Welcome! Welcome to Bonded: The Legacy. This is the sequel or part two of Bonded, obviously. It's a little different but I think y'all will enjoy the ride.

I think my adorable Lolabelle said it best; Bonded ending was very bittersweet. But we are ready for new adventures!

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PART ONE…

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I was 6 years old when I saw my first vampire. I was also 6 years old when I realized why my family and I could turn into wolves. It didn't take much for me to be able to understand that we existed to kill vampires. But things in the world are a little bit different than they were when my parents first became the most powerful Alpha couple any pack had ever seen.

For every wolf today, there are 10 vampires. And there were a fuck ton more wolves than we ever thought. The vampires started turning people like a lethal virus. There were definitely more of them than there were of us. The existence of shape shifters had stayed underground for a while; the Volturi became aware of my family's pack after they let the wrong bloodsucker get away. He got a little too close to me and my mom before Daddy came out of left field and chased him into Canada. At the time, my parents didn't think anything of it, but then the rumor of the first child ever born of two shape shifters started to spread like wildfire in the vampire community. That's me. Hadley Black. Daughter of Jacob and Leah Black. One of a kind. It's like I've had a bounty on my head my entire life. It was like one of those freak occurrences like Renesmee, who's half-vampire, half-human. The Volturi is afraid of what I can do, so wouldn't it just be easier to eliminate me to reduce the risk of me being an actual threat to vampires?

The rules are different now. The way the reservation operates is different. The Cullens left years ago, for real this time. Dr. Cullen stayed behind to monitor me until I was about 7 years old before he eventually moved on to live with his wife in England. He still calls to check on us occasionally, but it's always been noticeably weird because my parents killed one of his "children." We lived in this weird gray area where supernaturals could only depend on other supernaturals and also only depend on themselves.

So, you know the story. My parents opted to Bond in order for my father to gain his rightful place as Alpha and for my mom to become the professional kickass Alpha woman that she is. The way they Bonded made it possible for my mother to have children again along with a whole bunch of other special abilities that they wouldn't have had otherwise. They learned literally everything there is to know about our people and how to maximize our abilities as shape shifters. They changed the game completely. Turned that shit on its head. So, then I was born. Everyone except for my parents was surprised that I was a girl. Fuck yeah, take that, gender norms. And, to make a long story short, I was born with all of those abilities already tapped plus some. Most people have to wait for something to trigger their phase. Usually, it's anger or fear that activates someone's first phase. But, for me, it's different. I've always been able to phase. It's always been in me. Along with a fuck ton of other things that a growing girl probably shouldn't deal with.

I had an amazing life though. I had a loving family, great friends, and a fulfilling sense of community that I couldn't imagine getting anywhere else. One day, hopefully, I'd be able to run my own pack like my parents. I've watched them do it for so long, I felt like I knew the ropes enough to bring in the next round of wolves. I was excited to see who the first one to phase would be. Ever since we were old enough to understand, our parents were honest with us about what we come from. My Grandpa Billy was the best storyteller I'd ever known; he continued the tradition of telling the legends at every bonfire. And, after Mama and Dad Bonded, they started an initiative for our written history to be archived and housed in The Quileute Legend Center, which you may know as Kaya and Ephraim's old house. No one lived there now; they felt that it was too important to keep using so my mom and Aunt Bianca created the nonprofit center to protect what was left of our past and our future.

Before I could even understand what it meant, they always called me "the future of our people." I still don't even know what it means, honestly. It felt like a lot of pressure though. I mean, all I wanted was to lead my own pack and keep my happy ass alive. I understood that my abilities were different than what the next generation of wolves would be able to do, but my younger brother could do the same things that I can. I guess being the first born makes it different. Will, who was 6 years younger than me, had absolutely no interest in wolf business, and Melody was only 4 so she was only interested in Doc McStuffins reruns and getting marker all over my stuff. She hadn't shown any instances of supernatural ability, which was strange to us, but I think a little relieving to my mom.

Despite there being a pretty big bounty on my head, I lived a very normal life for the daughter of two shape shifters. I went to school, I hung out with my friends, I sparred with my father and my uncles sometimes. Normal stuff. My parents tried to make sure that people didn't treat me different. I wasn't this prodigy child that needed to be protected at all costs. I was just Hadley. Your normal teenage girl.

That being said, every year the Council and the Alphas have a meeting about how the current pack should be preparing for my generation. We hadn't had a lot of vampires stay in the area for a while, but that was starting to change, which meant that people around here would start to change. Mama said I wasn't allowed to go to these Council meetings, but sometimes I would perch outside the council hall and listen in anyway. Gotta love super-hearing.

