Welcome back, readers =) I hope you will enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter 11 will be up within the next 32 hours, I promise. *cross my fingers and hope to live happily into old age*
Before you read on, I just wanted to clarify something so as to make things a little less confusing in regards to how i'v been using quotation marks throughout the story;

"Things written like this" = Regular speech out loud
'Things written like this' = Sage speaking to Rosalie
Things written like this = Sage's writing with a board and marker pen
'Things written like this' = The demon in Sage's head
'Things written like this' = Someone thinking and/or Sage speaking to Rosalie

Alright, glad to get that out of the way
Onward we go!

'After me..?' Sage thought to herself, feeling uncomfortable under their stares.

"What do you mean by that - Are they a some kind of threat?" Rosalie demanded harshly, surprising even herself with the protectiveness that was evident in her voice.

"I can't give you a detailed answer yet," Alice responded, her gaze shifting between her sister and the werewolf that was standing next to her. "Things weren't very clear. In actual fact I couldn't actually see anything at all, I could only hear sounds and voices. They spoke of 'retrieving the hybrid wolf'. I could only assume that they referred to you, Sage - Thomas mentioned that you weren't like others of your kind."

Rosalie's head snapped back to look questioningly at Sage, a frown spreading over her face at the werewolf's own look of confusion.

'I don't know who could be searching for me' The werewolf said honestly in Rosalie's head.

"Your family?" Rosalie asked out loud, remembering earlier when the werewolf had spoken briefly about her parents as she explained how werewolves belonged to particular elements. She'd never actually told her where they were or how Sage had come to be found half dead by Thomas in the middle of nowhere.

Sage's face grew tight. 'My family are dead.'

Rosalie paused at the revelation, her eyes softening with condolence as she looked at the werewolf. She had suspected that something severe must have happened in the werewolf's past, but it was the first time the werewolf had directly revealed that she had no living family. She was about to reach out to touch the werewolf when she heard a throat being cleared.

"I understand that you too may be having a private conversation, but we would greatly appreciate it if you could enlighten the rest of us." Carlisle asked politely, watching the way his daughter looked at the werewolf. He could see the confusion in Edward and Bella's faces at his words since they hadn't been there when Rosalie had revealed the telepathic connection the wolf had with her.

Rosalie turned to face him. "She doesn't know of anyone that would be looking for her." She said simply.

"Does the name 'Jason' ring a bell?" Alice asked suddenly. "I kept hearing that name in a separate vision"

Sage's eyebrows scrunched together, her ruffled hair falling over her eyes. 'Jason... Jason...' Where had she heard that name before? She couldn't place it, a frustrated sound escaping her.

'I don't know who he is.' She communicated to Rosalie. It wasn't exactly the truth, she knew she'd definitely heard the name somewhere but couldn't for the life of her remember where.

"She doesn't know." Rosalie responded to Alice on her behalf, eyeing the werewolf. Sage had never really been bothered by her inability to speak out loud before, but she was in this instance perturbed by the way the cullens all looked at her with suspicion and apprehensiveness. She opened her mouth but was unable to make a sound.

There was silence for a few moments before the human in the room spoke.

"Do we even know if whoever's coming is a threat to anyone?" Bella asked suddenly, an exasperated expression on her face. Geez, the Cullen's could be so uptight sometimes.

"Everything's a threat until proven otherwise." Edward responded matter-of-factly, an incredulous frown crossing his face as he stared at his mate.
How could she even ask that in light of the last time visitors arrived at Forks? They nearly killed her! He clutched her protectively at the memory, grief and anger crossing his face at the image of Bella lying in a pool of her blood as James tortured her.
His jaw locked tightly as he glared at the dark-haired werewolf suddenly.
The entire situation angered him, not knowing who was coming and why. He feared that Bella could be at risk again, and he would die before he let anything happen to her.

