Igroaned as I stretched my arms high above my head. A familiar weight restingagainst my chest, nestled into my neck, fingers playing with my necklace. Thestone felt weightless when compared to the pouch attached next to it. Last night'sbonfire really added to the pressure.

Leah stood off to the side of the village taking on last look around. The week had done us some good and we were ready to head home. Leah was better than me, I couldn't wrap my head around Korinna's belief in me. I wasn't a leader, not like she believed.

"you do not believe in yourself. You are afraid to see it" Korinna spoke up suddenly from beside me.

"I'm not, I cant be the alpha"

"leadership is not only shown as an alpha. But in how you react." Korinna grabbed my necklace and tied something around it, next to my mating totem. "you are the leader the Amarok needs. You may not see it yet, but you will. This is the sign of allegiance between us and the Quileutes. The final evidence of the cold one your ancestors killed."

Ilooked down at the leather pouch that was sealed with an antler tip. A ravenfeather wrapped around the bag and a symbol that represents Niju etched on theback.

"I can't take this" I protested. Korinna smiled gently.

"you can and will. You are the best option to do so." Her hand cupped my cheek "you are my Great Granddaughter, the Great Granddaughter of Ephraim Black the last Alpha. Imprint or not you carry his genes in you. You will be the one to bring our people back"

I sniffed; I couldn't believe anything she said but she trusted me, so I had to try.

I felt Rosalie rub my abdomen drawing me out of my thoughts. Korinna believed that things would get better, that I would have my mate and that I would be a leader. Only part of it had came true, but the more I thought about it the more I realized, I would have to leave the pack.

It would be the only way to go with Rosalie. Hopefully I could break free, I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind me following my mate. But I still had some time to worry about that.

"are you okay?" Rosalie asked. I smiled gently.

"yeah, I'm just thinking"

"what's going on in that head of yours?" Rose asked as her thumb ran along the scar across my eyebrow. A scar I've always had since my dad died- in the car accident. I wondered if that was why I had the brown spot by my eye while in wolf form.

"I was just thinking I'll have to leave the pack... to stay with you. When you guys leave"

Her brows furrowed "do you not want to leave?" she whispered.

My hand came up to cup her cheek "I want to go wherever you are. I was just thinking about how I was going to break free"

Rose was quite for a while before her eyes met mine "do you ever think of marriage?" she asked shyly.

I bit the inside of my cheek "I used to think I would never get married. And I was okay with that, I mean same-sex marriage isn't really that popular right now. But with you... I would do everything to make sure we had the wedding of your dreams"

"but do you want to?"

I leaned up slightly "I want to be with you in every way possible. I would love to have a ring that symbolizes our love."

Rosalie gave a shy smile before looking at me through her lashes. "so, if I asked you to marry me right now would you say yes?"

I smiled as I looked at the totem hanging from Rosalie's neck "I think I already asked." my hand lifted the smaller stone and my thumb rubbed it gently. Rosalie looked down with a smile. "It's technically a courtship stone. It's tied to me spiritually and now it belongs to you"

Rosalie looked at me her smile still present. She leaned in to give me a kiss that I reciprocate. When we pull apart I connect our foreheads.

"it's the mate bond" I whispered.

She shook her head "it's more than that. Compatibility and attraction can only fuel a relationship so much. I feel completely safe and loved with you. And it grows every day..." her thumb brushed my cheek "I remember the others explaining how they felt when they found their mate, their partner. The only way to explain it is as the one. And you're it. I've never been surer about anything in my life." Gold eyes met mine "Never had I been so content with being me. I'm okay being a vampire, with this endless cycle if I have you here with me."

I smiled and turned laying Rosalie on her back before leaning over her. I could tell the action startled her, but I played with her hand to ease her fear. "is that a yes?"

"you have to ask" she whispered back.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my partner for eternity, my mate?"

"yes" she replied leaning up to connect her lips to mine, our lips moved in sync as we relished in the comfort of one another.

The sound of my mom's alarm broke us out of our bubble. I chuckled looking down at her "I guess I need to find a ring, huh?"

