Chapter 16

I breathed in the scent on the soft blankets, feeling every muscle in my body relax at thought of last night. Instead of sleeping on the hard ground, I spent the night with Sam in a warm bed.
I was thankful to Jared, if it wasn't for him I would still be outside with Court. He was still having trouble shifting and his taking longer than I ever did.

For once it was strangely quiet in the house, the backyard was the same, and there was no sound, not even breathing. I slipped out of bed and threw on one of Sam's shirts before making my way to the kitchen. The TV was left on and the door was wide open. I could hear thumping farther into the forest, so I followed with interest.

I stopped a few feet away watching the show in the clearing. They were too busy nipping and wrestling to realise me leaning against the tree. It was a bundle of wolves rolling around. The younger wolves had ganged up on Paul and Embry. I couldn't see or hear Sam, Jake, Jared or Quil anywhere close by. It was entertaining to watch Court and Will get a hang of their new form. I could see the simulates in Paul and Courts defence movements, Court was Pauls reflection. While Will had trouble with his footing, being on four paws instead of two feet. Brady, Collin and Seth had successfully pinned Embry down, but that didn't stop him from trying to slip from their small paws.

I felt a presents behind me and went to turn around when arms slipped around my waist, I looked down at the large hands covering mine. "I thought you would have spelt in." A trail of kisses went from my neck to the exposed shoulder that the shirt wasn't covering.

"I missed you." That earned me another sweet kiss. "And I got curious as to why the house was silent." There was a soft hum near my ear.

"Court has taken a liking to Jared." I looked to the clearing to see court standing proudly next to the larger brown wolf.

"Why Jared?" Sam lightly laughed at the jealousy in my voice.

"Jared helped him shift." I crossed my arms across my chest unimpressed.

"So he spends one night with the kid and he shifts, I spend three nights and nothing happens." He kissed the side of my head, trying to calm me down.

"More or less, I think it had something to do with a male role model. They haven't had the greatest relationship with women. They never knew their mother but I don't think they want someone replacing her either." I nodded my head in understanding. I would feel the same if someone came into my life and tried to be my mother. "In saying that, Will has taken a liking to you." I smiled at the thought of young Will playing around in the clearing a minute ago.

Paul jumped up from his spot on the ground, shaking the dirt of his human body. "Hey love birds, care to join the rest of the pack." His voice died down and his body stiffened with the rest of the Pack. The changed of wind gave us a nose full of blood in the air, human blood.

Jake howled and took off into the forest, the rest of the pack drifted off towards him, leaving only a couple behind. "What about Court and Will?" I look over at Sam with worried eyes.

"They need to learn somehow." When Jared registered Sam's words, he followed Jake with Court running close behind him. "Bella, change." He shifted without another word and disappeared leaving Will and I alone.

Will whimpered at me and licked my hand for comfort. I let out a frustrated groan and took Sam's shirt off and shifted, shredding my underwear. 'Bella, get your ass here.' Jakes voice echoed through my head. I nudged Will, before running into the forest with Will at my tail.

I could hear his paws lightly hitting against the ground, I picked up speed and smiled when he kept up with the pace.

'Bella, how do you fight vampires?' Will nervous voice filled my head. I noticed he stumbled over the word vampires. The elders had visited Sam's house a couple of days and informed the young wolves in detail and history of LaPush and our kind. They almost brought the legal documents for Sam and I to sign for Court and Will. When their co-worker found out they had run away she called Billy and he explained to her that they were safe with us.

'Let your instincts control.' I didn't know how to answer, I never had the problem it just came to me. 'Pretend your fighting in the clearing again.' He nodded his head, but he still didn't look confident.

'What if something goes wrong?'

'I'll be there for you.' I felt his mood lighten but it disappeared at the sound of the fight close to us.

I spotted a vampire crouched behind a brush and went after him. He didn't release until a second to late that his fate was sealed, bring it to an end. I jumped over the brush and went into the small fight with the vampires.

It wasn't long until everything turned back to normal except for the sickening smell of vampires and human blood. Will sat down next to me and I could feel the conflict of emotions running through him, happy for his succuss but grief for the humans lives. To my surprise Court wasn't far from Will, and followed his lead by sitting next to me, looking exhausted. The older boys were dragging the human bodies in a huddle against the tree while the vampires were burnt. We found it rude to burn humans like the vampires, Jake would call Uncle Charlie tonight and tell him where to find the bodies. It was clear that the new born vampires weren't excepting us, they were innocently having a meal and didn't see us coming. This wasn't the first time human bodies have been found, Nathans pack had confirmed that it has been happening almost daily and even more missing posters are seen around the towns.

