Oh you guys are going to hate me for this chapter. Like really hate me at the end of it. DO NOT READ THIS IN CLASS OR AT WORK! I cried so hard...like sobbed. Please just remember that. Also, the next chapter is going to begin in tears. I can't really function after writing this so I...I just can't.

*Disclaimer*

Pleas Enjoy!

PiperPOV

"You look like crap," were my brother's version of "good morning".

I flipped him off behind Mom's back as I sat down at the table. He chuckled.

"I saw that," Dad said from the living room.

"No you didn't," I countered grumpily. "You just know me too well."

Dad tried to hide his chuckle behind a cough. "I should make you apologize, but…"

"You know it won't do any good."

Brayden reached over and moved my hair out of my face. "Why do look like crap? You didn't sleep, did you?"

Shrugging, I smiled up at Mom as she put a bowl of oatmeal in front of me. She rubbed my hair before going back to cooking. "I don't know. Last night bothered me more than I thought, I guess."

He reached over, brushed a finger over my cheek. "Hey, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, okay? Will would understand if I beat him bloody."

I smiled at his protectiveness. "I know that. That's not what bothers me."

He frowned. "Then what?"

I didn't want to spill the real reason. I wanted to save that for Jules. "How out of control he was. I mean you know how close Will and Jules are. Even she couldn't get through to him. If Henry or you hadn't gotten there when you did, she would have tried to pull him away. He was so out of control that he would have done something terrible."

Dad joined us at the table. "I talked to Jake last night after everyone got settled. We've put Brayden and Henry on Will at all times when he's out of the house. And we're watching him like hawks now for any signs. It's like Jacob told Jules last night, usually the anger is gradual. There's a steady escalation where it can be predicted, but that didn't happen with Will. Now, we're prepared to close ranks around him the moment he starts getting agitated." He reached over to grip my hand. "I promise you that nothing is going to happen to Jules. We've got eyes on all four of them."

Yeah, as does someone else, I thought, my mind going back to last night in the clearing after Jules left.

In a second I was back in that clearing.

Something wasn't right. I felt those eyes again, but not like they were focused on me. After everyone left, leaving me and Ava in the woods, everything went quiet. Slowly, I turned in a circle, eyes scanning the woods.

And that's when I saw the blonde hair. Not bright like Aunt Tricia's but shining nonetheless. Just as I'd felt, the girl's eyes weren't on me or Ava. There were fixed to last spot Will had been before my brother and Henry had dragged him into the woods. It was the look in those eyes that made shivers skitter down my spine. Even from here, I could tell they were a shade of green and held hunger, anticipatory hunger. And excitement.

With her attention elsewhere, I moved through the brush and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the open.

"Hey! Let go of me."

I swung her around. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She was exactly my height, which made her tall for a female. "I saw all of you running this way and thought I would follow to see if I could help."

I studied her for a long moment. "Uh-huh. Well, next time stick your nose in your own business, blondie."

As I turned away from her to get back to Ava, she gripped my arm, hauling me back. "Hey, I was adopted by a Quileute couple. I know about the pack. My uncle taught me."

Furious, I ripped my arm out of her grasp and stepped into her personal space. "Good for you, princess. You're not one of us, so stay out of our business."

"I have a name."

"And I don't care. Quit spying on us."

"It's Hunter, by the way. Thanks for asking." Her own temper was flaring.

"You're not welcome." I turned back to Ava. "Come on. Let's go check on the boys."

We'd left the girl behind. She could find her own damn way out of the woods.

"Piper?"

I shook my head. "Yeah? Sorry. I was zoning."

Brayden's eyes softened. "Will and Uncle Jake are going down to the Cullen place. Will wants to apologize to Josh. I'm going with. You should go check on Jules."

I laughed. "She was all too happy to get me out of the house last night."

Mom patted my shoulder from where she sat next to me. "She just wanted to be with her brother. They're very close. You'd have been the same if it had been Bray, and you know it. I'm sure she wants you to check on her."

"Yeah, you're right."

Brayden stood up and kissed the top of my head as he moved for the door. "Don't beat yourself up. This is messy business. Just roll with it, kid. Dad, are you coming?" he asked, slipping into his leather jacket.

Dad shook his head. "Filling in for Jake at the shop. Shannon is out of town for work so Xavier is home with the kidlet."

He nodded. "Good deal. I'll keep you updated." And then he was gone.

Mom patted my hand. "Come on. Let's get dressed. I wanna see Ness."

Letting out a breath, I went and got dressed. All the while, blonde hair and green eyes agitated my memory.

WillPOV

Deep breath in. Blow it out hard. There was a car parked in front of the Cullen house that I didn't recognize. Probably Josh's parents. Dad and Brayden were on either side of me, and I knew that Henry was in the woods, trailing us. Honestly, I didn't mind the babysitting. It made me feel better to know that I had experienced people around me. The anger I'd felt coursing through me the night before had scared the shit out of me after I got my head straight again.

The front door opened. Grama Bella was smiling down at us. When Dad patted my shoulder, I moved for the stairs and the door. Grama pulled me into her arms. "I'm so glad you're okay." Pulling back, she cupped my face between her hands and studied me. "You are okay, aren't you?"

I gripped her wrists and smiled. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just a little shaken up." I swallowed hard. "His parents are here, aren't they?"

She nodded, smile sympathetic. "Yeah."

"Great."

She tightened her grip comfortingly. "It'll be alright, Will. Everything always works itself out."

Grampa Edward came up behind her, smiling gently. "Your grandmother's right."

"I could have killed him."

"But you didn't. That's what matters." He reached out and cupped my neck and jaw. "This is a hard road you're walking. We all know that. You're a strong young man who has good friends and a very capable father to help you through it."

I looked back at Dad. He smiled at me. Nodding, I took another deep breath. "I'm ready."

