Chapter Two

Jacob POV

The voice stopped me dead in my tracks. It wasn't that I didn't believe her, that wasn't the problem. Of course I knew it was Leah. I would recognise that melodic, slightly whiny voice anywhere. The only problem was the implications that the arrival of her voice in my head brought.

Something Billy told my once flowed into my mind. I knew Leah must be hearing it too. I hoped she could answer the questions the memory raised.

It was a week after my first change. Everything was brand new and absolutely terrifying. It didn't help that I had lost the one person I could confide in, the one person that could help me make sense of my situation. Bella. But Billy knew how crappy I was feeling. He had wheeled himself into my path as I had tried to make a quick exit through the back door one morning. I hadn't even heard his chair squeak, the sneaky old man.

He had ordered me into the living room to 'Sit my moody butt down on the couch for a serious conversation.' His words in my head were as clear as if he stood next to me.

So, I had sat. But I hadn't been prepared for the bombshell he was about to drop.

'You realise, all this wolf stuff, it's genetic.' I mumbled in response, though Billy continued to talk. 'Your grandfather was the last Pack Alpha.' This was the first time Ephraim Black's past had been shared with me. Billy never usually talked about his father.

'And?' I was interested, but I couldn't let Billy know that. I had to appear unfazed by this sudden declaration.

'Don't you know what it means?'

'Obviously not.' I snorted, quickly becoming angrier than I had intended. My anger was always a problem in the beginning.

'It means that the Pack Alpha role is rightfully yours. If you wanted it, Sam would have to stand down.' Billy stared into my eyes, trying to gauge my reaction to his outburst.

'But…' I wasn't sure what to say. All I wanted to do was blend in, not take charge. It was all too much. 'I can't,' was all I murmured as I hung my head low. I felt that I had let Billy down with my words.

'That's okay, son. Maybe you're a bit too young yet… but if ever you should want the role, it is always going to be there for you.'

I snapped out of the memory quickly as Leah's voice began to fill my head.

'Billy was right you know, about you being Pack Alpha. The role was always there for you.'

'So… this means?' By this time, I was sat at the edge of the road. Waiting for the news I didn't really want to hear.

'Sam told us that, when you left, you created another pack. And, because you're the descendant of the last pack leader, you were the only one to be able to break your bond to Sam.'

'How can I be speaking to you then?'

'You created a rift in the pack. We all feel torn now. Torn because we are allowed to actually make the decision between you and Sam. All the boys are still thinking things through… but my choice was pretty clear. I broke from Sam moments after you left.'

'But… how can I be speaking with you?'

'What do you mean?' Leah snapped, I was getting on her nerves already.

'I'm not in my wolf form. How can I hear you?'

'Pack Alpha's can hear their pack, even if they are human. As long as the pack members are in their wolf form. Didn't Sam ever tell you this?' She sounded incredulous. 'Anyway, I've avoided changing into a wolf for a few days… to give you some time. I know how you get when you're brooding.' She snorted into my head.

'Hey, Leah…'

'Yeah?'

'Get the hell out of my head.' And with that, she was gone. Maybe this 'Pack Alpha' stuff wasn't so bad after all. If I could make Leah do anything I wanted with a simple command. I chuckled to myself in the darkness.

Leah had just given me a proper reason to go home. Before this, I had nothing. Now, I had a pack. Even if that pack only included Leah, it was still a responsibility. Though I couldn't help but wonder why Quil and Embry were still deciding… my boys should have followed me as quick as Leah. Not that I wanted to order them around. I just missed them. I would have given anything for it to have been their voices inside my head.

I stripped out of my shirt and discarded it at the side of the road, while I reached over and tore a vine from a tree over my head. Carefully hidden in the bushes at the side of the road, I took off the khaki shorts I had 'borrowed' and tied them around my ankle with the vine. I just hoped my knot would hold out until I got home.

Quickly reverting to my animal form, I began to run. Now, I ran with a purpose. Things seemed to be looking up, and for that I was glad. I was sure that it was all going to get better.

As I looked up to the horizon, I saw the first rays of the blood-red sun bleed through the leaves of the trees. The light scattered around me in little pools. Today was going to be a good day.

Bella POV

I opened my eyes to a world that was blurred. I blinked. Once, twice. Still nothing. My memories were evading me. I knew there was something important that I was missing… but I couldn't put my finger on it. That's when I heard it. The screams.

They pierced my ears like knives. I struggled to cover my ears with my hands, but found I was unable to move. I continued to blink. Everything started to get a little clearer. Though the screams were as loud as ever.

That's when I realised… the screams were coming from me. But I couldn't remember why I was screaming. My sudden panic just increased the volume and frequency of my outburst.

