Chapter 11

Carlisle had come through for them; he got the information that was needed. The operation wasn't an official government one; it was a simple researcher on wolves that had run across information on werewolves with myths and legends to come in hand. The men were normal hunters, people looking to score some cash. They would make enough money so that they could conveniently close a blind eye to the terror happening in the forest with the population of the rates of female wolves creeping low and the inhuman experiments on their own kind. Carlisle had a Denali coven join them in the area— five new vampires to keep an eye on, though they had decided to join forces in helping with these people.

It was with the new vampires in the area, that things started to change within the pack. The tension between Sam and Jacob was bubbling while two new wolves had joined their pack—Colin and Brady. The two teenagers were younger than Embry and Quil, closer to Seth's age, as they were a year or two below them in school. With keeping the borders locked tight of rogue wolves and vampires, there was also teaching the newbies the ropes of the pack and the fight that was coming their way. For the sake of the pack, Jacob laid back, letting Sam take charge of Alpha, though his wolf wanted him to take charge now and get into action to find Leah. Jacob knew it was best to cover all the ground rules and find out every bit of information on this doctor which the vampires seem to have covered, leaving the rescuing plan to them. They had one chance to take them with surprise and use it to their advantage, to be successful in destroying the operation and getting back their pack member. But to do this right, they need some strong reliable back up.

The younger ones were with Paul, who had stayed behind in La Push, while the rest of the group consisting of Jared, Embry, Quil, Jacob and Sam were travelling in the 4x4 drive to meet some other pack members. It would have been quicker to run in their wolf form, but with the number of them, it could be translated as a threat, not making the start of their bargaining of an alliance well.

The salt from the coast swept through the car; each window down with the uncomfortable body mass. Sam and Jared had the two front seats while Quil and Embry had the back area, with Jacob behind them on the pull-out seats in the rear. Jacob was grateful for once that Jared had decide to buy this 4x4 drive with the extra seats in the back, or their small road trip would have been less exciting.

"Jesus Christ what is that?" Quil held his fingers to his nose as the smell of rotten eggs shifted through the car. "Embry!" The boy himself was smiling from ear to ear as everyone inched closer to the windows for fresh air.

"We should have stopped him from eating that egg and bacon pie back there." Jared moved further in his seat hanging his arm out of the window.

"Tell me we're almost there." Quil cast another glare at his friend before turning his attention to Sam.

"If three hours means almost there then yes." This time it was Jacob letting a growl rumble through his chest.

"Maybe someone should duck-tape his ass." A chuckle sounded in the car, but no one was willing to get closer to Embry. Sure they had seen him butt naked during shifts, but this was volunteer work, and no one wanted to get a closer sniff.

Jacob sat back against the creaky seat, feeling a bit lighter than he had in days. The humour of Embry never letting them down though his comments had became few, cut the tension that was within the vehicle at the start of their trip and it seemed to be swept away with the wind and the speedometer.

…..

Leah kept questioning, why hadn't they taken her in? Every day, wolves were moved about, and yet she was ignored in the cells—something she was grateful for, but it made her dread their plans for her.

A shadow out of the corner of her eye caught her attention—Mason. He stood there staring at her. He looked like the boy that had asked her out, but the slight dull look in his eyes chilled her.

"We have to get it perfect."

The whisper in his voice made her understand their intentions better, but it didn't ease the panic within her.

"You know, I always remember hearing the stories." His voice was louder as he planted himself in front of her. "The histories that we always thought were legends. The stories of how we came to be. How did you become a werewolf and not me?"

She made no indication that she knew what was happening. There was one reason why Mason was a part of this; hoping to become a shifter like the legends.

"Legend claims that we descended from wolves, and that the wolves are our brothers still. And It's against tribal law to kill them."

Yes, against tribal law, meaning if there was a possibility for Mason to shift, the spirits wouldn't let him, for the deeds he has done to his people and the other wolves.

"Your father's name was mentioned in some of the old books in the school library; thought it would be worth a shot to see if the gene had been passed on." He scanned her over. "And it seems that I was right."

Mason smiled at her, his appearance seeming out of place in the dull cells, while his attitude towards her kind matched with the madness of the other men.

