A/N: I think this may be my longest lag yet between chapters, so I apologize for being such a slow-moving spud. My only defense is that while SSW has been creeping along, the rest of my life has been humming at warp speed. Thanks for your patience and for sticking with the story. Hopefully, the lag hasn't been so long that you all have to go back and reread the last chapter to know what's going on in this one.

Thanks as always to Evelyn-Shaye and MunkeeRajah. I love them more than the '80s station preset button on my satellite radio!

It all still belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just sneaking chocolates from her box of stale Valentine's candy.

Chapter 32- Look Back in Anger

Leah POV

Six months.

I read the words repeatedly as Carlisle folded the tape measure he'd just stretched over my stomach and slipped it back into his medical bag. He'd just finished examining me, trying to pin down the baby's growth rate and when my pregnancy might reach full term. It had been only a day since we'd confirmed I was pregnant, so I had no idea how he could tell anything just by comparing today's measurements with the ones he'd taken in his office yesterday, but I had to trust that he knew what he was doing. And that his pronouncement was more than an educated guess.

Six months.

Faster than a human pregnancy—by a lot—yet still slower than a human-vampire hybrid one, and by a much wider margin. I wasn't sure if Carlisle had just given me a new lease on life … or a six-month death sentence.

I paused, pen poised over the notepad in my lap, and weighed my response.

We were back to using that damned notepad for communication because there was no real privacy when you were traveling with a horde of supernatural beings. And now, with everyone waiting around to hear what—if anything—the Volturi might do to help us, everyone had too much time on their hands. Only Bella, Edward and Jasper were occupied; they were scouting the area around the barn, looking for clues and any signs of a trail we could follow. Quil and Paul were babysitting Anjali while the rest of the pack guarded a wide perimeter around the barn. No one was sure what to do about the bodies, so we'd decided not to do anything at all until we could connect with the Volturi. Jasper thought their tracker, Demetri, might see evidence that we'd missed.

Carlisle hadn't reached Aro directly with his first phone call. Instead, he'd spent thirty frustrating minutes on the phone with a series of underlings, all of whom hemmed and hawed, until the last one he spoke to finally agreed to relay a message. He'd ended the call with nothing more to show for it than a half-assed promise that someone would call him back in a few hours.

With some time to kill, he'd insisted on examining me under the guise of checking my back injury. To give us some semblance of privacy, and to create a temporary camp where pack members could rest in human form, he'd had Emmett and Rosalie set up a few small tents about a half mile south of the death barn.

It constantly amazed me how considerate the Cullens were of the humans they associated with. I'd barely thought to pack a change of clothes, some protein bars and a bottle of water in Seth's old backpack. Carlisle and his family had carried tents, blankets, sleeping bags and a lot of food—even though they needed none of it for themselves. What did it say about how good a mother I was likely to be when the living dead were more thoughtful than I?

Carlisle finished repacking his bag and waited, crouched quietly and gracefully in the low tent, while I scribbled a reply on our notepad.

Six months? Is that good? Or bad?

He read my note upside-down and responded before I'd finished writing.

"I'm optimistic," he murmured, a slight smile curling the corners of his mouth as he took the pen and pad from my hands again.

I'll be more confident after we've done a full ultrasound, but these early signs and the slower growth rate would seem to indicate a more human pregnancy.

I felt a little better at that. But he still hadn't answered my burning question—the one that mattered most in the end.

So does that mean I'm in the clear for a 'normal' birth?

Carlisle shook his head and my heart plummeted. It felt like the damn thing passed my perpetually upward-moving stomach on its way to my toes.

We can't assume anything. It might be wise to think about a planned caesarian when your due date approaches. Acting pre-emptively could minimize the risk of a traumatic delivery.

Traumatic delivery. I had to hand it to Carlisle; he knew how to soft-pedal a pretty horrific possibility with words that made it sound—almost—not so bad. But with memories of Nahuel's reaction to the dead women in that barn still bleeding in my brain, the reality of my situation wouldn't be glossed over so easily.

