SAVE THE COOL STORIES FOR SETH — HE'S STILL POUTING ABOUT MISSING OUT.

The night before the battle arrived, and Emmett should've been hunting with his family, but instead, he was at Frankie's trailer. He couldn't help himself, needing to spend as much time with his mate as he could before they both put their lives on the line.

Their naked limbs were intertwined as they laid on a blanket on the floor — having learned the hard way her bed wouldn't survive them. Frankie's warm feet were curled against his cold legs as he drew absentminded patterns on her side, his nose buried in her neck, taking in her warm and inviting scent.

"Please, be careful tomorrow," he all but begged, his eyes clenched shut.

"Emmett, I'll be fine. I'm literally called The Beast—"

"But you aren't indestructible," he cut her off. "None of us are. But I know you. You're going to be focused on everyone, but you can't protect anyone if you don't protect yourself. I need you to take care of yourself out there if I get distracted."

"You're one to talk about taking care of yourself," she said while turning in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck, pressing her chest to his. She looked into his eyes which were veering on a muddy brown color instead of their usual golden tone. "You should've gone hunting tonight."

Emmett smirked and held her tighter, sliding one of his thighs between her legs. "Are you complaining about how we spent our time?" he asked while kissing along her jaw.

She let out a huff of a laugh and shook her head. "Never, Cullen," she grinned. Then she sighed. "But you're hungry. What if you lose control?"

"I'll survive," he promised, sounding more amused than anything as he kissed her neck. "If I could keep myself from biting you the first time we made out at school, I'll be able to control myself around the poor deer before the battle."

Okay, well, technically, it was Jasper's mood control that kept him from biting her. But still.

Frankie pulled back a bit, a curious look in her eyes, as this was news to her. "You wanted to bite me?" she questioned. "I thought wolf blood was disgusting to vampires. That coupled with the fact your venom doesn't affect us is why we're so superior."

He rolled his eyes playfully as she called them the superior of the two species. "Not you," Emmett said with a shrug. "You've always smelled so... warm and inviting. And then I remember tasting your blood when you cut your hand that day Bella came to the house. I couldn't believe it didn't send me into a frenzy, but it was... fuck, it was good."

Frankie hated how her interest was piqued, but there was something so fascinating about having the one thing he craved most and couldn't let himself have — her blood. Something inside of her wanted him to rely on her in every way, wanted him to want her in every way.

"So," she spoke slowly, looking up at him curiously, "if you were to bite me—"

"I'd never," he promised, thinking she was scared of him hurting her. "I can control myself around you. I swear."

"I know," she said, tangling her fingers in his hair to pull him closer. "I meant — well, what do you think happens when a vampire drinks a wolf's blood?"

Emmett couldn't control how his eyes grew darker at the thought, but he could control his reaction. He shook his head instantly. "What are you on about, Roman?"

Her eyes were glued to his perfect lips, suddenly wanting them latched on her neck, his teeth grazing her sensitive skin. "What if you tried feeding from me?"

He pulled back as if she'd burned him. But then his eyes fell on her neck, feeling the blood pumping through her veins, which had him swallowing thickly. "You don't know what you're asking."

"I think I do," she murmured, pulling him closer. "Our blood replenishes faster than humans. I'll be fine by morning, and you'll be at your strongest."

"But I'll hurt you," he said, anguish washing over his face, hating himself because he wanted to bite her.

"I'm asking you to, Em," she said softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "And I know you want to. If it's too much, we both know I'm strong enough to push you off."

She could see the conflict in his eyes as she brushed her thumb over her lips, her heart sighing when he kissed the pad of her thumb. He then nodded, giving into the primal craving he'd had since meeting the girl.

He started slowly, placing featherlight kisses along her jaw and down her neck until he reached the very spot that made her moan every time he sucked on it. A shiver ran through her as his tongue slid over the skin comfortingly before his teeth sunk into her skin.

A blend of pain and euphoria washed over Frankie unexpectedly, the feeling of his venom making her head swirl. She grabbed onto his biceps and pulled herself even closer, her head falling to the side as she gave him more access. Warmth pooled in her stomach and only moved lower, surprised by how good it felt.

Emmett moaned lowly as her blood washed down his throat, sating years of hunger with one mouthful. He couldn't help but grind his hips against hers when she pulled herself closer and let out a whine, clearly enjoying it just as much as he was. And though he was sure Frankie's blood was the sweetest thing to ever exist, he didn't let himself drink too much.

Besides, why would he want her blood when he could have her for the third time that night?

