Previously:

"You have to go?" Brady asked sadly.

Bella hated to disappoint him, but she had to get back home to Edward. "Yeah, sorry. I'll be back soon though."

"I'll drive you home," Sam offered.

Brady looked like a sad puppy as he walked Bella to the car. She gave him a warm hug that cheered him up a bit, and she headed home.


Chapter 2: Imprint Aftermath

As they pulled away from the little white cottage, Bella's thoughts were on the boy she left behind. There was something very endearing about Brady. Maybe it was his eagerness for her attention or his insight into her personality. He wasn't quite what she'd expected.

Sam clicked off the radio, bathing them in silence.

"Thanks for the ride," Bella said, glancing over at the stoic driver. His prominent angular jaw held even more tension than usual. She couldn't help but wonder if he had any molars left with the amount of grinding he did.

"I needed to speak to you alone," Sam offered in explanation.

"Oh." Bella wondered if that meant he wouldn't have offered her a ride otherwise.

"I didn't want to upset Brady by bringing it up earlier, but I need to know what your plans are with the Cullens." Sam stated coolly.

Bella was confused. "What do you mean?" The only plans she currently had were wedding dress shopping trips with Alice that she kept putting off.

Sam sighed in frustration. "Jake took off because he saw the wedding as a sign that you had made your choice... to become one of them."

"Oh." Bella looked down at her hands, a pit forming in her stomach.

"Yes, oh." Sam repeated harshly.

Bella tried to answer but she didn't know how. She knew that Sam wanted her to deny it, but she couldn't. Had the imprint changed things? She still loved Edward, so surely not.

"Brady wouldn't survive you turning into a Cold One," Sam said bluntly. "If they bite you, the treaty is broken, and I'll give the order to go after all of you myself."

Bella felt like she'd been slapped. He'd order the wolves to kill her? It was such a reversal from the warm welcome she received at dinner. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to stay as quiet as possible. She didn't want Sam to know he'd gotten to her.

"Don't force Brady to destroy his own imprint." Sam laid the guilt on thick, but the hypocrisy made Bella angry.

"You're the only one forcing Brady to do anything. Don't try to play mind games with me. I don't like it," Bella bit back. She sniffled and asked, "What does Brady have to say about it?"

"Brady doesn't know what he needs," Sam stated highhandedly. "I've been doing this a lot longer than him. He'll agree with me eventually."

Bella thought that vaguely sounded like a threat. "Until he agrees—or disagrees—with you, I'll consider the matter up in the air." Bella could practically feel the anger boiling off of Sam. She supposed he wasn't used to people telling him 'no' considering he could Alpha Order nearly everyone in his life.

"Fine," he ground out. "But that means you can't go making any permanent decisions, like getting married or bitten."

Bella had come to the same conclusion herself, but she wasn't about to admit that to Sam after how mean he'd been. She wanted to annoy him a little bit longer. "Why can't I get married?"

Sam groaned and begged for patience under his breath. "He won't be thirteen forever, Bella. Just give the kid a chance, ok?"

Bella sighed and looked out the window. It's not like she hadn't thought of that, but what good would worrying about it do? She was with Edward, her soul mate. She and Brady weren't meant to be like the other imprints. Maybe they were meant for something else.

As they pulled up to Bella's house, she confessed her true thoughts. "I want to do right by him, but I don't know how."

Sam gentled his tone. "Wanting to make it work is a good first step, but if you really mean that, you're going to have to make some tough decisions." Sam glanced over meaningfully at Bella.

She nodded to herself in understanding. Sam thought she'd have to leave the Cullens behind, but Bella couldn't do that. She was becoming more and more convinced that she was meant to be the bridge that brought the wolves and vampires together.

"Thanks for the ride," Bella said as she unbuckled, carefully not agreeing to anything.

"I hope we see you down in La Push real soon." Sam watched her go, shaking his head.

When Bella got up to her room, she checked to make sure her window was open. She didn't know exactly what she'd say to Edward, but she owed him an explanation.

Setting it out of her mind, she checked her phone. She had a message from Brady. "Will you let me know when you get home safe?"

Bella smiled and replied that she was home. Right away, her phone buzzed in her hand.

"I had a good time today," Brady sent. It made Bella smile.

"Yeah, dinner was fun," she replied.

When Bella didn't immediately get a response, she stepped away to change into pajamas and wash up. As she brushed her teeth, she thought about Sam's threat. Would he really send Brady and all of the wolves to fight the Cullens when they turned her? Did he hate them that much? It seemed unthinkably cruel to Bella, especially under the circumstances.

Bella returned to her room and saw a new message from Brady. "I'm really glad I imprinted on you."

Bella's breath hitched. How could this kid be so sweet? She didn't deserve him, especially considering she didn't exactly feel the same. "Thanks for saying that. I know things are a little complicated, but I promise I'll work it out."

