1. Choices and Changes
"I don't want to die."
Leah Clearwater turned and looked at the frightened young woman who had approached her. She shut her car door, and with a glance across the roof at Leland Whistler, her bondmate, she stepped forward. "Cailin, are you alright?" she asked softly.
Cailin McTiernan was Embry Call's bondmate - Embry was a wolf shapeshifter like Leah and a member of her pack. Cailin and Leah had both been kidnapped by a vampire bent on using them to breed a "super-race" of vampire-human hybrids only eight days ago. Joham had not had the opportunity to take advantage of Leah herself before he was destroyed, but he unfortunately had raped Cailin, and she had confessed to Leah she was pregnant with the bloodsucker's child the day before yesterday.
"Look, why don't we go inside and talk. Leland won't mind you depriving him of my company for a little while," Leah said when Cailin didn't respond.
"Of course I won't," Leland agreed. Though she had not shared with her boyfriend the truth of Cailin's condition, Leah knew that he suspected - that the wolves in both packs suspected - as did the Cullens, the vampire family that kept a permanent home in nearby Forks. They were all just waiting for Cailin to come forward and confirm their suspicions.
"It's been a while since I phased," Leland went on, referring to the fact that he was also a shapeshifter, though he was not a wolf. His animal form was a raven. "I can go for a flight and leave you two ladies to talk."
"It's alright, Leland," Cailin said, speaking again at last, her Irish accent less musical than Leah recalled, perhaps because of her apparent nervousness. "I'm sure you already have an idea what's going on. Everyone does - they're just waiting for me to say it."
She took a shaky breath, then looked at Leah again. "Can you take me to the Cullens'? I want to talk to Dr. Cullen. I want to know if he really can help me."
Leah stepped forward and took the blonde-haired girl into her arms, holding her close as she said, "Of course I will."
"We need to leave."
Eight heads turned to look at Alice Cullen, who stared blankly ahead for a moment before fluttering her eyelashes and looking around at her family.
"Leave? Do you mean leave Forks?" asked Jasper Hale, her husband.
Alice took in their concerned expressions and laughed. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said it like that," she replied, giving Jasper's hand a gentle squeeze. "I meant that everyone but Carlisle needs to leave for a while."
Carlisle Cullen, who had been a father to Alice and Jasper since 1950 (in some ways much longer for Alice, as she had seen the Cullens in her visions from the very beginning of her vampire life), raised his blond eyebrows in avid curiosity. "You all get to leave, but I have to stay home? May I ask why?"
"Your immediate future's gotten blurry," Alice replied. "I think one of the wolves is coming over to talk to you."
"So?" piped up Emmett, Alice's adopted brother. "Just means Jake's coming home."
Jacob Black, an Alpha from one of the nearby Quileute wolf packs, was considered a member of the Cullen family, who were all vampires, even though he was a shapeshifter - once a mortal enemy to the vampires. He had imprinted on Renesmée, the daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen, just minutes after she was born; despite the fact that he was already Bella's best friend, the mystical imprinting bond is what made him truly family. Ever since 2007, Jake had been living with the Cullens, because due to the bond he could not bear to be away from the little girl for long periods of time.
Alice shook her head. "No, he said he was going to be in meetings most of the day with Sam and the other wolves, remember? Besides, I saw you, Edward, and Jasper hunting. Us girls are having a girls' day in Seattle."
"You mean we're going shopping - which is your favorite pastime," Bella joked.
The pixie-like vampire to whom she spoke narrowed her golden eyes. "I know what I saw," she said, enunciating every word.
The rest of the family laughed. "I suppose we may as well get going then," remarked Edward. "It's amusing how your vision coincides with the fact that we need to hunt anyway."
"See? It all works out!" Alice said brightly as she jumped up from her seat on the couch. "You boys go now, and us girls will go when we get back. We shouldn't be gone more than a couple of hours."
"And what about me?" Carlisle asked with some amusement.
"I see you later, bits and pieces, so I don't think there's anything to worry about," Alice said. "You're going to be spending a lot of time in your study after this blurry period."
"Something you should be familiar with, darling," teased Esme, kissing her husband on the cheek as she passed by him on the way to get her purse from the hall table.
