Despite being alpha, Jacob had to do a lot of talking before the elders finally allowed Piero access to the reservation. But he managed it. He still wasn't sure how.

His anxiety worsened the closer his car got to the border. The wolf inside of him was snarling at the thought of Piero stepping a single toe onto La Push territory. He was personally driving a very real and very dangerous threat home to his people. As an alpha, he was somewhat disgusted with himself.

"Stop that," Edward interrupted his thoughts. Jacob looked over towards him and drew strength from his confidence. Despite the uncomfortable feeling of Piero watching their every move from the back seat, Jacob reached out over the console of his car to take hold of Edward's hand.

Luckily Piero wasn't speaking much. He seemed to realize the very fragile nature of the permission granted to him to cross into Quileute territory.

Jacob held his breath as he drove over the border and then slowly exhaled once they had crossed over. He had to make a very conscious effort not to phase. The stress of holding back brought forth memories of when he had first found out about being a wolf, when he had almost no control and would easily phase if Paul riled him up too much.

You're an alpha, he reminded himself. Stay calm. Just like Sam.

A lump rose in Jacob's throat at that thought. He was bringing the probable orchestrator of Emily's death right to Sam's door. Was this a mistake? Was he betraying his pack? Was he betraying everyone who lived on the reservation?

Edward's hand tightened slightly on his own and Jacob reminded himself to breathe. They had been very thorough in their planning. Currently Leah and Seth were flanking the car in wolf form. The elders had insisted on an "armed" escort.

As they came up on Sam's home, Jacob was feeling fairly ill. His mood lifted slightly when he saw Jared, Quil, Embry, and Paul standing on the front porch.

No one spoke as they exited the car. The atmosphere was tense, as the pack had absolutely refused to make any effort at making Piero feel at all welcome.
Piero remained silent as they approached the front door. Jacob had to very sternly talk himself out of taking Piero down and dragging him off the reservation with his teeth.

Quil, Embry and Paul led the way through the front door and Jacob had to bite back a growl as they approached where Sam was seated in the kitchen, still staring off into space. This wasn't right! Jacob's hand twitched and Edward pulled him back a bit.

Piero was not allowed to touch Sam. The ground rules were simple. Piero could ask one question. If Sam didn't answer, Piero had to leave. If Sam did answer, then Piero would be permitted to continue asking questions until Sam refused to answer anymore. Jacob was torn between wishing that Sam wouldn't answer any of Piero's questions and hoping to hear Sam speak for the first time since Emily was murdered. Also, the more that Sam talked, the more time Bella, Alice, and Jasper would have to get out of the state undetected.

Jacob watched Piero watch Sam. There was no denying Piero's interest in the man whose life he had ruined. It made Jacob's stomach turn. Sam's eyes were dark and hollow looking. He looked almost emaciated as he refused to eat very much. Jacob wondered if his muscles had atrophied from his lack of movement over the last few weeks. Piero had done this to him. Jacob was an awful alpha and a terrible friend.

"Hello, Sam," Piero began as he approached slowly. Sam suddenly growled threateningly, glowering down at Piero's feet. Jacob looked to see the toe of Piero's boot on the edge of the bloodstain that Sam refused to allow anyone to cover up.

"Oh. My apologies," Piero said, stepping to the side away from the stain. Sam's growling stopped and his eyes turned back to focus on a knot in the wood of the kitchen table.

"Sam, I would like to ask you some questions," Piero continued. Jacob shivered uncomfortably at the lilting voice. It left his insides feeling cold and wretched.

"Sam, look at me," Piero said, somewhat sharply. Jacob growled at the commanding tone in his voice. But he was silenced as he watched Sam's eyes come into focus and turn to face Piero. Piero smiled.

"Very good," he purred, and Sam shifted in his seat looking very pleased with himself.

Jacob's jaw dropped.

"I need you to answer some questions for me, Sam," Piero said. Sam nodded and scooted his chair closer to where Piero was standing. Piero rattled off question after question and Sam gave monotonous answers with a dazed expression on his face. Jacob look towards where Paul and Quil were standing, eyes wide. They looked just as dumbfounded as he felt.

'What's going on, Edward?' Jacob needed to know what was running through Piero's mind. But Edward was rubbing his temples with his fingers with his eyes squeezed shut, seemingly in pain. That wasn't right. Vampires weren't supposed to get headaches.

