[  if you want a carlisle cullen book, I've got one of those now <3  ]

☽︎

YOU'RE THREATENING TO KILL ME A LOT TONIGHT.

There was a goddamn vampire in Forks, and it wasn't the Cullens. Whoever she was, it wasn't that she was faster than the wolves. But every time one of them almost sunk their claws into the red-haired vampire, she'd somehow escape — almost like it was a trick. She'd come and go, never staying gone for more than a few weeks at a time, much to the pack's annoyance.

Since they couldn't kill her, Frankie had to be on patrol more often, watching the borders for her. That was why she wasn't at school the day Bella finally woke up and joined her old friends for lunch.

But Frankie was there now, standing on the sidewalk with Mike and Jacob outside of the movie theater, ready to see some action movie. Frankie didn't want to come, but when Mike found out Bella was bringing Jacob, he begged her to come to make it less uncomfortable since he didn't know Jacob well.

It was incredibly uncomfortable, as Jacob kept glaring at Frankie. Ever since she started to hang around Sam and the pack, Jacob was convinced she joined the cult. And in a way, she had joined the cult and was going to drag him in with her at some point.

Bella was in line and buying her ticket along with Jacob's since he wasn't seventeen yet.

"So, Face Punch, huh?" Jake said, trying to make conversation with Mike. "You like action movies?"

"Not really," he admitted. If Mike saw an action movie, it was because Eric or Tyler dragged him to one. He was less than thrilled about seeing this one.

"I heard it sucks. Bad," Jacob said with an amused scoff.

"Then why are you here?" Frankie found herself asking, raising an eyebrow.

Jacob's cheeks flushed, and she didn't need to have the mind link to know it was because he was hoping Bella would consider it a first date. Unfortunately, Mike wanted the same thing. And maybe Frankie hadn't spoken to Bella in months, but even she knew she wasn't ready to move on from Edward.

"Hey, are you even old enough to see this movie?" Mike then asked Jacob, trying to make himself feel better given how well-built Jacob was compared to him. "I mean, you know, without adult supervision?"

Jacob nodded and sucked on his teeth in annoyance. "Right, yeah. Well, she's buying my ticket for me."

"She's buying it, okay."

Frankie sighed, so over the two boys who were jealous of each other. Honestly, with how much they both hated Edward, they should've been the best of friends. Then Bella joined them, avoiding looking at Frankie altogether.

"Jessica bailed and Angela's got the stomach flu, so Eric's taking care of her. So, it's just us four."

"Great."

"Great."

"Gee, I wonder why Jess bailed," Frankie said sarcastically before entering the theater.

The night that Frankie refused to go to the movies with Jessica and Bella, Jess called her at one in the morning to rant about Bella. Apparently, she saw some sketchy biker guys in an alley and left Jessica alone to take a ride with complete strangers. Not only had Bella risked her own life, but Jessica was alone at night in the city — Bella and Frankie knew more than anyone how dangerous that could be. So, of course, Jessica was still pissed about that, and Frankie was on her behalf.

Though Frankie was more mad at Edward than Bella, knowing somehow that her behavior was connected to whatever happened in the woods the night she almost froze to death. Edward Cullen had fucking ruined Bella, and Frankie would never forgive him for that.

The movie... wasn't great. The dialogue was bad and the CGI was shit, but Frankie found herself giggling throughout it. Now that she'd seen real violence — been in real high-speed chases and fought a vampire — the dramatic scenes felt so silly to her.

"Put the gun down."

"Put your gun down or I'm gonna blow your freaking head off."

"Both of you! Put both of your guns down or I'm gonna blow both of your freaking heads off."

Frankie snorted and looked to Mike to make a comment, only to notice his hand sitting on the armrest between him and Bella with his palm facing up. Coincidentally, Jacob was in the exact same position while Bella was awkwardly sitting with her hands in her lap, looking awfully cramped without an armrest to lean on.

Deciding to help her out, Frankie went to whisper to Mike to tell him to cut it out, but she noticed he looked really pale and sweaty.

"Dude?" she whispered, not being heard by others because of the screaming coming from the speakers. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm gonna throw up," he said suddenly before scrambling to his feet.

