I am so sincerly sorry for the long wait. Excuses are worthless, so all I'm going to say is that if you are still following my story, thank you so, so much. It really means a lot for you guys to forgive me for taking over a month to update.

More happier news, we reached 400+ reviews! Shucks, you guys!

Chapter 15 – New Friends

~Mac's POV~

"Why can't we trust them?" I asked, playing with my ring behind my back. My father's eyes were still zeroed in on it, even though there was no way he could see it through my body.

Alice took a breath. "They aren't allowing me to see their futures, as if they know how to block my power." She shook her head. "I only know that it's a male and a female and that they drink human blood."

"That's it?"

She nodded, a look of frustration overtaking her small features. "I can't even figure out when they'll get here. All I can figure out is its tomorrow, so we were thinking of sending Emmett and Jasper to intercept them, but I'm only getting bits and pieces."

"Now that we've covered that," my dad practically spat, "you knew about her and Wyatt and didn't stop it or tell me anything."

I sighed and Alice all but exploded. "Jacob Black! Get over it! So they are getting married, so sorry that she's trying be happy. But you can't know every damn thing, okay? She's eighteen and so is he. They feed themselves, go to the bathroom themselves, and tuck themselves in without their parent's help. So why can't they fall in love without you always breathing down their necks? Just get over it already." She stamped off, rubbing her temples, slamming the side door of the garage shut as she did so.

"Wow," was all I said.

I risked a glance at my father and soon regretted it. A tender expression made his eyes look like they were watery. He stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time. As if he hadn't really ever noticed me, like he had looked at me for all my life, but he was just now seeing me. He reached down and grabbed my left hand, gently tugging it from where it had been clasped behind my back with my other one.

His thumb stroked the diamonds as a single tear fell from his right eye, rolling down the crescent of his cheek and landing on the collar of his t-shirt. His hand shook in mine. "Mac…" he whispered an instant before he crushed me in his arms.

I gasped at the strength of the embrace, but wrapped my arms around him. His face was buried in my neck and I could feel the hot tears wet my skin.

"She was right." His voice was muffled by my hair. "I just didn't want you to grow up. Is that so wrong of me? Aiden grew up on me and Ravyn moved to Emmett… you are all I have left of my children, the one who looked up to me the most. And soon, you'll be lost to me as well, just like Aiden. You'll need Wyatt, and not your dad. I guess I have just been trying to keep you."

"Dad," I breathed, pulling back so he could see the truth in my eyes as I spoke the words. "Listen to me. You aren't loosing me. You never will. I'll always need you to be my father, and Wyatt can't give me that. Ravyn, Aiden, and I will always need you, no matter where we are, how old were are, or who we are with. You and the family are the only people who could ever love us unconditionally. You think we would give that up? You think we could ever forget you just 'cause we have imprints? Do you think mom forgot about Edward and Bella when she married you and had us? You can never forget your parents, Dad."

He smiled a wobbly smile. "Your right, I know you are. I was just selfish and refused to see the truth. It's sad that it took till now to really see that you aren't my little girl anymore, but an adult. An adult with her own mind and her own actions." He glanced down at the Tiffany ring on the fourth finger of my left hand. "Is getting married what you want to do?"

"Yes! I love him, Daddy. I need him in my life. Just like I need you and mom and Aiden and Ravyn in my life. He is just an addition to the family. He won't ever replace you in my heart."

"Then I suppose you have my blessing."

I screeched and threw myself into his arms, blubbering like the woman I was. "Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He set me back on my feet, his thumb wiping away the happy tears that were resting on my cheeks. "I love you, sweetie." He kissed my forehead as I told him I loved him too. "And don't worry. I'm going to try and share you." He smirked. "But I can't make any promises."

~Unknown POV~

The pair were crossing through the forest of Mt. Rainier, running at breakneck speed through the trees, a blur to any other living creature's naked eye. One was a woman, wearing khaki pants and a parka, though she did not need warmth in the cold winter air. The other was a man, wearing matching attire, both with a backpack on their shoulders.

