Hey everyone! I know it's been some time. I appreciate you all bearing with me during my longer writer periods. Finals are coming up and I decided to take some time to write for this story to give my brain a break. I will keep the trigger warning here since Kim will be responding and working through the aftermath of the physical and emotional abuse that happened to her. How did you all like the last chapter? Let me know if there's anything you all want to see in this story more!

Twilight and characters are owned by S. Meyer.

- Author

laósilo (fearless)

Song: Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order

Jared POV

'Thank god it's Saturday.' I think to myself as I finish running my rounds on patrol, Paul trailing close behind me. Paul thinks loudly 'Thank god is right, I can't wait to sleep and attempt to get wasted later at Justine's party.' I inwardly roll my eyes, still getting used to this new feature of my life as a teenage shifter and protector of the Quileute reservation - my home. Several weeks ago, four to be exact, I shifted for the first time after an altercation with an opposing team during one of my basketball games. I ended up running from the game, in a complete blind rage and before I knew what was happening I was running through the dark woods of the reservation, listening to the voice of Samuel Uley guide me to him near the Canadian border. I was in an initial shock, but anger didn't come my way and as I thought more about being a shifter, I understood that more than anything it was a privilege passed down by our early ancestors who protected our people from the cold ones. Sam was the first of our generation to phase, triggered by the vampire family who resided a town over in Forks - the Cullens. Fortunately, they were a family who didn't drink blood from humans, and so they maintained a treaty with our ancestors and now us to remain on our lands and in town. Unfortunately, just their presence has caused the shifter genes in our bodies to react and now more of us are shifting as a response to protect the tribe.

Since the shift happened Sam has been working with myself, Paul, Embry, and Quil to learn how to control our emotions, keep ourselves grounded to avoid phasing unexpectedly. It only took a few days for me to shift back, but it was the longest days of my life, stuck in my own head and forced to feel every emotion elevated ten times the usual. Paul joined us about a week later, taking a full week to calm down enough to phase back to his cocky asshole self. The other boys had a much easier time controlling their phasing when they followed closely after. Paul and I were the closest to each other, we played together on the school team, and would on occasion go out with Suze and Justine when she gave him the time of day. But now since phasing together, doing patrols, and learning our history and duty we have truly become brothers. We even supported one another when it came time to tell our parents with Sam, explaining what we were and how drastically life would change for us. Luckily, both of our parents were involved in tribal affairs and understood the importance of keeping the legends a secret as well as our hectic patrol schedule. To make our transition and patrols easier, the rest of the boys and I were both welcomed by Sam's fiancée and imprint Emily Young to stay with them. My parents agreed since they knew it would be easier to maintain my shifting from my younger sister. On nights I didn't have patrol though, it always felt more of a comfort to sleep in my own bed, so I let myself into my room without having to wake up my parents or sister. Somehow, my mother always knew though, because I would have a fresh set of clothes laid out and my bathroom towels restocked. I didn't deserve her.

As we made our way closer to the coast of the rez, I tuned myself back into Paul and his ramblings of a party and getting wasted. 'Paul, you know we can't get drunk anymore right? We run too high for alcohol to affect us.' Paul makes a gruff sound in his throat, I presume a laugh before responding 'That's the beauty of it, there's always fun in trying. Plus, the girls don't know that. I heard Justine is going to have a rager.' I roll my eyes and shake my massive head back and forth 'You're a pig.' 'No, I'm a gigantic wolf.' Around 30 minutes later we wrap up our patrol, ending up back in Sam's backyard, him waiting on the porch with a steaming mug as pink touches the sky "Welcome back boys, seems like tonight was uneventful." Although we are a few hundred yards from him, he talks regularly as our new sensitive hearing picks him up as if we were standing right next to each other. Paul and I remain behind the treeline, phasing back and putting our shorts back on before making our way to the back porch. "Nothing to report Sam, but an annoying mosquito in my ear all morning" I chuckle, and I feel Paul glare my way a slight shake to his hands, before he squeezes them into fists. "Jared is just salty he'll have to see his ex tonight, probably all over another guy" I cut my eyes to him, but remain in control, and I make my way up the steps into the house with Sam. I don't feel anger at his comment, but annoyance at bringing up the newness of having an ex-girlfriend - another result of my phasing. I knew Suzanne and I wouldn't last, but regardless I still felt frustrated that it was another choice taken from me. I felt like I was out of control of my life because shifting has changed everything. Even looking at Sam and Emily in their kitchen, her at the stove making a fresh pot of coffee at 5AM and him beside her, his elbow lightly pressed against hers. For them, imprinting made sense, felt right even though their circumstances weren't ideal. For me, imprinting felt like another choice made for me. I shake my head at my own thoughts, knowing it was something I had to let go if I wanted some sort of peace in my mind.

