Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 11:

Paul’s POV

Jake suddenly phased into wolf form, and shot out to attack Bella and Kim. “Keep all of the imprints safe,” I ordered in my alpha timber. Jared, in human form, whisked Bella and Kim away to safety. The others imprints were rushed to a safe part of the living room. Rage overtook my body and I phased on the fly, colliding with Jake in midair. Two others also phased, and effectively knocked him to the ground, crushing him. There was no way we were going to let any of our imprints get attacked by a wolf. We were snarling at Jake who was now immobile in wolf form. In my peripheral, I saw Jared doing a visual check of both Bella and Kim to make sure that they were okay before cocooning them both in his arms to keep them safe.

Angela freaked out, grabbed her cell phone, and tried to call someone. Emily pulled some sort of a Jackie Chan stunt, kicked the phone out of her hand, and shoved her up against the wall. It was actually kind of hot.

“ I know man, wasn’t it?” Sam thought back to me. “Emily is into those martial arts movies.”

That’s when I saw Sam running thoughts of Emily and Bella rolling around nude in the mud. “Sam, what the hell, man? That’s my imprint.”

“ You’ve got to admit the idea is pretty hot.”

“ Yeah, it is. We’ll keep it between the two of us though.”

“ And me, as long as we can throw a muddy, naked Babs into the ring along with Emily and Bella.”

There were two giant wolves and a giant coyote growling at a petrified Jake. Jared, in human form, had Bella and Kim behind him and completely protected. He couldn’t phase because I had ordered him to hold it in. I saw Brady rush over to flank him, while Leah stood protectively in front of Emily with a deadly scowl on her face.

Wait a minute. What the hell is Crispy doing here?

“ I came here to drop off some of Babs’ pumpkin pie,” he said, motioning with one paw to the delicious looking pie on the counter, and then his eyes widened.

“ Can you hear me, Crisp?” I asked.

“ Yep.”

“ But you shouldn’t be able to hear me, right?”

“ Nope.”

“ Um, guys, I can hear you, too,” Sam piped in.

“ What the hell?” the three of us thought.

“ Can you hear Jake?” I asked, mentally.

“ No,” they both replied.

“ Holy crap,” all three of us thought at once.

I returned to human form. “Jake, when you phase back to human form, Sam and my friend here will do the same. Don’t you, for one moment, think of returning to wolf form after that, though. Sam will attack to kill on my orders. He has no qualms about doing it. My friend will just do it on his own accord, he has no loyalty to you or to me.”

Five minutes later, more chaos ensued in my house. Crispy’s pack came crashing through my patio door in coyote form and immediately flanked Sam and Crispy. Now, Jake was quite literally shaking and so was Angela on the other side of the room. She looked like she was about to pee her pants. She’d better not urinate on my floor! Four other horse-sized coyotes were staring down Jake along with Sam and Crispy.

Bella approached Jake and trained her eyes on him. What the hell is she doing? Damn it! Why doesn’t she have a sense of self-preservation like the other imprints?

“Jake, look at me,” she stated firmly. He did as she directed. “The coyotes won’t hurt you. They’re our friends, but if you move to attack me again they will. You don’t want me to get hurt, do you?”

He shook his big furry head no. “I’ll stay right here with you if you want, just phase back so we can all talk. Are you hurt?”

He nodded his head that he was. “Missy, would you grab my medical bag from my bedroom?” she asked.

Jake phased back to human form. He was lying on the floor clutching his ribs and his leg. Crispy and most of his pack phased back to human form. Manny was still in coyote form, and Sam was still too angry to phase back from wolf form. I’ve been there. It used to be me who was unable to shift back. I recalled the first time I met Bella when we were still in high school, and she slapped me across the face. I was so angry that Sam had to coax me for about twenty minutes until I was finally able to return to human form. He even started belting out Christmas songs to try to make me laugh. I chuckled thinking about the incident. Bella was depressed and dependent on Jacob back then, but damn she was a firecracker. She had guts even back then.

“Sam, think happy thoughts,” I urged, giving him the same advice he used to give me when he was alpha. It looked like Manny was trying to talk to him. Can Manny hear his thoughts, too? It took Sam about ten minutes, but he was finally able to do it.

Bella started checking Jake’s injuries out immediately. “Randy, this is too complicated for me. He’s beginning to heal already. I can tape up his ribs, but I can’t do his leg, I think it needs to be re-broken again.”

Randy put his professional mask on. Well, as professional as you could be naked. “I’m Dr. Kayani, I won’t hurt you. I need to take a look at your injuries.”

Jake nodded his head. Randy checked Jake’s injuries out. “You’re right Bella. I have to break his leg again in order to reset his bone. Are you in pain anywhere else?”

