The next meeting was four days later, and after much pressure from the Tribal Council, she kept to her wolf form as they approached. Sam and his Pack sat in the same position as last time, glaring and snarling as the Makah Pack took their places. The two tribes hadn't been on civil terms for almost five years and the grudge was still too fresh to ignore.

Bella urged her pack to stay calm and ignore Sam. Five minutes passed and Sam couldn't help but voice his anger. The Cullen's were late.

Thunder rumbled in the grey skies above them. Rain poured down and Bella sighed as she shook the water from her eyes. Her fur kept her warm, but she could see Sam debating on whether to phase or not. Quiet steps reached their ears and made the ground beneath their paws vibrate ever so slightly. Seven approached from the east; Carlisle's son had joined them.

As the clearing became water logged and slick with rain, the Cullen's broke through the tree line and emerged dripping wet and looking as miserable as they all felt.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Carlisle said courteously. Bella dipped her head and Sam merely grunted as he folded his arms across his chest. The Cullen's fanned out into their usual line, and eyes turned to the newest member.

Edward.

He looked, by far, the youngest of all of the vampires. His hair was black and, like everyone else, smothered to his head, and his eyes and lips were so taught anyone would have thought he was getting nails through his palms. Rain dripped from the end of his nose as his eyes bore into the wolves in the clearing. He had laid eyes on Sam and his pack more times than he cared to count, but this new Pack, lead by a small unassuming female, was what caught his interest.

It was clear which wolf was the Alpha – not that she was any larger or colourful than the rest, but there was a dare behind her eyes, and a confidence in the curve of her spine. Her yellow eyes pierced straight through him, unyielding and devilish. He could see why Carlisle was interested in a communication with them.

Edward had no idea what was going on – as much as he tried, he heard not a squeak from any of the Makah Pack. It was frustrating, and he quietly shared this revelation with his family. It didn't soothe any of their worries, but Carlisle remained confident that they bore little familiarity to the Quileute's. Without his ability, Edward didn't hear the shouts of surprise or the ripples of shock that shot through the Makah ranks.

Bella had felt the crackling electricity travelling over her skin – setting every nerve alight and making her shudder. She knew what it meant. She felt something shift in her mind. Her eyes returned to Edward and she felt it again – another shudder.

Fuck.

Her pack showed nothing, but the Cullen's had noticed the twitching ears and uneasy head turns within the ranks. Something had happened, or been said and their usual military precision had been shattered. One wolf whined, high pitched as he began to stand. The wolf they presumed to be Isabella lunged forward and barked loudly. The wolf sat back down and, as Bella returned to her own spot, the pack fell still and silent once again.

Their thoughts were a different matter altogether.

Imprinting on a vampire! That's impossible!

Everyone had an opinion, so much so that Bella was struggling to form one of her own. Thomas had kept his mind silent and she felt him nudged her. His mute support was much appreciated and she changed back into her human form with little thought to her promises to the Council. She needed to think without fifteen other voices clambering to he heard.

Expecting nudity, Edward averted his eyes but he could see her through his families eyes, wearing beige cargo trousers that had Alice gagging, and a simple white shirt that quickly became sodden and see through. She was glad she wore a bra that day.

Edward looked up from the floor and felt... nothing like he'd ever felt before. It was as though someone had dumped his mind in ice cold water, freezing everything in that one second and stamping it in his mind forever. He saw a different girl to the one his family saw. He found himself fascinated by the smooth, pale skin of her cheek and the small freckle just above her elbow.

He wanted to pin her down and learn everything – every nook and cranny. He wanted to catalogue every bruise, freckle and scar and learn the stories. He wanted to snatch her away from the massive wolves that stood only a foot behind her, away from Sam as he glared at her from across the clearing.

He showed nothing.

Jasper, who stood three down from him, merely smirked as he stared across the clearing. Edward heard his amusement echo through his thoughts and resisted the urge to throw him to Sam for dinner.

Congratulations, he thought, only half joking.

They were screwed.

–

The training session got under way as the rain abated and they were left to dry off. Jasper and Emmett took centre stage yet again, and this time explained how not to grab or chase a newborn.

"If they get their hands around you, you're dead-" he said heavily. "They run on pure instinct, without any forethought or plan in mind. Get behind them and they're easy pickings," he said as Emmett prepared himself for another attack.

