Emily looked at the small group one by one. Most of the council was absent for the last-minute meeting, Billy Black and Sue Clearwater most conspicuously. "This can't go unpunished."

"It won't," Old Quil reassured her.

"They should be removed from the pack," she declared.

Sam's head snapped up. He would be thrilled if Paul disappeared, but there was no way he was letting Leah go now that he had her back. He wasn't about to relinquish his authority over her. He cleared his throat. "We have to think of the other boys. If we lose two members, it means everyone else has to pick up their slack. We're stretched too thin. The others would have to drop out of school. We can't afford to take Paul and Leah off patrol. Besides, why should Leah be removed from the pack because Paul can't control his temper?"

"It's her fault as much as it is his," Emily insisted.

Kevin Littlesea asked, "How so? Did she tell him to attack Sam?"

"Of course not." Sam frowned. "He ran off half cocked when she broke up with him."

Old Quil agreed with Sam. "And removing them from the pack only means that the remaining members suffer. That hardly seems fair."

Emily frowned. "But they can't be allowed to get away with this. Paul's out of control. Look what he did to you!"

Sam's cheeks burned with humiliation. Did she need to let everyone know that he had been bested? "I'm perfectly capable of handling a hot headed child like Paul. I'm giving him extra patrols as punishment, and if he attacks he again, I'm not going to hold back when I defend myself. He's lucky I was trying not to hurt him."

Old Quil tried to placate him. "That's very magnanimous of you, Samuel. But help me understand. It was Paul alone who became violent, was it not? How is Miss Clearwater responsible?"

Emily snapped, "She's a destructive force inside the pack. She creates chaos around her. It was her fault that Paul got so worked up in the first place."

"In what way?" Kevin asked.

Emily explained, "She was stringing him along. She lured him into an inappropriate relationship..."

"Inappropriate?" asked Finn Fuller.

Emily insisted, "She took advantage of him. He's a teenager, and she's an adult. She should know better. Instead, she toyed with him, made him think they were in a real relationship, but she was just playing him all along."

Mr. Fuller began, "Is that really…"

But Emily cut him off. "Reverse the genders. If it was an older man seducing a teenage girl, you would have his head." No one argued with her, and Mr. Fuller started to worry for his young son. He was already anxious enough that Brady might phase. Before anyone could come up with Leah and Paul's respective ages and dispute her assertion, she continued, "And now she's dumped him, and he lost it. He attacked his Alpha! Now we're seeing the consequences of her actions. Paul wanted to kill Sam. She's as responsible for that as he is. Plus, they never should have been together in the first place. They're not imprinted."

"Not everyone imprints," Kevin pointed out. "It's quite rare, usually."

"But if they were supposed to be together, they would have imprinted on each other. Two protectors? The spirits would have sent some kind of a sign if they were supposed to be together," Emily refuted. "Just think of it. What would happen if one of them were to imprint on someone else? Just think of the trouble it would cause if they were still together. I'll say this at least: Leah did put an end to it before it went any farther. It's just too bad she let it happen in the first place. That shows pretty bad judgement on her part."

"She must be lonely," mused Finn.

Emily wiped the angry expression of her face and blinked innocently. "Lonely? Why? Her mother and brother both know what's going on. She and I have always been close. We've been best of friends since we were little children. I'll always love her, no matter what, and she knows that. And she still has Sam, just in a different way. And the whole pack supports her. We all do. She's luckier than most, really. We just want what's best for her."

Sam examined the elders closely. Did anyone else notice the complete reversal in her tone? Just a moment ago she was advocating banishment for Leah, but now she claimed to love her. It wasn't within his power to reprimand his imprint, but would anyone else? But no one else noticed, or if they did, they said nothing. Old Quil actually patted Emily's hand and murmured, "As do we all."

Emily squeezed his hand gratefully, and when he let go, she cupped her hands over her chest. "I couldn't stand it if she got her heart broken again. Sam and I hate that we hurt her, and we wish there was a way to prevent it. But the spirits willed that we be together, and we had no choice. But this time, she should have known better than to get involved with another shifter. That's why I'm so upset. It's so hard to see her hurting, and this whole relationship had disaster written all over it."

