So, I was reading Pregnant Vampire Bella Joins the Army, and it occurred to me that I would really like to see a fanfic with werewolf!Bella. And so, my planning began. At first, I thought I'd make it so she first phased in the Cullen's house, and have the Cullens accept her, despite their distaste for her scent, but I quickly scrapped that idea and decided I wanted them not to know until she got a handle on her abilities. So here it is. The first chapter of Mortal Love. Just so everyone knows, I haven't really planned out the whole thing, or if this story will be Edward/Bella or Jacob/Bella. The title can be taken both ways. (Mortal enemies, or mortal lifespans) I just vaguely know where I want to go, and I type my way there.

"You… don't… want me?" I tried out the words, confused by the way they sounded, placed in that order.

"No."

"Goodbye, Bella," he said in that same quiet, peaceful tone.

"Take care of yourself," he breathed, cool against my skin.

He was gone.

Suddenly, without warning, grief overwhelmed me, and I began shivering, shaking, violently. I felt terribly warm, and equally strange. It was as if something was trying to burst out of my skin, but despite my anguish, I felt oddly calm. Not hysterical at all, even though the love of my soul, the one I wanted to spend eternity with, had just told me he didn't want me and had left me here alone.

The shaking was so strong now, and I almost believed it was an earthquake, but as I fell on my hands and knees, I heard ripping, and the trembling stopped. The grief hadn't lessened, but now it felt as though it were channeled into energy, and that the only way to release myself from its clutches was to run.

So I ran.

I didn't even notice that as I ran, I was using my hands to propel myself forward as much as my feet, and for once, I felt graceful and bumped into nothing. I kept running and running with no goal in mind until I had tired myself out and collapsed. My pain hadn't truly left me, but it was no longer such a burden, and, with my last vestiges of strength, I crawled in a hollow under a nearby tree, and slept.

When I awoke, I heard people muttering at each other. Why were they so loud? I wanted to sleep forever, to sleep and forget. And then, memories of yesterday crashed down on me.

I whimpered, but refused to open my eyes. Maybe, if I stayed like this, they would go away? But it was not to be.



"Bella? Isabella Swan? Are you awake?" I cracked open an eyelid, and after a minute, recognized this stranger as Sam Uely, one of the guys from the reservation. I waited to see what he would say, and was not disappointed.

"I can't believe this is happening. You aren't even Quileute." And then he sighed. "Bella, you should go look at yourself."

I crawled out of my burrow, and tried to stand up.

And promptly fell back onto my hands.

Startled, I tried to look down, but Sam caught my face in his overly large hands and said, almost apprehensively, "Perhaps you should just… crawl." Confused now, I opened my mouth to say something, but he shushed me and pulled me towards a nearby stream. I looked at the clear, reflective water, and inhaled sharply. Where my reflection should have been was the image of a large white dog. No, I thought, examining it, a wolf.

I looked up at Sam questioningly, and he nodded solemnly. "That's right, it's you. This shouldn't have happened, but I suppose Charlie may have had at least one ancestor who was one of us. And then, since you have been spending more time around those bloodsuckers than anyone imaginable, it must have triggered those genes, or whatever." He frowned. "It must have only been a matter of time."

He looked away from me. "It's not that I don't like you. I don't even know you, really, but it's hard, knowing that you're a… monster. And that others can become monsters too because of those leeches. But we'll help you the best we can. I sent Jared and Paul off to go borrow some of Emily's clothes for you. Charlie sent out a search party for you, you know. If you can change back when they return, we can give you some quick lessons on what to be careful for and take you back to him." His gaze, determined and pained this time, settled on me again.

I nodded. I didn't know why, but I still wasn't panicking, despite the impossibility of it all. But was it really so impossible? If vampires existed, then why couldn't werewolves as well? It would explain why I wasn't quite as intimidated by the –

I cut off that thought, but continued my line of reasoning.

If I were a supernatural creature as well, then it made some sort of sense that I might appeal to… Him… more than any mere mortal. And why I did not react in typical human fashion, nor could my mind be read. And suddenly, I wished that I were just a human after all, so that I could have let Him hear my thoughts; let Him know the true depths of my love –

Ew! Don't be so sappy, Bella! And not for a bloodsucker like him! I jumped at the sound of a voice in my head.

How can you love a filthy leech!? Are you out of your mind!? Another, angrier voice resounded equally loud in my mind.



That's enough. Demanded a third. Don't scare her. I haven't explained everything to her yet.

Who are you? I thought tentatively.

I'm Jared! Chirped the first voice.

Paul. Growled the second.

An enormous black wolf stepped out of the tree line, flanked by a slightly smaller dark grey wolf, and a brown one fractionally smaller than the grey with what looked like blue cloth held gently in its jaws. And then I realized that Sam wasn't standing next to me any more. Something in my head clicked into place.

I looked to the obvious leader. Sam? I questioned. The black wolf nodded. Even from this distance, I could tell they were all about a foot taller than me, and I was at least twice the size of a normal wolf.

When they saw I wasn't going to panic or flee, the smaller brown one, Jared, I presumed, dropped the bundle of blue cloth at my feet.

We'll give you some privacy to change back and get dressed. He gave what could only be described as a wolfish grin, and moved into the forest with the others.

"Call us when you're done!" It was odd to hear the same voice that had just been in my head spoken aloud. And then came my dilemma. I had no idea of how to change back. As if knowing what was wrong, Sam called out to me.

"Just focus on being human, on everything that makes you what you are."

So I thought about Charlie and Renee, and my love for Him, and I could feel my fur shrinking into my skin. The transformation wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but when it finished, my bones ached horribly, and my mind felt numb. I got dressed as if in a dream, and stood there. After a moment, a smiling round face peeked around a tree, and Jared signaled to the others that I was dressed and that they could come down.

The three shoeless, half naked boys stood around me and gazed at me intently, as if searching for something.

"Hey, Bella, you feeling better?" Jared asked bluntly.

I just stared at him blankly.

"I think she's in shock," muttered Paul. Sam shook his head sadly.

"But not about being a werewolf, I don't think. The bloodsuckers left town the day she disappeared. They left her behind." That struck a cord in me. And suddenly I was sobbing.

They left me behind! I was gasping for breath and clutching my sides, where, as the pleasant, drifting numbness fled, a gaping hole ripped through my chest. The others panicked.



"Let's get her to Emily!" Sam scooped me up in his enormous tan arms and I absently noted the wind rushing against me before I succumbed to dark nothingness.

Most wolves are about 2 – 2 ½ feet tall at the shoulders. Since this wasn't specified in the books, I'm having Bella, and later Leah, be about 5 feet tall and the males be about 6 feet tall, with Sam, and later Jacob being a few inches taller than even that.

So? What do you think? That was chapter one. The first few lines are actually from New Moon, but I didn't want to use the whole scene. Also, please assume that everything before and during that point occurred in the same manner and that thoughts and feelings revealed in the later books of characters not affected by her change, remain the same. This is an AU, and the divergence point is, obviously, one or more of Bella's ancestors having been a werewolf. And, as Jacob said before, it was because he was so happy, being around her that made it take so long for it to happen, despite the inevitability with his bloodline and since she was filled with the joy of Edward's love, and was always in the proximity of vampires, nothing happened until it all came crashing to a halt.

This is the first fanfic idea I've ever actually written down, so I hope everyone liked it. Since it's summer, I'll try to update everyday, but know that I'm incredibly flaky, and get easily distracted, so don't hold me to my word. Until next time!

Lunar Incense