A/N: New chapter right on schedule... yay! Everything is flowing so much better now and I'm so excited to be sharing this story with you all once again. You may also notice that these chapters are longer than what I was doing before. Can't guarantee they will all be as long as these last two, but it's looking like the next several will be anyway.

Happy reading, and as always, I do not own the world or characters.

CHAPTER 37

EMILY POV

Standing at the back window, I watched as Bella walked out to where Jake was standing. I knew he was upset with her, but I also knew that he would forgive her. Just like I knew their lives were about to change forever. Butterflies were dancing in my stomach from the excitement.

Sam came up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders, and looking out the window with me.

"You alright Em? I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"I'm not worried… they're going to be perfectly fine," I said quietly. "Something is about to happen though, and I don't want to miss it."

Sam looked around at me from the side and I glanced over and was met with a confused expression.

I smiled and touched his face briefly before turning back to the window. "Just watch. You'll see what I'm talking about."

I hadn't been able to tell Sam about anything that I had learned recently because I couldn't risk Jake seeing any of it in Sam's thoughts. Today though, I would be able to share it all with him, as well as with Jake and Bella, and it was going to be such a relief.

It felt like an eternity as the seconds ticked by, but I finally saw Bella look up at Jake. They gazed at each other for a few moments while the imprinting happened… and then it began.

I watched in delight as Jake's upper body began glowing softly, and after a minute Bella was glowing from head to foot.

"What in the world?" Sam said in amazement.

At Sam's comment the house began to quiet, and I heard a few quite gasps as the others started to notice.

When I heard everyone moving behind us to come see what was happening, I headed to the back door and went outside, walking just a few steps from the house, Sam right beside me. Stunned and silent, the others joined us, staying back close to the house.

The clouds had parted and there was a perfect circle of sunlight shining down on them. It looked like star dust was falling through the illuminating light, glittering and sparkling as it floated serenely down to land on Bella, causing her face to shimmer. The connections between them, both new and old, flared in arcing golden bands, though I would be the only one who could see those… golden bands shining bright, adding to the light. The existing connections were made stronger and there were also new ones being formed as I watched: the Alpha authority, the healing, and the power to heal; affecting each of them differently but also bonding them together even more completely.

Beside me, Sam made a small sound of surprise as he felt the shift in the Alpha power.

They began to glow brighter, and he picked her up as she wrapped herself around him. When their lips met there was an explosion of blinding light, and it was impossible to look at them any longer. I closed my eyes against it and, though I could no longer see it happening, I knew through the stories that this must be when the telepathic connection was being made.

Once the light had faded, and after Seth's awed comment, I had everyone go back inside to give Jake and Bella some time together. When we got inside, I gave them a brief explanation of what happened, that Jake had imprinted, and they each had a new power inside of them. I then sent them all away with a promise that more would be explained later and to come back at dinner time.

I was glad that they had all been here to witness what had just happened because it is such a rare and special occurrence. And it was going to change the dynamics of the pack, along with other things, so them witnessing the transformation would make it easier for everyone to accept the changes. But I wanted to talk to Jake and Bella before telling the rest of the pack anything else.

I was relieved that I could now tell Sam about it all. It had been so hard keeping this from him. So, he and I talked about everything while we waited for Jake and Bella to come back inside.

BELLA POV

Jake and I were still lost in each other and our powerful kiss when a throat cleared nearby. We broke apart and looked over in surprise at Emily standing a few feet away, smiling and holding out a towel.

"This might be faster," she said with teasing laughter in her voice, and heat flooded my already flushed face as I took the towel from her.

"Sorry, we thought everyone was gone… or I did anyway," I said, looking at Jake who flashed his big, beautiful smile and shrugged innocently. I was pretty sure he hadn't given it a thought either way and would have kissed me no matter who was in that room.

"It's quite alright," she said as she headed back to the kitchen, and I could still hear the smile in her voice.

