A mental battle is brewing in my mind as I bathe. I try to deny any pull towards Emmett but a chest pain vividly reminds me that he is my imprint. As I step out of the tub I notice fresh new clothes and a note on top of them.

Lani,

I brought you some fresh clothes. Don't worry, they're not his and I haven't told anybody. Your secret is safe with me. Although I do have a few questions. Jacob, also, feels like he should talk to you about the imprint seeing how he, Seth, and Leah all know about it.

Edward

Of course you do, who wouldn't? I change into the clothes he's given me and realize immediately that I wish they were Emmett's. The smell would be a lot more bearable as well as comforting. I curse myself for my last thought. I'm trying to deny the imprint not welcome him. I sniff the clothes long and hard making my nose hairs burn. I figure the sooner I get used to the smell the easier it will be. I walk downstairs to see Rosalie, Carlisle, Jacob, and Edward around Bella. She's looking a lot better, but where did everyone else go.

"Esme is in the kitchen and the others are outside." Edward said simply. Everyone turned to look at who Edward was talking to.

"Lani." Jacob said surveying me. "You look cleaner." Jacob says with a small smile. "Skinnier, though." He says a little confused.

I glare at him and look around. Edward hands me a pad and pen. I look at him questioningly. Why? Since you already know what I'm thinking?

"Out of respect." Edward says simply and tiredly.

Lani:
What do we do now?

I give the pad to Jacob and he sits down on the couch. "I don't know; I guess play it by ear. Seth and Leah are still running the perimeter." He hands me the notepad. Edward looks at Jacob coldly but Jacob doesn't notice. "Lani..."

"Jacob, stop." Edward says as he sits next to Bella. Carlisle, Bella, and Rosalie just watch interested in the conversation.

"Edward, stay out of it." Jacob says angrily to Edward. He sighs and looks at me. "I don't..."

"Jacob, that's enough!" Edward said standing up.

Everyone, including me, looked at them in confusion.

"Edward, what's going on?" Bella asked. I noticed she had a little more color to her cheeks than before. Must be what she's drinking in her zippy cup.

Edward and Jacob kept glaring at each other until Edward turned toward the glass window. "Someone's breaching the line.

Jacob stood where Edward was and saw Seth and Leah run toward the house. They didn't stop but turned around and ran back to where they came from. Jacob ran outside, transformed, and followed where they went.

I was about to follow suit when Edward turned around abruptly.

"Sam's here." He said as he ran out the back door. Carlisle and I followed to see Jasper, Emmett, and Alice standing defensively in front of the house. Edward turns to me. "He will be here soon."

"Lani, I will try talking to him but if he doesn't listen I am going to protect my family by any means necessary, are you okay with that? Are you sure this is where you want to be?" Carlisle asks me as he takes the lead.

I think about Sam and how he desperately wants to protect his people. These people aren't much different; both want to protect the people they love. I look at Emmett; I have to protect him.

Maybe I can keep Sam from coming here, that way nobody dies.

"No." Edward tells me as he grabs my arm as I am about to pass him to head into the forest. "You can get hurt; you could die." Edward says to me looking at me intensely. "Sam is on a mission; he won't back down."

I shrug my shoulders and break free from his grasp.

It doesn't really matter does it? If it keeps you and your family safe and Sam and his people safe, does it really matter if I die in the process? Maybe it will get him to think twice before wanting to kill someone or thing?

I say remembering that none of us know what exactly is in Bella. I can see Emmett past Edward's shoulders. He's looking at me and my heart starts to beat faster. This is all I can do for him as I see Rosalie inside the house standing protectively in front of Bella. I look back at Edward knowing he already knows what I'm thinking and for the first time a bit happy that we can communicate together. He looks at me intensely but before he can say anything I run into the forest and phase

I ran around the perimeter as catch the scent of Jacob, Leah, and Seth, but not Sam's. I run back around trying to find him before he gets to the house. I pounded the earth with my paws harder trying to force myself to run faster around the Cullen's house. When, finally, I smelt something in the air. I stopped and looked at where the scent was coming from. My hair stood on end and I bared my teeth at Sam's wolf form.

He stood in front of me with a superior air as he bared his teeth at me. I stay where I stood and arched protectively in front of the path that would lead him to the Cullen's house. He barked and snapped as if trying to tell me to get out of the way. I snapped forward letting him know that I wouldn't. He growled and stood higher than me. For the first time, in a long time, I felt a little bit of fear. As if on cue I could fell the weight of me being pulled to the ground. Sam growled and I could see he was focused. I gasp as I realize he's trying to use his Alpha voice on me. I feel gravity is working against me as my paws sink to the ground harder. Anger that I have not known starts to rage within me. I belong to no one! I shout these words angrily in my head. The words of spoken at the campfire resurface in my mind. My Quileute ancestry rings in my head as I start to feel a power I had never known spark a fire within me.

The power of Ephraim Black coursed through my body, maybe even the power of my cousin Jacob as well, because the next thing I know is that I'm struggling to stand up. Images of my mother pass in my mind as I realize this is the strength that she had bestowed upon me. I feel like crying but instead I manage to get midway up. Sam growls as he see he's losing his control over me. I can tell he's trying use his Alpha voice on me, because I could feel the extra weight but the power of my great grandfather's chieftain blood was stronger. I am the granddaughter of a chieftain; I am the great granddaughter of Ephraim Black. My cousin Jacob is the rightful Alpha. The Blacks do not bow down to the Uley's. I say to myself with this new power rising within me. As if lighter than a feather I jump up and snap at him. I stood taller than he as he snarled at me.

