I could feel his eyes on me as I slowly explored the house. Our house…or his house, I guess. It was everything that I had ever imagined it would be. I ran a leisure hand across the mantle of the fireplace. There were no photos on it. Actually, there were no photos anywhere in the house. It almost looked like a stage house; beautiful, but empty. Devoid of the personal touches that make a home a home.

He had been having a beer when I knocked; it was sitting on the wooden coffee table without a coaster under it. The condensation was running down the side of it. There was a blanket on the couch and a very clear worn in cushion on the left side. I turned to look at him and smiled soft. "This place is incredible, Grey," I told him. He hadn't said a word to me yet, he just kept staring at me like he couldn't believe I was actually here. I crossed the room carefully until I was in front of him and reached out to touch his face. He recoiled away from me. He wouldn't let me touch him and he was refusing to touch me. "Wyatt…it's me."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "Yeah? For how long?" he finally asked. "A couple of days? A week?"

I blinked in surprise at the tone in his voice. He was. so upset. "I—"

"Isn't there some kind of rule where you guys aren't allowed to visit for long or else everything gets fucked up?"

My eyebrows drew together as I tried to figure out what I could possibly say to get him to understand that I wasn't just here for a visit. If he would let me touch him, he would get it. But he was staying a smooth 10 feet from me, no matter how much I was moving toward him. I opened my mouth to speak and then felt it close again. Nothing felt right, nothing felt believable.

"I mean, isn't it fucked up they waited a whole fucking year before letting you come down here? Like losing you wasn't bad enough…" he kept going, but he went from talking directly to me to grumbling to himself. "This feels worse, actually. They send you down for, what, two- or three-days tops and then how long before you get to come down again? It isn't fair. It's fucked up…all of it. It's all fucked up."

I tried to keep myself from smiling as I listened to him rant, finally able to close the space between us. When I was close enough to touch him, I watched again as I reached for his face and he flinched away from me. "Stop that…" I said quietly.

"Ace, don't…" he whispered, his voice wavering. But he didn't move. I smiled at him as my hand finally made contact with his cheek and I leaned in to kiss him. He tasted exactly the same as he always did. Like home. He hesitantly kissed me back, but he kept his hands to himself. When I pressed myself to his body, I felt him start to relax. Our tongues connected and I heard a soft moan come from my throat. I felt him wrap an arm around my waist; both of our hearts skipped a beat. As I kissed him, I let my walls down and showed him the moment when they decided to send me back permanently. And then I felt him freeze. He pulled away from me. Wyatt looked down at my chest, his face unreadable. So I took his other hand and placed it right over my heart and let him connect the dots. He started shaking his head, "It's not possible," he breathed.

I nodded, letting him know it was. "I'm not just here for a visit," I told him. He searched my eyes for any reason not to believe me. My broken boy was fighting every urge to be happy, to be excited about this. He wanted to doubt that this was real. Maybe it was a dream, he was thinking. A cruel, cruel dream.

So I pinched him. "Ow! What the hell?" he jumped.

I laughed. "See? Not a dream," I shrugged. As he rubbed his arm, I could see the makings of a smile cross his face. Then he got serious again as his hand trailed down my body. My breath caught a little in my throat. "Do you…do you want to show me the rest of the house?" I asked quietly.

He nodded as he stared at my lips. "I gotta do something first," he said before capturing my mouth once more. I threw my arms around his neck as he spun me around to trap me between his hard body and the wall. His beard tickled against my face but I didn't mind it. The urgency of his kisses told me everything I needed to know. He was terrified that I would disappear again. He was finally letting himself feel everything he'd been suppressing for a year and it was overwhelming for him. So I pressed myself closer to him. I couldn't get close enough.

Wyatt hooked his hands around the back of my knees to lift me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt him walk us to the back of the house. He was insatiable as soon as my head hit the pillow. A moan escaped my mouth as Wyatt's lips trailed from my face to my neck. His fist bunched my t shirt and he groaned, tasting my skin. I ran my hands through his overgrown curls; it was soft to the touch. I can't remember the last time his hair was this long, but I loved it. It was beautiful. He was beautiful.

