Chapter 4

**BPOV**

Esme assisted me in showing Peter the layout of the house and she showed us the room the family had been working on for him to use. It was next door to mine and we shared a bathroom. She quickly informed us that I would need to sleep alone in my room on school nights but we could share on weekends till I graduated from school in a few short weeks. When Peter had served out his probation time with the family and the pack he and I could officially be together alone full time without worry. I had no worries at all with Peter. I knew that he would never harm me but the pack felt it in my best interest to keep him a bit apart from me but my parents agreed with me but felt pressured as well to play nice with the wolves for a month. The tour went great and Peter loved how simple my room was, he liked the fact that it wasn't painted pink or overly girly but instead he loved how minimalistic it was. I had to agree with him on that. Alice and Rose had fought with me over how my room looked but Esme had sided with me and since she's the mother of the house her vote carried further. I for one was grateful. Peter's room was simply done as well, seeing that his brother actually fought his wife for the duty of making it perfect for Peter. The brother's had very similar tastes it turns out and they could be in fact considered blood brothers since they are so close in size and appearance.

I was settling back into my room when Emmett appeared with my bags. He sat them down and then himself. He was just watching me while I put a few things away and changed in my closet into something more presentable. I did keep the shirt that Peter had selected this morning but changed into a cute skirt instead of the capri's I wore on the plane. I came back out and set on my bed and looked over at Emmett while I brushed my hair out. He stood up and sat down behind me and took the brush from me and began brushing it for me. After a little bit he stopped and turned me towards him and told me that Peter was a great guy for me and he has his head in the right place. He explained that after I called Carlisle in Austin to have him help me out with those guys Peter had joined him in speaking with them. Emmett didn't tell me what they 'talked' about but I figured it was a tough love session but vampire style. He told me that even before I had met Peter he knew that he would protect me in any situation and he approved of him as my mate. He also mentioned that the bond Peter and I have rivals that of Carlisle and Esme's. He said if he at all felt unsure about leaving me in Austin with him, he would have stayed and watched over me like usual but he knew that Peter would keep me safe. We talked about the mating experience and what I thought about it. I showed him my mark and he seemed proud that I had gotten it so soon being a human and all. I also showed him my bracelet and explained what it meant and he told me that he had given Rose an anklelet to wear after they had been together a year. I thanked him for always being there for me when I traveled and I gave him his new hat. I hugged him and we went downstairs to wait on the arrival of Edward and the Alaskan cousins. I dreaded their arrival but both Emmett and Peter told me that they would be there and wouldn't let Edward harm me in any way.

I sat down next to Peter in the living room and sat quietly since he and Jasper were in the middle of a fierce battle on the wii. Once Jasper beat Peter the game was turned off by Rose and said that the others were driving up the driveway. I was a mess and Jasper knew it and came and knelt in front of me and took my hands from Peter and held them in his own. He was sending me all sorts of calming vibes to help relieve my stress and quickly enough I calmed down. Peter brought me into him again and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips and rubbed my back while he stood us up. Carlisle went out to meet the others and I remained planted next to Peter till Alice ran to me and pulled Peter from me and pushed him and Jasper up the stairs to wait till she called for them. I guess she had gotten a vision that our previous arrangement didn't work out to well. I heard Carlisle explaining that our guest was here and anxious to meet everyone but was tending to something upstairs for a few moments then I saw them enter the room via the reflection I was getting from the window. I decided that I wanted to look out the back window so I could collect myself before seeing Edward for the first time since he removed himself from my life a year ago. I saw them all walk in and start hugging and shaking hands with my family then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I slowly turned around to see Edward looking into my eyes with such anger, resentment and what looked to be disgust.

