Seth tipped the Uber driver, trying his best not to be bitter about having to leave his truck behind to catch the ferry, and bounded up the stairs of the massive, Tudor-style home. This was a major departure from the ultra-modern thing the Cullen matriarch tended to go for...Still, compared to his little, two-bedroom, he suddenly felt inadequate.

The front door opened before he had a chance to knock. "Seth!"

The cold arms of Isabella Cullen wrapped around him, pulling him into an almost bone-crushing hug. "Oh my god. When did you get jacked? You're huge!"

Seth rolled his eyes, embarrassed. "Please. You haven't seen me in years."

"Yeah, but—oh, oh." Bella laughed, looking over his shoulder. As a human, it might have come off as awkwardly apologetic. But Bella hadn't been human in a long time. Frozen at the precipice of adulthood, she was every bit as radiant and youthful as the rest of her vampire family. "You must be Seth's imprint." She grimaced, apparently unsure of whether to hug, handshake, or fist-bump.

Seth pulled Annalise inside. "Annie, this is Bella. She's…an old friend," he settled. That was complicated. Bella was Jacob's ex, his...kind of mother-in-law? Maybe? Seth had no clue what Jacob and Renesmee had between them beyond his friend's protective nature. Beside him, Annalise stiffened, and Seth scrambled. "And Edward's wife. Edward is one of my close friends."

Annalise's expression softened. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for helpin' us out."

Bella waved her hand dismissively. "As many times as the pack's helped us out, we're well overdue." She stumbled a few steps back. "Ah, you guys should come in. Most of the others are already here."

Inside, Seth found everyone—minus Jacob and the other vampires—lounging in what could only be described as a parlor. Everything was straight out of a historical drama and seriously decked out in antiques that Seth figured were probably older than the Cullens. Well, everyone except Carlisle.

Kneeling on the floor, heads bowed, were two men who wore ill-fitting clothes. As Seth, Annalise, and Yara entered the room, their heads snapped up.

Annalise snarled. "You!" She shoved Yara into Seth's arms before barreling forward, jumping the couch and the four wolves sitting there, to land in front of the male coyotes. Her hands were around their throats, pinning them to the ground. "You've got some fucking nerve!" Annalise snarled, the air around her body rippling as she shook with rage.

"Whoa, whoa—"

"Don't!" Yara shouted, darting to guard Annalise's back, lips curled over her teeth. "You don't know what they did."

"I say let her have 'em. We need answers, and they clearly are part of the problem. Let Annie interrogate them." River kicked his feet up on the coffee table with a shrug. "Faster we get answers, the faster we can solve this before any more show up."

"We at least need to know who they are," Embry snapped. "How they found us? What they want?"

Seth knew Embry had a point, but he couldn't deny the thirst for blood and justice setting his muscles to a tight coil, waiting for a signal—any signal—from Annalise. All she had to do was say the word.

Yara shifted, cutting Embry off as he reached for Annalise. "Harlen and Wate. Two guards in our pack. Even if they never laid a hand on Annie, they damned sure didn't stop Damian. Or Tony. Or Val."

"Yeah, neither did you." Embry pointed out. Yara recoiled as if she'd been slapped, but the wolf kept on. "Point is, she's killing them. Look at their faces. We won't get any answers if she doesn't take her hand off their throats."

Annalise huffed, letting go of her chokeholds, and rose to her feet. The two men lay on the floor, gasping for air.

Even with Annalise off them, Seth realized, neither of them moved. As if they couldn't. Or, perhaps, knew that they were safer where they were.

Seth moved to her side. "Annie, remember what we talked about?"

Her eyes cut to him, blazing before she realized who had spoken. She exhaled. "Fine," she muttered, turning to the two men. "Outside. Now."

The two men reluctantly rose to their feet. River led them through the house and out the backdoor. Outside, the night slowly crept in, the shadows lengthening. As Annalise and her former pack members phased, so did Seth. The last thing he was going to allow was her to be outnumbered.

No offense to the Yara girl, but she was as formidable as a houseplant against two full-grown shifters. Seth heard the sound of others phasing before Embry's and River's voices joined his own.

If this doesn't work, we'll figure something out, Seth reminded her, moving to stand at her side.

Behind them, Yara, Embry, and River formed a wall.

Annalise inclined her head to him, keeping her eyes on the two male coyotes. I don't hear anything from any of them. I think your theory was a bust, babe.