“I think I dislocated my shoulder,” Jake groaned. “And my ribs hurt.”

“Alright, let’s get him to my office. Bella, you’re going to have to assist. Maybe Emily and Missy can help, too. Do you mind if we take you to my office? It’s about a ten-minute ride. You can’t exactly go to a hospital. I can help you there.”

“That’s fine.”

“Wait! Jake, how do we know if we can trust these people?” Angela asked. Personally, I thought it was pretty nervy of her to ask, considering she was partly responsible for this chaos.

“Angela, it’s not like I have a choice. Bella won’t let me get hurt, will you?” Sure-this coming from the guy who just tried to hurt her while in wolf form. I think he’s delusional.

“No, he’ll be fine, Angela. Randy’s a great doctor. I go to him myself.”

Angela’s face turned into a grimace.

“Alright, let’s move him carefully. Paul, I’ll need your help.”

“Ahem!” Leah cleared her throat loudly. I hate to tell you this. I really do because I’m having live erotic dreams watching you all, but all of you, with the exception of Jared, are naked.” She nodded with a smile.

“Damn it, Leah! Did you have to tell them?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, you ruined the god-damned pretty view for all of us,” Rachel agreed.

“Um, I’ll go upstairs and get some of Paul’s clothes,” Bella giggled, then wagged her eyebrows at a naked Jeff. God damn it!

What the hell is wrong with the imprints of my pack. They’re all a bunch of perverts. They all go into heat as soon as they see Crispy’s pack naked. We have an injured wolf here. It doesn’t matter if I don’t like his ass. He’s still injured, and all they could do is think about naked men. I’m gonna have to alpha order all of my guys to get into shape. They all look pudgy compared to Crispy’s pack.

While Bella was upstairs, I took a look at our kitchen and living room. It was in shambles. It looked like a tank drove through it and took the whole thing out. Phew, at least my coffee bar survived. There are small miracles to be thankful for. Bella can be a tyrant without her morning coffee.

Bella rushed back down with an armful of clothes for us, and a blanket for Jake. We quickly got dressed, and rushed him to Randy’s clinic. Most of the guys stayed back, but Sam, Brady, and I went along with Randy, Bella, Emily, and Missy. Crispy followed us there, too.

Two hours later, Jake was all patched up. His leg was rebroken and fitted with a cast, his dislocated shoulder was put back into place, and his ribs were taped up. We returned to my house where the guys had started cleaning up my destroyed living room. I would need to install new patio doors. Maybe I can put in the French doors like Bella wants. And the kitchen, we won’t even go there, the whole thing needs to be redone.

We laid Jake down on one of the sofas. “Jacob, are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Angela asked.

“Why would they hurt me, Angela? Dr. Kayani just reset my leg so it would heal properly.”

“It’s just that they’re coyotes,” she whispered, as if we couldn’t hear her.

“Um, our hearing is just as sensitive as theirs, for your information,” Manny told her. “And just to let you know, those guys are wolves.”

Angela’s eyes widened in fear, and she took a few steps towards me as if I would protect her. I, in turn, stepped around her and walked to Bella’s side, taking her hand.

“Honey, we need to hear what Paul has to say. Just sit with me, okay?” Jake patted the seat next to him, motioning to his wife to sit by his side. Yeah, and keep your trap shut, bitch. Everything that comes out of your mouth is ignorant.

“Alright, Jake, we need to talk…”

“Um, do you think I can have something to drink first, Paul. I’m kind of parched.”

“Sure, what would you like? We have beer, wine, liquor, grapefruit juice, coffee, tea, milk, and water.”

“A beer would be great, thanks.”

“Anyone else?” I called out. Almost all of the guys wanted a beer. I made my way to my beer fridge in the garage. Crispy followed to give me a hand. He motioned his head towards the street as soon as he got in there.

I hopped into Bella’s car with him and yelled that I was going on a quick beer run.

As soon as we were out of the garage, Crispy asked, “What the hell was that earlier, Paul? I’ve never been able to communicate with anyone outside of the pack while in coyote form.”

“I was hoping you had an answer. After I phased back to human form, was the rest of your pack able to communicate with Sam?”

“Yes, and they’re freaked out. Manny actually talked him back to human form. Sam was pretty pissed off. He showed me what Jake and Angela did to Bella when she was still in high school. I guess Emily was so upset she cried for a week straight after Bella left.”

“Yeah, she wasn’t happy at all. Jake could have handled it better, Bella and he were best friends, and Angela was her close friend in high school. Believe it or not, though, I think all of the negative stuff needed to happen to Bella to make her stronger. What happened with Jake was the catalyst in making her stronger.”

“Why the hell would Jake attack two of your mates? Don’t you have rules against it?”

