JPoV
We developed a new kind of normal.
In the beginning, I was afraid today would be the day Mom or Dad got a light bulb on top of their head and come find me, but with each passing day, I remained in La Push. Eventually, I could breathe easy enough.
I found I settled into pack life easy enough as long as I didn't talk about my family. The other wolves didn't hold that against me. I ran patrols with them keeping a nose out for the smell of vampire. They showed me the newest trail from over a week ago. The vampire hadn't made an appearance since. The guys said she was very elusive. I ran patrols with the other wolves.
There were upsides to being a werewolf. When I could forget what I had done to my family, it seemed like a pretty sweet gig. The speed was the best. I bet I can outrun any member of my family except maybe Edward. The sharpened senses are pretty cool too.
There was also the new empowerment. Last spring, I had felt so helpless sitting around while a vampire hunted me and Bella. If James came here now, I would fight back and maybe even win. I am a part of the supernatural world instead of a witness.
Bella was definitely a perk too. It was plain she still loved Edward, but I knew he wasn't coming back better than she did. I told myself to be what I had always had been- friend, supporter, protector, cheerer-upper. But Bella had that way of making you want more from her. I couldn't ignore that she was beautiful, and that I wanted her to forget Edward. I knew that my anger with my uncle was mounting every moment I spent with the victim of his departure. I found myself associating a feeling of true hatred with him. How could he not know what he had here? How come he left her in a way where she had no hope of moving on?
Anyway, now I got to see her every day. She was growing dependent on me; I could see that. But I had always been her crutch so it wasn't overbearing. I can support her like that forever.
I was looking forward to the end of my shift. Jared was running with me, but his thoughts were quiet so I forgot he was there half the time.
Thanks, Jake, he said sarcastically.
Just keeping it real, I replied. I took a turn to keep with La Push's borders. It was weird having to keep on this side for once. I thought about how close I was to my former home. My paws twitched at the prospect of seeing it again, but I kept to my path. La Push's perimeter had been extended with the departure of my family, and the need for further coverage. When I showed up, they were worried my family would want them to pull our perimeter back, but I assured them that no Cullen would care. They probably wouldn't even notice. It's not like we watch of the border or anything.
I kept a sharp eye out for where I had to avoid hikers' trails. The Olympic Wolf rumors were already bad. Bella said the police thought we were the reason for the missing hikers and dead tourists when anyone familiar with the supernatural would know it was clearly a vampire. Of course those people were few in number and more concerned with secrecy than clearing their species' name.
A light breeze blew into my face. I recognized the sickly sweet smell that had burned my nostrils in New York. I howled to signal the others what I had found.
Hold on, Jake, I'll be there soon. Don't go after her alone, Jared said. I shifted from paw to paw, waiting without patience. Sam's and Paul's thoughts joined our own as they made haste to get here. When they finally did, Sam took point. Paul and Jared flanked his two sides. I took the back, forming a diamond.
I only caught a glimpse of her before she ran away. We chased after her. I barely noticed the smell of fresh human blood...
This vampire wasn't a stranger. Her flaming red hair wasn't something you'd forget. We growled and snarled as we chased her, moving as one unit. We almost got her, but she took a turn and ran into a town. Sam was so angry that we couldn't follow her without causing a public panic.
We phased back and quickly dressed. We had to move the bodies to the trail so someone would find them. This grueling task made me realize why we called ourselves "protectors." This was really a public service job and it required doing gruesome jobs no one knew needed to be done.
It's no wonder the elders treated Sam with such reverence. They were the only ones who understood how truly good it was for him to take this on. If I had been alone when I phased and been told I had a whole new, heavy burden, I don't think I would have agreed to take it on my shoulders. The other pack members make it so much easier.
The victims were an older couple. At least Victoria had been clean with them. They only had blood pouring out of their necks. A vampire's venomous bite had an effect where it paralyzed the victim so no other pain was required to kill them. Edward once said that the true monsters of his kind were the ones that dragged it out. I remembered James' games again and shuddered.
We took them as close to their resort as we could without drawing attention to ourselves. As much as we wanted to see them laid to rest properly, we couldn't appear out of the woods with dead bodies, miles away from home. Everyone's face was grim as we did the grave task. I looked down at my own bite mark, with a fresh appreciation for how lucky I was my family found me before it was too late.
I had noticed that Sam was an extremely calm person. At first I thought it was natural, but after hearing his thoughts, I realized it was something he strived for to keep his imprint safe.
They had explained imprinting to me. They said it was extremely rare so it probably wouldn't happen to me. I thought it was kind of cool but also burdensome, not that Sam or Jared would ever think that. You have to live with the constant fear something might happen to your imprint. Of course - as proven by my uncle- it doesn't take werewolf magic to be fiercely overprotective of someone.
Today, Sam was mad, growling and snarling. He wasn't the only one. We had all come so close to completing our mission. We ran home on two feet, not wanting to hear each other's frustration.
At least today had some success. Now I knew who the threat was and had a fairly good guess of what she was going after.
Bella was with Emily when we came back. I quickly took my place next to her to place an arm over her shoulders.
"What happened?" she asked, noticing our tense moods.
