Happy February! I did a poll on my profile! If you vote on it, I'll be your best friend. Pleeeeeeease. I'm definitely not above begging. Also, my birthday is coming up next Sunday so that's exciting!
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"Kaya!" I yelled, running down the stairs. "Kaya! Something's wrong! Something's very wrong! I can't feel him!"
Jacob's bone-chilling telepathic scream of my name had jolted me out of my sleep and it only took me half a second to realize that it wasn't part of my dream. I was instantly hit with this eerie empty feeling inside me; all of his emotions, his thoughts, his energy. It was gone. All gone. "Kaya!" I shouted.
"I heard it too, Leah. And I can hear you. You don't need to shout," Kaya rushed past me, her face hard and her eyes trained on the ground.
"I can't feel him anymore," I repeated, following behind her.
"I can't either," she whirled around to face me. Her eyes were panicked for a second before she blinked it away. "I need you to go get dressed. Meet me down here in 10 minutes. We'll take a ride around the reservation and see if we can find him." When I opened my mouth to speak, Kaya covered it with her hand. "Leah, we do not need you to panic right now. Do you want to freak out or do you want to handle this?"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the flutter in my stomach. Nodding my head, I opened my eyes to meet hers. She sighed and dropped her hand from my mouth. "If you freak out," she continued, "it will send the pack into a frenzy. We need to evaluate the situation before we involve anyone else."
"What if he's—" I started to ask.
"He's not dead. Trust me, you'd be in a lot more pain if he was." Her body shuddered a little bit. "We'll start at the garage. Go."
I rushed upstairs to throw on some clothes and then made my way back downstairs. Kaya was already waiting for me, but right as we were about to walk out the door, we both felt it. I looked at her, confused, as I walked over to the door to open it. And making their way up the path was Sam, Paul, and Embry. They looked panicked when they saw me. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, stepping onto the porch.
"Are you kidding?" Paul said.
"The completely deafening cry of your name posed some cause for concern." Embry commented.
"You heard it too?"
"Is everything ok? What's going on?" Sam asked, wearing concern all over his face.
Kaya crosses the threshold behind me and closed the door. "We both can't track Jacob," she said bluntly, "Leah and I were about to go find him and see if he's ok," she said carefully.
"Since you're up, we wouldn't mind some extra help," I said. "Paul, can you go with Kaya to the garage?" He nodded. "Sam, will you check my house and Billy's with me? And Em, I need you to go get Seth and run the perimeter. Keep this quiet until we know something, got it?"
They all nodded. I put a hand on Sam's arm to turn him around so we could head to the house. "Hey," Paul called. "Make sure you're real quiet when you sneak into Billy's. You know he keeps that shotgun next to his bed."
"Billy keeps a shotgun next to his bed?" Embry snorted.
"Yeah, he says his fingers work faster now that his legs don't," Paul shrugged. "I got a shell in my ass sneaking out of Rach's window when we first started dating."
"And we'll have plenty of time to talk about that later," I said, sternly. "After we find Jacob."
Sam and I started to jog to my house, clear across the other side of the reservation. About halfway there, I found myself getting a little out of breath. I tried to slow down without Sam noticing, but I was honestly dumb to think he wouldn't notice. Especially considering I was the fastest in the pack. I was a pace or two behind him when he turned around with his brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing, it's just nerves," I breathed through my lie. "Come on, let's just do this."
I was glad that Paul hadn't opened his giant mouth and blabbed to the whole reservation that I was pregnant. Out of all of the wolves, he was the biggest gossip, which is funny because he hates people being in his business. I think that's why he does it; he doesn't want anyone in his business, so he does everything to take the attention off of him.
The house was completely dark. Exactly how we left it this afternoon. When I opened the door, my heart dropped at how still it was in here. "Jacob?" I called, knowing that I wouldn't get an answer.
"I'll check upstairs," Sam moved around me before disappearing up the stairs. "Jake!" I heard him call.
The kitchen, the living room, the laundry room. All empty. I called for Jacob again as I headed for the backdoor. I swung it open and looked out into the darkness. His scent lingered, but it was old. Jacob, if you can hear me, please say something. Say anything, I projected as I tried to channel his energy again. But I couldn't feel anything. "Fuck…" I whispered.
"He's not here, Lee Lee," Sam appeared behind me. He placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder, just as my own gripped the fabric of my t-shirt over my belly. "We'll find him."
"I'm scared, Sam," I said quietly. I shook my head and walked out the door toward Billy's house. I reached under the ratty, old welcome mat for the spare key and slipped it into the lock. Looking back at Sam, I held my finger up to my mouth to quiet him as I turned the knob. But it was useless. Jacob's scent was just as old and stale here as it was at my house. I marched straight back to Jacob's bedroom, trying to be as light on my feet as possible.
His bed remained unmade as always and it was almost eerie to see his dresser drawers and his closet empty. All of his personal things—pictures, watches, his mother's jewelry box—were all gone. Logically, I understood that they were back at my—our—house. But…seeing his room empty like this was too much for me. My heart was breaking; I was missing him. I could hear Sam checking the bathroom and the backyard for any hint of a fresh scent. "There's nothing here, Lee," Sam let me know as quietly as he could.
He's not at the garage, little one, I heard Kaya project. Any luck?
No, nothing, I answered. Kaya, I'm worried. What do we do?
She was quiet for a second. Then she said, I'm trying to get eyes on him right now. It's taking a little while longer than I thought.