I pushed his shoulder until we were both sitting up. We locked eyes; I could see the whole world in his brown eyes. If there was ever a doubt in my mind that I made the right decision, it dissipated right there in that moment. I'd do anything for him, that had always been clear. But I realized that this was not just about bringing that smile back to the faces of everyone I love. I wanted so badly to live a life with my best friend. Wyatt was never just my boyfriend…my partner…my mate…he was never just any of those things. He was everything. So I playfully lifted my arms over my head and watched him smile as he took my shirt off of me.

There was something different about those touches, the fact that we couldn't stop kissing each other, the way our bodies moved together in sync as they always had. We both never thought we'd have this again. At least not in this life. I thought about every single time I struggled with the idea that the next time I'd get to be with my person was in the afterlife. That was insane to me. But here we are. Here I am with a second chance to live. I wanted to do it right this time.

When he entered me, all thoughts ceased. They didn't matter as much as this moment did. He made love to me with all intention of being present in this moment. His weight on top of me was delicious as he pushed into me over and over again. "Oh my god," I moaned, running my hands down the ripples of the muscles in his back. Gasping, my body arched toward him as he hit that spot.

"You feel so good, Ace," he whispered in my ear before sucking my earlobe into his mouth. He entwined our hands above my head as he kissed down my neck and let his tongue play with one of my breasts. "So perfect," he said before sucking my nipple.

"Please don't stop," I breathed as my eyes rolled in the back of my head. He held both of my wrists with one hand as he moved the other to hitch my leg higher on his waist. We both moaned at the new angle. He felt bigger inside me somehow. The stars behind my eyes started to form as I climbed toward climax. "Wyatt," I cried.

"I feel you, baby," he groaned, kissing me again. He started to pound me just a little harder; he reached between us and rubbed my clit gently, sending me over the edge. I couldn't stop the loud moan that escaped my mouth as I came. My toes curled and my entire body tightened. I could feel his smile against my lips. He didn't stop. "That's my girl."

I flipped us over until I was on top of him. His eyes and his hands followed each other as he explored my body. The curve of my neck, my breasts, down my torso, to my waist, until they settled on my hips. He squeezed them affectionately. We didn't move; I just sat there with him inside me. I put my hand over his heart and just listened to it beat in rhythm with mine. They had always been in tune, our hearts. Even when our heads weren't. I started to move up and down his shaft, slowly. He swallowed hard as his breaths shallowed.

He sat up until we were chest to chest. I wrapped my legs around him as I felt him grip my hips to move me with him as he thrusted into me. He held my gaze. And I watched a little gold ring appear around his iris before he blinked it away. "Just you and me…" I whispered to him, holding the hair at the nape of his neck. When it appeared again in his eyes, something stirred inside of me. We'd always talked about it…what that moment should be. We'd always been practical. Don't do it too soon, it had to be right. God, how much time had we wasted trying to make sure everything was just right? Nothing in this life was ever going to be just right. So I just nodded at him. His eyes widened as he silently asked me if I was sure. Then his mouth cracked a small smile as my eyes flashed gold right back at him.

Wyatt kissed me once again as we moved together. His hands glided over the swell of my ass while he let his nose trail down my neck again. I bit my lip, listening to my heart race. He stopped at the stop between my neck and my shoulder and breathed me in deep. Are you sure? he asked. I nodded, "Yes."

I gasped as I felt him sink his teeth into me. My head dropped on his shoulder, my heart bursting. He let go and kissed around the mark, tenderly. He thrust into me a little faster, nearing his own climax. He pressed his lips to the sore spot over and over again as he made love to me. "Oh fuck…" I moaned, my head still on his shoulder. The wolf inside me was battering at her cage for the first time since I'd been brought back to life. She knew. It was time. I could feel my own breath on his skin as my mouth opened. But something was stopping me…

"I love you, Ace."

