-Chapter 10: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?-

…smell a leech. You think it's one of the Cullens?

The abrasive thoughts flowed through with more clarity, allowing me to identify my visitors as Quileute shape shifters. Damn.

I shut off the shower and stepped out, quickly scrubbing away at my new skin to dry the water off. I didn't have time to properly dry my hair, so I ran the towel through it once and let it cling to my bare back as I flitted into my room and dressed in a flash. A second heartbeat could be heard moving closer to the first, and the wolf's thoughts mingled with the first wolf as the two beating hearts moved closer together in the woods.

Shit. My whole not-getting-caught plan was totally fucked if one of these wolves saw me. I didn't look that different that they wouldn't recognize me. I eyed the window of my room, watching the gentle sway of trees and stretching my expanded mind to the limit.

Was there anything here that could identify me? Any way they could know it was me, and not some random nomad passing through – happening upon a deserted house? I flitted around the room putting everything back just the way it was. My lips pursed in amusement as I blurred about the room – I was fast. I smiled at the thought.

It's not one of the Cullens. I'd recognize the scent.

Something about it is…familiar, though…do you smell it?

Well, shit.

I took a shallow breath and compared the stale, human-me scent to my new vampiric one and grimaced. It was completely recognizable and was concentrated in the room where my old scent was the strongest. There wasn't any walking away from this one – I would have to confront them.

My mind automatically started to plot different ways to kill them. There were only two right now – probably the ones running patrol, as they had to take shifts to ensure 24/7 protection of their precious territory. I grinned. They were far from home and without any help.

Alec's power would ensure they never saw me coming and had time to warn the others. Jane's ability could be fun as well – hide out of sight and torture them from afar one at a time. The most dominant part of my new vampiric instincts, though, urged me to physically attack them – to bite and claw and dig into their flesh like a piñata. I swallowed the venom that welled in my mouth at the thought of carnage.

No. No, no, no. I shook my head to clear the red haze.

I knew these people. Sure, I didn't much care for them, but they helped me save my brother. Granted, I had threatened to kill off their entire tribe before they agreed, but still…they had helped. And then there was the thought of being found out that made me shy away from killing them.

Before, there was only Ryan to share my life with. Only Ryan to complain about my homicidal tendencies and late night play dates.

But now, there was an entire family. A whole group who cared about me – though maybe not Rosalie.

It was like falling asleep, the way I became tied to them. Impossible to distinguish the point of origin or draw a line and point out what it was that made me care for them. And I did care for them.

It wasn't as deep as the connection I had with Ryan. Nothing could compete with that. But these wolves were Jacob's pack brothers – and sister – and Renesmee was his imprint, which further tied the pack to the Cullens. Not to mention Bella's friendship with the shape shifter.

My shoulders slumped in defeat and I went downstairs to the common area, stopping at the front door and freezing in place. I took in a deep breath – wincing slightly at the wolf-odor that had permeated the walls – and grasped the doorknob. My right hand twitched to my hip out of habit as I slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

The two wolves approached my position on the porch, fading out of the cover the woods provided. Their teeth were bared, slimy, sharp things that they were. The one to the left twitched his ears and relaxed his shoulders minutely. I couldn't tell who this one was – it was either Quil or Jared, as they both had brown fur. The one on the right didn't relax at all. From his graphite-colored fur and colorful thoughts, I could tell this was Paul.

Well, at least it wasn't anyone from Jacob's pack. There was still a way to keep my new vamily in the dark.

…that freak we made an alliance with?

I think it is. But…she died?

"My name's Emily," I rolled my eyes at the wolves, which had stopped their approach ten yards from the house and held their ground. "I did die, but I'm back now." I didn't plan on going over the details with a bunch of natives, not that they'd even understand a tenth of what I would say.

Can she hear our thoughts? The dark grey one questioned.

I nodded, scrunching my eyebrows together in confusion. Didn't they know this? Ugh. I couldn't remember. Most of my memories were still intact, but certain details seemed to be missing. I absently wondered what else I was missing.

I thought only Edward could read thoughts…

I shook my head at them, not really knowing how to respond to his misinformation.

"Look," I started, running my hand through my hair. "Could you please shape shift back? It's a little weird talking to giant wolves."

It really wasn't that, though. It was their very being that made me cringe. It had nothing to do with being a vampire, either. Vampires were predictable – explainable, though many would say otherwise. They were scientifically sound if you knew how to study them.

The wolves, though, were an oddity. Magic. That's the only thing that I could deduce. It wasn't biological, the way they could change into wolves – at least, nothing that I could find. I didn't like it. The not knowing made me tense and ill-at-ease.

Why? So you can kill us easier? The Paul-wolf snarled at me and caused the unnamed wolf to flinch. Memories of me fighting newborns flew through his head – me as a human, killing newborns.

Paul-

"I think all of us know I can kill you without leaving this porch," I challenged, picking up Paul and flinging him into the tree line, causing him to yelp. Brown-wolf crouched lower and growled, but made no move to attack. I inclined my head at him and smirked.

He ran off in the direction of his pack mate, still trying to convince Paul to shift back. A few seconds after crossing the tree line, Jared emerged, followed by an outraged, human Paul. They halted their approach fifteen yards this time, clearly uncomfortable being in the presence of a vampire while they were in their human form.

"You died," Jared said with conviction, putting out waves of confusion. I nodded my head.

"I did," I answered. "Then I came back."

"How?" Paul barked. "The leech-doctor said you were dead – stabbed through the heart."

