Kiara Black sat across from Rosalie as she cradled the baby to her chest. They hadn't spoken a word since Jacob had stormed out or since Kiara had thrown up in the trash. The only noises that broke the silence between them were the sound of the fireplace crackling, Kiara having turned it on to keep the baby - Renesmee - warm, since she had refused to hold her yet, and the sound of the small giggles that left her mouth as Rosalie cradled her.

"Kiara, I'm sorry," Rosalie whispered, her eyes flicking to meet hers for a split second before she looked back down at the baby. "I'm so sorry about everything that's happened."

The alpha sniffled, tears at the edge of her eyes as she thought about Bella dying. She thought about Jacob and how torn he had sounded as he told Edward he wouldn't kill him. She thought of Charlie, wondering if the man would ever forgive her and the Cullens for this - for letting him believe that Bella was going to Switzerland to get better. They'd have to tell him soon that she died. Kiara didn't even get to say goodbye... Charlie didn't even get to say goodbye.

How would they break this news to Renee? Who had no idea Bella was even 'sick' in the first place? How long would it be until the other wolves found out, demanding blood for blood and coming to kill them all?

Renesmee suddenly cooed again, hitting her little fists on Rosalie's chest as she tried her hardest to get her aunt's attention. She finally responded, smiling as she slowly lowered her head down to Renesmee, meeting the baby's lips before she kissed her on the forehead. Kiara almost began to cry, the tears crying out to stream down her face as she wondered what the hell she had done by allowing Bella to die bringing this baby into the world.

Rosalie now held the child that had killed her childhood friend. The child of the vampire and human that had ripped her brother's heart into pieces. The child that potentially could turn into a mass-murdering blood-sucking creature at any given moment.

Yet, she would never be able to hurt this child.

No matter how much her inner wolf's voice screamed at her to protect the tribe, to protect the pack, she couldn't bring herself to hurt the child her imprint was holding in her arms. It was like something was holding her back, something crying at the back of her mind that she couldn't touch the baby. She'd planned to let Jacob rip it apart as soon as it was out Bella's womb... but now that it was a she and she was Renesmee and she was in Rosalie's arms... everything had changed.

"I can't do it," Kiara whispered suddenly, her eyes meeting Rosalie's as the baby laughed, her tiny little fist moving to smack her aunt's nose.

"Can't do what?" Rosalie whispered back, not wanting loud noise to spook the baby.

"I can't kill her."

Rosalie looked up at Kiara, a fire in her eyes and a look of betrayal on her face as she heard Kiara say that. Kiara had been planning on killing the baby?

"You were going to kill Renesmee?" Rosalie demanded, her voice more venomous than Kiara had ever heard before.

"I was going to let Jacob kill her," Kiara expanded, softer this time, tears falling down her cheeks. "But she's not what I expected her to be. I thought she would be a monster... but I don't know why. I know that she's not, I don't know how I know, but I know that she's not. I see it in her eyes."

"That's because she isn't a monster," Rosalie replied defensively, her voice filled with venom. She was trying her best to spite Kiara, to make her feel guilty for even saying that. She couldn't believe that her imprint had been planning on killing the baby this entire time... even after promising Bella that she would be safe.

"I don't know that she's not," Kiara hiccupped, her tears stopping as she lifted her face to look at Rosalie. "But I can see Bella in her. I can see Edward. I can even kind of see you in her - that smile, like you have when you get upset. That's what you used to do, and how you get now."

"This isn't about me," Rosalie hissed, but her anger was somewhat dulled by the fact that Kiara had just complimented her. "You were going to kill her."

"I'm not going to now," Kiara insisted, setting her jaw as she looked Rosalie dead in the eyes. "I can't."

The two women were silent for a long time, neither of them moving as they looked at the baby. There were so many things left unsaid between them that they didn't even know where to begin. Rosalie continued to hum to Renesmee, worried what she would say to Kiara in anger if she continued the conversation.

Kiara sat, head in her hands as she tried to zone everything out, overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours let alone week.

As they both sat in silence once more, Kiara heard a set of footsteps cautiously approaching the room. She tensed, knowing exactly by the gait and sound who they belonged to. Jacob was here - and he was coming to finish the job that she couldn't do. He was going to kill Renesmee.