Jasper couldn't help but glance to Isabella. She had paid little attention compared to the previous session and her mind was obviously elsewhere. He had felt the shock, outrage and fear radiate through her pack moments before she had phased back to her human form. Sam and his pack were very attentive.

Isabella was already dry, and she was glad that she ran warmer than usual. Her mind had wandered endlessly and she felt bad for not paying attention. Imprinting on a vampire was uncommon but not unheard of. Their legends told of numerous wolves who fell in battle because of sudden unrequited imprinting. She feared the Council's opinion and resulting rule. She feared her Pack. She had felt the horror and undertone of disgust.

The session ended once again.

"They'll be here in two weeks," Carlisle said as he stepped forward.

Bella shook her head. "We're not ready."

"We should go out there and meet them head on. We'd have the element of surprise-" Sam began deeply.

"And they'd have the home team advantage, and it doesn't change the fact that we're not ready," she said snappily, sending a withering glare over to him. "We need more than theory."

Jasper didn't like she was heading but Sam beat him to it. "You want us to – what – spar with them?" Sam cried in outrage. "I am not about to put my Pack in their hands," he said gesturing to the Cullen's.

"That's because you're nothing more than a litter of pathetic puppies who couldn't fight off a rash, never mind a vampire!" Bella fired back, quickly growing angry.

Sam exploded without warning, landing on all four paws with his head bent low and a deep growl seeping from between his bared teeth. Bella did not move or even flinch. Her wolves didn't move to protect her, and the Cullen's could only watch.

Bella knew Sam better than he expected. She knew he wouldn't attack, knew that he was all bravado and threats without soul or reason. He would not attack in front of so many. He would not allow mere words spur his temper too far, though it was clear to see the effect they'd already had on him.

"I am willing to risk my life so that my people are safer. You brought us into this fight – I am not going to walk in unprepared!"

Sam growled for a few seconds before falling silent and standing from his bent position. He clawed the ground for a few moments before turning and running off into the forest. His Pack were left clueless and followed shortly after. Bella shook her head and took a few deep breathes, and, after a few moments to calm herself down, glanced over to the Cullen's and said, "Sorry," quietly.

The Cullen's thought it was more amusing than anything. Edward kept his eyes firmly off Isabella, and she did the same to him. Neither wanted to face that reality just yet. "You want to practice..." Jasper clarified.

"We are not Quileute's," Bella reminded him. "Don't tar us with the same brush," she said and he could sense her defensiveness. Clearly the two packs had a history and the tension was painfully obvious but he remained wary.

A large light brown wolf bumped her shoulder with his snout, and when she turned she found herself staring at Rachel – a petite, quiet girl that Bella often found had some of the most interesting thoughts. Her eyes were worried and troubled but she just patted her snout and smiled as reassuringly as possible.

Jasper went to the middle of the clearing. His family stood on tender hooks as Bella walked from her pack and met him. She seemed calm enough and even smiled and nodded in greeting. "No teeth," Jasper said quickly.

"Ditto," Bella agreed with a wry grin.

The pair backed up and in a blink, the girl was replaced by a magnificent chocolate brown wolf with a bushy tail and swished this way and that with anticipation. Her pack shuffled uncomfortably but Bella told them to stay put. The last thing she needed was another war sparking because of her sensitive and protective pack.

They were both wary but as Bella dipped her snout, Jasper nodded back at her and it was on.

He shifted left and she watched him. Suddenly he darted to the right and she spun to keep him in her sights. "Newborns are faster and stronger than any of us," Jasper reminded them. He ran straight at her and she wasn't expecting it.

She dodged left but she felt steel cold arms around her neck and she was pulled to the ground with his weight on top of her. Instantly, his arms disappeared and she felt his weight lift. Growls rang out through the clearing but Bella got to her feet and shook it off, and with a short bark to her nervous Pack, they settled again.

Jasper stood waiting, unsure if she was willing to go for round two. She faced him and dipped her head. "They will come straight for you with brute strength and speed," he said as he once again ran straight for her.

Again and again she went down and her frustration grew. It had looked easy when the vampires had demonstrated, but without hands and fingers it wasn't quite as easy to grab and rip. Instead of dodging, she lunged for him and they collided and collapsed on the ground in a scrap of pushes and claws.

"Okay," Jasper said as they stilled and the wolf lay panting. He could feel her little spike of pride, but also her burning determination. "Let's go again."

With her feet now beneath her, he was able to develop her skills. "Play to your strengths," he advised her. "Fight how you know you can win."

