AN: Well, I really thought I'd get this out earlier today, but an emergency with my son took precedence. At least it's still today, right?

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Chapter 45 - A Wolf Redeemed?

Jacob POV

As I lay on the icy ground, overlooking the forest, I laid my massive head down on my paws. Chief came and laid next to me, watching me closely, but not saying anything. Eventually, I realized he was waiting for me to make the first move.

Nobody wants me, I mentally whined.

He rolled his large eyes and snuffled. Two vampire females chose not to have sex with you, and from that, you've decided nobody will ever want to be with you?

Yeah, I pouted, some small part of my brain recognizing I was being childish and ridiculous.

I was startled to suddenly hear Dad's voice speaking in Chief's head. Son, you're being ridiculous. This is no different than when you used to pout because your older sisters were faster and stronger than you were. Eventually you grew into your own, right?

Right, I admitted, thinking about how fast and strong I was now. My sisters would never be able to catch up with me now.

Some things just take time and patience. I know you want to have a girl to call your own right now, but it's just not time for that yet. Soon enough you'll meet your very own soul mate, and when that happens, you'll be glad you didn't have a relationship with those vampire girls. Instead of pouting over what you can't have, why don't you get yourself prepared, so you'll be ready for the one who's meant just for you when you do find her. You need to be comfortable in your own skin, before you'll be ready to be there for your mate the way she'll need you to be. If you don't even love yourself, how can you expect her to love you?

Dad's words resonated with truth, but I still didn't like hearing them. I had never wanted to wait for anything. I hated being told 'no', being denied whatever I wanted. I want to take action, to go out and find my soul mate, rather than waiting around for her to finally show. What if she doesn't come? What if I never find her?

Relax, son. I certainly never expected to mate with a vampire, yet here I am, happier than I've ever been before. Trust me, son. Trust that you will find her when the time is right.

There is more to life than mating, at least until you find your mate, Chief added with a mental smirk. Why not take some time to explore your new capabilities? It's very freeing to run like the wind, to sniff out prey from a mile away, to see in the dark, to hear the worms making pathways under the earth, to tear savagely into a deer, bringing it down with a single leap, and to knock down entire trees when you bump against them. Let me show you what it means to be a wolf.

I cocked my head to the side and looked at him thoughtfully. Am I ready to give up my little snit? To move on from the girl I'd been infatuated with, obsessed with really, for as long as I could remember? Was it even about Bella herself, or more about what she represented - the beautiful, intelligent friend of my sisters, the caring, compassionate daughter of my father's best friend? I'd heard from a young age how delighted my father and Charlie were with the idea of Bella and I marrying, legally binding our two families together. I'd wanted to make him happy, make him proud, so I'd decided long ago to make her mine, to claim her for myself, to marry her and make grandchildren for Charlie and Dad to share. If neither of them care that Bella is with another, then why should I still feel obligated to win her over?

Oh, son, I never realized I made you feel that way. It's something Charlie and I joked about when you two were younger, but we never believed it would happen. I guess you were too young at the time to know the difference between reality and sarcasm. Please, son, let it go. Let her go. She is not the one for you. You and I both know that's true. You are not the one for her either. She has made her choice, found her happily ever after. Soon enough, you'll find your true mate, and I promise she'll be worth it - worth the wait, the pain, the struggle. Whatever happens between now and then, you'll deem it worth it to have gained you the hand of your future bride.

Okay, okay, I teased. You're getting too sappy, Dad. Mating has made you go soft.

I heard Dad's chuckle. It's worth it! He crowed proudly.

I laughed. Sure it is.

I'm glad to hear you feeling better, son. Why don't you go on a few adventure's with Chief, get to know the new you? Speaking of mating, my mate has made me rather hard, not soft, so I'm going to go now and give you two a little mental privacy for the next few hours. Take care of him, Chief.

Ew, Dad! TMI! I protested. I need to bleach my brain now to wipe out that imagery. Ugh. Did you really have to go there?

You started it, he snickered.

Nuh uh! You did, I argued.