Just as she finished her thought, a lupine howl came from the distance. My head whipped toward the window and I felt my heart skip a beat. Sam appeared in the doorway of Jacob's bedroom and nodded his head toward the back door. I followed him, focused on trying one more time to channel Jacob's energy. I was just a foot out the door when I heard from behind me, "I trust whatever's happening, you've got it under control, Aileah."
I froze for what felt like a lifetime. When I turned around, Billy was sitting in the living room with his shotgun placed across his lap. He flicked on the lamp, and I could see the wear in his eyes. I bit my lip and looked down at his chair. When Billy and Sarah got into that car accident, Jacob was the only one who stuck around to help him. Rebecca, as much as I loved her, was a professional flake. She felt that her grieve was too great to help her newly wheelchair-bound father adjust. And then she left the second she could. Rachel did what she could; she was more concerned with taking Sarah's place as a homemaker but couldn't bring herself to handle the fact that Billy would be in a chair the rest of his life. My family helped out as much as we could and Charlie Swan, of course, but there's nothing like family. Jacob completely took over as Billy's caretaker. Jacob was all Billy had left.
I had to bring him home. If not for me, then for Billy. "I'm handling it," was all I said before whirling around and walking out the door. When I made it outside, Sam was already phased and waiting for me. I started to pull my shirt over my head when I stopped. Could I even phase? Was that safe for a baby? What's the matter? Sam asked, cocking his large head at me.
I pulled my shirt back down and walked up to him. I placed a gentle hand on his neck. "Can I catch a ride this time?" I asked.
Uh…I guess so. Are you ok?
"I just don't feel great," I tugged at the fabric. Another howl ripped through the dead of the night. I huffed. "We're wasting time. Can I ride or not?"
Sam watched me closely before slowly lowering himself onto his belly. I hoisted myself onto his back and grabbed two fistfuls of his fur. When he stood up, I felt my stomach flip again and I instantly wanted to hurl. We'd been wolves for four years now and I had never actually ridden one of them. I'd never been this high up before. I gasped and steadied myself as he began to trot. You good up there? he asked.
"This is weird," I commented, adjusting my body as he jogged faster. Lowering myself so I was lying on my stomach, I hugged his neck. His thoughts scrambled for a second in confusion, shock, and nostalgia before he effectively shut his thoughts down from me. Over time, Sam and my relationship shifted into something I wasn't expecting. Sam had been more supportive of my and Jacob's changes to the pack in the past few months; he was an advocate for our decisions, no matter how controversial or fucking wild they are. Alpha Sam would have had us attack the Cullens as soon as we found out Bella was pregnant. This Sam was more trusting, more willing to listen. And more willing to talk to me without bearing the guilt of the past. I think he actually saw how good Jacob and I are together. And instead of letting it eat him up inside, I think Sam naturally let himself find another role in our lives. He's my brother. I never thought I'd see the day when I said that. But it's true.
Would he be Uncle Sam? Uncle Samuel? I don't know. I mean, they were all my brothers. Even that pain in the ass, Jared. Even Paul. And the pups. I trusted these guys with my life, and I trusted that they would help me bring Jacob back, no matter what. Kaya, Embry, and Paul came into view as we broke into an all too familiar clearing. Sam skid to a halt and lowered himself again so I could hop off. Kaya was looking up in the trees as we approached. Paul smirked as Embry's face contorted in puzzlement and opened his mouth to speak. "Not the time," I said, shaking my head. "Did you find anything?"
"His scent is fresh all over the perimeter," he said, eyeing me suspiciously. "About 50 yards that way—" he pointed behind him, "—that same Cullen scent from the other night hit, and we trailed it all the way here to the treaty line."
"Their scents start to overlap and then it disappears," Paul adds on, folding his arms.
"How is that possible?" I asked.
"We think they went up into the trees," Embry explained. "You can kind of smell it go upward, but that's it. Who knows how long they were up in the trees or which way they went. The scent of the trees starts to mask it."
"So, what are you thinking then?" I asked them.
Embry and Paul looked at each other, a somber look riddling both of their faces. "We think he was taken," Embry's deep voice struggled to say.
I blinked and nodded, mindlessly. Fuck. Me. There was no definitive proof that we knew he was taken. This was just a hunch. A guess. These were all lies that I was telling myself. "Can we get some kind of confirmation on that?" I choked out.
"I'm working on it," Kaya finally spoke.
"There's something else you should see, Lee," Paul gently grabbed my elbow and lead me away from the others. What I saw made my heart drop into my stomach. Obviously, there was some kind of struggle. Patches of russet fur littered these large divots in the ground, as if he had been dragged or thrown around. Claw marks slashed a nearby tree and a line of droplets of blood. I took a deep breath and was immediately hit with the worst combination of smells ever. Vampire, Jacob, and blood. Paul was still talking beside me, but I couldn't be bothered to hear anything he was saying. I swallowed the bile building in my throat and couldn't decipher what was the true cause of what was making me sick. The baby or the sick ass scenario I was imagining in my head.
Stumbling away from Paul as quickly as I could, I leaned my weight against a tree as I tried to put distance between myself and my pack. I felt my ankle roll as I stepped on a root and I buckled. Paul and Sam called my name over and over again, coming over to fawn over me. I waved them off as I continued to put distance between us. Not only is Jacob gone, but whatever happened to him caused him pain. My stomach lurched and before I could contain myself, I doubled over and vomited my life away.
My hands trembled as I lifted one to wipe my mouth. I felt a presence beside me, sweeping my hair from my face and rubbing my back. "Easy…" Kaya cooed.