Bella wasn't exactly sure what she was good at, but thought she had a pretty good eye. When she lunged, she never missed. After her fourth time pinning him, she looked to her pack. None were willing to step forward and she didn't push the matter any further. Obviously she wanted everyone on the same level. Ready or not, this newborn army was heading towards them and she'd rather not lose anyone, and risk a few injuries here and now.

"You alright?" Jasper asked suddenly. He was very aware that she was still flesh and blood with a thudding heart. She was just as vulnerable as any human. He was also aware that Edward was biting his tongue and pinning himself to the spot to keep from launching himself at his brother.

The wolf nodded and Jasper felt no feelings of fear or discomfort from her at all. She was in no hurry to run back to the safety of her pack. "You're nothing like the Quileute's," Jasper said quietly.

Bella shifted back to human form, because if they were going to talk she'd have to get a working tongue. "Thank for noticing," she said after clearing her throat.

"You don't get along," Jasper observed.

Bella scoffed. "And you do?" she shot out. "We were allies going back generations, until five years ago."

He could see the anger there in her eyes, and feel it from every single wolf. "What happened?"

"We were under attack. Eight vampires, all pretty young, had decided to test us. They were... unbelievable. We couldn't touch them, literally...one of them had an ability," she explained. "We sent a wolf to La Push asking for their support. They refused," she spat as she looked into the depths of the forest. "Apparently they weren't willing to fight a loosing battle. We managed to take down the one with the ability and the others were easy after that," she paused and glanced at Jasper. "We lost six wolves, thirty two adults and fifteen children in one day."

Heads hung low at the memory of their fallen brothers, their best friends, their family. They felt pain from one to another, and the loss and sheer grief of losing six wolves had knocked them off their feet for months. The shame and bitterness in losing so many of their people had almost been too much to bear.

"They offered to help us rebuild and we refused," she said after a few moments. "When they asked us for our help now, we almost refused on principle..." she said truthfully. "But we know the devastation a newborn army would cause to the human population."

–

As she'd predicted, the Council were less than impressed with her behaviour. She sat in the council chambers with the other council members and listened to them prattle on about safety and morality while she was forced to sit and take it all.

As Alpha, she was in charge of the Pack and had a seat on the council. The Tribal Leaders were the only ones who had control over her, but even then it only extended so far. Still, it was always better to keep the Leaders sweet and on your side. She'd been Alpha for almost twelve years now, and still three of the four council members disapproved.

Word of her sparring with Jasper had reached their ears, and none of them were pleased. She plead her case but it made no difference. She was under warning; one more step out of line and she was to be removed as Alpha. It was shocking, and a little bit of an over-reaction in her mind but she understood their need to protect their people.

After the meeting, she joined the others on the beach around the fire. She was slapped on the back and shook and she laughed along with them as they recounted her fight with the vampire. They didn't seem too put off, and at the end of the night a few even mentioned how they wished they'd had a go. No-one mentioned the imprinting fiasco and she couldn't have been any more grateful.

At night slipped into morning they all traipsed to their homes for what little sleep they could catch. The lights were all out when Bella pushed open the front door and stepped into the house. She could hear the heavy, even snores from her grandfather in his bedroom and smiled as she kicked off her shoes and headed down the hall to her own bedroom. She was exhausted. She stripped off and climbed into bed, closed her eyes and waited to drift off.

Instead, all she saw was him.

Edward Cullen.

Her imprint.

He was going to ruin her life. The council was already seventy five percent against her and were looking for any way to get her out. If they found out, it would be everything they needed and a hell of a lot more. Hours slipped by and sleep was forgotten. In frustration she jumped from bed and pulled on some clean clothes. She headed out of the house and up to the main road that led out of the reservation. She passed Lana as she patrolled and nodded as she shifted into her wolf form and sped off into the forest.

Running always helped her think, helped to clear her head, and usually helped tire her mind as well as her body. She didn't care where she ran, as long as she kept from the main roads and was on alert for any stray campers or hikers she was fine. Miles flew underneath her paws. Her fur rippled with every flex of her back. She loved it.

She found herself in the woods nearing Forks – having almost crossed onto La Push by accident and heading east instead. Forks was a sleepy, inconsequential town where nothing happened about from rain and middle aged drinking. It was half past three in the morning when she found a spot beneath a tree where the leaves didn't drip, and laid down.

Sure enough, as soon as she closed her eyes and exhaled, her mind went blissfully blank.

