Chapter 16! Sorry I'm so late again. It was just really hard to write this one when I am dreading the next one. But I just have to grit my teeth and get it done if I want to finish this story. This chapter is short, yes. But I will tell you to prepare for the next one. I am. I will try to get it posted asap, but I don't know when that will be.

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Please Enjoy!

RPOV

The festivities that night were all about life. Dancing, drinking, eating, laughing happened all through the house. Wolves howled and yipped, dancing around outside in the leftover snow. Walker's pack had come to offer their congratulations. Bianca had told Walker that the pack would be honored to hold their own ceremony for their alpha couple. A ceremony that was traditional.

At one point in time, however, Caden had pulled Jacob outside hurriedly. The man didn't look happy and Leah was left with a worried look on her face. Dad had excused himself to follow them out, his own frown pulling his brows down low. I'd wanted to follow, but knew Jake would tell me later. Besides, I needed this kind of joy. Tomorrow morning, Jacob and half the pack would be heading up to Denali. Along with the males of my family. Tomorrow, we'd all be a worried bunch of females. But tonight, we had our men, and we were going to enjoy them.

Jacob, Caden, and Dad were only gone for about ten minutes. Caden looked a bit calmer but not much. Jacob beelined for me, wrapping his arm around my waist. Haleigh and Claire ran around us, giggling. Claire had taken Haleigh under her wing, teaching her how to deal with the wolves, how to be tough. They were quickly becoming best friends.

"Mind if I ask the bride for a dance?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Go for it."

He kissed me before going for Christa. She grinned up at him, put her drink down, and put her hands on his shoulders. He twirled her around the room, grinning and laughing.

"Would you like to dance?"

Looking around, I found Walker standing behind me with a hand held out and grin.

"Your husband took my wife so I'll just take his."

I laughed and took his hand. "I would love to." Once he pulled me into his arms and I was leaning on his shoulder, I asked, "So how does it feel to call her that?"

"Amazing and unreal. I'm eighteen and I'm a husband."

"And an adoptive father."

His eyes widened. "I am, aren't I? Wow." He shook his head. "How do men give this up? How do they cheat?"

He twirled me then dipped me. "Because they're idiots."

"I think you're right. I could never let them go."

Once he righted me, we both looked over to Haleigh standing on Uncle Emmett's shoes as he spun around, and Christa still dancing with Jacob.

"You really adore Haleigh, don't you?"

He watched her with a soft smile. "I do. She put her faith in me first and she was all alone. How could I just leave her like that? Unprotected and alone? Neither of us could. And she brought me and Christa together so much faster than anything else could. She's happy and safe. I guess I know how Mom and Dad felt taking in Tricia. They just wanted to give her the best chance."

"You think you can give Haleigh that?"

He gave me a look. "You don't think we can?"

"I didn't say that. I know that you can. I was just asking what you thought. Your reasoning."

He shrugged. "Like I said, she picked us. And when a child picks you, it gives you this feeling like you can do anything. She never met us before and yet she believed in us. Who are we to be selfish and turn her away when we have the things she needs?"

Grinning, I gripped his shoulder hard. "You two are going to be great."

"Thanks. I hope everything works, that we didn't move too fast."

"Well, whatever happens, you have the support of both packs. We'll be there when you need us."

He shook his head, eyes watching me with a type of wonder. "You and Jake have been so good to us, to me. Thank you."

I shrugged. "That's what we do."

"Yeah, well, you ever need anything, you can come to us."

I grinned appreciatively. "Thanks, Walker. So are you going to stop by the house on Thursday? If you guys are back by then?"

A horrified look crossed his face. "It's Thanksgiving! I completely forgot."

Chuckling, I patted his cheek. "It's ok. There are obligations that you guys have. We understand. If anything, we'll just push it back until you guys come home."

"We should only be gone a couple days. The trip is only to check on things up there."

"Well, we'll see."

A throat cleared beside us. Jacob was there, grinning.

"May I have my wife back? Yours is now available."

Walker chuckled, kissed my cheek, and gave Jacob my hand. "She's all yours."

"Thank you."

I was easily transferred to Jacob's arms. He wrapped me up against his chest. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I rested my ear over his heart.

"Promise me you'll be safe."

"I'll do my best, sweetheart."

Squeezing my eyes closed, I knew that was the best he could do. He was the alpha, therefore, he had to be on the front lines.

"I love you," he whispered. "If anything happens, I'll fight to get back to you."

