A note to saireen.

I really recommend you get an account because you seem to be reviewing quite a bit, and I think it would be great to be able to message you and for you to get notifications when I update. Hope to see u on fanfic soon!

Sorry I'm taking so long to update, I'm writing two stories at once. On Wattpad I'm writing Dark Angels if you'd like to take a look. (Only 3 chapters and a prologue so far so don't expect it to be really long)

story/9851934-dark-angels

So, take a look!

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Previously

Jacob

This had to be a coincidence. I only had two sisters and that was it. But the names of our parents were identical…

"Jacob, there's a story I need to tell you. I haven't until now because I didn't think it mattered, and there was no point grieving over something lost that you didn't know. You had a brother. He was three years older than you. When your mother supposedly 'died' it turns out she escaped with this boy. He was called Shane, and now he's found us. This is your brother, Shane Black."

"But surely he'd be a wolf. We all are, and we have been for generations." I protested. This couldn't happen, not now. If I had an older brother, I was no longer the deserving Alpha. I would have to fight for my place. I know I should be overjoyed, but I'm not, quite the opposite in fact. "This means I'll lose my right as true Alpha." I said "You will have to tell the pack, and see what they say. But I won't just back down, and I will keep my place." I warned as I stormed out of the house and phased in rage right there. Running off into the woods, I hunted Nessie straight down.

Nessie

As soon as I heard the huge russet wolf run up to me, I knew something was wrong. He looked me quickly in the eye and bounded away again. I followed, and by the time I'd caught up, he'd phased back to his human self. He looked flustered and confused as he sat with his feet over the edge of the rock that was the centre of Big Field.

"Jacob, what is it?" I asked quietly as I climbed up to perch next to him.

"I don't know any more. Everything has changed, everything's strange. Luke is no longer fighting for you, Leah isn't Miss Misery any more, this new tribe wants to kill you and now it turns out I have a brother. An older brother."

"Since when?" I asked. I realised that it was probably the most stupid think I could have said, but I'd said it, and at least we were alone.

"Since two years before I was born." He replied, ignoring the idiocy of my comment. "You know the bird guy, Shane? He's my older brother… and the rightful leader of the pack. I know I should be happy but…" He put his head in his hands and looked like he was about to pull his hair out.

"How are you gonna sort this one? You're not just gonna step back into beta are you?" I asked. I would definitely be dreaming if Jacob retreated. He NEVER retreats.

"I'm gonna see what I have to do. I can't kill him, he's my brother. Even if I hate him and I hardly know him, he's still of my bloodline." He sighed. He had no idea what to do next. If Shane went to the pack to announce his new found authority, Jacob would be shunted straight down without a word.

"You'll have to fight him to submission, or find a way to banish him or get him disowned. Whatever you do has to be right and fair." I suggested.

"If he submits, he can just command me back down whenever he wants." Jacob explained. "If I banish his or find a way for Dad to disown him, I'll be looked down on forever. That's a long time." He looked at me. His eyes were sad.

"What if he doesn't want to lead at all? What if he just wants to stay where he is?" I asked. It was quite possible he would deny leading the pack. Then I had a bright idea. "If he's the son of an alpha, that gives him the right to rule any tribe or pack on this land, right?"

"Yeah." Jacob replied solemnly.

"Then he also has rights to the new tribe. He could command Skye down while they stay on this land. He would have to switch tribes to lead the pack, and I'm not sure Skye would take him back if he left. I think the best way to work this out is to talk to him and see what he's gonna do. As the new alpha, he's in charge."

"Fine."

Jacob

Even from outside the house I could smell the intruder that was taking over my life. I walked in and found him in the living room, still talking to my dad.

"We need to talk." I said viciously and exited fast.

When Shane arrived out at the back where Nessie and I were waiting, Nessie sent me a calm vision to keep me sane. I had…tendencies to overreact…

"Yes, brother?" Shane asked formally.

"First, what kind of brothers address each other as 'brother'; that's what monks do. Secondly, I need to talk to you about pack alpha position."

"Ah, yes: the position that I rightfully hold. I think it's up to me what happens about that." Shane teased. Why he was suddenly being like this I didn't know. Maybe the power had gone to his head…

"I'm not just going to let you take it. I've been in that post almost 8 years, and you've been here, what, 2 days? You just expect to be able to come in and take everything, don't you? Well, listen up, bird boy. This is my land and you can stay in your trees or face the consequences!"

Nessie

Jacob calm down…

He sighed and rotated his shoulders round: a method to calm stress he's discovered over the years.

"I wasn't planning to just come in and take your post. I want to win it fairly. A duel." Shane continued.

"To what end?" Jacob snarled.

"I would say death, but isn't that a little harsh seeing as I saved your life only hours ago?" Shane replied. "I was thinking we could come to an arrangement. If you win, you keep your place and I either leave or join your pack as an omega. If I win, I take alpha spot and you stay on as beta."

