"True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever-growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs, when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together."

Ricardo Montalban

The view was beautiful. Bella could now see why her daughter loved to watch the sunrise so much.

It was all beautiful; breathtaking, in fact. Maybe if she hadn't spent so much time worrying about the weather (which she'd gotten used to anyway), and fearing how to navigate the new environment, she would've appreciated it more. Just like everything else.

And then she got dazzled by Edward who thirsted for her blood and was bewildered by the lack of access to her mind.

Now, three of them stood on the cliff face watching the sunrise over the mountains, the sea, the rivers and the woods: Bella, Leah and Gabrielle. All of whom had come to a point where they'd never expected to come surrounded by people they'd never thought they'd seek out or even heard of, yet here they were.

Who knew, even when the former two had first encountered the supernatural and been a part of it that it would come to this.

"The packs have been informed. The other species are planning to come. They've… well, they prefer to have me here when everything is explained, so we will have to wait until after the trials and sentencing have passed." Gabrielle said quietly.

She cast a glance towards Bella. "Can you take it?"

Bella took a deep breath. "I've wasted more than eleven months of my life before I even got married." She said quietly. "I know I'm immortal, but I'm not going to waste anymore. My daughter needs me."

Gabrielle nodded, understanding.

In truth, Bella was simply trying to put off acknowledging her fear that she jumped into and would someday regret- if she hadn't already- not only marriage, but immortality. Someday, she would have to face this, she knew. But not yet. For now… she had to look forwards. For her daughter's sake and her own- only this time she couldn't falter like Renée. She couldn't go back or be anything remotely like her. Not anymore.

Gabrielle nodded. Leah stood by them. "And how are you taking this?" Gabrielle asked her quietly.

Leah sighed, shaking her head. "It's a lot to take in. It's just… it's not what I imagined."

"But do you not wish for it?" Gabrielle said quietly. "Even as an Alpha- or a ruling Luna- you have choices."

Leah shook her head. "I can't go back. I know that now. Besides, like I said, I'm not the same girl I used to be. Not before Sam phased and then imprinted. I'm not going back. I can only look forwards." Gabrielle nodded. Bella looked at her with surprise. "I just… I just don't know what to do."

Gabrielle shook her head. "I don't think the experts and the experienced Alphas and Lunas themselves plan that far ahead. Wait: if you were chosen for a reason, then there will come a time when you will see what you have to do. Trust yourself. Trust your instincts."

"Our instincts… which have led us to this."

"I said your instincts, Leah." Gabrielle remarked, turning towards her. "If you truly are a ruling Luna- or a Luna-to-be- then you have to trust in yourself most of all. You may make mistakes- everybody does. You may make the wrong decisions, and you will have to encounter hard ones and hard choices someday. But don't tell me that you aren't capable of it.

"And in cases like this the best decision would be to do the right thing- whatever it is. The second-best one is to do the wrong thing. The worst decision?" Gabrielle shook her head. "Would be to do absolutely nothing."

She looked sympathetically at Leah. "Do you know what you want?"

Leah was confused. "I want..." she took a deep breath. "I want Jacob and Renesmee's imprint bond to be reversed. I want the same for Quil and Claire. I want them all to be free and happy to do what they wish."

"And what about Sam and Emily?" Gabrielle asked, gently.

Leah shook her head. "They can't know," she said, firmly. Gabrielle wasn't surprised, but Bella was still shocked to hear that.

"I don't want... I don't want Sam or Emily to lose each other after they've lost almost everyone and everything else." Leah confessed. "What happened... it's ruined his reputation and hers. Obviously because people don't know about imprinting, but they can disapprove of what they both did because they both seemed like they could help it and chose to do it. Besides," Leah took a deep breath. "Emily... she's scarred." Gabrielle blinked. "I won't give away her private details, I think you'll understand-" Gabrielle nodded "-but she has scars on her face from an attack from one of our own." Gabrielle absorbed this in silence.

"I can help with that." She said quietly. "If Emily would like, I could brew her a cream to get rid of the scars."

Leah blinked, then nodded.

"That would be appreciated. Thanks." Gabrielle nodded in return.