He pulled away from her neck, tongue lapping up the blood around the already-healing bitemark. Then he looked down at her, seeing her once brown eyes shining bright red, a hazy look in them as she trailed her hands down his chest.

"How do you feel?" he asked, his voice a little deeper than normal.

Frankie stared at his eyes — gold mixed with a twinge of red, a sign he'd strayed from his animal diet. And though she should've hated the sight, it just drove her crazy, knowing that she was the only human he could taste and control himself around.

"I feel like I want you to fuck me again," she said before pulling him into a hard kiss.

He smirked against her lips, already feeling stronger than he had in years with her blood coursing through him. Even something inside of Frankie was singing, like her body knew her mate had claimed her in his own way.

"I'm sure I can manage that."

☽︎

The next morning, Frankie's eyes were still glowing red, and all the vampires in the Olympic Coven could smell the venom still in Frankie's system as she stood in the clearing that would soon be a battlefield. Carlisle looked downright scandalized by the reddish tint to Emmett's eyes but kept his mouth shut.

Jasper was the one to break the silence, the blend of their arousal and excitement for the fight a little too much for him to process. "I need you two to leave for a solid decade after this. We can't be expected to be around this all the time."

"Yeah," Frankie scoffed sarcastically. "Cause you and Alice aren't freaks too."

"Ignore them," Emmett murmured, kissing the top of her head. "Just stay near me, okay?"

"You stay near me," she corrected, knowing she was the stronger of the two. "And then save the cool stories for Seth — he's still pouting about missing out."

"But he's safe," Esme said, knowing how important Seth was to Frankie.

"It's almost time," Alice said, nodding to Frankie.

She stood on her toes and pulled Emmett into a fierce kiss before disappearing behind the trees where the rest of her pack was. She removed her clothes and shifted, taking up the front for once. As soon as Jasper yelled for them, they'd jump out and surprise the newborns.

It was painfully silent, everyone on edge as they waited for the army to arrive. But then they broke through the treeline, twenty newborn, bloodthirsty vampires following the trail of Bella's scent that Jasper and Edward set up the day before, them falling for the trap. And ten seconds after the Cullens charged, the wolves appeared from their hiding place, leaping over them and attacking the newborns in the back of the group.

The newborns were at a loss, confused and overwhelmed by the presence of the wolves. The distraction was just what was needed as Frankie began tearing into the leeches, them no match for her power. Any time one would jump on her, she'd shake them off like an annoying instinct before turning on them, ripping them to shreds.

It wasn't long at all before the newborns began to avoid her altogether, knowing they'd meet their doom at the hands — or rather fangs — of the giant wolf. So, Frankie did what she did best. She protected her pack.

Any newborn that even looked Esme's way was torn to shreds. She'd back one into a corner and let Paul tear her head off. One went for Quil and ended up with his legs across the clearing.

Frankie would've been the one to save Leah when one got its arms around her, but Rosalie was closer, throwing herself at the newborn, and wrestling him to the ground. Leah was up in seconds, and as soon as Rosalie had the newborn pinned, the wolf began tearing into him.

Leah looked at Rosalie, prepared to give a simple nod of thanks only for the world to stop. Nothing mattered — not the battle going on around her, not the leech that was fighting her brother up in the mountains and losing, not Sam and Emily and all their bullshit.

All that mattered was a pair of beautiful, golden eyes.

☽︎

Alice had a vision mere minutes after the battle ended, one that had Edward rushing back with Bella while everyone waited for them and Seth to return. As they waited, they cleaned up.

Rosalie didn't know why the silver wolf was still lingering around her after all the newborns had been killed, but she found she didn't mind. For whatever reason, she didn't smell nearly as bad as her other packmates, though she hadn't ever noticed that during the training session. Then again, she didn't give any of them a second glance that day.

She also didn't know why all the other wolves kept glancing her way as she and the others piled all the body parts together to burn.

"Babe?" Emmett asked Frankie, who'd just returned from shifting back and putting her clothes back on. "Why do you have that little smile on your face? The Volturi are coming. This is not something to smile about."

Frankie was rocking back and forth on her feet, smiling at Leah, so happy that she'd found her Imprint. And when Rosalie met her eyes for the first time after she turned back into her human form, she'd know if she was her mate as well. She didn't give a damn about the evil leeches coming their way.

"Don't worry about it," Frankie said, patting his cheek teasingly. Then she grabbed half a newborn and hauled her toward the fire.

When Edward and Bella arrived, the mindreader wasted no time in talking to Alice. "How long?" Edward asked quickly.