“Of course we do. Our priority as a pack is to keep all imprints safe and happy.”

“Well, heck, when you think about it, Jake is no longer a part of your pack. Maybe subconsciously his wolf knew that. Bella and Kim wouldn’t be a priority just like Angela wouldn’t be a priority for you. Still, though, why would you attack two defenseless women?”

“You’ve got a good point there, Crispy.

“Okay, what are you planning on doing about Jake?”

“I’m not sure yet. I think I should just tell him that I’m the pack’s new alpha and whether he follows my lead or not is his choice. He’s going to want an explanation as to why you guys are coyotes, though.”

“I’ll give him the basics, you leave it to me. I don’t think we should tell him that we’re able to communicate telepathically yet. After he leaves, we need to have a meeting in animal form with both of our packs because, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what the hell just happened.”

“I agree, but I have another question for you. How did your guys know that you were in trouble?”

“We have a kind of internal sensor which goes off whenever one of our guys or mates are in danger. We feel it through our bodies even in human form.”

“It must come in handy?”

“It does, but this is the first time it’s ever gone off. We’ve never actually been in any sort of trouble or anything-neither have our fathers.”

We got to the liquor store and I loaded the shopping cart up with a few cases of beer. Jeff showed up in the store just as we were leaving.

“What the hell, Jeff? Did you run here?” Crispy asked.

“Yeah, I wanted to catch you before you two got home. First of all, what the hell was that earlier? We could all communicate with Sam.”

“We’ll figure that out later. We’re just as confused as you are.”

“Okay, fine. Listen, the guys at my office have unearthed a ton of shit on your tribe. That Jacob kid is clean-he’s just a lackey and an idiot. So is Quil Ateara the Third. Tony Fuller is hiding shit-tons of shit. Do you realize not one person who works on the reservation has gotten a raise in the last ten years? Oh, and the reason why they can’t get a full-time doctor to work for the tribal health center is because they’re only offering thirty-seven thousand dollars a year.”

“For a doctor?” I asked, outraged. “That’s less than what a resident makes!”

“Yep.”

“The teachers at the tribal school are making roughly twenty-eight thousand dollars a year, and now that Jessica and Rachel are gone, there aren’t any who have renewed their teaching licenses left, because the school can’t afford to pay for their updates. The BIA is going to handle updating their licenses for them since it is an emergency. Oh, and the tribal school has been using the same textbooks for the last twenty years. Twenty, Paul. That’s five presidential terms. That’s what we’ve unearthed so far. We have to look at the entire infrastructure. It’s going to take some time, and by time, I mean over a year-maybe even two. We have to look thoroughly into everything from healthcare to education to housing to public works. I also need to find a way to subpoena Fuller’s personal records. For that, I need to find some dirt on him.”

“Gee whiz, what’s going on?” I asked.

“I don’t know. The BIA office in Portland asked my office to run routine checks on the nearby Makah and Hoh tribes as well. We’re also checking into the Quinault Indian Nation. Everything seems okay with those tribes. I know Fuller is behind everything with the Quileute’s, but I just can’t seem to pin anything on him. He’s slippery.”

“Thanks, Jeff, I owe you one.”

“No, you owe me at least ten rounds of golf, you asshole. You unintentionally gave me and my office a ton of extra work!” He shook his head, then chuckled.

We all laughed on the way home. Jeff and Crispy helped me carry in the cases of beer. Normally, I would have loved to just sit and relax, but it was time to talk to Jake, who couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of my Bella while she sat and chatted with Emily. I noticed the guys in both Crispy’s and my pack were positioned around the room so they could get to our imprints immediately should something arise-not that Jake could move, but it was nice knowing the girls were protected.

I put the beer on the coffee table and started passing the bottles out. I popped open a bottle and handed one to Jake. He took it appreciatively and downed it in one go. I gave him another bottle.

He looked at me intently. “I couldn’t hear you. I couldn’t hear Sam either. What’s going on?”

“I’m going to just tell you straight, Jacob. You are no longer the alpha of Sam, Jared, Quil, Embry, Seth, Leah, or Brady. They pledged their loyalty to me. You should know that I didn’t go out and seek to be their alpha. They shifted their allegiance to me on their own.”

“Why?” Jake looked absolutely devastated. “Paul is not even on La Push anymore. How could you simply go behind my back and pledge your loyalties to him? Is it because he offered you jobs?”

Jared decided to speak up, “Let me tell you something, Jacob. A true alpha’s priority is for his pack to run cohesively, and for that to happen, each pack member has to be happy. We weren’t happy Jacob. When Sam was alpha, we were all happy, even if we had to chase after bloodsuckers and run patrols all day. Do you know why that was?”

“No.”

