Disclaimer - This is based off of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. She created the characters and the basic plot, and this is my spin on it. These are my words about her world. Stephenie Meyer has all of the rights to her characters and the parts that were taken from her plot.

Chapter Nine

The gravel on the Clearwaters' driveway forced Paul to slow down the break-neck speed at which he'd been driving. The man had shortened a twenty-five-minute drive to only ten – and each minute was packed full of anxiety for Bella. Her fingers were aching from the tightness of her grip against the side of the seat as she stared anxiously at the road in front of them, shoulders tensing each time he took a sharp turn at a speed Bella wouldn't have even dared. Her body bounced back and forth almost violently when they reached the roads of La Push, which were extremely beat up and unrepaired, full of pot holes and cracks that needed to be dodged to avoid doing damage to the wheels.

It didn't help that the panic and tension rolled off Paul's body like radio waves that seeped right into Bella, tightening her stomach in concern. Perhaps if he weren't panicking as much as he was, Bella would have been calm – or, at the very least, not shaking like a leave.

Leah, sitting uncomfortably on the seat, spoke up when they were halfway down the driveway that lead to the hidden-by-trees house. Paul hadn't let her drive her own car, and at the time Bella didn't understand why she couldn't follow them. Now she understood – Leah wouldn't drive with the urgency Paul was. She cleared her throat and informed him, "The front door won't open right now, because of the rain and the spike in the temperature. It's wooden, so it swells up when the air is moist and we can't get it open." She was watching her fingers, twisting them nervously in her lap much like Bella was. She was afraid of triggering Paul's temper. "We have to use the sliding glass doors in the backyard," she concluded.

Paul huffed. "I'll pull around back, then."

Leah didn't respond, and Bella was too frightened by his anger and despair to comment.

The house popped up, it seemed, out of nowhere, and Paul drove around to the side nearest to the gate entrance. He slammed on the breaks and cut the engine, but neither Leah nor Bella moved a muscle, expecting his next sentence. "Let me make sure there's no leech scent in the air," he snarled, and then he was outside, slamming the truck's door behind him. Bella jumped, but Leah didn't appear to be startled. She was probably used to his temper.

Neither girl said anything to each other. They just sat there in silence, watching Paul tilt his head in a million different directions, taking in deep breaths. Bella's eyes wandered over the woods that surrounded the house, wondering what exactly was out there. Her stomach clenched. Somewhere out there, her wolf was running, searching – fighting. Sam was in danger, and there was nothing she could do to help him. The thought made her sick. She leaned to peer up at the sky, curious about the progression of the storm clouds that had been forming overhead back at the Grocery Hut. They were darker now, more violent. Flickers of lightning flashed through them. They were about to get a mother of a storm, and Bella let out a worried sigh. She already didn't want the pack running around in the woods chasing after a vampire. A horrible thunderstorm would not help the situation. The daylight was dim and fading quickly as the clouds grew thicker and darker, making it seem like the sun had already begun to set even though it shouldn't have started for another two hours.

Finally Paul stalked around to the passenger side and yanked Bella's door open. He shoved his hand at her. It took Bella a second to realize he was offering to help her down. Knowing that a trip to the emergency room after her jumping down and hurting her ankle would not be helpful in that exact moment, she wisely took it and planted her feet softly on the ground. Leah followed gracefully behind her.

Once they were standing inside Leah's homey living room, Paul locked the sliding glass doors and placed a giant piece of plywood at the bottom so it couldn't be opened even if it were unlocked.

"Like that would stop a vampire," Leah said quietly.

Paul spun and shot her an angry glare. "You two will stay in this house until we come back. Do you understand?"

Both girls nodded vigorously.

The storm clouds made it dark enough outside that standing inside the house made Bella feel as though it was nighttime. The blinds were all closed – probably because no one had been home. There must have been a small light on in the kitchen because it shone down the hallway and dimly lit Paul's face. His jaw was tense, his arms coiled and defensive.

Leah moved to turn on the three lamps that were spread out through the living room, lighting the room in a cozy way. Bella would have been soothed by the calmness her surroundings if Paul's anger hadn't been sending electrical shocks through the air. She stood in front of him timidly, waiting for him to say something – anything – to appease her, and slowly realizing that he wasn't going to.

What he did say was, "Jared's on his way with Kim, and Brady and Collin coming, too. Once they get here, Jared and I are gonna take off and join the others. Brady and Collin will stay here, outside and phased, in case the leech shows up here. I doubt it will, but there's always a chance."