Within minutes, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had departed for the woods, while Esme, Rosalie, Bella, Alice and Renesmée took off in Carlisle's Mercedes. Carlisle watched them go and then returned to the house, wandering up to his study as his mind mulled over what Alice had not seen. His immediate future was blurry and that could mean any number of things, although a visit from one of the wolves was the most likely scenario, given Alice's inability to see the shapeshifters in her visions. But he wasn't taking anything for granted, and so he stood at the windows of his study overlooking the front lawn, while keeping his sharpened hearing attuned to the sounds of the house and the woods that surrounded it, not wanting to be taken unawares by anyone or anything.
It was not long after the women had departed that he heard a car coming up the long, winding drive. Carlisle left his study and went downstairs, deciding to meet his visitor outside. A few minutes later, a compact vehicle that he recognized as belonging to Leah Clearwater was pulling up to a stop in front of the house. Smiling with amusement that Alice had been right about a visit from one of the wolves, he stepped down from the porch as the three occupants got out - Leah's boyfriend and imprint Leland from the driver's seat, Leah herself from the passenger seat, and Cailin McTiernan from the back. The vampire doctor studied Cailin closely, looking for signs of what he was fairly certain she was here to discuss. But given the incredible amount of courage it had taken her to come, not to mention his respect for the girl, he decided to let her take the lead. While he suspected she had come to confess that she was pregnant, should she lose her nerve and not bring it up, he certainly wasn't going to force the issue.
Smiling warmly he greeted the three, saying, "Leah, Leland, Cailin - this is a welcome surprise. It's good to see you all again so soon. Would you care to come inside?"
Leah glanced back at Cailin, who was eyeing him nervously and twisting her hands in front of herself, then back to Carlisle. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."
Carlisle turned and headed back up onto the porch. Opening the door, he stepped aside so that the three could pass by and then led them into the living room, where he suggested they make themselves comfortable. Leah sat next to Cailin on the sofa and Leland took one of the overstuffed armchairs, while Carlisle himself took the one opposite him.
"What can I do for you?" the doctor asked carefully.
Leah placed a hand on Cailin's back and began to rub it in a comforting fashion. Cailin's bright green eyes were wet with unshed tears as she looked up at him. "I'm sure you have a good idea why I've come, sir," Cailin said slowly. "That evil bastard what took away Sierra Bivens and killed her by getting her pregnant did the same thing to me."
Carlisle's expression was grave as he nodded. "Yes, we've been wondering about that," he said slowly. "I'm so very sorry to hear that you were abused so, but I am glad that you've come to me. I can only imagine how very frightened you are."
"I don't want to die, Dr. Cullen," Cailin said as a tear slipped from her right eye to slide down her pale cheek, followed by another on the left. "I don't want to die and I don't want to become a vampire. I want to live and stay human, so that I can become the mother of Embry's children. I want to grow old with the man I love, and watch our children grow and have their own children, and I cannot do that if this child kills me."
The vampire nodded, his expression changing to one of sympathy. "I understand that conceiving children to carry on the shapeshifting genes is of great import to the wolves, and I have a feeling that you'd want children even without that as an incentive."
"I would. I've always wanted children of me own."
Carlisle chanced a smile. "In anticipation of the possibility that you were pregnant - using what we learned from Nahuel and our own experience three years ago - I've devised a plan that I believe will help minimize pain and injury for you, and allow me to help you remain human after your child is born."
He sighed then, not wanting to say what he was about to, but knowing it needed to be said. "I must tell you, however, that I cannot make any guarantees. I believe this plan will work, I truly do, but I want to make you aware of the risks involved."
"Meaning that no matter what you do, I could still die," Cailin said, and he nodded. "As much as it kills me to think of leaving Embry alone in this world, especially after what happened to poor Collin Littlesea, I am aware of the possibility that I might not survive."
"And I take it you've no desire to be turned should it come to making such a choice?"
Cailin shook her head. "No sir. I mean no offense to you, or even to Bella who is the only one of you what chose to become a vampire, but I'd be just as good as dead if I were to become one. Vampire females can't bear children. I'd be giving up my dream, and be of no use to Embry."
Carlisle didn't say that he believed Embry would love her no matter what - it was probably not something she was of a mind to hear. Instead he asked her, "Does Embry know?"
More tears fell as she shook her head again. "I haven't told him yet, though like everyone else, I know he suspects. I want to be sure I've a good chance of walking away from this before I bring his whole world crashing down."
"Cailin, let me reassure you - I believe you have a great chance of walking away. Now that I know for sure, I can gather the equipment and supplies we'll need to care for you and your baby."
