Caius still wanted to skin Artemis alive for attacking his coven member and biting his hand off. But he was too scared to try and no-one was dumb enough to volunteer entering into the jaws of a wolf.

Artemis sat in a cafe with Aro. It was cloudy and snowing so he wasn't exposed during the day. He smiled.

"It's amazing none of us knew you were a Quileute werewolf...that is what you call yourselves,  right , my dear?"

Artemis glowered. She gripped her mug until her knuckles turned white.

"Get to the point....vampire. "
"My brother is very livid right now, he said you'll make a nice coat."

Let him try, she thought.

"But I'm impressed by your strength...Felix is the strongest vampire alive and he can anticipate any move...you must be quite the character to beat the man....he's absolutely an animal in a fight."

Artemis did nothing.
"Even Jane was scared and that hasn't happened in seven hundred years. I should ask...would you think of joining the Volturi?"

Artemis laughed.
"As your pet?"
"No, as Marcus' companion. He needs someone reliable but considerate."

So, as Marcus' emotional support animal...

"We have nothing in common...never will. And I know this invitation you extended to the pack was pretense.

I will never join you. My cousin only joined you disgusting creatures because of something involuntary."

Aro wrote something down then he slid it to her.

"Read this alone and then think a bit about my offer..."

Aro left her with her cold hazelnut cappuccino.

In Washington in her moldy, dusty room with creaky boards she sat on her worn single bed. She pulled out a black envelope, the one from Aro.

In the envelope was a note in curly handwriting from Aro....he was a flowery vampire.

Dear Artemis Jones

I know the wolves' distrust of vampires is great, especially yours. But I implore good reason from such an impeccable, young woman. As the first born of your household I understand the care of your younger siblings falls on you, after your parents have passed on or if anything unforeseen occurred to them.

That is why I would like to offer you a job upon completion of your high school to work for the Volturi, of course, as we discussed as Marcus' companion.

I look forward to your correspondence, my dear.

Yours sincerely

Aro
Leader of the Volturi

She laughed and tore the paper and crumpled the envelope before chucking it in the trash. She'd rather die then give her life to the treacherous Volturi...

Five months passed and life moved on.
She wrote midsemester exams and passed. The spring formal came along but she was stuck with going with her elder pack brother Brady, who had stopped phasing himself a year ago.

He asked her when she'd stop being a wolf. She didn't know the answer. By the end of the year she had aced eleventh grade and entered advanced classes in history, literature, Spanish, geography and Capentry. She got a C in Maths and that satisfied her dad.

By then Emily was pregnant. Sam had become a fisherman. His plans for college had fizzled. 

Paul and her cousin Rachel made her the maid of honour. Leah outright refused. Leah had gotten a job teaching gym class in Port Angeles  and had planned to go out with that pilot she met afterall...

Her cousin Colin and his friend Brady finally made it to college. Jared and Kim were married and planning their family.

Quil was still following after Claire, which frankly, creeped out Artemis and the whole community but the Council covered it up with stories of how Quil was her distant uncle....ewwww

Embry knocked at the mahogany door crafted by Mr Jones in 1990. Artemis opened it and a beefy Embry with long hair greeted her with a shy smile.

"Hey, there Artie."

"Oh, hey Embry you here for the books your mom pre-ordered?"
He nodded and she let him in the little lavender painted home. He had to stoop by the door to enter being seven feet.

"You alone?" he inquired.
"Yeah, mom's working at the diner today and my dad's drafting a barn out of town."

Embry was told to sit on the refurbished leather sofas.  She got him a Cola and herself a Pepsi.

They talked about the packs' return to normality...well except: himself, Quil, Seth, Jacob and her.

"Why didn't you change back...you know into a human after coming from Italy?"

She shuddered.
"I was so helpless when one of the red eyes attacked and I never want to feel like that again...Besides Quil told me you want to change back that only leaves the four of us."

She set down her empty can on the wobbly round table.

"You know Jacob won't come back and Seth idolised the guy...he is also thinking of settling and going to school....finally."

Embry's face was stern.
"And you? Don't you want to settle?"

"I'm one of the last protectors. What if the vamps come back?"

"You sound like old Billy....what if they don’t?  You'll waste your life waiting for nothing. They don't care about us....what they cared about just moved a year ago."

She never told anyone about what happened in Italy and it looks like her cousin, Jacob hadn't either. She bit her lip and clenched her fists.

She shook. Embry watched her for a bit. Before grasping her palm. He reflexively rubbed it.

"It's scary being human again knowing what lurks in the dark but we can always change when the need arises.

Why don't you give up the wolf and be a normal teenager?"

Artemis scoffed.
She couldn't be normal, not anymore.

"I'll think about it, Em."

Embry stood and she went to the corner of the lounge and picked up the box of erotic and romance novels for Ms Call.

Embry sheepishly looked around before looking down at Artemis' thin, dark face.

"Hey, do you wanna go for a movie then some lunch this weekend?"

Artemis blinked.
"Oh, like...like a date?" she asked with a quizzical look.

"Yeah like a date."

Please check out this cause to help the real Quileutes:

https://mthg.org/