We had only just arrived at the Blacks when the biggest cause of our trouble appeared.

Bella.

She stormed out of the house, slamming a door, and stalked towards us. Her face was set in a hard glare as she stared Sam down. She looked right at me before turning back to Sam. Using all her strength she tried to push him, but it didn't do anything.

"hey!" Paul called glaring at Bella.

Sam put his hand out to stop Paul from moving or getting angrier. Everyone was angry not just him, but we were having an easier time reigning our emotions in. Or we appeared to be.

"what did you do? He didn't want this" she practically yelled anger coursing off her in waves.

I stepped up, it was out of hand now, and if Bella had any hope of getting out of the supernatural she needed to leave now. Jacob should have ended this, but no, last night when everyone was chasing down that red-head Jacob went to visit Bella. He was selfishly putting us and her in danger because he couldn't handle being told she didn't love him. He couldn't understand the importance of this.

Embry did so why couldn't he.

"you don't know what you're talking about Bella, go home" I tried to hold in the growl in my voice, but it didn't work. "it's none of your business"

"none of my business? What did you do? Are you so involved you can't be at the hospital" she spit back out shoving me slightly. I pushed her hands away from me. "You're mom's lying there and you're here"

"calm down both of you" Sam replied.

"don't you talk about her!" I shouted, "you don't know anything!"

"they've got their teeth in you!"

"this isn't your concern!"

"it is when Jacob's scared of you! He's terrified to say anything because of you"

I barked out an angry laugh, of course Jacob would make it seem like that. Like he was the good guy, and we were the bad ones. If he were helping the pack when they needed him, she wouldn't be here. If he let it go and told her to stay away and meant it, we wouldn't be in this position. That leech wouldn't have gotten away.

I couldn't think about it more because I heard the slapping of skin. Only when I felt the jerking of my head did I realize it was me who made that sound. This was the final straw. All the anger I was holding onto burst like a dam.

All I saw was red. My vision was moving ferociously, my skin prickled, and I could feel the vibration of anger course through me. Even the sounds were getting muffled.

"Bella get back!" "Alex calm down!"

I tried; I really did but I couldn't do it. I couldn't get the prickling to leave, I couldn't focus on anything except my anger. There was so much of it.

Another convulsion rippled through my body and a loud growl ripped through my mouth as I fell forward. Tufts of jet-black hair exploded, and I landed on four paws.

I kept my head down, focusing on the grass the sounds around me. I couldn't hurt her, I just couldn't. I needed to protect her like I should have my mom. She was a defenseless human. All of this was overwhelmed by screaming and running. I felt and heard the shimmering of the air.

Then I heard the growl.

And I saw everything, I remembered that I needed him last night and he ignored it. If he was there maybe the leech would be dead. Suddenly all the anger I had was focused on Jake.

And I lunged.

Teeth chomping, growls ripping from each other's throats. The two of us tackled each other and pushed towards the tree line, breaking Billy's boat while doing so.

Our teeth kept chomping at each other getting dangerously close to our necks. Claws wracked down our backs and sides.

In the end Sam didn't need to separate us because I won, I had Jacob bloodied and pinned to the ground. Sam's appearance only held the purpose of making sure Jacob didn't turn back on me.

Once we were phased back and dressed Jacob came up to me, clearly, he wasn't done with it.

"You could've hurt her"

"She wouldn't be in the position to get hurt if you listened"

"she deserved to know"

"why!? Why was it more important for you to tell her? To involve her in the one thing I told you specifically not to involve her in?"

"that's not your call"

"IT IS WHEN YOU PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK!" I roared; Sam stood there allowing us to deal with out issue. "You... that's all this is about. She will never love you, Jacob. And she isn't your imprint, so drop it."

Jacob moved to push me his face angry, but Sam stopped him. "you never should have gone there Jacob. Bella is not your imprint. When I give you an order you will follow it. Last night in case you didn't know there was a leech. She attacked Val and we needed you. Now let's go. You need to get cleaned up"

After we got changed the three of us made our way to Emily's. I retightened my necklace as we walked to the home in silence.

Sam, Jacob, and I made it to the pack house easily. Jacob looked like a dog with its tail between its legs. I hoped he felt bad, he let us down for a girl who will never love him.

Sam stepped through the door first. I followed after, I looked at Bella for a moment. Our eyes connected for the first time since I phased. Before I was paying more attention to the ground at her feet. It was weird, I couldn't explain what I felt in that moment, but it was something more than her being a nuisance. I had to protect her, to be everything she needed.

"Sorry" I replied, a small smile that looked more like a grimace on my face.

"don't apologize, I was out of line. I shouldn't have said any of that or slapped you"

"Yeah, probably shouldn't slap anyone or punch anyone for that matter" I added remembering our time in Port Angeles. I looked away when Jacob entered the house. Sitting next to my pack members I ignored the others conversation.

"oh, man!" Jared wailed looking over at Jacob. Paul and Embry were grinning. I looked at them, but all of their eyes were on Jacob, on fading pink lines on Jacobs arms. I smirked a little looking at Jacob.

Jacob gestured for Bella to follow him, but she stopped for a moment. "Actually, I need to talk to Alex..."

I furrowed my brows and could see the fleeting anger cross Jacob's face. But I nodded and followed the girl out of the house. "in private" She replied.

