"Don't you see? The catastrophe is me. My very existence is an affront to everything that is natural and good." ― K.J. Wignall

"Leeches are getting closer. There's slaughtered hikers not twenty miles from here. I need a bigger pack."

Despite the horror of the news. It could hardly be called surprising.

"It's your son's time."

Billy accepted it without voicing a single argument against my plan. I demanded that he keep Bella away from his house while I work on Jacob's phasing. Later that night, I could barely sleep from the constant image of Billy's sad face flashing in my eyes. I can't be haunted by guilt for this. The safety of my people and the safety of all humans in the area is too important to disregard the need for a new wolf.

But I can't say this lifestyle isn't absolutely devastating. And I know I'll be putting that on at least one more person.

My thoughts trail around the idea that Jacob himself could imprint. He'd lose his interest in Bella pretty easily and would probably be accepting of my link with her. Except, of course, the universe deemed that to be too easy of a solution and thus not happening. It's typically, really, the suffering that compounds in my life. Interest on a debt that always grows.

Imprinting is too rare, they say. The tribal elders don't believe everyone in the pack should carry the responsibility of it anyway. It ties you to something greater than just the safety of the tribe. You now carry the weight of destiny on your shoulders, making the desire to kill Cold Ones even stronger. That level of bloodlust would turn a whole pack crazy if every wolf had it. For now, I feel Jared and I will be the only ones to hear that call. And I'm the only one trying to resist the sirens.

I call a meeting between us four at night to explain more clearly the devastation that I saw at the campsite and the taunting message. For one of those rare nights, I open up my house to the boys and allow them to guzzle down all the beverages I store in my fridge. It annoys me, but

"Man, are you sure that was for us?" Paul asks with arms crossed his chest in defiance. His posture makes me greatly reconsider naming him beta. But if I transitioned to Jared, I'd have to hear about the never-ending benefits of imprint intimacy all day. And I just can't right now.

I frown down at him, "If we can smell a vampire, no doubt they can smell us. They're watching us. They know we're here."

Jared and Embry nod silently, unable to think much at all.

"I need to bring Jacob Black up to the level where he'll phase uncontrollably. Where all of us were once naturally on our own."

The group stares at me, weighing my words. It's a cruel thought. They all know that.

Embry finally speaks up from his spot on my couch, "Are you sure that will work? I mean, I've seen it from a distance. She's been making him happy." He doesn't make eye contact with me when he says that.

"She's not his," Jared grits out through his teeth. His anger can be felt permeating throughout the room.

Everyone stills to look at him.

"If someone else tried to come after Kim, I'd make sure they knew that," he looks at me dead in the eye. "Even just the thought of it makes me pissed."

I shake my head to diffuse the tension, "This isn't about Bella Swan. We need Jacob on our side. He's the direct ancestor of the last Alpha."

"You're not giving away your position, are you?" Paul gapes at me, the last bit said accusingly.

"No, he's too young at the moment. Too untrained. But when he's ready, I will follow the law and step down peacefully."

Paul scoffs, "Baby Black doesn't have a chance."

Jared laughs, but Embry shakes his head at them both. "Maybe he would if he could do things naturally," he bites back. And I look at him just once to know the desire to defend his friend still rules him here.

"As if any of this is natural," Paul scoffs. "Turning into giant wolves is ridiculous, even if badass."

No disagreement there.

But the sour expression on Embry's face doesn't leave despite Paul's attempt to lighten the mood. I give him props for trying though. Maybe he isn't a terrible beta.

"Look," I tell the youngest wolf. "I don't want to hurt Jacob, I really don't. But he's needed. I was right about the threat."

He doesn't look at me.

"Well, hope you can figure it out, Boss," Jared sighs.

Billy informs me later that Bella shouldn't be coming by anytime soon. It pains me to think of what effect that will have on both of us. Her visits on the rez at least calmed a small part of me. Upon hearing his words, her likely prolonged absence only wrecks me more.

Jacob doesn't know yet, however. I take the opportunity to find him in their garage while he's tinkering on the bikes they still have an interest in.