Guys, bring Yara up here. I want to see something. Annalise, try giving her an order like you did last time. Seth moved out of Yara's way, watched her watch Annalise with wary eyes.

Annalise's voice grew quieter in the others' heads, like someone had turned the dial down. To Seth, she was loud and clear as she leveled her old friend with a stony look.

Yara, Annalise started. The only way we can help is if you tell us what happened at the compound. Can you do that?

The small coyote huffed, looking back at Harlen and Wate who watched their exchange warily. Can you hear the others? Seth asked.

Barely. It's like...like someone's stuffing cotton in my ears, but my nose still works. They aren't happy being here, but they're just as desperate as I was.

Seth's head was starting to hurt, trying to map out all the possible scenarios, the mechanics of what was happening right now. Like why Annalise could hear Yara and not the others? Why could Seth hear Annalise just fine when she spoke to her old pack, but Embry and River only heard muffled fragments?

Sweetin', you'll drive yourself mad trying to understand why things are the way they are. We know I can hear Yara, and we know she can hear the others. Annalise paused. It's what you wanted to do for me...before...before I joined your pack. You were right after all.

That seemed like a lifetime ago, but she was right. Since the first time they'd phased together, Seth had been able to hear Annalise because of their imprint. Unlike now, they hadn't had the time to see if Seth could be a conduit—a telepathic game of telephone, to put it simply. A fresh wave of guilt hit him, but he fought against it. Now wasn't the time for a pity party. He'd promised to never let anything like that happen again, and he was going to live up to it.

Now, not only did they have the time, this weird, telepathic phone tree was their only alternative. Jacob had already decided Yara wasn't to be trusted, and Seth trusted Harlen and Wate even less.

All right. Let's see if we can do this, Seth said, giving her a gentle nudge with his nose. You tune into Yara, I'm going to try and tune into the guys. It might not be perfect, but…

It's all we got, sugar.

Seth brought his attention to the chatter in his mind, to the curious voices of his pack. Guys? Can you hear Annie? he asked.

Can't hear much over you, Embry answered honestly. Try clearing your head of your own thoughts. Maybe she's tuning into a different frequency and we can't hear her over you.

We're not radios, Em, River shot back.

Seth ignored the remark. No, they weren't, but Annalise had a point. Now was not the time to wax philosophical. Seth had to focus on...nothing?

He'd never been one for meditating. Angela had gotten him to go to a workshop once when they drove cross-country. They'd stopped in some shop with a beaded curtain in Sedona, and the lady leading it smelled like sandalwood.

From what he remembered, it was easier done sitting and not standing on all fours. Seth let his legs fold beneath him and settled against the ground.

I don't think now's the time for a nap, kid. This time, the voice belonged to Jacob, which told him that everyone else had arrived, and that they had an audience. Great.

Shut up, Seth muttered, and I told you to stop calling me that!

He let his ears focus on the distant sounds of the bay, cutting through the fuzzy chatter of tourists and the mental rush of thoughts around him. He could hear the water as it slapped against the stilts of the dock, a steady, repetitive noise that set an anchor on his eyelids.

One second, he was awake, the next, his head dropped to his paws with a thunk and the world around him went dark.

Annalise shook her head as Seth's massive head lolled into the dirt. He was out cold in wolf form. Only he would fall asleep at a moment like this. But, he was still in wolf form and his thoughts were strangely…silent.

Maybe his off-the-wall theory was right. Testing, testing, she called out.

I can hear you, Yara answered.

And we can hear you both, Jacob Black responded. Yara's a little on the quiet side though.

Well, I'll be. Sweetin' was onto something. This is probably as good as it's gonna get though. I don't think there's a volume switch on this thing. Annalise turned her attention to Yara, met her cautious green eyes. The young coyote had been like a sister to her over the last six years. Hell, Annalise knew Yara more than she knew her own blood brother at this point.

Yara softened and stepped forward. I missed you like crazy, girl, she said, nudging Annalise with her head.

Annalise returned the affection. I missed you too, YaYa, but you remember what we talked about. You gotta tell me what happened. Why Damian's going bat-shit. It can't be just because I left.

Yara paused and looked over Annalise's shoulder.

You can trust them. They're a little on the bossy side, but they're good people who only want to see justice served. You know I'd never willingly put you in danger.

