Start Living Now

“Stay quiet and listen to me if you want any chance at getting out of this alive. We have to get you out of here!” Yuma urgently whispered.

He grabbed my hand and quickly led me towards the back stairwell of the house, towards the back door. Nobody ever used it except for Yuma; he was the only one who had the key for it. I didn’t question him as he blindly led me through the flames. I knew I could trust Yuma. He would protect me with everything he had, like he had done so many times before.

The fire hadn’t quite reached the staircase, so it wasn’t as bad as the rest of the house. I heard the yells of Sara and the twins, Jackson and Kenai, as they made their way through the crumbling building. We made our way down to the first level, trying to remain as silent as possible, lest any of the betraying pack members heard us.

There was so much smoke; it was hard to breathe, let alone see. Yuma was practically half-carrying me through the falling rubble. He had one hand around my waist, his fingers tightly clasped between the belt loops of my jeans. The other was pressing my head in between his right pectoral muscle and shoulder in an effort to keep me from inhaling smoke; he only removed it when he needed to quickly move something out of the way. When he finally reached the back door, Yuma kicked it open, and pushed the both of us out and over the small hill that made up the back yard and into the small river below. Within seconds we were running down the riverbed towards the home of Yuma’s parents.

“Jael!” Pops threw his arms around me as soon as we made it through the front door, out of breath and covered in soot.“I was so afraid Yuma didn’t get to you in time.” He turned to Yuma. “My thanks to you and to your family for protecting my granddaughter, Shípa.”

Pops had given Yuma that nickname the first time I had ever invited Yuma to our home. We had just come back from a sparring session in our second Forms and both of us were covered from head to toe in black mud.

“No need to thank me, Pops,” said Yuma. "I will never abandon Jael. Not ever. She is my Alpha; I’d give my life for her.” Yuma’s face was set. He’d always remain loyal to me like no other.

Suddenly Yuma’s mother burst into the living room; Niko and the rest of the pack were spotted, headed in this direction, which meant that it was time to go. Yuma started to pull me towards the back door of the house, but I protested. I wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t leave without standing my ground, and I couldn’t leave Pops. When I ran back towards him he sadly shook his head.

“You must go.” He held me close one last time and whispered into my ear. “I love you, my Kwoli.” He gently pushed me away. “You must do this for me: no matter what happens, do NOT come back here. Cross the border, go to Juneau. There is a pack there that will look after you if you need their help. You know the way. Go Jael. Don’t ever think of this place again. GO!”

This time Yuma picked me up and carried me through the door, ignoring my tearful objections. He threw me into the passenger side of his old pick-up truck and sped off towards the back roads. He proceeded to tell me that Janae, the platinum-haired witch who had manipulated Niko, wanted nothing more than my demise so that she could take my place as the leader of the pack; as Niko had apparently declared he would give the title to her if she asked for it. A few of the members from our pack immediately agreed to follow her and Niko, while others refused to betray me. A fight ensued between the divided pack, which gave Janae the perfect opportunity to set our house on fire when she knew I was resting after making my rounds. Yuma had just begun his patrol when he heard the commotion between the minds of the pack members.

“By the time I figured it out and got to the house it was already burning,” said Yuma. We were now driving on the rocky back roads, surrounded by cliffs. “Niko and Janae were blocking the front door and the others were either fighting or trying to get inside to see if you were alive. I came in through the back door. And here we are.”

I sighed and rested my head against the window. “What am I going to do? I can’t just leave! This is my pack. My family.”

Yuma gave me a blank stare. “You’re not staying here. I’m not going to let you risk your life for people who were so willing to end yours. The rest of the pack will be fine. You need to get away from here. I will-”

But I wasn’t listening to Yuma. I was more focused on the barricade of wolves in the middle of the road. Niko and Janae were in the front; they were still in their Human Forms. And Niko was holding a huge boulder. I had never seen him lift something so massive before. It was superhuman, even for our kind. And he was throwing it right at us.