I was pregnant with the world's first vampire-human-werewolf hybrid. I was on a mission to hunt down and kill the baby's grandfather. While rescuing my friends. And keeping the knowledge of my pregnancy from everyone, but most especially from the baby's father. Oh yeah, and when I'd solved all my other problems, I still had to figure out a way to convince my imprint that I wasn't going to die and that he should forgive me for lying to him.

The improbable we do at once, the wolf bitch encouraged. The impossible ….

I blew hair out of my eyes and scribbled a reply.

Let's burn that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'm healthy and the baby's healthy, right?

Carlisle nodded. "Yes," he agreed in a normal tone. "That appears to be the case."

"Still no phasing, though, right?"

"It seems best to continue that precaution," he agreed. He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something else. Instead, he reached for the pen and pad.

In light of recent events, perhaps you might reconsider your decision to keep this news between the two of us. The longer this secrecy continues, the more complicated ending it will become.

A spark of ire dropped onto the dry tinder of my impatience. I forced myself to take a mental step back from the pyre, reminding myself that Carlisle was only trying to help. He must feel very strongly to suggest—yet again—that I come clean with Nahuel about my pregnancy. I didn't even need to dig very deep into my conscience to know that he was right. I'd already complicated the hell out of things by lying to Nahuel, but I sure wasn't going to admit that to Carlisle. It wouldn't do either of us any good at this point.

Not yet, doc. I need a few more days of good news like this before I can tell him

He nodded reluctantly, concern drawing his perfect brows into a very human-like frown.

Please trust me. And give me a break and don't bring this up again. I'm working on it. Really.

Carlisle tipped his golden head with a slight regretful shake. "Very well," he murmured, disapproval plain in his low voice.

It was as close as he would probably ever come to outright telling me I was full of bullshit. I ripped the page off the notepad, tore it into tiny pieces and shoved the mess into the bottom of my backpack.

Without further comment, Carlisle rose agilely, opened the tent flap and stepped outside. I scrambled clumsily after him on my hands and knees, gaining my feet once I was free of the tent opening.

Several yards away from our impromptu camp, Seth and Nahuel sat side by side on a fallen tree, their backs to the tents. My brother slumped forward, his head bowed in his hands. Nahuel's left hand clasped Seth's right shoulder, and his scarred forearm rested on my brother's broad back in a subtle, comforting half-embrace. Nahuel was saying something, his voice pitched low so that it wouldn't carry beyond Seth's ears.

Clearly, they were sharing a moment of some kind, and I hesitated to interrupt it.

I wanted desperately to be able to comfort them both, but I felt at a total loss as to how to do that. What words of encouragement could I offer them that wouldn't ring false? They both still loved Anjali, while I'd written her off days ago. As far as I was concerned, the only reason the bitch was still breathing was that killing her would violate the law against harming another wolf's imprint. I was pretty sure Paul felt the same way, so I was really glad Seth had assigned him babysitting duties.

While I debated whether to approach them, Seth lifted his head from his hands and nodded toward Nahuel before rising to his feet. I could see him pulling himself together as he rose, forcing his pain and defeat away. Nahuel remained seated, gazing absently into the forest as Seth approached Carlisle and me.

"Everything okay?"

My brother's eyes were on me as he spoke, but his question was clearly meant for Carlisle. The last thing he needed was one more thing to worry about, so I spoke up before my vampire doctor responded with anything less than a cheery reply.

"Great!" I chirped.

My overly upbeat tone prompted Seth to cock a skeptical eyebrow in my direction. "Really?" He turned his questioning gaze to Carlisle. "What about phasing?"

"Leah's health appears to be good, but I do feel her condition still merits some extra caution." Carlisle circled the truth smoothly and convincingly, never batting a single perfect eyelash at the hidden outrageousness of his statement. "I recommend she continue to avoid phasing if at all possible."