“It was because Sam tried his best to make sure our personal lives were as fulfilled as they could be, regardless of what the tribal council mandated.”

“You were happy, though, Jared. You had your kids, your imprint, and your house, which was given to you by the council.”

“I wasn’t happy and neither was Kim because we couldn’t get anywhere in life and provide for our children while we were on the reservation. I’m thirty-two years old, Jake. I have six kids, and I just got my GED this summer so I could at least earn a decent paycheck. Prior to that, I was unemployed for almost three years, and we survived on Kim’s paycheck and food stamps. Are you aware she was only getting paid twenty cents above minimum wage?”

“What? She should have at least been making ten bucks an hour by now, she’s been there for twelve years, no thirteen.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t easy Jake. And it wasn’t until Paul got my ass into gear that I strived to make something of myself, and got my GED, so I could take the job he was offering me. You tried to force us all into staying on the reservation, even at the cost of our well-being. Those are not the actions of a true alpha.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Did you take the time to get to know everyone?” Brady asked. “I know you took the time to get to know Collin, but what about the rest of us? You let your personal issues with us get in the way of our happiness. I was offered a great construction job in Tacoma a year and a half ago, until Collin, my father, and you stopped me from going. Do you know what that did to my family? There’s more, though. There’s a huge reason why I can’t follow you as a leader.”

“What more could there be?”

“When Old Quil, my father, and you barged in to this house to order Bella and Paul to return to La Push, you actually threatened Bella. As wolves, we protect the pack, but above all, we protect our imprints. You failed in that respect when you tried to put your hands on Bella. You’re lucky Paul stopped you because if you had laid even one finger on her, you would have been dead and buried, ten feet underground, because we would have all taken great pleasure in tearing you apart. But then you went and did it again tonight. This time you phased and tried to attack Bella and Kim both. Even though Angela was completely at fault, none of us moved to attack her. You give me one good reason why I shouldn’t end your life right here and now?”

Jake didn’t say anything for a few minutes and looked contemplative. He finally looked up at Bella and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I should have never listened to Tony because, Brady’s right, the safety of an imprint is pack priority. Kim, I apologize to you, too.”

Bella nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Angela suddenly spoke, “You know this is all fine and dandy, but it still doesn’t explain why Paul is suddenly alpha and why these guys turn into giant coyotes. It also doesn’t explain why you guys broke tribal law and left the reservation. Wolves aren’t supposed to leave the reservation. It’s an unwritten law. It’s been like that from the beginning when the shape-shifters first came about.”

“May I just interject for a second?” Jeff asked.

“Go right ahead,” I said.

“Angela, is it?” She nodded her head that she was. “You said yourself that the law is unwritten. Technically, the law doesn’t exist. Now, even if it did exist, you have to take into consideration that hundreds of years have passed since the law was enacted. I’m sure times were much simpler when the law was put into place, and those shape-shifters who enacted the law never took into consideration the fact that survival in the modern world requires people to go out and work. This law was probably enacted during the times when the Quileutes were primarily hunters and gatherers. We’ve had to amend several of our laws in order to survive in the modern world as well. Change accompanies the passage of time, even the United States Constitution allows for amendments to be made, should the need arise.”

“Well, there’s a difference, though, we’re talking about shape-shifters here.”

“And unless the tribe is going to support them financially throughout their lives-and support them generously, I might add-these shape-shifters are still men who have families and need to survive in the modern world.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that, but why is Paul suddenly alpha. What gives him the right to up and take away my husband’s birthright?”

“It’s not Jake’s birthright, Angela,” Emily interjected. “Have you ever read any of the legends in the tribal archives, which were written by the tribal shaman during Taha Aki’s time?”

“No, I haven’t,” she replied, honestly, albeit snippily.

“Well, there’s a story in there about the Great Protector. He would come into power at a time of great unrest for our people… “

Emily was interrupted, suddenly, by Jake of all people, “… he would live away from his people, his chosen mate will be a healer with prior knowledge of our world and that of the Cold Ones, he is the true spirit warrior. She will be marked once by a Cold One, then by the Great Protector at a great distance from our lands at their first joining. Together they will bring peace, prosperity, and justice to our people, and they will do so from their land far away .”

“You knew about this?” Angela asked Jake, incredulously.

“Yes, but I didn’t think it was Paul. But the part about Bella… Well, it makes sense. It makes complete sense. She would have been the only imprint with prior knowledge of our world and she knew vampires existed. There’s more, though.”

“More?” Several of us turned to Jacob with keen interest.

“Yes, and I believe this one involves all of us in this room. The Great Protector will befriend a spirit warrior from the land of the Cina Ahuwipi. Together, they will form an alliance with the people of the Cina Ahuwipi. They will run together as a pack, and protect their tribes and mates from those that threaten to harm them. The god of the underworld will release the Cina Ahuwipi people from their servitude, to be watched over by the spirit god forevermore. The moment this happens, they will be able to feel and speak with each other as one.”

