"Autumn! Shouldn't you be in school?" Embry laughed cheerfully as Jacob parked his bike a few feet away from Sam and Emily's porch. The others were slowly migrating from the kitchen to the porch, smiles on their faces at the mention of my name.

"Haven't you ever heard ditching for a day is good for your health?" I shot back, grinning as I slid off the bike, unlatching the helmet.

"Touché."

Jacob playfully shoved him as he bounded up the stairs, both turning toward me with smirks on their faces as a third joined them. It took me a few seconds to recognize the face.

"Quil?!?"

"Hey, Leaf." Quil grinned impishly, his laugh echoing the others.

"You finally joined the pack." I hugged him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like an idiot, but better," he admitted guiltily. "Now I know why everyone was acting so secretive."

"Well, I'm glad you know now. Jacob and Embry were really upset about leaving you out of the loop, and you thinking they didn't want to be friends." I told him as both guys pretended to clutch at their hearts.

"Ouch, Leaf. Way to stab us." Embry pretended to pout.

The sound of tires on gravel caused us to turn toward the drive, the sight of my car coming to a stop behind Jared's Jeep. Chloe waved from the driver's seat as Bella awkwardly shifted next to her.

"I hope it's okay we're crashing the party," Chloe called out, a grin tugging at her lips. "The school called your mom, Leaf. She told me to skip school too, and come meet the pack."

"I told your mom I'd keep Chloe company." Bella smiled sheepishly, glancing at the guys on the porch. "Hey, Quil!"

"What's up Bella?"

"Leaf! Bella!" Emily came outside, her eyes lighting up. "I was wondering when I'd see you again! And who is this?"

"Emily, this is Chloe. Chloe, this is Emily, Sam's fiancée."

"It's nice to meet you. All of you," Chloe waved. "Hey, Embry. We missed you at dinner the other night. Julie made a killer steak."

"Maybe it's a good thing he wasn't there," Paul called out. "There wouldn't have been any left!"

We laughed as the guys playfully fought each other before taking off into the woods. An annoyed sigh came from the doorway and we turned to see Leah standing there, her eyes narrowed at her pack brothers before resting on Bella, who gasped in surprise.

"Chloe, Bella, this is Leah. Harry Clearwater's daughter." Jacob grimaced slightly at the mention of Harry. "Leah, this is Autumn's friend Chloe from her hometown."

Time seemed to freeze the minute Leah's eyes met Chloe's from across the yard; her body went still and her eyes widened. A low, surprised gasp escaped from her lips, causing the rest of the pack to look at her, realization slowly dawning on each member. Chloe's face flushed a bright pink at the sudden attention as Jacob and I shared a look. Sam cleared his throat from the doorway, breaking the spell over the girls.

"Nice to meet you, Chloe." Leah nodded slowly, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"I'm so sorry about your dad," Chloe said to her, offering a sad smile. Leah tilted her head and mouthed thank you, a matching smile on her own face.

"Hey, Autumn. Mom wants you to stop by when you have a chance. She has some more of Giuliana's things for you." Leah directed her gaze to me, her eyes warming.

"I'll go see her as soon as I can. Thanks, Leah."

She nodded in acknowledgment before glaring at Bella again and running into the woods after the guys.

"Did she...?" Bella asked, looking at us in bewilderment.

"Yup." Jacob said, sharing a nod with Sam.

"Welcome to the pack, Peaches." I grinned, wrapping my arm around a stunned Chloe.

"Wait... When did that happen?" Bella murmured, turning to me. "Leah phasing?"

"Shortly after her dad died. Seth, too." I told her quietly as Sam kissed Emily deeply before following his pack.

"The youngest pack member ever, at fifteen." Jacob added. "Sam usually keeps him home studying, but he's chomping at the bit. Absolutely hates it. Sometimes I wish it was Leah who stayed home."

"Don't be such a guy, Jake." Bella groaned as she followed him down a path heading in the opposite direction of the pack.

"It's not because she's a girl, Bella," Jacob said over his shoulder. "It's a triangle thing. Between Sam, Leah, and Emily. The rest of us have to live through the pain too."

"Wolf telepathy." I explained to Chloe. "They can only hear what each other's thinking in wolf form."

"That has got to suck." Chloe gasped under her breath.

"It does," Jacob replied. "At least, some days... but maybe now it won't since she's imprinted."

"So, what's the story between Sam, Leah, and Emily anyways? Or is that strictly wolf only knowledge?" Chloe asked him once we reached our spot at the beach.

"Sam and Leah dated in high school. But Emily was The One for Sam."

"Wait, so he dumped Leah for Emily?" Chloe asked.

"No, it's not like that... did Autumn explain imprinting to you?"

"She tried to explain it last night, but I was still confused." Chloe laughed, shrugging. "Basically, it's finding your soulmate, right?"

"In a way, yeah. Imprinting is... Like when you see her, everything changes. All of a sudden, it's not gravity holding you to the planet. It's her. Nothing else matters. You would do anything... Be anything for her."

"That makes sense now... that's what I felt looking at her. So Sam imprinted on Emily, while he was dating Leah."

"Yeah. And Sam hates himself for breaking Leah's heart, even though he had no control over imprinting with Emily. Before I get too much into the story, you have to understand... Emily and Leah are cousins. Second cousins, but they're close enough to be sisters. That's why Emily is torn up about hurting Leah."

Jacob took a deep breath before continuing.