Seth sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Well, that complicates things a bit, but we'll deal. Carlisle, I think we should check in again with Esme and Alice. See if your phone call to Italy turned up anything that Alice can see."

"Agreed," Carlisle said. "Let's gather Edward and Jasper as well, to see if they have anything new to add."

Seth and Carlisle headed back in the direction of the barn, and since I wasn't needed—and the last place I wanted to go was back to that god-awful barn—I moved to the log where my imprint sat and took over the spot Seth had occupied beside him. He reached for my hand and turned toward me.

"Are you well?" Concern shaded his lustrous voice. "What did Carlisle say?"

"He said my health is good." I wanted to give him as much truth as I could, and this was exactly what Carlisle had said, albeit I was being intentionally fuzzy about the context. "But still no phasing, just to be on the safe side."

He nodded, distracted, his teak eyes wandering away from mine. I drew a fortifying breath.

"Baby, do you want to talk? It might make you feel better."

His full lips tugged upward in a half-hearted smile. Tipping his head to the side, he studied me from the corner of his eyes.

"Where should I begin? So many topics are of interest to us today."

I loved his attempt at humor, but didn't particularly appreciate his sarcasm. Still, considering the sheer preponderance of crap he was dealing with, I couldn't really be annoyed with him.

"Why don't you tell me how you're feeling about your sister right now?" I chose my words to remind myself—as much as him—just who Anjali was to Nahuel. I needed to be careful; I couldn't let my hatred for her hurt my imprint.

For a moment, he said nothing, and I feared I was watching the first layer of that fucking wall going back up. So I was startled when he turned fully to face me and pulled me into his arms. At first, I thought he'd only intended to hug me, but he pulled me onto his lap. I'm not a lap-sitting type of woman, but when he laid his head against my chest, listening to my heart, I couldn't put up a fuss. He was asking me, without words, for comfort.

"I am very angry," he murmured. "I do not understand why she would keep secrets from her mate and her family. "

Guilt strangled me, forcing the half-breath of air I'd been holding forcefully from my lungs. My heart began to slam, and of course, with his cheek pressed against my breast bone, he heard it. He lifted his head to look at me questioningly.

"Is something wrong?" Worry weathered his golden eyes. "Have I upset you in some way?"

Here was the downside of the two-way nature of a wolf-hybrid imprinting bond. Just as I was zeroed in on his emotions, he was attuned to mine. A month ago, I might have been able to tell him nothing was wrong, or make up a cockamamie story that he'd have swallowed without question. That time was long passed, and I needed to give him at least a little of the truth.

"I just feel guilty," I said, lowering my eyes to our joined hands. "I feel like a hypocrite, judging Anjali for keeping secrets from her imprint, when I did the same thing not that long ago."

What the fuck are you doing? The wolf bitch shrieked in my head. Do you want to get caught? Change the subject!

I held my breath, waiting to see if he bought it. He did.

"The situations are very different," he objected, shaking his head before returning to his resting place against my chest. "Your deception was to protect yourself from what you perceived to be an emotional threat, and it harmed no one but the two of us. Anjali had no reason to fear telling Seth the truth, and her lies have risked everyone he loves. She had no one to protect but our sire, and he deserves no loyalty from either of us."

Was that it? I'd automatically assumed she didn't tell us about Remy because she was protecting her father, helping him. But was that really her motivation? It didn't make sense the more I thought about it. I hadn't seen her direct even a hint of affection toward her father. It was hard to believe she cared about him more than she did Seth. Yet Nahuel was right that her silence made no sense unless she was protecting someone. So if she hadn't been shielding Joham, who was she protecting? I couldn't shake the creeping dread that, once again, I was missing something important.

He shook his head again, turning his face further into my chest. "I do not understand what could possibly induce her to hurt Seth for any reason," he sighed.

