Seth paced around a patch of red alder trees, antsy as Annaliese ran up and down the stretch of land just east of the Coquitlam River. Edward leaned against one of the trees with his arms crossed and watched Seth go around and around in circles.

Her thoughts were singularly focused — run, run, run — and he tried to do the same with his own thoughts. The effort alone made his skin hot under his fur. If he were human, he'd be sweating.

"You should know, trying that hard to not think about something makes it all the more obvious," Edward said. "What I can't tell is whatthe two of you are hiding or why your packs are also in the dark."

The weather's cooperating, Seth said, staring through the trees at the overcast sky. Her scent is everywhere. No way they don't come running.

Edward sighed. "I picked up a new skill, you know," he said. "I can dig deeper into a person's mind if I want. But, I respect you as a friend too much to attempt it."

The guilt trip won't work on me, Seth said. You've met my mom, dude. Nothing tops that.

Edward cracked a smile. "The others haven't phased yet, so your thoughts are only available to me and your imprint."

Annaliese, he corrected. Her name is Annaliese.

Edward inclined his head, apologetic. "I must say, your relationship is different than we anticipated. With Sam, Quil, Jacob, the others, imprinting has been fairly traditional for them."

Seth rolled his eyes. If he didn't know his friend any better, he'd think the vampire was studying them. You've met her, bro. She's…

"Interesting?" Edward offered, the judgment thinly veiled.

Seth shook his head and grinned as Annaliese blew past them on another trip along her path. Incredible's a better word for it.Not that Edward would know much about that. Bella was a cool girl all things considered — she did hang with vamps before becoming one herself — but she played it safe. Annaliese did whatever she wanted. While it annoyed the shit out of him, he couldn't help but admire it. Perhaps he even envied it.

Her laughter filled his head. Thank you, sweetness. You ain't too bad yourself.

"Well?" Edward pressed. "What are the two of you plotting?"

You don't let up, do you, Eddie? Annaliese huffed, stopping momentarily to watch a stag dart away. Seth's muscles twitched as the sensation in her own body filtered into his. She wanted to give chase.

"I, too, have a family to protect." Edward watched Seth watch the world through Annaliese's eyes before snapping back to their current location.

We're trying to make that easier, Seth answered after a moment. We're following your plan.

"Don't you mean Jacob's plan?" Edward questioned.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It's not that I'm suddenly put off by you guys. It's just…

Edward squinted and, for the briefest of moments, Seth felt as if someone had shoved him — only, in his head. Seth narrowed his eyes.

What happened to respect, Edward?

"You'll forgive me for a momentary lapse in loyalty," the vampire shot back at him. "If neither of you will confess, certain lines must be crossed."

Ugh, spare me the greater-good bullshit, Annaliese groaned at them. You wanna know what we're up to, do you? Annaliese conjured a clear image of Damian's face — his human face. Wide green eyes, thick corn silk hair half-matted as it fell to his chin. Damian's face blinked a millisecond before her jaw closed around his throat and yanked his head from his body.

Edward gaped. "You're serious! Seth, will you allow this to happen? This isn't a rogue vampire," he exclaimed. "This is - "

Retribution, she said, voice hard as steel. And I won't have any of you standing in my way. Stay in your homes, protect Seth, and let us handle this.

Seth growled at the tone. He understood being amped up, of being close to justice, but he hadn't known her to be cruel. Annie, we made a deal to follow their lead first!

Despite the pang of guilt he felt from her, she didn't back down. If she were in arm's reach, he'd have thrown her over his shoulder and run as far and as fast he could. He'd never met someone so committed to their own destruction.

He grimaced and avoided Edward's gaze. Actually, he had heard about someone very similar.

No, I promised to listen to their plan, Seth. That's all. The sudden quiet in his mind felt deafening. She shouldn't have been able to go ghost on him, that much he knew. Edward's stern face turned in the direction Annaliese had gone.

"She's somehow shutting me out, too," Edward answered.

