Jake and Erin forgave each other just in time for the newborn battle, which was due to happen a few days later. Like the rest of the imprints, Erin would be hanging out at Emily's with Kim, Emily, and Emily's niece Claire. Three year old Claire had visited Emily's house from the Makah Reservation and Quil imprinted on her. That had caused an upheaval among the pack, a few of them calling it disturbing and pedophilic. Erin and Embry were initially the only two who defended Quil, but slowly some of the others came around when they realized his thoughts were more like that of an older brother. That didn't mean Sam and Emily were happy about it, though.

As soon as Erin entered Emily's kitchen, Jake stood from his spot at the table and made his way over to her, taking her in his arms and holding her close. Erin chuckled under her breath.

"Miss me?"

"Of course." he answered quietly, kissing the top of her head before he pulled away from the hug and dragged her back to his seat. He pulled her into his lap and continued eating the breakfast Emily had made, urging Erin to eat a few bites since he had a feeling she wouldn't eat much during the day. She'd be too worried about the pack.

Soon, it was time for the pack to leave, giving them only a few minutes to say goodbye to the girls.

Erin quickly gave Quil, Embry, and Seth each a tight hug, wishing them and any other wolf in the room good luck before Jake pulled her into the corner.

Jake wrapped his arms around Erin's lower back, holding her so close a sheet of paper couldn't have slipped between them. He ducked his head, pressing his forehead to hers, the tips of their noses brushing.

"Promise you'll come back." Erin whispered, staring at Jake's cheeks and lips, unable to look in his eyes. It wasn't a question, he had to come back. She'd be naive to think no one would be injured, but they all had to come back alive. That's all she asked for. They were her family. They brought her out of a bad depression, Jake especially. She didn't know what would happen to her without any of them.

"Promise." Jake whispered, leaning down just a bit more and tilting his head to press a sweet kiss to Erin's lips.

"Jake."

The couple pulled away and turned to see Quil watching them with a sad smile.

Jake nodded before turning back to Erin, giving her a smile. "I'll see you soon, Erin."

Erin nodded, letting him pull away from her. Jake walked across the living room toward the back door, where most of the pack had already disappeared. When he passed Quil, the other wolf gave Erin a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Erin. We've got his back." he assured her with a wink. Erin smiled and nodded, her arms crossing over her chest.

She moved to the open doorway to watch them disappear into the trees, Emily's arm wrapping around her shoulders in a reassuring embrace.

Erin helped Emily in the kitchen, cooking the guys a feast while Kim babysat Claire. They did everything they could to keep themselves distracted. After a few hours, most the food they made were cooking, and there weren't enough jobs left for two people. So, Erin retired to the living room to stay out of Emily's way.

She curled up in the corner of the couch, her eyes drawn to the edge of the woods outside the window. She could barely see a smaller wolf, probably Collin or Brady, weaving among the trees.

She wasn't sure how long she laid on the couch, her stomach churning with nerves, and she wasn't sure when she fell asleep.

"Erin. Sweetie, wake up." a low whisper pulled Erin from sleep an indeterminate amount of time later.

She groaned before forcing her eyes to open. She had to blink a few times to clear away the blurriness. Eventually, the tan and black blur in front of her transformed into her favorite wolf.

Her eyes snapped open when she realized what that meant.

"Jake!" she launched herself off the couch and into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jake's laugh was loud and joyful in her ear, his arms wrapping around her in return.

"Miss me?" he teased, repeating her words from earlier in the morning.

She smiled, hardly glancing at the other wolves and girls in the room. "Of course."