A/N: First of all, thank you for the reviews :-)

And, I just wanted to say: Yes, Allie's been acting so mean towards Colby, but it's hard adjusting to a situation that drastic. Four days ago, Colby was just her friend, and neither of them wanted anything more. He wouldn't have minded, then, that she'd kissed Bryce, but now, it's different, and neither of them can help it.

More on that in this chapter. Enjoy!

COLBY THOMAS BLACK

Goddammit, Alison.

I was asleep when I suddenly felt uneasy. It woke me up from an otherwise deep sleep, because I knew this had something to do with Alison, somehow. Because of the imprint, I could feel everything she felt if I wanted to, and everything urgent or negative she felt right away. I was too tired to open my eyes; I had been awake, watching her, for the past four days. I listened carefully, but no one else was home. I figured she went outside or somewhere else. Minutes later, I heard someone go through the front door and I smelled her without having to move.

I was so worried about her. I knew I'd only feel like that if something was wrong. I got a hundred times more worried when I saw the faint pink marks of a deep, healed wound that looked an awful lot like Emily's scars, and all the injuries that happen within the pack when we casually fought. And when she confirmed my thoughts - that it was caused by a wolf - I couldn't handle the amount of anger surging through my body. One of my brothers - one of my pack hurt Alison. My Alison. My imprint. Even though she healed pretty fast, this wasn't okay, and this wasn't going to pass easily.

But when she told me it was Bryce and he had just phased for the first time with her there - and not only that, she told me that he had kissed her. My anger subsided, replaced by sheer pain. How dare he? At first, I thought it was something she didn't want, but when it turned out she did, I couldn't contain my feelings or control my reaction. I wasn't some sort of newbie; I had been phasing daily for the past twelve years. I never got out of control. I shook, and I growled, but the last time I felt so on the edge was the time I first phased, when I was three but looked fifteen.

I stormed out, pained, angry, exhausted and starving all at once, which was a very dangerous combination, and phased on the spot. I didn't even have time to take off my clothes. As soon as I phased, I heard Bryce's voice in my head, as well as Embry's and Paul's.

Bryce, I said, using the full power of my Alpha tone, Where are you?

Kid, you need to calm down, Paul, my uncle, said, He's still adjusting.

Stay out of this, Paul, I commanded, You too, Embry.

They both stayed silent, because they had to. They had no choice in the matter. Bryce didn't intentionally 'talk' to any of us, but I could see, from his eyes, where exactly he was. I ran to him and he was standing still in front of me, slightly smaller in size than me. I growled, trying my best not to pounce on him right there and then. I wanted, so much, to rip him apart with my own teeth, and he could see it in my thoughts. He was panicking, not knowing what he had done to deserve these thoughts from me. It was provocative to no end how he was just so goddamn stupid. I couldn't resist my urges anymore; I pounced and landed with two of my paws on his neck. He whined and I dug my claws into his neck just a little bit - just enough to hurt for now but would be healed in no time when he phased back. Listen to me, and listen well, I said, If I ever hear that you did as much as laid your eyes on Alison, I swear, this scenario you just saw in my head would be the least of your problems. You do not hang out with her. You do not communicate with her. You do not think her name, especially when I'm on patrol, and believe me, I will be on your shift a lot. I stepped away from him and he whined some more.

Why do you even care?

Why do I care? Because she's my imprint. Because she is everything to me and she came to you today because she felt so bad about last time, when she left because she was in pain, and she tried to explain, but you injured her. I don't give a flying fuck about your incompetence or you adjusting to this new lifestyle - it's not my fault, or hers. You better get it the hell together, and soon. And stay away from her, I said. Phase back and go talk to Jared, he should explain everything. You're on patrol every day, 5PM to 3AM, for the next three weeks.

Colby..Paul said, Don't..

He was right. I knew he was right. A newbie couldn't handle that much patrolling just a few hours into it, and as much as I loved the idea of torturing his sorry ass for the rest of his life, I knew I had a duty towards my pack and my tribe as Alpha, and I wasn't about to let an impulsive jerk ruin my otherwise great record. I let him off patrol completely until he could get his shit together, but my orders to him regarding Alison didn't change.

I knew that using my power to ban him from contacting her was useless against what hurt me the most about this - that she wanted him. I couldn't bear the thought of her with someone else. I couldn't possibly imagine someone else touching her, holding her, talking to her. She was mine.

He can have the crazy bitch, he thought, unable to control what we could or could not hear on his first day. He was just pushing his luck with me. All the patience I might have had for a brief minute evaporated. I couldn't hear any of them. I zoned out and bluntly attacked him again, this time sinking my teeth into his neck like I used to do with deers as a kid. He howled in pain and tried to push me off, but I was a lot stronger than he was. I got my teeth out and was about to jump on him again when a big, brown wolf - Dad - showed up and pushed me away.

Go home, he said, We'll talk there.

