Paul POV

Annoyance was a mild term for what I was when I heard the distressed wolf howl. It couldn't have come at a worse time with Ripley dropping the bomb on me that she knew.

How had she know? And how much did she know?

It was killing me to now have answers. But I had to wait. A new member of the pack had phased. I couldn't hear his thoughts, but I could hear the howl was different. I traced it and once I reached the forest's edge I stripped my clothes and phased. It didn't take long to find him, with his thoughts screaming in my head. Jared Braid. I had seen him around the reservation and in school. He was my age, but we had never been part of the same crowd. He was popular, and I had always kept to myself, too consumed in my anger. I never felt I could relate to the bratty teens I went to school with. Maybe that was why Sam and I clicked easier. We were both on the outside looking in on our own age group. But Jared, he was the typical highschool jock. This was going to hit him hard.

His fur was a golden color, which I hadn't seen in any kind of wolf before. Then again, we weren't normal wolves.

His thoughts were pretty hard to get a clear read on. I wondered if this is what I had sounded like when I first phased.

"No you were calmer." I heard Sam's voice in my head, and saw him come through the trees, his black fur matted.

"Why do you look like a drowned rat?"

"Day I see a rat my wolf size, is the day I believe in everything mythical. I cut through a stream to get here quicker. Jared?"

Jared's head shot up but he stayed where he was, a few feet from us. "How do you know who I am. Who are you? What are you?"

"I know who you are, because I can hear your thoughts. I'm Sam Uley, and this is Paul Jaci. We're werewolves. So are you."

"No no werewolves don't exist. This is a dream, this is a nightmare." The poor guy sounded like he was on the verge of tears. I knew the feeling. To suddenly not know whats real or not, and to not even know yourself. It was terrifying.

"It's not a dream Jared." Sam said. "It's going to be ok though. We aren't monsters. We're part of the tribal legends you remember those? They're told every year at the bonfire."

"I remember. The protectors. They changed into wolves to protect the tribe from our enemy."

"The cold ones." I finished. "Vampires. There is a coven of them that live in Forks. They don't hurt or feed on humans, so we have a truce with them, it goes back decades. But we still watch for others."

"Why did I change? I didn't see a vampire. I didn't see anyone, I was just mad at my parents. They yelled at me for something and I took off. Next thing I know I'm shaking like I'm cold. But I didn't feel the cold. I was warm. And the next minute I was this." He looked down at his paws and seemed disgusted. "How do I change back?"

"Be calm, and picture it." Sam said, and did so himself. "Like that. He said as he bent over and grabbed pants out of his ankle bag. He tossed another pair at Jared, and then looked to me, and I phased back as well.

After I got my clothes back on, Jared seemed to hesitate, but phased back, and quickly put on the pants Sam threw at him. "Shouldn't I be cold? There's snow on the ground." He asked, still keeping his distance from us.

"You won't feel the cold again." Sam answered. "Be sure you don't let anyone take your temperature though, it'll tip them off to something being wrong."

"We'll help you control your temper, and your strength. And you'll learn to wear the ankle bag. It's the only part of us that doesn't grow as much, so keep clothes and your wallet in it. Shoes, you'll learn to kick off right before you phase."

"Control comes in time." Sam added. "I've been like this for a year, and Paul for a few months. We can both say, it's not as bad as it seems when you phase for the first time." He put his hands up and stepped a little closer, showing Jared he was safe. "We don't hurt anybody, we just protect the tribe. "Do you have any questions?" He asked and the wind picked up. Each of us scented the air and tensed. I started shaking first.

"Paul calm." Sam said in his alpha voice and stood in front of Jared. "It's just them." He said and I noticed his own shaking. He ignored it though, and faced the direction the scent came from. "You're past the border." He said in a commanding voice.

"Well that couldn't be helped, we have a problem we wanted to alert you to." A voice said, and a small girl stepped out of the trees. Alice Cullen, I thought and sneered. A vampire.

She stopped and sniffed the air, and stiffened. I didn't understand until the scent of cinnamon wafted close to me. It wasn't from a bun, but from a human.

The shaking intensified.

Ripley POV

I woke up from my nap in the dark. In my sleep I hadn't found the answers I wanted. The word imprint was still engraved in my mind. I wasn't sure if I liked that.

I checked my phone, and found I had only slept for twenty minutes. That pissed me off. I felt like I could sleep for days at this point. I grunted as I slid off my bed and checked my phone for texts. None. He must not have been done with whatever wolf business he was off on.

Knowing nothing would distract me from my thoughts, I decided to get some air.

I bundled up and told Topher and Frankie I'd be back soon.

The air was cold, but I welcomed it. It was fresh and crisp. Air had always had an effect on me. It calmed me, and soothed, whether cool or hot. I trudged through the snow and into the woods, as always finding relief in their silence. I was made for the woods, Frankie used to say. And that fact hadn't changed a bit.

I walked for a while, until the air disturbed me. It wasn't just wind, it was much too quick. I looked around, and saw nothing. I suddenly felt like I was in a Michael Myers movie, and started to turn around. My breath caught as the noise got louder, and then stopped with a breeze. It was like someone had rushed past. I heard voices and stopped as I saw them.

Two young men, a young girl, and Paul, shaking again.

"Ripley stay there!" The oldest looking one said in an urgent tone. I was shocked so I did as he said, which wasn't usually in my personality.

The girl looked at Paul and backed up. "Is that his..." She stopped as the older one silenced her with a look. The other boy looked nervous, and kept looking back at me curiously.

