Chapter 14

We came back the following afternoon. My Christmas vacation was edging its way to a close. We still had a few days left to train but I wasn't sure how fast we would be able to pick up the techniques they were going to show us. When we arrived, we were the first of the three groups to return. Edward immediately asked for any reports about their allies or the Volturi but nothing eventful had happened while we were away.

Carlisle and Esme returned that night as well. Like us, they didn't have much news to bring. The Egyptian coven had split since the last time they saw each other. When they had stood witness for the Cullens a few years ago, Amun clearly opposed witnessing but only stayed for Benjamin. But in the end, Amun along with his mate, Kebi, fled in fear when the Volturi had come, leaving Benjamin and Tia with the Cullens. When all of it was finished, Benjamin and Tia bid farewell to Amun and Kebi. After that, Benjamin became completely hesitant when it comes to the Volturi, though he did promise he will carefully think of it.

The Irish coven were a lot more intact than the Egyptian coven but it didn't mean they were ready to be onboard. As Carlisle had said, Siobhan and her family members, Liam and Maggie, felt like they were too many things at stake now. They know the Volturi's intentions are not clean at all. However, the Volturi had power and influence established with centuries leading the vampires. It was harder to challenge them. It was even harder to trust creatures that has the intention of knowing how to destroy their kind. Like Benjamin, Tia, and the Denali coven, the Irish coven decided to mule things over before making a decision.

Vee, Alice, and Jasper, on the other hand, had not yet returned. I was immediately worried about Vee. I wasn't comfortable not having her around and though my suspicions about the Cullens had died down a bit, I wasn't naïve not to question their allies. The Cullens may have the same goals as we do when it comes to the Volturi but that doesn't mean their allies do not have hidden agendas for their own benefit. Take Tanya for example. If her family would participate in this whole thing, it would probably because she thinks at the end of the tunnel, she will have Patch waiting for her for their happy ending. Yeah, I would let hell freeze over first.

I haven't talked to Patch about what I heard. Actually, I haven't talked to him at all ever since our last night in the Denali's home. I guess I was annoyed he didn't clarify what I was to him. I couldn't doubt what his intentions are because he's proven himself more than once. But still I couldn't shake off the annoyance and the slight jealousy I was feeling. All he could do was say I was his girlfriend and maybe Tanya would have left him alone.

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I turned towards it, gently putting down the shirt I was unpacking on the bed. I approached it and opened it slightly. I saw Patch's black eyes and I wanted to shut the door closed. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him.

"What is it?" I asked nonchalantly, trying hard to hide my annoyance.

"You locked your door," he said shortly, his tone was cold. I knew he sensed my avoidance.

"I was getting dressed a while ago," I shrugged.

He scoffed. "Like I haven't seen everything before." His cold grin disappeared and his voice became impatient. "Will you open up? I need to talk to you."

If I refused to open the door, he will know something's wrong. If I let him in, he would sense something was wrong but I wouldn't have to talk about it. Whatever he wants, maybe I could pry it off him then he wouldn't have a choice but to leave as soon as possible. I opened the door wide and stepped aside.

"I just gotten off the phone with Pepper," he started, sitting at the edge of my bed. "He says the Nephilim are training well despite the fact that a fallen is commanding them. But they are growing restless about it. They need proof that you are still commanding them and not some fallen angel. Talk to your people soon."

I nodded, showing I understood but kept silent.

"About the Denalis," he said, looking straight at me now. His face was still blank but his eyes were steel. "Tanya said they will have a decision in a few days. I suppose we need to be prepared for them too. They don't trust us and we can't really easily trust them."

"So what do we need to do?"

He sighed, exhaling slowly. "I think we need to see what they do first. If they come here, they would help but that doesn't mean they couldn't harm us if they want to. We are adding numbers to vampires that has the potential to turn hostile on us. Even the Cullens do not trust them fully. Edward thinks it is still too soon for them to face the Volturi after everything they have been through."

"So we need to keep them at bay," I concluded, finding the words automatically. "If they help, we need to make sure we don't do anything to anger any of the vampires."

"Exactly."

