A/N: Finally the next chapter is here :D I apologise for the long wait, my beta and I are both really busy with school. The next chapter will be up by Sunday, at the latest. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Also, thank you to my amazingly talented beta NyxsReincarnation! She's got some awesome fics, you should check them out :) And thank you for my reviews :)

Recap: Receiving no reply, I slowly pressed a finger to her wrist to feel for a pulse. There was none.

Amount of words: 2 714

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Chapter Eight - Paul Lahote's POV

I didn't know what to do. Two of my friends were missing, and it was slowly tearing my pack apart. Bella had been one of my best friends, and we had only just begun to get along. And now she was gone – likely to be dead. And Kim… Kim was my little sister. I knew that she had been expecting a baby – I wasn't clueless like the rest of my Pack. I had even bought her something special to give to Kim's baby, but now I wouldn't be able to give it to her.

I had no idea how to deal with Embry. He was feeling guilty after his fight with Bella – the girl of his dreams. But I had to admit that I would be going insane if the girl I loved was missing, presumably dead. I don't know what I could do to reassure Embry of Bella being alive. My own heart wasn't in the reassurance, so why would anyone – let alone Embry – believe me?

Jared was, well, he was a mess. His imprint was missing, meaning he could barely function. I was amazed at how strong Jared and Kim's imprint bond was – she had only been gone for two days and he was already the walking dead. Jared had stopped talking, eating, and he even stopped getting out of his bed, all in the matter of two days.

The rest of the Pack each had their own way to deal with the girls' disappearances, and I wasn't too sure if the way that they coped was a good or bad thing. Quil and Jacob stopped making jokes and had quickly turned into serious teens. Sam had upped their Patrols and had turned into a hardworking man, and had also developed a deeper hate for leeches. Emily had thrown herself into cooking and baking without ever taking a break. They had so much food now that even after the Pack had finished, there were leftovers.

And me… I was probably the only sane one left. I didn't suddenly get a stinking attitude or anything, like say Jacob. No – the only thing that happened to me was that I got rid of my temper. It was a good thing, I supposed, but I hated the circumstances under which I had lost it. I also wished that Bella and Kim could see how their disappearance had changed the whole Pack. It wasn't that I blamed them…or wait, I did actually. Blame Bella, I mean. It was the red-headed vamp that had been after her – the same vamp that had kidnapped her and Kim.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the appearance of Sam. The tall, muscular Alpha leaned against the doorframe of my room, regarding me with cool eyes.

"What?" I asked, my voice tired. I didn't feel like seeing anyone right now, let alone my damned Alpha.

"It's your turn to patrol, Paul." At my incredulous look, Sam added, "You're standing in for Jared."

My anger immediately flared. "What the Hell, Sam?" I demanded angrily. "Jared can do his own patrol! It's not like he is unable to phase!"

Sam kept his calm, though his eyes flashed dangerously. "He lost his imprint, Paul, or have you forgotten?" His voice was deadly calm. "Grow a heart, will you?" Sam turned to leave, but at the last moment he stopped and turned back to face me and said, "Be ready to patrol in five. That's an order."

I quickly swallowed my irritation and stood from my bed. Damn Sam, damn Bella, and damn the stupid leech.

As I walked through the kitchen on my way to the back door I passed my mom. She was standing at the stove muttering nonsense to herself. As I passed her she turned around and quickly grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going, Paul?" she asked me with a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

"I'm headed to Emily's, mom," I told her and snagged a muffin off of the table. I bit into the chocolate and nearly moaned. I gave my mom an appreciative look. "Thanks. And I'm fine, just missing Bella and Kim."

My mother's dark eyes were sceptical, but she nodded and shooed me out of the door. I jogged to the tree line and, as soon as I was in the cover of the forest, I stripped and phased. There was a brief flash of pain as my bones broke and reset itself, but it was gone quickly. You got used to the pain after so long of being a werewolf.

I shrugged my large wolf body and started off at a jog. Even though I tried to keep my mind away from all things Bella and Kim, it kept on returning. It went to Bella, and how much I resented the fact that she had ever been involved with the damned Cullens. If it weren't for them, she never would've met the red-head leech, and she and Kim never would have been taken. But then again, if Bella hadn't befriended Jacob, she probably would've been dead ages ago…

I sighed and turned my mind to Kim as I continued running patrol. What would happen to Jared if we couldn't find his imprint? He would probably stop functioning completely… and what about Kim? Was she still alive, or had she left us for good? If she was alive, how were they being treated? Did they have food, a bed, clothes, and protection?

