Alice's POV

It's been a few days since the fire incident. The trio were each working hard in their own way to find their rhythm again. Stella had taken some time off work, instead spending time with Victoria and working on starting up her blood tablet process once more. Bella and I were going to school in the mornings and spending a great deal of time together afterwards. Yuki hasn't gone back to her charity work yet, but she seemed…pensive? It was the only way Bella and I could think to describe it. Yuki would suddenly get up and leave for a brief period, without Rosalie. The young alpha would simply get up and walk out, no comment, no warning, just gone. And Rose never attempted to follow. It was a bit strange, since they hadn't spent more than a few minutes apart since they got together. But Rosalie assured Bella that Yuki was fine.

Either way, they were still moving forward. And that's what mattered the most.

Today we were all gathered around the kitchen table sans Victoria who would be arriving later. Emmett had drawn out a blueprint of the Cross home with Stella and Bella beside him, pointing out areas they wanted to change. Bella wanted more space in her room and an expansion on the kitchen while Stella wanted to reinforce the basement so something like this wouldn't happen again. Yuki didn't care and left the work to her sisters and those of my family who knew about home building/refurnishing, such as Emmett, Esme, Rosalie, Irina, and Tanya. The Denali's had wanted to stick around until we heard back from Kyle, in case something happened or we got bad news. They wanted to stay so they could help if need be.

While conversation over the remodeling was being done Yuki was pensively watching the cloudy sky. I had a quick vision suddenly that let me know Victoria was nearly here. As I opened my mouth to tell everyone Yuki spoke, "Victoria's almost here." Stella looked up from the table and tilted her head, listening. A minute later we all heard Victoria's footsteps approaching.

"How good is your hearing? I just saw her in my vision. And you heard her a minute sooner than all of us."

Yuki turned my way, giving me a half smile, "That's thanks to Mother. She recognized early on that I'd most likely become an alpha, so she spent many extra training hours with me focusing specifically on improving my hearing. Her reasoning being that an alpha must 1. Always be paying attention to their surroundings in case of an attack and 2. They should be the first member of the pack to hear a potential threat so that they would have that extra time to come up with a plan of action."

"Smart woman." Victoria commented as she entered the kitchen. "I've met a pretty ancient warrior vampire who shared that sentiment."

"Yeah, she's a cleaver one." Yuki returned her attention to the sky.

Victoria crossed the room and gave her mate a kiss on cheek in greeting. "I've got something for you." she handed a confused Stella a simple leather-bound book.

Stella opened it and skimmed the first page. Her blue eyes suddenly widened, her breath hitched. "This…this…is…how…?" her eyes snapped up to her grinning mate.

"Come on love. I'm a vampire. Don't you remember how I skimmed through most of your journals during your first few experiments? I remember everything. Every word you wrote. All I need is a bit of time, a couple more journals, and then I'll have all your…" she didn't get a chance to finish. Stella had claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss.

When the wolf broke away there were tears in her eyes but a bright smile on her face. She began raving in Japanese, none but her sisters able to follow her words. Victoria laughed, grabbed Stella's face in her hands, "Babe, I have no idea what you're saying."

Stella took a deep breath before starting again, "The gist is, I love you and you're fucking amazing." We all couldn't help but laugh a bit at that.

Victoria grinned. "Duh, did you just now realize that?" After the two shared a brief kiss, Stella returned to her conversation with Emmett regarding materials, all the while hugging her new journal to her chest.

Thirty minutes passed when Yuki's phone went off with a ding. We all paid it no mind until we heard her sharp intake of breath. Rose was immediately at her side, "What is it love?" Rose wrapped an arm around her mate's waist and leaned over her shoulder so see her phone.

"It's a message from Kyle." Everyone in the room froze, all eyes were fixed on Yuki. The young alpha was quiet for a moment before she turned and looked directly at Bella. "The traitors that the Elite Wolves were excited about finding were Hunter and Celeste Trueblood." All eyes turned to Bella.

Her jaw was clenched, her eyes had narrowed, her hands balled into fists, her breathing was heavy. I didn't need to be an empath to know she was angry. Her normally warm brown eyes were shinning with long buried hate. "And…?" the word was spit out between clenched teeth. I slowly moved over and took one of her clenched fists into my hands, rubbing gently, hoping I was conveying without words that I was here for her. She opened her hand and held my own, her grip surprisingly gentle. I gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Kyle found this out because that bastard was yelling at his wolves about letting the traitors slip away. No one knows which way they went." Bella scoffed and left the room, slipping her hand out of mine.

"They're sure good at running away…" before anyone could say anything Bella had run off into the forest.

I was about to follow when Yuki spoke again, "She missed the important part." All eyes refocused onto Yuki, her green eyes staring at the space Bella just was. "Kyle's mate, Kaito found a small trace of their scent. He followed it, took a few guesses as to where they might've run to, and somehow found them. The duo are there right now with them. Kyle wants to know if any of us wanted to speak with them."

Stella sighed, "You know she doesn't want to speak with them. She doesn't even like speaking of them."

Yuki nodded and looked down at her phone. "Yeah. And that's what her problem is." That's when it clicked for me. All the pieces fell into place. I knew immediately what Yuki meant. I wasn't sure anyone else grasped the importance of that comment. But I did. Yuki sighed before looking at me. Her green eyes searching my golden ones. "What do you want to do?"

"Me?" why me?

Yuki nodded. "I may be her alpha but that doesn't apply to this situation. Me being her sister applies. And I've got more than a few opinions about all this. But I can't make that kind of decision. It's too out of place. So, I'll leave it up to you. You're her mate. She won't be mad at you, and I know whatever you decide will be what's best."

I frowned, pondering the question. Bella's biological parents were what Yuki and I both realized. The one thing keeping Bella from truly accepting herself. She doesn't see them as related to her in any way. If she were to make that legend a reality then she had to accept the fact that her bloodline is connected to theirs, even if she was raised by two others. She can't accept that fact. So much so that she won't even think of the people who brought her into this world.

But is it really my place to decide whether or not she speaks to them? My gut was telling me no. But…my heart…my mind…said this could be a good thing. But should I really make that decision? When this was something that clearly upset the woman I love? I desperately wanted to look into the future and see what the outcomes would be, but I couldn't. As it was, I struggled seeing the wolves' futures. It was like looking through murky water. I could see if I squinted hard enough but it wasn't something that was easy. And I didn't feel comfortable looking into something so personal to Bella.

I took a deep breath. Locked eyes with patient green ones. And I nodded. Yuki took a deep breath and nodded as well, "I'll call Kyle."