Old Quil agreed. "I agree. Her judgement is quite poor. Paul is young and foolish, but she really has no excuse."

Emily tried to hide a smug smile. "Yes. That's why she has to understand that she needs to stay away from romantic attachments."

Kevin asked, "Didn't she already break up with Paul? I'm not sure there's a problem that still needs fixing, other than perhaps some discipline for Paul. And it sounds as if Sam has that well in hand."

"Yes." Emily nodded. "But I know my cousin. She craves male attention. She's going to seek out other men, and if she doesn't get what she wants, she'll go after Paul again, and he isn't strong enough to resist her. We can't let that happen. They'll both just get hurt in the process, and they could take the pack down with them."

"I don't understand," Kevin countered. "What are you trying to say? They already ended their relationship. So why are we still discussing it?"

"Because they can't be allowed to resume it if she changes her mind," Emily explained. She was glad that Sam had forced Paul and Leah apart, but if they found a way around his order, or if they learned that the idea was hers, she wanted the council to back her up.

"Nor should she be allowed to see anyone else," Sam added. Emily's eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't expecting him to go that far, and she didn't know why he would suggest such a thing.

Finn asked, "Why? We let the male members of the pack date girls so long as they don't reveal the secret."

"This is different," Sam said, hoping his flimsy logic would hold. "Paul tried to kill me over Leah. Can you imagine what he might do to a human man in a fit of jealousy? We can't risk it."

Kevin frowned. "Is it really our businesses to interfere with her private life?"

"Since it puts the pack's safety at risk," Sam said somberly, "it is. Attacking me was the least of it. I can handle Paul. He's no threat to me. But he's irrational on a good day. Any human man she becomes involved with would be at risk from Paul. And even if it weren't for that, she should wait for her imprint. I know Leah. If she commits herself to someone, but then meets her imprint and has to break the other man's heart, she will hate herself forever. I don't want her to go through that. I only want what's best for her."

Kevin started to respond, but Old Quil cut him off. "That shows a lot of foresight, Samuel. It's settled, then. Do you want to tell her?"

Emily piped up. "She won't like that. Not at all. Especially not coming from Sam. If she thinks it's coming from him, she'll never accept it."

"Then I will tell her," Old Quil offered, "on behalf of the council. She is to stay away from Paul as well as any other romantic partnerships until she imprints."

Sam smiled triumphantly. He knew she would never imprint, because the spirits had returned her to him. She was his, just as she was meant to be.

On the way out, Emily slipped her arm into his and murmured, "That went well, didn't it?"

He agreed. "Now Paul won't be able to go over my head. Even if he figures out I ordered it, I can say the council agreed that they shouldn't be dating each other. It was a good idea. Thank you."

"Of course. That's what I'm here for. We make a good team. But why not let Leah see other men? It seems like a good way to keep her out of our hair. And won't the others protest at not being allowed to date?"

He glanced down at her, trying to gauge her reaction. "It isn't meant to apply to them. Just her."

Emily tried to hide a smile. "Ah. She'll complain about double standards."

He shrugged. "Let her complain. She has to learn that there are consequences to her actions. She's the only one who disrupted the pack this way..."

"Um, and Paul. She didn't screw everything up all by herself. Not to mention Jacob. His relationship with Bella is no good for the tribe, considering how close she is to the Cullens."

Sam tried to change the subject. "That's exactly why I need to stay in control of the pack. I know that Billy thinks his son will be Alpha someday, but it's clear that his judgment is clouded by his relationship with the Swan girl. He isn't objective enough or mature enough to lead. So the responsibility falls to me. And you know as well as I do that I have to keep everyone in line, Paul and Leah especially."

Emily contemplated the meaning behind his words, and she realized she was in support. She quite liked the idea of being married to the Alpha, and hopefully, the future chief. "The pack is very lucky to have you. You've done an amazing job with them so far. I know that Billy thinks Jacob will take over someday, but that might not be a very good idea. The pack and the tribe are safer under your leadership. But as for Paul, are you going to restrict him from dating as well? If her bad relationship decisions have jeopardized the pack, surely his judgment is just as bad. Does he wait for his imprint too?"