I remember vividly the rage I felt wondering how it would have been seeing Bella, not Jacob, crash. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep myself from running to help her.

The young Quileute boy doesn't look at me when I invade his space. He continues to use a wrench to tighten knobs I can't quite identify. Well, suppose I'm better at carpentry. We all have our own strengths. But a knot forms in my stomach that tells me Bella would prefer a mechanic.

"She's not coming. You'll have to talk to me today, not her," I tell him. My voice already rubbed raw at the words and yelling hasn't even broken out yet.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes at me, refusing to acknowledge my words. His hands are drenched in oil. Images of Bella the same way flash in my mind. I push them out. She's not going to come back here for a while at least.

The minutes of silence must get to Jacob because he finally breaks the tension. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk," I answer.

He laughs, clearly not believing my intentions. I know what the kid thinks of me well enough. Embry relayed how they cringed each time our group went near.

"About what?" Jacob rolls his eyes.

I take a step forward and he finally looks up at me. The kid isn't small by any means, but he isn't yet bigger than me. And I know my size is intimidating to most people.

"Responsibility."

Jacob groans, "Are you always this fucking vague?"

Generally, yes.

I decide out of the kindness in my heart to get him a bit more to chew on for now, "Soon you're going to be faced with a choice of whether to accept the responsibility bestowed upon us that none of us asked for or to crumble under that weight. We'll all be waiting."

His dark eyes narrow, though it takes him a moment to respond. Though I'll certainly feel the guilt for it later, it's good to know I'm stirring anger inside him now.

"Get out," are his final words to me.

I have a theory, not backed up by any evidence found in the many tribal journals, that a wolf about to phase can have his condition exacerbated by the adult wolves around him. Not even going as far as trying to rile the kid up as I did, but even just the scent of transition can cause someone to speed up in their own process. Wouldn't be the first time pheromones wreaked havoc. It's probably the basis for imprinting as well. In all, not the worst theory I've ever had.

Testing this theory means I can use the whole pack to crowd Jacob into phasing.

Billy called me to explain that the lack of Bella's visiting and my intimidation tactics have caused the kid to develop a fever. His anger at his old man has even increased. And while I can definitely understand that, Billy has been a good father overall. So it gives me another small reason to push for Jacob to finally turn. He shouldn't be cruel to the last parent he has.

Embry doesn't like the plan. If I'm entirely honest, Jared doesn't either. It must say something about Paul for the guy to get excited about beating on a younger kid. Something about the bullies being bullied in their own lives, maybe. Not a topic I want to broach today.

We hunt him down later in the week. When the clouds have turned dark gray and the sun shines its last beam over the horizon before finally dying. The cloak of darkness will increase the atmosphere of uneasiness around Jacob Black that I know he feels already.

And it will make me feel like a criminal using the dead of night to escape recognition.

But the thing about being a wolf is we can't escape from knowing each other. Eventually, Jacob will see Bella is my mind and he'll know. He'll know he can't possibly persuade her to be with him. If her reaction to him kissing her is anything to go, she was never there to begin with.

When we find him outside at night waiting by his bike and still looking out as if Bella will join him, my chest does tighten. Only because I know the feeling of waiting for her and being disappointed. Somehow Billy is catching her phone calls and telling her to stay away before Jacob can hear. The old man told me it's been difficult. We will have to get Jacob to agree not to contact her soon and there's only one way to do that.

He stands up to leave immediately, but we crowd him quickly.

"Let me go," he grinds out through his teeth. His voice tells me he is on the very cusp of phasing. Just a little more.

Jacob spins around looking at all of our faces. He contorts in pain upon seeing Embry and realizing his old friend won't budge either.

"Your time is now," Paul growls with a poorly hidden smirk on his face. Fuck. Maybe I do need to talk to him about his sadistic tendencies.

"Fuck off," Jacob yells back.

Instead of choosing to engage with the group, Jacob narrows his sights on Paul, the obvious threat. At least I know he won't back away from a fight.

The heat rising off our five bodies is almost enough to light a wood house on fire. The tension and pheromones will be too powerful for the latent instincts in Jacob to ignore.

