Jacob POV:

While I raced through the woods, running with my pack to the border, my thoughts raced as well. I hated, hated, leaving Katie like that. I could still feel her lips on mine. Still hear her soft gasp as I drew her to me. Still taste her on my tongue. Still hear her shouting after me.

Dude, can you like not? Quil said to me mind to mind.

Yeah, bro, we can already see it in your head. You could at least do us the favor of not thinking about it. Jared added, sounding exasperated.

Anger and bitterness flooded through me. I also hated how there was no privacy as a shifter. Everything, all the embarrassing thoughts, all the private memories, was automatically known to all. There were no secrets. Nothing personal treasured. Even though I knew it was a "wolf thing" and nothing I could control, I still felt like I was violating Katie's trust.

You guys kissed?!? Awww!!! That's so awesome! Bummer though, she sounded real sad when you left. Seth thought at me.

Again, anger flooded through me.

It's not like I had a choice Seth! Alpha command remember? I mentally shouted at him.

Seth mentally cringed at the harshness of my tone. But then Sam's voice thundered down at all of us, I'm so glad you all have time to chatter when there is a BREACH AT THE BORDER!

We all ducked our heads in submission to his rage and our packs hierarchy and put on a burst of speed, running to the road that cut through the woods, and had an invisible line that cut the Bloodsuckers Territory from ours. A line that our tribe had maintained for centuries.

I let my wolf instincts take over, running faster and faster. I joined up with the rest of the pack at the line. I could smell the Cullens on the wind and...Bella? What was happening?

I paused at the edge of the road, still hidden in the trees, to shift back from a wolf and put my shorts on. I ran out onto the road and stopped short. Bella's truck was parked right on the other side of the treaty line. And she was sitting in the car with two bloodsuckers. Edward and the big one.

I fell into line with my pack. Sam, Paul and I in human form flanking each other. We had wolves watching in the shadows as backup and some continuing to patrol our borders.

"What is this?" Sam growled.

Bella and her entourage got out of her car, a memory of Katie calling them Bella's "pale posse" popped in the back of my head. My heart warmed at the memory, but was shorted out by the rage of having to cut our day short. By them being here, it meant I couldn't be with my sick mate when she needed me, or frankly anybody, to be with her.

Bella stayed with the vamps on their side of the border.

Bella tried for a smile and looked over at me, "Hey Jake, I just needed your attention. I just wanted to let you know...that uh...Katie is going to be unavailable for the next couple of days. We're planning a girls night. That's all."

Bella was a terrible liar. It was obvious that something wasn't right. Why would she bring two vampires to say this? Why wouldn't she have just called me or told me in person? Why cause all this commotion? And Katie isn't going anywhere right now, she's sick. Also, you can't make a girl like Katie do anything she doesn't want to do and I'm 88% sure she wouldn't enjoy Bella's definition of a 'girls night'.

Sam looked doubtful too. Suddenly a ringing filled the air and Edward flipped out his phone and ran out of earshot to answer it. I glanced at Sam, he had the same look I did. Something is up. Something is wrong. He nodded to me, my turn to take the lead and ask questions.

"Ok. But why did you do all this? Why didn't you call? Or just come over to Emily's or my house?" I asked Bella, trying to stay calm.

Edward came back looking grave. Bella looked back at him and fear filled her eyes as he shook his head. I heard her heartbeat spike and smelled her fear filling the air.

"Bella, really, just tell me what's going on. I can help." I said, attempting to be diplomatic.

The big bloodsucker in the back, snorted, as if this was some big joke.

"What is going on? Tell us. Right now." Sam demanded.

Bella stuttered, unsure of herself and kept glancing at Edward. Then I felt something. Something deep in my chest. Katie. But what was she doing? I tried to focus back in onto whatever bullshit Edward was telling us so I could leave and get back to her.

After listening to his crap for about two seconds I snapped, "Unless you tell me what this is really about, I'll just go talk to Katie myself."

"NO!" Bella screamed, "No, no let's just talk."

Paul growled. Low and strong. "What does any of this have to do with Jacob and Katie?"

