Author's Note: Hey, here's the next chapter, hope you'll all enjoy. Also, please vote on the poll I have up for my next pairing, I want to know what my readers want. Anyways, thanks for reading, and as always, I love hearing what you all think.

Chapter 5

Bella arrived at the doctor's in record time, having shifted to human and dressed before walking out into the open. She strode into the doctor's like she owned the place, drawing all eyes, however few they were, to her.

Uncaring about what she looked like, Bella ignored everyone, focusing only on Emily. She found Emily's room by scent so she didn't have to ask for any directions, and without knocking, walked right into the room and plopped herself down on the foot of Emily's bed.

The woman's beautiful face was heavily bandaged, making Bella's heart jump up in her throat. Sure, Bella had seen Emily in such a bad state when transporting her, but she hadn't given much thought as to how bad the end result would be. God, Emily was going to have trouble looking in the mirror from now on. These were going to scar, scar badly, and whenever she saw them, it would be a reminder of what had happened.

Still, despite her horrible state, Emily still had a smile for Bella as the woman's eyes met hers. "Hey. You always have to make an entrance, don't you?"

Bella gave the girl a weak smirk, putting her hand on Emily's leg. "You know it. How're you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay, given…" Emily trailed off, a haunted glint in her eyes that made Bella want to beat Sam up all over again. Damn it, Bella got that the wolves had bad tempers, but how could he let this happen to her?

"Em, I'm so-" Bella started, but Emily cut her off.

"Don't. This isn't your fault." Emily took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to hurt her badly. Bella's hand found hers and squeezed, and then Bella didn't let go. Emily didn't either, seeming to take strength from Bella, even as neither spoke.

She's pack, Bella realized. Just as much as Jared and Paul and Seth and Leah and...Sam, Emily was pack. And just like with the rest of her pack, Bella would do anything to protect her, whether she used to sleep with Bella-or might still sleep with her, given what happened. Bella wasn't sure, exactly, but it could maybe, possibly happen… Emily was really good in bed after all, and she could be pissed at Sam for a very, very long time… Damn it, Bella needed to get laid. This wasn't the time to think about that. Anyways, regardless of what happened with Emily, Bella would protect her as best as she could.

"You know, I've always had a crush on Sam," Emily started, shaking Bella out of her kinda confused thoughts. Emily offered Bella an apologetic smile. "No offense Bella, but while I loved you, I wasn't in love with you."

"No problem," Bella was quick to assure her. "I don't want love, I just want to be girls' hot hunk of love meat."

Emily let out a soft, pained laugh. And while it hurt Emily, the laugh also did her a lot of good. "God, does that sound nasty. Never say that again."

"No promises," Bella replied with a half smile, making Emily roll her eyes.

"Anyways, while I have always been beyond attracted to you, I had a huge crush on Sam. I've had one for years. But he was always dating my cousin, and I didn't want to come between them," Emily continued.

That made sense. Emily was always the type to think about others before herself. That's why she insisted on having herself, Bella, Rachel, and the other girl Bella had been sleeping with at the time sit down and have a long, drawn out talk about what everyone expected from sleeping with Bella. It had been awkward as fuck for Bella, but it was all done because Emily was afraid of anyone getting hurt. Of course, then that other girl, Katie something or other, went psycho obsessive on Bella, talking about marriage and shit, so not everything worked out, but still. Emily had definitely done the best that she could, and everything would have gone perfectly if it weren't for the damn townie.

"But then, the imprint happened." Emily gave her the stink eye, adding, "I knew something was going on with you, by the way. You're not very good with hiding things."

Bella shrugged, unrepentant. "I didn't care enough to try."

"Right." Emily sighed, smiling fondly for a moment, before growing serious again. "The imprint happened. It was so much stronger than a crush, Bella. I had always felt like Sam and I had a connection, but after he shifted and our eyes met...it was like that connection was strengthened tenfold, like he was suddenly my world. God, what I did to Leah...it hurts me just thinking about it, and I hate knowing how much she's hurting right now, and how much I'm putting her through. But even now, after all that happened, I still care about Sam. I always know where he is, even now; I just sense it. I'm mad at him, and I'm certainly freaked out, but I still...I know I'm going to forgive him. And even now, I'm still halfway in love with him."

Bella paused for a moment, deep in thought, then asked, "Let's say that this imprint thing never happened, but that you were dating Sam, married even. Would you still forgive him?"