We slipped off our wet shoes and set them by the door, then I dried off my face and neck, and squeezed most of the moisture out of my hair. Moving to Jake I drug the towel over his long arms and legs, then started on his neck. He leaned closer so I could wipe off his face, meeting his gaze as he watched me intently. I began gently rubbing the water from his hair, but a yearning was growing in his eyes that stole my breath away, the new charge pulsing between us.

He gripped my waist, and I knew he was going to kiss me again. As enticing as that idea was, I thought we'd given Sam and Emily enough of a show for one day. I suppressed my own desire and before he could move closer, I wrapped the towel around his head and face, slipped from his grasp, and sauntered away to the kitchen. Jake's deep, throaty laughter followed me, muffled from behind the towel, drawing a chuckle from Sam and Emily who were sitting close together at the table, relaxed and smiling as they watched us.

Now that I had moved away from Jake, the aroma of something wonderful cooking in the oven teased my nose. I breathed it in deeply and my stomach growled.

"Whatever you've got cooking smells amazing," I said looking at the clock. We still had quite a while before dinner time. "I'm going to need a snack though… I never had lunch!"

Emily started listing off the leftovers that were available, but I just wanted something simple. My emotions had settled some, but I felt like I'd been through the wringer and needed a bit more time to process before trying to eat anything heavy. Peering into the fridge I decided an apple would do. As I started to shut the door, Jake's voice sounded through my mind.

Can you grab me one too, please?

My insides jumped, startled by the sudden sensation that was so new and foreign to me.

That's going to take some getting used to, I thought as I gave him a look and tossed the first apple to him then grabbed another, also getting us each a glass of water.

When Jake and I were settled across the table from Sam & Emily, his arm resting across the back of my chair, I looked at Emily.

"So, everyone saw what happened outside, right?" I asked before biting into my apple.

Now that I was looking at her closer, there was a new excitement shining in her eyes… like she had a secret she couldn't wait to share. "Yes, it was impossible to miss. How do you guys feel."

I let out a breath and glanced at Jake to find him watching me. Waiting to let me answer. I mostly just felt excitement coming from him through this new bond of ours. Nothing like the mess of emotions that still swirled inside of me. Could he tell how much I was still dealing with… could he feel it? The way he held my gaze, the gentle understanding showing there, I became certain that he could.

A strange kind of pull started to draw me further into his steady gaze, like I could get completely lost there if I let myself. A promise of peace and calm seemed to wait for me if I would just dive in. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear it a bit as Jake squeezed my shoulder in a gesture of support. I couldn't get lost in Jake right now. I wanted to talk out everything that had just happened… and to find out what that look in Emily's eyes might mean.

I focused my attention back to Emily and tried to answer.

"Well…" I drew out the word, sorting my thoughts for what to say then huffed out a small laugh. "Honestly, I don't really know how to answer that. It depends on what part of everything that's happened I think about. Overwhelmed and just sorta fried might be the best way to describe it." I was staring at the apple that I had momentarily forgot was in my hand. I took another bit before looking at Emily again.

Jake swallowed the bite he was chewing before he spoke, "I guess we should let you guys know what all exactly happened—"

"We actually already know," Emily interrupted, and we both gaped at her for a moment.

"How?" we asked in unison.

A small smile lifted her lips as she looked between us then settled her gaze on Jake and leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "Have you ever heard any stories about Dreamers?"

His brow furrowed and he slowly shook his head. "I don't think so."

"I had never heard them either," Sam said.

Emily nodded and sighed. "I didn't figure you had, but thought if anyone had, it'd probably be you. Knowledge of the line of Dreamers has been nearly forgotten. Just like you had all been told the legends of the Quileute since you were young, I have been told stories of the Dreamers since I was a small child, first by my great-grandmother and then my grandmother. Until recently, I thought they were just fairytales that my great-grandmother made up, just like you all thought the legends about the wolves and vampires weren't real.

"Besides those in the line of the Dreamers, only the Alpha and his imprinted mate have ever had detailed information about them. Though other pack members were aware of their existence through the pack mind, that was still never more than a handful of people who knew, because the packs were always small.

