Probably one of my favorite chapters out of everything I've written on here. Soooo many things. Edward just...freaking awesome. I loved him this chapter. Derek and Adam! (Squeeeeee!). Shelby? Embry and Tricia? Duuuuude! Chapter 24, folks.

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

JPOV

Waking up early Saturday morning, I decided to drive to Port Angeles to pick up Nessie's Christmas present. I'd called the jewelry store before I'd donned my leather jacket and jumped on the old bike. She still purred like the day I'd finished fixing her up. Kept her in tune all these years.

When I got there, they were very helpful about everything and already had the necklace boxed up. All I had to do was pay and leave. Back outside, snow had started to fall in earnest. So far, this was turning out to be the snowiest winter that I could remember around here.

I made it to the Cullen house just before the storm hit hard, snow falling so fast that it was impossible to see.

Knocking on the door, I waited for someone to answer.

It was Bella.

"Hey, Bells. I was wondering if I could get a favor."

"Sure. Come on in. What's up?"

I took the square box out of my jacket while Bella dusted off my shoulders and hair. "I need you to wrap this," I said, shoving her hands away from me. "I'm terrible at stuff like that and I want it perfect."

She took it, but didn't open it. "What is it?"

"Nessie's Christmas gift." And then I thought of something. "She isn't here, is she?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You mind if I take a peek?"

"As long as she's not here."

Immediately, Alice, Rosalie, and Esme were standing around her, watching over her shoulder as she opened the box.

All four of them gasped.

"Oh, Jacob," Esme said. "It's beautiful."

"You think she'll like it?"

Rosalie shook her head making my stomach drop. And then she smiled. "She'll love it. Seriously, you did amazing."

Originally, I'd seen something like it in a store window, but I figured I'd have something custom made for her. The pendant was a white gold circle with a silhouette of a wolf howling to match her ring. In the circle, black and topaz diamonds were set into the metal. The wolf was outlined in black diamonds, its one visible eye topaz. The black represented my side while the topaz represented her, the color I associated with the Cullens because of their eyes and some of the highlights in Nessie's hair.

Edward came up behind them as Alice took the box to go wrap it. "You did well, son."

"Thanks." Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet to hand him back the card. "And thanks for the card. I'll pay you back."

"Keep it, Jacob."

"Edward, sometime you're going to have to run out of money. Look, once this crap is over, I'm head mechanic at the shop. It's already in effect. I'll just be full time after. It's good money. And it's time we get our own cards, use our own money. Really, I appreciate everything. The cabin, the trucks, everything you've provided for my pack. It means a lot. And I won't refuse help on the pack's behalf, of course, if it's offered. But I want to provide for my wife and myself, and our future family. To try to be a little normal. I can't keep this."

He nodded, but didn't take the card from me. "How about this: you keep the card and use it for pack necessities. That card will be solely for that reason." When I started to argue, he held up a hand. "Jacob, what else am I going to use all of that money for? I've been alive a very long time, and have collected a lot. Alice keeps us well-funded with our stocks. We won't be broke for a very very long time. My great-great-great-great-grandchildren will be well provided for. Keep it. Use it as needed. I fully support that you want to provide for my daughter and my future grandchildren. I do. And I want to do something for you. The pack is more active than Bella and I are. That card is a personal one of ours."

We just stared at each other.

"Jacob, when Bella and I married, my funds became hers. And she didn't accept that at first. She still has problems using the money. But Renesmee is our daughter. Whatever she wants or needs, we can provide the spending money for. She's used to living that kind of life."

I tensed, good mood floundering. "So you support me trying to provide for her, but you don't think that I can. Nice. That's really touching, Edward."

"Jacob-"

"Yo, Alice! Is it ready yet? I wanna get home."

Edward gripped my arm tightly, forcing me to look at him. His jaw was clenched. "Listen to me, Jacob. And listen good. I have every faith that you can provide necessities. Every. Faith. And for your future children. But Nessie is used to being able to drop money on whatever she wants. A head mechanic's salary is not enough to support that. And the miracle that she is, I want to give her that, to make sure she can have what she wants. And do you know what? Every high dollar item she's bought has been for you. Nothing for herself. And I am willing to keep supporting that so that you can support your family." With a steady glare, he gripped my arm tighter. "You are my son. I have never doubted your ability to keep my daughter happy and well-provided for. She'd live in a shack as long as she was with you. Wear rags as long as you kissed her every day. Never dare assume that I think less of my son for something as materialistic as the money he does or does not make."

Silently, I shook my arm from his grasp, took my wallet back out and put the card inside before tucking it away.

He nodded at me.

I nodded back.

A moment later, Alice and the rest appeared behind him with looks that told me they'd heard every word but weren't going to say anything, making things awkward.

Alice handed me the neatly wrapped square. "Here you go, Jacob."

