Tell me somethin', girl
Are you happy in this modern world?
Or do you need more?
Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?

I'm falling
In all the good times I find myself
Longing for change
And in the bad times I fear myself

Shallow, by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, from the A Star is Born soundtrack, released in 2018

I tried to guide Bella through the steps of phasing, but it seemed like she was too anxious to even attempt phasing back. We had trouble phasing on the first time as well, so it wasn't foreign to us and unique to her. Instead I phased back, pulling on a pair of shorts, before re-emerging, stroking Bella on the back of her neck, relishing in her fur.

She crooned, an odd noise to hear from her, before she followed behind me loyally, keeping my stride easily. As we approached my house, tall and proud in all it's glory, I made sure to open the door wide, to allow Bella enough room to manoeuvre herself in. I knew that she was clumsy at the best of times, but whether the inherent 'werewolf grace' was present in her was another thing entirely.

She completely bypassed the steps, being too small for her paws, and simply leapt up, stretching out briefly before walking in carefully. I could see her nose snuffling as she no doubt committed the scents to memory, before she held her paw out to hold the door open for me. I took it graciously, as she strode in, looking at my father who was sat in the living room in his wheelchair.

"Come here Bella."

His voice was his normal gruff tone, but Bella obliged, padding over somewhat unsure, like she was an invader in the house. Of course, she would never be an invader in this house, even if she did something horrendous. She was my imprint for Christ's sake, and I wasn't pushing her away any more, not after the last year. As he scratched the side of her head, she leaned into his touch, her ears pulled back in a sign of bliss.

"Sorry for keeping you away from Jake, Bells. It was for your own good."

She barked loudly, forming what I would think would translate to an 'it's okay'. She wasn't bearing any grudges with my father, and I think, seeing what I was hiding, she understood. I was glad she wasn't going to maul my dad, because I really didn't want to have to restrain her. That wouldn't be fun.

After dad had finished stroking her, she returned to me, before sitting at my feet, as I patted her on the head. Sam came in not soon after, followed by Sue, Harry and Old Quil. Both me and Bella turned to face the source of the noise, as my dad followed our head movement, not having our keen hearing.

Each gave Bella a pat on the head before settling down on a seat, with Old Quil having a large book in his hands. I knew what this was- the book of Quiluette legends. Old and new, written through the eras. Usually, we weren't allowed to see it, let alone use it, without explicit permission. That honour was saved for the elders of the tribe.

"We were researching into the legend that Jacob and Sam instigated, when trying to save Isabella Swan's life. It took a deep look into the legends, but we managed to find a conclusive answer."

You know it's formal when they refer to us by our full names. Nobody ever called Bella 'Isabella', apart from when it was something important. Speaking of which, her ears pricked up, as she faced Old Quil, who had opened the book to a bookmarked page.

"Taha Aki birthed a daughter, who of which carried on the family line. The blood and the wolf gene carried on through the years, but when one of the daughter's moved from the reservation, the gene became buried, until it never became activated. When a descendant of this line returned to her original homeland, the Alpha of the time imprinted on her, but only by a half degree. While she formerly found love in a Cold One's embrace, she then realised the extent of the Alpha's Imprint. Love and loyalty for the Cold One vanished as she suffered by his hand, allowing the imprint to shine through. She returned to the wolves, battered and near death. The Alpha and Beta came together, and blessed upon her the blood of a wolf, in an attempt to save her life. This blood was enough to activate the hidden gene, which also blessed her with the wolf spirit, and completed the Alpha's imprint."

Bella barked in response, which I could tell was wolf for 'Me!'. So, we now had a definitive answer for why she was a wolf. Because she was a distant ancestor of Taha Aki, the gene was actually present within her. But due to centuries of relatives finding love outside the reservation, the gene was essentially buried beneath her genetic makeup. When we injected our blood into her, it awakened the gene, not only healing her but giving her the power of the wolf.

"We also need to formally recognise the imprint between Isabella and Jacob, so we will hold a bonfire tonight up at the cliffs, where we shall recount our Tribe's stories and begin the ceremony. Are we all in agreement?"

"Yes."

We all intoned, followed by another bark from Bella. I scratched the side of her face, and I could feel her chest rumble in contentedness. Sue and Old Quil stood up slowly, followed by Sam, who was set to go back and phase. I'd have to train Bella, otherwise God knows what could happen otherwise. But, we had something else that took a little bit more priority, something that we couldn't function without. Food.