"We don't know who the first Dreamer was, or how they came to be, but we know there have been at least ten different Dreamers. With each new wolf pack, when the rightful Alpha by blood phases for the first time, the Dreamer gets her abilities. So, sometimes there would be more than one Dreamer, if a new Alpha phased while the previous Dreamer was still living. Alternately, if there was no wolf pack then there was no new Dreamer.

"The full power of the Dreamer is no longer known. She can see things through her dreams and visions, but there are certain other things she can also see by learning how to read a person's aura, so to speak. Ultimately, the Dreamer is there to help guide and advise the Alpha, when needed.

"My great-grandmother, Charlotte Branch, or Grams as I called her, was the last Dreamer during the time of Ephraim Black. She passed when I was 6 years old. She was able to teach her daughter many things about being a Dreamer, for those in the line can learn certain skills, even if they never become an actual Dreamer. Her name is Joanna Sharp, and she is my grandmother, whom I call Grammy Jo.

"So, now there is a new wolf pack, and there is also a new Dreamer." Emily pointed to herself. "I am the new Dreamer."

Jake and I were both leaning forward with our arms on the table now, stunned and silent. Emily sat quietly and waited for us to process everything she'd just told us.

After several moments of silence Jake took a big drink of his water, then cleared his throat. "So that's how you were able to see the new connections between me and Bella in the hospital?"

"And you knew what was going to happen today, didn't you? Before it happened?" I asked, remembering the strange comment she made to me before I went out to talk to Jake."

Emily was nodding. "As well as the day Victoria attacked Bella."

Sam made a noise in the back of his throat. "I knew the timing of that day never made sense! When Jake said you'd already called, I knew there was no way that could have happened so quickly, but we had too much going on to dwell on it and it didn't seem important enough to worry about after, with Bella in the hospital. I sort of forgot about it after that."

"Yeah, I got a vision that day." Emily dropped her head forward, her voice full of regret. "I just wish I'd seen it sooner, so Bella hadn't gotten hurt."

"Hey," Sam said, gentle but firm, as he lifted her head to look at him with a finger under her chin. "Bella might have been hurt that day, but you saved her life Em. Jake probably wouldn't have made it in time without you."

Emily sighed and gave Sam a small smile. "I know. It's just, the more in tune I become with my ability, the better I'll be at receiving the visions, but it takes time… sometimes years to develop them. I'm worried I'll miss something important in the meantime."

"And no one will blame you sweetheart. Your ability is a gift that has already been able to encourage these two and saved Bella's life."

Emily's demeanor immediately improved, her excitement returning. She waved a hand in the air as if trying to clear away the negative thoughts. "You're right. I totally know that, and Grammy Jo is constantly encouraging me in that respect. I just get impatient sometimes." She looked back to me and Jake. "Sorry to bring the mood down. Now, where was I…

"Oh, right. So, Grammy Jo had been coming to visit me quite frequently back when the pack was new… before you'd shifted Jake. She knew about the wolves, though she never told me how she knew. It was nice to share that with her though. Her knowledge allowed the pack to carry on as usual when she visited so the frequency of her visits wasn't any issue.

"The night after your first shift, Jake, I had a dream about you. I couldn't remember many details of the dream the next day, only that it was about you, and it left me with a feeling of profound sadness. I didn't think too much of it until I continued to have the same thing happen night after night and I began to wonder if there was actually something to those stories.

"When Grammy Jo arrived again a few days later the pack was all here, and the moment she saw you, Jake, she looked at me as if she knew. That's the day I found out it was all true and I was the new Dreamer.

"Over the weeks since then, Grammy Jo has taught me what she can. All of the lessons that her mother had taught her as well as what she could remember of how Grams said she could manipulate her dreams to get more information out of them. Unfortunately, I have needed to figure a lot out on my own, and I am still working on it.