As I moved past my grandparents, they wished me luck. Yeah, I was going to need it. My aunts and uncles also wished me luck as I moved for the stairs. Dad kept his hand on my shoulder the entire time. As we got closer to the door of the medical room, I could hear a woman's hysterical voice, and an angry male bass following through the crack in the open door.

"What kind of-of…animal does this to someone?" she shrieked. And the comment hit so close to home that I flinched.

Dad squeezed my shoulder.

"Mom!" another voice. Josh's. At least he didn't slur now. The alcohol was out of his system.

"No, Josh. I mean, you're a perfectly nice boy, enjoying a party and then someone just…just…ugh!"

"Ohmygod! Mom! That is not what happened!" he yelled, trying to get her attention.

There was a pause and I figured that it was my turn for show and tell.

I was opening the door just as she was saying, "Josh, what…I don't understand."

"I did it," I said loud and clear into the room.

The man and woman turned and I could see Josh clearly. Damn. I wanted to flinch again, but I didn't. He'd looked better with all the blood on him. He had two black eyes, a swollen nose, and a busted lip. Of course, he'd gotten in a few good swings. My lip was busted, too. And the cut over my eye wasn't any better. It throbbed and stung with any expression I used. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who liked to quirk an eyebrow. All the damn time. And my knuckles were a bloody mess. They'd had to be rewrapped after my shower this morning.

For a moment, they just stood there in shock, staring from me to Dad.

His mother's eyes narrowed. "You? You did this to my baby?"

"Mom-,"

"Hush," she hissed.

The man looked to my dad. "You should be ashamed of your son for what he did. My son did nothing to deserve this."

"Actually-," Josh tried again.

"Be quiet, Josh!"

And then Dad spoke up, his deep, commanding voice demanding their attention. "I don't condone what my son did, but it's been dealt with. As for being ashamed of him? Never. I will never be ashamed in my son. If you would take a second to listen to what yours is trying to say, you might understand why I'm actually a bit proud of mine."

"Proud?" the man exclaimed.

"Your son is an animal! Just like you!" she yelled.

Behind me, Brayden growled a warning. Dad shot him a warning glare. Brayden flashed his teeth once before going back to being silent

The man calmed enough to pale. He was aware of who my dad was. He gripped his wife's arm. "Penny, please. Don't antagonize him like that."

"She can say what she wants," Dad said. "She's right anyway. We are animals. Animals who protect this town." He gave her a very direct look.

Her look was both furious and fearful. "That doesn't give your son the right-,"

"Shut up!" Josh yelled. When his parents turned back to him, he said, "And don't talk to them like that. Everyone on the rez knows they keep us safe. How are we supposed to know what they go through? Besides, I deserved what Will gave me last night."

We all looked at him in surprise.

He shrugged. "What? It's true. I was drinking, and I knew better. I got carried away and almost hurt someone. If anyone files any sort of charges, it should be her against me."

"I won't do that." Turning, I saw Ava in the doorway with Uncle Paul looking murderous behind her. She came to stand next to me, smiling up at me.

His mom looked back and forth. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Son, what did you do?" the man asked.

Ava, Josh, and I shared a look. It was clear he regretted what he'd done. "It was a misunderstanding," Ava said. "Will did his best to get Josh away from me, but Josh fought back. Will was defending me and himself. It all got out of hand. Really. Josh was tipsy and Will wasn't. That's why there's more damage to Josh."

"She's right," Josh said quietly. "But that wasn't all of it."

His mom gave him a confused, startled look. "You…you almost…Joshua, how could you? And why the hell were you drinking? You know better than that."

He wouldn't meet anybody's eyes. "I know that. And I hate myself for what did happen and what could have happened if Will hadn't beaten me senseless. If anything, I owe him."

I just stayed silent. Silent was better for me. Dad had already told me what his parents might say to me, might call me. He'd said that no matter what, he was proud of me for sticking up for my cousin. If the wolf stuff hadn't gotten involved, it would have been a normal fight. So I just tried to let it roll off my shoulders like he'd said to do.

Josh looked to Ava. "I'm really sorry, Ava. I know better than to drink. It'll never happen again."

"No, it won't," Uncle Paul said, stepping up beside his daughter. "You're not to go near my daughter again. Ever."

"Daddy-,"

He looked at her sharply. "No."

"What about school, Daddy?" Ava asked. "Remember what I told you last night? Remember what he just said?"

No doubt she'd told her dad what Jules had told ours. That Josh was a really good guy besides the drinking. I'd seen him around school and could vouch for their word.

"Why, Ava?" Josh asked, clearly stunned that she was trying to help him.

She started to walk toward him, but Uncle Paul stopped her. Looking back at him, she gently took her arm out of his grasp and went to the bed, standing between his bewildered parents. "Josh, you're a good guy. Everybody knows that. Last night could have gone a lot worse. We were alone for a long time before Will and Jules found us. I still like you, and I think, as long as you don't drink anymore, we can still be friends."

Uncle Paul opened his mouth to say something until Dad shook his head. While we'd still been little, the parents had all agreed to let the kids deal with their own issues as long as they weren't life-threatening. No coddling. And despite Josh trying to force Ava, he hadn't threatened her life, just her virtue.

"Why are you so nice?" Josh said in awe.

Ava smiled. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Josh. Despite the differences in the tribe, we're still human at the core. Humans make mistakes, and we're still young."

Behind me Dad chuckled. "Sounds like Rachel," he muttered with an undertone of pride.

Uncle Paul rolled his eyes. "Of course."

Josh's parents just stood there, still looking lost. Dad motioned them over to him. "Why don't we go have a chat and let the kids work stuff out? Paul, come with us."

Paul looked offended, like he couldn't believe Dad wanted him to leave his baby girl. "But-,"

"Now, Paul. Brayden is perfectly capable." He'd used a hint of the voice, and my uncle knew he'd lost. He glanced at Ava and then glared at Josh before following them out.

I moved up beside Ava, Brayden shadowing me just in case. "I'm sorry, Josh."

He blinked up at me through two black eyes. "For what?"

