Holy bajeebles! Here we are! Will's story! I am so excited it's kind of ridiculous. I have been waiting for this since his baby story. And, if everything goes right, these stories will be longer than Jacob and Nessie's. I'm pretty sure the kids will have individual antagonists and plots, but some things will tie in together? I think. Honestly, these stories are just hitting me a mile a minute, so I'm not going to know everything way in advance. I get to be surprised like you guys! Woo-hoo!

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

Four Years after The Pregnancy Chronicles: The Twins

April

RPOV

A loud thump on the kitchen table had me turning around. Maddox was banging his head on the table over a piece of paper.

I walked over to him and patted his neck. "Stop. You're going to give yourself a concussion."

He stopped, forehead pressed to the table. "Good. Maybe I'll get out of this stupid math exam."

Sitting down beside him, I pulled the paper out from under his head. "We've been over this. You know all this stuff, sweetie. Every formula. You're overthinking it."

"He's not thinking at all," Ash said as he sat down across from us with a bowl of cereal.

Maddox lifted his head long enough to give his twin a dark look before banging his head against the table again.

"Ash," I chided.

He shrugged. "It's true. I'm telling you, Mom, he has ADD."

Maddox lifted his fist, but before he could perform the gesture, I slapped his hand down. "Stop it. Both of you. Ash, you could be a little more supportive. Your brother helped you with your science."

"Yeah," Maddox sneered.

Ash sighed. "Fine." He held out his hand for the paper. "Let me see, Mom." When I handed it to him and he looked it over, he scoffed, tossing the paper back. "Pfft, dude, you tutor the girls in this stuff. How can you not remember it two seconds later at the desk?"

"Because of the girls." Jules skipped into the kitchen, her messenger bag strapped across her body. She walked over to Maddox and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "Just keep your eye on the goal, bro. If you don't, allll those girls will move onto sophomore year without you. I'm cheering for you. You got this." Then she turned to me, kissing my cheek. "Sorry, don't have time for breakfast. Piper and Ava are waiting for me. A little studying before exams. Love you." Then she was off.

"Hey!" Ash called. "I don't get a goodbye, see ya later?"

On her way out the door, she rolled her eyes but kissed the air in his direction. "Love you, too, bro!"

He shook his head and went back to his breakfast. "Really, Dox. You do know this stuff. You just have to concentrate. Clear your mind like Uncle Jasper taught us to do during a fight. Don't panic, which is what you do. This is your last exam. You don't have to be the first one to finish. Use all the time you have. And for God's sake, use your calculator. They were created for a reason."

"Deep breaths," I said, rubbing his back as he sat up. "It's okay, Maddox. Everybody has a weak subject. Math is yours. But you still have a chance. This isn't like you, to give up before you've even gotten there."

Before he could answer, Will joined us, sitting beside Ash. He was grinning, his black hair flopping into his eyes. "Did I just hear our dear mother say that Maddox has given up? Accepted defeat? Over a math test?" He leaned the chair back on two legs, put his booted feet on the table, and took a bite of an apple.

Despite my grin, I reached across the table to whack his shin. "Get your feet off the table."

His grin widened but he did as he was told. "Sorry, Mom."

No, he wasn't. He did it all the time when he thought I wasn't looking.

Maddox gave him an exasperated look. "Yeah, says Mr. Perfect."

Will stood up and rounded the table to drape himself over his brother. "Takes one to know one, little brother. Like Jules said, you got this." He shook him. "Come on, you and Ash come hang out with me and Brayden before exams. It'll relax you to get out of the house, joke around a little." When Maddox didn't move, Will hauled him out of his chair. "Enough moping and low self-esteem. Ash, help me out a little, would ya?"

Sighing, Ash emptied his bowl and joined his brothers. He helped Will drag Maddox to the door. With it being exam week, they didn't need paper or books, but Ash did stop at his backpack to grab some pencils and a calculator.

"Bye, Mom!" they yelled.

"Bye! Good luck! Love you!"

"Love you, too!"

Once the door was closed, I let out a long breath, sat back in my chair, and enjoyed the silence of the house.

WillPOV

Ah, the last day of junior year. After this, I'll be a senior. Finally!

But more important than me was Dox, who was still sighing heavily as he walked between me and Ash.

I punched his arm. "Seriously, man. What is wrong with you?"

"I don't want to repeat freshman year."

Ash and I shared a look behind his back.

"If you fail, it'll be the only exam you fail. You can make it up in summer school and be a sophomore next year. Done and done."

He gave me a look.

I held up my hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just giving you options. Better than retaking freshman year all over. It's just one class."

"He has a point, Dox. Another option would be making it up next year in your free period. Instead of study hall, retake the math. Sophomore math is geometry. Very different than foundations. But that doesn't matter. You're not going to fail. You know this stuff. So quit your bitching."

I laughed. "Where did you hear that?" As the oldest of us kids, I felt responsible for the others.

Ash shrugged. "Mom said it to Dad once. Kind of stuck with me."

"Yeah, well, don't let them hear you talk like that. Mom will give you that 'watch your language' speech and Dad will be 'listen to your mother'."

Maddox smirked at me. "Speaking from experience?"

I laughed again with the memory. "Dad got the speech that day, too."