“Oh my God! That’s the bedtime story that Daddy used to tell us,” Rachel blurted. “It’s the same one I used to tell the kids before they went to bed. And Old Quil used to tell the same tale to my Quilly.”

“Jacob did the same with our kids,” Angela admitted. “I used to think it was just a fairy tale, but seeing what I did today, I know it’s true.”

“Yeah, but we’re not the Cina Ahuwipi people. We’re the Wa-Ya brotherhood.”

“The Cina Ahuwipi is the Gila River in the language of our ancestors, Manny. I think it’s safe to say that they were talking about us,” Crispy said in complete shock.

“So what do we do now?” Manny asked.

Jacob turned and looked into my eyes with an intense look, “I, Jacob Black, rescind my right to Alpha and pledge my allegiance to my brother Paul Lahote-the Great Protector, true spirit warrior, and rightful Alpha of the Pack.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I felt an internal shift in my body, more powerful than when the rest of their pack pledged their loyalty to me. It was almost as if Jacob was transferring what alpha powers he held to me. I actually wobbled where I was standing and was out of breath when the feeling ended.

“Paul, are you okay?” Bella asked, worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was just… weird… I felt the transfer of power emanating throughout my body.” She brought me a bottle of water, and urged me to drink it. “Thanks, baby.”

I took the water and wrapped my arms around Bella. Jake stared at us longingly.

“How are we going to work this out, Paul?” Crispy asked.

“I have no idea. I suppose we have to do what we’ve been doing and figure it out as we go along. Jacob, can you try and find out more about the legend you just told us when you return to La Push?”

“I’ll do it,” Leah said. “I don’t think Jacob will be going anywhere for a few days.”

“Ask my father. He knows a whole ton of legends,” Jake suggested. “How long will it be before I can go home?”

“I think the earliest will be Thursday or Friday, depending on how fast you heal. You can’t really return to Washington because I’ll need to keep an eye on your injuries and a standard physician will be unable to do so. They’ll immediately make the assumption that your leg is infected due to your high body temperature. That’s a serious break you have there, and you’ve also fractured your tailbone.”

“So, I’ll have to call Collin tomorrow and have him run the shop. Angela, you’re going to have to go home alone and take care of the kids. Can you handle that?”

“Of course I can.”

“Don’t say anything to anyone yet. I’ll talk to Collin and Linda when I get back.”

“Jacob, don’t breathe a word of this to Tony Fuller or Old Quil,” I stated. “There’s something fishy going on in La Push. Old Quil is most likely okay, but Tony Fuller is not to be trusted.”

“Did you get that Angela?” Jake asked.

“I did, but where are you going to stay? You’re not staying here with Bella, are you?”

So, that’s what her problem was. Jealousy. Plain, simple jealousy of my wife, and Jake didn’t make it any easier because it was clear that he still had unresolved feelings for her.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice, and I doubt Bella will hurt me.”

“Angela, I work all week. I usually get home after Paul does. I have no idea why you perceive me as a threat, but if you prefer, I can go and stay at Crispy’s for the week.”

“I would, actually.”

“Why are you such a raging bitch?” Rachel piped in angrily. “It’s you and your god-damned mouth that got my brother injured in the first place, and if it weren’t for Bella coaxing him to phase back to human form, his leg probably would never have been set right. What is your problem with her anyway? Jake and you were the ones that fucked her over thirteen years ago!”

“She’s the reason I have no friends in Forks or La Push! Everyone sided with her after the prom incident, and all I wanted to do was go to the prom with the man I love, but everyone treated me like a pariah there. Charlie Swan barely says anything to Jacob anymore, and he thought of him as a second father!”

“Don’t you dare put the blame on Bella, Angela! Jacob and you should have told her about the imprint as soon as it happened. She, of all people, would have understood. She knew imprinting was a possibility when Jake and she were dating yet you went behind her back for months! Oh, and Charlie is going to side with Bella, he is her father, not Jacob’s or yours. When push comes to shove, a parent will always put his or her child first!”

“We were trying to save her feelings because she was hurt so badly by Edward Cullen!”

“By lying to her?” Emily questioned, joining in the discussion. “Why the hell did you tell her when you did, then? Why didn’t you wait until after high school graduation?”

“I was pregnant with Will.”

“And it was still no excuse for the way you treated her, and continue to treat her.”

