A/N Many thanks to MoonWolfRunner(MWR), Feebes 86, Mist, and AugustShaffer for their help with this story. These ladies are great and I greatly appreciate all their help and support.

The Pack mind will be displayed in italics. SM owns the characters of Twilight, the Quiluete own their legends, and I still don't own anything.

Lots of Paul. Enjoy!

~B of L~

Chapter 13: A Thin Red Line

PPOV: Twelve hours earlier from where we last left Bella

I leaned against a tree at the top of the ridge and watched Bella floating on the calm ocean. She looked beautiful, her hair shining in the rare sun, as she watched over my little sister from a distance, playing on the beach. I could tell Bella was less than thrilled to find Max there alone. I was nervous to find out what that dark look on her face had meant when my sister insisted I was close by. She was pissed, and she was going to rip into me the next time I saw her.

I was seriously disappointed when she hadn't joined us for my grandfather's birthday dinner, especially when I found out she helped Max cook it. Quil just looked at me when Joy mentioned that she was adamant about not intruding. He thought maybe she was trying to avoid me. I wondered the same thing.

Gramps had told me that on her first visit to his house she had acted like she had seen a ghost. I figured she saw a picture of me and probably was afraid of what I would think of her getting too cozy with my family behind my back. She spoke so little about her family, I always was apprehensive to mention mine. It was painful to talk about Mom, and the thought of my father made me want to destroy things.

So I didn't ask her about anything. I just enjoyed what time I had with her.

And now, as much as it annoyed me to say, I missed Bella.

I missed her laugh when she would come up for air after wiping out on a wave. And the smile she tried to hide when I would say something deliberately sexist or annoying, just so I could see it. She knew I was trying to get a rise out of her. And just before the kitten would draw her claws, she would smile, thinking I couldn't see it.

I missed her cooking and her revulsion, as she watched me scarf the food down.

And I missed the taste of her lips.

One kiss.

One soft kiss was all it took to be reduced to this, a sniveling, pussy-whipped moron. I was as bad as an imprinted wolf, and I hadn't even tapped it.

The last time I had really spent time with her was about a week ago. I had stolen a kiss and she had wigged out on me and tried to leave. When I hadn't let her, she said that she was worried about me getting hurt. I was getting ready to ask her what the fuck that had meant when Seth's howl had risen in the distance.

She had seemed resigned at my sudden exit, like she was convinced that her behavior had driven me away. I was pissed at her half truths and the distance she kept me at, but supernatural bullshit was the ONLY thing that could have pulled me away from her at that moment.

As much as I prided myself at being the toughest of the pack, rejection tasted just as bad on my tongue as on anyone else's. We were friends, but I wanted more. And not because I was used to getting more from my conquests. Bella wasn't a conquest. She was the more. She was everything I could ever want, but was too damn stupid to ask for. And being only her friend was just not going to be enough.

Provided I would get to spend more time with her again.

When I had finally phased after Seth's initial call, it was to deal with a rogue vamp that was trying to get onto the reservation. The motherfucker had proved too much for the young wolf and he had gotten a mile into the reservation before Jared, also on patrol, could get there. Together, Seth, Jared, and I had chased him out, but the leech seemed to disappear in thin air. The rest of the Pack was called and the area was combed until we were sure that he was not on Quileute land.

We didn't think much of it; thinking we had scared the bloodsucker off. A lot of vamps got a little curious with a coven as big as the Cullens nearby, but they also got easily spooked by our presence.

We were wrong.

The next morning, when she arrived at my house, I had just greeted Bella with a hug, when Jake's howl rose over the forest. It was as hard to leave her that day as it had been the one before. When I phased, I could see the same fucking vamp, his dirty blond hair trailing behind him in a ponytail, as he ran on the bracken beneath his bare feet. Jake and Quil had been hot on his heels and the bloodsucker had laughed in amusement. Fucking laughed! It had truly enjoyed making them... us look like asses. I had been furious when the leech had later escaped our clutches. Again!

Sam had put the entire Pack on alert, requiring three wolves phased at all times to patrol the reservation. The Council was alerted of the possible threat and they had called the head Cullen to prevail upon him to aid in the destruction of the bloodsucker. Carlisle Cullen said that the rogue vampire had already been warned by He-Man and Barbie Cullen, not to hunt on their territory.