"I know. I love you, too."

"Come on. I know tomorrow's going to be hard, but let's enjoy tonight."

I nodded. "Ok."

All night, the wolves and vampire celebrated even after Christa and Walker left with Haleigh. I'd been surprised that they hadn't asked someone else to watch her for at least a little while. But then I thought about it. Walker would want to spend the night with his two girls before he left tomorrow.

Early into the morning, Jacob and I decided to head out. Shelby and Seth followed us out with Brayden snoozing in his mother's arms. Once we got to split off to the cabins, we said our goodnights and went home. Sadie and Blake had melted into the woods while Adam and Derek stayed with us.

"So what was Caden all upset about?" I asked cuddled up next to Jake.

Jacob sighed, his arm tightening around me, his breath a white cloud in the air as the temperature kept dropping. "He saw one of the paintings in Carlisle's study. Of the Volturi. He recognized Caius."

"Caius? What about him?"

"Caden said it was Caius he saw after he found his family."

I gasped, a hand going over my mouth. "Caius killed his family? His babies?"

Jacob nodded. "That's what Caden remembers."

As we walked up to the porch, I just thought about that new bump in the road. If it really was Caius, he'd broken the truce that Aro had made, that they'd all agreed to. One of the big three had broken their own rules. I wonder how Aro would feel about that if it were to get back to him. How would he feel to know that Jane was doing Caius's bidding?

"This changes things, Jacob."

"How? You think you can just go to Aro and he'll believe you?"

"All he has to do is touch Caius to know everything."

"Ness-"

Before either of us could say anything else, Aunt Alice appeared on our door mat in front of us, the only things moving on her was her hair and clothing.

We both slid on the ice that had accumulated on the porch.

"Alice," Jacob scolded. "You gave me a heart attack."

She shrugged. "Sorry, but I saw something you might like to know."

"What is it?" I asked, righting myself against the porch railing.

"Jane is back at Aro's side. No signs of Tristan or Nyla, but Jane is back in Italy."

Jacob and I shared a shocked glance.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

My aunt actually grinned. "It means she's not here. And neither is Alec. Abigail is safe with us, but she's still healing and is still asking to be isolated just in case. We only need to worry about the wolves. For now."

"What do you mean, for now?" I demanded.

Now she sighed. "Jane is pissed. As is Caius. He's trying to find a reason to come back here and he just might sway Aro to do just that."

Jacob growled. "How?"

"The let's-check-on-things excuse. They've been hearing about some of the upset from here, but not the details obviously. Aro is curious. The more Jane and Caius talk, the more curious he gets."

Jacob's hands curled into fists, his arms shaking, jaw clenched. "If they come here, they'll find a way to take Ness. Especially being married to me. They might even find a way to try to take you. And Bells."

I gripped his fingers to try to get him to calm down. It helped a little. The shaking managed to lessen.

"Jacob, for now we're safe. You and Walker still need to go up to Denali tomorrow. Check on our cousins."

He pointed at her. "You watch after my wife."

She nodded. "We will, Jacob. We'll tie her down if we have to."

"I'm standing right here," I said indignantly. "And if Jacob tells me not to do something, I won't. I learned my lesson, thank you very much."

My aunt sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about Jane right now. One less worry helps. Are her guards staying?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Walker and I have decided to split the packs. Half here, half with us. Eighty apiece."

Aunt Alice nodded. "That sounds good, much better than taking the majority of the packs."

"Is that all you needed?" Jacob asked rather aggressively.

Aunt Alice raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Yes."

"Good. I want the rest of the night with my wife. Please."

I traded a glance with my aunt before she nodded and left, just like that.

"Jacob, that was rude."

He scrubbed a hand over his hair. "I know. I'm just pissed off. Jane and Caius are right under Aro's nose. This whole shit is starting over again, and I can't lose you. We barely won last time. And that was only because Aro knew he was going to die. There's no guarantee of that happening again."

Before he could work himself into a rage, I rushed to him and wrapped my body around his. "Jacob, we'll find a way, okay? I won't just give up. I won't. We'll fight this. There has to be a way."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around me. "Ness-"

"No. You wanted me to be the stubborn woman again. Well, here I am." I squeezed and shook him the best I could. "We will get through this. And right now, we're going to spend the rest of our time together in bed or on the couch. I don't care where. I just want you inside me."

Letting out a choked noise, he stared down at me. "Well, tell me how you really feel," he said with a laugh.

