Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters.

A.N: Next chapter :D! Now do you guys remember the dream sequence from Ch. 4? Well, you might wanna go back and read it if you forgot to understand the beginning of this one. Okay, Enjoy! ^_^

The Truth, Regardless of my Pain

Leah's P.O.V

"No!" I screamed, falling off the bed with the sheets tangled around me. I laid there for a second, trying to figure out what was real and what was fabricated by my subconscious. My body was trembling and coated with a layer of sweat. I sat up and looked out of my window to the pitch black sky; the moon wasn't out tonight.

I flinched when I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder. I looked up to see Genevieve staring at me, eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright, Leah?"

I nodded. "Yeah, fine. It-It was j-just that dream again."

She frowned at me. "It has changed, has it not?" I nodded. "Would you care to tell me about it?"

"It started out like it always does, but the part in which we're all at the cliffs…changed. When the darkness is swirling around and around, the person who comes out of it isn't me anymore. Instead, there was this young girl. She had long white hair, light grey eyes, and she was very pale. She stared at me and smiled eerily. I looked at everyone else, and they were all smiling too.

"She started to come closer, and I couldn't back away. I was expecting her to push me off the cliff, but she didn't. She stopped a foot away from me and turned back around to where the packs and my mom and everyone else were at. She stood right in front of Sam, turned back to look at me and smile, and then she…she stuck her hand through his chest and ripped out his heart." I choked on the last part. Tears were falling down my cheeks and I felt so weak at having to remember the nightmarish qualities of the dream.

"Leah—" I cut her off.

"I'm fine, let me continue. After she killed Sam, she moved on down the line of people, killing every last one of them. I screamed at them to move, to do something, but none of them did. They kept looking forward, smiling as if everything were fine. I couldn't move or phase, no matter how hard I tried. The only thing I could do was scream.

"When she was done, she looked back at me and smiled so brightly, as if she was proud of what she just did. She started to get closer again, sauntering over slowly. My body was finally able to move, but the only thing I could do was fall on my knees, staring at all the bodies of everyone who I ever cared about. Finally, the girl stopped a few inches in front of me, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

"She said, 'And that's what I'm going to do to every single person you ever held near and dear to your heart. That's what I'm going to do the people they ever held near and dear to their hearts. But they only difference is, when I do, it won't be a dream.' And then she was gone. That's when I woke up." I was shaking again and my heart was pounding loudly in my ears.

I looked up Genevieve, hoping and wishing that she would say that it was only a dream, but her eyes told me a different story. I looked away, not wanting to accept the possible reality that the dream possessed. I refused to accept that this was a possible outcome, but a small part of me was starting to lose hope of coming out of the future battle with everyone alive.

Genevieve lifted me from the ground and set me on the bed before speaking. "We have less time than I would have hoped, Leah. I know you wanted to wait, but we have no other choice."

"How much?"

"I think it would be better to foc—"

"Genevieve!" I growled. "How much fucking time?" She stared at me for a minute before looking down at her hands. I probably shouldn't have been so aggressive at the moment, but I had to know. I had to know how much longer my friends and family might have to live.

"The first snowfall of winter." She whispered sadly. So that was it. We had about half a year left of any last minute training until the battle. Half a year left to make peace. Half a year to say goodbye.

"Leah…"

"I'm sorry, Genevieve. I can't help but think that way."

"I know."

"Let's try not to tell anyone just yet. And before you start lecturing me, I think we can spare a few more days to a week. We just got back, and I think it's better to let people get over that shock first before we hit them with some more news." I explained. She agreed and we headed downstairs only to find Seth eating a huge stack of pancakes. There were two other equally large stacks waiting for someone to dig in. We looked to see my mom making scrambled eggs and I smelled cinnamon rolls in the oven.

"Good morning, girls. I was wondering when you'd come down." Mom greeted us happily.

"Good morning, Sue. I trust you slept quite well last night?" Mom nodded.

"Yes, I think that was the best sleep I've had in years." She smiled at us. "Now sit, sit, sit. I've made pancakes, scrambled eggs, and I'm making some cinnamon rolls. They'll be out in a few minutes." I took my seat and watched my mother zip around the kitchen, grabbing ingredients from the fridge and bowls from the cabinets. She didn't really have to make anymore food, but I guess this was making her happy. I felt a twinge of pain at the thought that in a few more months, she might not be able to do this anymore.

"Mom, just come sit down and eat. You've been cooking since before I woke up." Seth said.

"I agree, Sue. Sit down, eat, enjoy this wonderful morning, and I will finish up the rest of the food. Please, Sue. I insist." Genevieve ended up persuading mom and she sat down with us to eat. We talked about anything that came to mind. I tried to focus on the conversation as a way to forget about the dream. Genevieve joined us moments after Seth finished his stack of pancakes, with another stack ready for him.

He groaned. "You're trying to get me fat, aren't you?" I rolled my eyes and laughed at him. Like Seth could ever get fat with the metabolism that he has.

After we were done with breakfast, Genevieve and I headed back up to my room and planned what we were going to do about the new situation. I had gone a week without any training, so that was going to be the first thing on the agenda. We decided to head out later in the day for a few hours of hardcore training, but for now we were going to hang out with Seth and mom for a little while.

"The first Pirate's of the Caribbean was so much better than the second or last one! I don't care what you have to say Seth!" We were watching the Pirate's trilogy after Seth and me got into argument about which movie was better. To settle it, mom decided that we would watch them and then make our decision.