"I shouldn't have taken it as far as I did. You deserved a little, but not…that excessive."

He shook his head. "No, I deserved it all."

Irritated with him, decided to just jump off the deep end. "Do you realize I could have killed you?"

"Will," Brayden warned.

But I shook him off. "That I would have killed you if my cousin hadn't ripped me off of you?"

That seemed to sink in a little. He swallowed hard and sank back into the bed. "So, it's true, then. About the pack."

Painfully, I stuffed my hands in my pockets. Now that he'd mentioned the pack, a feeling of dominant protectiveness coursed through me. Giving him a direct look, I said, "You understand that you're forbidden from saying anything outside the tribe, right?"

He nodded. "Who would believe me outside the tribe anyway? I don't have any hard feelings, man. I deserved what I got." He touched his nose slightly. "Although, you have one hell of a right hook."

I smiled slightly. It wasn't an amused smile. "Yeah, well, fight training plus going through…things will do that to a guy. I have a question for you, Josh. Do you know who my father is? Who I am? Or I should say, what we are?"

Brayden stepped up. "Will, what are you doing?" he hissed.

Setting my jaw, I held up a hand and looked at him until he backed off, shaking his head. Then, I turned back to Josh, who was looking up at us with something close to fear or anxiety. "Answer the question," I said in a stern voice.

He swallowed hard again and nodded. "Yeah. Mr. Black's the boss. And you're the oldest son."

"So you know our importance to the pack."

He nodded.

"Good. Because let me explain something to you, Josh. You may have dismissed what I did. Ava may have forgiven you easily. But I will not forget what you put her through. I am the next in line to lead the pack, to protect the tribe. If you ever raise even your voice to another female, I will throw you out of the rez and away from Forks for the rest of your life. And I better not hear about you drinking again. Understand that you are now on our watch-list. Or at least mine. I know that the rez police are good at their jobs. But the pack doesn't suffer fools who abuse their significant others and children. Do you understand that?"

I kept severe eye contact with him to let him know that I was deadly serious.

He apparently understood because he was the first to look away and nod.

"Just remember that the next time you want to pick up some alcohol," I said before I turned around and went for the door. "Brayden, stay with them. I'll be out in the hall with Dad."

"Will-,"

"Stay with them." Spinning around, I glared at him. "Brayden, do you really want to make me angry in this room? After what you saw? Please, just stay here."

Even though he was pissed, he angrily held up his hands. "Fine."

On my way out, I had to take several deep breaths. Brayden questioning me hit a pool of anger I didn't even know I had. And he was my best friend. Dad was right. I couldn't be around anybody who hadn't phased yet without someone who had. I was too dangerous.

Slipping out the door, I left Ava and Josh to talk with Brayden watching over them. Dad looked up from where he was talking to Josh's parents. When he looked up, I nodded and moved toward them. Josh's dad looked up at me.

I stuffed my hands back in my pockets. My knuckles had started bleeding again, blushing the white gauze. When the three of them turned to me, I said, "Look, I'm sorry for what I did. I'm not saying he didn't deserve a right hook, but I shouldn't have kept going." I looked up at my dad and then to Josh's. "My dad taught me to be a man who takes responsibility for his actions, and I am. Josh has done the same by pinning some of the blame on himself. Last night should not have gone the way it did, and I will do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again. I just wanted to apologize to you directly."

Josh's dad came up to me, keeping eye contact. After a long moment of staring, he held out his hand. "Your dad's a good man, and has done a lot for the tribe. He explained a little about what you're going through. It doesn't make it better or right, but at least it's an explanation."

Taking my hand out of my pocket, I shook his. He moved past me go back into the room as Ava and Brayden were coming out.

Josh's mom stopped beside me on her way back. "I'm sorry for what I said."

"Don't be. Last night, I wasn't in my right mind. I was an animal. From now on, I'm going to be guarded at all times so it doesn't happen again."

She nodded and followed her husband.

Brayden took her place beside me, still scowling.

I looked over to Dad. "Could we get a minute?"

He nodded. "Sure. Ava? Want me to take you home?"

Moving toward him, she shook her head. "I was wanting to meet up with Jules and Piper. Where'd my dad go?"

"Embry had to call him into the shop. I'll take you to my house. The girls should be there." Dad wrapped an around her shoulders as they went for the stairs.

"Thanks, Uncle Jake."

I turned to Brayden, but he held a hand up. "Don't apologize. As much as I don't like it, you were right in there. You're the next alpha. We should respect your orders as much as your dad's." He turned to me, giving me his own serious glare. "But don't you dare expect me to follow an order that could hurt you or anybody else. You're my best friend, but I will protect you from yourself if I have to. We clear?" He held out his forearm.

Nodding, I clasped it. "We're clear."

"We better be."

His phone rang in the next moment. He dug it out of his pocket. "Hey, sis. What's up?" After a moment, he frowned. "Yeah, I can ask…Maybe. Or maybe it was nothing…Alright. Thanks."

"What was that about?"

Shoving the phone back in his pocket, he started down the hallway. I followed. "How well do you know that new girl?"

I frowned, not expecting that to come up. "Hunter? Nothing, really. She was adopted by a Quileute couple, raised by her uncle after they died. She inherited his house here when he died."

"Did you get any weird vibes about her? Other than she had a nice ass?"

I gave him a look. "Other than that, no. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "No reason. Just wanna know who you're hanging out with when it's not me or your brothers and sister. And Piper met her last night at the party. Apparently, my sister doesn't like her."

That made me roll my eyes. "She doesn't like anyone. No other females anyway."

"True. I wouldn't put too much into it. But Piper said she needed to talk to us about something."

I shrugged. "Let's go."

We met up with the girls at my house. When we walked in, Mom put her hands on my face, checking my cuts and bruises before she pulled me into her arms. "Dad told me about what you said to Josh and his parents. I'm proud of you for what you did, for both protecting Ava and apologizing to his parents. That was very big of you."