Even though I had a key of my own, I dug into his pants pocket, brushing my knuckles against his growing erection, and grabbed the key to the cabin.

"Oh, I'm going to show you how I really feel."

The Next Morning

TriciaPOV

Sleep had eluded me all night. Embry, too. We'd stayed up all night just wrapped around each other. Muted sunlight crawled up the wall and over the ceiling as dawn came. Dread settled in my gut. Embry wasn't one of the wolves staying down here. Soon, we'd be up and around, and Embry would be dropping me off at Christa's house. And then he would be gone, going up to Denali.

Staring out the window, I ran my fingertips over his bare chest. His fingers played up and down my spine through the shirt of his that I was wearing.

"Tricia, I want you to listen to Nessie and Christa, okay?"

"I will," I whispered as tears gathered in my eyes. "What about Mom and Dad?"

He cleared his throat. "I called them while you were getting ready for the wedding. Convinced your mom to let you stay a little longer. We all think we'll only be gone for a couple days. Walker talked to them, too."

"Will they be protected?"

I felt him nod. "Jacob is putting a couple wolves on the house."

"Good."

Silence enveloped us again for a few minutes. The tears seeped out of the corners of my eyes, slipping over my nose and onto his skin. His arm tightened around me, lips pressing into my hair.

"It's only a search party, Tricia. We need to see if the Cullens' family is ok. And to find Tristan."

I snorted and sniffled at the same time. "Please. When has anything been that simple? I just have a bad feeling about this. I don't want to be away from you."

He squeezed me again. "And I don't want to be away from you, either. But, the danger is still around and I can't just opt out, Trish. I can't. I have a duty to my land, to the pack, and to you. To keep you safe. And I will do what I have to." He kissed my forehead. "Come on. It's time to get up. We want to leave as early as possible. The sooner we leave, the sooner we come back."

Sighing, I followed him out bed and pulled on my jeans while he went into the bathroom, the water turning on. "You know, you better be back by Wednesday. I'm fully planning on being in bed with you all day and night."

He choked out a laugh. "You're really set on that, aren't you?"

"What, you don't wanna be with me?"

Leaning back from the sink so I could see his face, he gave me a look. "Do I really have to answer that?"

I shrugged. I knew he wanted me but maybe I was the one wanting more than he was.

Shutting off the water, he stalked toward me in the sweats he'd put on. He wrapped me up in his arms and tilted my chin up so I'd meet his eyes.

"Woman, I want you more than you could ever imagine. And while I'm gone, and in human form so they won't see how I imagine you naked, I will be thinking of every way to take you once I get back. The moment we're alone, I'm all yours. And you're all mine."

I couldn't help the grin or the tears. "I'll be thinking about you, too."

He leaned down. "Good. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I met him halfway on my toes for a kiss.

"Mmm," he murmured as he licked his lips. "Best breakfast ever."

Laughing, I shook my head and pushed him back toward the bathroom.

EmbryPOV

My gut wrenched every time Tricia went out of my sight. Leaving her was going to rip me apart, but I kept telling myself the same thing I told her. That I had a duty to my home to protect it. I'd been given the gift of the wolf, and I had to use it the way it was meant to be used.

Finishing up in the bathroom, I went to find her. She'd packed her bag yesterday before her brother's wedding, and it was sitting at the foot of the bed. My heart hurt.

Walking into the kitchen, I slid on an old tank that I wasn't fond of since we'd be phasing on the way out. Tricia still had my dress shirt from last night on, and a pair of jeans. She'd rolled the sleeves up to what should have been her elbows but stayed at her wrists as she scrambled the eggs. We had just enough time for breakfast. After she poured the eggs into the heated pan, she went for the mixing bowl and the waffle maker.

"Do you have any vanilla extract?" she asked, searching one of the cabinets, going up on her tiptoes.

Standing over her, I reached up to the top shelf. She arched back into me, her ass pressing back into my hips. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to try to calm my body. Didn't help. I hardened to the point of pain against her. Her head fell against my chest, platinum blonde hair cascading down my torso. She grinned up at me, her ice green eyes sparkling as if she knew exactly what she was doing to me.

"Thank you, baby," she said sweetly.

I shook my head, eyes widening. "You are the devil in disguise," I said handing her the bottle.

"Only for you," she replied taking it from me.

Biting her lip she went back to making breakfast, stirring the eggs and the waffle mix. Stepping up behind her again, I moved the fall of her hair to the side, over her shoulder and kissed her neck. She sighed contentedly.

