Sorry for the delay. I needed to take a break. Anyway, I've recently had a lot of activity and comments on my stories, even my earlier ones, and I've been told by several people that they were referred to my work by my readers. I can't thank you enough for that! I'm incredibly lucky to have the supporters that I do. I've received so many encouraging PMs and reviews, which have really helped me put the pettiness of others behind me. Special thanks to my fantastic beta, DazzledByJake, for the recent talks and her ninja editing skills. Onto the chapter!
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Make it a word and a blow.
William Shakespeare
Romeo & Juliet
Chapter 13 – Meena's Confession
January 1, 2026
Nate's POV
I rushed to my car, carrying Gracie's limp body in my arms.
"Stay with me, Gracie," I pleaded as my sister started making a strange gurgling noise. I panicked as I glanced down at her pale features. She looked on the brink of death.
"Don't you die on me," I ordered, my Alpha voice coming out strong, but her eyes didn't even flutter. Shit! Why couldn't she just be a wolf? Then she wouldn't have any choice but to follow my order.
I quickly made my way to my car, thankful that Meena and I had been driving around when Meena "felt" her brother calling her. I placed Gracie carefully on the passenger seat and then flew around to the other side of the vehicle, hopping in behind the wheel, and revving the engine. Before long, I was flying down the road.
"Please don't die, please don't die," I chanted, keeping one hand on my sister's head as she lay sideways on the seat. The drive to Forks took six minutes instead of the normal fifteen. Pulling into the hospital parking lot, I grabbed Gracie and ran into the emergency room entrance.
"Help," I shouted. "Please help!"
Embry Call came hurrying towards me. He was a doctor who specialized in emergency care. After he married Rebecca Black, he transferred to the local hospital in Forks. Never in all my life was I so grateful to see someone.
In my shocked state though, I asked stupidly, "What are you doing here? I thought you were at Jacob's."
"I got called in. What happened?" Embry asked as he took Gracie from me. An orderly came towards us with a gurney and Embry placed her on it before rushing her into a trauma unit for treatment.
"Gabriel Black fed off her," I said lowly so that no one else could hear.
Embry flashed me a startled look before shouting out to a nurse that he needed fluids delivered, stat. Checking her vitals, Embry frowned and picked up Gracie's wrist. Using his wolf senses, he smelled her skin, his face darkening.
"She's got illegal substances in her system. Do you know what she took?"
"Ecstasy and alcohol," I repeated what Gabe told me. Just thinking of him made me begin to tremble. Embry, seeing this, grabbed my shoulders and pushed me out of the unit.
"Go call your parents," he instructed. "Gracie's going to need a lot of blood, and I'm going to need their consent."
I nodded and ran out of the area. With shaking hands, I pulled out my cell phone and called my mom.
"Nate, are you okay?" she asked as soon as she heard my terrified voice.
"Mom, something's happened to Gracie. She's injured and-"
"Where are you?" she interrupted.
"In the emergency room in Forks."
"We're on our way." My mom disconnected the call.
I began to pace. If anything happened to Gracie, I didn't know what I'd do. She was my baby sister. I should have been watching out for her. I knew she was hurting, but I'd been so wrapped up in my own little happy bubble with Meena that I neglected to care for her. I also knew how dangerous it was for Gracie to hang out with Gabe, and yet I did nothing because he seemed to make her happy.
Which brought me to a whole other issue I wasn't ready to think about. Gabriel might have the last name Black, but he was also still a Cullen. Tonight he fed off a human, and not just any human, but a member of the Quileute tribe. It was the pack's right to hunt him down and slaughter him like the deceitful, destructive pig he was. I couldn't deny that I wanted to give into my wolf instincts, track him down, and make him pay.
But even as I thought about that, my mind flashed to Meena. As soon as she entered my brain, my anger abated slightly. It would kill Meena if anything happened to her twin. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her like that.
My phone rang in my hands. Looking down at the caller ID, I sighed.
"Hey Devlin," I answered tiredly.
"Hey. Where are you guys? I thought you and Meena were on your way over. A lot of the pack is here. Even Azra showed up."
