Odd One Out | Jacob Black

Preface

"I heard Mick Foster filed a permit with the council to build."

Billy glanced up from the papers he was looking at to Sam Uley who was hovering next to the desk.

"You've heard correctly."

"And we're just going to accept it?"

"He's a Quileute man asking to bring some work to the Rez." Billy deadpanned.

"I've just heard some things about him." Sam shrugged.

"Haven't we all? I'm sure he could say the same about you."

Sam rolled his eyes and crossed his arms knowing nothing could be done.

—

"So guess who asked if I would be interested in helping with the home building process?"

Emily turned towards her husband while putting groceries away. "Mick Foster?"

"Bingo."

"Are you going to say yes?" She turned to lean against the counter while absentmindedly rubbing her growing stomach.

"I feel like I can't really say no. It would be a nice chunk of money coming in." Sam glanced down at his wife's stomach.

"Why wouldn't you want to? Because he's an asshole?" Emily had also heard some things around town about Mick Foster. And not just here but up in the Makah tribe as well.

"That, and I don't think he's moving back for any good reasons." While Sam was slowly transitioning into retirement, he still valued protecting the tribe above all else. Except his pregnant wife. She'd always be first.

"Doesn't he have a daughter still in school? Maybe it has something to do with that. Or he wants his kids to grow up here." She went back to putting the groceries away.

"I don't know, Em. I just have a weird feeling about it."

—

Jake felt like he's done nothing but sigh for the last hour. He could feel a headache coming on.

When they all finally could come together again as a pack, he thought it would be smooth sailing after. The older guys could slowly transition out and he had young blood eager to step up.

And yet he currently felt like a babysitter.

"He's so fucking insufferable. And his daughter is the weirdest fucking girl I've ever met."

"She's kinda hot though." Collin through a piece of popcorn in the air and tried to catch it with his mouth.

"Ew, dude. She's weird. And I'm supposed to just fucking live with her like one big happy family?" Brady paced the garage.

"At least you didn't imprint on her." Seth laughed from his spot sitting on an upside down 5 gallon bucket.

"I'd fucking kill myself."

"Will all of you shut the fuck up?" Jake threw a dirty rag on his work bench. "Why are all of you still here?"

"Because this is entertaining!" Collin snickered while tossing another piece in the air.

"No, this is miserable!" Brady glared at him.

"So what dude? Your mom is dating him. Get over it. How do you think I felt when my mom started dating Charlie?"

"That's still kind of weird to me." Jake muttered before getting annoyed at himself for contributing to the conversation. Seth chose to ignore him.

"I just don't understand what is happening here? They've been seeing each other for like three months and now he's just going to build a house here and we are just going to move in? How the fuck am I supposed to hide the fucking elephant in the room?"