AN: I know it has been quite some time since I last updated, but I haven't abandoned this story and hope you all like the new Chapter. It won't be all that long now until some Cullens start to appear, so bear with me.
"Dad?", Bella approached her father cautiously and kept an eye on his every move. Paul was still shaking slightly in his corner of the room and didn't dare step any closer, lest he hurt the humans in the room.
"Bella? What exactly is happening? There is more to this whole thing of you sharing some DNA with the tribe isn't there?"
She slowly nodded and grabbed hold of Leah's hand in case what she now would have to tell her father didn't go according to plan. Thankfully her mate sensed what she needed and squeezed her hand in return.
"As you were always close to the tribe you have to know their legends, don't you?"
Charlie nodded, his eyes still showing confusion and not yet understanding what each had to do with the other, so Bella took another deep breath and continued with her slow and careful approach of the topic.
"So, you know about the stories of Taha Aki and the spirit wolves he and his men encountered right?"
When Charlie nodded again, although reluctantly so, she simply pointed at herself, Leah and Paul and said "That is what we are. The ability to turn into a wolf is genetic and each time there is a possible threat nearby the most suited generation starts their shift."
Silence hung over the room and she could literally see the cogs turn in her father's head. He stared at the three teens in astonishment and seemed to fight with himself over whether he should believe what had been said or laugh about it all as any other human would at that point. But Sue wasn't laughing, she was watching him with a serious expression on her face and Paul was still shaking and lightly growling in his corner, his emotions too haywire to control completely.
"Alright kiddo, let's just assume all that you said was true, how come you only started turning into a wolf now? What triggered the change in all the kids and how could I be able to tell someone was a wolf? Like, is there a specific characteristic?"
Paul chuckled lightly in his corner, his massive shoulders shaking under the sound and even though Bella didn't laugh at her father she could admit it had been kind of funny. Before she could try to explain some more things to her father it was Sue who stepped up to the confused man, sat him down on the sofa and began telling him about the preliminary changes all Quileute teens went through and that he no doubt noticed as well during his time on the reservation. The fact that Bella had only started changing now and hadn't shown the common signs beforehand had to be connected to her somewhat diluted blood or simply to her calm nature.
When Sue had finished telling Charlie everything there was to know about the wolves without mentioning the Cullens even once during her speech he tiredly rubbed his face and scrutinized the three teens in front of him once again. Noticing the subtle changes to them, even in his own daughter that weren't common for teenagers or any humans even.
"Well, I guess that just leaves the visual aspect of it all then. I know I shouldn't still be doubting you all but this stuff isn't exactly your normal small-town crazy I'm used to, so I'm still kind of struggling with getting it all into my head. "
Bella gulped slightly, she had hoped Charlie would be satisfied with the stories and Sue confirming them. She knew how Leah's dad died and she didn't exactly want a repeat performance of that situation but now her father was expecting one of them to turn into their wolf and hopefully that would lessen the shock of it all. With it being her father, she squared her shoulders and stood from the recliner she had been cuddled into with Leah in order to get outside. No matter what would happen she wouldn't want to accidentally destroy some of Sue's furniture.
Paul inclined his head slightly towards her, understanding why she wanted to be the one to show Charlie even though she was the youngest wolf and not yet as used to the change as the other two were. Her father watched her curiously but still doubtful when she exited into the small garden behind the house. He went to follow her immediately but Sue held him back and told him quietly that Bella would lose all her clothes during the change. Charlie went beet red but nodded and waited until they heard a small grunt and then a light bark from outside.
Leah grinned when she saw the beautiful wolf of her mate but was wise enough to reel her emotions in as to not distract Bella from her father who stood blinking at her halfway out of the house.
"It's all true…everything you just told me is true…Holy Shit!"
Bella let out a barking laugh and Paul was roaring with laughter, Charlie had reacted better than they hoped he would even though he had known what might happen with his daughter.
"Can you change back Bella? I think there is still much we need to talk about because I don't think a couple of stories and some explaining from Sue is all that we need to figure out how to proceed."
The wolf whimpered slightly but as soon as the sound escaped, Charlie stepped up to her and lightly scratched her ears. It was a surreal image to see father and daughter interacting even though one of them was currently a wolf. Leah marvelled at the human man who seemed to be a current crush of her mother because not one of the tribal parents acted like this with their wolf children. Many of them wished nothing to do with them when they were in their animal form and had strict rules regarding pack business but Charlie seemed okay with everything and obviously willing to work out what would be best for his daughter in all this mess.
