JPOV

As I ran over to Sam's house for the meeting, I kept thinking about the baby and how excited I was to finally be a father. I knew we had plans to wait, but the Higher Powers seemed to think differently. I hoped that nobody else was at Sam's yet, because I wanted to tell him the news in private and discuss keeping someone around at all times in order to patrol. I knew Bella was safe with me, but the added wolf wouldn't hurt in case somehow we came under attack. I got to his yard, phasing and pulling my shorts on. He greeted me at the back door, and I could see that I was the first one there.

"Hey Sam, I need to talk to you before anyone else gets here." I said, following him into the living room.

"What is it, Jacob?" he asked as we sat down.

"I know that I'm not taking over as Alpha for another week or so, but I wanted to talk to you about increasing patrols, especially around my house" I began.

"Have you heard of a vampire threat or something? You know that you needed to come to me right away and let me know" he said, looking at me sternly.

"No, there is not threat, at least for the time being. Everything has been really quiet, and the pixie hasn't had any visions, so we are good." I told him.

"I wish you didn't rely so much on them, Jacob. I know they have been very good to you and Bella, but I don't want you letting your guard down in case one of them reverts. Please don't get me wrong, I am very grateful that they are helping us train ourselves and the new wolves, but we need to be smart about all of this" Sam said.

"I know Sam, and I am keeping my guard up. I honestly don't think that they pose any threat at all, with the exception of that Edward and his wife. I don't trust him because he still has feelings for my Bella and I don't know Amanda enough to trust her yet. But that's not the reason I want to increase the patrols" I said, watching his face.

"We found out that Bella is pregnant, Sam, and I want to make sure the Volturi don't find out. As you know, our child, and future children, and going to play a pivotal role in taking down the Volturi, making the world safe from their evil reign. I just want the added protection around our house 24-7." I replied. Sam got up, shaking my hand and slapping me on the back, congratulating me.

"That's wonderful news, Jacob. I bet you're both really excited at becoming parents" he said, sitting back down.

"We are, even though it happened sooner than we had planned." I said, chuckling.

"So, have you given any thought about who is to be your beta?" he asked me.

"Yeah, and I've chosen Leah. She was surprised, wondering why her and not one of the more experienced wolves, and I told her how proud I was with all the growing and changing she had done over the years. She's a natural leader, and I know she will do a good job" I replied.

"Leah is a very good choice, and I back it 100%. She has changed remarkably over the last few years, and I know the Pack respects her, even if it's her wrath they fear" he said, laughing.

"Oh yeah, she's got a temper on her for sure, but it's a good thing because she wont take any shit from anyone, especially Paul"

Just then, the rest of the Pack started to arrive, and Sam waited until they were all settled in before he began.

"Thank you all for showing up on time tonight. Before I begin, Jacob has some news he would like to share with you all" Sam began.

"I'm going to be a father!" I exclaimed.

Everyone applauded, then came over to shake my hand. Once everyone settled back down, Sam stood back up in the center of the room.

"As everyone knows, Emily is pregnant again. We found out recently that she is having triplets, so you can imagine how hectic things will be. After considering long and hard about what I am about to tell you, I want you to know that it wasn't easy making this decision. I have decided to step down as your Alpha, and I have asked Jacob to assume the role" he said, watching everyone closely.

"You want a leech lover to lead us? Are you fucking crazy Sam?" Paul angrily said, getting to his feet, his hands shaking in rage.

"That will be enough from you Paul. Jacob should have been your leader since the beginning because of his birthright, but you all know he never once challenged me. I know that Jacob will be an excellent Alpha, so I think you need to show him the respect he rightly deserves" Sam said, advancing slightly toward Paul.

"OK, Sam, I get that, but dude, he's all with the leech loving campaign, along with his damn wife! I think it's unwise to choose someone who is so intertwined with the enemy that we are SWORN to destroy!" Paul said, not backing down at all. I felt my own anger starting to take over, so I stood up to confront him.

"You can say whatever you want about me, Paul, but don't you DARE talk about Bella like that! She views the Cullens as family, and they have done NOTHING to warrant your disgust other than being vampires. For fucks sake, they have TRAINED you so that you can better fight vampires!" I said, fighting not to allow my rage to cause me to phase in the house.

"Paul, I suggest you change your attitude before I have to take you outside" Sam said, glaring at him. Paul let out a growl, then finally sat back down.

"Now, does anyone else have a problem with Jacob being your Alpha?" he asked, looking at each person. Everyone shook their heads, with the exception of Paul.

"Then it's settled. Effective ten days from today, Jacob will lead you. He knows the ramifications about letting his guard down when it comes to the Cullens, and I trust him to make sure they don't revert back to killing humans. Also, starting tonight, I am going to increase the patrols. One person will be stationed near Jacob's house at all times, while two more will patrol the borders. We are going to keep the new four hour shifts, this was nobody gets stretched too thin." Sam said.

"Why, Sam? Why step down from Alpha? We can pick up more patrols so you can help Emily out." Paul said, defeat in his voice.

"Because, Paul. I want to grow old with Emily, and I cant do that if I continue to phase. We both have decided that we aren't going to partake in the genetic project that Carlisle is currently working on, which I think is wonderful for future generations of werewolves. It will have no effect on our children because they are already either born or conceived, so the only benefit we would have from it is Emily's lack of aging. I understand that several of your mates are interested in doing it, and I think it's a very good thing. Jacob will let you know once Carlisle is finished, which should be soon from what I've heard." Sam said, looking at me. I nodded my head, because Bella had told me that the gene therapy would be ready by the holidays.

