"That is true, but the Cullens themselves are not dangerous. An incident occurred a few years ago, with a group of nomads that caused the spirit warriors to emerge in full force."
He told me about Bella getting attacked and Edward's family killing the mate of another vampire named Victoria. Victoria hunted Bella down, and because she was nearby the wolves had to come back to protect everyone. Sam was the first to change, then Paul, Jared, Embry, and Jake. The others followed soon after. The Cullens and our warriors negotiated and decided to work together once they learned that Victoria was building a newborn vampire army. It all ended in one big battle, with our side winning of course, and Victoria was killed.
"Our warriors are human, but have the ability to change into their spirit forms if needed. They can also be provoked into it if they get too angry or upset."
I remembered Jake's trembling and racing heart before he threw me at Leah and…turned into a wolf. Even with the explanation and seeing it with my own eyes, it was still hard to believe. Never in my wildest dreams would I have seen any of this coming.
"They are also slightly different than the rest of us. Before they turn their metabolism speeds up, and they increase in muscle mass. Their body temperature increases to an average of one hundred and eight point nine and they eat like a bunch of pigs, or wolves I guess I should say," Emily said, chuckling. Well that explained a lot. So they weren't on steroids or in some kind of homoerotic workout group after all. They were just a band of furry, hotheaded brothers.
"Won't their body temperature denature their enzymes or something like that?" I asked, my inner nerd taking over. I had been hanging around Jathan too much, and I could tell by the way he was looking at me proudly. Emily shook her head.
"Their bodies adjust accordingly whenever they start changing," she answered. Grandpa took my hand and kissed it gently, looking at me with pride.
"And you, my granddaughter, are an imprint," he said with a smile.
"What is that exactly?"
"I think we should have Jake explain it to you since it's his fault," Emily laughed. I wasn't so terrified anymore, but it was still going to be kind of scary to face them. I nodded and she called his name. He was in the room in two seconds flat, and nearly knocked Jathan over in his rush to get to me. I tensed when he got near and Grandpa put his hand out to stop him. He looked at me sadly before going to stand at the wall opposite of the bed, and sighed.
"Will you be okay by yourself, Ina?" Jathan asked cautiously. I suppose he was expecting me to start having a fit again but that wasn't going to happen. I nodded and squeezed his hand for reassurance before they left, leaving Jacob and I alone. Before Emily closed the door I could see the rest of the pack peering in with worried faces. I took a deep breath to calm myself and turned to Jake. Even though he looked like a train wreck and was thinner than I had remembered, not to mention was secretly a shape shifter, he was still my smiling, beautiful Jacob. He immediately started rambling apologies and I held my hand up to stop him, patting the bed beside me. He gave me a grateful look and sat down. I felt like my heart was trying to burst out of my chest and run to him it was beating so hard.
"Ina, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before. If you don't want to date a wolf I completely understand, but what I want you to understand is that no matter what I can't stay away from you. You're my imprint, it hurts if I can't be near you, but we don't have to be lovers. I can be anything you want me to be and if you don't want to date me I completely understand but I love you and I would never hurt you," he rambled, his eyes full of pain. I stared at him with my mouth agape, incredulous.
"You…love me?" I asked. Surprise bloomed on his face as if he had just realized what he said, but he nodded, a determined look in his eyes.
"I love you more than anything on this green earth, Ina," he whispered. I was shocked. I had only known the guy for a few weeks, it seemed impossible that you could fall in love with someone in that amount of time. He noticed my shock and took my hand, his face serious.
"Ina, an imprint is someone that we wolves wait our whole lives for. They're our soul mate, we were made for each other. The very first moment we meet eyes with them, we know," he explained. His voice was careful, as if he was trying to hold back his emotion and not freak me out.
"So I'm…your imprint?" I asked cautiously.
"Yes, you are," he answered, "but like I said, we don't have to be anything romantic if you don't want to, okay? I can be your best friend, your big brother, anything."
His face was sad as he said those words, and I knew that was not what he wanted. His eyes were sad, so sad when I didn't answer immediately. I studied his appearance, taking in his disheveled hair, red rimmed eyes, and pronounced cheekbones, and suddenly I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. I knew that he loved me to no end, and would protect me with his very life. I wasn't afraid anymore, and everything seemed to click.
"Oh, come here," I smiled, holding my arms open. He looked shocked for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his tired face. He scooped me up into his arms and squeezed me tight, laughing as he did so. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him as hard as I could, which wasn't very hard since I was weak from not eating in who knows how long.
"Nice underwear," he remarked, chuckling at my semi naked bottom half. I pulled the large T-shirt Emily had given me down over my legs and scowled at him. Someone knocked on the door. Jake settled me back on the bed and I pulled the covers up around me. He opened the door and Paul's head poked through.
