AN: Thank you all for your feedback on the last chapter. I truly appreciate your willingness to tell me what you think. Got this one finished a little sooner than I expected. This update...well, it fits with the previous chapters. I think that should serve as warning enough. Hope that you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first"

Embry's POV

Jake and I took off towards the sound of a howl emanating from the forest. Quickly stripping, we phased on the fly and ran towards its source. Thoughts flashed through our minds as we hustled to catch up. Apparently Paul had gotten really angry after getting into it with Leah. He'd taken off through the woods, only to pick up a strong trail. Who knew that his temper would actually pay off?

We were closing in on it now. There was someone else's scent mixed with the leech this time though. He had a human with him. As we broke through to a clearing, we found Sam and Jared charging the bloodsucker that had been evading us. Apparently he'd tracked down a girl who was standing there petrified as we took off after the vampire.

"Isn't that Chief Swan's daughter?" Jared asked as he flanked his prey.

"Yeah, that's Bella. Can't say I'm too surprised. She is dating one of those Cullens after all" Jake replied. He would know best after all. Charlie Swan and his father were best friends. They tried to push the two together, but Jake never showed any interest. Can't say I blamed him. From what I knew of the girl, she was bland and whiny. Definitely not someone I wanted to get involved with.

I watched as Sam finally sunk his teeth into the leech with dreads. His leg went flying off, sending him to the ground as he screamed in agony. Paul and Jared each took a limb as well. As we approached, Jake launched himself at the defenseless creature, ripping his head clear off and finally putting an end to the threat.

"Damn Em, you missed out on all the fun. Guess that'll teach you to be so slow" Paul chuckled, clearly enthralled by the chase.

Those words hurt more than I think he'd intended. He was right, even if he was just making a joke. I hadn't been able to help in any way. Everyone else had at least contributed in some manner and Jake had actually landed the final blow, despite being a brand new wolf. I was absolutely useless in this pack.

We trotted back towards the reservation and I couldn't help but hang my head. Paul was loving the feeling of finally getting some action. Jake was radiating a sense of pride at being so quick to get the hang of this, while Sam was just content that the job had been completed. We could smell the presence of one of the Cullens nearby, but he was on their side of the treaty line. Apparently they weren't a threat, but it didn't mean that I liked the thought of being near them.

I couldn't wait to phase out. Experiencing each of their emotions made me feel even more pathetic. They all had proven themselves in one way or another today. Showed that they deserved to be part of the pack. I just wanted to get away from their gleeful attitudes.

Once we got back to the reservation, we went our separate ways, as everyone wanted to make the most of the day they were supposed to have off. Jake headed home while the others went to visit their imprints. I was jealous of all of them. I had an imprint, but I couldn't go to him for comfort. Jake hadn't made the connection with anyone yet, but he at least had a home to go back to. I was going deeper into the woods. Not much solace there.

As I reached my "home," I phased out and decided to lie down in the stream. The cool water flowed around me, providing much needed relief. Not that I really deserved any such reprieve. Fate had decided that I needed to suffer and I was beginning to understand why.

I had pretty much destroyed my mother's life, forcing her to move here and now she had to pack up and leave everything again because of what I was. She could have been happy and maybe married up in Neah Bay, but I had ended any hope of that. Sam was the Alpha of a great pack. When I first joined, he had to give me special privileges and even then I couldn't do anything to help. I'd let the leech go the first time and not played any part when the rest of them rectified my mistake. I was his weak link and everybody knew it, even if it had only been expressed in a joke. To top it off, I had felt the stress that I had added Sam's life with the possibility of being his brother. He never said anything, but I could feel his unease at the thought. As if he didn't already have enough on his mind. The only person who had escaped was my "father." At least he'd been able to continue on with his life – whatever that consisted of – after I had come into existence. I had once been sad and sometimes angry at the fact that he wanted nothing to do with me, but I think it might have been for the best. He had had it right all along.

I walked back up to the cave, sitting with my back to the wall. I continued to work on a carving that I'd started recently, but I already knew that it would only be a matter of time before I chose another surface to cut. My thoughts continued to plague me. I'd been listening to Sam's mind on the way back. Apparently Quil was showing the signs of being the next to phase. That would mean that my secret would finally be exposed. Just another thing that would bring disgrace to the pack.

I put the piece of wood down, staring at my reflection within the blade. I barely recognized who was looking back at me. Weeks of restless sleep, a severely decreased appetite, and my body's constant fight to keep healing me had left me as a shell. My eyes looked hollow, which is an accurate description of how I felt.

It's a good thing that the others couldn't see into my mind. They didn't have to be exposed to my feelings of rejection and constant replaying of the last time I'd spoken to my imprint. A tear escaped my eye and I watched as it fell onto the blade. I'd contemplated what it would take to no longer feel these emotions. Direct pain had been a distraction, but I couldn't go on like this. It wasn't worth it.

The time was now. The small amount of energy that I'd gained from the deer had been exhausted in chasing the vampire that we – well...the pack – had finally destroyed. The future looked bleak. Quil was going to phase, and at the very least he'd let the others know what I really am. I'd lived in this town long enough to know better than to expect anything less than a harsh reaction to it. Couple that with having to see Quil's mind and how disgusted he was with me…no, I wouldn't do it.

I placed the blade firmly at my wrist. All of my other cuts had been to inflict a simple pain. I was seeking a final release this time. I pushed in with what strength I had, forcing the knife into my skin. As I began to drag it up my arm, I felt the blood rising quickly to the surface. My vision began to blur and I watched as the 8 inch slice remained open, unlike all of the previous marks. As the darkness settled in, I knew that I had accomplished my goal. I had done the world a favor and stopped burdening it with my cursed existence.