"Oh please! The third movie was so much better! It had everything! Crazy Jack Sparrow, betrayal by Will, Elizabeth becoming the Pirate King, Jack's dad coming out of nowhere, Davy Jones and the epic fight, and Calypso! Come on! How could you say that it's not the best one?!" He argued back.

"You know, that Johnny Depp is very hot." Mom spoke up. Seth and I stopped arguing and looked at our mom as if she grew another head. "What? Well, he is!"

Genevieve laughed. "She is right, you know. He is a very handsome man. If only he was around in the 16th century…" She trailed off. Mom and I started laughing, while Seth stared at Genevieve with his mouth open. He probably couldn't believe that his girlfriend thought another man was hot and was daydreaming about said man. All I could do was laugh harder.

"Are you kidding me?! You think Johnny Depp's hot!?! Seriously? I mean, if you said Orlando Bloom, then sure fine, no problem, but Johnny Depp? You have bad taste in men, babe." I stared at my brother in disbelief. Wow. I always said he was a little bit too close to feminine looking men. Guess I know why.

"Sweetie," mom interjected, "how can you say she has bad taste in men if she's with you?" Genevieve and I started laughing loudly while Seth pouted in mock hurt.

I calmed down before I began speaking. "Ok…enough talk about Seth's man-crushes. I'm going out to, er, run with Genevieve for a while. We won't be back late, promise mom."

"Alright. Could you pass by and get some milk, eggs, and fudge on your way back? I want to bake some brownies and a cake for tomorrow."

I smiled and nodded. "Sure, no problem. Hey Seth, want to come with us?"

"Hmm, nah. I have patrol tonight until six a.m., I think I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep before then." He yawned. I shrugged and ran up to my room to change into some shorts and a tank top.

Genevieve and I ran in the forest until we were, what we thought, far enough away that no one would hear or see our training. The area had a small clearing and dense forests all around it. The rocky terrain of the forest floor made it much more difficult to maneuver around quickly, but ultimately it was the best terrain to work in.

"Alright Leah, I think today we should work on hand to hand combat. Knowing Aro, he gave the child extensive training in her human form, so we are going to do the same."

"Is fighting you going to be like fighting Horus? Because he could get a little out of hand." I shivered as I thought about one of my 'masters'. He made sure that I was capable of fighting, but sometimes he would go a little overboard.

Genevieve and I had left Thailand a few days ago. We had stayed with Master Kiet for about a year and two months before he finally said I was ready to go on with my training. I was going to miss the old man, but it was time to leave and study under another of Genevieve's 'old friends'.

We arrived in Mongolia yesterday, but we didn't take a moment to rest. As soon as we had gotten off of the plane, Genevieve took me by the arm and practically dragged out of the city. When no one was close enough to see us, I phased and ran after her. An hour later, we were in the Gobi Desert, and Genevieve didn't look like she was about to stop anytime soon.

'Can we stop real quick Genevieve? I'm about to pass out right here if we don't.' I pleaded with her. She looked at me and nodded.

"I do apologize, Leah. I forget that you are human and need to rest every so often. However, this area does not provide much cover and there are a number of nomads that are living here. The best option is for me to just carry you the rest of the way." She said.

I looked at her and titled my head. 'But, can't you just shield us so they don't see us?'

She sighed. "Yes, but we do not have time to just sit around. We still have another hour or two of running. Let me carry you and you can rest on the way to our destination."

I relented and phased back. After all this time with her, I didn't find being stark naked in front of her embarrassing. It was better than phasing in front of the guys and having to hear all their sick fantasies about me. Genevieve handed me a pair of jeans and long sleeve turtleneck to wear, saying that even if my temperature was higher than most humans, the cold in Mongolia was worse than in La Push. As soon as I was dressed, she took off with me on her back.

Genevieve was surprisingly comfortable and not at all the hard, marble stone that the rest of the leeches felt like. As she ran I saw the landscape seem to merge into one big blob of color; the ground, mountains, and sky undistinguishable from one another. It would have been enough to make anyone else nauseas. I wondered what my pack brothers would think if they saw me riding on the back of a leech. Embry, Quil, and Seth would think that I'd gone completely nuts or something, and Jacob would be rolling on the floor laughing and promising to never let me live this down.

I missed them all, especially Jacob. Carlisle had told me that Jacob was miserable without me, but I couldn't go running back to him. I had training to finish and now I had a mission to accomplish. Besides, it wasn't like he was even mine to begin with. He was his own person, not someone's property, but fate didn't share the same sentiments that I did.

It was painful, but a few months ago I decided that I had to let him go. Thinking about Jake always brought a lot of inner turmoil and even someone like Master Kiet, who didn't know a thing about my life, could easily see it. It wasn't fair of me to expect Jacob to wait for me for however long I was going to be gone. He had an imprint right at home with him and she was perfect for him in every way that I wasn't. I was letting him go, even if a small part of me would always selfishly hold on.

Almost two hours later, we were at the foot of a large mountainous region that stretched as far as the eye could see. The mountain tops were capped with snow and not a soul seem to have ever dwelled here. It was kind of unnerving and overwhelming, at first.

"Yes, it does seem a bit overwhelming at first, but you will get used I to it soon enough. We are in the Southeastern area of Mongolia and these mountains are the Altai Mountains, highest mountains in all of Mongolia." Genevieve informed me.

I got off of her back and looked around. "Are we going to be training here? One of these mountains isn't secretly an illusion is it? I'm not going to try climbing one of them and suddenly fall flat on my face am I?"

She giggled. "No, of course not. Your training is going to be all around these mountains actually. I just hope your new teacher has not forgotten that we arrive today. He is quite forgetful at times."

