"I hope you ate a big strong breakfast so that you can participate during supernatural fight club today."

Seth pouted from his side of the border and leaned against the base of a tree. "I did eat a big strong breakfast, but Sam says we can only observe."

"Oh, boo! That's not fun," Valeria complained, scoffing. "Sam's the worst."

"I am literally right next to you," Sam said, shaking his head.

"And?" she asked, giving him a pointed look. "Seriously, you guys are just gonna watch? Boring. When else am I gonna get to throw Paul into a tree?"

"I think he'd prefer it if you didn't throw him into a tree, actually," Sam pointed out. "He's not a fan of it."

"Well, it'd be a lot of fun for me," Valeria claimed. "And I'm sure it'd put a smile on everyone else's faces as well."

"Not Paul's," Seth said, chuckling.

"See!" she said, pointing to the youngest wolf. "He's already smiling. We need smiles in a time like this."

Sam bit his lip to keep from smiling as he gave Valeria a pointed look. "No throwing any of my pack into trees."

"Fine," she pouted, leaning on Sam's shoulder. He smiled fondly down at her. "Thanks for agreeing to this, again."

"It's our job," he reminded her. "And I wouldn't let you go into a fight without me there to protect you."

"How sweet," she cooed. "With us coming together, this is just like West Side Story. We're the Sharks, and you guys are the Jets."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Uh, we're the Sharks. You pale faces are the Jets," he informed her.

Valeria scoffed, not wanting to be a part of the Jets. "I'm literally from Puerto Rico, Sunshine," she reminded him, leaning off his shoulder.

"That doesn't change the fact that the rest of your family is as white as paper. We're the Sharks. You're the Jets," Sam declared, crossing his arms. "That's just how it is."

From the side, Seth was laughing at how childish and ridiculous they sounded. Valeria turned her nose up, refusing to look at Sam. "I hope Embry and Quil are around to make a bet because we're about to have a physical altercation over this."

"Oh, I could so take you," Sam claimed boldly.

"Well, too bad we can't test that, what with you being a baby who won't participate in supernatural fight club," she teased. "I think you're just scared I'll throw you into a tree. You know I'll wipe the floor with you."

"Sure," Sam said, grinning down at her. Then he pressed a kiss to her temple. "That must be why."

☽︎

The forest was silent and completely undisturbed — at least until Emmett when flying through the air, limbs flailing. He hit the ground hard but jumped right back up, unaffected by the blow that Jasper had delivered.

"Again," Emmett ordered, staring down Jasper.

"Yeah," Valeria cheered. As she did, Edward arrived with Bella in the Jeep. "Throw him even farther next time."

Emmett chuckled and walked over to Valeria, tugging on one of her braids as he did so. She, like everyone else, was dressed in exercise gear to free up her movement. It was fun to watch Jasper and Emmett warm-up, because, despite Emmett's size, Jasper was the better fighter and usually won.

When Bella walked over to their group, Valeria offered her a comforting smile. The human was worried about all of them fighting, but maybe the training session would ease some of her worries.

The vampires all sensed the arrival of the wolves just before they left the cover of the tree line. Eight, huge wolves walked into the clearing, staying close together. They looked just as on-edge and wary as the Cullens were — well, Valeria wasn't on edge and she shot the wolves a smile.

She then nudged Emmett, who was eying Paul, both of them recognizing each other from their fight. Clearly, they'd both love a rematch, but Sam and Carlisle wouldn't stand for that.

"They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," Edward announced after a second. His eyes were glued to Sam. A lot of his anger had faded the night before due to Bella calming him down, but it was resurfacing at the sight of him.

"They came. That's what matters," Carlisle said. He turned to Edward. "Will you translate?"

Valeria met Sam's gaze and smiled softly while holding onto her wolf necklace that she was wearing. However, Jasper grabbed her hand and pulled her further away from the wolves and closer to her family.

Carlisle carefully stepped toward the wolves, and Sam made sure to be at the front. "Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them."

Sam looked from Edward to Jasper and back, clearly asking a question in his mind. "They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward translated.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues," Carlisle explained. "Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life."

The pack took that in for a moment, realizing that these would be much stronger than Laurent and Victoria, the only vampires they'd actually faced. Carlisle then nodded to Jasper, who would take over. He looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment, likely thinking of his old life in the army, but after an encouraging nod from Valeria, he stepped up.