"Absolutely not!" my mother yelled. I heard a chair aggressively scrape against the old hardwood floor; I imagined that my mother shot out of her chair to accentuate her point. She liked to be a bit dramatic.

"Aileah, please," I heard my grandfather sigh. "This isn't easy for any of us."

"Did you actually expect us to be alright with this? What was the thought process here? Because I'm not seeing one," she snapped.

My grandmother, Sue, was the next to speak. "Historically speaking, the pack has always been run by a man."

"That's so far from the truth. Kaya ran her pack for years after Ephraim died," my father argued. I could practically see his stone hard face challenging them with his arms crossed over his chest. He sounded like he meant business.

"It was still Ephraim's pack," Sam countered, sounding reluctant. "In the text, it's still referred to as his pack."

My mother started to mumble under her breath, "Jesus fucking Christ," before she said, "It doesn't matter what the text says. Kaya and Ephraim ran that pack together. Jacob and I have been running this pack together. It's no more his pack than it is mine. The fact that this is even a conversation is blowing my mind right now."

"All we're saying is that if Hadley is going to be an Alpha one day, she will need a male counterpart," Grandpa Billy concluded.

"She's 16," my mother emphasized, her hands making a loud thud on the table. "You're talking about having our 16-year-old daughter—wait, sorry, your 16-year-old granddaughter—Bond before she's ready. If she had been born male, this wouldn't even be a conversation. Hadley has been thriving in this environment. You've said for years that you're impressed with what she can do."

"But now that it's time for a new set of wolves to start phasing, you're having doubts about her being able to handle the responsibility. Honestly, I'm disappointed in all of you. This is completely absurd," my father finished. I felt a triumphant smile cross my face as I quietly pumped my fist in the air. I had heard murmurings of there being a difficult decision between me or my cousin Nathaniel becoming the new Alpha when my parents step down. Nathaniel was born first so the Council believed that he would be the first to phase like his dad, Sam. My parents both agreed that it was ridiculous to even have to make this kind of decision, and my mother said something along the lines of that being history repeating itself. My parents weren't ready to step down so me or Nate becoming Alpha was way off in the future, but one of the resolutions that my parents implemented in the reservation was that everyone was to be prepared for anything and everything.

From what I understood, the Council, which was now made up of Grandpa Billy, Grandma Sue, and now Uncle Sam—Rest in Peace Old Quil—only felt that I could handle being Alpha if I had a mate. They weren't pressuring me to Bond like right now, but they wanted me to be at least attached to someone so that when it was time for me to Bond, I would already be mated. Almost like an arranged marriage. How archaic. But that rule only applied to me. My brother, Will, wouldn't have to do it that way. Nate certainly wouldn't have to do it this way. "What are you doing?" I heard behind me.

I gasped and whirled around to see Nate towering over me. I shushed him quickly, putting a hand over his mouth, before leaning back toward the council hall. All of the arguing back and forth had completely ceased. Crap. I was hoping they hadn't heard that. Nate started to fight against my small hand; I shook my head at him, silently begging him to be quiet. He asked me again what I was doing, only muffled this time. I glared at him before putting my finger to my mouth and shushing him again. Hadley, I heard my father project a warning.

Rolling my eyes in frustration, I palmed my forehead before answering in the sweetest voice I could muster, Yes, Daddy?

Go home, young lady. This meeting isn't for your ears.

I sighed out loud, Yes, Daddy.

I let go of my cousin's face before cursing quietly, "Damn it. Busted."

"Were you eavesdropping on the Council meeting?" Nate asked me, stunned. He was so innocent. Nate didn't like doing anything that would maybe, kind of, possibly get him in trouble. He liked being on the straight and narrow; he only ever played by the rules.

"Is that technically eavesdropping if I could already hear them?" I tried to reason, turning around to walk back toward my house. That was bullshit and I knew it.

"I don't think that's how that works," he said, walking next to me. He's right, it's not. I could actually get in a lot of trouble for listening in on private meetings with the Council because they were all supposed to make announcements at the same time. But…that doesn't really work. I tend to know information before it comes out because I can hear all of the wolves' thoughts. I could hear my parents think and discuss about how they were going to tell the pack about new changes. I couldn't hear anyone else though, just the wolves. Growing up, they had to figure out how to put up extra strong mind walls so that I wasn't exposed to too much of the pack mind as a child. "What are they even talking about in there?"

