SMUT WARNING my friends.

Valeria was the first to hear the wolves coming, knowing that half the coven was missing and they were vulnerable to an attack with Bella going into labor — and now dead. And now that Edward had seen Renesmee — held her in his arms — he knew he couldn't let them harm her.

"Alice! Jasper!" he shouted before kissing Bella's cold forehead shakily. "You're gonna be alright."

Then Valeria and Edward met Alice and Jasper outside of the house, all watching as the wolves broke through the treeline. At seeing the large, black wolf that she loved so much, Valeria looked away sadly, knowing what was coming. She was being made to choose between her mate and her family, and it made her feel like she was being torn in two.

"We're outnumbered," Jasper noted.

"By a lot," Alice added.

"I won't let them hurt my family," Edward declared.

Sam was the first to charge, going right for Edward, who threw him back easily. Alice and Jasper jumped into the fight as well, but Valeria stayed put, watching with frantic eyes as all the people she cared about fought each other. It was easy to notice none of the wolves going for her — they'd been ordered to leave her alone, of course. And Valeria couldn't bring herself to attack them when she knew they couldn't defend themselves against her because she was an Imprint.

Instead, she kept her eyes on Sam, who was still targeting Edward. Her brother was on his back, Sam's teeth bared and ready to rip his head off. Valeria sucked in a deep breath and quickly tackled him off, not using near as much strength as she had even when half-starved. The pair rolled in the dirt, and before he realized who she was, Sam's claws dug into her face, three long cracks appearing in her skin.

Sam's blood ran cold when he heard her scream, and they came to a sudden stop, him pinning her to the ground. He was frozen above her, watching as the cracks slowly began to heal on her otherwise perfect skin. It was the closest he'd been to her in weeks, and he'd fucking hurt her.

Valeria could see the anguish in his eyes and shook her head, knowing that she didn't blame him for a second as the stinging feeling faded out. "I'm fine," she whispered. "But I can't let you kill my brother."

Thinking that she was being attacked and not recognizing him in his wolf form, it was Emmett who appeared and tackled Sam off of Valeria, knocking him into a tree so hard that the wood splintered and pierced his skin.

"Sam!" Valeria shouted, shoving Emmett back and rushing to her mate.

The chaos of the fight only got worse. Valeria kept trying to pull wolves off of her family. Sam was torn between protecting her and trying to fulfill his role and kill Edward for what he'd done. Seth and Leah were forced to fight against their fellow shifters. And all too soon, the outnumbered and weak vampires were being backed into a corner.

It was then that Jacob rushed from the house, jumping completely over the porch railing and landing in front of the Cullens. "Stop! It's over!" he shouted, earning a threatening growl from Sam. "If you kill her, you kill me."

Sam lunged at Jacob to attack him, but he threw him back before turning into a wolf himself. With each looming step toward Sam, it was evident that Jacob was sharing something important via their mind link as all the wolves slowly backed away.

"Jacob imprinted," Edward said in alarm, looking into his mind. "They can't hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed. It's their most absolute law."

Valeria let out a needless sigh of relief as the wolves left one by one until Sam was the last one standing. His eyes were on Valeria, a pleading look in them.

"Valeria will come to you when she's ready," Edward told the alpha. "For now, deal with your pack. She's not your concern."

A low growl left Sam's throat, and Valeria glared at Edward and stepped in front of him, knowing he had no right to talk to her mate that way. Her expression softened when she looked back at Sam. "I'll - I'll come by soon if you still want me to. But I have to make sure the venom is taking — that Bella is going to be okay. I can't leave yet."

Though he was sad to be parting at a time like this, Sam nodded in understanding before running off, the distance between the two making it feel like their hearts were being ripped from their chests.

☽︎

Three hours later, Valeria stood on Sam's porch. Normally, she'd just let herself in, but she felt the need to knock after everything that'd happened. It was like she didn't know if she was welcome anymore.

Sam was opening the door in an instant — as soon as he'd caught her scent, he was waiting by the door in nothing but a t-shirt and some plaid pajama pants. He stared down into her golden eyes, his own glassy as he fought off tears of his own. Neither said anything as he pulled her into a strong hug, and Valeria melted, finally feeling at peace for the first time in a month.

"Are you okay?" Valeria asked him, not letting him go as he backed them up into the house and shut the door. "I could smell you bleeding."

"I'm fine. But fuck," he cursed, cupping her cheek. It was fully healed now, but he would never forget what he'd done to her. "I hurt you, Valeria. I attacked you."

"I attacked you first," she said, covering his warm hand with her own. "I tackled you, and you reacted. And I'm fine. We're both fine, and it's all over. I'm so sorry for all of it — for staying away and keeping the pregnancy from you."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Don't ever apologize. I'm the asshole in this situation."