We had put off the war for some time, but there was no waiting. I could feel it in my bones, everyone could. Not to mention, the dreams at night, the flashes of war raced through my mind before leaving me in a cold sweat or a blank dream.

...

Stepping through the front door, I was surrounded by a lounge room full of boys munching on any food possible to get their hands on. I let the packed school bag slide of my shoulder and hit the floor broads with a thump. "Where the hell have you been?" The boys finally looked up from the TV.

"Jake said we didn't have to." Collins nervous voice broke the silence. I turned my attention to my brother, who was looking everywhere except me.

"Jake, you had Sam and Nathan's pack helping you. The holidays are over, you still need to attend school with everything that's happening." There were nods of agreement around the room. "For a matter of fact, Jake, you should be at school. Sam is third in command, i think he can take care of the pack for six hours." I knocked Embry's legs off the table while walking towards kitchen in madness.

I had opened every draw and cabinet in search of food, there was nothing, knowing who had taken the food only made the anger of flame spike higher. First they don't attend school, making me worried sick, than come home hungry and angry to find the house empty and crawling with wolves.

Will and Court had attended school with me this morning, their first day. They were nervous but soon calmed down getting the hang of school and their new abilities. At the end of the day they were itching to go for a run, after getting my permission they wasted no time shooting off into the forest well aware of the anger flowing off me.

I heard the Ute pull up the drive way and the slam of the door before the scramble of feet was heard jumping up, and The smell of pizza drifted through the house.
A minute later Sam walked into the kitchen and placed the boxes of pizza on the table, which soon had wolves hovering around it. I was tempted to hit every one of them or even kick them out of the house, but thought better of it when Sam pulled me into a hug. "Stop frowning." He kissed me on the forehead, where the wrinkles were meant to be. I lightly pushed him away, wanting to stay in his arms but not in the mood. "Bella."

"Get them out of the house." my voice was low but the boys still heard my words.

"Aww...come on Bells." Paul's cocky voice almost made my teeth grind.

"Shut up Paul. Have you ever thought about going home? You remember home right? Where your imprints lives, ever thought that imprints may want to spend time with their mates?" I could feel the tension in the room and the shock spread across their faces. I threw my hands up in the air when I didn't get a reply. "You know what, stay here, I'll go somewhere else." I slipped out of Sam's hold and pushed past Paul, knocking his shoulder before jumping into Sam's Ute and driving away.

The humming of the oven and the smell of freshly cooked muffins filled the air. I put the Ute into park and followed the path way to the small blue house, and knocked on the white door when I reached the end. I could hear movements in the kitchen before the front door opened, revealing Emily. "Bella." She quickly pulled me into a hug before stepping back to let me into the house. "How are you?" I nodded my head slowly not sure how to respond, just a moment ago I was yelling at her mate and now I'm standing at her doorstep.

"Rough day." She hummed in agreement and walked into the warm kitchen. My stomach growled loudly at the smell of food. Thankfully all Emily did was put three muffins of a plate and smiled before turning to the counter to make a sandwich. I took a look around the kitchen while eating and noticed the sight of Emily. She seemed different. I wasn't sure how to explain it. Her tan skin was paler than usual, but she still held this glow that came from inside of her.

"Bella?" Emily's soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I realised I had been staring at her for some time.

"Yeah?" my voice sounded a bit daze even in my ears, but she said nothing of it.

"Tomato?" It took me a while to realise she was talking about the sandwich.

"Ahhh...Yes please." She turned back to the counter to continue. "Is...Something wrong?" She stilled for a small second before continuing to cut the tomato.

"I've caught a cold, nothing serious." She gave off a shaky laugh. "I'm human, don't have the super wolf gene like the rest of you." She gave me a strained smile before switching the conversation to me. "Guess you've been really busy with the vampires. Pauls always out there...never home unless it's for a feed or sleep...sometimes not even then." I watched Emily still her actions, lost in thought before shaking herself back to the present. "As long as he comes home at the end, I'll be happy." She cleared her throat before wiping her hands on the tea towel and putting the toasted sandwich on the table in front of me with a forced grin.

The door bell interrupted the silence of Emily's house, joining in with the sound of the TV and the weather man's voice. I watched Emily stand from the couch and walk towards the door. I knew who it was before Emily led them into the lounge room, Paul and Sam. I looked away from the weather to the direction of the boys. Emily stood next to Paul, almost shining in the dark room with Pauls arms wrapped around her. For a second I wander is he had noticed the difference in Emily that I saw this afternoon. "Bella." Sam velvet voice made me shiver even though I couldn't feel the coldness of the night. Either way I felt the pull towards him, the pull of the imprint. It had been stronger the last few days , I wasn't sure if it was the separation between us in the last couple of weeks or the war inching closer, the possibility of losing him. It's hard to even think of the chance that something could go wrong, that Sam or one of my brothers gets hurt.