They both laughed and it made me feel like I'd helped them in some way. Maddox was always too hard on himself. Aside from being the jock, he wanted to achieve academic success as well. It was hard with all the practices to study for tests, quizzes, and mid-terms. In his freshman year, it was impressive. I didn't do the whole sports thing for school and I'd still had issues adjusting to high school. Of course, my siblings had still been in home school with our grandparents, aunts, and uncles. When Jules had made it to the high school a year behind me, my grades had improved. My family wasn't like a lot of families. For the most part, I, William Edward Black, got along very well with my younger siblings. We were all close. Any secrets kept from each other were rare because we knew each other too well and our parents had taught us to trust one another. And we did. I'd give my life for any of them, and I knew they'd do the same for me.

The rez high school was buzzing with excitement. Most kids only had one or two more exams for the day. The rest of the day would be spent signing yearbooks and making plans for "summer". My best friend, Brayden, had his last exam of his senior year today. It would be weird not seeing him in the halls in August, but at least the lucky bastard was free. My dad, Jacob Black, had promised him that he could join the pack after he graduated. Brayden had phased just before Christmas and was itching to run with the pack on patrols. Dad had made it an order that the Quileute pack kids had to finish high school, phase or no phase, before they could run with the pack. That included his own kids. I hadn't phased yet, but I knew that the growth spurts had started. I had to buy new jeans every other week and muscles were popping up faster than my fight training could possibly be producing. Dad always had eyes on me, just in case I was somewhere too crowded or too close to my sister and brothers when I decided to phase. My cousin, Henry, stayed close enough to intervene if needed.

"Will!"

"Hi, Will."

"Yo, Black!"

"Hey, Maddox."

As we walked across campus, various greetings echoed around. Most of them were guys, some girls. Mostly the girls just clustered together to giggle and stare. I knew why Maddox was popular. He was the best at the sports, the jock of the family. But me? I still couldn't figure that one out. Maybe it was because I was just nice to everyone. Mom always said that I'd never met a stranger in my life. Ash, as usual, received the fewest greetings, but he seemed okay with that, staying behind me and Dox until he could escape into the main building. Before he dashed off, though, he handed Dox some pencils and the calculator.

"Hey, Pretty Boy!"

Chuckling and shaking my head, I turned around. "Whaddup, Snake Eyes?" I answered, clapping hands with Brayden. I called him "Snake Eyes" because his eyes turned amber when he phased instead of staying their bright green. For some reason, the amber reminded me of a snake. He called me "Pretty Boy" because I was the Alpha's first born son. In the pack, that meant I was next to be alpha. My siblings and I were treated like royalty.

Now, I noticed a lot of girls staring at him, which was usual now that he'd phased. He'd gone through his growth spurts and popped muscles like some people popped pills. The girls practically drooled on their cleavage.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

I nodded toward Maddox, who also clapped hands with Brayden. "Pep talk."

Brayden frowned at my brother. "The great Maddox Black needed a pep talk? Over what? How not to be awesome?"

"That's what I told him. But no, it was over a math test. Can you believe it?"

My best friend shook his head. "I hate to break this to you, but you're the one who tutored my sister."

Maddox laughed. "Yeah, I know. Stupid nerves, I guess."

Brayden flung an arm around Dox's neck. "Just go through it like a tutoring sesh. If a girl was sitting in front of you asking how to work the problem, what would you tell her? See? Easy."

And that was why Brayden and I were best friends. He treated my siblings like they were his and supported them as much as I did. And his sister, Piper, was best friends with my sister. That made her my sibling, too. We were tight.

Maddox nodded. "That's not a bad idea. Thanks, Bray."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. You learn a few things after being stuck in this hell hole for four years." He turned to me. "You going to the bonfire tonight?"

"I thought that was just for the seniors?" Maddox asked.

Brayden waved it away but I said, "It's supposed to be but really anybody could show up. And yeah, I'll be there. Can't speak for Jules or the twins though."

"Speaking of your sister," Brayden said, stretching his neck, looking over the crowd, "where is she?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. She met up with Ava and Piper. Probably in the library, studying. Jules's exam is in biology, her worst subject. It would make sense that she'd want to cram beforehand."

"True. Ask her to come tonight."

"Is Piper going?"

"Yeah."

"Then she'll be there," Maddox and I answered at the same time.

Brayden blinked at us. Maddox and I could be scarily alike without trying.

I shrugged. He shook his head and went for the doors to the building. The first bell was about to ring and Brayden hated being late for anything.

Maddox frowned as he followed us. "What's up with you and Jules anyway?" There was just a touch of protectiveness in his tone. The males of the Black family had come to the realization that it was a permanent, involuntary reflex to have that tone when talking to other people about the females of the family, especially our mother and sister. Even Dad had it.

Brayden smirked at him over his shoulder. "Dude, a person is allowed to have more than one best friend. In fact, it's my philosophy that a person should have one male best friend and one female."

"You don't have any philosophies," I said, following him inside where got more greetings.

Brayden laughed and shrugged. "Well, if I did, that would be one of them."

Dox and I shared a look and a head shake. It was common knowledge that Brayden had a thing for Jules. We were just trying to get him to admit it. Of course, he wasn't going to, even if he imprinted on her. He'd want to wait to say something until she phased. Dad had said that something was up with him, but apparently, my best friend was exceptionally good at hiding his thoughts from the wolf telepathy. Probably a side effect of being a hybrid. He didn't have to give up his secrets.

"William!"

Knowing that voice, I groaned internally before plastering a grin on my face and turned around. "Principal Channing, good morning."