I nodded, sensing this was all he wanted to talk about, or maybe I was hoping it was all he wanted to talk about. "I can do that." I reached over and opened the door again. "If you don't mind I still need a lot of packing up to do."

Without another word, he walked towards the open door but he stopped, grabbing my arm on the way. "I know something has been bothering you. Just spit it out already and stop acting so childish."

"I'm not acting childish," I said, trying to shake his grip off my arm. "And there's nothing wrong. I just want to unpack. It has been a long day. Like what you said, I still need to talk to the Nephilm higher ups. Unless you didn't know, that wouldn't exactly be a smooth conversation."

He didn't let go off my arm but instead he pulled me in closer. "If you don't tell me what's wrong-"

"What?" I glared at his threat. "Are you going to break my arm?"

He pulled me in again, his arm wrapping tightly around my waist. With his free hand, he pushed my head from the behind and forced my lips against his. I tried to squirm away, fighting madly to get free. His tongue roamed my mouth but it was angry more than anything else like he wanted to show dominance.

When I finally pushed him away, I fought the impulse to slap him. Instead I glared at him fully and angrily wiped my lips. "What's your deal?"

"I should be asking you that," he hissed back. But his face softened as if he was hurt. "Was it really that revolting?"

I looked away. "I really just don't want to play any games. I'm tired and I want to rest. You should really just let me."

He jerked his head curtly before slamming the door behind him.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled steadily, pushing the irrational anger I was feeling. I didn't want to feel jealous and though I didn't want to admit it, I really was. As much as I was threatened with her beauty, there was something else that Tanya and Patch had in common: youth. They are both forever beautiful. On the other hand, I wasn't a fallen angel's vessel. There was no way I would stay young forever. I wasn't shallow on the looks department but come on, compared to me, Tanya would seriously look beautiful with Patch a hundred years from now. On the other hand, there was no way I would let someone control me for two weeks even if that means no fountain of youth for me.

Fifteen minutes later, I headed down the stairs. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Jacob standing by the bottom step. He looked up with eyes very similar to Dante's that for a moment, I thought it was Dante waiting for me. I hesitated for a second, unsure of what he wanted from me. I haven't talked to any of the other pack members besides Seth since the night they attacked me. But I knew they were our allies and I couldn't avoid them as much as I would like to.

"Can we talk?" he asked me as he watched me approach closer.

I stopped at the bottom of the stair. Luckily, the step was wide enough for the both of us without getting too uncomfortable. I waited impatiently for him to say something, realizing how tall he was. Like Nephils, werewolves are also unnaturally tall. Maybe that's why it was easier to peg Seth for a Nephil than a human. But I noticed Vee dwarfed the only woman member of their pack so maybe a height advantage only applied to the boys.

"What is it?" I asked, not bothering to be polite. My earlier conversation with Patch had placed me in a foul mood.

"I know we've gotten on the wrong foot," he started. I turned away from him, losing interest. I walked down the last step and headed towards the door. He followed me outside, effortlessly catching up even though I had quickened my pace. "To tell you honestly I have been feeling guilty since that night."

"Like I care what you were feeling," I muttered quietly but his jaw tightened and I was sure he heard it. I kept my stride even, stepping outside, and heading towards the clearing where the Cullens told us we were training for today.

"Look, would you stop for a second?" he asked but I ignored him. He tried to grab my arm but missed. "I'm trying to apologize."

"Apologies imply a certain amount of regret on the offender's side," I said coldly. "You don't have that." I saw the clearing and spied Patch leaning against a tree. As usual, he was watching the Cullens from across the clearing, making it almost clear that he was not part of their group. He kept a healthy amount of suspicion around him as he studied the vampires. He always carried a healthy amount of suspicion though I suspected he took it up a notch with the company we're surrounding ourselves with.

I kept walking when I felt something warm wrap around my forearm and reel me around. My face was literally just a hair's breath away from his. "I know what I did was wrong, okay?" he hissed. "But can't you see I was doing it because it is what needs to be done to protect my family, my pack, and the people here in Forks? If you can trust the Cullens, why can't you trust the pack? You're going to put a rift on this alliance just because of a little wrong my pack had done?"