Yara sighed. I know, I know. Hell, you kept me out of it more times 'an I can count. She looked over her shoulder at Harlen and Wate, and Annalise mimicked the movement.

Those two had been some of the best fighters in the pack. Mostly peacekeeping unless someone got too rowdy or did something to put the pack in danger. Most of the guards had never been close to Damian. No, the alpha had only truly trusted a small circle: Tony, Val, Silas, and whatever mate he'd taken, which, for the last few years, had been Annalise.

Still, no amount of distance could excuse what they'd done. Rather, what they hadn't done. If either of them had, just for a second, stepped in. Said something. Anything.

Even if it hadn't changed a thing, at least she would've known she wasn't alone.

Annalise pinched her eyes shut. For a moment, she'd almost forgotten the others were listening.

Why is it I can hear you? Annalise asked. She'd just chided Seth for being concerned with the wrong thing, but this…this was something she couldn't help but ask. As flattered as she was that, perhaps, she might be powerful enough to be considered an alpha, she couldn't bring herself to claim that. Still, there was a part of her. Curious. Hopeful.

She felt Yara's thoughts shift, saw years of memories flash before their eyes—when Yara first came to the pack, barely into her teens. Between Zel and Annalise, she'd never wanted for anything. In fact, she probably got away with more than she should have thanks to them. Until Annalise became Damian's mate, the lot of them had flown under the radar. And after, well, Annalise had tried to distance herself to avoid getting them in trouble. But she hadn't been able to stay away too long.

Zel, Yara, and her were their own little pack-within-a-pack, a hodgepodge family if there'd ever been one: an old, mysterious hag; a freakishly small shifter that couldn't fight for shit; and a woman scarred yet somehow still trusting enough to love them, and anyone else on the fringes of their pack.

I wasn't ever loyal to that asshat, Yara said. You and Zel were my pack from day one. A lot of us are only there because we had nowhere else to go. That's what he does, Annie. He picks us out of bad situations, treats us real nice until we don't do something he wants. Some, like me, were lucky enough not to get it directly, but not everyone was so lucky. People were sick of it. Been sick of it. Seeds were already bein' sown the second Zel got there to hear her tell it, soon as she saw what he really was. If Regina hadn't been just as vile as he was, it might have happened before you. But we love you, Annie, and you've only been kind to us, even before you were his mate, and even more so after. We were heartbroken when we thought he'd killed you.

Annalise tensed, blinking back the stinging tears pricking her eyes. As many terrible memories as she had of that place, she couldn't shake the pit in her stomach. It'd been there, in some shape or form, since she'd left, but Seth had made it easier to put to the back of her mind.

The others, too. The wolves were nice, but she never could shake feeling like an outsider and, even in time, she'd still be other. Different. A lone coyote amongst a family of wolves.

Yara ushered Harlen and Wate forward, the two bowing their heads as they neared Annalise. They said they know "sorry," don't cut it. Even though Damian used the alpha voice, they hate themselves for not breaking the order. Said they're sorry for being such chickenshits and not stickin' up for you and that they'll let you beat them bloody if you want.

Harlen and Wate yelped, knocking into Yara.

Okay, she said, I added that last part in. But they deserve it. She paused. I do too. If we'd all set aside our fear, we could've taken him. Easy.

Annalise shook her head. It wouldn't have been that easy, and you know it. This ain't just some weird cult shit. Damian is an alpha and his order is law. She glared into the dirt. Even if they hadn't been chickenshits, it would've been almost impossible to defy him.

She'd tried. She'd tried ever since Damian abandoned his previous mate and set his sights on her. He'd latched on, doubled-down on whatever callous deity had given him the power to subjugate them, he'd tried to break her.

And for awhile, she thought he had. But there was a breaking point. There always was. Even if Seth hadn't shown up in the forest that day, Annalise would've done everything and anything to free herself—bonus points if she could free the others in the process.

Yara nuzzled her face into Annalise's fur and whined. Annalise cut her eyes to the wolves. She'd almost forgotten they were here, listening to her entire reel of "greatest hits."

Right. They weren't here to watch a family reunion. They were here for answers. And so was she.

Sorry, y'all, Annalise said with a nod.

No sweat. It was long overdue, Jacob acknowledged. But if you could pick up the pace. We're losing daylight and we could be ambushed any second.

