Author's Note: This chapter takes place from Jacob's point of view. I thought it was necessary to the story, in order to explain a few things.
3. Desperation
Giving Nessie one last hug, I ran into the forest without looking back at her. It hurt to not look back, but it was necessary. I knew that if I turned around and met her gaze one last time, that I would break and stay beside her instead of going back to La Push to inform the others of what had just transpired. The pack was my family and I had to warn them of what was coming. I couldn't stay by and do nothing. The Volturi were coming to exterminate us and this I could not allow.
I hurriedly slid out of all of my clothes and folded them up neatly before I tied them all into a bundle that I secured against my left ankle. I shifted into my wolf form, taking a moment to gather my bearings before I sought out the others. My musings did not last long, as Leah was soon able to sense my presence and sent her thoughts out to me.
Jacob? she prodded.
Yes, Leah?
You've been gone a long time. Is everything ok?
Everything is fine, Leah, I reassured, hoping that the tension roaring within my body was not that noticeable. Where are the others?
Seth is at Charlie's with Mom. They've moved in together. Sam is with Emily. Quil is down at the beach with his father, Claire, and several others. Embry is by himself at your place. He's still brooding because he hasn't imprinted on anyone yet. He's jealous that you've imprinted before he has. And to a bloodsucker, no less!
I growled inwardly, furious that Leah could be so cold and callous. Nessie isn't a bloodsucker, Leah. You, as well as the others, know that very well. She doesn't have the ability to poison anyone with just a mere bite. Yes, she possesses qualities that make her a half vampire, but that doesn't mean that she actually lives as one.
She laughed, enjoying the fact that she could rile me up so easily. Down, Tiger. I meant you no ill will. I was only telling you the truth. And she is a damned bloodsucker. She drinks animal blood, doesn't she? Just because she can't make anyone else into a vampire doesn't mean that she isn't one.
Fine, I snapped. You win. She is one. But she's only half of a vampire. The rest of her is human and you should give her credit for that. She's a wonderful person, Leah. She really is and you would do well to take some pointers from her. You whole demeanor is atrocious.
She laughed again, the sound reverberating within my head. I am who I am, Jacob. Love me or hate me. This is who I am. I'm sorry that I'm so bitter, but we have Sam to thank for that, don't we? If he had chosen me, instead of Emily, I wouldn't be this way. But we can't help who we fall in love with, can we?
I'm sorry that he didn't choose you, Leah, but Emily does make him happy. The least that you can do is deal with it and move on. If you keep letting it eat away within you, you'll never find the happiness that you seek.
She's a sore loser, Jacob. We all know that, said Embry.
You've been with us this whole time, Em? I wondered, unable to hide the lopsided grin that was spreading across my mouth.
Oh, yea, man, he continued. There's nothing more sublime than listening to Leah bitch about Sam's imprinting upon Emily. . . NOT! Get over it, Leah. Jacob's right. It's time for you to move on.
Who died and made you king, Embry? Leah snarled, her anger apparent within every word.
I made myself king. Now, bow to me! he chided, enjoying the fact that he was making her angry.
Damn you, Em! I'm going to rip you a part when I see you. I can do it, you know. You're going to. . .
Enough! I said. We have a pressing matter that needs taking care of. Em, I need you to gather up those of the pack that are closest to us. Have them meet us at Emily's. I'll explain everything there. Leah, run down to the beach and fetch Quil. Please let him know that it's an emergency. What I have to say cannot wait.
Will do, Boss! replied Embry as he ran off to do as I had asked.
I could sense Leah's apprehension, knowing that she was biding her time before she asked the questions that were starting to swim around inside her head. I kept hoping that she'd wait awhile before asking them, but I knew that that was not likely to happen. I ran as fast I could within the forest, trying to keep my thoughts to myself.
Something bad is coming, isn't it? Leah prodded as she made her way towards the beach.
You could say that, I assured.
