First off, I have to tell you guys that Problems in Paradise has been nominated for an Energize WIP Award! Are you kidding me? You guys are flipping AWESOME! I love you guys so so much!

Now, here's chapter 26. This chapter slung so many curve balls at me that I was just as excited to see it through as you guys are. Unfortunately, not as smile-inducing as the last one. :( Alas, drama must ensue. And poor Christa in this chapter. But sometimes you just gotta stick your foot in it to get the ball rolling. And you're just gonna have to read to find out!

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

ShelbyPOV

I hadn't known Christa long and wasn't that close to her, but I knew a breakthrough when I saw it. She was laughing, actually smiling for once instead of looking sullen and depressed. Usually, she had her eyes on the floor and only spoke when spoken to. Now, after one day of having Morgan back in her life, she seemed to be gaining some sort of life charge from her best friend.

And that made me think of my relationship with Ness. If I didn't have her, what would I be like?

Well, I'd either be locked up in my dad's house still, or out on my own alone, trying to make ends meet somehow. I'd have never met Seth, wouldn't be expecting his child. I wouldn't have met the Cullens and been brought in to this incredible family. I'd be living my life in unremarkable, ordinary circumstance instead of in the eye of the storm. Though I didn't like the fact that people were getting hurt and crazy vampires wanted us dead because they didn't get the war they'd wanted, it was still a life of activity, always moving. Keeping me on my toes. Which is the kind of life I'd been itching for every night I looked out my window, dreaming of a life outside of that house.

Looking up, I caught Nessie looking at me with a knowing stare. She knew me well enough to know that I'd look at the relationship between Morgan and Christa and compare it to ours. I grinned at her.

And decided then and there that I'd let her live her life. I was always in her and Jake's business. It was my personality to want to watch over her, protect her. But she was more than capable to make her own choices in her relationship. She left me alone with Seth, so I could leave her alone with Jake. I'd wait until she came to me.

"Who's hungry?" Esme said from the kitchen door. "I made chicken parmesan." And then her eyes found her granddaughter. "Oh, Nessie, you look beautiful."

"Thanks, grandma. It's not done yet, though."

Esme smiled. "It doesn't have to be for me to know that it's going to be perfect. I can already see you running down the aisle to Jacob." She sighed. "And to finally see that boy in a proper tuxedo…I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. I doubt it will ever happen again."

"Not if weddings keep happening and Alice has anything to do with it," I muttered.

Esme laughed. "Too true, dear. Too true. Still, his marriage tux? Plenty of pictures, I promise."

"I'm sure he'll love that, grandma."

"Hmmm," Esme murmured with a frown. "I'll need to brush up on my photography. Alice, were you wanting me to do the pictures?"

Alice popped up from behind Nessie. "Oh, that would be perfect. I didn't want a photographer here, especially an outsider. But with you doing it, that would be great! If you wouldn't mind."

That radiant smile was back. "Of course not. Now, get my granddaughter out of those needles. I'm sure she's hungry."

"Starving," Nessie and I said at the same time.

See? We could still finish each other's sentences.

Grumbling, Alice went to work on getting Nessie out of all that white and needles. When she was done and Nessie was dressed in sweats and one of her man's tanks, we made our way to the kitchen arm in arm. The smell that permeated the air made my stomach rumble even though I'd had half a sandwich an hour ago. Man, this kid wasn't even born yet and still had an appetite like his father. We all sat down at the dining room table. We'd tried to get our own plates and drinks, but Esme shooed us out of the kitchen.

It was nice to be part of a family. It was also nice to know that this was the family that my child would grow up in.

"So, Christa," Nessie said. "How's everything going?"

It was asked in a normal, genuine way, but Christa acted as if it had a different meaning.

She sighed. "You haven't told Shelby?"

Told me what? I thought.

Nessie shook her head. "I already told you that I wouldn't. It's yours to tell. I was just asking if things were good now that the past is out of the way."

"Oh." And then she looked down at her food thoughtfully. "Ok, I'll tell you, Shelby, since I already opened my mouth. But you can't say anything to anyone, or at least not him, ok?"

If the "him" was Seth, that was probably a no-go. But we'd see what she had to say.

"Shoot."

She took in a deep breath. "I imprinted on Walker."

I was very thankful I hadn't yet taken a sip from my glass, because I would have spit water everywhere.

"When?"

"Couple days ago. That day that Tricia came over while we were training for the partial shift."

"Oh right. The one I threw up at." I grimaced, remembering the popping and ripping sounds that came from Caden's hand. "That was disgusting, by the way." I couldn't really believe that I'd be able to do that. Maybe after the baby was born and I was all protective-mommy I'd be able to pull it off. But not right now with the little squirt making me nauseous all the damn time.

"Yeah it kind of was. But, hey, at least Seth won't make those nasty sounds when he does it. For some reason our partial shift is just as quiet as when we phase."

"Thank god for that. So, what about Walker? How is this gonna go with him infatuated with Tricia? And Embry imprinting on her?"