"What are you still doing living with my family? I thought by now you would have left them alone."- Edward

"Edward, it's good to see you too. You know why I live with our family how could you think I would have left my parents? I love them too much to leave plus I am still in high school. I have been looking at a few colleges and I just returned from Texas just an hour or so ago from looking at UT but I believe that our family will be moving along with me when and where I choose to attend, if I attend next fall. That much hasn't been officially decided as of yet."- Bella

"Bella, you need to learn to stand on your own two feet and have a normal life. That is why I broke up with you and left you here, so you could meet someone, fall in love and experience life."- Edward

"Thank you Edward. I am glad that you did it for those reasons or maybe I might not have met my true soul mate. If you hadn't have left I would not have been able to afford to travel the country seeking out colleges to attend and I would have not have traveled to Texas and found my mate looking for me. Thank you for letting me go and letting me have my chance of meeting someone and falling in love and thank you for letting me experience life. I have had many opportunities to do so since you left. I have traveled, found out that I like new things that I have never tried before, like sky diving with Emmett and scuba diving with Jasper or listening to live music in a hole in the wall club in Austin. Thank you Edward for allowing me to live my life to its fullest this last year and I look forward to seeking new adventures to share with my mate for the rest of eternity."- Bella

"You really found your mate? I am your mate Bella not some guy you found in Texas. I thought that excuse was just to get me to come home. God knows that Carlisle has tired too since I left but when Tanya accepted the invite I was hunting and I had to come with them seeing that they will not leave me alone at the house for a week. I didn't leave you so you could become a mate to a vampire Isabella. I wanted you to have a normal HUMAN life, not what we all have to live with. I wanted better for you."-Edward

"Edward, do you ever think at any time that you and I were mates?"-Bella

"Yes, I did believe that you and I were mates, I believe that we still are mates."-Edwards

"Can you tell me what happens to the mates if they are separated? Has anyone you've known every try to go without their mate, even for hunting?"-Bella

"Yes, I have known other vampires that have been separated from their mates but I fail to see how this relates to us?"-Edward

"Edward, tell me what happens when the said mates are separated from each other?"- Bella

"I have heard that they are in pain when they are apart. I still must ask you what this has to do with us Bella. I don't feel this pain you are referring about."- Edward

"You got it Edward, follow that line of thought. Jasper….what feelings do I have right now? Edward give me your hand and what are Edward's emotions"- Bella

"Bella, you are in slight pain and discomfort. You are also feeling friendship, resolve and contentment. You are happy but still a bit reserved. Edward, you are feeling confusion yet you are content and happy."-Jasper

"Now if I was standing here with you as my mate would I feel 'slight pain and discomfort'?"Bella

"No, I guess not. I would assume the pain and discomfort would have gone away at my touch. Am I right in that assumption Jasper?"-Edward

"Yes Edward that would be correct. If she were touching her mate those two feelings would go away and be replaced by something else."-Jasper

"Bella, is your mate truly here. I can't not hear his thoughts and I can not catch his scent. It is a 'he' isn't it? You haven't taken one of my brothers mates and claimed them as your own have you?"- Edward

"Edward, that is sick, just sick. You need to get out more. Jasper if you won't mind, would you go and fetch my mate and bring him down to me please. Edward close your eyes until I tell you to open them again. Emmett, Carlisle if you wouldn't mind coming closer as well. Now Edward, what do you sense?"- Bella

"I can smell you and my brothers and father near but no one else. Keep your eyes close, I am going to remove my hand from yours and I want you to listen to Jasper tell you mentally my new emotions. Will you do that for me? Don't go looking for anything else, just the emotions I am feeling right now."-Bella

As I hug on to Peter, I let his love surround me and fill me and replace my hurt I felt in his absence. I wanted to kiss him but I needed Edward to see that he and I were not mates and I didn't want him to lose his cool this close to me.