I know, dramatic right? Unfortunately, this was going to be slightly awkward. Because...since Bella couldn't phase back as of yet...the only way she could actually eat was traditional dog style. Which made me feel incredibly bad, because it felt like we were demoralising her in this way. My stomach rumbled, and considering I had eaten in a much more recent manner to Bella, god knows how hungry she was. I went through to the kitchen and looked for something we could eat, before settling for numerous sandwiches.

We didn't have an Emily on hand unfortunately. So we'd have to make do with my lacklustre cooking ability. Avoiding anything that could upset her stomach in wolf form, I settled for sandwiches, filled with cheese, ham, and some gammon we had left over. I set out two plates, and balanced a bowl of water on the crook of my elbow. I saw Bella had shifted, rubbing herself next to Dad. I knew what she was doing- she was instinctively marking him.

Not as a mate, not that kind of marking, but more of a scent mark, to show that he was protected by her. Like I said, she probably wasn't even aware that she was doing it. I placed the two dishes for Bella on the floor, and let her do her thing. There was no point in stopping her, and it wasn't like she was harming anyone. I sat down and ate part of my sandwich, glancing at Bella who had strode over, and was hesitantly sniffing it.

"Sorry Bells. I don't mean to treat you like a dog, but it's not like you can use a nice and fork in that form."

She yipped before leaning over the water, her tongue delicately lapping at the water. I swear she was a cat, not a wolf. She quickly drained the entirety of the bowl, before turning to the sandwich. She carefully bit into the edge of the sandwich, and tore off a chunk of it, before snarfing it down. She repeated the process with the other sandwich, before she finished, in record time might I add.

Then, she lied down, and dragged the plate over, before carefully putting it on her paw. She then placed her muzzle under it, before flicking it up in a smooth motion, before awkwardly manoeuvring her head so that it was balanced on top. She then got up completely this time, before walking through to the kitchen.

I could hear the sound of a plate moving, and a soft clatter, as it fell into what I assumed was the sink. She strode back in, but I picked up the bowl this time, saving her the effort. Funnily enough, we didn't make our- the wolves clean up after themselves if they were stuck in wolf form. We would do it ourselves, considering the fact that we had manoeuvrable hands, which they didn't possess in wolf form.

"Thanks Bella, but I can put plates away you know."

She gave me the look as if to say 'It's polite', but I just chuckled, as my father followed suit. He patted her on the head as I put the other plates away, before heading out. She followed behind me as I stretched, before shouting behind me:

"I'll see you later Dad!"

I could hear his sound of acknowledgement, as I broke into a run, pulling off my shorts mid stride (Don't ask me how, I had just practised the manoeuvre so often that it was as easy as phasing) before bursting, fur emerging from me, my skeleton changing, and my senses improving. As I landed on all fours, Bella came up by my side, licking my cheek, with a contented rumble in her chest. She shoved her head under mine, and I breathed in her scent, before shaking out my fur.

"Come on Bells. It's time to get some training done before the Bonfire tonight."

She followed next to me, as we headed deeper into the forest. I could feel her walls covering the entire pack like a safety net, and it was relaxing to say the least. It echoed comfort, and it was draped neatly over the pack mind, like a fabric over a cushion- tight but comfy.

We would have to look into it more later, but training was at the fore front of our mind. Well that, and Charlie, who would have to see Bella at some point. He wasn't going to believe us for much longer, and would demand to see his daughter- but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

"Phasing would be a good thing to start with. When you are the wolf, you have to imagine gathering yourself up and pushing it into your human shape, with calmness being the agent to stick it together. Without being calm, it'll just explode right back out."

We were sat next to one another, with her walls just around me and her for the minute, shutting out the other minds. It was a nice change..to only have my thoughts open to her. I was so used to hearing the pack invade my thoughts, and I theirs, so it was a nice change of pace.

I had told Bella that I was going to demonstrate the act of phasing back by breathing in deeply, and allowing my thoughts around her to swirl around the forefront of my mind. I knew she could see them, but I also knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship, so the thoughts were just centred around brotherly love for now.