"You ok, Lee Lee?" Sam asked. The breeze cooled my forehead that was now beading in sweat. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to focus on the sickly-sweet smell of vampire and how it entangled aggressively with the scent that I associated with the love of my life.
"I'm ok," I whispered. Kaya continued to rub my back as she helped me stand on my feet. The three boys exuded concern and unease as they watched me. I nodded my head to Kaya, and she stepped away from me, holding her hands out as if I was to fall at any pass of a breeze.
"So, what do we do now, Alpha?" Paul asked.
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We quietly wrangled the rest of the pack to meet at the Alpha house. No Elders. Just us. I don't think I could handle looking Billy in the eye again and explain to him that his only son had been kidnapped. We needed to handle this as quickly and quietly as possible. Except Kaya was in the backyard, yelling like a fucking lunatic. "Ephraim, come on, I need you!" she called, looking up at the sky. I walked out into the yard and asked her what she was doing. "I'm pissed that no one can get eyes on Jacob right now. I want answers now."
"I get that," I said carefully, slipping my hand to gently pull her arm. "But I'd rather you yell in the house. We're trying not to draw attention to ourselves right now."
She let out a small laugh and playfully rolled her eyes, "Yes, of course, I understand that. But what's more important? Finding Jacob or keeping this on the low?"
I held up my hands in surrender. "Carry on," I said, turning back around. I bit my lip as I bounded up the stairs to the porch. I hesitated before facing her again. "Come inside soon, please, though?"
She nodded at me with a sad smile, "I'm coming, little one."
With Jacob missing, my Misery-inspired nightmare, and the break-in, I would just be devastated if something happened to Kaya too. The boys were anxiously speaking amongst themselves when I walked back into the living room. Paul and Sam were standing in front of them, leading the conversation. I stood next to them and slid my hands into the back pockets of my jean shorts. "Why would someone kidnap Jake?" Quil asked, leaning against a nearby wall. "I hate to even put this in anyone's head, but how do we know he's not—"
"He's not," I snapped. "I would be able to feel if…if he was. We think that he's been knocked unconscious."
"Well, I guess the next logical question would be: who? Who would take Jacob?" Seth chimed in. Ugh, bless his naïve heart.
"I think we all have an idea who would do something like this," Sam answered. "We know Bella hasn't been the most stable, lately."
"I have a theory," Jared's voice resounded. We all turned to look at him. Since Bella's pregnancy, Jared had been noticeably quiet during pack meetings. I could always feel how much it frustrated him to bite his tongue; it radiated off of him daily. He had kind of faded to the back. I knew the feeling. Kaya slipped into the backdoor and found a place among the wolves. She looked frustrated and a bit tired. "I think Bella's been planning this for weeks. All that stalking the treaty line and harassing us? I think she was trying to figure out his schedule. He had the most undesirable patrol time. No one wants those late-night hours."
"That's kind of ridicu—," Colin argued.
I shushed him quickly, keeping my eyes on Jared. "You really think she's been plotting this? Just her?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Honestly? I don't think she's smart enough to pull this off by herself."
"I agree," Kaya said, settling herself on the couch. "There's no way."
"Any luck with the ancestors?" I asked her. She told me she was still waiting for a response. We needed something—anything—from them. Anything that would steer us in the right direction. I hung my head, running a hand through my hair.
"Well, where is Edward in all of this?" Seth asked, skeptically. "Also, where would she even take Jacob? Not back to the manor. That's stupid."
"That's a good point, Seth…" Paul said, holding his chin in his hand. "And, is she really strong enough to knock him out for this long? It's been hours. Even as a newborn, she doesn't have that kind of strength."
My head snapped up in that second. Duh. Of course. Why hadn't I thought of that? "She drugged him," I realized. I snapped my fingers. "Oh, that dirty bitch. She drugged him. Carlisle is the only doctor in town with drugs strong enough to affect us!"
"Nuh uh, there's no way the good doctor is part of this," Sam countered.
"Well…he doesn't necessarily have to be involved for her to have gotten her hands on something. They have an entire hospital room in that house," Jared argued.
Leah… the faintest whisper sent a chill down my spine.
I gasped at the sound of his voice. I immediately tuned everyone out and focused, but still couldn't feel his energy. The connection was weak, but if I could hear him, he could hear me. Jacob?
Leah…
Jacob, where are you?
Kaya stood up in that instant and grabbed my hand so we could go upstairs. "Stay here, guys. We'll be right back." She led us to the back room and told me to take my shoes off. "We need to try to channel him. Keep him talking."
She quickly cleansed the air as best she could with a sage stick and then held my hands in hers, closing her eyes. I followed suite and continued to project out to Jacob. We're coming to get you; tell us where you are, Jacob.
Even with our combined efforts, his energy was completely depleted. There was no way to track him. Leah…help…
"Keep him talking, little one," Kaya said, her voice hard with concentration.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I squeezed Kaya's hands. Where are you? I asked him.
And then there was nothing. No answer. Kaya groaned, "Fuck…" she dropped my hands and started to busy herself. "Any day now, Ephraim! We need answers!" She called up to the ceiling.
"If Bella took him, it's time to stop fucking around. We need a plan and we need a plan now," I told her. She nodded in agreement. I swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. "I'm about to freak out."
Kaya placed her hands on my shoulders and made me take a deep breath with her. "You're doing great. We're taking it one step at a time."
"We don't have time for one step at a time, Kaya. We need answers. And where is Ephraim? Why wasn't he watching Jacob?" My heart started to race.