He lunged forward but I clamped my jaw around his neck and swung him against a tree. He shook himself up and growled at me. He came lunging at me again, I tried to clamp down on his neck again but he instead he bites my torso. I try and wiggle out of his bite but he clamps down harder. I get up on my hind legs and fall on my back trying to get him to let go. He loosens his grip and I roll back on my feet. We glare at each other as we both get up on our hind legs and start swatting one another with our paws, when finally I see my chance. I swat him in the snout and before he recovers I grab his left hind leg with my mouth and throw him against a boulder. He struggles to get up as I take my defensive stance. He shakes his fur out and looks at me. It's different than before; he looks almost remorseful. He growls at me but back steps deeper into the forest. I watch until he is out of sight. I then sniff the air and wait till he scent is completely gone.

I run a perimeter one more time just in case and bump into Seth, Leah, and Jacob. Seth and Leah abruptly take off into the forest as Jacob nods his head toward the house. I slowly follow behind as we approach the house. The Cullen's, aside from Rosalie and Bella, are all outside. Esme hands us each a set of clothes. Jacob transforms and gets dressed right in front of them. Before I can get over the shock he turns to me angrily.

"Lani, what were you thinking?" Jacob asks.

"Jacob." Edward interrupts with a stern look on his face.

I look at him confused and then glare at Jacob for almost revealing what I don't want revealed.

"You have blood all over you." Edward says.

I see my reflection in the glass window and see my white fur tainted by stains of blood.

"May I?" Carlisle asks as he approaches me. I don't move as he inspects the fur. "You got bit but it's already healing. She'll be fine." He says moving away.

I look at Edward.

What happened?

"Sam had sent Jared and Paul to see if they could try and get, if not Jacob, Seth and Leah to come back to the pack. However, he also wanted to try and see if he could kill Bella with his little distraction." Edward answers but before he can say more Jacob cuts him off.

"I know you imprinted."

"Leave it alone." Edward says.

"Like hell I will." Jacob says glaring at Edward. "Look, you're in my pack now and I need to know where your loyalties lie if something should happen to Bella." Jacob said as everyone listened and took a defensive stance, ready to jump in if need be.

I jump behind a tree and get dressed. Coming out angrily I walk right up to Jacob. Esme hands me a notepad and a pen as I glare at Jacob.

Lani:
Are you ordering me? Are you going to be like Sam and use your power against me? Just because I'm not in Sam's pack doesn't mean I'll follow you blindly. I do not belong to anyone. My loyalty? I will protect this family, because he loves this family, because it's his family. If you're asking if I'll get in the way of you trying to avenge Bella's death at the cost of her turning into one of them or because of the fetus, than yes. If you're asking if I will avenge Bella's death with you if Sam gets through and kills her or her spawn than yes I will. I already made my choice that I would protect my imprint, because that's all I can do. I can't run away from it, because the pull is too great, but if you dare breathe a word of it to him I will track you, shoot you, stuff you, and mound you. No one has to know about this.

"So you would fight against family? Your own flesh and blood?" Jacob said in response as everyone looks inquisitively at us trying to decipher what is going on. All except Edward that is.

Lani:
What do you know about me? What Uncle Billy tells you? You know nothing about me. If I have to fight you than yes, but only if I have to.

"Lani, you can't just fight?" He says to me. "You're deaf, you can't hear our thoughts, we have know way of communicating with you. Everything is working against. You could have seriously gotten injured or worse." Jacob says as he approaches me, but Edward stands in his way. Emmett and Jasper move to stand in front of me and behind Edward. Jacob gets angrier at them. "This doesn't involve you." Jacob looks at me. "You're going to get someone killed. Go home!"

My heart stops when he says this. I shuffle back and see remorse in his face as he realizes what he said. Before he can say anything I lunge forward phasing and disappearing in the woods.

"That's enough." Edward replies. His eyes glaring at Jacob. "Jacob, if it wasn't for her who knows what would have happened. She fought because she wanted to protect us and Sam. She didn't want anyone to die."

"I know, but someone always dies when she's..." Jacob starts muttering earning a smack from Edward. Jacob transforms instantly as Alice and Emmett move in front of him and Jasper puts his hand on Edward's shoulder to restrain him. Carlisle comes in between them holding his hands up at the both of them.

"You know nothing of what she's had to endure! The fact that she was able to beat Sam just now, I wish you could see what I saw in her mind. For the first time, she had pride of who she is and where she comes from. She has this amazing strength and power that she just came to realize and you chastise her for caring. You yell at her for wanting to do something good. I wish you could see just how beautiful she really is." Edward says as he starts to calm down. "Her mind is still so pure despite everything that she has been through." Edward turns and starts to head back inside. Before entering he stops. "She had pride in you when she confronted Sam. In you Jacob, in your lineage, and in her mother. If you want to help don't be so hard on her."

Jacob looks down in his wolf form with remorse. Esme brings him another set of clothes as he phases and gets dressed.

"I should probably look for her." Jacob says remorseful to no one in particular.

"We'll look; it may be better that way." Esme says softly to him with a reassuring smile. Esme, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice head off to look for Lani as Jacob stands with regret before entering the house with Carlisle.