I had no answers for him, and our brief conversation had only raised more questions for me. My mind wandered for a while, moving back and forth between my fight with the mind-molesting vamp in the barn a few days ago, and the more recent confrontation with Anjali.

"I am also annoyed with you." I was startled by the abruptness of his declaration and the irked tone in which he delivered it. My heart started to slam again. Did he suspect?

"Oh? And why is that?"

He pushed back and looked me in the eye. "You suspected Anjali was dishonest, yet you said nothing to me of your thoughts."

Of all the reasons I knew that he had to be angry with me—ones he knew about and the others that he wasn't aware of—I hadn't thought of this one. I could only hope he attributed the weakness in my voice to remorse, rather than bone-melting relief that he was angry over past misbehavior instead of anything I was—or wasn't—saying right now.

"How could I say anything, Nahuel? I had no evidence. I didn't want to hurt you and Seth by accusing her without proof. What if I'd been wrong?"

I thought my defense was pretty good, but he wasn't giving ground.

"That reasoning can justify your silence to Seth, but it does not excuse you for withholding your thoughts from me."

He was trying to sound stern and disapproving, but I could see the undercurrent of hurt he was trying to hide. Tension tightened the line of his jaw, and I fought the urge to lean over and lick the rigidity away.

"I am yours and you are mine. Have I not yet proven myself to you? Do you still have reason to doubt that there is nothing you cannot tell me?"

Guilt had been slowly dripping on me, thumping away at my sanity like the maddening kerplunk of a leaky faucet that you just can't get fixed. His gentle reproof and wounded expression turned the drip into a torrent, and suddenly I was floundering. Horrified, I felt the burn of tears prick behind my eyes. I couldn't let him see those treacherous tears; he'd realize something major was up with me or, worse, he'd assume he'd done something horribly wrong to make me cry.

I leaped off his lap and turned my back, as if I intended to walk away from him. Yeah, like that would ever happen. But he seemed to think I might do just that, because he was on his feet instantly, his big, warm hand closing gently around my elbow. Before he could speak, I jerked my arm from his hand and tapped the well of rage I was carrying for Anjali so that I could get just the right amount of anger into my voice.

"Come on, Nahuel. Every couple has some secrets from each other." I knew I was playing a dangerous game, but I had to turn this argument away from my secrets, because I was on the verge of blurting out the biggest one. And I was certain to my marrow that he wasn't ready yet to handle it. "You can't tell me you've been honest and open with me about everything in your past."

He growled behind me, grabbed my arm again and spun me around to face him. Even though he'd said before that he was angry with me, he hadn't been—not really. Now, he definitely was. Of course he'd respond to my feigned ire with real anger and allow it to feed his insecurities. His normally warm, teak eyes were cold and hard, his full lips twisted back from his gleaming teeth.

"Ask me anything about the century and a half I wasted before I met you," he snarled. "There is nothing I will not tell you, no matter how detestable. Do you want to know if I fed on innocents? I murdered many, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Do you want to know if I copulated with every female vampire I encountered? I did, without even knowing why I felt compelled to do so."

He dropped my arm and retreated a step, and I knew I'd pushed him too far when I watched the anger on his angel's face morph into self-loathing. Even now, revulsion at his vampire nature could overwhelm him so easily. Anjali's betrayal already had him reeling, and now my diversionary tactic had just reminded him that deep down he believed he was no better than her.

"Do you wish me to say that I am aware I am not fit to be around decent beings? That I am not worthy of your love, no matter what you say? I admit all those things!"

I launched myself into his arms, hitting him so hard he staggered back another step. His heel caught on the log we'd been sitting on, and we flopped backward over it, crashing to the ground with me on top of him. The air left his lungs in a whoosh and before he could reclaim it, I cradled his face in my hands and covered him with wet kisses.

