Wild (Jacob Black)

Chapter 7

It was June. I tried to contact Jake, but he never answered.

"Hey, Jake. It would be awesome if we could meet up today. Just please call me back. I really need to ask you something." I said to the voicemail for the hundredth time.

The door swung open. "Hey, Edward was wondering if you'd like to come with us." Bella said.

"Okay." I pocketed my phone. "Where are we going?"

I followed Bella and Edward to her truck. Edward was driving, Bella sat wedged between us. I watched out the windowed.

"My family is wanting to do a family fun day." Edward said.

"I think you'll like them." Bella whispered.

We arrived at the big, beautiful house, although it's more like a modern manor. His parents sat in the living room. Their conversation hushed as we entered.

"Hello! Edward and Bella have told us a lot about you," A pale man with blonde hair said with a smile. "I'm Carlisle, and this is my wife, Esme." He introduced a brunette woman.
    
"Hello." She smiled.

His sister, the one with cropped hair, skipped over to us. "I thought I heard Bella and Lillian." What's her name again?

"That's Alice." Edward said.

"Sorry, I'm not the best with names." I smiled apologetically.

"It's okay." She swayed with her hands clasped in front.

The man with dirty blonde hair who followed her leaned forward. "I'm Jasper." His eyes were almost red.

A blonde girl walked in with a brown haired, muscular man. "I'm Rosalie and this is my boyfriend Emmet." She said.

"Hey." Emmet said with a charming smile.

The Cullen's were nice, but they didn't compare to Jacob's friends. I felt more at ease at Emily's house than I did at the Cullen's. They just seem... off. Don't get me wrong, they were very nice people, but the whole time we were there they stayed inside playing charades when it was a beautiful day out.

Alice was really good, almost like she could see what we picked in the future. Rosalie kind of intimidated me. She had a stern yet soft facial expression all day.

My phone rang. I excused myself and left the room. It was Jake.

"Hello?" I answered.

"I heard your message. Well, messages." He chuckled. "Can we meet up now? I'll come get you."

"I'm not at Charlie's right now. I'm at the Cullen's house."

The line went quiet.

"Call me when you get to Charlie's." He said and hung up.

My stomach fluttered. When I got back to the living room, they were arguing about someone cheating. I sat next to Bella. "Hey, can you take me back to Charlie's?"

"You're already leaving?" Emmet asked.

"Sorry, I have to meet up with someone." I explained.

Bella glanced at Edward then at me. "I'll be back everyone." She said, not taking her eyes off me.

~

The car ride was silent. Stiff, palpable tension morphed between us. It worsened as she stopped at a red light.

"Why are you still doing this to yourself?" She asked, keeping her gaze ahead.

"What are you talking about?"

"You with Jacob. He isn't good."

"Then why did you hang out with him? What happened to that?" I asked.

She didn't say anything, tapping her fingers on the wheel. "It's complicated."

The tension resurfaced, increasing tenfold. Well that didn't resolve anything.

The truck came to a whining halt in front of Charlie's house. Bella cut the engine and removed her keys.

"Just," She looked at me and unbuckled. "Be safe."
    
I opened the door and got out. She drove off, going back to the Cullen's. I waited a few minutes for Jacob to arrive after I called him.
    
"What's up, crazy wolf girl?" He asked as I hopped on the back of his bike.

"Can we talk, in private about something important?" I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"How about we go to the beach?" He suggested.

I nodded.

It was cold riding on the motorcycle, but Jacob was abnormally warm. I nuzzled my face on his back attempting to warm my nose and cheeks.

"Cold?" He asked.

"Mhm."

His laugh vibrated my face.

~

"What did you want to ask me?" He asked as we walked along the shore.

My hand was in his, swinging gently back and forth.

"Tell me about the Quileute tribe."

His brows quirked, pace slowing to a stop. "What do you know?"

"My grandpa used to tell me these bed time stories before he past away." I began to say. Tears pricked my eyes, I willed for them to go away. "They were always about the Quileute tribe. Sometimes he would call them shape-shifters."

Jacob nodded, listening, eager to hear more.

"My mom never liked him telling me about these 'legends' because they were fake. My grandpa always denied it, telling me they aren't legends if they are true. My imagination told me otherwise. They sounded so real that they couldn't be a lie. I even saw those wolves in the forest, yet no one believes me. He told me that the shape-shifters made a treaty with the cold ones, which are vampires." I said.