"Do you really want to know?" I smirked.

"Yeah! Wait, no…don't tell me. Well…sure! No…no, never mind. I don't want to know," he shook his head. "What were you thinking, Hadley?" You'll hear that question a lot when you're dealing with me.

"It's not a big deal," I shrugged, kicking a rock down the road. "Lighten up, Nate. You know, it wouldn't kill you to let loose every once and a while."

"One day, you're gonna get yourself in real trouble, Lee, and I won't be there to save you," he warned, lightheartedly.

I poked my tongue out at him before playfully nudging him. Nate was only a few months older than me, but sometimes I think he thinks he's decades older than me. Sure, he's helped me out when I've somehow found myself in some pretty compromising positions, but I could handle myself. Between the two of us, I was the one to take the risks. Nate would sometimes just sit back and watch in case something went awry. Like an active duty guardian angel.

Or a third parent.

"Are you going to the garage today?" he asked as we strolled up the walkway to my house. I, sometimes, spent afternoons at my dad's shop

I shrugged, "Depends on how much trouble I'm in for listening in on the Council meeting."

I tried not to hold any resentment toward Nathan for what the Council says. I had no doubt that he could handle himself in some kind of leadership role, but sometimes it just felt unfair that the Council was dangling that same role in front of me and making excuses why I couldn't have it. I'm not a man, I'm not old enough, I'm not trained enough, and my personal favorite: "well, the history says…"

Who cares what the history says? Things change so much around here and our existence isn't exactly traditional. Shouldn't you amend things as you learn more about them? That's what I always thought. That's what my parents always taught me. Just because something is a certain way doesn't mean it's not subject to change.

It wasn't uncommon for there to be at least 10 people at our house at a time. Pack members and kids were always coming in and out all throughout the day. Alpha business hardly ever stopped, even if things were slow. So, when Nate and I walked in and saw my uncles Paul, Embry, and Quil hanging out on the couch. "Hey, little Lee," Uncle Paul called out. "Where's your dad?"

"He's still at the Council meeting with Mama," I answered as I crouched down. Melody, my baby sister, ran up to me, throwing her arms around my neck. I smiled as I picked her up and walked further into the house. Nate settled himself with our uncles "They sounded like they were wrapping up though."

"Oh, was your mom yelling again?" Embry joked.

I giggled, "Only a little bit this time."

"Hadley, will you play Barbie with me?" Melody asked, hugging my neck.

"Of course, I will, sweetie. But later, ok?" I gave her kisses on the cheek before setting her down. She nodded up at me before running back to her room, her glittery pink sneakers lighting with each step. Grabbing a bottle of water, I joined my uncles and my cousin in the living room. "Will you guys train with me again soon? I want to work on my speed."

Uncle Quil blew out a breath, "We can hardly keep up with you now."

"Yeah, you're already faster than all of us, little Lee. Maybe you should take a break from training for a while," Paul suggested.

I shook my head, "Not possible." Now that the Council was having second thoughts about me being able to take over as Alpha after my parents step down, it was important for me to be at the top of my game.

They all chuckled at me. "Take it easy, alright, kid? You're still young," Embry advised. "You have your whole life to be pack. But you'll never be this young again."

I felt a small tug, which usually indicated that my parents were on their way back home. I had just a tiny sense of dread because I knew how much it bothered them when I didn't listen. Maybe they won't yell if Paul, Embry, and Quil stay here. They walked in muttering between themselves, not that that mattered. Four out of the five people in the room had super hearing. "…she's just a teenager. It's fine," my dad said.

"Jacob, she needs to start listening to us. She knows the rules," Mama tried to sound stern. It wasn't working well. She was soft for my dad. And Dad was soft for me. As much as they tried to punish me for these things, it usually was just a quick yelling session and then Dad sighs at me and shakes his head and says, 'Come on, kid, you know better.'

"And that's our cue," Uncle Paul chuckled. He clapped Nate on his back. "Let's go, champ. We'll walk you home."

"No, no, no, you guys don't have to leave," I tried to interject. It was too late. The four of them scuffled past my parents who were glaring right at me and shut the door. Just me and them. I could hear the Doc McStuffins theme song playing back from Melody's room. "…the doc is gonna help you feel better. Oh, oh, oh, it's the place to go when you feel a little under the weather…"

My father sighed and shook his head. The wheels were practically cranking in his brain. To yell or not to yell. To ground or not to ground. If I pushed myself hard enough, I could peak into his mind, behind his wall to hear what he was thinking. "Hadley Sarah-Violet…" he started.

