The next morning, I woke up to the sound of breakfast cooking. Ever since I phased my mom has relaxed a little with our diet. It was still healthy, but she was willing to be more lenient on some things. For instance, instead of oatmeal and chia seeds every morning I was permitted to eat cereal and sometimes bacon like this morning.

I got to the kitchen just in time for my mom to pull out plates. Eve was sitting in the kitchen next to her a cup of coffee in her hands. "Morning" I said as I sat down.

"Morning Al" My mom replied while Eve was quiet, I looked at my mom for some sort of answer. She mouthed 'hung over'.

I snorted while grabbing some juice. We ate in relative silence, though my mother and I were both trying not to laugh at Eve. She's forty something and getting drunk, I don't really want to know what else happened.

"it's not funny" Eve mumbled looking at her cup with an expression of pure loathing. I couldn't help the cackle that passed through my lips, my mom soon following after. Eve gave us a playful glare.

"it's funny..." I replied.

"We're not 20 anymore Evie" my mom sighed handing her some Advil.

"I know, we had dinner and a few drinks. We were having fun and it got a little out of hand. I mean one-minute I'm completely sober then the next I'm topless"

"NO.NO.NO." I covered my ears, face red and focusing on anything other than what was going on around me. I felt my mom's hands cover my own, but I could tell she was shaking with laughter. Thankfully for me the phone rang.

Eve picked it up and my hands fell back to my side. "it's for you" Eve said handing me the phone. "I'm going to take a shower."

"you should sleep" my mom chuckled as I walked out of the kitchen "sounds like you didn't get much last night"

"Gross" I called as I stepped onto the back patio, putting the phone up to me ear.

"Hello?"

"Alex, it's Edward. I'll make this quick, there was a vampire in Bella's room. I don't know who and wanted to know if you caught anything recently"

I shook my head then realized he couldn't see that "I don't think we've caught anything new. Not since a few days after our last run in with the red head. But that was all up north, and I haven't been on patrol since the day before yesterday."

"okay... Jasper and Emmett are going to scour the woods."

"do you want some help? I do have the best sense of smell in the pack"

The line was quite for a minute as if Edward was debating "I'll tell the others you'll stop by."

With that I hung up and went inside to tell my mom I was leaving. Thankfully she and Eve were in the throes of a conversation I was able to give a quick goodbye without too many questions.

And without hearing too much.

I ran out to the edge of the woods and stripped down before phasing. With my clothes in a bag, I ran to the Swan residence, dropping the bag in a safe spot along the way.

When I got close to the house I saw Emmett, Lucia and Jasper waiting for me.

"hey" Emmett said "Edward said you'd show up. Ready to track down something to fight?"

I gave a wolfish snort before smelling the air around me. I was confident that I could do it, I did have the best sense of smell in the pack. I could track someone for miles, and locate them from miles away. Not even water deterred my sense of smell.

The tendrils helped too, but that was another benefit.

We went south, then east for about five miles before the others stopped at the side of the road.

"they got into a car" the southern drawl of Jasper spoke.

"yeah, there's no way to track them from here" Lucia said looking around, her eyes focusing on the road, trying to figure out where the person could have possibly gone.

I sniffed around then stopped my paws digging into the dirt. Like with everything I pictured the smell in my mind, reaching out and searching for the direction they went. The thrumming of electricity pulled at my paws. The tendril was faint, but I could still smell the scent, I feel the pull.

I took one step the three vampires stopping their conversation to watch me. I closed my eyes and focused, like a bat with sonar. The pull was east and getting stronger the longer I focused on it.

I opened my eyes suddenly and took off running straight through the Olympia national park. The three followed me as I followed the pull.

The closer I got the stronger the pull was.

I stopped when the woods ran out and we were standing at the edge of a river. We were staring straight at the city of Seattle, but we can't cross, not without being seeing by humans.

