No wolf wants to be alone, this thought past through Bella's on the way from Silverstone to Emily's with Ry curled up on her lap. Ryker hadn't really taken to Emily, but wolves were very timid creatures to begin with so Emily didn't seem to be too hurt. Bella still couldn't believe he was hers, that he had trusted her. She had had to do a report on an animal when she was younger and had chosen wolves because she thought they were amazing, so totally loyal and independent while still being dependent on their pack. Those were qualities Bella hoped that one day she could emulate.

They had driven almost the entire hour and a half without a phone call from Sam fretting over them, they were just entering the reservation borders when Emily's phone rang and she rolled her eyes at Bella while answering. "Hello?"

"Emily where are you? Grocery shopping does not take this long." Sam stated with not a little amount of worry in his voice.

"Everything is fine dear," she said with only a small amount of good-natured exasperation in her tone. "We'll be there in 10 minutes, Bella has a surprise for everyone." She shot the sleeping Ry a smile. As he was only six weeks old they had had to stop to get some proper milk to feed him along with some deer meat from the butcher and a pig ear as a treat.

"A surprise? Well alright then we'll see you girls soon." Sam sounded confused but satisfied that they would be home soon. He didn't like his pack separated for too long Emily explained.

The phone had woken up Ryker and he whimpered a little bit until Bella picked him up and he nuzzled her neck like he would have his mother. He smelled of nature still and Bella didn't want to bath him just yet because this was who he was. He was a wolf and he should be treated as such, even if she was going to pamper and train him to the best of her abilities.

"I cannot get over how taken he is with you Bella, it's incredible." Emily said for the third time.

"I know! He is just so little and helpless that you can't help but like him. Look at his eyes too they are such an amazing mixture of gold and blue. I wonder when they fully set which will dominate." Ry had fallen back to sleep at the sound of their voices after his cuddle. He probably would not be too happy to be woken up when they got to Sam's house but if luck was on their side only Sam would be there.

"I have a feeling he is going to be a very important member of our pack." Emily smiled.

They arrived at her house and Sam was waiting for them on the front porch. He went and grabbed the baking stuff from the bed of the truck with a grin and a wave to the girls. Ryker's stuff was at Bella's feet so that the surprise wouldn't be given away too soon.

"Wake up little wolf" Bella cooed gently jostling Ry. Emily went around and grabbed Sam as Bella opened her door and hopped out being careful with her puppy, remembering that puppies were as fragile at babies because that's what they were. Ryker looked up at Bella and tired to nuzzle into her arms some more while yawning, clearly not wanting to wake up yet.

Emily dragged Sam out of the house and down the front steps, before Sam even acknowledged Bella he sniffed. "Do I smell wolf?" he muttered to himself looking confused. The girls shared a hard laugh at his expense.

"Sam I'd like you to meet Ryker, my new pup." Bella said with the smile that had been plastered on her face since she got him.

"You bought a wolf? Is that even legal?" Sam asked approaching Bella.

"He was more of a rescue, his mom was murdered last night by poachers and the German Shepherd breeder found them and saved this little guy. I figured I knew actual wolves so it shouldn't be too hard training this little guy." At the sound of Sam's male voice Ryker lifted his head and looked at Sam, then immediately shied into Bella.

"Well he sure is a cute pup" Sam exclaimed cautiously stepping closer to Bella as to not scare the little wolf any further. Ryker was watching Sam emitting his puppy growls as Sam got a little too close.

"Sam he doesn't really like people other than Bella, maybe lets bring him inside and let him explore a bit and get comfortable before playing with him." Emily explained and suggested.

They went into the house and Ryker instead of running around or playing with them just went onto the couch and slept leaving them to talk.