"Can I explain first?" I tried, shrinking myself down into the old brown leather recliner in the living room.

I did have a good explanation, if that made it better. Mom and Dad glanced at each other before turning back to me. I flashed a smile, hoping to loosen them up a little bit. The corners of Mama's mouth twitched upward. "20 seconds," she said, moving to the couch.

I nodded, "Ok so hear me out. I thought that it would be a good teaching opportunity for me." I carefully watched them to see if they were buying it, but they were both just smirking at me with their eyebrows raised. "I think it's a firsthand account on how to be an Alpha and who better to learn that from than my parents? Technically, I know that I'm not supposed to eavesdrop on your meetings, but it's a motivator."

"How so?" my dad asked, amused.

"Well…" I bit my bottom lip. "This is a chance to really show the Council that I can do this. I want to help when the boys start phasing. Think about it. What if you guys are busy handling vampires? I could be back here helping the newbies train. And I'd be getting extra training in too. So, really, if you think about it, hearing the Council say that they think I need a partner in order for me to qualify to take over after you guys is just enough of a push I need to prove to them what I can do."

Mom and Dad sat there for a beat and just let that marinate. Mom rolled her eyes playfully and chuckled before she projected, I hate when she actually makes sense. Makes it hard to be upset. I can't punish her if she's making sense…right?

Hey, that's your kid, my dad joked. You've got it.

Why is she my kid when she tries to outsmart us? Mom asked, glaring at him.

"Um," I started to raise my hand a little. "Your walls aren't…very effective right now."

"Hadley, go to your room so your mother and I can talk," Dad said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We'll discuss your punishment later."

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Grounded for two weeks! For snooping on the Council meeting. So unfair. They say they're trying to make a point that I need to start listening to them instead of doing what I feel is right in that moment. I mean…I kind of get it, but Mom and Dad don't just ground me from television and a cell phone for two weeks. Oh no. Jacob and Leah know how to truly torture me. I can't go hang out with my friends for two weeks or go to bonfires or watch training sessions. I can't go to the beach; I can't even stay out past 9 o'clock.

What they allow me to do though is run errands for Dad's garage. Which still sucks ass. After school, I had to drive all the way out to Port Angeles to get some car parts because none of my uncles wanted to go. Since I'm grounded, I couldn't even get Nate or my best friend, Cassie, to go with me.

"Do you need help with that, little lady?" the sleazy shop owner asked. He was a greasy white man with a combover and a beer belly. His work shirt had a stain across the front of it which could have been anything. The man took a sip from his Big Gulp of Diet Coke before sizing me up. "Usually one of those big guys comes for orders."

I checked over the inventory list one more time as I replied, "No, I can handle it. Thank you though."

"It's pretty heavy. You're sure to hurt yours—," he started. I picked up the box of car parts with ease and watched the man's jaw drop. I pushed the door open with my butt, hearing the bell ring at the top of the frame.

"Have a good day," I grinned.

Since being grounded, I've had a lot of time to think about some stuff. My mom says I have tunnel vision on some things. I do want to take over for my parents when it's time, but I also want to be able to protect myself. My entire life, there's always been a wolf right there in front of me in case anything happened. I'm getting older now and I feel like, if I had all of the tools I needed, I'd be able to defend myself against any vampire that came for my head.

I never felt afraid of dying. But I, for damn sure, wasn't about to be taken out by a vampire bounty because they know absolutely nothing about me. We were just evolving, I guess. Just like them. If they don't destroy every single vampire with a special ability, then why come after me?

I guess it makes sense. Vampires feel like they can be the only superior supernatural beings in the world; they've done a pretty damn good job at attempting to eradicate any other possible threat to their kind. See, we know every single thing there is to know about vampires. From their sparkly skin to the ways they lied to mortals about the true way to kill a vampire. Stake to the heart, garlic, sunlight, all that was a lie. But you knew that already. Those were tactics in order to trap humans; the more gullible they are, the easier the kill.

I can feel them worry some days when I leave the house. My parents. It's overwhelming sometimes. And I wish there was something I could do to ease that; they never had that same fear when they looked at my siblings. I was lucky though. I was so lucky to have such a wonderful family that would do anything to protect me; I just wanted to do my part in all of that.