Popcorn dropped all over Frankie as he fled from the theater. She shared a look with Bella and Jacob before all of them got up and followed him out, seeing him rush into the men's bathroom.

"Jesus," Jacob laughed. "What a marshmallow!"

"He's sick, Jake," Frankie said, rolling her eyes.

Then she wandered into the bathroom, hearing Mike as he emptied his stomach into a toilet.

"If you give me the flu, I'll kill you," she said while grabbing some paper towels to run under the sink so that he could wipe his face off when he was done.

"Right now, I feel like you killing me—" She cringed as he threw up some more. Frankie crouched down and looked under the stall door, seeing him on his knees.

"This is why you should get your flu shot," Frankie chastized as he flushed the toilet.

Mike stayed in there for a few more minutes, just making sure he wasn't going to throw up again. Then when he came out, Frankie raised her shirt over her nose and mouth like a mask — Frankie didn't even think she could get sick anymore but she had to be careful — and handed him the paper towels. He sighed in relief when he felt the cold paper against his forehead.

"I'll drive you home," she offered as they left the bathroom. "Someone can pick your car up tomorrow."

"Thanks," he mumbled, sniffing a little.

When they got out of the bathroom, they wandered to Bella and Jacob, who both were a little closer than just friends ought to be. Frankie didn't know why, but it irked her. She fucking hated Emmett but still couldn't imagine moving on from him yet. He was her greatest enemy, but she still wanted him.

"Well... I need to go home," Mike said, looking ready to drop. Jacob just glared at him as if Mike had thrown up all over him, which confused the human boy. "I'm - I was feeling sick before the movie, okay? What is your problem?"

"Right now?" Jake asked in a harsh tone. "You are my problem. Feeling sick? Maybe you need to go to the hospital." Jacob stood threateningly, and Mike scurried behind Frankie for protection. "Do you want me to put you in the hospital?"

"Hey!" Frankie snapped, taking a step toward him, towering over him. She'd reached six feet tall after shifting for the first time. "Back off."

"Jake," Bella said in a softer tone, grabbing his hand to pull him back. "Jake, the movie's over. What are you doing?"

Frankie watched Jacob carefully, recognizing the look on his face. But before she could get him out of there, Bella felt his skin with a deep frown. "Jake, you're really hot."

Mike looked at Frankie nervously, knowing he'd said nearly the same thing before she turned into a giant fucking wolf.

"Like, you feel like you have a fever," Bella kept going. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know what's happening," Jacob muttered, breathing deeply. "I gotta go."

"Look, I've got to take Mike home," Frankie said, speaking to Bella for the first time in months.

Bella was left alone as Frankie grabbed Mike's wrist and dragged him from the theater and toward her Jeep. And as she walked, she pulled out her phone, ignoring Mike, who was asking question after question.

"Is he one of you? Is Jacob gonna be a wolf? What if he hurts Bella?"

"Sam," Frankie said, calling the alpha immediately. "Jacob's heading home. Get there. It's happening."

Sam swore under his breath before saying something to Emily, letting her know he'd be out late. "Where are you?"

"I'll be there soon. Mike is sick. I'm taking him home," she told him, knowing she didn't trust Mike to drive while he was throwing up. "Something tells me he won't be as easy to calm down as Embry was."

After hanging up, Frankie helped Mike into the Jeep, who was looking even worse. She eyed his skin which had the same undertones as her car with a frown. "If you throw up in my car, I'll kill you."

"You're threatening to kill me a lot tonight."

☽︎

Forty minutes later, Frankie was following Sam's scent into the woods near Jacob's house. She'd waved at Billy, who was watching anxiously from the back porch, just hoping his son wasn't trapped as a wolf for weeks like Frankie had been.

She heard them before she saw them. The fighting sounds were prominent, and when she broke through the treeline, she saw a brown wolf throw Jared against a tree, splitting the wood before he bit at Sam, stronger than any of them expected. Then again, Jacob was meant to be the alpha, so it made sense.

"Hey!" Frankie shouted while pulling her t-shirt off. Embry was on the ground, a whimpering mess, and she could see the blood staining his fur. Paul was the only one missing. "Jacob, calm down!"