"Well, if he would answer me, we'd have more information," she said, scowling at the ceiling. She shook her head. "You know what…I'm tired of waiting. If I could come down here, so can he."
She took my hand again and we went back downstairs. The boys were still patiently waiting for direction, trying to make sense of it all. "Sam, sweetie, can you go get an extra pair of shorts for me, please? There should be some in the laundry." Kaya asked, as we walked toward the backdoor. Sam mumbled a 'sure' before following her instructions. Kaya let go of my hand and stood in the middle of the backyard with her legs spread apart. I watched as she took a deep breath. "Ephraim Black, get your ass down here now! It's an emergency!" She bellowed.
We both waited a beat. Then two. Then three. And nothing happened. It was the same gloomy La Push day as it always was. No big flash of light like before. All we could hear was the chirp of the birds and the sound of the wind. "Kaya, this is pointle—," I started to say and was promptly cut off by the darkening of the sky. The wind picked up at a rapid pace as the clouds rolled in fast. A roll of thunder filled my ears as I felt a droplet of rain fall down my cheek. Kaya was still standing in the middle of the backyard, somewhat frozen. "Kaya! Come back inside! It's just a storm." I called.
She waved me off. The thunder rumbled again, louder this time. Sam appeared beside me, a pair of gym shorts in his hand, "What is she doing?" he asked.
"I have no fucking idea," I said, still watching her. It started to pour down raining. I watched as Kaya lifted her face toward the sky and welcomed it. Then, the biggest flash of lightning cracked just barely a few yards away from us. I followed its trail as it touched down into the woods, jumping as the loudest crackle of thunder followed. Kaya looked back at me with a triumphant smile before taking off into the woods. "Wait, be careful!" I called out, running after her. I felt Sam behind me, his confusion more radiant than anything.
"Come on, little wolf, don't you know? Lightning never strikes in the same place twice," she remarked as she skipped into the tree line. Her pin straight black hair was matted to her back and shoulders and her dress was completely soaked through. When she suddenly skidded to a stop, I almost crashed into her. "But sometimes, it brings a gift."
The rain started to let up. Lying in front of us in fetal position was a naked man. Kaya held her hand out for Sam to hand her the gym shorts before crouching down to the man. She stroked his shaggy jet-black hair from his face, as he looked up at her with curious eyes. He looked…exactly like Jacob. The same long eyelashes, the same broad nose, the same cheekbones. I was looking at Jacob's doppelgänger.
Ephraim covered his lower half with the shorts as he looked up at all of us. Unlike Kaya who was incredibly perplexed and afraid when she first came to Earth, Ephraim was as cool and collected as they come. "Now, why do I always have to do the most extreme things to get your attention?" Kaya joked.
A deep, throaty chuckle escaped from his mouth. "Because you prefer to be dramatic than to be patient, angel," he said. I was shocked by how deep his voice was. It was this rich, baritone, commanding voice. Coming out of Jacob's face. He carefully adjusted himself so he could slip on the pair of shorts before standing at his full height. He looked directly at me and smiled, nodding his head. "Aileah," he said, before looking at Sam. "Samuel."
"I feel like I should bow or something…" I said, awkwardly shifting my feet. Kaya giggled.
He chuckled again, shaking his head. "That won't be necessary. It seems that we don't have much time. I believe it'll help you feel better to know that everyone knows that Jacob is missing and are working in overdrive to find him."
"Why weren't you watching him, Eph?" Kaya scolded.
Ephraim turned to Kaya and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I was a little busy, angel. Now that Leah's—"
"Having horrible nightmares," I cut him off, glancing up at Sam who was still in awe of Ephraim and all of his glory in front of us. "It's so considerate of you to be looking out for me, but now we need to find Jacob and we don't really know where to start."
"Start with the Cullens," he stated simply. "Everything starts and ends with them."
"And if they don't know anything?" Sam asked.
Ephraim and Kaya looked at each other with a knowing look. "Trust me, they know something," Ephraim said, before turning around and heading toward the house. "But we'll need all hands on deck."
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Ever see someone command a room? Wait, that's too easy. Ever see someone completely stun a pack of rowdy, restless wolves to absolute silence? That took talent. And organizing that same pack of wolves to be ready to run at a moment's notice was something that I wouldn't have even begun to know how to do if I hadn't seen Ephraim do it with my own two eyes. Without question, they followed his lead. Ephraim, Kaya, and I walked human to Cullen manor while every single wolf was phased, surrounding us. They were very calm, all things considered.
Ephraim eyed me, curiously. "I'm assuming they don't know yet," he smirked as his gaze darted toward my belly. I pursed my lips and shook my head. "You can't hide it forever, Aileah."
"Not forever," I countered. "Just…I need Jacob back first."
"We'll get him back, little one, I promise," Kaya chimed in from the other side of Ephraim. She looked at me with sad eyes.
"She's not going to hurt him," Ephraim said to me, as if reading my thoughts. Maybe he was. Who knows anymore? "She loves him too much to hurt him."
I rolled my eyes. "So, what's her plan then? Keep him hostage until the end of time?"
"Uh…something like that," he answered, "Bella wants her perfect family. It's all she's been able to talk about since she turned into a vampire. In her mind, having Edward and Jacob is her perfect family."
"It's as if her feelings for them both were heightened when she turned. Some vampires have their special abilities, right? Bella has one too; some kind of weird little mind shield. She's decided to take advantage of that ability and now she's become somewhat of a hunter, a tracker. Like that James guy who hunted her a few years ago. She's tapped into being a true predator," Kaya continued.