I tried to break away from his grip but his grip got firmer. "Who says I trust any of you?"

"Let go of her," Patch's voice floated from behind me, eerily close. His words sounded calm but the electricity in the air was once again crackling. Jacob glared at me for a second before looking at Patch squarely.

I pried Jacob's fingers from my arm, noticing the red marks. Great that would leave bruises. Why do these creatures have to be so damn rough? I threw back Jacob's glare before turning and walking away, making sure I bumped Patch's soldiers solidly. I am done with these magical creatures, honestly.

The Cullens and the others in the pack were watching carefully, no doubt they would be on Jacob's side once a fight starts between Patch and Jacob. Even though I wished I didn't care, I couldn't help but to glance back worriedly, praying Patch wouldn't take the first shot. Instead, he began walking away, keeping his eye on Jacob briefly before following me to the clearing.

Jacob didn't rejoin the others. He began to run on the opposite direction, away from us. The members of his pack glared at me briefly before they followed him to the forest. The Cullens didn't look happy at all. Rosalie was clearly displeased. The others were looking carefully at us then at the direction the pack had disappeared to.

"What was that all about?" Rosalie asked, her face fighting a scowl.

I didn't answer. When I remained silent, Edward spoke up. "Nora, you have to trust them as much as you trust us. They are our allies and like what Jacob had said, this would not work if we cannot get past our differences."

This isn't what I needed but I knew they were right. I inhaled sharply and nodded, deciding I will just have to take whatever I was feeling on the back of my mind. "I'll talk to Jacob later," I told them, forcing the words out on gritted teeth. The vampires looked at me for a second before looking seemingly satisfied.

With the pack gone and Alice, Jasper, and Vee not back yet, the Cullens decided it would be kind of pointless to share vital information about each other. But we knew we had no time to waste. The last days of the year were slowly fading away and it would only be a matter of time before we had to go back to Coldwater. We also had to be ready to fight in a moment's notice. Who knows when the Volturi would attack us?

"I think it would be better if we are just trained in hand-to-hand combat. That way we could at least know what the other party's strength and weaknesses. With time running out, any small detail could be a vital information." He glanced at the both of us as if he just realized something. "But since there's only two of you, we could only match you up with two of our members," he continued.

Patch shrugged. "I think we could handle it if you gang up on us."

Carlisle gave him a small smile. "Well for now, we'll just go against one on one." He stepped back. "Our family has different fighting styles. Emmett is more a brawler and Edward focuses on speed."

"What about you?" Patch asked.

Carlisle thought for a moment. "I am more old school."

"Carlisle used to be with the Volturi," Edward explained with a smile.

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah, I walked out when I realized I needed a lifestyle change," he said, shrugging indifferently.

"Then out of all of you, you're the one with the fighting style that would be as close to the Volturi's as possible," Patch said sounding completely interested.

Carlisle leaned his head to the side. "I haven't thought of it that way. I suppose so. But remember, I haven't been with them for a long time. I had adopted some of the style my family has."

Patch nodded. "You'll do."

Carlisle stripped off his jacket, revealing a blue crewneck long sleeve. I could see the lean muscles underneath the thin cloth. Of course, they were vampires. Perfect body comes as easy as perfect looks. He handed his jacket to Esme who was standing only a few feet away from him. He readied himself, crouching a bit as he faced Patch.

"Okay, remember, no mind control. This is just to exercise your hand-to-hand combat skills," he reminded us as he rolled his sleeve up. "We'll save the real training when the others get here."

"Fine by me," Patch said, shrugging again.

Patch stepped up, his arms still crossed. It was only a second until Carlisle launched in the air, his body arched, and to gain momentum, he had his arm stretched behind him with his fist ready to punch. It happened all so quickly that I highly doubt any human eye would have seen it. But Patch's knee lifted and caught Carlisle in the stomach. However, Carlisle had grabbed Patch's head and swung him over, throwing him. Patch landed lightly on his knees but ran towards his opponent without hesitating. The fist fight that ensued was so tense and quick. It stopped abruptly when Patch had hooked his knee under Carlisle. With his hand on Carlisle's neck, Patch had forced him down with a solid thud.