Nessie shrugged. "I just think that if Christa tries to spend time with him, hang around him and actually talk around him, he might start leaning away from Tricia."

Morgan nodded her agreement. "Yeah, he thinks he's in love with Tricia because she's adopted and he knows everything about her. They're best friends from what I've heard. So maybe we just need to separate them a little. And if Tricia falls for Embry, it could be an eye-opener for Walker."

Just then, Esme came in. "Shh, the boys are on their way in."

Christa looked relieved. "Thanks, Esme."

A minute later, the kitchen door opened.

"Mmm, smells good, Esme," Jacob said.

"Chicken parmesan. I love chicken parmesan." That was Seth, and I couldn't help the smile on my face.

As the group of guys came into the dining room, they were laughing and throwing jabs at each other. Apparently, they'd decided to let their worries go for one day. Or they'd finally come up with a plan that everyone was confident in.

Nessie, Lucas, Morgan, Christa, and I all sort of froze when Walker walked in with Caden on his heels. He looked upset. Probably Luke's death. By now, we all knew even if they'd wanted to keep it 'til the pack meeting tonight. Christa looked down at her plate and breathed in deep before she looked back up with a smile at me. I nodded in encouragement and gave her a smile back. The dining room and table were so big that there were still open seats everywhere, and I knew those of us who knew watched as Walker moved around the table. When he sat in the open seat next to Christa, I had to bite my lip to contain my grin.

Christa cleared her throat. "Hi."

He smiled sadly. "Hey. I don't think we've met officially. And I think you know who I am, but I haven't caught your name."

"Oh, yeah. I'm Christa."

Embry came in, noticed the two, and sat down directly across from them. He stared at them with an almost psychotic, anticipatory gleam as if he expected them to get it on right here in the dining room. I was at the head of the table but I could still reach him with my foot, which I planted into his shin. He glared at me.

Looking surprised, Walker's smile grew into a genuine one. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Christa."

"Yeah, you, too. I'm sorry about your friend."

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Thanks. We actually weren't that close. Well, not recently. We'd been friends since third grade, though."

Christa placed a hand on his arm. "Whether a friend is a now-friend or an ex-friend, they still had a place in your life, so I can understand."

Walker smiled at her again, like she'd surprised him…again. "Charlie told me that the coroner said he went fast, so that helps a little. We may not have been friends, but I've never had someone die on me before, someone that I knew. It just…hit me hard."

"And that's understandable. Nobody's expecting you to be ok. But if you need something, we're all here, ok?"

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

They shared a smile and then looked away from each other as if realizing that we were all watching them.

As we all tucked in at the table and started talking amongst ourselves, I noticed they started light chit-chat when Alice walked into the room. She was staring at Jacob who had his face buried in his mate's neck making her laugh and blush.

Alice cleared her throat. "Jacob." When he didn't respond, she raised her voice a little bit. "Jacob."

With an exasperated sigh, he looked up. "Yes, Alice?"

"What are you doing after lunch?"

He glanced at Nessie, and it was clear he wanted to say "her", but didn't dare. But he really didn't get a chance to say anything.

"I'll tell you what you're doing," she said. "I need to measure you for your tux."

He rolled his eyes. "Alice, you've done that three times already. They've been the same every time."

She glared at him. "Well, you look thinner than you did the last time. So after lunch, I will measure you again. If you don't come willingly, I will drag you up there with the help of Emmett and Jasper." And then she turned on her heel and went back into the living room.

The dining room had gone quiet. Everyone was staring at Jacob.

"Well, she's not scary at all," Walker said.

Christa snorted. "If you think that's scary, you should see her on a shopping trip."

"Amen," I said as Nessie nodded solemnly.

"So," Morgan piped up. "Nessie, have you decided where you want the wedding to be?"

She shrugged as Jacob played with her engagement ring on her finger. "I figured the rez. I mean, the last time there was a wedding here, there were only a handful of wolves and not all of them came. That was before the wolves and Cullens became friends. That backyard is only so big."

Morgan wiggled her eyebrows. "How long do you think that tie would last on him after the two of you say the magic words?"

Nessie opened her mouth to answer, but Alice got there first. "I'm not planning on a tie, but if I were, he'd keep it on 'til the last guest left or I'd hang him with it."

"Alice," Rosalie chided. "Be nice. It's his and Nessie's day. They can do what they want with it."

We all looked with stunned expressions at each other, except Walker. He didn't really understand the whole situation where Jacob and Rosalie were concerned.

"Aw, Rose. Don't ruin it. I'd love to see Alice kick Jacob's ass," Emmett said with a pouty tone.

We all heard Rosalie sigh. "Emmett, Alice is blind when it comes to the wolves. She wouldn't be able to anticipate his moves. It would be a fair fight."

"Oh, right."

"And just for that," Alice said in a snitty tone. "You get to sew all the little beads onto the corset."

We could practically hear Rose's eyes roll. "Whatever. You know I don't care. I just want to help with the dress."

Jacob looked to Nessie with appreciation. "Corset?"

She shrugged. "Apparently, I have great boobs."