But, as I was driving down the rain slicked road toward La Push, I saw something blur past the front of my car, knocking the front bumper. I gasped as my car started to spin out. "Shit, shit, no, no, no," I repeated as I tried to gain control. My car began to slide on top of the water, and I felt my heart pound in my ears. I spun a couple of times before I could hit the brake hard enough before I went barreling through the guardrail. My back slammed against the seat as my car jolted to a stop, the engine cutting out. "What the hell was that?" I gasped, ripping my seat belt off and jumping out of the car.

Goddamn it, Hadley, I thought. I guess Mama was right about that tunnel vision. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I wasn't paying enough attention. Stupid girl. That thing—whatever it was—could have completely wrecked me.

I ran over to the guardrail and saw the leaves and the trees rustle but couldn't make out what the moving thing was. A few of cars passed as I tried to get my composure. And then the strangest thing happened.

All of a sudden, I was hit with this wave of nausea. Everything around me felt like it was going in slow motion. Like I couldn't get a grip of myself. My shoulders immediately tensed and the hairs on the back of my neck started to raise. My ears were ringing.

"Excuse me?"

I kept my eyes fixed on the foliage in front of me. The nausea subsided just enough for me to be able to understand that there was a person talking to me.

"Ma'am?"

When I turned around, I saw a very tall man in front of me. Standing at, at least, 6'3", he had curly dark brown hair that was swept up in a bun atop his head with an undercut and dark brown eyes. He had flawless sun kissed tan skin and was built like a football player. His jeans were a touch too tight, and his open red flannel and worker's boots let me know that he wasn't from around here. "Are you alright?" he asked, a Southern drawl hanging onto every word out of his mouth. "I saw what happened. That deer came out of nowhere."

It was like all of my nerves were standing at attention in the presence of this man. But whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I could not tell you. I felt uneasy…which only happened when there was a vampire close. But he didn't feel, smell, or look like a vampire. He didn't feel like a shape shifter either. "Um…ma'am?" he said again.

I blinked myself back to focus and immediately felt defensive. "I'm fine," I managed. "Just a little rattled."

"One second sooner and you both would have been roadkill," he tried to joke, flashing me a brilliant white smile. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"I-I don't think so," I stuttered, watching him closely. The signals were going crazy in my head, but, if I couldn't identify what he was, I couldn't act accordingly. Either he was actually here to help me, or he was going to try to kill me. What are you? An ally or a predator? It was also concerning me that I was incredibly attracted to his gorgeous face. But that's beside the point. "Thanks for stopping. I'm alright though."

I started to move around him, toward my car, careful of any oncoming traffic. There was an old black Ford F150 a few yards away and I could make out the outline of what looked like a girl in the passenger seat and another man behind the wheel. I climbed into my car when I heard him call out, "Wait," he jogged up to the window and crouched down. "Driving might not be a good idea. Sometimes after car accidents, drivers don't feel the effects until after it's over."

"No, it's ok, really. I don't live far from here," I responded, moving to start the car. My heart dropped as it beeped at me. "You've got to be kidding me," I mumbled, turning the key again. It beeped at me again like a petulant child. I watched the dashboard light up, the 'check engine' light showing bright orange.

"It might be your engine. Pop your hood; I can take a look at it," the man told me. I hesitantly reached for the lever and paused. He looked at me and offered a friendly smile. "It'll only take a quick sec."

He stood to his full height and walked over to the hood, knocking twice on it. I pulled the lever and then hopped out to take a look with him. I knew my way around a car; even if I didn't, I could have easily pushed it the mile and a half it would take to get to Wolf Motors. But it was like my body was battling itself. One part of me was flashing signals that there was something potentially supernatural about this guy and the other part of me trusted his friendly smile and Southern accent. But also…what was a Southern accent doing out here in Washington state?

Anyway, as we both inspected my car, I was very aware of his presence beside me. The hairs on the back of my neck were still standing completely straight, but, as he hummed to himself, he seemed like a normal guy. He leaned over my engine, rubbing his hands together. "I didn't think it hit you that hard, but it looks like it knocked something out of place," he said, studying my engine.

"It's the battery," I told him, pointing at it. "It shifted. See right there?"

"You know cars?" he asked, glancing at me. I shrugged, nonchalantly. He rubbed his hands on his jeans before holding it out to me. "I'm Travis, by the way. I'm new around here."

"I'm…Sarah," I lied. When our hands connected, I gasped at the sudden wave of energy that washed over me and how hot his body temperature was. His hand was even hotter than mine, which had always been a constant 108°. Travis's eyes widened as he realized how warm I was and ripped his hand away from me. We stared at each other, neither of us willed to move at all. He shook his hand out like he had just been electrocuted or something. "What are—?"

