Bree POV

“No, they are not pets,” Carlisle answered.  There was a small hesitation before he continued.  “They are our allies.”

I didn't know what he meant.  How could they be allies?  Even if they worked together, like the police did with dogs, you wouldn't call them allies.

“I thought only other vampires could harm us, but I saw one of them bite Raoul's arm off.  How could it do that?” 

“I'm sure you could tell by their size, that they are not normal wolves,” Carlisle explained.  “They exist to destroy vampires, so they are extremely powerful and agile.  They also have razor sharp teeth.”

“You called one of them Seth.  If they aren't your pets, how do you know its name?” I questioned him further.

“Edward gave me that bit of information,” he answered simply.  I looked at him waiting for him to expand on his answer, but he didn't say anything else.  How could Edward know?  Surely he couldn't read the minds of animals.  Even if he could, animals wouldn't give themselves names.  There was something they weren't telling me.  Maybe the wolves belonged to this Jacob guy they didn't want to talk about.

“Who do they belong to then?” I persisted. 

“They don't belong to anyone.”  Carlisle gave another answer that didn't tell me anything.

It was frustratingly obvious I wasn't going to get much more than that.  The family all looked at me expectantly, waiting for the next question.

I couldn't choose just one from the many that were running through my mind, so when my mouth opened the questions tumbled out one after the other.  “Where is Quileute?  Why is it so dangerous?  What happens near the border?”

Everyone's eyes turned to Carlisle again.  How much would he hold back this time? I wondered.

“The Quileute are a Native American tribe.  Their reservation is near the coast, about fifteen miles from here.  The wolves patrol the border and will kill any vampire that sets foot on Quileute land.”

“Why?”

“I'm sorry,” Carlisle stalled.

“Why do the wolves patrol the reservation?  How do they even know where the border is?”  My question, delivered in a singsong voice with attitude, caused Jasper to raise an eyebrow.

“Well, the reservation is their main concern, but they also patrol the outskirts of the town.  They will also destroy any vampires caught hunting in or around the town.”  He gave me a small smile.  “So, while you may not care for animal blood, you can't hunt humans in this area.”

I was just digesting that piece of information when the phone rang.  Carlisle excused himself to go and answer it.

“Dr. Cullen,” he announced to the caller.

Dr. Cullen?  Is he a doctor?  Did vampires need doctors?

“Hello, Dr. Cullen, this is Sam Uley.”  We could all hear the voice that came through the receiver.   He didn't wait for Carlisle to acknowledge him.  “Seth and Jared tell me you have taken charge of the newborn found near our border.” 

Seth?  Was this the wolf?  How could he have told him anything?

“Yes, that is the case,” Carlisle confirmed.

“Have you destroyed her?”  I stiffened and Rosalie squeezed my hand gently and mouthed, “don't worry.”

“No, she is very young.  If she has the proper guidance, she should adapt well to her new life.  We would like to give her that guidance and the information she needs to keep her safe in our world.”

“Do you intend to keep her?”  Sam didn't sound too happy about that prospect.  What was it with everyone and keeping me?

“We have barely had a chance to talk.  No decisions have been made yet.”

“I know you are aware of how your presence affects us.  We would prefer it if there weren't any more of you residing here.”

That was interesting.  I wondered how Carlisle would try to get out of explaining that one.

“As I said, no decisions have been made.”  Carlisle definitely wasn't going to be pushed into anything by this Sam, whoever he was.

“I'm sure she hunts err...  traditionally.  She will be covered by the treaty while she is with you.  Any breach by her, and we will consider the treaty broken.”

Wow, whoever this Sam is, he knows what we are.  What is this treaty I'm now supposed to be covered by?

“I am prepared to assume full responsibility for her while she is with us.” Carlisle reassured him.  “How is Jacob doing?  No complications, I hope,” he enquired, completely changing the subject.  He was really good at that.

“Jacob is recovering well, considering his injuries.  We are all extremely grateful for your excellent treatment of him.”  Sam's words were so formal, but his gratitude seemed genuine.

“I was just pleased you would allow me to help,” Carlisle replied.  “I'll stop by tomorrow and check on his progress, with your permission of course.”

So Jacob definitely wasn't another vampire.  As one question was answered, more came up.  Who was Sam, and why did Carlisle need his permission to see Jacob?