"One condition." Yuki paused, "Make sure they're made aware that they can come and see her only if they truly want to bridge the gap. But there's no guarantee. If she doesn't want anything to do with them after seeing them once, they can't try and force the issue. I just want to give her the opportunity to accept this, I'm not going to, nor can I, force her to speak with them."

Yuki nodded. "I completely agree." She turned to Rose, "Can I borrow your laptop again." I turned and left, heading after my mate. The last thing I heard was Rose agree and the sound of movement. I was more focused on finding my angry mate.

It took a bit of tracking until I eventually found her, pacing back and forth by a river's edge. Once I was close enough and she looked in my direction I slowed to a human's pace. I didn't know how she'd handle my presence just yet. After confirming it was me approaching she resumed her pacing. No words, no angry motions. Just tense pacing. Back and forth beside the water between two large boulders. I picked one of the boulders and jumped up onto it, sitting down facing her.

I didn't say anything yet. Just silently watched her pace towards me than turn and walk to the other boulder before returning to me over and over again. After about thirty laps of this she finally sighed, sagged her shoulders before walking over to me and wrapping her arms around my waist. Because of the boulder's height she was only tall enough to press her cheek against my stomach while I gently wrapped my arms around her head.

After a few quiet minutes of running my fingers through her hair I took a deep breath and decided to delve in. "I want you to listen to me right now, okay?" I felt her nod. "I mean it. No interruptions, no running off, just listen until I'm done. Okay?"

She pulled away and frowned up at me. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then please. Just listen."

She was quiet for a long moment. Staring into my eyes, searching for something. Eventually, she took another deep breath and nodded. "OK. Just listening."

I nodded and ran my fingers through her hair again, "I told Yuki to contact your parents and tell them where we are." Her eyes immediately widened, her mouth opened. I held up one finger, "Just listen." She snapped her mouth shut with an audible click, her eyes narrowing in clear disapproval. "The condition being that only, only, if they wanted to speak with you and try and bridge the gap they created all those years ago. And with the ultimatum of after listening to them, if you still don't want to speak or see them again, they will drop it and leave you alone." Bella opened her mouth again.

I placed a finger against her lips. "I'm not done." Bella pressed her lips together in a tight line. "I did this for one real reason. Because you need to have a chance to speak with them. You need to have a chance to accept one universal truth." Her eyes reflected her confusion. "They're your parents." I could clearly see the annoyed 'duh' in her eyes. I shook my head. "You don't understand. They're your parents. They brought you into this world. But you go out of your way to reject that simple fact. You said it yourself, Melony and Vivian are your parents. And while that may be true to some extent. You're ignoring the first eight years of your life in which your biological parents did raise you. They left yes. But they're still your family. And until you can fully accept that, you might not be able to escape the full moons."

I removed my finger from her mouth and gave her a simple nod to say I was done. Bella took a deep breath. "They didn't just leave. They abandoned me. At eight years old. I came home to an empty house. No note. Nothing. I had no idea where to go to find them. I hadn't shifted yet, so I didn't have the tight bonds of a pack with them. I had no way of finding them. How do I forgive that?"

"You don't need to forgive them. Just accept the fact that they're a big part of your life."

"I do!" Bella pulled away from me then, taking a step back. Her hands fisted at her sides.

"No, you don't. You go by Cross. Whether that's your legal name now doesn't matter. In your mind you don't see a connection between you and them. You ignore any connection outside of them being related to Vivian. A woman who yes, is your mother, because yes, she raised you. But her and Melony aren't your only mothers."

Bella frowned. I thought she'd resume her pacing but she just stood there, frowning into the water running gently beside us. I leant forward and reached my hand out. She looked up and after a moments hesitation placed her hand in mine and let me pull her back into my arms.

"I'm not telling you that you need to forgive what they did to you. You probably won't. And that's okay. Whatever their reason was may not justify putting young you in such a position. And that's okay to. But the facts are that they're considered traitors by what's his name. So much so that he berated his wolves for letting them escape. They're running from him for some reason. And maybe that reason meant having to leave you. Doesn't make it okay. And that's fine. Just…listen…and accept that they're your family. Just as much as Vivian and Melony."

Bella gave a heavy sigh against my stomach. She was quiet a moment. "I don't know if my wolf and I will ever be able to forgive them."

"Oh well, part of that will be easy." Bella looked up at me, a frown on her face. "Your wolf already accepts them as family."

"What? What in the world makes you think that?"

"The fact that I haven't seen your eyes flash red once since hearing Yuki mention them." Bella opened her mouth then closed it, her eyes thoughtful.

"Really? Not even a little red?"

I shook my head. "Nope. And it could be because of what you said before, for a wolf, family is everything. You would know if they had died because your wolf feels connected to them. Because for your wolf its simple. They brought you into this world, thus, they're family and their important to your wolf. Whether or not you accept them is a completely different matter."

Bella thought on my words for a moment. "That…makes a lot of sense." She was quiet for a while. Then a heavy sigh left her again. "Fine. I'll let them talk and try and explain themselves. But that's all I'll give them. I doubt I'll ever forgive them. But…I'll try and accept those facts."

I smiled at her, "That's all I ask my love. Just a chance to maybe help yourself." I leant forward and kissed my wolf. A kiss that was happily received.

When the need for air became to much Bella pulled away. "Alice?"

My trailed my lips along her jaw, "Hm?" I loved the shiver that went through her body.

"I love you." I couldn't stop the grin. Or the kisses that followed.

"I love you to Bella." We stayed like for the rest of the evening. Holding each other close. Bella thoughtful, while I gave my silent reassurance.

Yuki's POV

"Well, that went okay I guess…" I had just ended the call between me and Kyle, who had given over his phone to Bella's biological parents. Rosalie had spent the call leaning against the window, watching the outside grow darker as night approached.

"Everything worked out okay?" once she heard the end call noise she had moved over to sit on the bed beside me, an arm moving to wrap around my waist.

I nodded and set the laptop beside me, turning so I could wrap both arms around Rose. "Yeah…I guess. I told them that if they wanted to clear the air with Bella and try to rebuild their lost relationship with her than they would need to travel to Port Angeles and call my cell number when they arrived. In case things don't end well I didn't want them to be super close to where we're staying. Being in Port Angeles should give us enough buffer room."

"Are you expecting things to end poorly?" her cool fingers began combing through my hair.

