Paul

Jared stood next to me as we waited for the army Victoria and Edward had assembled to arrive. I looked around at all of my pack mates and the Cullen family. My chest ached as I recognized the only face that was absent. The breeze hit us with the scent of what seemed to be a million leeches. We all phased and I moved to stand by Esme. I couldn't protect Rosalie, but I would protect her mother or die trying. It seemed like only seconds had passed and five leeches were running directly to Esme. I moved in front of her and growled at them but they kept coming.

I looked around and the entire pack was gone, and so were the Cullen's, I was alone with Esme. I charged at one of the bloodsuckers and they threw me backwards with a simple flick of their wrist. Esme started screaming and I got up quickly and went to help her but all of my attacks were met by four or five of them fighting back. It felt like an endless cycle of me attacking and these leeches throwing me around. I'd never encountered anyone as strong as them. They ripped Esme's arms off and she kept screaming for me to help her, but nothing I did seemed to do any damage to them at all.

I knew I had to do something different but I couldn't find a solution. I tried to howl for my brothers but I heard myself screaming instead. Someone started laughing behind me and I turned around to see Edward Cullen standing by a fire with a lock of golden blonde hair in his hand.

"Couldn't protect her either, could you pup?" He taunted me.

His words felt like a knife being twisted in my heart. I would have done anything to protect Rosalie, but I had let her down. He dropped the hair in the fire and laughed maniacally. This bastard was sick laughing over his own sister's demise, but it had been at his own hands. I kept trying to get to Esme but I couldn't. I was growing exhausted from trying to save her, but I knew I couldn't stop trying.

I was running to Esme's side when suddenly I was on my human legs again. I hadn't even felt the phase. I stopped about twenty feet away from her. I wanted to move closer but I physically couldn't. She screamed my name over and over again and pleaded for me to help her. They drug her to the fire Edward was standing behind.

"How's it feel to know you let your entire tribe down?" Edward laughed at me.

I thought of Rosalie and it was like I could hear her. "Why didn't you save me, Paul? I loved you so much and you let me die." I looked up in front of me and she was standing there. "Looks like my new fiancé did as little to protect me as the first one."

I knelt down, wrapped my hands around the back of my head and screamed. I couldn't take it. I never meant to let Rosalie down, and now Esme was meeting the same demise. I heard a small voice behind me that broke the last piece of my sanity.

"Paul, it's okay." Bella said. "I'm here with you. I'll always be here with you." She stood behind me and glared at Edward but didn't speak to him. "Paul, get up." She rubbed my back.

I looked back up and everything had disappeared. I stood and turned around to Bella, swollen with Jacob's child outstretching her hand to me. "Paul, I'm here. Please, get up."

I woke up suddenly in Jacob's spare bedroom, drenched in sweat. Bella was sitting on the edge of the bed gripping my hand. I looked up at her and laced my fingers in hers. "Thank you, Bella."

She smiled softly. "You were having a nightmare." She turned behind her. "I told you guys he was alright." I looked past her and saw the entire pack crammed in to this small bedroom. Seth was the only one that was missing. I felt a twinge of guilt at that though. Someone else was missing too.

"How did I get here?" I asked nobody in particular. The last thing I could remember was running away from the fire.

Embry came over to the bed and knelt next to me. "We got drunk together. You ran away from everyone and I followed you. You told me to fuck off and leave you alone but I told you I understood your pain and we needed to stick together. We went back to your place and got drunk. You told me about your weird imprint with Bella." What the hell had I done? I hadn't told anyone that. I looked at Bella and she mouthed "it's okay" to me.

Embry continued the story. "You said the pain in your chest was unbearable. Like when the girls left before, but much much worse. Then you decided you needed to be near your other imprint tonight so we came over here. The pack knows everything." I felt oddly relieved that the secret was out now. I only wished I had told Rosalie.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." I told him. "I was going to tell you and Rosalie after the fight."

He held his hand up and stopped me. "You made the right call. I would have done the same thing."

Quil spoke up. "Paul, we need to go see my grandpa. Something isn't right about this." Quil was studying to become the pack shaman, and he rarely advised us on these things but we took him seriously when he did. He wasn't quite as knowledgeable as his grandpa, but he was getting there.

"I agree, Paul." Sam told us. "I won't order you to do anything, but I'd strongly advise you to go this morning."

I sat up and the pain was intensifying. "I'll try. But right now we have a wedding to get ready for." I reminded them.

Everyone grew quiet at the mention of the wedding. It had been planned for today. Was Leah's dress in the house? "There isn't going to be a wedding today, Paul." Leah spoke quietly. "It won't be the same without her."