"So…who is this new teacher/master guy?" I asked, curious as to what I was going to be learning this time.

She smiled slyly and turned away from me. "Just wait a moment and you will see for yourself." I raised an eyebrow as she walked away. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Genevieve was sure one for the theatrics. I heard an audible 'humph' as I thought that and laughed inwardly.

Suddenly, I was thrown against the side of a small boulder but when I tried to see my attacker there was no one there. I quickly got up and took a defensive stance, ready for the next attack. A few minutes passed by and nothing happened. Before letting my guard down slightly, I tried to listen for any indication of where the attacker could have been hiding but there was only complete silence. The next thing I knew, I felt the wind knocked out of me as I doubled over in pain from a punch to the stomach.

I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach tightly. The attacker took this time to attack and unleashed countless number of strikes to my fallen body. Every time I thought that they let up, I would try to take a stance but they would attack the moment I was even close. Eventually I just stayed on the ground, groaning in pain.

"That is quite enough, thank you Horus." I heard Genevieve growl. I felt her kneel down next to me and started to tend to my injuries. Ever since the fight in Connecticut, she had been extra careful with any injury I sustained, even if I reminded her that I would heal in a matter of minutes. She went as far as going back to see Carlisle every once in a while to learn how to set broken bones and treat large wounds.

"I only do it because I care, Leah. Now quit being stubborn and lay still."

"Fine." I groaned. "Genevieve, what or who the hell was that? Fuck, I haven't been hit like that since our time in Connecticut. And before that, the only time I ever got close to being hurt that bad was when Paul and Jared came after me when I dyed their hair blonde."

She raised an eyebrow. "You dyed their hair blonde?"

I nodded. "April Fool's Day prank. A little payback for something they did to me when I was a freshman."

She shook her head and continued to inspect my body. She still hadn't answered my question and I was starting to get a little impatient. I was about to question her again when a tall, rugged man step out from behind one of the nearby boulders. I jumped up and took a defensive stance against him. There was something about him that made me want to attack him, but I settled on a loud menacing growl.

Genevieve sighed and stepped in between me and the man. She looked at each of us and her shoulders dropped slightly. She was less tense than I thought she should have been. Couldn't she see that this man was a threat?

The man took a step toward her and I couldn't stop myself from phasing and lunging at him. But before I could get to him, Genevieve had me pressed into the rocky terrain, her full weight on top of me. I couldn't move and I felt myself slipping into the familiar darkness that only she could provide for me.

"You could have hurt her, you know that do you not?" I heard a voice say. I was slowly waking up, but my body felt so heavy that I didn't make that much of an effort to wake up any faster.

"Well, excuse me! Is it my fault that she smells like a threat to me? You know better than I do that I cannot fight my instincts!" Another voice exclaimed.

A low, threatening growl erupted from somewhere beside me and that seemed to wake me up. I quickly noticed that we weren't outside anymore, but inside what looked to be a cave. The only source of light was a fire that illuminated the small cavern. I looked up to see Genevieve staring daggers at someone across from me but my vision was still a little blurred that I couldn't exactly make out the other person. I made my way to sit up but felt someone pushing me back down.

"You still have a number of injuries that need to heal, child. It's best if you rest for a while longer." A deep booming voice said. Genevieve seemed to finally notice me and her expression quickly softened.

"Leah, are you feeling alright?" She asked. I nodded, trying to get up only to be pushed back down again. I caught the person's wrist in my hand and my eyes traveled up the arm to meet a pair of dark green eyes staring back at me.

Genevieve cleared her throat before speaking. "Leah, I would like to introduce you to your new master, Horus."

I finally tore my eyes away from Horus and looked over the rest of him. He was tall and built the same as Sam or Jacob. Unlike the aforementioned wolves, however, he wore more clothing. He had on a black wife beater that had many holes in them. His jeans were in the same condition as his shirt. His raven hair was short like Sam's hair. In the firelight, his skin seemed to be a creamy alabaster color.

"Um, may I have my arm back?" He asked.

Immediately I let go and blushed slightly. He and Genevieve seemed to notice and started to laugh, making me blush more. Genevieve hugged me and brought my head to rest on her lap.

"I suppose I'm a fascinating and beautiful creature, aren't I?" Horus mused.

Genevieve rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yes, like a rabid animal adorned with a pretty bow. I suppose a nice bath, hair cut, shave, new clothes, and cologne might make your self judgment much more accurate."

"You're just jealous, your Highness." Genevieve scowled at the name. "Now, lets get down to business, shall we? What is your name, child?"

"Leah Clearwater." I answered shyly.

"Well, Ms. Clearwater, think of me as your brother/master/mentor for the next year or so." He smiled widely, which in turn made me smile back.

"So, what exactly are you?" I asked him. He didn't smell like a human at all, especially from the way we reacted to each other. He didn't have the same smell that most vampires had, but he smelled like something much more primal. Genevieve must have been altering our scents or something so that we weren't at each others throats at the moment.

"Well, Genevieve spoke to me about what you and your pack brothers are. Shape-shifters, able to shift into wolves whenever you choose. You're not exactly human and not exactly a true werewolf like I am."

I stared at him in shock. "Y-you're a Child of the Moon?" He nodded. I looked at Genevieve and she nodded, confirming that this was true.

"Your other masters could be able to prepare you as much as they would like Ms. Clearwater, but you'd never know what it was like against a werewolf unless you trained with a werewolf." He explained.