...

I ravished the feeling of the warm arms circled around my waist, holding me firmly against the muscled chest behind me. It would have been a perfect moment if not for the sound of the two teenage wolves playing the Xbox in the lounge room. The arms pulled me closer, leaving no space and making a happy sign escape my mouth. Light kisses started travelling up my neck, he gave it a little bite before kissing it softly. The protectiveness and territorial state of the relationship was something my head still couldn't get around. Sam always had this...situation where he liked to show others who I belonged to, for example- bites on the neck and making sure I smelled of him half the time. I could understand his feelings, It's just i can control it better than the male behind me.

In his state of happiness, I thought I should show the male who the boss is around here. I grabbed onto his arms and quickly changed positions, so he was pressed into the mattress while I was saddled on top of him. I gave him an innocent smile and tightened my hold on his hands when he struggled a bit, testing the grip. In a flash, his hands disappeared between my fingers and moved to my waist. A growl vibrated through my body while a leaned down closer to his lips, slowly brushing against them, teasing him. He tightened his strength on my waist in annoyance before moving lower down my body. I nibbled on his bottom lip than gave a heated kiss, telling him exactly what I wanted. My hands tangled in his black hair while his hands had moved farther up my body, sliding underneath the shirt covering my form.

"Bella? Sam?" An uneasy voice sounded from the other side of the door, the only object separating Will from seeing the view of Sam and me together. This time, it was Sam who growled but for the complete opposite reason to why I did. "I'll...leave...you alone." I heard the hurried footsteps of a retreating Will and slapped Sam on the arm before climbing off him.

"What was that for?" He gave me a hurt expression and sat up on his elbows to watch me cross the room to the wardrobe.

"You didn't need to scare him away." A grunting sound came from behind me.

"They both had an idea what was happening, or at least going to happen." I heard the bed sheets shift and a pillow been punched before he spoke again. "Anyway, you were the one who wanted alone time." My hands stopped looking for clothes and I looked over my shoulder at the man slouched over on the bed with the emotion of frustration written across his handsome face.

"Well... it isn't just us anymore, we have two teenagers who are under our responsibility." I pulled a pair of plain jeans and blue shirt along with underwear out of the draw and slipped them on. When I didn't get a response from the male behind me, I walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen.

When I walked into the kitchen, I was greeted with the view of Court and Will staring at the empty fridge. I grabbed a couple of apples from the counter and threw them at the two boys. "Eat those until I go shopping." The boys held a disgusted look before taking a hesitate bite of the healthy fruit.

Will left the room in a hurry and a second later Sam came down the stairs, giving me a soft kiss on the temple before turning the coffee machine on. "I'm going to the shops, wouldn't want my boys starving." I pocketed some of the cash from the cookie jar on top of the fridge and gave Sam a goodbye hug, I was almost out the door when he spoke.

"We're going to be patrolling the forest." I nodded my head in confusion and walked over to the Ute. We always patrolled the area, why did he need to mention it. I started the Ute and put it in gear, driving out onto the main road.

For a Saturday morning, the grocery store was crowded with people. I grabbed a trolley and walked to the frozen section, grabbing bits and pieces. Hoping the boys would enjoy my choice, I hadn't a clue what their taste buds were like.

I picked up some meat thinking of cooking spaghetti when a flash of images went through my head, making me drop the package food. I slowly bent over ad picked the frozen meat up and threw it into the trolley.

The image was still clear in my mind, when I reached the bread. The forest ground, gasping air and spinning tree tops repeated in my mind, making no sense. I moved to the fridge section for milk, cheese, yogurt and anything else that took my interest.

I had finally moved closer to the register, waiting for the two customers, a single male and mother with two kids to check out and pay. I was leaning lazily on the trolley when a faint howl drifted in the store. I stiffened along with a few people near me, only mine was for a different reaction. I had no idea what was happening, out of the loop from the group. I had to force myself to not leave the line, leave the trolley and shift right there in the middle of a general store.

I almost felt sorry for the check out girl for my rushed behaviour, but I quickly dismissed it and packed the shopping into the back of the Ute. I started the car and was out of the parking lot in a few minutes, leaving the trolley in the parking spot.

