An Animal's Soul- Chapter Thirty-One

Rating: M

Pairing: Bella/Alice

A/N: So here's the next one. I have 32 ready to go, but I hit a road block in 33 a while ago, and I can't seem to get past it. I usually only get a sentence, maybe a paragraph, before the idea I had leaves. I'm sorry for the long wait.

Don't own anything related to Twilight. Pointless to sue, don't got money.

Enjoy! ^^

"Why are we here again?" Jane asked, flicking the napkin in front of her, bored.

"Because I want you to meet my mother." Seth said gently, smiling at the vampire across from him, "Afterwards, you wanted to hunt."

Jane sighed, looking out the window of the restaurant they were in, watching the people pass by. Seth had been very patient with her, going at the pace she felt comfortable with. She had always hoped that her mate would be close to her in age, but at times she felt as if she was cradle robbing with how old she was. She had brought up this concern with Alec, and he shrugged, mentioning that fate was a bitch with a fucked up sense of humor, and she had to accept that. She hadn't wanted to, choosing to ignore her mate for the next several days, before he tentatively asked if she would meet his mother. She had initially thought it a stupid idea, but she found that she couldn't say that to the boy who was looking at her with so much hope in his eyes.

After thinking about it for a while, she had agreed, but only if they met in the city so she could hunt afterwards. Seth had agreed, and even told his mother so she wouldn't ask questions. So, a day after Seth asked, they were sitting in a booth at some random place in Seattle, waiting for his mom. It didn't take much longer for Sue to get there. Soon she walked in, heading straight over to them. Seth instantly got up, offering his spot to her before moving to sit next to his imprint. Jane refused to acknowledge the flutter she felt in her chest at the boy's gesture. Once Sue was seated, a waiter came and took their orders before leaving them to talk. There was a small silence, where Sue just looked at the two of them before smiling,

"So Jane was it?" She asked, getting a curt nod, "I'm sure with your past, you don't care much for humans, and I will admit I'm not quite comfortable with the fact that you feed from humans." She started, taking a sip of her water before continuing, "But I know that no amount of asking will make you change your mind, so please... Take care of my son."

Jane frowned at the woman, confusion showing in her red eyes.

Sue smiled, "I want my children happy. And even if I wanted to change who they imprinted on, it's not my choice. Once I learned all there was to being a wolf shifter, I accepted that I had no real say in who they love or what they do. I know they will outlive me, and I'm ok with that. I just want them to find someone who will love them completely, who will make them happy."

Jane nodded, choosing not to say anything at the moment, since the food came. She had ordered the same as Seth, and slowly transferred her food to his plate while trying not to watch the two human's eat. When they were done, and Seth was looking at the dessert menu, she finally spoke to the woman.

"I am well over a thousand years old." She started, looking at the shocked woman, "I was... an outcast of my village when I was human, along with my brother. We were burned at the stakes for being 'witches'." She said, looking at the boy next to her when he growled, clutching the table tightly in his hands, "We were saved by a passing Vampire. A woman I believe, but I am not entirely sure. We had only caught a glimpse of her through the fires, and then there was nothing but pain, and a burning in our bodies. When we woke, we were alone."

Seth released the table, fighting back against his wolf. The animal wanted out, wanted to calm the woman next to him, to find those men (who were surely already dead) and kill them again. He took deep breaths, closing his eyes to help, but they shot open a moment later when he felt a hand grab his own. He looked over to see Jane placing his hand on her forearm, squeezing his fingers to let him know that she was there.

Jane could not explain why she felt this need to comfort the boy next to her, but for once, she didn't fight the feeling. She grabbed his hand, placed it on her forearm, and gave it a gentle squeeze. A few moments later, when she felt Seth's breathing even out, she turned back to his mother,

"My Brother, Alec, and I spent the next several years roaming. We had to learn about our new life on our own. We were smart, and didn't draw attention to ourselves. But we still came to be under Aro's radar. He, as well as his two brothers, defeated the, at the time, rulers of our race. They became the new Royalty. But they have a superiority complex; they make up laws, condemn whole covens to death for nothing at all. The only ones they offer a chance to are the ones that have powers. Alec has the power to cut one's senses off. I have the gift of unimaginable pain. It is an illusion, but your mind believes that you are in pain, and so your body reacts to that. We were his prized possessions."

