A/N: Sorry for the lateness! End AN has details!

Thank you so much LoneWolfPack, rae-rae89, Ravenclaw Slytherin, SasoLOVE111, 'Lil Obsessed, TempusSimia, kikikiki, MAMfanfic, Happy2BeeMe, MusicIsAlwaysThere, DraggonflyMaiden, Wolf-follower and Niki for the stunning reviews! Really, you guys made me smile when I needed it (:

. : Chapter 23: A Werewolf Tale : .

"…Werewolves?"

If his eyebrows could go any higher, they'd fly right off his head.

I'd caved, and decided that it would be pointless to try to lie to, or keep the information form him. So we were seated in my study, and I'd moments ago finished giving Jay the low-down on the 'family' situation.

He was sprawled out in typical male fashion on the big black leather lounge next to the windows, the journal lying open in his lap.

"As in, mythical beings that transform every full moon and attack people?"

This was the reaction I'd been expecting. I finished the mouthful of scrambled eggs that he'd made me, then forced me to eat, and shook my head. "No. The full moon has no effect on them apparently, and they don't attack people. So I'm told."

"Right…only…The Cold Ones, which are…"

"Vampires."

"Vampires. Right, of course." He ran a hand through his messy curls and sighed. "Gotta say, baby girl, this sounds like complete bullshit."

I nodded. "I know, but I promise it's true. They stood there and admitted it."

"But you never saw…"

"No. But it matches up with what the journal says. High body temperatures, rapid/sudden change to physique, enhanced senses, monstrous appetites, volatile moods…" I scrunched up my nose. "Weird as hell behaviour. It sounds insane, but I…I believe it."

He nodded. And what I believed, he'd believe. "Trust you to be related to a pack of werewolves."

I groaned. "Shut up, like I fucking planned for this."

He held up a hand to quiet me. "I know, baby girl. It's just so damn…strange."

I grunted.

"And this other thing- imprinting? The hell is that all about?"

I rubbed at my eyes. "Jay…I don't know! Something about werewolf-soul-mate-finding. I was too pissed off to be taking much notice. When they look their 'imprint' in the eyes they bond, or something, and are forever connected to that person. True love, Cinderella shit. Read the damn book."

He didn't look at the book. "And this…Jacob Black imprinted, on you?"

"So I was gleefully informed."

"You sound thrilled, what, isn't he good looking?"

"Jay."

"Too tall, too short?"

"Jay!"

"I know I know, I'm teasing, lightening the mood."

"It's not working."

"I noticed, and it's truly a blow to my pride."

"Ugh, men."

"Want me to kill him?"

"…No."

"So, what do you feel? Is this imprinting a two way thing?"

"The wolf is the only one aware of the imprint until they decide to tell the lucky girl. But apparently the imprint is supposed to feel some attraction, be drawn to, the wolf. Or something. Damnit, just read the book. I understand about as much as you do right now!"

He tapped the bridge of his nose. "Right." He flicked a page then looked up. "Maybe we should call one of the girls. They might be better for this part. All I can think of is 'kill'. They might see the romantic side."

"I don't want them to see the bloody romantic side! There is nothing romantic about it! It's a pain in the fucking arse! I don't want a bloody soul mate, for christ's sakes!"

"…Yeah, let's call the girls. I'm not meant for this part."

"What part?"

He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. "Calm down, baby girl. I'll get them to bring some tea."

"I don't want fucking tea!"

"….You might be a little more unstable then I originally thought…"

"Oh, ya think?"

oOo

After I'd thoroughly scared Jay enough to make him scramble for backup, I felt better. Still shitty, but at least I was smiling and half feeling it. There was still an empty feeling, swirling inside of me, like it didn't know what it was there for, either.

But, I wasn't given anymore time to think on anything once my front door swung open, and the chatter of pretty female voices wafted into my kitchen.

I waited with hanging apprehension as the clack of heels came up the hallway and then finally, two wonderfully familiar faces popped around the corner.

"Aww, Evie." Were the first soft words to flow from CJ's lips, spoken as if she were cooing to a baby. "Honey, it's all gonna be alright."