Bye, Billy, Chief interrupted.

Bye, guys, Billy replied.

He's gone. It's just you and me now, Chief informed me. Ready to run?

Let's do it! I agreed with a smile.

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After spending a few hours exploring the world as a wolf, I had let a lot of my emotional turmoil go. I also had a good idea of my talents and limitations in wolf form versus my human form. Things seemed so much simpler as a wolf. I felt much more confident and less insecure than I did in human form. I was never lonely as a wolf either, with voices in my head occasionally adding comments or opinions of their own.

I'd finally gotten tired and settled down to rest for a bit, a while after Chief returned home to Dad. That's when it hit me. I'd been hearing Dad's, Chief's, and sometimes even Sam's thoughts, but I could no longer hear the thoughts of the other wolves. Sam! Sam! I called.

Yes, Jacob? He politely replied.

I can't hear the other wolves!

Ah, I figured as much. They can't hear you either, Sam admitted.

Why not? What's wrong? What's going on here? I asked frantically, pacing back and forth, carving a pathway through the snow.

Well, you're not really part of the pack anymore, Jake, Sam explained. You belong to a vampire coven. Since I'm the Alpha, I can still talk to you, but only when we deliberately send our thoughts to one another, in a pack to pack communication. Or should I say, pack to coven communication?

I'm still Quileute! I'm still Jacob Black! I protested. I'm the rightful Alpha of the Quileute pack!

Not anymore, Sam confessed. Your ties and Billy's to the tribe were broken with you both chose to stay with the Denali coven. I mean, c'mon, we can't have a vampire as our Chief, the leader of our tribe and head elder of our council. Get real. It's a distinct conflict of interest. As long as none of your vamps are hunting humans though, we still consider you and Billy as our allies. It's the best we can offer you. Neither of you can ever come back here though. You've both been declared legally dead, and the right of leadership has passed to Quil Ateara as next in line.

What? You've declared me dead, stolen my birthright, and made it so I can never return home? How dare you? This fucking sucks! I mentally shouted to him.

Calm down, He barked back in my mind. I know it sucks, but it had to be done. It wasn't my decision. The council voted, based on Paul's version of events up there. Seriously, Jacob, Billy is a vampire now. Nobody felt like he would be able to act in the best interest of the tribe. At least this way your name is still honorable. If you tried to fight it, they would have kicked you guys out on a vote of no confidence and branded you both traitors for consorting with the enemy. What's done is done. You both made your choice when you chose to stay. I'm not judging either of you for that. I understand, probably better than anyone else here. I'm sorry it came to this, but this is your past. Don't fight what you can't change, and try to focus on the future. Believe me, I know what it's like to try to defy fate. It's worse than banging your head on a brick wall. I honestly think that would be less painful than trying to change what is meant to be.

I knew he was referring to his imprint on Emily and trying to refrain from hurting Leah. I could sense his sincerity through the mind link and sighed in resignation. I shook my head and realized it had started snowing, the flakes accumulating on the tips of my fur. I quickly shook my whole body, sending flakes flying in all directions, not wanting to give them time to melt from my body heat and soak my skin.

Fine, Sam, I reluctantly replied. I know you're not the bad guy here. I'm just feeling so lost and alone right now. I showed him my rejection by both Bella and Kate.

Why the hell are you pursuing vampires anyway? If you want to fuck a vamp, you might as well stick your dick in the nearest snow bank. I'm sure it'd be just as bracing. Maybe you should just make yourself an ice pussy and keep it in the fucking freezer. Sam sneered and shuddered. You really have a thing for arctic ass?

Fuck! I never thought of that. I've heard ice can heat things up, but would I really stick my dick in a snow bank? Fuck no! I'm not gonna winterize my weenie! I mentally whimpered at the pictures my mind was conjuring, particularly of my extremities turning blue from the cold. That would give a whole new meaning to the term 'blue balls'.

Sam sent me a mental picture of licking a piece of ice, with the ice subsequently sticking to the tongue. Then he imagined me licking a chilly cunt and getting stuck. He took it one step further and imagined me in wolf form 'tied' to a vampire bitch, dragging her along, stuck to my cock.