I was worried that I wouldn't even get to see Amaris, but Genevieve assured me that no great harm was going to happen to me. I quickly learned that Horus was over half a millennia old and he met Genevieve when she initially left the Volturi. She was traveling around Russia when they ran into each other, and he almost tried to kill her. She quickly befriended him and he even traveled with her for about a hundred years before they parted ways.

Horus was a really nice person once you got to know him. He reminded me of Jared a bit. Like Jared, he was calm and mellow. He was very levelheaded and thought things through, which made him an excellent warrior. When the Volturi decided to wipe out all the werewolves, he didn't head into certain doom like most of his brethren. Stealthily, he observed the Guard and learned more about their abilities, and he was even able to kill one of them.

Training with him was painstakingly agonizing and a slow process. From our training, I learned that the Children of the Moon were able to retain their wolf aspects in their human form. Even the most recently turned wolf had the ability to do so, but to control the wolf was much more difficult in either form and took a lot of work.

Most days, Horus would make me train in my human form, explaining that if my human form got stronger and faster then my wolf form would be stronger and faster as well. He pushed me way beyond my limits and kept pushing me harder still. There were a few times that Genevieve had to intervene because I was on the verge of passing out.

As we started to hit the eight-month mark, Horus had me training in my wolf form and then phasing in and out of both forms while fighting. It helped me get faster and more cunning. It would leave the opponent guessing and help me counter moves that were meant for me when I was in my wolf form.

At a year and three months, Horus decided that it was time for him to fight me as a werewolf. I was a little nervous, but confident in the training that he gave me. True werewolves were bloodthirsty creatures in their wolf forms, their minds were basically hardwired to kill and it was almost impossible to learn how to control that form. Horus had worked many years in trying to do so and almost got himself killed a few times in the process.

"Nervous?" Genevieve asked.

"Yeah, fighting Horus isn't going to be like fighting Paul or Jared. It's weird to think that I might actually die from fighting a cousin of my own kind. Didn't think I'd go down like this." I laughed humorlessly.

"You really believe that you are going to die in this fight? Leah, what kind of attitude is that? I mean, honestly, do you think Horus would have actually decided to fight you if he thought you were anything but ready? Relatively speaking, you are more than ready to fight him and you have a great possibility of winning. Now, stop wallowing in your self-doubt and get ready to kick that cocky werewolf's derriere." She exclaimed before grabbing me roughly by the arm and dragging me outside.

It was a crisp evening and the sun was starting to set. The moon would be out in any moment, but I couldn't see Horus anywhere. I tried to smell the air for him, but I couldn't find his scent either. I turned to ask Genevieve what was going on but she was gone. Oh, crap.

The next thing I knew, I was being slammed into a nearby boulder by an enormous wolf. It was Horus. As a wolf, he was black with white spotting on his paws, tail, and stomach. He looked to be around the same size as Sam but smaller than Jacob. He lunged at me again but this time I dodged him. He was insanely fast and hit harder than I thought. I had to be careful.

I started to back away slowly and he followed my movements. We started to circle each other as I heard a deep growl build up in his chest. I lunged at him while he tried to dodge, but I grabbed onto his back and drove my elbow into his ribs. He yelped loudly and snapped his massive jaws at me.

He got a good grip on my arm and threw me roughly into the air. I drew my arms and legs in to try and stabilize my body, and when I was finally more or less stable in the air, I clawed my nails into one of the boulders. Looking around quickly, I saw that Horus had disappeared once again. Quickly, I phased and sniffed the air in an attempt to get even the smallest trace of him. I heard a noise from in front of me and I didn't think before quickly springing at the source.

It was indeed Horus and I grabbed his neck with my jaws, trying to close his windpipe and make him submit. He must've realized what I was attempting to do because he started to claw at any part of my body that he could reach. I phased back and threw his weakened body against the ground, breaking his left hind leg in the process. It made a horrible crunching sound but I didn't have time to worry about that at the moment.

He howled in pain and I took the opportunity to phase back and closed his windpipe again. Slowly, he started to stop struggling until I was sure that he lost all consciousness. I didn't let go for a few more seconds, just to make sure. Genevieve was beside me in a matter of seconds, staring at Horus with shock. She quickly took him into her arms and ran back into the cavern, I trudged slowly back up the mountain behind her.

Horus was still unconscious by the time that I got back and Genevieve was setting the leg that I broke. Horus was still in his wolf form, which struck me odd.

"Leah, he is a Child of the Moon. They follow the lunar patterns when it comes to changing into this form. He will not change back until the morning. It would be easier to set his leg if he was human, but I suppose this is fine for now." She explained.

I nodded and sat down next to her. "I can't believe I actually did it. It was pretty surreal, fighting him."

"But you did amazing. And, for your information, you have gotten amazingly better at fighting and your speed has increased dramatically. When you went in for the final attack is when I really saw the difference. I am proud of you and so is he." She said.

Horus ended waking up around noon the next day. He was a little mad, not that I had beaten him, but that I had gone and broken his leg. I tried to explain that it was necessary, but he just huffed like a baby until Genevieve reminded him that he was being way to arrogant to begin with. Eventually he congratulated me and told me that I did fine by breaking him a little since his intention was to kill. Even as trained as he was, he was still an animal and a fight drove him crazy, just like Genevieve. After that, we stayed for an extra month to hone my skills a bit more and by the time we left, I was stronger, faster, and more relentless than ever before.

"Oh no, fighting Horus was child's play. I suppose you could describe a fight with me as a mouse against a lion." She mused. I started to panic but she caught on quick on told me not to worry.

"I would have preferred not to fight you, but the circumstances have changed. If I suddenly stop, then it will only be because I feel my control slipping. If that happens, I need you to run as far and as fast as you can away from me. Understood?" I nodded.