Emily serves Paul and I a mug of fresh coffee, sitting at the kitchen table and listening to our report back to Sam which was next to nothing as all we came across was an old scent of bloodsuckers who had passed through maybe several months before. Once Sam was satisfied he let us go, reminding us we would be on again Monday evening and to be careful as we enjoyed our weekend. I hopped into my black Chevy, opting to drive and balance a sense of normalcy in my life since phasing. As Paul's house was along the way, I nodded my head at him to get in and he did. "So buddy, are you going to come to this party with me or what? Forget about Suze, I was just joking about that." I start the engine and make my way towards his house on the quiet early morning roads of the rez. "Paul, I don't care about having to leave Suze. We weren't made to last anyway, it's just the fact that because of us phasing, our choices are being made for us. It's getting frustrating." I squeeze the steering wheel under my hands, careful to gauge my new found strength to avoid damaging my truck. As I round the corner to get on Paul's street, I see him nod his head out of the corner of my eye "I get you, but think about it this way, you have the rest of your life to worry about finding your imprint. And you can have fun while you do it. Let loose this weekend, forget about phasing, and find some hot chick to have a great time with." I can't help but chuckle along with him, even if I didn't agree that fucking anything that moves this weekend was a great idea.

After dropping off Paul, I make my way home so I can crawl into my bed and sleep for several weeks - if only. I wanted to go out and have a good time this weekend, hell I deserved it considering all we have been doing the past four weeks is patrolling. But I also was considering how this would be our first time being seen again by everyone, and Monday would be our first official day back since being cleared by Sam. As I pull up to my house, I see the porch light on and a soft glow coming from inside my house - no doubt my dad up early getting his medical bag ready. My dad was a doctor for the IHS on the rez during the week, and he volunteered his services for disadvantaged families in Port Angeles on the weekends when he had time. I park along the road to give my dad space to leave, and make my way into the house. Sure enough as I slip my shoes off, and make my way into the kitchen, my dad is pouring a travel cup of coffee for himself and putting an orange into his bag on the counter. He looks up and smiles my way, before gesturing to the coffee pot "Need a cup?". I smile back at him and shake my head "Emily had some ready for us this morning when we got back from patrol. I'm going to head to bed but wanted to say hey before you left. I parked on the road for you." He nods his head and picks up his bag, and before heading out he gives me a side hug and slaps my shoulder. "Proud of you son. I'll see you later." I grab myself a bottle of water from the fridge and make my way past the kitchen to the back of the house where my room and bathroom are. My parents added on this addition when my sister was born, since I was already 13 and begged to not share a room. My sister got my old room upstairs with my parents, which also gave me more privacy for other…things. I strip out of my clothes once my door is closed, and slide into my sheets, too tired to shower before sleeping. Luckily, my mom installed black out curtains in my room so I wouldn't have to worry about the sun waking me up. Like I said, I didn't deserve her.