The pussy had also said that until the rogue leech actually did something wrong, he couldn't be involved in his demise. Quil and Jake had said that their grandfather had started cussing the spineless leader until the vamp got fed up and just hung up the phone. I knew there was a reason I had always liked my great-uncle. He was fucking badass! I wonder what he would have been like as a wolf.

Yesterday, I had just made it home from a twelve hour shift of patrolling when Bella arrived. She had no sooner jumped out and gave me a warm smile when the panicked howls of half of the Pack reached my ears. I pretended I had plans as we hadn't discussed surfing that day. I could tell she hadn't believed me, and I could see the disappointment shining in her eyes. But I didn't have time to give her reassurances.

I had a fucking leech to kill!

Surprise, Surprise. The same walking corpse had breached the reservation close to the highway yet again. All nine of us wolves had gone into attack mode. I was in a feral rage at having to disappoint Bella yet again. The other wolves weren't much better.

The entire situation was bullshit and had gone on far too long.

We had split our forces and came after the persistent fucker from three directions, determined to rid the reservation of the vermin once and for all. Jared, Quil, and I were pursuing the bastard as the others protected our flanks. When I surged forward and got a hold of his leather jacket, the vamp had slipped out of it and jumped into the fucking trees again.

I coughed and spat at the offending taste, much to Quil's amusement. The rest of the Pack was concentrated on the leech hovering thirty feet above us. We all stood stock still, like a group of Labradors, itching for the kill.

Then the fucking bloodsucker had just sat on a limb, his crimson eyes laughing at us. After a moment the corpse sneered, "You can't keep me away from what is mine forever."

Motherfucker!

To the soundtrack of enraged snarls, he merely jumped from branch to branch until he reached the Forks city limits. Sam had to Alpha order us to stop. We had already breached the treaty line, and were dangerously close to humans and the Cullen property.

We should have never had to fucking pull back! I had released my fury on several trees on my way home.

So when Bella pulled up today, I had kept to the forest as Jax and she jumped out of her behemoth of a truck. I didn't want to make another awkward exit as I had heard Sam's expectant howl just before she pulled up to my house. Jax had looked at me questioningly but did not blow my cover. I stayed hidden in the foliage of the trees as I moved to my current spot so I could watch them descend to the beach. I listened as Bella spoke with my sister and then later commission Jax as Max's guardian before she paddled out to sea.

I felt a vibration from a text and sighed. I was wanted at a pack meeting. Pulling my clothes off and leaving them and the phone where they lay, I allowed the wolf to take over.

As soon as my thoughts hit the pack mind, I could hear Sam's annoyed growl. You're late!

I huffed in annoyance. I was seeing to Max. I'm here now though. Satisfied?

Sam sighed in irritation, but otherwise didn't comment. Dick.

Where is Max? Quil asked.

She is on the beach, I left her with Bella.

Bella? several asked.

Yeah.

Everyone knew how protective I was of Max. She and Gramps were all I had left. And I trusted Bella with her. Max spoke of her all the time since their bonding session and was convinced that Bella hung the moon. Add in Cujo, the Wonder Dog, to the mix and I knew Max would be fine.

Are you sure that was such a good idea? Collin asked. I growled lowly at the pup, but he kept talking. Don't you find it a little odd that she is here when the leech tries to get in?

Everyone fell silent, contemplating those words. Collin was slightly offended at the undercurrent of the Pack's collective thoughts. Just because he was the youngest didn't make him stupid. Far from it, he was a straight A student.

Embry finally asked, Is that true?

I think it is just a coincidence, Jake appeased. But we all could feel his doubt. Bella lives in Forks. He would have grabbed her by now. Wouldn't he?

Not if he is making a game of it, Quil thought to himself.

But the words ricocheted in our minds like a sonic boom. Most of all mine.

Sonofabitch!

Well, he won't have the fucking opportunity to get to her again, I growled. Plans for watching over her were formulating in my head. If we were together, I would just have her stay with me. I ignored the salt in that open wound and tried to think of how to monitor her while she was at her father's house.

Paul, I know she's your... friend, but we have to think about the treaty, Sam admonished in his ever calm tone.

This is bullshit! He's fucking with us and is getting away while we scratch and sniff our asses on this fucking line, I exploded.

I agree! Quil and Embry said in unison.

The treaty… Sam started but was cut off by Jacob.