"Carlisle's right. That's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army. And no human army could stand against them." He stepped back, now addressing all of them as they shifted into the actual training part. "The two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. The second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that. And you will lose."

Valeria felt a chill run down her spine, and for the first time, she actually took the threat seriously. Her eyes stayed glued to Jasper, not wanting to miss a single thing.

"Emmett," Jasper called, ready for the first sparring match. "Don't hold back."

"Not in my nature," he shot back, a cocky smirk on his face.

Emmett was the first to move, charging at Jasper with impossible speed. He managed to push him back several yards, but Jasper was toying with him more than anything. Eventually, the soldier flipped Emmett onto his back and smirked down at him. The wolves couldn't help but let out impressed noises.

"Never lose focus."

The next to face off were Edward and Carlisle. It wasn't a long fight considering that Edward could read every thought Carlisle had. He knew every move a second before he carried it out. It wasn't long before Edward threw Carlisle on the ground and turned to look at Bella with a proud smile on his face.

"One more thing," Jasper said, walking over.

Then in a flash, Carlisle had grabbed Edward and tackled him to the ground, winning the fight with the sudden attack.

"Never turn your back on your enemy," Jasper said, rolling his eyes at Edward's mistake.

"Yeah. Kick his ass, Carlisle!" Valeria cheered from her spot on the hood of the Jeep.

"You're lucky I can't touch you," Edward said, pouting as he got to his feet. "I'd throw you off a mountain."

She grinned teasingly at him as the fighting continued. Everyone would take a turn fighting against Jasper. Rosalie did surprisingly well, but like everyone else, Jasper beat her.

The most entertaining to watch was Alice. She could see each move he made before he made it. It looked more like she was dancing than fighting, and Jasper couldn't get his hands on her. Then she disappeared, and no one could spot her. A second later, she dropped from the trees and onto Jasper's shoulders.

"Gotchya," she said, kissing his neck.

Jasper gave her a loving smile before she jumped to the ground. Then his eyes settled on Valeria, the last to face him. He jerked his head, signaling for her to come over. She ignored the low, protective growl that left Sam's throat as she skipped over to him.

With his hands on her shoulder, he turned her to face the wolves, who were all focused on her now.

"Valeria is a special case. She will be both our greatest asset in the fight — aside from you all — but also our biggest liability," Jasper stated. In response, Valeria harshly elbowed him in the gut, earning a laugh from Emmett.

"They want to know what you mean by liability," Edward translated, looking at Paul, who must have asked.

Jasper looked to Carlisle, who was always the best at explaining Valeria's particular ability. "As you are aware, some vampires possess abilities, such as Edward and Alice," Carlisle stated. "Valeria's ability is extremely rare amongst our kind — unheard of, actually. She can—"

"They already know how Valeria's power works," Edward said, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone as he looked in their minds.

"How could they know that?" Jasper asked, feeling very protective over her.

"I told Jake," Bella quickly lied, knowing it wasn't a good time for a confrontation about Valeria and the wolves.

"Of course, you did," Rosalie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well then," Carlisle said, moving on. "You also know that fire is the way to completely destroy our kind. Valeria can replicate the power of a vampire who controls the four elements. Meaning—"

Carlisle cut himself off when Valeria threw her hands to the sky and flames shot from them. Everyone, even the wolves, stepped back, not expecting the display. "This is so exciting," she said, grinning as she lowered her hands. "I never get to use the fire one. Carlisle thinks I'll burn the town down."

"Because you do things like that," Edward said, rubbing his forehead. "To answer your question, Paul, she's a liability because of another gift."

"If you spend enough time with Valeria, you'll notice that she's not quite like other vampires," Carlisle explained. Valeria bit her lip, never having told the wolves about Emmanuel and Jasper's gifts that she had copied. "We refer to it as the gift of humanity. And it is a gift. She no longer thirsts for blood or has a desire to attack humans. But there are downsides."

"The attention span," Edward chimed in.

"She's clumsy," Rosalie muttered.

"Her senses are duller than the rest of ours," Alice added.

"Well, I didn't get the memo that it's pick on Valeria day," Valeria mumbled, crossing her arms.