What exactly is it? she wondered.
I'll explain everything when we meet at Emily's.
I'd like to know now, Jacob.
You'll have to wait till then, Leah.
No! she spat out angrily.
I sighed inwardly with exasperation, sorely wishing that I could zone all of them out for once. I hated it, sometimes, that we could all hear each other's thoughts and feel everything we felt, too. It was moment's like this that made me wish that I wasn't a werewolf. I could hear Leah's snickers as I thought this, knowing that she was enjoying every moment of my discomfort. My impatience won out and I snapped back at her with more force than I had meant to.
Do me a favor, Leah, and stop analyzing me and the rest of us. We don't mind that you're one of us, but you make us want to sorely kill you, sometimes. You seem to test our patience, more often than not, I murmured, sighing with relief as I saw Emily's house come into view.
I am who I am, Jacob, she reiterated once more.
We're well aware, Leah, said Sam, as he joined into the conversation at that given moment. I may not like the fact that you're one of us, but I'm dealing with it. Hell, I still feel fondness for you, Leah, but I will not let you bitch and moan about Emily anymore. Either you come to terms with it, or you go off on your own.
Is that your decree? she asked fearfully.
Yes, replied Sam. It is.
I still love you, Sam, she mumbled softly.
I know, Leah, and sometimes I wish that I could love you, too, but I can't. Emily is my world now and you have to accept that, he continued.
I decided to interrupt their conversation, just then, knowing that this was not the time for it. Can you both continue this later? I prodded. I've arrived at Emily's and am about to shift back into human form. I'll be waiting for you all to arrive. Please don't tarry.
Sam chose to chuckle at my words and I knew that he was enjoying the fact that I was finally taking advantage of my being an Alpha male. Sure thing, Boss, he said. See you soon.
I shape shifted back into my human form, bending down to untie the bundle of my clothes from my left ankle. I strode into Emily's house and made my way towards the bathroom as I decided to take a quick shower. I soon heard the rest of the pack begin to arrive and hurriedly finished what I was doing. Drying myself off as best as I could, I dressed as quickly as possible and made my way towards the kitchen. Leaning towards Emily, I placed a kiss upon her cheek and grabbed a glass as it sat upon the counter. Pouring myself a glass of orange juice, I sat down at the table and drank the contents of the glass in one gulp.
The kitchen was soon filling up as the rest of the pack began to arrive. Paul and Jared had arrived together, with Rachel at their heels. I would have preferred that my sister had stayed home, but I knew well that wherever Paul went, she was sure to follow. Thankfully, Jared had left Kim back at her home. I still doubted that she really understood everything about us. She was a good person, but something told me that she had not yet accepted the fact that we could shape shift into werewolves at will.
Colin and Brady burst into the kitchen, just then, their voices intertwined as they tossed a ball around. I chuckled softly as I watched them, ever the more protective of them and the rest of the pack. The two of them were the youngest of us to ever shape shift and we did everything possible to make sure that they were always safe. It would not do to lose them, or any of the others, I thought as I watched Leah, Seth, Embry, and Quil burst through the door.
Sam, my father, and Sue were the last to arrive. The sound within the kitchen was deafening as everyone began to talk at once. I used these stolen moments to look around, committing every little detail to memory. I had the feeling that something big was coming our way and I wanted to remember everything in case anything ever happened. Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat loudly and drew everyone's attention to me.
"I thank you all for coming," I lightly replied, gazing about.
"What's the emergency?" Quil questioned, his black eyes dark with apprehension.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" said Brady as he placed the ball he'd been holding upon the table.
Leah chose to silence him, at that moment, wanting to hear what it was that I had to say. "I think it is. Jacob was feeling very anxious while we were talking earlier. Whatever it is, it was enough to disturb him," she murmured, nodding in my direction.
Smiling softly, I said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Leah."
"No problem!"