"You're not an asshole, Sam. You're an alpha," she corrected. "And no one — not Jacob or Edward or Carlisle — can imagine what that pressure feels like. Jacob turned it down and left you with the burden only to get mad when you had to do what you thought was best for the land."

"I thought you'd hate me for it," he said quietly, an ashamed look in his eyes.

"I'd never hate you, Sunshine," she murmured before standing on her toes to kiss him.

Kissing him felt like truly going home, warmth bubbling up inside of her and making it feel like her heart could beat again. She slid her hands up his broad chest, her nails scratching his scalp as he tightened his hold around her waist while continuing to guide her in the kiss with his hand still cupping her jaw.

He walked her backward until she was pressed against the front door, and his tongue prodded the seam of her lips. After a month apart, she didn't hesitate to let him in, him exploring every inch of her mouth like it was something to claim. Like he didn't already own every part of her.

When Sam needed to breath, Valeria wasted no time in moving her lips down his jaw and neck, sucking harshly on his skin, leaving behind bruises that healed over in seconds. All the while, her hands worked at his shirt until she ended up tearing it down the middle.

Sam laughed before cupping the back of her neck and pulling her gaze back up to him. "Someone's eager."

"Sam," she said in a pleading tone while pushing his broad chest backward until they ended up in his small living room. With one more shove, he landed on the couch, looking up at her with darkened, lust-filled eyes. He hooked a finger in the belt loop of her jeans and swiftly pulled her down on top of him, her straddling his waist as he kissed her once more.

Her hands explored his chest, tracing the outline of his defined abs before teasingly snapping the band of his boxer briefs that were sticking out from underneath his pants. He let out a growl before flipping them over so that Valeria was lying on the couch with him hovering over her. Too impatient to take his time, he used one hand to push her sweater up while the other worked at her jeans, Valeria lending a hand to speed up the process of undressing.

Sam let out a groan before tearing the green bra she was wearing off completely, giving it the same treatment as his shirt. He was on her in seconds, his warm tongue lapping over her skin, sucking on her nipples and biting the flesh of her breasts until she was a panting, writhing mess beneath him.

"God, I need you," he muttered against her skin, loving how she was tugging on his hair.

"You've got me," she said breathlessly, meeting his darkened gaze. "All of me, Sam."

He nodded before continuing to kiss down her body, not bothering with teasing touches as he went right where she wanted him most. She drew in a sharp breath when he pressed his tongue flat against her underwear and then dragged it upward toward her clit. Her toes curled and her legs shook as he began sucking on her clit, the friction of his tongue and the fabric of her underwear making her feel like she was on fire — the good kind.

When her hips came up off the couch, he chose to hook her legs around his shoulders and hold her thighs in place to keep her from squirming as he nosed her underwear to the side and then delved into her core with his tongue. No one had ever gone down on Valeria before, who let out a morph between a whimper and a moan, her head falling back on the couch as she focused on the delicious feeling of him fucking in and out of her with his tongue.

"Oh, Sam," she moaned, eyes falling shut. "Keep — I'm almost there — ah!"

Suddenly, he'd pressed his thumb to her clit, beginning to rub quick circles on the bundle of nerve endings. She cried out from the feeling, arching up off the couch as he continued to eat her out and pleasure her. The orgasm hit her hard, her cum spilling out over Sam's lips, who lapped it up, placing sloppy kisses to her shaking thighs as he did so.

She was still coming down from her high when he began kissing up her body until he reached her lips, letting her taste herself on his tongue as he kissed her deeply. With a deep moan, she pulled him even closer, raising her hips to meet his, feeling his hardening length through his thin pajama pants. From the contact, he let out a deep groan before grinding his hips against hers to seek out some relief.

"Sam," she moaned against his lips, meeting one of his thrusts again.

"Are you sure?" he asked breathlessly, stopping to look down at her seriously. "We can stop. I don't expect anything from you."

Valeria smiled sweetly up at him before pecking his lips softly. "I'm always going to be sure about you, Sam."

He smiled and then nodded before leaning back to push his pants down, taking his underwear with him. Valeria's mouth watered as his cock sprung free, the rest of his clothes falling down his thick thighs before being disguarded. She nearly moaned at the sight — given his size, she didn't know why she was surprised by how big he was.

She reached out eagerly, loving the sounds that spilled from his lips when she wrapped her hand around him, giving a few short strokes. And when she dragged her thumb over the tip, he let out a shuttering breath, his eyes falling shut for a moment.

But then he was back on her, not having time for her teasing touches. He pinned her hands above her head, both knowing she could free herself if she really wanted to. Then he kissed her slowly while sliding into her. Valeria let out a choked moan as he stretched her and filled her for the first time, going deeper and deeper until he was at his base. Not feeling any pain, she was the one to roll her hips, silently begging him to move as they kissed.

