*Christina's POV*
My parents stood with Asherah tucked between them as they watched all of us run towards the forest. I was at the point, leading my pack as I followed directly behind Edward. All of the guys stepped away from me so I could phase. It took all my concentration to not explode with my clothes still on.
Edward's hands laid over mine as I struggled to get my shirt over my head. "Clear your mind. I can't pick out a single thought."
"What is it, Edward?" I whispered.
"I don't know… the scent is close to the pack, so I know it's not human. I already called Carlisle. They're on their way. Probably cross their trail on the way out to the scent."
I felt a little better knowing I would have them as backup. They knew a lot more than me. I only knew how to kill vampires. Not some other being out there.
"They're all phased and waiting." Edward nodded towards the brush where the pack disappeared to phase. He swiftly pulled my shirt over my head and I finished stripping down.
I kissed Edward quickly before whispering, "Stay close." I wasn't sure if I meant stay close so I could keep an eye on him, or stay close because I was scared.
He nodded, kissing the tip of my nose. "I'm right here." He stepped away from me and I let the heat run through my body. I stretched my muscles quickly before leaping over the brush to meet up with my waiting pack.
We got your back Chris. Alexander stepped up behind my right shoulder.
Let's go. Ethan stood at my left.
I glanced over the rest of the pack and they filed in, their ears laid flat to their heads, their snouts already to the ground. I turned back and nodded to Edward. He took off running, and we followed.
Like he said, we crossed the Cullen's trail before we got the scent of the other species.
"It's got to be connected." Alice said as we all ran together the rest of the way.
"I'm pretty sure of it, but you sure you can't see anything?" Edward asked her.
"No I can't see a thing." She grumbled.
What's connected? Most of us asked Edward at the same time. He slowed and turned his head to look at us all. His eyes fell on me and I stopped short, the hair on my neck spiked and I couldn't keep the snarling quiet.
"We don't know, Chrissy." Edward grabbed my face and forced me to look down at him.
Know what? Alexander nudged my shoulder with his nose.
Grandpa… he's in the hospital from an animal attack. Dad and Aunt Rachel aren't doing too good. He's in pretty bad shape. I informed the others.
That's why my mom was so upset. I thought her and my dad had a fight, or she was worried about my sister being sick. Brody sat down and shook his head. I should have known something was wrong. Poor Grandpa, I hope he's ok.
I'm sure he'll be fine. Quil thought, but wasn't confident in his words. We all felt it, but none of us said anything after that. We all knew it took a lot for my dad to get upset, and most of us noticed him at the party. This monster was going to succeed in killing one of the most beloved members of our tribe- one of my family members. That didn't sit well with me.
I was too angry to say anything. Something not natural, like my father thought, attacked my grandfather. I was going to kill whatever or whoever it is. Edward looked at me wearily. It looked like he wanted to try and stop me, but then he shut his mouth. He knew he couldn't stop me. His eyes narrowed at my thoughts, but I looked away from him.
"Ok, well that was an interesting non-verbal conversation. Can we find these things and kill them?" Emmett sounded bored.
"We have to approach slowly, we don't know where they are. Alice cant see them and Edward hasn't been able to get a read on them." Carlisle stepped up beside Edward and we followed them the rest of the way.
The scent hit us hard, it was new, and it was definitely animal.
"You're right, Edward. Smells almost identical to the wolves." Carlisle said darting in and out of the scent. I wondered off to see where the trail led, Alexander, Ethan, and Brody stayed with me. The four of us smelt it at the same time. I let out a whimper at the same time Brody and Alexander did. It was the scent of our grandfather mixed in with the scent of my new enemy. Whatever it was.
The smell of his blood polluted the air around us. It made my stomach turn as well as my brother and cousin's.
"Stay focused." Edward appeared at my side, between Alexander and I. His hands tangled in both of our fur. He wasn't comforting us, he was holding us back. I could feel the strain in his grip. I could hear both mine and my brothers thoughts become one as we plotted to kill the beasts that attacked our family.
I am focused. My words were echoed with my brothers. We spoke together as one.
"You two need to focus, we don't know what we're up against." Edward stared at us, his eyes wide.
I have a duty to kill, Edward. To protect my family. Step aside and let me punish the guilty. The voice was no longer mine. My brother and I were speaking together. Two voices, two minds, combined as one.