He glanced down at Bella with fiery yellow eyes, but when he really looked at her – shoulders hunched forward, hands clasped together, eyes wide and frightened, face pale as snow – he let out a loud, aggravated sigh and slapped a hand over his face, rubbing roughly. "Jeez, I'm sorry, Bella," he ground out coarsely. "I know you're probably scared shi – uh, really scared, and you just found out about all of this like . . ." He flailed his arms around helplessly. ". . . yesterday, and all . . . I just . . . it's hard for me to fight the instincts I have right now." The words were coming out in a rush, a needed explanation squished into about two minutes. "You're the Alpha's imprint, Bella – the Alpha's mate. It's my instinct, my duty to protect you, to make sure no harm ever comes to you. It's the most powerful instinct I've ever felt. Jared says it's not as powerful as when you have our own imprint, but I don't have one yet, so I don't know."

Bella still couldn't find her voice, so she just bit her lip and listened.

He rambled on. "And Sam – God, if you could listen to his thoughts right now, you'd know just how much he really loves you, Bella. I know that sounds crazy – I mean, you just met him like, almost a month ago, right? And now he's in love with you? You must be so confused, but he does, Bella. He really loves you. More than you know. His entire mind is consumed with thoughts of you. Right now, he's not out there searching for this leech for the good of the tribe, for the good of the Reservation. No – he's only thinking about you. 'How can I protect Bella? I need to make Bella safe. I need to protect Bella.' It's a constant loop in his head, which is good – it's a good motivation for him."

Bella bit her lip and thought, If Leah didn't already know Bella was Sam's imprint before, she certainly does now.

"Why are they going after it now?" Leah broke her silence. "The vampire. My dad said you guys were gonna wait until it gave you a reason to attack."

"Sam thinks it's been studying us for weeks," he spat in response. "All of this flitting around our borders was its way of getting us to reveal ourselves so it could see how we function, individually and as a whole." Paul bit his lip and looked down at his feet. "He thinks it knows our weaknesses."

"Which are?" Leah demanded.

Paul hesitated, but ultimately knew Leah wasn't going to let it go until he answered, so he muttered, "You."

Bella gasped.

"You, Bella, Kim," Paul furthered. "Billy and Harry think it knows that you guys are important to the entire pack – Leah to her brother, Kim to Jared, and Bella to our fu – uh, freaking Alpha." He turned a little red, knowing Bella knew exactly what he'd been about to say. She was grateful he was controlling his language. "We think that – if this thing really does know how special you three are – it'll be coming after you."

"And how, exactly, does sitting in a house secluded in the woods where the vampire is suspected to be hanging around going to protect us?" Leah asked. She was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her. "I mean, now we've made ourselves sitting ducks. It could come and kill us and not even have to deal with the general public of Forks. We're screwed, Paul!"

He was shaking his head before she finished talking. "Our scents are all over this property – inside it, surrounding it. No vampire would dare get close to it. It's going to want to avoid us at all costs, and it knows that coming here is not the way to do that. Other than Sam's house, this is where we all meet most often."

Bella wondered for a brief moment exactly where Sam's house was, and when she would get to see it. Then she scolded herself for allowing her thoughts to drift for even a moment away from the situation at hand. "So . . . what now? We just wait? Wait for you to kill it?"

Paul nodded. "We'll get rid of it, and then we'll come back here and get you." He grinned, but it wasn't the genuine smile she'd seen him give before. "Be prepared – Sam's gonna wrap you in his arms and never let go."

Right then, that was what Bella wanted more than anything in the world.

Paul shuffled over to the window that looked out into the driveway and stared out, looking and listening for Jared or Brady or Collin or the vampire.

"Hey, wait a minute," Leah suddenly burst. "You never answered my question."

"What question?"

"Why are you attacking it now?" she demanded. "What did it do to provoke you?"

Paul said nothing.

"Paul," Leah hollered. "Answer me. Something must have happened. It wasn't this serious of a threat yesterday. Hell, it wasn't even a threat yesterday! What changed? What did it do?"

Bella shifted her weight uneasily between her feet, waiting for Paul to answer. This had been a big question on her mind as well.

"Drop it, Leah," he snapped at her.

"No!" she yelled back. "Tell me! What happened?"
His fists clenched and he smacked the fall loudly, angrily. His eyes burned into Leah's as he glared balefully at her. "It killed someone!" he snarled at her. "It drained the blood entirely out of an innocent body."