Dad made sure Bryce made it to Jared safe and healed and came back home. I was sitting outside, on the grass; I didn't want to go in there and see her, not right now, not when I was like this. I didn't even bother hearing what she was doing. I was too exhausted and in too much pain already. I didn't know what was with all the possessiveness over her; a couple of weeks ago, when she was going out with him, I'd already thought they were somehow together anyway, and I didn't mind. Having an imprint doesn't mean giving up on the small experiences, especially that I wasn't exactly a virgin myself. If my touch made a girl's skin light up at night, Washington could be seen vividly from space, no zooming needed. But today it was different. There was nothing new about how I looked at her or felt about her, but I couldn't stand the thought of her being with someone else. I just couldn't.

And, the only thing that had recently changed was her body and I loathed the idea that I only felt possessive of her now, in that way, just because she looked older. I didn't think of Allie that way - like she could be summed up in a grown up body. I was disgusted at myself for thinking that, but I was still angry at her - upset.

Dad stood in front of me. I didn't bother to look up. I knew what he was going to say - something along the lines of, 'You're the Alpha, that's not how you treat your pack brothers,' or, 'Don't make me regret putting you in charge,' or, 'Why were you such a biased ass?'

But, to my surprise, he didn't say that. "I don't know what it feels like," he said, "Thinking your own imprint wants someone else over you. But I do know what it feels like to know someone somehow hurt her and you weren't able to stop it." He sat down next to me.

"I feel like a creep," I said, looking ahead, "This creepy older guy who just expects this little girl he takes care of to stay away from guys her age and just be his forever, because of some magical force that says they should be together forever or shit."

"You're three years older than Alison. Only three. Yes, you look twenty-five, but she also looks eighteen. I am seventeen years older than your mother. Don't you think I felt absolutely terrified when I realized I had feelings for her when she was six? It made me feel like the biggest jerk in the world. But she reminded me - she told me how she really wasn't six, and that neither her physical age nor her actual age could define her.

When you fall in love with a person, Colby, you fall in love with who they are - what they represent to you. You fall in love with a person, not a body, and you know, more than anyone, that you wouldn't ever hurt her, and you wouldn't ever force her to do anything she wasn't completely ready for," he said, patting my back.

"But why now?" I asked, desperate, feeling like I wanted to cry - something I didn't do often if at all. "Why become so damn possessive of her when she physically grows?"

"You've always been somehow in love with her - in a platonic sort of way. Maybe you thought you would be robbing her of something she would normally experienced at thirteen back then but now you just don't think she should be with anyone else. Maybe you feel like she's growing up too fast and you're running out of time to win her over, I dunno," he shrugged, "The only thing I know is - she's your soulmate. You know that. She might consciously know that, but give her time and space for that to sink in. You know she's been through hell and back in the past month or so - her parents left her, she went through a freaky, super scary transformation in a really short period of time, and the only constants she had in her life were you - her best friend, and Bryce, whom she saw somewhat regularly and considered a friend. You jumbling that around is only going to confuse her."

He had a point. "Maybe I should talk to her."

He sighed. "She left earlier. She packed her stuff and left to her old house in Forks. She looked old enough to live by herself anyway. But Alice and Renesmee are there with her. No one's leaving her alone, for now."

It stung. It physically stung, feeling like the biggest jerk ever. The way I reacted must have sent her away. She didn't even wait for me, she just left and moved back to her old house. "God," I sighed, my hands on my face, "What do you think I should do?"

He patted my back. "Give her some space, for now. Make sure she's protected - send someone from the night shift to stay near her house at all times, but not you. The Cullens will be frequently visiting her, you don't need to worry. She'll be fine."

I did as Dad had suggested; a wolf was always there, by her house. She barely left it, but when she did, she came back shortly after. She told her neighbors she was Alison's cousin and that she bought the house from her father. I didn't go there at all for the past month. A whole month I spent away from her. As much as it hurt to be away from her and not talk to her for so long, I knew she was safe, and it wasn't like she tried to contact me and I prevented her either. A part of me kept worrying about how she might be comfortable with her new lifestyle now and didn't need me anymore. The fact that we hadn't talked yet made me think she was done with me, once and for all.

One night, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't just know how she was doing from one of my pack brothers. I couldn't stay away forever, and not talk to her ever again. I couldn't undo my imprint, but even if I could, I wouldn't. I had to talk to her. I had to figure it out. I had to know where we stood, and why she was away for so long. I jumped into some jeans and a T-shirt and didn't bother much with my hair. I took my Ferrari and headed to her house at 3 in the morning.

I knocked the door. Once. Twice. No one answered. The lights weren't out and I could see movement inside, so I knocked again. She didn't answer. I tried to turn the knob, and it wasn't locked. Dammit, Alison. You live alone yet you leave your front door unlocked, for anyone to come in. I stepped inside and heard something crashing in the kitchen, followed by her laugh. I couldn't hear anyone else there. I walked slowly, clearing my throat so I wouldn't startle her. She laughed again, longer this time, louder.