I was knocked out of my thoughts when I finally noticed another presence in my mind. "Why are you phased?" I growled at the irritating teen, my fast pace slowing down. It was my turn to patrol and I didn't need a teenager to hear my thoughts.

"I've been phased the whole time," Seth quickly replied, giving a mental shrug.

I rolled my large wolf eyes. My ears perked as I picked up the sound of paws softly hitting the ground. The sound gradually grew louder until finally Seth's sandy wolf body fell into step beside me. It was silent for a while, thankfully, as the both of us focused on the surrounding woods. We kept a slow and relaxed pace, but our bodies were alert for if there was even a hint of a threat. I tried to keep my thoughts clear of my sudden and – admittedly unnecessary – hatred for Bella, but after a few minutes her face resurfaced in my mind, bringing the thoughts with it. That stupid leech-girl…

"That 'stupid leech-girl' is practically your sister."

Seth's harsh mental voice cut through my thoughts, making me slow down to a complete stop. I realized suddenly that Seth was right – Bella was my little sister. This whole thing was in no way her fault. She was innocent in all of this. If anyone was to blame, then it was Gayward's fault that the fucking red-head was after Bella in the first place. Damn Gayward and his family of sparkling leeches, I thought angrily to myself, If I ever see anyone of you again I'm going to rip your heads off! And I knew that was a promise.

"Relax, Paul," Seth quickly interjected again. "No need to kill Edward – or anyone for that matter. Just… just tear them a new one!"

I rolled my eyes but didn't reply. Trust Seth to take the non-violent approach. Slowly my anger disappeared, thankfully, just in time for a third person to phase.

"Paul, your shift is over," Quil thought, and then added, "Yours too, Seth."

Seth let out a mental whoop and immediately dashed away, probably heading to his house. I nodded my large head at Quil and turned to head to Emily and Sam's house. The run was over quickly, and as soon as I spotted their house I stopped and phased in the cover of the trees. I pulled on my cut-off jeans and jogged into the house, breathing in the smell of chocolate muffins. I walked into the kitchen and stilled in the doorway, watching the sight before me. Emily was – at first glance – the perfect picture of relaxed. She was seated at the large kitchen table, her head resting on her arms. Her eyes were closed and she was snoring softly. Her lips were pulled into a peaceful smile, and the circles under her eyes were less pronounced. The only thing marring her peaceful nap was the worried frown pulling at her eyebrows.

I smiled and entered the kitchen, taking extra care to not make a sound. I opened the fridge and grabbed myself a Coke. I jumped when I heard movement, and spun around, only to relax when I saw that Emily had woken up. Her eyes were a little bleary and unfocused as she glanced around the kitchen. "Paul?" she asked sleepily.

"Hey, Emily," I greeted her. "Want some coffee?"

She shook her head quickly, looking more awake now. "I can make some for myself, thanks Paul."

I shrugged and took a seat at the table, gulping down the Coke in large gulps. The kitchen was silent except for the sounds of Emily preparing her coffee. After a while she took a seat opposite me, the mug held between her hands.

"How're you holding up, Emi?" I asked her, trying to catch her eyes.

Emily quickly took a sip of her coffee and glanced up at me. "I'm alright, I guess," she said slowly. "I just… I miss them, you know? I mean, I know it's only been two days, but it feels like two years to me."

I nodded in understanding. It felt the same to the rest of the Pack, me included. "It sucks, I know," I told her softly with a sigh.

It was silent again for a few minutes, the only sound coming from Emily as she slowly drank her coffee. "Do you think they're alive?" she asked suddenly. My head shot up and I gave her an uncertain glance. "The two girls, I mean," she added.

I frowned. I didn't know, really. No-one did except for them. "I don't know, Emily," I said. It nearly broke my heart as I watched the hope in her eyes flicker and disappear. "I mean, who knows? What is the chance that two humans survive an encounter with a rogue vampire?"

Emily sighed, and when she spoke her voice was chocked. "I just want them to be alive," she choked out. "Even if they were turned into vampires, I'd still love them and welcome them into my home with open arms!" Her eyes were filled with tears.

I didn't know what to do or how to comfort Emily. I could only watch with an aching heart as Emily burst into heart-wrenching sobs. She hid her face in her hands as she tried to stop crying, but we both know it was useless. So with a sigh, I stood and walked over to her. I threw my arms around her and held her tight as she cried into my chest. I didn't have anything to say to her, so I just stayed silent and held her as she cried. My own eyes started to tear up, but I was determined to not let a single tear fall. Paul Lahote doesn't cry.