Bella gasped and flew backwards in shock. Feeling behind her blindly, she found a chair and shakily sat down. An innocent person, dead because of this creature. How heartless, how cruel, how heartbreaking.

Leah was silent, but now Paul was furious and not about to let that go. "Is that what you wanted to hear, Leah?" he snapped. "Is that what you wanted to know? You wanna know something else? It was a girl. A teenager from Forks. Brown hair, pale skin, bleeding from after she took a fall during a morning jog." Paul stalked closer to them, stomping. "Do you know why a vampire who hasn't attacked anyone in weeks would choose now to strike? Huh? Because she looked like Bella. This leech never got close enough to catch Bella's scent. It just saw her from afar, and it thought that innocent girl was Bella and it wanted to kill her so that our Alpha would be weak and unable to fight."

Bella's lungs felt like they'd been removed from her body. She heaved, but she hadn't eaten lunch that afternoon and had yet to eat dinner so there was nothing in her stomach to throw up.

"Is that enough information for you, Leah? Huh?" Paul growled.

Leah sat, staring silently and blankly at the coffee table.

"Don't tell Sam I told you that," he tossed in Bella's direction as he began pacing back and forth behind the couch. The living room was connected to the dining room, so he had to dodge the maple wood table in the process. "He'd flip if he knew; he didn't want you to know. Don't worry – we're going to keep you safe." The tone in his voice, however, did nothing to calm her down. He swallowed loudly and brushed his hair out off of his forehead. When he continued, his voice wasn't quite as rough. "We didn't have a choice anymore. We have to kill it before it actually found one of you and succeeded. We're not taking that risk."

All three of their heads snapped to the door when they heard tires rolling over the gravelly stones on the driveway. "It's Jared," Paul bit out. He stomped over to the front door and yanked it open without a problem, even though Leah had said not ten minutes before that it was impossible to open at that moment in time. If Bella wasn't paralyzed with terror, she would have laughed.

Moments later, Kim was ushered inside with Jared right behind her. She was holding a sweater close to her chest with one hand and clutching desperately at Jared's hand with the other. Jared didn't spare a glance at Leah or Bella. His eyes were locked entirely on Kim as he leaned down to press an urgent, passionate kiss to her lips. It was over as quickly as it had begun and he was pulling away, rubbing a thumb gently down her cheek. It reminded Bella of Sam, and her stomach heaved again as she wished hopelessly that he were sitting next to her.

"Brady and Collin are here," Paul said. "They're already phased. Let's go," he said to Jared, who gently freed his hand from Kim's and leaned to whisper something intimately in her ear before he started to back away. She watched him go until he was out the door and out of sight. Paul glanced at Leah and Bella. "We'll be back soon. Stay here. If anything goes wrong," he stressed, "call for Brady and Collin. They can hear you."

Leah nodded. Of course, she'd have already known that. He'd said it for Bella and Kim.

Paul scanned the room one last time before disappearing out the front door after Jared, slamming the door shut behind him. Leah stood immediately and made sure he'd locked it before turning to face her house guests. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked.

Kim shook her head.

Bella was hungry. She just wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep anything down. "I'm good for now," she whispered.

"So, your family obviously has the wolf gene," Bella said to Leah about an hour later. "I mean, with Seth and all. But you haven't phased. Is it, like, impossible for a girl to become a . . . werewolf?"

The three girls sat in a circle around the glass coffee table, each with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies in the center. There was absolutely nothing interesting to watch on the television, so they'd decided that a little question-and-answer was in order. Bella couldn't stomach the idea of sitting in silence and waiting for the pack to return. The anticipation – not knowing whether or not Sam was okay – was making her entire body shake. She huddled herself under a blanket, trying to hide her fear from the others.

Leah shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, Seth phased at fifteen. I'm eighteen now. My dad thinks that if I was going to phase, I would have done it by now." She took a sip out of her mug. "I've never shown any symptoms, and in history, if a phased wolf had any siblings, the siblings phased as well, but they were all boys, so . . ." She licked her lips. "I guess my gender helped me dodge that bullet."

