THIS IS WHAT I EXIST FOR.

A month had passed since the wedding, and hearing no news from Emmett about Bella's transition put Frankie on edge. But she trusted that Bella and Edward were just enjoying a long honeymoon — after all, there was no rush to get back. But eventually, Frankie knew that she'd have to say goodbye to Bella's human existence.

Though she supported Bella, she hated what it was already doing to Charlie. He hadn't heard from her once since getting married, which was stressing him out. He'd always thought he was losing his daughter to Edward, and soon that would be true as he was lied to and told she was dead. Frankie was waiting every day for a call from Emmett, letting her know Bella had turned.

Truthfully, in the last two weeks, Frankie hadn't seen much of Emmett — and Leah saw even less of Rosalie. Part of that was because a few more boys shifted, likely triggered by the Denali coven visiting for the wedding. Collin and Brady were even younger than Seth was, making it hard to train and teach them.

She and Jacob had just been on patrol with the two boys, trying to instill into them the route that they'd need to take every time to make sure they covered all the land on the reservation. When they returned to Jacob's house, it was clear that Billy had a lot of company over for dinner. Charlie, Raylan, and Sue were all gathered in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Son," Billy greeted with a grim expression.

Frankie frowned, seeing the way that her father had a comforting arm around Charlie's shoulder, who seemed to be sulking. Jacob also noticed the somber mood that was hanging around. "What's going on?"

"Bella called him," Raylan revealed, sharing a knowing look with Frankie.

Rather than comment on it, Charlie just nodded to Jacob, who he'd been worrying about. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while. You okay?"

"So, you finally heard from Bella?" Jacob asked, ignoring Charlie's question.

"They're extending their trip," he said with a sigh. "Seems she caught a bug. They wanna wait until she feels better before they travel."

Jacob grew tense, and Frankie rubbed her forehead. They must've been planning to ease Charlie into her death with a sickness instead of making it something fast and easy to swallow. Part of her thought that was cruel, and so did Jacob.

"She's sick?"

"Yeah, she told me not to worry, but she sounded, I don't know, off," Charlie muttered, looking at the ground.

"She'll be okay, Charlie," Sue told him while bringing some food to the table. "Come on. Let's eat."

As the adults moved around to fix their lunch, Billy eyed Jacob, who was practically shaking. "Jacob, let it go."

But then the boy was storming out of the house, refusing to let it go. Frankie sighed and shared a look with her father, who nodded after him. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Frankie couldn't stop Jake before he got on his bike and sped off, so she followed him in her Jeep all the way to the Cullen's house.

"Jake," she said, letting out a huff as she shut her car door. "Dude, you knew it was coming—"

"I can't accept that—"

"What's done is done!" she snapped as he stormed up the front porch.

Clearly having heard them coming, Carlisle opened the door and greeted them with a tense smile. Jacob was pushing past him without even greeting him. "ls it true?"

"Hello, Jacob, how are you?" Carlisle asked cordially.

"Hey, Carlisle," Frankie at least had the decency to greet with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Honey," he said, happy to see her again after so long. But he was concerned about her reaction to everything.

"Listen, just give it to me straight," Jacob then said. "Is—"

Suddenly, they heard Bella calling from the second floor of the house. "Frankie, Jake, is that you?"

Frankie looked at Carlisle in confusion, not thinking they'd have Bella as a newborn so close to town. "She's here?" she questioned.

"They came home two weeks ago," he informed them, looking down.

Jacob stormed upstairs, the other two following him. He was surprised to see the entire family gathered in the living room, with Rosalie standing in front of Bella, hiding her completely from his sight. Frankie was half a step behind him, looking at the family in confusion. Whenever she called Emmett, he made it sound like no one was hardly ever home — that it was boring and it was why he would come to see her at her place instead.

"Jake. I'm glad you came," Bella said, nervously pulling at the blanket over her lap. "You two, Frank."

Jacob moved closer to Bella, but Rosalie stopped him with a glare. "Close enough."

"What's your problem?" Jacob asked, hating her even more for keeping him from Bella.

While they did that, Frankie just took a step to the left, getting a better look at Bella. Her cheeks were sunken in, her eyes looked hollow and emotionless, and her skin a sickly, waxy color. Bella wasn't a newborn and she hadn't lied to Charlie. She really was sick.

"Rose, it's okay," Bella told the defensive blonde.

"We wouldn't hurt her," Frankie said, narrowing her eyes at Rosalie. They were basically sisters with how close they were, so who did Rosalie think she was coming between them?