"We're not going to be able to make it," I told him. "Gracie's in the hospital."
"Why? What happened?"
I hesitated. I didn't know what course of action I wanted to take regarding Gabe yet, but if I told the pack what happened, I was afraid they'd go after him. And with Meena possibly still with him, I wasn't about to risk her safety.
"She got wasted and then hurt," I explained.
"Where are you? In Forks?" Dev asked.
"Yeah," I replied wearily.
"We're on our way."
"Dev, you don't have to do that."
"We're on our way," he repeated before ending the call.
I made my way to the waiting room and sat down in one of the chairs. Thankfully, it was empty and quiet. Resting my elbows on my knees, I stared at my phone, willing Meena to call. I needed to hear her voice. I needed to know that she wasn't with Gabe right now.
Unable to stand it, I called her but the phone went to straight to voicemail. Ending the connection without leaving a message, I ran my hand over my face before sitting back in my chair and closing my eyes. I stayed like that for the next few minutes until my parents walked in.
"What happened?" My dad asked as he came over to me.
I got up and moved myself between my mother and my father. I wasn't sure how my dad would react and although he hadn't phased in over a year, I knew he could lose control when he heard what I had to tell him. I didn't want my mom within the danger zone.
"I found Gracie at her friend, Ari's house," I explained. "Dad, she was high again."
My mom sobbed behind me. I knew they had been worried over Gracie's drug use. Before Gabe had come on the scene and she had cleaned up her act, they had actually been talking about sending her away somewhere for treatment.
"What else, Nathaniel?" My father questioned, inspecting my face close.
Moving even closer to my mom, I whispered, "Gabriel Black fed off her."
My dad began to shake so hard that he started to blur. I quickly glanced around, but the area was still empty. My mother moved around me before I could stop her and put her hands on my father's chest.
"Sam, calm down," she pleaded, reaching up to cup his face. "Sweety, please."
My dad stopped blurring though he still trembled slightly. My mother stood on her toes and kissed his chin. With a shudder of despair, my father wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. I looked away, feeling as though I were intruding on a very private moment.
"What are we going to do, Em?" he murmured against her head.
"We're going to do what we should have done a long time ago," my mom replied strongly. "Ryan or no Ryan, Gracie is going to get the therapy she needs."
"Are you thinking about that treatment facility we talked about before?" My dad wondered.
"Oh no, I've got a much better plan for our daughter," my mother answered in a determined tone.
I got up and left them to discuss what Gracie's punishment was going to be if she pulled through. I walked outside just as Azra, Devlin, and Jason arrived.
"How's she doing?" Azra asked.
"Embry's working on her right now," I explained. I looked over and saw Seth's car tear into the parking lot before he and Jared's daughter, Hayley, came running towards us.
"Azra called me," Seth said. "What happened?"
I looked over at Hayley. "Hayley, could you give us a second?"
"Sure," she nodded, leaning in to kiss Seth lightly on the mouth before moving past me. I reached out and grabbed her arm lightly.
"I'd really appreciate it if this didn't get around school," I told her. Hayley was in my grade.
"I wasn't planning on saying anything," Hayley replied indignantly, lifting her head in defiance.
"Thanks Becknell," I said in relief.
She nodded, "No problem, Uley."
As soon as she was out of earshot I looked at my pack. "Is Brady with Kayley?"
"Yeah, he's babysitting for Quil and Claire tonight," Seth returned.
"So what happened?" Azra asked calmly.
"Gracie got high and Gabriel Black fed off her," I told them matter-of-factually.
"I can't believe Gabe would do that," Devlin whispered in shock. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that Gabe and Dev were cousins.
"Where is he?" Jason asked excitedly. "Are we going to hunt him?"
"We're not talking about hunting some leech," Seth snapped. "We're talking about a kid, who's more shape-shifter than vampire."
"What do you want us to do?" Azra asked me quietly.
I looked from Jason's eager face to Devlin's upset one. Seth and Azra both kept their cool, looking like the lethal warriors that they were, waiting for their commander's order. I shook my head.
"Don't do anything right now," I instructed. "Not until I have more details."