Sam was tempted by the idea. In fact, he wondered if he ought to enforce such a rule for all the shifters. If they had to wait for their imprints, they would never have to go through the kind of breakup that he did when he imprinted on Emily. Even so, such a rule would be a very unpopular. And unless Paul imprinted on another woman immediately, he would continue fixating on Leah. Sam would much rather he turn his attentions elsewhere, leaving Leah to Sam. The sooner he forgot about Leah, the better. "I suppose that would seem the most fair, but the more I think about it, I don't think that would work. She is fundamentally different. Unique. I really think she needs to wait for her imprint. Ideally, everyone would. But the fact is that most shifters don't imprint. Most of them would wait for someone that would never appear. It's one thing to ask the only female shifter in the history of the tribe to be patient, to fulfill the role the spirits have destined for her. But asking the same thing of the boys, well, we simply can't make that comparison. If history is any indication, most of them won't imprint at all. Then they'd wait for nothing and no one. No, we must treat her differently because she really is different."

"She'll hate it," Emily pointed out. "Not that that should stop you, not if you think it's the right thing to do."

"I do."

"And Paul? He's been just as much trouble as she has. I don't think giving him extra patrol will keep him in line."

"I know," he agreed. "I just need him to stay out of my way. He needs distraction, and for him, there is no better distraction than a pretty girl."

This time Emily actually grinned. Leah would hate watching Paul with other women. "You're right, of course. He needs to move on from Leah as quickly as possible. Maybe we can set him up with someone, you know, as a peace offering?"

"Hmm. That's not a bad idea. But you know, he'd tell Adriana Lima to go screw herself if he thought I sent her."

She squeezed his arm. "So maybe he doesn't have to know you're involved..."

He smiled at Emily. There was a reason the spirits had sent her to him, wasn't there? "What do you have in mind?"

X-x-x-x-X

Old Quil didn't wait for approval from the rest of the council, dismissing Finn Fuller and Kevin Littlesea as well. He called the Clearwater house as soon as he was alone, summoning Leah to the council hall. She made her way slowly, yawning and grumbling to herself about being awakened. Though she was used to staying up all night long, she still had a hard time resting during the day, no matter how tired she was. When the phone rang, she had finally fallen into a satisfying dream.

The details were fuzzy, but some things she recalled clearly: a rakish smile from Paul, the sensation of his calloused hands on her skin, his soft, searching lips, his breath on her neck. He had murmured something into her ear with low, rumbling tones, but whatever it was, it was gone. His words were lost to the shrill ringing of the telephone, and for some reason, that saddened her. She thought about it as she walked, wondering what he was about to say. For some reason, she couldn't put it out of her mind. Why was that? Why did she want to know what Dream Paul was going to tell her? It wasn't real. He wasn't real. But she couldn't stop thinking about him. She could ask him outright. She could tell him that he had come to her in her sleep, but she awakened before he could talk. She might jokingly ask him to tell her what he was going to say. He would laugh with her, and then he would lick his lips and contemplate an answer. The corners of his eyes would crinkle with a smile, and he would tease that he would never wake her in the night just to talk, and he would whisper something scintillating and naughty.

She frowned at herself. Why was she thinking like this? Why was she thinking about him at all? She hadn't been able to put him out of her mind after he ran off to confront Sam. Part of her was annoyed at his brash insistence that something had happened to her and that Sam was somehow responsible. But she had the nagging feeling that he was right. And she was flattered that he wasn't giving up on her. After being dumped so unceremoniously by Sam, Paul's attention was a nice change of pace. In fact, a lot of things about Paul had surprised her in a good way. They shared the same sense of humor, he was much smarter than she would have guessed, and the chemistry between them was explosive. But what really shocked her was how much he genuinely seemed to care for her. How did that happen? How was it that he, a notorious womanizer, had skipped from bickering to hooking up, didn't bother with dating, and suddenly asked her to move in with him? What was he thinking? And why had she said yes? Paul seemed to think that they were good together, great together, and could be even more. For a fleeting, hopeful, ridiculous moment, she had seen it too. When she said yes, and for a little while after, she had felt positively giddy. Her heart fluttered in her chest, her pulse raced, and she found herself with silly, involuntary grins plastered on her face at inopportune moments. These were emotions she thought she had lost. But Paul had somehow pulled them out of her again. She had actually felt happy, even amidst the chaos that her life had become.