Jacob choked on the sweet tea he had just taken a sip of. As the guys around the table laughed, he glared at them. Looking away, they all went into coughing fits. Seth buried his face into my neck and laughed quietly.

"You can't argue with that, Jake," I said.

He gave me a look.

I shrugged. "It's true. Usually, skinny girls are flat as boards. I mean, look at Bella. It's a wonder Ness got anything."

Nessie laughed and made a push away gesture. "Ok, I think we can stop talking about my boobs."

"Yes. Please," Jacob said with a growl.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Christa grin.

"We could always talk about her ass," she said, to which the whole room burst into laughter.

Jacob sighed.

JPOV

It was great to see my guys so high-spirited and not so serious. Although, I could have dealt without the remarks about Nessie. The protective side of me wanted to raise my hackles. But I beat it back. They were just messing around and she wasn't embarrassed. She even joined in.

Once I was finished with my second helping of lunch, Alice glared at me until I excused myself to follow her. Nessie wasn't allowed to see any of the preparation for my tux, nor was I allowed to see any part of her dress. There were closed garment bags laid out on the couch.

Alice turned to me. "Don't even think about it."

I raised my hands in surrender, but I was curious anyway.

When we got to her room, Jasper followed us in and closed the door. I knew the drill, so I stripped down to the boxers that I'd started wearing just in case. Out of character, Alice scooped up my clothes and folded them neatly on the bed.

"Jacob, I need to tell you something. I just didn't want to freak Nessie out."

"Um, ok. Go for it."

"I had a vision. A bad storm is going to come, and with it, nothing good will happen. Since I can't see around the wolves, even the Children of the Moon, that's all I can tell you."

I just stared at her. "Ok, do you know when this storm is coming?"

"Soon. With the weather changing as drastically as it has, it's normal. But the other wolves are going to sense it and use it. We're talking town blackout, Jacob. Maybe even the reservation. I don't know for sure."

I nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Alice. I'll talk to Caden, and try to keep it low."

"I thought you'd want to be the one to tell Nessie."

"Yeah, sure." Now, I felt a little awkward standing in my underwear so I gave her a grin. "So, we gonna measure me up or shoot the shit?"

Both Alice and Jasper laughed.

"You've always had a way with words, you know that?" Alice said as she came at me with the measuring tape.

I shrugged. "Not really. It's just that seeing you mopey gets me depressed. You're supposed to be the never-failing happy one."

She shook her head. "Shut up and hold your arms out."

Laughing, I did as I was told.

RPOV

Jacob was gone for a good hour and a half. I just sat on the couch and watched everybody take turns playing video games. Having beaten everyone else, Christa and Walker were battling it out for first place in Mortal Kombat. Shelby nudged me with a grin. The two of them were hitting it off well. They'd talked all through lunch, and only later joined the rest of us in the living room.

"Jacob and I have paired them together for the town patrols."

I jumped as Caden whispered that into my ear.

As I was swallowing my heart back into my chest, he said, "It'll be less conspicuous if they look like the all American couple just walking around, don't you think?"

Looking at him, I grinned when he gave me that look that said he planned this intentionally.

"Also, I put them on Emily and Sam's house when Morgan and Lucas are doing their rounds in the town. Being around a baby makes others want one."

Crooking my finger at him to come closer, I whispered, "You are a conniving genius."

He grinned at me and kissed my cheek. "You have no idea, love."

A throat clearing loudly brought my head around. Jacob was standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were narrowed at Caden.

"You mind? That's my woman."

Caden laughed and backed up. "Easy there, Alpha. Just whispering sweet nothings."

"Uh-huh. That's my job, thank you very much."

Caden backed up with his hands up in an "I surrender" gesture.

With that, Jacob flopped down next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in against his body. With the drapes open over the picture window and the temperatures having cooled off, the house was chilly. So, it was nice to cuddle up next to the love of my life and watch my family have fun. This was the way things should be, not us worried and fighting for our lives. We should be living peacefully, mating, marrying, and having babies. Instead, we were trying to beat the game of war, barely slipping by ticking time bombs before they exploded.

But I didn't want to think about that right now. I just wanted to concentrate on this moment. The jokes, the games, the laughter. These moments would get us through the darkness that had yet to consume us. Because no doubt worse was coming.

"Hey, you ok?" Jacob asked, squeezing me a little.

I gave him a smile. "Yeah, I'm good."

He frowned. No doubt he could smell the lie now. So, reaching up, I traced a finger between his eyes like I used to do.

"In this moment, I'm good."

Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss to my forehead. With his lips still on my skin, he said, "I know. I'm worried, too. But we'll get through this. We have to."

"Jake-,"

"No, I won't have it any other way. Haven't you learned that yet? I'm the alpha. I always get my way." He said that last with a smile against my skin.

I couldn't help but laugh, even though I knew he didn't really believe what he was saying. I didn't have to have the ability to smell a lie to know one was there.