And not until Meena is safe. I silently added.
Seth and Azra nodded and went inside. Jason looked disappointed, but meekly followed the others in. Devlin stayed where he was, his fists clenched at his sides.
"What's on your mind?" I asked.
Devlin closed his eyes for a moment before giving me a tormented look. "Nate, you know I'd follow you anywhere. I'd do anything you asked. But I…I can't go after Gabe if that's what the pack finally decides. I know he broke the treaty, but he's Uncle Jacob's son. I-I can't kill my own cousin. Aside from the fact that my mom would be furious with me, I can't do that to my family."
I walked over to him and he tensed up. Reaching out, I wrapped my hand around his neck and drew him close, nudging my forehead against his in sympathetic understanding before letting him go.
"I'd never ask you to do that," I told him quietly. "As much as I can't stand Gabriel, I don't exactly want him dead either. I couldn't do that to Meena."
I whispered that last part, looking up at the dark winter sky. It was beginning to snow.
"Where is Meena?" Devlin asked. I frowned before looking at the ground.
"I'm not sure," I replied, pulling out my cell phone to check it one more time. There was still nothing from Meena. I was beginning to feel edgy. I needed to see my imprint.
"Hey, Embry's talking to your parents." Azra poked his head out the door to inform me.
I hurried back inside and rushed into the waiting room where my friends and family had gathered around Embry as he spoke.
"…we're doing everything we can. We're going to keep giving her blood and intravenous fluids until her stats return to a normal range," Embry explained. "In the meantime, she's stable, but we're going to need to keep her here for a few days. If Nate hadn't gotten to her when he did, her body would have gone into shock."
My mom came over to me as soon as she realized I was there and hugged me tight.
Embry shifted uncomfortably and looked at my dad. "The thing is, Gracie is a minor who not only had ecstasy in her system, but was also three times over the legal drinking limit. Sam, I'm obligated to file a report with the police department."
The pack members looked at each other and shifted away, giving Embry, my parents, and me a semblance of privacy.
"I understand," my father spoke softly, looking pale.
My mother had tears streaming down her face. "Can we see her?"
"Yeah," Embry replied. "Come on."
We followed him into a private room. Gracie was lying in bed unconscious. A bag filled with blood was hanging from a stand next to her bed, a tube running from it to Gracie's arm. She still looked sickly pale.
"Oh baby," my mother sobbed, going over to smooth some hair gently away from Gracie's forehead.
"When will she wake up?" my father wondered.
"Probably in a few hours," Embry answered. "We gave her a mild sedative. Look, I've got some other patients to check on, but if you need anything, you let me know."
"Thank you, Embry," my mom spoke in a choked voice.
"Sure," he nodded, before leaving the room. I followed him out.
"Embry," I called.
He turned and gave me a waiting look.
"I know you're obligated to file a report with the police department, but is there some other way to go about this?"
"I can't do that, Nate," he told me firmly.
I swallowed. "Embry, do you remember how miserable you were when Rebecca wasn't in your life? Did you always make the right decisions?"
"No, but I also never broke the law," Embry stated through narrowed eyes.
"Gracie hasn't been the same since she found out about the wolf pack," I implored him to understand. "And she's been even worse since Ryan left. She doesn't understand why she's so miserable, because Ryan never told her of their connection. She does incredibly stupid things to bury her pain. Didn't Rebecca fall into a severe depression after you two had an affair and she told you to leave her alone?"
I knew it was shady to throw Embry's troubled past with his wife in his face, but I was fighting for my sister's life here. Embry's gaze turned flinty.
"Don't go there, Nathaniel," he warned.
"I'm sorry," I told him apologetically. "I just wanted to point out how foolish imprint couples can act when they aren't together."
Embry made a huffing noise before he said, "Fine. I might forget to call the police, okay?"
"Thank you, Embry," I replied in relief.
He shrugged. "It's not like Charlie Swan would do anything anyway. He's married to Sue, after all. Emily and the rest of you are his family."
I tried to contain my smile. "That's true."
"Nate, if this happens again though..."