Leah sighed heavily. Why was she doing this to herself? Why did she want to talk to him? Why did she want to hear him laugh? Why did she want to crawl into his bed? She had broken up with him because he was a child and she was not, not the other way around. So why was she pining after him like a lovelorn schoolgirl?

She hadn't figured anything out by the time she arrived at the council hall, but Old Quil managed to distract her from her musings. He faced her with an obsequious smile and said the council had met to discuss her unique position in the pack and within tribal history. She was surprised and wondered why her mother hadn't told her. He neglected to explain that her mother was neither informed nor invited. Instead he spoke of duty, responsibility, and honor. He rambled on about their legends, the Cold Ones, Taha Aki, the Third Wife, and their descendants. He talked in circles while she tried to figure out why she was there, avoiding her questions and ignoring her interjections. And when she was thoroughly bored and completely confused, he calmly explained that she was to avoid any further romantic entanglements.

She rolled her eyes and asked him if he was talking about Paul. He answered that he referred to Paul and Sam both. She explained that she had already split with Paul, and she asked if she was supposed to have somehow foreseen Sam's imprint when they fell in love with him as children. He told her that no one could have predicted what happened to Sam, but she should have known better regarding Paul. She got irritated and told him that she was no longer seeing him. He reassured her that she had done the right thing, and he cautioned against making the same mistake twice.

Leah thought they were done, so she got up to leave. As she reached for the door handle, the elder clarified that she was not only to avoid Paul in the future, but men in general. She was to wait for her imprint, and until then, she must keep her distance from human men and fellow pack mates alike. Leah squeezed the handle so hard that it bent under her hand. She didn't turn around, but instead quietly asked him to repeat himself. He ingratiatingly told her the council had discussed how important and unique she was in the history of the tribe, and they had decided that she should embrace the fate that the spirits had in store for her. At first she thought that perhaps he knew something, that he had done some research or learned why she was the first woman to phase. She questioned him, intrigued. But no, he knew nothing. He only meant that she should wait patiently for the spirits to send her imprint, and until then, she would fulfill her role as protector. It wasn't safe to do otherwise. She asked if the same was being asked of the rest of the pack. He sidestepped the question. Instead he fed her useless speculation, condescending words, and poorly masked lies. The longer they spoke, the more frustrated she became. As she became increasingly agitated, he insisted that her imprint would be sent to her when the time was right. She answered that she would rather be alone forever instead of lose her mind and soul to imprinting. He chuckled and reminded her that it wasn't up to her. Finally she laughed and asked how he planned to keep her from seeing whomever she wanted. He smugly answered that the council spoke through Sam's voice, and she would obey her Alpha.

Leah stormed off before his arrogant, sexist words could trigger her to phase. She stopped in the tree line, sucking in deep gulps of air in an attempt to stay calm. She couldn't believe the old man's arrogance. How was her personal life any of his business? Bad enough that they trapped her here and stopped her from finishing her education. Did they have to isolate her too? There was no longer any justification for preventing her from getting a job, but she still couldn't do that either. Then she wondered if her mother agreed with Old Quil's decree. He claimed to speak on behalf of the council, and she was hurt and angry that her mother might have known what was going on and did nothing to prevent it. The least she deserved was a warning.

She immediately called Sue at work. Her mother was quite busy, and she barely had time to say that she was informed of no gathering and that she had no idea what Old Quil was talking about. Leah had to stop herself from crushing her phone in her hand. She paced restlessly in the woods, wanting to hit something, scream at someone, or both. But there was no one. Talking to Old Quil was like shouting at a brick wall. Not to mention, his timing made no sense. Why didn't he tell her to break up with Paul before she had already broken up with him? It was too suspicious. She needed answers, and there was only one person who might be willing to give them to her.

Paul had just gotten home and was stepping out of the shower. He was toweling off his hair and trying to figure out what to tell his math teacher when he went to school the next day; he had missed a calculus exam due to his last-minute patrol, and he was out of excuses she might believe. But the second he heard Leah's knock, the concern flew out of his brain. He was surprised to see her, but he quickly stepped back and gestured for her to come in. He read her easily and knew by her expression that she was upset. "Leah? Everything okay? Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head and tried to tell him "no", but nothing came out. What was going on?