“It’s so unfair! Bella always gets whatever she wants. First she gets Edward Cullen, then she gets Jacob, and now she gets Paul after he becomes a millionaire? How come she gets the perfect boyfriend in high school? Why does she get the perfect husband and the perfect life? What makes her so fucking special that she gets to jet around the world with the perfect wolf? Why the hell did she get to go to college and have a career instead of being saddled with kids? Why does Bella Swan get to have the good life? And now, you’re telling me that her husband gets to be some sort of great alpha leader on top of everything?”

Holy shit, okay, well that was an earful, and my imprint and I are caught smack dab in the middle of it. This is one jealous bitch.

When none of us had a response, Angela continued ranting, “And then there’s Jacob! He loves Bella! He still loves her to this day! If Jacob had a choice, he would have imprinted on her. I’m just a vessel who carried his children. I can see it in the way he looks at her, the way he gets jealous whenever Paul touches her. In the beginning, he used to call out her name in bed.”

“Well, alrighty, then, I think you two need to talk alone,” I declared to Angela and Jake. “We’ll be… um… at…”

“My house… yes, that’s where we’ll be,” Crispy jumped in. “I’m getting kind of hungry anyway.”

“Right, we’ll be at his house. We’ll be back in the morning. Help yourself to anything in the refrigerator.”

There was a mass exodus out of my house and we all headed to Crispy’s house, which was just down the road from mine. I saw Sam grab Babs’ pumpkin pie on the way out. “I’ll just take this along for the ride.” Good, I didn’t want to share it with Jake or Angela neither.

Babs was in shock at the sudden invasion at her house. “What the hell is going on?”

“Long story,” Crispy sighed. “So, what do we have to eat?”

“The rest of you had best be helping me to cook at this time of night. It’s already midnight.”

“Can I just point out how messed up that was?” Emily yelled. “Sam may still have had lingering feelings about Leah in the beginning of our relationship, but he never called her name out in bed.”

“Well, now we know what Angela’s problem has been all along. Jake is still hung up on Bella, and Angela has been jealous of Bella all along. She wanted Cullen, Jake, and now Paul,” Kim said.

“Oh, someone had better start dishing now or… or… I’m not cooking!” Bab’s stated.

“It’s okay, no one is cooking. I’m going to just hit Pizza King for us. They’re open until two am,” I announced. “Just tell me what you all want.”

Jared came along with me for the ride to Pizza King.

“What happened earlier? Manny said he was able to talk to Sam telepathically.”

“Uh, yeah, we’re going to have to meet tomorrow morning in wolf and coyote form because some weird cosmic shit went down and, apparently, we can all communicate with Crispy’s pack.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jared said. “We’re all pretty close. Think about it Paul, we were all hanging out together and we had each other’s well being in mind. The imprints are all close, too. Maybe Taha Aki saw that and decided we should be one big group. Plus there’s that story that Jacob told us.”

“You’re probably right, Jared. It’s just freaky, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We were back an hour later with forty pizzas, which everyone dug into appreciatively. Leah, Seth, Bella and I stayed overnight at Crispy’s while everyone else went home. It was decided that Jacob would stay at Rachel and Quil’s house because they had a guest room, and it was more convenient for Randy to check up on him since his office was near their house. I noticed Randy never mentioned he lived right down the road from us. I guess he didn’t want Jake near him either. In any case, I was taking Jake to Quil and Rachel’s tomorrow, while Quil drove Angela, Seth, and Leah to the airport.

Before that, we were going to meet at the Wa-Ya Reservation and meet as wolves and coyotes to hash things out. We were still quite perplexed at how this shared telepathy all happened.

---

Bright and early, the next morning, Crispy’s and my pack, minus Jake, met at the Wa-Ya Reservation in our animal forms. Quil finally taught them all how to strap their shorts to their leg before phasing. Apparently, he was sick of our women ogling Crispy’s pack when they were naked in human form.

We sat in our spot in front of the Gila River and spoke telepathically to each other.

Randy was the first to speak, “I’m officially spooked. I know we’re all mythical creatures, but this one takes the cake. Why now? And who the heck made all of those predictions that Jacob was spouting out yesterday?”

“ It was a shaman from Taha Aki’s time. His predictions are in the archives. They were passed down from generation to generation and it was finally all penned in the 1930’s,” Jared informed us.

“ Well, shouldn’t we get ahold of that book?”

“ Yeah, that would be a good idea,” I agreed. “Maybe Seth or you can go grab it before Fuller gets his claws on it.”

“ I’ll do it,” Leah said.

“ Does Fuller have access to the archives?” Jeff asked.

“ He does because he’s a tribal elder. Jared, I know that Em and you read about the legend in the archives. Other than Quil, Jake, and Rachel, who else knew the story beforehand?” No one else seemed to know of the legend. “Is there any information in your archives, Crispy?”

