The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.

Monster (noun) an animal of strange or terrifying shape; something monstrous (having the qualities or appearance of a monster): especially: a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty

It was amazing the clarity I had after talking with Seth. My choices – the decisions I'd made had been to spare us all the heartache and shame we would've encountered. This way, Quil didn't disappoint his grandfather because as far as Old Quil knew he was happy with his imprint.

Quinn and Alex didn't have to suffer the shame of being bastard children or hear their mother called a whore. It was shocking how early the bullying and teasing could start. Embry had been lucky to have two good friends whose families were respected tribal elders. There were still people who whispered horrible, rotten things about him and his mom, but it wasn't as bad as it could be.

It was with a lighter heart that I drove home; explaining to them that I'd needed a moment. I told them as much as I felt comfortable saying. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was close enough.

I had to stop making myself out to be some type of monster. I needed to stop making the elders, Sam, Fate, and every other thing I'd blamed into the same thing. Life happened whether we wanted it to or not. It was a constant cycle.

Too often I'd spent time wondering how and why the sun rose each day or the constant nature of the cosmos. I'd forgotten to stop and enjoy the sunrise or the vastness of the universe; soaking in the beauty that surrounded me each and every day. The key to living without regrets was to cherish the moments you'd been given and the people in your life.

It was after supper that I realized my freak-out had affected Quinn and Alex deeper than I first noticed. Quinn's agitation was palpable. The look of worry on her face tore at my heart. Even Alex's presence did nothing to calm her.

Her brown eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at me, "Mom, what's going to happen? What if they don't agree with you? I don't want it – I don't want to have someone picked for me. I want a choice."

I got up from the chair I'd been sitting in and walked over to her, taking a seat next to her on the sofa. How I wished she was still a little girl – small enough that I could carry her away from all the hurt and scariness of the world.

"Quinn, honey – you can't spend your life worrying about something that hasn't happened or might not ever happen. It doesn't matter what Billy thinks or believes. I will always be the first person to stand up for you and fight with you."

"But…but what if I can't fight it? What then," she asked, her voice and body trembling as fear coursed through her.

I tried to find the words to comfort her, but they couldn't come to me fast enough. It was a question that had never been answered. Quil had been the only one who tried to fight it that I knew of. He'd stopped because it had become too much – living a double life, the disappointment he knew would be in Old Quil's eyes, and the worry of how everyone would react. And somewhere there'd been a concern he'd never expressed, but I knew it had to do with Claire.

What if I was the abnormal imprint? The one who didn't feel a pull to their wolf, but the others did? Could he really destroy and break a child's heart – one that his gaze had pulled into all this?

With my silence, Quinn's trembling and agitation increased. Her anxious voice rose to fill the room, reverberating against the walls. The words no longer made sense, incoherent as she tried to deal with her worries.

I realized this was it – the moment I'd tried to delay for so long. Quinn's terror spilled over to Alex, further preventing me from being able to reach her and pull her back to safety. Did it even matter anymore? I could only fight the inevitable for so long and the longer it was delayed; the more the fear and anxiety would grow until it overwhelmed us all.

I grabbed her hand, pulling her upward and toward the sliding glass door in the living room. My words and directions were short and easy to follow. She struggled against me, but not as much as I expected her to. Maybe there was some self-preservation still intact. The wolf – hers – knowing this wasn't the best place to phase or perhaps, I was just lucky, who knows?

Within moments, I had her outside and we were practically running to the woods behind our house. Her body blurred and trembled and unlike Alex's earlier anger and near phase, I wasn't scared. This was why I'd been born and later drafted into this crazy world. To guide these two children – mine and Quil's – through their journey to protectors.

As we crossed the threshold of the forest, I let her hand go and backed away. My heart constricting as she fought against what was happening. I'd never seen any of them phase for the first time, but I'd heard them describe it.

The confusion and pain which ran through their bodies like an inferno. The drive to give in which warred with their self-preservation and their fear of what they were becoming. The stretching of their bodies and shifting of bones as their forms realigned and rewrote their fundamental programming.

"Quinn, please, baby girl, just let go," I repeated over and over as I fell to the ground. "It's okay, I promise. Stop fighting."

I watched as her red-rimmed eyes and terror-stricken face crumpled. In slow motion her body lurched forward, stretching toward the heavens before it fell forward. A small and sleek, tan wolf replacing her; an agonized howl leaving its lips.

"Mom."

My head whirled around at the sound of Alex's voice. I hadn't realized he'd followed us out here. That he'd seen everything. I wondered what this would do to his induction into all this.

I heard a soft whimper, nearly a whine, which was accompanied by the sound of crackling twigs. My gaze swung back to Quinn's wolf. Her paws worrying the ground as she struggled with the desire to run – it was the last thing I wanted her to do. I didn't want her to be hurt or scared and I needed her to stay here until I could call someone to help.

"Alex, stay there," I commanded.

I stood, dusting off my jeans and cautiously made my way toward to Quinn. My eyes focused on hers, my stance neutral, and my words soft. When I reached her, I held my hand out in front of me, giving her the opportunity to take in my scent and showing I wasn't a threat.

Her cold, wet nose nudged my hand while her warm breath blew across my palm. She still seemed wary, but I pushed my luck and reached my other hand up and stroked her head between her ears. A purr-like sound rumbled in her throat; a definite sound of satisfaction and comfort.

"Okay, Alex, you can come closer, but move slowly," I instructed. "Quinn, you'll be alright. No one's going to hurt you."

I heard rather than saw Alex's careful and measured steps. Once he was close to her, he followed my earlier actions and gave her the time she needed to adjust. The three of us stood there in silence, wrapped in our familial feelings.

It was Alex's voice which broke the silence. As I was pulled from my thoughts I realized how dark the sky had gotten and I wondered how long we had stood out here. The night air was chilly and I shivered. Quinn moved closer to me, pressing her warm fur-covered body around mine.

"Mom, is…Quinn wants to know…is she a monster now?"

A single tear leaked from my eye as I shook my head in disbelief. "No, honey – you're nothing of the sort. You have no idea how beautiful and special you are in both your forms. And anyone who would say anything different is the true monster."

"That's what I tried to tell her."

"What?!" I turned and stared at him, unsure whether to believe or discount his statement. "You still can…" the words trailed off into the night. There wasn't a way to ask the thousands of questions which his statement roused.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

FF_9072904_35 05/12/13 5:37AM