The treaty keeps the Cullens out of La Push, not us out of Forks Sam! He took a deep breath and looked at the black wolf. I appreciate how difficult things were when you initially phased, and when it was just the three of you, he continued as he looked at Jared and me.

At that time you had to stay relatively close to the reservation. When the Cullens showed up, you were outnumbered three to seven; you had to pull back. But the treaty keeps them off our lands, and it gives us permission to rip the fuckers apart if they do cross the line. But we have every right to Forks, or hell, even their property. We just cannot engage them without cause. Them, not a psychotic leech playing a game with us. If we want to chase a vampire through their backyard, we can. And I'm telling you now, if I see this fucker again, I'm chasing his ass to Greenland if I have to. And I don't care if I go right through the middle of the Cullen's living room to do it.

And that right there is why Baby Alpha was destined to be the Pack leader. My respect for my cousin tripled in that moment.

Our job is to protect the reservation, Sam defended.

No, our job is to protect human life, and we have a duty to this reservation. A quarter, maybe a third, of the people that live here have jobs in Forks and beyond. What about them? We are not doing our duty by leaving them to fend for themselves. And what about the rest of the population of Forks. Is a Quileute woman more important than a child of Forks? Jake asked rhetorically.

But much to Sam's chagrin, he couldn't keep from thinking of his imprint in that moment. The entire pack knew what Sam's answer would be to that question. Jared wasn't much better, as his mind was constantly on Kim.

Every fucking time we allow this bloodsucker to escape, we risk him coming back and getting through. He is testing our defenses and, eventually, he is going to find a hole. To the reservation. To our loved ones. I'm not going to let that happen, Quil vehemently stated.

Neither am I! Sam snarled defensively. We all know where your loyalties lie, and they sure aren't with your imprint, he sneered.

The entire Pack knew how hard things were currently on Quil. He was contemplating breaking the imprint. I understood why he might want to do that, but it made some of them nervous. Particularly the imprinted couples. Emily was beside herself at the thought that Sam might want to break it off with her in order to have Leah back in his arms.

And Kim was under no illusions that had the imprint not occurred, she would not have turned Jared's head. He had ignored her for her entire life, had even sat next to her in a chemistry class for five months and he hadn't given her the time of day. Not until a seemingly innocuous glance changed everything, opening his eyes while tying his hands. Jared tried to qualm her fears but couldn't. His main area of contention had always been being bound to the reservation, but his getting unlimited sex seemed to appease the sour feelings. Mostly.

I knew my cousin well enough to know that he didn't take lightly the distress he was putting Leah under. Taha Aki knew she deserved to be put in her place; her behavior was rivaled only by her mothers. Quil had every right in the world to think, think long and hard about what he wanted.

I could feel Quil's irritation at being questioned about his behavior. He might of have been part of the Pack, but Leah was his cross to bear. And he knew for damn sure she was no longer any concern of Samuel Uley.

I stepped aside as Quil crouched to spring at the eldest wolf, the normally jovial chocolate brown wolf's hairs were raised and his teeth were bared menacingly.

You're one to fucking talk you goddamn hypocrite. Where were your loyalties when you were fucking Emily while still with Leah? Huh? Nobody tried to intercede when Quil snarled and leapt toward the Alpha. Sam had doused a fire with kerosene; it was only fitting if we allowed the fire to singe some sense into him.

QUIL STOP! Quil's attack ceased instantly as the Alpha order reverberated though the pack mind. But to all of our amazement, it was not from Sam, but Jacob.

Sam looked at the russet wolf in astonishment. He knew it was a possibility; hell, he had even hoped for it. But he half expected Jake to never take the reins. He could try to fight for the title, but his chances were slim to none. And he knew it. Anyway, he was so tired of the constant struggle of being in charge. Add in the current clusterfuck at home and he didn't give a shit who was Alpha as long as it wasn't him.

Jake took a deep breath, and looked over his Pack.

We have to go on the offensive here. We have to quit playing that fucker's game and play our own. The son-of-a-bitch keeps skirting the treaty line. He's in the fucking trees half the damn time. DO NOT let him within twenty miles of the reservation. His lupine eyes locked onto mine. He wants something. And it's up to us to keep him from getting it.

Brady, Paul, Quil, and Seth, I want you guys to run a loop as far out as the western outskirts of the national park. You should still be within hearing range, but make sure one of you has a phone on you. Stay off the Cullen's property line initially. But if you see that fucker, you keep on his ass no matter what. If the Cullens question why you are so far out, you have them call me.