Everything was good; Sam agreed that the pack would be taken with their littlest member with only one wild card. Paul. But he had yet to show his less than ugly face so that was good. While they waited for the inevitable pack gathering at Sam's house he and Emily filled Bella in on as much as possible. They covered a lot of ground without the other boys being there to interrupt, she reheard the legends in abbreviated forms and heard Sam's accounts on pack mind, imprinting, why they were what they were, and vampires. They told her that since the Cullen's disappeared that the gene stopped acting up, just in time to momentarily save Quil, Jacob, and who ever else might have changed from this life as a protector. Bella now knew not to bring Jake up around Embry, it must have been rough losing your best friends and making them hate you so that you could protect them. She wished that she could feel bad for him but she still couldn't feel.

The wanting to feel something was worse than the numbness, it was just another painstakingly obvious reason as to why she wasn't normal. She tried to think of all the emotions she'd ever felt but she knew that she was forgetting some. It was the small fleeting emotions that she missed the most, because those were the ones she forgot about, couldn't remind herself that she should be feeling them. Like she could remember when she should be sad or happy or angry but how could she remember every time she should feel little things like confusion, or embarrassment, or adoration. She'd been confused and embarrassed but never really felt it, or the heart aching beauty that came from a certain song or reading a great quote for the first time. The little moments that made up life were passing her by, it wasn't because she was single it was because she had been alone and now that she had a 'group' she was still new. There wasn't anyone she would give knowing glances to because of an inside joke or some shared knowledge. But that at least would come with time.

She couldn't even feel the ache of missing something; it was all a mental knowing that she should be doing something, like she knows she misses it even if she couldn't feel the longing. She'd say it was maddening but she couldn't feel it.

Noticing that she had left the conversation Emily pulled her from her thoughts to ask if Bella had any questions about the werewolves. But she didn't they had pretty much covered everything important, she was sure that when the time came she would but right now she was content. She didn't know why they wanted her around but something told her that wasn't an appropriate question to ask so she didn't.

The afternoon went by pleasantly after their talk, Ryker had warmed up a little bit to Sam while Sam took a load off in the living room playing Mario Cart. The girls could hear him swearing and asking Ryker if he saw what that bastard Toad did to him, once when Bella had looked in from the kitchen she saw Ryker sitting on the couch beside Sam with his head cocked to the side looking at Sam every time he messed up with curiosity.

Bella and Emily had been cooking the order they had to do, Emily had been explaining how it worked cost wise for people, the cupcake tower was 75 dollars over cost because of all the effort that went into the decorating, where as cookies, pies and other small treats were 15-30 over cost because they were easier. It seemed like a fair deal and while Bella was living with Charlie she didn't have a ton of expenses so money wasn't a major issue for her. The companionship would have been payment enough but Emily wanted Bella as her partner and who was she to refuse good money.

They were letting the cupcakes cool while making the icing when the first of the pack came in. Jared and Paul walked in, Jared slightly laughing at something Paul had said when they both froze looking Ryker on the couch with a pissed off Same, apparently Toad was still giving him trouble on rainbow road. Upon seeing the new people Ryker growled and ran to the kitchen to hide with Bella, she picked him up and he tried to climb around her neck. Holding the squirming pup she walked into the living room. "The fuck is that?" Paul asked flopping on the couch beside Sam swiping the controller as he did so.

"That is Ryker, the wolf pup Bella rescued." Sam said watching Paul beat the race.

"Cool I want one!" Jared said walking towards Bella hands extended so he could hold Ryker. The pup just growled and bit at his hands clearly wanting nothing to do with Jared. Looking dejected he went back to the couch and grabbed two other remotes tossing one to Sam.

"The fuck would she want with a wolf?" Paul muttered under his breath, everyone just ignored the comment. Ryker had calmed down enough so that Bella could set him down on the floor again, she went to the kitchen and grabbed the pigs ear and gave it to Ryker in hopes that it would calm him down some more.

Ryker grabbed the ear and ran around the living room in triumph before settling at Paul's feet. Why would he go to the one person who hadn't shown any interest in him? Paul merely looked down and smirked while nudging the little wolf with his toe, Ryker growled at him and covered his pig ear and bit Paul's foot. Paul let out a laugh and went back to the race.

As Emily and Bella went about decorating the cupcakes they could hear the swearing and yelling and occasional bark come from the living room. "Are they always like this?" Bella asked it was such a change from yesterday. She could get used to it.

