Lunar Ascension
Chapter 14: Revelations

Disclaimer: All things in the Twilight universe belong to Stephenie Meyer and her publishers. The song and lyrics belong to the band and their representatives. Any other copyrighted material included in this story belongs to their rightful owners. Cheers ma dears! Rated M.

We've been seeing what you wanted, got us cornered right now
Fallen asleep from our vanity, might cost us our lives
I hear they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine
The Howling by Within Temptation

We continued our run through the forest, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Even the packs usual foreboding was turned up to super red alert as they thundered as a line toward us. Not having the advantage of knowing what was going on made this a dangerous situation.

The stronger the scent of the vampires became, the more my fur seemed to reach for the sky. Much more of this and I would look like I'd been playing fetch with a lightning bolt. Even Edward seemed to notice my discomfort. When the scent became a sting, Edward stopped us. The dogs were close, I could smell them and hear their whining, but I couldn't sense from what direction. It moved in a circulatory fashion around us.

"Sorry, Leah," Edward mumbled. "I didn't hear them, they knew to keep their thoughts quiet."

I was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but they moved in at that moment. There were ten of them against our four and they were surrounding us. All of the red eyes seemed to glow as they stepped from the tree line. Two of them that had been holding the dogs released them and Greg and Steve immediately bounded toward me, one standing either side of me like sentries.

Sam was pushing the pack harder, they could all see the situation from my eyes, but he was frantic. I was appreciative of his concern, but I just needed their back up before this got nasty. I didn't like being cornered like this, and I sure as hell didn't like having unknown vampires behind me. I wanted to turn and have eyes everywhere, but it was impossible, there would always be one or two I couldn't see. I was beginning to panic.

"That was easier than I assumed," one of the red eyes said with an air of arrogance. He had what sounded like a Russian accent, thick and heavy as he rolled his R's.

'What is he talking about, Edward?' I asked, but Edward shook his head, he barely moved, but the other two seemed to understand and came in closer on my sides.

"You're making a big mistake," Edward finally said, he voice laced with a menacing calm.

'How many Leah?' Sam asked as the closed the gap between us.

'Ten as far as I can tell, but be cautious there may be more hiding, I can't tell.'

Sam nodded, but ordered half the group to circle west so they could come up from behind us. I moved back to the scene in front of me where the Russian was leering at us with humor. Apparently, they thought they'd won.

It was an ultimate stand off, us against them and no one was moving. It was like the calm before the storm, that silence where not even the birds dared to breath in fear of setting something off. My hear was hammering in my chest wildly, my muscles were twitching, and my breath was coming in slow even puffs through my snout. My ears, flat against my skull, were twitching as they tried to hear anything beyond this impossible circle.

"He lied to you," Edward finally said out of the blue, I moved slowly following his line of sight, which was zeroed in on a younger vampire. I could see he looked uncomfortable and could only imagine he'd been told to not think at all.

What 'he' had lied about was irrelevant to me, but if it bought us a couple more minutes I was all for it. Sam and the others were closing in fast. I couldn't hear them moving through the forest, they'd perfected the stealth mode they'd been trying out for so long. It gave me a little more confidence.

"That's not how it works," Edward said to another thought.

If I wasn't so on edge it would have been really aggravating, but half of my mind was here, and half was on the wolves that were closing in like one of those plastic balls you could unfold into a massive sphere. This was the hunt, they moved in together a circle around a circle, each step bringing them closer together and closer to us. If I wasn't so freaked out by the red eyes I would have been more impressed than I already was.

Edward loped slowly toward me, his voice so low I almost didn't catch it as he passed. He wanted to keep the young one alive.

The old me would have question his motive, wondered why the hell we should keep any of them alive. That wasn't who I was anymore. My own logic came into play and told me exactly why he wanted to keep one alive. If we were going to get any answers, we needed it alive to answer them. The kid was the weakest link, he'd been the only one to let his thoughts come through.

I sent the message to the wolves and made a point to stare at the boy while I did. I had no doubt how messy this was going to get, and if things worked out the way we hoped; there would be quite a bonfire to light. I knew Edward would go for him and get him out of the melee, it was the smartest thing to do, because accidents happened. What was confusing to me was the way Jasper and Emmett were poised on either side of me.

I tried to send a mental message to the dogs and force them to hide while the world crashed down, but I felt mental. I wasn't even sure they understood me. Everything was so still and quiet around us that it was making me more nervous.

I checked back in with Sam and found, through his eyes, that he could see the back of the vampires. When I looked up, I could see them emerging through the trees, silent and deadly with their ears pinned to their skulls and their teeth bared. It made them look menacing.

There was only seconds until the wolves would be seen and I poised myself for the fight. Sam was behind the Russian, his eyes locked in on his kill, when he growled, the world seemed to explode into life.

Before I could even head into the fight, the dogs and I were pushed to the side by Emmett and Jasper. I let out a ripping growl but they ignored me, depositing me with Edward and the younger red eyed vampire.

'What the fuck, Edward?' I snapped, my teeth cracking as my mouth tried to form the human words.