“That would be fine.  I'll let Billy know to expect your visit.”  Sam then disconnected the call.  No goodbyes and no pleasantries were exchanged.  

“Carlisle, do you think it's wise to have Bree covered by the treaty?”  Jasper voiced his concerns as Carlisle made his way back to Esme's side.  “She's not very controlled, and her actions could endanger the whole family.”

“If I had not assumed responsibility for her, I'm sure Sam would have wanted her to be destroyed.”

“What makes those dogs think they have the right to decide what happens to her?” Rosalie snapped, earning her a warning glare from Carlisle.

It was too late; Rosalie's slip had opened the proverbial can of worms.  I simply looked at Carlisle, an eyebrow raised as I waited for an explanation.

“Bree, I'm sure you heard all of that.  Unfortunately, the treaty prevents us from telling you more than I already have.”

“But didn't that Sam guy say I was covered by the treaty while I'm with you?”  I knew I had him.  Finally I was going to get some proper answers.

“Funny and smart; I’m getting to like you, kid.”  Emmett's large hand ruffled my hair as he spoke.  Jeez, how old does he think I am?  Five?

Carlisle put his hands together and steepled his index fingers, bringing them to his pursed lips.  He was either figuring out how to begin, or how to get out of the corner I'd finally managed to back him into.

“I'm sure before your change you thought vampires never really existed,” he began.  “We are not the only creatures that humans believe to be fictitious.”  He lowered his hands and continued.  “Some of the Quileute tribe carry a special gene that is affected by the presence of vampires.  This gene, once triggered, causes the young men to transform into werewolves.”

“Werewolves, are you kidding me?” I retorted.  “That's the best you could come up with?  There's no full moon.  It was the middle of the day for crying out loud!”  Maybe Emmett wasn't the only one who thought I was five if he expected me to fall for that one.

“Bree, I am being completely honest with you,” Carlisle insisted.

I looked around the room; everyone was looking at me, none of their faces hinted at any sort of amusement.  They were either very good at keeping a straight face, or there was some truth in what Carlisle was saying.

“They are not like the werewolves you have seen depicted in movies.  They don't need a full moon to make the transformation.  Once the gene has been activated, they can phase at any time.  They can have trouble controlling themselves at first, so they are extremely dangerous when they are young.  As I said before, they exist to kill vampires and are very efficient at doing it; especially when working as a pack.”

“Why haven't they killed you?” I asked.

“When we came here seventy years ago, we were confronted by three of the tribe.  We were quite taken aback that they knew what we were.  Having assured them that we do not hunt humans, they agreed to a treaty.  They would keep our secret, we would keep theirs, and we were to stay away from their land.  If anyone of us were to bite a human, the treaty would be broken, and they would attack us.  The wolves you saw today are the descendants of the ones we met all those years ago.  They have agreed to honor the treaty made by their ancestors.”     

To say that what I was hearing was weird would be an understatement.  I was still coming to terms with what I had become, and the fact that there were others like me out there.  Now I was being told that werewolves existed too.  How could humans be so blind to the world around them?

“Will they be out there now?” I asked.

“Yes, due to today’s events and the fact that you are still with us, they will increase, and possibly extend their patrols around the area.”

“How will I get away?” I failed to keep the panic I was starting to feel out of my voice.

“Don't worry, Bree.”  Esme's voice sounded a little hopeful as she continued. “You are most welcome to stay with us until you find your feet.”

I hadn't even considered staying.  It was tempting.  The Cullens were weird but seemed harmless.  I'd pass on the animal blood, but it would be nice to live in this beautiful house, wear nice clothes and shower every day.  But then I thought about Fred.  For some reason I felt that I needed to know where he was, and make sure he was ok.  Then an awful thought occurred to me.  What if the wolves had got him before he could escape?  Would he be able to repel them the same way he did with us?

“I can't stay.  I need to see Fred.  I need to know that he got away,” I explained, declining Esme's kind offer.

“Of course you are concerned about your friend,” Esme replied.  “But please consider our offer.  The first year of this life can be very difficult.” 

“I think it would be best if Jasper and Alice go with you, as the wolves are familiar with their scent.”  Carlisle took control of the conversation again.  He looked at both of them and Jasper nodded.  “They can explain the rules to your friend and answer any questions he may have.”

