A/N: A massive thank you to my BETA, BlazingBrown, for their wonderful help!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters, Stephenie Meyer does. However, I do own Black Sun and any OCs I create.

Emmett was indeed, unavailable for his mate that night. The phone call and arrival of Jacob, Alpha of the wolf pack, threw his whole evening for a loop. He wasn't unhappy. Put out, but not in a bad way. Tugging at his hair, Emmett let out a sigh, unneeded, but a habit. Damn, he should have chosen to leave with his family, even with Emmett's inability to get along with the other coven, he should have joined them. If only to be free of Jacob's request. It didn't help that the wolf had nearly caused the vampire to become a eunuch.

He had been dominating Jasper in the most recent racing game when Emmett received the phone call. "You got me." He spoke into the phone as he wielded his controller with one hand, vampire gifts a blessing in that moment as he took lead against Jasper's vehicle.

"Hey, man," Jacob's voice was deep, but it did not hold his usual spunk. Hitting the pause button on the game, much to Jasper's irritation, Emmett asked, "What's up?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, he pictured Jacob running a hand through his cropped hair, eyes angry. Well, that was the vibe he was getting, he couldn't say for sure that the wolf was doing those actions.

"The girl's flaked out tonight, fuck, I'll be there in five. Shit is too real right now." The phone call abruptly ended, and Emmett wasn't surprised when, exactly five minutes later, Jacob barged through the front door. Vanessa was hot on his heels, trying to calm her raging mate, touching his shoulders, any part of him she could reach, but it did not seem to help the raging wolf. In agitation, Jacob flounced down on one of the luxurious chairs that filled the living room. Lifting his feet up on to the arm of the furniture, Jacob covered his eyes with an arm over his face.

This was a normal occurrence for the vampires, already used to the wolf's bizarre behavior. Or, should one say, outbursts. After a few moments of silence and Vanessa hovering around him, Jacob finally spoke. Even then, his voice was still angry, light trembles coating his body.

Pulling his arm away, Jacob's eyes were dark, a frown filling his brows. His tanned skin was rather pale, and the smell of the surrounding woods seemed to fill the room. Hormones, Emmett thought.

"Everything is messed up, man." He spoke to Emmett alone, their bond tight. The other vampires were involved in the conversation, it was expected, but Jacob seemed trust Emmett the most. He sat up, head in his hands. "They're acting weird, and it feels like all those two want to do is fuck." Jacob's hands slid down his face, skin absorbing the impact.

"Missus E, is it cool if I have a sandwich?" The wolf stood up before Esme could respond, moving to the kitchen, he began digging through the fridge, pulling out rather expensive sandwich items. Fresh artisan bread, thick slices of roast beef, organic cheese, and coarse mustard completed the meal; the sandwich itself was…large.

Jacob leaned against the kitchen counter, legs spread, a pair of cutoff jeans the only thing covering his nudity. Again, this was normal, but Edward wished Jacob had the decency to cover himself fully, while his daughter was present. Pretentious, but the vampire had dreams too. Vanessa swiped half the sandwich from Jacob's plate, her delicate hand swift and sneaky. "Hey!" Jacob grumbled, a snort following when Vanessa gave him her signature pout. Bending down in a swift movement, Jacob kissed her, a sweet peck, before turning back to the matter at hand.

He finished his portion of the sandwich, passing the plate to his imprint, and conserving dishes. "You'll be gone for, what? A month? Two?" Carlisle nodded in conformation. "Since I'm being forced to go for dumb ass reasons," The wolf shot a glare towards Carlisle. "Vanessa will be left alone, unguarded."

"I resent that!" Emmett bemoaned, irritated at Jacob's lack of faith in his vampire strength.

"Besides Emmett, Vanessa will not have proper guards, the pack is not fully comfortable with her hybrid state, and that leaves me with only one option." He sighed again, "Damn, I need a drink." Werewolves couldn't get drunk, but sometimes it helped with heavy situations. He looked to his mate, and she nodded at Jacob in encouragement. "Ah, fuck. Okay, look, here's the deal…I'm putting Bella and Leah on watch while everyone is gone."