"I think it would be terrifying," Kim whispered. She stared down at her hands, clasping her steaming mug tightly as if it were going to jump out of her grasp and run away. Maybe that's what Kim felt like doing herself, Bella realized. She certainly sympathized with her. "I asked Jared what the moment when he's actually turning into a wolf feels like, but he said it's indescribable. He said I'd have to experience it myself to really understand." Her eyes flickered with a passionate emotion. "I just needed to hear him say it wasn't painful. Oh, God, if he'd told me it hurts him when he phased, I don't know if I'd be able to handle it. I just can't stomach him being in pain, being hurt repeatedly, intensely, four and five times a day. But he said no, it doesn't hurt. Thank God." Her voice had risen a few pitches, quivering with the emotion it held. She sounded like she was holding back tears.

Bella, with a jolt, realized she had been feeling the exact same way, only she hadn't really had the guts to ask Sam about the phasing. But she'd worried, watching him turn into a wolf in her backyard when Jacob had gone out for a late-night-early-morning pizza, that it was painful for him. It certainly looked painful. The idea of Sam being in any pain settled an anger deep within her, accompanied by a wave of nausea and sadness.

And then another insight hit her – this was normal. If Kim were feeling the exact same way, surely it couldn't be a coincidence.

It was an imprint thing.

Bella had to work hard to keep the smile from breaking out on her face. Something about that, about knowing she was doing something right in this entirely new world of magic and craziness, made her beyond happy. And now that she knew Sam didn't feel pain when he phased, she could breathe better as well.

Feeling renewed, Bella sat up straighter. "Do you and Jared have plans for after you graduate?"

Kim shrugged. "Not really. I applied to the University of Vermont, Colombia University in New York City, and the University of California," she sighed, "but I haven't heard back from any of them yet, obviously. I mean, I still have my entire senior year for that. But now I wish I hadn't gone for early decision. I could have saved myself from paying the application fees for colleges I'm not even going to consider attending."

Bella frowned, confused. "Why not? Those are great schools."

"Well, obviously my original plan was to leave Washington completely," she murmured, "but now that's down the drain." Her eyebrows creased together thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll look into something near Seattle. I could probably commute to that . . . if I stretched it."

Bella was still in the dark. "Wait – what made you change your mind?" she asked. "About not leaving for college, I mean."

There was a heavy pause in the conversation. "Well . . . Jared," Kim said, as if that explained everything.

"Does he not want to go away for college?"

Now it was Leah and Kim's turn to stare at Bella in confusion. Then their expressions lifted and Leah's nose wrinkled almost sympathetically. She leaned forward a little, eyes gentle. "Jared can't go away for college, Bella," she said slowly by way of explanation. "He can't leave the Reservation. He has to stay in La Push for his entire life – at least until he stops phasing, which won't be for years. He'll be way too old for college by then."

Bella tried to let this process, and then understanding dawned. "Oh my God," she gasped, her hand flying to her throat. "The pack. He has to stay with the pack. He can't leave."

Kim watched Bella wearily, like she was expecting her to burst into tears.

Bella wiggled her fingers, not quite knowing what to say or do next. She was absolutely humiliated that she hadn't made the connection on her own. Of course Sam wouldn't ever be able to leave La Push. Especially Sam – he was their Alpha, for Pete's Sake, and who knew when Jacob would be ready to take over? It could still be a few years, and even then, Sam would always be a member of the pack. He would need to stay and help them run patrols and otherwise keep the Reservation safe from threats.

Much like he was doing that very second.

And so the stupid fantasy that Bella had conjured up in her mind – an image of the two of them moving off to Arizona, Sam finding a nice job that would support them until she got her college degree and could get a well-paying job herself, the two of them sitting on the porch every night with tea in their cups to watch the sunset, a nice big yard for their children to play in, a spare bedroom for Charlie to use when he visited – it all disappeared. It wouldn't, couldn't happen. And it wasn't Sam's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. That was just the way the dice had fallen.

Bella felt her heart sink lower and lower as she thought of all the ways their life together would be different than what she'd imagined. But that was what she got for creating an entire future for them before the first date.

But Sam was different – he wasn't just a normal, high school boyfriend. He was everything. She'd thought for sure they'd have the perfect life, exactly as she'd dreamed. But that dream was outdated and hadn't accounted for her meeting a werewolf.

"Right," she breathed, blinking three times fast. "That makes sense." She tried to clear her thoughts of disappointment and think of the wonderful life she could have with Sam right there in La Push – but it wasn't the same. Now that those plans were impossible, Bella wanted them even more.