"Jasper, if you would please tell the rest of us what they are."-Bella

"Bella, you are feeling loved, adored, cherished, happy and contentment along with a lot of lust and longing but all those are to be expected when in the arms of your mate."-Jasper

"Emmett, Rose will you do the same as I please and let Jasper get a read on you as well?"-Bella

"Of course Bella"- Rose

"Alright, Jasper…"- Bella

"Their emotions are about the same but more intense in the area of lust and longing but that is normal for them but the others are the same."-Jasper

"Thank you guys. Edward open your eyes and I would like to introduce you to my mate. I believe you might have met before."- Bella

"Peter….. I should have known, I found that bit of helpful information from Jasper's mind but I figured it common place for brothers to think of each other. You are not worthy of Bella. You are a human drinker and should not even be in Forks let alone this house. Carlisle, how can you allow this to happen? You claim she is your daughter yet you allow and it seems approve of this mating."-Edward

"What concern of it is it to you, son. You left her broken on the forest floor for Jasper to find. He and Emmett had been out looking for her since you up and left hours after coming home and demanding us all to pack up and leave before the sun could come up. Alice told you that leaving her would turn out bad for her if left alone to come to terms of your leaving and ours as well. You knew we stayed behind to encourage her through her break up with you. She almost died on several occasions and with the new treaty with the wolves we were able to help save her a few times alongside them. She went through hell after you left her and just about as she was getting better someone came along and shot her father. You know this story and you know that we offered to take her in as one of our own and care for her as our daughter. This is not new to you as to why she is still living here. As to me allowing Peter to be here with his mate; look at his eyes.

The moment he came into his own special knowledge of knowing he would find his mate in human form, he made a diet change and called Jasper for help and advice. When your brother asked Alice to help, she saw that Peter's intended mate was indeed our own Bella. He encouraged him to hunt as often as possible till they met in order to lighten his eyes up but when she saw them she knew what he was doing and what he had been hunting before. She trusted him with her life like she did each and every one of us. I learned of Alice's vision of Peter's mate and with his knowledge I agreed to let Bella make the trip to Austin to see if this would in fact come to pass, and it did. The pack and I have agreed to give Peter a probation period of sorts to prove that he is in control and they will be supervised for much of that time as well. To approve or disapprove of their mating isn't up to me if I want to keep Bella in our family. If I had have disapproved of it she would have just left on her own with him and we would not have seen or heard anything from her again. I choose to keep her in my, our life and I do NOT see anything wrong with it. He completes her and makes her happy. Besides their mating is complete so there is nothing you can do about it but bitch and moan that you don't approve."-Carlisle

"What do you mean that their mating is complete?"-Edward

"Edward, look at me….do you see this mark on me?"- Bella

"Pull you shirt back up Bella, I don't need to see your breast like that."-Edward

"Edward look….LOOK AT ME….good, now see this mark? What does it look like and what does it placement mean to other vampires?"- Bella

"I see it, I see it….it is a mark of a mated vampire."-Edward

"Yes, it is. I am mated to a vampire hence the marking and its placement. And can you tell me when this mark is placed upon a new mate?"- Bella

"It is placed at the climax of said mates once the mating is complete."- Edward

"That is correct as well. Now can you tell me that I am not mated to a vampire? You have know about my mark given to me by my mate Peter and you are aware the emotions when mates are apart, can you honestly believe still that you and I are truly mates?"-Bella

"I see you point Bella….I see that you believe that all this is true but a human can not be mated to a vampire it is just not possible."-Edward

"What was that Edward? Can you think that last bit again in your own head…but this time listen to yourself. The thing is I am NOT mated to you but I am mated to Peter. I am human now and he is a vampire. Alice show him your vision I know you had….Jasper send out the emotions that come from her when Peter and I first see each other in the park."-Bella

"Eleazer, does Bella have any special talents? Could she be a shield, is this why I can not read Peter's mind?"-Edward

"It appears that she either will be one or is. If she is now it will be very strong once she is changed. It is a known fact that shields can protect their mates from harm. If you can not get a read on him then she is doing it unknowingly for him. She shouldn't have any control over it as a human. If I was a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that once the mating was complete her shield covered him to help protect him the only way she can. I would also go as far in saying that Kate could not shock him either but I feel that no one wants to test that theory out. Edward it is important that you understand and acknowledge that Peter is Bella's mate. The whole time you have been with us you have been moping around but if Bella had been your mate then you would still be curled up in a ball, unfed and suicidal from being apart. It sounds like she had loved you enough to make the break up hard on her but she was able to come through it fairly fast. I understand from speaking with Carlisle back in those days and she was almost back to 100% just about a month or so after you left her. Edward, you must, you must come to terms with this. Bella is not your mate, if she was, you would have come back here a couple days after you first left. The distance between mates would have nearly killed you both but it didn't. Grow up Edward and get your head out of your ass."-Eleazer

