New Beginnings
His laughter echoed across the thick forest. I was not amused. I was furious.
"You were running so fast I thought we had a rogue vampire on our lands. I must admit you had me confused for a moment. Your scent is almost... neutral."
My eyes flashed as he smiled, making my anger peak.
"Well, you and your pack seem to be a little dense... honestly pup, how could you not differentiate the smell of a leech from one of your own kind," I asked shrewdly.
A frown instantly replaced his smug smile but he remained calm as the other four nameless figures growled in protest.
The one advantage I had was the fact that I knew what they were thinking. When I had lived in Romania, the pack considered it a blessing from the moon. It was extremely rare for our kind to receive that type of gift. In fact, I've only known one other who had an ability and it was our pack healer. She was called Seer, a future seeker.
Trying to figure out their intentions, I sifted through their thoughts. If I needed to defend myself I would be one step ahead of their game. Most of their voices were loud, clearly peeved that I had insulted their leader. Curiosity was their main focus and luckily for me they only wanted to attack if I forced them to first. Since they meant me no harm I decided to change the subject before things got out of hand.
"So, how many of you are there?"
"A few," was his reply. I could tell I had offended him and remorse took over. I hadn't meant to be cruel, I had been taken by surprise and retaliated, wounding his pride in the process. I sighed and attempted to make amends.
"I believe we got off on the wrong foot. I apologize for my previous comment. I had encountered a few vampires and was trying to get away and you all caught me off guard. My name is Bella."
I cocked my head to the side, sweeping the hair away from my neck to expose the flesh. Keeping my eyes averted to the ground, I knelt down.
He assessed me curiously and held out his massive hand. "I'm Sam. This is Jared, Paul, Embry and Jacob." I shook his hand as he used his other to point out each of the boys. They looked similar with russet colored skin and the same cropped, black hair.
I felt like a tiny pebble among mountains. These boys were huge; werewolves on steroids! I laughed silently as I imagined the temperament issues that would cause if it were true.
"What was the meaning of the head thing?
"Oh, that's just a gesture of respect to the Alpha of a pack. It is customary where I'm from."
It looked as if he wanted to continue questioning me about my heritage. His thoughts confirmed that he was very much intrigued to run across another that was outside of their tribe but he was worried about my mention of the cold ones.
He turned to face his pack, "Paul, Jared, Embry; Patrol the borders. Make sure those bloodsuckers did not cross." He faced me again as the three slipped soundlessly through the trees. "How many were there? Did you see them? Did they see you? Were you attacked? Hurt? Do you remember your location?"
I interrupted as he took a necessary breath, "Slow down. There were three scents, but I never saw them so there could have been more. One got close and I bolted and found myself here. I wasn't hurt, they didn't attack, I'm not even sure they knew I was there... I was a few miles West of here, I'm not exactly sure how far West, I hadn't been paying attention..." I trailed off as a shiver rocked my body, my teeth chattering in response. I had forgotten about the rain up until this point. I was drenched.
"Sam, maybe we should take her to Emily's so she can clean up and and get warm? We can finish discussing it there," said the one named Jacob. He flashed me a brilliant, blinding white smile that lit up his face. I blushed considering how I looked to them. Sleeping in the forest for weeks, falling in the dirt and then soaking wet from the rain had to make me look hideous. I pushed the hair out of my face and fiddled with the hem of my shirt, as if it might help.
Sam agreed and they began leading me North. It was a short distance so the boys didn't say much on the way there. We arrived at a small house with brightly colored flowers that gave it a cheerful look. As we approached the weathered blue door a mouth-watering smell drifted in the air. My stomach grumbled with anticipation. Apparently, dinner was being prepared.
My mood altered drastically as we walked inside. I hoped they would be kind enough to invite me to eat with them. I hadn't had a home-made meal in so long. I would hunt in the woods and cook over an open fire but it just wasn't the same.
I heard Jacob snicker at my stomach's complaints. I was about to ask him what was so funny when a beautiful young woman greeted us. She had long, silky black hair and coppery skin that had the allure of satin. I glanced at her face for a brief moment before averting my eyes to my feet. There were long gashes that distorted one side of her face. I cringed internally as Sam replayed the memory of his loss of control in front of her, causing the scars. Out of respect for both of them, and not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I looked up into her eyes and gave her my best smile.
Sam relaxed as she returned the gesture and introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Emily. I just finished dinner, I hope you'll join us." she continued to look over me and added, "You'll catch cold in those wet clothes. Let's get you something dry to put on."