When I open my eyesagain, it's because of little fingers poking me on my face. I stick one eye open, and see little brown eyes under a mop of black hair looking at me. I can't help but smile as I swoop my little sister under my arm and tickle her despite her loud squeals. "Jaredddd, let me goooo" she laughs loudly, squirming in my arms as I poke my fingers into her sides and around her neck. "You woke up the tickle monster Junie, so now you have to pay" I smile and keep tickling her until she's out of breath and left sprawled on my bed. I stand up stretching and yawning, before reaching down to pick up my sister and placing her on my hip as I walk into the kitchen. I see my mom at the stove cooking eggs, with a plate of bacon and toast on the table, steam rising off of it. "Good morning, ká (mom)" she turns my way, and smiles at Junie and I before going back to scrambling. "Sorry Jared, I know you had a late run but she begged me to wake you, so I hope this breakfast makes up for it" she transfers the eggs to a plate and hands it to me as I sit down at the table after setting Junie in her booster seat. "No worries, I'll have more time to sleep this weekend since we won't have to run until Monday night" she nods her head, making my sister's little plate of eggs and joins us at the table with her coffee. "Well since your weekend is free, what do you have planned?" I dig into my food, resisting the urge to moan as the crispy bacon touches my tongue. "Paul wants to go to a party and I said I would go, mostly just to make sure he doesn't flip his lid." "Is your girlfriend going to be there?" she looks at me over the rim of her coffee mug. I shake my head and let out a breath before filling her in on what Sam told me "I can't have a girlfriend, it's too risky and she could not be my imprint, meaning it would be pointless to even date her. Sam said we can't risk anyone learning our secret." She adds more pieces of bacon to my plate before answering "I think Sam is right to an extent, but also Jared you're still young and figuring things out, so don't forget that either. The imprint will happen when and if you are both ready." "I know ká (mom), but to be honest it's just another duty I have to fulfill to be a shifter. I have no choice." I squeeze my fork just thinking about it, frustration growing in the pit of my stomach and making a dull ache in the front of my head. I needed more sleep. I finish my food quickly as my mother helps my sister finish up, taking her for a bath, as I go back to my room to sleep more.

I wake up again around 11AM, and decide to get up and get ready for the day. I take myself to my bathroom and get in a steaming shower, first scrubbing shampoo through my hair before conditioning it. One thing I did not enjoy about this change was having to cut my hair. I had been growing my hair out since I was a young boy, before the cut it rested to the middle of my back similar to my moms. I was jealous looking at hers now compared to my much shorter chop that didn't even touch my ears. Sam said realistically, it was much better to avoid our fur being tangled or causing our enemies to take advantage during a fight. Once I'm done with my hair, I use the cucumber mint soap my mom keeps in my bathroom to wash my body, starting with my face and moving down to my feet. Don't get me wrong, I was a clean guy before, but now since we spent so much time in the woods with no clothes on I take extra care in scrubbing my body after patrol to get rid of the caked in dirt smell from running trails in the forest all day and night. My mind wanders to the party later, and to Paul's words about finding some girls to have fun with. I was still a guy, and Suze hadn't been with me for a while even before I phased because she was mad at me. I hated to admit that I missed her touch. Before I let myself get too lost in my mind I finished washing and got out, using my fresh towel to dry off and wrap around my waist as I brushed my teeth and ran some gel through my hair to keep it out of my eyes. I make my way into my room and close my door, turning the little alarm clock radio on my night stand on low as some 80s song floats through. Once I'm dried off, I go to my dresser and pull on a shirt and boxers, before pulling on some shorts and making my way to the living room. My mom is on the couch watching a craft show as she knits, my sister playing with her dolls on the floor in front of her. She runs to me, hugging my legs "Brother, can we go to the park?". I pick her up and look at my mom "Are you both busy today? Or do I have time to take her?". My mom turns off the TV and gets up before answering "Actually that would be perfect, I can go get some shopping for dinner done before your dad gets home." I smile at my sister and set her down so she can go put her boots and jacket on, before I take her hand and open the front door. "Alright ma, we'll be gone for an hour tops. Let me know if you need anything while we're out." She waves at us from the porch and makes her way back inside as I buckle my sister into her seat and we make our way to the park.