Kiara slowly looked up, the back of her neck bristling as she met his gaze, seeing the fury and fire that was written on his face. She instantly jumped to her feet, her body tense as he entered the room and the dim firelight flickered against his skin. She could almost feel the hurt and pain radiating from him, could almost feel the unmistakeable anger burn him from the inside out.

But before she could do anything, before she could even order him to stop - Jacob paused as his eyes met Renesmee's for the very first time.

The anger and resentment slowly melted away from his face, the look of hatred replaced by one of wonder and awe. He was transfixed, entranced by the very sight of Renesmee. He stepped forward slowly, as if in a trance, until he was almost hovering over her small body.

He had been ready to kill her only a minute ago, but now he was standing still, completely mesmerised. He took a step closer, and then another, until he was standing just inches away from the chair that Rosalie was sitting in. His knees gave way underneath him, hitting the floor with a loud thump as Rosalie jumped up from the chair in surprise, Renesmee tucked to her chest as she spun around to see him there.

For an instant there was a pause - a pause so long that it felt like time had stopped entirely - as Jacob stared into the newborn's eyes and suddenly realized why he wasn't supposed to kill her at all. He had imprinted on her; this baby held his heart in an embrace so tight yet so gentle that it brought tears to his eyes.

He knew in that moment that he would do anything to protect her, no matter what danger came their way - she was now part of him and nothing else mattered but keeping her safe. His anger faded away into nothingness, his gaze slowly leaving the baby and drifting to Kiara, who stood with her jaw open in surprise at the scene in front of her. Rosalie looked between the twins, not sure what was happening but having an idea - and she certainly did not like where this was going.

"What the hell are you doing, dog?"

"Jacob imprinted."

"ALICE! JASPER! BEVERLY! KIARA!"

Kiara tilted her head as Edward's desperate yells echoed from upstairs, her ears focusing and picking up on the thundering paws that the vampire had picked up on first. She snapped her head to where Jacob was still on the ground, dazed as he stared at Renesmee in Rosalie's arms.

Rosalie looked at Kiara in concern, seeing the way the girl tensed as she heard Edward's call to action echo throughout the house. Alice, Beverly and Jasper had been outside, but she could hear them joining Edward on the doorstep of the house as the prepared themselves for the potential onslaught that was about to happen.

Kiara crossed the room, kissing Rosalie on the head before looking at Renesmee with a look in her eyes that Rosalie had never seen on her mate before.

"My pack, my responsibility," Kiara breathed, finally lifting her hand and gently touching the side of Renesmee's face. Jacob looked at his sister, as if he was about to burst into tears at the interaction, a silent agreement passing through them as she squeezed Rosalie's hand once more before looking at her imprint, knowing that as long as Rosalie was in here with Jacob and Renesmee, she would be safe for now. "Stay here, protect her."

"Kie, please don't do anything stupid," Rosalie murmured, her chest filling with worry as she watched Kiara pull off her blood-stained fleece and kick her stained converse off as she headed towards the door of the house. Kiara didn't reply, knowing that she wouldn't promise Rosalie something unless she knew that she could uphold it. She knew there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do to protect the three people in that house.

Beverly looked back at her as she joined them on the porch, her eyes widening as she looked at the determination in Kiara's eyes. She wasn't sure what had changed in the space of an hour, but something was different in the girl. Edward was too caught up in the moment to focus on Kiara's thoughts, still unaware of the bond that her pack now had with his moments old daughter. Kiara didn't care whether Edward knew or not - that wasn't important right now.

"We're outnumbered," Jasper said, his voice firm as he looked at the wolves. They'd shown them how they fought before - he just hoped they were too sloppy to remember that. "By a lot."

"I won't let them hurt my family," Edward replied, his teeth clenched as he stared back at Sam who was staring directly back at him. He paused, noticing how Sam and the other wolves eyes drifted from Edward to his left, Kiara coming to stand beside the blood-covered vampire.

"They'll have to get through me first, too," she said, a snarl on her lips as she stood firm and tall.