Jacob slung Sam around before setting his sights on Frankie, who slid out of her jeans. She didn't care about her underwear, but she was so over ripping her clothes and got comfortable showing her body really quickly. The newest wolf growled and lunged at her, but Frankie was ready.

Frankie shifted like it was second nature, ramming into Jacob and knocking him back into the trees, some of them falling over. He was back on his feet in seconds, but Frankie towered over him and let out a deafening roar, one that made the ground shake.

The wolf dropped to the ground and hid his face in the grass before letting out a whimper. Seconds later, Jacob's body was morphing and twisting, his fur disappearing as he returned to his human form against his will.

She let out a huff and stayed over him just in case he got angry again. As she guarded him, Sam shifted back and joined her side, looking down at Jacob, who was groaning and holding his head.

"What the hell?" Jacob asked, clenching his eyes shut.

Sam just looked up at Frankie, surprised he turned back from the power of her roar. "That's a handy trick."

☽︎

If the others thought Frankie had a bad reaction to learning she was a werewolf, Jacob was a hundred times worse. Rather than accept it, he complained every day, letting them all know how much he didn't want to be in the pack. Everything he did was against his will — he didn't even like chasing the vampire that had been around. But he was about to get his first taste of one as Paul caught a new scent on patrol.

With the whole pack gathered, they ran up into the mountains and above the cloud bank. The scent was new to Frankie, who was taking up the back of the formation while Sam was at the front. She didn't trust that the other wasn't around and would try to attack from behind.

Much to their surprise, though, the vampire wasn't alone in the field they tracked him to. Through the branches, all of them saw Bella with her eyes closed, trembling as the vampire raised is hand back to attack her — to kill her.

Frankie saw red, flashes of that night where Jasper attacked Bella running through her mind for all the pack to see. She wanted to rip the vampire limb from limb for coming after Bella. And that's exactly what she did.

Before the vampire could attack, Sam came through the trees, snapping a branch underneath his paw and drawing attention. The vampire looked at them with wide, disbelieving eyes — eyes that were a mix between red and gold, a sign he'd been drinking animal and human blood. "I don't believe it."

The others came after Sam — Paul, Jared, Embry, and Jacob. Frankie moved around to the other side of the field, knowing the vampire would flee. But she wasn't going to let him.

Sam let out a snarl and ran at the vampire, who ran right toward Frankie, who was still hiding away. The others followed their alpha aside from Jacob, who took his sweet time as he looked to Bella. Frankie rolled her eyes and let out a huff, hearing how he was trying to force an imprint.

Frankie let out a low growl that the boy heard, and he quickly rejoined the fight as the vampire backhanded Sam hard, knocking him back several feet. Bella finally regained her senses and fled. Frankie then barked at Embry, telling him to follow her and make sure she got home safe.

The vampire was crouched low, ready to attack Paul, but a low growl that shook the earth beneath his feet made him freeze. He could feel it in the ground as something approached from behind. Cautiously, he turned, aware that the other wolves had stopped attacking him. They were just circling him now, herding him and keeping him in place.

The vampire's odd eyes went wide as he saw the huge wolf that sent fear through his venom-filled veins. Then before his very eyes, it shrunk and shrunk until taking the form of a young girl. She didn't care that she was naked — he'd be dead soon anyway.

"What do you want with Bella Swan?" Frankie asked, glaring at him.

"What are you?" he asked, ignoring her question. He took in a deep breath, and underneath the wet dog smell clinging to the others, he found an inviting type of warmth that clouded his mind. He knew he was in danger and yet he found his feet planted to the ground and his eyes fixed on Frankie.

"You're not as quick as your girlfriend," she said, ignoring his question as well. "Don't worry. When she comes looking for her, we'll reunite you."

Frankie's eyes began to glow red, reminding the vampire of his own kind. Then an inhuman snarl ripped through her as she lunged at him, shifting as she did so. The last thing he saw was sharp fangs longer than his fingers and red eyes full of hatred, the same fate that would meet his friend if Frankie had it her way.