Fuck you, asshole! I thought back.

He laughed. Fucking laughed.

I growled and shut off our connection. Immature prick. I shook my head again, trying to rid it of the images Sam had planted. He made a good point though. I won't be chasing vampire tail anymore. Those frigid freaks can stick to their own kind. Literally. Chuckling to myself, I started running back toward the Denali National Forest, ready to return home to my strange new family. Just then I got a mental message from Dad via Chief. Shit would be hitting the fan shortly and we all needed to return home for training.

On my way, I promised, giving a wolfish grin and picking up my pace. I had run pretty far and wasn't sure how long it would take me to get back. I couldn't just teleport home the way Chief could.

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I was finally starting to recognize a few landmarks when I got another urgent message from Dad. We're under attack. Get your ass in gear and hurry home.

Sorry, I got a little lost, but I'm on my way now, I replied, hoping I really was headed the right way. With my luck lately, I'd get lost again and arrive after the smoke cleared. I rolled my eyes at myself. Time to get over my personal pity party. If I don't get there in time, I could really lose my family, permanently.

With the realization of the seriousness of the situation breathing fire down my neck, I ran even faster than I had before. My Dad needs me, and I'm not going to let him down again. Charlie and Bella need me. My new vampire step-mom and her sisters need me. Bella's mate and his family need me.

Hmmm, it's good to feel needed, I thought. Frankly, it'd feel better if this weren't a life or death situation, but beggars can't be choosers. I have a place here. I'm part of a whole, and I can make a difference, positive or negative, with my presence or absence.

I actually felt myself growing up a little, maturing. It was rather disconcerting. Shouldn't it be more gradual, so you don't notice it until you look back? I wondered. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't morph into a giant animal, so who knows? I did grow several inches overnight. That's not normal or gradual either.

This will be my first battle against evil vampires. I'll be destroying the types of monsters from our ancient legends passed down through the generations. How cool is that? I was feeling scared, knowing they could kill me with a single bite, but at the same time, I was hyped up with excitement and anticipation. This is my destiny! My reason for existing! My purpose as a shape shifter! Finally, I'll be doing what I was created to do! How many people can say that at the age of fifteen?

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Charlie, Bella, and Dad were all waiting for me in front of the Cullen house. Chief had come and found me in the forest, leading me back by the fastest route. Since he could manifest as much or as little of his physical form as he wanted, he was able to jump up into the trees, traveling from branch to branch weightlessly and effortlessly. The branches didn't even shake or dump their snow when he landed on them, nor did he leave any footprints behind on the forest floor when he chose to run on the ground, thanks to his ghostly paws. Due to his ability to soar through the air without fear of breaking branches or a hard landing, he was able to pass through the treetops and see the most direct route to our destination, something I couldn't do from the ground. This made him an excellent navigator, and I realized he would be the perfect spy. Well, except that he was still visible, even in his spirit form, when he couldn't be touched. So, he'd be the perfect spy as long as he had a good hiding place where nobody could see him.

Not bothering with pleasantries, the vampires had taken off running the moment I came into view. Chief and I quickly caught up to them, though as newborns, they were still faster than us. Chief and Dad filled me in on the plan to ambush Victoria's army. It didn't take long for us to circle around behind them and then silently begin creeping closer, waiting for the signal to attack.

I heard a female bloodsucker laugh and shout, "Prepare to die, you miserable bastards! Attack, newborns! Kill them all!"

I tensed to spring, certain the signal would come any second now, when we suddenly heard the sound of bodies hitting the dirt, without the crash of two vampires bodies hitting each other. It happened in a wave, with body after body slumping to the ground for no apparent reason. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it. The sound of the impact wasn't consistent with battle. More like . . . fainting? What the hell? Vampires can't faint, I reminded myself. It's like they're getting hit by soundless bullets that are killing them all instantly. Or maybe toxic gas, knocking them out when they inhale it. But what could possibly have that effect on vampires? And what would it do to a wolf?