I went into the kitchen to find her standing with a bottle of vodka in her hand, sipping a little as she looked at me, her blue eyes dull. She looked different than the last time I'd seen her - she cut her brown hair short and curled it, her eyes were perfectly lined and she was wearing a short, red dress that looked like something Alice would wear. She was barefoot, hunching over the kitchen table, one leg behind the other. "Look who finally shows up," she slurred, obviously drunk, "If it isn't the Alpha himself, coming to pay poor little Alison a visit." If her body was anything like my mother's, or mine before I phased, she would have to drink a shitload of alcohol to get anywhere near that drunk. The thought alone was scary. I rushed to her side and snapped the bottle out of her hand, not saying a word. I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't know if I should worry, or be mad, or freak out, or- "Hey! What the hell?!"

She tried to reach out for the bottle but I'd already thrown it away, on the couch. "What are you doing to yourself? Alison.." I was frustrated, disappointed and worried beyond words. I put my hands on her shoulders. "No.."

She shrugged my hands off and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Hmm," she said, "You almost sound genuinely concerned." She lifted herself up, burying her head in my shoulders, over my T-shirt. I stayed still for a moment, but she almost lost balance and I instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. She brought herself closer to me, her whole body touching mine. I was mesmerized in my place. Her scent was mixed with the stench of alcohol, but it didn't make her any less attractive at the moment. She kissed my neck and my teeth clenched.

"Allie," I breathed. "Stop." It took me all my will to drop my arms to my side.

She moaned into my neck. "What?" she whispered, wrapping one of her legs around mine, pushing my T-shirt collar aside, planting kisses on my collarbones. I was breathing heavily, trying to focus. "Do you want to leave again? Do you want to disappear from my life, for the third time, and have wolves prying around my property, watching over me?" she breathed against my skin, "Do you want to keep sending me your vampire family to make sure I was okay while you're away doing God-knows-what?" her voice broke a little, "Tell me. I'll stop."

I gently pushed her away from me, looking into her gorgeous, ocean blue eyes. "We'll talk about this later. Right now let me just get you-"

Her mood suddenly shifted. "Stop!" she said,"Stop acting like you care when, given the nearest exit, you'll disappear for the third time. And, why? It's for your own good, Allie," she said, her voice getting less slurred. It was like that with creatures like us - it took us a lot of alcohol to get drunk but it didn't last long. "When the truth is it's something like - I don't like that you kissed someone else, it's like you betrayed me even though we weren't together so I thought I'd punish you and stay away because I'm a dumbass."

"What?!" I said, "I didn't call because I thought you didn't want to see me anymore - I thought you were better off alone!"

"Yes, you're totally right," she sounded more or less sober by now, "I'm so better off without the one person I depended on the most. The one person I answered to and cared about!" she frustratingly twirled the hem of her dress in her hand. "I was so better off when I realized you were probably gone from my personal life for good and you just sent people to watch over me because of that magic imprint shit, and I was just sitting here," she said, "Drinking, shopping, eating, surfing the web - all while thinking of Colby - where is Colby? Why hasn't he come over yet? Do I have to be nearly dead to wake up next to him?"

"That's unfair!" I punched the kitchen table, letting out some of my anger, unwilling to shake or phase in the middle of this, "I wanted to give you the space you obviously wanted when you moved back into your own house - you would rather be here than with me, then fine, so be it!"

She balled her hands into tight fists, one hand still clutching to her dress. "I moved out because you were so angry when I told you I kissed Bryce and I was so overwhelmed. I needed to go home, I needed to be less of a burden on you and I needed to be somewhere I belonged - I didn't want to cut you off completely! I kept waiting for you to call. I wrote a thousand messages I never sent because if you couldn't bring yourself to talk to me at all then you just didn't care I was gone!"

I didn't care she was gone? All I could ever think about was her. I could barely function without her - I loved her but I didn't have it in me to argue anymore. In a mere second I closed the distance between us and put my hands on both sides of her face. Without much thinking, I put my lips on hers and kissed her, feeling a shot of electricity surging through my body as soon as our lips touched. She kissed me back and I sucked on her bottom lip for a moment, she was breathing as heavily as I was, and then licked her lip, probing my tongue inside her warm mouth, feeling her tongue with mine. She moaned and wrapped her arms around me. Still kissing her, I moved my hands down-one to her back and another ran through her soft, curled hair. Then I moved my kisses to her smooth, warm neck, my hands now moving further down to grab her ass and carry her, pushing her against the wall while she wrapped her legs tightly around me. Her chest heaved beneath me and I pressed our bodies harder together. She ran her fingers through my hair and brought my face to hers again, kissing me one last time before she looked into my eyes as we both panted, "Colby.."

"You don't have to say it back so soon," I whispered, "But I love you."

A/N: I KNOWW!

So, how was that? What do you think of all of this? Review review review pleaase :D vv