A moment later, Seth came through the front door. He'd gone outside with Leah and Jasper. As he came for the couch to sit next to Shelby, he nodded to Jacob. Apparently, my uncle had been able to get in touch with is contact for the documents Leah and Caden would need to get over to Europe. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose already had all their stuff settled. Just another reminder that we could very well lose at least four of our family. They'd be on a plane after our wedding in less than two months into a possibly hostile environment.

Beside me, Shelby took my hand with a squeeze to my fingers. We shared a sad smile. We could very well lose everybody, including ourselves, if this didn't get stopped. Not only was Tristan a danger to us, but we still hadn't heard a peep from Jane. Aunt Alice was studying Caius and Aro for signs of her return to them, but so far, nothing. She had to be around here somewhere because when my aunt tried to find her in her visions, she came up with a whole lot of nothing. Clearly, she was still around the wolves, or she'd died. But that was too much to hope for, so we were still planning for the worst. If it came down to it, we would have to contact Aro. But I would be the one to talk to him, to explain everything. Her being here with Caius's backing meant that this was mostly my fault. They didn't get the war they'd wanted because my family hadn't broken the law and I wasn't a threat to the "big secret". And according to Aunt Alice, Aro had truly only intended on checking up on me. He knew he'd lose against us. The plan to use his enemy against us was beneath him. He was royalty. If he and his army of vampires couldn't defeat a handful of vampires and a bunch of large dogs, then he'd see himself as weak, as would all others. Survival was the name of his game, but by his rules. He'd never ask a favor of an enemy to defeat another enemy. That was too peasant-like for him.

But Caius? Caius wanted all werewolves eradicated. And he definitely didn't want any of his kind, half-vampire or full, to be consorting with them, let alone mating. And wasn't that what Jane had said months ago? That I was sleeping with the enemy? She was servant more to Caius than to the other two, but Aro was head of the threesome. If he found out about their trying to kill us behind his back, well, nobody really knew what he would do. One thing was for sure, though. Aro didn't care if we were consorting with werewolves. All he cared about was his power base. As long as he stayed on the throne and the vampire secret stayed safe, he didn't care what we did.

What we were really hoping for, or at least I was, was that Caden found some of the wolves of Tristan's pack to join us. And maybe, just maybe, he could find others in Europe to help as well. We were coastal and really had no way to get word out other than phone.

Wait. Coastal?

I slapped a hand on Jacob's thigh with a gasp.

"What the-, Ness."

"Coastal," I said with a hoarse voice.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"Coastal." I turned my stare to him. "Jacob, we're coastal."

He narrowed his eyes and looked at me like he was waiting for me get sane again. "Oooook?"

I sat up excitedly as Caden came around the couch to sit on the coffee table. He and Jake shared a look.

"Ok, I know we're supposed to be enjoying family pack time, but hear me out. Let's just all agree that Tristan doesn't care to take orders, even from a vampire that can kick his ass just by staring at him."

"That is true," Caden said.

"Shh, I'm on a roll. Now, with a pack as big as his, with numbers that are near equal to ours, and his thirst for us dead, why not just blitz attack us? On patrols, or on the rez when they were light? Hm? Why not overrun us when they had the element of surprise?"

"What are you getting at, Ness?" Jacob asked.

I grinned. "We're coastal! We're trapped here. He doesn't want us to leave. Jane must have told him that the Cullens went to gather troops or whatever for the last face-off, probably saying that was why they had to tuck tail and run. Tristan is expecting us to try that again. He's got his people intertwined in and around the town. He's running patrols around our patrols to make sure we don't get out. He's waiting." Taking a breath, I tapped Walker on the shoulder. "Was Luke going to leave Forks?"

Pausing the game, Walker looked back at me with a look of understanding, like he was putting my thoughts together in his own head.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. He was due at a big football try-out for some college. This morning. He'd told me he had an early flight."

I slapped Jacob's thigh again, which made him jump. "See? Tristan sees this as his town now. Nobody can leave without him saying so. Caden, you said yourself that he wants to build his own kingdom. Well, this is his first rule."

Jacob sat forward and put his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, but what exactly is he waiting for?"

Quoting one of my favorite fictional characters, I said in an awful British accent, "An opportune moment."

Caden chuckled but asked, "Like what?" in his own genuine accent.

"Taking out one of us for disobeying. Last night, talking to grampa, Jacob said that Luke was a message and I doubt he really knew what he was saying. But he was right. Luke was the message of what will happen if we try to leave."

"Yeah, but, Ness, people go in and out of Forks every day. He's not slaughtering them," Seth chimed in.

I thought about that for a moment. Then, the pieces fell into place. "That's true. But we don't have a connection to everyone. Tristan, Caden and the rest were here before school let out last year." I looked over at Caden. "Weren't you?"

He nodded.

I grinned again. "Luke. Connected to Walker. Walker. Connected to Shelby. Shelby. Connected to me. Me? Connected to you, Jake."

Everyone took a moment to let that sink in.

"What exactly are you saying, Nessie?" Morgan asked solemnly.