He stood back as Carlisle rushed to his feet, brushing off snow, dust, and dirt. He had a smile on his face. "That was very exciting. What a rush!" he said excitedly and a bit breathless.

"You're not bad for an old guy," Patch commented, grinning too.

"Okay, you're next, Nora," Carlisle called towards me. "Choose your opponent."

I stepped forward and saw the three girls looking expectantly. Well I guess it does make sense to choose a female vampire to fight but if we were facing the Volturi, gender wouldn't be the case. Whoever wants to kill me, female vampire or not, they will come after me without hesitation. Besides, I already had a glimpsed on how Bella and Rosalie fights. Esme may be gentle but I know she's far from tame. However, I still don't have the heart to fight her especially after everything she had done for us. I would have liked to see how Alice fights and maybe if she was here, she would have been my choice. I would just have to put up my defenses. Then there were the boys. I had already seen Edward and Carlisle's fighting styles since I watched them both fight Patch. Jasper would have been my choice from the guys but since he wasn't here, I couldn't choose him. That leaves me with Emmett. It actually makes sense because I have never seen Emmett fight. The little opportunity I had was when I was mind-controlling him and I had my fighting style all over that instance. Besides, his size and strength would be an interesting and informative disadvantage.

"Emmett," I spoke out loud. I registered the surprise in everyone's faces, including Patch. But a moment later, his black eyes were sparkling. Yeah, yeah, I'm still mad at you, Patch. Your eyes can sparkle all they like.

"You sure about that?" Emmett asked. He was grinning as if this was going to be an easy fight. Well, I'll make sure it wouldn't be.

"Did you see me blink?" I responded, returning the grin. "This will be interesting."

"You're right. I've never beaten a Nephil before." He was cracking his neck as he took his jacket off. He was wearing a short-sleeve gray shirt. He threw his jacket to the side. He walked closer to me, towering over me. He was tall and extremely bulky. However I stood my ground. I knew he was just trying to intimidate me. "This isn't going to be long, Nora. I promise I'll be gentle."

I shrugged as I stripped off my hoodie, remembering I was only wearing a tank top underneath. I ignored the cold and threw the hoodie to the side as well. The icy temperature was already clinging on my skin and I shivered involuntarily.

"Put your hoodie on, Nora," Emmett smirked. "You're going to get frostbite."

"I'm ready," my teeth were gritting. Okay maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself.

He shrugged. "All right." He pounced, bringing his fists down towards my head. I swerved just in time to avoid a hit. He saw it and swung his arm again towards me but I avoided it again, ducking low and giving him an upper jab that connected with his jaw. He staggered a bit, surprised.

"First blood goes to Nora!" Edward was hooting at the background. I ignored him and pounced. I noticed that he truly was a brawler. I didn't see his feet lift too much so I ran and dragged myself down like a baseball player going for a save. He was expecting me to run straight to him so he missed me. I went through between his feet before sliding to a stop. I crouched low with my left hand and my feet supporting me. I jumped to my feet and ran towards him, swinging my arms but he hooked his arms around my waist before my fists made contact. He swung me away. I flew a few yards before landing hard on my back. The air rushed out of my lungs as I tried to quickly formulate a new plan. I saw Emmett biding his time, walking slowly towards where I landed. The thing with big brawlers like Emmett was it was difficult to bring them down. Quickly thinking of a way to do so, I imitated a move I saw in one of the breakdancing shows on TV and swung my right leg towards his feet as fast and as hard as I could as soon as he was close enough.

That did it. He lost his balance and fell hard on the ground. I quickly sat on his chest and placed my forearm firm against his neck. "It was quick."

I got off him with a smile and offered my hand to help him up. He laid there in shock for a few seconds before taking it. I pulled him up while he grinned good-heartedly. "Damn, that was fun. I have to say it is a shot to my manhood."

"You're not an easy opponent to go up against. If I wasn't quick enough to avoid your attacks, I would have been knocked out," I told him honestly and his grin widened even more.