"They're after you, Leah. Stay here and pin this guy down. I have questions that he can answer. I wasn't sure why but he focused on you and Travis. If you kill him, we'll never know. You understand me?"

They were after me? That didn't make any sense, but it didn't need to right now. If they were talking about Travis, there was no way I was going to let this little fucker go. I was sure Edward had known that, but with a nod, he disappeared back to the fight with Emmett and Jasper and left me alone staring down at the kid who looked terrified.

He tried to escape only once, my paw slammed down on his chest as my eyes narrowed and teeth snapped. The human equivalent was a colorful sentence filled with expletives that he seemed to have no trouble interpreting. I could hear the fight going on and my animal instincts were pushing me toward the sound, but I couldn't let the vampire escape, we had questions, he had answers, and he also had the ability to report back to whoever set this shit up.

I wasn't going to let him go.

I watched the fight through the wolves eyes, trying to keep silent in their heads as the shredded the vampires around them. They were winning easily, the ten vampires were quickly reduced to rubble, and the fire was soon set. I was pissed I'd missed the fight. After they'd stolen the dogs, lured us into an ambush, and then taunted us . . . I had wanted pay back. More than that, the fact that they had even mentioned Travis' name had made me itch for total destruction. I felt cheated.

"Let him up, Leah," Edward said gently, patting my back as he passed.

I removed my paw, and almost laughed as the young vamp jumped to his feet and tried to run. The wolves had already surrounded us and snapped at him as he tried to find a hole in their ranks.

"I'm afraid that once you threaten one of them. You threaten them all," Edward said calmly. "You may have a better chance living through this if you talk."

"I don't know anything," the kid snapped, stumbling back from the exposed teeth of Paul.

"I know they warned you that I could read minds."

"Look, I talk, they kill me. I don't talk, you kill me. I'm out of options and motivation."

"Yeah, but we can make it painful," Emmett growled. "I have no problems using your head as a volley ball. You realize your head continues to live without your body right?"

"I can work with that," Edward said out of the blue with a nod. "Technicalities generally leave loopholes. It's not your fault you couldn't clear your mind."

The kid sat on the forest floor and pulled his knees up to his chest, his red eyes moving around the group making him look a little hopeless. When he inclined his head, Edward started pacing. I was curious as to what he was trying to figure out. Something had caught his attention before, and as he'd said, my name and Travis' had been brought up.

"Who sent you?" Edward asked, his head tipping to the side as he listened to the answer.

The kid just glared at him, his silence filled in by the scathing look of hatred. He was cornered and he knew it. Even his little mind trick wasn't going to save him.

"I answer that, they kill me."

"Haven't we . . ." Jasper started, but Edward held up a hand to silence him.

"Fair enough, lets try something a little easier. Why did they send you?"

This silence was a long one, and I didn't miss the flicker of eyes to me on more than one occasion, even Edward went rigid at one point. The suspense was making me more antsy that I had been by being denied the fight. This may have worked for Edward, but to me it was silent torture.

"Names," Edward growled, which was followed by his fingers rubbing his temples. "Are they anymore groups coming?" Another pause. "How many?"

Something in Edward's reaction made Jasper hiss angrily. It was like watching mimes communicating, Emmett seemed just as pissed as I was about being left out of the conversation, and even the wolves were beginning to murmur.

"Where?" Edward bellowed. His voice was so full of fury it rebounded of the trees making all of the wolves start and trample the ground below them. "When are they coming?" Yet another pause - this was getting so old. "Under what pretense?" And Finally. "Thank you."

Jasper was the first one to move. He approached Edward and spoke so low even my ears couldn't pick it up. The wolves and I watched collectively as Jasper moved toward the vampire and pulled him up by the hand. We knew what was going to happen and yet we still watched with morbid fascination as Jasper led him further into the density of the forest.

Edward sighed. Whether he liked to admit it or not he was just like Carlisle. He didn't like wasting a life, especially when I was sure he was convinced there was a chance of reformation.

I blocked out the horrific sounds of death, it echoed in my mind from the other consciousness' of the wolves, but I found no satisfaction in the sound. He deserved to die, but the honorable way would have been in battle. To me, this felt like slaughter.

The rank smell of fresh smoke filtered through the trees and hung heavy in the air as Jasper rejoined the group. Now was the time for show and tell, and I could tell it wasn't going to be good. When Edward pulled out his phone he asked Carlisle to gather everyone close and put it on speaker phone, and he did the same.

"Jasper and Leah were correct in their assumptions, it was the Volturi. Aro has been sweeping the southern states looking for vampires with talents. In the beginning, it was a show of power, they were flexing their muscles to prove they still had the power over the authoritarian masses. They'd been too quiet after the confrontation in the clearing, word was getting out that they'd lost their nerve. When they discovered some plans to overthrow them, they circled the wagons and formulated a plan. They've been sending scouts up here for weeks, all of them with certain traits that would help them discover more about us and what we were planning."