Anger erupted, mainly from Edward and Vanessa's mother-Christine. "No. No. Not happening." Edward growled, caramel eyes darkening in anger. "I can't trust them with her safety!" He tried to show reason to the other members of his family. "They're sick, ill, I don't know…what if they harm her? Those women are growing more feral by the day, who's to say they won't go rogue while we are gone?" His rage shifted, Edward's eyes shot fire at Jacob, and his hands itched to beat the shit out of his daughter's mate. "This isn't some lab test, Jacob. You're playing with my daughter's safety!" Edward sympathized with the women, he knew how much pain they were going through, the loss. He had watched it play out many times in the women's minds, and it made Edward sick to his stomach. That, however, did not mean he trusted the she-wolves with anything regarding his daughter.

"Dad…" Vanessa started in, her annoyance at her father's overprotective behavior not unusual.

Christine cut her daughter off. "Sweetheart, I know that you care for those women, but they are dangerous. You saw them today, they're wild. How could we leave you with those two?" She stepped towards her daughter, feet silent, she pushed Vanessa's hair out of her face with a gentle caress. "You're so new, barely five years old. Vanessa, you're strong, but not strong enough to defend yourself against raging wolves."

"Shut. Up." Vanessa growled, her lips pulled back in a sneer, her white teeth blinding, and slapped her mother's hand away. "How could you even speak such cruel words towards them? Do you forget that they were the ones who protected me from the Volturi? They're struggling right now, anyone would be if their mate rejected them, but you don't care about those feelings, do you?" She sighed, pushing herself against Jacob's chest, his arms wrapping tight around her body. "I don't care what you or anyone else believes; I trust Jake implicitly, so your opinion is not required."

"Vanessa…"

"Stop."

"Sweetheart…"

The halfling let out a snort, turning to face her parents. "You're very stupid, I've made up my mind, and I will not change my answer. Besides, neither of you will be here, so Emmett is the one who has the final say." She laughed. The Coven plus one wolf turned to look at the large male, and if Emmett were human, a blush would have spread across his cheeks.

"So much pressure, bro. Totally unfair using Nessie as bait, sucked me right in." Emmett looked at Jacob, mild annoyance on the vampire's face. Jacob grinned, Emmett deflated in defeat.. "Ah, hell, who am I kidding? You got yourself a deal, Jake, but mark my words, the debt you repay will be heavy. Real fucking heavy, you feel me?"

Jacob nodded, coming forward to fist bump his friend, before Emmett punched him in the stomach, the vampire's eyes full of playfulness. Jacob bent over, wind falling from his body. "Shit…" He moaned, before taking a cheap shot at Emmett's dick, his hand punching hard at the appendage.

"Mother fucker-" The vampire began.

"Emmett! Just because the mutts like to have sailor mouths, does not allow you to have one as well!" Rosalie, in a fury of blonde locks and gorgeous anger, streamlined straight towards her husband. The man in question, raised his arms in defense, before dropping them to clutch his crotch. "Even as a vampire that shit still hurts!" Jacob let out a booming laugh, smacking Emmett so hard, the vampire fell over. Jacob let loose another gust of loud amusement.

"You son of a bitch!" Rosalie was pissed now.

Jacob, still laughing, held up his hands. "Hey now, Rose, shit's fair game."

"Emmett is delicate."

"Delicate my ass." Said man grumbled.

"You are, don't lie, Emmett. You love The Notebook. You dry sob every time."

"Rose!"

"Why are you so embarrassed?"

"Look, Ryan Gosling is beautiful, they die together, that shit's romantic."

Jacob cut in. "You boning for a dude, Em? Not that I care, I mean, if Jared hadn't met Kim, I'm pretty sure he would have grabbed that stick. So, I have a lot of love to hand out. "

Emmett guffawed "Nah man, he's full of swag. Think of him as a gift."

"Gift?" Rosalie asked quiet, anger boiling.

Emmett looked towards her, bashful. "Yeah babe, every time we watch The Notebook, you want to do the nasty right after. Damn, we've broken floors because of that movie." He paused, eyes wiggling. "We can watch it tonight, Rose, you know you're dying for me."