She couldn't believe her eyes as Mason stepped closer to the cell and started to open the locked door. Fear spiked through her, until she realized this was the moment she had been waiting for. Moving back further into her cell to get Mason to fully step inside towards her, she waited for his form to pass through the door before pushing past him and shifting through mid air. Her human hands grabbed the cell door and clipped the lock shut. She almost hesitated at the sight of his body lying on the ground; she hadn't realized that she may have pushed him out of the way a little too hard. Shaking her head, Leah started walking for the exit, keeping her ears and eyes open for danger, when the image of Beth came to mind. She had been taken to the other side of the building a couple of nights ago, and Leah promise to get the young wolf out of the operation.

Turning away from the exit, she started for the opposite direction. She strained her ears as she passed through the halls, the think brick making it hard to listen for the slightest sound. It wasn't until she walked further into the hallways, that she started to discover how large their operation had grown. The section she was in seemed to be only one of hundreds as she came across other wolves, mostly natural wolves, that were either healthy or rejecting the treatment of the shifter gene. The feeling of dread filled her stomach; Leah was getting to the state that she wasn't sure if she would ever find Beth.

She was about to turn another corner when she stopped still, hearing footsteps coming towards her. She panicked, as there was nowhere to hide, making adrenaline rush through her veins and the itching within her skin to spread over her. She could hear them getting closer, while the muscles in her limbs were getting ready to jump on the first person. The footsteps suddenly stopped, as a crackled radio sounded. Then a screeching siren filled the air in the halls; and the footsteps started to retreat , making the air rush out of her lungs. Someone had set off the alarm. A hope spread through her at her chance of escaping. It was followed by dread. What if Beth had set the alarm off? The question made her push forward faster, searching through the small windows in each of the doors.

Excitement spread through her as she spotted Beth in one of the cells while looking along the next hallway. She searched the edges of the door looking for a way in. There was no card-swipe, the small lock bringing her hope. She grabbed the handle and used all her strength to successfully bend the handle, breaking the lock. As Leah stepped into the cell, she reached for Beth. The young girl had shifted to human, her body frail as she couldn't keep up the shifting.

"Beth?"

Her eyes slightly opened at her name being called.

"The cameras."

At the whisper of the warning, Leah looked behind her at the active camera, the red light shining at them in the darkness. Without waiting for Beth to get to her weakened feet, Leah picked her up, carrying her through the doorway. Trying to retrace her steps, she sought out her light scent littering the walls that she had touched.

She was about to turn the corner when a couple of armed guards stepped out from one of the doors, blocking their way. In this situation, she normally wouldn't have been worried, but with her hands full with a fragile young wolf, panic went through her bones. But it didn't take control of her, when a second sense nagged at her. She knew what was going to happen before the guys did.

A blur of russet fur took out one guard, while a smaller grey wolf took out the other. The guards didn't get time to react due to their speed. They hadn't killed the humans, but they were unconscious. A peaceful sensation washed over her body as the russet wolf rubbed against her. She wanted to gather him in her arms, but knew this wasn't the time or place. Leah glanced at the other wolf who seemed to be waiting for guidance. She could sense that he was part of their pack, unknown to her, but she gave him a nod of thanks.

Jacob stepped in front of her, sniffing Beth in her arms before leading the way out. She knew he would rather shift to give her a proper greeting, but he could protect her more in wolf form. Leah didn't like being pushed to the back, but she knew she was in no condition to be fighting, and for once was letting her pack look after her. They were about to round a corner, and she knew who was there before her eyes set sight on them, as her nose was burning. Emmett and Rosalie were walking along the hallway, breaking the locks as if they were toothpicks. Natural wolves were walking through the unlocked doors making their own way out. It seemed to have turned into a rescue mission.

It only took her a few minutes to realize that there were more than natural wolves running around the hallways, guiding others outside.

"You went and spoke to the other coastal pack."

Her statement received a wolfish grin from Jacob as he continued to guide them. She hardly had to lift a finger, as the packs and vampires took care of the hunters and captured wolves.