I narrowed my eyes, what was happening in Seattle was connected somehow. I wasn't sure how, but it was, the deaths, the massacres, and the vampire in Bella's room.

I growled in frustration knowing I couldn't go after him.

"come on, we should tell the others" Lucia said gesturing that we should return to the Cullen household. I nodded my wolf head and followed the others.

When we got closer to the Cullen's land I could smell the scent of my mate. There was always the tendril leading to her, but smelling it in person was different.

It was amazing and comforting all the same time.

It took a little bit longer before I heard the talking. Edward and Alice were debating about who it was. I could tell that my hearing wasn't as good as the vampires as they could hear them much earlier than I could.

But Emmett and Lucia filled me in on it.

"Caius's idea," Edward suggested.

"Or Jane's..." Alice said. "They both have the resources to send an unfamiliar face..."

"And the motivation." Edward replied.

"It doesn't make sense, though," Esme said. "If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen that. He - or she - had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie, for that matter."

There was a silence before Esme spoke again "It's going to be fine, Bella," Esme murmured.

"But what was the point then?" Carlisle mused.

"Checking to see if I'm still human?" Bella guessed.

"Possible," Carlisle said. I stopped just inside the tree line to get dressed while the others went inside. I heard Rosalie let out a loud sigh. A breath of relief.

"Long gone, hours ago," Emmett announced, disappointed. "The trail went East, then South, and disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting."

"That's bad luck," Edward muttered. "If he'd gone west . . . well, it would be nice for those dogs to make themselves useful."

"Alex was able to trail it further east, but we had to stop." Lucia added. "We couldn't follow during the day, too many people"

I walked up the steps of the house following after the others, frustration evident in my posture.

"None of us recognized him. But here." Jasper replied, probably passing around the broken fern he collected along the way, just because we didn't recognize the scent doesn't mean the others didn't. "Maybe you know the scent."

"No," Carlisle said. "Not familiar. No one I've ever met."

"Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it's a coincidence...," Esme began, but stopped before readjusting "I don't mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick Bella's house to visit at random. I meant that maybe someone was just curious. Our scent is all around her. Was he wondering what draws us there?"

I stepped into the room just then, Rosalie perked up and approached me, but I looked at the others. "No... he's in Seattle. He has to be the one there."

"how do you know that?" Edward asked. i sighed as Rosalie placed her hand on the small of my back.

"it's only logical. With everything going on. The pull was a straight shot to Seattle. I'd bet my car that's where he came from."

"doesn't explain why." Edward replied.

I was frustrated, I knew where the Vampire had gone but I couldn't chase after him. Maybe I was irritated that another vampire was trying to get Bella, but it didn't make sense who could it be if it wasn't Victoria or the Volturi.

We were missing something. I relaxed slightly when I felt Rosalie's hand rub circles in the small of my back.

"Does it really matter who it was?" Bella asked. "Just the chance that someone was looking for me . . . isn't that reason enough? We shouldn't wait for graduation."

I furrowed my brows, they can't turn her, yet they need permission from the council and the pack, without it there would be war.

"No, Bella," Edward said quickly sparing me a glance. "It's not that bad. If you're really in danger, we'll know."

"Think of Charlie," Carlisle reminded her. "Think of how it would hurt him if you disappeared."

"I am thinking of Charlie! He's the one I'm worried about! What if my little guest had happened to be thirsty last night? As long as I'm around Charlie, he's a target, too. If anything happened to him, it would be all my fault!"

"Hardly, Bella," Esme said "And nothing will happen to Charlie. We're just going to have to be more careful."

"and we keep looking" Emmett replied standing up. I knew he was disappointed we didn't find anything; he was itching for a fight. Lucia stood up and agreed with her mate.

"we'll also take shifts guarding Bella at her house" Carlisle replied. I felt Rosalie stiffen by my side.

"another protection detail"

"Rosalie" Carlise said trying to ease the tension. I squeezed her waist threading my fingers through her free hand.

