A/N: This is placed after New Moon and before Eclipse. Thanks for reading! Please review!

********

"Shit!" I said as I ran out the door. I was late again for the werewolf meeting. Since I was now the Alpha, it was up to me to lead them. I had decided to take a nap on the couch for an hour before because phasing takes a lot out of me. I slept right through my alarm and woke up about three hours later, one hour after the meeting was to commence. I phased on the way and the distance shortened. I reached the spot in five minutes. Seth and Paul were still there, but Leah and the others had already left.

"Sorry," I said to them. "Overslept."

Paul shook his head. "Out late with Bella again?" I smiled. "Yeah. We went bowling and took a walk. I'm glad Edward is cool with her hanging with me."

Edward. Edward Cullen. I despised that name. He was my enemy; he had the one thing I held most dear: Bella Swan. Bella was in love with this creep for some reason, some reason I couldn't understand. Good-looking and rich, yeah. But he was dangerous. Very dangerous.

He was a vampire. He belongs to the vampire family in the area. There are seven of them and I can't stand any of the leeches. Vampires are enemies to werewolves. This was especially intense since he loved Bella.

Bella was sweet, pure and human. Edward swore he didn't want to kill her, but I don't believe him. He's a leech; why should I? He has killed before. What's to say he won't someday snap? That her scent will overpower him and he'll feed on her? Or even kill her accidentally? She is too good for him.

I am in love with Bella. I want to make her mine and am trying to win her heart. But it's hard because she's so resistant to change. I thought I had won it when Edward left a year ago; thought I could make her forget her pain. But the leech came back. And all my hard work to make her forget him vanished. She went right back to him.

I hated Edward. But for some reason he was cool with her spending time with me. I appreciate that, as it is a chance for me to win her again. Slowly, but surely. I think it might be working. I was able to hold her hand yesterday without her pulling away. I will make her mine; it will just take longer than I expect. I can be patient…honest.

"Well, since the others have left, there's not much point to a meeting," I said. "Why don't you two go and I'll arrange something for tomorrow."

Paul and Seth nodded and strolled away, sniffing the ground. Paul stopped at a tree and lifted his leg. I phased back to my human form and began the trek home. I wanted time to think.

My dreams had come again; the frightening reminders of my past. I tried to block them out, but no amount of therapy will erase it completely. Probably never will.

Dreams of the past. I saw my mother and father. I saw my older brother, Jackson, and myself laughing and playing. He loved football; he would play for hours. I saw him throw me the ball and tackle me, knocking both of us to the ground. I saw myself feigning injury to get out of it; and Jackson seeing right through me. I saw mom die and Jackson's change. Her death hit him hard, harder than me. He was completely devoted to her, while I was dad's boy. He felt that she had left him unjustly; not understanding that cancer doesn't care who you are.

Jackson started becoming angry. He was mad at the world. He would blow things up, set things on fire and laugh the entire time. It was as if the brother I loved died when mom did and was replaced with the Omen.

I also saw Jackson…dead. Burnt beyond recognition. But it was him. So many questions surrounding his death. Was it suicide? What was he doing in that decrepit old building? Whose other bodies were those? Was it a gang? Cult-related?

I arrived back home and went to my room. I put on some music and sat at my desk and started working on a carving. It was a present for Bella. I planned on giving it to her for her next birthday…if she survived. She said that Edward refused to take her life but I knew better. That leech couldn't be trusted. None of them could. She told me that it was her decision to join immortality; that she wanted to be with him forever. Bullshit, I thought. Why would you WANT to be a leech? Why would you WANT to act like them? Why would you WANT to be one of them?

I shook my head as I picked up my knife. I was working on a twelve-inch wood-carving statue. I thought she could put it by her nightstand to watch over her. To watch over her when that leech was there. I hope he sees it everyday and it drives him nuts. It's what he deserves.

After a bit I decided to get some juice so I went downstairs. Upon entering the living room I froze. There was someone sitting on the couch; someone who didn't belong here. He still had the same black hair as me, but his skin was different. Paler. I didn't know who it was. He heard me approach and turned around. His eyes were still dark, but more than usual. Black. He smiled mischievously and stood up. We stared at each other for a minute before he spoke.

"Hello, brother."