"You can't be certain that this plan will work," she murmured to her mate in a thick Russian accent.

The man laughed at her question, amusement at her doubt in him. "I am more then certain. There is no way the omniscient one can tell our motives for coming, and we know how to make sure not to have the wrong thoughts read by the mind reader. Do not worry so much, my love. It is not very becoming on such a beautiful creature such as yourself."

"Oh…" she breathed, slowing down with him so they could share a passionate kiss in the middle of the forest. The insects and animals screeched their revulsion at seeing such an act between the two.

He pulled back and smiled, his teeth gleaming white in the morning sun. "Soon we will rule this world. And you shall be my queen."

She clucked her tongue, her lips spreading up at the corners. "And you shall be my king."

"So I shall," he whispered, kissing so deeply he took the breath from her very lungs and into his. He stripped her shirt, bra, and parka off, watching her bare chest rise and fall with her harsh breathing, thinking they had some time to kill before continuing on their journey. His mouth attacked her throat as he repeated himself. "So I shall."

~Mac's POV~

The wind was rushing past me, a whirlwind as it assailed my body. I smiled behind the helmet, moving my wrist until my father's 1970's Indian was going ninety miles an hour down the highway. I loved the feel of adrenaline in my veins, the wind on my skin. It wasn't as fast as I could run in both my wolf and human form, but the roaring of the engine, the way I could take corners on this sleek bike made it just as good.

I was technically on my way to pick up Wyatt but I decided to take a longer way, driving the bike down a desolate and rarely used road. It made a U shape around his home, where it dead ended on his street. I pushed the bike to its limit as I reached a straightaway. One hundred and twenty miles an hour. I threw my head back and laughed exuberantly. I adored motorcycles. I'll have to remember to add one to my wish list.

I let up on the throttle as the road curved and let the engine go down to sixty as I reached the end. Stopping at the intersection, I noticed that Wyatt was waiting on his front porch for me. I made a left and pulled up his walkway. With a huge shit eating grin, I yanked my helmet off and ran into his arms, barley engaging the kickstand, and inhaled his warm masculine scent of sandalwood. His arms wrapped around me, his hands falling to my lower back. I pulled away and cupped his face, his hands sliding to my waist, his fingers splayed.

"Is it sad that after only three hours I miss you?" I asked as his lips claimed mine. I opened my mouth under his and his tongue snaked into my mouth, twirling the tango with my tongue. His hand smoothed down to my derriere and he lifted me up closer to his mouth, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss. My hand cupped the nape of his neck, the other tangled in his soft hair.

After a minute or two, we pulled away. Wyatt tucked me in under his chin, his sharp breaths stirring my sable curls. "No," he breathed, one of his arms around my shoulders, the other one slung low on the small of my back. Both my hands wanted retribution for earlier so I slid them into the back pockets of his dark washed jeans, my palms holding the curve of both his butt cheeks and squeezed. "I missed you the minute I shut the door to that Lamborghini."

I smiled knowingly as I pulled myself out of his arms reluctantly. He frowned. "Can't I hold you a bit longer?"

I grabbed his hand and started towards where my dad's bike was parked on his walkway. "C'mon, Wyatt. I want to watch the sunset with you. You can hold me while we ride."

His beamed at that little tidbit as he slid his helmet over his head while I kick started the old bike. He joined behind me after it rumbled to life, his arms coming around my waist as he snuggled up close, the heat coming off his body made my nerve endings tingle.

"Did I tell you that you look dead sexy in leather?" he purred into the microphone in his helmet.

I laughed as I turned onto Endresen Road. "No, but you can tell me again."

He repeated the words, only this time in French and I shivered, wishing that I could kiss him. Instead, I just rode harder down the one-oh-nine west, heading towards Ocean Shores. After about a forty mile drive, we parked and grabbed the blankets in the side bags and headed toward the sandy beach.