She smiled kindly, a little bit of a flush touching her cheekbones. For an older woman, not that she was really that much older than me, she was attractive with straight black hair, russet skin, and copper-colored eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. Today she was in a crisp black suit that I, as a guy, thought hugged her curves quite nicely. "Would you mind helping me out with something, if you have the time?"

I shrugged. "Sure. My exam isn't until third period."

"Fantastic. Meet me in my office after you say bye to your friends." She nodded to Brayden and Maddox before turning to go back into her office.

Brayden chuckled and punched me in the arm before draping himself over my shoulders. "Go help the hot boss lady out, Pretty Boy."

Flushing, I shrugged him off and pushed him. "Oh, shut up." I looked to my brother, gripping his shoulder. "Hey, remember what Ash and Jules said. You got this, man. You know it all. Don't panic."

He nodded. "Got it."

I clapped the side of his neck before clapping hands with Brayden. As I walked into the main office, I mentally prepared myself for whatever the principal needed. Everyone knew she had a thing for me, and really it wasn't all that gross. She was in her mid-twenties. Perfectly acceptable age. So, I always tried to stick up for her when people would make fun of her for crushing on a student. It's not like she'd ever tried anything. She was always perfectly polite and never said anything over the line.

"Hey, Mrs. Davis," I said as I passed the front desk. The woman didn't like most people, but she was soft where the Black boys were concerned. The whole rez treated us well. Probably because of my dad. He was the alpha. The rez knew about the pack and who he was.

Looking up, no doubt ready to scowl, she changed her mind and smiled. "Hi, Will." She was older, in her late forties, early fifties. Her short brown hair had some greying wisps here and there. "Are you ready for your exam?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. I hate chemistry. Probably take an easier science next year."

"Environmental science is a good one."

Grinning, I said, "Great. I think that's the one I signed up for."

"Well, good luck!" she called as I went for the principal's door.

"Come in."

Going into her office was like a really pleasant surprise. The office wasn't cold and uninviting. She'd moved in to stay. Though it was small, she'd somehow gotten floor to ceiling bookshelves for two of the walls. The third wall was filing cabinets. And the wall with the window was the backdrop for her sturdy desk.

Walking in, I was ready for stacks of paper to file or scan, or entering stuff into her computer. Or hell, fixing her computer. Grampa Edward had taught me a few things about the machines and I'd used my knowledge to help out on some occasions. What I hadn't expected was the girl sitting across from the desk. All I could see of her was her dark blonde hair with dark auburn highlights braided down her back and the sleeves of her white shirt.

"Ah, Mr. Black." Principal Channing stood up, buttoning her suit jacket.

"You needed me for something?" I asked, closing the door.

She grinned. "Yes, yes. Mr. Black, I'd like you to meet a new student who will be joining you in your senior year."

I frowned, thinking that it was the last day of school. Why was she here now? And then the girl stood up and faced me. I forgot the stupid question. Of course she should be here on the last day. Who the hell would mind that? My throat went dry, body tight and itchy.

"Mr. Black, this is Hunter Jamison. Hunter, William Black."

Clearing my throat, I held my hand out. "Will. Everyone calls me Will."

She smiled, further tightening my skin, and gripped my hand firmly. Her skin was soft against my palm. "Well, everyone calls me Hunter, William." She had a faint accent, but I couldn't place from where. But I was sure I'd heard it before.

She definitely wasn't like normal girls. The girls around here wouldn't or couldn't meet my eyes, but Hunter did with her green-hazel eyes. She had no idea who I was or the reason people treated me the way they did. It was oddly refreshing.

And then the smile slipped. "Um, my hand?"

"What?"

She looked down at our clasped hands.

"Oh! God, I'm sorry." Laughing nervously, I hastily let go of her hand. "Sorry."

Laughing, she took her hand back. "It's alright. I'll take it as a compliment."

"Mr. Black-,"

"Will," I interrupted. "Please. Mr. Black is my dad. Will or William."

She ducked her head. "Alright. William, Ms. Jamison will start in the fall, but I invited her here so that maybe she could get a little tour so she's not so lost when the year starts."

I looked at Hunter. She smiled. "Of course. I'd be happy to show her around."

"Thank you. And good luck on your exams."

"Thanks." I looked at Hunter again. "Shall we?"

"Sure." She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She would definitely get along with Jules for her taste in bags. Jules loved the messenger bag types.

Unfortunately, the first bell rang just as we were walking out of the office. Everybody started scurrying like roaches in sunlight to get to their final homeroom of the year. As I held the door open for Hunter, I could feel the stares and glares of the other girls. Hunter didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you," she said as I closed the door behind her.

As we walked down the hall, the crowd sort of parted for us. They did this every day that I and my siblings walked around. I nodded and clapped hands with guys as we passed by. Most of them, I didn't really know. But it was friendly interaction so I took it.

"So," I said to Hunter. "The place really isn't that big, and since we don't have our schedules yet, I figure we can just walk around. Let you get a feel for things."

She shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I'm sure I'll forget it all anyway." She bumped her shoulder into my arm. "Maybe you can be my guide again. Get you out of the first day."

I laughed. "Deal. So where are you coming from?"

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she said, "Up north."

"North? As in Canada north?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh.

"Forgive me, but you don't look like…I mean, you're not…Geez."

She laughed again. It was a nice laugh. "No, I'm not Quileute, but my adoptive parents were. And my uncle. He wanted to move back, but he died before we could. He left me everything, including a house here."

Looking over at her, I couldn't imagine losing my entire family. "I'm sorry. About your uncle."