Jacob took Edward's hand and gently squeezed. Edward seemed to draw strength from his touch. He pulled himself up, his face transforming from that of pain to that of determination. Jacob waited patiently. Seconds later, Edward's eyes flew open; his face equal parts horrified and furious.

"No!" he growled, lunging at Piero before anyone could hold him back.

Sam jumped up from the table and immediately phased, pouncing forward and biting down hard around Edward's neck.

Jacob saw red and suddenly he was standing on four legs instead of two. He went for Sam's shoulder but rather than howl in pain, Sam seemed to only bite down harder onto Edward's neck. But then both Sam and Jacob were thrown across the room. It had all happened in a matter of seconds. Jacob looked up to see the entire pack had phased into wolf form. Seth was standing by Edward, nudging gently at his neck with his muzzle and examining him for injury. Apparently they had all phased inside Sam's kitchen. The appliances were broken and dented. The cabinets were in pieces.

Jacob didn't have time to ponder the wreckage as Sam was lunging at him this time. Jacob pushed back against the force of the attack, unwilling to be taken down. And that was when Jacob realized.

'Everyone quiet!' he ordered as he struggled against Sam. The jumble of voices in his head ceased for a moment. Sam was still snarling and snapping at him, but there was no voice to accompany the struggle.

'He's not in the mind link.' Jacob thought, shocked.

'How the hell?' Leah asked. Jacob noted that her voice sounded slightly panicked. It wasn't possible for Sam to be out of the mind link unless—

'Retreat!' he ordered.

'Jake, you can't—'

'I said, retreat!'

The pack bolted.

When he was sure the pack was well away, Jacob gave a harder shove at Sam before darting back and crashing through the already battered threshold, stumbling out onto the front porch. He looked up and saw Edward waiting at the end of the drive. Jacob ran to him and then suddenly they were both running, following the familiar scent of the pack through the woods.

'Edward what was that?'

Edward didn't reply for a moment, seemingly in shock.

'Edward!'

"Sam Imprinted on Piero."

'What?!' Leah's voice boomed out as she heard Edward's response through Jacob's mind.

'How is that even possible?' Seth asked.

"Piero initiated it. I don't know how. But Sam definitely Imprinted."

'How does Piero have the power to do that?' Jacob asked.

"It has to be some sort of mind control. I've seen it before. We have friends in the Amazon who can cast visual projections. But to be able to initiate an Imprint…Piero is far more powerful than we originally thought."

'So how do we kill him?' Paul asked. Jacob snorted.

'Idiot. You think we'll be able to get to him without having to fight Sam?'

'Sam's not a part of the pack anymore!' Paul argued.

'Just because his mind-link is gone does not mean he is any less of a brother. He is still a Quileute wolf and it is our duty to keep him safe.'

'Bang up job there,' Paul snorted. 'Now he's gone and Imprinted on a leech. No offense, Edward.'

"None taken. I can't help but feel responsible for this. I'm the one who pushed the idea of bringing Piero to Sam in the first place."

'No. Don't do that.' Jacob ordered. 'That final decision fell on me. Clearly this is not what we were expecting when we brought him onto the Rez. But now we have to see if it was worth the sacrifice. Did Bella make it out of state?'

Edward had his phone in hand before Jacob even finished the thought. After only half a ring, Bella answered.

"We're out," Bella said. She sounded somewhat exhilarated. Jacob snorted at the obvious thrill she was getting out of the situation. Edward and Jacob finally reached the rest of the pack.

"Sam Imprinted on Piero," Edward said. There was no answer for a moment and then it was Alice's voice coming through the phone.

"How?" was all she asked.

"I think Piero possesses some particularly powerful mind control abilities. Now we know why he was so keen to learn more about the Imprint."

"So it seems as though our mission has gained a new sense of urgency." Alice sounded slightly frustrated, but still confident in her ability to deliver a solution. "We're ditching the car in Canada and will run the rest of the way to Denali. After that I think that we should probably head to the Amazon to see Zafrina. Having mind control on both sides might even the playing field."

"Good idea."

"Call back when you get to Denali."

With that, Edward hung up and turned to Jacob.

'What now, Edward?'

Edward sighed. "Now, we wait."