“YUMA LOOK OUT!!!” I cried. He sharply turned the wheel and barely missed the boulder; it hit the bed of the truck. We spun out of control and the truck flipped over and over again. Until we were falling down the rocky cliffside.

“JAEL!” Yuma cried. “Ja-”

“Jael? Are you ok?” I felt a warm hand on my back and looked up to see Jacob’s concerned eyes staring back into mine.

I stared back, blinking in confusion. “I’m fine, just spaced out for a minute there.”

“It wasn’t for a few minutes, Jael. It was like you were in another world for half the ceremony. What’s wrong?”

I glanced around us; Embry and Leah were walking towards us, along with Quil and an impatient-looking Claire.

“Not now. I’ll tell you later. I promise. Don’t worry about it tonight, ok?” I asked as I placed my hand on his cheek.

Jacob had noticed we were going to have company in a few seconds as well. “Alright,” he sighed. “You win. We’ll talk about everything later.” He leaned in, gently brushing his lips against mine.

“Hey now!” Leah cried as the group reached Jacob and I. “Last time I checked, the bride and the groom were the only ones who were supposed to get some tonight! Quit stealing their thunder and hurry up; they’re about to take the wedding photos.”

After an hour of watching the wedding party pose for picture after picture, the photographer finally stated that he was finished. With a sigh of relief, Emily sat down and pulled her ridiculously high heels off, rubbing her ankles.

“If only Sam wasn’t so freakishly tall,” she laughed.

“Uh, hellooo? Werewolf.” Leah snickered.

“Shapeshifter,” I corrected as I bumped my hip against Leah’s. “By the Ancestors, Leah. Get your mythological creatures straight.” Leah responded by scoffing and colliding her hip against mine.

As the two of us helped the blushing bride onto her feet and into some more comfortable shoes for the time being, Sam and Jacob walked over to us, each holding bottles of water. A blanket was draped over Jake’s shoulders. He tossed Leah a bottle, who excused herself and went off to find Paul, claiming he would eat all of the appetizers for the reception, which wouldn’t take place for another two hours. Jacob and I set off towards the cliffs, giving the bride and groom a moment alone.

“I figured maybe now would be a good time for ‘later,’” said Jacob as he placed the blanket on the ground a little ways away from the cliffside. I sat down next to him, and slipped my shoes off. It felt good to let my feet breathe for a bit; there’s no way I’d be able to take them off at the reception. Jacob had an apprehensive expression on his face.

“Relax, Jake,” I laughed. “I’m fine, really. I was just thinking about everything. Everything that happened before you and Paul attacked/saved me from that crazy old guy.” We both chuckled at ourselves and Jacob quickly muttered an apology. I knew he wanted to hear more, mainly an explanation for why I was crying during the ceremony. I sighed and leaned against Jacob’s shoulder. He immediately put his warm hand on my back, rubbing it in soft but firm circles. One of my favorite things about Jacob Black: his touch is infectious and reassuring.

I reiterated my flashback to Jacob, mentioning every detail. We had talked about my past many times before. Jacob knew most of my story, before and after Janae made her appearance at the Quinault reservation. There were just some things we hadn’t talked about because I wasn’t ready to relive everything just yet. Yuma rescuing me was one of these experiences.

Jacob was relatively quiet as I told him another part of my story, only interrupting me to explain something or ask a question. By the time I was finished, he was a little ticked.

“How could they do that to you?! You’re the Alpha, the chosen leader. The fact that more than half your pack betrayed you for some white-haired bitch…it’s not right.” Jacob’s face was flushed red and every now and then he’d shake. He was obviously upset enough that he was holding back his anger in an effort to prevent himself from Shifting. Now it was my turn to comfort him.

“No, it’s not. I don’t understand why they would betray me, why they did. I thought I was a good leader, a fair one. One who looked after her people and made sure they were taken care of and protected. I guess that just wasn’t good enough for them.”