Gabrielle was silent. "Humans can't feel the pull." She said slowly. "Some species of Loup-Garou, including Gabriel and Vivian's, cannot interbreed and produce offspring with humans- at all. It just isn't possible. There have been members of that species who have had relations with humans, but no children were ever produced. But some species... they can sire hybrid children. However, both types of species- the ones that can and the ones that cannot- typically go for their fellow Loup-Garoux. They feel the Pull. In Vivian's species', however, it's a recent thing. Even more recent than yours even though her species were old by the time Taha Aki started phasing. They've only ever felt the Pull with their own kind though. It's a well-known fact: humans cannot feel the Pull. It is not mutual for them."

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "How did Emily react when Sam first presented his case to her?"

Leah looked surprised. "She was horrified." She admitted. "Angry and upset. She told him to get lost and go back to me. Sam refused. He didn't want to hurt me anymore than he already did by pretending and lying to me, knowing that it was useless to keep this from me."

"But she specifically told him to go away?" Gabrielle pressed. "Did he leave?"

Leah opened her mouth in shock. Her eyes were wide. "What are you saying?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Did she consent?" She asked quietly. "You mentioned she told him to go away. Did he respect her wishes?"

For a moment, Leah was unable to speak. "You- you think that he- Sam would never-"

"So long as he did not stalk her," Gabrielle warned. "Some Loup-Garoux admittedly do that. Sometimes you have to balance it out: the part that is a sentient human and the part that is a wolf. However, even now more and more Loup-Garoux are putting up boundaries between what is acceptable and what is not. Sam not respecting her wishes and going away could be considered that."

"He did," Leah protested. "He did leave..." but then she hesitated.

Sam had returned. They all knew that. Judging from the look on Leah's face both Bella and Gabrielle knew it.

"He couldn't stay away," Leah said quietly. She shook her head. "You don't understand... it's almost painful for him- for any of them to be apart from their imprints."

Gabrielle winced. "Some have mentioned something along these lines, but not to this extreme," she said softly. "Leah... whether you nor anyone else likes it or not your variation of the Moon's Pull is... on overdrive. That's the only word I have to say it. As I've said, my suspicion is that- sensing that you and Sam are too closely related more than once-" Leah and Bella winced "-Sam's instincts compelled him to imprint upon the closest person next to you. Close enough to be you."

Leah felt ill- then a sudden surge of panic. "But we can't tell Sam or Emily that!" She protested.

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the area between her brows. "So what is the solution? For future generations of Quileute Wolves to suffer this- without thinking about the consequences of their actions? What if Sam had been arrested?"

Leah fell silent. "And what if Emily had reacted... more strongly than she did?" Gabrielle asked quietly. Her violet-blue eyes were pained as she looked at Leah. "What did he tell her? That she was his soulmate on the first meeting?"

Leah shook her head. "Second meeting, more like. She told him to leave the first time when he straight-up told her that he'd broken up with me for her, because she was horrified. He couldn't stay away for long- he just couldn't it was too painful for them- any of them- so when he did eventually come back he told her all his secrets and even phased in front of her. She couldn't reject him; not after telling her about her being his..." she hesitated. "His 'soulmate'."

"Leah..." Gabrielle said softly. "Missing your mate or prospective mate after you have felt the Pull is horrible. It's ghastly and terrible, and no Loup-Garou likes that. But to immediately assume the one you feel the Pull towards is your soulmate without even knowing them that well... How often did the two of them meet before he imprinted?"

Leah hesitated. "I dunno. Maybe a couple of times? Or three?" She seemed bewildered.

Gabrielle pursed her lips. "That shouldn't be enough to determine whether or not someone is a Wolf's soulmate. And keep in mind that one of them was one hundred percent human. Emily can't feel the Pull."

"But she couldn't just reject him," Leah said softly. "At least not like that."

So Leah still felt a strong sense of loyalty towards Emily as well as Sam. Gabrielle was touched, and so was Bella.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Your loyalty and sense of kinship for both of them is more than just admirable, Leah." She said quietly. "But Sam did... impose on her. He made her feel that neither he nor her had any other options."

"That's because there were no other options to him!"

"Yes," Gabrielle agreed, to Leah's- and Bella's- surprise. "But even though he didn't know that there were any for himself, she certainly had them."