Wyatt splayed the blanket over the sand and sat down, wrapping another blanket around his shoulders. I sat down between his spread knees and leaned against his chest. His arms came around me, along with the blanket and he rested his chin on my head as we cuddled on the freezing cold beach. My body heat made the atmosphere under the blanket warm enough in the biting winter air of Washington State.

We gazed at the water, watching as the sun slowly inched its way down over the horizon. The sun made the small puffs of clouds purple, orange, and pink. Twilight was my favorite time of day. It represented the start and end of two things. The end of the day and the start of the night. And the way the sun made colors in the sky was the perfect transition.

Wyatt nuzzled the back of my neck, his mouth cold on my hot skin. My head fell back onto his hard shoulder, giving him greater access and permission to continue. Which he of course did.

The two of us were quiet for a long time, just enjoying the other's presence. I broke the comfortable silence, just as the sun was finishing its descent, the sky no longer bright blue. "It is so beautiful."

His arms tightened around my waist. "Yes."

I sighed, totally and completely relaxed in his warm embrace. My forehead turned into his neck, warming the skin there. "I love you," I murmured into his chocolate brown stubble that made my forehead tingle when he talked as it rubbed across the skin there.

"And I you," he whispered, his mouth drifted towards my lips.

His hand found mine beneath the blanket, his fingers entwining with mine. Which reminded me… "My dad gave us his blessing this morning," I announced as his lips kissed a path over my cheek and his finger rubbed the band of my ring.

"He did?" he asked, surprise mingling with his breath.

I nodded. "He caught me parking his car while he was working on his bike and he saw the ring. My aunt yelled at him for making it seem like such a bad thing and it made him have an epiphany."

"I'm glad. He was starting to piss me off," he revealed.

"Wyatt!" I scolded, swatting his lower stomach where a laughter was silently rumbling.

"What?" he laughed. "It's true. He couldn't seem to let you make your own decisions."

"I know, but he figured out that he needed to realize I was no longer his little girl. It was hard for him to grasp. And he was jealous. He and I were very close as I was growing up. My older brother always had Leah, and Ravyn, pissed that he had lost his brother to the whole imprint thing, buddied up with Emmett. He didn't want me lost to him too. But he's learning to share."

"Good." He claimed my lips with his, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. I sighed contently in his mouth and turned to mush in his arms. Mushier then mush. I was friggin' water.

We sat there for a little while longer, as the sky darkened considerably. We chatted idly, about nothing and everything. About how I wanted a dog and how he wished that he had a lawn mower to mow his lawn with. How sometimes I wonder if he thinks of me as I think of him, and he told me that I'm always on his mind, no matter what he's doing, so that there was good chance we thought of each other at the same time.

I kissed him for telling me that.

I was so relaxed with him, always so happy. It was in the way I felt in his arms, in the way his hand fit in mine, the way he understood me, the way he smiled everytime I came near him. As if just my presence was enough to make him happy. Make him feel whole.

When we said nothing, it wasn't awkward, but comfortable. When I told him the secrets of my heart, I was never nervous of his reactions. When we talked, we always understood the other.

Love was an amazing thing. Something I might never understand, but something I can always appreciate and accept. Revel and hold dear. There were times when I hated what I was, but when it came down to it, I was so glad. Without the imprint, Wyatt and I might not have ever been this way together. He might have stayed with Amber and I might have waited fifty years before branching out and dating someone.

To think that we might not have gotten where we did humbled me. Made me value everything. The way the sky was blue on a cloudless day. The way the stars sparkled like diamonds at night, how the wind howled and rustled leaves. Awed by nature's beauty, by the sound of the ocean waves hitting the shore, the buzzing of insect's wings, the sounds of birds in the morning.

And it always seemed to come back to my love for Wyatt.

For so long I had lived without realizing that I had never really lived. So long had I gone through my day to day activities without truly noticing the way my heart seemed to be missing something. I never knew what was missing till the day my eyes met Wyatt's and the emptiness had been filled in like plastering a hole in the wall.