Emily thought deeply for a moment, then sighed. "If he was abusive? No, even with the imprint. No matter how much I loved him, I wouldn't have stayed with him, and I certainly wouldn't have forgiven him. But, Bella...this really was an accident. You should have seen him, struggling for control, begging me to leave him, to run, to stay away." Emily met Bella's eyes, serious and sad. "I didn't listen, Bella. That's why everything happened."

Bella frowned. "We'll see about that." And Bella would, by having a deep look into Sam's memories. "For now, though...why did you call me here? What did you want to talk about?"

At that, Emily let out a surprised laugh, once again stopping when she winced in pain. "We're already talking about it." Then she sobered. "I just wanted to talk to you, make sure you don't try to kill Sam again, just...I don't know. But what I do know is that this talk has already helped me, even more than the medicine they keep shoving down my throat."

"Good to hear," Bella said. She gave the older girl a considering look. "Want me to stay a bit longer?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Emily said, smiling up at Bella as she squeezed Bella's hand, the hand she never once let go of.

And so Bella stayed with her, talking about random shit and all that, for over an hour. However, she knew she had to face the pack, the changes, and what's going to happen tomorrow with the Cullens, and Bella couldn't put that off forever. So she eventually stood up and said her goodbyes before walking out the door.

But not before hearing Emily whisper, "If I had fallen in love with you…"

Bella grimaced at the thought. While she would never admit it out loud, she was terrified of the idea of anyone falling in love with her. Terrified, because she was pretty sure that she would end up hurting that girl in some way, maybe even more than Sam hurt Emily.

So of course, the only thing Bella could do was pretend she didn't hear it and keep walking. And that she did, walking until she was in the trees and out of sight of anyone who might have been watching her. Then, she spent a good couple of minutes clearing her head, focusing on what was going to come. When she was finally centered, she took off her clothes, shifted, and let out one loud, powerful, badass alpha howl that would make all of her wolves react. And, if they knew what was good for them, they'd shift and come running like the good little pups they were.

I heard that, Paul complained, having shifted quickly enough to hear the last of Bella's thoughts.

Good, that means it'll be easier for you to remember your place, Bella retorted.

And if he doesn't, then we get to have fun beating it back into him, Jared added with relish, letting out a laugh when he felt Bella's agreement and Paul's sulky and clearly grumpy response.

Whoa, I'm still not used to this, Seth thought, sounding beyond overwhelmed as he also shifted. Don't know if I ever will.

Just get your tails over here, Bella said, even though she could sense that they were all already running towards her. Wait a second, where's Leah? Bella expected Sam to take his time, but not the other she-wolf.

Unbidden, memories rose in Seth's mind, memories that the whole pack got to see. Memories where Leah ran into a worried Rachel, who had no idea where Leah went or how she was doing after walking over to check on Leah only to find the house empty, when Leah and Seth had been jogging, thankfully clothed, back to their house. And finally, how Rachel and Leah's eyes had met, and how Leah had imprinted on Rachel immediately.

Nnnnoooooo! Bella cried in dismay, the word coming out in a long, drawn out howl. Of course, she was happy for Leah, but now this meant that Bella had no more girls to go to for sex. There was no one. And with everything going on, it was going to be a long time before she could leave long enough to get a new sex buddy. Even worse, she'd probably have to go out of town just to find someone, because she wasn't going to mess with the Forks townies again after what happened with Katie.

Dude, you slept with my sister? Seth yelped with clear dismay and disgust.

Wow, Bella, talk about skill, Jared said with a laugh.

At least now Rachel and Leah have some more in common, Paul jeered.

Thankfully, they were all saying this just as they all skidded to a stop in front of Bella, although they arrived a few seconds apart, so Bella got to smack both Paul and Jared with quite a bit of pleasure. Then, of course, she had to apologize to Seth for letting her thoughts get the best of her. That poor boy was probably going to be scarred for life.

Hey, what's with all the howling? Leah complained, although even her complaint sounded strangely happy.

Pack meeting, Bella said, unable to keep the sulky tone out of her voice. We need to discuss what's going to happen now with Sam, not to mention the Cullens.

What's got you so down? Leah asked, easily able to sense Bella's mood.

Aw, it's nothing. Bella here just found out that she lost the last of her fuckbuddies, Paul said, unable to stop from snickering, which earned him another smack across the nose.

Oh. Right, Leah said, and Bella knew that the older girl would have blushed if she could. Sorry about that Bella.