"Paul?" I said slowly, and his shaking stopped almost instantly. I didn't care what the older one said, I walked into the group and stood next to Paul. "Did I walk into some sort of orgy, with all these shirtless guys?" I tried for the joke and the young girl giggled.

Paul glared at her, though I didn't know why. "I'm Ripley Gannon." I said and held my hand out to her. Before she could react, Paul stood in front of me.

"Don't touch her." He growled and I was shocked again.

"What the hell toad?" I said and looked at the girl. She seemed harmless. She was our age, by my guess, though the height of a ten year old.

"I have no intention of hurting her. I'm Alice." She said with a smile towards me. "And since these boys seem to be preoccupied with watching me I'll introduce them. That's Sam Uley, and that's the new recruit, Jared, from what I've heard. I guess you know what they are?"

I nodded, and Sam looked at Paul, surprised, and Paul nodded as well. Alice smiled, and looked like a brunette version of tinker bell. "Don't be afraid. I only came here to warn you that three of our kind are roaming the woods. We're having a problem with them. We can handle it, but they don't know of the border, so they may come through here. They've already killed in Forks."

"You're telling us this now?" Sam said, sounding frustrated. "Thanks for the notice."

Alice narrowed her eyes at him. "They won't be after any of you, or any other humans. They're after my brothers girlfriend. She's human."

"Well you guys sure know how to make messes. We're aware now, and I'm sure you know there's no treaty protecting them. If they come on our land, we'll kill them." Sam said and I stiffened. I'd never heard someone say that in any seriousness, outside a tv show or movie. I looked back at Alice and suddenly realized what she was.

"You're a vampire." I said, and her golden eyes turned back to me as she seemed surprised, but nodded.

"I warned you. I did what I set out to. I'll go now." She said, and was suddenly gone.

"Well that was tonight's episode of Ripley's Believe It Or Not, folks, tune in next week when we find out that witches and dragons are real." I said and earned the vacant stares of three boys. "Um sorry." I said and shuffled my feet.

"We're going to have to set up extra patrols." Sam said and glanced at Paul. Something in his look made him nod. "I will take the first shift with Jared. Jared, can you handle that?"

"Just let me call my parents and tell them I'm staying at a friends house. They probably won't mind some space from me." He said and he and Sam stomped off. Before I could open my mouth to speak I was being dragged towards the woods edge and near the road.

"Easy there wolfboy, theres a person attached to that arm."

Paul whirled on me. "You think this is a joke?" He asked in a fierce voice.

"No I don't. Now cut the intimidation shit Jaci, I'm not a fan of it."

"You can't go introducing yourself to vampires."

"Well firstly, I didn't know she was one. Secondly, I will do whatever I please. I'm responsible for myself. And if you think you can tell me what to do, you and I are gonna go a round." I shoved him and snarled. "I can learn to live with you being a werewolf. I can learn to live with the idea that I don't know you as I used to. But I cannot and will not live with you treating me like a child, just because I'm not a mythical creature like you are."

"It's only because I care." He said quietly, and ran his hands through his hair. "You don't know what it was like to have you that close to her. The rational part of me knew she wouldn't hurt you, but the rest of me was screaming get her out."

"I can understand that."

"No you can't." He said and shut up with the look I gave him. "I just mean it's different." He said and we kept walking.

"I don't see how. You think this is easy for me. Not only am I finding out that things exist that shouldn't, but I'm finding out the boy I've known since birth, is one of those things. On top of that, I have to know you are in danger, and I don't know where I fit into your life."

"What do you mean?"He stopped as we reached his car, and opened the passenger door for me. I got in and just as I had felt better in the cold, the warmth was also welcome.

I realized I said more than I wanted to. I sighed as I leaned back in the seat, and he got in and turned the heat on, but didn't drive anywhere. He was waiting for me to continue. I shook my head, and shifted so I could face him. "I don't know where I fit. I'm not sure I ever did. I was always on the outside looking in." I said and watched a look come across his face. "What?"

"It's funny because I always thought that was me. I even thought the same thing earlier. After Dad died, I didn't understand anybody. I didn't get along with anyone at school. I talked to people in class, but there wasn't anyone I connected with much."

"I felt the same. We never stayed in one place long enough for me to make a decent connection. I made one friend in Montana, and we write letters now. But you were my only real connection. And even then, whenever I came over to your house it was like watching an episode of The Brady Bunch. I loved my family, but I craved that normalcy. I wanted to be a part of it, but never felt I was. And then now, seeing you with the others I realize you have another family I can't be a part of. I'm on the outside again."

"What makes you think that?" He said and I looked at him again. "You were a part of me then, a part of me while you were gone, and your a part of me now. It hasn't changed, why would it now?" He said and grabbed my hand, making it into a fist, and closing his over it. I looked down at our joined hands. "Remember?" He said and looked at me in that intense way I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to. I felt the pulse of our hands and bit my lip.

"Of course not. But us having a childhood tradition doesn't make me a part of all this. Even me guessing it doesn't, it just makes me observant and intelligent." When he smiled in response I grabbed my hand back. "It isn't funny. So when can I meet her?"

He looked confued. "Meet who?"

"Your imprint."

He hesitated. I knew him well enough still to understand the look on his face when he was thinking.

Instead of speaking he reached up to the rearview mirror and turned it until it faced my direction. Then he gestured for me to look. I glanced at my reflection and then back at him.

"It's you, believe it or not."