A/N: All a dream. Damn! I didn't want Jacob to phase in the hospital because I had something else in mind. I had this scene in my head for a while now. I know that for the most part other that the symptoms leading up to everything the change is instantaneous for the wolves, but I wanted it to be a little more impacting the first time they changed. I promise to be back to Bella and Jasper in the next chapter. Enjoy the new chapter! Sorry it has taken so long to update. I am still writing, but updating is touch and go until next month.
Chapter 30 – The Change
He felt like he was on fire. A burning rushed through his veins setting his skin, his whole body, ablaze. What was happening? Jacob wanted to peel off his flesh, to scrape it away in order to escape the pain; but it was more than that. More than the searing agony. He felt angry, hateful. He wanted to rip apart Jasper Hale along with every other male that came within five feet of Bella. She was his. Something inside him told him that she belonged to him.
Oh the pain. The agony. The infernal hate and anger. Grasping onto those emotions that seemed to burn the brightest, he held on and would not let go. He wrapped them around him like a cocoon as everything within him, everything he was feeling, seemed to grow a hundred fold.
Dropping to his knees in the middle of the woods, he grunted. After Bella and Jasper had left the hospital, Jacob had run after them leaving his father behind. They were already gone, and then instinct had taken over forcing him to run for the trees. He had to get away. Away from the hospital. Away from people. Away from the overwhelming urge to destroy everything in his path.
Again he asked himself what was happening to him. It felt like he was on fire and his insides were ripping themselves apart as they vied for position on which organ would survive and which would fall by the wayside. The agony.
He fell to his side, no longer able to support his body. His knees and legs had become suddenly weak. He felt as exposed as a babe in the middle of the woods, collapsed on the ground, unable to even lift his head as his body abandoned him.
Was this a dream? A nightmare? It felt like it except for one thing, he could feel everything his body felt. Could feel every pine needle lying on the ground under him poking his burning skin. Could feel the pine cones, seeds, rocks, and dirt. Every granule suddenly felt abrasive when it should have felt soft, almost like mud since it had rained the night before, but no. He could feel it all and it created another agony for him to endure as he writhed on the forest floor.
Just as it seemed Jacob could handle no more, his temperature increased and the pain intensified. This time his joints were targeted. Did he scream? He couldn't remember. He only knew it felt like his joints were popping out of place, stretching when they shouldn't be. All his joints were inflamed and in excruciating pain. If he had the option, he would have asked someone to amputate all of his limbs because he would rather lose them than to suffer as he currently was. Spending his life in a wheelchair like his father was preferable to what he was feeling right in that moment.
The past couple of months flashed through his mind. Was he sick? Was this it? He never told his father about it and never got it checked out. It thought it was nothing. He felt fine, he just had anxiety and anger issues, but other teenage boys around him went through the same thing, so he thought it was normal. Had he been wrong?
When would it end? He was sure he was dying, but he was equally sure that on some subconscious level his body was fighting the inevitable. Why? Why wouldn't it just give up? Mentally he already had. It was a burning painful agony. His skin and joints were stretching and pulling past their limits. His body was literally pulling itself apart. Why wouldn't it give up the fight and let him be at peace?
"Bella."
Something inside him called to him and his eyes popped opened. He could have sworn he heard a voice with his own ears. Scanning the area while trying to ignore what was happening, he found nothing. He tried shaking his head, but it caused more agony and he just closed his eyes.
"She's mine. I won't let him have her."
A voice again. Once again Jacob looked, and once again there was nothing there. Funny thing was, he could have almost sworn that it was Edward Cullen's voice.
The Cullen's. If he could have, he would have spat on the ground, spat on their name. He hated them with a passion. He didn't know where it came from, but somewhere inside he knew they were all bad… evil. They were an abomination to society and mankind. Jasper Hale was one of them and clung to Bella like a second skin. Unsure why, Jacob knew he was probably the most dangerous in the entire family.
He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face into the dirt, smothering his cries and his breath. The pain grew. In the next instant he arched his back and cried out… a howl echoed throughout the forest, scattering the birds and other animals… calling to certain others.
Rolling over to his stomach, Jacob tried to rise to his hands and knees in order to crawl out of the trees, to find help. The hospital was so close, his father was so close. He needed someone, something. He didn't want to die. Not yet. He still had something to accomplish. He had to save Bella. He had to get her away from Jasper Hale. She may not know it yet, that man or thing or whatever he was may have her brainwashed, but Bella needed to get away from the Cullen's. She needed to be with him. He was safe. Jacob would protect her.
His joints didn't feel right, his skin wasn't normal. Looking down, Jacob could see hair starting to grow out of his arms. His elongated arms. What the fuck was happening to him? Another yell and once again it came out as a howl. Was that him? He did not fucking just howl! He was a teenager and right now he sounded more like Teen Wolf!
Fear and anger burned away any further traces of rational thought. Anger at Bella slapping him. At her leaving with that Cullen. At what was happening to him. At the whole Cullen family for even existing and living in Forks. Fear for what was happening to him and for being alone. He had no one with him. No one he could turn to, no one to comfort him like his mother used to before she died. Oh how he wished in that moment he could go back to the time when his mother was still there, holding him, cherishing him, shielding him from everything evil, from everything that could hurt him.