He knew something bad must have happened, so he probed, "Is there a vamp? Is anyone in danger?"

Now words came easily. "No, that's not it. Everyone's safe."

"Oh, good. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on patrol."

"Good," she answered. "I'm on in a few hours with Jared."

He walked to the kitchen, tightening the towel around his waist. He could feel her eyes on his back. "I know. Um, do you want some food? I'm making spaghetti."

"No, I..."

He turned around when her voice trailed off, and he caught her looking at his half-naked body. He could have sworn he saw a blush beneath her tan cheeks. He smirked, hoping she had come to her senses and changed her mind about them. "Getting a little distracted there, huh? Wanna see what's under the towel?" He put his hand on the knot and winked at her.

She frowned and blinked several times. He looked as sexy as always, but she was looking at the healing welts and bruises across his skin. "Not... that's not..."

He leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. His grin widened. "I don't mind if you stare a little. I'd be flattered even if I didn't already know how hot you think I am."

But Leah just shook her head again. She looked like she was going to say something, but after several seconds, all she did was growl incoherently. Then she started to pace.

He straightened up. "Leah? What's going on?"

She shook her head in frustration. She didn't know what was going on. She had to believe that Paul's confrontation with Sam had something to do with it. She still didn't know what had happened, and she wanted Paul to tell her. She had every intention of demanding an explanation, but she couldn't force the words out of her throat. All she managed was, "What happened?"

"What happened with what?" he asked. "You mean me and Sam?" She stopped pacing and nodded. "Oh. Well, I kicked his ass. Broke his arm. He did something to you, you know that, right? I couldn't figure out exactly what, but I got glimpses of him with you. Just flashes, not enough to know what was going on. I'm pretty sure they're from that part of the day you can't remember. He's gotten good at blocking his thoughts, though. Have you remembered anything?" Leah shook her head again. He was disappointed, but not surprised. "Well, he was acting shady as fuck. I'm going to figure out what's going on. I promise. He was a total coward. Once I had him pinned and broke his arm, he was too chicken to keep fighting me. I'd have killed him if he hadn't Alpha ordered me off him." Leah's mouth formed a little 'o', but she remained silent, so he continued, "He took Jake and Embry off patrol and put me on, so I missed school today."

Leah didn't answer, so he decided to give her time. She would talk when she was ready. He was just relieved that she had come at all. After what she had said that morning, he wasn't sure when he would have the chance to get her alone again. Maybe he could convince her to have dinner with him before her shift. He filled a pot with water and set it on a burner, and then he pulled ground beef out of the refrigerator and browned it in a pan. Leah started pacing behind him again, and from the way she moved and the expression on her face, she was growing agitated. He peeked at her from the corner of his eye and said, "I don't have time to make homemade. Or any ingredients, for that matter. But the jarred stuff will do. You should stick around. I'll have more than I can eat." She didn't answer, so he blathered on about meaningless things while he cooked and waited for her to speak.

Several minutes later, the sauce was simmering on the stove, the pasta was done, and she still hadn't told him why she had come. All she did was grunt or gesture in response to his monologue. Finally he just asked her why she was there. "Not that I mind your company, or anything. I like having you here. You know that. But just a few hours ago I was pretty sure you wanted nothing to do with me. What gives?"

Leah was seated at his kitchen table with her hands balled into fists. Her jaw was tight, and she was trembling. Her mouth opened and closed several times. "I... I..."

Now he was genuinely concerned. "What's going on?"

Leah simply couldn't tell him. She had been struggling to come up with words the entire time, but she simply couldn't. She formed entire speeches in her mind, but all that came out of her mouth were puffs of hot air.

Paul kneeled on the floor beside her and reached for her clenched fist. She yanked her hand back abruptly, and he tried not to be hurt at the way she recoiled from him. But then he saw her open her hand and reach out. He extended his once more, but again she pulled back. He was getting exasperated. "Why are you... Do you just want me to go away? Why'd you come to see me, then?" he asked and stood. Leah didn't answer, but she looked alarmed and started gesticulating with her hands. Understanding slowly dawned on him. Maybe she wanted him to stay still. He knelt back down, his hands on his knees. "Is this okay?" Now he watched her carefully. She took a deep breath and moved her hand forward carefully. He wanted to lean forward or take her hand, but he let her come to him. Her fingers froze only millimeters from his skin. "Jesus, you can't, can you?"