☽︎

"Frank, you can be honest with me," Jessica said in a small voice. They were hanging out at Frankie's trailer, who was staring at the cheap glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling while Jessica flipped through a magazine. "Are you and Mike a thing?"

Frankie instantly cringed, picturing it in her head. "Jess, what the fuck? I'd rather saw off my hand than kiss that troll."

Jessica let out a sigh of relief before self-consciously toying with the edges of the magazine. "I don't know. You guys are spending more time together, which is weird because you have like no time for friends anymore," she said, huffing a little. "You two are always whispering and shit, and you bring him to the rez all the time without asking any of us. I mean, I know you two are close and we aren't together anymore—"

"Jess," Frankie cut her off softly while sitting up. "Nothing is or ever will happen between Mike and I. I'm just... going through some stuff right now. He's helping me through it."

"Why can't I help you through it too?" she asked, looking rather sad. "You know, you said you didn't get into Stanford, but I found this when you went to the bathroom."

Jessica pulled out a crumpled acceptance letter from the school, which included a full-ride athletic scholarship. It was everything Frankie wanted, but two weeks ago, she came to school and told everyone that she hadn't been accepted.

"Why would you lie?" she asked. "I'm worried about you, Frank. You quit the band and now this. And you missed Nationals — soccer is everything to you. Getting out of here is everything to you. Has something happened?"

Frankie's eyes watered, hating how Jessica could see right through her. It wasn't fair that her life was being ripped away and she couldn't even go to her best friend for comfort because she couldn't disobey the aloha's gag order. But that didn't stop her from trying.

"I turn into a werewolf when I get angry," she mumbled emotionlessly.

Realizing that the words actually left her mouth, Frankie's eyes went wide, realizing she'd just ignored Sam's order without any kind of repercussions. The words literally would've stopped in her throat if she were one of the others.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Haha, yeah, don't take this seriously or anything. It's not like I'm worried about you or anything."

"Jess," she said, grabbing her hand. "I come from a long line of Spirit Warriors that can turn into giant wolves when we need to protect the land."

She sighed, thinking she was still messing with her. "Frankie, this isn't cute—"

"Mike was there the first time it happened, and that's why he knows. I can prove it to you," Frankie cut her off. Her eyes were still watering. "That's why I can't go to Stanford. I have to stay here with my pack, and I hate it. I hate it so much, and talking to Mike about it has been one of the only things keeping me sane."

Jessica studied Frankie's face, realizing she wasn't lying. Or at least Frankie believed what she was saying. But Jessica was a woman of science — a future valedictorian — so she wouldn't believe it without any kind of proof.

"Prove it."

☽︎

"You told the biggest gossip at Forks High that you're a wolf?" Sam asked Frankie angrily as they trekked through the woods and to Jacob's house.

"Yes," Frankie said with a big grin. "She won't tell anyone, not even Angela or Eric or Tyler."

"How'd you even get around the order?" Embry asked with a frown. He'd tried to tell a few people but it was physically impossible. He hated how Quil was so alone right now.

"Dunno," she shrugged. "Just came out."

Sam sighed and rubbed his forehead, worried she was going to tell the whole town now. "It's because you're a Mekko," he said. "You don't necessarily have to follow all my orders."

"Oh, hell yeah," she grinned, knowing she was going to get on his nerves with this new information. "Don't worry. I won't disobey in, like, life-threatening situations."

Jacob was still a sulking mess all the time, but after seeing a vampire nearly kill Bella up close, he understood why they did what they did now. Frankie wasn't happy to have quit the band or turned down the scout from Stanford, but she did it to save the lives of the people she loved.

"Jake's gonna be unbearable now," Jared grumbled. Jacob had been dying to tell Bella about the pack and why he'd been avoiding her, and he'd be so jealous when he learned Frankie wasn't bound to the same rules as them.

"He already is unbearable," Paul joked as they neared Jacob's house. "But so are all your friends."

Frankie rolled her eyes and shoved Paul hard as they got to the backyard. He hadn't even spoken to Jessica in three years. "Mike and Jess are awesome."

"We've got a problem," Jared said suddenly, looking ahead.

Bella was storming out of Jacob's house and looked pissed as fuck. Frankie sighed as her old friend glared at Sam, blaming him for everything.

