Author's Notes:

"In The Doghouse" is all Jacob's pov.

DISCLAIMER: The Twilight verse and all that's recognizable belongs to Stephenie Meyer. The rest ? Just the product of my warped imagination. No copyright infringement is intended.

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The Eye Of The Beholder

Part I: In The Doghouse

I was having a bad day. Everything that could go wrong did. My life's completely fucked ... I knew as soon as I got out of bed this morning that everything was going to blow up in my face.

It all kicked off so innocently - I overslept. That made me late for school and I ended up missing breakfast. In my rush to get to class, I forgot my homework on the kitchen table which led to another detention. That, in turn, had Billy tearing a strip off me when I finally got home.

You'd have thought that would've been enough to be going on with. But oh, no ... Thanks to my old man reading me the riot act about the importance of school, I also missed half of the pack's meeting. That really got Sam pissed. He gave me a lecture for "being irresponsible" and "not pulling my weight." That the pack always worked together and there was no "I" in "team." Seeing our Alpha have a go at me had Leah, the pack's resident bitch, in her element. Between her continuous sniping, snarky remarks and digs and Paul's malicious baiting, I lost my temper. I completely lost it. Big time ...

Before anyone could stop us, Paul and I had phased and were at each other's throats in a savage flurry of russet and dark silver fur. It took four pack members to separate us. Barely able to contain my fury, both Quil and Embry struggled to hold me back as I attempted to free myself to resume my attack on Paul. He continued to taunt me that Bella - my best friend and the girl I adored - preferred the company of a leech to mine. That she loved a bloodsucker. My natural enemy. Edward fucking Cullen.

Still fuming, I broke free from their hold effortlessly. Then bloody and unbowed, I snarled a warning before storming off to lick my wounds. Feeling an intense need to be alone, I carried on running, ignoring Sam's furious demands to stay. The need for space and solitude seemed as vital to me then as the air I breathed. Half an hour later, I found myself - still in wolf form - curled up at the base of a tree, feeling totally spent and my bruised, battered body aching. I closed my eyes and groaned softly.

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The weather changed quickly. A thunderstorm was brewing. Despite an apparent stillness, I could smell it in the air. Reluctantly, I slowly opened my eyes and saw that the sky had darkened noticeably. It suddenly felt cooler and to my relief, the fresh breeze banished the oppressive humidity. Slowly, I began to relax when I heard the distant rumble of thunder. It served as an ominous warning, because suddenly I froze. Tension seeped through my body as I caught a whiff of an airborne scent. Overpowering and sickly sweet, it clung heavily in the air. I growled softly and my muzzle wrinkled in distaste.

Only one thing could account for such a cloying, bad smell - leeches. Goddamn bloodsucking parasites ...

Like the rest of my pack, I loathe those vamps with a passion. There's no love lost between us. They are treacherous, cold-blooded, vicious killers and can't and shouldn't be trusted. To place any faith in any one of them would be a grave error of judgement.

I don't care what Bella claims ... that the Cullens are different. A vampire is a vampire and that's all there is to it. And no matter how badly they try to resist, the bloodlust is too great for them. A leopard can't change its spots ... The desire to feed on human blood is far too strong. It calls to them. Beguiles them. And the need that my kind has to destroy them, is deeply ingrained within us. We're unable to ignore it. After all, the only good vampires are dead ones ... and those simply do not exist ...

I'll admit that curiosity got the better of me and despite the foul stench, I followed it. Diligently. Right up to the invisible boundary line. I couldn't help wondering what had brought them here in full force.

Concealed by the undergrowth, I studied them carefully. There's no denying that they're an extremely attractive-looking coven. The women in particular, are all strikingly beautiful.

The eldest - the mother-figure of the group - had an elegant, madonna-like beauty, her golden eyes seemingly gentle and kind. There was a tall, statuesque girl with long, blonde hair who could have easily passed for a supermodel with her ice-cool looks and grace. Then, there was the youngest - well, the one who appeared to be the youngest - she was tiny, with short, dark hair, waif-like and extremely cute. The type of girl people loved to be around because of her fun-loving, spirited nature.