"Not my baby," Cailin said then, surprising him. "I…I don't want it. God forgive me because I know it's not the child's fault, but I just can't do it. I can't raise that monster's baby. Better it be someone who can love it unconditionally than a horrible person like me who can't even bear to entertain the idea."
"Cailin, that doesn't make you a horrible person, sweetie," Leah said, speaking up for the first time since they'd come inside. "It makes you an honest person. You're acknowledging your limits, and this is just one of those things you can't do. No one will blame you for that."
"Leah's right, Cailin. I don't think anyone would hold your deciding to give up the child against you," Carlisle agreed. "I think it's enough that you are willing to go through with the pregnancy at the risk of your own life - no more could be asked of you than that. Have you considered who to entrust the child to once it's born?"
Cailin chuckled mirthlessly as she wiped at her eyes. "Well, obviously I know it can't be given off to any orphanage. It's best this baby is raised with family. It's got two sisters nearby, and I'm fairly certain Jennifer won't mind as she's already raising Ever."
She sighed, then looked solemnly at Carlisle. "But I'm actually thinking of someone else to give the child to, someone I'm told would love it as it were her own, what with her not being able to have any. Do…do you think your Rosalie would want it?"
Carlisle smiled. "I think Rosalie would never be able to thank you enough for giving her such a gift."
"Where's Leah? Isn't she supposed to be here?"
Jacob Black turned to his packmate Quil Ateara. "She wanted to be, but I told her it would be best for her to keep doing what she's been doing, helping Shalayne Whistler with her phasing."
In the history of their tribe, there had only ever been one female wolf, and that was Leah. Now, suddenly, there were two - the transformation of Leland Whistler's younger sister was a shock to everyone, not only because she'd phased at all, but also because she'd only been in La Push for about two weeks. Jacob was beginning to think that Leah's theory of being surrounded by other shifters also having an effect on the activation of their shapeshifting genes had some merit, whereas previously they'd all believed it was only the proximity of vampires.
In order to help the newest member of the pack get used to her condition, Jacob had talked to Leah about being her mentor. He and Sam were keeping the other wolves away so as to give Shalayne time to acclimate herself to the sudden shift in her reality. She had been seen by Mikah and Mason from his pack as well as Paul and three others from Sam's pack the first time she'd shifted, but no one save for Leah had seen her since, not even himself. He knew from the images he'd seen in the twins' and Leah's heads that Shalayne's fur was the color of new-fallen snow, and he could admit to longing to see her wolf form with his own eyes. But Jacob was giving Shalayne what he thought was best, what he'd wished for when he'd first turned - time to just get used to it, without all the added stress of being a "guardian of the people."
Besides, there were other things on his mind right now. Sam had told him that with Emily being so close to giving birth, he had begun to feel that it was time to give up his wolf. He had enough control of himself after four years of phasing that he believed he could do it, though certainly it was going to take time to give it up completely. But with the arrival of his first child imminent, Sam Uley was determined to be a better father than his own had been to him. He also did not want his family growing older without him, and since phasing halted the aging process of the shapeshifters, Sam knew he'd have to give up phasing altogether in order to begin aging again.
That's what this meeting was all about: it was a ceremonial passing of the torch. When Jacob had embraced his Alpha heritage three years ago, he and Sam had both recognized that in spite of their separation, it was only a matter of time before the packs were reunited as one. After all, there was only ever supposed to be one Alpha - the Alpha - and that was Jacob. It was his birthright to lead not only the wolf pack, but the tribe as well. And so, after some discussion, Jacob and Sam had decided to make the announcement to both packs.
But again, this was only ceremonial, in a sense. The moment Sam had told Jacob he was giving up his wolf, and therefore his place as an Alpha, a power the strength of which neither one had ever felt before passed through the air around them - it was so strong that it had shaken Sam and Emily's house. Jacob had immediately recognized that ethereal energy for what it was, and with a sigh he had tilted his head back, holding his arms out to his sides in welcome, as he fully embraced that which had always been his: the power of the Alpha. From that moment on, he knew that he was in control of every wolf, that they would all follow his command should he give one. The packs, in plural, were no more - there was just the pack, as it always should have been.
Sam, for his part, had looked immeasurably relieved, and it was not lost on Jacob just how much a burden he had placed on Sam's shoulders when he'd initially refused the leadership. Though they hadn't always agreed - to the point of breaking the pack into two groups - Sam had been a good, strong leader. He had done the best he could with a responsibility that was never meant to be his, and although he was now giving up his wolf, he would always be a part of the pack and recognized as a leader among them.