Jasper patted her shoulder comfortingly. "She will take out the most newborns, no doubt about it. But in such a chaotic environment where she'll need to be focusing heavily on her fire ability, we'll have to keep an eye on her. As soon as they see what she can do, they'll make her a target. However, we know and do not expect that you will help us watch her—"

"The wolves will protect Valeria," Edward interrupted. He wasn't quite as angry as earlier, seeing just how important Valeria's safety was to them. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her. "She'll be able to do her job."

Jasper eyes the wolves, wondering if he could trust them. But Sam nodded, agreeing with Edward.

"Alright, let's see what the baby's got in her," Jasper said, leading Valeria to the sparring area.

"Maybe I'll surprise you," she said, shrugging. Then she put her hands up, similar to the position that Emmett had fought in.

She wasn't going to be the first to move, knowing it would only end with her getting thrown on her back or into a tree. After a second, Jasper lunged, and she managed to maneuver out of the way before he got his hands on her.

From the side, all of the wolves, especially Sam, were tense, worried about Valeria's safety. Jasper hadn't exactly been gentle when fighting the others. Each time Jasper landed a hit on her, they growled protectively.

"He won't really hurt her," Edward said quietly, not even looking at the wolves.

Jasper got his arms around Valeria from the back, but a sudden invisible force — the wind — threw him off. Valeria followed with a series of intricate maneuvers, constantly managing to evade Jasper. She only used defensive moves, but she still lasted longer than anyone else.

"The hell'd you learn how to do that?" Jasper asked as Valeria had once again escaped him. It was getting a bit frustrating.

Emmett was studying her with his eyes narrowed. "Was that a Mortal Kombat move?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned goofily. "Mike and Eric have been teaching me to pla — hey!"

Jasper had taken his opportunity and grabbed Valeria by her neck. He twisted her arm around before launching her over his shoulder. She hit the ground hard, sliding across the dirt and all the way to the wolves' side of the clearing.

"Oof," she muttered, cringing as she looked up at the trees.

"I said never lose focus and never turn your back on your enemy," Jasper said, giving her a disapproving look. "You did both of those."

"You were doing surprisingly well until then," Alice complimented.

"Get up," Jasper told her, wanting to go again.

"I'm good," she stated, shaking her head. "Go beat Emmett up some more."

Jasper rolled his eyes but didn't make Valeria get up. Instead of going against Emmett, he chose Carlisle to fight. The others also started breaking up into pairs to practice what they had learned.

A moment later, Valeria's vision of the trees was blocked by black fur, and a wet nose pressed to her cheek. She couldn't help but smile, figuring all her family members were too concerned with fighting. Though Edward was watching from afar with clenched first — Bella was trying to silently calm him down.

"You're distracting me," Valeria stated as she sat up, propping her head on her knees. There was a smile on her face as he sat next to her and observed the fighting. "I need to pay attention, as you saw."

After a moment, another wolf — Leah — came over, and Edward wasn't too far behind. "Leah wants to know how difficult it is to work with the fire," Edward translated.

"The different elements all take different amounts of concentration and energy," she explained, looking at the white wolf. "The easiest is the wind." To prove her point, she sent a strong breeze that blew Leah's fur back. "Thankfully, fire is the next easiest for me." She summoned flames in her hand, much smaller and controlled than the ones before. "Water is surprisingly difficult, but it helps that we're in such a damp climate." Next, she focused hard on the grass, and a few drops floated up and over their heads. "Earth is the hardest and takes the most out of me."

Just like the first time Valeria had met Sam, she grew a small dandelion at Leah's feet. He felt proud of her and her abilities. Edward couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought.

Valeria watched her family spar for a few more minutes before Jasper instructed her to get up. He wasn't going to let her sit out the whole time. Once she was occupied with Emmett, Edward turned to Sam. "When we're finished here, I would like a word alone, away from my family."

A low growl left Leah's throat, but Sam agreed. There was no question about what Edward wanted to talk about. They quickly parted ways, Edward staying by Bella, and the wolves studying the vampire's fighting style.

Soon, Jasper felt like everyone had learned enough. He did advise the wolves to work on their own and devise moves that would work for them based on what they'd seen. If they had any questions, they were to contact Carlisle.