I knew fighting Genevieve wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but she was the only one who could push me as hard as Horus did. She wasn't particularly happy that she had to train me, but it wasn't like anyone else around here really could. I looked over at Genevieve and saw that she was heading away from me so I followed until she told me to stop.

One moment she was on the ground and the next she was situated on one of the branches of a tall Sitka Spruce. She gestured to the tree behind me and I obeyed, letting my instincts take over. I crouched down and shot into the tree, climbing the branches swiftly. In a matter of seconds, I was at an even ground with Genevieve.

"Why are we up here?" I asked her, knowing she heard me perfectly.

"I always told you to mind your surroundings when you were training. Well, this will be the ultimate test I suppose you could say. The lesson will consist of the following: you are not allowed to touch the ground, once you hit me with an attack you will not let up, you have to use the branches and trunks of the trees as leverage, and the lesson will only stop when you are able to deal the fatal blow." She explained.

I nodded and the fight ensued. Genevieve used the branch she was standing on to propel herself in the air and attack me. I jumped up to grab the branch above me, but Genevieve was way too fast and grabbed my leg, yanking me off the tree. I was about to hit the ground, but thankfully I grabbed a low branch. I sighed in relief.

She laughed. "Come on, She-wolf. Do you want the lesson to end so early?"

I scowled and climbed to a branch that could better support my weight. Once I was sure that the branch I was standing on could support me, I backed all the way into the trunk and leaped to the adjacent tree. I looked up to see Genevieve was gone. I tried to tune into any noise that she would make but I knew she was smarter than to make the same mistake that Horus did. And I was right because the next thing I knew I was falling again, but this time I used one of the nearby branches and swung straight into the air, landing on a smaller Spruce tree.

"Mind your surroundings." Genevieve said in a singsong voice.

I was starting to get really annoyed that I couldn't get even one hit on her. She was playing games with me instead of really teaching me anything. And not only that, but her games were working. I couldn't focus. But…that was the point of her game. To get me to lose my focus.

I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. I let my body get attuned to the feel of the tree beneath my feet, the smell of the air, the different sounds of the forest, and the taste of the moist air. If I focused enough, I'd be able to feel the smallest movement in the air, leading me straight to Genevieve. I sprang up, swinging up to the next branch, to see Genevieve punch through the branch I was on only a moment before.

"You're going to have to do better than that princess." I smirked.

She laughed. "Ah, but we have only just began."

Jacob's P.O.V

I groaned as I felt someone jumping up and down on my back, attempting to wake me up. I opened one eye to look at the culprit who was none other than Alice Cullen, or Pixie as I liked to call her. Why the hell had she decided to wake me up like this, I would never know. When it came to her, it was better not to ask.

"Jacob, it's time to get up, don't you think?" Her tinkling voice seemed to resonate loudly in my ears. Her voice always seemed much more high-pitched in the mornings. The perfect alarm clock for a dead tired shape-shifter.

"It's too early to be awake! Pixie, stop jumping on my back! You're going to break me in half!" I half yelled, half yawned at her.

She stopped jumping on my back long enough for me to toss her off of me. Jasper caught her before she hit the floor and growled at me. She patted his hand in assurance, telling him that she was fine. I looked up a minute later and she was still standing by the couch, eyeing me. I couldn't sleep knowing that she was standing right there just staring at me.

I sighed. "Pixie, seriously, I got back from patrolling around the area a little while ago, can't you give me just a few more hours of sleep?" Embry had come over last night and told me about the incident with the vampire. I was angry and shocked, to say the least, and as soon as Embry left, I went out to patrol the perimeter of the Cullen's house for a couple of hours. I only stopped when Edward came to find me and insisted that I got back to the house and sleep.

"Jacob Black! You promised that we would go shopping today after you refused the last six times. Now, I don't care if you just got home, but you are going today and that's that!" She screeched.

"Fine!" I groaned. Pixie threw a shirt and some shorts at me and told me to hurry up. I threw her a glare, but quickly stopped when I saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. That was never a good sign when it came from Alice. She could scare the crap out of anyone, except for Rosalie or Leah.

I felt the pain creep itself back into my heart as I remembered the last conversation that we had. She said that she didn't love me and that she would never love me in that way. But I knew that she was lying. Genevieve wouldn't have come to me and offer to help me if she didn't think Leah loved me. But still, the words were like venom to me and it took all that Jasper had not to cry out in pain when I came over the next evening. Edward and Jasper took me aside and tried to talk to me, but the only thing that made me feel any better was the fact that they would also be at Genevieve's disposal in helping me.

I shook off the thoughts and left the bathroom that Pixie had all but dragged me into. When she came into view, she was tapping her foot incessantly. I raised an eyebrow at her and she pointed at her watch, as if saying that time was being wasted.

I rolled my eyes at her and headed into the kitchen where Esme, Emmett, and Jasper were. Esme made me a plate of food and scolded at Pixie for waking me up after I only had a few short hours to sleep. I stifled a laugh and began to devour the food in front of me.

"Jake, you're not going out looking like that are you?" Emmett asked. I looked at him quizzically and he continued. "You look like a mess! You don't have any make up on, your hair isn't done, and look at that outfit! I don't approve at all." He said dramatically. I rolled my eyes and snorted at him.

I was just about to retort when we all heard a deafening sound. It sounded like thunder, but it wasn't even cloudy outside. The noise wouldn't stop either, it kept coming in three-second intervals. Only one thing could make that type of noise and the moment we realized it, we headed towards the noise.