A loud smack sounded through the room and the vampires winced. Emmett clutched the back of his head, staring at his wife in lust. "Come on Rose, you love sex after The Notebook." Smack. Emmett laughed. Rose growled.

Jacob looked towards Vanessa, face serious. "Do you like The Notebook?" Edward snarled, but Carlisle held him back, humor on his face.

Vanessa didn't hesitate. "I've never heard of the movie until just now."

"We could watch it tonight, if you want." Christine punched him in the face. Jacob groaned in pain.

"Such an idiot." Jasper sighed, not even bothering to use his gift to control the groups raging emotions.

A hard knock beat at Leah's bedroom door, waking the women out of their slumber. As promised, they were naked, bodies pressing together. Bella's leg was hiked over Leah's own, breasts squished against her friend's side. Leah's arm was trapped beneath Bella's neck, her chest rising and falling in time with the other woman's breathing.

They stretched, bodies pulling apart, Bella flipped on to her stomach, shoving her head underneath the pillow, her refusal to wake up growing as the knock sounded once more.

"Fuck off!" Leah growled, sitting up she grasped at her hair, legs crossing. She lent over the bed, picking her shirt from the previous night up and pulling it over her body. Covering her nudity slightly.

The knock came again, this time followed by an irate snarl. Seconds later the door slammed open, buckling against the wolf's force. Collin stood in the doorway, tall and tanned. He wore a holed white shirt, and his cutoff shorts were slung low on his hips. Stubble coated his face, lips pulled down in a pout. Bella moved again, a growl coming from her throat as she pushed herself up, turning a furious glare on the intruding wolf. Her lips were pulled back, teeth bared, body trembling before Leah placed a calming hand on Bella's lower back. Collin tried to ignore the fact that the women were naked, he really did, but his eyes kept straying to Bella's ass and the hidden juncture between Leah's crossed legs. Da-amn, He thought. The she wolf stood then, uncaring of her nakedness, walking to the small dresser, Bella took clean clothes from the drawers. She tossed a red t-shirt and light colored jean shorts at Leah, before grabbing a similar outfit for herself.

Irritation filled her when she noticed Collin's heated gaze. "Can you not? Honestly, it's like you've never seen a naked woman before." She turned to face him fully, dressing herself in the clothes she had taken from the dresser. Collin swallowed and glanced away, Bella laughed in victory.

"Jake's here." The man finally spoke, face bright red in embarrassment. "He wants you out front in thirty." He left then, eyes still trying to look anywhere but the two women, he failed bad. Leah let out a sigh, falling back on the bed, before sitting up again in agitation, angry sounds falling from her lips. She lifted her feet up, pulling the shorts over them and up her legs, before removing the previous night's shirt, the fresh one replacing the other garment.

"How long have we been asleep?" Leah's lips were dry, tongue heavy in her mouth.

"About a day."

Hissing out a breath, Leah looked towards her friend, reaching out to run a gentle caress down the woman's arm. Comfort filled Bella and she squeezed the woman's hand tight. They left the room then, feet silent on the floor. The bathroom was occupied when Bella knocked on the door, both women were in need of a shower since they still reeked of sex from the night before. When the door finally opened, the she-wolves took two very large steps backward, their hackles rising, as Sam walked out. "Morning." He murmured, his eyes straying to Leah's face, before glancing at Bella. "Have fun last night?" His voice held a bitter sounding tone, but that could not be true.

"You'd know." Leah laughed. "I'm sure you already shifted." The sneer on her face was painful, an unfair feeling for the woman, and Bella gently touched Leah's waist in comfort. Trembles ran down the woman's body even as Bella's caress sent calm to her friend.

Sam said nothing, brushing past the women, his body too close to Leah's own for Bella's liking. She hissed out a warning sound and Sam's stride increased in speed as he headed towards the other wolves. Sighing, the women entered the bathroom. Bella turned on the shower, setting the water to a cold temperature, and began taking off her clothes. Leah followed, feeling slightly depressed by the altercation that had just occurred. Sensing her friends upset, Bella pulled Leah in to a tight hug, their naked bodies pressing together. Sheer comfort ran through the women as their emotions mixed, deepening the intense feelings of calm.

