Better Than Revenge

Dylan let out a low whine and I could tell that he was moments away from a breakdown. I turned my back on him to face my cousin and spoke while I rolled my discarded clothes in a ball. “Go to my dad’s garage and tell him everything that happened. Have him call Sam and Emily to tell them that Dylan phased. After that go back to your parents and tell them everything. I’ll meet you there later after I explain everything to Dyl.”
She pulled me into a hug. “Be careful. He’s probably still around here somewhere.”
“You too,” I whispered and squeezed her tight. The vampire hadn’t done anything yet but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
She pulled away and zoomed from the forest toward my dad’s auto shop. I let out a sigh and phased, the fabric of my underwear shredding to pieces. *Damn, I liked that bra,* I thought absently.
*Andrea. What the hell is going on? I’m-I’m a freaking wolf! And I heard your thoughts!* He whined again and his thoughts became muddled. Dylan was bigger than me and his fur was black like his eyes with silver streaking through it.
*Relax. It’s going to be okay. You just have to trust me. Look, see, I’m a wolf too. It’s okay*
*How the hell is it okay? I’m a freak.*
I huffed. *I take offense to that. Besides, it’s not like we’re the only two to ever phase. Don’t you remember all of the stories about the legends of the tribe? Spirit warriors, Taha Aki, the cold ones? Ringing any bells?*
*Are you trying to tell me that the stories are real?*
*Yep. The gene gets triggered when there’s a vampire around. The first time’s the hardest because you can’t really control it but I promise that it gets easier.*
*Vampires?*
*Yeah. Nessie is half and the Cullens are full vampires. That guy, Alec, is one, too. Right now it’s us and Leah in the pack. Oh, her husband Tony is half vamp, too. Sorry, I kinda suck at explaining this stuff.*
*So what’s the new kid want?*
I half shrugged before I started trotting off with Dylan at my heels. *We’re not totally sure. His sister has a grudge against my mom so we have to be on the lookout. Our job is to protect the tribe. Got it?*
*Sure. But what am I gonna tell my parents?*
I barked out a laugh. *Nessie’s going to tell my dad to let them know. Sam was part of the pack at the same time my dad was so he and your mom know all about it. They’ve probably been just waiting for you to shift.*
*Okay, and how do I change back?*
*That might take some practice. Anger and stress make you change into a wolf so you’ve got to learn to control that; that’s why your mom has the scars, because your dad got mad once and she was too close- or so I’ve been told. To shift back you have to be totally relaxed.*
*Okay, I’m relaxed now what?*
*Picture yourself human. Concentrate. Make yourself become human.*
*It’s not working,* he complained.
By then we had reached his house. I hopped up onto the porch and rang the doorbell with my snout. It took a few moments before Emily Uley was at the door. She was petite and really pretty except for the right side of her face. Three long scars ran down her face and hand. She smiled gently. “Oh, Andrea, thanks for bringing Dylan home. I just got off the phone with Jacob. Let me get you some clothes really quickly.”
*Wow, she didn’t freak at all.*
*I told you that she knew about this. She used to be the pack mother when your dad was Alpha.*
*Alpha? Like the leader? Who’s Alpha now?*
*I am. It’s usually passed down through lineage. My great-grandfather Ephraim Black was the last chief of the tribe so the Alpha position runs in his family. Your dad was just the first to phase in his generation so he was given the title until my dad accepted it back.*
Emily returned with a simple floral sundress. It would be too small for me but it was better than nothing. I loved Dylan and everything but I so did not want to run around naked in front of him. I ran into the cover of the trees and quickly phased back, slipping on the dress. “Thanks for the dress, Emily. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it, Andrea. I guess that we’ll be seeing you around here even more than we already do.”
I let out a laugh. “I guess so. I’ll be back tonight to check on Dylan. Dyl, if you still haven’t phased back by then don’t worry about it. Like I said, just relax and focus. I’ll see you both later.”
“What triggered it?” Emily called before I could start down the driveway toward town.
“We’ve got a slight vampire problem. The Cullens are back but they don’t come onto our land. There is another vampire that doesn’t follow the treaty, though. He just enrolled in our school.”
Her light brown eyes grew wide and she sucked in a breath. “But there’s only three in the pack right now and I don’t think that anyone else is old enough to change yet. Are you guys going to be okay? Are some of the wolves going to have to come out of retirement?”
I shook my head and pursed my lips. “No, I don’t think so. My dad’s helping me take care of it.”
I started walking again but stopped halfway down the large drive. “Oh, Dyl? Do me a favor and brush up on your history. I’m really bad at telling the stories and things would go by much easier if you knew our histories. Nessie and I are taking fighting lessons from the Cullens so I’ll have to stop by after. I’d invite you to come but I don’t think that having you around anymore vampires is a good idea at the moment. See ya.”
I turned and ran barefoot through the woods to the school. Classes were still in session so it was a piece of cake to slip into the parking lot and get my car and Nessie had the rest of my stuff. I sped from La Push to Forks and then three more miles down the Cullens’ long driveway. I knew that everyone would be freaking out but for some reason I wasn’t worried. I felt like I could handle anything and before I knew it my thoughts had turned to the new vampire.