Against her wishes, Rosalie stepped to the side, revealing Bella's sickly and still very human figure. And Jacob was both concerned and relieved that she wasn't a vampire yet. "You look terrible."

"Damn, Jake," Frankie said, shaking her head at his bedside manner. She also moved to sit on the arm of the couch next to Bella, who instantly leaned into her, feeling the warmth coming off of her. Frankie nearly flinched, Bella feeling as cold as a vampire. "Shit, you're an ice cube."

Bella's lips turned up in a wry smile while continuing to lean on her. "Yeah, it's nice to see you btoh, too."

"So," Jacob said, studying her figure as he sat, "are you gonna tell us what's wrong with you?"

In response, Bella looked to Rosalie. "Rose, you wanna help me up?"

It was evident as soon as Bella stood what was wrong with her. Frankie's breath caught in her throat as she stumbled off the couch, and Jacob recoiled and glared at Edward, realizing what unspeakable thing had been done on their honeymoon.

Bella's stomach was overgrown, bruises littering her skin before she quickly pulled her shirt down to cover them up. She wasn't a vampire. She was fucking pregnant. Far too pregnant for someone who'd only had sex for the first time a month ago.

"You did this!" Jacob seethed while Frankie was just frozen in place, looking at Bella's stomach in horror.

Edward grimaced, hating himself far more than Jacob did in that moment. When Jacob charged at Edward, Emmett held him back.

"I didn't know it was even possible," Carlisle told him, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Frankie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. What kind of monster was growing inside of her best friend's body?

"I'm not sure," Carlisle said in a gentle tone. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac."

"I can't see it, either," Alice said hesitantly. Then she bit the inside of her cheek. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore."

"What?" Frankie asked in alarm.

"We've been researching legends, but there isn't much to go on," Carlisle added.

"But it's strong enough to hurt her," Frankie surmised. "And growing fucking fast, evidently."

"Correct," Carlisle said, just as concerned as she was.

"Why haven't you done anything? Take it out of her!" Jacob shouted.

"This is none of your business, dog!" Rosalie snapped protectively.

"Rose!" Esme said in a stern tone. "All this fighting isn't good for Bella."

Alice held back a scoff. "The fetus isn't good for Bella."

"Say the word, Alice," Rosalie said, her eyes wide. "Baby. It's just a little baby!"

"Possibly," Jasper said tensely.

"Carlisle, you've gotta do something," Jacob said in a pleading tone, looking back at him.

"No," Bella said in a hard tone. "It's not his decision. It's not any of yours."

Jacob took in deep breaths to try and calm down, and that's when Edward finally spoke. "Jacob, Frankie, I need to talk to you both."

Frankie blinked at Bella for a few moments before following after the vampire. But Bella's freezing hand latched around her wrist, keeping her in place. She smiled, the expression looking grotesque on Bella's dying features.

"This is a good thing," Bella told her. "You'll see."

But Frankie doubted that quite a lot as she pulled herself free and followed the boys outside. All the vampires could hear them, but Bella couldn't, which was what he needed. However, Edward couldn't even get in a word before Jacob gave his two cents.

"I always knew you'd destroy her."

"She thinks Carlisle can turn her at the last minute, like he did for me and Esme," he mumbled.

"Can he?" he asked hopefully.

"Probability is... slight. And if her heart fails..." Edward wouldn't finish his sentence, like saying it out loud would speak her death into existence. "Look, both of you, I need you to do something for me."

Jacob just gave a bitter laugh and turned away from him.

"For her. You have a connection with her that I'll never understand. Maybe you could talk to her, change her mind. You can keep her alive," Edward went on. "And Frankie, you're her best friend. She loves you. She trusts you."

"And if we can't?" Jake questioned.

"If she dies, you get what you always wanted. To kill me."

"Well, I've wanted to kill you since you left her in the woods to die of hypothermia and get her corpse eaten by bears," Frankie muttered, crossing her arms. "And this isn't just about Bella surviving, Edward. That thing has to die, and you know it."

"You think I haven't tried everything to convince her?" he asked with a sigh. "You two are my only hope."

Frankie rolled her eyes, feeling her temper grow the longer she had to process what had happened. "Can it, Obi-Wan. We haven't convinced her yet."

Together, Frankie and Jacob walked back to the house, and Emmett was waiting on the front porch for them. His mate stared up at him with a somber expression, a guarded look in her eyes.

"You were keeping me away from the house," she said simply. She didn't have to ask. They all knew, and it hurt like a fucking bitch for her to find out this way. "You didn't want me to know."