"I'll call the police myself," I promise.
Embry rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do about Gabriel?"
I frowned. "Nothing right now."
He nodded slowly. "What about the person who gave Gracie the drugs in the first place?"
"We're on that," a voice called out. I turned and saw Seth, Azra, and Jason come around the corner.
"Thank you," I told them.
"Sure thing," Azra nodded.
"You'll probably want to start at Gracie's friend's house, Ari," I informed them.
"I know where that is," Jason replied with a look of disgust on his face.
Just as they turned to leave, Claire and Brady walked into the building along with Rebecca Black-Call, and Jacob and Renesmee. It was really bad timing that my dad came out of my sister's room right at that moment.
"Nate, I-" he stopped and sniffed the air, before turning his head. As soon as he saw Jacob, he started trembling.
"What?" he yelled. "Did you and your leech wife come to finish what your son started?"
"Watch what you say about my wife," Jacob warned angrily.
"Dad, come on," I muttered in embarrassment.
"Sam, we realize you're upset-" Nessie said in a pained tone.
"Upset doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling, Renesmee," my father snapped. "My daughter could have died tonight because your son couldn't control himself."
"Sam, calm down," Embry demanded.
"Fuck you, Call," he returned. "You married into their family. Of course, you would be on their side."
"You think this is really going to solve anything?" Jacob said with soft menace, taking several feet towards us so that he and my father were only a foot apart.
"No," my father said in a deadly calm voice, before he reached back and punched Jacob so hard in the face that Jake hit the ground. "But it makes me feel a whole hell of a lot better."
Jacob jumped to his feet and began to shake. I knew if they continued with this fight, my dad would end up losing the battle. Jacob was still phasing and had more strength. My dad only had adrenaline on his side.
"Enough," a quiet firm voice said. We all turned and watched my mother come out of my sister's room with an angry expression on her face.
"Our daughter is in there fighting for her life, and you two are behaving like children," she said, looking disgustingly from Jacob to my dad. "We already have enough going on without this. I don't give a damn who's right or wrong, and I'm certainly not in the mood for finger pointing. If you can't be here for Gracie and put her concern above everything else, then get the hell out of here."
With that, my mom went back into my sister's room, closing the door firmly behind her.
"Fuck," my father muttered before running a hand through his hair. He looked over at Jacob and Renesmee and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ness. I don't think of you as a leech. I never have. You were right. I'm upset about what happened tonight, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I understand. It's okay," Nessie said cordially. My father looked at Jacob, and without another word went back in my sister's room. I guess the old rivalry would never die.
"We shouldn't have come here," Jake noted. Ness turned his head with her hand so that she could get a better look at the area my father hit. She leaned in and gave him several light kisses on the sore spot. Jacob's shoulders relaxed as some of his left over tension from his encounter with my dad eased.
"Uh," I said, interrupting their moment. "You haven't heard from Meena, have you?"
"She's not here?" Ness asked, looking instantly worried.
"No, she stayed behind with Gabe," I gritted out the name.
"I'll be right back," she said, pulling her cell phone out of her purse and heading outside.
"Nate, we're going to head out now that the excitement is done, and see if we can find whoever gave Gracie the drugs," Azra said. I looked over and saw my pack still standing there.
I nodded. "Thanks. Brady, can you go with them? Seth and Azra can fill you in on everything."
"Sure," he said, walking over to give me a sympathetic squeeze on the arm. He followed Seth and Azra outside. Devlin and Jason followed closely behind.
I watched them leave before glancing around. Hayley and Claire were still there. They were talking to Jacob's sister, Rebecca, who was now clinging to her husband, Embry. I turned and found Jacob watching me intensely.
"How'd you find out what happened?" I asked.
"Brady," he explained. "Quil and Claire were at my house when he called and said that he was needed for a pack emergency. Quil was able to get the details from there. He stayed behind with Kayley so that Claire could be with you guys, but he wants us to keep him updated."
I nodded and looked away. I could still feel Jake staring at me.
"Look, I know what you're going to say," I finally stated. "You're worried about Gabe. He broke the treaty tonight, Jacob."
