AN: Well, hope that everyone enjoyed the action scene of the last chapter. This one's a little bit more toned down, but there's still a bit of fighting and a development that sets the final stage of the story in motion. Hope you enjoy, and as always, review if you feel like it.

Reviews:

Hank's Lady: Glad that you enjoyed it. I wanted to give Seth an imprint, and this came to mind a few days ago. I also wanted to show how much Jake cared about the pack. Not sure if I'll address Paul for now, but just know this: even though you've done a stellar job at heartbreak, don't count me out of the cruelty contest quite yet ;)

oh2byoung: Good to know that I made you happy Matt. I liked the plot twist of an angry alpha with a more sensitive character for Seth to fall for. Hope you enjoy this one!

anubisfreak: Happy that you liked it. I hope that this one proves a good read as well.

chacra: I decided that Jake's power would be temporary. And I'm glad you enjoyed how everything played out last chapter!

Embry's POV

Much to everyone's surprise, Jake restored Sam as the Alpha immediately after the conflict. He agreed to take over as the Beta however, intending to officially take control of the pack after he graduated the following summer. It had been assumed that Jake would keep control once he took it, but he truly didn't want it. He only agreed to take over this summer at Sam's request, with the older wolf agreeing to help as the pack's Beta when the time came. That being settled, the pack returned to how it had been, with no signs of a power struggle between the two.

The only difference was that now we had a new member. The council had agreed to allow Jackson to stay and had helped get him enrolled in school. He was Seth's year, and the two were practically inseparable. Jackson had moved into the spare room at the Clearwater's house, much to Seth's delight. They were taking things slow, building up a strong relationship that didn't revolve around lust.

Jackson was quiet around the pack, but did everything that was asked of him. Almost everyone liked him, even if Paul was still standoffish. He still didn't agree about the male imprinting thing, but never said anything for fear of what Jake would do to him. Jackson's acceptance of being a member of the pack had connected him to our mindlink and he was a valuable asset. I learned this firsthand on one of the patrols that I shared with him.

I had been tired lately. My mind was constantly focused on Jake, and it took everything I had to keep it hidden from the pack. Over the past month, nothing had changed. We remained best friends, hung out constantly, and all of the things that you would expect from friends. As time progressed, that friendship was no longer enough to keep the feelings of rejection from seeping into my mindset. I had completely lost hope that my longing for the future Alpha would ever be returned, and that had pretty much crushed my optimistic spirit.

So, back to the patrol. As usual, I was lost in my own head, quietly running the borders that I had been assigned. Jackson was being quiet on the other end as well, having seen my silent demeanor from our regularly scheduled patrols together. I didn't even notice the sound of the lurking vampire that had been tailing me for the last quarter mile. It was Jackson that alerted me to something nearby, and I began to focus on my job for the first time that afternoon.

Suddenly I caught sight of the blood red eyes and tried to spring at him, only to be knocked off balance by a flying tree trunk. After I regained my footing, he leaped at me, knocking me into a nearby tree. I realized that he had cut me open pretty badly, the blood beginning to run through my vision. I got back up, however and lunged. We ended up in a deadlock, him barely holding off my snapping jaw. I felt him push me off again, and just as he was going to launch at me again, I watched as the amber blur tackled him. Jackson quickly ripped off his head before checking on me. The cut across my head had sealed itself, and the blood was beginning to dry. Seeing that I was alright, he returned to his border, without ever exchanging a word.

We met up afterward and phased back, allowing Jared and Paul to take over patrol for the evening. We sat at Sam's eating the leftovers from the meal that the pack had shared while we were patrolling. I got up, preparing to head home. I turned to Jackson, who still hadn't said a word. "Thanks for the help today. I really appreciate it." I said, hoping he'd recognize the sincerity in my simple words. I did owe him the gratitude, considering that vampire was handling me pretty well. "No problem…" he hesitated. "Can I ask you something Embry?"

"Sure, what is it?" I responded, curious as to why he seemed so reluctant to talk to me.

"Um...Seth always talks about you, how you've always helped him out and have been there to talk to when he had issues. He says that you're the only one he ever told about his…preferences and that you never showed any judgment. Several of the pack share that same opinion, but you're always kinda cold-shouldered around me. I was just wondering why you didn't like me? I expected the attitude from Paul, but I don't know what I've done. I can't tell if it's that you don't like my intrusion into the pack? Or maybe it's because I'm gay and you actually don't support that lifestyle. Or that you're afraid that I'll hurt Seth, which I never will. Or maybe it's because you hate what my brother did to the pack. Whatever your reason, I'm confused as to what I did. I'm fine if you'd prefer that I just stay out of your way though. It's just that from everyone's opinion on you, I gathered that you'd be the one to give me a shot…" He rambled, looking at the ground.