Taking it from her, I smiled. "Thanks, Alice. I owe you one. All of you. And now I have to use you and leave you. Ness and I are spending the day on the rez before the bonfire. You're still coming, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Bella said, snuggling into Edward's side.

"Good. See you guys later."

Turning, I went for the door. With my hand on the knob, I paused and looked over my shoulder to Edward.

He nodded again.

I nodded back. Again.

And then left to go hold my wife.

On my way back up to the cabin on my bike, I couldn't help but play Edward's words through my head over and over. I hadn't seen him like that, so...fatherly toward me. Or at least fatherly-in-law. But his words sank deep. All the time we'd fought over Bella, he'd been grudging toward me. Now, he was beyond supportive, telling me he wanted me to provide for his daughter, that I was his son no matter the connection. That meant more to me than I thought it had. We were truly family. And since the pack was also my family, he was more than happy to provide for them. That meant even more.

The snow reached the dirt drive here and there through canopy of trees, but for the most part, the drive was clear. Finally, after a couple minutes, I made it home. Kicking off the bike, I rolled it under the tall porch opening and covered it with a tarp. The cabin was on an incline so the porch was higher off the ground than if the cabin were level.

Walking into the house, I took out the wrapped box and set it on the mantle before slipping out of my jacket, throwing it on the back of the couch. It was still early in the morning. The jewelry store had opened super early just for me because I'd left a message last night, and I was associated with the Cullens.

After I built the fire in the living room back up, I plopped down on the couch, too wired to go back to sleep. The look in Edward's eyes just kept floating at the front of my mind.

Hands touched my shoulders, massaging at first, before moving down my chest.

"You're up early," Ness mumbled in my ear sleepily. "I thought I heard your bike."

"You did." Reaching up, I gripped one of her hands. "Gotta start her up every now and then or she'll stop working altogether."

"Sounds reasonable." She kissed my neck.

"What are you doing up?" I asked as her hair spilled over my shoulder. "It's early."

"I know. I guess I knew you weren't there, and I just woke up."

Gently shrugged out of her hold, I kept one hand in mine as I stood up. She looked exhausted. "Come on." I pulled her toward the stairs.

"Why?"

"Because this is too early for you. You need at least a few more hours of sleep."

She tugged on my hand. "Jake, I'm fine."

I turned around to face her. "Ness, I know you. You need sleep. And if I have to be there in the bed, then I will be. Let me take care of you, okay? I'm still your husband."

Sighing, she stepped into my body, resting her head on my chest. "I'm aware of that. Alright, come hold me while I sleep."

"Absolutely."

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I picked her up and went for the bedroom. Even though I didn't feel all that tired, I'd probably fall asleep next to her warmth.

I could handle that.

MorganPOV

Life was weird.

That was the only way to explain it. All of our pack was blissfully happy even aware that danger was only a week and a half away or so. Nessie had sent out a mass text outlining her plan. To avoid war, it was a good plan. But none of us lowly wolves liked that our alphas were going to be fighting without help. I, personally, didn't like that Jacob and Nessie were both going to fight. And Shelby. That one I really didn't like. She was a new mother with a recently resurrected mate. It made me uneasy.

Beside me, Lucas rolled over, his arm snaking over my waist. He'd moved in with me months ago. Surprisingly, his dad hadn't had one complaint. Instead, he'd just smiled and waved, happy that his son was happy. Lucas still worked at the flower shop and was going to partner the store with his dad once he turned twenty-one. The shop was very popular on the rez and in Forks, so it wasn't going to go under any time soon.

"You okay?" he asked softly, fingers playing over my skin.

Turning over on my side to face him, I stroked fingers down his cheek. "I just don't like this plan, Lucas. At all. If our alphas fight, we should, too. It's our job to protect them."

His thumb stroked over my hipbone. "I don't like it either. But what choice do we have if we don't want this whole section of the state slaughtered. It's minimal casualties. There really is no other choice."

I rolled over onto my back once more, sighing. "How are we supposed to just stand by?"

"No doubt Jake will give an order."

"Yeah, probably." Rolling out of bed, I stretched. "Come on. We told Jake that we'd help get the area ready for the bonfire. I am not cooking."

Laughing, he rolled out of bed, too. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've never actually been to one of these things."

"Think high school party but with more food."

"Sounds delicious."

Rolling my eyes, I went for the bathroom. "You're always hungry."

"Duh."

Knowing Lucas wasn't happy with the plan either made me feel a little better. But not much.

This was going to be a long couple of weeks.

ChristaPOV

Before heading up to the cliffs, Walker and I dropped Haleigh off at Emily's to play with Claire and Leila. We didn't want her up there while we were busy setting up everything and couldn't keep an eye on her.

The boys were going to pile up the firewood and then go collect every grill they could find. Some of us women were going to head to the grocery store to pick up the food. When Walker and I got there, Jacob handed me a credit card with Edward's name on it. The Cullens dropped enough money around Forks that nobody would try to ID us. They knew the Cullens were associated with the Quileutes.

