I am a terrible person, you can say it, it's okay.

First of all, I appreciate all of you who have stuck around through this harsh bout of writer's block. It's been a tiring bitch that won't shut the fuck up and go back to bed.

Second of all, I am sorry for the length of this chapter. The next one will be long as it will involve the fate of Sam and OOOOOHHH will that be fun to describe. The gruesome stuff is to come, just wait. There will be some intense eclipse-like action coming up :D

Third of all, have I mentioned how much I love you all? Virtual brownies being sent your way. For real.

Fourth.. of.. all (?), tell me if you want to see more in the Cullens POV. I'm partial as to whether it is necessary or not. You could also let me know if you would like some more dirty stuff. Because I definitely enjoy writing them.

oh, and do me a favour and review. please. for the sake of new chapters.

:)

Before dawn even broke Holly and Jacob were flying through the forest that lined the interstate back towards the reservation. Holly had awoken abruptly in the middle of the night as a result of a terrifying dream. It was a mess of trees and she could hear sneering and snapping and a familiar screech. Throughout the whole dream she could see nothing but foliage and skin being torn and bruised. Only when she was jolted awake did she realize the screech had come from Leah. Startling Jacob awake with her heavy panting, Holly explained that there was something wrong – she could feel it. With that it didn't take them long to be well on there way to the reservation.

For the last leg of the trip Jacob felt himself growing more and more anxious; they were definitely in the radius to hear whoever was on patrol but he heard nothing but silence. Something was wrong, very wrong. Holly's mind was completely focused on finding Leah – wherever she was. They should have listened to Jacob's intuition the night before; they should have just kept going.

As they crossed the border the silence had turned almost deafening, as they couldn't even hear the soft pound of the paws of the patrol. There was no one.

"We have to find Leah." Holly cried. Her paws were beginning to tremble and she could barely balance herself at the speed she was running. Jacob didn't disagree and helped Holly attempt to find a hint of her scent. When they couldn't catch anything Jacob immediately turned towards Embry's. There was nowhere else he could think to look.

It took them only mere moments to reach the familiar overbearing oak wood cottage. In the drive they were met with Holly's grandfather's truck. Without one more questioning glance they phased back, dressed in the few shreds of clothing they had left and entered the cottage. In the kitchen sat Gordon and Billy at the head of the table, along with Fran, Jade and Loreen. When Holly and Jacob emerged into the kitchen they were embraced heartedly.

"What happened? Where's Leah?" Holly cried unstably. The images from her dream the night before were haunting her to the point it was giving her a migraine. She could barely even fathom the silence that was radiating from the several individuals in front of her. She was just about to scream when she heard a door close behind her and footsteps coming into the kitchen.

"Oh my god!" Jacob shouted. His tone deterred Holly from turning around to face whatever the horror was in front of him. "What the hell happened?!"

Holly gulped before finally turning around. What she saw was worse then she could have ever imagined. Embry, looking like he had gotten maybe twenty minutes of sleep, was standing in the entranceway of the kitchen with Leah propped up at his side and the shape she was in was horrifying. Her face was swollen and bruised and there were stitches across her forehead that looked to be almost healed. Her legs and arms were covered in a medley of blues and purples and the way she was standing indicated that she had a few broken ribs. Holly couldn't even begin to wonder what Leah had looked like the night before. They were only so lucky they healed so fast.

Leah was never a crier, but the look on Holly's face brought swirls of tears to her eyes. Taking a few slow steps forward Holly carefully wrapped her arms around Leah's neck and cried into her shoulder.

"What. Happened?" Jacob repeated his question through his teeth. His muscles were pinching and he was trying extremely hard to hold back from phasing. Someone was going to die for doing this.

"Sam." Billy croaked from behind them. "We have a serious situation on our hands Jacob." Jacob couldn't even respond. His eyes were clothes and everyone could here his deep breaths of frustration. He could have guessed Sam was behind all of this.

"Where is he?" Jacob closed his eyes and turned away from the kitchen full of people. He was not about ready to let everyone see the tears well up in his eyes as well. They were a product of his rage, he could never remember a time he was this angry.

"He's at the healers as we speak. Paul and Jared are watching him under strict orders by the elders not to let him leave until you came back." Billy explained, a strain of concern seeping through his every word. "Jake, you are the only one that can do anything."

"We know that you are anxious about taking the alpha, but Jacob, this has gone out of control." Gordon continued. "We can't hold out on this much longer." His glance shifted to Leah and back to Jacob. "And if you are worried about not being ready Jacob, my opinion still stands, you are more than capable of running this pack."