"Alright everyone, settle down," Sam said then, drawing Jacob out of his reverie. He looked around, noting the presence of every wolf except for Shalayne and Leah, plus several of the mates as well. It was right they were present for this announcement, he thought.
When the low murmur of chatter continued, Paul Lahote looked around, then said loudly, "Shut the fuck up!"
Although his words had the desired effect and everyone gathered began to quiet down, Rachel Black - Jacob's sister and Paul's imprint - smacked him on the shoulder. "Language, Paul. There are children present."
Paul didn't look the least bit sorry. He grinned widely and then kissed Rachel on the nose before turning his attention to Sam and Jacob.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Sam said, glancing sideways at Jacob. "Jacob and I have some news we'd like to share with you."
"We finally going to get to meet our new sister?" asked Aaron Wakefield. "As a wolf, I mean."
"And what about the other one - the bear? Dude, I still can't freakin' believe there are bear shapeshifters out there," added Henry Raintree.
"Guys, all in due time," Jacob said, and though he had spoken in a normal tone of voice, the latent authority of the Alpha was apparent in those simple words. Every one of the wolves looked at him sharply, confusion in their eyes. "Look, as soon as Shalayne is ready to meet with you guys, you'll get to see her in wolf form. She wants to learn to control her shifting first, and I'm going to give her that time - and so are you. As for Aitana Greatwood, I can't say. Her dad might be taking her back to South Dakota soon, so there's a chance the only people who will get to see her as a bear are the ones who already have."
Those that had seen her as a bear glanced at each other, but said nothing. Like Jacob, they were all aware that Aitana had been in love with Leland and had meant to kill Leah just yesterday, thinking it would free Leland to be with her. It was going to take the girl some time to accept that Leland was never meant to be hers.
"You all know that Emily will be giving birth in just three weeks," Sam went on. "The impending arrival of my son or daughter has made me consider many things about the future, such as the fact that I don't want Em to grow any older without me. After much thought, and discussion with Jacob this morning, I've decided that it is time for me to give up my wolf."
"Dude, you can't do that!" said Drake, one of the youngest of the wolves at sixteen. "Who's going to lead our pack?"
Jacob stepped forward, standing tall and imposing at 6' 7" in height, and said, "I am. I was always meant to be your Alpha, and now I am. The wolves are all one pack again."
All the boys glanced at each other, and he knew that they could literally feel the truth of his words. "But how is that possible?" asked Jared Cameron, who had been Sam's Beta. He'd returned from his honeymoon the night before. "And no offense, but how the hell are you going to lead us when you live three thousand miles away?"
"I relinquished my claim to the Alpha authority, Jared," Sam said quietly. "It was never really mine to begin with. You know that."
"And I finally embraced it - all of it. I know you guys can feel it, too," Jacob added. "I knew that it was time - in fact, I think I've known ever since I split from the pack three years ago and inadvertently started another that it was only a matter of time before they would be united again under one leader. The only way to do that would be for me to accept completely the power and responsibility of my Alpha heritage. I've done that now. I will always be Alpha no matter where I am, and will lead you when I am here. But given my circumstances, I recognize that I will need to name someone to lead you in my place when I'm not."
"Sam, are you sure about this?" asked Paul.
Sam nodded. "I'm sure, Paul. And it's already done. There's no going back, for either of us."
"So who's going to be in charge when you're across the country, bro?" asked Embry.
Jacob looked at him. "You and Jared have the most leadership experience, with him being a Beta and you being all but one with Leah's retirement. But before we get to that, Sam's choice has made me think that those of you who are near in age to your mates really need to take them into consideration - they continue to age while you stay the same, and it's not exactly fair to them. Now, I'm not saying you have to give up phasing anytime soon, but it's something you should seriously think about."
Jared looked at his new wife, Kim, while Paul looked at Rachel. Noah, Aaron, and Oliver also looked at their girls. The latter three boys were all seventeen and their mates were the same age, while Jared and Paul were both nineteen. Kim was also nineteen, and Rachel was twenty-three. Having gotten married, Jared had already accepted that he would someday be creating a family with Kim, but Jacob suspected it would be a few more years before that happened. He might continue phasing until Kim was ready to start having children. Jacob's sister was nearing her mid-twenties and he knew that she wanted a family, not to mention that she wanted to get out of La Push again. He had a feeling that retiring would be a subject she and Paul would be discussing over the next few days.