Paul shoves Jacob on his chest. Jacob gets ready to hit back. But Paul smiles again and takes two steps back. Shit. Shit. I know what he's about to do.

He phases right in front of all of us. Embry and Jared gape at the scene, not expecting Paul to want to instigate a fight so quickly. We were only planning on making Jacob phase by himself, not defend himself right away.

Jacob's body finally shakes. He can't hold it in. He explodes into a giant red wolf. The anger is still so intense in him that he growls and snaps at Paul's wolf until he realizes what he is and begins to whimper.

Jacob Black looks at Paul as a wolf and the three of us three still human and then takes off into the forest. His ability to sprint is stronger than I expected.

"Let's follow him now!" I yell. I can't allow a potential loose cannon to be unguided for the night.

We shed our clothes and trail after the newest pack member.

I'm hit with his panic immediately. And I know all the others can see it too. There are many flashes of pain.

The first is the death of his mother. A tragic car accident. The loss affecting the young boy so powerfully every happy moment he's experienced since is laced with the regret of not being able to share it with her. There's the horror of her funeral. So many crying faces going up to him and his sisters. He couldn't respond. He didn't know how. He's haunted with the guilt of looking like he didn't care.

His sisters then grow up and leave. A piece of their family has been so shattered that they can't stick around to see it broken forever. Jacob doesn't understand why his father isn't more upset about it. Maybe he understood that his daughters deserved to forge their own life away from the hell that is Quileute ancestry.

Later, Billy shows his pain subtly. He's not able to get a handle on his diet. The diabetes gets much worse. He's confined to a wheelchair and desperate for the poorest insurance just to afford insulin. He won't listen to the

At the end of it all, Jacob's desperation for that loneliness to end shows itself in the many times he's had to remake friends. He found Embry and Quil. And then lost Embry to a chaos and confusion he still doesn't understand.

And of Bella. She came back to live in Forks and Jake almost thought he had a chance, not just for a relationship, but a deep friendship as well. But I'm almost stopped in my tracks seeing new angles of her destroyed face. All I can feel is anger at the Cullens for doing that to her. Leaving her so cruelly and trying to take a piece of her soul with them. That rage fills every part of me.

The images I must be projecting onto Jacob cause him to stop. He's curious. Why I would care, for one. Which I will not be getting into now. But because my thoughts, and the others, have naturally lingered over to the truth about what those monsters are.

It's my time to explain to the new recruit what our purpose is.

Nothing other than sheer luck causes Jacob to transfer his wrath of now being a wolf onto the threat of Cold Ones. He accepts the need to kill them with ease. Perhaps easier than I have.

We show him the success we've had so far. And the need to prepare for the large threat I know it's coming. Somehow, it's enough to get him to phase back.

I walk him back to his house and Billy greets us with an old quilt. The same way he did when I first needed it.

The memories will keep me up at night.

But in the days immediately after, Jacob adjusts to being a wolf better than any of us. Perhaps it's the Alpha lineage in him. I'll need to talk to him about taking up the role eventually. Today, he's still in too precarious a position. Still, it grates on me that he's the second largest in the pack now.

Embry is grateful to have a closer friend join the group. It seems to lessen the edge of Jacob as well. Paul for now is, fortunately, backing off. He knows I'd have his head if he pushed anymore.

We all take turns talking about some of the best and worst moments we've had as wolves so far. I try to keep mine relatively light and just focus on talking about how gross it was in my mind to eat rabbits when I couldn't phase back. Paul takes the opportunity to call me a bunny killer. 'I must be real great with women and kids.' Ha ha ha.

Paul, of course, says killing the dark-skinned leech was the best so far. Embry tells of a memory of leaping across a great chasm of rocks after I gave him enough courage to cliff dive. Both think the first phasing was definitely the worst part. But it's over now at least.

And with the happy atmosphere, Jared does something stupid. He talks about Kim and how imprinting on her was the best moment of his life. The rest of us realize the mistake immediately, desperate to not continue talking about the blashmephic word. It's too late.

"What is imprinting?" Jacob asks. It's not asked in a purely inquisitive tone. He knows something is off. I can hear it in the way his breath hitches on the last syllable. As he looks into the pained eyes of each of us, especially my own, Jacob knows something is off. There's no way he couldn't.