"That doesn't make any sense," Jasper said quietly. "If you mean to say that they would confront us again to make a point, it seems as though it would be a pointless exercise. They would need an excuse to attack, if they did it to "flex their muscles" they would lose the respect of every coven or nomad they govern. They were given power because people believed they would be more just than their predecessors."

"No, they're not interested in confrontation," Edward answered, his eyes flickering to me. "When they saw the wolves loyalty to us, they knew it was pointless, and Bella's shield has grown too powerful for them to use their best offensive weapons on us. They no longer see us as a threat, they're more worried about the southerners."

"Maria," Jasper hissed. "This stinks of her. She's always hungry for more power, but to take on the Volturi . . ."

"No. It's no suicide. She may be greedy, but she's smart. The Italians knew that she had a chance, especially when Stefan and Vladimir offered their services."

"So what's this got to do with us?" Emmett asked.

"Oh no," Bella's voice came down the line. She'd obviously put together the pieces we hadn't.

"There's only two ways Aro can see winning this battle," Edward growled.

"Leah and I," Bella said quietly. "It makes perfect sense."

Silence hung in the air and I could hear the echoed questions of the wolves as it moved around the circles. Bella, they could understand. Me, not so much. Why would the Volturi want me?

"Yes," Edward said answering something in Jasper's mind. The two were staring at one another.

"They went after Renesmee that day to lure Bella out, they knew that once they had our daughter we would follow. They want Leah . . ." Edward trailed off, there was a look of utter disgust hanging on his lips and brow and I knew it couldn't be good. "They want Leah and her mate so they can breed their own lupine defenders. The way the boy explained it, she would be kept comfortable as long as she bred and gave her children to them."

A loud ripping noise cut through the forest and it took me a moment to realize it was me. Every wolf in the place followed my lead, all of their minds filled with a need for vengeance. It was an insult to not only our kind, but to me, and I was a little moved to see how protective they were of me in general.

Not that it was relevant in that moment, just a fleeting thought that subdued the anger for a nano second. I trembled in anger, all of my muscles tense as the visual trampled through my mind with clumsy feet. Even Greg and Steve joined in with the noise, their hackles up and growls ripping through the darkening forest.

'NEVER!' I screamed, unable to control the rage that boiled in my very soul. 'They would have to kill me first.'

"We will never let that happen, Leah. Never. I think we need to move back to Forks, we're closer to the wolves and we're stronger as one unit. The boy overheard the Volturi guards talking. If this group failed, they would send another, twice the size. They will be deployed in a week. This is the last of the rebels they found willing to help them. If the second group fails it leads to only one of two outcomes . . ."

"They cut their losses and run, or send an army to retrieve what they want," Carlisle finished.

The silence that lingered seemed filled with the scene from the clearing that had happened almost three years ago. For a moment I was glad Jacob had stayed in human form, I didn't think I could stand the memories of Bella placing Nessie on his back and saying goodbye. Even I had been terrified. They had been daunting as they stood facing off with us. It had looked like some warped undead version of a scene in Braveheart. Only I wasn't sure the outcome would be as peaceful this time. I highly doubted the Volturi would risk another retreat.

I suddenly had a longing to be in Travis' arms, to feel his breath on my skin, to know he existed. I needed his crazy logic and assurances that everything would work out. He had a way of calming me, keeping me in the right frame of mind and calming my untamed anger.

I knew I wasn't the only one. Everyone had thoughts of their imprints, everyone had a need to have that peace that they had with the ones they loved. Children's faces seemed to flicker past my eyes in quick succession. We'd all be so sure we were safe. We'd all let ourselves hope for a quiet future, and now it was all shattering like an unimaginably fragile shard of glass in our fingers.

I felt hopeless and lost, and even though I couldn't read minds, I could feel the panic rolling from the vampires in waves. We were all once again forced to face our mortality, and this time we had no choice but to fight. We had too much to lose now. Without us, the children would be taken and they would be forced into a life of servitude. This wasn't our fight, but somehow we were all being dragged in to it against our will.

"Edward?" Carlisle said sadly, his voice crackling through the line and echoing from the spruces that stood tall and firm around us.

"I'm here."

"All of you head back to La Push. We're packing what we need and heading that way."

"Be careful and watch over Bella and Nessie, and keep Travis close. We'll be waiting for you at the house."

Carlisle answered solemnly, but the phone call was over and Edward snapped his phone shut, it's tone of finality ringing through my head like a canon shot.

A/N: The volturi are sneaky and they seem to feel the need to show just how powerful they are. They also understand that with Bella's shield, and a small army of shape-shifting wolves they'd be invincible. What they don't seem to understand is the mutual respect between the wolves and the vampires. The Cullen's never expected anything from them, and with Jake and Nessie, they're now family.

Thank you to all of you that read, alert, favorite and review. Your theories, as always, keep me smiling and I love hearing what you have to say. You're all amazing and I thank you for all the support. You guys are amazing!

To Hev99 Sabi'sSookie and PinkIndeed. I love you guys for helping me out and pre-reading for me. You have no idea how much your support means to me. MWAH!