"What did you do? Okay, what did you do?" she asked, reaching them and pushing Sam back a little bit. "What did you do to him?"

"Hey!" Jared yelled as Paul snarled.

Sam pointed to the two of them, not needing the situation to escalate. "Easy!"

"He didn't want this!" Bella shouted.

"What did we do? What did he do?" Paul anxiously asked. "What did he tell you?"

"Both of you calm—"

Bella yelled right over Sam. "Nothing! He told me nothing! How could you do this to him, Frankie?"

Frankie just sighed and looked at Bella. "Look, just go home Bella."

"No!" she snapped. "I'm not leaving him with you. He's scared of you!"

Paul and Jared couldn't help but snicker, which was the wrong thing to do. Before he knew it, Bella was smacking Paul across the face, making him mad instead of amused. He began shaking with anger, and Frankie looked up at the cloudy sky and groaned.

"Too late, now," Jared said with a little smirk.

"Bella, get back," Sam told her. "Paul, calm down now."

"Yeah," Frankie muttered, "'cause that always works."

Before Bella's very eyes, Paul shifted into a giant wolf, snarling at her. She quickly took Sam's advice and booked it, running for the house. And as she did, Jacob came out of the house, jumping over the porch railing as he did so.

"Bella!"

"Run! Jake, run!" Bella shouted.

But Jacob just jumped over Bella's head, phasing like a pro as he did so. Bella dropped quickly, covering her head. Then she watched in awe as Paul and Jared began to fight each other. Frankie stood with her arms crossed, watching them wreck Billy's yard and break his fishing boat while Sam just yelled.

"Frankie!" Sam said in a stern tone, knowing she could stop them.

"I was just gonna let them tire themselves out," she mumbled before kicking her shoes off.

Then Bella watched in horror as Frankie turned into what could only be described as a monster and went after the two fighting wolves. Frankie chased after Paul and Jacob until they were far enough away from Billy's house. Then she rammed into Paul's side, throwing him off Jacob and into a tree.

Paul let out an angry growl, but Frankie was soon roaring so loudly that Bella could hear it from her truck, where she was stuck with Jared and Embry. Paul and Jacob both whined and dropped to the ground, shaking as they slowly turned back to their human forms.

Frankie let out a huff and turned to go retrieve some clothes, already so over having to be the one to break up fights now that they knew she could do so. She passed Sam on the way, who nodded in thanks and then went to yell at Paul for putting Bella in danger. As he passed, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it to her, knowing she could throw it on and it'd be plenty big enough to keep her covered.

Five minutes later and on the way to Sam's house, Paul and Jacob were as right as rain, no longer mad at each other. Jacob knew Paul struggled with his anger, and Paul knew Jake was just protecting Bella.

"Put five dollars in the Fight Jar," Frankie told Paul before following Sam into the house. She could already smell the muffins Emily was baking.

The Fight Jar was a jar of money kept in the kitchen that she started. Any time Frankie had to break up a fight or calm someone down after they got angry, they had to put money in the jar, and that money went toward buying her new clothes when she ripped something since she didn't exactly have an expansive wardrobe to begin with.

"You're not the first monsters, I met," Bella was saying to Jared when they entered.

"Jake's right. You are good with the weird," Sam said while walking to Emily. He kissed her sweetly before pecking loving kisses all over her face, making her giggle.

Bella looked at Frankie, and then at Paul and Jacob, who were laughing as if the fight never happened. Paul sat at the kitchen table and shot Bella a smirk. "Sorry," he said, not really meaning it that much.

Jacob caught Bella's eye and nodded to the door, signaling that they needed to talk.

"You too," Bella said when Frankie tried to grab a muffin.

Frankie huffed and put the blueberry muffin back down. "Fine, but I'm gonna need some underwear."

☽︎

"So you're both werewolves?" Bella asked as they walked along the beach, her hands shoved in her pocket.

"Yeah, last time I checked," Jacob muttered bitterly. "A few lucky members of the tribe that have the gene. If a bloodsucker moves into town, the fever sets in."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Mono?" she questioned, as that had been his excuse.