They stepped into the shower, Bella in front wile Leah stood behind her. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, Leah squeezed a dollop in to her palm before rubbing her hands together, creating a small lather, and began washing her friends hair. Bella let out a happy sigh at the body contact, shoulders relaxing, and closed her eyes as Leah massaged her scalp. All too soon it was over and they were switching positions, Bella washing Leah's hair while the woman let out moaning sighs. Cleaning their own bodies was done quickly, Bella turned off the water, and they stepped out of the shower their feet cushioned from the floor by a light blue bath rug. Pulling matching colored towels from the linen closet, they dried their bodies and pulled the clothes from earlier back on. Running fingers through their mid length hair helped to dispel any knots as they stepped from the room, light steam following behind them, and dropped their towels down the laundry bin.

Their shirts stuck to their chests, suctioned by the water drops, and caused the women's naked bodies underneath to be more visible. Not that it mattered to them, but they knew it would make the others uncomfortable, which was something they enjoyed immensely.

They smelled nearly the whole pack in Leah's house, finding them seated in her large living room. Small as it was, the room was jam packed with eight very large wolves. "They're going to break the furniture again." Leah grumbled too low for sensitive ears. Bella laughed, her head shaking as she shot a humorous glance towards the pack. She laughed again when the group turned to look at her in confusion, their eyes falling to the women's chests when they noticed the dampness. Bouncing slightly, jiggling her breasts, she giggled as the young pack members turned away blushing. She had missed these feelings. Emptiness was too overwhelming to remember what it felt like to be full.

"More like, the whole house." Bella finally responded once she had enough of teasing the younger wolves.

Sue stood against the counter, sipping a cup of warm coffee, the bitter smell filling the she-wolves' senses. She looked at them over the mug, eyes filled with an unknown emotion. No words of greeting were spoken. Neither of the women repented. Sue ignored their blatant intent at making her uncomfortable, the mother's eyes looking anywhere but the younger women's chests. Turning away the friends rummaged through the fridge, pulling out fresh strawberries and a large bit of the leftover ham. Compared to male wolves, the females ate considerably less, especially when they were emotionally empty. Quick, shoving food in their mouths, the women consumed their breakfast. When strawberry juice ran down Bella's wrist, Leah grabbed her arm and licked away the offending dribble, Sue frowned in dislike.

"Thanks, ma." Leah bit out as Bella placed their dishes in the sink, rinsing off any leftover food and the wrist her friend had licked.

Passing through the living room, they were assaulted by the smell of sweat and body odor. "Shower recently?" Bella lashed out. "Smells like you haven't bathed in weeks."

"Be nice."

Bella glared at her friend. She had suddenly been overcome by anger, it was unusual after a feeding, and Leah pointing that out did not help. Many of the men in the pack worked construction jobs, the manual labor helping to control their aggression—sweating was a normal occurrence, and Paul himself, owned a construction company. The money he received from the business, a nice lump sum every month, went to helping the pack as well as the reservation. Bella tried not to appreciate his good deeds, she really did, but as her imprint, Bella's heart was always full of respect for Paul.

"Hello to you, too." The snide comment came from one of the younger wolves, Daniel. His gaze was locked on the women's still visible dampness, before he looked away in bashfulness. Bella let out a snarl, Leah following with a similar sound, at his comment. He held up his hands in surrender, palms out, a scared expression on his face. He hardly interacted with the two women, his mistake had been to ignore the vibe…and stare at their breasts. Paul reached out, hitting the back of the pup's head hard, before ruffling his hair. Daniel was very young, not yet fourteen, but with the continued presence of vampires, his shift had come early. With the too soon jolt of puberty, even at thirteen, his libido was off the charts.

"You're fine." He told the wolf, watching the she-wolves leave the house, gaze staying on Bella's form a moment too long. Seth followed behind the two women, his position as Beta commanding the action.

"Idiot." Jared laughed.

Paul stared in anger. "Not cool, man."

"You're the one with the flag staff."

"I have no idea what that refers to, so fuck off."

"Right..."