Kiara's entire body had tensed up as she saw the wolves at the treeline, her eyes looking at each and every one of them as she sized them up. She knew them better than anyone else here did - they were once her brothers too. Heck, she could even see that some of them (Quil, Brady and Collin) were unable to meet her gaze. At least some of them didn't want to kill her - but she didn't care about that.

What she did care about was the way that Sam and Paul looked at her. Sam, she understood - he was instinctively going to feel challenged when in the presence of another alpha, especially after they'd already fought and tied once before. He was just doing what he saw as his duty and upholding the treaty.

Paul was a different story. She felt anger spread through her as she saw the betrayal and anger on his wolf face, knowing that he had no right to think she was the villain in this story. Kiara couldn't hold it together at that point, snarling and finding her clothes ripping to shreds in the air as her body morphed into the black and russet wolf.

She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Edward, Jasper, Alice and Beverly as she growled loudly, the sound echoing and being sent out as a warning to the pack. Her claws dug into the dirt beneath her, the voices of Seth and Leah rushing into her head as they felt their alpha join them in their pack mind.

'KIARA WHAT'S GOING ON?'

'They're here - Sam's pack.'

'WE'RE ON OUR WAY'

And then, the fight started.

Kiara charged forward, her and Jared colliding and going tumbling to the ground as they grappled with each other. Their paws and jaws swiped and chomped at each other's sides, trying to get a swipe or a hit in wherever they could. Down the hill, Kiara could hear the growls and snarls of the pack as they fought against the Cullens, her pack mind and connection between herself and the Clearwater siblings falling away from her attention as the battle took a more physical edge.

They skidded back and forth, Jared releasing a yelp as Kiara's teeth sank into his leg as they hit the decking that surrounded the house. He swiped her face, the blow glancing off of her jaw as she pulled away and scrambled to her feet, panting as she looked at Jared with a fury in her eyes.

The only way she could make herself pay attention to Jared was to block out what was going on around her and focus solely on him. He had a lot to make up for - he had once called her a monster, and now here he was fighting her. He was a horrible fighter at that, though, and she knew that he had never actually been in a real fight. As their wrestling match carried on, she grabbed hold of his hind leg, her sharp teeth scraping against his bone as he yelped in pain.

Kiara pounced on top of him, knocking him to the ground and baring her teeth as she growled above him. He whimpered in submission, his eyes going wide and his ears drooping as he looked up at her, her teeth clamped around his jaw - both of them knowing that she could end his life right there and then if she wanted to.

To her right, the fighting continued, Seth and Leah joining in the fight. Seth met Paul, using his wolf weight and the element of surprise to rip him off Beverly and pin him to the ground. He struggled against the younger wolf, his claws moving towards Seth's face as he tried to stop himself from being pinned. Paul moved his paw, the sharp claws coming within millimetres of Seth's eye as he hissed and moved backwards, the claws slicing through the soft skin of his cheek.

Kiara snarled at Jared as she slammed into him once more, causing the wolf to smack against a tree and slouch at the bottom in a daze as she took off towards Paul. How DARE he touch Seth like that, how DARE he touch a member of HER pack!

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Bree appear, her gentle hands helping Seth back up to her feet as Emmett, Esme and Carlisle also joined the fight. Emmett nodded at her as she threw Quil out of the way, nodding back before she turned to where Paul was turning in her direction with a loud growl. She stepped towards him, the bristles on her fur raised when she heard another low growl from her left, tilting her head to see that Sam was approaching her too.

They were planning on attacking her, two against one. She scoffed, tensing her muscles as she prepared herself for the fight to begin. She knew she could take them, especially when her imprint, brother and his imprint were only meters away from the danger.

She didn't want to hurt Sam and Paul, but she'd do whatever it took to protect the ones she loved.

Sam was the first to move, charging towards Kiara with his teeth bared and his legs racing towards her at full speed. She met him in the middle, both of them colliding with a snarl as their jaws met and claws dug into each other's fur. The fight was a lot more physical than it had been before - there were too many more emotions at play now. She was an alpha now, and so was he.

Just as Kiara felt she was maybe close to getting the upper hand, Paul jumped into the fray. His teeth latched on to the fur at the back of her neck, causing Kiara to let out a loud howl of pain as she felt him rip the skin a little. She turned in his direction, throwing him to the ground with a loud growl as she placed her body in-between him and Sam, turning and snapping her jaws at both of them as they circled her once more.