"That was excellent!" Carlisle was smiling again while Rosalie approached Emmett with his jacket. "Excellent job Emmett, Nora."

Patch was beside me, holding my hoodie. I took it, meeting his eyes. He was smiling and despite our argument earlier, I couldn't help but to smile too. He held out his fist and I bumped it with my own. That was when the air filled with an electric frizz and we all froze in the spot. Someone was coming.

We turned around, looking at the direction where the buzz was coming from. From the east, I heard the huffs and muffled pounds of several heavy paws. I glanced away briefly to see the pack in their wolf forms. They too were looking at the distance.

Then a second later, walking from the west, we saw them. It was the Denalis. I could almost hear the relief in the air as the vampires and the wolves recognized their ally. But I couldn't be comforted. I saw the strawberry-blonde Tanya in front and a few seconds later, they were in front of us. Tanya had spotted Patch first before smiling and shifting her attention to Carlisle.

"Good afternoon, Carlisle," she said pleasantly.

"Tanya," Carlisle returned the pleasantries. "I'm happy your family decided to join us."

Tanya's sparkling eyes landed on Patch again. I had to stop myself from ripping them out of their sockets. "Not without any persuading, Carlisle. But your argument had gotten to us."

Had gotten to them? HAD GOTTEN TO THEM? IS SHE KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?

I gritted my teeth together. At the corner of my eye, Edward glanced towards me. I pushed my hair back and slung my hoodie over my shoulder.

"If you excuse me, I'm getting a drink." All of their eyes traveled to mine but I turned around and headed back towards the house before they could say anything. I walked past the pack but ignored their looks.

I heard Tanya say, "What's her problem?"

Inside, I was holding the glass firmly in my hand, looking out the window. I tried to keep my anger at bay but thinking of Tanya's words echoing inside my head was just making my blood boil. I heard a solid crack and felt liquid spill in my hand. I looked down to see the glass had shattered in my grip, cutting my hand in several places. I watched as the water and blood drip from my fingers before sighing out loud.

"That looked like it hurt," a voice floated towards me from the doorway. I looked up to see Seth standing there. He grabbed a piece of paper towel and gently took my hand. He wiped away the blood and water and even took out some of the broken glass pieces left embedded in my skin.

"It will heal," I told him as I tried to retreat my hand away from his. "I don't need your help."

"You're not trying hard to really get your hand away from me," he replied, continuing to wipe the blood away. But before he finished, the wounds had already healed and the blood had already dried. I pried my hand away and turned to wash my hand on the sink.

I looked down on the floor where there was a good amount of blood and water staining the perfectly white tile and the glass was still glittering on the floor. "I should really clean that up. It's really not a good idea to flaunt blood when there are several vampires around."

"I'll help you."

I shrugged in response.

A second later, we had located the broom, the mop, and several cleaners. I opted for the bleach knowing the vampires would probably smell the blood in anything weaker. I wiped the mess clean and even scrubbed the sink a bit. When I was done, Seth returned the cleaners back in their place. I washed my hand again, scrunching my nose at the smell of bleach.

"You seemed upset," Seth said when he returned to the kitchen.

I glanced away. He was the last person I wanted to talk to. "It shouldn't matter to you."

"It does, you're my friend," he replied, trying to catch my eye.

I smirked. "You were doing your job. And a crappy one, to be honest."

"What if I was really not trying to do my job wholeheartedly? What if I became more interested in becoming your friend?"

"You knew me what, two days?" I told him, scoffing.

"Two days are enough to be interested in someone."

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask if you were okay."

"I'm okay," I stuck my chin up. "There, happy? You can go back to that little party they're having."

"And I wanted to ask if you could forgive me for deceiving you."

I blinked for a second. "Well if you're doing it for the sake of the alliance, you can forget it."

He shook his head. "I'm not doing it fully for that. Yes, I want you to trust us because we are on your side. But at the same time, I still would like to be your friend. You told me I could be, remember?"

"Well you can interpret the rudeness and the hostility as me defriending you."