I wasn't sure how much time passed by before we were interrupted by Embry and Sam entering the kitchen. Sam gave a little growl and stomped to where we were standing. I quickly let go of a still-crying Emily and shot Sam an uncertain, apologetic smile. Sam, who barely acknowledged my apology, immediately gathered his fiancé into his large arms. Emily's quieted and just stayed in his arms.

I glanced at Embry and he nodded at me to go outside. I followed him through the house and into the surprisingly cold air. The sky was dark outside and covered in a layer of clouds.

"How're you holding up?" Embry asked.

I looked up and was about to reply when his cell phone rang. Embry fished it out of his pocket and answered.

"Hello?" Embry asked into the phone.

With my wolfy hearing I could make out what the person on the other side said. "Embry?

It sounded like…

"Bella? Oh my God, are you okay? Where are you? What happened? Where's Kim? We are all worried sick!" Embry shot into the phone.

I stilled. Bella? Bella was ALIVE?!

"I'm safe, Em," her reply came, her voice sounding choked. Oh no, what happened?

"And Kim? Bella, what about Kim?" Embry asked in a forced calm voice.

My heart froze. Was Kim alright?

By now Sam had overheard the phone call and had come out of the house, bringing Emily with him. He glanced at me with furrowed brows. I shrugged in reply and waited for Bella to reply, feeling worried.

"We're both safe," Bella babbled out suddenly. "Listen Embry, you're never going to see me or hear about me again," Bella said suddenly, her voice strong again, "None of you will. So please look after Charlie for me, okay? And tell the Pack I love them. I'm going to miss you, Em. Love you"

The dial tone sounded before Embry could respond. The four of us stood frozen on the spot, going over everything that we had just heard.

"Was that Bella?" someone asked, their voice shaking.

The four of us turned and spotted Jacob, Seth and Quil – who was supposed to be on patrol – looking at the phone in Embry's hand.

"Well, she's alive," I said lamely. Six pairs of eyes glared daggers at me and I rolled my eyes.

"No shit," Embry mumbled back.

~TWW~TWW~

Ten minutes later found the entire pack seated in Sam's kitchen. Everybody had been informed of Bella's call just minutes before, and there was excited chatter around the table. Even Jared looked a bit better, though he still looked worried. Sam was the only one who wasn't excited by the call.

"Something is wrong," Sam muttered, causing the chatter to die down. "She didn't sound right."

Immediately protests were made, but Sam lifted his hand and it was silent again. "Why was she so hesitant talking about Kim?" he asked slowly, glancing at each pack member. "There had to be a reason, and we need to find out what it is."

~TWW~THW~

After the Pack meeting ended, it was decided that I should be the one to phone Charlie. Why, I didn't know, and I found it mildly unfair. But whatever. I'm Paul Lahote, I could do this!

"Hello?" the gruff voice of Charlie Swan came through the phone.

"Charlie, it's Paul Lahote. I've got some news for you."

"Did you hear from Bella? Is my baby girl safe?" his voice held a glimmer of hope and I had to smile.

"Yes, Chief. She called Embry from an unknown number." I then proceeded to tell him everything that Bella had said.

There was a pause and I could hear someone talking to Charlie. He cursed then turned back to speak into the phone. "Listen Paul, there's been an animal attack up at the Markham Rez, so I'll talk to you later." He hung up without waiting for a reply.

I stood still for a moment and then hurried back to Sam. "Sam!" I called, out of breath from my five minute run. Huh, I must be out of shape? "Sam, there's been an attack at Markham Reservation."

"I just heard," Sam said calmly. "A human got carried away by a newborn vampire. Whether she's alive or not remains unknown. Another human had been badly injured and had her stomach clawed by one of the Markham Pack."

I stilled. There was another Pack?! "Markham Pack?" I asked slowly. Had I heard him right? "Isn't it impossible, Sam?"

Sam shook his head. "It's very much possible," was all he said. "I've known about them for a while now."

"You mean you knew, yet you kept it from us? What the Hell, Sam! You should have told us!" I exploded, my temper flaring.

"I'm afraid that I haven't told you a lot of things," Sam said tiredly. He ran a hand down his face and peeked at me from between his fingers. "We need to have a Pack meeting."