That was it. I sank my teeth gently into his shoulder and heard him growl fiercely at the sensation. Holy shit. There was something so primal about marking someone. Like everything in your body tingles, from your toes to the top of your head. My wolf felt like she was right at ribs; as if my bones were the last cage that was stopping her from jumping out. My eyes rolled in the back of my head as I felt the rush of uncontrollable passion and love wash over us. Wyatt cursed, pounding into me until we both came. I let go of his shoulder and crushed my mouth to his. He tried to keep rhythm before finally stopping, somehow managing to hold us both up. I worked a little harder to catch my breath and when I finally did, I felt a little lightheaded.

Wyatt stood up with me still wrapped around him like a little monkey. He walked us to the bathroom and set me down on the counter, never turning the lights on. I ran a hand through my hair as I listened to him turn on the shower. He didn't say much; he just led me to the walk in shower and let me sit under the spray to wet my hair like I'd done countless times over the years. He just watched me. Once again, looking at me like he was worried I'd disappear if he took his eyes off of me. I snaked my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his pec. I kissed right over his heart right when he kissed the top of my head. Then he reached behind me to grab something and I could smell rose and jasmine as he squeezed product into his hand and then started massaging my scalp. "Mmm…" I smiled with my eyes closed. "Is that my shampoo?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered simply. He was attentive. He washed my hair for me, rinsing and repeating, then conditioned it. I looked behind me to grab soap for him and saw…all of my favorite things. Obviously my shampoo and conditioner, but also my favorite Philosophy body wash, my Aveeno face wash, my favorite sugar scrub. Everything. Unopened. Brand new. My heart squeezed a little before grabbing his soap, right next to mine.

When we finished our shower, the two of us were standing in the mirror and I really got a chance to look around. It was as beautiful as the rest of the house. A walk in shower, a huge bathtub, the lighting was moody and perfect. "How long did it take you to build this place?" I asked him as casually as I could.

"About three months," he said, wrapping a towel around his waist. He ran a hand through his wet curls, trying to seem casual. He shrugged. "It was a lot of late nights."

He picked up the hairbrush on the counter and brushed my hair for me so I could put it in a bun on top of my head. I didn't tell him that I'd been worried about him this whole time because he already knew. That's why he was trying to be so nonchalant. "Did your dad and Uncle Paul help?" I asked instead of saying what I really wanted to say.

He shrugged again. "Sometimes."

He probably didn't give them a chance to. We walked back to the bedroom that I had finally seen for the first time. The California King bed sat in the middle, ruffled from our earlier activities but otherwise still made. The headboard, the nightstands, and the console table were all made of this gorgeous heavy wood. Hand crafted. Jared taught him well. The lights were dimmed just enough to create a moody atmosphere. And the walls were a forest green that I'd always loved. But still, no photos, nothing on the walls. Nothing that made it home.

It was almost 6 in the morning and, from the window, I could see the light starting to creep in. Wyatt kissed my shoulder as he handed me one of his large white shirts. He wrapped his arm around me from behind. "I can't believe you're here," he rasped in my ear. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Lee."

I turned around in his arms and looked up at him. "I'm sorry," I told him.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because…" I paused. "I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me," he corrected. "Losing you hurt me."

"That's the same thing."

"It's not," he shook his head. He tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear. He glanced behind me and said, "Put that shirt on. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" I asked. He didn't answer as he threw on a pair of gym shorts and a grey shirt. I pulled his white shirt over my head and followed him downstairs. He worked quietly in the kitchen, pulling out two coffee mugs from a white cabinet with a glass face. A fresh pot of coffee was brewing on the counter. I watched him move seamlessly through the kitchen; he poured my coffee first and then his own. He'd already had my favorite creamer in the fridge and added it to both of our cups. Perfect. He handed me my mug before leading me by the hand to the sliding door behind the dining room table.

The house had a wraparound porch and two chairs already set facing East. He disappeared back inside for a second and came back with a blanket for me. Not that it was cold. It's just cozy. And we sat on the porch and watched the sun rise. I let out a little hum. "I almost forgot how beautiful the sunrise is," I said out loud. Mostly to myself. And when I looked at Wyatt, I realized he wasn't watching the sun, but watching me. He reached down and pulled my chair until I was right next to him. I smiled as he lifted my legs until they were resting across his. We sat quietly, sipping our coffee. "I think I just got a glimpse of the rest of our lives."