Not Jasper, please, anyone but Jasper.  Thank goodness Edward wasn't here to hear my silent plea.

“He's not expecting me to be with anyone, except Diego.  I think he'll run, and I won't be able to find him again.”  I was trying to be polite.  I really didn't want to go with Jasper.  He wasn't growling anymore, but he was still quite scary.  I couldn't imagine Fred would hang around once he caught sight of those scars.

Carlisle pressed on.  “Jasper has experience with newborns, so he will know how to approach him.”

I wracked my brains trying to find the right words.  Was there a polite way to say, you're too scary and I don't want to go with you?  

Rosalie offered me a lifeline.  “Em and I could go with you if you like.” 

“Okay, or I could go on my own.  Once I get passed the wolves I'll be fine.”  I made my voice as assertive as I could in an effort to persuade them.  “I'll tell Fred all about the rules and the Volturi.”

Carlisle did not give up.  “I still think it would be best for Jasper and Alice to accompany you.” 

Rosalie let out a small hiss at the slight, but Emmett didn't seem bothered.  “Oh hell, we’ll all go,” he stated loudly, clapping his hands onto his knees and rising to his feet.

“Oh yes, that will work.”  Alice seemed to be in agreement with him.

“You can't all go, there are too many of you, he's bound to run.”  I raised my voice, but managed to remain seated, and maintain some control.

“Don’t worry; we won’t all approach at once.”  Alice assured me.  “We'll decide what's best when we get there.  I'm not seeing any problems at the moment, but I'll keep you updated.”

Once Alice had given her assessment of the situation, everyone seemed to just agree with her.  My agreement didn't appear to be needed, so Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice would be going with me, whether I liked it or not.  If I was lucky, Fred would just work his magic, and they wouldn't even be able to look at him; then we could just take off on our own.

My four escorts disappeared upstairs to get ready.  We were just going to run to Vancouver; they would be back before the morning.  What did they need to get ready for?

“Bree, may I make a suggestion?”  I turned towards Carlisle, trying to keep my annoyance from showing.  What now?  I hoped he wasn't going to suggest that he and Esme come too.

“I have a friend near Denali in Alaska.  He can sense abilities in our kind, and sometimes can advise on their potential.  If Fred would be interested he may be able to help him develop his gift.”

I wasn't sure how to respond to that.  Who knew vampires had friends that lived out of state.  I didn't know we were such social creatures.  Apart from this lot, everyone else was suspicious and didn't really trust anyone.  Besides, Fred had been experimenting on his own; he probably didn't need any help from this other vampire.   Maybe he didn't want to help him.  He may just want to know how strong his gift was.  Maybe I was just naturally suspicious too.

Alice came downstairs ten minutes later with a backpack.  Where did she think we were going?  She didn't need an overnight bag.

“Here you are,” she gushed, shoving the bag into my hands.  “I just popped a few bits and pieces in there for you.” 

She pressed a small cell phone into my hand.  “It has all our numbers in it.  Memorize them in case you lose it or it gets broken.  The charger is in the bag; I'm sure you'll find somewhere to charge it.”

Esme approached me slowly with a sad smile on her kind features.  “I'm so pleased to have met you, Bree.  If you don't find Fred, please come back and stay with us until you know what you want to do.  You would be most welcome.”

I nodded.  Looking at the warmth in her eyes, I was tempted yet again to stay.  My mom had been gone for so long, that I couldn't even remember her.  I realized it was not just the house and the daily showers that were pulling me, but the thought of being part of a family.  Because that’s what they seemed to be.

Carlisle gestured towards the phone.  “May I?” he asked.  I handed it to him.  His fingers flew across the numbers and he handed it back to me.

“I have added the number of my friend in Alaska and the number of our lawyer.”

A lawyer: was he serious?  I hadn't figured out why vampires needed a doctor.  No way was I going to guess why they needed a lawyer.  He must have noticed my incredulous expression.  “We may have to leave here soon, and Mr. Jenks will always be able to contact us.  Esme is right, the first year is tough.  Please call us if you ever need anything.”  Carlisle gave me a warm smile and held my hand briefly as he handed back the phone.

I tucked the phone into a side pocket of the backpack and waited for the others to come down.