"He's waiting for something to happen before he makes a move on us. I don't know what exactly. But something is going to happen where he thinks he has the advantage." I saw Jacob's eyes slide toward Aunt Alice as if he knew something, but I let it go for now and continued. "And if we try to leave before that happens, he would gladly cut us down. Even better if it's Caden." I said that staring straight at him. "He doesn't just want Jacob, Caden. He wants you, too. He knows we depend on you for information about him and how he thinks. Not to mention, he probably knows that you have allies elsewhere. With this type of ordeal, getting allies to come into a dangerous situation where lives could be lost means travelling to show them how desperate you are instead of just picking up the phone. And of course we're too small a town to have an airport."

"So, you're saying that we can't go at all," Caden suggested.

I shook my head. "We'd need a distraction to get you out of town. And I guarantee you that they're watching us. Listening to us. Their hearing is amazing, right?"

Beside me, Shelby nodded. "Oh, yeah. I could hear Seth's heart from miles away if I tried really hard."

"Exactly. They're probably out of reach of us physically, but hearing us." I thought about that, and then amended it. "Well, not right now. This house is soundproof to the max."

"It's true," Shelby said. "I tried."

Caden crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright. That would mean that we need to make our plans here."

"Actually," came Dad's voice from the foyer. We all turned toward him. He grinned. "The cabins and our cottage are all soundproof."

"Well, that would explain a lot," Shelby muttered. When everyone turned to look at her, she shrugged. "What? It's true."

Looking back at Dad, he had that expression that said he could hear her thoughts loud and clear, wished he didn't, and couldn't quite ignore them.

I nudged her. "Shelbs, give Dad a break."

She gave me wide eyes. "Why? They just came from the cottage. We all know that place isn't for sleeping because vampires don't sleep."

"Oh my god. Shelby, stop," Jacob said. "I don't need the image of my future in-laws getting it on ingrained in my brain. Thank you."

"Hey," she snapped back. "You're the one getting descriptive over there. And hey, you can't talk. Give your future father-in-law a break. The man can read your thoughts, you know. When you're all up on your 'woman', he can see what you're thinking. I'm sure he doesn't want the image of his daughter-,"

"Ok, stop," I said, laughing. "Don't finish that, Shelbs."

Dad sighed. "If I could get headaches, I'd need a whole bottle of Excedrin after all that."

A moment later, the front door opened and closed, and then Mom was standing next to dad. Her damp hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing a long-sleeved tee and blue jeans.

"So, what is everybody up to?" she asked.

"Well," Walker answered. "Nessie came up with a plausible explanation as to why Tristan didn't ambush you guys and kill you all off to begin with. He's playing with us, making us think that we have some sort of control when he actually has his people surrounding us. And Luke actually was a message to let us know that he's watching to see if we try to leave Forks. The message is: if we do, we're dead. Oh, and I'm assuming she also has a plan as to how we're going to smuggle two vampires and two werewolves out of Forks."

Christa, who was sitting in front of me, smiled a sly grin as she reached over to hit the button that un-paused the game.

When Walker heard the sound of the game turn on, he whipped around. "Hey! No fair!"

She pressed buttons like a madwoman, dealing out death to Walker's character.

"I'm a woman. Women don't fight fair."

As Walker's guy went down on the screen and the living room cheered, he yelled over the din, "I want a rematch!"

Uncle Emmett stepped forward and cleared his throat. "The rules of this house state clearly that it doesn't matter how you win, just that you win. So, that being said, you lose and Christa beat the ever loving crap out of you. Better luck next time, man."

The room erupted into laughter as Christa held out her hand for Walker to shake. Grudgingly, he took it while I watched Embry perk up like he'd heard something. Immediately he stood up and went for the door two seconds before the doorbell rang. I'm pretty sure we all knew who that was.

Sure enough, Embry walked back into the room with Tricia at his side. Though she stuck close to him, she smiled at the room.

"Hi, Tricia," I said so that it wasn't so awkward.

"Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to see my brother, make sure he's ok."

Glancing at Walker, caught him close his eyes as if he were tired of hearing the word "brother" from her in correspondence with him. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and smiled.

"I'm great, Tricia. Feeling a lot better."

For a moment, she looked confused. "Did…did you not hear about Luke?"

His expression turned serious and guarded. Caden shot him a look that wouldn't get to Tricia because he had his back to her.

"Yeah, I heard."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "Aren't you upset?"

Scooting himself away from Christa, he patted the space where he'd just been sitting. In a panic, Christa looked up to me as Tricia made her way through the quiet wolves to sit next to Walker. I gripped Christa's shoulder reassuringly. Her lip had started to curl in a snarl at the back of Tricia's head. Jacob put a hand on her other shoulder. She took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, and then let it out slowly through her mouth.

Walker and Tricia just went on ahead, not even noticing.

"Yeah, I guess I am. It's just…Luke and I haven't been friends for months, Tricia."

"What? Why? And why didn't I know this?"

He took her hand in his. "After he cornered you the way he did, I wanted nothing to do with him. The way he treated girls, and the way he went after you? I was done, Tricia. I told him if he ever went near you again, I'd beat him within an inch of his life."