"Dammit!" He growled, suddenly in the werewolf's face with a threatening glower. "I knew you would be trouble when I saw you, you dogs always are. I'm sick of your mute act! ANSWER ME!" He seemed to make a move towards Sage before a menacing hiss sounded right beside the werewolf's ear. The sound of smashing glass and wood filled the room as Edward was suddenly propelled away from her, pinned to the wall on the other side of the room as Rosalie's fangs bared at his neck.

"Don't. make. me. cut off your head." The blond vampire spoke slowly, her voice calm and chilling.

Edward stared back in shock. He could see his family members watching them with apprehensiveness, tense and ready to intervene if the situation escalated. Bella looked on in fear. "Rosalie don't!" She begged, running towards them but Alice held her back easily, knowing it wouldn't help the situation.

Ever so slowly, Carlisle walked up to his daughter, careful as he placed his palm on her shoulder.

"Rosalie," His voice was soft. "There is no need for violence." His eyes drifted to Edward who had realized his mistake by this point.
Rosalie let the other vampire go, blinking as her sense returned to her. She'd reacted instinctively, unaware of her own actions, and Edward had the decency to lower his head apologetically. He had almost forgotten that the werewolf was his sister's mate, whether or not she'd fully accepted it, and he knew he would have reacted the same way had the roles been reversed. He opened his mouth to apologize but the blond vampire just hissed at him as she turned to walk out of the room, avoiding Sage's eyes.

The werewolf was too stunned to know what to do. She hadn't expected Rosalie to have such a seemingly unintentional protective response to her. Sage was more than capable of taking care of herself but Rosalie's instinct to protect her shocked her. She thought back to their kiss earlier, how the vampire had sported the same trance-like look on her face, seemingly acting on instinct. The thought made the werewolf's heart beat faster.

"Well," Alice spoke up, ending the uncomfortable silence that had begun as Rosalie stormed out of the room. "It appears that is not the right time for this conversation. Bella was right, as far as I know there really is no immediate danger, and these visitors wont arrive anytime soon. In the meantime I suggest we allow our guest to enjoy the lovely meal Esme has prepared."

"Mm, yes it would be an incredible shame for it all to go to waste." Carlisle agreed, eager to diffuse the situation. He gestured for Alice and Jasper to go after Rosalie, knowing the vampire would be need to be calmed, before turning to a fidgeting Sage.

"I apologize for our rudeness," He spoke to the werewolf. "We did not mean to interrogate you. Unfortunately, a year ago we had...an incident." His eyes flickered to the onlooking Edward who had rejoined Bella. "We have since then been very cautious about uninvited guests."

"Bella is right however," Carlisle continued. "There is no need for unnecessary concern until we know more about the situation, it does no good to be paranoid. Until then, I hope that I can convince you to accept my apology and enjoy the dinner Esme has prepared for you."

Sage nodded distractedly, preoccupied with concern at Rosalie's disappearance.

"Don't worry," Tanya said quietly her, kindness in her eyes as she watched the werewolf's face. "Rosalie just needs some time to...cool off. She'll be back to join you."

Sage nodded again as she followed the remaining Cullens to the dining room. She could feel their eyes on her still, particularly focused on the glimpses they could see of her moving tattoo, but they remained too polite to inquire about it. Sage's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the large dining room. If she hadn't known better she would have thought she was in an expensive restaurant. The incredible smell wafted through the room as she took in the sight of Italian goodness. Esme seemed to have prepared enough food to feed an army, despite the fact that probably only Sage and Bella would eat.

She took a seat with the others as Esme served, piling on thick servings of meaty cannelloni slices and spicy Lasagna, served with soft and crispy garlic bread on the side. Sage's eyes traveled to the alla cacciatora braised chicken served next. The smell of onion, roasted chicken, spicy herbs and tomatoes filled her nose. Jeez...
The werewolf still wasn't completely used to eating human food due to all the years she'd spent living completely as a wolf. But now she felt her mouth water at the sight, causing Carlisle's wife to let out a small chuckle, pleased that the meal she'd prepared would apparently suffice. She loved every opportunity to improve her culinary skills, though after so many centuries it was impossible for anyone to think of what she had left to improve.

