In the following weeks, I finally was permitted to go back to school. I was able to go a full nine hours without phasing. Even with Emmett's tormenting and provoking. But if something was to happen and I lost control, Edward went over a game plan with me to prepare for something like that.

If I felt like I was about to phase and I couldn't hold it back, I was to ask for permission to go to the nurse, then make my way towards the patch of woods behind the school. That's what the others did, when they first joined the pack. I hoped that I wouldn't ever have to use this plan. I was confident that I could keep myself in control.

Charlie had stayed to see me off for school today. He was just as anxious about this being my first day back. He has asked me countless times how I was feeling. I reassured him each time that I was calm and ready to do this. He didn't look like he believed me, each time. He just continuously watched me, as if waiting for me to turn back and change my mind.

We stood on the front porch to the house, in awkward silence. His dark eyes scanned over my face closely, a cup of black coffee in his hands. He was dressed in his uniform. I wondered about the times in the past, when Charlie phased, or if he ever did. He didn't like talking about himself when it came to Quileute history. But for the past few weeks he has filled me in on all the finer details of our lineage. Apparently the Swans were known as very skilled fighters, all men, a daughter was never conceived in the Swan bloodline, until me. Unless Charlie was to have another child, the Swan bloodline would end. But that didn't seem to bother Charlie one way or the other.

"You mentioned the Alpha would be coming here to pick you up for school," He muttered, turning his wrist around to glance at his watch.

I nodded, feeling my heart race in my chest. "Yeah,"

"He's been hanging around a lot, especially this last week. I was under the impression that he was just training with you. And helping you get in control. But that isn't the case is it?"

Edward and I's relationship was something I had been trying to keep to myself. Of course the whole pack knew about us, but I wasn't sure if he would approve of everyone knowing about it yet. I didn't want to sully his reputation. But I had a hard time keeping secrets. Especially to Charlie. He wasn't dumb.

"Well I guess you could say that we are… dating." This was the first time that I really admitted this outloud. I felt blush creep across my cheeks. Something about telling my father this was a bit embarrassing.

Charlie gave me a pensive look, rubbing his chin as his eyes fell to the ground. "I had a feeling that was going on… just… be careful. Alright Bells?"

"I will, but I don't think I have much to worry about. I trust him."

"I trust him too, I've known the boy his entire life. He is a good kid. Just has a bit of a temper. I'm sure you understand what kind of position that puts you in. He does have an impressive amount of control over himself, but it only takes one misstep to get badly injured."

"Alright dad,"

Edward's black truck finally came around the corner and speedily pulled into our driveway, splashing through one of the big puddles that had formed there. Charlie made a face, muttering something under his breath about the speed Edward had taken that turn.

I reached over and gave my dad's shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks for the talk, have a good day at work."

"You too Bells, I'll see you sometime later tonight." He gave me an earnest smile and wave, as I went dashing down the stairs of the porch and quickly into Edward's truck. I tried my best to avoid getting too wet. It had been raining since I woke up today. The dark clouds hung in the skies above. Ominous and bleak. It would have brought my spirits down, if it wasn't for the fact that I was with Edward now. He was a beacon of light, illuminating my world. His presence chased the dark skies away.

He smirked as I put my seatbelt on, making a show in front of Charlie, so he knew that I had taken his warnings to heart. Charlie was on a seatbelt kick recently. After witnessing that really bad car accident a couple days ago. No survivors. They mentioned that if the passengers had been wearing their seatbelts, they would have still been alive today. Since then, Charlie has insisted that no matter what vehicle I was in, I was to wear a seatbelt. He never asked much from me, so I could at least do this much. Even though I was pretty sure if I had been in an accident like that, I would have survived, even without a seatbelt. I had impressive regenerative abilities. And my senses have sharpened considerably.

"How did you sleep last night? I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to drop by." He said with a sheepish grin.

Edward usually stopped by in the middle of the night to check on me. Sometimes he would climb up the side of the house, to my window. He would keep watch over me and at times, if I was still awake we would talk. I wondered if he missed me, as much as I missed him when we were apart. I doubted that.

"That's alright, it was fine. I didn't sleep too well, since it was raining practically all night." I wasn't sure if that was the case, or because I knew Edward wasn't going to be there. Apparently the vampires were staying close with communication in regards to the nomad vampires Jacob had warned us about. They haven't given much detail, other than the trail of victims these monsters were leaving behind. They were heading in our direction. They had already started feeding in Forks this week. It wouldn't be long.