"Excellent. I'm going to let Jacob speak now, because he has chosen his beta and would like to talk to you about some things." Sam said, sitting down so I could address the Pack.

"Thanks, Sam. I just want to start by saying that you don't have anything to worry about as far as the Cullens go. I promise you that the Pack and our duty will always come first, so please be reassured that I will be watching them closely. They have done a lot for Bella and I, and they have taken the time to train all of you so that we are more adept at killing enemy leeches. Because of their generosity, Bella and I have set up a fund for the Pack and their families. If any of you ever have financial needs, or if any emergencies come up and you don't have the money to pay for it, the fund will cover you. We also set it up to cover the food costs with feeding this pack of animals. We all know how much we can eat, and it gets really expensive keeping our stomachs full all the time. Another thing Bella and I have discussed is donating enough money to the Elders so they can build the museum they have wanted to build for a long time now. We are going to be meeting with them next week to see how much is needed to get the project going. We are also setting up a fund to help the people of the reservation who have fallen on hard times and need some help. We are going to build a shelter, along with a food pantry and kitchen so that our people can come for a warm meal or fill their shelves with food to feed their families." I told them. Everyone started talking excitedly about everything, and I felt myself smile because it was so great that we could do all of this for my people.

"Back to business now. I want the Pack to continue their training with the Cullens, this way we stay sharp with our fighting skills. We will probably go over there twice a month in two groups so that the borders still have enough coverage. I want to keep the same patrolling schedule that Sam has set up, because it seems to work out well with everyone's work and family schedules. I think that about covers it, so the last thing to talk about is who I am choosing as my beta. I thought a lot about it, because all of you have the ability to lead, but I decided to choose Leah." I said, watching to see if anyone had a problem with it. I heard Paul mutter something under his breath, but I let it go for just then.

"I decided to ask Leah for several reasons. She has shown a lot of growth over the years, evolving from a damaged person, unable to get past her bitterness and taking it out on anyone around her, to the person she is now. She has a natural ability to lead, and I know I can count on her in case something were to ever happen to me. That, and the fact that Elliot is her Imprint, made my choice a little easier. Elliot shares the same genetic makeup that Bella has, so once he is older he will stop aging and develop the same abilities that she does. I hope you all can accept her as my choice." I finished.

Everyone was content with my decisions, so a little while later Sam dismissed us. I stayed for awhile, talking to them about the plans for the reservation, among other things. Everyone began leaving, and I wanted to get home to Bella, so I said goodnight to Sam and walked out the back door. Just as I phased, I heard Paul in my head.

Paul: I'm going to be watching you, leech lover, and when you fuck up, I am going to take you down.

Jake: Seriously Paul, this is getting old. We are going to be family soon, once you and Rachel get married, and I don't want this animosity between us.

Paul: Regardless of you becoming my brother in law, I'm going to make it my personal project keeping an eye on you, Jake. I have no problem with you being Alpha, but I do have a problem with you being friends with those blood suckers. If it ever came down to having to kill one of them, I don't trust that you will be able to. You're in too deep, man, so if I were you I would think long and hard about being all buddy buddy with them.

Jake: That's fine Paul, watch me all you want. I can tell you that you'll be wasting your time. My duty is protecting my tribe, along with other innocents, and I take that very seriously. Go home, Paul, before Rachel has a stroke and makes you sleep outside.

I watched as Paul took off one way and I the other. I had a feeling that he was going to be a problem and I hoped that we could settle it before it got too ugly. I arrived home a few minutes later and was glad to see the lights on and that Bella was still awake. Even though it was only a little after 10, I was sure she would be asleep. I phased, pulling on my shorts, then walked into the house. She was in the kitchen making huge ice cream sundaes for us, but stopped when she saw me come in, walking over to me and kissing me.

"How did it go?" she asked, going back to what she was doing.

"It went better than I thought it would, but Paul might be a problem" I said, sticking my finger into the whipped cream. I instantly regretted mentioning Paul because I didn't want her worrying.

"What's wrong with him?' she asked me warily.

"Oh, you know he is with his temper. He doesn't like change, so he threw a fit is all. Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about" I replied, hoping that she wouldn't press me about it. I didn't want to lie to her because I would hate myself for it, but my answer seemed to appease her and she dropped it. I watched her as she finished up with the ice cream, and she looked adorable in her pajamas. They consisted of a red long sleeved T shirt and red plaid flannel pants. Her skin was glowing, and she never looked more beautiful to me. I tried imagining her with a swollen belly, smiling as the visual came to me.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, putting everything away.

"I was just imagining you later in your pregnancy. You are going to be the hottest pregnant woman ever!" I said, picking up the sundaes and walking toward to living room.

"Oh please. I think you need to go talk to someone about your delusions" she laughed, sitting down next to me on the couch. I put in a movie, deciding to watch one of her favorites, Bridget Jones Diary, then started digging into my ice cream. The movie wasn't bad, as far as a chick flick went, and I found myself really enjoying it. When it was over, I brought our dishes to the kitchen, placing them into the dishwasher and starting it. We then went upstairs to go to bed. She looked so tired, and I wanted to make sure she got a good nights sleep. When we both were settled in bed, I turned out the light and pulled her body against mine, and before long, we were both zonked out.