Jacob looked at is feet and sighed, he knew that if he had been holding out for the right time this was it. He glanced towards Holly who was still holding Leah in her arms with Embry flanking her other side keeping her upright. Holly gave him a more than reassuring return glance and smiled as best she could. "I want that bastard in the clearing in a half an hour." And with that said Jacob fled the house as fast as he could. Standing in the front yard he tried very hard not to tear the beautiful gardens to shreds. Everything in his world had fallen apart and he felt as if he was on the edge of losing all he cared for. The thought alone gave him shivers. Everything these people knew and cared for was resting on his shoulders and his decisions.

There was a number of ways to deal with such a treacherous act. Sam disobeyed the orders and used the power he had to manipulate and control everyone to his advantage. He took one of their own and tore her apart in everyway possible, as if he hadn't already done enough to hurt her. Jacob couldn't help but think that if he had made the more responsible decision of informing the pack they were leaving this wouldn't have happened. For a moment he doubted his capabilities; if he had so easily gone behind the packs back in this case, was he really ready to make decisions that everyone depended on? His judgment was impaired, especially when it came to Holly. He would do anything to make sure she stayed safe, what would happen if it came down to making a decision that would put her in danger? It wasn't fair to everyone else.

"Jake, babe." A soothing voice called from behind him. It was if her voice contained drugs that immediately settled him. "Come here." Instantly he felt himself turn to face her. Standing in the doorway stood Holly, wearing the shreds of clothing that had miraculously made it through the time they were gone, caked in grass, leaves and dried mud, and looking more beautiful than anyone Jacob had ever seen. She wore a reassuring smile on her face as she walked towards Jacob bare foot. That was something he had always loved about her, whenever she could, she went bare foot. It was amazing how easily her beauty distracted him.

"I don't know what to do." Jacob felt like crying, something he rarely did. "I'm not sure I can do this." He felt himself fall to his knees; even then his head was almost parallel with Holly's shoulders. Holly immediately wrapped her entire body around him in an elaborate embrace.

"There is nothing holding you back besides yourself. You can do this Jake." Holly soothed as she ran her fingers through his long, silky black hair. Once he calmed a bit she took his face in her hands, leaving her legs still wrapped around him. "I know you can."

And suddenly, that reassurance was all Jacob needed to hear.

"Why are we all out here tonight?" Rosalie grumbled as she ran staggered behind Emmett, making a sad attempt at keeping up with his long strides. "Emmett, for all that is holy, please slow the fuck down!" Emmett immediately slowed his pace, forgetting that Rosalie was not used to keeping up with him and remembering that she was not the optimum person to turn to when it came to patrolling grounds, especially those that are under the control of filthy dogs.

"Sorry Sweets, I'm just not used to having you running with me." Emmett apologized. Rosalie and Emmett barely even hunted together. Emmett preferred the mountain dwellers where as Rosalie had distinct cravings for fish the majority of the time. She was so used to running at her own pace because no one ever joined her on a hunt down by the river. It was not as if the fish tasted any better than other creatures, Rosalie just preferred not to be covered in blood and partial organs. It made her feel less savage and more human in a way.

"That reminds me," Rosalie started as she hopped over bushes and small trees that Emmett had taken clear out of the ground as he ran past them. "You never answered my question, why are we all out here tonight? I knew the mutts were not all that resourceful but are they not capable of keeping watch of their own reservation? I mean really."

"Carlisle just said that there were a few internal affairs that had to be taken care of and they needed some extra patrollers until Jacob and Holly get back." Emmett explained.

"Where were they off to?" Rosalie questioned, a little more put off with the new girl. When she had first made an appearance at the clearing, Rosalie immediately noticed Jasper's strange reaction to her presence. He said later that she made him uneasy, as if he couldn't get a grip on her emotions. It was like she was stagnant, not living, besides the fact they could hear her heart beating. Then when she beat Edward in a race in her human form, everyone was shocked. Apart from that Rosalie felt a pang of jealousy towards the girl. She had always been a bit sour towards Leah because of her beautiful native features but Holly blew her out of the ballpark. Holly was absolutely stunning even as a wolf; Rosalie had never seen a white wolf that glistened the way Holly did.

"I don't know. But by the sounds of it, it's pretty serious." Emmett revealed all he knew in regards to the situation. Rosalie sighed irritably and continued on through the forest. Carlisle and Jasper were around as well, which left Alice and Esme to stay with Bella in attempts of making her feel not so left out after Sam requested she not be allowed to patrol with the rest of them.

"Fuck this, we have ran around and around several times and we still haven't found anything." Rosalie huffed as they passed trees that Emmett had already knocked over and stomped to bits. He was creating a new trail.

"Patrolling, Rose, is not about finding anything specific." Emmett explained with enthusiasm. He quite enjoyed the physical exertion. "It's about keeping an eye on things."

"Yeah, well the only thing this is doing is ruining my Puma's."