“ No, I’m just as perplexed as everyone else. We do have a tribal shaman who knows of the existence of the pack. Maybe we can ask him.”

“I think we need to. I don’t think we have a tribal shaman, do we?”

“ My grandfather is the tribal shaman, shit for brains,” Quil informed me.

“ He is?”

“ Duh, ” the rest of the pack confirmed the fact while staring at me with varying looks of incredulity. Okay, so I was a bit out of the loop. I didn’t exactly pay attention to tribal stuff while growing up. I was busy trying to keep from going hungry.

“ I think the question is, now that our packs are combined, who is alpha?” Barry asked.

“ It’s Paul, obviously. He’s the Great Protector, and we’re his spirit warriors,” Crispy replied.

“ What if I don’t want to be alpha?”

“ Too late, I trust you. I, Crispin Hodges pledge my allegiance to Paul Lahote, the Great Protector and rightful alpha of the wolf and coyote packs.”

The rest of Crispy’s did the same. I felt a great internal jolt. Then, Sam started repeating the Pledge of Allegiance, so we all put our right hands over our hearts and followed along because we’d be running it through our brains otherwise.

It was decided that Crispy would be my Beta, and that Seth would make decisions in place of the Alpha over in La Push. I offered it to Leah first, but she declined actually suggested that Seth would be better because he was calmer than she was and kept his head on straight.

“ So, can I give a beta order as a test, Paul?” Crispy asked.

“ Sure, go right ahead.”

“ All of you wolves have to get in shape. At this point only Paul, Brady, and Leah have kept in shape. The rest of you are fluffy. If push ever comes to shove, you guys need to be in top fighting form.”

“ Fluffy?” Jared asked. “You make us all seem like marshmallows.”

“ Damn it! Now I have an incredible urge to go jogging,” Embry said. “Oh, Paul, when you rebuild your kitchen, I’m coming with you to the appliance store. There’s a cool indoor grill we can install, it’ll be great for doing up steaks in the house.”

“ Embry, do you ever think of anything other than food?”

“ Um, yeah, can we throw Jess into the mud wrestling pit with Emily, Bella, and Bab?.”

Great, now everyone was running thoughts of their muddy, naked imprints through their brains. No wonder our women were such pervs. With guys like us as mates, they’d have to be to keep up with us. Gee whiz! Crispy’s pack was deviant.

“ You guys are so disgusting!” Leah snapped. “How can you think about your wives like that? Cool Whip wrestling? Really, Manny?”

“ Cool Whip tastes better than mud.”

“ Yeah,” we all agreed and suddenly our imprints were covered in Cool Whip in our fantasies.

The next day…

It was Monday morning and Jake was settled into Quil and Rachel’s house. Rachel had driven Seth, Leah, and Angela to the airport yesterday. Meanwhile, I had driven Jake to their house. To say the car ride earlier had been filled with tension was an understatement.

“ Angela and I talked last night,” Jacob said.

“ Yeah, it looked like you guys needed to.”

“ Listen Paul, I’m sorry about everything. I really am. I love Angela, not Bella. I still care about her, though, you know.”

“ Maybe you should worry more about Angela. Bella is well cared for.”

“ I can see that. There was a time when I wanted to be the one in your place, but I would never have been enough for her. She’s changed Paul. Bella is strong now.”

“ That she is.”

“ Does she ever say anything about me?” he asked hopefully.

“ Not really,” I replied. I didn’t want to be harsh, but it was the truth. Jacob needed to get his head out of la-la land and concentrate on his own imprint instead of mine .

“ Oh. So where is she today?”

“ She’s at Crispy’s house. She didn’t want to make Angela or you feel uncomfortable in any way.”

“ She didn’t have to do that. I don’t feel uncomfortable when I’m around her.”

“ Trust me, it’s better this way.”

“ Paul?”

“ Yeah?”

“I’m glad you’re alpha. I hated being alpha. It sucked the life right out of me. I preferred it when I was just following Sam’s orders, but I did it because Angela insisted I take over because it was my birthright and all.”

We talked about family and work the rest of the way there. One thing was for certain; Jacob loved his kids with a passion. He worked hard to provide a decent life for them. When we were about a block away from Quil’s house, the engine on my truck seized up and completely puttered out.

“ What the hell? This truck’s only three years old!” I ranted.

“ Pop the hood, and help me out of the truck, I’ll take a look at it for you.”

“ Looks like your serpentine belt snapped. Have you been getting the truck maintained regularly?”

“ Um, half and half,” I mumbled.

“ How far do Quil and Rachel live from here?”

“ About a block away.”

“ Alright, then you can probably push the truck while I steer, and when we get there, I’ll send you out to the store for parts, then I’ll replace it for you.”