Meanwhile, Seth trotted up to Frankie's side, both relieved the other was unhared. And she was proud of him for killing the male vampire that was helping Victoria.

"A few minutes. Maybe ten," Alice replied, her eyes unfocused as she watched the vision flashing in her mind.

Edward then tensed, seeing a small, red-eyed figure standing behind Esme and Carlisle. Frankie had noticed her as well as soon as everything ended, but Carlisle simply waved his hand and she stood down. She trusted him completely, but evidently, Edward didn't.

"What's she doing here?" he asked aggressively. The girl couldn't have been older than sixteen, which made Frankie frown. Stuck at that age forever seemed like a nightmare.

"We offered her safe haven if she stopped fighting. She took it," Esme explained.

"The pack needs to leave," Carlisle then said when Edward didn't push back on the newborn girl. "The Volturi won't honor a truce with the werewolves."

"I don't think Frankie should leave," Edward spoke up, looking to her. "Aro already knows you exist. He saw you in my and Alice's minds. Having you here would be more protection in case the guard tries to take Bella."

"They won't touch her," Frankie said, sharing a look with Bella. Maybe she didn't agree with the lifestyle she was choosing, but she was as good as her sister, and she'd protect her in every way possible. "I'm not gonna be the first wolf to run from one of you ticks."

Emmett rolled his eyes playfully and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "We are not ticks—"

Emmett was cut off by a loud snarl sounding. A newborn had been missed and hiding behind a boulder, but as Rosalie got too close, he lunged for her, fist pulling tightly on her hair as he pinned her to the ground, the cracking sounds echoing around them.

Leah was on him in an instant, tackling the newborn off of Rose as Esme and Carlisle rushed to her side. They rolled to the other side of the clearing as Leah bit off a piece of the vampire's face angrily for hurting her Imprint.

However, the newborn managed to stand and get his arms around Leah, which led to disaster. They could all hear the sickening crunch that followed as her bones were crushed. Leah howled in agony as the other wolves pounced, dragging the vampire off and killing him.

"Lee!" Frankie shouted, running over to the girl with Seth right by her side.

Against her will, Leah shifted back into her human form, letting out anguished cries. The whole right side of her body was gnarled and broken and bruised, every breath a fight for her life. As more people crowded around, Frankie tore off the hoodie she was wearing as laid it over Leah's body before Carlisle could begin examining her.

"Leah. Hold on, Carlisle is gonna take care of you," Frankie said, keeping her as still as she could. "Seth's right here."

Seth laid his head on the ground next to Leah's, who tangled her fingers in his fur with her left hand, grabbing onto him as she fought the pain. He let out a whine, hating that his sister was in so much pain.

"The bones on the right half of her body are shattered," the doctor said, bringing tears to Frankie's eyes.

Then the wolves finally ran out in their human forms, all dressed in the clothes they brought. They crowded around them, hating the sight of Leah in pain.

"You stupid dog! I had it!" Rosalie exclaimed, having joined them as well. But then she glared down at Leah and it softened before morphing into a look of pain as she realized what Leah was to her. As she realized her mate had nearly been killed before she even got the chance to know her. Her knees buckled and she dropped next to Carlisle, looking deeply into Leah's eyes. Tears welled in her eyes that wouldn't fall. "I'm sorry."

"I need to set the bones before her accelerated healing kicks in. It's already starting," Carlisle told Sam, who nodded in understanding.

"We need to get her out of here. We're not gonna win a fight with the Volturi," Edward said quickly. "Not even Frankie will stand a chance against Jane and Alec."

"We'll take her back to Sue's," Sam decided.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Carlisle promised.

Then Sam, Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Jacob slowly and carefully lifted Leah up, not wanting to bring her any more pain. Seth just followed along, silently crying over his sister's condition.

Fury tore through Frankie's veins as she watched her friend be carried off. She should've done a better job at making sure the area was clear before she shifted back. Leah could've died because of a stupid, avoidable mistake.

"She's my..." Rosalie trailed off, not even sure what to say.

"I know," Frankie told her, putting her hand on her shoulder. "You're hers too. I'll take you to see her afterward."

Both Frankie and Rosalie were a mess as they joined the rest of the Cullens, standing close to the burning pile that was making the air thick with smoke. It almost made it difficult for Frankie to pick up on the scent of four approaching vampires.

"They're here," Alice said, noticing them a moment later.

Frankie hardly had time to react before Emmett moved her behind him, trying to hide her from view as best he could. But given her height, it was easy to peek over his shoulder and watch as four vampires glided into the clearing. They came to a stop right in front of the coven and removed the hoods on their cloaks in sync.