"no, she's right. You can't protect me, watch my dad and search for the intruder"

"and for Victoria" Rosalie added.

"and keep yourselves fed" Bella nodded looking at everyone. it was a lot for them to handle, they couldn't do it all and I didn't want Rosalie to have too.

"I'm not leaving you here defenseless" Edward said his voice sounding pained.

"well, I'm not gonna let you starve" Bella added. It was like watching an intimate conversation and I felt like an intruder. "and I wouldn't be alone. I have Alex and the pack"

Carlisle turned towards me "do you think the pack would be willing to help?"

"yeah, Bella's a human, it's kinda engrained in them. Whoever it was though, didn't cross the border." I replied, almost like they knew not to. But no one knew of the border besides the pack, the Cullen's, and Victoria. It sounded fishy, but I couldn't say Victoria was behind it there was no evidence. Why would she send someone into the room without taking anything or hurting anyone.

"we would be willing to make some changes allowing the pack to help protect Forks" Carlisle said.

"I'm sure Sam would agree to it, as long as there is no 'repercussions' if we catch them"

Carlisle grimaced and I could feel Rosalie's hand grip mine tighter. Edward looked at me "we don't know who it is, they aren't a friend"

I nodded "all talk to him as soon as I can"

Edward didn't really like the idea of the wolves being near or rather he didn't like the idea of Jacob, but he relented because of Bella. I understood, he was jealous.

Edward then took Bella home; it was late now anyway. Tomorrow we would has everything out and get Bella secure.

When the others started to go off to their own devices Carlisle turned towards me "thank you for tracking him so far"

Lucia laughed "you should've seen it. I thought Jasper was a good tracker but Alex, I don't know how you do it"

I shrugged looking at all of them "I don't know, it's like a magnet. Once I catch the scent a tendril forms and then its like a magnet. The better the scent the stronger I can make the tendril and then it's like a magnet pulling me towards it"

"that's a powerful skill" Carlisle mumbled "I wonder if it was improved due to the bite. Most start while human, have you always found things easily"

I furrowed my brows "I don't really remember loosing anything... When I was in Canada I had to find a stone, while drugged on mushroom tea... And I don't think I've ever lost at hide-n-seek"

Emmett chuckled from somewhere in the house.

"hmm, it's interesting to see it take form completely. I'm sure it will get stronger" Carlisle said his brows furrowed as he thought. He was brought out of it when Esme led him away, soon everyone was gone except Rosalie and me.

"you did good" she whispered leaning into me "but it's dangerous"

I wrapped my arm around her waist holding her close "I'll be okay, I'm a lot stronger than I look." She turned to me, and I saw the pain and fear in her eyes "I know the recent discovery adds to the danger, but I promise I'll be safe. I won't leave you"

She turned a small smile on her face as she leaned her forehead against mine. "except for now... I should get some sleep" I yawned. She chuckled before her face sobered.

"you could stay, there's room and the others will probably go hunting so you won't have to worry about Emmett being loud" as if on cue Emmett protested earning a smirk from Rosalie.

"I don't want to impose" I admitted. Rosalie shook her head a small smile playing on her peach lips.

"you won't. I promise" with that she guided me up the stairs and into a room. It was beautiful, and very much what I would expect from Rosalie with the exception of a large round bed in the middle. I raised an eyebrow, turning to see Rosalie shut the door.

"I thought you guys don't sleep?"

She laughed a little but looked just a little bit nervous. "we don't there are other things they can be used for." I blushed at the thought of what the bed could be for, though I shook it away when Rosalie kept talking "But I figured you would be around, and I wanted you to have somewhere to sleep."

"you didn't have to do that" I whispered, holding my hand out for her to grab.

"I wanted to"

I nodded and allowed Rosalie to guide me to the bed. It was so comfortable the silk sheets sliding along my skin as I curled up. I fell asleep with Rosalie's head in my neck.