Paul raged, a vicious sound coming from his throat, and his body shook in near change. Anything to do with his imprint sent Paul spiraling in anger, because he did not want the mating bond. The wolf had made that very clear to Bella.

"Chill, bro, I got you, nothing's there." Jared wasn't upset. Disappointed, but not angry. Shit, Paul could make his own decisions, but if the men's positions were reversed, Jared did not believe he would have the strength of his friend. Denying the imprint was crazy, and for Paul to not be affected was unheard of. The women obviously suffered, the whole pack witnessed their wild behavior, and waited for the she-wolves impending downfall.

His imprint, Kim, often asked after the other women, because they had been very close in school and even after the two shifted. When Bella and Leah had imprinted, everything changed, and it felt like their souls had died after they were rejected. The women withdrew, backing away from their family and those around them, barely present within the pack mind. Jared shook his head, looking towards Quil, not surprised to see the sad expression on the man's face. Quil and Bella had been tight, best friends since first grade, they shared everything. Though no feelings of love—relationship—grew, their sibling bond was strong. Quil's imprinting had cut the friendship like a knife; Bella was not jealous, but being with the man after he found his mate felt strained, like she was a burden to her friend, and it made her afraid.

The pack mind was full of angry discussions for weeks after Quil imprinted; looping conversations of the man trying to validate their friendship while Bella shut Quil down. A month after his imprinting, Bella attacked Quil in rage, and the wolf had been so surprised he had not protected himself. She had been angry, just rejected by her mate, and her logic had not been present. Lashing out at anyone who dared cross her path, and Quil, with the recent end of their friendship, had been an easy target. Though the wounds had healed, Quil still felt the blood dripping down his stomach, the painful wound across his abdomen. He remembered how dead her eyes had looked and how devoid of emotion she seemed to be. Leah had pulled Bella away, shifting her own hand to slash at Quil's face, but he was able to avoid that attack when Sam had stood in front of Quil.

Sam had suffered lacerations to his face, the cuts so deep the man's cheek had ripped. The shame, of the pain he caused Leah, had kept him from becoming angry and responding in kind to the raging women. After that, many of the wolves tread lightly around the she-wolves, not addressing them for fear of being attacked. Even with the avoidance, many of the younger wolves were targeted.

Months later everything calmed. The women began leaving late at night, and returning to the pack hours later smelling of sex, their eyes bright. Images of the men they slept with and what they did with them, filled the pack mind. The men tried to ignore the thoughts, but as the women became more promiscuous and their activities pushing the limits of normal, the wolves began to watch. It was not like the women minded, or at least, they did not seem to, if anything it felt as if the she-wolves wanted the voyeurism.

Jared sighed again, before returning his focus to the television. A young female reporter stood in front of a night club, her blonde hair was perfectly coifed, as she pointed to the EMTs pulling two bodies on stretchers from the club. They were dead, found late last night.

"Shock is going through the community right now." The women said, voice strong, and her blue eyes bright with determination. "Two club owners were found dead last night, seemingly from exhaustion, and the police are looking in to the case for possibilities of foul play. For many who knew the men, say this was unexpected, because both were in very good health." She turned away from the bodies, looking straight in to the camera. "We'll keep you updated throughout the day on these mysterious deaths." The television went to commercial.

The sun was low, just barely above the horizon, moisture pooled on the grass in Leah's yard. The women were bare foot, hardly noticing the rocks under their feet. Jacob stood with his hands crossed, Vanessa next to him. His face was set in a stern line, biceps bulging. He was shirtless save for a pair of cutoffs. Seth moved over to stand on his right, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He was hunched, not meeting the women's eyes. He was embarrassed by the behavior of his sister and Bella, they were openly enticing the pack members to look at their bodies, and Seth was beginning to worry that one of the men would take them up on the offer of sex.

"Good morning." Bella quipped out, face breaking in to a smile for her brother. Leah recognizing the strain the action caused, squeezed her friends arm. "So wonderful to see you, Jacob. I seem to have forgotten what your face looks like." She let out a bitter laugh. To anyone other than Leah, the laugh would seem one of happiness, but she knew her friend too well to not see the falseness in Bella's response.