"I know you will. You already killed at calming me down tonight. You're a natural :)" Brady gave Bella more credit than she thought she deserved, but before she could refute it, Brady said he had to go. "Sweet dreams."

Bella flopped down on her bed and sighed hugely. It was hard to believe that just this morning, her biggest worry was avoiding Alice's wedding planning exuberance. Now she was the imprint of the youngest member of the pack. He was sweet, defending her at dinner and checking up on her tonight.

She didn't understand why her. She finally had her perfect future all set up and then this happened. A little voice in the back of Bella's mind whispered that not everything between her and Edward was perfect, but she pushed the thought away. Edward had finally agreed to change her and to have sex while she was still human. She was getting everything she ever wanted.

The imprint was certainly a complication, but she was Switzerland, right? At least she had been before the engagement. Maybe the imprint was a sign that she had to go back to being neutral territory. Now that the newborn army was destroyed, the two sides didn't have a common enemy to ally against. Sam certainly seemed ready for a fight, and Bella didn't want anyone to get hurt. She'd do anything in her power to prevent it, including being the wolf-vampire mediator.

Having sufficiently encouraged herself of her purpose, Bella was happy to see Edward climb through her window.

"Hi." Bella smiled and got up to give him a kiss, only Edward turned his face away. That old hole in her heart throbbed at his rejection. "Edward?"

"You didn't answer your phone." Edward clenched his jaw and glared darkly at the device in her hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Bella had seen a message or two come in, but she'd been preoccupied. "We were busy having dinner. I didn't mean to ignore your call." Bella resisted the urge to say she was sorry again with Brady's comments ringing in her head.

"Too busy for your fiancé?" Edward spat out. "Or have I been replaced?"

Bella was taken aback by his anger. "What do you mean replaced?"

"By the mutt!" Edward hissed. "Did you ask him to kiss you like you asked Jacob?"

Bella gasped. "Brady? He's thirteen! How could you even ask me that?"

Edward glared at her accusingly.

Bella shrunk in on herself. "I'm sorry about Jacob, you know that. I can't take back what I did, but I chose you. I love you, Edward. Please." Bella begged him. She left it unsaid, but they both knew what she meant: Please don't leave.

"Don't you have something else to tell me?" Edward asked coldly, appearing unmoved by Bella's pleas.

Bella's mind was racing with anxious thoughts, and they made it hard to concentrate. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Edward took an unnecessary breath and clenched his jaw. "Alice had a vision of her canceling our wedding cake."

"Oh," Bella whispered. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat but she couldn't get out any explanation.

"Were you going to tell me that the wedding's off or were you going to leave me at the alter like you left me at the house today?" Edward loomed over Bella, quietly growling his rage so Charlie wouldn't hear. "From where I was standing, it looked like you were happy to leave with that unstable dog."

Bella felt traitorous tears well up for the second time that night. She whispered, "He needed my help."

"He's not your fiancé!" Edward roared.

Bella flinched away, feeling lower than low. She tried to say something, anything that would cool his anger towards her, but she choked up.

Edward's gaze jerked towards Bella's far wall, and then he was gone.

Bella only had a moment to wonder what happened before her door was thrown open. She blinked in surprise at a rumpled-looking Charlie.

"I heard yelling," he said accusingly, "and it sounded like Cullen." When a glance around the room proved no one else was there, Charlie squinted at Bella.

Bella brandished the phone still in her grip. "I had it on speakerphone, sorry."

Charlie's mistrustful expression quickly turned into pity when he got a good look at her watery eyes. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Something like that," Bella mumbled. She hugged her middle and sniffed, wishing he would leave her alone. "I'm going to get some sleep now."

Thankfully, Charlie let it go and told her goodnight.

The second the door was closed, Bella grabbed her pillow and buried her sobs into it. Were they over? Had he and his family already left? Bella fought the urge to run down to her truck and floor it to the Cullen mansion. It was only the memory of Edward's rage that stopped her. He wouldn't want anything to do with her anymore, and her heart couldn't take being rejected again. It already felt like she'd been stabbed in the chest.

Bella begged for sleep, but her active mind wouldn't turn off. She spent the first two hours sobbing on and off. At midnight, she hyperventilated herself into calming down, and from then on, only the tears remained. As streaks of tears dripped onto her bed, Bella's mind forced her to relive all of her mistakes, her worst flaws, and told her that it was her fault Edward left. She fought against those thoughts until about 1am, when she lost the energy. For six more long hours, Bella stared blankly at her wall and reminded herself of all the reasons she didn't deserve Edward.

When it was finally sunrise, Bella robotically pushed herself to a seated position. She wiped at her tear-stained cheeks and took in a shuddering breath.

Bella whispered a promise to herself. "I won't become a zombie again."