Jacob sighed. The tremors had stopped now, he was much calmer now. But his eyes were angry as he turned to look at me.

“And what about the ones who remained loyal to you? What happened to them?”

I sighed and continued to tell Jacob what had happened that day.

There was nothing but the sound of metal. Twisting, screaming, breaking, ripping metal. The truck was being beaten to a pulp the by sharp rocks. Yuma was yelling, covering my body with his. Shielding me as glass shattered and surrounded us.

I can’t remember when the truck finally stopped. But I woke to the smell of burning oil and nothing else. No sound. Nothing. I saw the blood as I shrugged out of my seatbelt. A large piece of glass was embedded in my left thigh. My jeans were soaked in blood. Blood dripped down my face from where my head collided with the back of my seat. There was just too much blood.

I slowly turned my head to where Yuma had been sitting and cried out to him. A piece of the truck frame was sticking out of his right shoulder. He face was contorted in pain. When he saw me move towards him he cringed and told me not to move. It was then that I watched my best friend hold his breath and slowly pull out the metal frame. As soon as he pulled out the metal he let out a whoosh of air, while his shoulder let out a rush of thick, dark, blood.

“Yuma, are you ok? Don’t-”

“Don’t move. That piece of glass is really stuck in your leg. You won’t be able to heal yourself faster if you tear anything.” Yuma took a calming breath and then literally kicked out what was left of the door on the driver’s side of the truck and slowly made his way over to my side of the truck. The door had barely been dented in; it looked like Yuma’s side had taken most of the beating.

Yuma ripped the remains of his shirt into rags; one to tie on my leg as a tourniquet and another to bite on. As he was about to peel open the passenger side door, we heard shouts from the top of the ridge. I could see Yuma looking up at the cliff, and when I asked him what was happening, he wrenched the car door open and ripped apart my seat belt.

“They’re coming. Looks like we’re out of time. Don’t watch.” Before I even had time to respond, Yuma grabbed my leg in one hand and quickly pulled out the long shard of glass with the other. I don’t believe I’ve ever screamed that loudly in my entire life; it felt like my leg had been ripped to shreds. Before the last drop of blood ever surged out of the deep cut, Yuma had me in his arms, and was running off into the forest. We could hear the howls of our betrayed family all the while.

I can’t remember how long we managed to stay ahead of them. My head was spinning and no matter how much I protested, Yuma wouldn’t let either one of us Shift, stating that we’d need our strength for later. A part of me still believes that had he had the chance, he would’ve gone with me all the way to Alaska. Unfortunately, things weren’t meant to play out that way. We were less than five miles away from the river that borders Quinault territory when out of nowhere, Niko, in his wolf Form, tackled Yuma and I from behind a tall evergreen. Yuma dropped me, we both fell and rolled on the forest floor. Despite his weakened state, Yuma managed to flip himself in the right direction, Shifting into his wolf Form in the process. I quickly followed suit. Together, Niko was no match for Yuma and I; we were both renewed in strength and spirit, not to mention that Niko had been defeated multiple times in sparring sessions against Yuma and I.

Even though I couldn’t hear his thoughts, I had a good guess at what Niko was thinking. He was utterly outraged that Yuma had chosen me over him, that he had remained loyal. If he had the chance, Niko would try to end Yuma’s life, which I would never let happen. The two were now in attacking position, about to strike when the rest of Niko’s pack swarmed around us. Those who had remained loyal to me weren’t far behind and immediately attacked upon arrival. Several were badly wounded, but kept on fighting; I could see from a glance what Xavier was missing an ear and Memdi’s fur was spotted with large amounts of crimson blood. Their voices enveloped my head, Yuma’s above all else.

“Jael, get out of here, we can take them!”

“Your safety is more important now, Jael. We will die protecting you!”

“Run Jael! RUN!”