"I get it. I do…..I just need some time to let it all sink in. Peter, if my family has accepted you then I am sure in time I will too. I can sense that once I can fully get my head around this I bet we might even be friends. How about us Cullen men go on a little quick hunt. I have been locked in that car filled with crazy woman most of the day and I need to run and grab a bite of dinner before the big reveal to Bella."-Edward

"That sounds great Edward. What do you like to hunt? Deer?" Texas didn't have the best selection of animals but they had a lot of deer and hogs."Peter

"It's will be like taking a newborn out on their first hunt, won't it Carlisle. He needs to acquire some good hunting skills."- Emmett

"Yeah, so does that mean Emmett that you are going to get to sit and keep watch out for our ladies. No I guess you should tag along as well so we can give group instruction. "Jasper

"Funny Jasper….I will go along but I don't need a tutor. I have mad skills and you are just jealous you don't have them too."- Emmett

"Okay, guys….I think you should go on and leave before Emmett and Jasper decided to redecorate the living room. Dad can you get them out of here, I really don't want to hear about their mad skills or lack thereof. We all know you are the man out there, go on and teach them how it's done Dad."-Bella

"Dang, she got you wrapped around her finger."- Emmett

"Come on guys before your mother throws us all out for the night. Ladies we will be back in a couple hours max."-Carlisle

The Cullen men plus Eleazar ran out for a quick hunt and I am left with the all the ladies. Tanya calls out for her sisters to go on their own hunt and Rose decides to go with them leaving me with Esme and Alice for company. Once everyone is out of the house, I head to the kitchen to fix me something to eat but Esme beats me there and starts preparing a sandwich for me. I sit down at the bar overlooking the kitchen and Alice sits down next to me and we all start talking.

"So Bella, How does it feel to be a half of a mated pair?"-Alice

"I love it. I feel so complete now and the thing is I didn't feel like I was missing anything till I met Peter but then when I saw him I felt complete. It was the strangest thing."-Bella

"How did everything go when you guys decided to complete the bonding process? Did his bite hurt at all? Did your first time go alright?"-Esme

"We spent the better part of the day talking once we dropped Emmett at the airport. He took me to dinner and we swam in the pool. We talked about just about everything and then some I am surprised that we found the time to…you know…at all. I guess that why I didn't manage to get to sleep till the very early hours in the morning. Everything went great, he took great care with me the first time and when he marked me it sent me over the edge."-Bella

"Can we see it?"-Alice

"Sure"-Bella and I pulled down my top a bit so they could take in the whole thing. It was a wonderful sight to be seen. I was proud of it and honored to wear it.

"He told me I should be proud to show it to others. He likes to see it."-Bella

"I think it is wonderful. It looks great on you. Ours are in more hidden places but Peter believes in letting others know what belongs to him. I have the same mark but on the bottom of my breast. And Esme's well, her is totally covered at all times."-Alice

"Alice, just because Carlisle choose that location to put it doesn't mean that it is any less meaning full to others of our kind. What do you think others would think if they found it?"- Esme

"Esme, if you don't mind, where is yours at?"-Bella

"Carlisle chose to mark me where if another vampire saw it then he would know that he should run away fast. He placed his mark on the around my clit. It isn't as big as yours but its placement is not typical of a coven leader. Usually mates of the leaders place their marks in a very public place on the female's body, sometimes on the ear lobe or just behind it but not on the main arteries' or veins for changing. The males that mark in exposed areas are usually dominate in nature. Peter isn't that sort but he does want a mate that will be submissive to him in some areas. Has he discussed this with you yet Bella?"- Esme

"Yes, we talked about it before he marked me. He explained what he expected out of me and what might happen if I failed to live up to those standards. I feel that once I become a vampire those will change along with me since most of them would only affect me as a human."-Bella