No problem; I'm actually happy for you. Although, if you're ever up to a three- Leah's protective snarl interrupted Bella's suggestion, and Bella sighed at the rejection. Okay, got it. Damn possessiveness...I'm already sex-starved enough as it is.

Slut, Jared pretended to cough.

Bella sent a wolfy grin to one of her best friends. You know it. However, her thoughts quickly took a dark turn as Leah arrived, and Sam still hadn't so much as shifted yet. Just as she considered hunting him down and helping him come to realize that her howl meant get the fuck over here, Sam joined them.

Sorry, was all Sam said as he immediately started loping over to join them, still sounding beyond distraught.

Yeah, well I am too, Bella added, not sounding sorry at all. Especially when she added, Now, I want to see what happened when you fucked Emily up. Show me your memories. All those who don't want to see should shift back to human until I bark.

Nobody changed back, and Sam was quick to show his memories, not even requiring an alpha command. Bella grimly watched it all, and found that Emily was right. While the verbal fight had been sudden and Sam had gone into it pissed off, he realized he was losing control. Sam had ended up trying to get away from Emily, trying to control his wolf, begging her to give him time to calm down, but Emily wasn't having it, keeping the distance between them short as she scolded him for his jealousy. Sam hadn't even attacked her; all he had done was shift, and Emily had been so close that his claws, which was attached to an arm that was jerky because of the slight pain of shifting, had scored her by accident.

Despite that, Bella was still pissed. Sam had, after all, started arguing with Emily when he was already pretty angry, even knowing how bad a wolf's temper was. He didn't try to calm down first, or try to discuss things calmly. While he didn't mean to hurt her, he had set himself up for the disaster, and Emily was the one to pay the price.

You saw Emily? Sam asked as he joined the pack, sounding beyond desperate for even the smallest scrap of information regarding his imprint.

Yeah, I saw her. We had a nice talk too, Bella replied, but didn't feel like giving away any more information. Instead, she focused on the pack, saying, I think you all know, thanks to the old legends and shit, that the Quileute Pack has not only an alpha, but a beta. Until now, I've gone along with Sam being that beta, simply because he was the second to shift and the Elders were encouraging it. The start of Bella's little speech got everyone's attention. Bella felt like she was the queen of the gossip ring or some shit. However, due to recent happenings and loss of control, I've decided to change this. Bella turned her head, focusing completely on Jared. Jared, you helped me keep my cool when all I wanted to do was kill Sam. On top of that, you've got a level head, but you're also just cool as fuck and not some stuck up loser.

Jared looked like he wanted to laugh at Bella's little comment, but he was clearly too nervous. Bella, you don't mean…?

Yeah, I mean it, Bella confirmed. I trust you more than anybody else, you've proven that you're not a little pansy, and you've been in this whole wolf game nearly as long as I have. I want you to be my new beta.

I...yeah, Jared managed to say, sounding humbled and awed, just like Bella knew he would. That's...that'll work. Thanks, Bells.

Good, Bella replied, pretty damned pleased with herself. She was about to focus on Sam to make sure she didn't have to do any stupid damage control, but then Paul broke out into howls, congratulating Jared and jostling him around quite a bit. That made everyone feel the need to congratulate Jared, but Bella still turned to Sam.

I don't blame you for this, Sam answered, before Bella could even ask her question. I messed up, big time. I don't deserve to be beta.

I'm glad you feel that way; I was afraid I was going to have to beat it into you, Bella said, only half joking. Nobody else seemed to even notice their conversation, which was mostly drowned out by Jared's congratulations. So it was easy to change her thoughts and focus on the new topic. Now, guys. GUYS.

Two tries. That was all it took for them to calm down. Which, once again, left Bella feeling like a badass.

We just have one last thing to discuss, and then patrols...and then you're free to do whatever the shit you want, until fucking morning patrols, Bella started.

We really need to make a schedule with shifts or some shit, Paul grumbled. This all-day every day thing is wearing thin.

You're telling me, Bella said in agreement. But the elders insisted...she was starting to think it was a good idea to start telling them up theirs, but then who knows what would happen next. Anyways, we'll make a schedule when one of us shows the ability to actually organize something. Until then, we're fucked.

Words of wisdom, Boss, Jared said dryly, to which Bella stuck her tongue out at him before focusing back on the pack as a whole.