"Look Nora, you know you need our family to help you. Just try to be at least civil with me."

I sighed, too frustrated with him to even put up with it. "Fine if that means you would get off my hair."

He smiled and before I knew it, he had his arms around me, slightly lifting me off the ground. The action surprised me and I tried to push him away once my feet were firmly planted on the floor. "What are you doing?!"

Something caught my attention and I turned around to see Patch standing by the doorway. His face was expressionless but his eyes were steely. I stepped away from Seth out of instinct, looking guiltier by doing so.

"Can I talk to you?" he inquired politely before turning around. I followed him without looking back at Seth.

Before I could say anything or explain myself, he turned towards me. "Pepper just called me a few minutes ago."

"And?"

"Basso had contacted him yesterday. He wants a progress report which means we need to be heading home soon."

I nodded. "Let's just get Vee, get some more knowledge from the Cullens and the pack, and then go home."

I turned around but he caught my arm. "I want you to stay away from Seth."

"Why?"

"Do you know what it means when wolves imprint?" he asked, his tone had gone cold.

"Isn't that when they choose their mate?" I replied with a question myself. I could remember Jacob talking about it when we first met them.

"I want you to stay away from him," he repeated.

"Why?" I asked, annoyed. Patch was never the jealous one in this relationship. "And what does that have anything to do with imprinting?"

But as I said the words, I immediately put two and two together. I was silent for a few seconds, struggling to say the words out loud. "Wait, are you saying Seth imprinted on me?"

He sighed tiredly as if the question took a lot of strength from him. "I don't know. Others think so but when I looked inside Seth's thoughts, I only saw what I could think was equivalent to what I feel for you. And I don't like it. The others have seen this before from the other pack members and Edward is almost certain what Seth is feeling for you is more than infatuation."

He stared at me fully, all the seriousness in his eyes. "I don't like sharing. I don't like to think anyone wanting to touch you the way I do. What is it with you and tall, dark, and handsome guys?"

I chuckled humorlessly, my anger at the tip of my tongue. He was making it to be my fault. "What about you? What is it with you and hot blondes?"

"So that's what's been bothering you? Tanya?"

"I heard your conversation during the last night at their house," I told him, the words coming out without any thought. I was a bit glad I could shift the issue away from Seth and his stupid imprinting. I'll sort that out in the future. For now, the anger I had been holding since last night was coming out. "Why didn't you tell her what I am to you?"

"Because Edward advised me against it," he answered without blinking. "He heard Tanya's attraction to me the moment she laid her eyes on me. He believes we need to use every advantage we have to convince her to join our ranks, even if that means downplaying our relationship to make her less stubborn to our cause."

"But what if she finds out we're together?" I asked him, waving my hand towards the obvious. "Don't you think she'll feel like you were leading her on?"

He shook his head. "She knows you're important to me. She suspects something and in the back of her mind, she's accepted it. Of course, that doesn't mean she's not hoping something will happen between her and myself."

I looked away, biting my lip. He sensed there was something in the tip of my tongue. I don't know if it's something I should say but the look on my face had clearly drawn a flag on his mind. "There's something else. Just spit it out."

"I'm not going to be young forever," I told him, the confession spilling out. I looked away from him as if I was ashamed of what I'm feeling. "She is. You guys will be a beautiful pair when I'm old and wrinkly. I don't want anyone taking over my body and I honestly am okay with being old but it hurts to think that when I grow old, you're not going to be beside me. I'm the only one that would look like I've gone through life. What hurts the most is knowing I'll have to endure that forever."

It was then I first felt his touch since we got back from Alaska. He gently turned my head towards him. "What makes you think I won't be beside you when we're both a little older?"

"Can you bare to touch me when I don't look like I do now? Can you bare to kiss me when time has finally taken its toll? You have a beautiful immortal after you and she will always look like that."

He laughed and it was genuine and relaxed, something I haven't heard from him in a while. The response my body had was unbelievable. My skin tingled and the hair stood up. He touched my cheek, smiling widely. "You loved me when I was not even worth it. Even if you get old, you're going to be beautiful in my eyes. I want to grow old with you and if I can, I will. I would trade my youth with a sunset with you when we're both ninety-somethings any time. I will never leave your side for whatever reason. I will go through everything with you. I would love to experience that with you."