"As long as the years are long and you're right here next to me, it's perfect," he said.

He wrapped an arm around me and I leaned into him with a sigh. "Can we stay here forever?" I asked.

"Baby, I built this with forever already in mind."

XXXXXXXXX

There was a knock on the door around 11 that same day. Wyatt and I had finished watching the sunrise and moseyed on back to bed—where I found out he'd never slept in—to doze for a few hours. We both knew there were still so many things to say, but they didn't matter as much as being with each other did. I rolled over in Wyatt's arms, trying to ignore the knuckles wrapping at the front door. I groaned sleepily as I buried my face in his chest. I noticed he was weirdly tense when I did it. So I looked up at him and his eyes were shut tight. But I knew he wasn't asleep. You don't spend 5 years with someone and not know when they're faking it. "Hey…" I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open and he let out a relieved sigh. "You're still here," he whispered. "That wasn't a dream."

"No, it wasn't a dream," I grinned up at him. "Do you need me to pinch you again?"

"God, no," he rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head. "I'd had so many dreams where you showed up at the door over the past year, I…I thought maybe this morning was just one of the most elaborate ones."

"A year is just a drop in the bucket when we have the rest of our lives to be together," I told him, touching his mark. I paused for a second. "I know I can't make up for that lost time. And I know this last year was more than just time away. It was horrible to be away from you for all that time and I wish so much that it hadn't happened the way that it did. But I promise—,"

"You don't have to promise anything," he shook his head. "Just be here."

"I'm here," I promised. The knocks at the door persisted. I kissed him on the cheek. "I think if we wait any longer, Montana's head will burst off of her body."

I held his hand as we walked to the front door. He twirled me around once before letting go. When I swung open the door, Montana, Nate, Cass, and Reese were standing at the door. Montana was holding a picnic basket. "It's about damn time," she huffed. "If they didn't have super hearing, I would have sent a search party."

"Come on in, guys," I said, standing out of the way so they could walk in. That felt very normal. I could get used to this. I leaned my head on the door for a second as Cass kissed my cheek and Nate ruffled my hair. Reese stopped in front of me. There was a ghost of a smile on her face, her strawberry blonde curls falling in her face. "Hi Reese," I smiled softly.

"I knew you wouldn't be down for too long," she smirked. She pulled me into a hug, the warmest, most friendly hug she'd ever given me. When she pulled away, she said, "It's been boring without you, Hadley."

"I thought it would be a great idea if all of us could have breakfast together," Montana proclaimed, setting her picnic basket on the counter. "We would have been here earlier, but—,"

"We figured y'all were busy," Reese joked.

Nate sniffed the air twice. "Looks like we were right," he quipped.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I fake scolded them as they all laughed. Wyatt shook his head and chuckled as he poured himself another cup of coffee. The girls were looking around the place as if they'd never seen it before. It only occurred to me then that that probably was true. Dad said Wyatt was only keeping to himself; no one had really seen him.

"Ok, I have Texas toast, powdered sugar, bacon, fresh fruit—no blueberries for Hadley, I remembered—, ooh and this special bourbon barreled syrup that I found in the market…" Montana rambled as she unpacked the basket. She was going to make French toast on the griddle. "Oh and I brought champs and orange juice for mimosas because this is the most special occasion, of course! Ugh, I have been waiting to get my hands on this kitchen."

Nate clapped Wyatt on the back and said something so quiet that no one else could hear. Wyatt nodded and they walked toward the back of the house. Montana flipped on the brightest lights in the kitchen. Reese started helping her sister with the food, taking out all of the pans and plates and silverware. Everything was clanging a little too loud. Cass came to stand next to me. She placed a tender hand on the small of my back. "Do you wanna go talk?" she asked. I said yes and we took a step outside.

We ended up on a trail outside the house to get away from sensitive ears. Cassie hooked her arm through mine. The sun was out in a way that we rarely got on our rainy little reservation and the birds were singing a beautiful song in the trees. "How was last night?" Cass asked.