Emmett looked away guiltily. "Rose thought it best the pack not know until it's over and done with."

"You mean when Bella is dead and the demon spawn is born," she said flatly. Then Frankie scoffed and nudged past him to go inside. "We'll talk about this later."

Together, the wolves returned to the living room, which was now almost empty. But Rosalie was standing guard at the entrance, looking at Bella expectantly as if she wouldn't let two of the people she cared about most inside.

"Rose, I'm fine, really," she said, and Rosalie begrudgingly stepped to the side, leaving them all alone.

Frankie sighed and moved first, joining Bella on the couch. It made her heart ache when the human slid closer to her, taking in her warmth. Jacob chose to sit across from them.

"So, Edward sent you guys in here to talk to me?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sort of. Though I can't figure out why he thinks you'd listen to me. I mean, you never have before," Jacob said with a smirk, all of them laughing. "Since when are you and blondie BFFs?"

"Rose understands what I want," she said simply.

"Well, tell her to stop ignoring Leah, yeah?" Frankie asked. "She thinks she did something wrong. And I know the distance is bad for Rose too. It's not fair on any of us with an Imprint Bond."

"I'm sorry about Emmett being away," Bella said, meaning it. Emmett had been miserable the last two weeks, not spending nearly as much time with Frankie as he wanted.

"What are you thinking, Bella?" Jacob asked. "Seriously."

Bella sighed and shook her head. "I know this seems like a scary thing, but it's not. It's like this miracle or something. I can feel him."

Jacob rolled his eyes sarcastically. "So, it's a bouncing baby boy. I'm sorry I didn't know. Should've brought some blue balloons."

"It's just a guess. When I picture him, I see a boy," she told him. Then she smiled at Frankie. "If he's not clumsy like me, his Aunt Frankie can teach him how to play soccer. We'll see."

"You won't," Frankie said tensely, unable to help herself as tears welled in her eyes.

"Frank," she said, reaching for her hand. "I can do this. I'm strong enough."

"Come on," Jacob scoffed. "You can spout that crap to your bloodsucker, but you don't fool me. I can see what that thing's doing to you. It's a killer, Bella."

"You're wrong."

"Really?" Frankie asked, glaring at Bella's stomach. "Cause it's already killing you."

"And when you die, what was the point? Of me loving you, you loving him. How is that right for anyone?" Jacob asked her. "Because I sure don't see it. Listen to me, Bella. Please. Just don't do this. Live, okay? Please."

"Jake, everything's gonna be okay." Frankie shook her head and pulled her hand from hers, getting off the couch. "Frank, don't go. Please."

"We know how this ends," Jacob told her as Frankie was already out of the room. "And we're not sticking around to watch."

Frankie could only see red as she fled the mansion, knowing Jacob was a step behind her. She didn't even stop when Emmett called out for her to try and talk. Instead, she pushed him back and tore off into the woods, shifting for the first time against her will in months, unable to control her anger.

A deafening roar rang through the land, a call to the whole pack. One by one, everyone shifted, connecting to the mind link, seeing what she and Jacob had. They saw what was growing inside of Bella and slowly killing her. They saw that Rosalie and Emmett were ignoring their mates for it. Ready to throw away Bella's life for some kind of monster.

"Is it true, Jacob?"

"Frankie, what will it be?"

"It's growing fast."

"It's unnatural!"

"Dangerous!"

"Monstrosity!"

"An abomination!"

"On our land!" Frankie snapped angrily in agreement with her pack as they met out far from the beach, near an area being cleared for logging. Something territorial and instinctive in her was growing, overpowering her, her Mekko blood boiling at the thought of the thing killing Bella. "We can't allow it!"

"We can't allow it."

"We can't allow it."

"We can't allow it."

Sam was the last to appear, standing on a pile of tree trunks, towering over all of them, even Frankie. "We have to protect the tribe. What they've bred won't be able to control its thirst. Every human will be in danger."

"We're ready," Jared agreed.

"No time to waste," Leah angrily added.

"Now?" Jacob asked, looking to Frankie in confusion.

"We must destroy it before it's born."

"You mean kill Bella?" Seth asked, beginning to tremble.

"Her choice affects us all."

"Bella's human," Jacob argued. "Our protection applies to her."

"She's dying anyway!" Leah snarled, making Jacob attack her.

"Stop!" Frankie shouted, easily getting between them and forcing them apart.

"We have real enemies to fight tonight," Sam commanded.