"I've never known someone with such a hatred for the rain." Edward mused, as he fiddled with his radio. He turned it on, to a comfortable volume. It gave just a hint of background noise. The music was faint, I couldn't determine the lyrics, even with my improved hearing. It was just enough to soothe my frazzled nerves. I knew it was going to be exactly like my first day of school all over again. The pointing, staring and whispers. Again, they would look at me and react with shock, or contempt. Because unfortunately, I still looked very different to the rest of my classmates. I was pale, like a vampire. The thought brought a wave of nausea to my stomach. I forced that thought from my mind.

"I've never been a fan of being wet, or cold," I shrugged my shoulders slightly. "I guess I would have made a better cat, then a wolf." I chuckled without humor.

Edward raised a brow, before resting his hand in my lap. His fingers danced across the material of my pants. "Now that would be interesting to see." He muttered, focusing his eyes back to the road. I noted the hint of amusement touching his features. Edward didn't seem nervous at all about today. Which was comforting, it helped me really believe that I would make it through my first day back, without phasing.

But as we approached the school I felt my shoulders begin to tremble. Anxiety chewed at my stomach. I thought about changing my mind and asking Edward to take me back home. But I knew that I would have to return to school eventually. I might as well get it over with now. I was already here. Just go. Get it done Bella. Move.

My internal pep talk didn't seem to help. I sat there frozen. A sea of faces was already staring in the direction of Edward's truck. I would have slid down lower in the seat, if it wasn't for the seatbelt, that kept me locked in place.

"Do you need a bit of a distraction?" Edward wondered, lightly cupping my cheek in his hand. He looked at me with chillingly dark eyes. My heart fluttered in my chest as he leaned down towards me. His kisses felt like smooth silk, warm and tender. I relaxed into him, allowing the familiar battle to start between our lips. His tongue grazed my bottom lip, requesting entry that I swiftly granted. Our tongues bounced around each other's mouths for a moment. Pure bliss. Passionate and unconditional. I didn't want it to end.

As he slowly pulled away from me, I dizzily smiled. "Well, that helped a little."

His smirk widened. "Alright, now let's get going."

I nodded, still a little dazed from the makeout session. I exited his truck, pulling my hood up over my head. He quickly came around to walk next to me. He took my hand in his as we walked towards the school entrance.

My cheeks warmed. "I thought we were keeping our relationship a bit more private than this." I nodded down to our conjoined hands. Not that I minded one little bit.

"Not a chance, I want everyone on this reservation to know that you're mine. I'd gladly scream it from the rooftops." He chuckled, enjoying the flustered look on my face.

If everyone wasn't already staring, they were now. It felt like the entire school was watching. Most of them had a look of shock, while others glowered coldly in our direction. Some of the boys held icy stares at Edward. While some girls glared daggers in my direction. They clearly made their assumptions about us. To make matters worse, Edward paused as we approached my locker to lean down and peck my lips. Everyone nearby turned and stared in astonishment. I heard some whispering, but decided just to enjoy the little moment with Edward for as long as I could.

"I'll see you in a little while," He promised, before heading off to his first class. I couldn't help but hesitate at my locker, watching him each step further and further away from me. A lump formed in my throat. Stay calm Bella. Don't panic. You can do this. He can't be with you every second of every day. You have your own power. Control the beast.

With a few deep breaths I threw my coat into the locker and retrieved the books I would need for my first class. I must remain focused. Once I was ready, I practically sprinted to the first class. I didn't talk to anyone, I kept my head down and kept close tabs on my emotions all day. It required so much concentration that I barely paid attention to any of the lectures today. Each class seemed to get longer and longer. I found myself watching the hands on the clock. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. My fingers tapped on the desk, in no particular rhythm. My shoulders stayed slumped, my eyes trained to the papers under my clenched fists. Stay still. Don't bring any unwanted attention. Just relax.

It wasn't as easy as it sounds. If I allowed myself to listen intently to the people around me, something might set me off. I felt bad for even ignoring some of the people I befriended on my first day. But it was easy enough, none of them dared to approach me. Everyone in school saw Edward and I walk in together and saw the kiss in the hall. I was officially on off limits to talk to. I was part of Edward's pack of lost puppies. At least that's how Mike had put it.

Finally the bell rang to signal the start of lunch. I was tucking my things away in my locker, waiting more or less for Edward to show up. He wanted to meet here and walk to lunch together.

The girl next to me was aggressively throwing her things in her locker, only to slam it shut and glare coldly at me. "You may think you've won, but you're dead wrong."