"Bullshit." I scolded her. "You know Rose would want the wedding to go on as planned. We won't let Edward take this from us too. I'm in unbearable pain without her and I know you are too, but we will get through this together. We have to."

She started crying and hugged me. "I just can't do it without her. She was my best friend."

"I would be honored to step in and support you today, Leah." Emily offered. "I know we aren't close like we used to be but I still love you and I'll stand by you if you want me to."

Leah hugged Emily and agreed to let her step in. Bella checked on me again before leaving with the two of them. Once I was alone with my brothers I looked over to Quil.

"Okay, Quil. Cut the shit and just give it to me straight. What do you think is going on?" I was in too much pain to play with his games. My emotional pain was much deeper and stronger than the physical pain I was feeling, and that alone had been overwhelming.

He sighed. "I don't want to tell you anything because I don't know if I'm right."

I was growing frustrated. I didn't give a shit if he was right, if he had a theory I deserved to know it. "Tell me your damn idea, Quil." I growled.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Paul. Go see my grandpa. I'll see you at the wedding." He walked out without another word.

Physically, I was the weakest I'd ever been. I could barely stand to walk. I sat up and tried to stand and I collapsed to the floor. Embry and Jared helped me back up and I sat at the edge of the bed. Billy Black came in and told me Bella and Old Quil were on their way here. He had called them when he heard me fall. My entire body ached. It wasn't a hangover, we healed far too fast for something like that. Jared offered to help me move to the living room since this room was so small. There was more room for everyone to gather there while Old Quil told us what was going on. We walked in and Rachel was sitting in her father's recliner. I hadn't noticed that none of the Cullen's were here.

"Why isn't Jasper here, Rach? Or Emmett?" I asked her.

She groaned. "Sam sent them away. He said it might be hard for your wolf to be around them right now."

Sam was looking at me with a pained expression. "So, alpha, you think my wolf will see his own family as the enemy? Our leech fiancé died and he's going to hate them all now?" I growled at him.

My alpha stood his ground with me. "No, Paul. I know you love them, but you're hurting right now. It won't be good for you mentally to be around them either, we needed some time alone as a pack."

I respected that he wasn't handling me with kid gloves how everyone else seemed to be, but I didn't agree with him. Before I could respond, Embry interjected.

"They are part of this pack, Sam. You had no right to send them away. Don't you see that they're hurting too?" Embry questioned him. "They needed us and you turned them away! Rosalie wouldn't want this!" He was yelling now.

Jacob put his hand on Embry's shoulder. "You need to calm down. If Paul wants the Cullen's to come back, we will call them."

"I do." I told him. "I need Carlisle, but I'd like to see all of them."

Embry turned around to sit down and Sam grabbed him. "I know you're hurting, but don't you dare accuse me of disrespecting Rosalie. She was my patrol partner for months. I confided in Rosalie about things I never would've told the pack. She was my sister and I loved her. We are all devastated."

I knew Sam had grown close to Rosalie while they patrolled together but I hadn't understood the magnitude of their friendship. She had never told me a word that he'd said to her. This was another testament to her trustworthiness. Embry ran out of the house and phased, taking off in to the forest.

Billy called Carlisle and he said they'd be right over. Within a few minutes, Emmett had arrived and was sitting next to me. The light had completely left his eyes and I couldn't imagine how that felt for Leah to see him so lifeless on their wedding day. Esme wouldn't be coming, she was helping Leah prepare for the ceremony. Her dress had been at the Cullen's house, so none of the wedding items were destroyed in the fire. Jasper got there a few minutes later and I could feel him working to ease my anxiety. It meant a lot that Jasper was willing to try to help me, considering how much he hated me. Bella walked in and went right by Jacob, coming to sit next to me. Emmett moved and gave us some space. I looked at her with a questioning glance. How could Jacob be okay with this?

She put her hand on my knee and looked at me. "Jake understands. You lost Rosalie, and you need to know I'm safe. It's okay." She explained. Jake nodded, agreeing with her.

Old Quil arrived and walked through the room without speaking to anyone. He whispered something in Billy's ear and called for Sam and Jacob before walking out the door. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I tried not to think about it. I just hoped he could give us some answers.

Sam

I was sitting on my front porch waiting for Emily to get home. It has been a rough couple of days, it felt like we were constantly at each other's throats. I knew she didn't like Paul, but I couldn't look past the way she kept interfering in his relationship. Rosalie had become my outlet during patrol. She let me vent and she didn't judge me. Paul was lucky to have her.