I told you I'd have no choice, Annie, Seth warned her, inhaling the air around them to pinpoint her direction. Edward, man, go back home. Send the coyotes out and, please, for me, don't. Tell. Anyone.

"That request is as ludicrous as she is," Edward snapped.

None of them had time for this. Seth snapped at Edward before chasing after Annaliese. It didn't take long before Harlen and Wate, seething, sprinted up to flank him. He didn't have to hear their thoughts or process their scents to recognize the betrayal and outrage vibrating in the air around them.

Annaliese had been wrong, Seth noted as the three of them gained on her trail. She expected Harlen and Wate to abandon her. Again, she'd probably say.

Y'all wait up! The mousy voice of Yara filled his head and the shock of the sound sent him to stumbling. He cursed and regained his footing as she pulled up the rear. She was supposed to be on a ferry or bus to somewhere far, far away from them.

Yeah, you fucking idiots!

Seth groaned at yet another voice entered his head. Leah, why are you here?

His sister's grunt of annoyance, underscored by her fear, hit like an arrow in the chest. Though Edward was his friend, Seth found it easier to be guilt-free about his secrets with the Cullens; he wasn't related to them. Leah on the other hand...

What now, Seth? Leah asked as they came to a stop at the river's edge. He sighed and silently cursed Annaliese's pigheadedness. She'd gone into the water without hesitation. With a point to prove.

Dammit! He snarled, slamming his feet into the ground. Dirt and debris flew up around them.

Get it together, man. It was Embry. He knew the sound of the heavy running as if it were his own, the scent that so closely resembled his own — and Leah's — that it'd gone almost entirely unnoticed. Your move now. Where would she go?

The compound.

Seth staggered back at the sudden chorus of voices that joined his own. Yara, Harlen, and Wate answered at the same time he had. Though quieter than his own pack's thoughts, the coyotes' voices still filled his head all the same. Had they fallen under Jacob's orders, too?

Seth. Embry snapped. Your. Move.

He nodded at his closest friend and looked back at the way they'd come. I think I saw a small land bridge a mile that way. They followed him without question. Seth sent himself back in time, to the day he'd seen Annaliese in the woods, to the lure that had called — no, screamed — at him to turn around, to go back, to find her.

This time, he listened.

Every tree and branch he dodged, every dip in the ground he soared over, every rock and animal den — each one melted out of space and time as he ran. The thoughts of the others faded to a dull hum as he crossed the land bridge and broke through the trees on the other side.

He didn't care if wayward fishermen saw him or hikers or park rangers, nothing else mattered beyond the singular source that pushed his body forward without hesitation. Annaliese.

The scent of honeysuckle thickened in the air, bringing him up short. The others skidded sideways to avoid his abrupt standstill. Seth's eyes scanned the forest. It was his house all over again. Her, waiting in the wings, somehow soundless even if the confines of his home.

Seth, what are you

Leah's muffled voice waned again as he closed his eyes, nostrils flaring to fill his lungs with the fragrance, its sweetness marred with a bitter tinge. Through the typical woodland noise, he found her — a heartbeat so slow, he'd mistaken it for human.

His eyes snapped open, legs breaking into a dead sprint. Almost there! I can hear — Stop!

The others slowed to an uneasy trot. Harlen and Wate nodded. Good instincts, kid. Another step and there'd be ten guards on your ass. Wate huffed a sound of what sounded like approval.

No way she marched in there on her own, Embry said.

You'd be surprised. Yara jerked her head to the left. Follow me. There's a secret path this way. Annie'd cover for me when — when — Yara cut off her words and Seth pretended not to notice the sharp twinge behind her eyes.

The six of them stood at the entrance of the narrow burrow dug into the ground and Yara turned toward them, sheepish. Took forever to sort out, and I scared the shit outta those badgers, but their tunnel came in handy…Y'all ain't scared of tight spaces, are you?

