Tanya's family had no trouble setting up in our house; we had plenty of space. It was easy to fall into a larger family circle with them; Tanya, Kate and Irina being my sisters as simply as they were each others. Alice and Bella were welcomed into the circle as well. Irina, who hadn't met Bella in Volterra, was enthralled by the human in the vampire family. She was a little disappointed when Alice drove Bella home after ten.

"Why is she leaving?"

"She's human, Irina; she needs to sleep. She has class in the morning," I reminded her.

"Oh. Well, that's no fun." She sounded like Alice.

I led the group to an open area for our first practice session. The Quileutes joined us there.

"Wolves!" Irina screeched as they came through the trees.

Jacob phased and stood before us. "Hey, you're the new vegetarians. You work fast. Quil joined the pack yesterday." He nodded to a wolf at the back of the pack with dark brown fur. He reminded me of Jared. "When you're ready, we'll walk by and get a whiff. Keep us from getting you mixed up when things get messy."

Tanya was eyeing Jacob up. He smirked, not at all disturbed by her attention. "I'll be rejoining them now. Jasper can tell you anything else you need to know."

"He has your number?" Tanya whispered. There was barking and howling as Jacob broke out in fur the color of his skin. Tanya's eyes went wider. "They're all men?"

"Yep. Quileutes. Apparently their tribe had an ancestor with the ability and it has been passed on. Now they only turn into wolves at need."

"Around us," Tanya surmised.

"Exactly. Quil was triggered when the Volturi and nomads were here, but he didn't change. You showing up must have tipped the balance."

"That's why you called us early." Kate was following the ball. "You want more wolves."

I nodded. "Jacob suggested it. If they match our numbers we won't be so badly outmatched."

"Can we get started?" Alice hissed. The wolves still made her nervous. She understood their place in our plan and appreciated their help, but she would rather not be blind more than necessary. It turned out that not only could she not see the wolves' future, but when they were near she had no visions whatsoever. It put her on edge. I tried to ease her temper a little, but she growled at me.

"Easy, Alice. Give them a minute."

She took a deep breath. "Do you really need me tonight?" she asked looking up at me, hopeful.

"No, go on. Give her a kiss for me."

"I will!" She jumped up and kissed me before running to Bella's house.

I turned to puzzled faces. "I thought you said he was with a human?" Irina asked her sisters.

"He has a mate?" Carmen asked Eleazar.

"Alice is going to kiss her?" Kate murmured. "My, Jasper."

I rubbed my eyes. "It's not simple, and it's not pertinent."

"Sure..." Tanya rolled her eyes. She turned and walked up to the wolves.

"Wait, Tanya." I tried to stop her.

She stood before them, a few feet away. "I am Tanya. I am the head of my family. I appreciate you helping my friends. My, you do smell like dogs, don't you?"

There was snickering from the canine contingent. Jacob padded forward, his head as high as hers. He inhaled and then huffed on her.

"That was disgusting." She turned and walked away as the wolves barked again. "Irina, go let them smell you."

"Nyet!" Irina protested. "I'm not going anywhere near those... beasts."

Tanya shook her head. "Fine, you can go later. Eleazar? Carmen?"

"Of course." Eleazar took Carmen's hand and walked up to Embry. He took a whiff and then turned and coughed.

"They don't like our smell either," I told them.

Kate approached next. "Who wants to play?" she asked with a smile, wiggling her fingers.

"Kate," I admonished.

"You're no fun, Jasper." While she was turned to me, Paul whiffed in her hair. She frowned and turned to slap him. He ducked it and chuckled as he back away. He was lucky; he would have been writhing if that had connected. I had no doubt Kate had her ability fully charged in that moment.

I should bite the bullet for them. I really didn't want to know what this felt like; I knew it hurt. "Kate, wait. They should know what you can do." I held my hand out to her.

"Are you kidding, Jasper?"

"No, I'm not." I gritted my teeth.

She nodded once and tapped my palm.

I felt a sting through my limbs and lost control of them. I was still conscious as I went down. The world tipped and I could do nothing to stop it. My mind being unhindered was able to go through many thoughts in the second it took me to fall. It hadn't hurt as much as I'd expected, but I was completely unable to control my limbs. I could see the wolves, one howled.

"I didn't use my full power; he will only be out for a couple seconds. I could knock a vampire out for most of a minute."

"Twenty seconds," Irina argued. "Don't exaggerate."

I felt sensation come back to my fingertips and spread from there, up my arms, from my toes up my legs, until I was able to push myself up.