"But she didn't start the hunt to kill Jacob. She started the hunt to take him and get rid of whatever—or whoever—was getting in the way of their happiness," Ephraim finished, somberly. "I was stupid enough to take my eye off of Jacob, even for a second. I was busy watching you and making sure nothing happened to you…both of you. What did Jacob call it? Precious cargo?"
Ephraim held up his hand for the pack to stop when we were just outside of Cullen manor. "Space yourselves, young wolves," he commanded. I heard Kaya take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "It's just a conversation, angel. Try to relax."
We broke through the trees in front of the huge, glass house. I wished with everything in me that this didn't have to be a conversation. I wished it was Jacob next to me and not the original version of his face who was madly in love with my predecessor. I wished Bella's crazy ass to whatever the vampire version of Hell is.
The Cullens seemed to sense our approach because we had only been in front of the house for maybe a few seconds before they came out in a line. Carlisle, always the frontrunner. Esme, the maternal figure. Rosalie…and then Emmett…and that was it. Wait. What the fuck?
Where are the others? I heard Jared ask, puzzled. Alice and that other one…
"Leah, Kaya, it's so nice to see you," Carlisle greeted. "Jacob, you too."
"Not quite," Ephraim spoke, a small smirk gracing his face. Carlisle's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are they digging their graves or something? How the hell are they coming back?" Rosalie sneered, folding her arms. She looked the most bothered. Her face was riddled with devastation and anger. Every time I had seen Rosalie, she looked so put together and…that's not what I was seeing in front of me. Her usually perfectly curled hair was flat and dry. Her usually perfectly curated outfit was replaced with a pair of loose jeans and a run-of-the-mill black sweater.
"Ephraim, how is this possible?" Carlisle asked, taking a step forward.
Ephraim mirrored him, clasping his hands in front of him. "Funny you should ask," he started. "It seems we're at an impasse right now, Carlisle. Your newest edition, Miss Isabella, has been causing some troubles for my family."
"Bella and Edward left. They've moved on as a family of their own," Rosalie said, her voice dripping in hurt. "No note, no address…no nothing."
My eyes widened. "You don't know where they went?" I asked.
"Why does it matter? Isn't that what you wanted?" Emmett piped up. "Remember when you said, 'when Bella turns, I want you both gone'?"
"I know what I said," I snapped at him. "That was before I knew that Bella would lose her fucking mind after her change."
Carlisle nodded, "Yes, she admittedly hasn't been the most stable in her transition, but now that she and Edward have decided to start a new life, it shouldn't be a concern."
"But it is," I felt my hands tremble a bit. "It's a concern because she's dangerous and could pose as a threat to humans wherever they've gone. Or how about being worried about her child who is indeed half human? Did you think about that? Hmm? Or how about the fact that my Alpha is now missing and the last scent that we caught with his is one of yours? Now is it a concern?"
"Jacob is missing?" Esme breathed in disbelief.
"Jacob is missing," I repeated, emphasizing each word. I met each of their eyes with what I hoped was the look of the bad ass everyone was used to. Standing a little straighter and slowly raising a brow, I spoke again, "Now, we're not here to place blame or anything like that. I have nothing against you. Never have. However," I paused, my lips pulling into a tight smile. "I'm willing to do anything to get him back and to get Bella under control. And I don't entirely believe that all of you are completely in the dark about it."
Call it intuition or…something like that, but everything felt off. Something about all of this was off. Did I really believe that Edward would just up and leave without saying goodbye to his family? That was just completely out of character for him. Jared's words kept echoing in my head: I don't think she's smart enough to pull this off by herself.
Rosalie looked away from me in that moment and hugged herself tight. "How do you know he didn't just run away?" she deflected. "It wouldn't be the first time."
My brain flashed to the chunks of fur, the blood, the huge ruts in the ground and I felt myself swallowed hard. The memory of his blood curdling scream of my name was enough to make my stomach lurch once again. And then I was aware of the little poppy seed inside me. The baby we made. I could practically see Jacob's beaming face when he found out that we had actually made a baby. He didn't run away. Everything was just getting started for us. "Things are different now," I said, definitely, glaring at Rosalie.
"Well, what can we do to help?" Carlisle asked. "This is truly shocking to us."
"Not to all of you," Ephraim commented.
"Where's Alice?" I heard Kaya ask behind me.
"She and Jasper went on a hunting trip for the weekend," Esme answered, hooking her hand through Carlisle's arm.
"How soon can you get her back here?" Ephraim asked.
The remaining Cullens looked at each other with uncertainty before facing us again. "We don't usually keep tabs on each other while we hunt," Carlisle explained. "But maybe there's something else we can—,"
Ephraim held up a hand to stop Carlisle from speaking. If Carlisle's pale white skin could pale itself even more, it would have in that moment. He fidgeted uncomfortably under the Ephraim's gaze. Ephraim studied Carlisle for a few moments, unblinking and unspeaking. Ephraim made a small humming noise as he started to circle the self-appointed Cullen patriarch. "Carlisle," Ephraim started, his deep voice practically vibrating all of our eardrums with each word. "We've known each other a long time, right?"
"Of course," Carlisle said, cautiously.
"I feel like we know each other pretty well. We've respected each other's boundaries for generations now. I know you'd do anything for your family, and I know you know that I'd do anything for mine," Ephraim said, eerily even. "Jacob is my blood, which is why I'm here. I came back to get him back, no matter the cost." Ephraim stopped in front of Carlisle again, less than a foot between them. "I have 11 wolves on call right now. It wouldn't take much to send them to get your Alice so we can get this process started. I don't want this visit to be threatening. We just want Jacob back." He paused for a second before repeating, "No matter the cost."