"My little devil," I whispered.

I saw the grin from the corner of my eye. She moved just enough to press a kiss to my lips. "My guardian angel," she said just as softly before pressing her lips to mine.

Though I wanted to dispute it, the nicknames had a sort of irony and a ring of truth. I kept myself wrapped around her as she moved back and forth, hands roaming up under the shirt to her flat stomach and smooth skin. She was a tiny female. The fingers of both my hands could wrap around her waist with thumbs and forefingers nearly touching. But she was curvy. An hourglass figure with breasts that looked to be a handful (I wouldn't know...yet) and hips that flared out from her waist and fit the cups of my hands. Every inch of her that I'd held so far, fit against me to perfection. It was amazing how someone so small could fit me so perfectly.

Moving back, she nudged my hips with her ass. "Go sit down. I'll get you a plate."

Unwinding myself from her, I went to the fridge. "What do you want to drink?"

"Um, orange juice, please."

Grabbing the bottle, I poured two glasses and went to the table with them just as she placed a plate of food in front of me. Two waffles and a heap of eggs. Snapping as if she forgot something and then remembered, she went to the fridge and dug out the ketchup.

"You want some on your eggs?"

"Sure."

Breakfast was quiet as we ate, her foot rubbing up and down my leg. She grinned at me over a bite of waffle. Pure temptation. That was exactly what she was. Her birthday was just days away and I was already imagining her in my bed, underneath me. Everything around us had turned into an item used for nefarious deeds, such as the syrup currently sitting in front of me, currently coating her lips. I'd had thoughts about other women before, but there was something different about the fact that she was my imprint and for sure the one and only woman that I would ever be with.

A howl broke through my thoughts. Not a voice I knew. Caden maybe.

Luckily we were done with breakfast. I helped her clean up the dishes quickly. While she went to grab her bag, I dug through the junk drawer and found the extra key to my house.

"Ready?"

Gripping the key, I turned to her with a smile. "Yeah." I held my hand out for the bag. "Give it up."

"Embry-"

"Now, woman."

Sighing, she handed it to me. Before she could pull her hand back, I dropped the key into it. "If you need a break from all the girls, come here. I've asked Kiera, one of our wolves, to watch after you. I value my privacy so she's agreed to stay outside. She's good at protection, trained with Sadie and Alana."

For a moment all she did was gape. "But this is...this is a-"

"Key to my house, yes." I curled her fingers around it. "And I want you to have it. I already told you this. You can come here whenever you need some alone time whether or not I'm here. I trust you."

She gave me sad/happy pout. "You better come back."

Dropping the bag, I wrapped her in my arms. "I will, devil. I will. I love you."

Her arms snaked around my waist. She snuggled her face into my chest and sniffled. "Love you, too, angel."

I chuckled. "Because that's masculine."

She laughed, too.

Another howl ripped through the air.

We both sighed.

"Time to go. They're getting restless."

Fifteen minutes later, we were kissing goodbye outside of Christa's place. As were Walker and Christa, and Jacob and Nessie. Shelby and Brayden were going to stay with Emily and Sam since they had more baby supplies. All the females were strictly told to stay on the rez. They couldn't even go up to the Cullen place. Even the Cullen women were staying on the rez.

As we pulled apart, Morgan and Lucas walked up arm in arm. Morgan looked relaxed and not the least bit upset that her man was about to take off. She'd always had that kind of confidence, but I could read her well enough to know that she was at least a little worried. Every time her eyes flicked to him, that tiny bit of worry sparked up.

"No!" a little voice echoed out.

We all turned to find Haleigh clinging to Walker, sobbing into his shoulder as he tried to hand her off.

"I don't want you to leave!"

He stroked her back and rocked from side to side. "Shhh, baby girl. It's ok. I'll be back."

Christa was stroking her hair, barely holding back tears of her own.

Jacob tugged off his wedding band, slid it onto a chain around Nessie's neck, gave her one last deep kiss, and then forced himself to let her go.

"Walker," he ordered gruffly as he turned away from his own wife.

Squeezing Haleigh, he closed his eyes and held on before looking at Christa. She stepped forward and pulled Haleigh away. Though she clung to Walker, it didn't help. Christa was stronger.

"No!"

"Haleigh, sweetheart, it's ok. We'll both miss him."

