Thanks so much for the predictions! It's great seeingw hat some people think. As far as the editing goes, I do what I can. I don't have a beta and I try to limit the amount of errors but I can only do what I can. If they bother you or take away from the story, I'm really sorry. But I ask that you guys stay understanding.

Sorry for the long wait. I'm really gonna try to get another chapter or two up this week. Again thanks for all the follows and reviews. And always: review review review! I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter.

Twenty-Four: Mila

So my great idea of the book was a great failure. I went to see Dr. Cullen two weeks after I was discharged and he was surprised I was healing so well. Only one more week and I would officially be "cleared' for strenuous activity; which was Dr. Cullen's way of saying I could carry boxes up the stairs if I choose to do so.

Classes were going and everything was alright. It was alright and really boring. Caleb was gone and apparently too busy to talk to me like he normally did. And I hated to admit it but I missed Embry. I had seen him around a few times but hadn't spoken to him since I got out the hospital. The girls would come and see me, even a few of the guys stopped by but never Embry. He was the one I really wanted to spend time with.

Leah came back and just like they normally did, everybody acted like everything was fine. Nobody asked her where she went and when I did she said she was 'around'. She was doing her hardest to act like the night never happened, so I followed her led. When she heard that Caleb and I had gotten hurt she felt really bad. Which made no sense to me; I mean she had nothing to do with it. Everyone around here was really sensitive and caring. I was sitting on the couch debating on texting Embry when the front door opened. Emily and Leah walked in.

"So knocking doesn't exist anymore I see," I said smiling as I got off the couch. Leah rolled her eyes and walked over to me. She leaned over and gave me a hug. Emily was behind her, smiling wide, and holding a basket. "Please tell me you have some blueberry muffins in there for me."

"Of course," she said hugging me. I grabbed a muffin and sat back down on the couch. Leah looked at the table and the small blanket on the floor.

"Is this all you've been doing?" she asked as she moved some papers around. I had a mouth full of muffin so all I could do is nod my head. It wasn't all I had been doing per say but for the most part I had kept myself confined to the living room.

"Ok well you need to get up, shower, and come with us," Leah said.

"Leah," Emily squealed "Don't be rude! What Leah meant was would you like to come out with us tonight? We aren't doing anything really but it's the last bon fire of the year."

"Isn't it kind of cold for a bon fire?" I asked them. Thanksgiving was a little of two weeks away. The snow hadn't fallen yet but I was walking around wearing my thick camping socks. The thought of sitting around a bonfire wasn't that appealing to me.

"Come on Mila, what else do you have to do?" Leah asked. "I'm sure you've watched every episode of Law and Order since you got home from the hospital. There is nothing else for you to do. So get up and get dressed."

"Fine," I said standing up. I sat the basket on the coffee table and headed towards the stairs. I was halfway up when I heard Leah yelling out. "And I was serious about that shower!"

Just like always Emily was responsible for all the food. We went back and forth about it but eventually she let me help carry food down to the beach. Emily, Leah, and I had just finished setting everything up when Sam and the guys showed up. It wasn't long before the rest of the girls started making their way out on the beach. Claire and Kim waved before running down to the water. They didn't jump in since it wasn't summer but they did get their feet wet.

I was busy chasing behind Claire's twins, when I saw them coming up the beach. The guys were walking and playing around like always. Paul and Seth were throwing a ball back and forth, Jake and Sam were laughing. The twins saw them and quickly quit the game of tag we were playing. They wobbled down the beach right into their father's open arms. He laughed as he picked them up with ease. As the guys got closer, each man went to his girlfriend, or his wife in some cases. I followed behind them and quietly sat down on one of the blankets around the fire. There was a log right behind me so I slowly eased back to relax on it. Playing with the kids was fun but had taken something out of me.

Jared showed up a few minutes later. He had a lady on his arm and she fell right in with the rest of the group. She was laughing and playing around with the kids. I hadn't seen her before but could tell that she was a part of the 'crowd'. Brady and Collin came alone and wasted no time grabbing some food. Embry still hadn't shown up. Where could he be? I pulled my phone out and was composing the text when I felt like somebody was standing over me. I looked up and saw Jake. He motioned for me to move over, so I did.

"Embry should be here any minute," Jake said sitting next to me. He held out the plate in his hand. It was loaded with hamburgers. I took one and laughed as I shook my head.

"And what makes you think I'm looking for Embry?" I could feel my face getting flushed. How it was Jake could look at me and just know that I was looking for Embry, I had no idea. Was it that obvious?

"Because," he said taking a bite "I know the look of a love sick girl when I see it."

"Love sick?" I said laughing "You must have me mixed up with somebody else. I've never been in love and don't have the desire to be."

"I'm going to remember you said that," Jake said with a laugh. He finished his food and stood up. "Alright you guys gather round. It's time to start."

"Embry isn't here yet," Emily said as she walked over and sat next to me. She passed me a blue solo cup. I quickly sipped on the soda to help wash my half eaten burger down.

"Well Embry has heard the legends. He won't be missing anything." Jake said. He walked over and took a seat across from Emily and me. "But speak of the pale face," Jake said laughing. I turned around and saw Embry making his way over to us. Before I even realized what was happing a smile spread across my face. My heart started to beat faster and my hands quickly ran through my hair. I wished I had taken more effort in my outfit but it was too late now.