A low growl reverberated around the room. The fact that Walker looked up and around at the sound let me know that it wasn't him. So, I looked to Embry, who looked murderous.

"What's your problem?" Walker said in a less than civil tone.

Jacob gave Embry a look that told him to get his act together and not say what he was really thinking.

Embry cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I just don't like violence toward females."

Walker rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Really, it was nothing," Tricia said, more to Embry than Walker.

"Nothing?" Walker said incredulously. "He told you to go out with him, you said no, and he cornered you. Tricia, I found him with his hand halfway up your skirt."

"Walker, stop it," she hissed.

Another growl ripped through the room. If Embry didn't stop, she'd take a guess that something was wrong with everybody in this room. Tricia looked up in shock.

Quickly, Embry killed it and cleared his throat. "Sorry. I'm not feeling well."

Nope, clearly he was feeling homicidal…toward a dead guy.

"Embry," Jacob said, demanding the other man's attention. When Embry met eyes with his alpha, Jake continued, "Go take a walk." It wasn't really a request and Embry knew it.

Nodding, he turned to leave.

"Wait," Tricia said. When Embry turned back to her, she smiled. "He didn't hurt me. He just…pushed a little too far."

Embry nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, but that doesn't excuse what he did." And then he walked out, shutting the front door firmly behind him.

Tricia turned to her brother with a glare. "Do you have to be so rude? Really. And Luke didn't hurt me, ok? He just got the wrong idea, and you put him in his place." She put a hand to his face. "Even if you weren't friends anymore, I'm sorry about what happened."

"Thanks. And I'm sorry for being a jerk."

"You're a big brother. It's required for you to be a jerk. But it's not me you need to apologize to. Embry didn't deserve that." When Walker set his jaw, she sighed. "Well, I gotta head home. I walked Brailey home and mom is expecting me back soon. This was a detour."

"You're walking alone?" Caden asked from his spot on the coffee table.

Tricia turned to him. "I don't have a car, so yeah."

"I'll walk you home," Walker said, getting to his feet.

"Oh, no you don't," Jacob said. "Sit down. Morgan, Lucas, would you be so kind as to walk Tricia back to her house?"

The two of them stood up from where they were taking up space on the wall.

Tricia looked between them and Jacob. "Why does it feel like I'm being guarded?"

I stood up and patted her shoulder. "We just want to make sure that you make it home ok. My grampa, Chief Swan, is putting a curfew into effect starting tonight."

"Because of what happened to Luke?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I didn't want to tell her outright what she was dealing with, but I wanted to give her a nudge in the right direction. "You're safe with us, ok?"

She studied me, Jacob, jumped to Caden, and then to my parents. Both Caden and my parents had eyes the color of which didn't exist in normal people. Topaz and amber weren't human, and I could see the gears in her head working. And then she glanced toward the front door, as if her thoughts were chasing after Embry.

After a couple moments, she took a deep breath and shook herself. "Sure. Of course, company would be great."

Morgan and Lucas escorted her out after she said her goodbyes. I flopped down on the couch next to Jacob, pressed my head into his arm and took a deep breath with the rest of the room. Christa leaned back against my legs and rested her cheek on my knee.

Walker sat back down where he'd been. "So, what's up with Embry, huh? Why is he so concerned with Tricia?"

Everybody seemed to freeze and share a look with someone else in the room.

Christa got up off the floor, smoothing her hands over her hair. "I think I'm going to go for a walk or a run."

We all watched her walk for the door when Walker got up, too. "You know what? I think I need some air, too." He then looked to Jake with a sarcastic expression. "That is, if I'm allowed to."

Jacob gave him a look but nodded. "Sure. While you're at it, keep a look out. Make sure you have your phone, Christa."

"We'll go down into the rez instead of toward Forks."

"Go for it. Be back before dark, though. The only way I want the pack out after dark is if they're in larger groups of three or more."

"Understood. We'll be back before dinner."

And then they were gone. Jacob wrapped his arm back around my shoulders and sank down into the cushions.

"Does it ever end?" he asked of everyone and no one.

Not surprisingly, nobody gave the obvious answer.

ChristaPOV

"You ok?" I asked Walker as we took a well-worn path into the woods. We passed Craig as he worked the patrol line around the rez.

I couldn't help but glance over at him as we walked. His eyes were on the ground, and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. This close to him, I realized that he was a good three or four inches taller than me. Broad, heavy shoulders and arms filled out his t-shirt, but his frame wasn't overflowing with muscle. It was long and lean, like a swimmer's. His deep auburn hair shone with red highlights as we walked through patches of late afternoon sunlight.

The weather had turned chilly again which wasn't surprising considering there were no clouds to keep the heat down here with us.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I just get a little…focused when it comes to my sister."

The fact that he called her his sister was a good sign.

"That's understandable. I mean, she's your younger sister and your friend tried to take advantage of that."

He shook his head. "It's not just that. What is up with that Embry guy? He acts like he cares about her."