A Black made that treaty and a Black can fucking take it away.

The rest of you guys need to sleep while you can. We will be continuing the three wolf patrols after the others scout out the area. Sam and I will notify the Council of some of the changes being made.

I left with the others, excited to patrol for the first time ever.

But it didn't take long for that excitement to turn to rage as we began to enter Forks city limits.

The bloodsucker's scent was everywhere. He had combed through every square inch he could it seemed. Looking for something.

My gut propelled me to Bella's house, Collin's words still echoing in my head and aching in my heart.

A feral snarl ripped through me when I got to the Swan residence, the burning in my nostrils the only thing keeping me grounded enough to push forward.

I phased human so I could walk around the house a little less conspicuously. The blond bloodsucker's scent saturated the Swan's property, concentrated primarily in the backyard and along the side of the house.

However, more alarming was that I smelled several Cullens as well. They didn't get as close to the house, remaining on the edge of the forest. But they had taken an interest here too. Fuck!

But the million dollar question was why?

Why did he want her? And although I was silently thanking Taha Aki that she hadn't been harmed, I couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't been.

I walked to the side of the house and looked up to see a large bay window with a huge tree outside of it. My gut clenched, knowing whose window that had to be and thinking of all the reasons the tree would reek so much of that bloodsucker's scent.

I wanted to go inside, but now was not the time.

I was pulled away from my reconnaissance by the sound of whimpers. I walked back over to forest and found Seth rolling around in pain. He was human and was clutching his chest in agony.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

He ignored me, so I quickly phased so I could find out what was going on.

No sooner than my four paws hit the ground than I could hear Brady's concerned words. Is he okay? What is going on?

Fuck if I know, I was going to ask you the same thing.

Seth was explaining he had caught a sweet scent and that his wolf was going nuts. The next thing I know he was writhing in pain like he was dying.

Quil spoke up. It was pretty fucking intense. I had him phase to give us a break and before he could start howling.

After a few minutes, Seth sat up, pushing his hands through his now short hair. "Fuck that hurt!"

I nodded in acknowledgement and swung my head to the forest to remind him we had shit to do.

He took a deep breath and a second later his sandy wolf was in front of me.

What was that? I asked.

No clue. I am just glad it's over.

We didn't speak further on it. After the incident with Bella and Leah, he kept a low profile around a lot of us. Seth and I explored toward the south, while Quil took a northern track. Brady remained close to the reservation, just in case.

Besides discovering trails of the blond leech coming in from the south and going out towards Seattle, we didn't run across him.

After several hours, Collin, Jared, and Jake relieved us.

I let Quil give the report to the oncoming patrol as my eyes were barely functioning.

I walked to where I had left my clothes, while images of Bella in a bikini flashed through both of my heads.

She usually made a point to keep covered up, always changing away from my prying eyes. Picking up my shirt off a limb, I started making my way toward the beach.

I thought surely they were not still there; it'd been hours. But I walked to the tree line anyway to double check.

When I looked down, the air rushed out of my lungs.

All I could see was devastation. Huge logs were scattered everywhere across the beach. There was no Max, no Bella, and no dog.

I raced down the hill, screaming their names at the top of my lungs, and began searching frantically for any signs of them.

Reaching the water, I began throwing logs out of my way. They would sail through the air and made loud clanking noises as they crashed into other floating logs.

A frenzied search of five minutes proved fruitless, and I recalled that I had not been to the house yet. They could both be there, cooking me a cake, while I acted like a fucking moron that played with giant tinker toys. All of this could have happened hours after they left. Hell, it was close to high tide now. Bella would have left hours ago.

I concentrated on the sounds coming from up the hill at my place, depressed that the heartbeats of both Bella and Max were gone.

As I started making my way toward the trail to make sure her truck was gone, a dash of red caught my eye. There, in a sea of white driftwood, I saw Bella's crimson surf board trapped precariously beneath two large driftwood pieces.

And Bella was nowhere to be found.

My mind ran rampant with scenarios of how this could be. I didn't want to admit what it could mean.

The truth of the matter.

That for that board to be in the water now, Bella had to be in the water when whatever the fuck went down here happened. And that meant, more than likely, my baby sister was... was on the beach.

There was no way they could have survived the chaos that created this mess. Fuck! I doubt I could have.