–

She woke with a start. Someone was close. She could hear their slow and careful steps. She heard their exhaled breathes and the ruffle of their shirt in the wind. She noticed the absence of a heartbeat and the light tread of their steps.

The wind carried their scent right to her but she didn't recognise it at all.

Silently, she backed up so she had the cover of the trees around her and crouched low to the ground – her mind was empty. It must have been late morning. The vampire approached ever so slowly, almost as if they didn't want to startle her. She waited with baited breath.

She wasn't expecting to see Edward Cullen making his way towards her, his eyes set and locked on hers. He had been hunting and caught her familiar scent and, curious as he was about her, he sought her out. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, and he knew his family would go berserk when they found out. He hadn't got around to telling them about Isabella yet anyway.

She stayed in wolf form but stood from her crouch as he came closer. "I thought we ought to talk."

Her eyes narrowed but she didn't seem willing to talk with him. He didn't blame her – they were natural enemies after all. The problem was, she was all he could think of and he had never, ever felt so strung out or out of his mind in his life. He was used to knowing and having everything, and in walks Isabella with her silent mind and enemy status.

Eventually she phased back into human, but she remained at a distance. She didn't know what he wanted, but already she could feel the pull of the imprint. She wanted to peel his shirt off and touch his skin. She wanted to claim him, protect him, covet him as her own. Instincts were difficult to overcome. "About what?"

Edward hadn't said it aloud, not even to himself with his family so near. He had been alone for so long – more than a hundred years. The idea of having a mate, of her standing just a few feet away should have filled him with unbridled joy but instead he felt fear and reservation.

He heard her heart thud heavily in her chest. He saw her pupils contract. He could smell her.

He felt his lust stir and a low growl slipped from his throat. Her pulse quickened and stared at him with parted lips. No words were needed.

She walked to him, closing the distance quickly and without caution. With a strength and heat he wasn't accustomed to, her hot little hands reached behind his head. Her nails dragged across his scalp and she grabbed his thick hair between her fingers. Before he could groan or throw her on the ground she was there, pulling him down and crushing her lips to his with an infectious desperation.

His hands were on her. On her cheeks, on her hips, on her back, on her ass... he didn't need to breath but she did and when she pulled away he felt her little fingers trail down his neck to his shirt. She tore it from his body. The sound seemed to rouse them both, and they looked at one another, both breathing too heavily, with dark hooded eyes. There was nothing saying no.

It was a brutal game of dominance between them – the vampire and the Alpha. Their kisses were hard and scorching. His shirt fell to the ground in two pieces and he grabbed her and picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he felt her heat through his jeans. She didn't care that he slammed her against a tree, or that it scratched and hurt her back. Nothing felt as much as he did.

He tore her shirt as she had done his, and smothered her against the tree. Her skin was so hot it was like standing in front of an open fire. He felt her breasts against him. Her nipples hardened against his cold skin and she groaned.

Clothes were shed and inhibitions lost. There was no love between them, only carnal instinct to claim. He didn't need to tell her he was a virgin. He didn't care if she was or not. He needed her, and from the way she was mewing the gyrating beneath him, she needed him too.

Nothing else mattered; not the newborns, not the Council, not the Quileute's...

There was no equal feeling as he slid inside her. He'd always romanticised it, but there were no gentle caresses or loving whispers. Neither of them had time for that. It was nothing but movement and heat, and moans and nails on skin. It was everything. Her teeth sank into his neck and he felt his knees shake as he slammed her into the tree and squeezed her ass in his palms as he ploughed into her.

She felt too hot, too good... and her sounds were too much.

The tree groaned as he pushed against it. She was so close, too close until she was right there in a blaze of euphoria and muscle spasms. She wondered when it would end, but wave after wave threatened to suffocate her. Slowly they subsided and like someone had hit mute on her mind, she drifted for a while as she came back down.

The silence was palpable. Her ears rang and she could feel her pulse radiating throughout her entire body. Her back was sore and she could already feel bruises blooming on her bottom. Still, she rested her head against his shoulder with her arms around his neck and tried her best to breathe.

He hadn't moved yet, and she felt herself becoming worried as reality dawned.

Finally, he stepped away from the tree and her legs slid from around his waist and hit the floor. He stepped away from her and suddenly she couldn't look him in the eyes. She was completely naked and she hastened to gather her clothes. She was, however, shirtless.

Fuck.