I was scared now, but even more so when I saw the look of sheer terror on Bella's face. Whatever emotion her empathic mate had sent her wasn't the one we expected. Something had gone horribly wrong with the plan. I wanted to bolt. Retreat! My mind screamed. Save yourself! Live to fight another day!

Bella quickly recovered and began frantically writing a message to us in the snow with her finger. 'Something's wrong, really wrong, and if we go forward it'll happen to us too.'

No shit Sherlock. I could have told you that, I mentally grumbled. Why don't we send Chief ahead in spirit form to find out what's happening? Nothing will affect him as long as he doesn't manifest into the physical form.

That's brilliant! Dad's voice exclaimed proudly in Chief's mind. Excellent thinking, son! He sent Chief ahead, jumping through the trees.

I felt a warm glow in my chest from his praise and paid close attention to Chief's thoughts, so I could know what was happening up ahead.

Chief's Thoughts

Everybody is laying motionless on the ground, covered in some kind of strange fog, except for three figures in dark grey cloaks. They're talking to each other over by the tree line. I'm going to move up behind them, so I can hear what they're saying. Hold on a moment . . . Okay, I'm in position now.

First cloaked figure, male voice: "How do we know which ones are talented?"

Second cloaked figure, female voice: "I don't know. Did he mention any names?"

Third cloaked figure, female voice: "No. I guess we'll have to wake them up one at a time and torture them until they give up their gifted."

Second cloaked figure: "Jane!"

Third cloaked figure, (Jane): "What? You have a better idea?"

Second cloaked figure: "Alec?"

First cloaked figure, (Alec): "Sorry, Mom, I don't know. Maybe you could make somebody bond strongly to us and feel really loyal to us, so they'll tell us everything?"

Second cloaked figure, (Mom): "That's a good idea, son. It's certainly better than your sister's idea."

Jane huffed indignantly: "You always take his side!"

Mom: "Now, honey, you know that's not true. I just believe you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Jane, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest: "Who wants to catch flies anyway?"

Mom, giving her 'the look': "You know what I mean, young lady. Now, who should we question first?"

Alec: "I'm voting for Carlisle. I always liked him. He was one of the rare few who treated me like a regular person, back when he lived at the castle with us."

Jane, sneering: "Yeah, but he left us behind and never returned."

Mom: "Now, dear, you know he had no choice in the matter. Aro would never have let us go."

All three frown and sigh.

Mom: "Okay, Alec, go and get Carlisle and bring him out of the range of your gift, so he can recover."

End

That's it! I cried through the mind link. This Alec leech is the one causing them all to be unconscious. He must be causing the strange fog somehow. If we take him out, they'll all recover!

While Chief was reporting to us, Billy had been repeating it all to the other vampires in a hushed whisper. His voice was quiet enough to remain below the decibel threshold needed to carry the sound to the cloaked figures. Knowing the location of our new enemy, we had chosen to retreat back from the clearing and approach the newcomers from behind, hopefully catching them unaware.

Take his head off, Chief, Billy commanded in his mind. You've only got one chance to take them by surprise, before we'll all be lights out like the rest of the group. So make it a clean shot. Don't worry about the rest of his body, we'll get that later. You just get his head off and get it to us. I'll start building a fire, and the others will help you. We've got to remove the threat, and I'm pretty sure his gift won't work without his head.

Manifesting just his mouth and front paws, Chief sprang at Alec. By then, I'd gotten close enough to see it, and it was a thing of beauty. As far as they were concerned, Chief came out of nowhere. By the time they even registered his presence, he was already tearing into Alec's neck. Alec's 'Mom' tried to pull Chief off of her son at the same time Alec reached up trying to put his arms around Chief and crush his ribcage. Of course, since everything but his teeth and claws were still in spirit form, their hands and arms passed uselessly through the space where his body seemed to be.