"Oh, Mom," Maddox said from the couch. "Don't encourage him. Now he's gonna walk around all macho-like." He and Ash were side by side, each holding a controller for video games.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "We don't need his head any bigger than it already is from knowing he's the next alpha and the first born son of the current one." Looking over, he winked and smiled at me.

Mom clapped her hands over my ears. "Really! Don't make your brother mad. You know better. It's a sensitive trigger right now for him."

The two of them sniggered.

"Is our big bad brother sensitive?" Maddox said in a pouty, kid's voice.

Since Mom was still holding my ears, I flipped him off behind her back. He laughed as Dad came up the stairs from his bedroom. He saw it and shook his head in exasperation.

Gently, I gripped Mom's wrists and pulled her hands away from my ears. "I'm fine, Mom. Promise. He's just a pain in the ass."

She didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek. "Yes, Mom. I'm sure."

She squeezed my fingers before nodding. "Okay." Then she looked behind me and smiled. "Hi, Brayden."

"Hey, Aunt Nessie." He hugged her as the three girls came down the stairs.

"We ready?" Jules asked.

Brayden and I shared a look.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Coffee shop in town." She finished tying a purple ribbon at the end of one of her braids before looking at us expectantly. Ava and Piper were standing behind her.

I heard a jingle before Dad tossed me the keys to the truck. "It's started raining, and none of you need to be out in that."

"Except me," Brayden said. "All it would do is make my fur stink."

Laughing, Jules playfully punched him. Piper gagged behind her back while Ava just looked amused.

"Come on, guys. Let's get there before the afternoon rush."

BraydenPOV

We made it before the crowd showed up, managing to nab the largest table.

Once we ordered our drinks and whatever else, I leaned forward on my elbows to look at Piper. "Now, what did you need to tell us?"

They shared a look. Jules motioned toward me. "You might as well tell him, Piper. I wasn't there and Ava was in shock."

"Was not," Ava said defiantly.

Will and I chuckled. She was a tough one, probably because of her dad. Uncle Paul was the hot-head of the pack. Dane, the youngest of that particular family, was just as tough even though he was barely ten years old. He was fiercely protective over his older sisters, Ava and Linley. No doubt he'd slept with Ava last night.

"Yes, you were," Piper said. "Anyway, after you and Henry managed to drag Will into the woods, I had this feeling. Not exactly that I was being watched, but that there was someone there other than me and Ava. I saw that new girl, Hunter, in the woods. She'd followed us into that clearing so she saw everything. When I confronted her, she said that she knew about the pack."

Will and I shared a look. "Okay," I said. "And? There's something else."

Piper leaned forward. "Bray, it was the look in her eyes. It was like she was seeing something she'd been told about but had never believed. I remember thinking about it as anticipatory hunger, like the look a Disney villain gets when something is unexpectedly going their way."

"That was a very creepy analogy," Will said.

Piper gave him a sneer.

He leaned forward to mirror me and Piper. "So what are you saying, Pipe?"

"I don't know. Something just felt off about it. Like she knew what was happening to you, and she wanted to see it."

Will shrugged. "You said it yourself, she knows about the pack. Maybe she was just curious."

Piper gave him a disbelieving look before she shook her head. "Never mind. You weren't there to see it so why should you believe me."

"I didn't say I didn't believe you. It's just that there are a lot of people curious about us."

Already irritated, Piper held up her hands. "No. Never mind. Forget I said anything." Crossing her arms, she sat back in her chair and glared at the floor.

"Piper," I said. "It could just be nothing, but I'll bring it up with Dad and we'll keep an eye on her, okay? Just in case."

She didn't look at me but said, "Thanks."

"Why?" Will argued. "She hasn't done anything."

I turned to glare at him. "Will, just because you have a thing for her doesn't mean that something can't be off. All our lives we've been taught to trust our guts. Piper wouldn't have come to us like this if she didn't feel it was serious. So, I'm going to look into it."

"I do not have a thing for her," he said angrily. "I just met her once and for only a couple hours."

"Then quit acting like a male whose female is getting dissed."

"Guys," Ava said. "Please." She looked to me. "She may have been adopted into our tribe but really, we don't know anything. Maybe Trey can dig something up on her, okay? The least we could do is check into it. If nothing comes up, we'll apologize, but at least we'll have made sure. Deal?"

His lips tightened but he said, "Fine."

Our food and drinks arrived a moment later. The waitress winked at me and Will. I shifted and smiled uncomfortably. Will smiled, but it was a distracted smile. When she sashayed off, I could see both Piper and Jules looking slightly disgruntled and shooting glares at the girl's back. Ava smiled as she sipped her cappuccino. What was wrong with these girls? Geez. Beside me, Jules mirrored my sister, crossing her arms and sitting back. She normally didn't mind girls hitting on her brother. After a couple years in the high school, she'd gotten used to it and knew that Will wasn't interested in any of them. We'd all heard the story of Aunt Leah, Aunt Emily, and Uncle Sam from one or all of them sometime while we were growing up. All the kids of the pack had had crushes at some point but nobody acted on them. Will was friendly and flirted but he never acted on any of it, not willing to hurt anybody. The same with me. There had been several mutual likes between me and other females, but I couldn't do it. And after I'd phased, I was glad I hadn't.

Lunch was tense, so we all decided to split up. I knew that Piper wanted to be away from Will for now. She was irritated with him. Jules went with her brother as did Ava. I would walk with Piper to let her cool off a little even though I knew that I shouldn't leave Will alone. Either Henry or I had to be with him at all times, but I highly doubted he'd do anything to hurt his family, especially his sister. He'd pull the truck over and have a fit. Also, I knew that Henry's security group was probably in the woods, some of them following the truck in wolf form.

Piper was beside me, huffing in the cold drizzle of April.

I tucked my hands into my pockets. "Piper, you know that you can't keep fighting with him like that. Not right now, while his temper is volatile."

"I know," she said in a defeated voice.

"You could have seriously set him off in that shop, Piper."