“ Jake, you don’t have to do that. You’re injured. I can just have it towed and have my mechanic take a look at it on Monday”

“ Meh, no big deal. It’ll keep me busy.”

“ Nah, Jake, I’ll just…”

“ Let me just do this for you, man. Let me just do this one thing because I was a fucking asshole to Bella and you, and I need to make it up to you somehow. You’re letting me off way too easy. I tried to attack two imprints when it was my own who riled them up in the first place. I’m good with cars. You know that. I’m a certified mechanic too, I own my own shop.”

Damn it, he was tugging at my heartstrings. He really felt bad, it seemed.

“ Sure, Jacob. Thank you,” I said.

By dinnertime, Jacob had repaired my vehicle, and Quil had even given it an oil change. Rachel asked me to stay for dinner, so I did. Number Six kept asking for Aunty Bella so I told him she was having dinner at Uncle Crispy’s house.

“ Aw, man! Aunty Babs cooks way better than Mom does. She doesn’t force chicken salad on us either.”

It was strange how Crispy’s pack had all become aunties and uncles to the kids in our pack. Manny and Barry were the only one with kids in his pack. Crispy, Jeff, and Randy were still childless like Embry and me. We were all focused on our careers still.

Speaking of careers, I was up the creek. Grant had just given me his two-week notice when I needed him the most. He had just been hired as assistant district attorney for Tempe, Arizona, and it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up even if the pay was significantly lower, since becoming DA had been his career goal from the start. I needed a lawyer quickly and one who knew his stuff. I had a meeting in Washington in three weeks with the Senate Finance Committee regarding the highway restoration project spanning from Arizona to the Oklahoma border. Baklund screwed up royally when he had another tunnel collapse in Oklahoma. Oklahoma was bound to Baklund still, but New Mexico and Texas quickly jumped on board with me. Texas actually withdrew their pending contract with Baklund, and decided to go with my company. I had a spotless record and planned to keep it that way.

I decided to give Crispy a buzz and see if he knew anyone. He told me to order lunch into my office and we’d mull it over together. Lunch was just delivered, and I was only waiting on him now.

“ Mr. Hodges is here to see you, Mr. Lahote,” my secretary chimed in over the intercom.

“You can show him in, Lorna.”

“How’s it going, Paul?” Crispy asked, as he walked in. Lorna closed the door behind her.

“Good, good,” I replied, shaking his hand, and motioning to the chair across from me so he could have a seat.

“So, you need a full-time in-house counsel on staff?”

“Yeah, and I need one in two weeks, minimum.”

“How much are you offering?”

“Two hundred and up plus bonuses, depending on years of experience.”

“He nodded his head. I’ve got a colleague’s resume for you. Have a look at it.” Crispy handed a resume and cover letter over to me.

“Geez, that was quick,” I said, scanning the letter and resume.

“Are you kidding? When I told this guy that the illustrious Paul Lahote was looking for an attorney for his staff, he started salivating at the mouth.”

“Too bad he’s under-qualified.” I smirked at him.

“Under-qualified? What the hell do you mean by that? This guy is top notch!”

“Three hundred fifty plus bonuses. That’s fifty more than what Grant is making right now. When can you start?”

“Two weeks, but I’ll work with Grant when I can so he can fill me in on the meeting with the Senate Transportation Committee.”

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Hodges.”

“Glad to be of service, Great Protector.” He smirked. “By the way, there was no way I was recommending anyone, but myself for this job.”

“Hey, I was going to ask you, but I thought you were happy at the DOE.”

“Paul, they pay a hundred and twenty grand a year for long hours and monotonous work. I was ready for a change. Do you realize Babs is making more than I am?”

“Nope, Bella just hit a hundred grand, but she has a couple of years less experience and she refuses to be tied down to a hospital. I’m not worried about how much she gets paid anyway. I’m happy as long as she’s happy.”

“That’s how I feel, but Babs likes the fast pace at Children’s Hospital.”

“So, she should keep working there, then.”

After lunch, I sent Crispy down to human resources so he could get the new hire bullshit out of the way. I felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off of my shoulders. Crispy was perfect for the job. Not only did he have ten years of experience, he ran in the same circles as me so he was well known by the politicians that I had to deal with. On top of that, many of my contracts were with the Department of Education so his connections there were deep. It’s why I decided to pay him more than I was paying Grant.

At around eight pm, I finally arrived home. Bella was tuckered out in bed already. With the Jake and Angela fiasco, our weekend of rest and relaxation had turned into one of chaos, surprises, and a living room and kitchen in need of a total overhaul. We were both exhausted. I crawled under the blankets with her, pulled her into my arms, and soon found myself closing my eyes and falling into a deep, peaceful slumber. Hopefully, next weekend would be more peaceful.