Christina, Alex, I don't know what you're doing, but separate, now. It was Quil trying to break through the mold that now held my brother to me, or me to him.
"Listen to Quil." Edward demanded.
"What's going on?" Esme asked as she walked up behind Edward.
"I don't know. I've never seen this before. The pack's mind is always connected, but Alex and Christina are literally working as one. They've combined their anger and somehow it's… I can't explain it." Edward talked to his family while he stared into my eyes. I wasn't looking at him, I was looking through him to where the trail continued on after my grandfather was attacked.
At the same time Alexander and I dropped our heads, our teeth exposed, and together we stepped forward, bringing Edward with us.
"No you don't." He grunted and shoved us back.
Amazing, they're working at the exact same time. Brody was watching me. His anger was heightened, but he was keeping himself controlled… no someone was keeping him from tying himself to us.
I looked up at Jasper who was concentrating hard on my cousin. I must have missed when Edward noticed what Alexander and I were doing and had Jasper work to stop Brody.
I want to hunt. My new voice echoed in my head.
"We're not hunting, yet, right now we need to see what we're up against." Edward loosened his grip. "I will let you both go if you stay in the search. We find them and they appose a threat, then yes we can attack. Chris, look at the pack behind you. I don't think you can lead them into a fight like this. You need to pull yourself together."
He was wrong. I felt strong, I felt ready. I could probably take him on if I needed to. I recoiled as if someone just punched me in the stomach. How could I ever think those words? Edward wasn't looking at me though. He was starring at my brother.
"Those weren't your thoughts, love, remember who you're connected to." He reassured me.
I couldn't comprehend what it was he was telling me. Of course those thoughts were mine. I thought them.
"No, Chris, those were thoughts your brother placed inside your head."
"She can't determine her own thoughts from her brothers?" Carlisle asked, amused.
Edward shook his head. "No, neither one of them can. It's literally two bodies standing in front of you, but one brain. Watch…" He loosened his grip on me and stepped slowly back. "Christina, come here, please." He asked in a voice I could never resist.
I stepped forward, but no one was looking at me. Their eyes were on my brother.
"He moved with her… I mean with her. The space between them was not faltered in their movement." Carlisle gasped.
Edward nodded and stepped in front of me. "I don't blame you." He said and stepped in front of my brother. "You will listen to me, Alex. You step a foot in the direction and I will force you back."
I didn't like the demands he was giving me. How dare him try and keep me from killing the monster that could have possibly killed my grandfather. I growled fiercely at him and snapped at him.
My eyes widened as soon as I realized what I've done.
Edward was in front of me again. "I told you I don't blame you. It's not you snapping at me."
"No…" Carlisle was beside Edward now, both of them looking from my brother to me. "It's not fully you, Christina. You're brother is there with you. This is amazing. I've never seen this happen before."
"They're grieving." Esme placed her hand over her still heart. "Oh you poor things."
"Their grandfather is still alive." Alice reminded her.
"Can we take the twin wolves and search some more? The longer we sit here and baffle over their mind, the further away the… thing is going to get." Emmett was right. I stepped forward again, and this time Edward let me.
"Quil, Seth, Collin, come up with me. Keep them from getting away from you." Edward ordered and glared at me, daring me to protest. I growled, then immediately felt bad for doing it.
We were off running again, I could feel my brother running along with me. Our strides matched, the sound of our feet hitting the ground was identical.
The scent faded up the mountain and I howled. The howling was twice as loud with my brother beside me.
"Ok, we've done what we can for now. We'll find whatever it is. Let's get back." Edward suggested.
I shook my head. I wanted to keep looking.
"There is nothing we can do now, you need to go home and check on your family. Your grandfather." He was right.
We ran back towards La Push in silence. No one was thinking anything. We were all concentrating on our feet hitting the ground as we ran.
"Chris, Alex." My mom sighed when we walked back into the yard.
"Hold on, Bella." Edward stood between us. I sat down aggravated. I wanted to see my mom.
"What's wrong?" She asked, her eyes wide with fear. Great, now he frightened her. I wanted to hurt him for doing that to her. I shook my head. That wasn't me.
"Where's Jacob?" Edward asked her.
"Inside… he just got back from the hospital Rachel is there now." She was starring at Edward, trying to figure him out.
"Brody, could you please get him out here." Edward asked him.