Piero watched curiously as Sam stumbled around the front lawn. The man and the wolf seemed to be combating one another. Sam was alternating between screaming and growling as he phased from wolf to human and back again. As much as Piero would have loved to sit on the mostly-destroyed porch all night to study Sam's break down, he knew he needed to get him under control.

"Sam. Come here." The wolf rushed to obey. "Good boy." Piero reached out cautiously, moving to pet the large head, mindful of the wolf's muzzle. Sam growled at the movement for only a moment before his mood switched again and then suddenly he was nuzzling into Piero's hand like a loyal dog under his master's hand.

The effect was immediate. Piero felt a rush of warmth shoot up his arm as his mind buzzed with excitement. Surprised, he snatched back his hand only for Sam to follow the movement. And then suddenly he had an armful of naked man.

"Mine," Sam murmured, snuggling in close and wrapping his arms around Piero's waist in a possessive embrace. Piero wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Er…" It wasn't often that he was rendered speechless but the exuberant affections were new to him. Unsure of what else to do, Piero tentatively slid his arms around Sam, returning the embrace. Sam let out a contented sigh before pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. His brow furrowed.

"That's not right," he said, looking concerned. "You're not supposed to have red eyes."

Piero rolled his eyes at that. "The Cullens are one of the very few exceptions to the rule when it comes to their diet."

"Only bad vampires have red eyes," Sam said, looking a little dazed.

"Come, Sam. Let's get you to bed." Judging by the dark circles under Sam's eyes and the pale color of his skin, it was clear to Piero that Sam would be of little use to him until he was well-rested.

"Will you stay with me while I sleep?" Sam asked, smiling shyly. Piero sighed.

"I suppose. I don't really have anything better to do."

Later that night, as Piero lay in Sam's bed with the man practically wrapped around him, he pondered the slight miscalculation he might have made with the Imprint. He had been so focused on the goal of long-term control that he had thought very little on how to deal with a doting mess of a wolf. While it spoke volumes of the very intense sense of loyalty that Sam now apparently felt for him, Piero was not used to such displays of affection. With the Volturi, everything was about power, sex, and blood. There was very little room for any sense of love or warmth. Aro certainly tried to make his followers feel welcome and appreciated, but underneath all of the pleasantries and polite talk one could tell that crossing him would result in nothing but a violent death.

"Pi…ro…" Sam muttered, snuggling in closer.

For the first time in centuries, Piero felt his dead heart clench.

…Oh no.

Edward let out a fondly exasperated chuckle as Jacob slammed him up against the side of the very cliff he had seen Bella jump off of in Alice's vision all those months ago. That day felt ages away.

"How…can you possibly….be in the mood...right now?" he asked between Jacob's frantic kisses. Jacob thrust a leg between Edward's thighs, letting out a low moan as he ground against the growing bulge in his pants.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, leaning in to nip at Edward's jaw and neck. "Sam's Imprinted on the enemy, Bella's gathering an army, and the Volturi could show up at any moment to wipe us all out. Now is the time to live." With that, Jacob dove back in to kiss Edward, nibbling and licking at his lower lip. Edward let out a growl, pushing at Jacob and flipping them around. Jacob didn't seem to mind, pulling Edward flush against him before going back to attacking his mouth. Jacob felt Edward smirk.

"Jacob…stay still," Edward murmured gently against Jacob's lips. Jacob let out a low whine. Not this again.

Edward chuckled. "Oh yes. This again." He gracefully slid to his knees. In one swift movement he had Jacobs pants down around his ankles and his mouth on Jacob's cock.

"Ah! Edward!" he gasped out, desperately wanting to thrust into that cold mouth. But his hips held absolutely still from Edward's order. "Damn you," he muttered. Edward simply chuckled in response. "Please let me touch you," Jacob whimpered. He looked down and saw topaz eyes looking up at him. It was almost too much. Edward slowly slid his mouth off of Jacob's cock.

"You can move your hands. But only your hands." And just like that he was back to swallowing down Jacob's length. Jacob wasn't sure how long he was going to last at this rate. He slid his fingers into Edward's hair, reveling in the feather-soft feel of it. He gave an experimental tug and saw stars at the sensation of Edward humming around him. Edward slipped a finger between Jacob's legs and started to gently rub at his entrance. Jacob groaned as the little power he had managed to grasp was ripped from his hands. Edward pulled off again and Jacob whined in protest. This was so unfair.