My fingers tangled with his as I brought his hand to my mouth. I kissed the backs of his knuckles and held the back of his hand to my cheek, holding it there as we gazed at each other, not needing any words to express our feelings. He kissed my nose, his forehead pressing against mine, our eyes locked. I loved his eyes. Cobalt blue with a teal rim emphasizing the sapphire of his irises.

My cell phone buzzed, ruining the perfection of the moment. I groaned in irritation and reached down for the phone in my pocket. It was a text from Alice.

Get home soon. I misinterpreted the vampire's timing. They'll be here in a within a few hours.

Shit. I sighed and then replied with an 'okay' and kissed Wyatt's cheek. I pulled him up and we walked hand in hand back to where I had parked the bike. The ride home was uneventful other then Wyatt making innuendos in my ear the entire time, making me wish we had time to pull over and have a serious make out session together. So, of course I fantasized about him the whole time which didn't really help my driving abilities.

I dropped him off and after a ten minute lip lock and an explanation of "do not leave this house until I tell you so" as well as a mini argument about my own safety, I went home, deciding against the long way since Alice had seemed rather urgent about wanting me home.

I pulled into the garage, alert as I heard the voices in the house, two of them unknown to me. I ran to the door off the side of the kitchen and stalked into the sitting room where two new vampires were perched on our white love seat.

"MacKayla," a stony faced Carlisle greeted. He sat beside Esme, Bella, and Emmett on the long couch. Jasper and Emmett occupied the doorway and Alice and Rosalie were standing in front of the window, both standing in wide stances as if they were trying to block the view from our visitors.

I inclined my head to him and sat between Aiden and my mother, waiting for an introduction. My mother's hand found mine and squeezed. She was nervous. I honed in on the newcomer's emotions, but all I got was anticipation. Anticipation for what? I wondered idly.

"MacKayla," Carlisle murmured, "this is Oksana and Nikolai of Russia. Oksana, Nikolai, this is my daughter MacKayla."

Oksana sat, her arm wrapped in Nikolai's. Her blond hair was braided down her back and wore khaki pants and a parka, along with her dark haired companion. Both their eyes were dark red. "Remarkable!" she exclaimed in a deep and thick Russian accent. "She and Aiden both are dark skinned with green eyes! And Renesmee! Your eyes are such a warm brown!"

What the hell is going on? I thought, squeezing my mother's hand tighter.

Carlisle told them that you and I are half vampire half human. He doesn't want anyone to know what we really are. It's why dad isn't in the room since we look most like him. He, Ravyn, Seth, and Leah are patrolling, Aiden answered in my head.

Why doesn't he want anyone to know?

Incase it escapes to the Volturi.

That made sense. Still, the way Oksana and Nikolai were looking at me was beginning to make me nervous in a way that was difficult to do. Their anticipation for something was confusing and disconcerting. Not being able to know the why of the emotions was a huge inconvenience for me.

"Tell me, do your eyes ever change color? Even when you're thirsty?" Oksana wondered, leaning forward in her seat looking enthused in the conversation. However, she was restless and antsy. She put on a good show though.

"No," I answered truthfully. "And I personally prefer human food."

She gasped. "But you must drink, right?"

I hesitated slightly. "No, I don't" I wanted to say, but if I were not half werewolf, I would. "I do drink occasionally."

She looked skeptical, but sat back in a relaxed position. She wasn't fooling me for a second. "So what brings you here?" I asked.

"We were just passing through," the man said in an accented voice that was so deep it seemed like it could shake the foundations of the house. And both his tone and expression were cold and unfeeling. Oksana glared at him but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy staring at me like he knew my secrets.

"Nikolai, be nice," she chastised in a gentle and almost teasing voice. It was so very fake.

He glanced at her. "My apologies." He got up and bowed, but as he sat back down, his expression didn't change.

