A/N I've made some adjustments to my profile. It seems I write with odd pairings. I have the only Leah/Alice fanfic, Leah's Last Stop (please check it out – I'm not too proud to beg), and then I have this rarity of a fanfic with a Rosalie/Leah friendship.

So, I appreciate the ones who read my writing. I'm not a gargantuan popular fanfic writer, but I am apparently unique.

Thanks for the reviews – please do if you read this. And now, a werewolf is on the loose….

Chapter Fourteen – Giant Wolf on the Loose

Alice ran beside me, leaping through trees, rushing across forest floor. I finally told her, "Pull over."

She flipped backward and landed softly beside me, deep in the Olympic National Forest. The ground was slippery and mossy, and our feet sunk in the mud. The canopy darkened our surroundings, but we had the eyes of a predator and it didn't affect our ability to see the area where we stood. It was thick with undergrowth, and smelled of moss and pine needles.

"She's fast," Alice remarked.

"She is," I answered. "We're also out of our territory and entering their territory. If we keep going we'll be smack in the middle of ten or twenty wolves that are even bigger than Leah."

Alice placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head disappointed. "What happened? This is so bad."

"I should ask you that. Why didn't you foresee this?"

She shook her head again, disbelieving how the night turned out. "I… I don't know – other than her change was unexpected - to even her."

"Sorry, you're right. She had the most frightened look on her face. She said she was feeling strange since she had been shot."

"We really need to get her to see Carlisle."

I nodded, "But that's not the worst of it. What if someone with a cell phone took her picture?" I rammed my finger, pointing at my chest, "MY PICTURE? She was there, changing into a wolf with at least thirty or fifty people around. I was there for at least thirty seconds on my bum and then standing while you walked up with water."

At the same time we breathed, "The Volturi."

"We need to get home," I said. "We need to call Carlisle and let him know what happened."

Alice pulled out her cell phone and dialed. She punched in the number quickly.

"Hello Jasper?"

"We have a dire emergency.

"No…no," she giggled, "nothing with me.

"I love you too."

I prodded her to hurry, and stop making small talk.

"Jasper, please get everyone together, we'll be home shortly.

"Okay – kiss, kiss – bye."

She hung up.

"Alice we need to run around the long way."

"I know."

And then we both began to grin, but stopped. This wasn't the time. There would be no dares of being called a rotting carcass tonight.

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Inside Esme stood beside Carlisle, as I sat with Emmett and Alice with Jasper on the couches. We listened as Carlisle explained.

"The only plausible reason for the gunshot affecting her is if a piece of the bullet remained in her Pons Varolii. That, or it's left some type of scarring – and in that case it might… be permanently damaged."

"You mean she could just randomly change anywhere or anytime?" I asked.

Carlisle simply nodded and then crossed his arms. "Regarding the Volturi I received a call just a moment ago from Aro."

"They don't waste time," Emmett commented.

I leaned back on him, feeling his strong shoulder. His eyes sparkled, glimpsing toward me, understanding I was bothered by how the night turned out.

"They are merely watching. I reasoned that no one saw you in the light or anything that would draw attention to vampires. It was all on the Quileute tribe and this has to do with them. They understood and this is not a big threat. However, they are… keeping an eye on things here – much more closely since… well, since Edward's visit and Bella's change. We've entered their radar. So, we have to be cautious."

He looked to me, and for an instant it looked like he was disappointed. I, of all our family, would have been the last one he'd expect to befriend a werewolf, and on top of that have her change within my arms.

The moment I walked in, Esme was the one who lectured me, not on being with a sporadic-changing werewolf, but on the fact I was so close to one changing. She was worried over me. I was getting reprimands all around.

"Rose," Carlisle finished his lecture, "I'm going to suggest you not talk or go near Leah until we find out what's wrong with her."

I wanted to object, but Esme and Emmett both looked to me, and then Carlisle said, "That goes for you too, Alice."

Alice and I turned to one another.

"Now," Carlisle's clear amber eyes perused the four of us, "I'm calling Jacob and setting up a time to examine Leah. Let's hope for the best. Let us hope the answer of her changing tonight is simple and temporary."