I phased, ignoring Pixie's indignant huff. Shortly after, the others joined us and we started running. I heard the distinct sound of someone phasing and soon Embry and Quil had joined me.

'Jake, are the Cullen's playing baseball or something?' Embry asked.

'No. We were at the house when we heard it. The sound must be loud for you guys to be able to hear it.' I thought. Whatever or whoever was making the noise was endangering all of our existences and we had to get to it as fast as possible.

'Yeah, dude. I saw Sam rounding up the troops when the noise started. They're probably heading out here too.' Quil informed me.

Sure enough, Sam phased a minute later. He asked me the same thing that Embry did and when I told him that it wasn't the Cullen's he started to bark out orders to his pack.

The noise started to get louder, our only indication that we were getting closer. Edward had me tell my pack and Sam's to try and spread out so we could completely surround whatever it was that was making the now earsplitting sound.

We started to creep forward slowly, but none of us could see the source of the noise. 'What the hell? Does anyone see anything?'

'Jake, it's coming from above!' Quil barked.

We all looked up and saw two figures going at each other. It was the most incredible thing that I ever saw. Both of them were jumping from tree to tree, using the branches to propel themselves high into the air, pushing off from the trunks to get more power behind the attacks. They never let up. One attack lead to another and another, never stopping, not even for a second. It was insane.

Finally, the two figures dropped to the ground, leaving a small crater in their wake. Dirt and rocks flew into the air making it hard to see who the two figures were. When it finally cleared, I heard loud growls and snarls from Sam and his pack. I walked forward to get a better look at the two figures and tensed at the scene.

There, in the middle of the crater, were Genevieve and Leah. Genevieve was on Leah's back, her mouth secured on Leah's neck, lips curled back so that you could see her teeth perfectly. Leah was on one knee, her hands grabbing onto Genevieve's head by her neck, clawing into her head, almost ready to rip it off cleanly.

I felt the anger radiating off of my brother's and myself, and heard the Cullen's snarling a little as well. The girls seemed to finally take notice and they both quirked an eyebrow as if asking what the hell was wrong with us. Leah let go of Genevieve and visa versa.

"You're interrupting us. Leave. Now." Leah told us coldly.

Genevieve sighed. "I suppose it does not matter, Leah. The rules were, whoever hit the ground first loses, and I believe that was you."

Leah turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"What the hell were you two doing? We could hear you fightingfrom La Push. Hell, I think everyone in Washington heard you two." Quil said.

"Really? I must have miscalculated how far away we needed to be." Genevieve said.

Leah sighed. "I knew we weren't far enough. We aren't in the middle of nowhere anymore, Genevieve. I told you we should have gone farther."

"Leah, she was about to bite you! How can you be so nonchalant about all of this?!" Sam yelled. I noticed everyone else had phased so I ran behind the nearest tree to do the same. I came back to catch the next part of their conversation.

"Well, Sam, I was never in any real danger of dying." She looked hesitant but Genevieve nodded for her to continue. "Death was never an outcome. We were just…training."

I was in slight shock. We came here expecting to find two leeches fighting, but instead we find Leah and Genevieve going at it savagely. Genevieve was at the point that if she bit down a little more, Leah would be dead. And if Leah had pulled her head, she would have decapitated Genevieve. They were both so calm and collected that I wondered if we were being tricked or something. I looked around and saw that everyone was still on edge.

"Why, or rather, what are you training for exactly, Leah?" Edward asked suspiciously.

Leah looked away, refusing to answer him. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, which started to make me feel nervous. I was sure that Genevieve was encouraging her to talk, but Leah seemed to completely refuse. Genevieve sighed and locked eyes with Carlisle. They seemed to be having a conversation, one that Genevieve wouldn't let Edward in on, judging from his frustrated expression.

"I think it's time…that we told you all the truth. It's going to be really difficult to digest, but I suppose there's no more time for delay. Please, let us go back to our home and we'll discuss it all there." Carlisle spoke. We all looked at him and agreed.

When we got there, Seth was sitting on the porch. Leah gestured for him to come over and he did as she asked. She whispered something in his ear, something too low for me to hear, and I saw him tense up immediately. Whatever was going on, Carlisle, Genevieve, Leah, and Seth all knew but had hidden it from the rest of us. I wondered for just how long.

Leah spoke first. "I wish you guys didn't have to be involved, but I guess we have no other choice. This involves all of you as much as it involves us." She looked so forlorn and in pain that all I wanted to do was go up to her and make everything better.

"Do you all remember when the Volturi came here for Renesmee, Aro mentioned something about you wolves joining the guard?" We all nodded. "Well, Aro has achieved this, however, instead of a shape-shifter he was able to acquire the help of a Child of the Moon." Genevieve stated.

A mix of gasps, growls, and snarls erupted from the entire group gathered there. I couldn't believe what they were saying. How could they keep something like this from all of us? Before I could voice my thoughts, Carlisle spoke up.

"Apparently, this isn't the worst of it. It seems as if the Volturi are planning to attack us with the child that they've raised and changed into a Child of the Moon. She is dangerous and quite volatile, especially for being only a child. She was trained by the Volturi, so I can assuredly say that she's been trained by some of the best. When they come, they're not just coming for my family and the wolves, they're coming to kill anyone we've ever loved."

Genevieve hesitated before speaking again. "Her name is Amaris. She is only a child, but she is one of the deadliest creatures out there. If any of you were to try to fight her, you would die, point blank."

"When?" Edward hissed.