"Thank you. I miss him and it's hard to stay in that house, but it's what he wanted."

"Don't you have to be a certain age to inherit a house, though?"

"I'm eighteen. My parents started me late in school."

"That makes sense. I'll be eighteen in August." As we walked, I showed her the different levels of the school, the different buildings. Explained about some of the teachers. Who to avoid. Who to go to for tutoring. The restrooms and study hall. She lit up when I showed her the small library. So she liked books. She would definitely get along with Jules and my mother.

"You seem awfully popular. Should I really be walking around with you?"

Chuckling, I opened a door to the outside for her. She ducked under my arm. "Not by choice. And you noticed all the girls, too, huh?"

"Not exactly subtle. So you don't like the popularity." Statement, not question.

I scoffed. "Now, I didn't say that."

That made her laugh again. She moved a picnic table and climbed up on it. We'd finished the tour and were now waiting out second period. My next exam was in about fifteen minutes. I sat down on the bench below her, stretching out my absurdly long legs and resting my elbows back on the table.

"I don't know," I continued. "Sometimes, the popularity is nice. It's just…all the girls."

"What? Don't swing that way?" she teased.

I gave her a look. "Please. Of course I do. But they watch my every move."

"So you're the hot popular jock. The celebrity."

In shock, I looked over at her. "Hot, huh?"

Those pretty green eyes rolled. "I have eyes, and I'm a woman. Anyway..."

I chuckled. "Nah, I'm not the jock. That's my brother, Maddox."

"You have a brother?"

"Two brothers and a sister, whom by the way you would get along with very well."

"Who's the oldest?"

I raised my hand. "The brothers are the babies. Twins."

"Wow. Twins?"

"Yep. The only ways to tell them apart when they're not talking are the color of their eyes and their build. Maddox has dark brown eyes. Ash has black. Out of the two, Ash is the baby and the introvert. Maddox is the jock, so he's a bit stockier."

"And your sister?"

"Jules. Julene but we call her Jules. Out of the four of us, she looks like our mom. The boys look like Dad."

Hunter leaned forward, putting her elbows on her jean-clad knees. She laced her fingers. "I've always been fascinated by big families, especially siblings."

"None of your own?"

Her expression turned dark and distant. "No. Or at least, none that I'm aware of. Remember, I was adopted."

My gut clenched. "Right. Sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

Her expression smoothed out, softening as she smiled. "It's alright. It's not you I'm mad at."

Whether it was the fact that she was fresh blood or that I was genuinely attracted to her, all I wanted to do was hug her, to wipe that sad look from her face. What must it be like to be alone, not knowing if you have any brothers or sisters out in the world? If I were ever separated from Jules or the twins, I'd fight until my dying breath to get back to them, to protect them. Especially if something happened to Mom and Dad.

Reaching over, I gripped her hand. "Maybe someday you could find out. There's bound to be a trail."

Surprised, she looked down at our hands. I expected her to pull away from a perfect stranger, but she just squeezed my fingers. "You think so?"

"Long lost siblings find each other all the time. If you do have some out there, there's always a chance that they're looking for you, too."

The bell rang while she smiled down at me. Standing up, I used our clasped hands to help her down. She lost her balance and started falling against me. I steadied her with an arm around her waist.

"Thanks. I'm so freaking clumsy that I'm actually amazed I made it up there in the first place." She adjusted her purse on her shoulder.

"So what are you going to do for the summer? Hang around or what?"

Clearly, she was surprised I had asked. "Oh, well, um, I was thinking that I might travel down California for a little while. I should probably stay and get to know the town, but I want some sun before I'm stuck here." She playfully punched my arm. "I'm not like all of you with the natural tans. I need the sun."

Grinning at her, I was amazed at how easy it was to talk to her. "Have fun and be careful, okay? You never know what kind of crazies are out there. Plus all the sharks."

Her smile was bright in her tanned skin. "Well, thanks for the tour, the in-depth conversation, and catching me when I swooned."

I chuckled. "Not a problem. My parents raised me right. Always treat a lady with respect."

"Well, sir," she said in a thick southern accent. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, however, you will be late for your exam."

Shaking my head, I mock bowed. "Yes, ma'am."

When I straightened up again, she went up on her toes and kissed my cheek. "Good luck," she whispered before turning away and heading for the parking lot.

I just stood there in the fresh drizzle and watched her until she disappeared. Man, I really liked those jeans. And the fact that her shirt didn't fall past her back pockets.

Someone shouted right before something hit me in the shoulder. Turning around, I saw Maddox lowering his arm. There was a football at my feet in the grass. He and Brayden walked over to me.

Maddox bent down for the football. "Were you just checking out her butt?"

I shifted on my feet, a sure sign of guilt. "No."

Brayden laughed. "You were so checking out her ass. Finally! William Black has found a woman to turn his head."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. You act like a player but you never go through with it. Could it be because of a certain sister of mine?"

He scowled and lost the smile but couldn't say anything because said sister popped up beside him. She was flushed, breathing hard. Her copper and black hair was damp but frizzled by the drizzle. Ash was right behind her, glaring at all the guys who watched her pass. Even though Maddox was the more built of the two, Ash still had some muscle on him from the make-shift football teams we had going with our and Uncle Walker's packs. And his glare was scarier because of the black eyes. But Jules never noticed the guys, focused on the task in her head.

"Hey, guys," she puffed out. She looked at Maddox. "How'd you do?"

He grinned. "He gave us a formula sheet. Easiest test of my life."