I stood from the couch, drawing everyone's attention to me. "Carlisle please let me come. I can't abandon her this way. I feel like that's what I'm doing."

Alice stood, "I'm with Rose on this."

Emmett took my hand and when I turned I could see in his eyes he was encouraging me, despite worrying. I thought for sure he'd be pulling me back down to sit.

"I'm not sure that's how she would feel," Carlisle told me.

"I've gotten to know her fairly well and one thing I've realized – she doesn't have anyone to relate to. She's the only female wolf of their tribe and it's made her become very… isolated. During this time I think she needs to know there are those who understand her. She needs to know there are those who will stand by her."

Esme might have been the most obvious, but all were looking to me as if I'd been switched with someone else.

"Look, I know this isn't like me. In fact, I question myself why I'm feeling this way about some smelly she-wolf." Emmett laughed hearty and loud, and he was joined by Jasper. "Well, she is. But…I…" the words wouldn't come out.

Alice, always so good at emotions, finished, "I feel the same way – we care about her. Wolf or not – she's our friend. She drives horribly slow cars and I can't say much on her fashion sense, but she's pretty fun to hang around with."

"We also have similar feelings toward…" I stopped myself from saying Bella. Instead I said, "Life." Lucky for me Edward was out of town.

Carlisle took Esme's hand and then they did that thing they were so good at – communicated with only a look.

"Alright," he said. "I'll call Jacob and let him know that I'll have two assistants joining me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carlisle called Jacob and his father answered. Billy Black told Carlisle that Jacob was out looking for Leah. She communicated with them briefly as a wolf and then they lost contact. His pack was out looking for her, along with Sam's.

Billy Black relayed that they were worried – she sounded scared. She told them she needed to see Carlisle, and was headed toward us – as if she knew what we were already thinking. I wondered why she wasn't already here.

Jacob was adamant that they would bring Leah to us once they found her. Carlisle was better equipped at his residence and, though he hated the idea, he wanted what was best for Leah. That way there would be no time lost and he could get on trying to figure out what happened right away once they brought her back.

Carlisle and Esme instantly went to our shed, separate and away from the house in case she changed – another reason why she couldn't go to a hospital - and began to prepare it as an operating room.

It was then Emmett called to me and Alice from the family room.

We walked in as he and Jasper watched the news.

There on the screen were two pictures: One of shimmering light, my back to the camera; and then another of a giant wolf on the beach of Port Angeles.

The headline that scrolled along the bottom:

Giant Wolf seen in Port Angeles - Hoax?

Two reporters at the news desk then bantered back and forth; fortunately, they didn't look like they took it seriously.

The male reporter said, "This evening several witnesses claimed a girl turned into a giant wolf on the beach of Port Angeles. What's in the water?"

The other reporter quipped, "Sounds like the kids are pulling an early April Fool's joke, Dan."

"Maybe so, Gloria, but local Police are looking into this hoax. For now, on a Friday night in Port Angeles, a girl turned into a wolf."

The reporters laughed, bantering back and forth, and then led into another story.

We all seemed to breathe a relieved sigh together.

"It's good they didn't seem to take it too seriously," Alice chirped.

Jasper added. "If those two pictures are all they have, then we're very fortunate. They're not very detailed."

"I kind of liked the back of that hot blonde in the picture," Emmett coyly smiled, rubbing his hand along his chin. "I wonder if I could get copies."

"Oh please." I jumped onto his lap. "It was a horrible picture."

He whispered in my ear, "Be careful around those wolves." He then hugged around me, swallowing my body within his.

The four of us sat down, as the rest of the news played in the background, considering the possibility if this story didn't die down.

I got up from the couch. "I'm going to go see if Carlisle needs help."

"Or," Emmett stood, "We can all make some rounds on our territory, and see if we find Leah – since she said she was headed to see Carlisle."

What would I do without my sweet husband? That was a splendid idea. He knew I had to do something.

A/N

Another short chapter. I prefer to make them short for easier reading. I know I'm very busy, so I suspect you who read this are busy, as well.

Thank you again for reading.