Paul lunged once again, thinking he was fast enough to land another blow on Kiara while she was watching him. They hit the ground hard repetitively, the air rushing out of Kiara's lungs as she landed directly on top of the wolf, her paws landing either side of him as she snarled and growled down at him. He snarled back up, chomping the air as he tried to land a blow on her.

In that moment, a voice called out to her, pulling her away from the fight. Seth. He called out to her in her head, his voice a little shaky but commanding all the same. She looked away from Paul, her eyes darting across the battlefield to see Seth fighting against Brady and Collin, but motioning in the direction of Beverly who was pinned underneath Embry now.

Using the distraction, Paul pushed off of her, shaking his head as she curled her lip in an angry snarl at both him and Sam. Kiara wasted no time in darting forward, noticing the way that they both moved to block her. She moved past them, swiping her claws at Sam's face as she tore at his ear. He yelped in pain, his eyes going wide as he howled in pain at the gash, a ringing entering his ear as he yelped. Kiara didn't stop, turning around and swiping at Paul, knocking him into Sam before rushing over to Beverly and slamming her entire body weight against Jared once more.

No matter how hard she tried, Sam's pack appeared to be winning, the Cullens and her pack quickly becoming outnumbered. Jared was almost on top of her within seconds this time, his teeth bared as he snarled at Kiara - some of her own blood from before still stained on his muzzle too.

Emmett ran over, slamming his fist into the side of the grey wolf and sending him over into the tree-line for a moment. He looked down at Kiara as she got back to her feet, a slight sway in her step as she tried to regain some energy to keep fighting. It wasn't until that moment that she realised that she hadn't slept in at least forty-eight hours or eaten in almost twenty-four, the adrenaline of everything keeping her awake with no issues.

It wasn't long before Kiara was backed up, standing in front of the Cullens as the wolves continued their approach with snapping jaws. Kiara positioned herself directly in front of Beverly, knowing that if anything happened to her out of all of them, it would hurt Rosalie the most.

Rosalie. Her imprint - they couldn't hurt her.

Shit, Kiara thought, why hadn't she thought about that.

She titled her head back, ignoring the looks of the rest of the Cullens as she let out an ear-piercing howl, everyone in the small area wincing a little at the urgency and volume of it. Sam continued to approach them with a snarl on his lips, heading directly towards Edward before Kiara moved from her spot in front of Beverly and into the space between Sam and Edward.

It was enough to make him stop, he bared his teeth at her as he stared her down as she stood between them, neither of them moving as they continued to stare at each other. The others were watching them, nobody moving a muscle as they waited to see what would happen between the two alphas, the low snarls and rumbles of the wolves telling the Cullens that they were waiting to see what move Sam or Kiara made next.

"Stop! It's over!"

Kiara didn't need to look up to know that Jacob had understood her howl. She hadn't been howling out of pain or fear - she'd been howling for her brother. She knew that it would snap him out of the daze he was in, and break him apart from Renesmee for just long enough.

She noticed how Edward's eyes widened as he finally picked up on the Black twins' thoughts, suddenly understanding Kiara's new-found commitment to fight for his child. It wasn't about Rosalie after all - not like how he thought it had been. Seth and Leah's heads snapped towards Kiara, clearly now picking up on why she had called Jacob outside. Leah's ears fell back on her head, disgust entering her body as she realised what had happened. Seth was more shocked than anything else, confused as to what had occurred.

Sam snarled as Jacob pushed in front of Kiara, moving to block the black wolf from taking another step forward.

"If you kill her, you kill me!"

The other alpha lunged, throwing Jacob into the air with a snarl. Kiara went to snap forward, but Jacob was fast to phase and snarl loudly as he came back down from the front porch. He brushed against Kiara's side, the twins standing strongly next to each other as Kiara firmly planted herself and puffed her chest out a little.

The wolves all grumbled amongst themselves as Kiara slunked forward, her growls sending a shiver through them all as she walked directly up to Sam and roared in his face. The black wolf snarled back, but it was more defensive rather than offensive this time. The Cullens all watched on in confusion as Edward stood, hope running through his body as he stared at the back of the twin wolves.