Brayden, Jules, and I all shared a look.

Brayden shook his head. "Man, they always go easy on the freshmen." He looked to Jules, his face softening. "What about you? How was biology?"

She winced. "Sucked so hard, but I think I managed to pass."

He grinned at her. "Hey, passing is passing." He held out his hand and she slapped it, grinning.

"True that."

Barely refraining from gagging, I said, "I guess I'm the last one of this group to have an exam. How'd you do Ash?"

He gave me a dry look. "Literature? Are you kidding? I could take that in my sleep."

"Good point. Brayden?"

"History. I hate history."

Jules looked up at him through her tangled curls. "But did you pass? Are you going to walk?"

Brayden wrapped an arm around her. "I said I hated history, not that I failed it, sweetheart."

Piper and Ava joined us then.

"Bro, get off my best friend," Piper said.

Ava laughed. "Good luck with that, Pipe. You'd have better luck on your math exam than getting him away from Jules."

Brayden quickly let go of my sister as we all laughed. Piper looked a lot like her brother. Jet black hair and green eyes. She was short like Aunt Shelby, but other than that, they could have been twins. Ava looked like me and the others since she was our blood cousin through Aunt Rachel, Dad's older sister. Except for Jules's aqua eyes. They'd apparently come from our paternal grandmother who had died when Dad was a kid. She was the only one in the family to have them.

The warning bell for next class rang out. Everybody yelled good luck to me as I took off for my class away from them.

I hated chemistry, but like Brayden, just because I hated it didn't mean I was going to fail.

JulesPOV

After school let out for the half day, we all headed for the diner and the really big booth in the corner. I was squished between Brayden and Will. Whenever we went out together to eat, we all ordered different things and ate from each other's plates. I was chewing on a mozzarella stick while the boys fought about football this weekend.

"Hey, Jules!" a waiter yelled. He'd just finished his junior year with my brother.

"Hey, Rory. Just coming in?"

He nodded, tying his apron. "Yeah, you coming to the party tonight?"

That grabbed the attention of every boy at our table. As one, they stopped talking and looked up at the poor kid. He swallowed hard under their scrutiny.

I smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I'll be there. Maybe I'll see you tonight."

Swallowing hard again, he nodded a bit frantically. "Yeah, sure." He motioned behind him in jerky gestures. "I'm just gonna…go."

"Good idea, Rory-boy," Brayden muttered under his breath as Rory scurried back behind the bar.

"Mhm," Will agreed.

I elbowed both of them in the ribs at the same time. "No need to be rude, boys."

"We weren't being rude," Will said, rubbing his right side.

Brayden rubbed his left. "Yeah. It's called protective. There's a difference."

I glared at him. "You scare the hell out of people and you know it. The pack's not exactly a secret anymore."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do like the fear factor."

"Psycho," I said popping the last bit of cheesestick into my mouth.

"Speaking of phasing," Piper said around her sandwich. "When do you think you will?" She was looking at Will. Dropping the sandwich, she wiped her hands on the napkin. "I mean, you have to be next. Every time I see you it's like I need a step ladder just to keep from getting a crick in my neck talking to you."

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I just know that this growing needs to stop. Mom and Dad have already spent a shit-ton of money buying me jeans. I can't stand it anymore. At least Aunt Alice knows where to take used clothes."

"No," I chimed in. "She's holding onto all your old stuff for Ash and Maddox."

They looked over at me. "What?" Ash asked.

I shrugged. "Oh come on. He barely wore any of that. It's brand new stuff that he only wore a couple times."

Ash blinked at me. "They really think we'll all phase?"

Will took a drink of water. "We are the kids of the alpha."

"Will," Ash said, "neither Aunt Rachel nor Aunt Becca phased, and they were the daughters of the alpha. Grampa Billy would have been the alpha if he'd phased. And according to Dad, he got the alpha gene on both sides. So, that means that not all of us could phase. Maybe it'll just be you unless we're needed at some point."

Ava shrugged. "I may not phase either. Ash is right; my mom didn't phase. It's a toss-up for me because Dad did."

Stubbornly, Will shook his head. "We all phase. Period."

I rubbed his shoulder. "It's not something you can control. All of us phasing might happen with more vampires around but we haven't gotten a visit in a while. Uncle Walker's pack makes them uneasy."

He looked over at me. My big brother had always been my rock. He'd taken care of me when I was little, and we'd both taken care of the twins. But Will had always felt responsible for all three of us, still watching over me. Sickness was a rarity in our family, but when the humanity peeked through, it was bad. Every time I had had the flu, Will had stayed in the bed with me even though he was as vulnerable as I was. Eventually, the twins had always joined him. It had been the same if Will or the twins had been sick. We always stayed together. If he were to phase and we didn't follow, he would stop phasing permanently so that he could age with us, if that was even possible with our half-vampire mother.

"Are you saying you don't want to phase?"

Giving him a look, I said, "I never said that. I'm saying that yes, you might be the future alpha, but you can't use 'the voice' to make us phase with you. It doesn't work that way."

"Then it looks like we'll just have to get our vampire relatives to visit, now doesn't it?"

Maddox and Ash laughed as I shook my head. "You stubborn oaf. Now tell us about the new girl. Brayden and Dox said her ass had you hypnotized."

He glared at his best friend and then our brother, and then flushed. "It was a nice ass, okay? I'm a guy, so sue me."

Ava threw a roll at him. "Ugh, guys are pigs."