Leah snorted, when Jacob growled, watching as Vanessa brushed her mate's body in calm. "Jake…" The halfling whispered.

"Come here for retribution, 'eh?" Jacob said nothing in response, looking Bella straight in the eyes, he stretched out a hand, intent on making some form of physical contact with the woman, but his sister stepped back. Jacob let his arm fall, hand clenching, before seeming to shake himself out of a daze. Bella was on high guard, already uncomfortable with the situation and Jacob's sudden intent to touch her. He never paid attention to her, and now…she shook her head, looking to Leah for comfort. Her friend gave it, brushing her body against Bella's in an attempt to sooth the woman's worries.

He took a large step forward, Seth behind him. "I can't let your actions last night go unpunished."

"Of course." Leah snorted. "Not like it's unusual." Bella touched the she wolf's back. Jacob chose to ignore the gesture. Seth couldn't stop staring at the two women. They were behaving differently than they had nights previous, but their actions now were confusing. There was life gracing the women's eyes, something that had not been present for weeks. Looking at them, he wasn't sure if he liked the returned existence, because the women were cruel. Almost suffocating in an unnecessary exile between the pack and themselves.

Vanessa pulled at Jacob's arm, trying to gain his attention. "Don't push." She spoke, caressing his cheek, her slim fingers cool against his heated skin. Both women looked away, feeling the painful emptiness that action roused. Fuck them, fuck imprints. Vanessa looked at the women, aware of her affections for her mate causing the women great pain.

"You're on watch duty." Jake spoke again.

"When are we not on watch duty?" Leah's sarcastic tone sent a wave of anger through Seth. He opened his mouth to lash out, stepping forward, a negative shake of Jake's head stopped him. Their response was disrespectful, and as Beta, the overwhelming need to get retribution for his Alpha was strong.

Jacob stepped forward again, nose to nose with his sister, before she let out a snarl and pushed him back, causing him to stumble in surprise. Leah reached for her, pulling the woman back in to her chest, arms sliding around Bella's waist, fingers stroking her friends skin in a soothing motion, Bella relaxed.

Seth took the action for something else. "Stop it!" He shouted, body shaking, he filled the women's space. "Quit fucking touching each other like that!"

"Like what?" Bella asked, hands running over Leah's arms. Seth let out a raging roar, body shifting into a massive, russet colored wolf. Neither woman moved, staring him down, watching his shredded clothing fall to the ground with raised eyebrows. "Great, now Sue has to buy you another pair of shoes. How stupid can you be?" Bella frowned, unaffected by his outburst, and Leah ran her hands down her friend's thighs, edging the man on once again. Seth stepped forward, paw up to lash out at the women. His anger was broiling, just barely controllable, and all he could see was a haze of red when he stared at the she-wolves.

"Enough!" Jacob growled, dragging Seth back by the scruff, setting the wolf down hard on the ground. "If you can't control yourself, then fucking sit there and shut up."

"Jacob…" Vanessa again.

"No, Vanessa." His use of her full name showed his displeasure at the situation. He sent a death feeling glare to his sister, before turning to brush a kiss against his mate's lips. Looking back to the other women, he sighed running a hand through his russet hair. He sneered a little, lips pulling back from his teeth, before diving in to the conversation.

His voice was coarse when he finally spoke. "I'll be away for the next two—maybe less—months. During that time, I will be meeting with many of the Cullen's vampire allies, in hopes of gaining some for our pack." He paused for a second, gauging the women's uncaring expressions. "While I am away, Vanessa will be left with only Emmett to guard her, something I do not believe is safe."

"Right, because she's not a gifted vampire that is clearly capable of defending herself." Bella snorted sarcastically. Jacob growled.

"Do not insult my mate."

"Wasn't an insult." Leah cut in.