Quil's POV

As I walked into my room, my frustrations got the best of me again. Seeing Jake with Embry led me to believe that he'd gone to join the cult as well. I understood that I had chased Embry away, but why had Jake abandoned me without another word? As I thought about it, anger coursed through me and I felt my fist go through my wall. I stared at it for a moment as I realized what I'd done in my quick burst of anger. Mom and Gramps were not gonna be happy about that.

As I removed my fist from the drywall, my grandfather walked into my room. Guess there was no hiding it. He glanced between the hole and me before making a simple gesture for me to follow him. We sat down at the table and I hung my head as I prepared for the lecture I was going to receive. I'd always been the calm, respectful one and in the past week I'd gotten into it with my elder and lost my cool, lashing out violently. I didn't understand why I was feeling like this.

"I guess I should explain. You've been feeling a lot angrier as of late, haven't you?" he asked calmly. It was as if he had read my mind, and all I could do was nod, not willing to look up at him.

"Well, I guess I'll get right down to it. It's not your fault Quil. You're going through what a number of boys have been experiencing here recently." He began. Oh God…was he really about to try and talk about puberty with me? He was a little late on that one. I felt my cheeks flush as I anticipated what was about to happen.

"I know you're aware of the legends. I've always told them to you because I had a feeling that you'd need to know them someday." He continued. And so he begins…wait, what? I looked up at him confused.

"The stories about our tribe aren't just legends. All the talks about wolves and vampires are actually true." He concluded. I knew my grandfather was deeply ingrained in the tribe's history, but was he really delusional?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, still not really grasping what he was saying.

"You've been showing the signs. The anger, the muscle development, and the heat are all visible symptoms that you're close to joining the pack." He explained.

"There's a pack? I feel like we'd know if there was a bunch of guys running around turning into wolves. No offense Gramps, but you can't expect me to believe this." I responded.

"You just don't know what you're looking for, son. I believe I've heard you refer to them as the…what was it, hall monitors on steroids? Not that far off, even if you were being disrespectful to them and their important duties." he chuckled.

Wait…Sam and his bunch of followers? My grandfather had never been one to flat out lie to me. Maybe this was more real than I had thought.

We sat there and talked about it for a while. He described my recent feelings pretty well. I had been constantly starving, easily angered, and had really filled out in the past couple of weeks. I'd thought it was because I was trying to deal with how Embry was avoiding me, but this also explained Jake's temper and recent joining up with Embry. They were both part of the pack.

I was both elated and devastated by the thought of Embry. He had been going through these changes and I'd been so cruel to him. I needed to apologize and come clean of my feelings. I needed him to know, even if he didn't forgive me for how I'd acted. I wouldn't blame him if he didn't…

I sat around the house, mulling over the information that I'd been presented. I was going to be a wolf. I might get my friends back, and if I was in a pack with Embry, I'd at least get a chance to talk to him, even if he told me to screw off. The thought of him doing that hurt, but I knew that he'd be within his right to do it after how I'd acted.

As the time passed, I began to feel uneasy. I couldn't put words to it, but I just knew that something was wrong. I felt what was almost a literal pull into the woods and somehow was sure that I shouldn't ignore it. I took off running, exploding into the creature that I had been told was living inside me. I didn't take the time to look at my body as I pushed myself towards an unknown destination. My wolf seemed to have a conscience of its own, guiding me to wherever I needed to be.

Suddenly the sound of water trickling filled my ears. A small stream appeared in front of me, as well as what looked to be a large cave. My wolf was begging me to go in, so I cautiously approached the entrance.

My nostrils were filled with the scent of blood. There was something dead or badly injured in this cave. Was I being driven to hunt? That thought creeped me out.

Suddenly I saw him. He was hunched over against the wall, blood covering the left side of his body. I ran to him, transforming back to human without thinking. There was a blade sitting beside him, shining with what I could easily guess was Embry's blood. I noticed some boxes of his stuff sitting nearby. Running over to them, I pulled out one of his shirts and quickly wrapped it around the bleeding wound. He still had a heartbeat, but it was extremely faint. I couldn't believe the scene that I was witnessing.

I picked Em up, running quickly back to my house. I had never moved so fast and broke through the trees within a handful of minutes. Rushing into the house, my mother gasped at my sudden appearance. The fact that I was naked meant nothing to me right now. Embry needed help. My grandfather rounded the corner and quickly assessed the situation.

"Put him down on your bed. I'm calling Sue." He said firmly. I didn't hesitate to trust his words and I sat there with him, slowly beginning to understand just how much of a piece of shit that I was. I had caused this…

5 minutes later, Sue barged in the room, carrying several bags of medical supplies, including what looked like blood. As she began to work, I felt tears beginning to fill my eyes. My mother quickly pulled me from the room as Sue and my grandfather tended to Embry.

I spent an hour curled up on the couch, my mother running her hand through my hair to comfort me. She knew that Em was my best friend and she had seen what state I'd found him in. She may not have understood my full feelings, but she did know that this was devastating to me.

Suddenly I looked up as I heard the sound of footsteps from the bedroom. My grandfather and Sue were standing there, tired looks on their faces. I couldn't read their faces at all.

"Well?" I asked, forcing the lump from my throat. One way or the other, I needed to know. I couldn't tell them this, but I wasn't sure if I could live with myself if I lost him like this…

I couldn't resist leaving it there. Plus, it gives me time to think about what to do with the next chapter. I think it was an ideal stopping point because I enjoy cliffhangers, but I digress. I hope you enjoyed it. I know that it was dark in nature, but that's how this chapter flowed. I appreciate any feedback that you're willing to give! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter started soon...