Sam slid in and out of her, both getting lost in the feeling as he quickened his pace. And Valeria met each thrust with one of her own, coming up off the couch as he hit deeper and deeper inside of her.

Valeria got so wrapped up in Sam, muttering pleading demands in Spanish for him to keep going while kissing all over his face and jaw. Her nails dug into his back, creating scratches that healed over seconds after they were made.

It didn't matter that their families had been at war mere hours ago. It didn't matter that that hadn't seen each other in a month because of it. It didn't matter that she kept the secret of Bella's pregnancy from him. None of it mattered anymore now that they were together, their bodies intertwined perfectly like they were made to fit each other.

All she could feel was him, all she could think of was him, all she could smell was him — and he was all she'd ever want.

Before either knew it, Valeria was clenching around him and burying her head in his neck as she came a second time, and Sam was following after her a few thrusts later, his pace growing sloppy as he lost control. And when he pulled out, Valeria moaned, felling their warm, mixed cum leaking from her core and onto her thighs and the couch.

Sam pressed his forhead to hers, staring down at her with love in his eyes, brushing her messy hair behind her ear. "Yeah," he muttered, kissing her quickly, "I'm never spending a month away from you ever again."

"Agreed," Valeria grinned before pushing him off the couch and onto the floor, where she straddled him. "Now, I've got a month of time to make up for."

☽︎

"You're a werewolf?" Mike asked, looking at Leah skeptically, who was nervously studying his expression. They were in his bedroom, and Leah finally confessed everything — everything.

"Spirit Warrior, but yes."

"And Val is a vegetarian vampire?"

"Yup."

"And you... Imprinted on me and are bonded to me for life?"

"Essentially."

Mike hummed and scratched his jaw — he'd been letting some stubble grown out as winter was approaching. Truthfully, he'd always known something was wrong with the Cullens, so this information made him feel a little less crazy.

"So, the turf war?"

Leah shook her head. "Not as much of a joke as you thought it was."

The human boy sighed and then rubbed his tired eyes, unable to believe the turn his life had just taken as he found out his relatively new girlfriend was basically a werewolf. And though he was mega freaked out — maybe even scared of what else was out there — he couldn't find it in himself to see Leah any differently. To see Valeria any differently.

☽︎

No one really knew what to say in the Cullen house as they all waited patiently. After two and a half days, Bella had finally woken up a newborn vampire. Given that Renesmee apparently had blood flowing through her veins, even though it wasn't apetizing, Edward still took Bella to hunt before letting her meet their daughter.

Everyone was gathered in the house, Sam and Valeria included. Jacob wouldn't let Sam near Nessie, and given that the baby had a power, Valeria wasn't going near her either. It made her sad, not being able to hold her niece, but she didn't want to show people her memories via touch, and so she'd stay away for all eternity.

Eventually, Bella and Edward returned, and after Jacob ran out to greet them, it was time for Bella to meet her daughter. All of them turned to face her, taking in her newborn state. Valeria couldn't help but notice how put together Bella looked. She wasn't jumpy or crazed like she'd been when she was a newborn. She seemed so controlled, and that made Val selfconcious.

"Welcome to the family," Esme greeted.

"You look amazing, Bella," Alice told her.

"Guess I'm not the youngest anymore," Valeria teased while leaning back against Sam. Bella tensed at the sight of the man that had wanted her daughter dead last time she was awake but didn't say anything, knowing now that she was turned what it felt like to be around her mate. She'd never ask Sam to leave.

Then Carlisle spoke up, nodding toward Rosalie. "Someone's been waiting to meet you," he said with a smile.

"Rose," Edward said, giving her the go-ahead.

Rosalie turned around, and Bella finally looked at her daughter, immediately noticing what they all did — she looked several months older than she should've been. She had a full head of hair on a head that she could already support all on her own. But that was okay as Rosalie handed her off, letting the mother marvel at her daughter.

Then Renesmee brought her small hand to her face, showing her something with her gift. "What was that?" Bella asked, a little dazed.

Seeing it in his daughter's thoughts, Edward informed her, "She showed you the first memory she has of you."

"Showed me? How?"

"How do I hear thoughts? How does Alice see the future? How does Valeria copy others? She's gifted."

Bella nodded and then watched as her daughter smiled, revealing a mouth full of teeth. Admittedly, Bella didn't know much about babies, but she knew they didn't have all their teeth. "I've only been out for two days?" she asked skeptically.

"Her growth rate is unprecedented," Carlisle informed her, trying to hide the concern on his face. They didn't want to ruin Bella's first time meeting Nessie with concerns about her aging.

But Jacob was going to ruin it anyway. "All right," Jacob then said, stepping toward the newborn. "That's enough experimenting for one day."

"Jake," Sam spoke up sharply, knowing that he was overstepping.