"Tonight?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"You will fight with us, Jake," Sam told him, stalking toward him. Jacob whimpered under the weight of an alpha's command, his snout pressed to the ground as he submitted. But then he breathed deeply and fought back, ignoring the pain searing through his body.

"I will not!" he said, his voice strained. "I am the grandson of Ephraim Black. I am the grandson of a chief! I wasn't born to follow you, or anyone else."

Rather than attack Sam, Jacob shot past him and dissapeared into the woods. Before anyone could stop him, Seth took off as well. Before Sam could follow them, Frankie let out a snarl, telling Sam to stay put.

"Leave them," Frankie said. "You may be the alpha, but it's my job to protect this land. As long as she still breathes, Bella is under our protection."

"You'd let that monster be born just because—"

"I didn't say that!" she shouted, growling at Sam threateningly, making him back up. "We won't kill her, but we can't keep her alive, either. That thing will kill her, and the moment its born, anyone standing in our way will burn along with it. I warned Emmett what would happen if anyone in his family slipped — this things is no exception."

☽︎

Things were as tense as ever in the Cullen household. Leah and Rosalie wouldn't look each other in the eye, Seth was pouting next to Emmett, and Jacob was in charge of filling the family in on the sudden change of events. He had to explain why Frankie hadn't come back with him.

"Sam and Frankie lost the element of surprise, and he doesn't want to take you on outnumbered, so he's not gonna come at you head on. He's got the place surrounded and he'll wait for his opportunity," Jacob explained.

"Frankie wouldn't hurt us," Bella said, putting her hand on her stomach.

"No, she won't," Leah said with a huff. "Before I left, she made it very clear that no one in the pack is to kill you."

"So, why isn't she here protecting her?" Emmett asked, desperate to know what his mate was thinking.

"Bella's under Frankie's protection, but that thing isn't," Jacob said, shaking his head. "When the time comes, they'll either take Bella and keep her on the reservation until the feutus kills her or wait until it's born. Then Frankie will be the one to kill it."

"She won't touch him," Bella said, her eyes watering. "She wouldn't."

"I think you're forgetting just what she is, Bella," Jake said. "Her bloodline didn't earn a title like The Beast for nothing."

"If Frankie comes for it, we can't stop her," Jasper spoke up. "Rose and Emmett would be the only safe ones if it comes ot a fight because of the Imprints. You can't overpower something like Frankie."

"No fights," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "We won't be the ones to break the treaty."

"The treaty is void, at least in Sam's mind," Jacob said. "Even if Frankie's taking over now."

"Not in ours," Esme told him.

"If Frank wants it dead, it'll be dead," Emmett said. He'd been looking out the window, knowing his mate was out there somewhere. "But Carlisle, no one's hunted for weeks."

"We'll make do," Esme told him calmly.

Then Carlisle nodded to Jacob gratefully. "You've done us a great service, Jacob. Thank you.

☽︎

If Frankie wasn't watching the area around the Cullen house, she was at Billy's house. Charlie was making himself sick worrying about Bella, so he spent most of his free time at his best friend's house. And because Sue and Billy were starting something up, she was always there as well. If Raylan wasn't working at the diner, he was there as well.

The whole gang was gathered when Frankie came over on a Thursday afternoon to update Billy and Sue. The Cullens had been treating their children well, and from her spying, she knew Leah and Rose had made up, though the baby was still Rosalie's number one priority.

Sometimes, Seth would talk aloud, hoping Frankie was listening. He wasn't happy to be away from her, but he respected her letting him leave the pack. Because of the Imprint Bond, she could've forced him back in an instant but knew that wasn't fair. It was the same reason Emmett didn't use their own bond to make Frankie stand down.

But fuck, Emmett missed her. And he didn't blame Frankie for a second, knowing how important her duty to the land was. It all just had him wishing things would speed back up so that he could go back to holding her every day. Being on opposite sides of this war was killing him.

When Frankie entered Billy's house, all her thoughts about missing Emmett as well faded, hearing that Charlie was on the phone. He was sitting in the kitchen, leaning back against Raylan, who was rubbing his shoulders comfortingly.

"Well, you sound better."

Frankie focused her hearing, catching Bella's voice on the other end. "I am. I feel much better." Of course, that was because she was fucking drinking human blood, which made Frankie feel sick. Collin had come from his shift to alert them all of the alarming development.

"This whole thing must've put a kink in the honeymoon, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Otherwise, married life treating you okay? Edward still walks on water and all that?"

