Catherine (J. Black)

Chapter Seventeen

Jacob and the others gather in their wolf form communicating through their thoughts.

"Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake!"

"Is it true?" Paul asks.

"What will it be?" Quil asks.

"It's growing fast" Paul adds.

"It's unnatural"

"Dangerous"

"Monstrosity"

"An abomination"

"On our land"

"We can't allow it"

"We can't allow it"

"We can't allow it"

"We can't allow it" The wolves all argue, Seth remains silent as does Jacob. Sam stands above them.

"We have to protect the tribe. What they've bred won't be able to control its thirst. Every human will be in danger" Sam states.

"We're ready" Jared states.

"No time to waste" Leah offers.

"Now?" Jacob asks, worried about warning Catherine and getting her away, they can't hurt her. They can't.

"We must destroy it before it's born" Sam states.

"You mean, kill Bella?" Seth asks.

"Her choice affects us all" Sam answers.

"And Catherine?" Jacob asks looking to Sam. "If there is a fight, she'll stand with her family...."

"Then she's chosen her side!!" Leah states. Jacob attacks Leah and they start fighting.

"Enough!" Sam snaps. "We have real enemies to fight tonight" Sam states.

"Tonight?" Jacob and Seth ask together.

"You will fight with us, Jake" Sam orders, Jacob strains under the alpha command, but he pictures Catherine, pictures her laughing, and smiling, her with Billy and with Rachel, of them together and he's not bowing down, not this time, not with her at risk. He chooses her.

"I will not. I am the grandson of Ephraim Black. I am the grandson of a chief! I wasn't born to follow you, or anyone else" Jacob growls at Sam and then runs off.

..........................

Jacob phases back, dresses and then heads back towards the Cullen house, he did the right thing, he did, they may treat her like the lesser member of the family but Catherine will fight for them, for Rosalie and Emmet and Jasper and the doc, she would and he would have had....he takes a deep breath and leans against a tree before throwing up, yeah, that happened, the thought of almost having to, for what Sam would have made them do to an imprint. Jacob takes a deep breath and stands.

"Don't worry" Seth states behind him, Jacob turns to him. "They're not following us"

"What do you think you're doing here?" Jacob asks.

"I left Sam's pack" Seth tells him.

"Go home, Seth" Jacob tells him.

"I won't stand behind him"

"Oh, yes, you will. I'm not kidding. Get out of here"

"ls that an order? Gonna make me bow down, too?"

"I'm not ordering anyone. Look, I'm just going off on my own here, okay? To protect Catherine"

"Great, and I've got your back"

"No, you don't. If Sam comes after Bella, after all of them, are you really ready to fight your own brothers? Your sister?"

"If it's the right thing to do, to protect an imprint"

"Whatever. I'm gonna go give the Cullens a heads-up and make sure Cat's okay. Do what you want" Jacob turns and leaves and Seth follows him.

"How cool is this? Two-man pack. Two against the world"

"You're getting on my nerves, Seth" Jacob tells him.

"I'll shut up. Can do" Seth states following Jacob.

.....................

Jacob sits beside Catherine back in her room and staring out of the window.

"Why did you do that?" she asks looking to him. "Why did you leave them?"

"They were going to make me hurt you, Cat" he brushes her hair back from her face. "Or they were going to make me watch....you are my imprint, and my girlfriend, and I love you, I told you, it's you and me" he kisses her forehead and pulls her closer, she rests her head on his chest. "And Seth" he adds, she smiles.

"I don't mind him" she mumbles. "He's a sweet kid" he strokes her hair. "I just can't believe you did that" she mumbles.

"To protect you" he tells her. "I would do it again...in a heart beat" she sets her head against shoulder, he smiles at her. "It's going to be okay" he tells her stroking her cheek, he kisses her, then sighs. "I need to go talk to Seth about....setting up some sort of watch" he tells her, gently sliding her from his lap.

"Be careful" she tells him, he leans over and kisses her.

"I will be back" he promises her, she smiles and nods resting her head against the back of the sofa, he strokes her cheek.

...........................

Jacob smiles looking up at Catherine who stands in her bedroom window, he waves and she waves back, giving him a soft smile. She's paler again, even he can tell from where he stands, purple bags under her eyes, even though she doesn't sleep she seems tired. She makes a heart symbol with her hands and he smiles warmer at her and does the same back.

"Man, I can smell them from all the way out here" Leah states, Jacob looks to her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jacob asks as Seth approaches them glaring at his big sister.

"I'm not gonna let my little brother get himself killed"

"Go away, Leah! I can take care of myself" Seth tells her.

"That you think so proves you need a babysitter"

"Okay, would the both of you shut up?" Jacob tells them with a sighs. "Did Sam send you?" he asks Leah.

"Sam doesn't even know I left" The three of them listen as the wolves start howling.

"I think he just figured it out" Seth points out, Leah looks to Jacob.

"Jake. I know what his plan is"