Haleigh turned and clung to Christa. Walker also handed Christa his ring before giving her one last kiss and ripping away from his two women. Lucas followed with a last kiss to Morgan. Tricia moved against me and I looked back to her. She gave me a sad smile and went up on her tiptoes. Meeting her halfway, I kissed her.

"Embry, let's go," Jacob barked.

"Love you," I whispered quickly.

"Love you, too. Go," she whispered back.

Wrenching myself away from her, I phased and followed my alpha.

JPOV

In the woods, I waited for Walker to shift and follow. Embry had made it to my side in record time after I'd ordered him to hurry. Seeing the strength in my wife's eyes had given me the strength to pull away.

After a few minutes, we were all hurrying up to meeting point. Because not all the wolves had the telepathy thing, we'd gone over the plan before taking off. Caden, Walker, and I had divided the packs into groups of three. We'd come in from the east, west, and south. There was no way to come in from the north, but we'd close in as fast as we could if there was anything to close in on.

Let's get this over with. I want to get home to my wife.

We all put on a burst of speed. In only a matter of moments, we reached the meeting spot. Caden and the others were waiting for us. I barely slowed down enough for him to join us. As we ran, more wolves poured out of the woods, following us. We'd split up just before we reached the Makah rez.

Emmett, Edward, and Jasper melted in with the wolves. Both Carlisle and Edward had medical training, therefore, it made sense that one of them came with and the other stayed behind.

As we ran, all I could think about was Nessie. She'd pulled Christa and Haleigh back, wrapping an arm around Christa's shoulders. My gut tugged, and that wasn't a good sign. I didn't feel good about this. Something was up. The Denali clan wasn't answering calls, which was never good.

Eventually, we made it to the meeting point. The groups split up and went around the Makah rez. All of the males of my pack were trying not to think of the loved ones they were leaving behind. I'd tried to get Seth to stay down on the rez, but he refused. Even Shelby had been insistent on no special treatment even as she'd cried into her son's blanket.

Jacob, please, Seth begged.

Sorry, man. Just thinking about how brave she is.

Our females are strong, Embry said. All of them.

Seth and I both mentally agreed. Caden, who had pulled out in front of us, yipped. Apparently we were too slow.

Putting on a burst of speed, we all caught up and pushed on toward our destination.

ChristaPOV

After the men had gone, Haleigh had cried herself to sleep against my shoulder. I collapsed onto the couch next to Nessie. Now, it was a waiting game. Rocking Haleigh, I laced my fingers and twisted my wedding ring around. Nessie had given me a chain like hers so that I could hang Walker's ring around my neck. It was heavy and warm between my breasts, over my heart.

Morgan plopped down beside me with a bowl of popcorn.

I looked at her incredulously. "How are you so calm about this?"

She gave me a look before stuffing her face with popcorn. "Please," she said after swallowing. "It's just a search and rescue type of deal. They'll be back soon enough."

"It could be a trap," Tricia said, her arms wrapped around herself. She was drowning in Embry's dress shirt from last night, cuddled into it.

Morgan nodded. "Of course, but our men are good fighters. They have to be. That's what they're made for. Have a little faith."

"I have faith in Embry," Tricia snapped. "And my brother, but that doesn't mean I can't worry."

Morgan's eyebrows met her hairline and she held her hands up in surrender. "My apologies."

"Ladies, calm down," Nessie ordered. "They just left. If we keep this up, we'll end up on Jerry Springer before they get back."

Immediately, Tricia deflated. "She's right. Sorry."

"Me, too," Morgan said. She shrugged. "I'm worried, too. None of us like to be away from our imprints. It's ground into us that we protect them. The males are good because they are protecting us, but we females who imprinted are going to go nuts."

"Didn't Lucas imprint on you?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, so he's ok. But me? I'm chomping at the bit. I'll end up running patrols with Leah."

"I would be, too, if I didn't have this one," I said resting my cheek on Haleigh's hair.

"If you need to run, Christa, I can watch her," Nessie said.

"Thanks, but I don't think she could handle it right now."

"I think you're right. Walker's already gone," Morgan said, reaching over to brush Haleigh's hair gently.

Nessie stood up and clapped her hands. "Ladies, we can't just sit here and worry. Why don't we work on menus and such for Thanksgiving. Our men will be hungry when they come back."

Immediately, Morgan hopped up. "I quite agree."

Deciding Nessie was right, I tucked Haleigh into her bed with her doll. And then I realized what had been off earlier. She'd left it in the house when she'd run after Walker. My eyes widened. She'd actually left the doll, her most prized possession, in order to see Walker one last time. My heart melted. Poor thing.