Sue frowned, "Were?" She asked, confusion lacing her voice.

Jane nodded, "I was growing tired of pretending to be a sadistic bitch... Forgive the language. I don't like humans, it stems from my past, but even I've come to understand that not everyone is like that. I just wanted to find my mate." She looked at Seth, an unsure smile on her lips, "I would have liked if you were older, or even a vampire, but I'm willing to try this, I'm just a difficult person to deal with." She told him.

Seth nodded, "Like I told you, I'm here, whenever you're ready."

Jane nodded, pointing to the dessert menu, "Pick whatever you want." She told him. She then turned to Sue, "Forgive me for leaving, but I don't think I'll be able to watch him eat whatever he gets." She said, as the waiter came over to them.

Sue nodded, understanding the silent message, though she didn't like it. Seth ordered a few items, and then got up to let Jane out of the booth. When she was free, she handing her credit card over to the man, telling him to give it back to her boyfriend when they were finished. Seth couldn't help but smile happily at the word boyfriend, even though he knew she wasn't ready yet. He watched her leave with that dopy smile on his face.

When he turned back to his mother, she was watching him, a curious look on her face. Seth smiled shyly; waiting for the questions he knew were coming. The waiter came by and dropped off the three items he got, handing Jane's card back to him. Seth thanked the man, placing the card in his wallet and picking up his fork, taking a small bite of his cheesecake.

"Do you think she'll ever change her diet?" Sue finally asked, watching her son eat.

Seth shrugged, "I figured she would, but Jane herself told me she is stubborn, so I thought I would wait. Give her time to accept this link between us. If she decides she actually wants a relationship, I'll ask that she feed on... well, Alice's maker feeds on rapists, so maybe I can convince her to try that. But to switch to animals is her choice. Would I prefer it? Yes, but I am not going to try and change her. Then she wouldn't be the woman I'm falling for." He explained gently, looking out the window for a moment before starting on his chocolate cake.

"You sound so much like your father." Sue stated softly, smiling sadly, "When we first got together, all his friends tried to make him change me, but he refused, said I wouldn't be the woman he loved if he did that."

Seth smiled, "Anything else you want to ask mom?"

"What are your plans now?"

Seth shrugged, "I think we're gonna stay here for a while, but when she's ready to move, and she wants me to, I'm going with her."

The two sat and talked for a little longer before leaving, never realizing that the vampire they were talking about was still in hearing range.

Jane sat on the roof of the restaurant, listening to her mate's conversation. She wasn't surprised to hear the first question, but she was shocked to hear Seth's response. She would have thought he'd try making her change, almost everyone else in her life had. But the way he talked was wishful, like he hoped she would, but wouldn't push her to do so.

"What are you doing to me?" She murmured, listening to the rest of the conversation. Once the two left the building, heading home, she made her way further into town. Seth words kept repeating in her head, and instead of finding some random person, she started stalking two well built men. They seemed to be following a woman down the street. The two men followed the woman till well past sunset, and when they cornered her in an alley, Jane dropped down behind them, hiding in the shadows.

They taunted the woman for a few minutes, pushing her back and forth between them, ripping her shirt to pieces in the process. When one of them reached for the fly of his pants, Jane stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello boys." She said, smirking at the two. They turned to look at her, laughing at the sight. The woman slowly backed into a corner, curling into herself in a small attempt to hide.

"What is a little girl like you doing out this late at night?" One of them said, reaching out to try and grab her.

Jane sidestepped him, "Looking for a good time." She said, before focusing her eyes on him and sending him to the ground with a small scream. She let the pain continue while she looked at the woman in the corner, "Close your eyes." She told her, watching as the woman nodded, doing as she was told. Once she wasn't looking anymore, Jane lunged at the other man, sinking her teeth into his neck. She drained him dry, before she jumped to the roof with him in her arms, laying him down to deal with later. Once that was done, she returned, seeing the other man slowly getting up from the ground, sweat dripping down his face, she rushed to him, breaking his neck in a matter of seconds, taking his dead body to the roof to join his friend.