Their red eyes were unsettling, but what was worse was that two of them looked like children, likely no older than twelve. How could someone ever justify turning someone so young?

Emmett had told her about the guard before and described them, but she hadn't thought the 'Witch Twins' would be so young. Alec and Jane were their names, and the largest must've been Felix — Emmett was bitter that the guard was stronger than he was. The last one with them was Demetri, a vampire that could track people.

"Impressive," Jane said. Her eyes took in the carnage, also taking half a second to examine Bella and then the wolf amongst them — it was hard to hide someone six feet tall. "I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact."

"We were lucky," Carlisle said, keeping his tone level and civil.

"I doubt that," Jane shot back. Frankie raised an eyebrow, surprised such confidence came from someone so young.

"It appears we missed an entertaining fight," Alec commented.

"Yes," his sister agreed. "It's not often we're rendered unnecessary."

"If you'd arrived a half-hour ago, you would've fulfilled your purpose," Edward muttered bitterly. He kept Bella close to his chest, wishing more than anything to protect her from them.

"Pity," was all Jane said. Frankie didn't believe her for a second. If anything, Jane thought it was a pity that they were all still standing. Then, her red eyes fell on Bree, who was at the back of the group and quietly trembling. "You missed one."

Jasper, who was once like Bree, moved to her side protectively. She hadn't chosen to join the newborn army, and just like they had with him, the Cullens would take Bree in and teach her a better way to live.

"We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender," Carlisle explained.

"That wasn't yours to offer." As Jane looked at Bree, Esme shot Carlisle a concerned look, but he only shook his head. She couldn't intervene. "Why did you come?"

Only Jane hadn't given Bree enough time to answer the question. A second had passed before Bree was on the ground, screaming. Frankie wanted to flinch but wouldn't let herself, having already been warned of Jane's torturous ability.

"Who created you?" Jane asked, not bothering to stop torturing Bree, who continued to writhe in pain on the ground.

"You don't need to do that," Esme said, stepping forward. "She'll tell you anything you want to know."

"I know." The smirk on her face was sickening.

Bree's screaming ceased for a brief moment as she choked out an answer. "I don't know. Riley wouldn't tell us. He said our thoughts weren't safe." Jane just sent another harrowing surge towards Bree, who screamed even louder.

"Her name was Victoria," Edward answered, hoping to get a reaction out of Jane. "Perhaps you knew her."

Bree's pain stopped abruptly as Jane faced Edward. The innocent smile on her face was just as unnerving as the smirk had been, and it put Frankie on edge. The other three guards looked ready to pounce, a clear sign that things could turn bad fast.

Carlisle quickly and calmly interceded. "Edward. If the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria, they would've stopped her. Isn't that right, Jane?"

Jane just looked at Carlisle for a prolonged time. "Of course," she said, but they all knew it was a lie. Then she looked back to the newborn, who she clearly wasn't finished with. "How was your army so easily defeated?"

And then Bree was screaming again, clawing at the earth for some kind of relief. She barely managed to raise a shaky hand and point at Frankie. Emmett moved even closer as the four guards looked at her. But Frankie wasn't scared as she scoffed and glared at the newborn.

"They're monsters," Bree choked out. Her whimpers grew lighter as Jane weakened her attack. "They came out of nowhere."

And then Bree was left alone once more, panting heavily on the ground. The young girl had the decency to look apologetically at Frankie, who simply shook her head. Then she stepped around Emmett and met Jane's gaze.

"Interesting," Jane mused with a scowl on her face. "A werewolf. Caius will not be pleased."

"A Spirit Warrior," Frankie corrected. "You should be glad I was here to help. Surely you wouldn't want an innocent coven to be slaughtered because you arrived too late."

Jane narrowed her eyes at her, not appreciating the implication. "I'm unsure of how innocent one could be after consorting with mutts such as yourself."

Now it was Frankie's turn to glare. "Call me that again," she dared, taking a step closer.

That'd been her mistake as pain rammed into her like a car, white-hot fire burning through her veins. Frankie screamed and dropped to the grass, fingers digging into the earth as she tried to get past it.

Jane was quite pleased as she rendered the wolf useless, but the smirk on her face slowly slipped away as Frankie slowly got back up on her knees, chest heaving. Her head looked up, eyes glowing a fiery red, a downright murderous look on her face. Jane strengthened her ability, but Frankie still overcame the feeling and got to her feet, wanting nothing more than to tear the little girl apart.

Everything hurt, and yet Frankie wouldn't give her the satisfaction of showing her pain.