"I'm sorry about your back," he said in a whisper from behind her where he was pulling on his trousers. He could see the dried blood smeared across her skin.

"It's fine," she said quickly. "I heal quick."

Silence surrounded them both. She wished she could smile and laugh it all away, but nothing about the situation was amusing in the slightest. "You're my imprint," she admitted as she pulled on her socks a little too harshly. It was clear that this was not good news.

"You're my mate," he replied evenly.

She did laugh, because it was so messed up. She looked at him as she found her shoes behind a berry bush. His eyes were a bright gold and he looked just as young as he did the first time she laid eyes on him. "What the hell are we going to do now?"

"I'll head into town and get you a shirt," he said. She was about to argue the point, but she couldn't return home shirtless. She didn't miss the smallest of smirks as he looked at her.

"Thanks," she agreed quietly.

He was gone for only a minute or so, but had managed to find another simple blue shirt almost identical to the one he'd torn. She pulled it on quickly and then stood, unsure. He had dodged the question earlier, but she needed an answer.

"If I screw up one more time they'll demote me from Alpha," she said suddenly. "They don't know about you yet, never mind this," she said gesturing to the splintered, battered tree they'd just christened. She rubbed her hands over her face and realised her hair was a complete mess. She vaguely recalled hands tugging and grabbing and blushed as she tried to smooth it out.

"Don't you have Imprint laws like the Quileute's?" he asked quietly, and it made her stomach go a bit wobbly to realise he was, in a way, fighting for this.

"You're a vampire – that negates any and all laws."

She would lose everything. Not only would she be demoted, but she dreaded to think what the Council Leaders would have her doing. The Makah people were simple – women cooked, cleaned, cared for children and their men. The men fished and hunted, travelled to neighbouring towns and cities to trade.

"We'll figure it out," he said softly.

She didn't hold out much hope, and quickly transformed into a wolf. With a nod of her head, she ran from him and the truth of what they'd just done. She had already accepted that there was no way of keeping it from the Pack. They already knew about the imprint, and she hoped they didn't react too badly.

She heard only four voices as she ran towards home. Lana, Keiran, Jane and Julie all saw and heard everything. They were outraged and disgusted. Lana's voice disappeared, but Bella had already seen her intentions and it only spurred her on faster. She was on Makah soil within twenty minutes, and transformed to human form as soon as she hit the garage – the first building along the main road into the reservation.

It was too late – she could already feel it. The Council building sat in the middle of the reservation – it looked like a block of communal toilets. It was a tatty, tiny building that had once been painted blue and was surrounded by lush green grass and the most beautiful of flowers. Now it sat with chipped paint and a hole in the roof, surrounded by piles of mud and smashed concrete.

She approached the weather battered white door, and was reaching out for the handle when it swung open and Lana walked out. She was a few years older than Bella, with long jet black hair and beautiful sandy skin. She stared at Bella defiantly with an almost-there smirk on her face as she held the door open.

Bella said nothing and walked inside. There was a only a small porch entrance and then a single door, behind which she knew sat the council leaders ready to toss her out on her ass. Exhaling and steeling her nerve, she put her palm against the door and pushed it open.

–

They knew the moment he stepped in the house.

She was all over him – not to mention he'd left six hours previous fully clothed and had returned minus a shirt and spectacularly less stressed. He headed up for a shower, but he knew his family would not be held at bay for very long. He was pleased to hear that Jasper had kept his word and hadn't said anything to anyone, not even his wife Alice.

He sat in the living room, clean and fully clothed, and waited for the verbal battering he was about to receive. Jasper's thoughts radiated nothing but support. He prayed his family shared the sentiment.

"Of all the people to bed – you go for a wolf -" Rosalie began after a few seconds of silence. "And it's not just any wolf – you had to bed the fucking Alpha!" she all but screamed at him.

"Rosalie-" Esme said sharply. She also wasn't too happy with the choice of meat, but thus far the wolf girl had done nothing against them. "How is this going to work?"

Edward felt his shoulders hunch forward as he put his head in his hands. "I'm her imprint – that's what happened yesterday in the clearing. She said she's going to lose her position as Alpha because of this..." he said quietly. He would never make her chose.

"But the law-"

"Apparently becomes redundant because I'm a vampire," Edward interrupted Alice quickly.

Though his family weren't too pleased, they understood the pull and instincts of a mate. They knew that it was uncontrollable. They felt sympathy for his situation, but there was nothing anyone could do. It was Isabella's choice to stay or go.