That was a hard question to answer. My wolf didn't seem to like Hunter in the slightest, even over a video call. It could just be because he was an alpha and my wolf didn't want any competition. I've felt those feelings fairly frequently after I became the alpha. I would always tense up around other alphas, and I saw them do the same. Our wolves instinctively not wanting to submit to the other, even though our human selves were doing nothing but passing each other by. So, if they did decide to show up and I stood near them, part of me was worried my wolf might become agitated. Especially since I didn't think too highly of him myself.

And there's no way I'm not tagging along for the meetup. Bella's angry and upset with them. I wasn't sure she'd be able to keep from attacking them outright once she lays eyes on them. And if she didn't, I don't see her being even remotely comfortable around them. There's no way I'm going to let my sister handle that alone, Alice or no Alice.

Rose was still patiently waiting for an answer. I sighed, pressing my face into the crook of her neck, loving how she tilted her head slightly giving me access. "I don't really know. I certainly hope things go okay. Bella's always struggled with how they abandoned her. She took it the hardest when our moms had to leave us to for that reason."

"And when you were forced out of your place here." I nodded.

"She's got abandonment issues because of them. She feels the loss of our homes that much harder. I'm worried she won't give them a chance to explain themselves and just simply attack them. She'd be justified as far as I'm concerned. But if what that legend Kate told us is true, she needs to deal with them."

Rosalie nodded. The two of us went silent for a while before she asked a question. "How are alphas created?" I leant back, confused. Seeing my confusion, she elaborated. "I know you're born with an alpha wolf inside you, what I mean is…how are packs established? You've said before that your Mom left her pack to join your Mother, who was the alpha of your family's pack before she was forced to leave and then you stepped into the roll. Thus, I'd assumed that family's will have one of the parents as the alpha, but then in the case of your Mother and uncle just now, they're both alphas. How would that have worked in the family dynamic?"

"Oh okay. That makes way more sense." She gave me a half smile that spiked my heartrate up and derailed my line of thought for a moment. Inwardly shaking my head I tried to refocus on her question. "For the most part, yes, the alpha is typically one of the parents of a household and that rarely changes. For a young Lycan they don't shift for the first time until after they've hit puberty and then after that it usually takes until they're in their early twenties to 'awaken' their alpha's nature if their wolf is one. But the amount of Lycan's born with an alpha wolf like me are exceedingly rare. Typically, if the alpha of a family passes, the title will go their mate and then to their strongest child if they haven't left the pack. But when that happens its…not a proper alpha…um…oh, like how Sam is the alpha of the wolf shifters even though it should be Jacob." Rose nodded that she was following.

"So, let's take my moms' families for examples. In Mama's family case, she had two sisters, but her father was the alpha during his entire lifetime. When he passed, the title went to his mate until she passed, it then went to the strongest daughter. In their case it was the middle daughter my aunt, the one who was supposedly mated to that bastard. Their pack became a lot like our current one, made up of just three sisters. The eldest fell in love with someone from another pack who wasn't an alpha and when they mated, she joined Mama's pack, totaling four at that point. But when Mama met Mother, the dynamic was different because Mother was already a solo alpha," Rose opened her mouth to interrupt, I simply held up a finger, signaling her to wait, at her nod I continued.

"Mother and my aunt didn't get along because they were both alphas, despite my aunt only getting the role by default, she was still an alpha with minor alpha tendencies. Mama obviously sided with Mother. So, two things could've happened. Mother could've challenged my aunt for alpha of the pack, or my aunt could break the pack ties with my Mama. Clearly the latter happened, and my moms started their own pack. If a fight had broken out, the victor would take over the pack, and the one who failed would either be forced to submit or be kicked out. That's a more common and typical pack dynamic among Lycans.

"Now, in my Mother's family, she had two moms as well, one of which was the alpha. Her brother was born a year younger, but they had both been born as alpha wolves. Apparently as a mother you're able to tell if your son or daughter has an alpha wolf, its apparent but difficult to explain. After the two had shifted for the first times they had to immediately begin learning how to handle themselves as alphas since that would end up being their future. Unfortunately, since they were both young, hormonal, and had conflicting personalities the two often clashed against one another. It was fine as long as their mother was around to put them in their place since she was still the superior alpha.

"But once Mother turned twenty-two her alpha nature fully emerged, and she could tell instantly that her alpha was stronger than her mother's. She than had to make a choice, submit to a weaker alpha, challenge her mother for the title, or willingly leave. Mother's wolf would never allow herself to submit to a weaker alpha and Mother had no intention of challenging her own mother, so she left. The same thing happened with my uncle.

"Now, let's say that my uncle was born as a typical Lycan. For one thing, the two would probably never have fought the way they did growing up. And once Mother left to form her own pack, if the two were close, he'd have the option of choosing to go with her. That rarely happens, because once both his mothers pass then he'd became a solo alpha himself, just not anywhere near as strong as Mother since she had been born an alpha."

Rosalie nodded, "How old were you when your mothers had to leave?"

"Seventeen." Her eyes widened at that. I nodded, "Yeah. I hadn't even awoken to my alpha nature when that happened but in the absence of our alpha my wolf rose up and took control. We could've tried to go and find our mothers but with all the talk of them being traitors we had ended up surrounded by angry wolves from other packs who questioned our loyalties. In all that commotion countless alphas were confronting us, effectively cornering us. Eventually, my wolf had enough. I felt it all snap into place the same moment a menacing growl left my lips.

"I felt my connection to Mother snap as my alpha awakened. It was terrifying. Losing that connection. I felt so alone right then. But I didn't have time to panic. There were too many alphas in close proximity to me and my sisters. My growl shocked them all into taking a step back, but they were still too close for my liking. I managed to talk them into leaving us alone. It helped that despite my age my wolf clearly had more power than most of them. So, they began retreating. I looked to my sisters and they both immediately reached out to me. Once they did, I suddenly felt them in my mind. Due to the high stress situation and the distance between Mother and them the bond between them was weak. With my newly awakened state mixed with their emotional state we didn't need Mother to sever their bonds for them to join me. I think we're the only pack to have ever done something like that. Stella had never heard about something similar happening before then."

"Damn. How did your Mother react? Did you ask her that day you found them?"

"She was actually relieved. Before she felt us leave, she had been panicking trying to come up with a way of sneaking back into the community and getting us out of there. When she felt me leave, she said she felt a residue of my alpha nature through our link right before it snapped. After that, when she felt my sisters leave, she let herself relax. She knew I'd become the alpha and my sisters had joined me."

"Wow." Rose leaned back against the headboard. "That's…intense. No wonder you rejected your alpha so hard. It was just suddenly sprung up on you rather than you properly growing into it. And in such a high stress situation, your apprehension against it makes way more sense." I made myself comfortable against her. "What about if the alpha wolf mates with a non-wolf? Like us for example."