I stood up when I heard a car pulling down my driveway, but it wasn't Emily. It was Rosalie in her red BMW that she rarely got out anymore. I wasn't expecting her, today was our day off from patrol. She got out of the car and walked up to the porch.

"I need to talk to you, Sam." She said as she sat down on my porch steps. Her relationship with Paul had really blossomed and she was on good terms with Embry again, so I wasn't sure what she could have needed from me.

I sat down next to her. "Of course, Rose. You know I'm always here for you." I assured her.

"I'm afraid for our upcoming fight. I love all of you, but I'm not confident we will make it out of this thing alive." She explained. "I have wealth that you can't even imagine, Sam. I want to make sure Bella and her baby are financially taken care of if something happens to me, and the rest of the pack too."

I was surprised by her feelings, but I agreed with her. I was worried that we wouldn't all survive and I thought it was noble of her to want to take care of everyone. "What do you need from me, Rosalie?" I asked.

She handed me a small book. "This is an account I've set up in your name. I hope you don't mind." I opened the book and saw an account number and beginning balance with more zeros that I've ever seen. "If you die, that money gets split between Bella and Kim. I trust that they would do the right thing with it. If you make it through, I want you to use the money to support the remaining pack members and their families." She explained.

"Are you sure about this, Rose? This is so much money." I knew she was sure, but I still thought I should ask. It's not often that your friend casually gifts you a fortune.

She laughed. "If you think that's a lot, you should see what I set up for Paul and the Clearwater's. That's a small drop in the bucket for my family." She explained.

"I promise I will take care of them for you, Rose. I hope that we all make it, but if we don't this will be used the way you intended." I assured her.

I replayed that day over and over since her death. I carried that small book in my pocket to the Black's house. It was time for me to tell Billy about the money Rosalie had given us.

Old Quil ushered us to the farthest corner of the Black's yard, as far from the house as possible. He didn't want the pack to know what he had to say, and that concerned me.

"I need to ask you boys a few questions." He said to me and Jacob. Jake looked at me with a puzzled expression before agreeing to answer him. "Was Paul this bad between the initial incident and this morning? Or has his condition progressively worsened?"

I wasn't sure what he meant. "Can you explain your question? I'm not following."

He sighed. "My understanding is that Paul collapsed when Rosalie was attacked. After the fire, he was able to phase and run from the house. He was with Embry and drinking after that, but seemed physically okay. He made it to the Black's house, and his physical condition has continued to worsen to the point that he can barely stand to walk now. Is that right?"

I looked over to Jake and we both nodded. I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

Old Quil and Billy exchanged a concerned look. "Would you boys mind to go back inside? The two of us need to speak privately."

We didn't argue. We walked back in the house and sat down among the pack. Emmett and Jasper were still there, and both looked absolutely defeated. Carlisle had also arrived and was giving Paul a physical examination. None of the Cullen's had seemed to grieve much at all with Alice's death, but after losing Rosalie the light had left all of their eyes. This was how I imagined their kind to be normally, so cold and detached from the world. To see them this way was heart breaking.

Seth burst in the door and everyone's head turned toward him. He was out of breath, like he had just ran two miles. "I know- I know-" he started, and stopped to drink from a bottle of water Bella had handed him. "Thank you, Bella. I know who killed Rosalie."

He had everyone's attention now. Emmett had ran to his side. "How could you know, Seth? The scent trail ended there."

Seth shook his head as he took another drink of the water. "Only Rosalie's scent ended there. I followed the other scent. All the way back to Edward's house in Seattle."

I interrupted. "Seth, we would have recognized Edward's scent. It wasn't him."

"I never said it was, Sam." He replied curtly. "It was Angela."

Bella shook her head. "Angela would never."

"It was her, Bells." Seth retorted. "I followed the trail back to Edward's place. He was talking to Victoria, Angela disappeared last night and hasn't made it back yet. They're still planning for this weekend, with or without her."

Paul didn't speak and tears started to roll down his cheeks.

Jared shook his head. "I thought Angela was innocent in all of this."

"Well, clearly she isn't." Jasper snapped. "We can't waste time hunting her. We need to focus on the upcoming fight. With Paul and Rosalie out we are more vulnerable than ever."

Paul stood up and walked up to Jasper, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "I let you treat me like shit for Rosalie's sake, but she's gone now. I'm damn sure not out and you're going to stop disrespecting me." Rosalie had softened Paul and cooled his temper, and I think a lot of her family had underestimated him. He was the most skilled fighter we had.