"Umm...uh..." Bella kept stuttering. Edward grabbed her hand.

Heat flooded my veins and I stared to shake as I felt that slide of fire down my back. "Damn it just tell me the TRUTH!!!" I yelled.

Bella started crying, in earnest. "She...s-she can't be with you. Katie. She can't." My heart stopped.

"W-what? Why?" I questioned, momentarily confused, but I could feel my temper flaring dangerously at the thought of being separated from the bright light that is my imprint.

Bella continued crying, "I-I can't say," sobs racked her body.

Sam was saying something but I couldn't hear it over the roaring in my head. How dare she. How dare Bella tie herself to those things that aren't even alive, and then have the nerve to tell me that I can't see my imprint. Something out of my control that actually made me happy, for once.

I fought hard to keep my human shape as my body tried to rip apart. But I couldn't stop the red haze washing over eyes. I couldn't stop the hot taste that entered in my mouth.

Sam then spoke his voice pitched low and laced with violence, "Get between a Wolf and his imprint and you'll face the consequences. Being an imprint means that Katie is an official member of the pack. We will protect her with our lives. That includes her mental well-being, which would suffer if you kept her and Jacob apart. We lay claim to her. You have no right to say she can and cannot do." Formal words for a formal declaration. Letting the Cullens know that Katie is ours. She's her own person of course, but we claim her as a member of the pack, regardless of her lack of phasing. The same way we would claim any other imprint.

"I do! She's my family." Bella cried out.

"No! She's our family now, too!" Paul yelled back.

Bella looked at me, her eyes pleading, "Please, Jake. If you ever loved me. If you love Katie. You'll stay away from her."

"No! Not unless you give me a damn good reason!" I snarled, taking a step forward. Edward took one forward to, putting himself in front of Bella. He crouched defensively.

I felt that same feeling in my chest again. It flickered again and again. Then the roar of an engine filled the air, it was secondary to the standoff between myself, Paul and Edward. If this fight were to happen, it would be catastrophic.

"Why can't you just leave us the hell alone?!" Paul yelled angrily at Bella.

"Don't talk to her like that." Edward said quietly, his voiced laced with a quiet threat. Emmett crept closer to the treaty line.

"Oh and this is just great! Bringing a LEECH into pack business. This has nothing do you with you Bloodsucker!" Paul continued, yelling. His arms began to quiver.

"Paul! Relax!" Sam yelled. Trying to calm the angry teen before he broke the Treaty. Paul's head shook back and forth violently and everyone held their breath, watching this display. When Emmett took another step forward, right to the edge of the treaty line, the tip of his foot crossing it, that did it.

Another shudder. Another convulsion heaved through his body. He threw his head back and a real growl tore through his teeth. The roar of an engine was growing louder. It sounded like a motorcycle.

"Paul!" Sam shouted again. I sniffed the air as a shudder ran through myself. Not the shudder of a change, but one that reminded me of...Katie? And was that her scent? Before I could focus on that, Paul fell forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded.

Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into the huge shape of a wolf. A crouched wolf, ready to spring. The wolf growled, a clear threat. His dark eyes were enraged.

Emmett sank low onto his haunches, ready to fight. He smirked at the trembling beast and cocked his head condescendingly. Egging on the wolf to fight. Edward moved Bella backwards, away from the explosive fight that was soon to happen. Bella pulled on his arm, trying to get him to stop this, he wouldn't so she cried, "Enough, Emmett!" He ignored her.

In the same second, a motorcycle flew around the corner of the road. With the female rider's hair flying over her shoulder. She jumped off the bike, leaving it discarded on the side of the road and sprinted forward. Her body shaking, messing up her gait. Even shaking I knew that run...Katie. Katie. No she couldn't be here! She was going to get hurt. She was still on Bella and the bloodsuckers side of the line. Too far away. My throat closed up. I couldn't call out. I was frozen. Fear for her nailed me to the spot.

Emmett and Paul were too preoccupied with their death stare down to notice, but Bella did.

"No Katie! Get out of here!" She cried.

Katie ignored her and continued her run, getting closer to two of the most dangerous predators ever known. The sound of Bella's voice pushed Emmett into action and he started forward, his eyes ferocious.