Grunting and growling, he tried to regain his feet and just as he was about to topple over, he found his balance. Dropping his head, Jacob had to focus, to push away the pain. Was it him, or was it actually subsiding? He took a step forward, and then another one. With each forward movement, the pain seemed to dissipate. One more…
A sound of crunching leaves and branches sounded from his left and his whipped his head around, growling. He leapt as he scanned the area and pinned the only thing he found… Sam Uley. In the back of his mind Jacob knew this was not an enemy, but at the same time, he felt like this man was a threat to something internal within him. Something he needed to protect.
Were those paws holding his tribe mate to the forest floor? Fucking paws? Was he growling? Everything looked differently as well. Something was seriously wrong! What the hell?! One thing registered in Jacob's mind, if Sam was here, he must know something about what was happening. Jacob needed answers.
Holding up his hands in surrender, Sam made sure to make no sudden movements as he spoke, "I know exactly what you are going through, what you feel. The confusion and anger are raging in your heart. You don't know what is happening to you. You only know that you are not the same and right now you are probably wondering why your hands are not human."
A growl and the bearing of teeth were the only answer the man received as Jacob dipped his muzzle threateningly closer.
It was only through sheer force of will and practice that Sam was able to keep his cool. He had gone through this experience himself, and it wasn't the most comforting thing in the world to find out that you are one of the beasts of legends. In fact, it is downright terrifying; however, their kind was needed in order to eradicate the threats that plagued their tribe and the surrounding areas. Yes, they had a tenuous treaty with the Cullen clan, but it was also the wolves' job to police those vampires to make sure they did not break the treaty.
"I know you know of the legends of our tribe. About how we descend from wolves. About how the wolf spirit inhabits our people. For some in our tribe, it manifests itself physically. We protect the tribe from the cold ones. We are here to make sure nothing happens to our people. You are one of us now," Sam explained.
Wolf? Had Sam completely lost his mind? Those were just stories. Legends. They weren't true. His eyes flashed to his hands… paws. If they weren't true, if Sam had gone crazy and was just spouting nonsense, how did it explain the fact he was holding down the other man with two paws. They were his, of that he was sure. He could feel the texture under the palms or pads, moving his fingers, his nails dug into Sam's chest causing the other man to wince, and Jacob could see the elongated nose in front of his eyes. He could not deny he had changed, but a wolf? Was this permanent? What did Sam mean when he said "one of us"?
Clenching his teeth from the weight pressing on him and from the nails drilling into his skin, Sam told his comrade, "You can change back to human, but first you have to calm down. You can take on your wolf form anytime you need to or want to do so." When Jacob didn't move, he grabbed the wolf's legs and tried to lift in order to relieve some of the pressure. "I'm not lying. I can show you."
Jacob wasn't sure if he actually believed Sam or not, but at this point in time he didn't have much of a choice. Stepping away from the older man, he stayed close, ready to spring if needed.
Sam was glad he had hid two more pairs of shorts close by. Jacob would need one and so would he because he didn't think the teen would appreciate him stripping in front of him even if it was necessary. Thankfully, this was not a favorite pair. Actually, he had long ago stopped thinking of clothes in those terms because he never knew when the change would come upon him. If he lost his temper, he would change without warning… as he had done more than once, and once with damning consequences. He would have to see the error of his ways every day of his life upon his mates face because the scars upon Emily's face could not be erased.
Standing up slowly, Sam still moved slow and did not make any sudden movements. Jacob was more wild animal than teen right now and he needed to be cautious. Taking a couple steps back, the alpha shifted and became a giant wolf which mirrored the size of the teenager.
He took a step back in shock. Sam had been telling him the truth. Jacob was in shock. His emotions were riotous though and he couldn't seem to get a handle on any of them. Everything seemed out of control. And then he heard Sam's voice in his head. His head!
"As wolves in the same pack we can talk to each other while we are still in this form. You can turn back into a human, but you need to calm down. Clear your mind. Don't think about anyone or anything right now," Sam stated. He knew what had gone on in the hospital because Billy had called him, and thinking about Bella or Jasper would keep Jacob in his wolf form.
Trying to push all thoughts out of his mind, Jacob tried to listen to Sam and calm down. He focused on the sound of the wind whistling through the trees, the birds singing yards away, deer eating grass, and the other man's voice. Calm. He needed to calm down. Deep breaths. He felt his body start to shift and soon he was standing on two feet once again. Looking up at the wolf in front of him, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.
Sam ran to the trees and shifted. Putting on the shorts he had stashed, he quickly returned to his new pack mate. "Jacob," he slapped him on the cheek. There was no way he was going to get the teen dressed and carry him home. That was asking for too much, even if he was the alpha of the pack. Although, now that Jacob was a wolf now, if he wanted the job, this teen would be the alpha. Could Sam really step down if Jacob Black wanted the job? He didn't know if he could. "Jacob!" He slapped him again, this time a little harder.
Groaning, Jacob swatted the offending hand away and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. What greeted him were the brown eyes of… Sam Uley. Not exactly the brown eyes he had been hoping for... Bella's had a little more gold in them. Had it all been a dream? A cool breeze blew across his skin. Why did he feel naked? Looking down his body he realized he had zero clothes on. "WHAT THE HELL?!" He yelled.
Sam stood to his feet and threw the shorts down to the younger man, "Put these on and then come on. We have a lot to talk about." Turning around to give the teen some privacy, he called out, "And no it wasn't a dream."
Jacob followed without argument or question. He would save it for now, waiting for Sam to explain everything to him, even though he felt like he was seething deep inside. Answers. He just had to wait for this man he feared to give him the answers he sought and then he could walk away and have nothing else to do with Sam Uley.