Seth was positive they'd collapse whatever intricate escape system Yara had created, but it was their best shot. He looked at Embry, who was the largest among them and grimaced. You two stay out here, he said, nodding to Leah. Stay alert and…if you hear trouble, well, just get yourselves out as fast you can. Okay?

There's no way in hell I'm—

He knows what he's doing, LeeLee, just trust him. Embry's interruption and subsequent nudge of Leah's side felt too intimate for Seth to witness, so he nodded and turned to the coyotes.

Harlen, you good with covering my back? If I'm between you guys, it might be enough to mask my scent.

Leah grumbled behind them. You already smell a lot like them anyway, since...You know…

Seth ignored the heavy beat of his pulse in his throat and ducked his head in after Wate. He still wasn't sure he could trust either of the male coyotes, but they were his best bet. If Annaliese trusted them enough to not end them on sight, it would have to be a solid enough endorsement for him.

The burrow was indeed a stiflingly narrow tunnel system. The dirt clung to his fur and, though he flattened his ears, he still felt the damp grit of soil inside them. Light flooded on either side of Wate's body and, as it grew closer, Seth gave the coyote a push to hurry his pace.

In the wide-open space outside the tunnel, he resisted the urge to gulp down the fresh air and instead shook the dirt from his ears as quietly as he could.

We need to find Zel, Yara said. This way.

Wate huffed again. What's that old voodoo woman gonna do?

Yara whipped around. Bite your tongue, you jerk. Zel's done more for this pack than you ever have, you ole sorry sack a'

Enough, Seth said and jerked his head in the direction Yara had been taking them. We need cover and we need it fast.

As it was, the only thing keeping them blocked from sight was a row of thick tents, each with a scattered pile of trinkets, clothes, and belongings in and around their entrances. Except…the coyotes that owned them were missing. No, not missing, he registered too many heartbeats to count. And they were all drumming out the same nervous rhythm. The tension was palpable and its source close. Too close. You guys seeing this, too? Is this normal?

Harlen shook his head. Nawh, the place is usually buzzing at this time of day. Come to think of it

"Annaliese, just submit!"

Seth broke through the row of tents without thinking, Harlen, Wate, and Yara hot on his heels. So much for him having good instincts, Wate muttered.

In the center of a ring of bowing coyotes, men, and women — many of which smelled entirely human — stood Annaliese, her eyes narrowed on the hulking gray animal in front of her. Neither wolf nor coyote, to Seth's eyes, and altogether menacing. Damian.

Seth roared, the fearsome sound drawing everyone's eyes to him except Annaliese. No one stopped him as he approached, their eyes wide and mouths open in horror. "Damian was right!" someone shouted. "The wolves have come!"

No one dared move.

I know you can hear me, Annie. He said as he pushed through the crowd. Damian growled, shuffling in an arch just out of reach. Waiting. Deciding the best angle from which to strike.

Annaliese snarled at Seth as he approached, a sound to anyone but him sounded feral. He ignored the warning sound and stood at her side.

Damian's eyes darted between them, calculative, until they landed on Seth, the unknown variable, a threat to be dealt with. Damian snapped at them, saliva splattering to the ground from his open mouth.

Seth's human half recoiled at the frenzy slithering on the alpha's face. The wolf, however, knew nothing but the danger the beast before them created. Against all reason, Damian phased and rushed toward his closest coyotes, dirty hands stabbing in Seth's direction. Just what was he playing at? To fight them as a human would mean his death.

"Do you see?" Damian shouted to the ring of onlookers. "I told you all she would bring danger to our front door! That her mate would come to kill or oppress us all. This goes against nature!"

What the fuck's he talking about, Seth? Leah's anxious words hit his ears.

He's spun lies the second it came out Annie imprinted on a wolf, Harlen reported. Some of us thought it was bullshit, but He showed her the trembling of the children as they watched Seth, the poise of the male coyotes as they readied to attack.

Seth can't fight them all. We have to go, Em!