I shrugged, knowing I had to tread this carefully. "Maybe, in his own way, he does. Embry is a good guy, a really good guy. And he genuinely cares for people. I mean, you should have seen him and Jake when they found out about me."

Instantly, I regretted that last part. I wasn't ready to share my past with anybody voluntarily. When Jacob and the pack found out, I had no control over it. They'd seen everything.

Walker's head snapped over to me. "What do you mean? What happened to you?" When I didn't answer, he said, "Oh, man, I'm sorry. Forget I asked. It's none of my business."

This was it. This was my decision to let go of my past. If I told him, it would mean that I wasn't letting it have control over me. I was in control of myself now that my parents were gone. Things were looking up. Morgan was back in my life, and just the little bit of time I'd gotten with her had me being more open with people. I was joking around and participating. If I told him this, I could finally start to get rid of the chains of the past.

I put a hand on his arm to get him to stop so that I could face him. He looked at me expectantly.

"No, it's ok. It's just…hard for me to talk about. When your parents are assholes who lock their kid up away from society, it makes opening up to others difficult."

"Your parents did that to you?"

Inhaling deeply through my nose, I let it out slowly in a white puff. "My first few years of life were ok. I was allowed to go to the school on the rez. That's where I met Morgan. She was so outgoing where I was shy. But she didn't care about that. She dragged me everywhere with her. But then, my parents started to notice how close I was to her, that being around her allowed me to experiment with my own independence. They didn't like that. So they pulled me out of school, thinking that me being out of their sight was too much freedom. They allowed me to still see Morgan. They let her come over and hang out. But as we got older and more secretive about our conversations, they grew more suspicious."

Taking a breath, I started walking again. Walker followed quietly, not pressing for any details. He was allowing me to set the pace for how I did this, which was quite nice.

I took another deep breath before blurting out, "The first time my dad hit me was in front of Morgan." I smiled as a low growl slipped from between his teeth. "He had told me that that was the last time that I'd ever see her. She was no longer allowed at the house and I was to be homeschooled until they were ready to ship me off to college. I'd stood up to him and told him no. He backhanded me across the living room where I fell into the glass coffee table. My mother told me that it was my fault as she stitched the wounds with a sewing needle and thread. After that, I was only allowed in the backyard for fifteen minutes every day. That's it. When I wasn't studying or schooling, I was staring out my barred window. Morgan walked by my house every day with her new friends and boyfriends. She'd always look at the window, and I hated her, or I thought I did. Nobody saw me after that last day with her, not even a doctor."

"What happened next?" he asked quietly.

"One night, my dad was being particularly cruel, calling me worthless and a waste of his gene pool. I ran to my room and shoved my bed against the door. He followed, banged on the door, called me more names. The entire time I just stood there shaking in anger. When the door splintered under his weight, I phased because I was terrified he was going to kill me. He stopped dead on his way through the door and over the mattress. And that's when I started hearing the other voices. Jacob's. Embry's. They were telling me to hang on, that they were on their way. Moments of staring at my dad passed before the front door burst open. The next thing I remembered was my dad being hauled back by the scruff of his neck. Jacob's face was beyond furious. I have never seen him that angry since then. Embry was the one that came to comfort me, telling me that I was safe now, that Jacob would never let anything else hurt me, ever. That night, Jacob banished my dad from the tribe for his crimes against his daughter. My mother, again, blamed me and followed him out. Jacob didn't even allow them to pack anything, he was so furious." I took another cleansing breath. "And that was the last time I saw them. I had the house burned down, and the one I live in now was built over the ashes."

"Like a phoenix."

I nodded. "Yeah, that was the idea."

It was his turn for a deep breath and harsh blow out. "Jesus, I'm so sorry. That's…that is…you're amazing."

That made me laugh and blush, though I prayed he didn't notice that. "And why is that?"

"Because you survived. Years of being locked up, shut off from society, and here you are. Funny, intelligent, and a badass werewolf."

"I wouldn't say badass. I do what I'm told, run my lines, and go home. That's it."

"Yeah, but you care about these people."

I looked over at him. "Of course I do. These people are my family. They accepted me, took me in even though I was weak and useless to them. Jacob gave me a home. And Nessie? She was younger when all this went down, but man, she could make anyone feel at ease. She could always tell when I was upset from thinking too much about what had happened, and she'd show me her thoughts of things that made her happy."

He laughed. "Yeah, she's pretty great."

"I take it you know her story?"

"Yeah, they told me that after they told me I was going to turn into a giant dog, which I still have yet to do."

We both laughed and then fell silent. A cold, crisp breeze flew right into us, making me stop to put my head back and enjoy the freshness of it. Now that I'd told him my story, I felt even more free and at ease with him. He didn't think I was weak, and there really wasn't any pity in his eyes. Sure he was sorry for what had been done, but it wasn't awkward between us like I thought it would be. Like maybe he'd think I was damaged or completely broken, useless, not worth his time.

"So," he said after a while, his foot kicking up a rock stuck in the ground. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Embry. What's really up with him?"