"Get whatever you need," Jacob had said.

"Thanks."

Morgan, Kim(Jared's wife), Rachel, Rebecca, and Nessie went with me. It was good that Nessie went because she was a Cullen. I handed her the card to use when the time came. We all kissed our men goodbye before taking one of the trucks into Forks.

It took about four hours to get everything in the carts, pay for it all, and then pack it up. Five carts full of meats, chips, drinks, and various other things filled up the bed of the truck. I'd about had a heart attack when the cashier had come up with the total, but Ness hadn't batted an eye. She'd just smiled, handed over the card, and gave up her ID.

The woman had glanced at it before shaking her head with a smile. "It's all good, hun. I know who you are," she'd said.

From there they'd chit-chatted while the bagger caught up and finally filled up all five of the baskets once more. Each of us pushed a cart. One of them was so heavy it took two of us. Luckily the bed was loaded down because there was still ice on the roads.

We made it back safely. All the men swarmed the truck, taking out groceries. We'd made sure to buy things that didn't need to be put together at home. They marinated the meat, tenderized it, and threw it on the grills. Slowly, other people started to show up as the afternoon waned. From the site that was chosen, we could still hear the waves crashing against the cliff walls below. The fire was roaring and giant white logs from the beach formed a giant circle around the flames where had enough room to dance around or lay out around the fire.

Eventually, Emily and Sam made it up with Leila. Once Haleigh was out of the car, she ran for me where I was standing beside Walker as he worked one of the grills.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

"Hey, sweetie!" I said as I scooped her up and placing her on my hip. "Did you have fun with Emily and Claire?"

She nodded animatedly. "Uh huh."

"Good. Give me a kiss."

She planted one on my cheek.

I leaned to the side. "Now daddy."

Walker leaned back so she could kiss his cheek, too.

I set her back on her feet. "Alright, go play. Don't leave the ring of logs, okay? Stay where I can see you." When Claire came over to take Haleigh's hand, bent down to meet her eyes. "Claire, can you watch her for us?"

She nodded. "Yes, Aunt Christa."

"No going outside the ring of logs, but don't let her get too close to the fire, okay?"

She nodded again. "Okay."

I smiled. "Good. Now, go have fun!"

Giggling, both of them ran into the circle of logs, skipping around. There were plenty of people around to watch over them. Quil was never far away from Claire. The grills were scattered around the perimeter.

"I still want one of our own," Walker said in my ear.

I smiled at him. "Me, too. Haleigh would make a great older sister."

"She would." He wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. Not for any reason other than to have me close.

"You want anything to drink?"

"Sure. A coke would be great."

Going to one of the coolers, I grabbed a can. Closing it, I looked up to notice that Derek and Adam were talking to one of the new wolves. I didn't recognize him as one of ours. So, one of Calahan's. The three of them seemed to be getting along very well. Casual touches here and there. Smiles all around. And no jealousy as they tossed back a couple beers.

We all knew that Derek and Adam hadn't imprinted on each other. But maybe some sort of arrangement could be made. It would be wonderful for them to find a third. They were a progressive couple, unafraid to try new things. If something worked out for them, I would support and be happy for them.

Grinning, I turned around and met gazes with Nessie, who was sitting between Jacob's knees, his back against one of the logs. He was laughing at something Embry was saying and Nessie was watching Derek and Adam. I made a happy face and pointed, my body blocking the motion from the threesome if they had looked over. She grinned back with a thumbs-up.

Morgan left Lucas's side to crank up the radio as more of Walker's and Calahan's wolves nervously made their way into the clearing. Glancing around, I saw Emma and Calahan. Making my way around and through chatting wolves, I made it to them, holding my hand out.

"Hey, guys. I'm glad you decided to come. We're just waiting on the meat to finish cooking. All available men are on the grills."

Instead of shaking my hand, Emma hugged me. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Jacob actually did that. His pack, my old pack, used to have these bonfires all the time. It's just a party to congregate and catch up."

"That is...actually a very good idea," Calahan said as he studied the area and all the wolves. "Jacob really does run his pack on kindness, doesn't he?"

I nodded. "And respect. On the reservation, all kids are taught that respect gets respect. That's how Walker and I are going to run the new pack." I shrugged. "We respect the way that packs are run with your kind of wolf. We just don't agree. We feel that our new wolves need to be shown some kindness, something soft. Not something that should be feared. And this," I motioned to the party, "is a good way to start. Having fun, relaxing. It's a good way to learn our people, to earn their trust by just talking to them, getting to know them. Everybody wants to feel special, like they matter, like they're not just another number in your ranks."

"And you learned this from Jacob?"

I nodded. "Yep. He's a great leader."

"And how has your pack been since implementing the new leadership technique?"