"Honestly, I have no idea. As my mate you should have a minor amount of control over the pack, and you should feel the pack connections as well as I do. But since you're a vampire I don't know how it'll work out."

"Hm. Sounds like a fun surprise." I couldn't help but chuckle at the amusement in her voice. "At least you know you and your sisters will always be together." I looked up at her a tad confused. "Well, both their mates are vampires. They won't have a reason to leave you for another alpha."

"That's…" a flood of relief washed over me. My wolf was pleased at that thought. "That's…really nice to think about." Rose gave me a soft smile and I couldn't help myself from leaning up and kissing her. My gosh…how in the world were her lips this soft? And the way the melded with mine…absolute heaven. My hands grabbed hold of Rose's shirt so I could pull her closer to me. One of Rose's hands went up and tangled itself in my hair, holding me in place. I couldn't stop the gasp that left me when Rose lightly nipped my lower lip. And when Rose's tongue took that chance to meet my own, I was extremely grateful I was sitting because I doubted my legs would be able to keep me upright.

A sudden ding sounded from the computer. We broke apart, panting lightly. We looked over and saw that I had a skype message from Mother. Immediately I sat upright and pulled the laptop to me, opening the message. Can you talk for bit? I glanced over at Rose who merely smiled, kissed my cheek, and got up and resumed leaning against the windowsill, watching the clouds begin to rain down on us. I sent a quick confirmation message before setting up the laptop in front of me and fixing my hair which had been gripped by slender fingers mere moments ago, hoping I didn't look like I'd just been kissed breathless.

The sound that I had a call forced my mind off my gorgeous angel. I quickly answered before I could get sidetracked again. Both my mothers' faces appeared on the screen, I couldn't help but smile at seeing them. I missed them so much.

"Hello my sweat snowball." I rolled my eyes at the nickname causing them both to laugh, "How are you sweetie? Your Mother told me you've had this awful feeling bother you recently."

I nodded. "Yeah. But it's gone now. We're okay. We-"

"What happened? You're somewhere new." Mother's blue eyes narrowed. She certainly doesn't miss anything.

My eyes darted over to Rosalie, who had turned her head to watch me. Probably wondering how I'd answer. I felt my cheeks flush.

"Yuki honey are you okay?! You're all red!" Mama's voice held a twinge of panic.

My eyes immediately snapped back to the screen, and I waved my hands in front of me, "I'm fine! I'm fine!" they both frowned. I let out an embarrassed whine before shaking my head, trying to compose myself. I had made up my mind after the fire that I was tired of hiding things from them. I knew something like this would happen, and I hated keeping things from them in general. I had planned on calling them up soon anyways, might as well start clearing the air…mostly.

I took a deep breath and settled my nerves. "Ok. First thing. We've kept a few crucial things from you." I held up a hand to stop them, since I knew they'd each have a bunch of questions. They both snapped their mouths shut. "Our…leaving of the community wasn't exactly voluntary on our part." I took a deep breath and sighed. "We were forced out. We're considered traitors as well. Because…Bella managed to get a pretty nasty slash on N…Nobuo's face." I hated saying his name.

"Why…?" I spoke over Mother.

"He deserved it. Regardless, we were chased out. Kyle helped us get away without drawing any wrath from the Elite wolves. But because we're considered traitors, we're being hunted. And two managed to find us." I saw both their eyes widen, thankfully they stayed quiet. "They couldn't breach the barrier we had around our house, so they threw a Molotov at it. Thankfully, none of us were home at the time. Over half the place was engulfed in flames by the time we got there though. While Bella and I went off and dispatched the duo Stella snuffed the flames, but the place had been completely wrecked already. We lost a lot of stuff, including a lot of Stella's lab work, her collections and journals."

"Oh, my poor girl…" Mama held a hand over her heart, knowing full well how highly Stella cared for her lab.

"Where are you girls staying now?"

I felt my cheeks flush again, but I pressed forward. "Bella and I are staying with our mate's family. Stella is staying in an apartment nearby that her mate owns." That was apparently jaw dropping. I reached up and tugged at my hair, embarrassed, especially when I looked over and saw Rose smirking at me.

"Back up a step. Explain."

"Did Tanya ever tell you about a family with a similar diet as theirs?"

Mother shook her head no, while Mama nodded. "Yes…the um…Cullen's I believe she said. A fairly large vampire family that feeds off animals and interacts regularly with humans." Mother looked shocked at that.

I nodded. "There's seven in total. And…Bella and I found our mates in two of them." More open mouth staring. "And Stella found hers in a nomad vampire. So…yeah…" my cheeks were on fire. I could see Rose shaking with quiet laughter in my peripheral.

"Good Gods…my three little girls…" Mother was completely shocked. Mama quickly recovered and gave me a huge smile.

I coughed, "Anyways, they were kind enough to take us in and help us repair our place."

"Can they all hear us right now?" Mother asked the question, slowly recovering from her shock.

"No, just…one." A whine. I sighed and shifted over slightly, "I'm in Rose's room, her walls are soundproof so long as all the windows and the door are closed." Rose took that as her cue to walk over and gracefully seat herself beside me, smiling warmly at my mothers.

"Hello there. I'm Rosalie Hale, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you two." Mother's eyebrows raised when she laid eyes on Rose. Mama just smiled back.

"Hello there Rosalie! I'm Melony Trueblood, this is my mate, Vivian. It is lovely meeting you as well. And might I say, you are positively beautiful darling. No doubt Kate and Irina are beyond jealous."

That brought out a smirk from Rose, "Oh they definitely are, and neither one of them will admit it." I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Anyways…what brought this call about?" I wanted to change the subject quickly. Before Rose's ego skyrocketed ever higher.

Mama spoke, "I was just worried my love. When your Mother told me about your anxious feeling I'd been worried sick about you three. My mind has been driving me insane with countless possible horrors happening to you girls. So, when I saw you were online I decided to call and see if you were all okay."

I nodded, "Don't worry Mama, we're ok. We…were each struggling for a bit. Stella lost a lot of work, and Bella's old wounds resurfaced, but we're ok. We're…" my eyes flickered to Rose, "we're moving forward."

Rose and I both heard Alice and Bella get home. Rose made a vague gesture down towards the direction they came from. Silently asking if I'd tell them about the newest development. I bit my lip. Unfortunately, Mother was paying close attention. "Something just happened. What just happened?"