Her soft brunette hair fell in ripply curls to the base of her shoulder blades, pinned back from her face on both sides with the little white flower clips that she always wore, a present from her father. Her huge, loving brown eyes blinked at me in concern, her makeup was noticeable but natural. The pale yellow sundress was crease-free and flowed to a perfect stop at her knees.

Claudia-Jane was the daughter of a very wealthy woman, was pretty loaded herself, and had had the upbringing of a last-century debutant. She was the embodiment of kindness, and just about everything else good in the world. She was so…soft. Until you put her in the field, then she'd shoot you if she had to. But only if she had to. She was that kind of person, one who baked all the time and had a smile of gold.

Next to her stood what could only be described as her polar opposite.

Yasmine Frederickson was tough in every sense of the word. She looked tough, oozed tough like Jay oozed charm. She was pale, but had a spotless complexion. Short, at only 4'9. Naturally blonde hair, in a straight cut just under her ears, mixed in with the blonde was bright red streaks though. Her lime-green eyes were sharp and held a sense of calculation and hinted threat. Her sense of dress consisted primarily of scuffed trainers, calf-length army green cargos and a black and green striped halter top.

The bags both girls were carrying were set on the counter top before both swooped on me in vicious hugs of reassurance.

Jay smiled with satisfaction at his handiwork, and then proceeded to start rummaging through the shopping.

"Whose dumb-shit arse am I kickin'?" Yas asked in her slightly southern drawl as she plopped into a chair. "And why haven't you done it yourself?"

"Yasmine." CJ snapped, then sent me a look as she sat more gracefully into her own chair. "You know I blame you for her attitude, right? Violence isn't, and shouldn't be, the first answer to every problem."

"But it is the easiest and funnest fix." Yas grinned cheekily, winking at me.

I grunted. "Why are you here and Tess isn't?" Since they were both seventeen and still in their schooling, it was very odd to find one without the other. Joined at the hip, those two.

Trouble with a capital 'T' shrugged. "It's the technical do-bop tests today. So I'm home free. I don't get that shit. I'm field material, not lab rat material."

"The hell…scented soap, Chamomile tea, imported chocolate? Jesus, I said she was upset, not dying." Jay held up a box of the expensive brand of chocolate and frowned at it. "Ech. Girls."

CJ rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to bother. We're not here to discuss that anyway. Jay said there was something that needed our attention immediately-so I assume that it really is important and your not just on your period or something and he freaked…?"

Jay snorted. "I did that once, and only because the chick was going mental…Can we please not talk about baby girl's lady-issues while I'm in the vicinity? Thanks."

"Freakin' pansy." Yas muttered under her breath, picking absentmindedly at one of her nails as she watched me carefully.

I smiled and shook my head. "No. It's important."

CJ reached over and clasped my hand. "What happened?"

So, with Jay's help, I laid it all out again. From the beginning to the end, put in every detail I knew and they stayed silent until I was finished.

"Damn." Yas said after a moment as Jay handed the journal, which he'd since skimmed, to CJ. "…Damn. For real for real?"

"Yes." I answered dryly. "For real."

"…Damn."

"Uh huh."

"Well…this is huge." CJ said, glancing at me over the top of the old book. "What do we do?"

I shook my head. Was I supposed to know? "I have no idea. We can't tell people-there'll be a mass panic on our hands."

"The wolves are not a threat to humans?"

"No, not initially anyway. They have volatile moods, extreme anger is what triggers their phasing, and apparently it takes time for them to come back into control. Those with the gene only being to change when there is a vampire presence anyway." Jay explained, placing a cup of the chamomile tea in front of me then taking the chair by my side. "From what we can tell, the gene is strictly limited to the Natives. There are no references to any others going through the same thing."

"Their all native." I confirmed.

"What about you?" Yas asked bluntly, as was her way.

I nodded slowly as three sets of eyes focused on me. "I have the gene, yes. My…cousin is the Alpha of the pack. From what I understand though, it's very uncommon to get a female wolf. At the moment, there's only one out of all thirteen wolves."