"You can open your eyes now." She murmured, kneeling down in front of the scared woman. "They are gone. Head to a hospital to get a check up, then go home, ok?" She stated, watching as the woman nodded. Jane stripped her shirt off, handing it over to the woman. It would be a little tight on her, but it would do what it's supposed to till she could get home. The moment she was out of the alley, she returned to the roof, grabbing both men and heading towards the forest.

She found a bear cave and set the two men down in front of it. She moved far enough back, hopping into a tree to watch. Once the bear came out and sniffed at the two bodies, dragging them both back into the cave, she left; making her way back to the Cullens.

~o0o~

Rayn ran around in her tiger form, enjoying the freedom that this form gave her. She could feel Alec following her, keeping a safe distance. The thought of him far away sent a whimper through her. She knew she would find her true mate someday, but she hadn't really cared all that much. Out of all of them, she had been the only one to already love someone. The others kept their distance, for one reason or another, but she had gotten to know her husband, and she had fallen hard. He had been the only person she had ever loved, besides her pack and parents. But the moment she looked Alec in the eyes, she understood that she could, and a part of her said 'would' love again.

When the imprint formed, she knew she had to let him go, but it still hurt a part of her to see him walking away. When she had found him in the Cullen's house, cracks in his diamond hard skin, the animal in her roared its pain. She knew then, knew that she had already started to fall for the red eyed vampire; and she was falling hard. Since that day, they had spent almost all of their time together, learning about each other. She had told him things she had left out in their first meeting, and he had told her of how he was turned. How he and Jane survived so long, and how they had stayed with Aro mostly out of boredom.

They had yet to go on a date; Rayn had insisted that they wait till after the trial on Ben. She wanted to be there for her sister and Angela. Alec was ok with that, taking the extra time to learn as much as he could so that their first date would be something to remember.

"Where are we going?" Alec asked, speeding up to run next to his tiger.

Rayn huffed, coming to a stop and sitting down, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Alec stopped as well, standing in front of her. They stayed like that for a while, before Rayn nudged him to turn around, once he was, she shifted back and put her clothes back on.

"I really just needed to run. Is there some place you have in mind?" She asked him, stretching her arms and sighing happily when she felt a few pops.

"No." Alec stated, turning back around, "I am getting a little hungry, but I figured I could hunt tonight while you slept."

Rayn looked at her mate, trying hard to hide her disappointment. It didn't matter though, Alec could see it, and he smiled at her.

"I plan to feed from you, Rayn. But I do not wish to do that until we are officially together." He said softly, "I'm being old fashioned. You yourself told me that I have to impress you. I'm taking this seriously." He added, looking at the stormy grey eyes of his mate, "I know that our love will be deeper, stronger, but that doesn't change the fact that you loved the man that you married all those years ago. While I don't particularly care for humans, he meant something to you, and I can show my respect to him by taking this seriously, by showing you how much I am willing to change and commit to this."

Rayn looked at the vampire in front of her, he was physically only about seventeen, but he had lived longer then her, and right in this moment, she could see that... And it made her defences break. Tears streamed down her face silently. She could feel them, knew they were there, and while she would deny it later, right now it was a release she needed. She had mourned her husband for years, but had never let herself move past it. She had needed a push, and Alec had said just what she needed to hear.

Alec rushed forward, wrapping Rayn in his arms gently, letting her cry on his shoulder. He knew, from all of their talks, that her husband was a subject that she rarely spoke of. She had allowed herself to love, knowing that he wasn't her mate, and knew that there was a chance that her real mate would hate that she had loved another. He didn't care, there had been a few girls in his past that he had loved, but they had parted when they had found their mates, and he could understand how stressful it could be. He knew that this would probably be the only time she allowed herself to cry, and even if it wasn't, he would be there to hold her through it.

"Thank you." She whispered, moments later, "I really needed that." She added, stepping back and smiling gently at her vampire.

Alec nodded, "I'm here for you. Would you like to run again?"

Rayn nodded, waiting till Alec turned before stripping her clothes back off and shifting. Alec turned when she growled, and grabbed the pile of clothes; putting it in the bag they had brought for them. Once the bag was back on his shoulder, they took off again. They kept to the forest, but spent the next several hours running all around Washington State. It was nearing midnight when they returned to the Packs house. Rayn went instantly to the bathroom, hoping into the shower. Alec sat on the couch, listening to Bella typing furiously at her laptop while the TV played some reality show in the background.