"I'm not exaggerating; that's a good part of a minute."

"But not most."

"More than enough..."

"Ladies?" I asked, interrupting them. "I'm sure they agree that it is a wonderful ability."

The wolves pawed the ground, nodding in agreement.

"So, puppy training?" Tanya asked. She was answered with deep growls.

"No, Tanya. We spar with each other; they watch. I don't trust either of us to not hurt the other. Particularly us hurting them. Venom is poisonous to them." There was a whine from the wolves now.

"Yes, that would be an easy accident," she agreed. "Well, lead away. How would you like to begin?"

"I'd like to start with you ladies sparring one another. You three are quite adept and really only need practice. I'll work with Carlisle, Eleazar and Carmen, individually and as a group. Jacob?" I saw that I had his attention. "You'll probably get the most out of watching that group as I will be trying to emulate newborn strategies. The ladies will be interesting, but a lot fancier, and probably less relevant."

Jacob nodded.

After a few hours, three of the wolves headed home. Jacob phased again. "The rest are catching Z's. I can fill them in when they wake. We really only need one of us here at a time."

"How? Does that mean we won't get to watch you fight?" Tanya asked.

"Umm... Gimme a second." Jacob untied a cord around his calf and pulled on a pair of cutoff sweatpants. Tanya frowned for a minute before meeting his eyes again. "We can still talk when we're wolves; it's like our minds are linked. So it's more than words, y'know? I can actually show them what I see here. Make sense?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. You are their leader?"

He nodded. "That's right. I'm the Alpha. We work as a group, but someone needs to have the final say, especially when push comes to shove. That's me."

"Why?" Tanya asked bluntly. "What I mean is, how are you chosen."

Jacob snorted a little. "Not exactly chosen. It's a blood thing. My granddad was the last alpha, so that makes me the new one."

"Patriarchy?" Jacob looked at her, a little confused. "Like kings," she suggested. "Passes to the next son."

"No, not really, more like... genetic."

"Hmm, how odd. You can communicate over distance as well?" she asked, looking the way the others had gone.

"Yep. That's how we fight, group attack. Maybe we can show you.. Just pick someone least likely to take a nip at us." He grinned broadly.

Tanya smiled back. "I'd volunteer myself, but I don't know that I wouldn't lose my head."

"I'll guarantee you do," Jacob winked at her.

I felt a strange combination of emotions coming from the pair. Curiosity was foremost for both of them. Jacob was puffed up on bravado, declaring his pack's victory over Tanya. I expected Tanya to be annoyed or angry in response, but she was neither. She was interested.

"Oh, no." I moved between the pair, facing Tanya. "He's sixteen, Tanya."

"He is?" Her eyebrows rose.

"Heh, and not that for another month," Jacob admitted

"He looked much older," she defended herself.

I shook my head.

"Thanks!" Jacob answered.

I turned to him now. "Will you excuse us, Tanya?" I pulled Jacob aside and lowered my voice. "Tanya likes men. She likes to enjoy men. You don't want her to enjoy you."

"I don't?" Jacob asked, confused. "You sure?"

"I'm sure. Warn the other boys off, okay?"

"Okay. I gotta say, man, I think I could overlook the smell."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't quite imagine what Tanya might do to these poor boys. Especially if she found out how quickly they healed. I rubbed my eyes again.

"Why do you do that, Jasper? I mean, I rub my eyes when I'm tired. You don't get tired, do you?"

"Not sleepy, no." I smirked.

"Ha, got it. Well, let me see what these three have got." We headed over to watch Eleazar and Carlisle spar. It boded to be more interesting than either of them fighting me. Neither would be emulating a newborn and each would be testing their new tactics. I was interested in the outcome as well.

"You're sure we can do this?" Carmen asked beside me.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't have asked you to otherwise. You and Eleazar will do fine."

"Carlisle's leading left. We'd take his right side," Jacob said next to me. I nodded in agreement.

"And Eleazar must stop dropping his shoulder like that; someone is going to flip him on his back." Carmen stomped her foot. I snickered.

"Good eye," I told her. "You each want to tell them?"

The both looked at me wide-eyed before backing up.

"I tell my pack what to do; I don't tell anyone else." Jacob shook his head.

"I don't know that Eleazar would mind my advice the way he minds yours, Jasper," Carmen said lowly.

I walked forward with their critiques as well as a few of my own. Then we mixed up the pairs and went again. We didn't stop until it was time for me to leave for Port Angeles.

Training begins. Thanks to Sharebear, my beta.