Frankie rolled her eyes and moved to get a Coke from the fridge, wishing she wasn't here for this.

"Yeah, but, I mean, it is different now."

"The important thing is that you're better. And that you're coming home soon, right?" Charlie asked, desperate to see her again.

Bella paused, and Frankie tensed, knowing she was preparing her father for the worst. "Okay, Dad, I don't want you to freak out, but I'm going to a medical center in Switzerland."

Charlie stood in an instant, nearly knocking his chair over. "What? No, no, you're not," he stuttered. "You're not going to Switzerland. What are you — you said you were better!"

"I am," she insisted weakly.

"No, Bella. I'm getting on a plane. No!"

"No. It's really more of a spa. And I'm sure that I'd be better by the time you got there anyway," she lied, making Frankie scoff.

"Bells... I don't know."

"Dad, don't come. And picture me healthy, like I'm sitting on the couch with you, eating pizza or something."

Frankie rolled her eyes, her anger growing as she looked at her father. "She wants him to fucking visualize?"

"Is that Frankie?" Bella then asked, having overheard her voice. "She hasn't... been picking up. Can I talk to her?"

Charlie sighed and nodded even though Bella couldn't see him. He held the phone out to the younger girl, who reluctantly took it. And knowing she wouldn't be able to watch her tone, she took the call outside.

"Switzerland. How creative," she said in a dull tone, glaring at the backyard.

"Frankie," Bella whispered, sounding on the verge of tears. "Frank, tell me Jake and Leah were lying. You're not really making all these decisions. It's Sam."

"No, it's not," she said in a hard tone. "I don't care if you're getting better. It doesn't matter if you survive or not. I can't let it live, Bella."

"Yes, you can—"

"No!" she snapped. "You don't get it. You don't understand. This is what I exist for — protecting the land. This is why I quit the band. Why I didn't follow Jessica to Standford last month. Why my soccer team lost Nationals while I was running around the woods like a fucking lunatic. This is what I do, Bella. Whatever's inside you is a threat — a threat so strong that every cell in my body is on edge. And I'll have ot kill it whether you're alive to see it or not."

Bella sniffed, tears falling from her eyes. "Don't do this, Frankie," she whispered. "We're sisters."

"Yeah, we are," she said, swallowing thickly. "So how could you ever think I'd let the thing slowly killing my sister live?" Then Frankie hung up abrutlpy, a grip so tight on the phone that it shattered.

☽︎

For the remainder of the day, Frankie stayed at Billy's house, comforting Charlie with her father. Maybe if she'd of been at the Cullen's, Jacob wouldn't have tricked the others so that Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett could escape to hunt and get more blood for Bella. It wasn't that Frankie wanted her mate to starve — if anything, it killed her knowing he was hungry — lines had been drawn and she could compromise her morals when she had a pack to be leading.

It was tricky with Emmett and Rosalie. No harm was allowed to be brought to them, as Frankie wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone that hurt them. But they were still the enemy until all of this was settled.

Though a part of Frankie was relived that Emmett made it through their defenses to finally be able to hunt, she was annoyed at the way Jacob distracted the others. He claimed he wanted Sam and Frankie to take Leah and Seth back to the pack, which went against their wishes, which wasn't fair. And then he claimed he'd be the one to kill the child when it was born because the Cullens trusted him.

He was the only one that could do it, apparently.

When Embry told Frankie he said that, she nearly laughed. It didn't matter, anyway, because Jacob had no plans to keep his promise. With the older wolves occupied by Jacob, it was easy for the three vampires to slip past Collin and Brady.

Now, Sam saw his actions as a betrayal, making him officially an enemy of the pack and in violation of the treaty. The pack gathered to tell Billy the verdict, knowing it wasn't right to keep him in the dark. That was when Frankie learned about it all since she'd been there all day.

"I don't care what he's done!" Billy shouted, chasing after Sam as he left the house. Frankie was behind him, not knowing how to feel. "He's still my son."

"I'm sorry, Billy. I just thought you should know," Sam told him.

"Emmett's not there anymore," Frankie spoke up. "It's time to take her. We'll outnumber them easily. Leah will be too busy trying to protect Rose, Seth will only defend — he won't attack his brothers. This ends tonight."

The others nodded in agreement before they were joined by Paul, who came up to Sam and whispered in his ear. A dark look overcame his face as he met Frankie's eye, who feared the worst.

"Bella's dead," he revealed. "It killed her."