I felt the sand beneath me as I fell in the water on my knees, howling in pain.

The only family I really had left was gone! And the only woman I had ever given two shits about was now lost to me.

Another wolfish howl of agony tore from my very human throat. Time ceased to exist as I mourned the most important people in my life.

After awhile, I could hear the frantic voice of someone coming to me. Hands shook me, but I couldn't open my eyes.

"Dude, they are alive. Paul, they are alive."

I opened my eyes and looked up into the pained, brown eyes of my pack mate Quil.

"Just come with me," he begged as he pulled me up to my feet.

Too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to do anything else, I let him drag me up the path to my house.

~B of L~

When we rushed inside the hospital, I noticed the scent of Old Quil from somewhere in the building. Quil went to find to his grandfather, but I pressed on. I had to know what was going on.

"Makala Lahote, I am her brother." I asked the attendant at the counter. She raised her head from her paper work to ask me something, but feel silent when she looked at me. A provocative smile was starting to materialize on her overdone face, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the scowl appear on mine. I didn't have time to be eye-fucked by the nursing staff when I was waiting to find out about my kid sister.

"Yes, of course. She is in room 2B in the ICU." She pointed toward some double doors. "Just follow the signs through those doors."

I grunted a thank you and took off in the direction she indicated.

As I moved at a quick pace down the corridor, all I could smell was leech. The doctor's scent saturated every square inch of the hospital, and I could detect several others of his coven in less concentrated amounts.

And my sister was here amongst them. Fucking fuck!

I stood outside Makala's room, my chest moving in and out in a steady rhythm, as I looked inside the large window. I could hear the monitors she was hooked up to as clear as day behind the closed doors. What would normally be an ominous sound was strangely comforting after the thoughts that had been running through my mind earlier. They were proof of life.

The stench of vampire burnt my nose, and was quickly shattering any serenity that I had gained from seeing my sister alive. I was barely holding on as my wolf paced back and forth, back and forth in my mind. He was caged but only barely. I was near drunk in my rage at seeing Max in such a helpless state. But each inhale of that fucking scent was like a double shot of Old Quil's shine to the fury rising in me.

I had to calm the fuck down!

I heard my name whispered and saw Gramps looking at me from his chair beside Makala.

I willed Taha Aki to keep my ass human as I turned the door handle.

"How is she?" I said as I made my way to the other side of the bed and knelt down. I tried to take in some comfort from her scent, but it smelled strongly of brine. Another large whiff brought the smell of strawberries and vanilla to me. Bella.

I had been here before. Less than four years ago, I sat down beside a bed in this hospital, maybe even in the same room. My mother lay prone before me, wasting away as the cancer slowly ate her alive. It was the bad kind of ovarian cancer, the kind that was difficult to detect. By the time she was diagnosed, she was already terminal. The doctor had said she would have been in pain for a long time.

She probably couldn't feel it from all the beatings she had taken in life.

One day I was going to find him, and he was going to feel the pain of every fucking hit she took. Every. Single. One. My father was going to suffer, if it was the last thing I did.

We had moved back in with Gramps about nine months earlier. I think she had known what was going to happen, subconsciously at least, and had made sure that we were where we needed to be. She was happier than she ever had been. All of us were. Joy and she were like sisters, and Max, as I had dubbed her when she was born, quickly found best friends in Jared's twin sisters Jessie and Jennie. I had a chip on my shoulder, but most teens did. I acted out and questioned authority, but I secretly enjoyed living with Gramps. La Push was a nice place to grow up before moving on to the real world.

But when she hadn't been able to shake the flu, she went to the doctor and life as I knew it ended. She died eight weeks later and what innocence that my father hadn't beat out of me, died with my mother.

I phased an hour after her funeral.

I closed my eyes, and took another deep breath to calm down. I couldn't go wolf here, holding the hand of my little sister, while I dredged up old ghosts.

I had held my mother's hand tenderly, the same as I was holding my sister's now, slowly caressing the top of her delicate, jaundiced fingers as tears streamed down my face.

"Don't cry Buddy" she had cooed. She moved the other hand to touch the top of my head, stoking the longish locks. "It is just my time. But I will always be with you and Makala. Never doubt that. I will always watch over you both. You watch over her also, keep her safe."