I sighed. No getting around that. So, I told them all about us checking in with Kyle to see if we'd been found out, how Kaito found Bella's parents, and how I'd contacted them. Mother sighed heavily when I finished speaking. "I really don't think that was a good idea love."

I shrugged, "I've got many opinions. But I left the decision to Alice. Bella's mate. Frankly, I see a lot of different ways this could end poorly but…I think it'd be good for Bella. Even if this is the only time, she ever sees them again. And besides. They haven't even confirmed whether or not they're coming."

Mother nodded. Then sighed. "I'd love if I could be there as well. I've got my own things to tell that idiot brother of mine." She grew quiet. I knew what she was doing. She was giving me a chance to tell them where we were.

Originally, we'd kept both our locations secret because they believed we were still in good graces with the others while they weren't. In order to keep themselves safe and us from being targeted for just talking with them Mother never told us where they were, and we never told them where we were. It was safer that way. But now she knows that we're already considered traitors and are being hunted just as they are.

The only thing now stopping us from meeting up again is my own fear. I wasn't new to being an alpha anymore. My alpha was stronger. And we both knew that. What would happen if we finally met again? Face to face.

I was scared. I didn't want to find out.

"We're near the little town of Forks, Washington." My head immediately turned towards Rose. She gave me a cute smile before turning back to my mothers. "With the full moon in a few days I know it'd be difficult to make the journey from wherever you two are, but afterwards you're both welcome to come. We haven't started the house renovations yet but we can easily tack on a room for you two. Yuki's only hesitating because she's needlessly worried."

"Needlessly!" I was about to launch into a massive rant until Rose hit me with that stupid sweet smile of hers. The same smile she gave me when I opened up about my past to her. The smile that told me I was safe. That everything was okay.

"Just trust me love. Everything'll be fine. I know it." I frowned at her.

"I thought Alice was the psychic."

She merely shrugged, "True. But I know you. And I know, deep in my soul, everything will be fine. In fact," she smirked, "I guarantee it."

I narrowed my eyes at her. Her smirk was still in place. I sighed. "Fine. You win. But I'm upping my condition to three puppies now." Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Was she always this obsessed with adopting stray dogs? Or did that desire bloom from helping at the pet shelter?"

My mothers' laughed, Mama spoke, "Always!" Rose shook her head and sighed.

"I'm doomed to a home full of furballs."

I snorted, "Angel you were doomed the moment you fell for a Lycan."

Rose gave a dramatic sigh, "Oh how the Gods toy with my life." I shoved her, earning a laugh.

"Do you two want to say hi to Bella? She and Alice just got back." They both smiled and nodded, having finished their fit of laughter. I made to get up when the door opened, startling me before I realized, "Oh yeah. Psychic."

Alice giggled while Bella looked confused. "What's up?" I turned the laptop around and Bella immediately grinned, "Hey! What are you two doing? Oh." Seemingly just remembering the girl beside her Bella looked at Alice, flushed a bright red, looked at me, looked at our mothers' (who were probably smirking), then cleared her throat and held a handout towards Alice. "This is my mate, Alice Cullen."

Greetings were exchanged, then pleasant conversation started. Alice gushing about what a wonderful job they did raising us, Rose joining in. Bella and I quietly embarrassed. Our mothers' asking the two questions about themselves. But with the door having been opened, the Denali girls rushed in, immediately joining in, having not had a chance to talk to our mothers in a while. It was…nice. I loved every minute of it. Even though I was quietly worried about what would happen when we were all finally face to face.

Stella's POV

Faint voices woke me. I couldn't decipher the words from this distance. They were muffled and my mind was still shaking the grogginess from my rest. Did I dream? No. I don't think I did. At least, I couldn't remember if I did. I did remember falling asleep in the arms of my vampire. A vampire that was currently absent. She must be one of the voices.

Stretching, I made my way into the master bathroom as I tried to pinpoint the owner of the second voice I heard. Now that my mind was beginning to wake, I distinctly recognized the low pitch of Victoria's voice. I couldn't pick up on the deeper one though.

After I had changed and left the bedroom, I had my answer. It was the vampire Laurent. He and Victoria were speaking in hushed whispers with the kitchen counter between them. Despite the fact that I was giving him a chance to prove he had no ill will towards me and my sisters, Victoria didn't trust him in the slightest. She was constantly tense whenever he was around, she refused to leave me in the same room as him, and she also insisted on going over everything he brought us to ensure it wasn't dangerous. The overprotection was amusing and quite adorable but ultimately unnecessary. Though, I enjoyed watching her fuss, so I kept my thoughts to myself and simply watched my mate's antics.

Victoria's red eyes immediately flew to me seconds before she appeared before me, kissing my cheek, and wrapping me in a hug I happily returned. "Good morning love. Did we wake you again?"

"I love that you keep trying to whisper but this place is to small Scar. I can't understand the words but the faint hissing of voices is enough to lull me out of bed." I couldn't help but chuckle at her frown. I went into the kitchen and started making myself some toast. "Good morning Laurent."

He nodded at me as I passed. "Good morning. I was curious to know when I'd get the chance to earn my second shot with the others. Victoria is being rather unhelpful in giving me a timeframe."

Victoria growled at him, positioning herself in between the both of us, overprotective as always. "It is simply to soon. The other wolves have enough going on without having to worry about you."

"True enough. Though I would be joining one of the vampire covens, wouldn't I? No offense to the both of you, but I've no desire to become a direct member of a wolf pack." That brought a chuckle out of me and a snort out of Victoria.

When I turned around to voice my opinion, I heard a faint voice in my mind. "Stella, you up yet?" I recognized Yuki's voice. I focused on my younger sister and mentally responded my confirmation. Shortly after I heard, "You and Victoria need to come over. There's been a development and you need to be present for my explanation. No need to rush, just come by today." I sent her a message saying we'd be there shortly. What new development could have happened in the past ten or so hours?

"We can go over now if you'd like." The two vampires, who had been arguing while I spoke with my sister, turned to me. I took a bite of my freshly buttered toast. "Apparently something new has happened. Yuki wants me and Scar back so she can explain what's going on. Nothing serious, but apparently urgent. Come with us, like I promised, I'll vouch for you and keep my sisters from immediately disposing of you." I tried to give him a soft smile to ease any fear he might have but by the uneasiness in his eyes I doubt it helped much.

Victoria frowned, "How do you know that?"