I smiled at the thought. "It was incredible," I answered. "I mean, waking up with Wyatt this morning was exactly what I'd been wanting for so long. I missed him. I missed all of you, really. I…still can't believe I'm back here."

She squeezed my arm affectionately as we continued to stroll down the trail. "How are you feeling?" she asked me. There was a certain maturity in her voice that I'd just noticed. When I looked at Cassie Call, I saw someone who'd learned and grown a lot since the last time we were together.

"What do you mean? I feel fine."

She glanced at me, knowingly. We stopped at a clearing and sat in the grass. "Lee, it's just us," she said. "You can tell me."

We held eye contact with each other for a couple of beats. Her encouraging me to be honest, me trying to hold onto whatever it is that I'd been feeling inside. I ran my fingers through the grass, picking a dandelion from the ground. "Dying wasn't as scary as I thought it would be," I said lowly. "I thought it would be dark and lonely…and painful. And it wasn't. The pain only lasted for a second. And then…all I felt was peace. Like all of the fear of the unknown—all of the questions were answered.

I paused. "I knew as soon as I woke up that all of you would be alright. It was just a given; I didn't have to worry about what the future held for you guys because I knew you'd be happy. But I was still so sad that I couldn't be there to be happy with you. And that's the worst part about it…fighting peace. That's all human life is, really. We can all be looking for peace and it can be right in front of us and we're still fighting it. That's what they told me anyway—that the remaining part of me that was human was still fighting what was inevitable." I blew the dandelion flowers in the wind. "I was finished. My soul knew that. I was complete—I'd done the thing that…that I was supposed to do. The prophecy of 'the Quileute Descendant'—whatever that meant—had been fulfilled. But all I wanted to do was live.

I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest. "I was ready to embrace peace when they asked me if I wanted to come back," I told her.

"Oh, Hadley…" Cass whispered, putting a hand on my leg.

I swiped a few stray hairs from my face. "The more time passed, the more I felt that human part of me slipping away. And, you know me…I wanted that to be on my terms. I wanted to make sure everyone was alright before I accepted my death." I told Cass, "I asked them to find Wyatt an imprint so he could be happy. I prayed that Nate and Montana would live their dream life together. I wanted nothing but for you to be absolutely blissful, Cass. I wanted my parents to find peace, my siblings too. That's all I wanted. And then…when they asked me if I wanted to come back, I realized that I owed it to myself to live. To really live.

We sat quietly as Cass let me compose my thoughts. "Everything here is harsh…and loud…and bright. I can still feel how my lungs were on fire under that water. Being human again is hard. The energy that's radiating off of everyone is overwhelming and the guilt of feeling overwhelmed is crippling. And then I came out here and I saw Wyatt and…he made things quiet. I could breathe again without feeling like my heart was beating out of my chest. So…to answer your question…"

"You're not ok," she concluded.

I shook my head and shrugged pathetically. "Not right now," I said truthfully. "But I will be. One day, the sun won't feel so hot on my skin and the sound of people's thoughts won't be so assaulting. And I'll be ok. Right now, I'm just getting through to the next moment, and the one after that…until it feels normal. Which it will. Because nothing is stopping me from being present with all of you. My family."

Cassie reached over to hug me, silent tears running down her face. There was something so cathartic about being able to say how I really felt right then in my second life. I couldn't say that to my parents or my brother or Wyatt. At least not right now. I'd feel too guilty. But with Cass, I knew she'd understand my human side.

Come on, Ace, it's time to eat, Wyatt projected to me. I was happy to hear at least one voice in my head again. I rubbed Cass's back before helping her stand up. I hooked my arm through hers and cheerfully said, "So tell me all about Italy. I totally meant to spy on that trip."

She laughed, thank god. When we got back, Wyatt had turned off all of the lights, opened the curtains on all of the windows which was so much less harsh, and had set the table for all six of us to have our own family breakfast. "The only one missin' is Trav," Montana noted. "I miss him."

"He sends his love," I said. "He said he'll be here in a few days to check on all of us."

"He needs to get his butt settled somewhere," Reese commented as she passed a full plate of French toast around.