Leah was silent. "Was it fair on her?" Gabrielle asked, point-blank. "If he truly claimed to be her soulmate back then- when he barely even knew her, much less understood why or what there was to love about her- if he claimed to be truly in love with her... should he not thought of her first? Should he not have respected her wishes when she asked him to leave? Did he not think about the consequences of what this could do to the relationship between the two of you? You said you and Emily were as good as sisters."

Leah winced. So did Bella, listening to this.

"I don't blame Sam," Gabrielle said, voice soft. "Please understand that. As you said it's painful for any of them. But your imprinting is too extreme. It's... it seems like Sam imposed himself onto Emily and gave her no choices, even though he claimed to be her soulmate- and that includes loving her. But not only does he not know any reason as to why he believes that a relationship between them both could ever work, but he basically guilt-tripped her into fearing what he would do if she rejected him before she could think things through or decide anything, and made her believe that there was no other option for- not only him- but her. Even at the risk of harming the relationship between you both. And then there's the fact that Sam- despite barely knowing and developing the bond between them both- if there is one if one partner doesn't feel the Pull- the precisely same level of connection- to begin with- feels incredible pain when he's not physically even near her." Gabrielle shook her head. "That is extreme. Even for Loup-Garoux who technically mate for life- ideally."

"Even for soulmates?" Bella asked quietly, voicing the same thing on Leah's mind.

"Soulmates on the second meeting?" Gabrielle shook her head incredulously. "Poof! Just like that?" She shook her head again. "Please remember what I am telling you now- if you don't remember or don't want to remember anything else- though I hope you will, for your own sakes because I never say any of these things lightly- then remember this: finding 'the One' is not enough. It is only part of the journey. You must grow love; cultivate and nourish it. Nurture it. Like caring for a plant, an animal or even a growing child, see where the path leads you both. Whether or not you truly feel you can do this. Sometimes, it's just as much about timing and being prepared for entering a long-term or permanent commitment, as your parents found out." Bella winced. "Because couples who truly did love each other can still fall apart because of that. They can choose to go separate ways. And that includes Loup-Garoux. Also, you have to respect the other partner. There has to be full trust between the two of you, even if you do keep secrets. Love alone is not enough: understanding, trust and respect are some of the strongest pillars in any relationship.

"Of course mortals are different. Because their lives are so short, nature expects that they have to repopulate. So emotionally and mentally, as well as biologically, it's different. People tend to get married faster and marriages- and sadly, families- often fall apart." Bella winced again. "But the longer a being lives, the least likely they are to make a bad commitment. Even wizards and witches. Yes, there have been a few divorces or broken marriages, but it is less likely because they live far longer than humans. And for Loup-Garoux, they have a built-in natural instinct to make better choices on whom to commit to. All because living longer means you will be truly, genuinely happier if you have the one you truly love by your side. If it is indeed true love." She sighed.

"But even immortals- not just vampires, but completely unrelated species- who are monogamous and remain with the one partner for eternity know better than to jump into long-term commitments too quickly. Even the ones who experience eternal love may also experience unrequited love and have wasted away because of that. And even these immortals have broken off relationships in their early stages and even had betrothals cancelled and weddings called off, before then moving on and finding another special someone they have a better chance of making things work for them- because they will stick with that one person for eternity, and this means they have to be more careful before making a decision to commit." Leah and Bella were both silent. "The High Elves, who are my ancestors on my Veela side, are immortal and eternally monogamous. They gave each other silver rings upon their promising. They exchange them with gold rings during their wedding ceremony. But if they chose not to go through with marriage, they would then melt the silver rings and formally terminate their betrothal. The silver is requisitioned for other purposes, but would never be used by either of the individuals again. Both will eventually find other partners and use new silver rings when they get betrothed. It's no use wasting even eternity for a relationship that will never truly flourish, if you do not understand each other, or if there is little trust or respect between a couple."

Both of them were silent for a while, and Bella stared motionlessly at the rising sun.

"Think about the future generations of Quileute Wolves, Leah." Gabrielle said quietly. "And think about their potential mates. Can you imagine the implications this extreme imprinting will have on them? The consequences if the extremity that is your current version of imprinting is allowed to run rampant?"

Leah closed her eyes in despair.

"Sam is an Alpha," Gabrielle whispered. "He has to know."

"He would never believe me." Leah whispered back. "He wouldn't want to; none of them will. They all think I'm just the bitter ex-girlfriend. Because that's all I am to them: that's all I'll ever be."