"I said I know!" she snapped.

Looking over at her, I frowned. "What is wrong with you? Are you…jealous?"

"No," she said a little too quickly.

"I thought you got over that."

She hugged her arms around her torso. "What if I didn't? What does it matter?"

I sighed. "Piper-,"

"I know. I know. There's every chance he won't imprint on me. Besides, he sees me as his best friend's sister, his sister. Just like you see Jules." She looked up at me with a small smile. "I know you pretend to crush on her so other guys will stay away from her. I just help you play it up."

Before I dig my own grave, I laughed, brushing it off. "You caught me."

"I mean, we all know you used to crush on her. But I guess that's changed, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't look at her the way you used to, all starry-eyed. Now it's protective, like you look at me or Will."

Not meeting her eyes, I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They've both been in our lives since forever. We've all been like that." Now, I did look up at her. "And you changed the subject. Don't think I didn't notice that."

Sighing in defeat, she shook her head. "Look, I try to hide it, okay? I know better. You and Jules just know me too well. I don't even know if Will ever noticed."

"Oh, he noticed," I chuckled. "Definitely. Back when you didn't hide it that well."

"But I'm just a sister."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. As we walked, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Pipe. Everything will work out as it's meant to. I promise."

I knew better than to make promises I couldn't keep. But I do my best to see that my sister got everything she deserved.

JulesPOV

I kept flicking glances at my brother. So much so that he finally turned and snapped, "What?"

He was tense, knuckles bleeding through the gauze as he gripped the steering wheel too tight. I looked at Ava over my shoulder. She was sitting behind Will.

"Spit it out, Jules," he said angrily.

Crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows, I said, "Don't get grumpy with me, mister. What is it with you? Besides the fact that you're close to phasing."

"Nothing."

"Liar. Why are you so…defensive of the new girl? You don't even know her."

He sighed. "No, I don't. But Piper always judges outsiders so fast, like they're all evil if they weren't born here or the rez. Hunter has nobody else. She doesn't even know if ever had any siblings. She's all alone in a place that she doesn't know. She probably just saw us going into the woods. I'm the one she knows from the school. She probably just wanted to talk to me and followed us. It wouldn't kill Piper to be nice to someone, despite her thing for me. She knows why nothing can happen even if I were to return her feelings. Which I don't. I just see her as a sister, like you, Ava, and the others."

"What about the look that Piper saw on her face?"

"I'll repeat, curiosity. Anyone who knows about the pack wants to see us phase. It's like a bad car accident; you just have to stare. Can we please just drop it? I'm sure Brayden is telling Piper the same thing. She's making a bigger deal out of this than there really is. There's not a problem, okay? Honestly, I don't care about Hunter. I really want to focus on not killing someone, alright?"

Thinking about it that way, he really had a point. "Okay. Okay. I won't bring it up again and I'll talk to Piper, alright?"

He looked over at me, light brown eyes a shade darker because of the dark clouds moving in. "That's it? No "don't nag on my bestie"?

I gave him a look. "Just because Piper is one of my best friends doesn't mean I'll support her when she's wrong. I agree that something could be up, but really, you barely talked to the girl. And right now we have other things to worry about. Like Piper said, the girl knows about the pack. It's not like she walked in on the secret. We need to worry about you and making sure you phase before school starts up again."

"Why before school starts?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" Ava said, finally chiming in. "It's the start of summer and your phasing…phases. If you don't completely bust before school starts, how frayed are you going to be in those hallways? Especially if you see a guy hitting on Jules? A glare from Ash will be the least of his problems. If anything, we should be trying to piss you off so you can phase and work on controlling it."

He looked in the rearview mirror at her. "But Brayden was okay."

Ava shook her head. "One, Brayden first phased at Christmas break. He had two weeks of no interruptions to acclimate. Two, he's not the future alpha of the pack, Will. Whether you believe it or not, you carry a lot more power. Remember Uncle Jake's story? He nearly phased in the house with Grampa. If you ask me, the amount of anger is just an indication of how much power runs in your blood. You're the son of the alpha male and a half-vampire female. That's a lot of power. And to me, it would make sense that you would be easier to anger than the others even though anger isn't the only trigger."

"Then why is it for us?"

"Because you're dominant, teenage males. Think about it. Dominant guys generally aren't emotional unless it's anger or jealousy. Right now, you have nothing to be jealous about. That leaves anger. You don't get jealous about guys seriously hitting on Jules. You get protective and angry when she says no and they push. You and Piper are constantly bickering. Not exactly anger, but irritation can lead to anger."

"So what are you saying, Ava?" I asked, turning as far as the seatbelt allowed.

She leaned forward to rest her arms and chin on Will's seat. "I'm saying that even though we're family, we can still piss him off to the point where he might phase. Remember Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily? He loved her, imprinted on her, and still…hurt her. And he wasn't the rightful alpha. Uncle Jake had just enough control to get away from Grampa. That was control of the alpha, control that Uncle Sam didn't have. But that doesn't guarantee that you'll be granted the same circumstances, Will. And the point under all of that is, how badly do you want to phase? Uncle Caden forced Uncle Walker to shift by beating the crap out of him. Remember that story? It was the anger that made him shift. If you stay around us and always calm yourself down, you'll draw it out. And once you do phase, I can almost promise you it'll be painful. Well, more so than normal."

Will looked into the mirror again, this time in disbelief. "So you're saying I shouldn't try to beat it back? Just stay angry?"

"If you just want to phase and get it over with, yeah. Of course, Brayden and Henry or the others stay nearby so they can take you down if need be. It's entirely up to you and how miserable you want to be."

"You're a real motivational speaker," Will said sarcastically.

Ava put her hands up and sat back in the seat. "I just say things how I see them. No more, no less." She went to looking out the window while Will muttered under his breath.