"That's what I heard," Jacob nodded, looking ill. "I don't understand it though. Gabe's never even cared much for blood. Meena's the one who needs it more than him. I don't know why Gabe would act so irresponsible."
"To get back at me?" I questioned.
Jacob's dark eyebrows slanted into an angry frown. "My son wouldn't do that. No matter how much he was upset with someone, he would never hurt them that way. If you tried to understand Gabe more, you'd know that. Gabriel won't even hunt certain animals if he knows they're endangered. He certainly wouldn't hurt Gracie, who is one of the only true friends he has."
"I wasn't trying to insinuate something," I explained. "I'm just trying to figure out his motivation."
"Are you going to hunt him down?" Jacob went straight to the point.
I reached up and began massaging a muscle in my neck that was throbbing painfully from the tension.
"I don't know what our course of action is going to be," I told him honestly. "My only concern right now is my sister."
"Nathaniel, he's my son," Jacob pleaded. "Please think carefully before you do anything."
I nodded and started to walk away.
"I know you won't kill him," Jake said with sudden confidence.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked.
"Because you love my daughter," Jacob replied simply before walking away and joining Rebecca and Embry.
I frowned at him before turning back and entering my sister's room. Things were even tenser in here than they were out in the corridor. My mother's mouth was compressed into a straight line as she stood by Gracie's bed holding her hand. My father was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
"Please Em, I'm sorry," my father said in a desperate tone. Normally, that would have amused me. My father was one of the strongest guys I knew. Sure, he had a quick temper, but I never doubted his powerfulness. Only one thing could bring him to his knees. And that was my mother.
"I just can't believe you'd act like that in a public hospital when your daughter is so sick," my mom snapped. "God, people already probably think we're the worst parents in the world and you're acting like a five-year-old whose favorite toy was broken by a schoolmate."
"People don't think you're bad parents," I tried to assure her.
"Don't they?" my mom wondered, looking at me with tears glistening in her eyes. "I think that. How could we ignore Gracie's pain for so long? How could I? I'm her mother and I failed her."
"Em, that's not true," my father said, forcibly turning her so that he could crush her against his chest.
"It is true," she sobbed. "Our daughter's been hurting for two years, Sam. Two years! And all we did was make excuses…she's a teen, she'll get over it. She just misses Ryan…things will get better when he returns. She could have died tonight and what would our excuse have been then? There is no excusing how badly we've neglected our little girl."
"Mom, you're an amazing parent," I remarked. I went over and hugged her from behind, resting my cheek against her back as she was still being held by my father. "Gracie's always been the type to bite off her nose to spite her face. She was like that even before she found out about the pack. That's just her personality."
"Then we raised her wrong and that's our fault too," my mother whispered, suddenly sounding tired.
"Emily, that's enough," my father said, pulling back to cup her cheeks in his hands. I stepped away from them and turned to look blankly at my sister.
"We've made mistakes," my father said. "No parent ever gets it right. But we know what we've done wrong with Gracie, and we're going to fix it. Starting tonight."
"Mom." I heard a voice so faint it was barely audible even to my own extra sensory hearing.
My mom looked startled at me then down at the bed. Gracie was staring back at her with glazed over eyes.
"Baby." My mother grabbed my sister's hand and held it to her cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"Gabe?" Gracie whimpered weakly.
My mom swallowed. "He's not here, honey."
Gracie closed her eyes before whispering, "Not his fault."
"What's not his fault?" My dad asked gently.
"My fault," Gracie muttered. "Mine."
"Oh, baby," my mother said, tears running down her cheeks again.
"Don't cry, Mom," Gracie replied weakly before closing her eyes again and falling back asleep.
My mother choked back a sob before burying her face against my dad's chest.
"She'll be okay, Em," he assured her gently, but his eyes met mine. I knew he was thinking the same thing that I was.
What exactly was Gracie's fault?
I spun away from the bed and walked over to the room's large window. What the hell had my sister done tonight? Jacob stated that Gabe didn't even like to hunt certain animals. So what would have caused him to snap and finally drink from a human, risking the life of one of the only few friends he had?