I felt awful. Ever since he had joined the pack, my frustrations had been building. It had nothing to do with him, but I had been so caught up in my issues that I hadn't even shared small talk with the pup. It made sense that he'd get the idea that I didn't like him, as I hadn't been the affectionate version of me since he had arrived. "Listen Jackson, I don't mind you at all. It's just…" I paused, not really knowing what I could say to make him understand. "It's just that I've been having a hard time with some things. I'm happy for you and Seth, and want the best for both of you. I just haven't been pleasant with anyone in the past several weeks, and that's the only side of me you've seen." I finished, hoping that he'd understand.

"You realize that you can come to any of your brothers right? I noticed that you're really good at hiding your thoughts, but they're here to help you. I'd understand if you wouldn't want to share anything with me, but I've seen how close you, Seth, Quil, and Jake are. You shouldn't be burdening yourself like that…" he trailed off, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"It's just hard, you know? I'm the one that helps others through their troubles. I don't like burdening people with mine, and well…some of my troubles are just sensitive issues." I said, sighing as I felt the exhaustion creeping in.

"I understand where you're coming from. I hid the fact that I was gay all my life, mainly because of people like Paul. Not even my brother knew about it. Your pack, on the whole, seems to be extremely tolerant of most things. I don't know what exactly you're hiding, but remember that we're all willing to help if we can. I owe my new start to your pack, and I'd love to help if you need it." He took his hand off my shoulder. "You know where to find me if you want to talk…"

I liked this kid. He fit perfectly with Seth, and I felt that there couldn't be a better imprint relationship. The truth was, I didn't really care if people knew I was gay. Seth, Quil, and Jake knew, and they all accepted it. I didn't particularly care about the rest of the pack's reactions, knowing that some would be like Paul, while others would just brush it off, maybe even making a joke or two. I knew that my best friends could sense that something was bothering me. It was just easier for them all to think that it was the issue that I was hiding. Jake was finally getting happy and moving on, and I was not going to throw this on him as he was recovering. So, if it meant that I was grumpy and in a bad mood, so be it. I just hoped that Jackson understood that I had no issue with him after our talk.

Things continued like that for a while. I tried to put on a brave face for everyone, never letting anyone know that I was borderline miserable underneath it all. It was winter break before things finally took a turn, but not in the direction that I had hoped it would. I was hanging out with Jake, Seth, and Jackson after we had patrolled. I had made it a point to prove that I supported Jackson and Seth, mentoring the pups whenever they had questions. Jackson had never really learned how to best use his wolf form, so I had worked with him to find his niche. Like Seth, he was a speedster, but did have a decent amount of power to go with it. He had been a really good addition, both as a wolf and as a friend. The four of us had grabbed a quick lunch at my place, and were sitting around playing video games when Jake got a call. His face lit up like a beacon, before heading for the door. "Bella just called. She said that she had something that she wanted to talk about. I'm probably just getting my hopes up, but maybe I've got one more shot!" He said gleefully, receiving a "Good luck" from the other two in the room while I let out an inaudible sigh.

We continued on for another hour before I felt the sharp pain radiating from my heart. If asked what a heart attack felt like, I would guarantee it was this. It was like someone had stabbed me with a sharp knife and was twisting the blade. I lurched over onto the floor, unable to hold myself together from whatever it was that was tearing my insides apart. Seth and Jackson were frantically trying to figure out what to do, but after several minutes the pain subsided to a strong ache across my body and I was able to move again. I didn't know what exactly had happened, but I could guarantee that Jake and Bella's meeting had gone in one of two ways. Either they had made up and he was hers completely, or she had finally shattered his heart. Either way, I felt the pain of rejection. Whether it was my rejection or his didn't matter right now. I just knew that I was no longer complete.

I told the other two that I wasn't feeling well and went up to my room. They worriedly let me go, and I lay on my bed until I heard Quil bursting through my door. "Embry!" He exclaimed. "Jake's gone! That leech lover invited him over there. He got his hopes up, but all she wanted was to invite him to her stupid wedding. Now he's taken off, shutting himself out from everybody else!" Quil rambled on about how we needed to find him. I told him that I was sick and couldn't do anything to help right now, but asked him to keep me updated. He could see how miserable I was and promised that he'd let me know if anything happened, ignoring the fact that we were supposed to be immune to sickness. At least now I knew what the pain was, but it wasn't much of a consolation. I curled up in a ball, hoping that things would get better. I should've learned by now that hoping for the best was not a good strategy in my life…

Well, Jake's run off (I know, not really an original concept, but it fit). If you liked it, feel free to let me know. If you didn't, express that as well. Or remain silent. Your call.