The air around us seemed still. Damn. Ephraim and Carlisle stood toe to toe in the most intimidating stare down I had ever seen. I was conscious of some irritation that was radiating from my right, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the two men in front of me. For a second, a split second, I saw Carlisle's façade break. It was quick; if you blinked, you probably would have missed it. But he fixed his face to that perfect, friendly good doctor again before speaking, "That won't be necessary. We're happy to help in any way we can."
"We need Alice," I responded. "We need to see what she sees."
"There's no use in that. She can't see you guys, remember? If Jacob really is with Bella and Edward, she won't be able to see them either." Emmett commented.
I nodded, "Yeah, that's what I'm banking on."
XXXXXXXXX
"You're being very quiet," I noted to Kaya as she sat patiently on an old tree stump. Her legs were criss crossed and her eyes were trained on a particular spot on the ground.
She glanced up at me. "I'm just trying to channel, little wolf. I'm alright," she said with a small smile. I didn't quite believe her, but I knew if it was something she wanted to talk about, she would talk about it. After we broke away from the Cullens so they could jump into action, I heard a bit of bickering from Ephraim and Kaya. But, of course, they know we all have supernatural ears so they kept it to such a low decibel that none of us could actually make out what they were saying. I let them do their thing and focused on literally anything else that wasn't going to make me hurl. But, admittedly, after our conversation with the Cullens, I didn't feel better. I felt worse. I felt frustrated and flustered that no one saw this coming. No one thought Bella was capable of pulling this off. I don—, "Stop fixating, Leah, it's not helping," Kaya said, rubbing her temples.
"We can't just keep sitting here, doing nothing," I sighed as I started to pace. We were all waiting in the clearing near the Cullens house, waiting for answers. Carlisle and Ephraim went inside to investigate how Bella could have possibly knocked out Jacob for this long. I told Sam and Jared to run patrol until we got answers. I felt a furry head brush under my palm, startling me a bit. Looking down, I saw Seth nuzzling his head under my hand in a sign of solidarity and comfort. He laid on his belly and looked up at me expectantly. Try to relax, Lee, he told me. I nodded and sat on the ground next to him. "I'm just worried…" I replied as he laid his head in my lap. I could feel how warm he was under his fur. He blew out a breath as I started to rub his head.
Ephraim and Kaya are right. Bella won't hurt Jacob. It's kind of messed up, but isn't that a silver lining? Kid had a point. I appreciated his ability to put a positive spin on something this fucked up. It was what made Seth who he was. Good old Uncle Seth. God, that sounded weird. Uncle Seth. My personal sunshine of a baby brother was going to be an uncle. I caressed the fur between my fingers.
Family is everything to me. If I lost everything I've ever felt like I wanted in life, I knew I had my family and that would be enough. While having all of the hope in the world that we would get Jacob back, there was this horrible scenario in my head that I would have to bring a baby into the world alone. Of course, I wouldn't be alone. I had Seth and my mom and Billy and everyone else. But I didn't want whoever this baby will be to know what it's like to not know how wonderful Jacob is. If we don't get him back, I know that my family will rally around this little one so she or he is the most loved.
"Hey, brat?" I said, quietly. I glanced around to see who was paying attention. Everyone looked simultaneously alert and bored at the same time. Kaya was still sitting on the tree stump, looking deep in her meditation.
Yeah, sis? His big brown eyes met mine. I smiled.
"Remember that thing I taught you?" I said, pretending to cover my ears. "I want to show you something." After the Bond, we, of course, taught the boys how to shut off their thoughts from us to respect their privacy. But, one night, I decided to teach Seth how to focus on opening his wall on one person while tuning out the rest. This was especially hard when we were phased, but Seth thought it was a cool trick and worked on it until he perfected it.
Seth nodded his head before closing his eyes, focusing. His tail thumped on the ground over and over again as he cleared his mind of all of the voices of the other wolves. I waited until he was completely focused on me. Then I leaned down and placed a gentle kiss between his eyes before pressing my forehead to his. Feeling my wall dissipate, I projected the entire conversation with Kaya about how she figured out that I was pregnant. Seth started to radiate the purest feeling of love and joy that I had ever felt. I continued to show him Jacob talking to my belly before taking it up a notch. I had always envisioned Seth playing with his little niece or nephew for years until I phased. And then I felt so guilty that I'd never be able to help create more family; I was so sure I would never be able to make him an uncle. And now, showing him all of the visions that I had created over the years, I could feel how excited he was that they would be a reality soon. You're going to be an uncle, Seth, I told him.
Seth made a little yip noise before burying his snout in my tummy, making me giggle at the tickling sensation. I scratched his head as his tail thumped harder and faster with excitement. Oh my god, Leah! This is incredible! A baby! Oh my god, I hope it's a boy. No! I hope it's a girl! No wait, I don't care what it is. We're having a baby! I'm going to be an uncle!
My eyes welled up with tears of joy as he continued to nuzzle his head into me. He babbled on and on about the baby and it was just so heartwarming to see. Something about this day wasn't horrible. "Leah," I heard a voice call. My head whipped up to see Rosalie standing a few feet away. She looked more distraught and emotional than she did before. I could see a piece of paper in her chipped, unmanicured hands. Her eyes were a lot darker than I had initially noticed. They weren't quite the coal black that meant it was time for her to feed, but they also weren't the creepy golden color they usually were. Patting Seth on his flank, I moved to stand up.