It wasn't until they were back at her cage, that they came across Mason. He was leaning against the outside of the cage; someone had unlocked it before him. He was breathing heavily and leaning to one side. His eyes were bloodshot, and skin layered in sweat along with nail marks on his arms where it looked as if he had tried to scratch his skin off. Mason's body was rejecting the transformation; the spirits wouldn't let him have the gift with his deeds. He smiled at Leah—two pointed teeth on the side of his mouth larger than the rest. The simple gesture made a loud rumble escape from Jacob as he took a stand in front of her.

"This was how it was meant to be—the two of us."

Mason stared at Leah, his sight focused on her, not noticing the rest of his surroundings. "It's working; we can be together like it was meant. You wouldn't take me as a human, now I'll be like you."

His mind seemed unstable as words rushed from his mouth. "I didn't believe it when I got a call from my mother, I hadn't heard from her for years and she starts talking about wolves and shifting. She got me thinking, about the questions and myths. She brought us together."

Another rumble sounded from Jacob, his fur standing on end. The limbs underneath his fur ggot ready to attack, no doubt he was running on instinct at protecting what was his.

Mason seemed to understand this, the unknown challenge that was set, as he pushed his body from the cell bars and grunted, trying to make his body shift. His body trying to change the mass, and the skin rippling underneath his clothes made Leah's stomach clutch, as the human body never reacted like that to the shift. Jacob didn't waste any more time waiting for Mason; he wasn't the student or the human they went to school with—he was a threat. Jacob jumped at him, his jaw wrapping around Mason's knee with a successful crack of the bone. A scream echoed before Jacob moved to the boy's neck, and repeating the action, making it silent. Jacob was still tense as he stood over the body—the body that had turned somewhere in-between a human and animal. The shape of fingers sharpened and the face half shifted to an oval shape, while the rest of him was human with his skin splitting at the result of the rejecting.

Another wolf joined their group—Seth. He seemed to snap them back to reality at their surroundings, giving Leah his own greeting with the nudge of his nose, before guiding to the exit with the other wolf following close behind. Jacob moved away from the body, but stayed close to her side.

The rush of fresh air almost made her weep, as she had to smell the acid that filled the hallways and cells, followed by death and infection. She shifted Beth in her arms, as the girl had grown unconscious. Outside, the job seemed to be done, as wolves and humans stood at the edges of the forest, staying clear of the building. Leah suddenly realized that she wasn't that far from home; they were Northwest of La Push, an old historic holding cell.

"Sam?"

Her attention was turned to another shifter in human form; the muscle surrounding him screamed Alpha. With a simple nod from Sam, a few shifters moved forward with flamed torches and lit the stack of wood resting around the old wooden building. Successful, the flame licked at the wood, making it catch on other pieces like a chain.

Jared shifted beside her, his naked form not bothering her, as he stepped forward and grabbed Beth out of her arms. With the weight gone, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'll take her to Dr. Harrison to be checked over."

She nodded her head and watched Jared with Embry close behind him, run further into the forest.

Leah felt another presence behind her, and leaned back, letting the strong arms wrap around her. She rested her head back on his shoulder. She felt exhaustion rush through her as the muscles in her body slowly began to relax after so many days of shifting and being alert. She was half aware of Sam speaking with people—the Cullens and Denali coven along with the other Pack, as she watched the one place she hatred with a passion be enveloped in flames.

"It's all destroyed; no evidence." Jacob's voice smoothed over her, supporting both of their weight.

She whirled around in his arms, turning her back to the past few days, and taking him in. His appearance almost seemed the worse for wear, as he had dark lines under his eyes, and his skin looked a shade paler than usual. She imagined that she didn't look any better, but it was his eyes that told her everything was going to be alright. His eyes were taking on that look that said he was looking in her rather than at her.

"Ready to head home?"

She cast a glance at Sam, seeing that it was only their pack left at the edge of the forest. Leah nodded her head. Yes, she was ready for home as she turned back to gaze at Jacob, and she wouldn't be leaving for home for quite sometime if she had her way. She could hear the others starting for the forest before Jacob and she could join them, and Leah leaned forward and captured his soft lips against her own, feeling a rush of new life spread through her.

AN: What do you think of the ending? Hopefully it wasn't under the expectations you guys had. I'm thinking there will probably be only one more chapter to the story.