"Jacob imprinted," Edward announced, grumbles going around Sam's pack as it was confirmed. "They can't hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed."

Kiara continued to growl in Sam's face, watching as his knees quivered a little under the weight of her authority. His face lowered ever so slightly, Edward feeling relieved as he heard the thoughts of defeat in the pack's minds.

"It's their most absolute law."

Sam's paws dragged through the mud as he backed away from Kiara, turning on his paws and snarling at the rest of the pack. She stood tall, Jacob at her flank, as they watched the pack retreat back into the treeline, most likely returning to La Push to cry about it to the rest of the tribe. Jacob turned around to look at Edward, but Kiara stayed put, her eyes still connected to Paul as he stood at the edge of the tree line, staring straight back at her.

The tension was heavy between them, knowing that Paul would have killed Kiara tonight if it came down to it. Kiara wasn't sure if she would have been able to kill Paul. She wasn't sure if she would have even considered it, let alone attempted it. She wasn't sure how they'd come back from that, if they ever could. Her foot took a step forward in the mud, in his direction.

'Let him go, Kie.'

Kiara snapped her eyes away from Paul, seeing him turn and run off in the corner of her eye. She turned to where Leah had called out from, the lighter grey wolf brushing her shoulder against Seth as she looked at the scratch on his face. Bree was standing on his other side, having spent the fight behind protected by Seth although the other wolves knew they couldn't touch the vampire.

She turned back to look at the retreating figure of Paul, watching as he faded into the tree line, his body low to the ground as he ran into the forest.

'He was going to kill you, Kie. He was going to kill you.'

Kiara swallowed the lump in her throat as she turned back to Leah, the grey wolf now having walked away from her brother to come and nuzzle against Kiara's side. Kiara leaned against her, her eyes closing for a second as she felt her lack of sleep catching up with her. Jacob turned his head as he broke his eye contact with Edward, hearing her tired thoughts and whining at her.

"Is she okay?"

Everyone looked up as Rosalie exited the house, Renesmee now sound asleep in her arms. Her eyebrow was furrowed with anxiety as she looked at Kiara, noticing how she was a little droopy compared to the others. Edward smiled as he accepted Renesmee from Rosalie's outstretched arms, turning to look at the rest of his family who were yet to meet his child.

"She's fine," Edward told Rosalie, his eyes not leaving Renesmee. "She just needs to rest. They all do... but mostly Kiara."

Rosalie smiled, the smile now reaching her eyes as she looked up at the other wolves outside her family's home. Her eyes found Seth and Leah first, nodding to them both. Seth let out a lopsided grin, his wolfy tongue poking out his mouth while Leah simply nodded back. She turned back to Jacob, the two of them stepping forward to each other as they came to a standstill.

There was a newfound understanding between them both - everything had changed the moment Jacob had laid eyes on the baby that had been in her arms. Jacob would protect Renesmee, Kiara would protect Rosalie - but also vice versa. They were bonded not just by pack, but by the twin wolves than ran within them. Kiara would protect Renesmee as if she was her own, Jacob would protect Rosalie like his life depended on it.

Finally, Rosalie's eyes fell on Kiara who was still leaning against Leah. She smiled at her mate, feeling warmth in her chest as she looked around at the rest of her family, all standing side by side with their mates (the exception Edward, who was with his daughter). This was their family.

"We cannot thank you all enough," Carlisle said as he wrapped his arm around Esme, looking at the four wolves that had fought with them today. Kiara nodded, letting out a low hum from her throat before she titled her head in Edward's direction, a little impatiently.

The vampire laughed, the sarcastic comment reminding him of how things had been before their lives had all been flipped upside down. Rosalie looked at Edward, knowing that there was an inside joke that they were all missing.

"She says if you want to start, you can start by getting them clothes so they can get changed and finally sleep."

As the group laughed, Kiara found herself not wondering if everything was going to be alright for once. It was like something deep in her chest told her that everything was going to be just fine, and one glance at Rosalie made her heart almost glow from inside her chest.

They just needed Bella to wake up, and things could once again be complete.

____

enjoy the double update besties!

ps. what's been your favourite part of the story so far?