Just then, I heard a honk coming from the other side of the road. My head whipped to see one of Wolf Motor's black tow trucks slowing to a stop and Uncle Embry hanging his arm out the window. "Everything alright here? Your dad's getting worried that you're taking so long."

"I got knocked by a deer," I told him. "There's something wrong with my battery."

Embry sighed before throwing the truck in park and jumping out. "Well, I was on my way to pick up something to eat for all of us, but it looks like you need some help, kid."

"Thanks, Uncle E," I mumbled, hugging myself. My uncle took a peek under the hood before nodding his head. The man—Travis—had taken a few steps back to let Embry work. He was quiet and his face looked like it was still working to figure out what just happened. He was staring at his hand, clenching and unclenching it.

Who's the guy? Embry projected to me.

I'm not sure…

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"Mama, I'm telling you, it was weird." I said, following my mom as she cleaned up the house.

"It's possible he was just passing through, sweetie. That does happen from time to time," she said, shrugging. "Will, come help set the table for dinner."

"I thought it was Hadley's turn," my brother called from the living room.

"No, I set the table all of last week. It's your turn," I called back before turning my attention back to my mom. "Mom," I said, putting my hand over top hers before she could pick up another damn color pencil from the kitchen table. "It was like an alarm going off in my head, major. I'm being serious."

She gazed at me with her beautiful hazel eyes and pursed her lips. She set down her cleanup and faced me, fully. Behind me, I could hear my younger brother gathering plates so we could all sit down for dinner. Mom made Grandpa Harry's famous fish fry, one of my favorite's. "Alright, Hadley, I'm sorry. I'm listening," she said. "Tell me what happened."

I explained to her what happened from beginning to end. From the energy I felt when I shook his hand to the fact that he was bigger, taller, stronger, hotter (body temperature wise, of course…get your head out of the gutter) than any of the pack that I grew up around. "He obviously wasn't a vampire, but he didn't feel like one of us," I told her.

"There are different kinds of shape shifters out in the world," she said to me. "It's not just us; but it is very rare that an interaction like that happens. We can talk to the Elders about it if you want."

"Like…all three of us?" I asked, grinning hopefully.

She chuckled and pinched my cheek, "Yes, sweetie, all three of us."

"But, if he's just passing through, why does it matter?" Will asked behind us. He's never really been into pack business. He had decided not to phase pretty young and my parents supported him in that. I think Dad had a secret hope that, one day, Will will want to join the pack and embrace his nature. I think he was just trying to find his place in all of this. But, as snarky as his question may have sounded, I could tell that he was genuinely curious about the answer. "Shouldn't we just let them pass through?"

In 16 years, I had never seen anything other than our pack and vampires. They had told us about the possibility of other supernatural beings existing out in the world, but I guess I got myself stuck in our La Push bubble for so long that I didn't really know what to do with the idea that there was more out there. If this guy, Travis, really was something else, I really wanted to know what it was. "It's important that we learn of new superhumans as we encounter them," my mom explained. "We all just want to coexist peacefully. If we don't learn about each other, it could cause us to make more enemies."

Will nodded in understanding, "I guess that makes sense."

My brother is the spitting image of my dad. At 10 years old, he was the smartest kid I knew. He liked to keep his jet-black hair framing his face, just brushing his shoulders. He had my mom's hazel eyes, but other than that, he looked exactly like Jacob. Will was a computer genius in the making and was 120% more logical than me. As we both got older, I was embarrassed to admit that I'd questioned whether I actually was the older sibling because he was so smart.

"Well, did you ask him what he was?" Will asked.

I rolled my eyes, "I was about to. Embry pulled up before I had a chance to."

"Maybe Billy knows something…" Mama mumbled mostly to herself, drumming her fingers on the table. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile. I could see a twinkle in her eye, like she was proud of me for speaking up. "Ok, we'll talk to him first thing in the morning."

Lee, we all heard suddenly. It was my dad. We need you at the border.

What's going on? she asked.

We've got some visitors, he answered. Actually, can everyone come to the border please?

Mom cursed under her breath before moving toward the front door. "Dinner's on the stove. This shouldn't take too long. Make sure your sister eats please," she rattled off, pulling on a pair of shoes.

I shifted my weight for a second before following her. Visitors at the border? What if it was him? "Mama," I said as she opened the door. She turned to look at me. "Can I go…please? I know I'm grounded, but I've been very in tune with my senses lately and I feel like I would be able to he—."