"So do we get to come in too or what?" he laughed. He saw the smile on my face and ran in, throwing his arms around me. Jake growled a little but Paul ignored him.
"It's about time you become sane again! You nearly broke Jared's jaw," he chuckled, squeezing me tight. The rest of the group filed in soon after, not looking nearly as bad as Jake or Jathan but worried nonetheless. I blushed and ducked my head under Paul's arm to hide my face. He laughed and messed my hair up, then grabbed my hand. Just then I noticed that it was wrapped in bandages stained with some kind of ooky yellow stuff.
"How is this coming along?" he asked, unwrapping the gauze. Emily burst into the room and wacked him on the head, telling him not to touch it.
"I was just about to come clean it when you guys came in. You're in the way Paul, move," she ordered in a motherly voice. Paul complied and soon Emily was gently unwrapping my hand. When there was only one piece left to unwrap, she paused and looked around the room. "If you have a weak stomach you might want to look away," she warned. No one moved, just stared wide eyed at my hand like it was a present being opened. Emily shrugged and unwrapped the last piece, revealing a horrible looking wound that oozed pus and a little bit of blood.
"Sick!" Seth shouted, covering his eyes and walking out of the room. Everyone made fun of him for it but he just shook his head and said he was not coming back in. "This will sting a little," Emily said, holding up a bottle of suspicious looking liquid. And boy was she right. I gasped and clenched my teeth, throwing my head back against the wall. Jake came over and cradled my head against his chest, his face worried.
"Almost done and…finished! Here, this should help ease the pain," Emily said. She picked up a jar of a thick, gross looking clear liquid and dipped some out with her fingers, then slathered it on my hand. The pain was gone immediately and I looked at her in wonder.
"What is that stuff?" I asked, watching as she wrapped my hand with fresh gauze.
"Wolf spit," she answered, smiling. "It helps the wound to heal faster and keeps out infection."
It was gross but needed, I supposed. I once saw a man on Animal Planet who lived with a pack of wolves and was their "alpha," and he said when he got hurt the wolves would lick his wounds and they healed a lot faster than they would normally have. Ah the wonders of nature.
"Sam tried to clean all the dirt off when he found you but the infection had already set in, so it didn't really help much," Emily explained grimly.
"Sam found me?" I asked sadly. They nodded. "Where is he?"
"He's in the kitchen. Want me to go get him?" Paul asked. I nodded. Paul soon came back with Sam trailing after him, a smile on his face. I gasped in horror as I saw his arm, the one I had threw the lamp at.
"Not going to attack me this time, are you?" he chuckled, which only made me cry.
"Sam I'm so sorry!" I blubbered. Emily moved over so he could sit down beside me and I flung my arms around his neck. "If you hadn't f-found me I could have died and then I treated you like crap a-and—"
"Ina, it's alright. You were just scared," he said soothingly, patting my back.
"Scared is a bit of an understatement," Jared growled, rubbing his jaw. Everyone laughed and Quil punched him in the shoulder, which only made Jared even angrier, and he dragged a hooting Quil outside to do 'manly business.' I sniffled and looked around the room.
"I'm really sorry I acted that way, guys. I was stupid—"
"And you had just seen your boyfriend and best friend morph into giant wolves," Leah interjected, smiling.
"—and I didn't believe you—"
"Neither did I, at first, but it gets easier I promise," Emily smiled.
"—and—"
"Oh, Ina, shut up we get it already!" Paul shouted, thumping me on the back. Everyone laughed and came to give me a hug one by one.
"Are you hungry?" Emily asked once everyone had had their turn. "I have pancakes waiting in the kitchen if you want some."
"Um, did have pancakes," Embry mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Emily rolled her eyes.
"I'll make some more," she smiled. I nodded, then remembered I wasn't wearing pants.
"Emily?" I whispered, glancing down at my legs hidden by the covers. "Oh, right! Guys get out," she said, using her motherly voice again. I think I would hate it if I ever made Emily mad at me. She was kind of scary.
"That includes you, Jacob Black," she said, glaring at Jake.
"But she's my imprint! It's not like I won't see her eventually," he grumbled, crossing his arms. I nearly choked on the water I was drinking.
"Jacob Ethan Black, if you don't—"
"Sure, sure," he sighed finally. "Geez, a guy can't see his own imprint in her underwear. It's not like I haven't already seen—"
"JACOB!"
"Yes Emily," Jake sighed, retreating out of the room. Emily glared at him as he made his way out. As soon as the door closed her head whipped around to face me, a huge smile on her face. Mood swings, much?