Embry was nineteen as well, and Cailin would be twenty-one next month. Given what they all feared had happened to her when she'd been kidnapped, Jacob had the feeling it might be a while for them as well.
"Like I said, I am not saying anyone has to stop phasing. I'm not going to order you to because I think it's a choice only you can make for yourselves. I know some of you have to keep phasing for the next several years because of the age of your imprints," Jacob went on, his eyes glancing at Quil and Mikah Westerman. "Some of us will be phasing for the rest of our lives because of our imprints." That one was directed at himself, Seth Clearwater, and Alex Emerson, all of whom had imprinted on vampire-human hybrids. "But retirement is something that most of you need to think about over the next few years. The Cullens have told me they're not coming back to Forks again after this Christmas - at least not for a few decades - which means pretty soon the need for the pack will be almost non-existent. By the time they do come back, you'll all probably be grandparents, maybe even great-grandparents."
"And then our grandkids or great-grandkids will have to put up with this bullshit just like we did," muttered Johnny Quinto.
"Which is something else I've considered the last couple of years - more so after recent events," Jacob replied. "We don't know why and we may never understand it, but Seth, Alex, and I have all imprinted on girls who are half vampire. Despite their bloodsucker genetics, they're actually a lot like us: they're hyper-metabolic, they have a higher heart rate and a higher body temperature than humans… The thing is, being bonded to them means we have to keep phasing; because they stop aging at physical maturity, we have to phase for the rest of our lives to keep our own aging stalled, which will allow us to stay with them for as long as they live.
"This means that the next wolf pack will have the three of us to learn from, to guide them. Although our Elders have done their best for us, and we're all grateful for their advice, they're not wolves. They knew what was going on, but they didn't know what it was like because they'd never been through it. In the beginning, none of us had the benefit of being taught how to be a wolf by someone who'd been through it themselves, and we all know Sam was pretty much winging it."
Everybody laughed at that, and Jacob gave them time to settle before he continued. "The next wolf pack won't have to suffer through the learning process like we did. Next time around, someone's going to be here who knows and understands what they're going through."
"I wonder…" Seth said, speaking up for the first time. "Maybe our imprinting on hybrids was the magic's way of ensuring there would always be someone to teach future wolves how to be wolves."
"That's all well and good for the next pack," Paul said, "but what about our pack? If the Cullens aren't going to come back after Christmas, that means you won't be coming back either, right?"
"Actually, no," Jacob countered. "I've still got several years that I can come back here for the summer, and you have my word that I will. I might not be living in La Push anymore, but it's always going to be my home, and I'm not going to ignore my responsibilities to the pack."
"So who's going to be in charge when you're not here for the other nine months of the year?" Paul pressed.
Jacob glanced at Sam, then looked back to Paul. "As I said before, Jared and Embry have the most leadership experience in the role of Beta. Sam and I believe they should share the responsibility of leading the pack when I'm not here. Sam's also agreed to continue acting in an advisory capacity until such time as he's done phasing for good, and he can help settle any disputes between the two of them. If he can't, then you call me."
"And you guys really think this plan will work?" Jared queried.
Sam nodded. "We do."
"Guys, I know it sounds complicated," Jacob added, to which several heads bobbed in agreement. "But it's the best plan we could come up with, and we've got the next six weeks to work on smoothing out any kinks."
Silence followed for a moment, until Mason Westerman, Mikah's twin brother, spoke up, saying, "I think it's great that we're going to be one pack. That we're all brothers again."
"Mason, even when there were two packs, man," Jared said, "we were always brothers. All of us."
The direction of the pack meeting turned to how Embry and Jared would work together as leaders when Jacob was away. All the mates - though interested in hearing about the lives of the wolves and what it was like to be a shapeshifter - took this as a cue to leave, though they didn't wander far. The women and the children simply moved a little further down the beach to leave the men to talk pack politics in private.
Everyone was surprised several minutes later when three figures appeared on the beach walking toward them. Seth and Alex, recognizing the scents of their imprints, immediately jumped up and jogged toward them. Seth in particular was a little worried about Jennifer - she hadn't left his house in the entire time she'd been staying there except to go to the Cullens' to hunt. She'd never been face to face with the whole pack before, and given her involvement in what had happened to Sierra and Collin, as well as Cailin and Leah, he couldn't help but worry about how the others would react. That was why, despite his wanting her there, he hadn't brought her to this meeting.