It wasn't long before Sage was literally wolfing down the spicy feast, scoffing down bite after bite of meaty Lasagna paired with hot garlic bread.
Unbeknownst to her, Emmett had engaged in an eating contest with her, shoving down the peppery contents of his plate (even though they tasted like nothing to him), as Tanya rolled her eyes at her husband's antics, amused by his competitive and childish nature. Sage became aware of the challenge and her own competitive nature kicked in as she increased the tempo of her scoffing.
Bella laughed, watching the two of them. Sage reminded her of Jacob and she sighed, missing her childhood friend. Ever since Jacob had become fully "indoctrinated" - as she put it - into the Quileute pack he'd avoided her, ever bitter at her relationship with Edward.

Rosalie returned with Alice and Jasper behind her soon later, walking into the dining room. Had it been anywhere else the scene would have disgusted her completely. Emmett eating (why he was, she would never know) like an atrocious pig while Sage... Rosalie rolled her eyes. It was impossible to be disgusted by the werewolf. The blond vampire couldn't help but half smile as she watched the green eyed girl chow down, childishly glaring at Emmett in her determination to win the spontaneous eating challenge. Everyone looked on at them with amusement and laughter.
Nothing to break the tension like watching a werewolf and a vampire eat like pigs.

In all honesty, Sage was glad they had moved on from the previous uncomfortable conversation. She had enough to deal with without having to worry about who or what was seeking her out. She had no family left, other than Thomas and the twins. There was no one who would possibly want to find her-A frown crossed her face suddenly. Surely it couldn't be her former pack? If she could even call them that.
It had been 9 years since she last saw them, after they'd tried to kill her. But there was no way they could know that she was still alive- Sage's mother had made sure the wolves had thought they'd been successful in killing her so that they wouldn't come after her daughter.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a boisterous yell of victory.
"Take that, kid!" Emmett boasted. He had gulfed down the remainder of his food while Sage had been distracted. "Once a pup always a pup. Guess you just can't live up to a vampire's appeti-"

"Oh shush, Emmett" Tanya smacked her husband in amusement, rolling her eyes. For a 50 year old vampire, the baby-faced giant could be pretty immature.
The werewolf frowned, her eyes narrowing. Dammit. She hated losing. She caught Rosalie's eye from the corner of her vision.

'I let him win...' The werewolf grumbled in Rosalie's head, causing the blonde vampire to snort as Sage offered a sheepish smile.

"If you're done gloating like I child, Emmett," Rosalie said, ignoring the other vampire's pout. "I'd like to continue our earlier discussion. This is a serious matter."

"Rosalie, about before..." Edward began cautiously in an effort to apologize. "I didn't mean-"

"Forget it." Rosalie muttered.
She was more annoyed with herself than with him, annoyed with how the werewolf seemed cause such unintentional reactions from her. Though she wouldn't admit it, she also felt a tinge of embarrassment, recalling how she had behaved to Edward when he'd first introduced Bella to the family and acted so protective of her. She'd found it pathetic. Now here she was, behaving the same way for a werewolf she hardly even knew. She felt like a hypocrite.

"We will only continue to riddle ourselves with worry if we don't drop the subject for now," Carlisle offered, looking at his daughter. "Like Alice said, there is no immediate threat. We may not know who is coming and for what exact reason but Sage is hardly defenseless" He glanced at the werewolf. "We will deal with whatever comes, if and when it comes."

Rosalie nodded mutely as she glanced at her werewolf.
Wait, "her" werewolf?

The vampire frowned, shaking the thought from her head. Hard as she tried, it was getting harder and harder to deny the bond she had with her mate. Still, she was determined to take this new found 'relationship'-if she could call it that- as slowly as possible. It would take some time before she could truly be ready to expose her heart.

Sage thanked Esme and the rest of the cullens for their overwhelming hospitality - well, Rosalie conveyed her thanks on her behalf.

"I'v got to take Bella home before Charlie arrests me." Edward said, holding the human's hand as he stood.
Bella smiled at Sage. "See you at school?"