Turning out the light and closing the door, I joined the other women in the kitchen.

ShelbyPOV

Brayden and Leila had gone down for naps. Both of them were in the same room. Alice had bought a different crib for Brayden and had brought it down with her. Emily was currently making some hot chocolate and a late breakfast. Jacob had put Sam in charge since Seth had gone with him and was currently out meeting up with the pack.

My man was stubborn to his core, but I supported him even though everything inside me had wanted to beg him to stay here with me and Brayden. His sense of loyalty and need to protect us had kept my mouth shut, however.

"Here, sweetie," Emily said, handing me a mug.

"Thank you." The smile was forced and she saw it.

Coming around the couch, she sat beside me, one elbow on the back of the couch. "Worried?"

Blowing the hot liquid, I managed a nod.

Emily patted my knee. "I know, sweetie. Worrying about Sam was a full time job. It was worse when I was pregnant. After Leila was born and he vowed not to phase so he could grow old with me, I took my first deep breath."

"I don't have that luxury. I'm a werewolf, too. Apparently, my kind lives a while, too. Probably not the same rate as Sam and the others, but longer than a human. Seth won't stop phasing for a long time and I haven't shifted for the first time yet. And Brayden? He's the best of both worlds. Barely any human in him."

Her grip on me tightened. "Shelby, Seth is a fighter. You are here. And your son is here. He'll come back. Jacob will bring him back. Those boys are my family, too. I'm worried about them just as much as you are. And I don't want Brayden to be without a father."

The thought of my son growing up without his father clenched my gut. My blood felt like ooze as it ran through my veins. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, that something was going to happen.

I prayed that whatever good karma I had would kick in and nothing happened.

The feeling in my gut didn't wouldn't go with the happy vibes.

WalkerPOV

As we ran, my sensitive nose picked up scents of both werewolf and vampire, each a few days old.

"Walker," Edward said. "It's time to split up. Take your group and head east. Caden, get your group and head west. Like we've gone over, the house is isolated on the mountain."

Roderick was in my group and hot on my heels. We both split from Jacob and the others, taking the rest of our group with us. The further east we moved, the less wolf we smelled. Vampire scents overpowered my sinuses making me want to gag.

As we moved north from this position, paralleling Jake and the rest just further east, the snow started to get deep. At first, only a little up my leg, but now it was up to my underbelly, fur soaking it up. Luckily my body heat kept me warm.

"We're getting close, Walker. All of you need to prepare yourselves." Jasper was keeping up with the rest of us.

Edward had, not surprisingly, gone with Jacob. Emmett had gone with Caden and the rest.

"Through these trees, we'll end up at the top of the mountain. We moved surprisingly fast to get here."

About two minutes later, we broke through the trees just as Jacob and Caden's groups did the same. For a moment, we all just stood there, breathing heavily. Nothing moved but the snow flying around from the wind. Jacob stared at Edward and Edward answered in return, having a conversation. After a few minutes, Jacob looked back at me and nodded before turning to Caden.

I looked back at my group and nodded toward the huge house in the center of the clearing. Though we were all separated into three groups, we moved as one. I led my group around to the far side of the house while Jacob took the front. Caden and the rest took the back.

Windows covered the house. From every angle we could see through it. Nobody and nothing inside moved. Everything was still except the snow. Jacob phased back to human, Edward handing him a pair of sweats that he quickly pulled on. Together, he, Edward, and Jasper went inside.

I watched closely as they walked around the house. Frowns tugged at their brows and the corners of their mouths. Looking back to Roderick, I managed to somehow tell him to stay there. When I made it to the house, I could see more details through the windows.

There was blood smeared on the walls, floors, and windows. I frowned. Vampires didn't bleed.

Furniture was overturned. Cracks in the plaster and a few windows. A mirror was smashed. The door leading into what looked like the kitchen was in pieces on the floor. Lamps and vases turned over or smashed.

Something had gone down. And the Denali's were missing.

Suddenly and simultaneously, Edward's head snapped up and the wolves in the woods started to snarl, snap, and growl. Jacob was out the door and phased in two seconds. All the wolves in the woods started to back up into the clearing, all of them faced out. As all three of the groups converged into one, I circled around and understanding dawned.

We were surrounded.

By red-eyed vampires.

I know! Another cliffie, but in my defense, I did warn you. Please review. I love them as I love you! My fans are awesome! xoxoxoxoxo