The world dies a bit more as the seconds pass.

"How fucking dare you! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" Jacob's wails increase the longer I stand still. I won't pretend I don't wince at them though. He has a way of making his sounds hit the most sensitive of ear nerves.

Paul's grip on his shoulders looks like it's about to break. I brace for the moment when the young pup escapes and lunges at my throat. In the rage-induced state he's in, he might actually cause some damage.

Sure enough, Jacob breaks free. But instead of phasing right there, he composed enough to launch himself forward so he can connect his fist with my jaw.

I see it coming from a mile away, but I let it happen.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER!"

The feeling of my heart beating rushes to the surface of my face. Kid got me good. I touch my right cheek and feel the bones snap back into place.

Before Jacob can swing again, Paul and Jared seize him from behind and pull him down. He thrashes on the forest floor, cursing me the entire time.

"He couldn't control it, man!" Jared yells at him. "Not like I could either!"

I appreciate his effort to defend me, but his situation didn't tear away a potential interest from a packmate. The argument hardly works on Black either as he grows wilder in his efforts.

"You all are sick! FUCKING SICK," Jacob yells.

Then I see his eyes flash and know he's about to explode. Paul and Jared must know too because immediately loosen their grip and back away. Sure enough, Jacob phases into his wolf form and bares his teeth at me, digging his paw into the grounds like he's signaling for me to phase and fight. I won't.

I conjure up the Alpha voice once more, "Go take a few laps around the forest. Don't come back until you're calmer."

This riles him up more. He growls the roughest sound I've ever heard, but the mystical force that compels all of my recruits to listen ultimately wins against his rage here too. With one last bark of wrath, he runs off, tail almost between his legs.

He's fast and strong, I'll give him that.

Embry begins to take off his clothes.

"You don't have to go," I tell him with my brow furrowed.

He looks at me with that far-off sad look in his eyes, "Yes, I do. He was my friend first."

I'm left with Paul and Jared. Each equally pissed off at the entire scene. I don't have anything worthwhile to say to them about it, however. It perhaps isn't a huge secret that I too view the imprint in not the highest light.

An interesting contradiction. To view the link between Bella and me as devastating, but to still wish to be around her as much as possible. No, not a contradiction, maybe, just a loss of free will.

I decide it's probably best to let Billy know that Jacob now knows about imprinting. The old man gives me another look of mourning, but I can't tell if it's meant for me or his son. Probably both.

We wait for hours inside his cramped house. I want to ask Billy if he's taking care of himself, or letting his son do that for him, especially after seeing everything in Jacob's mind. But it isn't my place and I doubt I'd be listened to. Billy is the kind of person to wave off any concerns about himself.

When the night comes and the cold enters the room does Jacob finally return. I can see his shoulders heave up and down. Suppose it really did take him this long to come back just to get a bit calmer.

I wonder back to my time with Leah and Emily and if I would have reacted the same way if I found out someone else was promised to them. Would it really be a heartbreak like no other? But now, the only woman I can truly think of like that is allegedly promised to me and would certainly hate me for it if she found out.

Jacob's eyes narrow at me as he realizes I'm still here.

I stand up as he makes his way inside and Billy wheels himself closer.

"Now, listen, son. I know you don't want to hear it, but Sam has some ground rules to go over."

Jacob will look at his father, but not me.

"The most important thing is to not tell Bella about us or the imprint," I lower my voice so Jacob knows it's an order while Billy's frail hearing can't pick up on the difference. "It's for her safety."

A scoff, "Yeah, right. I won't talk to her anymore, okay?."

"I didn't say you can't talk to her at all," I shake my head. "The others can't tell their parents and still get along alright."

It's a half-truth.

"As if I want to talk to her now."

Anger bubbles in my throat. "She isn't dirty or sick."

"I didn't say that," he shrugs, but his movements are still filled with rage as he glares at me.

I swallow the feelings of regret building up in my throat, "Whatever you want then."

Something tells me he'll do that anyway no matter any pleading on my behalf for him to remain a stable presence in her life. For now, he loosens his inclination to lunge at my throat, just an ounce.