The brakes sounded when I pulled up at the house, Jake and Paul were standing outside. "What happened?" I felt in my stomach get worse when they didn't answer, I almost yelled at them in frustration before following them into the forest and shifting. We were the only one shifted and their minds were deadly silent except for my dramatic thoughts.

We quickly shifted and put clothes on before walking to the large building that seemed to loom over me, the word hospital haunting me while Paul and Jake led me down a white corridor. We walked into room 104, there were curtains around the bed, hiding the form behind it. I pasted some people in the room, though I didn't have the heart to look up and see one of them missing. I pulled the pale blue curtains aside and felt my heart fall deeper. A white sheet was covering the bed.
Stepping forward until I was looking down on the covered white face, a shaky hand came out and lifted the sheet from the body's head. My legs clasped from underneath me to only have someone grab me before I collide on the polished floor. His face was paler than usual, the only hint that he would never open his brown eyes again. A violent sob came from my chest. One hand went to my aching heart while the other pushed the perfect combed hair back, running my fingers down his lifeless face. "Oh Charlie."

The rest of the time felt like a dream expect the emptiness filling my body, reminding me it was very much real. I remember Sam pulling me into the back of a vehicle, Harry and Sue Clearwater in the front. Soft kisses and the rough hands of Sam while he mumbled words that didn't register in my mind. The weight of the blanket. The dip in the bed. The fingers threading through my hair while another rested on my hip, rubbing circles on the bare skin. The dryness of my throat. The cracked lips. Sore eyes. A splitting head ach. And numb feeling.

The darkness was welcomed until the nightmares arrived.
The forest ground.
Gasping air.
Spinning tree tops.
Pounding paws.
Snarls.
Red curly hair.
Barking dogs.
Harry's voice.
The blinding white light.

Sam was always there every time I woke up breathless and sweating. His voice and presents, calming me down into another room of darkness.

The clock read 5:45AM.
By that time I had lost hope of a peaceful sleep and got up to make breakfast. "Shit." I whispered under my breath, making Sam stir in his sleep. The shopping was still in the back of the Ute, meaning I'll have to throw out half the food because it would have gone off.

I entered the kitchen to find bread on the counter and the fruit bowl loaded. Moving to the fridge, I found it packed. I sent a silent pray to the guys and pulled the milk and jam out of the fridge.

I forced the hot coffee and rough toast down my throat, not feeling hungry but knowing I needed to eat after missing out on dinner last night. I grabbed yesterday's newspaper from the lounge room table and sat down at the kitchen counter finishing my meal. The newspaper was filled with sports, weather, puzzles, comics, and classifieds- coming to the messages from loved ones for the dead. A miserable sign came from my lips. Uncle Charlie. I hadn't realise I was crying until drops splashed onto the newspaper. Last night I was to numb to cry, but now that some of that had fazed my walls were crumbling down.

I was grateful that it was Sam who woke up first instead of the boys, I didn't want them to see me in this situation. He pulled me onto his lap, smoothing the sobs and dulling some of the ach. "What happened?" I wasn't sure if I was ready for the answer, but I wanted to know.

"Yesterday, the towns' people agreed on going for a look to find the creature responsible for the deaths. As Chef of La Push, it was his job to join the search crew. Harry went along with the group to help out Charlie in case they found something...unusual." He massaged my back muscles, trying to help with the stress. "We caught the scent of the red head and went after her. We had trouble keeping her away from the humans, she seemed to want to test us or them. Charlie came to a close call with the leech...giving himself a heart attack." There was a deafing slince until he spoke again.
" The last couple of months, Charlie has been having doctor appointments. He had limited days and yesterday had been that last one."

"Why didn't he tell me?" The tears fell faster now.

"Shhh..." He kissed the side of my head. "I'm sure he was going to mention it, everyone's been busy the last few months." I shook my head, anger at myself for not talking to Charlie often and frustrated at him for not telling me sooner.

...

I was thankful to everyone, while they tried to make sure I didn't get stressed out, I still kicked them out of the house so I could clean it myself. I needed the distraction, though I had left the funeral planning to everyone else. It hurt too much to think about him. My time was spent with Billy and Jake, having a desire to be close to the family I have left. It felt like mother dying all over again, except this was Uncle Charlie and a had the support of the family and pack.

Now though, I couldn't run away or imagine none of it was real because the coffin was lying in front of me in the ground. I slowly watched it sink into the human size hole, until the clunk confirmed that it had reached the bottom. People threw flowers of all different types with the coffin, even though i'm sure he would have liked his fishing gear to be with him instead of the pretty flowers.

...

AN: Well...that chapter was kind of depressing to write. I would likepeople to tell me the thoughts running through their heads. Reviews are always loved.