Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Eleven

Sam's POV

I tried not to let my wolf get too jacked up with all the noise going on in my tiny living room. The entire pack was crammed into the small space, all of them arguing loudly about whether or not we should take action against the Cullens.

"They hurt one of our own!" Jacob snarled, banging his fist on the coffee table.

"She wasn't one of us, then. We can't just attack her," Jared reasoned, the only calm one.

"Fuck that! We need to tear those bitches apart and piss on their ashes!" Quil insisted vehemently, jumping to his feet in protest.

"Calm the fuck down, Quil," Embry growled, pulling his friend back onto the couch.

"Look, none of us like this, but we can't just attack them without evidence of them breaking the treaty," I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

"We have the fucking evidence! Just look at Bella's scars!" Jacob shouted, gesturing wildly to the kitchen where Emily, Bella, and Kim sat having their own meeting of sorts.

"I have seen her scars, Jacob, but it would be very easy for them to explain it away as an accident. While the scar does hold Edward's scent, he could argue she cut herself while with him and he used his venom to heal her," I pointed out.

"And we argue that there's no way he could have healed her without taking some of her blood. The treaty clearly states they are not to hurt human, whether it be to hunt them as a food source or turn them. Cullen hunted her as a food source, he drank from her. He fucking used her!" Jacob howled in outrage.

"Stand down!" I roared, my Alpha voice making it stick.

Instantly, they all settled into their seats, breathing heavy under the weight of the Alpha command. The quiet of the room seemed to echo louder than all the shouting, the stillness more forceful than their most adamant argument. The panicked urgency we were all feeling had been hanging over our heads ever since I had gotten the call from Billy a few hours prior.

The fact that Paul wouldn't be returning immediately had everyone on edge. With Bella being pregnant, the entire pack was anxious about keeping her safe. No more so than when her mate was unable to protect her. The fact that the threat reigning down upon us was going to go straight for her just added to our anxiety.

Still, their first priority was keeping the pack and the reservation safe.

"We will not attack to Cullens unless they break the treaty. We will meet with them, as we do every time they return to the area, but we will not engage them," I told them, making sure to look them each straight in the eye so they realized how serious I was.

None of them spoke, but I received nods from everyone. Satisfied they would heed my warning, I settled back into my seat.

"Now, we don't know when Paul will return, but he assures me, and Bella, that he will be here within three days. That is if he can break the imprint tonight. As soon as we hear word that he is returning, we make contact with the Cullens. Until then, stick within our boarders. And no one is to leave Bella alone. One of us will be with her at all times, understood? The Cullens are returning for her and we need to keep her safe," I insisted.

Bella's POV

The angry noises from the living room had finally calmed down and I breathed a sigh of relief. I so did not need them fighting over whether or not they were going to fight the Cullens. The idea of my new family going up against my old one filled me with a kind of fear that left me breathless. The Cullens outnumbered them by one. It might not seem like much to the wolves, but they didn't know what vampires were capable up.

"Bella," Emily called softly, bringing my attention back to the present.

I realized I had been rubbing at the scar on my wrist and immediately dropped both hands beneath the table. I felt a blush heat my cheeks at having been caught, but neither Kim nor Emily called me out on it.

"Do you want to talk about it, honey?" Emily offered, smoothing a hand through my hair.

I felt tears well up at her gentle attentions, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her lap until all the bad things went away. I knew I couldn't do that, though. Paul needed me to be strong. Our baby needed me to be strong. I would not let the Cullens run me underground. I would face them if I had to. I would show them just how fragile this human was.

"Bella," Emily prompted, sharing a worried glance at Kim.

"I'm fine. I just… I really don't want anyone fighting over me. And I really, really don't want to see the Cullens," I admitted to them.

"Well, honey, if you don't want to see them, you don't have to. I know Sam would prefer it and I definitely know Paul doesn't want you anywhere near them. The pack will handle everything. All you have to do is trust them," Emily assured me.

"I do, but… you have no idea what they're capable of. They could rip through the pack like tissue paper and leave nothing behind. I've seen what they can do and with the pack being outnumbered, there is no way they would win if it came to a fight. The Cullens have greater resources, more allies, and better tactics. Jasper fought in the Civil War and the Southern Vampire Wars. I'm sure he's taught them all he knows. The pack wouldn't stand a chance," I told her, trying to make her understand.

"Bella, they've handled vampires before. They took out Victoria, remember?" Emily reminded me.

"This would be different. Victoria didn't have the abilities the Cullens have. Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, Jasper can effect emotions, Emmett has superior strength. The pack wouldn't have any way of fighting them off. They would be able to anticipate every move and make it impossible for them to fight back," I persisted urgently.

Emily's eyes widened with each point I brought up and Kim began fidgeting in her seat. Finally, they realized what exactly the pack would be up against if they fought the Cullens.

It would be a slaughter.

Paul's POV

The music pounded through stereo speakers along the walls, making the whole building shake and my wolf nervous. We couldn't hear anything with all the noise, couldn't pick out individual sounds beneath the heavy bass and shouting laughter. We craved the steady soothing rhythm of our mate's heartbeat.

Somewhere in this God forsaken place was the thing keeping us from her.

I lifted my nose, scenting the air for her. Under all the sex, sweat, perfume, and alcohol, the wolf detected the faint scent of Black. Instantly zeroing in on our target, the wolf shoved through the crowd, determined to make the bitch reject us, whatever the cost.

We found her on the dance floor, drink in hand, dancing with her roommates. The three were obviously wasted from the way they kept stumbling into each other and people around them. The wolf snarled, reminding me of our mate and how she would never be caught this vulnerable out in public. The woman in front of me looked to be drawing the attention of every man around her.

Clearly they had no idea what they were missing.

This woman in a mini skirt and tank top couldn't compare to my girl in jeans and a t-shirt. Rachel Black was looking for a quick ride and there was no doubt in my mind that she was going to get it. One of the yookles would grab her up, take her back to her place, and wam, bam, thank you ma'am, they'd be gone. It made me long for Swan all the more.

Still, I had a role to play before I could get back to her.

Striding up to Rachel and her friends, I grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her off the dance floor.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Rachel shouted over the music.

"Taking your ass home. What the hell do you think you're doing here? Fuck, Black, I could see your tits from across the room," I told her, scowling furiously.

"Why the hell would you care?" Rachel glared, trying to rip her arm out of my grasp.

"Do you think your brother or father would appreciate you coming back knocked up with some assholes bastard?" I asked, shaking her.

"Fuck you, Lahote! You don't know me!" Rachel screamed, slapping at me.

"Damn right I don't. That's because you bailed on your family the second you could. You couldn't handle hanging around to help your dad raise your brother, so you just left your brother to grow up on his own. He had to take care of your dad by himself because you and your fucking sister were too damned selfish to stick around and help out," I growled, capturing her hands easily when she moved to slap me again.

Her anger was close to boiling over, I could feel it. Her face was flushed, her eyes flashed, and her fists were clenched. Just a little bit more and she'd blow her top.

"Tell me, Rachel. Would you even know your baby's daddy if you got knocked up tonight? Or would there be too many assholes to know for sure?" I asked, making sure to say it right in her ear, bringing her body right up against mine.

Before she could answer, I reared back and slanted my lips over hers, taking possession and dominating my imprint the way I should have done from the beginning.

I would make her surrender it all to me before the night was through.

So… what do we think? Good or bad? Next chapter should be up soon, but classes start on Tuesday. Next week might be a little tight, but I'm hoping I can get you guys a chapter on Monday. Tuesday at the latest.

See you guys then!