"Perfect. Nice, sweet. Very helpful. One of them owns some land outside of Forks. Bianka, our second in command, inherited quite a bit of money. So we're going to build plans for several cabins on the land so that they have their space. We haven't discussed it yet, but Walker and I will probably move out to be with them. This area is getting a bit crowded."

"Very," Emma agreed. "Calahan and I have been looking at surrounding areas. Now that your pack is no longer in its original area, we were thinking of staking a claim."

"That sounds good. Maybe all the alphas can get together and talk about it."

"That would be great."

Calahan looked around. "Where is your husband?"

Turning, I pointed. "Over at that grill. Come on. I was heading back that way anyway." I held up the can. "This is his."

They followed me over to Walker. Jacob nodded and raised his own drink to acknowledge them as we passed him.

It was great having everyone here, mingling. Once they knew of their welcome, the two new packs relaxed, easing into conversations and smiles. Every now and then, Emma would tug on Calahan's arm with a rin, urging him to watch their pack.

Maybe they, like me and Walker, could learn a few things from Jacob.

RPOV

This bonfire had been the best idea Jacob had had in a while. Everybody was dancing, laughing, and having a great time. Food was passed around.

Leaning back against Jacob's chest, I was utterly stuffed. Beside us, Tricia and Embry were sitting the same way. Tricia was positively glowing. Of course she was. She'd moved in with Embry. They were living in bliss.

My family was mingling with the other packs. Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett had found Xavier and were already talking to him. Dad and Carlisle were talking with Calahan, Emma, Bianca, and Angelica. Mom and my aunts were mingling around, trying to make members of the other packs more comfortable, engaging those who seemed more reserved than the others.

Suddenly, Jacob moved behind me, standing up.

I craned my neck back. "What are you doing?"

He held out his hand. "Come dance with me."

"What?"

"Don't you recognize the song? I'm hurt."

The tune floated through the people and over the voices. It took me a moment, but then I recognized it as our wedding song.

Grinning, I took his hand and he pulled me up. Spinning me out, he then pulled me against his body.

"I love this song. Not the traditional," I said.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome. And describes how I feel about you to a tee."

I kissed him as he dipped me.

"I love you, too, baby."

He spun us around the fire, and then, when the song ended, smoothly sat us back with me sitting between his knees once more.

"That was pretty smooth," I laughed.

He nuzzled my neck, growling. "It was, wasn't it?"

We were both laughing when Adam sank down next to us. Neither of us saw him coming.

"Hey, Adam," Jake said. "What's up?"

His expression said he wanted to tell or ask us something but was deciding how to say it. "Uh, Jake, do you know if two people have ever imprinted on the same person?"

My eyes widened as Jacob frowned. "Well, I um, I don't know. I've never heard of it. My dad might know. Why?"

Leaning forward, I gripped Adam's arm. "Did you and Derek…? I saw you talking to that guy a while ago."

"What?" Jacob asked, looking between the two of us.

Adam nodded. "I think we both imprinted on him."

Grinning, I punched his arm. "Well, what's his name?"

"Rhett. He had a lover, but when the guy cheated, Rhett transferred to Calahan's pack."

"And you and Derek both imprinted on him?" Jacob asked.

He nodded.

"It makes sense," I said.

Jacob looked at me like I was nuts. "How do you figure?"

"Think about it. They're in love with each other, truly in love, but didn't imprint. They've been scared to leave the rez in fear that they would. And now both of them imprint on the same guy, keeping them together?"

Both men shared a look.

"I guess."

"What do you think, Jake?" Adam asked. "Are you ok with that?"

Now Jake looked at him like he was nuts. "Are you joking? I'm stoked for you guys. We probably need to talk to Calahan about it. I'm not sure how he feels about the same sex relationships. Walker said he'd question Bianca and Angelica. But we'll talk to him."

Holding his hand out, he said, "Thanks, Jake. This is really weird."

Jake took that hand, laughing. "You are not wrong about that, my friend. Now go. Enjoy the party. And the company."

"Thanks, man."

As he dashed off to be with his two males, we sat back enjoying watching all of these people. The kids ran around the fire. Claire helped Haleigh roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Seth and Shelby sat on the other side of us. Shelby had her knees up, Brayden laying on her legs. He was grinning and giggling. Reaching over, I booped his little nose. His face scrunched up.

A growl permeated the air between us forcing me to snap my arm back. Jacob and I exchanged a look.

Seth suddenly stiffened. "Shelby," he said in a low voice.

Immediately Caden was standing in front of them. My eyes moved up to the sky. Unfortunately, it was covered in clouds. But I'd bet anything that a full moon was dancing up there.

"Shelby," Caden said calmly. "Hand Brayden to Seth."

Only her eyes flicked up to glare at him and I gasped.

They were no longer green.

They were amber.

ShelbyPOV

Something was very wrong with me. I'd just growled at Nessie just for playing with Brayden.