I scrunched up my face in confusion but relented. I led Bella down to a weeded path. It was colder here, with the wind whipping off the black water, Bella shoved her hands into her coat, but I didn't feel the cold.

Even in a tank top and shorts.

I led us down the beach toward the north seawall. I couldn't see St. James or the other islands, just the vague shape of the water's edge.

I picked my way carefully across the rocks being extra careful of driftwood that might trip Bella up.

"so, you're a werewolf?" Bella asked a slight mocking tone. Well maybe not mocking, maybe amusement or disbelief.

I scrunched my nose at her statement "not really. Not a real werewolf. Few members of the tribe have the gene. A pair of red eyes move to town and the fever sets in. For most of them that is."

"Mono... that's what Charlie called it. But you didn't have that"

I shook my head "no, I got lucky and already had an uncurable condition. My mom could hide my sudden changes behind that. Still, fever, achy muscles, vomiting... Pain. It's not a pleasant change"

Bella looked like she was having a hard time, I knew it was because of me, because I'm not natural but I couldn't help that.

"Well, can't you find a way to just stop?" Bella asked before she stumbled over her words "I mean... it's wrong"

I turned to look at her, how could she be so against me being me yet love the Cullen's so much. "it's... this isn't a lifestyle choice Bella. I'm not vegan or vegetarian. I was born this way; I can't help it" I looked at her face trying to figure it out "that's such a hypocritical thing to say. What am I not the right kind of monster for you?"

Bella's eyes widened as she shook her head slightly "it's not what you are... it's what you do" her voice took on a pained tone "they never hurt anybody. You've killed people Alex... Even your mom was hurt because of this"

I scrunched my brows "Bella, I haven't killed anyone. And neither have anyone else in the pack. What happened to my mom was an accident and we had to cover it up"

Her face morphed, confusion took over as she looked at me "then who is?"

"What we protect people from. The only thing we kill, Red eyes. Vampires"

"Alex, you can't"

"Don't worry, we can't hurt the Cullens. And truthfully not many of us want to. It's too much trouble, especially if they adhere to their side of the treaty."

"That's not what I'm saying. You can't kill Vampires. They'll- you know what they do. They'll kill you."

"We took out the one that was in the field with you. Easily."

"Laurent?"

"The one with the dreads?" Bella nodded "yeah, we took care of him. One Vampire is no match for six of us. Hell, one of them isn't a match for three of us."

"Laurents dead?" she asked again almost with relief flooding her features. before terror reclaimed her face "If Laurent died... a week ago... then someone else is killing people now."

"yes. His red-headed girlfriend, she's next" I growled.

"Victoria's here?" fear returned to her face.

I turned from the water to look at her "Yeah, we've been tracking her for days. The other night we chased her all the way to the Canadian border. And last night..." I grit my teeth "she's why everyone thinks my mom hit a wolf"

"Victoria attacked Val?" she breathed out.

"yes, why do you think I was so mad at Jacob. When he was trying to find a way around Sam's orders, the others were busy trying to catch her. It's easier for them to think my mom hit a wolf than to tell everyone a vampire tried to kill her."

Bella froze, her face morphing into fear, "she's here for us"

"what?" I asked looking into her eyes trying to understand but not much has transpired between the two of us. Bella went from thinking we are killers to thinking freaked out again.

"Laurent, that's what he said. She wants revenge for James death. She wants to kill us. that's why she's back."

I growled turning my head sharply to look at the water. A few minutes passed between the two of us before Bella spoke up.

"Laurent said she thought it was fairer to kill me than Edward. Mate for mate. She didn't know - still doesn't know, I guess - that... that..." she swallowed hard. "That things aren't like that with us anymore. Not for Edward, anyway."

"is that why they left..." I mumbled. It hurt a little that Alice didn't say goodbye.

"I'm nothing but a human, after all. Nothing special," she explained weakly. I sighed and hugged her, careful not to hurt her.

"damn it, Bella your worth isn't entangled with the views of a boy... or vampire, whatever. If you can't see who you are without him or Jacob then we have a problem."

She pulled away after her brows furrowed like she wanted to say something else but settled for "you're burning up"

"sorry..." I guided her to one of the driftwood pile so we could sit down. I wanted her to calm down before we go back to the pack house, I couldn't show up with her being terrified. Jacob would not be okay with that. "it's kinda a wolf thing... 112̊." I sighed "And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you more. I just... I got sick and then Sam's orders"

"that's not fair. Sam shouldn't be able to order you guys around like that"

I shrugged "Alpha's orders. But he has a good reason. I mean you saw what happened earlier today, god forbid we do that in school or hurt someone. It's really easy to get angry, I mean we learn to control it, but adding the weight of the tribe and people to the shoulders of essentially children. I mean our brains are not fully developed yet. Sam's is but the rest of us... it's a mixture for disaster"

"sounds like it..." Bella paused looking up at me it was like she finally got a good look at me. "you do look healthier, better. And you have a lot of tattoos"

I smiled a little "I feel better, the others they hate being like this, but I think I got more good out of it than they did. I mean I don't get sick anymore or cold." I looked up at the sun, it was midday now and I needed to check in with Eve. "we should get back; Sam would want to know about Victoria."

I helped her up. "And I would be willing to tell you more, I mean you're already involved and truthfully having someone to talk to that doesn't have overflowing testosterone would be nice"