We slip into a very uneasy routine. Jacob works to block out thoughts of Bella, but he lacks the ability I have to keep his thoughts on task. For his own sake, I can continue my practice of only thinking of her at night when no one else is around and the memory of her skin on mine is the only thread left of my sanity.

It's a hellish month.

Take me instead.

I know the second she says those words that they'll haunt me for years to come. I see her desperation as she looks back at me and I know she'll return. It's as simple as feeling a pull on the invisible rope between us.

"Do you want to come inside, Jacob?" I ask when Bella is far outside of earshot. I could lower my voice and still have the young wolf hear even if she was close. Yet for the second time in five minutes, my offer of hospitality is rejected.

"Stay away from her," he almost jabs a finger in my face.

He knows I can't for very long. Even every small and seemingly meaningless interaction with her boosts my strength and mental clarity. I couldn't be Alpha without it. And Jacob won't be taking that position.

"You're allowed to be friends with her," I say instead. "It's clearly what she wants."

He shakes his head, "You don't get to decide who she talks to."

"You're right, I don't. I only want what's best for her."

Jacob scoffs, "Well, what if neither of us are that?"

He asks this question as if I haven't been wondering the same thing since I laid eyes on her. The monumental feeling of being undeserving of her presence every second I get to bask in it. The quiet, fierce resilience she shows me despite the pain she's in. Of course, I am far from what is best for her.

But that urge to be around her never ceases.

"She's allowed to choose whoever she wants to be with," I finally say. And it's true. Even if it kills me inside.

There's a glimmer of unrecognizable emotion flashing across Jacob's face. He stands a bit taller, almost matching me in height now. With his chin jutted out, his words carry a half-violent promise on them.

"Maybe she already has."

Take me instead.

The words ring in my ear again and again. She's back on the reservation land. That's hardly a surprise.

But when I see her red truck parked half a mile from the Black house, I know her intentions right away. It frightens and awes me that she's filled with the determination to see this through. I will have to tell her the truth. About the wolves, at least. Anything more can't be spoken about now.

Paul, Embry, and Jared gather by my side right away without feeling anything off. I remember again I'm the only one capable of sensing her presence and sometimes her intentions if they're strong enough.

"Bella's here," I tell them. "Let's wait to get Jacob."

"Ugh," Paul groans. But I give him a stern look and he shuts up pretty quickly. I don't need to hear his bullshit complaints right now. After all, Bella is a part of the pack in her own way, much like Kim.

When Bella sees us on the other side of the Black house, she's surprisingly not frightened and instead marches towards our group with a scowl on her face. Despite the long walk and her small legs, she's in front of us in seconds.

"Are you monitoring his every movement now too?" she asks me accusingly.

If it wasn't Bella, I might have commented on the hypocrisy of her statement from someone who is clearly snooping. But I don't have time to answer, Paul steps forward.

"Alright, time to go, little girl," he rolls his eyes half teasingly.

I know a half -second after he says it that it's the absolute wrong thing to say. Bella's features contort to one of shock and then to a level of rage I've never seen before. I have another half-second to ponder that perhaps the difficulties she's been through, including what I've directly and indirectly done to her by keeping Jacob away from her, have caused a new level of desperation in her to get answers.

Bella leans forward and slaps Paul as hard as she can. I know the force of her effort likely burns her palm, but she's still too angry to care. And now it's too late. Paul's body has registered the threat and his eyes go dark.

"Oh, fuck," Embry breathes as he sees it too.

Jared and I react quickly to try to push Paul back away from Bella. Though we can get him a good few feet back, his body spasms show he's going to phase right here and now.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

No. No way. Not how she's supposed to find out, if ever.

"Stand back!" I yell at her.

But Bella is too paralyzed to move, looking at Paul like he's a superhuman junkie. I'll break all my bones in my body before I let Paul lay a finger on her though. But it's not like she knows that.

Paul erupts into his wolf form, snapping and snarling in Bella's general direction. The dark gray form casts a menacing shadow over her. I can almost see her eyes glaze over, not fully understanding what she's saying.