Oh no – did this mean Bella couldn't even go back to Arizona for her college years? Of course, she would move back to Forks after graduation, but . . . would she be able to leave Sam for that long, be away from him for five entire years?

But Arizona was her dream! She loved that college, and she loved the campus. It was where she felt she belonged, the natural path her life would take after high school. She didn't want to give that up. Deep down, she knew she wouldn't be happy anywhere but Arizona. Sure, being with Sam would be fantastic and full of love and security – but something would be missing.

Don't let a guy change all your plans, she heard her own voice say. That version of her – Bella 1.0 – had long been replaced by Bella 2.0, so overcome by the emotions swirling inside her that nothing else really mattered. But her old self, the rational, control freak Bella, was creeping back in now that the waters were settling. And she was going to cause problems.

"Bella?" Leah broke her from her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Bella squeaked. "I'm good." Suddenly, she was attacked by an intense need to take care of the pack. Or perhaps it was more of a need to distract herself from her own thoughts. She stood up quickly. "Can I use your kitchen, Leah? I want to make a nice meal for the boys when they get back. They'll be hungry."

Leah nodded and stood as well. "That's a great idea. I'm getting hungry myself. I can't imagine how hungry they'll be when they get back."

Kim joined them and the three women quickly got to work, planning a meal based on what was already in the Clearwaters' kitchen. Once everything was well on its way, Kim excused herself to use the restroom.

A question had been nagging at Bella for a while, and she finally got the nerve to ask it. Without turning to look at Leah, she said, "So I know that you and Sam have . . . a history. And I just need to make sure that you don't . . . hate me or something." She sucked in a deep breath and continued blurting. "Because I never meant to steal him from you, and I don't think he ever meant to hurt you, and –"

"Whoa, whoa," Leah interrupted, laughing a little. "Calm down there. I'm not mad, and I definitely don't hate you, Bella."

Bella's eyes shot over to where Leah was buttering bread for grilled cheese sandwiches. "You don't?"

Leah shook her head. "Sam and I went on one date, and trust me, there just . . ." She waved her hands around, searching for the right words. "There wasn't a connection. We're friends, and that's all I've ever really felt towards him."

"But that day in Jacob's kitchen," Bella whispered.

Leah bit her lip. "I was trying to force myself into having a crush on him," she said. "The date wasn't my idea. The date wasn't even Sam's idea. My dad basically set it up, and Sam and I didn't really have a choice but to go on it." Leah looked away, lifting her shoulders as if she were uncomfortable. "My dad really wants me to be with Sam. The Alpha's mate basically controls the entire pack. She's got the Alpha wrapped around her finger, and the Alpha calls all the shots. If the Alpha does whatever his mate says, then his mate has all the power, and that's all my dad ever really wants – power. He says he thinks we're perfect together, but obviously that's not true." Her eyes widened, and she seemed to realize she'd given a lot away. She gave Bella a little smile. "You are perfect for him. You belong with him. He imprinted on you. And you make him happy, Bella, and I'm so happy for that. He's a great friend, but that's all we'll ever be. I promise you, okay?"

Bella nodded, relieved but also very curious about what her duties as the Alpha's mate would bring. It seemed her questions weren't over yet, but that seemed like something she needed to speak with Sam about.

"Maybe now my dad will start backing off," she said quietly, almost to herself.

Bella didn't know why, but something deep in the pit of Bella's stomach said that Harry Clearwater would not be backing off anytime soon.

Kim strode back into the room, looking refreshed and in a much better mood. "Okay," she sang. "Let's get this meal going. Wishful thinking – they'll be back soon."

Bella stood by the window and continued to put together a nice salad. She peeked out into the darkness of the night, straining to try to see Brady or Collin standing outside, but it was too dark and the only thing she could make out were the shapes of the surrounding trees. But she knew they were out there. Every so often, a howl would rise out of the darkness and shoot up into the sky. To an outsider, it would sound like a cry of pain. But Bella knew better – it was a warning, a warning to anyone and anything out in the woods that was even considering making an appearance. She knew with complete certainty that any unwelcome visitor would be forcibly removed.

Perhaps Bella would fit in with the pack better than she'd thought.

And the conflicts begin to rise . . .

Once again, thank you all for reading and for the lovely reviews you left me last chapter. Please continue to give me feedback - comments, questions, predictions. AHEM - you're welcome for the super-long chapter.

See you in Chapter Ten.

CHAPTER TEN! I can't believe it. This story is going to be longer than I thought.