As the two parties attacked one another, Yuma had Shifted into his deer Form, and began to push me towards the river, while holding off Niko. I could see Jane in the distance behind them, victory clearly smitten all over her goddamned face. Much to my dismay, Yuma had pushed me back far enough that I began running. I could feel him behind me, and as I looked back I saw that my pack had formed a barrier between Niko’s pack and myself, fighting tooth and nail.

Yuma was running beside me now. “Jael,” he said, “Get to Alaska. Keep running and don’t look back. I’ll find you, I will. I promise. Just get out of here!”

I had sparred with Yuma so much that I knew what he would do next. Bracing myself, I allowed him to scoop me up in his antlers and toss me into the air above the forest canopy. I immediately Shifted into my eagle Form and headed north.

The last thing I saw as I turned around was Yuma Shifting into his wolf Form and tackling Niko head-on. My cries enveloped the sky as I flew away.

By the time I finished recapping everything for him Jacob was once again trembling with fury. When he looked at me he gently ran his thumb underneath my wet eyes. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. Again. He held me so close I could barely breathe. But I needed this; I needed him. He was kissing my shoulders now, moving his way up to my mouth. When our lips met, it was like I could feel every emotion he was experiencing. Like the way we could talk solely to each other in our Forms, even though we weren’t in the same pack. Sometimes being an Alpha has its perks.

“Jael, you shouldn’t have gone through all of that,” Jacob said as he rested his head against mine. “You don’t deserve it. The things your pack did, that’s unacceptable. The ultimate betrayal. And they should pay for what they did to you.”

“No, Jacob. They were my family. And even though they did deceive me, I don’t want revenge. Not anymore. Things happen for a reason. I wouldn’t be here, with you, if that hadn’t happened. Even though I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy, if it is the wish of the Ancestors, I just have to move on and heal properly. Make my way to Alaska. I just hope those who were loyal to me are all right.”

Jacob sighed, not only from all the information he was taking in, but from something else. I could tell he had something on his mind, something he wanted to tell me. “You mean, you can’t hear them when you Shift? You have no way of finding out if they’re alive or not?”

I shook my head explained to him that I couldn’t feel any connection with anyone when I Shifted, except for when Jacob and I talked to one another. Or Sam, since the three of us had the right to bear the name Alpha. Otherwise, there would be nothing but the void. I told him that all I had was Yuma’s word that he would find me one day. That is, if he was still alive.

Jacob suddenly stood up, brushing invisible dirt off of his suit jacket. He held out his hand, and when I took it he pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my head.

“I know you’ve been through so much. Too much. And I wasn’t sure how to go about this, because you’ve only been here for a couple of months, but I can’t wait anymore.” The look in his eyes was deep and intense, almost smoldering with something I couldn’t quite identify. When I asked him what was wrong, he shook his head and softly chuckled at me, as if he was embarrassed to ask.

“Don’t go to Alaska, Jael. Please.” Those words, along with the look he was giving me, was enough to take my breath away. I felt weak at the knees, and had that fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach. I thought I was hearing things.

“What?” I quietly whispered.

He was nervous. I could tell. His voice was a little shaky and he kept rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, I’ve already talked with everyone, and the feeling is unanimous. We all want-”

“JACOB! JAEL!” Embry’s voice could be heard through the trees, his crunching footsteps not far behind. When he found us, an embarrassed look spread across his face. “Look, I know this is a bad time and all for you two, but the reception is starting, and they need you two. And before Emily chews my head off, we need to go.” Quickly muttering an apology, Embry jogged off towards the hall where the reception would be held.

Jacob laughed. Not a genuine one, but an I-have-such-bad-timing one. He was actually blushing a little too. “As soon as all the speeches and everything are done, can we talk about this more? Hopefully, no more interruptions.” I slowly nodded my head.

As we were walking back towards the hall, shoes on and blanket rolled up, Jacob wrapped his arm around my waist again. He whispered something in my ear, but I was in such a wonderfully shocked state of mind, I wasn’t sure I heard him right.

But I could’ve sworn Jacob said, “Stay with me.” And that was enough to get my heart racing for him.