I, I wasn't even gonna go out
But I never would have had a doubt
If I have known where I'd be now

Until tonight I only dreamed about you
I can't believe I ever breathed without you
Baby, you make me feel alive and brand new
Bring it one more time, one more time

This is my heartbeat song and I'm gonna play it
Been so long I forgot how to turn it up up up up all night long
Oh up up all night long
This is my heartbeat song and I'm gonna play it

Heartbeat Song, by Kelly Clarkson, from the album Heartbeat Song, released in 2015

The cost I suffered that day was a severe one. I had sacrificed some of my life to save the two younglings. That sounds incomprehensible when you considered I haven't aged in millennia, but it makes a lot of sense in terms of things. It depended on perspective. For since it couldn't take part of my life span, it sapped my strength instead.

I will never be as strong as I was back then because the process took my strength and transferred it into my pups. And while I had no regrets, that sapping of strength had possibly contributed to one of the most horrific events of my life, other than the former genocide that still haunted me to this day.

Shaking that off, I trotted to the designated spot, where we were obscured enough so that the innocent tribe members couldn't see us, but where we could easily see the proceedings. I quickly organised my ragtag group of pups into something resembling an order- tallest at the back, smallest at the front, and I was at the side. The scents of sadness, of anger, of remorse and regret, lingered in the air, and I looked down at the overhang, watching what the human's called 'a casket' be carried in.

It was different from our form of burial- we believed in burying them so they could be reintegrated into the earth- but we sat and watched regardless. There was a weird song being sung, in one of the other languages that I had no experience with. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what they were singing about, but I could see several people who I recognised in the front row. Strawberry was in a deep brown dress, so dark it almost appeared as if it was black.

Around her neck was a fang, barely visible from the distance, and she was sat next to Curved, hand in hand. It seemed that the two mates had gotten back together, and I was happy for them. Amongst everything, I was glad they were happy. Curved was wearing a black suit, as were many other's in the ceremony. The minister went to the front at a pew and starting talking about Harry, as several in the rows began to cry, their tears landing silently on the ground.

"Today we come to mourn Harry Clearwater, doting husband of Sue Clearwater, and father to Seth and Leah Clearwater. Throughout the sermon, friends and relatives of Harry will come up to recount various fond memories that they share with him."

I watched the funeral with a mild sense of curiosity, watching as they mourned their lost one in their way, however weird that may seem to us. My pups were sitting quietly, watching with various degrees of interest, but I could not blame them for their lack of mourning for a man they had never met.

But he was still a member of the Pack, albeit it distantly, and we had to show respect. The woman I recognised as Harry's Mate, a kindly woman by the name of Sue, went up to the pew after being guided up by Strawberry's father, and turned to face the audience, tears escaping from her eyes like naughty pups from the Den.

"I was married to Harry for 27 years. He was everything I wanted in a husband, and more. He was the one who I had my darling children with, he was the one who strove to keep me, his children, and all of the tribe safe. He was a brave man, with a big heart."

I cast my look to the two younglings in question, the grey she-wolf, and the naive sandy wolf. Tears were dripping down their face, and I nuzzled Honour, who was leaning into me, hiding her pale white in my neat locks. Perhaps locks wasn't the best word.

Still, in her bright blue eyes, piercing despite her shy nature, her eyes fixated on the sandy wolf, for whatever reason. But I recognised that look. And I knew it well, especially with all my years of experience.

My little one, my darling little daughter who had ever so rarely spoken, had just found her Heart. At a terrible time, no less. But then again, such things could not be predicted. I licked her ear as she fought to turn her eyes away from her Heart, an act that was not easy for anyone.

"It's okay, Honour. You've found your Heart."

I groomed her fur, trying to soothe her as she buried her head into my chest. None of her siblings commented as they continued to watch the funeral taking place as if nothing had ever happened. The sandy wolf- although I'd better start referring to him as his name considering he will be kin soon- Timber-Pine-Forest- hadn't yet seen Honour, so the Heart was not complete.

But I had no doubts that it would be complete. I wasn't expecting her to speak- considering I could count on one paw how many words she'd said- that I had been present for, anyway.

"I'll talk to the Alpha, introduce you two at some point. But not now, not at his father's funeral."

She nodded a little, still mostly hidden in my fur, as I turned my attention back to the ceremony, looking at the change in order with a sideways glance. Sue had returned to her seat, weeping on Timber as he supported her weight. He looked like he was trying to keep a strong image, but there were still a few tears escaping his eyes.

Honour silently thanked me for my efforts, and I continued to give her a wolf equivalent of what the human's called 'a hug'. Once the Minister gave some sort of speech, and the family put their hands on the coffin, bowing their heads in a sign of respect. I threw my head back and howled, a chorus saved for a fallen wolf, and we believed that this chorus would serve as a guide to whatever was after.