His words brought tears to my eyes without my knowing. When he wiped my cheeks, it was only then I realized I had been sobbing. "If you're just saying that to get out of what you're doing with Tanya, I will kick your butt."

He laughed again as he wrapped his arms around me. "It all came from my heart."

"It better did."

That night, Patch had talked to Edward about exposing our relationship to Tanya. He sighed knowing it would make it harder for Tanya to find a reason to stay but nevertheless he agreed it would be better than making her hope for something that wouldn't happen. He also believed that Tanya can see it in her heart that her cousins need her family's help. But instead of Patch talking to her, Edward volunteered to do it.

By dinnertime, I had resigned to my room, deciding I really didn't want the company of vampires. But honestly it was for the fact that I felt awkward being in the same room as Seth and Tanya, but it was more awkward with Seth. I didn't know how to handle his attraction to me. What was I supposed to do if he imprinted on me? Patch had informed me earlier that their kind always pick the mate that would help them make a stronger, much better wolf. I guess I won the genetic lottery on that one.

I wondered what would happen if I rejected him. Seth was nice, definitely. But I was in love with Patch. What we've been through is no joke. Seth and his weird wolf-mate-selection program couldn't change that. So, the question was, am I obligated to multiply with him?

I shuddered at the thought.

A knock on the door sounded but it seemed so distant. I stared at the door blankly for a few seconds as if I didn't know how it worked before a knock sounded again. I blinked, getting up. It was probably Esme. She probably held herself responsible to feed me even though I didn't have the appetite for the food she cooked. But when I opened it, the world's kindest vampire wasn't standing on my door. Instead it was Patch.

"What took you so long to answer?" he asked, stepping inside without my invitation. He propped down on my bed and gently tapped it, motioning me to lie down beside him.

I shrugged, obeying him. I smelled the rich mint scent coming from him and closed my eyes. "Nothing important."

He smirked in disbelief. "It's written all over your face how troubled you look."

I sighed. "Fine. I was wondering what would happen if I rejected Seth."

He shrugged. "I couldn't find myself to care."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, all we know is that none of their chosen mates ever said no to them. The wolves may be compelled to be with their chosen mates but what about their chosen mates? Do they feel compelled to be with them?"

He shook his head. "No. It's usually because these guys are so caring and wonderful that they eventually just fall for them."

His knowledge surprised me. "How did you know?"

"Edward's thoughts when he was explaining imprinting to me." He frowned slightly. "He was thinking of a curious thing after that."

"What?"

"He was afraid this was turning out to be like their story."

"Their story?" I repeated.

"Jacob was madly in love with Bella when she was still human. He did everything to stop her from becoming a vampire. He believed that if Bella became one of them, he would lose the woman he loves. It became a huge source of tension between the two kinds and it was nothing short of a miracle that they didn't start fighting, much less build a strong alliance before Renesmee was born. I guess what brought their kinds together was the same desire to protect the humans. When Bella became pregnant with her daughter, the others threatened to kill her and Jacob stepped up. He broke away from the pack just to protect her. Seth and Leah joined him afterwards. But still, everyone knew the pain Edward and Bella's love brought Jacob. Now, Edward is thinking Seth might walk the same road, only he would be more unfortunate. At least now, Jacob has Renesmee. If you reject Seth, he will have nothing. If he did imprint on you, he will eternally be bound to you, to whatever makes you happy even if that means you're never going to be with him."

"I feel burdened," I told him after a few minutes.

"I can't really imagine why," he said sarcastically.

I ignored him. "Even though I feel nothing for Seth, I feel like I have to do something for their kind. If I'm the key to making a better wolf for his kind, then why shouldn't I do it?"

He stared at me for a few minutes with dark eyes. He shook his head, looking far away. "You can't do that, Nora. Imagining someone touching you that way makes my blood boil. Like what I said before, I don't like sharing." His next words were not familiar but sounded so menacing it actually placed fear in me.