"No, no, no, NO!" Bella shouted loudly, "You son of a bleeping mother clucker junk box!"

Alec turned to look at the brunette, hearing laughing on the phone next to her. Bella was growling, looking at the offending object, while she grabbed the phone from the table.

"It's not funny Alice. I had three all new god damn chapters!" She growled, pulling the USB from the laptop before chucking the thing through the window.

This was the time that Rayn came out of her room, freshly dressed in pajamas, ready for bed. She looked at her pack mate, seeing the USB on the table, the phone next to her ear, and the broken window. It only took her a few minutes before she registered what happened, when it clicked; she grabbed Alec's hand and pulled him down the hallway and into her room.

"What was that?" He asked, taking a seat in the chair by the window.

"Bella is an author. She's had a road block on her current work in progress for a while." She said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "When she gets a new idea, she usually kills whatever laptop she has with how fast she types."

Alec nodded, "And I'm assuming that Alice saw it but she ignored the warning?"

"Probably." The tiger said, shrugging her shoulders, "I was coming out to say good night. I'm sure you're practically starving."

Alec nodded, getting to his feet and blurring over to Rayn. He grabbed her hand, lifting it to his lips to place a kiss on his mate's skin, "Sweet dreams Rayn, I'll see you in the morning." He told her, smiling before leaving the house through the window.

Rayn crawled into bed, getting comfortable under the blanket as she allowed her mind to drift. She thought back to the day she had first met her husband. He had been a shy sweet guy who had seen her around town and wanted to get to know her. It had been nearly fifty years since her parents had died, and she had met the pack. Bella was pretending to be her older brother while Dragon and Jade were their cousins.

The story had been that their parents had just past, and after the funeral, they had moved to a new town for a new start. Bella worked odd jobs around the place, while Dragon was a nurse at the local hospital. When asked, they claimed that their parent's last wish was for all of them to get a good education.

Nathan had been the son of a local business owner. When their family was out and about one day, he had accidentally knocked her to the ground. He had apologised for nearly and hour, a deep blush staining his cheeks. The others had stood to the side, watching as Rayn had tried to convince the boy that she was fine. When he finally calmed, he offered to buy them all lunch, but Rayn declined gently. For the next several weeks they seemed to keep bumping into each other, and he eventually gained the courage to ask her to dinner. Rayn had found his attempt sweet, and told him she would if he gained Bella's permission.

Nathan did just that, and soon they were spending almost all of their time together. They dated for nearly three years, before Nathan proposed. That night, Rayn explained the truth about herself, and told him all about the fact that she would out live him, and while she did love him deeply, there was a chance that she could find her mate. Nathan had looked at her with so many emotions running through him. After several minutes, he told her that he respected the fact that even knowing there was a chance that he would lose her, that she had still been willing to let him into her heart. He asked her again, and she said yes. They had spent nearly twenty years together before he was killed by a random robber while at the bank.

When Rayn had found out, she had shifted; found the robbers, and killed them all. She had mourned Nathan for years, and as she drifted off to sleep, her true mate hunting nearby, she looked up at the ceiling.

"I found him Nate, and I didn't forget you." She whispered, a small smile forming on her lips, "I still love you, but I'm ready to finally move on."

Alec rushed into the forest, making his way to Seattle, ready to find someone to drain. The whole way there, he thought on what he wanted to do for their date. He had a general idea of dinner, but wasn't sure if he should take her to the movies, or shower her with random gifts while he let her pick what they did. When he reached the city, he found a drug dealer trying to convince a child to try cocaine, and killed the man. The child ran away the moment Alec appeared, and all he had to do was destroy the body. He threw it in a nearby garbage can, lighting the man on fire with the lighter he found in the guys pocket. When the fire burned out, he made his way back to Rayn's house.

He would have simply waited on the porch, but Alice opened the door the moment he was there, and told him to come in. He did as he was told, and listened as she explained that anyone in their group was allowed to come and go as they pleased. He nodded at the info, taking a seat of the couch as they watched TV while their imprints slept.

A/N: So there's the next chapter. Once Again, I'm very sorry for the wait. Thank you for keeping up with this story and still wanting more.

Hope you Enjoyed! ^^