The floor beneath my feet creaked noisily as I paced angrily across Sam's kitchen. I could hear the rest of the pack in the living room, talking jovially above the crash of lightening from outside and my scowl deepened. I pulled my phone from my pocket with an annoyed sigh and dialled the familiar number quickly, growling angrily as it went straight to answer phone again.

"Okay, this is the twelfth message I've left and I'm beginning to get pissed off. Can you please call me so that I know you're okay? Thank you." I hung up and barely resisted tossing the phone across the room, to hear the satisfying crash it would make against the plaster wall.

"Still not answering?"

I spun around and growled loudly at Seth and his imprint, curling my lip back to show my teeth. Seth rolled his eyes but his girl shrieked softly and stepped behind him. His eyes narrowed as he wrapped an arm around her and I smirked. When I was pissed off I liked to antagonise the others into fighting with me. I needed to get the rage out of my system.

"Stop being an asshole Paul." Jared told me as Seth pulled his imprint out of the room with a final glare. "Isn't that what got you into this in the first place?"

I scowled at him before throwing myself down at the kitchen table. Jared followed, leaning his chair back on two legs and staring at me.

"She's ignoring my calls. Why would she be ignoring my calls?" I asked in a snarl.

"Because you were an asshole about her going home." Jared reminded me. "She's bound to be pissed off at you. Give her tonight to think things over and call in the morning, once she's calmed down."

"And if something happens to her between now and then?" I snarled in reply. Jared rolled his eyes but patted me supportively on the shoulder.

"She lives in Port Angeles, what could possible happen to her in twenty four hours?"

I glared at him, knowing he was right. Port Angeles was a town that was very rarely plagued with any sort of crime and Abby had told me that growing up in Seattle had left her equipped to take care of herself should the need arise but even still. Something was churning in my gut, telling me that something wasn't right. I needed to see her, or hear her voice… anything that could assure me she was alive and well and just pissed off at me. Pissed off I could handle. I wouldn't like it but I could live with it. But if something happened to her… if she was hurt because I had been disgustingly selfish I would never forgive myself.

A loud pounding on the door broke me out of my thoughts and I exchanged a wary look with Jared. Because of the storm, the pack was holed up here and everyone with sense would be holed up in their own houses so who on earth was banging the door that furiously? I watched Jared stride towards it and swing it open to reveal a soaking, out of breath Mark and behind him a teary eyed and equally wet Alex.

I was on my feet instantly, the wolf inside me reacting to the sight of Abby's friends with caution and fear. Something had to be wrong for Alex and Mark to be in La Push at the time of night. Something to do with Abby. I was across the room and had Alex hoisted against the wall by his neck before Sam had entered the room and I ignored his calm demands to let him go.

"Where is she?" I hissed. Alex blinked rapidly, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to gulp air in. He whimpered as he fell to the floor with a bang when Jared and Jacob pulled me away from him. I glared at them and struggled against the hands that held me but they didn't weaken.

"I'm sorry." Alex sobbed from the floor. Mark shook his head as he looked down on him in disgust.

"Tell them what you told me." He demanded and I turned to listen to Alex, still struggling. He had something to do with my gut feeling, I recognised, and if he had put Abby into danger I was going to kill him. Tear him apart and feed him to Kim's pet rabbit although even Rosie wouldn't eat filth like him.

"I'm sorry." Alex muttered again, wrapping his arms around his legs and rocking back and forth. I finally stilled and felt Jared and Jake loosen their grips while keeping their hands out in case they needed to restrain me again.

"Where is Abby?" Sam asked in a calm voice. He came to stand next to me, before nodding once to Quil. I watched Quil pick Alex up and deposit him, roughly, on a kitchen chair.

"He took her." Alex muttered. "He wasn't supposed to take her. He said he only wanted to talk to her, to convince her that you weren't right for her. This is all your fault." He yelled suddenly, his face flushed with rage as he glared at me. "He told me all about you… about all of you. You're freaks. Weirdoes who think they're some sort of wolves. And you're trying to drag Abby into you delusions. I had to stop it. I had to stop you." He screamed angrily and I felt Jacob clamp his hands around my biceps to stop me from diving at him. Who the hell was he and how did he know about us? What did he know about us?

I managed to break loose of Jake's grip but froze halfway to Alex, sudden comprehension causing my blood to turn to ice.

"No." I whispered. "Tell me you didn't leave my imprint with a bloodsucking leech."

This time it took Quil, Jacob and Jared to restrain me as I fought to get to Alex. His scared expression did nothing but fuel my rage and as he shrank back into his seat, staring at my snarling face in horror, I fought harder to get loose.

"I didn't mean to." He sobbed suddenly. Damn his mood swings were playing on my last nerve. I could feel the nervous energy running just under my skin; could feel the wolf trying to break through. He had let a vampire take Abby. He had let the bloodsucker that escaped take my Abby. I wanted to feel him trembling beneath my hands as I slowly killed him.