Gabrielle sighed, closing her eyes. "Then we'll just have to wait. And you will have your turn to prove them otherwise."

Suddenly, a new arrival made the three of them turn.

Renesmee was standing behind them.

"The basis of peace is for people to understand the pain of others."

Susan Southard

Renesmee

"Can I talk to you?" She mumbled to her mother.

Gabrielle looked at Leah. They both understood what was about to happen: Renesmee's world had been shattered and spat at onto her feet. And she wanted to know exactly why.

Slowly the two of them left, shooting her understanding looks.

Mom took a deep breath. Her chocolate-brown eyes, so like her own, one of the first memories that she'd had, gazed sadly but warmly at her. She managed a small smile. "Good morning, sweetie."

Nessie, nodded, mumbling a good morning to her mother.

She sighed, inhaling the fresh, clean air and looking out over the lush greenery of the trees and the layer of dew that coated them glistening in the golden glow of the morning sunrise. The sky was a crisp and clear blue, tinged with the sun's golden rays. For a moment, they both stood side by side in silence, as they gazed at the view.

"It's beautiful," Bella murmured. "I never noticed that before."

Renesmee blinked. "Why not?"

Bella sighed. "I guess that's because I spent too much time dreaming about how things should be that I never noticed the beauty of the world already around me; in any case, I feared it."

"How come?"

"Because Phoenix was familiar to me; I can't say that I was happy there-" nor was I happy anywhere. The words were never spoken aloud, but Renesmee heard them nonetheless. "-but I'd grown used to it, after all those years. I learned how to navigate things as they were. Going someplace new and unfamiliar, having to start somewhere on my own all over again... it made me terrified." She admitted. Her mother looked at her.

"Only one person could put my fears at ease," she confessed, chocolate-brown eyes still focused on Renesmee. "Only one person made me feel like I was in a storybook of fairytales, instead of whatever the mess that was the world around me and my life was."

"Edward." Renesmee stated, point-blank. Bella winced, but did not reprimand her. She must've known that Renesmee was never going to call Edward 'Dad' ever again.

"Did Jacob make you feel that way too?"

Bella hesitated, but then sighed. "Not... to the extent that your fa- that Edward did."

She must've noticed Renesmee tensing up when Bella tried to refer to Edward as Renesmee's father, even though he was. Not to her; not anymore.

Renesmee was silent for a while. "Why did you marry him? Why did you even go out with him? Why did you fall in love with him?" She asked. "If everything about your marriage was a lie, why did you choose to be with him for eternity?"

Bella flinched. "Renesmee," she said, almost pleadingly. "What we had- what we felt for each other wasn't a lie."

"Wasn't it?" Her voice came sharper than she thought it would. "Everything he claimed to be to me was also a lie."

Bella looked anguished. "Your father loves you-"

"No, he loves you. Or what and who he thinks is you." Renesmee said bluntly. "Even if he did know what you liked, what you felt about everything and how you would feel about things before you even got to see them, what you felt or how you would feel about everything, he never showed it. Never did anything or gave you anything that you liked. The cottage was Grandma's present. The Ferrari was Da-Edward's." Bella winced. Renesmee gritted her teeth. She would not back down. Not after this. Her mother saw that and she saw something in her brown eyes that looked remotely like... what?

Not the kind she used to look at Edward with, but the kind of look she got when she hears or reads on the news about someone doing something nice or brave, like the guy who went in and saved two kids from a fire someplace in Seattle. It struck Renesmee what it was: respect.

The shock was enough to floor her. Almost.

"Edward never cared to give you anything you might've wanted," Renesmee pointed out. "Edward never cared for how you would feel when he left you in those woods, like trash, or when he immediately began making arrangements to go inside and kill your baby without even thinking to ask how you would feel about that. He thought he knew." A harsh, bitter laugh bubbled up Renesmee's throat. Her mother pressed her lips together at the sound, and her brown eyes glistened, like she was crying tears. "He already thought he knew everything there was to know. And if he didn't, he'd still know what to do." She scoffed. "He was wrong."

Bella took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep from crying. Renesmee let her mother have some time to compose herself before speaking.