"We almost got the leech, but she ran into a town," Jared told her. Emily frowned and put an arm around Sam's waist. He smiled sadly and kissed her scars.
"I know the vampire," I said. Bella's eyes widened.
"You know her?" Jared asked, wondering what I meant, "Is she a friend of the Cullens?"
I shook my head. "The opposite. Her coven member was the one who came after me so my family killed him. She must be back for revenge. Her name's Victoria." Bella drew in a sharp breath.
"What about her mate?" Paul asked, "He has black hair."
"I think it is Laurent, but...he's a vegetarian. My mom told me he's mated with our cousin."
"Vampires have cousins?" Paul asked.
"Can someone have two mates?"
I shook my head. "Vampires mate for life, and they don't really date either. They meet the one and stick with them for eternity. I think Laurent has his so he and Victoria can't be mates, but I guess it's possible he's helping her."
"So what are they after?"
"You' think she'd go after my family, but I'm sure she knows they're gone. Then I thought it was me. It'd make sense for her to finish James' job, but she probably thinks I'm gone too. Now I think she's going after one of the only two humans we left behind- Bella or my ex, Gwen."
"Your ex?" Paul said with a smirk.
"Freshman year," I said, "She and James told me they were holding her hostage. Somehow I don't think Victoria's going after her though."
"So she's after me?" Bella said. Her already pale face was losing the remainder of its color. I pulled her in tighter to warm her up.
"They won't touch you," I promised.
"They'll be easier to catch now that we know what they are looking for," Sam said. Something didn't sit right with me though. We spent Christmases with the Denali coven.
Sam noticed my silence. "Do you think you could kill one of them?" I knew he wasn't talking in the physical sense.
"I don't know. I guess so if they were really trying to kill Bella."
"They aren't all good," Jared reminded me.
"I know," I said, and I knew even the good ones weren't all good too. I knew that Mom and Dad, Edward, Jasper, and Grandma had made some very bad mistakes. I saw similarities between Mom's sin and Victoria's vendetta. Both women lost something sacred to them, and they were looking for justice. In the two scenarios, the wolves were like the guards Mom had killed. Both were trying to protect the humans who couldn't defend themselves.
Did it make a moral difference whether those being protected were good like Bella or evil like Royce King?
If Royce King lived in Forks, and Mom came to kill him, I would be standing in the way. If she wasn't my mother, we'd fight. I'd fall. The wolves would tell my story-a brave protector who died trying to save the tribe from a murderous monster. Mom would tell her story of personal justice. Neither would realize that both sides were doing what they saw as the right thing.
Even though they were murderers who would kill me without remorse, when it came time to kill Victoria or Laurent, I wouldn't be able to help seeing gold in their red eyes.
And a bonus (:
Rosalie's PoV
My worst fears had been realized once again.
Someone had taken my son away. Alice desperately looked for something although we knew that was useless. The police searched for something although we knew that was useless. I sobbed without tears althoughI know that is useless.
"We'll find him," my husband said over and over. I don't think he was saying that for me. We were standing by the large panoramic window in our New York home. I had one hand on the cold glass. It had snowed this week, and the wind howled. I felt like I was being strangled when I thought of the possibility of my son being lost out there. I cupped my throat and my breath hitched.
It's morosely funny how these awful times are when I feel the most human.
We had come home from our hunt and a brief session of love-making feeling refreshed. I was wearing his oversized polo and laughing on the drive home from the nearest National Park. My mind and heart were lighter, and my problems looked smaller. When we came in through the front door, Jacob wasn't lying on the couch anymore. The TV was still turned on, and his computer had fallen on the ground. I couldn't hear his heartbeat anywhere. I feared the worst. We tore apart the house looking for him. Jacob's room was in disarray. My baby was gone, and a putrid scent was left.
It didn't take long to deduce that he had been taken by something awful. The smelly trail started where Jacob's human smell ended and was lost in the gorges, where the rainwater washed it away. It was all over the house, in the study, the garage, the yard, and mostly in my child's bedroom. We had so many unexplainable questions.
The worst question was one no one would dare to answer- was my son dead?
We had found scraps of his clothes all over the forest. Maybe the creature was animalistic and attacked Jacob. That would have left some trace of blood though.
It was clear this monster was supernatural. That was the only thing clear.
Of course Emmett and I had followed the credit card trail to France. We broke into the security tapes to see the faces of everyone who got off that flight. No one was Jacob.
Why would someone do this? He was just a child! Even if they were adversaries to our kind, who would be sick enough to hurt us through our human loved ones?
"I want him back, Emmett," I sobbed.
"We all do," he said, "I want him home."
"Why would someone do this?"
"People can be sick."
"The worst part is the not knowing if there is a Jacob left to find."
"Shhh, honey, don't talk like that," Emmett said, "We have to keep faith."
"He's just disappeared," I said softly.
"He has to be somewhere. We'll find him."
A/N
Poor Rosalie and Emmett.
Thank you for all the reviews, you amazing people! I want to send a shout-out to Katelyn Jade. You sent me one the nicest reviews ever and I couldn't reply to it. Thank you so much, you're so sweet.
The next chapter is a Valentines Day treat I have planned out.
Don't forget to review!