"Shelby," Caden said again in his think accent. "Please give your son to his father. You need to come with me."

Looking up at him again, I found his amber eyes flashing. The moon was full and he was itching to shift.

"Please give me Brayden," Seth whispered.

Swallowing hard, I handed Seth my son. I could feel everything. The moon was pulling my blood through my body. I could even feel the water inside me flush around.

But more importantly, I could feel the wolf inside me stretch. She was ready to let loose, to be free. She'd offered me visions, telling me that it was going to hurt, and that though she didn't understand it, she felt bad. She stretched inside me, and I thought I could literally feel fur rub against the inside of my body. The tips of my fingers and toes tingled, ached. Then a sharp pain hit, and not just in my toes and fingers. She wanted free, and she was clawing the inside of me to get free.

A hand appeared in my face. I followed the arm up to see Walker's face. His eyes had turned a bright pale green.

"Take my hand, Shelby. Caden and I will take care of you."

The wolf in me paused. She recognized him. With my wolf eyes, I could look at him and see the hazy aura of his black wolf, the face imposed over his human one.

Body aching, I took his hand. He pulled me to my feet, and he and Caden helped me to the woods. My bones were vibrating as other wolves joined us.

"They are the weak ones of the packs. The ones who can't control the shift," Caden explained.

"It hurts," I managed to grit out. My bones were thrumming hard, hurting like growing pains.

"I know, luv, I know."

"We're almost out of sight, Shelby. Just hold on."

At that point, my legs became useless from the agonizing pain. After walking another yard or so, they leaned me against a tree, but my legs just wouldn't hold me up and I sank to my butt.

For a moment, the woods were eerily quiet for how many wolves had followed us in. And then the cracking started, followed by the moans and groans. My stomach rolled.

Walker twitched, rolling his shoulders. The air was filled with a suffocating energy that made my blood crackle.

"Shelby, stop fighting it," Caden said.

"I'm not," I said between clenched teeth.

He crouched in front of me. "Yes, you are. You're scared that you won't be able to control her, that you'll attack Seth and Brayden. But Walker and I won't let that happen. The more you fight, the more it will hurt."

"Obviously, I can't force it. What do you want me to do?"

He smirked. "First, stop talking to me from between your teeth. That's a sign you're trying to hold something back."

Anger boiled inside me. I was in severe pain and terrified that I'd hurt my son. Glaring up at him, I snarled.

"That's it. Secondly, I want you to get angry. Don't hold that rage back. Let it go. Let it rampage. Think about what's coming for us. The Volturi. Jane. Tristan…Nyla."

At the mention of her name, I sprang up at him. He evaded my claws and gripped my arms.

"That's it. Let it out, Shelby. You hate her. She watched as your mate was slaughtered," he growled into my face viciously. "You want to sink those claws into her body and rip her apart. Put her throat in your mouth and rip it out."

My humanity was folding away like a cheap card table, the wolf roaring to the front of my consciousness. Everything he just described played over my vision. The she-wolf pictured everything in vivid color.

Screaming, I fell to my knees. Spine arching, stretching, I fell on my hands. The first bone that broke was my right hip, another scream ripping from my throat. After that one break, more and more bones snapped. Muscles stretched and popped. Down my back, along my spine, my skin shredded. The she-wolf slipped my skin like I was glove, morphing my body into what she needed me to be in order to exist in the way she needed.

Despite my body breaking apart and reknitting, the she-wolf's relief at finally stretching out was strong enough to soothe the aches and agonizing pain down to something manageable, something I could breathe through. With her senses, she also knew that both Caden and Walker had gone into shift mode as well.

The leftover of the excruciating pain must have still been pumping adrenaline through my blood because I was pretty sure I passed out. The next moment, I opened my eyes, the world on its side. Looking down my nose, I realized it was no longer human. It was a long, white muzzle with a black padded nose that twitched as I sniffed the air. When my eyes managed to focus, there were two sets of front paws in front of me. One, white; the other black. The black one, Walker, stepped forward. Whining, he nudged my neck.

Slow. I knew I needed to move slow. So, staying on my side, I concentrated on moving my legs, just bending the joints. My own whine echoed from my throat from the pain of the stiffness. My now sensitive ears picked up a thumping sound. And I realized it was my tail hitting the ground.

The wolf in my head was anxious to get up, to stretch. And that made me excited to get up, to feel the power she gave me. Rolling to my stomach and sitting up, my head finally off the ground, I looked at all the wolves around me. Caden was the most powerful shifted wolf here, and they all knew it, eyes on him. His pure white form came around to my other side, pressing into me while Walker did the same on the side he was on. Together, their huge forms raised me up until my paws were under me. Looking down, my human self said, "Wow," in amazement at how big those paws were. Not as large as the boys' but still huge.