I would wait the world for her if it made her happy. I tried to make the process surrounding the phase as slow as possible so Bella could get a feel for it, rather than the rapid fire phase I had become accustomed to. I envisioned my human body, limp like a puppet with no string. Then I gathered my wolf and pushed it into the limp body, filling it's limbs and self with life again.

There wasn't a set method, some other wolves found it easier to imagine something different- I know that Quil liked to envision a chocolate bar- white chocolate for human, dark for wolf. It was weird, I know. It then sealed itself, and before I knew it, I was a human again.

Naked, but human. Bella had bent down and covered her eyes with her fore paws, as I chuckled lowly. She was so modest- she'd get used to it after a while in the pack. For her sake, I grabbed a pair of shorts before I put them on, before calling out an all clear. She removed her paws from her face, and peaked out at me.

"I'll go find you a shirt and some trousers."

I'm sure we could find something for her to wear, considering that we had Leah. They were about the same size, with Bella being minutely smaller. She was just naturally small, even with the growth spurt. I could understand not wanting to walk around naked with a pack of boys. And...well..if it stopped a possessive growl coming from me then that was just unrelated.

I passed Bella a pair of three quarter jeans and a shirt, before closing my eyes and facing the other way. I waited a couple of minutes, before Bella called out my name. I turned around, greeted by her lean and pale form. She wasn't as pale as she used to be, but she was nowhere near as tanned as we were.

She had sprouted a little bit, probably nearing five eight, rather then the five four she was normally. The clothes that I had borrowed were hanging loosely off of her..so she looked thin as can be. That wasn't good, but I was sure that Sue would have some things to say about that. It would probably involve force feeding.

"To phase into the wolf, it is the opposite. You take the cap off the bottle with anger, and it all bursts out. Let's not try that yet though. We need to get a decent meal down you, before we go see Charlie, and hopefully get you some spare clothes since they are too big for you, and your ones are likely to be on the short side."

She nodded as we headed back to Sam's house, where Emily was no doubt cooking up a storm. I think the two of them would get on well- because who didn't love Emily? She was like the pack mother, feeding yee little wolf cubs with food. Although we were far from little. Or at least, our stomachs were far from little.

With hindsight, we probably should have eaten, then phased, because then we could have ran through some more drills. But hey, live and learn. And it was probably best to take it easy for now, because she overdid it. I could practically see Bella's eyes light up as I picked up the smell of a blueberry muffins. I did love her muffins...yum..

"Let me introduce you to Emily. She's the pack mother, and Sam's imprint. She's sweet. Word of warning though, don't look at her scars, it makes Sam self conscious."

She blinked at me in confusion, but didn't press. She'd find out eventually, but for now meeting the other Imprints and meeting some of the others belonging to the pack was important. Especially if Edward was after her, like we had been led to believe by his actions so far.

Sam had sent out a couple of the Pack to investigate the Cullen house, trying for any scents pertaining to Edward. If he was willing to attack someone he supposedly loved, what about the rest of them? But by the time they had got there, crossing the treaty line with ease since they shattered it, only to find the scents dead.

And not Leech dead- there wasn't a scent of sugar and bleach anywhere in sight. Embry, Jared, and Paul had entered the house (using slightly questionable means, but they hadn't damaged anything. We had better things to do then explain to Charlie why we had broken into the Cullens house.), only to find no cars in the garage, no furniture in the rooms.

Bella had told us that there was furniture in there, and that they usually had stuff set aside for her. But the house was pristine, untouched. I get they were leeches, but even they would have to leave some trace. Even if it was just a bit of dust, at least it would look like it was lived in. The house was just surreal.

I had yet to break it to Bella that the Cullens had left, thinking that perhaps it was best to let her meet Emily and the others first. I was going to tell her however. Whatever damage that it cost to her mental state, I was hoping that the feeling of pack would help her through it.

Severing ties with the Leeches outright would do nothing but harm her, and we also didn't want to push our opinions on her. Not like a certain Leech did. We would just be there for her, and let her come to her own conclusions, which I didn't doubt would be good for them. When someone you love beats you up and their family ditches you, well, it's not the greatest feeling one can receive.