But underneath his irritation, I could sense his fear. That fear that we all had that we would hurt someone we loved. I had two fears in my life. That was one of them. The other was that I would never phase at all just like my aunts. Somewhere deep, I knew that Maddox and Ash would phase. They were sons of the alpha. In the legends it was a given that every son, not just the first born, would phase. But not the daughters. Aunt Leah had been the first female. To this day, nobody knew why, or why other females followed.

Secretly, more than anything, I wanted to feel that anger course through me, or some other surge of feeling. I needed it. And every night I prayed to the spirits of my ancestors that it would happen.

JacobPOV

Piper and Brayden had gone home ten minutes before I heard the growl of my truck. They'd explained what had happened the night before and what Piper had seen. I could tell she was really worried, but at the same time, I was more concerned the swiftness of Will's anger than I was with a strange girl whom I'd never met and who admittedly knew about the pack.

When Will, Jules, and Ava came in, I sent the girls over to Piper so that I could have a heart to heart with my sons. Maddox and Ash were already at the table. All of the important conversations happened at this table for some reason. Ash moved a set down so that Will was to my left.

I decided to dive right in. "So, Bray and Piper stopped by."

His jaw clenched and he shook his head. "They can't just leave it alone, can they?"

"Will, they're worried about the pack. And honestly, it's a good reflex. The tribe, until I made the decision to bring the wolves into the light, always thought they were legends. The pack stayed separate, alright? But they're also worried about you. They, along with you, are the future of the pack. What do you expect? They want to protect their alpha."

"You're their alpha."

"Son, you can't hide behind me forever. None of you can. You, Jules, the twins," I motioned to them. "One day you're going to be calling the shots. Your mom and I will still be here. If all goes right, we'll be around a very long time like Bella and Edward. But I'll step down when the day comes that prove to me you're ready to take over. That means getting them to follow you. The pack will only follow you so far for being my son. That goes for your siblings, too." I looked around at the three of them. "All four of you will be seen as leaders, even if Will is the alpha in birthright. But you have to prove yourselves worthy. The pack is growing and it makes sense that there is more than one leader."

"It does makes sense," Ash said, shrugging. "It would help keep the tension between us to a minimum, no squabbling for 'the throne' so to speak. Equal power over the pack."

Will looked up. "That's what I've always had in mind. I never wanted the all the power to myself."

"'Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely'," Maddox said.

We all looked at him in surprise.

He shrugged. "What? I pay attention in class…most of the time."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Honestly, Dad, I don't know how you did it to begin with."

I sat back in my chair and took a drink from the long-neck in front of me. "Well, honestly, back then, there weren't that many of us. Sam, me, Seth, Leah, Jared, Embry, Paul, Quil. Not that many at all. I know I haven't really told you much about the pack before your mother came into the picture. I guess I could now."

"Yes, please!"

We turned to see Jules coming through the door. It surprised me that she was actually alone. She hung up her coat and messenger bag at the door before coming to sit beside Maddox, staring at all of us expectantly.

Nessie came downstairs from putting the kids' laundry in their rooms. "That was a rough time for your dad," she said as she sat down at the table, clearly having heard us.

"Tell us, Dad," Jules asked. Her braids were a frazzled mess around her face.

"Well, you know bits like your Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily. Her scars and the imprinting. Your mom wasn't even born yet. Hell, not even thought of. And I was still seventeen. Sam was the first of us to phase because the Cullens had come back from wherever they'd been. Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil. They all followed. I was the last until Harry Clearwater died. Leah and Seth joined us not long after that. The first female and the youngest of us. When I first phased, I was told about the legends and that I was the rightful Alpha. I was…resistant, to say the least. So I refused."

Will frowned. "You can do that?"

I looked at him and leaned over to him. "I wouldn't suggest it. Let me tell you, life has a way of putting you where you belong."

"What do you mean?"

"I was forced to break away from the pack. Bella, your grandmother, had married your grandfather when she was still human. When they came back from the honeymoon, they were very pregnant with your mother." I met Nessie's eyes. She smiled gently. "As half-vampire, she was growing way too fast, taking nutrients from Bella too fast. We didn't realize that she needed blood until it was almost too late. Sam had decided that Nessie was a threat because he didn't know what she would be capable of after birth. He tried to force me into helping kill her." I could see them throwing angry looks around. I sat forward. "Now, before you get all hot under the collar, you need to understand that there was another love triangle."

Jules was the first to catch that. "What? Who?"

Ness and I shared another smile at the epic reaction we were expecting. "Bella, Edward, and me."

"What?!" the four of them exploded.

Nessie laughed. "Remember that your grandmother was seventeen, same as Jake. I mean, they were a year or so apart. My parents met in high school. She came up from Arizona in her junior year. Your father thought he loved her, and fought for her. My mother loved him, too, but as a best friend. Then, she married my father and got pregnant with me. I was born in a matter of weeks. And after my birth, I grew very fast. At nine years of age, I was fully matured. Just remember that as your father rewinds a little."

I smiled at her. "So rewind back to Sam. He'd tried to use 'the voice' on me, but I decided to embrace my birthright, and broke away from them. I managed to warn the Cullens. Seth followed because he was Seth. He always liked Bella and didn't believe in harming humans. And of course, Leah followed her little brother. She'd already lost her father. She wasn't about to lose her brother. Luckily, it didn't come to a war. We would have lost. Nessie grew too big and…hurt your grandmother, fatally. I didn't imprint immediately because I was too concerned with Bella to care about the baby. In fact, I hated the baby for taking Bella's life, for being half of Edward." I took a deep breath and prayed my kids would understand. "After Bella's heart stopped, and after Edward had pumped his venom into her, I still wanted to the kill the baby." Jules gasped. I held up a hand. All four of them were sitting forward, hanging on my words. "I got so close. And then that baby girl looked up at me. I was done for." I snapped my fingers. "Just like that, I'd imprinted. All ties that I'd thought I had to Bella vanished. I no longer felt a pull to her. I still cared for her…but as a friend. Once I imprinted, Sam couldn't touch your mother. It's our most sacred law. And Bella was to be born into the Cullen clan, a vegetarian. It all worked out."