When all the Cullens finally left, Edward requested for Carlisle to stay back. With Valeria gone, it was time for Edward to confront Sam about her being his imprint, and he felt that Carlisle needed to know. Bella awkwardly hung back by the Jeep, knowing Edward didn't want her involved.

Sam was the only wolf to remain in the clearing, but Jared, Paul, and Jacob were all waiting in the trees, listening in.

"I haven't told Valeria, but Carlisle is our leader and he needs to know," Edward stated, glaring at Sam.

"What is this about?" Carlisle asked as Sam growled lowly at Edward.

Sam and Edward glared at each other for several moments before Sam gave in, huffing in annoyance. As long as Carlisle promised to not tell Valeria, he supposed it was alright. He knew the Cullens looked to Carlisle in that same way that the wolves looked to their Elders for decisions.

"Last night, I saw in Jacob's mind that Sam imprinted on Valeria," Edward revealed. "I also saw in Seth Clearwater's mind today that she's been frequently visiting them at the border."

Carlisle was stunned by the news — whatever he had been expecting, that wasn't it. "How is that even possible?"

Edward replied for Sam. "They have no record of something like this happening before. Valeria has not been informed yet. She just has a close bond with him."

"To my understanding, the imprint bond is similar to our mate bonds — though much more forceful," Carlisle mused. "A vampire's mate being a wolf is unheard of, but not impossible as it would now seem."

"Are you not angry?" Edward asked, narrowing his eyes at Carlisle. "He's a mutt! He's dangerous."

"So are we," Carlisle reminded them. They were all monsters, Carlisle stated in his head, and vampires were considerably more dangerous than the wolves. Then he looked to Sam, not having to look down much as the wolf was huge. "I imagine that her being your imprint has an affect on the treaty, at least for her."

Sam nodded his head, and Edward begrudgingly spoke for him. "Their Elders agreed that Valeria is allowed on their land, though still cannot hunt."

"Understandable," Carlisle said, nodding. "Very well. When you see fit to tell Valeria of this, she will be allowed to visit you in La Push. My family won't be pleased, but you're also welcome at our home any time."

"What?" Edward asked, outraged. "Carlisle, you can't really expect—"

"Edward," he said sharply. He wouldn't slight Valeria's happiness to please Edward. "Need I remind you of how you felt when parted from Bella for those few months? How you felt when you thought her dead?"

Edward remained silent, his jaw clenched.

"I will not put any of my children through that pain again," Carlisle stated, his decision unwavering. "I will say what I am sure I will have to say to the others when they eventually find out: get over it."

From the side, Bella covered her mouth in shock. She had never heard Carlisle be so stern to any of his children — but then again, nothing had ever put them at odds like this. And it'd certainly get worse when the others learned of Valeria being Sam's imprint. In her mind, Bella tried sorting who would be supportive and who wouldn't.

Esme, of course, would want Valeria to be happy. Her sweet, mothering nature would welcome Sam. Rosalie would take Edward's side, not just because Sam was a wolf but because she would always be protective of any man when it came to Valeria.

Emmett wouldn't be happy and he wouldn't get along with Sam, but as someone who adored his mate more than anything, Bella was convinced that he'd do his best to be happy for Valeria. At least it wasn't Paul that imprinted on her.

Jasper would be angry. Really angry. But Bella was convinced he wouldn't do anything about it. Alice would definitely have to calm him down — though she too wouldn't be pleased. Perhaps she would at least be relieved to know why she hadn't been getting visions of Valeria as of late. It'd be more frustrating than anything to the vampire that couldn't see past the wolves.

Carlisle then gave Sam a pointed look that reminded them all of an actual father. "You will not hurt Valeria. That is your only warning."

Sam nodded somberly, taking the threat very seriously. But then again, the mere thought of hurting made Sam want to end it all. Hurting her, losing her, anything like that would break him.

"I'd also wait until after the army is dealt with to tell her," Carlisle said. Of course, Sam was already in agreement with that, but couldn't voice it. "Her mind is already so easily distracted. I can't risk her getting hurt because she was concerned about the imprint bond."

"He doesn't want that either," Edward said for him. "There will be a wolf keeping an eye on her at all times during the fight. I may not like them, may hate them, but Valeria will be the safest person on the battlefield."