Conqueror ↠ Jacob Black ✓

03 ; shifting plates

"Lucero,"

Sage Lucero glanced up from the water rippling around his body. Dark hair falling flat against his forehead as he gazed at Jared Cameron.

The other male was standing beside the bank of water with an un-amused expression on his face as he regarded the younger wolf.

"Yeah?" Sage asked, fighting the blush that wanted to form on his cheeks from the nudity he was covering by being inside of the water.

For a few days now, Sage had been learning how to phase back and forth from his human and wolf skin. After his surprise phase in the front yard of his home, Sam had been hell-bent on teaching Sage how to control himself. Which was why Sage had been in the woods, and out of view of any unknowing humans in order to practice self control with Jared.

He'd given up after an hour of practice and had migrated to the water instead; without thinking that when he relaxed, his wolf would allow him to phase back into his human self. Which, was why he was currently keeping afloat in the deep creek amongst the foliage of the reservation, bare naked.

"You're phone won't stop ringing," Jared said, holding up Sage's phone in his hand. He wiggled it slightly, before stating. "Jacob's calling you."

At his best friends name, Sage perked up and stuck his hand out from the water. It dripped slightly, but Jared followed the wordless command and place the cheap electronic in Sage's hand.

After checking that it was Jacob calling him, Sage clicked the answer button before pressing the phone to his damp ear. "Yeah?"

"What the hell dude?" Jacob yelled into the phone, voice high pitched. "You've been ignoring me for days and now you decide to answer your phone?"

Wincing at the tone, Sage sheepishly removed himself from the creek. He ignored Jared's presence and walked towards the backpack he'd brought with himself. Grabbing the extra pair of clothes he'd packed, Sage stood in his blue boxers as he answered Jacob. "I've been busy,"

"Busy?" Jacob repeated, before he was growling, "For three days?"

"Yeah," Sage drawled, shoving his jeans onto his sticky legs before saying, "So, what's up?"

"I have that date with Bella today," Jacob said, his voice growing shy. "And I was wondering, if maybe, you could join me?"

Stopping midway from putting his shirt over his head, Sage removed his phone from the nook in between his ear and his shoulder and grabbed it with one hand to see if that'd somehow change Jacob's words. "You want me to what?"

"I know, I know," Jacob said, and Sage could tell he was pacing. "I'm just not sure if I want to be alone with her quite yet. You won't have to do much, you can be a buffer of sorts in case it gets awkward."

"Jake-"

"You owe me," Jacob said quickly. "You haven't been answering my calls for three days and your mother wouldn't tell me anything whenever I went to your house, so-"

"My mom answered the door?" Sage asked, cutting off Jacob's spiel.

"Yeah," Jacob said, "I was surprised too. I just assumed it was one of her good weeks."

Biting the side of his cheek, Sage cursed himself for not checking back home every once in a while. He'd been spending his nights at Sam's house, since the older boy had been very adamant he didn't want Sage around any humans when he was still learning how to control himself. Apparently, Sage's mother wasn't too worried if she hadn't called the cops and reported Sage missing already; so she must know that Sage was in safe hands.

With that in mind, Sage was reminded that Jacob was excruciatingly human. Which meant that no matter how much Sage wanted to hang out with him, he couldn't. Sage would never forgive himself if he ever hurt Jacob mid-phase. Sage had seen what had happened to Emily.