"I seem to recall a few months ago, Jacob, while we were on the beach. You had quite a few dirty thoughts running through your head didn't you?" Edward's finger pushed gently at Jacob's hole. Jacob's breath hitched. Edward rose from where he was kneeling at Jacob's feet. His face was so close, all Jacob had to do was lean forward a few inches to bring their lips together. But Edward's order kept Jacob's head obediently still. He used his previously-freed hands to tug at Edward in an attempt to draw him closer but his Imprint didn't budge at all.

"Turn around, Jake," Edward murmured and Jacob would have collapsed to his knees at the predatory nature of Edward's tone had he not been held so firmly in place. Slowly, he turned to face the cliff that he had been leaning against.

"Do you think we'll ever manage to do this in an actual bed?" he breathed out. Edward laughed.

"I think we'd probably break whatever bed we managed to get into," he replied. Cold hands traced down Jacob's spine and he wanted nothing more than to pounce on Edward and take him right then and there. But Edward was calling the shots now and despite Jacob's newfound alpha tendencies, he found himself enjoying the dominance.

Jacob barely managed to contain his yelp when he felt two wet fingers gently circling his entrance.

"Now, be a good little pup and remind me exactly what you were thinking about that day on the beach," Edward purred into his ear as he started pushing a finger inside of Jacob.

"Nnngh…I was—ah!—thinking about…oh god right there!" Jacob tried to push back on the fingers but the order's hold on him was unwavering.

"Thinking about…?" Edward prompted.

"Thinking about…when I was…fingering myself…in bed—oh please!" Tears of frustration spilled over his cheeks and he sobbed loudly, his words becoming a jumble of filthy pleas and adoring praise.

"You were trying to get me worked up, weren't you?" Edward pushed in a second finger and Jacob practically howled. "Weren't you?" Edward made a particularly hard jab at Jacob's prostate.

"Ah! Yesyesyes I was" he cried out. "Oh god please take me Edward!"

Edward pressed a kiss to Jacob's shoulder before sliding his fingers out. Jacob whimpered at the empty feeling but any protest he might have had was wiped away when he felt Edward's cock slowly pushing into him.

"Ooh yes," Jacob breathed out. When Edward was fully seated and his chest was pressed flush against Jacob's back, though, he stopped moving. "Edward, please. Please move." There were a few seconds of silence and then…
"No," was the simple reply. Jacob's mind went momentarily blank.

"What?"

"I said no, Jake."

"Edward—"

"Fuck yourself on my cock, Jake."

Jacob's hips thrust forward of their own accord before snapping back. He repeated the movement again. And again. And—

"Faster," was Edward's next order. Jacob cried out as his hips sped up. He felt so wanton and dirty doing this while Edward just stood there, still as a statue.

"You're going to fuck yourself on my cock until you come, Jacob," Edward murmured. Jacob let out a wail as he thrust faster of his own volition this time, spurred on by Edward's words. Fingers threaded through his hair and tugged. Jacob let out a low moan. "Like that, do you?" Another tug and Jacob was pushing back even harder onto Edward's cock. "I think he does."

Jacob was so focused on Edward's words and touches that he didn't realize how quickly he was approaching orgasm until he was spilling over, calling out Edward's name over and over like a mantra. Jacob didn't have much time to recover before he was being turned around and pushed to his knees.

"Suck me, Jake," Edward ordered and Jacob was more than happy to comply. He swallowed down the magnificent cock before him, moaning at the feeling of it sitting heavy on his tongue. Edward's fingers gripped at Jacob's hair again, causing Jacob to let out another long moan that made Edward's hips thrust forward.

"That's a good little pup," Edward breathed. Jacob inwardly smiled at the shaky tone of his voice. It only took a few minutes of sucking and licking before Edward was crying out and spilling down Jacob's throat. Jacob reveled in the taste and kept gently suckling at Edward's cock until he was pulled to his feet. He was startled to see the intense look in Edward's eyes.

"Edward?"
"I want you to listen very carefully to me, Jake. Do I have your full attention?"

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden? Is everything okay?"

"Do I have your full attention?" Edward ground out. Jacob stared for a moment before nodding.

"Jacob Black, as your Imprint I order you to never Imprint on anyone else ever again. Do you understand?"

Jacob shuddered at the tone of Edward's voice and the sensation of a new order taking hold in his mind. He smiled at his Imprint.

"I understand, Edward." With that, Jacob leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Edward's lips.