"No, we're dogs," Brayden said waggling his eyebrows.

Piper punched him.

"Hey," Maddox said. "You can't tell us that if a totally hot guy walks by you that you don't do a double take."

While everyone looked to the two girls for an answer, I saw Ash take a deep breath, roll his eyes, and shake his head before digging into his pasta. There was something off about my baby brother. Every time relationship stuff was mentioned, he sort of retracted into himself. I knew he wasn't into the dating scene. Out of all of us, he actually loved school. He and I shared a love of books.

Under the table, I reached out a foot to touch what I hoped was his shin. It was. He looked up and found me looking at him, eyebrows raised, question in my eyes. He smiled slightly and shook his head. I narrowed my eyes. He rolled his. The last look I gave him was to let him know that I didn't believe him before going back to the conversation.

"You're attractive," Piper said to Maddox. "But I don't ogle you every time you walk by."

"Yeah, because we grew up together. You're like my sister. Next excuse."

Exasperated, she threw her hands up. My brother had that effect on people. "Okay, I'm a straight woman. Of course I'm going to look. But unlike those stupid twits at school, I don't giggle obnoxiously and stare where everyone can see me. It's called subtlety. Something that guys and bimbos don't have."

Brayden looked at his sister with fake hurt expression. "Did you just class me with the bimbos?"

She looked up at him affectionately. "You're the exception. We all know you flirt like crazy, but it's just a bunch of smoke that you hide behind." She looked at me and winked.

I rolled my eyes and flushed. Brayden looked over at me. It was a popular gossip that Brayden had a crush on me, but he'd never shown me anything but friendship and brotherly love. What wasn't common knowledge was that I had always secretly crushed on him. If he'd ever had that toward me, it had to have been when we were younger and then had grown out of it. I had recently grown into mine. Even he didn't know how I felt. That was one way in which pack kids differed from the regular kids. We didn't act on crushes, especially not now that most of us were nearing phasing age and the possibility of imprinting was waiting on the other side. Didn't want to break any hearts.

But there was something different about him now that he'd phased. Brayden had been the strong silent type before. And then, Uncle Seth had pissed him off to the point that he'd run out of the house and phased. Will had told me that it wasn't anything to get mad over, just that Uncle Seth had said that Brayden had done well getting a B in one of his hard honors classes. It had been the case of Brayden taking it out of context, thinking that his dad was calling him stupid. Which wasn't the case at all. But it had set him to boiling anyway. So bad that he phased. When we'd gotten back from Christmas break, he was outspoken, friendly, and very popular. My guess was that he was taking the attention away from Will just in case the phasing process sped up at all. It was something Brayden would do for my brother.

"You okay?" he asked, still staring at me while everyone else just kept fighting about staring at the opposite sex.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just…zoning out, I guess."

He grinned, making my stomach flutter despite the food. "Understandable. You always stress yourself out at tests and exams. Letting it all go after they're done must be tiring."

I shrugged. "Kind of. I still stress about how I did."

He leaned over, bumping me with his massive shoulder. "Well, you should stop. You'll wrinkle that pretty face."

I couldn't help the smile at the compliment, but I brushed it off, bumping my shoulder into him. "You should stop talking to me like that. Someone will take off with the crush thing again."

And he brushed that off. "Nah, I don't care what they say. You know I do it to help keep the guys off you. If they think I'm into you, they're going to back off because you're right. They are scared of me. And they'll be scared of Will when he phases. I'll be out of a job."

"Nah," I said, echoing him. "Will can't pretend to be my boyfriend. And if neither Ava nor Piper are close, I can't pretend to have a lesbian lover."

He spit his drink back into his cup. "You do that?" he spluttered.

Laughing, I patted his back and handed him a napkin. "Not yet. It's a contingency plan. But like I said, they won't always be around and Will can't pretend to be my boyfriend." I shivered. "He's my brother and that's just weird to think about. So I do need you. Not out of a job until I get mated."

A flicker of emotion flashed across his face but I couldn't quite grasp it before he closed it down and grinned at me. "God have mercy on that guy."

"Why?"

His eyebrows met his hairline. "You don't realize how protective we are, do you? Your dad, Will, the twins, and me? And let's not get started on Piper. She's as feisty as Mom."

"Too true." I looked up at him. "You're protective of me?"

His eyes widened and shook his head disbelief. "It's like you don't even know me. Have you not been paying attention all these years?"

I laughed. "Apparently not."

Beside me, Will groaned.

"What?" Maddox asked.

"We gotta go. Mom wants to talk about our exams. Dad, too. He's home early from the shop." He took his wallet from his jeans and flagged down our waitress, who was in my class. "Here," he said, handing her a hundred dollar bill. "Keep the change for tip."

She blinked at it as she took it slowly. "Are you sure?"

He grinned at her. "C'mon, Mattie. You have to be used to this by now. Just take it."

She did as he said and stuffed it into her apron. We never waited for the bill. Will always took care of it. He apprenticed with Dad at the shop.

"You are so very odd, William Black."

We all scooted out and when he stood in front of her, he gave her a grin that melted her in her socks. "You have no idea." Then he winked at her. "See you at the party."

As we walked out, I stayed next to him. "You do know that she thinks she has a shot with you, right? I mean you just mentally felt her up."

Startled, he turned to stare at me. "Who have you been hanging out with to talk like that? And I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, I don't know who I'm going to imprint on if I phase. Might as well be nice to every girl."