I continued to ask myself these questions throughout the night. When the sky was beginning to lighten, I felt a sharp pull on my spine. Turning away from the window, I raced out of the room and down the corridor. I found Meena standing near the front entrance talking quietly to her parents. She looked up as soon as she sensed me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her face drawn. My heart broke merely from looking at her. I hurried over to her and lightly touched her arm. I grew nervous when she didn't respond back. She didn't pull away from me, but she didn't move towards me either.
"Can we talk?" I asked.
"Yes." She nodded.
We walked in silence until we reached a tiny chapel on the other side of the hospital. I opened the door for Meena before following her inside.
"So…" Meena shifted uncomfortably.
"So," I returned.
"Nate," Meena suddenly pleaded. "My mom got a hold of Gabe. He told her that Gracie cut her own arm with a knife. She wanted him to get drunk and she thought that was the only way it could happen. Gracie put the blood right against his mouth."
"So what you're telling me is that Gabe almost killed my sister in order to get drunk?" I asked in barely contained fury.
"No," Meena cried, tears filling her eyes. "He'd never do that. You don't understand. We've never been exposed to human blood. Not even as babies. But s-she made it so available for him and-"
"She was high!" I snapped. "She didn't know what she was doing."
"I know," Meena said, looking sick.
My fury in that moment was so intense, I quickly backed away from Meena and went over to the window in the room. I took several deep breaths to control my anger. I finally had the last piece of the puzzle. Gracie, like a dumb fuck, had taunted a vampire hybrid with fresh blood. And Gabe, who was supposed to be an all powerful Alpha with goddamn superpowers, crumbled with hardly any resistance. Instead of holding his breath and running away, he almost killed my sister. I blamed them both for their actions, but in my eyes, Gabe was the guiltier party.
"Meena," I said through clenched teeth. "If the pack decides to retaliate, I'm not going to stop them."
"I know that," Meena replied, her eyes to the ground, her complexion paler than usual.
Something in her tone caught my attention. I turned and stared at her carefully. As I was studying her, I realized something. Since the Blacks moved to the area, I had always felt a strange underlining tension. It was always there lurking, but was stronger when Gabe was around. I didn't feel even a trace of it anymore and I knew the reason why.
"He's gone, isn't he?" I asked. It was the only explanation I could come up with. The other Alpha was no longer within miles of me.
Meena nodded her head and whispered, "Yes, he's gone."
"You helped him escape?" I questioned sickly, taking several steps towards her.
"Yes," Meena replied, finally looking at me even as tears spilled from her emerald eyes. "Just as you won't do anything to stop the pack from killing my brother, I'll do everything in my power to keep him alive. I-I even told Gabe that I didn't want anything more to do with him. I told him that so he would stay away and never come back. Because I-I can't let them kill my twin."
I walked away from her and looked out the window again. I gripped the edge until I heard some of the frame crack. A part of me wanted revenge for Gabe's actions, and now my own imprint denied me the chance of getting justice. I looked over at Meena and saw the misery on her face. Something inside me cracked and my fury drained away. I knew what it must have cost her to reject Gabe.
Sighing, I went and pulled her to me, hugging her close.
"What a fucking night," I told her. Meena responded by wrapping her arms around me, burying her face against my chest.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. It's theirs. Both of them," I muttered against her hair.
"Nate, the pack-"
"Isn't going to do a thing as long as he stays away," I told her. I pulled back and made Meena look at me. "If he comes back here, I can't promise his safety. But if he stays away…well, let's just say, most of the pack doesn't really have the heart to kill Jacob Black's son. And I'm not looking to hurt your brother. Call it self-preservation and maybe even a little selfish, but you hurt, I hurt, right? I think we're all going to suffer enough from the ramifications of this night."
Meena sniffed before leaning in to kiss my chest.
"Thank you, Nate," she whispered.
I felt my phone begin to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, not even surprised to see who was calling.
"Well Meena, your brother's got one problem that's bigger than me and my pack put together."
She looked at me questioningly. I held out the phone to her, showing her the name flashing across the caller ID.
Ryan
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