As I leaned forward, my neck thrown in the air as a loud and high pitched croon sounded, my pups all stood forwards and imitated my action, until it was one loud chorus cutting through the air. For one brief moment, the whole of the forest become united as one, as I saw the human-borns resist the urge to join in.

The chorus continued before it wavered off as the family began to file out. I turned to my pups, before turning away. I had one more visit to make, and a scheme to formulate.

I detested being in this form. And honestly, it wasn't necessary. But to be able to speak to Curved- sorry, Jacob and Bella- I had to adopt this form. Could I have waited? Perhaps. But for every second that the two new imprints were apart, my daughter was in pain, and I didn't want that. Which was how I found myself in this situation.

I was in the form I thought I'd never been in again. My fur was lingering underneath what the human's called skin, my nails short and deliberately not sharp, and I had been forced into this stance. The only bit of my fur visible was a tuft on my head, a mishmash blend of colours that further distinguished me from the humans. That was ignoring the different coloured eyes, and the human-like pup hanging onto my arm.

At least I could use the excuse of she couldn't speak- although that was technically a lie- to cover her barely hidden growl every time she spoke. Syllables in the main human language were difficult, and it was a very tough job to spit out sounds without the rough growl accompanying it. They were too busy dancing to notice my approach, but with Honour practically melding into my side, and her heart singing for the one who it chose, time was increasingly counting down.

The last thing we wanted was for the two hearts to meet right now, not whilst his heart was still grieving. Even though we were born differently to our fellow wolves, we do have a sense of opportunity. You might also ask why they were dancing. Truthfully, while I was not 100% sure, I had an instinctive feeling that it was something to do with one of their tribes' 'traditions'.

Although why you would dance while mourning someone is unknown to me, but it was rather a slow dance if it were left up to my interpretation. Sad eyes were focused on their corresponding partners, the dance slow, and almost melancholic, compared to the life-jumping ones I had seen before. I nudged Honour alongside me, as we waited for the dance to break.

A time to share memories with your parents- I heard the humans whispering- a time to remember. Nobody outside the Tribe could truly understand, and I found myself agreeing with that statement. With a delicate, brisk pace, that I had perfected in the many times I had been forced to skin-walk.

"Excuse me, Jacob, Bella?"

My voice still sounded raw to even my ears, and it didn't sound quite right for a human of my appearance. Their names rolled around my tongue oddly, the syllables foreign and untouched in my mouth. The two human-borne in question turned around at the sound of my voice, each pair of eyes laden with both a silent question and unshed tears.

I could see both of them take a subtle sniff, trying to see where they recognised my scent from before Bella looked at me with a silent question. We seemed to be getting a lot of those- then again, they weren't used to me in this form since I loathed it so much.

"Shadow?"

She asked her voice a quiet thing, soft and delicate. She had healed up well since she had been injured and looked to be in as good in health as she could at this point. While still skinny enough for her bones to stick to her skin, all the bandages had come off by now, with only a few scars visible, only if you concentrated.

It was easy to see that Jacob was enamoured by her, focusing intently on her for the entire time I had been observing. I dipped my head, before moving my arm to reveal Honour, who hadn't spoken a word. Since our human forms reflected what our age would be in their years, she looked to be about six. A side effect of my mother's magic was that once we hit maturity, we would be frozen at that age.

So while I and my pups had been around for millions of cycles at this point, this was why I still looked like I had seen sixteen cycles. And that was why Honour looked six in human years, compared to her actual age. A sixteen-year-old and a six-year-old were a peculiar sight at an event like this, but with her slightly tanned skin, she didn't look too abnormal.

I could just about pass as Quileute. Jacob looked around quickly, but everyone had shuffled over to the side, talking in hushed quiet tones much like we were.

"Is Victoria here?"

I shook my head no. I gestured a little sideways, indicating towards Honour, who had poked her head out a little. I bit down a soft croon- wary of listening ears- and cleared my throat.

"This is my daughter- Honour. She's- what's your word for it, Imprinted- on Seth."

Both pairs of eyes simultaneously cleared of tears, looking at me with a sense of shock and disbelief. At the sound of her name, she nosed out of her spot for a little while, before deciding it was much safer to just stay hidden.

"I think-"

Bella began, looking off at the back of Seth for a moment, Honour's eyes following hers. She drew her eyes back to ours, her hand joining with Jacob's as she began to speak, a kind of authority showing in her hazel eyes.

"-We might have a lot to talk about."

Victoria's POV

She prowled through the undergrowth, the grass parting slowly but silently as she observed her prey. It was a necessary task, this, for her to truly get her revenge. While it was not a good time to be away from her developing army, needs must, and she needed something to drive those instinct-driven mutts crazy.

It was a risky job indeed, and as much as she loathed to handle this part, there was nobody else she could trust to handle it. Which left her in this scenario. The Cullens- the vampires that did not drink human blood, an abomination her army cried- had migrated to Scotland, the grey country that sang their stupid songs and played their droning instruments. It was by far, her least favourite place.