Testing the waters, I put weight on my paws. Expecting pain, I was pleasantly surprised when my legs held me up. The wolf in my head purred wildly, excited that her human half was okay. Wriggling a bit to let the boys know I was ok, I took a couple experimental steps. And was perfectly fine.

Walker yipped at me, and I turned, a wolfy grin no doubt showing my teeth. The wolf in me yipped back, using my body to make it happen.

"Shelby?"

Turning around, I found Seth standing behind us.

Caden gave a warning growl, but I whined at him. Though we didn't have human expressions, my wolf knew he was giving us a look. So we returned with our own. Huffing, he followed us to go stand in front of Seth. In wolf form, my eyes were on level with his chin, which was awesome. In human form, the top of my head barely reached his shoulder.

Seth swallowed hard as he reached out a hand. I lowered my head and my ears, allowing him access.

"God, you're beautiful, baby. Brayden is safe. He's with Jake and Nessie."

With Brayden's name, an image of him ran over my mind, and the she-wolf recognized him as her cub. It was odd that she thought "cub" and Caden said "pup". She leaned our head into his touch.

Stepping forward, I nuzzled his neck and shoulder, rubbing the side of my face against his skin. The wolf wanted our scent on him. He'd already done his marking. Now it was our turn.

Another yip came from behind me. Caden was raising his hackles but not growling. It was a warning. She didn't like it, but she knew why. He was worried we'd attack Seth. It would never happen, but Caden was the alpha male here, so she felt the need to obey him. She was new to being free and caution was best when it came to her mate.

One last look at Seth, a nose press to his forehead, and I forced the massive wolf body away from him to follow Caden and Walker into the woods. As other wolves joined us, her presence pushed mine to the side. She wanted to run, to feel the rush of the hunt, to feed.

She wasn't as wild as I'd thought she was. Right now, she was more playful, happy to be free of such a small human body.

As the other half of me, her joy touched me.

And I allowed myself to sink back into the shadows of our mind to let her hunt and enjoy herself before she had to be stuffed back into my human body.

JPOV

Seth stumbled back over to us about fifteen minutes later. The expression on his face said he'd just seen something that he really couldn't seem to process. Ness and I shared a look as he plopped down on her other side. Brayden was laying on her legs much like he had on Shelby. She was holding his little hands and playing with him.

"Seth? You okay, man?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I...I'm good."

"What happened?"

"She shifted."

"Oh, wow," Ness whispered.

Seth nodded. "She was gorgeous. Tall, white and black, and sleek. She even knew me. Didn't Caden say that awareness upon first shifting was a sign of dominance?"

Ness nodded. "Yup. But he also already knew she was dominant because of Brayden. When she was pregnant with him."

He looked over at his son. "Right. I forgot about that."

Reaching into the cooler beside me, I grabbed a can and tossed it to Seth. "Have a beer, man. I think you're in shock."

He looked at it and shook his head. "No, I need to keep Brayden."

"Seth, Ness and I can take care of him. You need to calm your nerves. One beer isn't going to affect you anyway. You deserve a break."

"He's right, Seth." Leah sat down in front of us, crossing her legs. "Enjoy it."

Seth popped the can and sighed with a nod. "You guys are right. My life is weird."

We all laughed as he took a swig that sucked down half the can.

"But also a miracle," Ness said, playing with Brayden.

"That's true, too." He shook his head. "It's so hard to believe that I'm a father. That that little boy is my son. That it's not just me anymore. That I'm now responsible for this...this tiny little...creature, creation. That I made that."

Leah reached forward and patted his knee. "Well, baby brother, I have to say that you do make one cute kid. I can believe you made him. Just seeing you with him tells me- hell, tells everyone-that you love him, and he's your son. He's the one thing, other than Shelby and clearly Jacob, that you would give your life for without a second thought. You're a wonderful father, Seth. You fought death itself to get back to him. That's pretty impressive."

"Thanks, sis. I'd give my life for you, too."

"Alright," I said. "As much as I love that you two get along now, enough with the giving up life crap." He pointed at Seth. "That's not happening again. I swore to your mate."

"And yet you're still going to let her fight," Seth sneered.

"Okay, okay," Ness said. "Enough." She looked at Seth. "She's fighting if she sees fit. You can't complain that she hasn't shifted. Now get over it, Seth. I don't want Brayden to lose his mother, either, but nothing we can do or say will stop her. We both know that. You know the woman you mated. Now accept her."

When Brayden started to get fussy, I noticed goosebumps on his arms. I motioned to Ness to hand him over. "He's cold. My body heat will warm him up faster than a blanket."

She handed him over while Seth brooded, still nursing his can.

A shadow fell over us as I laid Brayden on my chest. He calmed as he buried his face in my neck.

"Hey, guys," Embry said.

"Hey. What's up?"

He hugged Tricia to his side. "It's getting late and I have the first patrol shift tomorrow morning. We're gonna head out."