I shook my head. "You are so close to starting a war. And after you do imprint and leave the rest in the dust, we're going to need a million Rehab for Heartbreak centers around here."

"Those don't even exist."

I scoffed. "I'm fairly sure that I could start one up and it actually make money."

He laughed and pushed me. "Whatever. Don't be such a pain."

I stumbled from the push and a moment later, a large grey wolf was at my side, holding me up. "Hey, Henry. Thanks for the help. You should bite him for good measure."

Henry chuckled in his wolf way as he walked beside me. He had taken it upon himself to start watching out for us after he'd phased. Someone had probably put the idea in his head. And although it was within his right to petition Dad for the role of Alpha since he was Aunt Rebecca's son, he had said that he would leave the name of Alpha to the Black name as long as he was allowed to provide "security" for us. Dad had let him set up his own patrols of young wolves to stay close. Brayden was one of them, but since he was Will's best friend, it didn't need to be an order. We were all close. He was family. As was Ava, Colton, Linley, and Dane. They were all our blood cousins and all had a right to name of Alpha. All of them, including me and twins, looked to Will to take it. Though he was kind of in the middle of all the age groups, he made sure everyone was taken care of, just like Dad did. He felt the same responsibilities that Dad carried, and he wanted them. A leader who wanted to lead was the best kind.

"Aw, Henry wouldn't bite me. He knows he'd be in for a world of hurt after I phase."

Henry leaned his big body around mine as we walked and playfully snapped at Will. Brayden, on the other side of the wolf, playfully jumped him. "Hey, you mess with him, you mess with me. Cousin or no."

They tussled up the road. Eventually, we reached the turn off for Ava. She said bye and took off to play with her younger siblings who were in middle school. Something had been happening with Brayden and Henry because Brayden took off.

Piper just shook her head at her brother. "Dorks." Moving closer to me, she looked around me to Will. "So you never really told us about the new girl."

He shrugged, flushing a bit. Man, he actually liked her. "She's interesting. From Canada. Or at least that's where she moved from. She said that her adoptive parents had been Quileute and after whatever happened to them happened, she went to live with her adoptive uncle. They were in the process of moving here when he died."

"Oh wow. That must be hard. She's all alone?" I asked.

He nodded, kicking at a rock in the road.

"What is she doing this summer?"

"She said she was going to travel California, get some sun before coming back."

"Good idea," Piper said. "Can't have pasty white people here. People will think they're ghosts or vampires."

"Piper!" I chided.

"What?" she said innocently. "Anyway, why doesn't she go up to Forks?"

"Her uncle left her a house here on the rez and she's eighteen so it's legally hers."

Piper looked skeptical. I felt the same way. "Which house?"

He shrugged. "I didn't ask."

She and I shared a look. But before we could say anything else, Brayden popped out of the woods and started right for us. Henry emerged a moment later and tackled him, barreling through us.

"Oof!" Brayden puffed as he was taken to the pavement. "Get off me, you big poodle."

We all laughed as Henry licked Brayden's face before coming back to walk with us. We cut through the woods and up the hill to get to our houses. With the direction we chose to go, Brayden and Piper were dropped off first. Will and I walked around the lake with Henry trailing behind. He would go into the woods as soon as we were on the porch. No doubt he'd run off to find his mate, Leila. According to Mom and Dad, they'd been together forever, sure they would imprint before they'd ever phased. Henry had phased and imprinted first. But he was six years older than Leila, so he'd had to wait to be with her. She'd been ten when he'd first phased. Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily had told him that he could marry/mate her when she turned eighteen. They were newly mated and couldn't keep their hands off each other.

When we made it to the porch, I turned and waved. He took off into the woods. Typical. Will unlocked the door and in we went. Mom and Dad were sitting at the kitchen table being gooey. Will turned to me and rolled his eyes.

Dad chuckled. "You two should be used to this by now."

"Yeah, yeah," Will said as we headed for the table to sit with them. "You love Mom and Mom loves you. We get it."

Mom and Dad looked at each other, back to Will, and shook their heads. "No you don't," Dad said. "You won't understand until you imprint."

Holding my emotions about that in check, I sat down on Dad's right. Will sat next to Mom, kissing her cheek. Dad leaned over to kiss mine.

"Where are the twins?" Mom asked.

It was then that I noticed that they weren't with us. Pfft. Some big sister I was.

Will chuckled. "I think Maddox got caught up at the diner. And you know Ash. He stays with Dox."

Mom shook her head, her bronze curls flying. "I swear, that boy."

"It's not his fault," I said, picking at a napkin. "You two are the ones who gave him the alpha gene and the good looks. To all of us, actually."

Dad chuckled. "So you're saying it's our fault the girls love your brother?"

"Brothers," I corrected. "And absolutely."

Dad grinned at me.

"Oh and Will showed the new girl around the school today. Apparently he likes her assets."

Both Mom and Will choked on their drinks. Dad just looked at me proudly and then to Will. "That's my baby girl," he said.

"Well?" Mom asked Will.

Will rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Well, what? I showed her around school and then we talked a little. There was nothing involving assets." He said the last pointedly at me.

I leaned forward on my elbows. "So you're telling me that your eyes weren't wandering when she walked away and Maddox actually managed to hit you with the football?" I grinned. "And yes, I saw that."

Dad made a hissing sound. "Ooo, she got you."

Will gave Dad a "duh" look. "Well you taught her."

"Of course, I did. I had to." He leaned on his elbows, mirroring me. "Now, why are you avoiding talking about exams?" He looked between the two of us.