The werewolf nodded with a small sharp-toothed grin. She was quite fond of the human. Bella was an interesting character, vulnerable yet strong-minded, with an air of confidence that didn't seem to match her appearance. She reminded her a lot of her mother actually. Sage supposed a human would have to be pretty brave to be so comfortable in the company of vampires. Then again, the Cullens weren't exactly typical.

"I suppose you better get going too." Rosalie said bluntly to Sage.
She quickly corrected herself as she received a flabbergasted glare from a nearby Alice. "I mean, I suppose I'll escort you home."

Sage grinned, pleased at the prospect of more time with her imprint, though she was a little confused as to why the vampire would want to 'escort' her home, it would only take the werewolf a few minutes to run back.

With a final nod of goodbye at the remaining Cullens, she followed the blond vampire past the glass front door and into the calm night. The breeze felt cool against her skin, ruffling her already tousled hair. She glanced at the vampire who was walking quietly beside her. The moonlight seemed to glisten against her smooth, marble-like skin, almost illuminating her. The woman's beauty seemed to allow darkness and light to coexist, her long locks of golden hair shone brightly as she walked in her graceful motion, her lips of red silk pursed in thought.

It was almost surreal as Sage stared. Rosalie's tender and elegant beauty could only be compared with nature itself...
"The Brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing, and think it were not night."

The Shakespearean poem sounded in Rosalie's head suddenly, a seemingly unintentional slip by the werewolf. She simply cast a quick glance at the embarrassed werewolf, trying to hide how the words affected her.

"You read poetry a lot, don't you." She finally said after a few more moments of silent walking. They were going at human pace, neither of them at any rush to part ways.

The werewolf rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. 'I haven't actually read any poetry myself' She admitted. 'My mother used to read poems to me every night when I was younger...I remember them all.'
Rosalie could detect the fondness in Sage's voice, though it was coupled with a sadness that made Rosalie's eyes soften.

"Recite me some more," The vampire requested softly as she turned to look at the werewolf as the walked.

Sage's blush deepened at the request. She nodded, closing her eyes as she recalled one of her favorites;
"Have you, too, seen the world? Breathed in the scent of musk air and bitter raindrops. Abandoned pebbles to the lake of Alcyonian and watched them skip like dry beetles scrabbling to divide the soil of my soul?
Have you, too, seen the doves flock? Like sharpened arrows aimed for the heavens, pulling on thick reins like the horses of Helios, in flocks of seven to set the sky on fire.
Have you, too, seen the sunset?"

She said the last line almost in a whisper, recalling the way her mother had first read it to her.

Rosalie stared at her, her lips slightly parted at the beauty of it, at the honest and immersed way the werewolf had recited it. Deep green eyes met her own as Sage gave her a sad smile.

'It is a poem by Van Dael.' The taller girl explained. 'It always made me want to go outside, to experience what he was describing. I wanted to feel...' Sadness creeped into her voice as she looked away. 'I wasn't allowed to leave our home much, to even go outside. My parents did it to protect me of course, but I was young and I always wanted to see the sun. I paid the price for it the first and last time I snuck out."
Rosalie watched as the werewolf lightly touched the scar that was still visible on the side of her jaw and neck. She felt a pang of compassion at the sadness in Sage's eyes, but remained silent for a few seconds, unsure of what to say.

"It was beautiful," Rosalie finally spoke, honesty in her voice. She tilted to her head to watch the werewolf walking beside her. A frown had crossed the werewolf's face which was pointed upwards. Rosalie followed Sage's gaze, looking up at almost-full moon.

'Waxing Gibbous phase...' Sage's voice was quite in Rosalie's head as the werewolf glanced at her imprint. 'It'll be full in two nights.'

Rosalie recalled her family's meeting with Thomas after she'd first the werewolf.

"Thomas said something about a moon curse," She said looking at Sage. "About how a werewolf's change during a full moon is different from their other shifts?"

Sage nodded, not meeting her eyes. 'Yes, you could say that...' She ran her hand through her wavy hair, pushing some of the falling strands away from her face.