I held out my fist for him to bump. "Alright. Glad you came out. It was fun."

"It was," he agreed. "I'm glad you're bringing these back. I think it'll help the other packs."

"That's why I did it. You two have a good night."

"You, too," Tricia said. "It was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks for the food."

"Not a problem. You're family now. And our family likes to eat."

She laughed. "Well, goodnight."

"Night," we all called.

"Oh," she stopped. "How's Shelby? I saw Walker and Caden help her into the woods."

Nessie smiled up at her. "She's good. She shifted. But she's in good hands."

Tricia nodded. "Yeah. They're good guys. See you guys later." She waved as they walked away.

"Hey, Embry!" I yelled when they were almost out of the clearing. Several others stopped to stare at us. When he turned to me, I said, "When are you gonna put a ring on it?!"

He rolled his eyes while Tricia laughed behind her hand. "You sound like her mother."

I laughed. "That's why I said it. And I'm curious."

He glared at me. "You'll know the answer when you see a ring on it."

I almost flipped him off, but I checked myself. Instead, I said, "Touche, my friend. Touche."

EmbryPOV

I was tired and stuffed, ready to roll into bed. I hopped into the shower, though to get the smoke smell off me. Tricia said she was going to unpack a little more and get ready for bed.

When I came out, a towel around my waist, I immediately knew she'd been lying.

On the bed naked, she stretched that lean body, arms above her head, grinning at me sexily. There was a plate on the nightstand with picked off pieces of pizza. The picked off meat? Spread out on her body.

My woman and food. My two favorite things on this planet. Instantly, I was hard as steel under the towel.

The meats from the pizza were strewn over her body, dotted here and there. Pepperonis covered her pert little nipples and formed a triangle over that favorite bit of flesh at the apex of her thighs.

"Well," I sighed. "There goes my shower." As I spoke, I unwrapped the towel and climbed up on the bed.

"I could always eat these myself and we can go to bed." A sexy little pout tugged at her lips.

I growled. "Don't even think about it."

Leaning over her, I kept eye contact as I swirled my tongue around one of the pepperonis on her breast. She watched me with heated eyes, chest moving with her heavy breaths. Her skin tasted like the meat, but also like her. Strangely enough, she tasted like coffee but without the bitterness. Coffee with sweet cream mixed with the tanginess of the meat. With my tongue, I lifted the slice and popped it into my mouth. Closing my eyes, I savored the taste before swallowing it and leaning back down to lick the grease from her pearled nipple.

She groaned. "You have the most sinful tongue. I swear."

Chuckling, I reached down, slid a finger up the slit of her entrance, barely a touch. She groaned again, undulating her hips for more pressure. Instead, I grabbed one of the other slices of meat resting above that slit and tossed it into my mouth, too, licking my fingers. She tasted of coffee everywhere.

She opened her eyes and narrowed her eyes as she saw me chewing. "Oh you cruel, evil man."

To end both of our suffering, I made quick work off all the meat. Once that was gone, I licked her skin clean. And then I settled between her legs, face even with all those secret folds.

"You know, I think I need to pay you back for your...attentions earlier."

She bit that bottom lip and I growled, wrapping my arms around her thighs, spreading her legs. Meeting her eyes over her body, I slowly slid my tongue up that slit. She sighed and moaned at the same time. I closed my eyes and savored the taste. Coffee and cream.

And like a cat with its cream, I lapped at her. Sucking her, licking her. Gently biting her quickly moistening folds. Her fingers speared my hair, pulling and pushing at the same time. I had to swallow all the sweet honey her body released for me, slipping it down my throat. I would never get enough of tasting her.

Her stomach clenched, chest heaving. She was so close. Just one more drop.

Thrusting my tongue inside her was that last drop of the full cup. Her fingers clenched, nails scraping through my scalp. She let out a hoarse yell. More of that honey flooded my mouth, coating my lips, slicking up my tongue. Those luscious hips bucked against my face, her inner walls clenching around my tongue.

I gripped her hips while she orgasmed around me. When she couldn't buck her hips, her thighs came up to grip my head, squeezing hard.

And then the spasms stopped. Her legs dropped out to fall spread against the mattress.

Her eyes were closed, lids fluttering as she breathed heavily. Sinking into the mattress, she massaged her fingers into my hair languidly.

"Nice...payback," she said through a heavy breath.

Chuckling, I crawled up her body, licking my lips, cleaning her pleasure from them. "Who said I was done?"

Moaning, her back arched off the bed as I laid my lower body down on top of her, my erection pressing into the spot I'd just moistened up. Her body convulsed under me with the pressure. She was sensitive on that bundle of nerves.

Leaning down, I licked a line up the column of her neck. Stopping at her ear, I said, "I want your nails in my back. All over me."

As if it were a reflex to obey me, she put her nails into my back on either side of my spine. Not deep but with a little pressure.