Anyways, the Cullens. We're meeting them tomorrow, after school. The elders say that they're better than the average blood sucker because they don't kill humans, but they also clearly hate the Cullens with a fiery passion, so I think it's best we throw the elders' opinions right out the window. Bella got some pretty strong agreement on that. Still, we should stay on guard. We have no idea what we're up against, if they'll be hostile or not, and so on. All we know is that there's supposed to be eight of them, and that they're all a bunch of grannies in the bodies of teenagers, so they're going to be way more experienced than we are in fighting. Hell, they might have actually killed a vampire or two, compared to us noobs.

You're really failing to bring up morale, Bella, Leah said with a roll of her eyes, which also garnered a lot of agreement from the rest of the pack.

I'm not here to make you bunch of pansies feel better, I'm here to make sure none of you get cocky and do something stupid, Bella shot back, and just like that, everyone shut up. Anyways, we'll meet up at my house right after school, wolf out, and go to the border from there. Be prepared for anything, keep in line, and don't let them provoke you. Bella really didn't want the wolves' first fight to be against eight vamps, after all. She gave each of her wolves one last stare down before adding, Got it?

Got it, everyone confirmed.

Thank fuck. Bella wasn't one to repeat shit after all, and she really didn't want to start now. Well, now that everything's taken care of, you're all dismissed. Save for all of you losers who are on patrol, you guys are screwed for another hour or two. I'm going to take a nice long nap.

Bella got some good-natured ribbing in response, and everyone split up to go their separate ways. Bella did go home to take a nap as planned. Only, that nap lasted the entire night, and well into the morning. That night might have lasted into the afternoon, too, if it weren't for Charlie waking her up with a bucket of ice cold water to the face.

Swearing that she was going to get Charlie back for that later, Bella woke and struggled to get dressed, only to realize that today was the big day.

That's right. Today was the day that Bella and the wolves were supposed to meet with the Cullens. It would also be the first day Bella went to school since she shifted.

Realizing this, Bella tried to argue out of school with Charlie, but he wouldn't listen, so Bella found that she had no choice to actually go to school. To go, and be stared at with a mix of awe, lust, and fear by the entire student body for being a sexy-ass gang leader. What made everything so much better was that, unconsciously, Jared, Seth, and Paul were following her around and hanging out with her, even more so than Jake did in school. This of course only served to cement the rez's idea of her being a gang leader.

However, Bella guessed it was a good thing she went, seeing as Embry Call decided he was going to have his first shift right in the middle of class.

Okay, it obviously wasn't his decision, and obviously, Bella sensed it and got him out of there before he shifted-making quite a spectacle of herself in the process-but still. What kind of idiot decides to go to school when he's feeling so damn sick, anyways?

On the bright side, at least Bella got to take the rest of the school day off and spend it talking to and teaching Embry all about the wolves, not to mention preparing himself for his first meeting with vampires only a few hours from then. He didn't get anywhere near the amount of prep Bella would have preferred, especially seeing as he was still overthinking how to walk, but she couldn't just leave him out of it all.

Which was how she found herself standing in front of her house, facing her six wolves, preparing herself for whatever was going to happen. They all shifted the second she did, not even bothering to strip-for dramatic effect, of course-and together, they took off into the woods, towards the treaty line where they'd meet their first vampires.

Nearly there, Bella scented that overly sweet, sugary bleach smell and nearly gagged. A few of her wolves actually did, or simply sneezed, but Bella was too cool to make a fool of herself like they did, so she obviously didn't.

However, what she did do was realize what that smell was; it was the smell of vampires. Immediately, her mind flashed back to that Angela girl, remembering how the smell was all over her. Shit, could the vamps be thinking of trying to do something to her? She'd have to have spent time in their arms or something to have that much of their scent all over her.

Her wolves, catching Bella's train of thought about Angela somehow being involved with vampires, snarled. None of the wolves wanted any human to be used or killed by anyone, vampire or not, and the thought of that happening right under their noses didn't sit right with them. Still, while their hearts were in the right place, she told them to put a lid on it. It was just plain stupid to get worked up right now.

They got closer and closer, and Bella prepared herself to meet the vampires, exuding her badassedness so she could look as tough and imposing as possible.

Then, it was time. They burst into the meeting place, making quite the awesome entrance, and Bella laid her eyes on her first vampire. Their eyes met, and just like that, everything seemed to fall away until only she and the vampire were left.

With simple eye contact, Bella was lost.