'We call it the moon curse because that's what it is. It's certainly not a blessing, it's a reminder that despite how strong a werewolf may be, he will always bow down to the moon. Quite literally. The change during full moon is different from the others because it mimics a werewolf's first shift, the most painful experience imaginable. Not all wolves survive their first shift, and the ones that do are 'cursed' to experience it over and over again every time the moon is full. Think of the story of Prometheus, his eternal punishment of having his liver eaten daily by an eagle. That's what the moon curse is, an eternal punishment. At least that's what it feels like.'

The vampire could feel a sense of sympathy build up inside her. Sage spoke of it nonchalantly, like she was completely used to it, but the thought of the werewolf being in any pain spurred an irrational pang of protectiveness within Rosalie.

"I want to be there." The vampire suddenly spoke, causing Sage halt, a shocked look on her face.

'Rosalie...' Sage began, but the vampire stopped her.

"I want to be there, Sage. I want to see... I want to see all of you, everything that you truly are. I want to be there with you when it happens."

Sage stared at her imprint, her heart beating fast as her eyes tinged gold. She wanted to see? She wanted to see her wolf. She could feel her wolf stir within her, pleased at the prospect of finally revealing itself to her imprint. She didn't know what to say, overwhelmed with shock at the vampire's request.

'Rosalie... my shift is not a pleasant experience during the full moon, nor is it a pretty sight. I have less control and it wont be quick. If you want to see me as I am, I can shift here and now, it will be easier, you can see me as a wolf and it wont take too long.' Sage offered.
The vampire reached out, her fingers drifting forward to rest on the werewolf's face. Sage's heart raced at the contact, a blush crossing her face as she thought back to the impromptu kiss they had shared earlier.

"Sage," Rosalie's voice held an affection that the werewolf hadn't heard before, causing the werewolf's heart to beat louder.

"It's not that I just want to see you as a big furry wolf." The vampire said, trying to convey her intention as she looked into Sage's now golden eyes. "I want to be with you through the pain. I don't want you to be alone."

Sage was unable to speak for a few seconds, her breaths coming and going deeply as she stared into Rosalie's eyes. The vampire watched as a multitude of emotions flitted through the werewolf's eyes; disbelief, fear, happiness, love...

They had reached the end of the woods and Thomas's small house could easily be seen, only a few yards away.
Rosalie stroked the other girl's cheek for a few seconds before pulling her hand back.

"I will see you tomorrow, my wolf." The vampire said, no longer hesitant to lay her claim on the dark-haired beauty.

Sage nodded slowly, and Rosalie could tell that she was too overwhelmed to speak. Sage just stared at the goddess in front of her, too many emotions aroused within her. The vampire ghosted her fingers over the werewolf's cheek, and with one last look she was gone, her movements flitting and graceful as she made her way back through the woods.

'She called me her wolf.' The werewolf thought as she felt a smile spread over her face, the words echoing in her head.

My wolf.

Well... there you have it guys
Chapter 10 fresh out of the literary oven

Seems like our favorite werewolf and vampire are beginning to learn more about each other, they certainly will be learning a lot more in the coming chapters.
I don't want to rush their relationship as you see, I want to see it grow, I want it to develop and bloom and not just be an immediate declaration of love (on rosalie's part at least). As a result, I wont be rushing into a lemons just yet (though I promise they will come soon - rated M for a reason) I assure you that when it comes it will be well worth the wait, and you will not be disappointed.
In the meantime, enjoy the story and journey I am taking these characters on. It wont be an easy one, and it wont be predictable either.

As a treat I'v uploaded two chapters at once, this one as well as chapter 11. You will be meeting a very interesting character in this story soon.
Enjoy.

Ps: A note about typos/grammatical errors. I often dont have much time to write, so when I do it almost always has to be done as quickly as I can, I type very quickly and its not always possible to check back/see typos or grammatical errors that I may have made.
So if you spot an error, just take it with a grain of salt (whatever that means) and ignore it.