She takes one good look at him and screams.

Screams so loud the birds in the immediate vicinity fly off their branches. Screams so loud that she rouses Jacob Black from his house. He flings himself off the back porch

"JACOB, RUN," she yells as she scrambles to escape Paul. He won't run after her, of course, but she hardly knows that. All she knows is a threat. And it's a fair assessment too. "RUN."

Jacob doesn't even look at her as he takes off.

"You're so dead," he snaps at Paul, leaping and phasing into his own wolf body, poised and ready to fight. The shreds of his clothing fall a few

And yeah, they do fight. Gray and red blur together as the young wolves each attempt to sink their teeth into the others' neck. Jacob gets the upper hand for a second and flings Paul onto the ground, ready to jump on top of him and try to administer the killing bite. Despite Paul's general lack of focus, he knows enough to escape this obvious move and the fight continues.

Bella trips and falls down on the forest floor. My hands flex to stop her impact despite being many yards away at this point. It obviously does no good as she still crashes. Now covered in dirt, she turns around to watch the scene continue to unfold.

Jared and Embry chuckle at watching their pack brothers lash out, but I don't pay it much mind as my imprint sits completely disturbed by the entire thing. And it is disturbing. I feel my heart break realizing this once again. I am so sorry, Bella, that I couldn't save you from this truth forever.

It feels like another small corner of my life has been turned over and plucked right out of my hand.

"Oh my God. Oh my God," Bella mutters, breathless. "Oh…"

I can see the lights flashing out in her eyes. She grows wearier each moment she looks at Paul and Jacob attacking each other in wolf form. Finally, the suspension of disbelief can do no more for her and her eyes flutter close. She passes out on the ground.

I run to her and pull her small body close to my chest. I don't want to shake her to cause her to wake up and panic all over again. But I don't want her head to rest on the rough dirt and pebbles. I hear her heart beat furiously. I worry it's not capable of going much faster and what would happen if her stress levels increase anyway. I pull her just an inch closer.

"Jared, stay to make sure Paul and Jake don't kill each other," I order. "Embry, come on, let's go to my place for now. She's bound to have a lot of questions when she comes to."

Using her truck to transport her and Embry seems the best option. I open the side door and gently lower her into the seat and click the seatbelt over her. She stirs but doesn't open her eyes again. Embry roughly clumps into the truck bed and I glare at him to give him the message to not disturb her again. He gives me a sheepish smile back.

As we drive, I listen to Bella's heart slow down. But a strange fluttering noise becomes present in my eardrums the longer I lean in, so I stop when she reaches a calmer level. I swallow. The confusion of the moment momentarily paralyzing me. I blink and it's gone.

"Jake's gonna be so pissed," Embry gives out a strangled laugh as we open the door to my house.

I put Bella down on my couch and remember months ago when she was here last. She probably doesn't even remember it. As I stare at her, she gradually wakes up, tossing and turning. I sneak a pillow behind her head while she remains in the last clutches of unconsciousness.

Then she wakes up with a start, holding her chest and breathing like there's no air in the room.

"Take a few deep breaths. It's alright," I tell her.

Her brown eyes grow wide as she looks at me, "You're, you're…"

"Yes," I nod. "I'm one too."

Bella swallows and swings her legs over the couch, looking at me more intensely than she ever has before. I can't tear my eyes away from either. We stare at each other as her chest slowly stops heaving up and down. I want to reach out and comfort her somehow, but I don't get the chance. She scans my living room once again and lands on the kid standing in the corner.

"Me too!" Embry exclaims cheerfully, understanding the question on her mind.

"Oh," she says. "Um, how many?"

"Five now," I answer. "But there could be another someday. Quil Ateara."

"I met Quil," she mumbles and runs a hand through her hair.

In the next moment, Jared bursts through the door and looks at Bella on my couch. There's glee evident in his expression. I can almost see what he's thinking. He wants to introduce her to Kim. Have a giant imprint party or something. Well, not in my house, mate.

"Bella! How are you doing?" he asks.

She shrugs numbly at him.

"That's Jared," I say. "And Paul is the one you smacked. He'll be coming here soon too."