Leah nodded vigorously, looking relieved. Thank goodness he understood, because she did not.

"Did he order you not to talk to me? Not to touch me? Is that what happened?"

Leah searched her memory and recalled no such order, so she shrugged and shook her head.

"Then why can't you talk? Do you want to phase together and show me that way? Did you remember something?"

It would have been a good idea had Sam not been phased in at that very moment. She didn't know exactly why, but the thought of facing him made her nauseated. "Sam's on patrol," she managed.

Paul's eyes widened, and he reached for her. But she scooted back again. "Wait, so you can talk. Tell me what's going on!" She tried to, but couldn't. Instead she snarled in frustration and balled up her fists again. But Paul wasn't simply going to give up. "Okay, okay. So you can't say much, and we can't phase right now because Sam is there. Look, I don't know what's happening, but I'm sure that prick is behind it. You remember that first night we got together? It's like that, isn't it? Neither of us could say anything. We just had to fight when he told us to, and I couldn't even apologize while I was doing it. This has to be his fault." Paul ran to his room to put on a pair of shorts and yelled over his shoulder, "I don't know how to get around an Alpha order, and neither do you, apparently. But there's one guy who kind of managed it before. Come on. Let's go see Jake." He led her out the door.

Leah's restrained words exploded out of her as soon as Jacob was in sight. He was coming out of his garage. "Something's wrong!" she yelled.

He wiped off his hands and tossed the rag into a bucket. "Is there a vamp?"

Paul answered, "No. But there's a still a dangerous monster out there."

Jacob started to unbutton his shorts so that he could phase, but Leah stopped him. "Wait, hold up. We need to talk in private."

"Oh. Then let's stay out here. My dad's in the house."

A stormy expression overtook Leah's face. "No, I think I want a word with him. He needs to tell me why he thinks he and the council get to take over my whole life." She jogged toward the house.

Jacob looked after her and asked Paul, "What's she talking about, man?"

"I don't know," Paul answered. "She can't tell me. Like, she literally can't talk to me, not much anyway. I think Sam issued an order about touching me and speaking with me."

"Oh. Is that what she told you?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Dumbass, what did I just say? She can't talk to me. But it's his fault, I'm sure. When she tries to put her hand on me, it's like she's pushed away. Sort of... you remember physics? It's like we're magnets, but the wrong way. Two negative poles or positive poles repel each other. Like that. It isn't natural, the way she can't get too close to me. And she wants to talk, but she can't."

Jacob looked toward the house where Leah was shouting at his father. "Voice sounds okay to me."

"Pretty sure she's allowed to talk to other people, just not me. And she was able to say a few things. The patrol schedule, for one. Just not much more."

"But she can talk to other people."

Paul nodded. "I want to see if she has to stop when I get close. Come on."

Leah was in the kitchen yelling at a confused Billy. "Where the hell does the council get off? It really isn't enough that I had to drop out of school, can't get a job, and take half the damn patrol shifts myself. Now my private life is somehow everyone else's business? Please, justify that to me!"

Billy was finally able to get a word in. "My dear, I really do not know what you are talking about."

"So it wasn't your idea that I can't date anyone until my imprint shows up?"

Paul asked, "Is that why you broke up with me?"

Billy spoke at the same time. "No! Where did you get that idea?"

Leah looked at Paul, but she answered Billy. "Old Quil fed me some line about embracing my destiny, waiting for the man the spirits are going to send me, and not getting involved with anyone before then. Not Paul or anyone else. He said it was the council's decision."

"Is that the new rule? That we can't date anyone except imprints?" Jacob asked, thinking of Bella. Embry wasn't going to like it either; he had been dating the same girl on and off for the past year. "That's bull."

"Nobody said anything to me about other girls," Paul said.