"You're mine and mine alone, Angel."

I had stirred awake at midnight. The house was deceptively quiet but I could feel the strange buzz in the air like an impending storm. I strained my ears to hear but nothing seem out of place. I pushed myself to a sitting position to find Patch sitting on the bed. His eyes were open and a prominent frown was stamped on his face.

"What is it? I asked him.

"Someone's here," he said shortly. "About fifteen miles away from Forks but they are coming in quickly."

"Is it the Volturi?"

He shrugged. "The others are looking at it right now. They're about to leave and meet these strangers. Bella had just to wake up the wolves."

"What about us? What are we going to do?"

"They advised for us to stay here for now."

"We're not going to help?"

"Not until they are certain it isn't the Volturi. If it is, then we have no choice but to settle this right now. However, that is only until Edward gives us the go signal."

"I don't like this," I told him. "I don't like you receiving orders from Edward. First with the Tanya issue and now this."

He shrugged again. "It's only for now, Angel. We have to trust them until they can tell us how to destroy their kind."

"Do you remember what you said?"

"What was it?"

I thought for a moment. "Do you remember when we first came here and you screamed 'Break them!' at me."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember."

"What did you mean by then?"

"To be honest, I didn't know what it meant either. I invaded Edward's mind as quickly as I could and all I could hear him say is 'Don't let them break Bella'. I'm not sure what it meant."

"Whenever I see them, I think of those porcelain dolls on display. Do you think they could be as easily breakable as porcelain?"

"It seems too easy," he said honestly. "Their skin are strong and no matter how many times I tried to break them in any way I could think of, they're just durable."

"Maybe they're just really indestructible," I suggested.

He rubbed his chin using his forefinger and his thumb. "No. Durable but not impossible to destroy. We'll know how to get rid of these vampires and use that knowledge to those who deserve it."

Patch froze suddenly on my arms. I opened my mouth to speak but he placed a finger against his lips, signaling me to keep my silence. With a smooth move, he was up and walking towards the door. He opened it, just in time by the looks of it. Outside our door was Esme in her camping outfit. She had her fist slightly raised as if she was about to knock on our door when Patch had opened it.

"Nora, Patch, your friend, Vee Sky has come back and she brought lovely news," she smiled widely. She suddenly ducked under Patch's arm and entered the room, running towards me. She grabbed my arm firmly and literally dragged me out of bed. We were hurrying past the other rooms and down the staircase. She stopped abruptly just outside the living room before pushing me inside.

She was right. Vee had come back with Alice and Jasper. They were still in their traveling clothes and their bags were still on the doorway as if they had just stepped inside mere seconds ago. But they weren't alone. Three tall, dark skinned, long haired, extremely intimidating female vampires were all crowded behind them. The eyes that studied me were all blood red and had wildness in each. The cloths that covered their long, lean bodies were made out of animal fur, adding to their intimidating and wild aura.

One of them stepped towards me and sniffed the air. "She's human," she spoke clearly, as if announcing something groundbreaking. "What is a human doing here?"

"Not entirely human, Zafrina," Vee told her, stepping beside the girl. I noted the ease Vee was displaying as if she wasn't suspicious of them. "This is Nora. She's a Nephil like me."

The woman, Zafrina shook her head. "The scent of a human is stronger in her than in you."

"That's because I began as a human," I told her, annoyed that she was speaking as if I was an interesting artifact in a museum. "My father had infused his Nephilim blood in me and turned me into a Nephil. Now enough about me. Would someone please explain to me what is going on?"

"This is the Amazonian coven," Alice spoke up, stepping out of the shadows. "This is Zafrina," she pointed to the woman who had spoken first. "This is Senna and this is Kachiri. They will help with our cause."

Zafrina met my eyes and held it. "The vampire kind is already powerful enough and any one of us who wishes for more is drunk with power. We will stand beside you no matter what happens in this endeavor."

"Very well," I said when she began to look expectantly at me. "Thank you."

She smiled before turning to Bella. "So, where is the little one? I have not seen her for such a long time."