Wild (Jacob Black)

Chapter 16

"You fool. You think this wolf can protect you? He is nothing but a mutt, just like your mother." He hissed. The red-brown wolf snarled at his comment. My fingernails dug into the man's hand which tightly wrapped around my neck.

"Let me go," I said through rasping breath.

"Or what?" He asked, tightening his grip.

I struggled in his hand. He slowly lifted my fading body off the ground and threw me into a tree. I groaned in pain and held my throat. The wolf lept for the brunette man, who swiveled and caught the wolf. The wolf winced. Satisfied, he tossed the wolf a couple of feet in front of me. He ran to the wolf and sunk his teeth into his thick fur coat. The wolf phased back as the man ran away. I limped over to the lifeless body.

"Jacob, wake up." I sniffled. I placed my hands on both of his cheeks, moving his head to the side to examine his face. I leaned down and pressed my ear to his chest. The quiet beat of his heart stopped.

"No!" I jolted up. Wincing, I held my side and rolled onto my back. The pain was unbearable.

"Lillian, you're okay." Sam asked. He rushed over to my side.

"I need to see Jacob," I said, struggling to sit up.

"You need to rest." He said. "It's not safe for you to see him by yourself, either."

I sighed and lie back down. "You don't understand, Sam. I need to see him."

He closed his eyes and frowned. "I do understand. I hurt Emily, yet my pack forbade me to see her right away."

"This is different. I need him." I stood up and limped my way to the glass door.

"Lillian," Sam called after me. I ignored him and continued on my path.

A couple of people surround Billy's house. As I reach the porch, Bella exits. Jealousy and anger filled my veins. She could see him, but I couldn't?

"I'm sorry Lillian, but you need to go home," Embry said.

"No, I need to see him." I raised my voice, no longer able to contain my frustration. I pushed Embry out of my way and walked into Jacob's room.

A shirtless, sweaty Jacob laid on his bed with his arm in a sling. I knelt next to him. His eyes were closed.

"Jake," I whispered. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. It's all my fault." A teardrop left my eye. He laid almost lifeless.

"It's not your fault." His voice was low and raspy. "Who is he?" He asked after a moment.

"My dad." I said. "He's the reason I moved here."

His jaw tightened, and he drew in a sharp breath.

"It's okay, Jake," I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm fine."

"Last time you said you were fine, you ran away. I'm not letting you do that again," he said. "I need you, Lilly."

"I need you too, Jake," I whispered.

"I know." He smiles. "You can't stay away from me, even when you're hurting."

I breathed a laugh. It was true. I couldn't. He lured me and I got hooked by his trance.

"You should go. Charlie's probably worried," he said. I tried to argue, but he cut me off. "You need to rest."

I stood reluctantly.

"I love you," he whispered before closing his eyes with a contented smile and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

"I love you, too," I whispered with a smile and left his room.

I walked over to Bella's truck and hopped in. We drove in silence to Charlie's house. My thoughts wondered about endless things of what could've happened. It always led back to a certain memory.

The doorknob jiggled as my dad tried to pick the lock. "Come on out, princess. The longer you fight the worse the consequence."

"Get away from her, Austin!" my mother yelled.

A loud bang came from the door as it swung open. The doorknob put a hole in the wall. I screamed and hugged my knees. My dad stalked towards me.

"Shh, it's okay princess. Let's get you away from this beast." He cooed, picking me up. I slashed my arms, balling my hands into fists. "Calm down!" He yelled. I only struggled more to get out of his grasp.

"Put her down!" My mom shrieked.

Two pale men held her against the wall. They had red eyes. That reminded me of what my grandpa told me the week before. It's not just the red-eyed monsters, it's also the furry beasts you have to be aware of.

"Stop talking or the child dies." One of the men said. My mother looked at me with empathy. I watched the two pale men bash her stomach as I got carried away by my monstrous father.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked as I stumbled out of her truck.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little winded." I lied to her. I wanted to go back to Jake, but I knew that wasn't good for us. We needed to heal.

I followed Bella into the house that I would soon need to run away from. They were not safe if I was there. My father would only come back and he would hurt anyone who loved me. That was his mission.

"Billy told me what happened to Jacob," Charlie said as we walked into the kitchen. "Were you with him?"

"No, I wasn't." I lied once again.

Charlie nodded. "I'm wondering if it's those big wolves that you told me about," Charlie said, looking at Bella.

"Wolves?" I asked.

"Yeah. Early this year a couple of us went in the woods to check out these bear sightings. Bella came across them and told us they weren't bears, but wolves."

"Every time I've walked through the woods, I didn't see any wolves." Lying has gotten easier. As if it were natural.

"It's late. You girls should go to bed." Charlie stood. "I'll be gone early tomorrow. There's food in the fridge. You could also go to the diner if you'd like." He gave us a hug and a kiss.

I went to my room and laid on my bed. I hoped Charlie wouldn't find any more wolves or the pack would be in some trouble.