The oldest male was tall, lean and blond. His intelligent, golden eyes held a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. I knew, that despite the fact that he was a leech, that he worked as a doctor at the hospital and strangely, was damn good at his job. Walking alongside the blonde ice-queen, with an arm slung protectively across her slender shoulders, was a big bear of a vamp. Strappingly built, with no excess weight, he moved like an athlete and it was obvious that he was besotted with the woman he was with.

Then, to my horror and extreme dismay, I heard Bella's voice. She was laughing at something the dark-haired girl had said. What really angered me though, was the way her damned leech of a boyfriend had wrapped his arms possessively around her slender waist and the way she leant back happily in his embrace. It made my hackles rise in sheer fury. And jealousy. I growled softly. That's when I absently noted they all wore some kind of baseball uniform.

Puzzled, I inched forward and watched them take their places. Unusually, it was the girls who moved to the centre of the pitch. The tall blonde stepped up to the plate and the petite brunette elected to pitch. She did so with deadly accuracy and grace. The ice-queen struck it with equal power and the ball flew with blinding speed towards the tree-line, not far from where I stood.

I was unexpectedly distracted by a different scent. It was the most intoxicating, seductive aroma. Unlike the other bloodsuckers' stench, this did not burn my sensitive nose. It tantalized ... Mesmerized ... Enslaved me. Enthralled, I inhaled deeply and hurriedly looked around for the delicious aroma's origin. Suddenly, my gaze fell upon the source of the scent and I felt as if I'd been struck by a bolt of lightning.

A lone figure leisurely and gracefully approached the plate. My breath hitched, then my heart began to race wildly. The aroma drifted towards me again. Its combination of wild strawberries, cream and chocolate assaulted my senses, making my body clench and harden in arousal.

At six foot three, he wasn't as tall as the other Cullen men, yet his hard body was lean, lithe and tautly muscled beneath the close-fitting, dark blue pants and white t-shirt with its long, blue sleeves. The material clung lovingly to his torso, accentuating a broad chest and well-defined abs. A dark baseball cap covered tousled, sun-streaked, honey-blond hair and his golden eyes were calm yet determined. He moved with silent, feline grace, casually twirling a baseball bat in his left hand. In that split-second, I was captivated by the most stunningly beautiful sight I'd ever seen ...

Time suddenly froze. My attention was firmly captured by the handsome blond.
I wanted him - desperately ... Something about him made my body throb with need. I desired him. Hungered for him. I craved to feel that cold, hard, perfect frame next to mine and yearned for his touch. For his mysterious golden eyes to burn hotly with longing for me. I found myself desperately wishing that his feelings mirrored mine. Stunned, I realized - to my dismay - what had just happened. I knew then that I was in so much trouble. Fear and bewilderment struck me.

Fear, because the pack would either tear me apart or banish me for what I'd just done and they'd probably know about it as I was still in wolf form. It didn't matter that I'd done it unwittingly. That I'd no control over the nature of the beast ... of the wolf inside me. Of its choice. Its needs. Its desire. Its love ...

Bewilderment, 'cause I was deeply attracted to another male, which was totally insane as I'd always been interested in girls. It confused and, if I'm honest, scared me. I'd never physically desired or wanted to lie with a guy before and now, all I could think of was bedding him. To be his lover and his partner in every way imaginable - and for him to be mine ... For eternity.

As I said earlier, my life's completely fucked. Well and truly fucked up. Like Sam before me, I'd finally imprinted. But unlike Sam, I hadn't been so blessed with my soulmate. My imprint was the pack's worst enemy. A leech. A goddamn vampire. There was nothing I could do about it. There was no way out of this - unless one of us was killed.

I'd fallen, desperately and head over heels, in love with the Southern vamp. Jasper Hale ...

T.B.C.