A cool hand began to caress my forehead. I heard whispered attempts to quieten me. These futile words were drowned out by my own bellows.

I had to stop for breath. I didn't know how long I had been screaming for, but it was long enough that I was now struggling to breathe. As my mouth opened wider to gasp and my protests abated, the cool hand was moved from my forehead to my mouth. I blinked some more, trying to make out who was silencing me. When my vision cleared enough, I saw that it wasn't the person that I had been expecting.

It was Carlisle. Frown creasing his forehead while he desperately tried to calm me down.

'Bella, I need you to be quiet now. I know what has happened is inexcusable, but there was simply no other way. I'm so sorry this had to happen.'

'What?' I mumbled from beneath Carlisle's hand as I struggled with the memories that were still non-existent. Carlisle's frown lines deepened as his concern for me grew.

'Bella... I think you may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.' I felt my eyes grow wide as my mouth hung open slightly beneath the marble hand that still covered it.

'What...' I began, but cut myself short. If I was experiencing stress... I must have been through something stressful.

My eyes grew wide once more as I realised what Carlise had done... What Edward had let Carlisle do. To me, and to our baby.

With that, I screamed. Not even Carlisle's hand could mask the unearthly sound that emerged from my mouth. Even I didn't know I was capable of such a noise.

'What have you done!' It was barely a question, more an accusation. Though I was surprised at how I managed to continue screaming and speak at the same time.

'We had to...' Carlisle sighed, knowing that he couldn't avoid telling me the truth. 'Get rid of your baby. I'm so sorry, Bella.'

When his words had confirmed my worst fears, I started to bawl. My screams replaced by an unrelenting flow of steady tears.

'But... why?' I stammered through my throat that was thick with sobs.

Carlisle sighed as he put his head into his hands. Never before had I seen him so defeated. But Carlisle and his problems weren't my concern at the moment. I was too angry, devastated, betrayed to care.

'You know Alice went away for a while...' He looked up at me as he began to speak, his eyes begged for my cooperation. So, I nodded, though I didn't want to know the story... only what had happened after he had drugged me. 'She went to find out anything she could about vampire and human reproduction. You know that I was at a loss. Such a thing, I thought, was unprecedented. But Alice proved me wrong. South America was where we found our facts.' Carlisle paused, to see if I was still listening. I hoped he was coming to the point, because his words were barely registering in my head. 'She found a vampire, one hundred and fifty years old, who had had a human mother and a vampire father.'

'Get to the point, Carlisle!' I hated shouting at him, but I couldn't contain myself any longer. I had to know why he had ruined my life.

'This vampire remembered everything, Bella. Everything about his birth. He remembered how he had killed his own mother, ripped her apart.'

'I don't care about me! Don't you understand? The baby was the important one!' My voice was getting shriller and higher the angrier I became.

'But this wasn't the only case that Alice came across. If it had only been one, Rosalie would have made us risk your life for you to have the baby. Unfortunately, after all the evidence that Alice found... we had no other choice. Edward would not risk loosing you. So, we persuaded Rosalie to go hunting. I'm so very sorry we tricked you. I know that Rosalie will never forgive me, but it was all for you Bella.'

'Where is he? Where is my baby?' The tears had resurfaced during Carlisle's tale, and I knew I had no hope of trying to make them stop.

'Your baby was a girl, barely developed. She had ripped up your womb so badly in her early stages of development that there was hardly any placenta left to further her growth. She was dying anyway... If we had left her inside you, you would have both died for naught.'

'Was she...' I sobbed, 'in pain?' The last word came out as a howl.

'She died as soon as her face touched the air. That I am certain of. There was no discomfort. I can honestly tell you that she went peacefully.'

Carlisle stopped talking as he waited for my grieving to cease. Little did he know that I was never going to get over the loss of my baby. My little treasure. My precious girl.

'I'm so sorry, Bella...' But his pity only made me angry.

'Get me Edward... Now!' I leaned forward and growled into Carlisle's face.

'I'm so sorry, Bella...' Carlisle repeated.

'Why? Why are you sorry now? What else could you have possibly done, aside from ruin my life?' It was melodramatic, deep down I knew that... but it did feel as though I had lost a huge part of myself. I was left with a gaping hole that would never mend.

'I'm sorry because Edward isn't here right now. He had to go away. He couldn't stand betraying you. He said to tell you that he loved you dearly and that he would be back before evening.'

Carlisle stood from the end of the bed, and only then did I realise that I had been taken upstairs to Edward's room and placed in his practically new fourposter bed. Very much unused.

As I watched the doctor leave, I noticed the sun just start to rise behind the looming grey clouds. It's watery yellow light shining weakly on the lush green canopy of Forks. Right then, I knew that today was going to be the worst day of my life.