He whimpered before tugging on my shirt. Maybe you should let Kaya handle this, he said.
You have nothing to worry about, Seth. I'm ok, I promise, I said, gently stroking his head so he would let me go. This is just business.
He trailed close behind me as I approached Rosalie. In the years that this pack and the Cullens have coexisted, I actually never had a problem with Rosalie. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I appreciate a woman who knows what she wants, says what she feels, and does what she wants. We had always had a mutual respect for one another. One branded bitch to another. She glanced down at Seth and raised a perfectly shaped brow. "What's with the pup?" she asked.
"Everyone's a bit on edge," I answered, putting my hands on my hips and lightly shaking my head. "You good?"
She shrugged, rolling her eyes in annoyance, "It's whatever," she said. "I called Alice. She's on her way back to the area. I brought something for you."
Rosalie held out the piece of paper. Skeptical, I took it from her hand and saw two full pages of names and locations. "What is this?" I asked.
"It's a list," she replied, deadpanned.
I snorted, "Yes, I can see that. A list of what, though?"
She sighed, "Every single one of our friends in the world and every single place we have owned property at one time or another. Covens tend to stay close to each other for protective purposes. We do things a bit different; we come and go as we please, so we have quite a few abandoned properties in the areas where we know our friends have settled. I've been keeping a running list for years." Rosalie looked off to the side and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry about Jacob."
"Thank you," I said, hugging myself.
"I want to help," Rosalie declared confidently.
My head snapped back in shock. "Wait, what?"
Rosalie rolled her darkening eyes again, "You helped me during Renesmee's birth, so I want to return the favor. And…Jacob's not the only one she took…"
I watched her for a second before it clicked. All Rosalie ever wanted was a baby. Of course, Bella and Edward wouldn't just leave the two of them. They took Renesmee. Bella's perfect family: her, her husband, the baby she didn't know she could have, and Jacob. As long as Renesmee was around, Rosalie could at least partially have a hand in raising her.
"You know, she wasn't helping even a little bit," Rosalie continued. "God, all she talked about was you and Jacob. How much she hated you for taking him from her. It was…" she trailed off, shaking her blonde head. "I was more of a mother to Renesmee than Bella ever was. Emmett and I taught her how to hunt, I played with her, held her when she had nightmares. Edward did his best, but…it felt like she was ours. And now she's gone." Rosalie met my eyes. "Bella has lost her fucking mind for taking Jacob. Now that we know she's dangerous, I want to get Renesmee back more than anything. And I know you want to get Jacob back. So, I want to help."
Before I could answer her, I saw Ephraim break into the clearing. He went straight to Kaya and took her hands in his. I watched as he leaned down to whisper into her ear and she nodded a couple of times before whispering something back. He shook his head a little before helping her stand up. He glanced over at me and nodded toward the manner. "Come on, Aileah. There are some things you need to hear."
When we entered the house, I couldn't shake the feeling of the energy from the last time I was here. When Renesmee was born. All of the blood. All of the screams. Jacob crying. I shuddered, before taking a seat on the couch. Ephraim and Kaya were standing hand in hand near the archway. Seth, having quickly phased back, planted himself right next to me. He was more attentive than I had ever seen him. Carlisle was sitting in that same chair that Edward was sitting in when I told him to leave Forks and the rest of them were scattered around the room. "I just want to say that I'm so sorry that this is happening," Carlisle started. "Honestly, if any of us would have known Bella would do something like this, we would have done something—anything—to prevent it. But Ephraim and I have been working in overdrive to figure this out and I think we've figured something out."
Carlisle went on to explain that he kept a variety of sedatives, painkillers, and muscle relaxers in his collection since we can't go to actual hospitals. He said that he wanted to be prepared if we ever came to him if we were hurt and wanted to anticipate that we would need more than an average amount of medication than the normal human. Realistically, if we were ever severely injured, he would be the one to go to, no matter how much I didn't personally trust him. Carlisle is the only one with the strength and the knowhow to help us. He then went on to explain that most of those sedatives and painkillers were now missing along with syringes, bandages, and tape. My hand unconsciously slid over my belly as I listened to Carlisle speak. "That supply won't last forever, obviously, but I am worried that she will accidentally overdo it. His body will burn off the drugs fast so I'm sure she has to give him doses quite often."
"If he can project to Leah between doses, he should have just enough energy to get to a spiritual common," Kaya interjected. "If he's in a spiritual common, he should be able to communicate with us—or, at least, with Leah—without the interruption of the drugs."
"It'll be tricky, but it is possible," Ephraim agreed, nodding his head.
"But I can't just stay home and wait until he becomes conscious again. We need to be moving to go get him," I argued.
Carlisle spoke again, "Well, Alice will be here soon. She should be able to at least narrow down where they could be."
"Until then, can we offer you anything? Some tea? Something to eat?" Esme had all of the makings of a great homemaker, but I could tell by the way she was wringing her hands that she was anxious about all of this. It was understandable. She thought Bella was going to be another daughter to her. Now two of her "children" and her "grandchild" were missing.
I shook my head at her request, feeling too sick to put anything in my body. Seth also declined, along with Ephraim. "Uh, actually, can you get Leah some tea, Esme? That'd be great," Kaya said. "Chamomile or peppermint, if you have it."
"I don't want any tea," I stated.