"Well!" Esme exclaimed, breaking the ice. "How about I make you three some dinner." She motioned for Aiden, my mother, and I to get and follow her. Bella trailed behind us with Edward, both making up excuses and strode past Emmett and Jasper.

Aiden and I sat next to each other on the counter. Esme and Bella went to work in the kitchen, heating up some left over chicken parmesan. Edward leaned against the counter, looking very distracted.

I opened the mouth but Edward shook his head. "Pretend that everything is normal," he mouthed.

"How was your trip to the ocean?" Esme inquired gently. As if nothing weird was going on and we didn't have vampires with mysterious ulterior motives in our living room.

"Fine," I answered. "The sunset was pretty tonight."

"That's great! I'm glad you had a nice time. I know I need to get out one of these days. Maybe go to Isle Esme."

Edward smirked and looked towards Bella who had a private smile on her face as the two shared a glance briefly and Edward went back to being distracted.

Esme placed our plates on the counter in front of me and Aiden, and my mother, though she preferred to drink blood, and so did her taste buds, but she ate a small portion anyway. Bella set down two glasses of milk and I murmured my thanks. For some reason, Aiden and I had always favored milk with dinner, rather then water, or soda, or anything else.

Bella grabbed Edward's hand and gave him a reassuring smile. In response, he yanked her into his arms and kissed her temple, his forehead falling to her shoulder. She held him in silence. Like Wyatt and I, they didn't need words to converse. She knew what he wanted and he knew she understood why he was holding her. How had I never noticed that?

Esme rested her elbows on the granite counter and placed her head in her hands while he all ate making fake chit chat about nothing and stuff we had already talked about earlier in the day.

Oksana and Nikolai suddenly floated into the room in a way only vampires could do. Oksana clapped her hands together. "Carlisle said it was fine if we tried your diet, so Nikolai here and I are going out."

I went cold. No, my mind said. What if, without knowing they existed, ate my family out there? Shit.

I glanced at Aiden and he nodded. "Well have fun!" I encouraged.

Oksana grinned. "Thank you, MacKayla Cullen." Black.

The two went out the kitchen's sliding glass door. Edward started to follow but I stopped him with a hand on his chest and shake of my head. "Leave them to Aiden and me."

He nodded.

"C'mon," Aiden growled, straightening his clothes.

I cracked my knuckles and followed him out the door.

~Seth's POV~

Would you stop being all depressed? Really?

Leah, I'll shut up when you stop mooning over Aiden's butt and how perfect it is.

You just wish your ass was as great as his, she snapped.

Oh, yeah. Can't wait till I grow into my butt cheeks! I yelled drolly.

Will the two of you quit it? Jacob ordered, though not being our alpha any more, it didn't really have the same effect. We're on patrol here. And Leah, sorry, but ew. He's my son.

Sorry.

Ha! Yeah right. Like Leah would ever be sorry for making Jake uncomfortable. Besides, her snickering a very wolfy snort was a dead give away anyway. And Jacob knew it.

Ravyn, some help here?

Huh? What are you talking about?

You weren't paying attention?

Not really. Aiden's naked ass isn't all that appealing so I was busy staring at the stars.

Are you even patrolling?

Sure. Just sitting down while I do it.

Dear God. And I thought I was obnoxious when I was younger. At least I wanted to patrol. All Ravyn ever does is pull pranks on everyone and chase the skirts of any willing chick. It was sad. I got that all out of my system by the time I was twenty one.

My feet padded along the soft, cold ground while I tuned out the other's argument about Aiden's butt and Ravyn being a dumbass. It wasn't hard to do at my age. I had quite a bit of experience learning to tune everyone out. I was never totally alone in my mind but it was like being in a room filled with people. You can hear their voices, just not their words. After a while you get used to how strange it is.

I paused and glanced up at the sky. Ravyn was right. It was pretty beautiful. In the forest, with no lights around, you could see everything. I'd always loved to stare up into the sky at night in the middle of nowhere. You saw so much that way and feel so small when you realize just how large the universe is.