"Like I said, Sam hates himself for breaking Leah's heart. He went back on every promise he made to her, and now he has to see her pain every day. He has to see the accusation in her eyes and know that she's right... Emily was angry with Sam at first, Leah was her family and she was hurting. Regardless of the imprint, Emily didn't want to hurt her cousin even more. She tried to stay away from Sam, but it's hard to resist that level of adoration and commitment. Then Sam had accidentally phased with Emily too close, and that's how she got the scars on her face."

"Poor Emily," Bella whispered. "Poor Sam. Oh gosh, poor Leah..."

"Leah definitely got the worse end of the deal," Jacob agreed. "But now that she's a part of the pack, she understands it better - what Sam went through. It doesn't exactly make what happened between them right, but it does make it a little easier for her to forgive them both."

"Does everyone in the pack imprint?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Imprinting is supposed to be rare; an exception, not a rule. But in our pack, Sam has imprinted. Jared imprinted on a girl in his class, you'll meet Kim eventually. Obviously, I imprinted," Jacob shot me a wolfish grin, "and now Leah, but the others... well, I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Chloe nodded with interest, her expression thoughtful as she contemplated what Jacob told us. Bella sat there just as quiet, her eyes locked on the ground. I met Jacob's gaze and an understanding passed between us; we knew if things had gone differently between us and Bella, we would've ended up in the same situation. That thought alone almost stopped my heart.

Where would Jacob and I be now if Bella chose him over Edward? If she had given in to the feelings we all knew she had for him, after he put her back together when Edward left? Mom's words came back to me: Jacob's feelings for Bella may pass with time, but his feelings for you. Those will never go away. Just listen to your heart.

Those words stayed in the back of my mind later that night as we drove home. Chloe kept sneaking side glances at me while I drove; I knew she sensed something was wrong, but she didn't say anything in front of Bella. I pulled up to the curb outside the Swans' house and shifted into park; from the road, I could see Mom and Charlie inside the living room, waiting for us to return for dinner.

"We're home!" Bella called out as we walked into the house.

"You know... Edward could at least respect meal times." Charlie appeared in the doorway between the hall and the kitchen.

"I was just with Jacob. So was Autumn and Chloe," Bella informed him, hanging up her jacket. "You did tell me to hang out with my other friends instead of Edward all the time."

"Oh..." Charlie said, surprised. "Well, good."

A quick knock on the door caused Charlie to smile, satisfied with himself before turning back to the kitchen.

"I'll just leave you guys alone then."

Bella sighed and opened the door, revealing Edward standing on the porch. His eyes were dark, much like the expression on his face.

"Hey." She said meekly.

"Do you know how worried I've been about you? You skipped school without saying anything --" He abruptly cut off, his eyes shifting to alarm.

"I know, I'm sorry. I probably smell like a dog."

"No, it's not you." He glanced toward the kitchen before looking back at us. "Something's wrong. Stay here."

Within a blink of an eye, he bolted upstairs. I stared at Bella in alarm and silently, we bolted upstairs after him. Gently clasping the dreamcatcher in his hand, Edward stood tensed, his eyes roaming the room.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked cautiously. Edward faced us, his expression haunted.

"Someone's been here."

"We have to go to the Cullens. Now." I spoke first, breaking the tension over the room. "Mom will make an excuse to Charlie."

"You can follow me. I'll take Bella," Edward nodded, ushering us out of Bella's room. He had his phone pressed to his ear as he squeezed Bella's hand.

"Carlisle. Gather the family in the living room. I'm bringing the girls over, see you in ten."

"Mom, we'll be back. Something... came up." I shot her a pleading look as we scrambled to get our jackets back on. "I'll fill you in when we get home."

"Be safe. All of you," she said pointedly, meeting Edward's gaze. He nodded once and we left the house.

"Who was it? Someone we know?" Alice directed toward Edward after he quickly filled in his family. Edward shook his head as he paced back and forth across the living room worriedly.

"Just a stranger. I didn't recognize his scent. And it wasn't the same scent from Autumn's room a few weeks ago either."

"A nomad passing through?" Esme asked.

"A passer-by wouldn't have left Bella's father alive." Rosalie pointed out, her eyes hard.

I noticed Bella shiver involuntarily at Rosalie's words; Esme wrapped an arm around her just as the front door burst open. Everyone fell momentarily silent as Jasper entered the room.

"His scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's house." He grimaced, walking over to Alice.

"Someone's orchestrating this." Edward gritted through his teeth. "But who?"

"Victoria?" Carlisle suggested, his face mirroring Edward's; hard lines creased their foreheads as Carlisle shared a thought with Edward.

"I would've seen her deciding," Alice told him.

"It has to be the Volturi, then." Edward began pacing again, causing Bella to frown.

"I don't think it's the Volturi either. I've been watching Aro's decisions, too." Alice shot back.

"So we keep looking." Emmett chimed in, leaning forward on the couch. Normally, his face would have been eager to take down the enemy, but now I could see the concern in his eyes even from across the room.

"We also take shifts, guarding Bella at her house," Carlisle added, earning an eye roll from Rosalie.

"Another protection detail?"

"Rosalie." Esme warned her, the motherly tone evident in her voice.

"No, she's right," Bella spoke up at last. "You can't protect me, watch my dad... and search for the intruder. And for Victoria. And keep yourselves fed."

"I'm not leaving you here defenseless," Edward said to her as he stopped pacing.

"Well, I'm not gonna let you starve. And I wouldn't be unprotected, I have..." Bella's voice trailed off as an idea popped into her head; her eyes wide, she turned to me and I knew exactly what she was thinking without her saying a word.

"What?" Edward asked, looking from Bella to me in confusion. I snorted in response, slightly amused he didn't think of it first; I smirked as it finally dawned on him once I spoke.

"We have the werewolves."