Jacob stood there looking at me. He opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. A huff escaped his lips as his head rolled back. "I'm going to be in so much trouble." He pulled me along, making a beeline for the woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

He didn't reply.

Trees surrounded us. The waves crashing on the shore disappeared, fading into background noise, out-shouted by the whispering of leaves.

"Stand back." He said, letting go of my hand.

"What are you doing?" My heart drummed in my chest.

"Just look in my eyes and promise me you won't run away." His face was mere inches away, our noses almost brushing. Chocolate brown eyes hypnotically boring into mine. I let myself get lost in them.

The trance didn't last long. He backed away and slid off his shirt, slipped out of his shoes, then his socks. Words formed a lump in my throat, blocked by the sight of him stripping from his jeans. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I wanted to look away, but our stares stayed connected.

"Here goes nothing," He said.

His body shook. Convulsions struck his spine, wrenching him to curl at the hips. Bones snapped. The momentum made him writhe, twisting and morphing his skin. Bile crept up my throat, daring to flood past my teeth as my jaw unhinged.

The auburn wolf laid on the forest floor where Jacob stood seconds ago. It's beastly brown-amber eyes somehow looked human.

"Jake?" I asked, walking over to him.

He didn't move anything but his eyes.

"I'm so mad at you!" I pushed his snout. He shook his head, letting out a grunt. I turned around as if I was going to walk away, but I swiveled back. "I don't even know what to say I'm so mad."

He stood, towering over me, but bent his head down. He rubbed his head on my shoulder as if to say sorry.

I pushed him away. "No Jake. Just...just take me home."

He rolled his eyes, if that's even possible. A growl rumbled.

"Sorry, but I don't speak wolf." I crossed my arms over my chest.

He flicked his head, gesturing for me to come closer. I did as he motioned.

My heart continued to beat like a war drum, hands trembling as if the sticks were in my grasp. He's a wolf? A shapeshifter? My head spun. "Just change back and take me home."

He walked behind a tree, and the wolf disappeared. "Can you toss me my clothes?" His head peeked around the tree.

"Gross." I shudder, knowing what he's referring to, but I toss him his shirt and jeans nonetheless.

"Thanks."

I face the other way, trying to give him decent privacy to change.

"You can look now."

"Take me home." Is all I could say. He denied all of my wolf sightings, telling me they weren't real.

~

He stopped in front of the small red home. The Black residence.

"This isn't Charlie's house."

"I know. It's about to rain. I thought you wouldn't mind spending the night tonight." He said.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't respond, unwillingly following him inside.

"Hey Jacob, Lillian." Billy greeted us.

"Hey." We say at the same time.

"Is it cool if Lillian stays the night tonight?" Jacob asked his dad.

"That's fine, under one condition. No funny business." Billy said.

Jacob looked at Billy like he was crazy. "Dad."

Billy put his hands up in defense. Jacob groaned, taking my hand in his, and pulled me along.

"Why? Why didn't you? Ugh!" Is all I said once Jake shut his bedroom door.

"Calm down, Lillian. Please don't tell Sam that I showed you." Jacob said quietly.

"What does Sam have to do with this?"

Jacob was silent.

Wait, Sam is one too. "I can't believe you! You even told everyone to tell me they think I'm crazy! How could you do this to me?" I yelled at Jake, gesturing frantically.

"Let me explain." He grabbed my hands, but I retracted.

"No."

Jacob's jaw ticked, but his demeanor softened with pain. I walked to the back patio.

"Lillian, wait." Jake said, chasing after me.

The rain was pouring from the sky. I stopped, not bothering to face him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have denied what you saw in the woods. I-I shouldn't have told everyone to say that you were just imagining things. I'm sorry." His voice cracked. Is he about to cry? "And I get if you don't want to be around me. I get if you're scared of me and think I'm a monster. I understand."

I started walking away, but stopped when I saw the people I definitely didn't want to see. Sam, Paul and Embry walked out from the woods. My fists clenched as I barreled over to them.

"Hey, why did you all say that I was crazy when I told you about the wolves?" I asked, unable to control the raising of my voice.

"Because you didn't see any." Paul said. His tone was belittling. They all have the same tattoo on their shoulders.

Footsteps approached. I turned toward Jacob, yanking his sleeve to reveal the invisible ink. "You're all apart of the Quileute tribe."

Paul glared at me then at Jacob. His breathing heavy, nostrils flared. Jacob stepped in front of me.

"Calm down, Paul," Embry said.

"How do you know about the Quileute tribe?" Sam asked.

"My grandpa."