"Don't we all," I mumbled sarcastically. "I think we all will be soon." I gave a tight lipped smile as I met Cass's eye across the table. Next to me, Wyatt squeezed my knee before popping a kiss on the side of my head. "This looks amazing, Montana. You really didn't have to do all of this."

"Are you kiddin'?" she waved a dismissive hand. "We're as happy as a pig eatin' slop since you been back, darlin'!"

Everyone laughed at her overtly Southern expression and the fact that she was practically bouncing out of her chair. Sitting here at this table with these people? I knew I was going to be just fine.

XXXXXXXXX

After breakfast, we all splintered off in our separate ways. Cassie, Reese, and Montana left to go back to our old house—now solely inhabited by Nate and Montana (and sometimes Reese, but rarely) while Nate, Wyatt, and I hung out for the first time in god knows how long.

"You gotta shave that thing off your face, bro," Nate poked at Wyatt's beard.

"I like it," I argued lightly, leaning over to grab his cheeks. "It's like a whole lumberjack look."

"He looks like a hermit."

"Well…I was a hermit," Wyatt joked. He rubbed his beard and cringed. "Yeah, it's gotta go. Sorry, Ace, I think you're out voted here."

"So unfair," I pouted, sinking into the couch. Nate chuckled as he settled into a big leather chair next to the couch. He would glance my way every few seconds and just smile. "You look happy, Nathan."

"Even happier now that you're back," he said. "Montana and I were actually about to head to Meridian for a while when August told us you were back. I didn't believe it at first, but Tana said it would be worth it to wait and see if it was true. She was right."

"Nathaniel Uley letting someone else be right?" I fake gasped. "I really have been gone too long."

Nate rolled his eyes at me as he threw a pillow in my direction. I caught it with ease before placing it in my lap. He leaned back in his chair and looked at me, very earnest. "I really am happy you're back, Lee."

"Me too," I said honestly. I bit my lip as I thought about what I would say next. "So we do have to talk about a couple of things though."

As soon as I said it, Wyatt handed Nate a crisp $20 bill. "I told you," Nate said.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Bro, I thought she'd at least wait until the dust settled," Wyatt shook his head.

"Yo, what is happening?" I asked with a laugh.

"I bet $20 you couldn't even wait 48 hours of being back to talk about pack stuff," Nate smirked. "New life, same Hadley."

I scoffed in disbelief. "Are you joking?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You guys are making bets on me already?"

"Look, Ace, you are who you are," Wyatt chuckled. "It's why we love you."

"Now, go ahead," Nate said. "What do we have to talk about?"

I threw the pillow right back at Nate and watched him dodge it as he laughed. Like a real genuine laugh. I looked at both of my boys and my heart burst with happiness. I scooted closer to Wyatt; his arm instinctively wrapped around my shoulders as I cuddled closer to him. "So, while I was…" I was trying to figure out the best way to frame this, "away, I used to peek in on you guys during your runs and stuff. Just to make sure everything was fine." I paused to crinkle my face. "Not that there was much I could do about it, but it made me feel better to see it with my own eyes."

"Nice to know you were looking out for us," Nate said.

I blew out a breath as I tempered my words. But there really was no easy way to say it. So just say it. "The Volturi is still watching us. They already have a new guard. And I do know where to find them."

The boys looked at each other in understandable apprehension.

"I'm not looking for another war," I assured them. "I just think maybe we need to nip this in the bud before it gets worse."

Wyatt sighed. Nate mulled my words over with a tight expression on his face. Neither of them said anything.

"Guys," I started, "I need you to trust me right now."

"The last time we trusted you, you ran a thousand year old vampire off of a cliff and got yourself killed," Wyatt said, an edge in his tone. "Are you really already asking us to help you risk getting killed again?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what?"

"I didn't get brought back so I could sit on the sidelines with protective gear on," I snapped at him, pushing away from his comforting arms. "Like it or not, I still have a job to do. We still have a job to do. We're not done yet until every shifter is safe."

"So what are you asking, Lee?" Nate asked.

"We need to close this chapter once and for all," I said. "One last hurrah, one last time…one last trip on the road."