Still, there was to be a little torment left for that bitch- for surely she could not be completely over her former mate? Her heart yearned and longed for James' caress, his gentle touch upon her, and she missed him as though they had been apart mere moments instead of almost a year. It would take a monster much crueller than her to completely forget their mate. Which led her to here.

It was overcast, and during her watching of the Cullens, she knew there was a hunting trip due today, so they could co-exist amongst the humans with their honey-dew eyes. While she left that naive little boy- Riley- to watch over her army, the boy being so enamoured with her he would do anything to please her, she brought her shield, her sense-dismantled, and her scout.

A different one this time. One was to hide all of their thoughts from the mind-reader and the psychic. It would be no fun after all if they could ruin the surprise. Next, her scout, with the ability to go invisible at will, he could easily sneak upon them, none of them being any the wiser to his presence. And finally, the sense dismantler. A vampire's senses were the best thing in their arsenal, but without them, they were crippled. Weak. Vulnerable.

Her gift was much like Alec's, in the sense that the vampire or human or shifter was thrown into complete silence, from both the mind, sound, and sight. Nothing was getting in or out. However, instead of the tumultuous and unsubtle smog that he was associated with, she just had to send her power around her, and it would autonomously seek out the intended target.

With her plan set, they got into position, and waited, not daring to move for fear of disturbing the vegetarians. She bit back a hiss of disgust. It did not take long for the three men, the scarred one from the wars, the tall and stupid one, and finally, her target, the mind reader.

"I've always wanted to try a highland cow!"

The tall one exclaimed as the three vampires stood in a circle, the mind reader looking distracted before his attention was drawn back, his face shrivelling up in what looked like disgust.

"I really didn't need to see you in that position with Rose, Emmett."

The tall one shrugged, looking to the war Leech as he smiled a little, a crooked grin that looked more mischievous then kindly. In reality, Victoria knew all of their names, but she just could not be bothered to make the effort to learn them.

The war leech spoke up for the first time in the conversation, his accent a clear contrast to the others. Victoria signalled for her posse to be ready, and crouched down further herself, the leaves bending around her form as she listened to their conversation, seemingly carefree.

"They'll taste just like normal cows, Emmett. Plus, you can't find them in the wild, dumbass."

The war one seemed exasperated, rolling his eyes, but turned to face the mind-reader, who looked exhausted. Or as exhausted as a vampire could look, considering their lack of ability to sleep. Don't tell me the abominations can do that now too? She couldn't help but mutter sarcastically inside her head, watching as the three brothers- brothers, she spat again, with disapproval, as if vampires could ever have a family- finally finished their debate, with the mind reader answering a silent question.

"No, I'm not moping Jasper. No Emmett, you will not kidnap a highland cow, and no, I am not making any visits to the Volturi anytime soon. They would just bring themselves down on Bella, and I think we've messed up- for lack of a polite term- her life enough"

They lapsed into silence, not thinking too much about what was said. Victoria, however, was thinking on it a lot, and to her, it confirmed all she thought. The mind-reader did still love the bitch. And surely the bitch wasn't dumb enough to stay with the dog, rather than a beautiful vampire, right? She didn't think the bitch was stupid, but it didn't lessen her anger towards her.

"Whatever. I'm going to go hunt some cows."

'Emmett' disappeared quickly, nothing but a small upturn of dirt signifying his path. 'Jasper' rolled his eyes, before disappearing after him, with mind-reader having a small smile on his face before it rapidly downturned. As Victoria gave the signal to start the attack, she dwelled on working with Edward.

It had been an enjoyable experience, mainly because the fool was too sick with that damned virus to give her any orders, and was too love-struck to not follow her. Of course, she knew about what the disease did- and she predicted the race to cure him- but there was something poetic about one's supposed love hurting them.

Still, as Edward swivelled around sharply, eyes seeing but unseeing, not recognising the danger he was in, she decided it wasn't worth thinking about- because he meant nothing to her in the end- and the ends justified the means.

Author's Note

Hi everyone!

How are you all today? I'm stressed beyond belief, with studying and prelims and exams and various other things. Sounds fun, right?

Fun fact: half of this chapter was typed on my phone, at my work, in the middle of a shopping centre (a mall, for those who aren't sure what a shopping centre) in the freezing Scottish weather.

Now, I probably should be studying, so I'll ask my question then leave.

QOTW: What is something you feel is underappreciated? For me, as I answered in TSOTSC, I played this game called 999 when I was a kid. It gave me nightmares when I was younger, and I didn't quite understand it at the time, but going back now, I happen to really enjoy it, even if I question the localisation at some times.

Some day, I'm going to play the sequels!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, and like and follows, I really appreciate it!

~Cait