"Yeah, I wish," he chuckled.

"And that's why you missed all that school?" Bella asked Frankie, who just nodded. Honestly, Frankie didn't think Bella even paid enough attention to her to know she missed two weeks. "You can't find a way to stop? I mean, it's wrong."

Jacob and Frankie came to a stop and looked at Bella with hurt expressions. "It's not a lifestyle choice, Bella," Jacob said defensively. "I was born this way, I can't help it."

"You are such a fucking hypocrite," Frankie said, glaring at her. "What, we aren't a cool enough monster for you?"

"It's not what you are. It's what you do," Bella told them. "They never hurt anybody."

"Right," Frankie cut her off with a scoff. "And what did Jasper and Edward do on your birthday?"

"But you've killed people, Jake, Frankie!" she said, glaring at them.

Frankie actually laughed at that as Jacob rolled his eyes. "Bella, we're not killing anyone."

"Those dead hikers aren't us," Frankie added. Everyone thought bears were going on a killing spree at the moment.

"Then, who is?"

"We're trying to protect you people from them. The only thing we do kill."

"Vampires," Frankie said, her face growing hard.

"Frank, you can't..."

"Don't worry, we can't touch your little precious Cullens," Jake cut Bella off. "Unless they violate the Treaty."

"That's not what I'm saying. You can't kill vampires, though," she said, shaking her head. "They'll kill you.

Frankie laughed again at that as Jacob shook his head. "Really?" he asked, just as amused. "We took out that leech with the dreads easy enough. He didn't stand a chance against Frankie."

"Laurent?"

"You know his name?" Frankie questioned, earning a short nod.

"That redhead girlfriend is next," Jacob told her.

Bella seemed to freeze, terror coursing through her. "Vic - Victoria is here?"

"Was. We chased her all the way to the Canadian border the other night," Frankie told her, frowning at the visible fear on Bella's face. "But she keeps coming back. It's annoying as shit."

"Yeah, we don't know what she's after," Jacob added.

"I do," Bella murmured. "Me."

☽︎

Frankie felt uncomfortable as she leaned against Bella's bedroom wall. Their fathers were downstairs, curled up on the couch and watching a soccer match on TV. Neither girl knew what to say, but Bella was the first to break the months of silence.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Frankie asked sharply, both knowing what she meant by that.

Bella sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "It wasn't my secret to tell, Frankie."

"Then that's my answer too," she said stubbornly.

The silence hung in the air like a thick fog for several minutes before Frankie gave in, letting months of sadness rise to the surface. "You know, you weren't the only one that got left," she said, swallowing thickly. "And at least you weren't lied to. Edward didn't think you were some stupid—"

"Emmett did not think you were stupid," Bella cut her off, shaking her head. "He loved you."

"No, he wouldn't have kept something like that from me if he did," she said, her eyes watering. "None of them cared about me like I thought they did."

"You know, I asked once, why they hadn't told you. Emmett was terrified you'd hate him like everyone else on the reservation," Bella told her. "And before today, you were the most All-American human-like human I've ever known. So, I know they saw you the same way. They didn't want to ruin that life."

Frankie clenched her jaw and looked at the carpeted floor. "Well, that life is over anyway," she muttered bitterly. "And I don't need Emmett in the one I have now."

Bella studied her friend who had always seemed like she had it all together even after the Cullens left, but now, in her dimly lit room when she was finally paying attention to someone who wasn't herself, Bella could see the pain that Frankie was still in.

"I'm sorry, Frank," Bella whispered, her own eyes water. "I wasn't the only one they left."

"No," she sniffed, "you weren't." Frankie then looked at Bella, a few tears slipping down her cheek. "And maybe... if I'd of had you to talk to — to ask questions — I wouldn't have spent so long being so angry. At you and them. My entire world changed that night, and no one stuck around to make sure I could handle it."

"I'll stick around this time if you'll let me," Bella offered, moving to Frankie's side.

"Only if you're really back this time," she said, not wanting Bella to disappear again.

"I'm back for good," she promised, the corners of her lips turning up. "Besides, we never even got to talk about our dads dating."

"Oh, my god, it's still so gross!"