She nodded excitedly earning another laugh from me. "you should expect one from me too" she replied before pushing me onto my back. "go eat, I need to get back. But I'm sure I'll see you tonight"

"I promise" I whispered.

With one last kiss she left. I took a minute to compose myself before jumping in the shower. When I came down from breakfast everything was ready. "hey Al, I was just going to come see if you were up"

"yeah, I'm up." I saw the paper sitting on the counter, the thick black headline caught my attention. I felt a shiver of fear as I leaned closer to read the front-page story.

SEATTLE TERRORIZED BY SLAYINGS

It's been less than a decade since the city of Seattle was the hunting ground for the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was convicted of the murders of 48 women. And now a beleaguered Seattle must face the possibility that it could be harboring an even more horrifying monster at this very moment.

The police are not calling the recent rash of homicides and disappearances the work of a serial killer. Not yet, at least. They are reluctant to believe so much carnage could be the work of one individual. This killer - if, in fact, it is one person - would then be responsible for 39 linked homicides and disappearances within the last three months alone. In comparison, Ridgway's 48- count murder spree was scattered over a 21-year period. If these deaths can be linked to one man, then this is the most violent rampage of serial murder in American history.

The police are leaning instead toward the theory that gang activity is involved. This theory is supported by the sheer number of victims, and by the fact that there seems to be no pattern in the choice of victims.

From Jack the Ripper to Ted Bundy, the targets of serial killings are usually connected by similarities in age, gender, race, or a combination of the three. The victims of this crime wave range in age from 15-year-old honor student Amanda Reed, to 67-year-old retired postman Omar Jenks. The linked deaths include a nearly even 18 women and 21 men. The victims are racially diverse: Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians.

The selection appears random. The motive seems to be killing for no other reason than to kill. So why even consider the idea of a serial killer?

There are enough similarities in the modus operandi to rule out unrelated crimes. Every victim discovered has been burned to the extent that dental records were necessary for identification. The use of some kind of accelerant, like gasoline or alcohol, seems to be indicated in the conflagrations; however, no traces of any accelerant have yet been found. All of the bodies have been carelessly dumped with no attempt at concealment.

More gruesome yet, most of the remains show evidence of brutal violence - bones crushed and snapped by some kind of tremendous pressure - which medical examiners believe occurred before the time of death, though these conclusions are difficult to be sure of, considering the state of the evidence.

Another similarity that points to the possibility of a serial: every crime is perfectly clean of evidence, aside from the remains themselves. Not a fingerprint, not a tire tread mark nor a foreign hair is left behind. There have been no sightings of any suspect in the disappearances.

Then there are the disappearances themselves - hardly low profile by any means. None of the victims are what could be viewed as easy targets. None are runaways or the homeless, who vanish so easily and are seldom reported missing. Victims have vanished from their homes, from a fourth- story apartment, from a health club, from a wedding reception. Perhaps the most astounding: 30- year-old amateur boxer Robert Walsh entered a movie theater with a date; a few minutes into the movie, the woman realized that he was not in his seat. His body was found only three hours later when fire fighters were called to the scene of a burning trash Dumpster, twenty miles away.

Another pattern is present in the slayings: all of the victims disappeared at night.

And the most alarming pattern? Acceleration. Six of the homicides were committed in the first month, 11 in the second. Twenty-two have occurred in the last 10 days alone. And the police are no closer to finding the responsible party than they were after the first charred body was discovered.

The evidence is conflicting, the pieces horrifying. A vicious new gang or a wildly active serial killer? Or something else the police haven't yet conceived of?

Only one conclusion is indisputable: something hideous is stalking Seattle.

I crumpled the paper in my hands, the only conclusion was a vampire. Or more than one. They were too ingrained in the city that if the pack tried to kill them, we would be spotted. I had hope things would calm down, or the person responsible would wonder back into Forks, but no such thing happened.

"Al? are you okay?" my mom asked looking at the paper I had nearly shredded.

"promise me something." I looked up at both my mom and Eve "you guys won't go to Seattle"

They nodded quickly, I guess my facial expression was enough to let them know I was serious, that the situation was serious.