"Unfortunately, unless they are patrolling or working I don't get any peace here." She smiled as she spoke, clearly not minding the ruckus. "But as Paul would say 'peace is overrated,' I don't agree with him though, peace can be nice."

Bella considered it for a moment; while peace was nice it could also be boring. It was the moments that were un-peaceful or scary and dangerous, out of the norm that inspired hope. And Bella thought that hope was more important than peace.

She noticed the absence of Embry more than she thought she would have, Emily had told her he was patrolling and would be until supper. Then they all would eat together one big happy family and Sam would take the overnight shift. Bella had asked why they patrolled if the Cullen's were gone but Emily said they patrolled more for the nomads than the Cullen's. She had been about to ask if they had killed any nomads but that was another question that probably wasn't appropriate.

Sam ordered takeout saying that Emily and Bella deserved a break from the kitchen. Eavesdropping on the pizza order Bella couldn't help but marvel at the shear amount of food they were getting; salads, pasta, wings, and of course pizza were all on the menu for the evening. They had decided to put Mario Cart away after two of the controllers had been broken in fits of anger, they were going to watch a movie but were waiting to Embry to get there before making the decision.

While they waited Bella played with Ryker who had perked up at her sitting on the floor next to him. She had grabbed a piece of kindling from beside the fireplace and was taunting him with it making him dance around and run in circles. She smiled, this was another moment that she would have like to have her emotions in check, but the only thing she could do was fake till she made it.

What Bella hadn't realized at the time was that Paul was leaning down just behind her watching her play with her wolf; he hadn't realized he was doing it but he was smiling watching the girl and the pup. Emily had taken a quick picture on her phone of the three unlikely pack mates to add to her mantle. Just as quick as the moment had come it was over at the bang of the back door. Embry was there and from his posture something was very very wrong.

"Embry, what happened?" Sam stood up and walking to his pack mate guiding him in to the living room with the others.

"Something has been butchering the animals, something feral. I came across three wolves, a bunch of deer, and a giant grizzly all-dead and ripped apart. They were all left along our borders." Embry's eyes looked distant as he told them what he had seen.

"Was there anything inside of the border? Did you recognize the sent?" Sam asked needing to make sure his people were safe before anyone else.

"No nothing inside only just outside of it, it's like something prevented it from coming in. It wasn't anything I knew, but then again I am the least experienced so maybe you guys would know something more than I would." What could it be? Bella wondered. Not a Vampire, they'd leave a trail of humans not animals. Really anything was possible, especially with her around.

"I'll go check it out." Paul said gruffly, "Probably just a bear or something upset at our scenting. An easy kill." He smirked at the work kill, like it was his favorite thing in the world to do. Bella was reminded of yesterday driving with Sam, God that seemed like ages ago, thinking that he might be a serial killer. Maybe she had picked the wrong pack member to be a murderer.

"You aren't going to kill it!" Bella exclaimed, feeling a sudden rush of aggravation towards Paul. The aggravation lit a fire inside of her, and however briefly she could feel and she was elated and pissed at the same time. He has no right to play God and decide whom to kill.

As if sensing what she was going to say he looked at her with that eerie detachment. " I'll do my job blondie, whatever I have to do to keep this land safe; even if that means killing something. You just worry about that pup there, what's to stop what ever is out there from getting him if I don't do my job, maybe I won't do kill it and instead just let it come for you."

Bella filled with rage. "Did you just threaten Ryker?" She stood up trying to look as formidable as she could. It wasn't much considering Paul was a good foot taller than her but her point was clear enough in her tone.

Paul's ocean eyes narrowed at her. "No sweetheart, I just threatened you."

Hello peoples!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, a little short but it got all the important stuff in there like Ryker, Paul, Mario Cart; you know my priorities. I realize that I didn't really going to detail about the werewolf gene but that is because everyone already knows the story and it isn't worth it to type it all out and either make it my own or get it wrong.

I'm so happy with the response you guys have given me I love the reviews and look forward to reading more.

PEACE OUT HOMIES

-Ty