"I wasn't able to tell you about any of this before Jake since you gave up your claim to be Alpha. I technically shouldn't have even said anything that day in the hospital, but your new connection was so strong it took me off guard. I also couldn't tell Sam until today because I couldn't risk you seeing anything in his thoughts. But now that you're Alpha, I can tell you everything I know… and I can tell Sam because he imprinted on me."

Jake's attention moved to Sam at the mention of the shift in Alpha power.

"About that, Sam—"

"Don't even worry about it, Jake. We can talk about it more later, but it's always been yours to take when you were ready. The thought of two packs is kinda crazy, but since there are so many of us now, it might be nice to be able to split it up. And if that doesn't work out," he shrugged, "well, I guess we'll figure it out."

Jake was nodding. "I don't know about the being ready part. If you'd asked me before this happened, I would have said absolutely not, but now… it's almost as if I've been made ready somehow." He shrugged. "I may not have made the decision myself, but I'm surprisingly already at peace with it… well, with the idea of it anyway. I just hope I can actually do a good job at it."

"You were born for this, Jake," Sam said, "and you've been my Second this whole time, working right along side of me. You're going to do a great job."

A moment passed between them, and Jake nodded. "Thanks man. I guess now I'm just curious to know why this new power basically forced me to be Alpha, when I was able to pass it on before. Whether I'm ready for it or not, it's still weird."

"It's to protect you both…" Emily answered, "and to protect the magic. One of the stories that has been kept by the Dreamers tells of the life of an Alpha that was born over three centuries ago. He was gifted at birth with a different and incredibly special type of magic and when that Alpha found his true mate and imprinted on her, his special magic was awakened, and the pair were consumed by light. The Alpha's mate absorbed some of his magic within herself and she became the Healer, having the ability to heal herself and others. She also became linked in many new ways to the Alpha, including their minds and their aging. They were able to share thoughts, feelings, and emotions with each other telepathically, no matter how far apart they were. Also, once she reached the age of maturity, she stopped aging until the Alpha gave up his Spirit Wolf and then they both started aging again.

"There is only the one known instance of this happening, though there could have been others for it's believed one of these Alphas is born every five generations. However, the magic lies dormant inside of the Alpha until he imprints on his true mate. Since imprinting has been rare, until now, it made the chances that the Alpha with this unique magic finding his true mate exceedingly small.

"In order to protect the magic, the powers can only come through the Alpha, and the Healer has to be the imprint of the Alpha, so the choice to pass the Alpha responsibility to another must be taken away. Also, to protect both the Alpha and the Healer, they must have a completely unbreakable bond, so the imprinting goes both ways, taking away the chances of one leaving the other. There are powers that have been forgotten through the centuries, but there are some that can only be used with the Alpha and Healer supporting each other."

Emily paused again. Jake and I had both sat back in our chairs, and I stared down at the table where our bare apple cores set next to each other on a napkin. My brain was pretty close to max capacity for the week… maybe the month, so I was having trouble processing everything completely.

"Wait, back up a second." I needed to make sure I heard correctly. "I'm going to stop aging? What does it mean by 'age of maturity'?"

"I don't know about the 'age of maturity' exactly," Emily replied, "but yes, you will stop aging. If this is based on what would have been considered age of maturity when the last Healer lived, then you have probably already reached it. And, as long as Jake continues to phase, you will essentially be frozen in time together until he stops phasing. Once he begins aging again, so will you."

Jake blew out a big breath. "Man, this is hard to believe." He shot me a playful smirk. "Makes all your worrying about age seem a little silly now, doesn't it?"

I allowed my lips to curve up slightly and let out a little laugh, helping some of the tension leave me. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But how could I have ever known something like this would happen! And I'm a healer?" I turned back to Emily. "Like, I can heal other people?" I had seen that power inside of me, but didn't think about it being more than healing myself.

"Yes, we believe so," Emily answered. "You're only the second ever know of, so we can't say for certain. You can obviously heal yourself and we are quite certain that you can heal others. The stories also indicate that your powers go beyond healing injuries, though we don't know what all that will mean. Grammy Jo and I will be able to help you some, but you are both going to need to learn to tap into your powers and to listen to them, for they should tell you when there is something you can or should do."

