Not!

It was expected, I should say. Though, a part of me was hoping that it would not come to be, but there he is. Not even an hour since I found myself sitting back on Rose's soft lap relaxing, and then... Jacob Black, growling and shaking like the puppy that he is and trying to look menacing.

It would be cute, if it weren't for the fact that behind that weak chin and unearned abs is a wolf harboring the desire to break free and eat me...

Not that it will work.

A part of me thought that the vamps would at least have a heads up before they found themselves welcoming their guest. However, it would appear I greatly underestimated the stealth possessed by the wolves since it was not until Jacob had appeared on the side of the house, transformed, changed, and was walking through the door all in under 1 minute that he was noticed.

Very impressive.

In that 1 minute the vamps did nothing other than attempted to remain as natural as possible as they welcomed him.

The excuses as to where Edward was were heard and accepted...NOT!

All it took was one sniff for Jacob to bear his fangs. Another 10 seconds for Seth and Leah to be at the door all wolfed out. And not even a second later for a howl to sound out from whoever found themselves on scout duty to alert the wolves on the rez.

My only thought as I watched all of this through the mind of Carlisle was,

It's about to go down.

And oh how right I was.

"Move!" Jacob demanded, as Emmitt stood, blocking his way to the stairs that led to where my badass self was, along with the transitioning Bella and downed Edward.

He did not move.

Nor did anyone else.

The tension was palpable. Like everyone was waiting for the spark to be lit to take action.

I could hear Carlisle attempting to find a solution in his mind, but he was going in circles, regretting that they let him in, but what choice did they have? If they didn't, if they didn't that would have immediately let him know something was off.

The best solution would have been to let him as the others circled around and as soon as he caught the scent of blood in the air, strike.

At least that way, there would be less wolves to contend with...but that didn't happen. Nor would it have happened seeing as how, even now, Carlisle's thoughts revolve around finding a peaceful resolution.

I could feel myself beginning to get pissed.

There was absolutely no reason that those wolves, even for a second, should be so brazen.

Just the act of watching their home should have been enough to go to war, and yet they allowed it.

That's the problem, however. They have allowed too much and now, the wolves, who have left their people unprotected on the rez believe that they can come to this place and make demands or start a battle.

Well, while Emmitt is pulling a "you shall not pass", I have already made my decision.

'Take me down,' I say to Rosalie. The only awake one remaining in the room.

The thought crosses my mind to wake Edward, but I have no idea what state his mind would be in and I can't handle an unreliable ally, which can be far more dangerous than a competent enemy.

Rose instantly unwraps me from her too tight grip that she was engaging on my abs of steel and lifted me to look her in her eyes. Her very determined eyes.

"You are not going down there." She tells me, leaving no room for argument.

However, this ain't my first rodeo dealing with a demanding woman afraid for my survival.

In my rise to the top I often made connections with powerful women and rarely were feelings uninvolved...for them. And while I rarely felt the same, I never once allowed a single one to walk away from me without, at the very least, being able to walk away better than when we met.

Repaying kindness with kindness is one of my tenets.

It goes right along side with repaying an eye for a head.

Their was no equivalent exchange when it came to my interactions.

If you were with me, you prospered more than you thought possible...but if you were against me. Took something from me. Inconvenienced me. Took my eye. I take your head.

Always multiply what I receive. It's how I gained loyalty and why so many learned to fear.

And now, here I am. Being held, protected, and surrounded by those who care for me, being ruled by fear.

I will not have it!

'Rosalie,' I projected into her mind my thoughts, along with my emotion. 'What am I to you?' I asked. She could feel that there was no anger nor fear in my small body. Only a determination of my own.

One that carried a will that would not be denied, because while Jacob may have run away from his Alpha status, I embrace mine fully.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her confusion evident on her face. Her usual stoicism gone in the face of the danger facing our family and myself.

'Tell me Rosalie. Am I your child? Your hope? Wait,' I say as I hold her gaze with my baby browns. 'Before you say, allow me to tell you, what you are to me. You, along with every single one of those individuals down there, along with the two lying beside us, are my family. My heart. And my hope for a place to belong in this world. And we are in danger. But not because there were lives lost or irreconcilable differences. No, we are in danger, because of fear. Fear of what I am and fear of who I will be.'

I can see the acknowledgement of the facts that I'm spouting begin to appear on her face, despite how much her mind wants to deny it.

'This is not the time to hide me away, Rosalie. This is the time to settle the matter once and for all, and show those who are ruled by fear that I am not something to be feared irrationally.' I convey, leaving out the part where I will let them know that I am to be feared intentionally.

'This is the time, Rose. Trust me. Protect me. And believe that I am capable of being everything you believe me to be...and so much more.'

Talk-no-jutsu, I choose you!

I can see the determination in Rose to keep me from harm battling with her determination to trust the baby in her hands. Because despite what she has faced in the world, her first inclination is always and forever, towards love....

That sounded far more dramatic than I had intended...but I blame the world in which I was born...even if the Mikelsons are pretty badass on their own. Not as much as me, but who could be? I'm a psionic baby. That's the most badass.

"I...I don't know," she says, her non-beating heart doing nothing to ease her anxiety. But if there's one thing that defines not only this beautiful woman, but also every single member of this family, it is the will to face great odds for the ones they love.

And once again, it is proven true.

"But, I will be there to get you to safety at the first sign that something is going to happen." She states in her tone that means she's serious.

'I know.' I hit her with the solo vibe and prepare myself for what is to come as I reach out to Carlisle's mind once again, just as my not yet beyond human hearing picks up the sounds of a fight breaking out. No time to waste.