I could still remember the feeling of helplessness that had gripped me at that moment. I was unable to help my mother, and too young to know how to help raise a five-year-old girl. I thought the world about my little sister, but I hadn't even been sixteen years old. What Makala needed the most was a mother.

Just like me.

"Promise me, Paul. Please."

I had looked at her pleading eyes, unable and unwilling to deny her anything. "I promise I'll take care of her. Always."

And now, I had broken the only fucking promise I had ever made to my mother. What if Max had died?

Would my mother care what I was doing while her daughter died, no matter how much it was out of my control?

No. Family should always come first.

But I didn't have any choice. Alpha orders and supernatural imperatives were my new reality. Just another thing the fucking leeches had stolen from me. From all of us.

My grandfather's words pulled me back to the present. "She is stable. They think she is going to pull through just fine. She did regain consciousness and even spoke once after she revived, but hasn't really stirred since. She was suffering from apnea when she arrived and they are monitoring it. They are also concerned about a chance of pneumonia."

I didn't respond, merely just rested my head against her bed. Again, I could smell Bella.

Where the fuck was she?

Gramps and I were both silent for a long time.

"Where is Bella?" I was pissed she wasn't here. I left Max in her care and she should be fucking here, holding her other hand.

This was her fault. She should not have left her alone on that beach.

"She left to rest. She was dead on her feet. She ..."

"She left?" I growled, interrupting him. I raised my head so I could stare at him on the other side of the bed. My hard eyes spoke volumes.

I was fucking pissed!

"Paul, she doesn't know the legends are true. You can't blame her for having them bring Makala here..."

"Didn't someone warn her about the tribe's wishes?"

He looked sheepish, but didn't reply.

"Exactly. She insisted Max come here. Right?" I asked rhetorically.

Who the fuck did she think she was?

Hadn't she done enough? My sister almost died, and as if that wasn't enough she brought her to Forks Hospital. Where the fucking leech works. Against the tribe's wishes.

"Son, you better check that temper at the door and leave that girl alone. Makala would have died without her help."

I scoffed. If she would have been taking care of Max, she wouldn't be lying in this bed, surrounded by fucking machines and leeches.

"Why isn't she here?" I growled, while I took a deep breath.

"Boy, you better pull your head out of your ass and see the truth. See it right quick."

My grandfather's words went in one ear and out the other.

My wolf couldn't take much more of the smell of bleach and sugar.

I got up, kissed Max on the forehead, and told my grandfather that I'd be back. I ignored the threats he shot my way as I stormed out of the hospital. I passed by both Quils on my way out, but much to my surprise young Quil didn't follow me.

I calmed down as soon as I inhaled fresh oxygen. I ran to the tree line and was about to phase when it occurred to me that it might not be a good idea. Jake was patrolling and he wouldn't think twice about Alpha ordering my ass to go back into the hospital if he caught wind of my thoughts.

I jogged quickly to her house, but her truck wasn't there. I could hear Chief Swan watching a baseball game, but no one else was inside.

She was long gone.

Fifteen minutes later I was nearing my house when I caught her scent in the air. But instead of Second or even First Beach, she was on Third Beach.

Further infiltrating herself on this reservation.

I smiled in anticipation.

As I approached, I could hear Bella's dog growling at me, sensing the impending danger approaching them. I snarled in reply, impressively I thought considering I still was in human form.

The little mutt didn't scare me.

Nor did the sorry excuse for a human hiding in the tent behind him.

The little spitfire liked to pride herself on being the toughest bitch around. But I was a fucking wolf. An alpha male.

And this was my reservation. My tribe. My backyard.

And Bella Swan had just out lasted her welcome.

~B of L~

A few hours earlier:

Quil ran after his cousin toward the hospital, praying Max was fine. He could have gone his whole life without seeing the breakdown and the haunted eyes of the supposedly invincible Paul Lahote.

Paul had been utterly destroyed at the thought of losing his little sister.

When Quil had walked into his house an hour earlier, he had found the note his grandfather had left him. He listened intently to the messages on the machine and had found a call from his grandfather saying that Makala was in Forks General and that he needed to get the Taurus and pick his grandfather up. When Quil had asked why it was at Paul's house, his grandfather had merely replied that Bella had borrowed it to get her truck.

So, Quil had been lulled into a false sense of security as he had leisurely walked to his cousin's home.

But his serenity halted as he heard Paul's human howls of pain, as soon he was within sight of the house.

Quil had run toward the beach and then stopped dead in his tracks.