It's not for you, mama-to-be, she projected to me with a stern face. Kaya offered to help Esme and they made their way into the kitchen. Just then, Alice and Jasper walk in. Finally. As soon as she saw me, she looked like she could cry right there. Her face crumbled into guilt and sadness before words started tumbling out of her mouth, "Oh my goodness, Leah, I had no idea this would happen. We got here as fast as we could. I kept trying to see her future, but it was always blank. I just thought that meant that Bella and Jacob would become friends again. If I would have known—,"
"Alice, chill," I told her, holding up my hands. "There's no time for that."
Kaya entered the living room again, handing me a cup of chamomile tea. I told her thank you and then it was time to get to work.
The next few hours were fucking brutal. Turns out, that list that Rosalie gave me was much more extensive than I had originally seen. Each coven had at least three or four members—at least—and Alice was sure to check on every single individual person to see if she could see them. Not only was this list massively long, we still had to take into account that they had dozens of properties all over the world. So, in order to try to speed up this process, anytime something in someone's future was a little unclear, Ephraim was making the ancestors look in on them to make sure that Bella and Edward weren't there. It was kind of working. We checked places like Egypt, Italy, Ireland, Romania, the Amazon even. Nothing. We were getting closer to narrowing down where Jacob could be.
Alice was working hard. I could see that we were exhausting her energy, but when I told her we could take a break, she refused. She was so racked with guilt, for whatever reason, that she wouldn't allow herself to rest. Jasper stayed at her side the whole time, sending her as much calming energy as he could. He never said much, but I could tell how much he cared about her. Rosalie was also super present, insisting that she wanted to help any way she could. Because I knew that she knew if we found Jacob, she would be able to at least know if Renesmee was safe or, if worst case scenario, she'd be able to get Renesmee back someplace safe.
"Ok, what about…Sasha?" I asked, looking at the list, crossing off another name.
"Dead," Rosalie answered, pacing behind me. I mumbled an 'ok' before crossing her name off too. "Laurent is too, but you probably remember that."
"I don't even know what you're talking about," I mumbled, looking for another name.
"Your pack was the one to destroy him when he attacked Bella after we left a few years ago," Jasper said. "Dark skin, dreadlocks, moustache, any of that ringing a bell?"
"We've killed a lot of vampires around here. I don't really keep track," I shrugged, not looking up.
Rosalie sighed, "Check on the rest of the Denali, Alice."
"Where are they?" I asked, looking for that name.
"Alaska," Rosalie answered.
"They're in Alaska," Alice says suddenly. "Carmen and Kate are planning on seeing Bella and Edward soon. They think it's a normal visit."
I hopped up, "This is good! Wherever Bella and Edward are, Jacob and Renesmee are."
"Uh, pump your brakes," Rosalie says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Let her keep doing her thing before we can be totally sure that's where they are."
"They're probably staying at the house close by," Jasped interjected.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Edward probably feels safer close to the Denali," Rosalie commented.
"What's the story?" I asked.
"They're a lot like us. They feed on animals rather than humans." Jasper explained. I looked up at him, surprised that he was speaking this much. "Their coven has grown a lot over the years. At first, it was just Eleazar and Carmen, but then they picked up Tanya, Kate, and Garrett, who just joined them recently, I think. Sasha was a vital part of the Denali before she was destroyed by the Volturi for turning a child. Now, the Denali are super strict with making sure that they are following Volturi law. They are still some of our closest friends with the exception of Iri—,"
Alice gasped dramatically, clutching Jasper's hand as her eyes darted back and forth, trained on the ground. Her chest started to heave as she breathed out, "It's Irina."
"What, Alice? What about Irina?" Rosalie asked, crouching in front of her.
"She's seen Renesmee," Alice started. "She found out that Bella and Edward were in town and went to stop by to see them. She saw them playing with Renesmee and thought she'd been a child turned. She wants to go to the Volturi."
"No! If she goes to the Volturi—" Rosalie began.
"Bella, Edward, and Renesmee will be destroyed," Jasper finished. "And Jacob will be exposed. They'll kill him too."
"But how do we know for sure that Jacob is with them?"
Alice met my eye, "Because, any time I try to see Bella, unless she's out with Edward, I can't see her. Which only happens if a wolf is nearby."
"That's a good enough explanation for me," I said before turning to Rosalie. "You said you wanted to help? We're going to need a car."
Rosalie nodded before we made our way downstairs. Kaya and Ephraim met us at the door, having listened in the whole time. I immediately had it all figured out in my head. And apparently so did they. "The pack needs to get to Denali, Alaska as soon as possible," I told them.
"I will lead the pack to Alaska. You need to stay human in case Jacob wakes up again," Ephraim said.
"Can you still phase, Eph?" Kaya asked, turning to him. "I can't phase. I've tried."
He nodded, "You died human, angel. Your wolf gene had gone dormant. I died while I was still shifting. They already explained it to me, but we don't have time for that. We have to go."
Ephraim kissed Kaya on the forehead before walking out of the door. She looked after him longingly before turning back to me. "Ok, let's get this show on the road," she said.
Rosalie led us to the garage where we all hopped in a brand-new black Range Rover with insanely dark tinted windows. "I figure this will be big enough to fit all of us," she explained. "I'll drive."
"It'll take us at least two days to get there," Kaya said.
Rosalie chuckled, "Not the way I drive."
I buckled my seatbelt and took a deep breath, feeling my stomach flip once again. Closing my eyes, I attempted to channel Jacob's energy. Now that I knew where he was, I was going to do anything to bring him home. Like Ephraim said: no matter the cost.