Waving a hand before me, I asked them all to make themselves comfortable. Emily and Sam brought in extra chairs and arranged them around the table. They took a moment to supply us all with drinks and snacks, patiently waiting for me to begin. Swallowing heavily, I met my father's dark gaze and realized that he knew, without my telling him, that something was coming. I nodded slightly, confirming his suspicions.
"I've had you all meet me here, because this is more of a home for us all than anywhere else. This is where most of us come whenever we need to feel like a family and I thank Emily and Sam for making this as much of a home for us all. Whatever happens, we'll always be united and we'll always be a family. I truly hope that you know that," I replied, allowing everyone a moment to take it all in.
"When?" prodded my father.
"When what?" I questioned, my brow furrowing slightly as I realized that he had been more perceptive than I'd ever given him credit for.
"Whatever is coming, when will it arrive?"
"I don't know exactly, in all honesty."
"You have an estimate, though, don't you?" Sam queried.
"Yes."
"When?"
Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself out of my chair and began to pace back and forth. "I was in the forest today, hunting with Nessie. We had a visitor. He's a guard from the Volturi. He came with a warning for us and I fear that it does not bode well," I said, shoving my hands into my pockets as I came to a stop before the window.
"They come for us?" Leah prodded, her eyes wide and full of fear.
Turning around to face them, I nodded. "Yes. Their leader was convinced that we are Children of the Moon. They come with the intention of eliminating us and this, I cannot allow. We are not Children of the Moon. Nor will we ever be. We are just souls that have the fortune to shape into whatever form that we wish to. In our case, we shift into the form of a wolf.
"The man who came, he said that we have about a month, perhaps less, before they arrive. The Cullen's have gathered and they are devising a plan in which they'd be able to save us from extinction, but we need to work together with them in order to make that happen. The question is, can we do that?"
My heart raced with apprehension as I saw the shock and despair that was written within their faces. I wished that I could erase it all, but I knew that I couldn't. I wished, too, that I could spare them of what was to come, but I knew that life never worked the way that we wanted it to. I could hear their murmurs, and each one of their objections. In the end, I knew that we would all stand up with the vampires and fight for our lives and for everything that we believed in.
"There's more," I said, moments later.
"Go on," Sam urged, pulling Emily into his arms.
"They've decreed that Nessie is a danger to them. They, too, come for her. I cannot let them take her from me and I ask that we do our best in protecting her, too. The Volturi have decreed that she, and her powers, are a menace to them and they seek to eradicate her in anyway possible," I replied slowly.
Quil's eyes narrowed as he gazed back at me. "She's not dangerous, though. Why destroy something that can do no harm?" he questioned.
"She can do harm," said my father. "Her powers are greatly amplified. She can make anyone see and feel whatever she puts her mind to. She sees things that we do not and she can show us things that have already happened. If she cultivates her powers completely, she can do much more. This is why the Volturi fear her. She can destroy everything they've worked for if she so much as put her mind to it."
"Can she really?" Sam mused,
"I believe so. Most of Nessie's powers are still dormant. Once she fully unlocks them, there's no telling what it is that she'd do. This is why I think the Volturi seek to destroy her," he responded.
"We will stand with the leeches, then?" Embry asked, his brow furrowed with confusion.
"We will," Sam continued. "We have to. For our sake and theirs."
"And if one of us should die?" Leah countered. "What then?"
"Pray that it does not come to that," I said. "We have to be united in this. We must set aside our differences and fight for everything. For us. For them. For what we all are. We cannot let them win. We cannot!"
"And we shan't," Paul interjected. "We will survive. You'll see."
"Hear, hear!" they roared, their faces all mirroring their emotions.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded towards them all. My heart swelled with pride as I watched my pack bond even further. We would be united, within all this, and I was happy to know this. We were determined to fight for both our survival and for that of the vampires. We would not let the Volturi gain the upper hand. We would take a stand and show them what we were made of.