"You know, since Peter likes to see his mark on you all the time, you will have to come up with a cover story for school. Like you got attacked by a dog or something so they won't question it as much. I will have to make sure I start buying more low cut shirts for you so you he can enjoy seeing it. I have the perfect swim suit for you to wear tomorrow. It will show it off wonderfully. I also love your bracelet as well. He has good taste in jewelry too."-Alice

"Thanks for the sandwich Mom, it was great. I think I am going to go lay down till the boys get home and I have some reading I did to do for school. Thanks for the girl talk, I missed it this weekend."-Bella

"Someone will wake you once everyone gets back. Tonight is all about you and this night was planned before we found out about Peter and his will have to wait for the right moment later down the road. Go read, and rest up. See you in a couple hours Bella honey."-Esme

I went up to my room and got my book for English and settled myself onto my bed to try and read a couple of chapters for class but found myself asleep before I could find the right page.

**PPOV**

The guys lead me out to the forest for some hunting but it mostly was for fun I found out. These guys including Carlisle and Eleazar liked to wrestle and I found that out the hard way when Jasper attacked me and had me pinned to the ground. He held out his hand and explained when the guys go hunting without the ladies we get to have a little fun while we hunt. Jasper and I took off in one direction while Emmett and Edward left together and Carlisle and Eleazar hunted together.

"Peter, Brother. I really haven't had a chance to talk with you since you landed. I am glad to see you. I am glad to finally get to hunt with you again."-Jasper

"Me too brother. It has been so long since we last hung out and I am glad that I am going to be able to be around. We have a lot to catch up on."- Peter

"I know Carlisle must have given you the talk in the car, so what rules do you have to follow?"- Jasper

"Well, I think most of them are the wolves' rules. I have to remain on Cullen land surrounding the house for one week. I have to hunt everyday for a month and after the first two weeks are over then Carlisle and myself will meet with them and they will check my eyes. If they seem golden enough then I can go into town with a Cullen escort that is not Bella but she can be with us, when that week is complete I have another meeting with the wolves. The beginning of the fourth week barring any problems I can leave the house with Bella but someone has to know where I am at all times besides Bella. Once that week four is over, the Cullen Clan will meet with the Wolves and their elders to have my name added to the treaty and I am covered like you guys are. Until that time I am still seen as an outsider and if my actions prove unbecoming of a Cullen then I can and most likely will be destroyed."-Peter

"Well, they make sense though. You better keep to the treaty though of Bella will have your ass. I heard you have your own room. What's with that? Why not share with Bella?"-Jasper

"The wolves are still trying to protect Bella as much as possible even though she lives in a house full of vampires. Carlisle and Sam discussed this aspect of my probation in a bit firmer stance. He explained that she and I are a mated couple now which he related as imprinting to them. She is to sleep alone in her room each school night of my probation but on weekends we are allowed to share a room. When my probation is over, she will have just graduated and she can make her own choices but as a minor under their protection till that day she still has to follow their wishes as well. I understand that is the first time they have imposed an order to her but she seems willing to go along with it. Carlisle mentioned that I can lay with her till she sleeps and then can sit in one of her chairs till she wakes if I or she wishes me to remain with her while she sleeps."- Peter

"That is sweet of him to allow that. Keep that on the down low or it might cause trouble with the wolves. I want you around for the long term brother. Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing with Bella's humanity? Are you planning on changing her?"-Jasper

"Of course I plan on changing her. Carlisle told me she wants to complete high school but after that time she would be ready anytime. It seemed that it was already planned but nothing was firm. I would like to do a few things with her while she is still human but I don't think I will last much past the end of the year. I would like to see her changed before New Year is here."-Peter

"What do wish to do with her as a human?"-Jasper

"I know we are mates but I want to date her and get to know her and I want to marry her."Peter

"You don't want her to age much more do you? You don't want her closer to your age?"-Jasper

