A/N: Okay, so I might have lied. Well, not exactly, but I did end up changing the title of this chapter from "Redheads Don't Have Souls" to "War-Planning and Fear-Mongering." This is because I was originally going to make this chapter longer, but I decided to cut it off so I could spend more time on that last bit.

Chapter Thirteen
War-Planning and Fear-Mongering

Ember was always quiet. She would sit back, and observe.

Ember had a different quote for everyone that she said resonates which each person. Under her mattress was a notebook where she wrote down each quote next to peoples' names.

There were few I remembered from the one time she showed it to me, but I did remember Quil's. "It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for; I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill," from Emilie Autumn, in a book Ember read once. I had argued with her, telling her that I wanted that quote. I was eight at the time, but just as argumentative.

That day on the road, when Paula had phased, something in me clicked. I had seen her burst in every possible situation, sometimes in the most minor of them.

In that moment, I thought of that quote. I can never fight for myself…

But I would hurt my friends to protect others.

I phased. I endangered Beau's life and Paula's.

Ember had another quote—Paula's—one from Pride and Prejudice. "Angry people are not always wise." I guess I embodied two quotes that day.

"Julie!" Beau screamed as I leapt into the air and let the heat take me over. The shaking subsided when wolf-Julie came out.

Paula and I faced each other head-on, each snarling and growling, trying to assert dominance.

I could feel in her mind the pure rage that she radiated, how much she hated Beau. She thought he was a liability, that he was not to be trusted.

I charged her, not really examining my actions. The wolf in me took over, my human instincts telling me to run, but not being powerful enough.

Faintly, I could fear Beau scream my name again, fear pooling in his voice like hot syrup.

"Stay where you are, Beau," Samantha warned. Her voice seemed to be underwater. I could only focus on making sure that Paula couldn't claw me to strips. I just focused on doing that to her.

I rammed my shoulder against Paula's, trying to force her back into the trees. I had to get her away from Beau—it wasn't safe for him.

Of course all you want to do is protect him, Paula sneered. You're just some girl that wants the perfect storybook romance complete with leeches and werewolves. Figures.

Shut up! I shouted back.

I was able to shove Paula back into the forest before Samantha joined us.

Stop, she roared at us, as powerful as her alpha voice was. Which was pretty powerful.

My muscles froze immediately. Stupid alpha command.

Paula did the same, still snarling at me.

Julie, why did you bring him? Samantha asked.

He has information.

What kind of information?

It's about the redhead.

Paula stopped snarling. She and Samantha were immediately interested in what I had to say, which was a first.

I relayed the entire conversation with Beau to them—minus the argument; they didn't need to know everything.

Wow, was the only thing Samantha thought.

We phased back, starting to head for Samantha and Elliot's place. Samantha had told Ember and Janie to bring Beau there.

"That's all?" Samantha asked, standing between Paula and I as we walked.

I scoffed. "What? Do you want more?"

"No. Just wondering."

We reached the house by then, and Samantha led the way inside.

Elliot leaned against the counter, pouring a large bowl of eggs into a pan. Beau stood awkwardly next to him, holding a blueberry muffin—Elliot's best—and watching as Janie and Ember devoured what I assumed were their second or third.

"Hey, babe," Elliot said, glancing back at Samantha.

"Hi," she whispered back, entranced. She walked over to him, completely ignoring the giant muffins. Ignoring the muffins? She must really be in love.

Elliot and Samantha kissed quickly, then more fully. Beau turned away, his eyes clouding over.

"Hey, none of that!" Janie shouted, breaking Elliot and Samantha apart for a moment. "I'm eating."

"Then shut up and eat," Samantha muttered, kissing Elliot quickly again.

Ember groaned. She always had hated PDA.

I skipped over to Beau, grabbing two muffins from the plate in the middle of the table. "Hey, Beau," I said, trying to cheer him up some. "Sorry about before. How are you holding up?"

"Don't worry, I'm okay," he responded. "Good muffins."

"Oh, man!" Janie screeched.

I turned back immediately, seeing Janie examining a healing injury on Paula's arm. I laughed to myself. I got her good…

"Fifteen dollars," Ember reminded. She was making bets now? How un-Ember-like.

"Did you do that?" Beau whispered.

Fortunately for Paula, and unfortunately for me, werewolves healed quickly. Very quickly. We didn't even bleed on our periods. Although it was probably good that we didn't have to deal with that, saying as our mortal enemies were vampires.

"I barely touched her. She'll be perfect by sundown." Except for the mental problems, I added silently.

"By sundown?"

"Wolf thing," I whispered. I saw Janie grin at me from the corner of my eye. She loved trying to get people to catch onto her sayings. I guess I caught on.

Beau nodded, then asked, "You okay?"

"Not a scratch on me." At least none I could feel.