When Embry got closer, the smile fell from my face. I was looking at Embry but it wasn't Embry. He looked different and much worse than the last time. He had dark rings under his eyes, his hair was longer like it hadn't been cut, and he looked like he had lost some weight. Emily stood up from the log and motioned for Embry.

"Embry come over here. Jake was just about to start the legends."

He walked over towards her and paused when he saw me sitting on the blanket. He looked so different. I smiled and patted the blanket next to me. Slowly Embry sat down next to me. Emily passed him the plate she had in her hand. He took it and started to eat. As expected it wasn't long before his plate was empty. I figured he was thirsty so I passed him my cup. When he took it his fingertips touched mine. It was still there. The spark, or click, or whatever you wanted to call it. It was still there. I looked up and found him staring at me. The smile spread across my face and it wasn't long before he was smiling back at me.

Hearing the legends from Jake was so much better than just reading about them. I could tell this was something that they did a lot. Even the kids were finishing sentences for him. Jake had just started talking about the Third Wife and Taha Aki. When he mentioned the "Cold Ones" my ears seemed to perk up.

"The cold woman was one of the most beautiful creatures ever seen. She was so beautiful that nobody moved as they watched her. But her smell hurt one young boy's nose. He told the Elder closet to him and was instructed to run away. Suddenly the cold woman struck out. She grabbed onto him and killed him quickly. She would have destroyed the entire tribe had Yuha Uta, Taha Aki, his third wife, and the elders not come along. The elders were no match for her. Yaha Uta ran up but he too was defeated. Seeing this enraged his father and he turned into the gray wolf. He began fighting the Cold Woman but he was starting to lose his battle. The third wife looked around and saw how much danger her tribe and husband was in."

"Knowing she had to do something she grabbed a knife from one of her sons and ran towards the Cold Woman. Before he could stop her, she stabbed herself in the heart. The Cold Woman couldn't turn away from the fresh blood. She gave in and was quickly defeated by Taha Aki and his two sons. They too had turned into their spirt wolf warriors. The rage they felt over powered them. Taha Aki never returned to his human form."

I looked around the fire and saw all eyes glued to Jake. Emily and Kim smiled as they leaned closer to their men. The kids all hung on to his every word. Jake stood up and started walking around.

"Our descendants stopped changing after that. The only time they would turn was when a cold one was near. It didn't happen often so the pack stayed small, that is until Ephraim Black. When he was Chief, he came across some Cold Ones. Normally they would have attacked and killed but they were outnumbered. The leader of the coven told Ephraim they were different. They didn't feed off humans and their golden eye color was proof of that. They agreed to a treaty, one that would allow them to live uninterrupted. As long as they didn't kill any humans or cross onto out land; we would keep their secret."

As I sat listening to Jake, I could picture his words clearly. The cold woman was beautiful the way I pictured her. Her skin was pale, light and smooth. Suddenly, I felt like my head was spinning and I couldn't breathe. The cold woman I saw looked just like Sabrina. This couldn't have been true could it? I had done a lot of research. The stories Jake started with, I knew most of them. My dad told me some and I was able to find more in the book. But the cold ones, I had no idea about that story. It couldn't be true. But Ephraim's last name was Black and so was Jacob's. I closed my eyes and shook my head trying to make sense of everything.

"Are you ok?" Embry whispered to me. I turned and looked at him. We had only been sitting for about an hour but he was already starting to look better. I smiled and shook my head yes.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired that's all. I was on babysitting duty while the girls got everything ready. Chasing after four year old twins is more tiring than it looks," I said laughing. The twins were sitting between their parents. I could tell they were fighting sleep and losing the battle.

"You want to go to for a walk?" he asked.

"I would love to," I smiled in return. Embry stood up and helped me up. As we started walking away I heard Jacob start another story. "So how have you been?" I asked him. We were walking side by side. He was walking very slowly to keep up with my pace.

"I've been ok. How are you feeling?"

"Really you don't look ok. You look sick."

"I'm not sick. It's something else. But I'm fine now. So what did you think about the legends?" Embry asked. I paused before answering his question. What did I think about the legends? I wasn't really sure myself. I shrugged my shoulders and looked out at the water.

"I think they are great stories."

"Stories? Mila these are stories," Embry said. "The legends are our history."

"Come on Embry. You really believe that there are cold ones who kill people? And some crazy strong were wolf people who protect the tribe? You can't believe that. Because if you did, then you would have believed me that day in the hospital. And you didn't."

"Mila I never said I didn't believe you."

"No but you didn't say you did. You tried to talk me out of it. I knew what I saw and you and everybody else told me it didn't happen. But I'm not. Sarina is real and she's going to kill me."

"I'm not gonna let Sabrina kill you."

"What did you just say?" I asked him. I stopped walking and grabbed his hand.

"I'm not going to let Sabrina kill you."

"And how exactly are you going to stop her? I heard the legends. If she is in fact one of the cold ones then you don't have a chance."

"If you were really listening to the legends then you know that's not true." He said looking at me in the eyes. I thought about what he said and stared back at him.

"Think about it Mila. Think long and hard," he whispered to me. I thought about everything that had happened. I looked up and saw Embry staring at me. His eyes, they looked so familiar. The more I thought about it, I'd seen them before. The wolf…the wolf had the same eyes. If the wolf had the same eyes then the wolf was Embry. But people didn't turn into wolves. There was only one way to know I wasn't crazy.

"Show me," I said to him. Embry looked confused. "Show me one of the wolves. You must know where they are. Isn't that why you guys do patrols?"