"No, I want a younger woman. Of course I would like to see her closer to my age but I can't wait that long. I am 27 and she is only 18 now and she will be 19 before she changes. I can't wait those extra few years just so we can be closer to my age. I am selfish enough to want to change her now but I want to give her some more time to come into her own before I change her."-Peter

"What do you expect to change between now and the end of the year?"Jasper

"Well, she is going to start a new exercise routine and start eating healthier and with time her body will add some muscle and strength that will help her during her change. She is beautiful the way she is now and I know the change will help define her assets but if I can help her with her self- confidence before then she will think herself as a really worthy of me and stop feeling so plain next to Alice, Rose and Esme. Edward told her that she wasn't worthy of him and she was worthless to us. Those ideas of hers need to change before she becomes a vampire of she will bring with her bitterness and resentment. I want her to feel good about what she looks like and feel like my equal and not someone I took on as a charity case. I love her with all my heart."Peter

"She never told us what Edward told her when he broke up with her. I am sure there is more to that story and we may never know. Edward only told us that he broke up with her but didn't give us honest reasons of why. That is why I told the family we should stay and help her through this. We never really thought that she would become a member of our family but she did when her father got shot. Her mom signed over her rights to Carlisle and Esme and Bella disowned her mother. They only speak through email and that is rare. Carlisle and Esme are her parents now and they see her as their daughter and treat her as such. They also said we were their kids but once the papers were signed saying Bella was theirs things changed in our house, for the better. Carlisle sat her down and told her that she needed to help around the house and do chores like she had at Charlie's and she would have a bed time, curfew and all the things most parents press upon their kids. She gets in trouble and gets punished when she breaks his rules. He bought her a new car but she works part time to pay for the gas and he has kept her from spending the insurance money that she got when her father died. He taught her how to invest it and helps keeps tracks of the trends in the stock market for her. They had a great relationship when she and Edward were together but after she moved in he really took the dad thing to the next level. I think she enjoys the restrictions he places around her. She will be an excellent mate for you. She will make you proud and she is proud to belong to you, I can already tell. She seems confident in wearing your mark for others to see."Jasper

"Thanks man…I think she is perfect for me as well. She keeps me on my toes with her wit and humor. Plus she is a sex vixen in bed."-Peter

"Dude that's my sister you are talking about….but I can see it. She loves to please but I know she has a wild side in her since Edward cut her loose. I have taken her out a couple times and seen her on the dance floor. She has some awesome moves so I don't want to know about what she can do for you behind closed doors."-Jasper

"Let's get back I want to see what Carlisle has planned for my mate. No one has told me yet."-Peter

"Oh….its been planned before she decided to go to Austin but she is becoming a Cullen tonight. She will get her crest piece this evening. It's a big deal but she doesn't know. It's very formal event for everyone but her. She will be dressed as usual and the rest of us will be dressed to the nines to welcome her into the family. That is why the Denalis's are here, they are part of our coven but we live split up. We consider ourselves cousins and they have they own coven leader but she and Carlisle speak often and we help each other out a lot."-Jasper

"Bella and I were talking about the fact she has been a member of the family for over a year but as yet to receive the honor of wearing the crest. She felt you guys didn't really see her as family. I told her otherwise but she seems stubborn about it but I guess after tonight she will know where she stands. I just wish we could have shared in this experience together but I guess I won't be a true Cullen either. I will marry into it later on."-Peter

"You want to be a Cullen too? I never thought I see the day when Peter the Fucking Great would want to be part of a veggie clan, but I guess love changed your heart. You would give your girl the moon if you could too."-Jasper

"I would do anything I could to make her happy and I started before I even met her. She had me whipped before she even met me, now how much worse will it get The might God of War….you been a member of this veggie clan for a long time now, now I think we are both whipped."-Peter

"I bet one day you will become an official member of the Cullen Clan but you must prove yourself to everyone. It won't happen while you are on probation I can tell you that for sure but one day I bet your dreams will come true if you stick to our way of life. Keep the faith brother. Now go and find your mate. It seems she is asleep. Keep the secret of what is going to happen tonight."-Jasper

"What will her piece be?"- Peter

"Oh….you will have to wait and see…."-Jasper