"I'm sorry, baby," I babbled. "You're right. I should have told you. I'm so sorry. Please don't do this to yourself. I love you! I'm such a bitch—"

He rolled me to my back and covered my body with his, his mouth instantly on mine. Our combined body heat quickly melted the snow beneath us, soaking my back from shoulders to thighs. I didn't care at all. The only thing that mattered was that in trying to protect him—and myself, if I was being honest—I'd hurt him again, when he was already in pain because of his sister's duplicity. If it would make him feel better, I'd let him take me right here in the snow and cold.

Nahuel rarely did exactly what I expected, however, and just as he'd reined in his passion all those weeks ago in the laundry room of my mother's house, he tamped it down now. He remained sprawled on top of me, pressing me down into the frosted ground, but he disengaged from my mouth and raised his head to peer down at me. I was actually relieved to see a hint of annoyance had returned to his eyes. Angry beat hurt any day.

"You will be the death of me, Leah," he murmured, sliding his arms under my shoulders to lift my head and upper back off the wet ground. "I do not wish to argue with you, or distract you from our differences with physical intimacy. I only wish to know you trust me."

He flayed my heart again. "How can you even ask that?"

I'd welcomed him into my home, let him befriend my fragile human mother, and fucked him mindless more times than I could count. He was the reason I drew breath.

"Of course I trust you!"

"Then please begin behaving as if you do, and stop withholding your thoughts from me," he countered, not giving ground. "If you had told me of your suspicions, we might have been able to make all of this a bit easier on Seth."

Abruptly, he climbed off me and pulled me smoothly to my feet. His warm hands brushed briskly over my back, flicking away clumps of snow, dirt and twigs.

"I love you, and there is nothing I will not tell you. Please give me the same consideration. "

Part of me wanted to put him to the test and ask him to explain what he'd said earlier—when he'd been having his mini-meltdown after seeing the bodies in the barn—about fantasies and thoughts he was ashamed of. But he'd been through enough today, and honestly, nothing he could have said would make me think ill of him or love him less. Hell, it didn't even really matter to me that he'd just point-blank admitted to being a murderer and the vampire equivalent of a man whore. In my gut, I knew that had been a different lifetime, and a different Nahuel. That creature was gone, and in his place was a man who strived every day to be better than his past. How could I not love him for that?

"I love you too, Nahuel," I said, as meekly as I could manage. "I'll try to do better. Just please be patient with me. Can you do that?"

He laughed, and even standing there with a wet ass, the sound of his low, sultry chuckle sent tingles down my spine and heat pooling in my crotch. Then he rolled his eyes—actually rolled those damned exotic, intoxicating eyes—and muttered in mock annoyance: "A hundred and fifty years of waiting for her and she questions my ability to be patient!"

The sound of footsteps approaching quickly through the forest interrupted our banter. Carlisle, Jasper and Seth appeared between the tents dotted among the trees. When they reached us, Seth phased to human form and yanked on his shorts.

"Aro called," Carlisle said without preamble.

My heart stuttered painfully. Nahuel must have heard it, because he slipped an arm around my shoulders and peered at me worriedly.

"What did he say?" I wasn't sure which would be worse—to hear that the Volturi had told Carlisle to go fuck himself, or that they were on their way.

"He's sending a contingent of the guard to help us."

"He's not coming himself?" Relief was skirting the edges of my awareness. I hadn't allowed myself to really think about the possibility that the creepy, mind-reading leader of the Volturi would show up—or that my secret would have been out the moment he shook Carlisle's hand in greeting.

Carlisle seemed surprised by the question. "No, that was never a probability."

"Just as well," Jasper interjected. "He'd 'a been more hindrance than help."

Seth shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't know. He could have read Anjali's mind and discovered if there's anything else she's not telling us."

As soon as the observation was out of his mouth the misery he'd been holding inside leaked onto his face. He half-turned away and cast his wet eyes to the ground. Wordlessly, Nahuel reached across the arm's length between them, and gently clasped Seth's shoulder. He gave it a slight shake before releasing Seth.

"Remember what we discussed," he murmured. "You have all of eternity."