Until I positioned myself and thrust into her in one smooth motion.

Those nails sank in deep, breaking skin. The sweet sting was pure heaven. A lot of guys didn't like things like that, but the males of the pack loved it when our females were so lost in pleasure that they couldn't help it. It was a mark of satisfaction, of good sex.

"That's it," I gritted out.

"So good," she breathed as I swung my hips. "Too good."

"Let me feel it."

Sinking in deep to my balls, hitting the end of her, those nails ripped down my skin to my ribs. Reaching down, I gripped the backs of her knees and lifted her legs up and out, scooting up onto my knees, sitting on my heels. The angle wasn't as deep, but it hit her just right because her body twitched again, almost convulsing around me. At this angle, I could look down and watch as I slid in and out of her. It was surprisingly erotic as hell to watch myself slide out slicked with that same honey I'd swallowed earlier.

Since she couldn't grab onto me, she reached up and gripped the headboard, which was banging against the wall.

"Oh, god, Embry. Right there," she groaned, almost a whine.

Though my thrusts were shallow, I toned them down again, barely brushing her with the head on the inside. Turning her head, she gripped the pillow with one hand and bit it, moaning into in one long breath. Keeping them shallow, I sped up the thrusts, flicking over that spot over and over. Shockingly, I was just as affected. The head of my shaft was the most sensitive part of me, and I was as close to orgasm as she was. But I wanted to finish deep inside her, to feel those walls milk me like they had my tongue.

"So close, Embry."

"Tell me when." My voice was so guttural it hurt even my ears, like I'd swallowed gravel.

Once her heavy breaths were accompanied with sounds, I knew she was almost there. So thrust deeply into her, spreading my knees wider on the mattress and hit the end of her. The base of me hit that sweet spot and she exploded, letting go of the pillow to rake her nails down my thighs. Instead of a hoarse yell, this orgasm was laced with a ragged scream. If I didn't feel her walls milking me, her hips grinding against me, I'd have said I'd hurt her.

But she definitely wasn't trying to get away from me. The moment her body touched my sac, I exploded. Back tightening painfully, stomach clenching, I gripped her knees harder and pulsed into her, giving her deep thrusts as I did, burrowing into her, burying myself in her heat.

Eventually, I was so wrung out that my body twitched much like hers had. Letting go of her legs, I slumped over her body, hands sinking into the mattress. My eyes weren't focusing and my chest heaved, lungs unable to catch a deep breath.

Blood was seeping down my thighs and sides, slicking up my skin. The cuts hurt when the sweat hit them, but damn had it been worth it.

Small hands tugged at my arms. "Down. Before you hurt yourself."

"I'm bleeding."

"You told me to," she said anxiously.

Smiling, I reached up to get the sweaty strands of hair off her forehead. "Yes, I did. And I love it. I just don't want to get it all over the sheets."

"Oh." She visibly relaxed. "I can get it out tomorrow with some peroxide."

"You sure?"

She nodded, yanking weakly on my arm. "Now down."

Suddenly weak, my arms gave. Falling toward the mattress, I managed to land beside her, avoiding crushing her.

Reaching over, she patted my chest. "I think tonight you played an awfully good devil. That was…that was...holy shit."

Chuckling, I rolled onto my back. "That was a pretty spectacular payback."

She laughed as she rolled onto her side. "You are the king of payback. I'll have to remember that."

I reached down to gently grab her thigh, lifting it up to rest over mine. No doubt she'd have bruises tomorrow behind her knees.

"At least we worked off the food," she said, cuddling into my side, no doubt smearing blood on her perfect skin.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, leaning back to look in her eyes. "You fed me and fucked me at the same time."

Instead of being offended by my language, she took it in stride with a smile. "Correction: you did the fucking. I just really enjoyed the ride."

Tracing her puffy lips, I said, "I love it when you use foul language."

"Mmm," she licked my finger erotically. "Then you should see me when I'm pissed."

I chuckled just imagining it. "As long as I'm not the recipient of that anger, I think I would enjoy a ringside seat."

"I don't think you could ever piss me off that bad. Walker did...once. He hasn't done it since."

"Mmm, wish I could have seen that."

She squeezed me. "Maybe someday someone might just give me a reason."

Leaning down, I kissed her lips. "I'll be there."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered. "Now time to get some sleep. You have to be up early tomorrow."

"I really don't think I'm going to have issues doing that. I'm already halfway out."

Reaching up, she used her fingers to gently close my eyelids. "Go. I'll set the clocks."

Now it was my turn to obey her. Pleasantly, thoroughly well-used, I floated off into a sleep equivalent to that of hibernation with my woman at my side.

I know I keep ending with Embry and Tricia and a lemon, but seriously. These two are smokin'! And Embry? Phew. So anywhozzle, reviews and PMs are always welcome. Go for it! Love you! xoxoxoxoxo