This was absolutely unbelievable. I knew that Jake and I had something special, but all of this went so far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I was no longer outside of the magic, no longer like the third wife. I was completely immersed in it now, in one of the biggest ways the Quileute tribe had seen in centuries. There was still so much that we didn't know, but it sounded like we could have an extremely long time to figure it out, if we wanted to.

I leaned my elbows on the table and cradled my head in my hands. Jake rubbed a hand up my back in circular motions.

"You doin' alright, baby?"

"Yeah, it's just been a really long day…" I looked up at Jake. "A really, really long day, and it's not even dinner time yet."

Jake continued to rub his hand over my back, and we were all quiet for a few moments before Emily reached across the table and took my hand.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you about any of this before… wasn't able to prepare you for what was coming. I promise I would have if I'd been able."

I gave her a tired smile. "I understand Em. All this stuff, surprisingly, isn't even what's got me feeling so overwhelmed. It's more about all the stuff I remembered today, and the fact that I ever forgot it all in the first place, that's weighing on me. This stuff just adds a little to that is all."

She squeezed my hand.

"I just have one more question I think I'd like to get the answer to, if you can… then I might need a nap before dinner." I let out a light laugh, and the others chuckled along with me. I felt bad for putting a damper on the mood because everything that had happened should be super exciting. And I was excited… mostly. I just needed time to process the other stuff to fully appreciate it all.

"Sure, I will give you any answers I can."

"Do you know anything about why Jake was able to imprint on me now, after all this time has passed?"

She nodded but glanced at Jake with an apprehensive look. "Yes, I can answer that, and it will answer a lot of questions about what happened between the two of you over the past few weeks. However, it might be a lot for you to hear right now."

I thought about it for a moment. I really was feeling drained and swamped with so much new information, but I decided I'd rather take it all in at once and process it all together, or everything I could think to ask about at the moment anyway.

"Go ahead. I want to know."

"Are you sure, Bells?" Jake asked, his hand slipping under my hair to massage my neck.

I looked from Emily to Jake and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright." Emily took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "As you both know, imprinting is supposed to happen the first time a wolf who has transformed looks into his imprint's eyes, and once an imprinting has happened, there is absolutely nothing that can undo it. But what you probably don't know is that there are certain forces in the supernatural world that can prevent an imprinting from taking place, even if the wolf and the one he is meant to imprint on meet.

"So, Bella, when you met Edward and started a relationship with him, it altered your future connection to Jake. The fact that Edward is a supernatural being allowed your feelings for him to override the imprinting between you and Jake."

Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. I felt the tension returning, even with Jake still rubbing my neck.

It's alright, baby. Jake's voice in my head calmed me a bit and I gave him a small smile as Emily continued.

"Because your relationship with Edward ended when and how it did, your life path was not changed completely and your connections to Jake were still partially intact. Grammy Jo saw it all first, even before Jake phased the first time. Over the course of several of her visits, she sought out ways to see you both together without your knowledge. During those times, she could see that you were Jake's soulmate, his other half, but that your heart and soul had become confused and there was something wrong with your connection to each other. This blocked the imprinting from happening when it should have. You had to choose Jake over Edward to heal the connection and allow the imprinting to take place.

My heart ached and the sinking in my stomach worsened as Emily spoke. I felt Jake's eyes on me, and flickers of his concern came through the link between our minds. Maybe it would have been easier if I'd never known any of this, but I wasn't going to stop Emily now.

"That's why you felt compelled to speak to Edward today. Something inside of you knew that conversation needed to happen. To heal your connection with Jake, you needed to come face to face with the one who knocked your course off its track, be confronted with the choice between them, and then choose Jacob."

Tears stung the backs of my eyes at the thought of how I'd nearly ruined everything… how close I had come to losing this path, to never knowing this love and what all a life with Jacob would hold.