Katie was closing the distance, she blew right by a protective Edward and a crying Bella, closing in on the two warriors. Right as I took my first step towards her, I watched, in rapture, as mid stride, a long tremor shivered down her spine. Then she lept forward, her greens eyes focused and filled with a rage that could end the world. As Katie dove headfirst, into the empty air behind the leech, another sharp tear sounded.

Katie exploded.

She burst out of her skin.

Shreds of cloth floated in her wake.

It happened so quickly, so fluidly that if I had blinked I would've missed it.

One second it was Katie, my beautiful imprint, racing to her death with such a world ending rage in her eyes.

Then she was a wolf. A beautiful, lithe, russet, reddish brown wolf, with intelligent green eyes. Charging towards the vampire. Sam swore.

Emmett was so focused on Paul that he couldn't turn quick enough to avoid the gigantic beast tackling him to the ground. She sprang up, fast and light. Emmett followed suit. Katie's teeth gnashed and she rammed her shoulder into Emmett, again and again, relentlessly forcing him back across the treaty line, towards Edward and Bella, away from Paul and myself.

The wolf then jumped over the line, so she was in front of Sam, myself and Paul. Defending us. She lowered her head, her muzzle wrinkled back over her teeth, and a growl rolled around the clearing. Her green eyes positively glowed with her fury. Her hackles rising along her neck. A clear warning: Don't come closer.

Bella was on the ground, her mouth open in shock. I breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of my imprint that was so much stronger now that she was a wolf. But how? How had she phased? How was this even possible? Sam and I gasped in utter shock. But I guess the time for questions would be for later because Emmett looked ready to brawl. But Bella's soft cry had Edward motion to Emmett to stand down.

Katie held her defensive position for the minutes it took Edward to load a shell shocked Bella into her car and drive them away, Emmett sitting in the bed of the truck as a warning.

As soon as they were out of sight, hearing and scent range. Katie stumbled. A whimper of pain and confusion coming from her.

She stumbled again, paws slipping and sliding. Her eyes lost focus and filled with fear and confusion. Her scent slipped from one of rage to one of pain and terror. I knew that look. We all did. It was the look of someone who's entire world just tilted off its axis with a change as monumental and painful as this. How was she even standing? How did she phase like that? The first time I phased I was crawling. It took shifter months to learn the kind of control to phase on the fly.

I took a step towards Katie to try to calm her into shifting back, but the movement startled her and she stumbled into the woods. Crashing into trees and slipping in the soft dirt.

My knees buckled under me and I fell the the road.

"H-how is this possible?" I questioned, my voice shaking.

Sam looked just as shocked as I did. "I don't know. We'll have to call a meeting with the elders once we calm her enough to phase back. We also need to discuss the Cullens blatant disregard for treaty lines and them egging on a fight."

I nodded mutely. Words being beyond my grasp for a moment. Then a sharp pain flicked through me. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. It was the bond. It was full of pain and fear and confusion. I scrambled to my feet.

"I'm going to get her." I said to Sam with grim determination. He nodded, he knew first hand how difficult the first time phasing was. It took him two weeks to calm down and gain enough control to phase back. It took me 3 days and I had the help of my brothers in my head. It took Leah a long time as well. Would it take Katie the same amount of time because she was a female shifter? I resolved that even if it did take her five days like it did with Leah, I would be with her for every moment. I would not let my imprint go through this horrible suffering alone.

The first time is always the worst, constantly phasing back and forth, confused and terrified. Not to mention how unbearably painful it is. I would never wish this life on anyone, much less the love of my life.

I set off into the woods but before I could phase, Paul, who had shifted back, grabbed my shoulder and gasped out, "Didn't you smell it?" He was breathing heavily.

"Smell what?" Sam and I asked, all I could smell was traces of Katie pointing me to her trial and the lingering scent of the Cullens.

"Her. Katie. Her bloodline." He gasped out again, "It's how she was able to phase. She has Quileute blood. It's mine." Paul said, looking like he had been punched in the gut and was struggling to retain air.

"Katie. She's- she's my sister."