"Let's go!" Frankie shouted, her eyes glowing red. Seeing that she was already shaking and steam came off of her in waves, he rolled away from her, knowing she was dangerous in such a state.

The giant wolf led the pack through the woods, moving swiftly and silently as they approached the Cullen house. Only one heartbeat resided inside, beating far too fast to be Bella's. All Frankie could smell was the death that clung to the vampires and the scent of Bella's blood that was hanging in the air.

The only ones that were ready for them were Jasper, Alice, and Edward, who was covered in blood. Bella's blood.

"We're outnumbered," Jasper said as the wolves slowly crept through the trees, a small army assembled.

"By a lot," Alice said nervously.

Edward eyed Frankie nervously, seeing the hatred running through her mind. He saw her desire to rip Renesmee to pieces, and now that he'd held her — seen how perfect she was — he couldn't allow that no matter how dangerous she could prove to be.

"Frankie," he pleaded, shaking his head. "Don't do this."

"I didn't do this. You did," she thought to him. "I'm just doing what you asked of me."

The Mekko was the first to attack, lunging toward Edward with all her strength. He tried to catch her in his arms, but it just ended with him slung at the house, shattering a window. Letting the rest of the pack focus on Alice and Jasper, she continued to attack Edward, biting into his shoulder and throwing him back to the dirt. He tried to get away, but she was faster, keeping him pinned down with her weight.

Her large mouth opened, sharp fangs dripping with spit as she prepared to rip his head off. But then something hard tackled her off of him — though they hadn't used near as much strength as they could've. When she stopped rolling and landed on her back, she saw Emmett looking sadly down at her. Both knew they couldn't hurt the other.

How could he stand there and defend the thing that killed Bella? It broke her heart to be on opposing sides.

Without thinking, as he'd never met her Imprint, Brady barrelled into Emmett, breaking the little stare-off between then mated pair. Frankie might've been impressed as the younger boy chased Emmett up a tree if he hadn't snapped at his leg, his fangs scratching his skin.

Frankie snarled and knocked the younger boy back, making sure he knew to leave Emmett untouched. Then she looked around the yard, seeing that most of the Cullens had returned, and Leah and Seth were there now as well, fighting their fellow wolves.

A growl tore through Frankie's throat, the ground shaking from the power. All the vampire's hissed and covered their ears while the wolves dropped their heads to the ground, letting out submissive whimpers.

Frankie stalked toward Edward, who was on his knees. He breathed heavily, trying to fight the suffocating feeling that was weighing on him, emanating from Frankie.

"I can't let you hurt my family."

"I don't want to hurt your family," she replied in her mind. "You know what I'm here for."

As Frankie's red eyes burned brighter, Edward flinched and looked the other way, unable to fight her. Not even his protective instinct to keep Renesmee unharmed was strong enough. "Make it quick. She's just a baby."

"We both know she's more than that."

Frankie moved toward the house, only to stop when Jacob came storming out, jumping over the railing of the porch and landing in front of her. "Stop! It's over! If you kill her, you kill me."

Paul angrily snarled and tried to attack Jacob, but he quickly turned into his wolf form and threw him off before looking up at Frankie. He'd made the conscious decision to return to the pack, meaning that the severed mind link was restored, letting them all know what had happened.

"Jacob imprinted," Edward realized, his eyes wide. "They can't hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed. It's their most absolute law."

Frankie took in deep, slow breaths as the rest of the pack reluctantly left, realizing there was nothing to be done. She stared down Jacob, both still processing the turn of events. All of it had been for nothing — the fighting, ignoring her Imprint, ruining her relationship with Bella over it. It had been for fucking nothing, and the reminder would get to live every day while Bella was dead.

Without shifting back, Frankie pushed past Jacob and entered the house. Edward carefully searched her mind to make sure she wasn't going to hurt the child, but she steered clear of the room that reeked of the newborn. Instead, she made her way to Bella, her huge form knocking over vases and items from the wall as she passed.

If she'd thought Bella looked bad the last time she saw her, looking at her corpse now made Frankie feel sick. Tears welled in her eyes as she slowly shifted back into her human form. Then she collapsed, grabbing Bella's cold hand and hiding her face in the blood-covered gurney as she sobbed, mourning her friend.

"She has venom in her, Frankie," Edward spoke up. He, Jacob, and Emmett had followed her inside. And in an instant, Emmett removed his hoodie and put it over Frankie's shoulders. "I think I administered it in time."

"You told me to kill you if she doesn't survive," Frankie said, glaring at him through tear-filled eyes. "You better hope to fucking god she does."