"The connection that remained between you two, though broken, was why some of the Alpha powers were coming through while you were injured, Bella. The stronger your relationship became, the more the power was able to manifest itself. The biggest shift happened the night Edward came to your hospital room. You rejected him that night, choosing Jake, but you weren't fully conscious of the choice, so it was only able to partially fix the connection."

I shot to my feet, knocking my chair over, and startling Emily.

"I'm sorry," I murmured as I backed away a few steps. "I need a minute."

I turned quickly and strode out the front door. Stopping at the top of the porch steps I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes and breathed in the cool damp air, listening to the rain falling all around. Heat enveloped me a moment later as Jake wrapped his arms around me and pulled my back against his chest.

I let my arms drop down to rest over top of his as a shuddering breath passed through my lips. "That's twice that I almost screwed everything up. Twice that my stupid decisions caused us to lose so much… to almost ruin everything! Tell me again why you don't hate me? Why you're not furious with me?"

His love nuzzled against my mind, like a mental embrace, and a few tears slipped from my eyes.

"You know why, baby." His breath caressed my ear and neck as he spoke. "Besides my all-consuming love for you, how could I be upset over things that you had no clue you were doing?"

"But if I hadn't run away back then, we would have had a stronger relationship, I wouldn't have felt so out of place, and I would have never gotten involved with the Cullens. So much that has happened since I moved here could have been avoided. It could have all been different… easier." My voice dropped off to barely a whisper. "We could have known what it was like to have a normal relationship."

Jake tightened his arms around me. "Maybe. But we can't know that for certain. Any number of things could have happened to come between us."

"No, it appears just my dumb decisions did that. The universe, or whatever, wanted us together, I was the idiot that kept messing things up."

Jake sighed and took hold of my shoulders to turn me around to face him. "Bella, you have to stop blaming yourself."

"Who else is there to blame? I don't see you making a bunch of stupid decisions that keep us apart."

"I almost did. I almost let my pride and anger keep me away. I was so mad when I first found out that you knew what the Cullens were, yet you still had a relationship with them… that you wanted to become one of them. And then when Alice came back, and you seemed to be choosing them over me after everything you went through. If circumstances had allowed it, I may have never spoken to you again. Thankfully, just as with your mistakes, whatever force that wanted us together didn't give up and kept pushing us back toward each other. And does it really matter now anyway?"

His palm pressed against my cheek. I moved my hand to cover his and I pushed into his touch as he continued. "I think it's just amazing that we even had that time together when we were younger. Imprints finding each other at all is something of a miracle, let alone finding each other as children… babies even. The story that we have, the events that make up that story… it's pretty damn amazing, Bella. More proof of the power of our love, if you ask me… to be able to overcome all of that?" His other hand cupped my other cheek and I looked up into his face. "It's just damned amazing, baby." His eyes roamed over my now tear-stained face, the intensity of his assessment making my heart pound in my chest and chasing away my morose feelings.

"God, I love you baby." I didn't have any time to respond before his lips were on mine, immediately demanding to let him in to deepen the kiss. Without even a moment's hesitation, I gave myself over as I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled myself flush against his body. Fingers were in my hair and traveling down my neck, my shoulder, my spine, then landing on my low back, digging in to pull me even closer. A trail of fire and electric sparks were left in their wake, my entire being humming.

Slowly the world seemed to slip away as our lips moved in synch with each other. The promise of peace and calm that I had felt pulling at me earlier was back, and this time I dove in, getting completely lost in this moment with Jake. The rain became a quiet drone in the background before disappearing altogether, our heartbeats and uneven breathing the only sounds.

The connection between our minds seemed to deepen, and like some sort of reset button, my raw overwhelmed mind settled, and the rough edges were soothed, giving me a peace I'm not sure I'd ever felt before.

The world snapped back to us, far too soon for my liking, the sounds around us returning instantly. It was somewhat jarring, and we quickly broke apart, loosening our hold on each other, and just stared.

"What was that?" I asked.