"Bella, and yes that would be wonderful. I wouldn't want to intrude though so only if it is alright with everyone." I instantly liked Emily. She was kind and had offered me help without even questioning who or what I was.
"Of course, come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
She stepped forward, reaching for my hand but Sam intercepted her actions and moved quickly between us. I realized that he loved this Emily, they were mates, and he didn't trust me, especially me alone with her. Which I couldn't blame him. I was a complete stranger. He had no idea of my intentions and wasn't willing to risk it with Emily.
"Sam, I was just going to show Bella to the bathroom and get her some dry clothes," she explained, a look of confusion on her face.
"Jacob and I have a few things to discuss with her first..."
"Can't that wait," she interrupted. "The poor girl is soaking wet!"
"It's alright Emily. I will be fine," I assured her, turning towards Sam and Jacob. "Perhaps I could make a suggestion... I'm really uncomfortable and Emily's offer is extremely compelling so I would like to get things out in the open as quickly as possible. I want you to know that I am of no threat to you, your pack, your mate, or your community, so the easiest and fastest way to do that is phase."
Emily gasped realizing for the first time why Sam didn't want me alone with her. I stayed out of her thoughts though. If she had any regrets about being kind to me then I did not want to know.
"You would share your thoughts with us," Jacob questioned. He was clearly not expecting that.
"We've never met another outside of our pack. It might not work the same way," Sam added.
"Well then we'll just have to experiment, and yes Jacob, I wold let you hear my thoughts. I want you and the rest of the pack to understand that I mean you no harm. I never intentionally trespassed on your lands." I glanced at their faces and was relieved their expressions had relaxed.
"Okay, let's go!" Jacob was practically jumping with excitement as he pranced towards the door.
"Wait," I turned towards Emily and she smiled warmly as she handed over a stack of dry clothes. "Put those on when you get back. I can't have any guest of mine getting sick. Oh, and use the garage on the side of the house. There are no window so you'll have some privacy."
"Thank you," I said gratefully. I was beginning to understand why Sam loved this woman so much.
"Emily, you can't be serious! The garage is small... She'll practically demolish the whole thing. You know how big we get in wolf form," Sam reminded her.
I studied him quizzically. "What do you mean? I do not understand. When I phase my body becomes only slightly larger than that of normal wolf. Wolves aren't as big as small buildings," I trailed off. Apparently I had missed something important.
Emily laughed. "They're big as horses actually."
I was dumbfounded. Bigger than horses?! What kind of pack is this? I may of not been wrong about those steroids...
"We'll see each other after we phase then," griped Jacob who seemed eager to hear my thoughts and was tired of the small talk. "Let's go!" With that he ran out of the door and into the trees.
Sam showed me to the garage and left me alone, following the same path Jacob took moments before. I closed the door, careful to leave it open a crack so I could get back out. I was thankful Emily suggested this. Back in Romania it was second nature to snatch off my clothes and phase in front of the pack, however, here I did not know these strangers and it would have been somewhat awkward to strip down in front of them. Especially that Jacob kid, he was very attractive. What am I thinking?! Snap out of it, he's only a puppy. You could be his great, great grandmother for goodness sakes!
I sniffed the air to confirm there were no stray peeping toms roaming about and began peeling the wet cloth away from my body. I tried focusing on the change. It had been so long that for a brief moment an icy fear swept over me. What if I wasn't able to do it? I focused a bit harder but found it difficult to keep my mind from wandering. I sighed as my thoughts drifted back to my rules... all but one was about to be broken, and in the matter of a few hours. It won't kill me. I had actually missed my wolf form, the freedom, the running, the excitement.
Just then I felt the electric current coursing through my veins and down my body, causing a ripple-like feeling through my bones. My flesh erupted in goosebumps as fur began to sprout. A warm sensation trickled down my spine as the bones moved and rearranged beneath my skin. I could feel the glow radiating over my entire body as I found myself on all fours. Pushing the door ajar with my nose, I bolted into the night, following the path that would lead me to a new beginning.
Disclaimer: I figured I should type up my own disclaimer just in case, so yeah, I do not own any of the Twilight characters, although, I have imagined it from time to time...
Author's Note: I am thrilled so many of you are enjoying this story! It makes me want to keep writing! Yes, author's need encouragement sometimes! Anywho, expect another update shortly.