Kneeling in the water was his pack bother. He had his head in his hands and was rocking back and forth muttering his sister's name. But for every three Max's or Makala's, a Bella would creep in there.

Quil had ran to him, and helped him back to his grandfather's Taurus. Paul only asked what had happened, and he hadn't uttered a word the rest of the trip to Forks. Quil had quickly explained that a rogue wave had struck the beach, and that Makala was injured but was alive.

Quil had driven quickly to the hospital. Speeding laws be damned. When they were within a block away, he met a shiny, black Mercedes going in the opposite direction at a quick clip. A pair of gold eyes pierced his brown eyes as they passed each other. And Quil couldn't help but wonder what the big, radiating smile that Carlisle Cullen was wearing meant.

Thankfully, Paul had not seen the exchange.

He was two steps behind Paul as he rushed through the sliding doors of the hospital. Quil caught the scent of his grandfather and went looking for him, feeling it was better to give Paul a little space at the moment.

He found the elderly man in the waiting area, looking pensively out the window.

Old Quil looked over at the sound of his large grandson's steps approaching him. "Son, I'm awfully happy to see you."

The older man wished he had been here hours ago. First to hear the heated conversation between the Swan's in the parking lot. Then to hear whatever had made Doc Fang tear out of the hospital so fast. The nurses were all in a tizzy, rumors running rampant for his sudden departure.

Old Quil couldn't care less that he had left, but it was the suddenness of the action that made him curious. Old Quil knew that the doctor would have heard every word between Charlie and Bella; the vampire had remained close to the front of the hospital during the exchange. But what concerned him was why the conversation of two humans would matter to a leech.

The Shaman had a bad feeling about the entire situation.

The older man looked at his young grandson and saw the worry evident on his features. "What's wrong?"

"I found Paul at his place, he didn't know about Max. He thought… he thought…" Quil's voice trailed off as he sat down heavily, with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

Old Quil sighed. He could only imagine the scene that his grandson stumbled upon. "How is he?"

The young man gave him the look that a question like that deserved. How the fuck did he think he was? "As expected. I drove him here."

The Shaman nodded his head, and looked around the room for his other grandson. It was unusual to find one without the other. "Where is Jake?"

"Sam and he are meeting with the rest of the Council to inform them that he claimed Alpha."

Old Quil smiled proudly and Quil could swear he could hear a muttered, "It's about damn time."

Silence descended between them. The older man watched the news on the small TV across the room while the younger man tried to block out the bustle of the hospital. However, Quil felt compelled to pay attention to one room in particular.

The last couple of weeks had been hell. He was dog tired, pun intended. He didn't know what to do; there seemed to be no easy answer.

Not looking up from his hands, he asked his grandfather a loaded question, "What should I do?"

He didn't elaborate.

He didn't need to.

Old Quil patted the boy's back, and looked at him with compassion. "That's not for me to tell you. The decision is yours, always has been."

"Doesn't the imprint mean she is my other half? That she is the only person out there for me?"

"Yes and no. The spirits have pointed you in her direction. But they can't force anything else. They can't force the imprint to feel anything for you." He looked at his grandson sorrowfully.

That was the crux of the matter. Quil had always had a crush on the older girl, and she had been oblivious.

"But both of you will have to work on it. You will both have to work every day, just like every other couple in the world. Your only gift is that you know it can work, that she is your natural course.

"You will have bad times, like now. But you work through them. No one could make me madder than your Grandmother. Taha Aki knows I loved her, but she could get under my skin just like that," he said with a snap of his fingers. He recalled how she was always hiding his shine from him. He smiled despite himself.

An hour or so passed while Old Quil remembered treasured moments with his late wife. He watched as his grandson's head suddenly snapped to look toward the entrance. He rose up and followed behind as the young wolf approached the hallway. Even his old ears could hear the stomping of large feet. A few seconds later, a very pissed off Paul made his way past them and exited the hospital.

Young Quil made to follow after his cousin, but a wrinkled hand held his arm in place. "Let him be."

"No, Grandpa. He is so angry."

"He needs to work through this himself. All you're going to do is piss him off more and get your ass kicked."

The young wolf let that comment slide. His grandfather wasn't calling him a pussy, just that Paul was a badass. "But he's looking for Bella. I know it."