"And what's with your eyes?" Jared asked, cocking his head to the side and staring at me. "They're not red or gold…or even black. They're silver."

"It doesn't matter," I sighed, not wanting to get into everything – especially when some things were unknown, even to me. "I need some information. Where are Leah and Seth?"

"Seth went with the Cullens," Jared answered hesitantly, confused as to why I wanted to know. "We don't know exactly where Leah is – she took off and went out of state. Jacob says she hasn't been shifting. Why?"

"Did the Cullens figure out who killed me?" I countered.

"They said it was the Volturi, from what they could tell," Paul answered. "Your fortune teller didn't get a vision, but they recognized the scents of some of them."

"Yes," I confirmed. "And now they think I'm dead and gone. I plan on killing them like they plan on killing my family – like they probably plan to kill your tribe."

"What?" Paul shouted. "No, they said they weren't coming back – that Bella's kid wasn't a vampire baby."

"I don't think they care," I shrugged. "But if they can get me, they can most certainly get you."

Paul started to vibrate in anger, flickering out of sight for brief moments as he suppressed a snarl. Jared's fists were clenched, but he seemed to be in more control than Paul.

"We'll help," Jared said. "What do you need us to do?" I smiled, pleased that they were offering with no convincing. It was a shame they couldn't come with me, though. I needed Aro and the rest of his coven to have no suspicion of my resurrection. Giant wolves following around a vampire were bound to reach Volturi ears – they would know where to look.

"I need you to keep this quiet," I stared directly into Jared's eyes before shifting my gaze to Paul's, letting them know I was serious. "I have the advantage. No one knows I'm alive. I can wage war against the Volturi and no one will suspect me – no one will go looking to kill you or the Cullens."

"You know we can't keep secrets from the pack," Jared shook his head at me.

"I know," I nodded. "I just need you to keep it from Jacob. That means no talking about it with Seth or Leah."

They looked at me weird, and I could tell they didn't understand.

"A mysterious, powerful vampire starts killing off the Volturi guard," I prompted, waving my hands in the air. "The Volturi will probably start to question vampire covens about it – try to figure out who I am. If Jacob finds out, Edward will find out. If Edward finds out, Aro will find out." I said the last parts slow so they would understand.

"And what if the Volturi come looking here?" Asked Paul, crossing his arms over his chest. "What will we do then?"

"You'll probably die horribly," I deadpanned, then shook my head. "They won't come here first. They'll be looking for a vampire, not a wolf."

"So what are we supposed to do? Just wait for them to show up and kill the tribe?" Paul growled at me.

"Do what you've been doing. Keep patrolling. Keep your routine. And above all, don't let anyone else know I'm alive."

"You should come talk to the elders," Jared said out of the blue. Paul shot him a look, thinking nasty thoughts at Jared for having suggested it. "Billy was torn up about your death. He even said a few words at your…funeral." The words tumbled out of his mouth disconnectedly.

"Not the best idea," I winced at the very real possibility of slaughtering the tribe in a fit of bloodlust. "I'm still new at being a vampire. I don't have the control to be around humans yet."

"It was you!" Paul shouted, pictures of the mangled body of the hiker I had mauled running through his head as he phased into a wolf. He snarled at me and charged, forgetting who he was about to fight.

I pushed down on his body with my mind, a crushing phantom weight forcing his body into the earth. His bones creaked under the pressure and he let out a weak howl, the sound dying in his throat and turning into a gurgling sound.

"Yes," I nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, he didn't suffer. I killed him instantly." Jared's jaw clenched and he fought against his instincts to help his pack brother, knowing it was futile.

"Why?" Jared asked.

"Why?" I snorted back. "Wrong place, wrong time. I had no control over what I was doing – we can't all be Bella."

Paul stopped struggling and I slowly eased off the weight allowing him to stand to his full height. He shook out his fur and growled at me, causing me to laugh. He hunched down and his muscles bunched, preparing to spring. My laugh cut off and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Look. I'm out of here," I said. "I won't be anywhere near La Push or Forks, so you can rest easy. Tell Billy I'm sorry I couldn't stop by and say hello."

I moved off the porch and took a few steps toward the river in the woods, feeling the eyes that were still boring into the back of my head.

"What about the pack? The council? What should we tell them?" Jared asked. I turned to look at them.

"The truth," I said curtly. "Just don't let Jacob's pack or the Cullens know." I amended, pausing to see if they had anything else to ask. Jared nodded and I returned the gesture, turning again and flying into the woods at speeds that would make Edward gape at.

Once I couldn't hear the wolves' thoughts, I re-adjusted my path and flew south, aiming for northern California. My feet touched down on the earth, slowing my velocity as I continued on in a run. I was in no hurry, after all, and needed the time to think through a few things.

The first thing I needed to do was get control over my thirst. If I was going to kill the vampire royalty I would have to be in control of my instincts. I couldn't be a rampaging newborn. My thoughts brought me to what looked like the beginnings of the redwood forest. The trees shifted from tall to holy-shit-that's-tall, and I leaped up onto the branches, flitting above in the canopy.

I halted my procession and crouched on a branch high off the ground and breathed in deep. My throat burned. It was nighttime and no humans were around, but their scent lingered in the wind and on the forest floor. I breathed in again, digging my hands into the bark and refusing to leave my perch.

We would see how long I could last.

End notes: Sorry for the super-late update. I got into a coding-frenzy and completely rebuilt one of the forums I used to run. For those of you who follow Symbiosis, expect maybe another week until I update. School will be starting up again and I don't know how much time I'll have to write.