"Why did you fall in love with him?" She asked quietly. "How could you have ever chosen him over Grandpa? Someone who actually did care about and loved you, even letting you go even though he knew better, because he wanted you to be free and happy." Bella looked like she'd been slapped. Renesmee hesitated, but then pressed on: "I know you didn't see him a lot when you were a kid. But that didn't mean that he didn't love you or showed you how he cared."

Bella looked like she was on the verge of crying. "Yeah- I- I guess you're right."

She took a deep breath. "Grandpa Charlie let you go because he knew that was what you wanted." Renesmee whispered. "And I don't think you would've listened to him anyway, anymore than Edward ever did." Bella flinched at the tone Renesmee was using behind his name. "So he just wanted to make sure that he could at least make sure that you were okay."

Bella stifled a sob. "I know."

"What I don't understand is how could you have ever chosen Edward over him?" Renesmee whispered. "How could you threaten to leave him if he didn't accept Edward? I overheard him talking to Sue about this other girl who was going crazy. She skipped out on school and all her exams. She started partying and hanging out with bad people, including boys. And then one day, her parents had enough and kicked her out. He said that it wasn't because that they didn't love her but because they did. But if they let her back in and everything they'd tried to get her to stop ruining her own life didn't work, they didn't know what else did. If she did come back and nothing they tried on her worked, she would keep doing what they did, and she would've eventually gone to jail or died." Bella closed her eyes. "Grandpa said she's better now: she's got a job, gone back to school, caught up on everything she'd missed, retook her exams. And now she has a new place and she's speaking with her family again. They helped her out even if they never let her back in. She's not hanging around those people anymore, including the boyfriends who introduced her to everything that was wrong. including drinking." Bella took a shuddering breath. "But Grandpa also said that no matter how badly she did, or how wrong it was, she never broke the law or treated her family with as much disdain as you had."

Bella flinched, as if she'd been stabbed. "He let you stay because he knew that if you didn't because he didn't accept Edward, you'd go running straight back to him and who knows what else he would do," Renesmee continued. "Otherwise... he feels that he should've done what that girl's parents did- along with Sam's mother."

Bella was silent for a while. "He thought it might've been the only thing that would've snapped you back to your senses, instead of marrying the boy you'd only dated for eleven months." Renesmee finished. "But he couldn't take the risk. Not if it means that something could happen to you because of Edward and he wouldn't have known. He knew you would do it anyway. You went inside his back to let Edward in through your window."

This startled Bella. "He- he knew?"

"Da-Edward's not that good at sneaking around," Renesmee stated, point-blank. "He might be able to sneak in, even without your help, but Grandpa heard his footsteps when he was inside and the floorboards creaked. He knew it wasn't just the wind and the house settling, he said."

"Then why did he never say anything?" Bella asked, aghast. Renesmee shrugged. "You would've taken Edward's side and let him in anyway, or left. Anyway, he said he was planning to sue Edward after you got married, but stopped when he found out the two of you had me. He just wanted to wait until after the honeymoon, so he didn't spoil everything and once again, get all the blame because Edward's never the bad guy. Not to you." Bella took a step back. She looked like she'd been slapped.

Renesmee knew what her mother was thinking. "He was too worried about you," she said quietly. "And then you had your illness and you had me."

She fell silent. "After me... he said he didn't want to see the family divided up or have to worry about you and me from a distance." Renesmee pursed her lips.

"Grandpa loves you."

Bella closed her eyes. "I know," she whispered. Renesmee could see that her mother was hating herself.

"He cares about you." Renesmee said. "And even though he regrets not throwing you out of the house-" Bella flinched "-so that you would've been able to fix things like that girl did for her own life, he was too terrified of what you would do if you got kicked out and ended up in Edward's arms more than you already did."

Bella didn't speak. Renesmee watched her mother for a long moment, before speaking. "Why did you fall in love with Edward?" She asked quietly.

She waited for another long moment, before her mother looked up. Chocolate-brown eyes met their match in each other. "What were the things that you loved about him?" She asked softly.

Bella couldn't speak. "I-I... he was..." she trailed off after a while.

"Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person."

Erich Fromm

Bella

What was I going to say?

He was beautiful? That he was dazzling? That he swept me off my feet?!

It all sounded foolish, trivial. Like the stuff a high school teenage talks about their crush or their imaginary Prince Charming. Not the things a grown woman would talk about their loved ones having or being like.