"Leah." CJ said softly.

"Yea…Leah."

"What about the Vampires?"

"We don't know much about them. Apart from the fact they are why the werewolves exist. They don't adhere to myth though. No bursting into flames in sunlight, crosses, holy water, churches, extra…doesn't work." Jay said, taking a careful sniff of his own cup of tea and then a small sip.

"So, not Buffy then." Yas smirked. "Pity, coulda been fun."

"I highly doubt that." CJ scrunched up her nose at the idea. "I don't fancy having the life sucked out of me, thankyouverymuch."

"C'mon! We're spies, we can totally kick any arse-mythical or not-that comes our way." A thing about Yas, she was very cocky, almost unhealthily so. Gotta admire her guts though, girl would jump into anything.

"Correction. We're three agents, one on restricted duties, and one trainee." CJ pointed out, giving Yas a scowl. "You are not qualified yet."

The seventeen year old glared at her. "I can do the work just as good. All I'm waiting for is a damn piece of paper."

"There are several pieces of paper, actually, Landmine." Jay winked at her, using his nickname for her. He has one for each of us.

"Shut up, ya smartarse."

"Guys, can we please be serious?" CJ frowned at them. "We need to…do…I don't know. Jesus H. Christ."

"Yup." I nodded. "Pretty much how it is. There's nothing we can do. We can't out them…just one more secret we carry. I doubt the weight of it will make much difference."

CJ squeezed my hand and smiled gently. "We'll all be together again soon. As soon as Maddy and Dan get home, we'll be full force and everything will be back to normal."

I didn't have the heart to tell her how much I truly doubted that. Nothing would ever be as it was before. After all, there were several people included in the before who weren't included in the future.

"Now about this imprinting…"

"Which is a stupid term for it if you ask me." Yas mumbled.

CJ ignored her without skipping a beat. "I think that needs a little more discussion."

I bit back the urge to groan. "There's nothing to say, CJ. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

"That's true." Jay put in. "Imprinting is irreversible. Once a wolf has found his imprint, or soul mate, he-or she-will never partner with another. Not even if the imprint dies. In the case that happens, the wolf will follow. It's like a string is suddenly magically tying the two together, and if it's cut…then, well, I don't know. But I'm guessing it's not a good outcome for either party."

"…She's everything, your world, your air, your life. A wolf's imprint, is his soul, his reason to live…" I swallowed thickly, staring intently at the ripples in my tea caused by the slight quiver in my hands. "That's what he said to me. Jacob."

If I shut my eyes, I could perfectly picture what he looked like at that moment…scared, hopeful, honest…no.

CJ opened her mouth, but I shook my head sharply. "No. I can't, not ever again. I don't care if it kills me, I can't do that again. I just can't, CJ, please…"

"Shh, it's alright, I won't make you. I can't make you. Your Eva Hanson, remember? No one can make you do anything you don't want to do."

I scoffed. "I don't know who I am now, or what, for that matter. What with these fucking mutant dog genes running around in my veins. That's just fucking brilliant, isn't it?"

"There, look, your still you. Nothing can ever change that. You're still the woman who would tear the earth apart from someone she loved. Still the woman who can hunt any motherfucker down, shoot better then anyone I've ever seen, drive like a maniac…still the woman who's tougher then anyone I know." Yas said firmly. "You're the sister I never had, Evie. No matter what, I know you're strong enough to survive anything. And come out on top."

I smiled at her. "I thought that was Tess?"

"Nah. Tess is the genius sister I never expected. You're the sister I always wanted."

"What about me?" CJ asked, grinning.

"The sister who thinks she should be my mother."

The brunette reached across the table and cuffed her under the ear. "Shut your mouth."

"Aren't you forgetting someone important in this loving family moment?" Jay asked, one eyebrow raised questionably.

"Oh. Durh, of course. Maddy, totally the sister I needed. And Tams, the best crazy aunt ever."

Jay coughed. "And?"

"I've got brothers. Why the hell would I want more?"

"Landmine, that's not nice."