"Hey, guys," Samantha said loudly, interrupting everyone. She held onto Elliot, her arms around his waist. He was almost done with the eggs, and my stomach began to rumble loudly. "Julie has information for us."

"I know what the redhead wants," I told those who didn't know. "That's what I was trying to tell you before." I kicked Paula's chair.

"And?" Janie asked.

"He is trying to avenge his mate—only it wasn't the dreadlocks leech we killed. The Cullens got his mate last year, and he's after Beau now."

Janie, Ember, and Elliot stared at Beau, who flushed.

"You can't be serious. That makes no sense whatsoever. I mean look at him—he's just an ordinary guy!" Janie protested.

"I didn't say it made sense. But that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. He's been heading for Forks," I told them.

"Excellent." Janie smiled. "We've got bait."

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. No.

I grabbed the can opener that was resting on the counter behind me and threw it straight at Janie's head.

Dammit, I thought as she caught it just before it smashed her skull open.

"Beau is not bait," I slammed.

Janie wasn't embarrassed in the slightest, and it pissed me off.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"So we'll be changing our patterns," Samantha said, completely ignoring the homicide that almost went down in her kitchen. "We'll try leaving a few holes, and see if he falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that. But if he's really after Beau, he probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers."

Ember met my eyes fearfully. "Quil's got to be close to joining us," she whispered. "Then we'll be able to split evenly."

Everyone looked down except Ember and I, who just stared at each other with a silent conversation in our eyes.

"Have you heard anything from her?" she seemed to ask me.

I widened my eyes slightly, saying "Nope, nothing" to her.

Ember sighed as Samantha said, "Well, we won't count on that." She cleared her throat. "Paula, Janie, and Ember will take the outer perimeter, and Julie and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got him trapped."

Elliot glanced at Samantha nervously, taking one of her hands with both of his.

Samantha caught Beau's eye. "We think it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. The redhead won't know where to find you so easily, just in case."

Beau fumbled, opening and closing his mouth several times before saying, "What about Charlie?"

"March Madness is still going," I blurted immediately. "I think Bonnie and the Clearwaters can manage to keep Charlie down here when he's not at work."

"Wait," Samantha started, holding one hand up. She glanced from Elliot to Beau quickly before saying, "That's one option, but you really need to decide for yourself. You should weight the risks of both options very seriously. You say this morning how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can't make any guarantees about your safety."

"I won't hurt him," I mumbled. This, I was absolutely sure of. I wasn't going to hurt him. Not again.

"If there was somewhere else you felt safe…" Samantha suggested.

Beau bit his bottom lip nervously, his thick brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't want to lead Victor anywhere else," he whispered.

Samantha nodded—in full alpha mode now. "That's true. It's better to have him here, where we can end this."

I saw Beau flinch from the corner of my eye.

"You'll be careful, right?" he whispered to me.

Paula let loose loud hoots of amusement while Janie made obnoxious kissing noises.

I looked down, feeling my cheeks heat with severe embarrassment.

Elliot glanced at Samantha as she smiled at our sisters. He loved her more than warranted, and he worried about her just as much. Did Beau worry about me that much? Definitely not as much as Elliot; he was a compulsive worrier.

"Food's ready," Elliot announced, placing a large pan of eggs in the middle of the table.

Janie elbowed me in the ribs as we lunged for the tray at the same time.

We patrolled for the rest of the day, tracking circles around La Push and Forks. But there was nothing. No trace of the redhead whatsoever.

By the time evening came around, Samantha commanded me to go check on Beau, who was staying at my house for the day.

Charlie showed up with two pizzas a couple minutes after I got home and we all ate dinner together. Two broken families trying to heal each other.

As soon as Charlie and Beau left, I would go back out to hunt with my sisters. Just a day in the life of a werewolf.

"Don't be afraid tonight," I told Beau as we walked outside. "We'll be out there, watching." Making sure that nothing, bloodsucker or otherwise, could get to him.

"I won't worry about myself."

"That's ridiculous. Hunting vampires is fun," I promised. "It's the best part of this whole mess."

Beau shook his head. "If I'm ridiculous, then you're dangerously unbalanced."

I laughed. Dangerously unbalanced? Slightly.

"Get some rest, Beau. You look exhausted."

"I'll try."

Charlie honked the car horn impatiently.

"See you tomorrow. Come down first thing," I reminded Beau.

"I will."

I waved goodbye as they drove away before heading back inside.

While I was changing into a purple sweatshirt and jeans, my mom rolled into the room.

"Julie?" she whispered.

I turned around just as I buttoned my jeans. "Yeah?"

"Please be careful."

"I always am."

"Just promise me."

"I promise."

A/N: Okay, so I might have just cut it off because I liked this ending, but still.

In order to make it up and because the previous ending of this chapter was the reasoning for the original name...

Next chapter titled: "Redheads Don't Have Souls"