He had heard the terse conversation between Hank and Paul on the other side of the hospital. Among all the other things Paul was usually pissed about, he was very upset that Bella had left after bringing Makala to Forks.

"Paul won't be able to hurt her."

"He is furious at her. I'm telling you now he will kill…"

The old man gave his grandson a dubious look. "Not likely.

"Not intentionally. Remember Emily?"

"Sam's wolf did that. Emily provoked a wild animal, and she is lucky she lived to tell the tale. She can't be blamed, of course. She was only doing right by her cousin. But nonetheless she did taunt a wolf into phasing."

"Hello!" the boy screeched. He waved his hands in front of his clueless grandfather, trying to make him see the severity of the situation. "We are talking about Bella. The biggest asshole in the Washington peninsula went to pick a fight with her. She is going to try to claw his eyes out."

The young man remembered the young girl of his youth. She had always been fearless. A tomboy through and through; she never backed down from a challenge. She had always been up for anything, but she was the voice of reason too. She was as sweet as they came, but she had a wicked temper. Just as she had shown when she launched herself at Leah.

He had been on the receiving end himself, suffering several punches and wedgies from the little hellcat back in the day.

Quil had tried to get his imprint to shut up that night, but she wouldn't. A part of him, the one that thought of Bella as a sister of sorts, knew she had a right to put Leah in her place. But the wolf unfortunately could not handle that. A part of him had almost died when he heard poor Bella crash into that wall. His actions had been automatic, instinctual. He was livid he had been put into the position that he'd hurt her. That his imprint had forced the issue. So he had taken his fury out on his imprint's brother who wanted to take his own swings at Bella.

"It will be fine."

The younger man rolled his eyes at the patriarch's flippancy. "Are you insane? He is almost feral. You're taking a huge gamble with her life."

Quil III narrowed his eyes at his grandson and growled, "Never… Never question my love for that girl ever again!" He shoved his wrinkled finger into the young wolf's chest, backing him up until he was forced to sit in a too small chair.

"You may not understand my methods, boy, but you better learn to respect them. I have walked this earth a hell of a lot longer than you, and I am not talking out of my ass. There are things I can see that you cannot."

Thoroughly chastised, Young Quil looked up to meet the older man's light grey eyes.

"He loves her," the patriarch replied sagely to the boy's unasked question.

Young Quil groaned, "Grandpa, you have to lay off that shine."

He shook his head in exasperation of his grandfather's words. Hell, Quil didn't think they had even kissed yet. Paul usually kept things close to the chest, but Quil was sure he couldn't have kept something like that to himself.

And love? Ha!

When the words had fully registered, he shot his head up to gaze at the elderly fool in disbelief.

"Loves? Are you out of your mind? He is incensed! He is going to tear her apart when she slaps the shit out of him for being an asshole. And make no mistake, she will!"

"You always get the maddest at the ones you love the most. Haven't you realized that?"

The young man did not respond. And he wasn't meant to. He could sense that his grandfather was talking about his current trails with Leah.

He hadn't really admitted his feelings about Leah to anyone, even himself. But he could see the wisdom of the man's words. The reason he was so upset, why the sting of betrayal at her words hurt so much had nothing to do with the imprint. It was his feelings. He had loved her. A simple crush had evolved into something more over the few short months since she had accepted the imprint.

But what scared him now was that it just might be unrequited love. Was his love alone enough to make them work?

No, no it was not, he thought.

He had phased for the first time about a year ago. Three months later he had walked into the Clearwater's diner to get a bite with his mom and had imprinted on the beautiful Leah. But instead of being relieved to be 'in the know' about the Pack and the closure she had about why Sam had left her, she was even more bitter than before. She had ignored Quil for over six months. He had shrugged it off, defending her to Jake and Embry who were pissed at her behavior. Quil had been surprised but ecstatic when she finally seemed to see reason.

Or so he thought.

He was pulled out of his mental struggles by his grandfather's deep voice.

"Paul will keep it together. He has been quite docile lately." A raised eyebrow from the young man made him backpedal slightly. "Well, he has been better."

Regardless of the truth behind the statement, Young Quil scoffed. "And what do you call the fight that I can guarantee is getting ready to go down? What do you call that?"

"Foreplay," Old Quil turned away, chuckling, at the look on Young Quil's face. Watching the retreating figure of tribe's Shaman, Quil moved his hand up to readjust his dropped jaw back into position.

A/N Thanks for reading.