"Be silent!" Jacob roared, body shaking. Vanessa fluttered around him, her vampire hands touching any skin she could reach. When he finally calmed, his body was still racked with shakes and a possibility of change, but his emotions were in check. He jumped to the point. "As I was saying," He paused for effect, glaring at the two women. "I do not feel comfortable leaving Vanessa with only Emmett for protection, as such, you she-wolves will be watching my mate while I am away." He ignored the vicious sound that tore from his sister's throat, watching as her chest heaved in anger, and Leah seemed to be having the same reaction, though far calmer. "Since, once again, you have disobeyed my command, I am placing the two of you on lockdown. You will stay with Vanessa at the Cullen home, and be attached to her like a leech…" He paused, looking to his mate. "No pun intended, baby." Vanessa nodded, a small smile playing against her lips. The cruel nicknames had long ago fallen. Jacob continued, "During the day you will always be with her, while at night you two will patrol the territory around the Cullen's home."

Bella was shaking in anger. How dare he do this to her. Jacob had taken his cruel treatment of Bella to a whole different level. Rubbing his imprint's protection in Bella's face…Her chest heaved in heavy breaths, and Bella's hands balled in to tight fists. She clenched her teeth together, biting her tongue before she said something she would regret. Glancing to her friend, Bella found Leah reacting far less to their new job, which helped to center Bella again. Letting out another angry sound, her body ceased its shakes, and her mind calmed. "How thankful we are, Jacob, for your gift." The words were cruel, but she couldn't hold back. Bella laughed, running a hand through her hair.

She tried to rationalize the situation. Jacob, as Alpha, was doing what was commanded of him. If, in that process, he placed his pack mates in painful situations, Jacob was doing what he thought was best. Bella reached back, her hand grabbing Leah's, stored emotions passing through the two, and looked at her brother once more. She let out a heavy breath. "We will do whatever possible to protect your mate, Jacob."

Her brother's eyebrows rose at the sudden emotional change, but he said nothing, instead crossing his arms in an impassive gesture. "Really?" He asked, lips pulling in a tight smile. "Once upon a time you were friends with my mate."

"Once upon a time I was a virgin."

"That was interesting." Leah laughed.

"Most idiotic moments of my life. Why did I wait so long again?"

"The right horse hadn't been found yet."

"Horse?"

"I'm sorry, should I have said cock?"

Bella shot out a laugh.

Jake grumbled in aggravation, still waiting for a legit answer. "Things are very different now, Alpha." Leah spoke, stepping forward slightly. "Who we were before…that is something we will never be again." The women shared a look, their hands clenching, and Bella looked at Vanessa in apology. "Bella and I, we do not think we can be friends with anyone ever again, beside ourselves of course." Bella giggled, a bell-like sound.

Glancing behind her, she found that many of the wolves had stepped outside and were now listening to the conversation. "Leah…" Bella murmured, informing her friend to the audience with a pointed nod of her head. Leah looked in the direction Bella indicated, and sneered when she saw Sam leaning nonchalantly against the porch railing.

Leah spoke again. "Now that we are in agreement, Bella and I will take a quick run, before beginning our duties as watch dogs." That shot at Jacob hard, but he ignored the jab.

"Of course, as long as you understand what is required?" The women nodded.

Seth, now shifted in all his naked glory, snatched Leah's hand, squeezing it in a tight grip. "Leah…I-,"

"Save it." Bella cut in.

"This does not concern you-,"

"It does actually." Leah shook off her brother's grip, backing away before shifting. Her clothes ripped, falling to the ground, and a light grey wolf stood in her place, before running into the woods.

"Such a drama queen…" Bella sighed, laughing slightly. "Catch 'ya later, I guess." Clothing exploded and in place of Bella's human form was a large, dark grey wolf. Her eyes were hooded as they looked back at the pack, a growl pulling from Bella's throat as Paul stepped forward off the porch, an unknown expression on his face. With one more look towards her brother, she shot away in a blur, brushing her body against Leah's upon reaching her at the forests edge. They both looked back once more, the pack was now in a tight huddle, their eyes locked on the women, and intense conversation flowed from their mouths. Paul and Sam picked up the shreds from the women's clothing, the odd expressions still on their faces.

Chapter Playlist

Careful You-TV On The Radio
Atonement-The Kickdrums
Waited 4 U-Slow Magic
Dark Paradise (Remix)-Lana Del Rey, DJ DX
High By The Beach-Lana Del Rey
Panic Cord (Hucci Remix)-Gabrielle Alpin