"Get your shoes on. You can come," she nodded, encouragingly. I grinned at her before running upstairs to grab shoes.

When we got to the border, the whole pack was there. Paul, Embry, Quil, my Uncle Seth, Jared. Everyone. Even Uncle Sam was there. After he retired, he only phased in every once and a while when it's necessary. Since he was the youngest person on the Council, he still felt it necessary to be in the thick of it as much as he could. The whole pack was human so there was no immediate threat.

As we got closer, I was hit with that same wave of nausea. My body erupted in goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. I slowed down my walking to work through my nausea. "Whoa…" I whispered, closing my eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Mama asked, putting a hand on my back.

"It's that same feeling I had earlier," I told her, leaning on her. After a beat, the nausea subsided. "I don't know what it is though."

She studied me closely. "Maybe I should take you back," she said.

"No!" I objected quickly. "No, it's ok. I'm alright."

Mama and I pushed our way through the pack until we were at the front. I stood in between my parents before looking up to see a very, very large man with salt and pepper hair and beard. His eyes, which had very dark circles under them, were a strange grey color but they looked friendly. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him, as if to show that he wasn't a threat.

To his right was a shorter girl closer to my age. She was beautiful, but her face looked reserved. Her wavy raven hair was cut with bangs, just above her shoulders and I could see the peak of a tattoo on her right shoulder as her black cardigan was starting to slip off. She was anxiously flipping what looked like a lighter between her hands.

And then to his left—was Travis. The guy I met earlier. Our eyes met and his mouth gaped a little, surprised. The same Ford F150 was parked behind them, the headlights shining on us.

"Hello," the man in the middle said. "My name is Matthew Holt. These are my children, Reese," he gestured to the girl on his right, "and Travis," then to his left where Travis was standing.

"Welcome," my father's voice boomed a little. He may have been trying to assert his dominance. It wasn't every day that we encountered someone bigger than our biggest pack members. "I'm Jacob, tribal chief. This is my wife, Leah, and our eldest daughter, Hadley."

"It's very nice to meet you all," Matthew said, nodding his head. "It's been a very long journey for us, but we are hoping we're in the right spot. These are the lands of the famous Quileute shapeshifters, right?"

My father looked slightly apprehensive to answer the man's question, but eventually confirmed with a slight nod. "Yes, that is correct. This—" Dad motioned behind him, "is our pack. Our tribe."

I saw from the corner of my eye Travis blow out a breath of relief. The more I was in the presence of these strangers, the more my nerves were starting to calm. I glanced at my arm to see it completely free of goosebumps. Ok…so they weren't a threat. "That's great," Matthew said with a smile, his Southern accent also present. "We drove here all the way from Tennessee—just around the Memphis area. It was recently raided by vampires that seemed to be all but hunting us, so we had to leave as soon as possible."

"You guys are shapeshifters," I felt myself say before I could stop myself.

Matthew met my eye and nodded, "Yes, we are shapeshifters of sorts."

"Why did you come here?" Mama asked. It wasn't like a snarky 'why did you come here?' like they were unwelcome. She was asking why they came here to La Push. Why did they seek us out? The famous Quileute shapeshifters. I didn't know about famous. After that war that my parents fought with the Cullens over that Bella girl that they both refuse to talk about and after word of me being born got around, I guess our presence was a little more noticed. But I didn't think that much.

Matthew took a small step forward toward us. "We are seeking refuge and felt that we would be safe among you."

My parents glanced at each other over my head. This had never happened before. No one had ever sought out safety with us. My parents have always told me that the foundation of our existence is in protecting people from vampires. With the rampant increase in vampires turning, more shapeshifters would have to find all means to protect themselves. So, here we were, in a position we had never been in before. Three supernatural beings were standing in front of us asking us to help them. It was a no brainer.

They don't feel like a threat, I told them. Daddy met my eye; I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze to let him know that I was trusting my gut.

I watched my father nod at my mother before they both turned back to the people in front of us. "You three are absolutely welcome here," Mama said. "We will do anything we can to keep you safe."

Matthew sighed in relief and held out his hand to my father. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much."

XXXXXXXXX

Now you know it wouldn't be a La Push story without a bonfire. After we got the Holts settled (they stayed at Grandpa Billy's for the night until we could find them a place to stay), it was only necessary for us to have a bonfire. If these outsiders were going to be staying with us, they needed to know legend.