This time when he asked it, he was calm and clearer-headed. He also sounded like he really cared about the answer. But I was trapped. Could I really tell him about imprinting? Actually, the better question was, should I tell him?

In the end, I sighed. "It's…something personal for us, something that we do."

"'We'?"

"Yeah, my kind of wolf, the Quileutes. It's called imprinting and we don't have a choice. When it happens, it happens and there is nothing we can do about it."

He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "And this has something to do with Tricia? He's done something to her?"

I could tell he was starting to jump to conclusions, so I quickly jumped in. "No, no, no. Nothing like that. He'd never do anything to hurt her. He's nothing like Luke. If anything, he just wants to protect her. He'd kill to protect her."

He shook his head. "I don't understand. What is it exactly?"

"Ok, I know you're probably thinking love at first sight or something like that. Well, it's not exactly love, but it is an immediate connection between the wolf and the imprint. I've heard imprinting described in so many different ways." There were several ways I could put it, and none of them he would like. I didn't know him very well, but I knew that.

"Just say it. Please, Christa."

"Ok, ok. Um, it's kind of like speed dating for soul mates."

"Excuse me?"

I sighed. "Let me use Jacob and Nessie, for example. Nessie is Jake's imprint. The moment he first looked at her, in her eyes, he knew that she was what was keeping him to the planet, not gravity. He knew then and there that he would do anything for her. He'd kill for her, die for her, you name it. And let me make this clear to you. He imprinted on her when she just like, five minutes old." When he made a creeped out face, I hurried on. "And it wasn't what you're thinking. As Nessie grew, he was whatever she needed. So as a baby, he was more like an uncle or brother, protector. As she got older, he still remained protector, but moved on to friend, then best friend, then boyfriend, then lover. As she grew. He was anything she needed him to be. There are so many theories about why we imprint, but we really don't know for sure. However, what we do know is that the wolf that imprints will never want anyone else. And the imprint themselves? I've never seen an imprint turn their wolf away."

For a few moments all he did was stare out into the woods as if he were just taking it all in. Then he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So, wait a minute. You're saying that Embry imprinted on Tricia and she doesn't have a choice but to be with him?"

"No! No, she has a choice. Like I said, Embry would never, ever hurt her. If she said no, he'd be a thousand miles away from her in two seconds. What I'm saying is that since that wolf can be whatever the imprint needs, that imprint doesn't look anywhere else."

"Uh-huh."

I laughed a little. "Hey, your sister is in good hands. She'll be very well taken care of."

"I don't want him near her."

That made me blink. "Exc-excuse me? Why not? I figured you'd want your sister to be treated right. An imprinted wolf is the best protector there is. Or do you think the two of you are too good for us?"

"I just don't want him near my sister."

I gave him a look and decided to channel Morgan for a moment by saying what was on my mind. "Are you sure you really think of her that way? As your sister?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

I threw my hands in the air. "Oh, come on. We all see how you look at her, how much you hate Embry showing her any attention. You feel for her. The rumor was true, wasn't it?"

He glared at me. "What does it matter? She's adopted. We're not related by blood."

I glared right back. "Well, she sure thinks of you as her 'big brother'."

"She's confused. She doesn't know how she sees me. I know her better than anyone on this planet. You think a werewolf from the Indian reservation is just going to come in and win her over?"

"Excuse me?"

He stepped into my personal space. "Girls like it when guys know them. I'm ahead of the game, sweetheart. If things had been different and we'd met in high school, she'd already be my girlfriend. It's just a matter of time. Embry needs to take the hint and step off."

I couldn't help myself. I punched him.

"You arrogant, ignorant asshole!" I yelled as he opened and shut his mouth, testing his jaw. "That poor girl thinks of you as her brother, and you're going to tear her apart like that? She likes Embry! You're just too blind to see it."

"Oh, come on. They just fucking met! Any girl likes attention from a guy."

"It's the imprint, you moron. It's an instant attraction!"

With that, I kicked myself in the ass all the way home for even opening my mouth. I should not have said a damn word. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I texted Jake, telling him that I was heading to my house, Walker was in the woods, and that he needed to stay away from Embry and Tricia so that they could get their spark going. I also said that I was done for the night and I needed the night off from patrol.

But Jake knew me too well to let that end at good night. He texted back with, what happened? Are you ok? Walker just got back to the house. He looks pissed.

Sighing, I decided to not tell him that I'd shot my mouth off. Instead, I just told him that we fought about something personal. It wasn't a complete lie, especially if Walker talked to Jake about it. Imprinting was ridiculously personal and I'd dragged it out into the dirt like it was a big, fat secret and I was a gossip type.

After I shut and locked my front door, I threw my phone on the counter, slung my jacket on the back of the couch and went for my bedroom. In there, I fell onto my bed, grabbed a pillow, and screamed into it until my voice went out.

:( I love Christa to death, but man, she's not good with people. I think she shouldn't channel her inner Morgan anymore. But I doubt she'd listen to me anyway. As usual, reviews would be fantastic. I love hearing what you have to say. Y'all keep me going. Seriously. You're awesome! MWAH! xoxoxoxo