Once Bella had changed back and had thrown on her clothes she pulled her father in a bone crushing hug that lifted him up from the ground and made everyone realize she had just grown about two inches with one shift. Apparently, that was how her physical changes would come to her. Leah only hoped it was less painful than it had been for her.
"Jesus Bella, let your old man breathe.", Charlie chuckled after the hug but the big grin on his face told everyone he was glad his daughter had shown her affection to him this openly. The two of them always had been rather awkward about the relationship between them but with Bella's wolf she was prone to be more affectionate and protective towards the people she cared about.
Together everyone headed back inside where Paul excused himself and left them alone to talk, he was feeling slightly weird in the family atmosphere suddenly and preferred the company of the other pack members who were all dying to know what the council had discovered in the blood tests. Jacob would be happy to hear he had two more siblings, well more like half-siblings, that even shared his ability to change unlike his two older sisters.
Once everyone had somewhat settled into the living room again Bella nervously fidgeted with her hands and stared at her dad waiting for him to start the conversation. Thankfully it didn't take him very long to start talking.
"So, I guess you won't be going off to college like all the other kids once you finish high school, won't you? 'Cause I clearly remember the part about the duty of the spirit warriors to their tribe which I guess means you won't be able to or allowed to leave this place just for fun."
"Well…", Bella quickly connected her eyes with her mate and saw the reassurance she had been looking for.
"No, dad I don't think I will be going off to college somewhere and not because I wouldn't be allowed to leave but because my wolf feels at home here in the woods and it would be more than hard to hide anything unusual at a college in some huge city where I wouldn't get to change in fear of someone seeing me and making things up that would have national security on my ass."
Charlie bristled at the slightly crude language he wasn't used to hearing from his own daughter but that was probably just her finally growing into the young woman she was always meant to be. Away from that controlling Cullen boy who had always struck him as weird and dangerous. He hadn't liked the boy always hanging around the house and practically dictating Bella's free-time with his family instead of her other friends from school.
"I just have one more question before I think I will head back home. With all the supernatural going on here on the reservation I'm just curious to know if the Cullen's have anything similar going on? There was always something different and weird about them, mostly about that boy you were going out with, the rest not so much."
For a moment time stood still and Bella felt her heart speed up, she had hoped to not have to tell her dad about the rest of the supernatural happenings around Forks but with him being the Chief of police there wasn't much that escaped his notice it seemed.
Leah let out a low growl at being reminded that Bella had been going out with a vampire before they found each other. She could accept that not all of them had been trying to kill her and weren't a constant danger to her but that boy had always been the arrogant and pompous one as she had gathered from Sam's and Jacob's thoughts about the vampires.
With both young wolves that worked up about the simple mention of the Cullen family Sue decided once again that it would be best for her to be the one telling Charlie the rest to the story of their tribe.
"You are one of the few who noticed something off about that family Charlie and I can tell you, you were right about your assumptions as well. The Cullen's resemble the Cold Ones from our legends or to be more modern about it all they are vampires. Just as with our wolves though there are differences between vampires and the Cullen's are ones not feeding off humans and trying to blend in with them. They are not bad people overall but that boy you mentioned seems to rub everyone the wrong way. There might be something about him that's not right but with them gone I don't think we have to worry about that anymore."
Charlie's eyes had gotten wider over the duration of her speech and now he could only gape at all of them and only snapped out of his trance when Bella couldn't help but add a small "Besides even if they did come back I would never consider going out with him again. I'm with Leah now and I will never in my life look at anyone else ever again."
Leah blushed at the open admission but couldn't quite suppress the pleased purr that escaped her at the notion. It soothed her inner fears of the Cullen boy swooping back into the picture and stealing her mate away from her again. Thankfully Charlie chuckled as well as the exclamation and soon after another heartfelt hug between father and daughter the Chief left back to Forks, reminding Bella that she had school in the morning and shouldn't be home too late herself. It would be hard to sleep without Leah after the trying day she just had but Bella knew she had no other choice but to comply with her father. She was after all still a minor and even though she wouldn't be able to experience college she still craved a good education and hoped to do at least something useful with her life after her graduation in little less than a year.