Jake slowly shook his head. "I don't know, but I liked it. I don't feel all the conflicting emotions coming from you anymore."

I took a moment to assess, and the calming peace thankfully remained, continuing to soothe me. "They're still there, but I don't feel overwhelmed by them any longer."

Jake smiled. "Good. That's a relief. I don't want you to feel bad about your past decisions anymore, Bella. Everything is fine now… so much better than fine. It's just not worth it to dwell on what can't be changed and, in the end, didn't mess anything up."

I smiled… the first genuine smile I think I'd had all day. Jake's lips met mine again, moving together in a gentle and slow rhythm this time. A promise for the life that stretched before us and the love that would never fade.

Once back inside, we found Sam and Emily moving around the kitchen, working on dinner. When Emily noticed us, she swept me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I didn't mean to upset you. Maybe I should have insisted on waiting to tell you some of that."

I hugged her back. "No, it's alright Emily. It was hard to hear, but I'm glad to have it all out of the way now."

She stepped back and gripped me by the shoulders, studying me, then nodded. "Okay, that's good. I've just been holding all of that in for so long… it was such a relief to finally get to tell you everything." A pause. "You look better… more relaxed."

"Yeah, I feel better. I'm gonna be alright. Do you need some help with dinner?"

Emily waved her hand dismissively. "No, we're going to be eating a little later tonight, so it can all wait a while longer."

"Sam and I have some things to talk over," Jake interjected. "I'd like for you both to be a part of the discussion too."

We sat back down at the kitchen table and the guys moved right into talking over the details of now having two Alphas. Soon they were discussing what the best way to split the pack would be. It made sense to have Jared and Paul stay with Sam while Embry and Quil went with Jake, but they weren't sure what to do about Leah since she had reason to dislike either option.

I don't want to overstep, I thought to Jake when there was a lull in their conversation, but you may want to let Leah decide for herself, Jake. Maybe you should give them all the option, even if one pack ends up being bigger than the other.

I really didn't know what the protocol for something like this was. I didn't want to stick my nose in where it didn't belong, but I felt very strongly that Leah would be easier to deal with if she chose which way she got to go.

He turned to me and smiled, caressing my face. "Bella, you're not overstepping. You're the Alpha's imprint now," a flare of pride and excitement came from Jake through our mind link at that statement, "so you can always contribute your thoughts to these discussions, and I will always consider what you have to say. You and I are a team, but the four of us are also a team. Sam and I will have the final say, but we will always include you and Emily in every decision we are able. That's why I wanted you both here."

My face flushed, "Oh, I had no idea." I was surprised by the authority that now rang in Jake's voice as he began to embrace his new role.

"I know you didn't. I should have thought to tell you. So, why don't you share with Sam and Emily what you said to me, because I think you may be right."

"Okay," I said somewhat hesitantly. "I was just thinking that it might be good to let each pack member decide for themselves which Alpha they want to follow. I mostly was thinking about Leah, but it might not be good if you let her choose and not the others."

"It's risky," Sam said, "we may end up with an uneven split."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, we might, but I agree with Bella. I think we have a pretty good idea of who everyone will choose, except for Leah. Seth is a bit of a question mark as well, but I think everyone will feel better about the whole situation if they have some say. There is so little about this life that we can control, it will help with the transition if we can give them this. We can always change things later, if we need to." Jake sighed, a bit of sorrow flashing in his eyes. "There are also no guarantees that more won't phase before we're done."

"Hmm… I hope not, but you could be right," Sam said with matching gloomy expression. After some consideration he continued. "I feel fairly certain that Seth will go with you, but if you're okay with the possibility of having a 5-3 split then I'm okay with it too."

Sam and Jake discussed a few more issues, but I began to have trouble concentrating, the exhaustion from my emotional day really wearing on me. I headed into the guest room to hopefully take a short nap and was relieved when Jake joined me. After everything that had happened today, I was feeling a little clingy and he seemed to understand.

I was out cold in no time, Jake wrapped around me like a protective shell… my love… my imprint… my soulmate.