Jared quickly got between them and pulled Paul back to the couch. Jasper fixed his shirt and sat back down next to Rachel. "I didn't mean it disrespectfully, Paul. You're my brother and I'm being honest with you. You couldn't even walk this morning. I won't let you fight in your condition. What kind of brother would I be to Rosalie if I let her mate die trying to avenge her?" Jasper seemed genuine, but I knew Paul wouldn't take that well either.

"I was surprised you could get up too, Paul." Jared said softly. "I don't want you to fight if you're not 100%. I can't lose you when we just lost Rose."

Jake looked over at me and I nodded. I think we were on the same page. An alpha order was the only thing that would keep him out of the fight, and probably keep him alive. "I think he's feeling better because of Bella. We all know the imprint has some healing properties." Jake reminded us. "If it comes to it, Sam and I will make a decision about Paul being in the fight."

Nobody argued. I could tell that Paul wanted to, but he didn't. Rachel and Jasper walked out of the house without another word. Emmett reminded us it was almost time for the wedding and he left too. Paul, Jared, and Bella followed him. Seth stayed behind with me, Jake, and Carlisle.

I looked at Seth before walking in the kitchen to see Billy and told him to leave if he can't keep a secret. He nodded and sat down. He didn't want to be with the rest of the pack right now. Billy sat at the table and I pulled out a chair across from him. "We need to talk." I said as I sat down.

Old Quil and Carlisle both came to sit by him at the table. It was odd to think that just a few months ago the Cullen's were our enemies, but now they were family. We'd lost the one that linked the two groups, but our bond remained. I pulled the small book out of my pocket and slid it across the table to him.

"What is this, son?" Billy asked me as he passed the book over to Old Quil.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "I am assuming it is a very very small piece of Rosalie's estate."

We had different definitions of very small. Rosalie had given me over a million dollars. "The account is in my name and the beneficiaries are Kim and Bella. She wants to make sure the tribe and the pack babies are taken care of." I explained. "She set it up in case both of us died in the fight. Neither of us imagined she would go before it."

Quil was shaking his head while looking down at the book. "Samuel, this is too much. I know that she was part of this tribe, but we can't accept this much money."

"Then you're going to have a big problem with this." Carlisle said as he reached in to his pocket. He pulled out checks made out to every single pack member, all for a higher amount than she had given me. "Before you argue, I brought something for you to read."

I took the document from his hands before either of the elders could. It was Rosalie's will. There in her handwriting, it said "all of my assets are to be divided between Sam Uley, Paul Lahote, Jacob Black, Embry Call, Quil Ateara, Jared Cameron, Leah Clearwater, Seth Clearwater, and Bella Swan."

"Why was Bella named separately in the will, Carlisle?" I wondered. Emily and Kim weren't listed.

Carlisle looked down. "She had to know Bella and the baby would be taken care of if Jacob died. She made plans for all of you to make sure you're taken care of. I have something to give to Kim, but I've been waiting for the right time to do it." He produced another envelope and slid it over to me.

It was addressed to Kim in Rosalie's handwriting and I felt like I was violating their privacy by reading it, but I couldn't help myself. I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. There was in fact another check behind the letter, but I didn't even glance at the amount.

Kim,

I haven't known Jared nearly as long as you, but I have noticed such a huge difference in him since you came along. You are such a kind soul and my brother is so blessed to have found you. You mean the world to him and I want to make sure that you are always taken care of.

I'm afraid, Kim. I won't admit it to many people, but I'm truly afraid that we won't all make it out of this fight. I am confident in the pack, but not in myself. I will sacrifice myself for any of them if I have to. When we were dress shopping, I saw the mark on your neck. Jared may not have explained what that means to you, though I hope he did. Bella conceived the night she was marked and from what Emily explained to me, it's almost certain to happen.

The one thing I wanted when I was human was a child. I am so happy for Bella and for you, that you're able to bear children. That is a luxury that Leah and myself will never know. If Carlisle is giving this to you, I must not have made it. Please look out for Paul for me. I've included a check for you, cash it as soon as possible and make sure your child has an amazing life. Please know that no matter what happens and who we've lost, you can always go to any remaining member of my family with anything you need.

I hope for the best for you and Jared.

Love,

Rosalie

Tears were streaming down my face. Rosalie was kinder than any of us had ever known. I stuffed the letter back in the envelope and walked out the door without saying a word to anyone. I climbed in to my truck and drove toward the Cullen's house to deliver the letter to Kim myself. I was grateful that Seth hadn't given up when the rest of us had because he uncovered information we so badly needed. Edward had certainly ordered the hit on Rosalie, but Angela had executed it. We would avenge my sister's death, I would make sure of it. My brothers were set on killing Edward Cullen, but my target this weekend would be Angela Webber.