What was that supposed to mean? I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to violate my brother's privacy any more than it already had been today. Instead, I turned back to Carlisle and Jasper.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "When will they get here?"

"We're going to split up," Jasper answered. "Carlisle and Rosalie will meet the Volturi contingent in Anchorage and lead them here. The rest of us will continue north, looking for Jacob and Renesmee. We'll have to rely on Anjali to help track them, at least until Demetri arrives."

So the Volturi were sending their tracker. I had no trouble remembering the slight, almost effeminate vampire from our confrontation with the Volturi six years ago. Back then, the thought that he could find anyone, anywhere, had scared the crap out of me. Now, I couldn't wait for him to get here, because I actually trusted his loyalty to the Volturi more than Anjali's toward us. Of course, I didn't verbalize that thought.

"How long before we can meet up with them?"

"That's the interesting thing," Carlisle said. It was physically impossible for his marble-smooth brow to furrow, but somehow he still managed to convey the effect of a frown. "They were already on their way. They'll arrive in Anchorage early tomorrow morning. Aro didn't elaborate, but it seems the Volturi were already preparing for a confrontation with Joham."

"Who have they sent, besides Demetri?" Nahuel asked.

"I don't know," Carlisle replied, shaking his head. "We'll just have to wait and see. Rose and I are leaving right away. I suggest that the pack rest for the night and resume the search first thing in the morning. We'll keep in touch via satellite phone and rejoin you as soon as possible."

It was Seth's call whether to stay the night in one spot or press on. But no one had yet answered a question that had been burning in my mind since we discovered the contents of that fucking barn earlier today.

"What about the bodies? Are we just going to leave them there?"

Carlisle and Seth both dropped their eyes, almost seeming guilty. It was Jasper who answered.

"There really isn't any other option," he said, watching Nahuel and me closely. Maybe he was afraid one—or both—of us would have another emotional break over his pronouncement. "The Volturi need to see what Joham has done, and Demetri might find more evidence there than we've been able to. Once he's been through the barn, we'll burn it to the ground."

"But those people … surely they had families. Someone must be searching for them," Nahuel objected, his voice taut with dismay. "Are they never to know what has become of their loved ones?"

"Even if we could identify them and find their families, what would we say?" Jasper challenged gently. "How could we tell them their loved ones were victims of a vampire madman? We can't."

I wasn't thrilled with the idea of leaving those bodies in the barn, either, but …

"He's right, Nahuel," I murmured, slipping my arm around his waist and giving him a comforting squeeze. I wanted to tell him I was moved by his show of humanity, by the fact that he thought of the victims' families. But now was not the time.

"Carlisle, if you go to meet the Volturi, who will care for Leah?" Nahuel asked, diverting my attention from the issue of the barn. "And what if Jacob and Renesmee are injured when we find them?"

"I'm leaving my medical supplies with Edward," Carlisle replied. "I'll rejoin the group as quickly as possible, but Edward has several medical degrees. He will be more than capable of caring for Jacob and Renesmee, although he may not have as much faith in his own abilities as I do."

His golden eyes flickered to me. "Leah, you can trust Edward to help you, as well."

I forced myself not to stiffen at Carlisle's hidden message. I'd been trying my damnedest not to think about my pregnancy when Edward was around, so that he had no opportunity to pluck the information from my brain. Now, Carlisle was suggesting I confide in him. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that, but I certainly wasn't about to debate the matter in front of an audience.

"I'll think about it," I muttered, drawing a quizzical look from Nahuel.

Carlisle's eyes clearly said he doubted I'd seriously consider his suggestion. The corner of his mouth quirked down, but he said nothing more on the matter.

"Very well, then. I'll go collect Rose and we'll head out." He turned to Jasper, clapping his adopted son on the back. "I'll check in with you when we reach Anchorage. Good luck."

Carlisle slipped quickly through the trees, disappearing out of sight in the direction of the barn. Jasper watched him go, then turned back to our troubled trio.