"He... he paid attention to me," I whispered. "He kept me safe."

It was true. But again, that felt weak.

Surely I had better than that! Because now we know that Edward did more than just keep me safe. He kept me safe, alright. But not from himself.

"But you said he paid attention to you at first only because of your blood and your thoughts couldn't be read," my daughter pointed. "And after he made you wear stuff that you didn't like, took you to the prom even when you cried and said you didn't want to, gave you cars you never use or liked to show off..." Renesmee trailed off.

"It's like he doesn't care. It's like he wants to do those things with someone, but he didn't know who, so he did them to you."

I was speechless.

"Maybe because he couldn't read your mind he started putting stuff in there," my daughter pointed. "He called you the most beautiful woman in the world, but he always had Alice dress you up. Even now, she gets you clothes." My daughter's nose wrinkled. "It's like he loves somebody else. Someone he wants to see in your place."

How could I not have seen this?

Moreover, how could my nine-month-old daughter, even if she was a fast-growing Dhampir, spot this when I- who had eighteen years to her- couldn't?

Or did I simply choose not to?

I felt my heart freeze, even more than it already had. My felt my last remaining strength in my insides crumble.

"He doesn't care about what you actually want or feel," Renesmee was saying. "Or how you would feel if anything happens, unless it would make you all quiet and peaceful enough to accept whatever he's doing or about to do. Like he did to me. But actually more than what he did to me. He either didn't think you didn't care about Grandpa that much, or he just wasn't that important to him, either."

My vision blurred. I crumbled.

I sank to my knees, sobbing my heart out as it broke.

I didn't know how long I knelt there, sobbing, feeling my heart break and its pieces scatter to the winds, inwardly pleading, begging for the universe to forgive me for the mistakes I'd made, but it was long enough. I clung to my daughter's hand, as if to beg her forgiveness in making the mistakes which put us both in this place, led us to this singular, horrifying moment.

After a while, slowly, Renesmee stepped away.

"It's a dream to him, isn't it?" She asked, her voice numb. "He's playing a game: with our minds, with our guilt. With how little we know and lived for and how we know about that fact... he's using the fact that he lived for much longer than we have, his mind-reading and easy way with words to get what he wants: his perfect family."

She turned around. "I hate it," she whispered, miserably. "I don't want to be perfect. I'm tired of thinking and doing what everyone else wants me to. I'm tired of pretending. Of being told I'm young and don't know anything, like I'm stupid, when I'm feeling angry or upset. Maybe I am stupid," she said bitterly. "But I'm also tired. I've had enough."

She turned back around. "I want to leave, Mom," she whispered. "I don't want to live in Forks. I want to see Sue and Grandpa, Seth and Leah. But otherwise, I want to go."

Suddenly, she sounded vulnerable. Like a little girl, instead of a fast-growing Dhampir. Both of which she was. I held my arms out, my vision still blurred slightly, and she fell into them. Her tears wet my hair. Her silent sobs shook her slender little body.

"I hate it if I can't leave," she sobbed.

"I know," I whispered. "We'll go." I promised. And then we both wept together. We wept for what we lost, in my case, it was what I carelessly threw away without my knowing. In my daughter's case, it was something that she never had, and may possibly never have.

"The easy decisions are usually the wrong ones."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Gabrielle looked sympathetically at the two from a distance.

Leah looked bone-weary and tired in all ways. She felt drained. Her heart clenched when she accidentally heard Renesmee's words and saw her sobbing. She knew she hated it when she couldn't leave.

She was just a little girl. Never mind who sired her, never mind that she was half a vampire. She was just a little girl who had her life stolen from her before she was born and felt the world around her turn itself upside down and shatter on her feet.

She knew what she had to do. It was just so hard to do it.

Jacob... for all that she hadn't liked the little piece of crap, he was still her Alpha. The one who accepted her, albeit grudgingly at first.

Gabrielle looked at her sadly, but pointedly. She cast a charm to ensure that neither of them would be overheard.

"If Jacob doesn't agree," she asked quietly. "What will you do?"

Leah was silent for a while. "He's not going to let Renesmee go without a fight. If he forced a kiss on someone who wasn't his imprint, emotionally blackmailed her and did other things, he's going to be even worse with her. You have to be prepared."