Speaking of which, Bella had dutifully not mentioned Emily's scars, pointedly ignoring them for that matter. She just shook her offered hand and introduced herself shyly. Emily, being the pack mother she was, rapidly embraced the younger girl (not by much though) before nattering on about muffins and other inconsequential things. I could easily see what she was doing- trying to bring some normalcy to her life.

Well, as much as you can get when you become a werewolf and your ex is out to kill you. Okay perhaps that wasn't worded very well, but at least I hadn't said it to her directly. I had a little tact. Emily had set a tray of muffins on the table, and I could practically tell that Bella was starving. If I was starving and I'd practically eaten my weight in food for breakfast, Bella having only eaten part of a slice of toast, was running on just about empty.

After she had been fed and watered, we were planning to see good ole Charlie, who, while pissed that we had pushed away Bella, was just glad that we were talking again. He had always liked me more then the Leech, presumably because he had known me since I was young. A wry smile came to my face as I thought of Charlie learning that not only had his daughter dated a Vampire, but she was friends with, and had become, werewolves. He would probably faint.

"Hey Char-Dad."

Bella called out uneasily, pushing the door open with a gentleness that was known to her, and a degree of caution. We had included her house to be within the patrol route- we couldn't risk Edward and or the Cullens coming for Charlie in an attempt to get to Bella. We knew how self sacrificing she could be. Charlie, dressed in his usual Chief of Police uniform, poked his head out of the kitchen, a smear of red on the top of his moustache.

"Bella!"

He cried out, gruffly, as he hastily wiped the top of his mouth. Bella smiled softly, as she moved towards him, before sniffing the air experimentally. There was no smell of leech, other then a faint lingering smell that originated from her bedroom (which was from when he used to 'watch her sleep'. God, that's creepy). What was prominent however, was the smell of burning.

"Dad, I think you might be burning something."

As quick as you could say Leech, Charlie had half turned, and practically sprinted into the kitchen with a speed that would put us werewolves to shame. Bella had been understanding with why we couldn't tell Charlie about the secret, so she was going to stay here and attempt to sneak out every night to join patrol when she had it.

She could stay over at mine some days- Billy would be a bit more..understanding, considering that he knew the secret. She could also move in with us at some point, but it was ill advised with all that she was going through at this point. I wasn't about to add more things to her already expanding plate. Heh. That was a funny little metaphor.

We peaked our head around the corner, with the kitchen looking much like Emily's did when we had at it- pots and pans everywhere, stacked high above us, the bin full with what looked like tons of inedible food, and barren cupboards filled with...well...nothing. Charlie picked up the frying pan and spun it around experimentally, charred to unrecognition, and defying the laws of gravity. Bella sighed, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

"I'll cook you some pasta bake Dad.."

She scavenged through the cupboards before freezing and turning to look towards Charlie, who was looking embarrassed, a light blush tingeing his cheeks.

"Dad...what happened to the pasta?"

"Cremated to a bottom of a pan."

"Cheese?"

"Grilled to non-existence."

"Flour?"

"Made a massive smoke cloud when it fell out of the cupboard."

"Eggs?!"

She was sounding desperate now, and I tried my best to mask a chuckle. I could see why Bella cooked- because Charlie really couldn't cook- although he had a spectacular talent of cremating food. I'll give him that. Charlie waved the pan in demonstration, and Bella sighed, shaking her head with mock shame.

"Pizza. We'll get pizza. And I'll give you some lessons on how to cook."

Charlie looked sufficiently chastised, as she picked up her phone, presumably having the pizza place on speed dial. I began to try and declutter the kitchen slightly, beginning to wash the dishes as Charlie dried them. We would have it back in working order soon enough- although perhaps Charlie shouldn't go near it for a while.

Author's Note

Countryyyy roadssss, take me hoooommmeee, to the bed...I claimed my ownnnnnn

In case you couldn't tell from my introduction to the Author's note, I am absolutely, positutely, still knackered. Buttt I only have two more exams, thank god. Anyway, that's enough of that, I don't write to annoy everyone.

I watched the Spider-Man: Far from Home trailer. Broke my heart all over again. Also find it hilarious that Tom Holland of all people did the Endgame spoiler warning. Irony at it's best.

I think that's it for now, other then thank you everyone for all the support I've received for this story. I may not sound like it, but I'm honestly inspired by all the support. So, thank you!

See you next week/Sunday

~A very inspired yet drowsy Cait