"The first snow of Winter." Leah answered dejectedly. Absolute and complete silence fell on everyone. All I could think about was that we only had six months to live before some freaky werewolf kid came and killed us. And they knew, all of them knew and they didn't bother to tell us. How selfish could they be? How heartless could they be that they couldn't tell us that we were going to die so goddamn soon?

"How long have you known about this?" Sam growled.

"A few months after I left." Leah answered.

"H-how could you not tell us? How could think that it was okay for you to know for five years and not tell us?! Don't you think we had a right to know?! Didn't we have a right to know that they were coming here to take everyone we ever cared about out of existence?! How the fuck could you not tell us?!" Sam yelled.

Seth growled back. "You don't know anything."

"No, but apparently you do! You're just as much to blame as them Seth! Think about your mom and your cousin, my wife. Think about your little cousins! Five fucking years! We could have been training or coming up with plans and strategies! You've all left us here to die!" Sam retorted.

"Just shut the fuck up Sam! You can't just fucking judge us without knowing the facts! You can't judge us without knowing all the fucking sacrifices all of us had to make to ensure that all of you could live happy lives up to this point! You have no idea about all the years I spent fucking training, all the years of resentment Seth has had to deal with, all the years of guilt that Carlisle has for not telling any of you, or all the years Genevieve has had to try and control herself enough so that she could kill this child without the help of anyone!

"You have no fucking clue and all you can do is stand there and judge! I've had to sacrifice five years of my life, my friends, and my family so that all of you could walk away from this battle unscathed! I spent all of those years training for this battle that I might not come out of alive! None of you were meant to fight this child, I was. I was picked by Fate herself to fight a child who is even more compassionless than the leeches who made her.

"All this responsibility falls on me because I'm the only one who has any chance to kill her. My life, as well as all of yours, is hanging in the balance. I could have spent these last few years having fun, hanging out with Rosalie or Alice, going to weddings, helping with baby showers, but I didn't. While you were enjoying a day on the beach, I was almost passing out from exhaustion. While you were eating a nice dinner with your family, I was studying every single way that there was to kill a person. While you were tucked into your bed with Emily at your side, I was fighting some of the deadliest warriors on this planet. And for what? So you could keep enjoying all of the things you were doing while I was away. For once, think about all the fucking things I've had to give up in my life just so you could be happy with yours!"

Leah's eyes were filled with fire and the tears continued to fall. Everyone stayed quiet and listened intently throughout Leah's tirade, and at the end, none of us could stand to look at her in the eyes. She had spent years away from her family, friends, and home to train for a battle that she might not come out of alive. She spent years fighting and training so that we could all enjoy our lives. She paid a price that none of us might have agreed to. She was paying with her life and blood.

"Leah…" Esme whispered.

She held up her hand and Esme quieted down. "None of you have paid a heavier price than I have. None of you. I've had to give up so much of my life for a supernatural world that I never asked to be a part of. I voluntarily gave you all five years to have some sense of a normal life, the one that I always wanted. None of you have the right to say that I was selfish, or stupid, or any other crap that you can come up with. All of you have families and established lives, but I don't. Logically, I was the best choice to fight against Amaris. And do you know why? Because I have nothing to lose. Nothing."

I had enough. "Nothing to lose? Nothing? Bullshit Leah! You have everything to fucking lose! You have your mom and Seth to lose! You have us, your pack, to lose! You have your life to lose! I can't think of anything more important that your goddamn life, and yet you think that it's worth nothing! We could have prepared and we could have helped you! Why are you so goddamn fucking stubborn?!" My body was shaking with anger. I couldn't believe that she thought she had nothing to lose. In this battle, I had her to lose, and that was more painful than anything anyone could ever do to me.

"Collin, Edward, Emmett, Jacob, Jasper, Paul, and Sam. Would you boys be so kind as to form a circle around Leah?" Genevieve asked. I was about to argue but one glance at her face made me think otherwise. We stood about seven feet away from Leah and spread out evenly.

"Thank you so much. Leah, you know what to do. Now, when I count to three I would like all of you to attack Leah in any form that you wish."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You want us to attack Leah? All of us? At the same time?" Collin asked incredulously.

Genevieve nodded. "Precisely. You can either do it voluntarily of your own free will or…" She trailed off. From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward and Jasper shiver from the other possibility. Personally, I didn't care to know what it was so I readied myself and phased. Sam and Jared phased, but Collin and Paul decided to fight in their human forms.

"Ready? One…two…three!" Genevieve called out.

Paul and Jared were the first ones to lunge at Leah who stood in the middle of the circle, smirking to herself. I held back, letting the other two be the guinea pigs. Leah ran towards Jared and looked like she was about to collide with him, but at the last second she veered off to the right and turned to run at Paul. I looked at Jared and saw him crumple to the floor in pain, but I didn't even see Leah touch him.

'Jared thinks he has a couple of ribs broken, his front right paw, and a gash above his eye.' Sam explained to me. I raised an eyebrow, but he ignored me and nodded at Paul.

Leah was about to get to Paul, but he jumped high in the sky and right over her. When he looked back, she was gone. She was still here, but I couldn't see her. We were all looking around for her when we head a loud crack and saw that Paul had been thrown into a tree.

'Wait, what the fuck? Was that Leah?' I thought to Sam. He shrugged but was suddenly pushed into the ground and I heard the sickening crunch of a few bones. I looked over, only to see the blur that was Leah disappear once again.

The only ones left were Edward, Emmet, Jasper, and me. Leah suddenly appeared in the middle of the circle and Emmett charged at her, excitement clearly etched on his face. She smiled at him brightly but made no move to get away. He got to her and wrapped his arms around her in a vicious bear hug, crushing her body as tightly as he could. Leah seemed to whisper something to Emmett that made his eyes widen and her smile grew even larger.