"For what?" Leah whispered.

"I'm going to prepare for the soul-link between Quil and Claire," Gabrielle warned. "He can't know- none of them can. In the meantime, I'll also look into soul-magic and mind-magic while I'm at it and find something that will regulate the Pull instincts in your species. But while the Council of Elders has given me their permission, and so has Quil along with Seth, Embry and yourself, I need an Alpha to work on the pack. Either of them."

Leah couldn't speak. "You have to tell Sam." She warned.

Leah bit her lip. She looked down. "I can give the cream to Emily and help her rebuild her life, same as him, and anyone else if they don't want to stay together- but they might." She insisted. Leah's eyes shot back up to her. "If I do this, there is still a chance that the imprint-couples can work things out. But they can also leave it it doesn't work out between them. Believe me, having the freedom of choice makes all the difference in the world; more than you know."

"I know," Leah whispered. "I'm glad he and I never imprinted- or anyone else on me." She suppressed a shiver.

What she once wanted more than before now felt like a nightmare.

"But even if I can convince Sam to give it a chance- not just for his and Emily's sakes, or the rest of the pack and the imprint couples... what about Jacob? He's not like Sam. He won't listen. Not to me either; not on this."

Gabrielle was silent for a long moment. "I examined your DNA samples." She said quietly. "And Billy's. There's Alpha genes in Billy's sample but they're dormant. I suspect there are some in Sam. But there's definitely some in you."

Leah hitched in a breath. So? What did that mean?

"You're a female Alpha, a ruling Luna." Gabrielle warned her. "If push comes to shove, only you will be able to stop him."

"What?" Leah whispered, hoarsely.

"He broke away from Sam's pack, is that right? Once he's old enough?"

"Yeah, after Sam offered to step down for him when the time came. He didn't agree with them attacking Bella."

"Just Bella?" Gabrielle shook her head, and now Leah could see how silly that sounded. Even though Bella was innocent and pregnant at the time, and the rest of the Cullens hadn't done anything...

She caught the look on Gabrielle's enviably beautiful face, the furrow within her brows. The apprehension. She knew what she was thinking: Jacob was an Alpha, but he was driven purely by his emotions, his own wants and needs first and foremost. Not the overall well-fare of his pack. While Sam hadn't been right, and Leah could see that now, at least he'd been thinking about the best interests of the pack, the Quileutes in general and the safety of people in this town when he made that decision.

"Would the pack have supported him if he had challenged Sam for the leadership?" Gabrielle questioned. "If he hadn't broken away? If Sam wasn't being reasonable and Jacob had considerable support within a portion of the members of the pack..." she trailed off, eyes meaningful as they looked at Leah.

Leah inhaled sharply. "You don't mean..."

"Seth, Embry and Quil are all members of Jacob's pack." Gabrielle deduced. "Am I right? Have any of the others imprinted?"

When Leah mutely shook her head, Gabrielle pressed forwards. "Then three of the more senior members would be enough support if Jacob won't listen to reason. They look around the same age, for Embry and Quil. And Seth was the first to follow him. That gives them more traction and influence than most. Who's the Beta of the pack?"

"The second-in-command? That's me."

Gabrielle winced, nodding. "And I see that this is definitely going to be hard for you. He's your Alpha, after all. But think about Jacob as well: does anyone deserve to stay and pine for someone who will never wish to return? Who only feels caged and trapped with them?" Leah was silent.

"If his mind isn't already stable to begin with and imprinting hasn't solved any issues, only exacerbated his need to have his supposed 'mate' with him at all times... and he isn't going to let go... Merlin, if he's already involuntarily imprinted because he knows he would never have otherwise harmed a baby out of revenge against her parents-" Leah winced.

"I wish it wouldn't be like this either," Gabrielle whispered. "Your loyalty is one of the things I admire most about you, even when some people don't deserve it or take it for granted. And in the end, the choice will be yours and yours alone. Sam could challenge Jacob for the control of his pack, but for what reason? If he's also emotionally compromised-"

Leah inhaled sharply. Her vision blurred.

"You might be their only hope," Gabrielle whispered. "The Quileute Wolves and Renesmee."

Leah swallowed. "Give him a chance first." She whispered.

Gabrielle nodded. "That's up to you."