"She's doing great," Edward added while Bella took a step back from Jacob.

"Yeah. Let's not push it though," he said, trying to get Renesmee away from her mother.

"What's your problem?" Bella asked, refusing to let him near Nessie.

Sam sighed while Rosalie smirked, having been waiting two days for this confrontation. "Oh. Do tell her, Jacob."

"This should be good," Emmett said, making Valeria snicker.

"Someone's getting thrown out a window," she muttered under her breath, which they all heard.

"Hold on a second," Edward said while taking Nessie out of Bella's arms.

"Bella," Jacob said cautiously. "Look, it's a wolf thing."

Already, she was getting an idea of what he meant. "What's a wolf thing?" she asked aggressively.

"Um, you know we have no control over it. We can't choose who it happens with. And it doesn't mean what you think, Bella. I promise."

"Take Renesmee out of the room," Bella ordered. Immediately, Rosalie took the child from Edward and went into the kitchen. Then Edward gently put his hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down, only for her to shrug him off. "Edward, don't touch me right now. I don't want to hurt you."

In one swift motion, Bella grabbed ahold of the back of Jacob's neck and threw him out of the house completely. Much to Valeria's displeasure, the doors to the backyard were open, so the glass didn't shatter.

"You imprinted on my daughter?" Bella accused.

"It wasn't my choice!"

"She's a baby!" she shouted, growing more angry by the second as everyone followed them out of the house to watch.

"It's not like that. You think Edward would let me live if it was?" Jacob asked, pointing to her husband.

"I'm still debating it," Edward admitted, leaning against the railing of the back porch. Sam just rolled his eyes and held Valeria a little tighter, knowing Bella and Edward were justified in their anger but would have to move past it.

"I've held her once! One time, Jacob! And already you think that you have some moronic wolfy claim on her?" Bella asked, glaring daggers at him. "She's mine!"

Then Bella punched Jacob hard, sending him back several feet. Seth and Leah finally arrived on the scene in their wolf forms, moving toward their alpha protectively.

"It's fine, Leah," Jacob said, getting to his feet as she growled.

"You're gonna stay away from her," Bella ordered.

"You know I can't do that," he told her.

In response, she just hit him again. Esme cringed from the show of violence. She'd grown to care about Jacob while he was protecting Bella and hated to see them fight. "Stop her, Edward," Esme told him with a frown.

"He said it's fine," he replied, grinning at his mate. "She's amazing, right?"

"Do you remember how much you wanted to be around me three days ago? That's gone now, right?" Jacob asked.

"Long gone."

"Because it was her. From the beginning, it was Nessie who wanted me there."

Valeria snickered, and Sam covered her mouth with his hand, both knowing Bella would hate the nickname. At the very least, Val had taken to calling her Nessa, which was a slightly more sensitive nickname.

"Nessie?" Bella shouted, her eyes wide with fury. "You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?"

As Bella lunged toward Jacob angrily, Seth moved to protect him. Without even thinking of her strength, she pushed Seth aside easily, sending him crashing into a tree before falling to the ground in pain.

Sam and Valeria were by his side in seconds, both worried about him as he whimpered and leaded into Valeria's touch, which felt like an ice pack on his sore body.

"Seth, are you okay?" Jacob asked, earning a pained whine.

"Seth, I'm sorry," Bella said, guilt washing over her.

"He'll be alright," Valeria murmured comfortingly.

Jacob turned back to Bella then. "Bella, you know me better than anyone. All I want is for Ness..." He trailed off, seeing the fury in her eyes at the nickname. "—Renesmee to be safe. Happy. Look, nothing ever made sense before. You. Me. Any of it. And now I understand why. This was the reason."

Of course, that being the reason didn't make Bella any less pissed off about it.

☽︎

Aro plucked the note from their newest human receptionist, both his brothers eyeing him with interest as he read it over. "Ah. lt's from Carlisle — which is with an 'S,' sweet Bianca," he said, cutting his eyes to the girl, not happy with the mistake. He gestured to Felix and Demetri, who appeared at the human's side. "He's added a new member to his coven."

As Marcus simply hummed, Caius nearly scoffed. "Increasing his power."

Then Demetri and Felix dragged Bianca off, who went kicking and screaming. The three kings took no pity on her, knowing how replaceable she was.

"First, it's the spelling, then the grammar," Aro chastised while handing the note to Marcus, who studied it.

"At least our dispute with the Cullens is over," he said, sounding relieved.

"Over?" Aro questioned with a frown, making Marcus hum in curiosity. "Goodness, no. Our dispute goes far beyond the fate of a mere human."

"And what might it be?" Caius asked him.

"Why, brother, I thought you understood," Aro declared, his eyes falling on the newest member of the elite guard, thinking of his sister that he'd only seen through memories. "They have something I want."