Annalise turned back to her old friends. There may be some of us who think Damian's a crock of shit, but there are loyalists. People who really believe his supremacy bullshit, and those are the people we're worried about. I need you to show us what happened. Exactly. And we'll need Harlen and Wate to do the same.

Yara nodded and the three of them knelt at her feet, their heads bowed.

Annalise settled in, getting comfortable. Strap in, guys. This might take a second.

She closed her eyes, letting Yara's memories take over.

Yesterday

Yara had woken up that morning like she had every morning for the last few years: wrapped up tight and warm on a pallet in Zora Lee's tent.

The old coyote had been next to her when she'd gone to sleep, but now, Zora was snoring beneath the small table at the center of their tent.

Yara trotted over to her, considered curling up against her side, when she caught the scrap of fabric wrapped tight around a candle. She sniffed, drawing in the familiar, floral scent deep into her body.

A pang of sadness cut through her. Annalise.

She missed that girl something fierce, but nobody in their right mind could blame her for leaving, imprint or not. Yara wasn't sure what she'd do if Damian ever came knocking down her door.

Thankfully, as little and seemingly "weak" as she was, Yara would be the last pick for his new mate. To be honest, it was any wonder Damian hadn't left her to fend for herself. From what she could gather from the strange way his mind worked, she reminded him of someone. Someone he fought to forget.

Most of their kind were tall, muscular or at the very least athletic, even the wiry looking ones. The others thought she was lying about her age or maybe that she was some freak. Yara could almost laugh at the irony. A freak amongst freaks.

Yara watched the flame flicker, the wax drip down the sides….she cocked her head to the side. There, half melted with time, was Annalise's name, carved into the side of the candle. Zel, what is this?

Before she could wake Zora, the sound of Damian's voice hit her ears. He was in human form, which would have been odd...except their alpha had been devolving ever since Annalise escaped after her wolf. Nothing was off limits at this point. He'd been talking to himself, trapped in his own inner monologue, paranoid and rambling.

Tony and Val had kept him from the rest of the pack after he snapped and killed one of their hunters, Jordie, but that didn't matter. The pack could still hear him.

And now, while most were still sleeping, he was at it again. Except now he was on two legs...and someone else was in on the conversation. Tony hadn't come back from his scouting mission and Val's voice, though richer than most women's in their pack, was nowhere near that deep.

Yara crept toward the flap of the tent, peering through the crack. The other tents were eerily silent.

"Yara, get away from there."

Zora's soulful tenor filled her mind, startling her a few inches off the ground as she jumped in surprise.

Zel, you scared the mess outta me! Don't do that!

Zora unfurled herself and crawled from beneath the table. The air around her wavered, like asphalt on a hot day. She groaned, her body shrinking into its human form. Upright and bipedal, Zora held the same height as most shifters and the same athletic grace.

But, unlike the others, her body showed an age just as mysterious as the old shifter herself. Yara had always thought Zora seemed...different. Something in the way she carried herself, the flash of knowing in her dark brown eyes, the sway of her hips, the swing of her long, silvered braids.

"Shift," she whispered, so low Yara had almost missed it.

Whenever she used that voice, it usually she was about to weave a tale so fantastic and intricate, you'd think it was real. Yara obeyed, pulling upright faster and with more ease than the old shifter had.

Zora nodded to a milk crate and Yara sat, waiting. The two of them watched each other as they listened to the commotion a few tents away.

"I knew it!" Damian shouted. Yara could imagine the veins bulging on the side of his neck. "I knew you would betray me like the rest. My own blood? Silas, I can give you another shot, boy. Repent and we can pretend I didn't hear it."

Someone growled. "No!" Damian's eldest son snarled. "Now, I meant what I said. I wanna take Mama and I wanna leave. I hate it here. Hell, she hates it here. We all do! You're a crazy son of a bitch and you'll be the death of this entire pack if folks don't start fighting back!"

There was a guttural noise, a harsh snarl that made the hairs on her body stand on end. "I own you, boy. You and every dog I scraped from the gutter and trash."

"Dad, do you even hear yourself? Dog? They were all right about you. That's why Annie went and imprinted on a wolf. She knew we needed a real leader to save us from your—"

There was another snarl, the clashing of bodies, a scuffle, a whimper, before the shred of animal hide splitting hit their ears. They could hear the pack rousing. Guards were piling out of their quarters, others racing through the compound to get a look, to pull the alpha and his son apart.