It looked like Emmett had the upper hand, but suddenly he let her go and stood completely still. I moved to the side to get a better look and saw that Leah had both hands inside of Emmett's lower abdomen. She lifted him in the air with ease and threw him to the side like a rag doll.

Edward and Jasper let out menacing growls and lunged at her at the same time. Leah jumped in the air and landed on Edward's shoulders, ripping his head right off of his neck. Jasper hesitated for a moment and Leah took advantage of it and ripped his right arm out of its socket and kicked him into a tree just like Paul.

I was the only one left. She slowly turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I titled my head to the side, wondering what she was thinking. She phased unexpectedly and I was bombarded with primal instincts that I'd never experienced in my life. At that moment, Leah and her wolf were one in the same. Both were going on pure instincts that were directed towards me.

She crouched low, readying herself for the attack. I copied her movement and ran at her at the same time she ran at me. We kicked off of the ground and I prepared myself for the head on impact but was left surprised when she suddenly phased back and hitched a ride on my back. I tried to shake her off the moment that I landed back on the ground but I stopped when I felt sharp claws dig into my neck. But that didn't make sense, Leah hadn't phased back, she was still human. That was my last coherent thought before I started to feel lightheaded and fell to the ground.

Moments later, I found Carlisle tending to my wounds and scolding Leah. She looked guilty and her eyes were full of worry. What the hell happened?

"You passed out, but it was only a few moments. You're going to be alright." Edward said. He turned to look at Leah and she gave him a sheepish smile. He shrugged and walked back to his family.

"I bet you're wondering how I took you down huh?" She asked and I nodded. "Well, I learned a couple of things while I was away and this," she held out her hand which was phased, "is one of them." I thought my eyes were going to fly out of my eye sockets when I saw her hand.

Once the seven of us were looked at by Carlisle, we headed back to join the others. A few of the younger wolves were trying to stifle their laughs and were failing miserably, while some of the others exchanged looks of horror at what had just occurred. I couldn't blame them.

"Now, unless any of you are able to do that in the same amount of time that Leah was able to, then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself about why we refused to tell you. Yes, we could have probably gone about this a different way, but I am more than certain that the results speak for themselves." Genevieve said.

Edward sighed. "That still doesn't make this situation any less of a problem, Genevieve. Both you and Carlisle knew about this and refused to mention it. This isn't something that is easily forgiven." I agreed. They must have known before they ever mentioned it to Leah, making them more to blame.

"We know Edward, but this was how it was supposed to work out. I hope you will forgive us one day, even if it is not anytime soon. We did this with the best intentions, you must believe us, but I understand your point of view and if I was in your position, I would probably feel the same." Genevieve said sadly.

After an hour of arguments and more harsh words, we had agreed that when Leah and Genevieve weren't training, they would help everyone be a little bit more prepared for the upcoming battle. Sam and I also came to the agreement that Carlisle, Genevieve, and Leah would accompany both of us the next day to report this news to the Council.

Most of the younger wolves were okay with Leah being the main contender in the fight, but the older ones were angry and hurt that she would sell herself short and risk her life for ours. Amazingly, Paul forgave Leah right after she kicked his ass and embraced her tightly. I was able to hear him say that if she didn't come out of this alive, he'd find some way to bring her back and then kill her himself. She laughed and promised that she'd try to stay alive. Sam left immediately after, not even bothering to say bye to anyone. Embry and Quil cornered Leah and begged her to teach them some of the moves she used today, which she agreed to wholeheartedly.

Emmett sneaked up on Leah only to get thrown over her shoulder and screamed at to never try that again. Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie smiled at her sadly and offered to be at her side when the battle started. She shook her head slowly and told them that she appreciated it, but that this was a battle that was preordained especially for her. Genevieve and Seth were talking with Esme, trying to reassure that Leah was strong and that she'd be able to do this. Bella and Nessie were staring at Leah warily and I could faintly see the fear that both of their faces held.

Honestly, I didn't know what to think at the moment. On one hand, they should have told us about all of this way before, but on the other hand, I felt that Leah could come out of this the victor. But…what if she didn't? What if after all those years, she ended up being killed by that girl? Or…what if the Volturi decided to take her captive and brainwash her the way they did to that girl? Too many scenarios were popping into my head, and I couldn't handle it anymore.

I phased and ran away from the Cullen's backyard without a backwards glance. I need to get away from here for a couple of hours to clear my head. I felt someone phase and was about to command them to phase back when I realized that it was Leah.

'I-I'm sorry, Jake. I hope you'll forgive me someday.' Her thoughts were sad and damn near heartbreaking. She had thought about every scenario that I had, but the only thing that made them better, for her, was thinking that at least I'd be alive and happy.

'Leah, I-I forgive you, it's just a lot of information to take in. I just need a few hours to myself. I-I'll see you tomorrow.'

'I understand. I'll see you later then.' Before she phased back, I was able to catch a lingering thought in her head. 'Love you Jake…'

I sighed inwardly and pushed myself harder than before. 'I love you too, Lee. More than you'll ever know.'

Woo! A little bit of angsty fluff at the end there. Oh, yeah, so Edward was kinda mad at Leah ripping his head off, but he forgave her. He he. Oh and what Leah told Emmett was that his hug was nowhere near as strong as it used to be, which made Emmett freak a little cuz he tried his very hardest. Final thoughts: I heart Horus, Sam's an a-hole, and the fight took all of 6 minutes and 24 seconds.

R&R dearies! Lots of love from me!