"He… he came to me last week. Told me that you guys were… were… that you thought you were werewolves. He said you were dangerous, that you could hurt Abby if you lost your temper." He was simpering now, staring at the wall rather than looking at any of us. "He came to my apartment every day and convinced me to introduce him to Abby. He said he wanted to talk to her about you, to warn her what you could do. He said he watched you ripping his wife to pieces and then setting her on fire." The horror in his voice made me growl angrily. "I agreed to introduce them. He knew she would be going for food with Mark last night and we met her on the way home. Then he knocked me out and took her, I guess. I didn't know how to contact you so I went to Mark."

"Why would you hand over one of your best friends to a man you barely know?" Jared hissed at him. I felt his fingers flex suddenly and I broke free, grabbing Alex by the neck and slamming him against the wall again, ignoring the small cloud of plaster that fell around us.

"If there is so much as one scratch on her… I will kill you." I warned him. His eyes widened and he nodded. I could smell his fear as I dropped him onto the ground but I ignored the wolf side now. I needed to stay human, to stay focused, if I wanted to find Abby.

The pack was behind me when I turned, their expressions a mixture of support and anger. The strongest emotions were coming off those who had imprinted; Sam and Jared and Quil and Seth. I saw them glance behind them every so often, to make sure their own imprints were safe. I could practically taste their relief and as much as it sickened me, I understood it. I would be relieved if any of them had been taken instead of Abby but I should have known better. I had been the one who killed the leech bitch. I should have known there'd be some sort of retribution. Hell, I had known something would happen but I hadn't been paying enough attention. It was as much my fault as Alex's, I realised. If I wasn't such a selfish asshole, I would have offered to drive her home yesterday and then I would have stayed with her. We could be tucked up in bed right now, watching the storm through her bedroom window. Instead, she was out there somewhere, with a bloodsucker who would only keep her alive for so long.

Suddenly, I could no longer keep the wolf in check. I felt Sam push at me shoulder, shoving me towards the door as he yelled at the girls to get into the other room. I hurried out, howling at the sky as my body shook off the confinements of being human and luxuriated in the wolf. I howled again and again, letting my grief and anger and hatred out in every noise. The rain and wind whipped against my fur but I paid it no heed as I looked towards the expanse of trees at the edge of Sam's garden. I headed for them, needing to be away from the pitying looks and the clearly audible conversation in the house.

Once shrouded by the trees I relaxed slightly, breathing in the scent of fresh air and wet grass. I felt rather than heard Jared when he changed and turned to stare at him as he stalked towards me, his head down.

We're going to find her.

We'd better.

Alex has never been to the vampire's place so we're going to have to do a sweep of town. Forks and Port Angeles, maybe even Olympia or Seattle.

I'm going to kill him.

I know, man. No one is going to stand in your way. You think you can change back? We need to talk inside.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on pulling the human back into the dominant position. The rain on my bare skin felt soothing and I welcomed it as I walked towards the house, accepting the pants Sam threw at me from the doorway.

"We're going to split into twos. Jared and Paul. Jacob and Quil. Leah and Embry and Seth and I. Collin and Brady are going to stay here to protect the rez. We'll start in Forks and make our way from their, two teams west and two east." Sam's voice was calm and business like as I stood there, staring out the window. I was itching to get started, to look for the bastard that had my Abby.

"We're not looking for houses or anything like that," Jared spoke up. "It's going to be some sort of non permanent residence. They wouldn't have stayed in town so long if we hadn't antagonised them. Maybe an abandoned warehouse?"

There were nods of agreement from behind me.

"Stick to your partner and if you find anything you call us and we'll come to you. Paul, do not go in alone and get yourself killed. That's an order."

I turned and scowled at Sam but he continued to stare at me impassively.

"We will find her." He assured me. "And we'll get her back safe and sound. And then you can rip the son of a bitch to shreds."

A few minutes of silence later and Jared and I were on our way, on all fours, to the east side of Forks. I could hear the pack in my head, a swirling mass of noise and images that I tried to ignore as I ran. The ground was hard beneath my paws and I relished in the pain. It kept my mind clear and in control. I had to get to Abby before he hurt her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We ran for hours, sniffing out every abandoned building we could find. Forks had come up empty and we were almost finished Port Angeles. The sun had broken through the clouds and was now casting a weak beam onto us as Jared and I began shifting back. I needed to call Sam, to see where we could go to next. The desperation I had been clinging to was now beginning to feel like outright panic. My chest was beginning to close up and I was feeling claustrophobic amongst the trees behind Abby's apartment.

I could hear Jared and Sam's conversation clearly and I sank to my knees as I realised that no one could find any sign of her. I pictured her face, scared and streaked with tears as she tried not show her fear to her captor. She was so small, so delicate. How could she handle this?

With renowned vigour I grabbed the phone out of Jared's hand and held it against my ear.

"I'm going to Seattle." I growled at Sam. He was silent for a few seconds before agreeing.

"We'll meet you there."