Although there were some wary glances directed her way, he was relieved to see that the boys were far more interested in the third new arrival: Shalayne Whistler. Seth watched their reactions as they looked at her, wondering if Leah was right - his sister had theorized that when mates were both shapeshifters, they both had to be phasing in order for either to imprint. No one knew for sure because Leah was the only one who'd ever imprinted on another shapeshifter, and even then, Leland hadn't been phasing yet. Though from what they had told everyone, he had imprinted on Leah at the same time as she had on him, because raven shapeshifters imprinted before they phased, not after.
Jacob jogged over just behind Seth and Alex, his large frame essentially blocking Shalayne, Jennifer, and Ever - who was now securely tucked into Alex's arms and using her hands to make him do fish lips - from view.
"Hello, Jennifer," Jacob said, smiling warmly in greeting. "I'm glad to see you out and about - it's time the others get used to your presence. Just be brave and don't let them intimidate you."
Jennifer smiled shyly and glanced at Seth, who nodded his encouragement, and then Jacob turned to Shalayne, to whom he held out his hand. "Jacob Black," he introduced himself as she tentatively took his hand. "Last time I saw you was… well, it was a night most of us would rather forget."
Shalayne nodded. "Indeed. I'm really very sorry about Sierra and Collin. And…I remember you. I heard your voice the first time I changed. You're Leah's Alpha."
Jacob glanced over his shoulder for a moment then looked back at her. "Actually, I'm everyone's Alpha now. Sam's relinquished his claim to the authority and I've taken it all on myself, something I should have done a long time ago."
"I wouldn't beat yourself up over it," Shalayne said. "Leah's told me all about how things happened here, and I can only figure that you needed time to get used to being in the pack before you were ready to accept the responsibility of leading it."
Jacob and Seth chuckled. "You will be a great addition to the pack, Shalayne, for however long you keep phasing," Jacob told her. "It'll be good to have another sharp mind that can get straight to the point. I would say I wish this didn't happen to you, but - "
She waved his words off. "Please, I get enough of that from Lee," she said. "And as much as I might agree with that - whenever I allow myself to think about it - I have to admit that my brother and Leah have a good point on it."
"What's that?"
"We are what we are for a reason, and this wouldn't have happened to any of us if it wasn't meant to," Shalayne replied. "I have to hold onto that belief or I'll go stark raving mad, I think."
Instinctively, Jacob reached out and drew her to him. Shalayne stiffened at first and then allowed herself to be held. "You aren't alone, sister," Jacob told her. "A lot of us went a little crazy at first, before we learned to accept what we are."
Holding her away from him, he added, "You're doing remarkably well, all things considered. You and Leland. And you have the shortest transition period of any of us, being that you've only been here about two weeks."
"Yeah, that's the part that we can't figure out, how come it happened so soon," she agreed. "But whatever, right? What's done is done. I am what I am, vampires are real, and the world is nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake."
Jacob, Seth, and even Jennifer laughed at that; Alex could only chuckle as Ever was still making him do fish lips, which the little hybrid apparently found incredibly hilarious. She herself was giggling madly.
With another glance over his shoulder, Jacob turned to Shalayne and Jennifer. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? I thought you and Leah were working on your phasing?"
Shalayne nodded. "We were, but we took a break for lunch. Leah and Leland went to her house because Leah wanted to have lunch with her mom, but they never came back. I went over to see what was keeping her, and Jennifer told me she hadn't seen them, then suggested we come here in case you'd called her to the meeting and she just forgot to let me know."
"I haven't seen her today, either," Jacob said with a frown, then relaxed his features. "Well, since you're both here, we may as well get the introductions over with. You've met the boys in the pack before, Shalayne, but you haven't seen any of them in human form since you started phasing. And Jennifer hasn't met but a few. This should be interesting."
"What about Leah?" Seth asked.
"I'll give her a call here in a few to see what's going on," he replied. "First, we introduce our sisters to their brothers."
Turning around, Jacob started back toward the pack. The women had drifted back over again, curiosity evident on their features as they took in the sight of Shalayne, Jennifer, and Ever. When they reached the large group gathered around the logs and blankets, Jake stepped aside to begin the introductions just as Shalayne gasped and fell to her knees.