"We're not avoiding," Will said defensively.

"Yeah, Dad. We had to get all the juicy tidbits out of the way."

"Oh, and your daughter has a mouth like a sailor," my brother said to both Mom and Dad.

Mouth hanging open, I glared at him while Mom and Dad stared at me. "Says the example," I tossed back.

They looked to him. He growled in defeat.

"Anyway," I said, gaining back my bouncy attitude. "Pretty sure I passed biology."

Dad raised his eyebrows. "Pretty sure?"

I shrugged. "You taught me never to lie. I'd be lying if I enthusiastically said I passed. So, I'm pretty sure."

"Aced chemistry," Will announced when they turned to him.

Mom took another drink of water. "What about Maddox and Ash?"

"Dox said the teacher gave them a formula sheet. He said it was the easiest exam of his life. And Ash had lit. We all know he passed with flying colors." Will got up to fill his glass again but with blood this time instead of water. When he caught me staring at the glass before he sat down, he asked, "You want some?"

I nodded. "Yes, please." Ever since we were little, we'd craved blood. Maddox and Ash, too. Will set a glass down in front of me. Where Mom and the others preferred it warm, we liked it ice cold from the fridge. "Thanks."

The front door opened a second later and the twins spilled in.

"Well," Ash was saying. "If you wouldn't flirt with them, they'd leave you alone. You have no right to complain."

"How come you never have girl problems? We look exactly alike."

Ash sighed as he went into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of glasses, and then filled them with blood. "Are you being dense on purpose?" he asked, setting one glass in front of his twin before coming around to sit with me. He gave me a look that said "can I kill him now?" I chuckled and rubbed his arm.

"Seriously, though," Dox said. "The girls don't bother you."

Mom had mercy on Ash. She leaned forward and reached over to pat Maddox's leg. "Honey, your brother isn't as…flamboyant…as you are. Where you're the extrovert, he's the introvert, keeping his head down. The girls always notice the ones full of energy first." She looked at Ash. "No offense, sweetie."

He shrugged. "None taken."

"It's the quiet ones you gotta watch out for anyway," Dad said, raising is glass to Ash.

Ash grinned and nodded. The only people who could make him grin like that were all in this room. He seemed so much more alive when he was just chilling with us. But when we were out in public, he closed up and smiled occasionally.

"So when's the party?" Mom asked.

"Later tonight," Will said. "Bonfire out on the cliffs as usual."

"Are all of you going?" She asked it nonchalantly, but the four of us shared an amused look. The 'rents wanted together time.

Dad chuckled as he saw us bounce the look across the table.

I suppressed a grin. "Yes, Mom. We're all going. You and Dad can have the house."

Ash laughed. "We can crash elsewhere if need be."

Leaning back, Dad took his keys out of his pocket and threw them to Will. "Take the truck just in case. They cleared a new dirt road out there."

Mom was blushing. "We can't hide anything, can we?" she asked Dad.

Dox patted her shoulder. "Hey, it worked when we were little, but we're in high school and have had sex ed. Don't think that we actually like knowing what you and Dad do when we're not here. A warning is so much better than walking in on you. I mean, you're both attractive people, hence the reason the four of us look good and I can't shake the ladies, but honestly Mom, I don't wanna see that. I will die happy if I never do."

She laughed. "How do you do that?"

"What? Be awesome? You and Dad can take the credit. I don't mind."

Mom looked at Dad, grinning, and shook her head. "We have some interesting kids, Jacob."

He chuckled. "I'm beginning to understand that."

"What I meant was," Mom said, "how do you diffuse embarrassing situations?"

He shrugged. "I have no clue. Maybe it's my flamboyance-ness."

"That is not a word," Ash and I said together.

Dox looked over at us. "It is in my book."

Mom and Dad laughed.

"Go get ready for your party," Mom said. "Do I need to fix you dinner before you go out? I can never remember."

"No," Will said as we all got up from the table to put our empty cups in the sink. "They'll have food there. All the seniors cook out. We'll be alright."

We all trooped upstairs. I grabbed Ash before he went into the room he shared with Maddox and pulled him into my room.

"What?" he asked. "Everything okay?"

I closed my door part of the way. "I am. Are you? From earlier?" Even though he was a freshman, now sophomore, he was half a head taller than me and I wasn't short at 5'7".

He smiled. "Yeah, big sister. I'm fine. Promise. Or I will be if you don't wear something slutty. I don't want to have to keep an eye on you all night."

I laughed, but the humor didn't reach my eyes. "You, Will, and Dox will watch over me even if I were dressed in a parka and baggy sweatpants."

"True. Still the only skin I wanna see are your arms and face. Got it?"

I loved it when he tried to boss me. He sounded like Dad and Will. I held up a salute. "Scout's honor."

"Uh-huh," he muttered.

Going on my toes, I kissed his cheek. "Nothing provocative," I warned him back. "I don't wanna have to be peeling girls off my baby brother. I'll do it, too."

He shook his head. "With Maddox and Will around, I highly doubt you need to worry about me."

With that cryptic remark, he vanished and closed my door behind him. Sighing in frustration at the male species, I went to find an outfit to wear for the night's festivities.

So what do we think? Do we like the kids? I love them. Ash is a little shy with me so he's giving me problems, but I'm sure he and I will come to some sort of agreement. Please let me know what you think! Love all y'all! Yes, I live in the south. Y'all is in my vocab. xoxoxoxoxo