"We're connected." Two blank looks stared at me. I needed to remember, these were vampires. "Lycans are mentally connected with their packmates. Its how we converse in our wolf forms. It's a much stronger connection when we're shifted, but even as I am now, I can still communicate with them both, so long as they aren't far away. Like I said, it's not super strong as I am now, but it's strong enough, especially when Yuki reaches out first, her being the alpha and all." I wandered to the door to slip on my high heels as I spoke.

"Can they see your thoughts at all times?" Victoria sounded wary.

I smiled, "No love. Even in our wolf forms we have complete control over what we allow our packmates to hear. If we want to think something privately, we can. If we want our thoughts to be open, then they will be. Or, usually, we can just 'project' a specific thought. And it's a hell of a lot faster than texting or calling. In our pack, anytime we're in combat we tend to keep our minds open to one another. That way we can see if one of us needs help, especially if we're far apart."

Victoria nodded then glanced at Laurent. "You sure it'll be fine bringing him along?"

I looped her arm through mine and headed out into the hallway, "It'll be fine love. Come on you two." Laurent quietly followed behind us as we strolled out of the apartment complex, through the quiet street, and onto a scarcely used hiking path nearby. Since Yuki specified we didn't need to rush I kept our pace fairly slow by our standards, though still well above a human's fastest speed. I wanted everyone there to hear three runners and be prepared for their surprise guest.

And sure enough, when we broke through the clearing every vampire from both covens was outside, along with my sisters. Yuki, Tanya, and Carlisle stood ahead of the others. I smiled and gave a little wave. "Morning everyone." I made a sweeping gesture towards Laurent. "I'm sure some of you remember him, to those who have yet to meet him, this is Laurent, one of the vampires Victoria traveled with for the majority of her vampiric life."

Yuki frowned, clearly not happy. Behind her Bella's eyes lightened. Alice kept a tight hold on Bella's arm though, probably already knowing what was going to happen. "What's he doing with you?" Yuki spoke first.

"He's hoping for a second chance. And I'm vouching for his earnestness. He helped me in gathering all the necessary ingredients I needed to start up my blood tablet process again since I was out of commission for a day and half, and I didn't want Victoria leaving my side quite yet. Since he was kind enough to help, I promised to make sure he had a chance to plead his case without you immediately ripping him apart." My eyes flicked to Bella, then back to my alpha. "If he is lying, I'll take full responsibility. But I genuinely believe he wants the chance to start over."

Yuki frowned, "Did you have any idea of James' plans against us?"

Laurent shook his head no. "Believe me, I had no idea. We had split apart after leaving here previously. He claimed he needed some time alone to digest all the information we received. I didn't see him for a while so I started looking around for him. I found him speaking with two rather large males that made me wary. I didn't trust the look of them so I left and found myself pacing inside a clearing, trying to understand what might be going on. After some time passed, I heard him shout out my name in fear, I briefly saw him ran towards me before being overpowered by a few of you all. I figured he must've done something stupid. I had no desire to help bail him out of whatever mess he created."

"Had you known, would you have warned us?" Bella's eyes had returned to their natural state, but I could tell she was still on edge.

Laurent paused as he contemplated the thought. Then he nodded. "Yes. If it came to a choice of siding with James or Victoria, I'd choose Victoria. While James and I were good friends, I believe Victoria has always been the…most morally sound of the three of us." He gave Victoria a slight bow, "If I knew he had a plan to harm your mate I swear I would've gone to you."

Victoria pursed her lips then sighed, "I believe he's being genuine." She wrapped an arm around my waist, "And he was kind enough to help."

Laurent gave her a soft smile before facing the others once more, head held high. Waiting.

Yuki frowned then sighed and shrugged. "Whatever. Despite our mates I've no say in the fate of a vampire that claims no ill will towards my family. I'll leave the decision to you two." She gave Tanya and Carlisle a little nod before stepping back and into Rosalie's arms.

Tanya and Carlisle shared a glance before looking back at Laurent. "If you're willing to never again feed off another human than you'll be welcome here." Carlisle gave a warm smile.

Tanya nodded her agreement. "Though Carlisle's family is separate from my own, we consider ourselves as one large unit. You're welcome to join either of us. I am Tanya, head of the Denali family, these are my girls Irina and Kate. There are two others in our family that aren't here though I'm sure you'll meet them soon enough."

Once everything was settled all the others relaxed and moved closer to talk with Laurent, welcoming him and simply getting to know the new member. I wandered over to where my sisters and their mates were, Victoria's arm still around my waist. "So, what's happened? Other than you contacting our aunt and uncle."

Yuki shifted her weight from foot to foot before heading inside. "Hey Emmett, can you come with us for a minute?" the burly vampire agreed and followed our pack inside into the kitchen. I heard the others enter, Esme giving Laurent a proper tour of their home.

Yuki stood before the blueprint for our home and motioned Emmett over. Once he was standing beside her she pointed at the outline, "Would it be possible to add another room somewhere? Maybe by expanding the dimensions and giving us a family and living room with the extra room upstairs. Or would that be too much?"

Emmett looked over the plans. "Hm no I think that's totally doable, especially since we're enlarging the kitchen. How big are we talking? Like a single room or something larger?"

"Something comfortable for our mothers to live in." that caught everyone attention. I heard faint conversations from the others pause. Bella and I stared wide eyed at our younger sister who had her green eyes fixed to the plans. "Maybe something along the sides of a master suite with their own bathroom? I don't mind still sharing with the other two. And I don't care if my room stays the same size. So long as my piano and my bed fit that's really all that matters to me. But I know Mom will want a bit of space to set up a mini studio for her paintings."

Emmett nodded, seemingly unfazed, "That's totally doable but we might need to change the location of the basement entrance. If we make it accessible through the garage we'll have better structural integrity."

"That okay with you Stella?" Yuki finally looked up, her eyes meeting my own.

"I…what…our mothers?" I couldn't form a proper sentence. I was shocked.

Yuki nodded and ran a hand through her hair, her eyes looking back down at the blueprint. "Mama called me after I'd finished talking with Bella's bio parents. We chatted for a minute before I decided to stop hiding things. The only thing I left out was the catalyst about our departure, I only mentioned the fact that Bella got a well-deserved slash at his face. I introduced Rose, told them about the potential arrival of Mother's brother, and Mother not so subtly hinted that she'd love to be present if such a thing happened. And while I was inwardly panicking at the thought Rose told them where we're staying and that they're welcome to come down. She claims it'll all be fine but…I'm nervous about seeing Mother again."

Yuki sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "The first time I saw her my alpha nature was still in its early stages. I wasn't really a fully fledged alpha yet. It was too new to me. And since she had no desire to return to the community, I didn't feel any need to challenge her alpha for control. What if that happens this time though?"