A look of fear passes over her, "Oh God, he's probably really angry with me, huh?"

The corner of my lips turns up, "No, he's a wuss. He won't try anything with you."

My words do nothing to ease her anxiety, but I know enough that Paul isn't an absolute idiot with women. He is stupid in general so he might try to flirt with my imprint after all of this, but it'll be harmless. He only has my annoyance to fear.

Jared elbows me, "You should offer your guest something to drink."

I look at Bella and gesture to the kitchen where an old mug of coffee is sitting, "There's uh…"

She wrinkles her nose, "Um, no thanks. I don't really drink coffee and it smells kind of burnt honestly."

Embry and Jared burst out laughing, even clutching their abdomen while they do so. But I frown. I thought I bought a new bag of ground beans a week ago?

Paul is the next to arrive. Looking disheveled, but uninjured. He still wears his general aura of arrogance despite all of us knowing Jacob is stronger.

"Well, not the first impression I was hoping to make," he winks at Bella.

Her cheeks flush, "Yeah, I didn't know slapping you would do that."

"Eh, it's instinct mainly. But I forgive you," he teases.

Alright, I take it back. He's got more than my annoyance to fear: I am going to skin the guy.

"You didn't hurt Jake, did you?"

"I'm sure he's in much worse shape than me," Paul grins.

Jared laughs, "He's lying, Bella. Jacob is a natural. I bet he took down Paul in three minutes tops. He just waited to come here out of embarrassment."

"In your dreams, little brother."

The air in the room cools considerably as Jacob enters, wearing a new plaid shirt since he destroyed whatever he was wearing earlier. He tries not to meet Bella's eyes but eventually finds himself unable to look away as she sits here gaping at him. Probably more of shock that Jacob didn't tell her this secret, but she doesn't know yet that it was my order to keep him silent. I'm sure she'll find out soon enough.

Bella doesn't say anything to him and he can't find anything to say to her. No one else in my house wishes to break the awkward silence so as usual, the hard job falls onto me.

"We know about the vampires," I say as I turn to Bella.

Her shocked expression now centers upon me rather than Jacob, but her shoulders tense up and she glues her mouth shut. I suppose I know the pain of not wanting to reveal a secret that affects a person so intensely. Except this is more important than maintaining loyalty to a group who wouldn't give the same courtesy back. This is about real people's lives.

"A rogue one or a small group is attacking near us. They'll want to fight us eventually. We have to prepare for that."

Perhaps I fucked up by saying this as now the room grows even more somber. But everyone else is aware of how I feel about it so she needs to be too.

"Come on, Bells," Jacob finally gestures to her to leave. She stands up without arguing against his orders. My stomach tightens. "Let's get out of here."

"Bella, we have to talk about them sometime," I tell her, focusing on her eyes only, no one else in the room. Neither of us needs to elaborate on who 'they' are.

She nods and tries to open her mouth to say something, but decides against it. There's a fear in her eyes that I know isn't entirely about telling me what she knows. It's something deeper. I can't press her on it, but I hope she trusts me enough to say it eventually.

Jacob Black puts a hand on her lower back to guide her out of my house, glaring at me as he passes through the doorway.

Then she's gone again and I don't know when I'll get to see her next.

Another strange feeling overcomes me, like how I felt driving her back here minutes ago. It's the precipice of a realization. I'm plunging into the void.

And now that the rain no longer dampens her, I realize Bella's scent is a bit different too. It is only when she looks back inside my house for a second and then lets the door close behind her do I realize what that fluttering sound is that surrounds her.

Another heartbeat.

A/N: :0

Lol, but seriously, I doubt this is much a surprise for most of you. Just to clarify, this is not going to a traditional 'baby story' by any means. At this point, Bella doesn't even know herself and Sam doesn't know who the father is (him, duh). Plot and action will be coming first for the next couple of chapters as well, so I'll have to drag the reveal out for a tad bit longer.

And into some administrative (?) stuff: my semester has started up again. But I going to really try to get out the next five chapters before I might need to take a hiatus or at least have irregular updates due to school work. Then we will be at the halfway mark!