"Who the fuck said I was nice? Gimme their name, I'll whoop the lyin' wanker's arse."

"Would you please watch your language? What if Ben hears you?"

"Please, the kid is Evie's godson. What have I said that he probably hasn't already heard a million times?"

"Hey! I am careful with what I say around BB, thank you. But don't worry about it, he's down for the count, will be for at least another hour and a half." I said, finally relaxing in my chair and taking a sip of tea.

"See?" Yas smirked.

CJ just rolled her eyes. "Okay, look. You and Jay go start running research on anything you can find about werewolves, vampires and Native American legends. Let's do this properly, and find out exactly what we could be dealing with."

"…Huh?" I tilted my head to the side, confused. "Why?"

Jay and Yas had already risen from the table and were making their way up the stairs to my study.

CJ got up to and went to the bags of shopping and started unpacking it all and putting it away in various cupboards. "You've got the gene, Evie, honey. You were in their environment-you could've been exposed to…whatever it is. What if you do have an active gene?"

I stared at her blankly. I'd never even given that a passing thought. What if I…

"Good lord, no. Surely not. I mean…fuck."

"Better we understand it as much as possible anyway. Even if you don't, it can't hurt. There's more then one Native tribe, too, Eves."

Now that wasn't something I had considered either. If the Quileute where descendents of wolves…what about the rest of the native population?

"Fuck." I muttered. "Why does everything just seem to keep getting worse and bloody worse?"

CJ hummed. "You've got us now, though. I will agree with Yas on the fact that when we're all together, there is probably very little we couldn't handle. This does not mean I will ever willingly go hunting vampires though."

"Don't worry, I don't fancy it as a pastime either."

"Good…so, uh, Eves?"

"…Yeah?" Why did this not sound like it was going to be good?

"This…er, string, between you can Jacob…have you 'cut' it?"

I sighed. "No…yes. I don't know. I don't know what it takes to cut it. I left, does that count?"

"What I'm asking is; what's going to happen to you, and him, if you have?"

The question dropped on me like an anvil. The wolves suffer without the imprints, and the imprints suffer without their wolves.

"I don't know." I whispered. "I don't know."

Silence fell on us then, the air suddenly felt like I was in a jungle at high altitudes just before it was about to rain. Thick, suffocating.

Jake!

I willed my mind to calm down. I shouldn't have been reacting anyway. It's nothing. I reassured myself mentally. I'd die if I had to have that sort of relationship again. To have so much trust in one person…to reveal to them, all the secrets I held, all the scars I'd received…I couldn't tell Jake any of that anyway. I was bound by my job, confidentiality was something that was never to be breeched.

We kill with what we know. But we are also hunted and killed for knowing it, too.

I could never be honest with Jake. I could never give him the partner that he needed and why am I thinking this?

I cannot go there. End. Of. Story.

My phone buzzed on the tabletop signalling another incoming text. I'd not long turned it on before the girls had gotten here, and deleted all the ones from Tasha without looking at them.

I'd forgotten to turn it off again.

Carefully, as if it were an unstable explosive, I picked it up and flipped it open.

1 new message: Wayne

I frowned, but relief washed over me that it wasn't Tasha again. Opening it, I took in the short message and my eyes widened.

"Uh, CJ?"

"Yeah?" She looked up form where she had started preparing some sort of meal. "What is it?"

"When is Maddy supposed to be home?"

"Last time Tammy gave me was three days. Why?"

"Um…there might be something else I haven't told you…"

A/N: Apologies again for being late! But yeah, circumstances took a turn and I didn't end up with as much free time as I'd originally thought. My Grandpa is currently sick and in hospital, so we were down visiting him for 3 days, then we've had our shearing here to do, and we've also been getting ready to go to work tomorrow. Have to leave by lunch time. Busy busy.

Also, the next update will be a while off, sorry guys! Where I thought I'd have next weekend off, I've just agreed to work it 'cause my boss was short of people, and I am the fill in. So…yes. I promise the chapter will be up as soon as I can manage.

I really hoped you enjoyed this one, please let me know what you thought!

~Meg xx