Nessie leaned forward, her hair falling over her shoulders. "Your father had to wait nine years for me to grow and mature. It was a long brutal road when our story really began. We'll spare you the details of the Volturi and Tristan, but a couple or so years after we actually got together," she looked to Will, "you came into the picture. Not long after came Jules. And then Maddox and Ash."

They were quiet for a long time.

"That's so…romantic!" Jules burst out.

Ness and I laughed as her brothers gave her looks.

"What?" she asked. "It is. Like something in a movie or book. So, did you and Grampa hate each other?"

I leaned forward. "Immensely."

"But you still stood by him to protect Mom and Grama?"

"I did. I blamed him for everything that was happening but it was the pull of your mother that kept me close. You see, I think that the universe made me believe I loved Bella so that I'd stay close since she was to be the mother of my imprint. And while she was pregnant, I was rarely away from her, because your mom was so close."

My daughter sighed dreamily.

The boys all rolled their eyes.

I winked at Jules but said, "Just you boys wait until you imprint. You'll understand. Everything will fall into place, and you'll wonder how you ever missed it."

Jules was far from done with her questions. "How did Grampa feel when he realized you'd imprinted? He could read your mind, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah he could. Your grandmother was still out from the transformation. But when she woke up and found out…man, he was ready to let her kill me for his amusement. And she would have. I managed to get her to realize she no longer felt the same pull toward me that she'd had before she was pregnant and while she was pregnant. It was all because of Nessie."

"Oh and she hated that nickname," Ness reminisced.

I chuckled. "That's right. She nearly ripped my head off. 'You nicknamed my baby after the Loch Ness Monster'," I imitated. "I remember that. I had to call you Renesmee for a long time until even Edward started calling you Nessie. Then she gave up."

She winced. "It's weird to hear it now. Nobody calls me that anymore. Except for when you're yelling at me or trying to be stern with me. I'm either Mrs. Black or Ness or Nessie. Or hell, Aunt Nessie."

"And Mom," Maddox added. "Now, you'll always be Mom."

She smiled at him warmly. "And Mom. I used to be mommy or momma."

"Hey," Jules said. "I still say momma."

Nessie nodded at her. "That's true. You do."

Jules puffed up with pride.

"Suck up," Will muttered.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're still the momma's boy," Ash fired at Will.

"And you're the baby."

"Hey, what am I?" Maddox asked while Ash rolled his eyes at Will.

"Dad's twin," Ash, Will, and Jules all answered.

Maddox and I shared a look and a frown.

I looked at Nessie, who was grinning and nodding. "What are you talking about?"

Ash leaned around Will to pat my shoulder. "Out of the four of us, Dox looks the most like you. Though he and I are actual twins, his build is heavier and his eyes are the same color as yours. You two look exactly alike."

"It's true." Ness said. "I remember thinking the same thing a few times here lately."

Will and Jules nodded.

Will put his hands on the table and Ness saw the bloodied gauze. "Sweetie, why don't we change the dressing on your hands?"

A moment later, my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Jacob," a woman whispered.

I took the phone from my ear to look at the caller ID. Cricket. "Cricket, is that you?"

"Jacob," now it sounded like she was crying. "I'm so sorry, Jacob."

Her tone made a flutter of panic skitter down my spine. "Sorry? What are you sorry about, Cricket?"

My family stopped what they were doing to turn to me. I'd stood up without realizing it.

I met Nessie's worried eyes as she said her next words. "It's Billy. Jacob, I'm so sorry."

The panic slithered from my spine to my gut and flew to my heart. "How long? When?" My voice was rough with emotion, eyes stinging with the realization of what she had called to tell me, of what she had seen in her visions.

She had to clear her throat a couple times. "A few months. The end of July." I was about to drop the phone when she said, "There's more."

Oh God, what could be worse?

"He knows, Jacob. He's known for a while."

And then I did drop the phone. It clattered onto the table as I fell to my knees.

"Jacob!" Nessie yelled as she darted for me.

"Dad!"

Nessie's arms were the ones that caught me as I fell over into the dark abyss that had been inching over my consciousness since the panic began.

A Couple Days Later…

JPOV

After I got my shit together, I went down to the rez. I was angry and hurt, but I forced myself into calm before knocking on Billy's door. I had refused to get emotional in front of Nessie and the kids. I didn't even tell them what was happening. After I'd ordered them not to push me, that I would tell them when I was good and ready, they'd backed off. Nessie and Jules had had tears in their eyes because I'd never used that tone with them before. The boys had looked cautious but understanding.

He opened it a moment later and smiled. But he really didn't look well. His breathing was ragged, skin sallow, eyes tired. It wasn't just the tired of sleeplessness but a weariness of life, of the weight of so many daunting years. "Hey, Jake. You know you don't have to knock."

I didn't smile. I couldn't. "I think we need to talk." I raised an eyebrow.

After he understood the meaning, he nodded. "Cricket?"

"Cricket."

He sighed. "Might as well."

Following him in, I tried to swallow the anger. "'Might as well'? So you never planned on telling me? Rachel and Rebecca don't know either, do they?"

Glaring at me over his shoulder, he rolled the wheelchair into the kitchen. "Of course not."

"How long have you known? And don't lie to me, old man."

"That's just it, Jacob. I'm old. My life is ending. That's just how it is."

Slamming a fist into the wood of the doorjamb, I demanded, "How. Long. Have. You. Known?"

My father stared at me through heavy eyes. "A couple months. I had an episode and Charlie took me to a doctor other than Carlisle, so none of the Cullens would know. Other than a heart transplant, there's nothing they can do."

My breathing was ragged from the rage coursing through me. I gritted my teeth. "Charlie knew about this?"

"Yes."

Deciding I'd deal with him myself, I said, "So get the transplant. I'm sure Carlisle can take care of it."