"You should all get some rest," he urged. "You've been through a lot today, and we need everyone in peak form tomorrow. Seth, I'll sit with Anjali if you want to catch some shut-eye."

Seth winced at the mention of his imprint's name. "Thanks, Jazz, but she and I need to start talking to each other. The sooner we talk, the sooner we … she … can get better. I'll stay with her tonight."

Get better? What the fuck was he talking about? He sounded like he thought she had the flu instead of a terminal case of the evil crazies. I opened my mouth to call him on it, but Nahuel pressed me gently into his side. I glanced up at him.

"Later," he murmured. "You require sleep."

I knew he was right, but I was so keyed up over the day's events that I doubted I'd be able to sleep any time soon. Jasper and Seth left the clearing together and moments later, Beau and Embry slunk into the camp in wolf form. They both phased shamelessly in front of us.

"Seth told us to grab some shut-eye," Embry explained as Beau crawled into one of the tents. "Quil and Paul are running patrol."

I nodded but said nothing as Embry made his way into a second tent. Within seconds, their loud snores filled the cold twilight air. This was probably as much privacy as we were going to get for a long while.

"Nahuel, what was that about with Seth?" I asked quietly, as he led me back toward the tent where Carlisle had examined me earlier. "What did you mean … 'all of eternity'?"

He paused with his hand on the tent flap. He was obviously debating with himself whether to answer me or refuse to explain. I thought he would tell me his conversation with Seth had been private, but he surprised me again, speaking with a directness I hadn't expected.

"Ñi piuque, I am aware that you do not approve of my sister," he began, pausing when he saw my frown. "Please hear me out. Regardless of your opinion of her, she is Seth's imprint. You may choose to remain angry with her forever, but Seth does not have that luxury. He is bound to her for the rest of his life, and he will be miserable if he cannot find a way to forgive her and rebuild his trust in her."

My stomach cramped painfully at the reminder that my baby brother was bound body and soul to a viper. At the same time, I felt a surge of pride and awe that my vamp-boy could be so perceptive, that he'd come to understand the imprinting bond so well. And on the heels of that thought came gratitude and guilt that Nahuel would never put me through the kind of agony Seth was enduring right now because of his imprint.

"While Carlisle examined you, Seth and I discussed this," Nahuel continued, pulling aside the tent flap and motioning me forward. I crawled inside and sat cross-legged on the padded, insulated floor while Nahuel zipped the flap shut behind him. He knelt in front of me and took my hands.

"I told Seth not to lose hope," he murmured, studying my fingers. "I told him that the imprinting bond is very powerful, and that as long as Anjali loves him, the opportunity exists for her to learn right from wrong."

His golden eyes rose to meet mine. "She does not yet know that," he explained quietly. "Until she met Seth, she only knew what our sire had taught her. Now, she only knows that she loves Seth. I told him he must teach her, and that if anyone can … save her … as you saved me … it will be him. And I reminded him that he has all of eternity in which to do it."

Emotion closed my throat and pressed up behind my eyes. It was going to spill out. I was going to cry. Trying to prevent him from seeing the wetness in my eyes, I climbed into his lap, draped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in the curve of his neck.

"Wow, I guess you learn a lot about life in a hundred and fifty years, huh?" I teased, relieved that I didn't sound like a weeping ninny.

His arms swept around me and he hugged me back. He chuckled softly into my hair.

"Actually, these are very recent revelations," he whispered, his deep voice sweet and adoring. "The wisest woman I have ever known taught me these things over the past two months."

It was a tender, perfect moment, and I kept my mouth shut so I wouldn't ruin it. But inside my head, the school girl and wolf-bitch were alternating between peals of mocking laughter and shrieks of outrage.

If you were wise, you'd figure a way out of your lies, the school girl jeered, cutting deeply.

The wolf-bitch hit bone:

If you were really so fucking smart, you would never have started telling them in the first place.