Rosalie walked over and wrapped her arms around Yuki, nuzzling her cheek, "It'll be fine. Trust." Yuki simply sighed and leaned into the embrace.

"But…they're coming?" Bella's voice was faint.

Yuki nodded. "Yeah. Probably after the next full moon."

We were quiet for a moment. Not that Bella and I weren't thrilled at the thought of seeing our mothers again, we truly were. I missed them every day. But I completely understood Yuki's worry. And I'm sure Bella felt the same.

The fact of the matter is. Yuki and Mother are alphas. Since they've both been my alpha I knew for a fact that Yuki's alpha was stronger than Mother's. Alphas typically didn't interact on a daily basis with one another, especially in such close proximity. It was asking for trouble. Back at the community we had a large, secured area of land that housed maybe a dozen or so packs. There was plenty of space in between what we called 'main homes.' Or central homes. These homes housed an alpha of a pack and their immediate family. Typically, when new members were welcomed into the pack, they would take a home located next door to the alpha's, or if a sibling wished for their own space, they would take a home nearby. But all the houses were nearby the main home where the alpha resided. There was always plenty of space between main homes to ensure that territory disputes rarely happened.

But Mother and Yuki would be in the same house. And Rose wasn't even worried? Yuki looked calm on the outside, but I knew her to well. She was struggling internally. Would they get into a fight when they met again? Would one have to submit to the other? I wasn't nearly as calm about this as Rosalie seemed.

"Um…is this really…" Rose cut me off.

"You three need to relax. Things will be fine. Now come on, you and I are going for a walk. Emmett can draw things out and show us when we get back." With that the blonde gently pulled my sister out the door. Yuki didn't seem interested in a walk but she didn't fight the motion. Soon they were gone.

"She's really calm about this…" I couldn't help but mumble to myself as I looked over the house plans. "I don't mind if we move the entrance into the garage." Emmett nodded and left, presumably to get a new blueprint.

"It'll be really nice to see them again though." The hopeful note in Bella's quiet voice didn't go unheard. I smiled at her while Alice gave her mate a side hug.

"Yeah. It will be."

I felt a tug on my arm, looking over I saw an unreadable expression on Victoria. "I think a walk sounds nice. Come on." I nodded and let my mate walk me out of the house, we caught the scent of the other duo and chose to head the opposite direction. They clearly wanted privacy. And apparently so did Victoria.

We had walked for several miles now in complete silence. I nearly broke it on a few occasions but there was an odd look in her eyes that stopped me every time I opened my mouth. Something was clearly weighing heavily on her mind.

Eventually we came to a small clearing and Victoria stopped. "Have I ever told you about the man that turned me?" that certainly wasn't what I expected to hear. I shook my head no. Victoria nodded to herself before continuing. "He was a warrior of sorts. He had seen a lot of fighting and violence. Not just between vampires but other creatures that he claimed were demonic in nature. He told me a lot of stories about his old life and the constant battles he faced at times. After I was turned, he taught me how to control my thirst when necessary, to the point were maybe four months after I was turned I could walk through a crowd of humans with little desire to hunt. He taught me a great deal of fighting techniques before I decided to forge my own path. While I respected him, I cared little for the art of war as he called it, I was far more interested in learning about the world around me. Back than science was in its infancy, but I learned all I could. But that's not important."

My mind immediately understood where she was going. "Scar no. I've already told you I don't…"

A kiss silenced me. "Please hear me out." I sighed and wrapped my arms around her neck, waiting. "I know you don't value strength, preferring to use your mind to handle your problems. And we're both aware your wolf doesn't share your values. So, what if I taught you the value I learned all those years ago? You don't have to change your opinion, you can say no, you can try it once and tell me to fuck off. But at least try once with me. At the very least you can say you tried. If you hate it, we won't do it again. Just. Once. Please?"

Her dark red eyes were searching mine. I wasn't sure what she was looking for in them. Or what she saw. My mind was already preparing denials and dismissals. But something in her gaze silenced my voice before I even opened my mouth. Then came the question, why? Why did she want to try? Because of that legend? We don't even know if its true. It could all be nonsense.

But have any of my experiments come even close? No. Nothing prevented the shift. Even with Victoria's help last time we didn't make any progress. And while I don't think the other two vampires knew this, I told Victoria that our last experiment accidently made the shift twice as more painful than usual. One theory was that the potion was trying to work, and it was fighting against the shift, causing us a great deal of extra pain. Or our wolves reacted violently to some component of the potion. But with my notes lost I couldn't recall all that we used for the potion and after losing all that I did, my desire to keep trying faltered. It wasn't working and I was getting discouraged. Not just with the full moon potion either. I couldn't help my sister sleep. Nothing I did helped her sleep. I could easily knock her out with something but that wasn't the same as good nights rest. I felt like a failure…

A sigh left my lips as I rested my forehead on Victoria's shoulder. Her arms around my waist tightened, quietly asking if I was okay. "I'm just…I don't know if…" another sigh. At this point, what could it hurt? "One try. But. Not today please?"

A kiss against my head. "One try. Later. Are you okay?"

My shoulders moved in a little shrug. "A lot has happened. Even more is going to happen. I'm…just a little tired I think."

"Then let's go on a date." I pulled back, Victoria was wearing one of her trademark smirks, "Maybe do a little dancing?" the memories of our last dance filtered through my mind and my body hummed in desire. Feeling Victoria's hands on my body, her perfect figure moving against my own. And what nearly happened afterwards. A chuckle pulled me out of my memory. "I can see where your thoughts went." My cheeks were suddenly warm. Victoria leaned in, her lips inches from my ear, "After a dance, I'll take you home and bring those thoughts to life. What do you say?" her voice was a low purr.

My heart was racing, my breathing erratic. All from her voice. And the promise in it. I bit back a whimper as I struggled to form the words to respond. "Fuck the dance. Take me home. Now." I tried to make my words a command, but my voice was too breathless. I sounded needy. And from the chuckle I knew she heard that too.

She pulled away enough to look me in the eye, her smirk wide. "Oh? Is that so? And if I-" my hand tangled into her hair as I pulled her down for a hungry kiss, swallowing her words. A growl left her throat as she kissed me, her tongue demanding entrance that I happily gave.

When the need for air became too much I pulled away, her red eyes were impossibly dark. Lust shining heavily in them. "Take. Me. Home." There was no teasing smirk this time. I was pulled up into her arms as she turned and ran. Thankfully there was no one out walking or in the hallway. Victoria forced herself into a quick walk, but I could tell she wanted to just blur us into her room. I busied myself by placing kiss after kiss on her neck, occasionally nipping her pulse point, though her heart was frozen, the sensitivity remained, and I earned a growl of approval.