I looked around the yard for the first time. Everyone was human again. I couldn't find the trigger to bring me back to my human form. I didn't want to. There was a scent out there I needed to hunt. Alexander sat strong at my side.
"What's going on?" My dad rushed outside, his eyes locked on mine. "Brody said they're linked?"
I sat impatiently as I listened to Edward and Carlisle explain it all to my parents. I couldn't figure out why this was so important. We had a bigger problem on our hands.
I didn't realize my dad was gripping my fur until he tugged hard. I leaned forward and my mom gasped. I searched for my father, but he was standing in front of my brother. His hands here tangled in his fur, not mine.
"See." Edward demanded. "Completely one."
"Stop this now!" My dad snapped. "This is not helping him! You phase back now!"
I shook my head.
"Don't you say no to me, both of you phase back." I could hear the horror in his voice, but he was trying to come across as anger. Well I was angry, too. I wanted to hunt.
"They want to hunt." Edward repeated my thought.
"Hunt? They're not going to hunt." My mom said frantically.
"I know," my dad said softly. "Bella, could you go inside and get Ash for me?"
My mom walked into the house and came out a few minutes later with my sister. I stepped towards them, why did my father want her outside when someone is out attacking people?
He placed his hands on her shoulders and stood behind her. "Asherah, sweetie, look at your brother." He asked her and she did. He explained to her quickly what was going on. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear that I couldn't hear.
Asherah's eyes darted from me to Alexander as the tears spilled over.
"Tell your brother you need him back." My dad told her.
"What are you doing?" My mom hissed.
"If there is one thing in this world that he will listen to, it's Asherah." My dad informed her.
"Alex?" Asherah's voice shook. Ethan stepped towards her but my dad waved him back. Good, she was my sister, she could talk to me if she wanted to. "Alex, you have to phase back. I need you here with me, not out there. What if they come here while both of you are out looking for it? Who's going to protect me here?" Asherah spoke through her sobs.
I could feel the strings loosen as Asherah pulled him away from me.
"I need my brother, not a wolf." She whimpered. "I need you, Alex." With that the strings were completely gone and I could hear my own voice inside my head. Just my voice, not mixed with my brothers.
Edward nodded, relaxing his shoulders. "She did it. They separated."
"Go phase back, please." My dad said quickly.
When I came back into the yard I stared at my brother. "What was that?"
"Beats me."
"You guys were just angry. Your minds are linked more so than the others because you're siblings. You had a family member hurt and you pulled together to destroy the threat. Don't do that again." My dad hugged us both.
"Yeah, that was too weird." Quil shuddered and punched my shoulder.
"But I didn't want to phase back. I couldn't find the human in me to bring out." I said quietly.
"That's what I was afraid of." My dad sighed. "You remember the stories grandpa told you about? You give yourself over to the animal in you and you will lose your human self."
I shook my head at the same time Alexander did. "I don't want to do that again." We said in unison and jumped away from each other.
My dad laughed once and hugged Asherah. "Good work."
She shrugged him off, starring at Alexander and I. Her eyes tightened when we saw her.
"Ash…" Alexander stepped towards her, but she slapped his outstretched arm away from her.
"How dare you try and leave me like that! What were you thinking! Both of you!" She cried out.
"We're sorry." She let us walk up to her and hugged her.
The phone rang inside and my mom hurried in to answer it. I heard her crying and I froze. I gripped my sister tighter and stared at my dad.
"No," I whispered. It was over. My grandfather didn't survive the attack.
"Jake," My mom choked on his name as she held the phone in her shaky hand. She stood crying in the doorway.
"Don't hand me that phone." He snapped. I watched his arms shake, and it spread to his legs.
"Ash, get back." Alexander pulled her away from my dad and Ethan stepped beside Alexander, blocking Asherah behind them.
"Dad…" My voice shook as I stepped towards him.
"I'm sorry, Bella." He hissed and with one long stride, he had her in his arms. He kissed her once before shoving away from her. His body rippled and my mom cried out for him, but he was lost to the russet wolf.
"Whoa!" Alexander and Asherah gasped.
"Daddy?" Asherah tried stepping around Ethan and Alexander, but they wouldn't let her.
My dad growled fiercely and ran into the forest.
Alice and Esme were already over comforting my mom.
"I'll get him back." I promised her.