The first thirty minutes at the park were uneventful, besides serving as eye candy for all of the mothers and aunties as I played with Junie and pushed all the kids on the swings. Of course as we are about to leave, Junie takes a tumble in the wood chips from running too fast and scrapes up her knee. She was the toughest four year old I knew, didn't cry, even as she looked at the blood pooling at her knee. I didn't have a first aid kit in my truck, something I'm sure my mom would wring my neck about later. Luckily, the Call's convenience store was right up the road and would only take a few minutes to get to where I could buy some bandages. I load Junie into her carseat in the back, and turn on the radio for her to focus on while we make our way to the store. I pull up in front of the ice locker by the door, and turn to look at my sister. "I'm going to run in and get your bandaids, and I'll bring you back something special since you're so brave. I'll be right back." She nods her head smiling, humming along to the radio as she focuses on something out of the window. I turn to see a young boy making his way across the parking lot, yelling happily. Hopefully his parents weren't far behind him. I make my way to the door, opening it when I feel someone collide into my chest. I grab the person's arm, the scent of strawberry filling my nose, and quickly apologize "Are you ok? Sorry, I didn't expect you to come flying out like that." She doesn't even look up, and after righting herself runs after the young boy throwing an apology after her along the way. I watch after her as she grabs the young boy's hand, and scolds him gently before they keep walking. I turn back towards the store, nodding my head at the girl behind the counter and make my way to the bandaids. I pick up the box of band aids that have the princesses on them, along with some antibacterial ointment and take them to the counter to check out. When I make my way out of the store, I open the back of my truck to help my sister. Once her knee is bandaged and we both have a strawberry sucker in our mouths we're on our way home.

We find my ká (mom) in the kitchen putting away groceries and pulling out the pans she needs for dinner. My sister immediately runs into the kitchen to show my mom her battle wound from the playground, to which my mom gives her a hug and kisses her hair. "You are such a brave girl. And you didn't even cry? I'll have to give you something special for dessert tonight." My sister runs back to hug my legs "Jared got me a strawberry sucker, my favorite!". My mom smiles at us softly and comes over to hug us both. "You both are the best kids I could ask for." I hug her back, finding comfort in being around my family after having weeks of back to back patrolling. I pick my sister up leaving our mom in the kitchen, and settle us on the couch to watch a movie while we wait for dinner later. I ended up dozing off, and woke up around 4PM, my sister playing with her dolls again on the living room floor. I joined her for a while, before getting up and going into the kitchen. "Mom, do you need help?" I ask her as I pull myself up onto the counter. "No son, I'm ok. Your dad should be home soon from the clinic. What time are you heading out with Paul?" She starts pulling out her ingredients on the kitchen counter. "He said the party starts around nine, I'll probably eat dinner with you all and head out." She nods her head, and smiles. "Have fun, but please be careful, and make sure Paul doesn't do anything crazy." I laugh at the fact she already knew to warn me about Paul's shenanigans "No worries ká (mom), I will make sure that I keep Paul out of trouble, because we both know I'm the most responsible." I jump off the counter and grab a bottle of water before going back to the living room with Junie, waiting for dinner.

My dad gets home around 6:30PM, just as my mom sets the table for dinner. We all sat together to eat as long as I could remember, my mom and dad made sure of that despite their work schedules or my sports one. It felt good to be home again, to be back in the routine I knew so well with my family. I helped my mom by clearing everyone's plates and doing the dirty dishes before I made my way to my room to get changed for the party. I pull on a black fitted t-shirt from my drawer, and jeans with a black belt before I spray myself with my Tom Ford cologne and make my way to the door to put on my boots and leave. My parents are on the couch with my sister dozing between them, and I lean down to kiss my moms cheek. "I'm heading out, I'll probably stay at Paul's tonight since I won't know how long we'll stay out." "Alright son, be safe. If you both have any trouble, call for Sam." I nod to them, and pull on my boots before grabbing my keys and heading out to meet up with Paul. It's already 9PM, so I shoot him a quick text on my way, and get in my truck. With the new found body temp that comes with phasing, we no longer need to worry about having a coat or jacket. I also knew I didn't need to bring anything to stay over since Paul and I were the same size, and I could just borrow shorts from him. I put the radio on low as I pulled up outside of Paul's house, hitting the horn lightly. He comes running out, whooping as he slides into the car. He has something on similar to me, and I can already tell he's amped up for tonight. God help us. "Look, I got someone to hook us up with a keg at the liquor store in Forks. We need to pull up around the back. I already got the cash." I rolled my eyes, not surprised that he already had this planned…this was just another Saturday night with Paul. I made my way to Forks knowing we would make it to the party when everything was in full swing. Maybe it would actually be better, lots of people to blend in with. At least, that's what I hoped for. After Paul loads up the keg in the back of my truck in Forks, we make our way to Justines. We get there in about twenty minutes, and my radio reads 10PM. Paul looks over at me expectantly when I don't get out of the truck "You coming Jared?". I shake my head and nod him along, as I squeeze my hands around the steering wheel and take deep breaths "You go ahead, I'll be there soon, I just need some time to catch my breath." He shrugs and picks up the keg easily out of the back and makes his way inside, to the sound of everyone cheering.