I squinted my eyes at the girl, taken off guard by her aggression. I felt a prickle of annoyance, but squashed that feeling instantly.

"Sorry, who are you?" I muttered, holding onto a tight smile.

"Tanya, don't pretend you don't know who I am." She jabbed her finger to my chest.

I took a few calm breaths. "I've never met you, so I don't know how I could possibly know who you are."

She flipped her strawberry hair behind her shoulder. "You are the stupid bitch that stole my boyfriend away from me." Her tone was dripping with venom.

A shudder rolled down over my shoulders. I could feel a spark of fury hit me. I had to calm myself down quickly, or I was going to end up phasing. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to search my thoughts for some kind of distraction. If I listened to another word from her mouth I was sure to blow up.

"What, you don't have anything to say? You know it's only going to be a matter of time before Edward comes back to me. You might as well save yourself the heartbreak and end things with him now." She continued, pushing me.

My back hit the lockers behind me, I squeezed my hands into fists at my sides. I so badly wanted to punch this witch. She was really starting to get on my nerves. The trembling has now inched down to my arms. The few students that lingered to watch our exchange, were beginning to take notice.

I needed to get out of this situation. Fast.

"That's enough, back off Tanya," A familiar voice called out from the end of the hallway. I turned in slightly relief as Alice came marching down to get in the middle of us. She pushed Tanya back, causing her to fly up against the lockers on the other side of the hall. Alice was so petite and small, it was surprising to see the kind of power she had behind those small arms. She glared towards Tanya who was rubbing her back as she faced Alice.

"Stay out of this, Edward is mine. You know that." Tanya huffed, taking a couple steps back over, but she froze as Alice again got in between us.

"Edward had never had feelings for you, you are delusional. Now back the hell off. Before I get angry." Alice warned with a frown in Tanya's direction.

I let myself relax, letting Alice handle this situation. The shaking is already starting to fade away as Tanya and Alice glared each other down for a while until Tanya decided she was making any headway here. She turned sharply on her heel and walked away from us.

Alice turned to me with a warm smile, bouncing over to hug herself to my side. "Are you alright, my luna?"

"I told you not to call me that, Edward and I aren't married yet." I chuckled lightly, feeling the remaining tension leave my body.

"Nonsense, I can feel the connection. You are my luna. And I'll always have your back. So don't worry, I won't let any bitches mess with you." She began pulling me along.

Alice and I only recently started getting to know each other. But Edward mentioned that she had been very eager to get to know me. Ever since I first phased and joined the pack. But Edward has been keeping me mostly with him. He wanted to slowly integrate me into the pack. Allow me to get used to one person at a time. The first had been Emmett. He had mostly been around to help me with control over my temper. He was probably one of the best at control, maybe even better than Edward. Now, I've been spending time with Alice. She's been really helping me accept the person I've become.

We walked to Edward's locker, he stood there, a bit lost in thought, he was just closing his locker as we approached. His dark eyes flickered to me with a bright smile as he leaned in to peck my forehead. "How was it today, any issues?"

"Almost, thanks to Alice nothing happened." I admitted.

Alice hugged me tightly, before letting me go, allowing Edward to take her place. He draped his arm around my shoulder as we all went towards the lunch room.

"Is that so?" He raised a single brow.

"Tanya ambushed her." Alice muttered, rolling her eyes. "I saw, Bella was about to break her in half."

"I was not," I grumbled.

Edward frowned deeply, rubbing my shoulders. "Don't worry about her. My heart only belongs to you. There has never been anyone else." His husky voice sent a chill down my spine. I felt my legs get a little weak.

"She said that I stole you from her."

"We've never dated, hell we never even spoke to each other before. So I don't know what would give her that impression."

That was a relief. I felt much better. She was just another crazy fan girl, pinning over Edward's affection. Don't get me wrong, it didn't bring me any happiness knowing Tanya existed, with intentions to take Edward for me. But it was nice to know she didn't stand a chance.

The three of us entered the lunch room, ignoring all the staring and whispering. I peeked over to the table that I used to eat at. Everyone there was watching me with bitter faces. All but the one nice girl. She was a shy girl, but she had a kind heart. She only offered me a small smile. Unfortunately we could never be friends now. No one was to know about the pack. It's best to just avoid contact.

It would make for a lonely life, if not for the pack. But I was content. As long as I was with Edward. I looked forward to what was in store for me. Even as I learned how to deal with this werewolf thing.

A/N: If you're enjoying the story, let me know. I'll update as soon as possible.