They tried again to grab him, unable to comprehend how a 'ghost' could be causing actual physical harm, yet not exist in the physical realm. Yet again, their hands passed through the image of his body. I could see the moment the panic and terror hit them, the moment they realized they were going to lose, the moment right before Alec's head was completely removed from his body, dropping to the dirt in an undignified fashion.

I felt like laughing in their faces. I felt like howling in victory. I did neither, for there was far too much work to do, and it was way too early to celebrate. Chief had dropped to the ground a mere moment after Alec's head and had it in his powerful jaws in the next moment.

His eyes met mine where I hid behind a bush, watching the confrontation with awe. Turning his neck to the side, he tossed the severed head to me with a snap, like throwing a football with his mouth. Under normal circumstances, I would have been concerned about him giving himself whiplash, jerking his head and neck like that. As it was, I felt a taste of unimaginable pain for a second in his mind before it was gone again.

Watch out for the venom! He warned me just in time.

Instead of trying to catch the flying decapitation in midair, I let it hit the ground and come nearly to a stop, before carefully picking it up with my teeth. As soon as I had a grasp on it, I took off running. Footsteps behind me warned me the females were in hot pursuit.

"Over here!" I heard Charlie call and saw him up ahead on my right. I quickly launched the head through the air, hoping he would catch it, but kept running through the trees to distract the vampires on my tail.

Suddenly, I was crippled by searing agony shooting down my spine and throughout my body. I crashed into the trees, sending them toppling as I rolled, unable to control my limbs. I was twitching and convulsing, howling at the top of my lungs, trying to escape the pain. I heard Chief's howls alongside mine in my head, joined with Dad's screams. I realized my mind link was projecting the pain to Chief, who was projecting to Dad, but I didn't know how to stop it, to block it, to keep them from suffering along with me.

"Take that, you pathetic mutt!" a voice sneered nearby. "That's what you get for hurting my brother!"

I slowly twisted my body around, determined to get a good look at my tormentor. I had recognized her voice as being the one referred to as 'Jane'. Working with the convulsions, I finally managed to turn myself over to face her, and traced my eyes up her short young form until I finally landed on her eyes. Her solid black eyes felt like bottomless pits, like black holes, drawing me in to be lost forever.

As we engaged in the impromptu staring contest, I felt all the strings tying me to the earth, my friends, and my family disconnect and go flying. Every last one of them reattached to Jane, making her the new center of my universe. Remembering what Sam had shared about the first time he met Emily's eyes after phasing, I had a sudden sinking feeling.

No, No, NO! I just gave up on mating with vamps! I can't imprint on one now! I protested mentally. Especially not a human drinker! That's just fucked up!

In my mental panic, I hadn't even noticed the pain had stopped, but it slowly dawned on me now, as I continued staring into Jane's eyes. I could hear the unmistakable thunderous crashes of colliding vampires and the piercing, metallic shrieking associated with the removal of vampires' body parts. A pungent, sweet incense began filling the air, burning my nose and the back of my throat.

I need to go join the fight and protect my family! My mind declared. I need to go now, before it's too late! Unfortunately, my body seemed unwilling to obey my mind. I couldn't move from my spot, couldn't tear my gaze away from hers. My hands were trembling with the desire to reach out and touch her, caress her face, bring her closer, embrace her.

Wait a minute! My hands? Oh, shit! I fucking phased and didn't even know it! I'm lying here buck naked and vulnerable, fully exposed to my enemy, I mentally wailed. What the fuck is going on with me?

The vampire 'mother' has a gift, remember? Dad reminded me through Chief. The boy told her to bond somebody to them strongly and make them feel loyal. If they start questioning you now, don't tell them anything unless I okay it first.

Oh, right. Maybe that's it, I thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Even so, I still couldn't look away from Jane. Even now, I still wanted to pull her into my embrace, to comfort her and make her smile. In fact, I wanted to do anything, say anything, be anything, give her anything, just to make her happy. Oh, shit.

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AN: Time to switch viewpoints again. So much is happening in the background, while he's lost in lala land! I have started the next chapter, but it likely won't be up until Sunday or Monday, as this is shaping up to be a busy weekend. Thanks!