Seth ignored them all and hoped that whatever was going on between his sister and Embry was enough to keep her at bay.

"Annie brought them to tear apart everything we have built!"

Growls echoed around them.

This is getting out of hand. Seth turned in time to see a pup, no taller than his knee, dart out to snap at his ankle. He kept his emotions in check as best he could; he'd never seen a shapeshifter so…young.

He stepped back and phased against his better judgment and knelt to the young one. "He's lying to you," he told the pup, bowing his head as a show of goodwill.

A woman ran forward and snatched the child into her arms. "Get away from my boy," she shrieked. "Take the traitor and leave us alone. We've done nothing to your people."

"And I've done nothing to you," Seth said, struggling to keep his voice light.

"Lies!" Damian bellowed. "Why send the traitor to do your dirty work? Why have your lieutenants lie in wait for us to flee?" His eyes cut to the tents that once hid them. "Bring them! Now!"

Leah and Embry staggered from behind the tents, limping and human, before two muscular people shoved them to the ground. A woman with blonde hair and a severe face and a man that bore a strange resemblance to Damian. Guards, he thought.

Seth glared at the bloody wound on Leah and Embry's sides. It was like they'd been stabbed. Only, the wound wasn't healing, and someone would have to get incredibly close, incredibly fast to get the drop on a full grown wolf.

"Can't…phase…" Leah hissed. "Damn coyotes, I swear to fuck…" She gasped and curled into herself.

His vision clouded, a tremor working its way along his spine as the two guards met his gaze. The male spat on the ground in their direction. The act was small, but it was the single ember his wolf needed. Seth phased, snarling as he towered over Leah and Embry's huddled forms.

The two guards hesitated, the woman taking several steps back. Through the red haze, Seth recognized the quick-moving emotions on her face. Regret. Remorse. Fear. Desperation.

He turned his attention back to his sister and friend, to Annaliese. How was he supposed to get them out of here alive?

"He brought warriors to conquer us. Rest assured the other wolves are on their way to break us. I told you! I told you nothing good would come of this imprinting shit," he snarled at them before turning his attention back to onlookers, some of which kept a careful check on their expressions. Damian sighed, feigning helplessness. "…My methods may not be popular, but I do what I must to protect us from those who seek to do us harm. I protect us from them. Do you want them to destroy everything we have worked for?"

"No!" someone shouted. "Not on our land!"

"Phase!" Damian shouted. "Phase and show them we are not to be messed with!"

He's using the alpha order, Harlen warned. This isn't good, man. Unless people start breaking rank now, we're fucked.

Annaliese moved around Seth, and, for a moment, he thought it was for their safety. Until he saw her hackles rise, the bend of her hind legs, and the flash of teeth hungry for flesh. Annie, please. You're going to get yourself — and us — killed. For what? You aren't helping your people. They need to see you. To hear you.

She growled, eyes still trained on Damian.

They'll kill you if you attack now, Annie. Seth shouted. Do you see their faces? You said you wanted to help them, but this only makes Damian look like the victim! We can end this another way. A way you can still live. Talk to them!

Annaliese's chest rumbled as she lashed out at Seth, teeth narrowly avoiding his shoulder.

He fixed his glare on her. Annaliese, pull yourself back from the edge. You're better than him.

No, I'm not! Her voice screeched in his head, furious. I am every bit the monster he wanted me to be. I have come to destroy everything he's built.

Seth looked at Yara, eyes wide, and she shook her head.

I won't get in her way, Yara said quietly. He deserves everything that's coming to him.

The bitter sting of bleach filled his nose and his heart plummeted. Edward had gone against him. Every hope of this ending well shattered around him as Jacob's stony voice erupted in his mind.

Seth, you better have a very good reason for betraying your own people. If these assholes don't kill you, I will.


A/N: Apologies for the wait! You ever have one of those days where everything that can go wrong, does? Well, so has our boy Seth and, lowkey, so is Annie. How do we think this one'll shake out?