He nodded and went for a cardboard box. It was then that I realized there were several that were packed up. Some had my name on them, other had my sisters' names. He was tying up his affairs.

"I'm sure he could, too. But really, Jacob, let the heart he would use go to someone who truly needs it, someone who hasn't gotten to live their life."

"Dad-,"

He held up a hand. "I've lived mine, Jacob. I have three beautiful children who have given me wonderful, amazing grandchildren. I've gotten to see them grow into young adults. What else could an old man ask for other than to see his long dead wife again? I miss your mother. And it's time for me to go. You have to let me go, Jake."

Tears pooling in my eyes, I fell to my knees next to his chair. He wrapped me in his arms for the first time in years. "Take care of your sisters. And my grandbabies. You hear me?"

I nodded into his shoulder. And I cried.

Later That Afternoon…

JPOV

Charlie answered the door on the first knock. Billy must have called to warn him I might be on the warpath. He nodded and opened the door wider. "Jacob."

"Charlie." I hadn't even bothered to scrub my face. Fuck it. My father was willing to die for someone else to live. I could be caught crying over it.

We stood in the foyer, facing each other. Sue was standing the doorway to the living room.

Charlie put his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure you have a few choice words for me?"

I swallowed hard. "All I want to know is why you didn't tell me, or Becca, or Rachel. Why, Charlie?"

His eyes were like glass, shiny. "He didn't want any of you to know that he knew ahead of time. And I was willing to keep the secret to my own grave. Hell, I'm getting close, too, Jake. Bella will be burying me soon."

"Why didn't he want us to know?"

"Jacob, son, you and your sisters have families. He didn't want to put that burden on you. If I'd remembered about Cricket, I would have called her and told her not to say anything." He put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm losing my best friend, Jake. I've known Billy since before you and your sisters were born."

And then he pulled me into a tight hug.

"He's ready, Jake," he whispered. "And he's so proud of the man you've become."

I gripped him tight and choked out, "I won't tell Rachel or Becca. They'll try to convince him. They won't let him go."

He stood back and put his hands on either side of my neck. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"You'll have to hide your emotions, Jake."

Taking a deep breath through my nose, I said, "I can do it, Charlie. Not that I want to, but I can."

"Have you told Ness and the kids?"

I shook my head. "No, but they know something's up. I'm going to have to. Or at least tell Ness. She'll help me keep my mask on."

"She's a good woman, my granddaughter."

"She is. I guess I need to go tell her."

"You do that, son. If you need anything at all, let me know."

I hugged him briefly. "Thanks, Charlie. Take care of him, will ya? I got a feeling he'll want me to act normal and only come by every now and then like usual."

He nodded, choking up himself. "Yeah. I will."

With that, I knew that Charlie would keep his promise. So I went home.

When I walked through the door, I could hear the kids yelling upstairs. Apparently, they were playing video games unaware that in a few months, their lives were going to change. Their first family death. I hung up the leather jacket Ness had gotten me so many Christmases ago. Back then, it had always seemed like Billy would be around forever, even though Ness and I had had conversations about what our future would hold.

"Jacob?"

I turned to see her standing at the top of the stairs that led down to our bedroom. Even after all these years, she was still beautiful, still made my heart leap and my gut clench. Taking a few easy strides, my legs eating up the space between us, I pulled her up into my arms. She hugged me back, just holding me. Nothing in her touch was a demand. She knew something was wrong, but wasn't going to try to force it from me. I buried my face in her hair and breathed in her familiar scent. The scent of home, of my safety.

There wasn't ever a way to really tell her how much she protected me, how she sheltered me when I needed a moment to be emotional, to let my guard down.

RPOV

After a long moment, Jacob pulled back and put me on my feet once more. I studied him before taking his hand. "Come on. Let's get you taken care of. The kids will be at it for a while."

"Once I'm down there, I don't want to come back up for a while. I don't want them to see me like this."

I nodded. "I'll tell them it's get your own for dinner tonight."

Pulling him behind me, I got him down the stairs and closed the door. I'd just gotten the fire going before he walked in. Gently, I walked him to the bed and started undressing him. He seemed distant, eyes focused on something not in this room. I turned away just long enough to pull the covers down on the bed.

"He's dying."

That shocked me into turning around. "What? Who?"

"Billy," he whispered. "That's what Cricket called to tell me. Only a few months left."

Gasping, I put a hand to my mouth, tears racing to the surface and down my cheeks. "What happened?"

He shook his head slowly. "Something about his heart. And he refused to even be put on the transplant list. Or for Carlisle to try something."

Shaking out of my shock for just a second, I crawled into the bed, over the covers and still dressed. I'd need to go check on the kids and field their questions while Jacob slept and recovered. I pulled him down onto the bed and covered him with the sheet. When I pulled him against me, I realized he was shaking, so I tugged the comforter up to his waist as well. Resting my back against the headboard, I maneuvered until his head was in my lap. He curled against me, arms wrapping around my waist.

For a long time, we were quiet. I stroked his hair and neck gently. Still crying, I thought of Billy. He'd always been in my life. Every holiday, birthday, even the births of my and Jacob's children. I considered him as much my father as my own biological father. And now it was time to lose him to something such as illness. I'd always figured that everyone I loved who chose mortality would live healthy until they passed peacefully in their sleep, not knowing when it would happen. Billy knew. He knew his life was ending in only a few short months. Would he still go in his sleep? That was my one hope for him, that he wouldn't suffer. There wasn't going to be talking him into the list. I knew that. He was where Jacob got his stubbornness from. I also knew that Billy missed his wife and was convinced he'd see her again on the other side. That was his spiritual belief, and he was ready to take that step. But saying a final goodbye to him would crush me and destroy Jacob.

"He's dying," Jacob whispered again. "My dad's dying, Ness. And I can't save him."

Jacob gripped me tight and wept his sorrow onto my skin and into my soul.

This chapter pretty much destroyed me. Well, then end of it. I can't even...not right now. Please let me know what you think?! I love y'all! xoxoxoxo