Also, it's the best time to really meet everyone. Nate and his younger brother Alex were coming up with beach with Cassie and Cam, the twins. Gabriel, my other cousin, was helping my Aunt Rachel set up food while Audrey ran around Uncle Paul while he talked with my parents. The younger ones, Melody, Jordan, and Luna were in their own designated space with Uncle Seth's wife, Ella; she was a preschool teacher and loved everything about children. Ella and Seth officially got married a few years ago. They weren't in a rush, but they've always been super in love. Jordan is their baby boy and Luna is Sam and Emily's youngest girl.

Then there were the rowdy boys. Jared and Kim's four boys were still the most rambunctious out of all of us. Wyatt was the oldest; he was a couple months younger than me. He liked to rile the rest of them up. Hunter, Jace, and August just liked to cause trouble, but they were all really sweet at heart. They were like brothers; they have your best interest, but they'll beat the shit out of anyone who hurts who they love. And I think that's it…am I missing anyone?

Anyway, as I was about to walk to go sit with Cass and the boys, I heard a voice call out from behind me, "Hey!"

I turned around and saw Travis jogging up to me. Reese, his sister, was a few feet behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Hi," I smiled. "How are you guys doing?"

"Good, we're good," Travis grinned at me. "Thanks for asking…Hadley, right?"

I chuckled, feeling embarrassed. "Yeah, it's Hadley."

"Not Sarah," he joked.

"Sarah's my middle name," I explained. I looked at Reese and offered her a friendly smile. "Were you guys comfortable last night?"

She shrugged. "More comfortable than sleeping in the bed of a truck," she remarked, her husky voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to make you more comfortable. I know Mom and Dad are looking for long term housing for you all. But if you need clothes, food, books to read, a couch to crash on in the meantime, I've got your back."

Reese's eyebrows flashed up really quick before she quietly snorted, "Wow, thanks so much, princess." She walked away from us and toward the crowd, not looking back.

Travis dismissed her with a wave, "Don't mind Reese. She can be a little cold upfront. She'll warm up."

I glanced over my shoulder at her and she just seemed uncomfortable to me. I mean, I get it. It's a new place, it's new people, a new life. I'd be cold too. "Hey, so, usually after Grandpa finishes telling the legends, a bunch of us go up to the cliffs to dive. If you're up for that. If not, that's totally fine," I said, running a hand through my hair.

His eyebrows raised, "Divin' off of cliffs. Isn't that a little dangerous?"

I smirked at him, "You scared or something?"

Travis, Reese, and Matthew seemed to be on their own little island during the bonfire. I hoped they weren't feeling overwhelmed by all of us. We can be a bit much. Family is the one value that we all agree on 100%. Family over everything. And sometimes, that can be a lot to anyone who's coming from the outside. We were kind of cult-y sometimes.

Grandpa Billy was getting older and it was starting to show. But he was still working and living like he was a brand-new man. Under that cowboy hat though? A lot more gray hair and a lot more wrinkles on his face. I don't know how it was possible, but he always made it seem like the legends were new every single time he told them. He was still the best storyteller around. After he finished, Daddy spoke for a bit, welcoming Matthew and his children to our home. "We are honored that you trusted us enough to seek shelter with us," he said.

"We will do everything in our power to ensure that that trust is in good faith," Mama finished, shaking each of their hands.

I hung back for a bit to see if Travis or Reese would come up to the cliffs with us. They were speaking amongst themselves in a real low tone as Reese lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag. She rolled her eyes and nodded at her brother.

"Lee!" I heard Cass call behind me. "You coming?"

"I'll be there in a sec!" I called back to her. "Go ahead up!"

Reese and Travis walked in opposite directions, one toward the main road and one toward me. Travis and I walked together to the cliffs, making polite conversation. His accent was so endearing, and he was so friendly. I could hear the whooping of the boys as they cliff dived. "So, you guys do this all the time?" he asked as we reached the top.

"Yup!" I said, pulling my t-shirt over my head and tossing it on the ground. I stepped out of my shorts to expose my two-piece bathing suit. "It's honestly the most fun you'll ever have," I told him.

"Actually, Hadley's the only girl who dives," Cass giggled behind us. She was sitting on a log with Audrey and Gabriel. Gabriel had a thing about heights so he never cliff dived with us. "I always tell her she better stop before she gets herself hurt."

I smirked at my best friend before walking toward the edge. Jace did a flip off of the cliff in front of me while the other guys cheered from down below. Travis looked a little concerned as I edged closer. "Is this actually a good idea?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Never say die." I winked at him before giving him a two-finger salute and let gravity take hold of my body as I plummeted toward the water.