"You got six minutes to get gone," Zora whispered. She reached to unwind the scrap of fabric from the burning candle. "This is the only shot you got, sweet girl. You gon' take it?"

Yara's heart pounded. Leave? If she left, she knew what that meant. Death.

Damian wouldn't just break her legs or brand her so deep it left her scarred. He'd kill her. She'd wind up "missing" like the handful of other people who had been stupid enough to try it.

She grimaced, shaking her head. No, Yara refused to believe the others. There was no way in hell Annalise was dead. The second she'd worked up the courage to defy Damian's order, she was free. To hear Zora tell it, once you tasted freedom, there was no going back.

"Zel, you can't be serious. I ain't like her. I'm not—"

Zora gave her hand a gentle pat. "Yara, you stronger than you give yourself credit for. All of you are. You weren't given this...gift to squander it."

The word gift had crawled its way off Zora's tongue like a curse, but the meaning behind her words struck a chord. Annalise had always said that too. Late at night, her friend would always remind them that they were powerful, they were connected in a way most folks only dreamed about, and that was what some folks spent their whole lives chasing.

Nobody knew the whole story of why they shifted or how, but it didn't seem to matter when it counted, because they were a pack. Flying under the radar had solidified Yara's place among the black sheep of the pack, had given her a true home.

Yara glanced to the candle, the strip of fabric that held Annalise's scent in it, a secret spell only Zora Effie Lee could tap in to.

"Zel, I don't have anywhere else to go." Yara frowned, jumping as heavy footfall blew past their tent. She could hear Val's desperate pleading now.

Zora took her hand, wrapped the scrap of fabric around it twice, and smiled. "Sweetheart, long as me and that girl have breath, you have a home. But right now, this one is danger. Find her, find the wolves. Damian was never meant to lead this pack, and you can take it. All of you can. But you're going to need help."

Before Zora could move, Yara tightened her hand around the elder's. "What you mean you're going to need help? Don't you mean 'we,' Zel?"

Zora winked, said nothing more on that, and jerked her chin to the back of the tent. "Listen to ya instincts and tell Annie I said hey."

Sensing her window of escape closing, Yara grabbed the track pants and t-shirt off her pallet, yanked them on, and dove out the back of the tent. With one final look over her shoulder, she headed away from the rushing crowd, toward the south edge of the compound.

If Damian was in wolf form, she couldn't be. There was no way she could keep her mind off this and she had no clue where to even start looking for Annalise. First thing's first. I got to get the hell outta here.

Yara checked her surroundings before ducking through the hole in the chain link fence. She buried her nose in the fabric before pocketing it again. It had been weeks and several storms since Annalise had disappeared, so picking up her trail was beyond a longshot.

Yara inhaled as the wind shifted directions. Nothing but the smells of the city. Zel has officially lost it, she thought. Either way, Yara was that much closer to...freedom, whatever that looked like.

Now what?

She took off at a sprint toward town, letting the world blur past. Though she was smaller than the rest, there were only two people in this whole pack faster than her — she was on her way to find one and, well, Silas was probably dead now.

As she broke out of the treeline and into the alley behind some yuppie coffee shop, her chest tightened. Yara gasped, clutching her hands to her breast. Am...am I dying?

For a split second, Yara considered if Zora was secretly on Damian's side and had used that strange magic to curse her.

"Listen to your instincts," Zel had said.

Yara grimaced, ducking out of sight of the forest and flattening herself against the red brick wall. She focused through the pain in her chest, on Annalise's scent. Her memory. The quiet melody she'd hum, late at night when she thought they were asleep. Yara would stay still as a shadow in coyote form, listening as Annalise crept from the tent, her thoughts blank save for that wordless, enchanting lullaby.

Yara blinked, shocked, as it dawned on her. She wasn't in pain. That gnawing, tugging feeling was a sign. A guide.

Annalise.

A/N: I couldn't upload last night or this morning due to FF's issues, so my apologies! Just in case this place goes kaput, I'm also going to add my stories to my tumblr page (same name: hurricanenotjane) so the don't wind up missing! I'll also be posting some one-shots there probably. I'll still post on FF, but the buggy-ness is kind of peaking lately, no? At any rate, big shoutout to LauraB90 for the follow