"That's… actually not a bad arrangement. You know if I stay in your pack, I can battle you down at any time?" Jacob explained. He's calmed down a fair amount and actually looked happy. This is how brothers were meant to act. I think. Cos I don't have a brother. So I wouldn't know. Just… never mind…

"That's fine by me. Maybe you'll end up down in beta forever though. It'll be up to me." Shane teased. The Jacob actually laughed. Trust me. It might sound like nothing much, but that really is a big thing after seeing his mood beforehand.

The two boys agreed to meet at dusk the next evening in the pack glade. There was enough space for the pack and Shane's tribe to all fit, so it was all good.

Jacob and I, walking back through the woods, decided to go somewhere for some quiet time. He led me to the glade where mum used to like to relax. I lay down on the grass and closed my eyes, trying to single out every scent there was to smell, every tinge of flavour on the breeze, every small thing I could feel. When I heard the grass beside me crush and snap I knew Jacob was lying next to me.

His scent was very much a wet dog smell, but if you looked harder, you could detect a slight woody or forest smell. This hung on most shifters, which gave us one way to find them. Other rogue shifters tended to smell of blood, a natural scent produced to mark a 'lone wolf'.

I rolled onto my side and rested my cheek on Jacob's arm. His skin was soft and smooth, as his fur was when he phased. When he breathed out I could feel him relax and calm down. His mood from earlier had rubbed off on him.

"So, all better now?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, all better." He sighed. It's great, just lying there peacefully with your best friend, protector, carer and partner. You are comfortable with each other and know how the other feels, what they like, what they don't like and how to comfort them. I was hoping this would last forever.

But no.

At that precise moment in time (dear God, why?) Seth just had to come rushing in on to legs shouting:

"Jacob!" at the top of his voice, which was fairly low as his voice had broken only a couple of years ago. "Emergency in the main glade, Leah and Ryan need to discuss pack treaty and transfer arrangements."

"You know it's up to them, not me?"

"Yes, but Ryan's getting bugged that you're a disorganised leader."

"Can't you see I'm busy?"

"What, snuggling? Yeah, I thought I'd rescue you from before you go insane."

Rude! "Excuse me?!" I retorted.

"Sorry. Unless you know how to order him around, that's all I've got."

"Fine. I'll catch up to you in a sec." Jacob sighed angrily. Seth scrambled off and Jacob stood up.

I sat up, and Jacob apologised and left. I heard him phase out of sight and run off, like he always did.

I decided to walk home, and on my way passed 'Cherry's' hollow. As you may have realised, Cherry was actually called Wyllow. She had explained to Luke how when she'd first arrived here, Luke had nearly killed her. He'd been hunting alone and was on his new 'veggie' diet. He spotted her and tried to eat her, but a bird had attacked his face and he'd left off.

I sat on the trunk of the tree and just thought. I thought of anything and everything. My life was going crazy. Well, crazier, all because this new tribe had turned up. I know I should be happy for Luke and Wyllow, and Leah and Ryan, but they all hardly know each other and they just happen to be desperately in love? Weird… It took me and Jacob 7 years…

I heard leaves crunching under hard feet, and thick twigs and thin branches breaking on the forest floor. This got me worried, and I tried to blank my mind like Luke did, I tried to make my mind leave my body. I concentrated on being nothing; I tried sending a vision, but to myself. Nothing happened. I was alone here, with nothing and no one for company except this new arrival. Even being me, an immortal human-vampire who could drink blood from any creature and has the strength of the highest standard supernatural, I was terrified of these footsteps.

From what I could hear, there were four hard feet, possibly hooves, and the creature was strong and heavy. I tried to scent it, and it gave the tinge of fight that all shifters bore. So it was a shifter. I could smell a sort of equine aroma, before realising how stupid I'd been. I heard the sound of phasing and heard Skye's voice.

"You can come out now little vampire."

"Technically I'm not a vampire, so don't call me one."

"You smell of vampire, and that's enough reason to call you vampire."

"Shouldn't you be at the imprint meeting?" I asked. It was true. Seth had said that the leaders had to be there to organise who goes where.

"I couldn't stand being around so many same shape members of another clan. It smelt so bad, I had a headache."

"Or did they just scare you?"

"I don't get scared. I justify whether something is unsafe or not, then act upon my judgement. You however, were scared of my footsteps."

"I wasn't scared. 'I don't get scared. I justify whether something is unsafe or not, then act upon my judgement." I mocked in the arrogant, confident, logical tone that this shifter clan leader always seemed to use.

I heard a howl coming from the general direction of the pack glade. I scented one of the younger wolves racing fast through the woods.

"Seth, what are you doing?" I called to the silvery-brown (and yes, that is what I'd say. I've always thought Seth was silver, but apparently he's brown. Best of both worlds) wolf. When he burst out of the bushes, he was out of breath and human shaped.

"Come now, Jacob needs you: outbreak of clan rivalry. Don't know why, just come." He panted and ran straight back the way he'd come.