Before I knew it the feeling of a mattress pressed against my back as Victoria's body covered my own, her lips claiming mine in another kiss. My hands left her hair and slipped under her shirt to the cool skin beneath. It wasn't enough, I wanted more. I pulled my lips away enough to breathe out one word. "Off." Victoria sat up and in one swift motion had her shirt gone, a red laced bra covering her breasts. I licked my lips at the sight as my hands immediately moved up her stomach and around to unhook the garment, tossing it to the side as my eyes drank in the sight of a topless Victoria straddling me. "Perfection…"

My hands moved to cup her breasts as I sat up, my mouth claiming one taut nipple, my thumb grazing the other. Victoria arched into my touch, a moan escaping her lips as her hands threaded through my hair, pulling me closer. I shifted my weight and ended up flipping us over. A startled Victoria on her back with me nestled perfectly between her legs. I smirked up at her before my teeth grazed her nipple earning a hiss of approval. Victoria's legs moved to wrap around me, her hips lifting towards me seeking contact.

As much as I wanted to provide that I couldn't help but remember all the constant flirtations and teasing I'd endured since meeting my mate. I was going to take my time. Mind made up I trailed a line of kisses up along her body, following the line of her collarbone and up along her neck. I broke contact briefly to shed my own shirt and bra, tossing them aside before pressing my body against hers, moaning at the softness of her breasts against mine as my lips claimed hers for a kiss.

Victoria's hands immediately explored my exposed flesh as my tongue found hers. I felt a shift in her weight and I immediately pulled back. "No no no. You're staying right here." I placed my palm against her stomach to keep her still. Her dark red eyes gazing up at me, shining with love and lust, taking my breath away. "I'm not done yet."

A playful smirk, "Well then my love, give me all you've got." Her palms brushed against my nipples causing a wave of desire to course through my body and shoot downward.

I immediately took her lips in another kiss, my desire taking over. I moved to her neck, nipping and licking every inch of skin I could as I made my way down to her breasts, taking a nipple in my mouth as my hands removed the final layers of clothing we both wore. Once she was completely bare I moved further down, trailing kisses and licks along her skin. My hands running along her thighs, spreading them further apart. A demanding hand found its way in my hair as my breath washed over her center, pressing me down. "Stella…" her breathy voice, how I loved that sound. And good heavens…she smelled divine. I took in a deep breath before my tongue met her most sensitive spot earning me a low moan of approval. I took my time learning what made Victoria moan, curse, and press her hips forward, a hand on her waist keeping her hips in place.

I slipped two fingers in her, her hips immediately bucked against my hand, "Fuck! Stella! Yes!" her breathing was ragged now, one hand tangled in my hair the other gripping the bedsheets. I removed the hand on her hips as I moved up her body, my fingers setting a quick rhythm she immediately met. When my teeth closed around a nipple her entire body stiffened as she called out her release. My mind briefly wondered if we had upstairs neighbors and if they were home.

But the gorgeous creature currently beneath me took my complete attention as I helped her slowly ride out the last waves of her orgasm. When she finally opened her eyes I stilled my hand, a smirk on my lips. I opened my mouth but was immediately silenced with a kiss. Then I suddenly found myself back on my back and my arms pinned above my head, one hand around my wrists, locking me in place. I moaned my approval, my body moving up to try and reach my lovers.

Victoria took the opportunity to move her lips to my aching breasts, lavishing attention as she let her free hand roam about, finding every sensitive spot on my body. It felt like her touch was everywhere, causing heat to shoot through my body and settling in a wanting wetness below. Soon her second hand joined the other in its search but I kept my arms above me, gripping the bedsheets as my back arched against Victoria's mouth silently begging for more. It was soon granted when I felt a finger brush against my aching center.

My hips immediately shifted but the hand vanished pulling a whimper from my lips. I felt more than heard Victoria's chuckle against my skin. "Need something love?" a nip on my hip brought out a gasp.

"Please Scar…" my body felt like it was on fire. Her cool touch only strengthened the flames burning beneath my skin.

"Please what? Tell me." Thumbs against my nipples brought out a groan.

"Please Scar, I need you…" my breathing was frantic, coming in pants as I tried to organize my thoughts. A cool tongue against my sensitive clit suddenly dispelled all thoughts as my hips bucked. "Ooh yes! Victoria please! More!" I was immediately rewarded with an intense rhythm that had me nearly delirious with pleasure, her fingers pinching my nipples bringing out a loud moan. Then when she started sucking my clit I couldn't hold back any longer. I nearly screamed out as I came against my mate.

But Victoria didn't let me rest there. Just as I was coming down she thrust two fingers into me, setting a pace to quickly bring me to the climax again. Had I ever felt such mind numbing pleasure before? Surely not. A sudden pain in my neck didn't even register in my desire filled mind.

It took me several moments to gather my thoughts again as my breathing finally calmed. When I turned I found my mate happily lounging beside me, an elbow propping her up as she watched me, one hand drawing small circles against my stomach. "Welcome back to earth." Goddess I hated and loved that smirk she wore.

I leaned over and kissed it away. "Mm. I love you." she smiled and kissed me again.

"Good. I love you to my star."

I chuckled, "Good Goddess, I saw several just now."

"Mm good." Her lips brushed along my jaw and down my neck. "So this marks you as mine permanently now yes?"

"What?" my mind was still lagging a bit. Too distracted by her lips on my skin. Already I felt my center aching for her attention. Victoria reached over the side of the bed and picked up my discarded phone, pulling up the front facing camera and handing it over to me, showing me my new tattoo.

A gasp left my lips as I craned my neck to get a better view. The three interlocking electron lines of an atom encased a wolf instead of a nucleus. The wolf was curled up into a ball, seemingly resting. A few red circular protons surrounded the slumbering wolf while the three light blue electrons swirled along their lines. It was beautiful.

My fingers reached up and brushed the tattooed skin lightly, expecting the skin to be sensitive but to my surprise it wasn't. My finger rested against one of the red protons. I smiled. I loved it. "Yes. This marks me as yours, forever."

Victoria leaned over and pressed her lips to the sleeping wolf. "Beautiful. And perfect." She nuzzled my cheek. "Just like you."

I couldn't help the giggle that left my lips. Tossing my phone aside I turned and pulled Victoria into my arms. Victoria. My mate. My soul mate. Forever. "Perfect."

A/N: Thank you for reading!