I sighed and trotted to where a small creek traveled through the property line. I was tried of feeling this way. Depressed. I despised that word. It's not like I was going to go cut my wrists, but it made it difficult to be happy. Is it weird that sometimes I like to listen to emo music? No. But try telling that to Leah.

She thinks I need to be on suicide watch. Ha! I don't have the cajones to kill myself. Besides, it would kill my mom and sister if I were to ever die. And even dead, I would never be able to forgive myself for hurting them.

Especially if I left an imprint out there. She would be happy married to someone she loved, but at the same time she would know what was missing. I would rather castrate myself then do that to my soul mate. And do you know how they castrate people? Do you? Sometimes they do it with a thin wire and sometimes they do it with a sharp implements, it depends on the person doing the castration. That is just brutal. I happen to value my special man pieces.

Wanting to be alone with my thoughts, I phased and plopped down on a large boulder.

I just hope that I find her before my or her time is up.

Lost in my emo thoughts, as Leah likes to put it, I didn't hear anyone approach. However, suddenly cold metal bit into my temple.

"Don't move or I'll kill you," a deep accented male voice ordered.

Fuck. He had a gun and if he pulled the trigger, I would be dead. I might be able to heal fast, but I would never be able to live through a bullet to the brain. I swallowed. I was in deep shit here.

"What do you want?" I asked, wondering if I could turn back into a wolf before he shot my head off.

"The Volturi are afraid of you werewolves. I want you to gather up all of your brethren so that you can help me and my mate slaughter the damn Volturi. Then we shall rule. So, will you help me? Or will you die?"

I was running out of things to say. Crap. This was so not good. If I could phase, would he have the time to put the bullet in my brain, or places where I'll heal enough to survive? If I were to try and turn, startle him, and we fought with me as a human and him with a gun? No, that wouldn't be a good idea. He's a vampire. Vampires have great aim. I was screwed.

My heart started to beat faster as a million thoughts raced through my head. And it was then when I learned I was so not ready to die yet. There was no way I could leave my mom and my sister. No way I was gonna leave my imprint out there.

Fuck dying. I don't wanna die!

Suddenly, the vampire turned and pulled the trigger. I instantly phased and attacked, looking to see where Aiden lay, his arm bleeding. I howled and threw the vampire to the ground. I fell on top of him, shredding his shirt as I raked my claws down his body.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a snow white wolf emerge. Mac took the vampire by the neck and ripped his head from his shoulders, snarling as she did so. I helped as I ripped his arms and legs from his body and threw it onto the quickly growing pile of limbs. I phased into my human form and reached into Aiden's pocket to pull out a lighter. For some reason, lately, he had been carrying one around, but I have no clue why.

I threw some branches between the flesh as well as on top and set the top and any other branches I could see on fire. I pulled on a pair of shorts as did Mac who then went to apply pressure to Aiden's arm.

"Holy fuck, that hurts," Aiden breathed.

Mac slapped the back of his head. "Quit being a baby." She said it in a chastising tone but the way her hands shook belied her tone of voice.

Then everyone was there, except Ravyn, who was apparently chasing after the vamp's mate. Leah cried as she held Aiden as if he were dying. However, he wasn't dying. He would be fine by tomorrow morning. But boy, he ate up all the attention.

The only thing everyone didn't seem to notice was how shaken up MacKayla was. So I went over and pulled her into my arms where she continued to trembled. Her hands were on her face and I had a feeling she was crying, but I couldn't figure out why. That leech was insane and a total bastard. In my opinion, he deserved to die. And then some.

Ravyn came back just as we all got back to the house where Carlisle was going to remove the bullet from Aiden's bicep. "Couldn't catch her," he growled. "The bitch's scent was lost when I reached the one-oh-nine. Must have hitched a fucking ride."

That wasn't good. If we had a pissed off vampire and its mate's ashes in the backyard, that was cause for a war. Well, in her mind.

Damn. We seem to have the worst luck.

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