"Jane, there is no need to attack our friend," Carlisle said carefully. "It's unwarranted as she's not a danger."

With a huff, Jane released Frankie, who tried not to sigh in relief as the pain stopped radiating throughout her. Refusing to show weakness, she remained in place, glaring at Jane when all she wanted to do was lean against her ice-pack of a boyfriend and rest her sore muscles.

Clearly, Jane was irritated that the Cullens had survived and she had no grounds to kill Frankie, but she didn't show it. She simply moved on, glancing from Bree to Felix at her side. "Felix."

Felix took a step toward Bree, but Esme spoke up, distress clear in her tone. "She didn't know what she was doing! We'll take responsibility for her."

"Give her a chance," Carlisle added, but even he knew it was hopeless.

"The Volturi don't give second chances." Jane's red eyes fell on Bella, who was cowering into Edward's arms. "Keep that in mind. Caius will be interested to know that she's still human."

"The date is set," Bella managed to inform her. Jane was ever so slightly taken aback by Bella's confidence. She hated how such a weak human spoke to her. She hated that a mere dog could overpower her ability. She hated everything about this dissatisfying mission.

Instead of killing Bella as she would have liked, Jane turned back to Felix. "Take care of that, Felix. I'd like to go home."

As the huge vampire moved toward Bree, Emmett pulled Frankie to the side, not wanting her to test her strength against Felix. There was nothing any of them could do as Bree screamed and thrashed as Felix grabbed her. The screams came to a halt as her head was ripped from her body and thrown into the burning fire.

"Thank you, Felix," Jane told him. Then she looked back at the Cullens, her eyes lingering on Bella. "Until next time."

They could do nothing but stand by, grim-faced as the four guards disappeared. Esme did her best to look away from the fire, not wanting to see what was left of Bree.

☽︎

Things were tense between Rosalie and Leah. After all, one hated shifters just as much as the other hated vampires. But nevertheless, Rosalie was at Leah's bedside as she healed. Carlisle had just finished rebreaking all of Leah's bones to set them and left to get a morphine drip, knowing her body would burn the dose he gave her off quickly.

"Thank you," Rosalie said slowly, it hard for her to say. She never thanked people. "For saving me."

"You did the same for me," Leah replied softly, her breaths still labored. "That was when I... Imprinted on you. When I looked into your eyes."

"Well, I should hope you Imprinted," she said, looking at her nails. "You are my mate, after all."

Something in Leah's chest relaxed. Yes, Seth was as happy as could be and didn't want more with Frankie — he was fine with her being Emmett's mate. But Leah didn't want to be someone's second choice again. She knew she deserved better, and maybe the beautiful but strong vampire sitting next to her would prove to be better.

"I'm not... very good at the whole feelings thing," Leah told her honestly. "And I'm kind of a bitch."

Rosalie let out a laugh. "That makes two of us," she muttered. Then she frowned at the floor. "But I'm willing to give this a shot if you are. We can take it slow."

"Yeah," Leah breathed out, reaching for Rose's hand with her left one. "Take it slow."

☽︎

"Imprint?" Jessica repeated, sitting next to Paul on the beach. "Like with baby ducks?"

Paul chuckled and shook his head. "No, not the — well, actually, yeah, I guess like with the ducks."

"I mean, Frankie told me a little bit about it. You know, with Seth and Emmett, but it was kind of intimate, so I didn't ask questions," she told the boy.

It was three days after the battle, and the Stanleys finally got back home from their sudden vacation. Paul got her number from Frankie and decided it was time for him to be as happy as the rest of the pack that he used to think were trapped by the Imprint Bond.

"Think of me as, well, whatever you need," Paul said, trying to put it into words. "A brother, a protector, a best friend, a boyfriend. I'll always be there for you, Jessica. You were hand-chosen by the spirits to be a part of my life."

Jessica's cheeks flushed involuntarily, and Paul loved the sight. "Well, I have a brother."

"Good to know."

"And Frankie's my protector."

"She's all of ours."

"Not to mention she and Mike are already my best friends," she informed him.

"Right," he said, the corners of his lips turning up as she went down the list. "And, uh, is Mike your boyfriend too?"

"Not currently," she said in an almost teasing tone. But she and Mike wouldn't be getting back together. They were just meant to be friends. "Maybe if I wanted a boyfriend, we could take things slow."

"Sure," he murmured, seeing how her eyes glanced at his lips. "Take things slow."

Ten minutes later, Jessica was giggling with sand in her hair as Paul peppered kisses all over her face, the new couple moving at a pace that could challenge even the beginning of Emmett and Frankie's relationship.