For some reason, I feel nauseous, like my stomach is all over the place, like something bad is happening but I can't explain what. I honestly feel like leaving but I knew it would be a bad idea to leave Paul alone. I climb out of the truck and take another deep breath before making my way to the front door. Before I can knock or open it, it flies open roughly and I look down at the girl whose hand is a death grip on it. As I look into her dark eyes, there is a single thought that comes to my mind. Strawberries. My vision goes blurry, and so does my mind as I feel my entire insides settle themselves into a deep feeling of comfort. It was the craziest feeling, one I couldn't describe to anyone but those who have imprinted. I felt whole, like a piece of myself was missing my entire life and I never knew it until now. This woman was my home. As I come to, I realize it's the girl from the store earlier in the day, smelling like sweet strawberries - my favorite. But it isn't until the recognition clears in my mind, that I realize she's crying. I quickly look her over in confusion, wondering why this sweet girl is in distress. As I take her in, I notice swollen red marks making themselves known on her face. I want to say something to her, say anything, but nothing is coming from my mouth. Who hurt her? What was she crying? I wanted to fix everything for her. I feel my hand reach out to her, like it's moving on its own, but she flinches from me and the deepest hurt I could describe settles into my stomach next to the anger that is rising the longer I look at her face. She quickly darts around me with a broken 'sorry', and runs from the house, and as much as I want to chase her…I know it would only make it worse somehow.

I force myself into the party, not acknowledging those around me cheering my name or offering me handshakes or hugs. I needed to know what happened to her. I take a deep breath, solely focused on the scent of her strawberry soap as it leads me through the living room into the kitchen. There are only people making out and drinking, no one I recognize or looks to be upset if something did just happen. I head back into the living room, and stop by the back door that's open, where I spot Paul with a girl on one of the benches, one of her chocolate colored legs over his lap and his eyes deeply set on her, like she's the only woman in the world. She glances my way and smiles, waving gently before going back to look at Paul. Fuck. We are going to have a lot to explain to Sam. I didn't have time to get into it with Paul on our new state of being imprinted shifters, I needed to figure out what happened to my girl. I turn back inside, and make my way up the stairs where her scent is leading me. I find myself opening a room that is now empty, but disheveled as the blankets and pillows of the bed are thrown everywhere. Her scent is the strongest here, mixed with the salty scent of tears, cigarettes, and beer. As I turn to leave, I notice something glinting in the moonlight from the window on the floor by the bed. I crouch down to pick it up, and realize it's a necklace, a locket. I assume it's hers, and slide it into my pocket before leaving the room. I knew this locket would help me in figuring out who she was.

As I left the party, I didn't know what to do, but I knew my rage was seconds from spilling over and causing me to phase. I needed to run. As I made my way into the forest, and stripped my body, I only had one thought in my mind: I would find out what happened to her, and who was going to pay for it.

Oooouuu - the first POV of Jared. What did you all think? Lot's to unpack here from Jared's point of view including getting some background on his family and his new relationship to his pack brothers. The next chapter will also be from Jared's POV and will capture his first day back at school, after shifting. Also, I completely changed Paul's imprinting story because I wanted to include Jaz in on the shifters secret, and keep her and Kim's friendship together. Paul will give a more in-depth look at how that happened in the next chapter. Please let me know what you all thought, your feedback is appreciated and loved.

Until next time!