Billy was frowning. "To be honest, we've discussed it before. Particularly after your own relationship with Sam ended so badly," he glanced at Leah, "we wondered if we should create such a rule to prevent those kinds of messes. But we decided not to. Even if we agreed that it was fair, which is clearly isn't, it would be counterproductive to the future of the pack. After all, imprinting is supposed to be rare. If the only shifters who have children are the ones who imprint, the gene would die out in a few generations. Packs would dwindle and the ability to shift might disappear entirely."

Leah gritted her teeth. "So how come I'm supposed to wait for my non-existent imprint to show up?"

Billy shook his head. "So far as I know, you can do whatever you want. Old Quil told you otherwise?"

"He told me that the council had met and decided. I talked to my mom, and she didn't have any idea what I was talking about either. And neither do you, so..."

Paul pointed out, "And he's the chief! I'd say he overrules the rest of the council."

"Ah," Billy nodded. "I think I know what this is about. I don't overrule the council. Everyone has an equal vote."

"But you're the chief!" Paul exclaimed.

"I was elected to be chief of the council," Billy explained. "Someone else can be voted in. It isn't an inherited position anymore, and Old Quil has always been ambitious, and he had some very old-fashioned views about women's roles. He can't stand that a woman is one of our warriors, or that a woman can hold a seat on the council. But he can't really say that out loud, now can he? Not if he wants to win in a democratic election. This is his chance, though. He's going to try to use this politically."

"Wait," Jacob said. "So this is all his idea?"

"I'll bet it's his and Sam's," Paul speculated. "It makes Sam crazy that we are... were... together." He held Leah's gaze, hoping that they could find a way back to each other.

Leah broke her eyes away and spoke to Jacob and Billy. "I asked Old Quil how the council was planning on stopping me from dating, and he said that the council speaks through my Alpha's voice, and I have to obey."

"He's done it already," Paul pointed out. "Before, when he made us fight each other, wouldn't let us talk. The only reason I didn't kill him earlier is because he ordered me off him. And now he's ordered Leah not to talk to me or touch me. He must have ordered her to break up with me, too."

"Is that true, Leah?" Billy asked.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Paul interjected, "That fucker did something to her, and then he wiped it out of her brain somehow. There's this missing chunk of time in her memory, and when I confronted him, he was obviously hiding something. He said something to her that he doesn't want her to remember, and I think he did something to her too. She smelled like blood this morning, and she can't remember why."

Billy narrowed his eyes. "What do you remember?"

"I remember that while I was patrolling, I decided that I had to break up with Paul. That's all."

"But there's a whole chunk of time she can't account for," Paul said. "And now she can't talk to me, or not much, anyway. And look." He reached his hand toward her arm, and she immediately backed away.

Billy was confused. "What are you doing? I don't think she wants you in her personal space."

But Leah shook her head and said to Billy, "No, it's okay. He's right." She put her hand up in an attempt to touch his fingers. She came within millimeters, but she was unable to close the distance. "I can't. I literally can't touch him."

"This is fucked up!" Paul growled. "It's none of his god damned business what we do. He lost the right when he slept with her skank of a cousin."

Jacob frowned. "Not to mention, what happens if we get in a fight with vamps, or something, and she gets hurt and you can't help her up? Or the other way around? That's dangerous!"

"If this is really due to Sam," Billy said somberly, "I really question his judgement."

"He's lost his fucking mind!" Paul's voice rose. "We have to stop him. And it was bad enough when it was just him and his damn imprint."

"But now it looks like he's joined forces with some of the council."

Leah asked, "You think Old Quil wants your job, huh?"

"Too bad I'm not ready to give it up," Billy laughed grimly.

Leah's hopes began to rise, as did Paul's. Despite how angry he was, he smiled at her, and then he started to ask how Billy and Jacob could help them. But before he could finish his question, a distant howl rang out. "That's an alarm," Jacob told his father as he made for the door.

Billy nodded and said, "Go," pointing at the dark forest.

X-x-x-x-X

A/N: Sorry about the delay between chapters. This story isn't on any kind of a hiatus, nor am I taking any specific breaks. I just don't have much time to write. Large chunks of the story are actually recorded while I dictate into my phone during my commute to and from work! But I do promise that this story will continue to be regularly updated, and it will be completed.