Soon I was outfitted with a pair of shorts, teeth scrubbed, and hair brushed and braided like Emily's. She fussed over me like a mother hen. I leaned on her for support as I stood up, my muscles weakened after lying in bed for a few days and my head pounding even more in my vertical position. When she opened the door Jake was immediately at my other side, and helped walk me to a chair at the kitchen table to sit down. A thought suddenly occurred to me.
"What day is it?" I asked. Emily smacked Sam's hand as he tried to swipe some of the pancake batter. He just gave her a sappy smile and kissed her, using it as a distraction to get to the batter.
"Friday," Jared answered as he flopped down on the couch. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as Quil came limping in a few moments later. I looked between the two is disbelief.
"Don't mind them, they always get into fights," Embry sighed as he leaned against the table. I thought for a moment, then jumped when what Jared had said finally registered.
"It's Friday? I've missed so much school! And why aren't you guys there now? Ahhh the loads of make-up work I'm going to have to do," I groaned. Quil rolled his eyes and scoffed. Emily glared at him menacingly and he hid behind Seth.
"First of all, it's four in the afternoon. Second, we have been going this week, just took turns to help Emily and Sam watch over you in case you went psycho again, and to keep your brother from throwing himself off a cliff," Jared answered in a disinterested voice, looking at his nails.
"Speaking of, where is that little weasel?" Quil asked aloud. I threw the salt shaker at his head and glared at him.
"I told him to go home and tell your mother that you were awake and sensible," Emily said. She poured batter into the frying pan and the entire room gave a mutual sniff.
"You bunch of pigs! You've already eaten breakfast!" Emily yelled jokingly. I looked up at Jake, his eyes glued to the frying pan.
"Jake, have you been eating? You look really thin," I whispered worriedly. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the pan. Quil came over and smacked his hand on Jake's shoulder, smiling.
"Poor Jakey here has been a wreck. He hasn't been eating or getting much sleep since Sam dragged your butt out of the woods. Oh Ina," he imitated, grabbing Jake's face, "Ina don't leave me! I'll be so alone without you—oof!" Jake elbowed him in the stomach and growled, but Quil just laughed. Soon Emily had a massive pile of pancakes in front of us, and I took some of the pile for myself, then gave the rest to Jake. I've never seen anyone eat so fast in the entirety of my short life.
"Emily," Seth whined, "I'm hungry."
"You just ate!" Emily yelled.
"But I'm hungry," he whined again, and the other guys joined in. Emily grumbled something about 'eating me out of house and home,' but grudgingly made more batter for pancakes. Jake was soon done with his plate and waiting for a second pile while I was still eating. He grabbed a napkin and dapped gently at my face.
"What, do I have something there?" I asked, paranoid. He nodded and dabbed some more, his brow furrowed. "It won't come off, stupid syrup," he grumbled. Quil suddenly grabbed my face and licked it theatrically. As I lay twitching on the floor, Jake chased Quil around the housing yelling curses against Quil and all of his descendants. Paul laughed and eased me back onto my chair, then stole a bite of my food.
"Did they tell you about the mind reading thing?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. I shook my head and looked around suspiciously, wondering if anyone could read my mind. I like potatoes! I shouted through thought, but everyone just went about their business. Paul seemed to know what I was doing and chuckled.
"We can read each others thoughts when we're in wolf form. It's like a 'the pack is one' kind of deal," he explained.
"Yeah, so don't do anything with Jake you don't want us to see," Jared said, winking at me. I blushed. Quil ran back into the house and crouched behind me, Jake right on his tail.
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" Quil shouted, out of breath from laughing and trying to run at the same time. Jake glared down at him, his shoulders shaking. I patted him on the stomach (oh my, what remarkably firm abdominals!) and he seemed to calm down a little before throwing Paul out of his chair, taking his seat beside me once more. Emily slid another pile of pancakes onto the table and there was a frenzy of motion as everyone fought to get some. Jake put his arm around me and crouched over me, his eyed darting suspiciously back and forth like he was trying to protect me from getting speared with a fork and eaten too. The pile was gone in a matter of seconds.
"Any more questions?" Sam asked between bites. I thought for a moment.
"Do you guys have an alpha like regular wolf packs?" I asked. The room suddenly got quiet as everyone glanced back and forth between Jake and Sam. Jake shrugged.
"Technically, I'm the alpha," he answered, blushing. My jaw fell to the floor. "But I gave it up to Sam. I wasn't really up to the responsibility."
"More like he's a lazy bum," Leah said, rolling her eyes. Everyone laughed and the awkward mood was gone. Wow. Jake was the rightful alpha of the La Push gang. I bumped his shoulder with my own and beamed at him when he looked at me. He grinned sheepishly, the pink tinge on his cheeks growing brighter.
If he gets any cuter I think I'll die.