A/N So sorry for taking so long in updating this…sure hope I didn't lose too many readers!
I took off down the highway, headed for the place I swore I would never return to…Forks, Washington. I thought about the so-called family I had left there and wondered what kind of shape the house would be in. I wasn't too worried because Esme always made sure our, I mean their houses were always taken care of. She would pay outrageous prices to guarantee cooperation with no questions asked. I had to hand it to the woman, she sure knew how to take care of her business.
I figured it would take the average person about 9 or 10 hours to get from Anaconda, Montana to Forks. I planned on cutting that time in half. I knew that James would set Bella up in two days, so it was important for me to find out what I could about Charlie and then get back in time. My plan was to rescue her, no matter what. Charlotte was instructed to hang close to James's house and with her gift of being able to blend in with her surroundings, I knew she'd be fine as long as they didn't smell her. At least I was confident that if Bella need her, Char would be within running distance to do something about it. I had to smile when I thought of my sister. She was one tough bitch and even scared me sometimes.
Beautiful scenery passed me by, but I couldn't process any of it because of all the thoughts of Bella filling my mind. I didn't know what she wanted to do with her life once she left James, but I was determined to help her out anyway I could. I figured that the vampire world owed her that much and I damn well was going to make it happen.
Thinking about the vampire world led my thoughts to Marcus. I still couldn't figure out why he was so set on helping Bella but I sure the fuck was going to find out. Marcus didn't give a shit about anyone or anything so for Bella to capture his attention was fucking huge. I planned on calling him when I got to Forks and just asking him. I know there's nothing I appreciate more than the direct approach and I had a feeling Marcus felt the same way.
Marcus was always a puzzle to me. He didn't say much to anyone so you never knew what he was thinking. He always acted like he didn't care what was going on around him, but I had felt his emotions and knew that it was just a clever act he put on. He was one of those kinds of people that kept his mouth shut and his eyes open. One thing for sure, he wasn't anything like his brothers, Aro and Caius.
Aro was always worried about his power being usurped and did everything he could to surround himself with the most talented vampires. I remembered when he first approached me to join the Volturi. He had recognized me from the memories of other vampires. I hated to think of what those memories consisted of, but knew they were the only reason I was alive now. The Volturi forces had attacked Maria's army for the Southern Wars right after I left her. It was in the memories of the newborns that Aro had first seen me. I had really thought he was going to have me destroyed when I turned down his offer, but then we had come to an agreement that I would train newborns for his army. That was one decision I could live with, especially since I got to stay in the States and continue my diet. If not for that, I would've gladly given my life.
Where Aro was a pompous ass, Caius was just a plain ass. His thirst to conquer everything and everyone was well-known in our world. Brutality was his forte and he thrived at the chance to show it off. He demanded obedience and received it most of the time. To say he was pissed about the compromise me and Aro had come to would have been a huge understatement. I could feel his hostility from across the expansive throne room. He felt like I was undermining their leadership and power when I had gotten my way.
I was damn lucky that I had Peter and Charlotte on my side. Between the three of us, we were able to supply soldiers the Volturi needed. I thought about my brother and had to smile. I remembered him telling me the reason he had picked Montana to be his home base. He had grabbed his junk and said there was nowhere else that better represented him than Anaconda. He had growled at Charlotte when she laughed at him. They were perfectly suited for each other and I felt some pride when I thought about the part I played in them being together. Allowing them to escape had to be one of the best things I had done in this existence.
The miles and the landscape flew by and before I knew it, I was driving up to the "Welcome to Forks" sign. I was glad for the helmet I wore since I didn't want anyone knowing I was in town. It would be hard enough to explain why we disappeared the same time Bella did. I also didn't want Charlie or the wolves to know I was there until I was ready to reveal myself. I headed out to the house and could feel the anxiety start to build.
I pulled up to the house and got off my bike. I looked around and was immediately hit with memories of the life I had living here. Memories of wrestling with Emmett in the yard, of the long talks Rose and I shared sitting by the creek and days of playing chess with Edward. I tried to remember the good times I had with Alice, but all I could think of was how she groomed me to be the man she wanted me to be…never satisfied with who I was.
Waves of revulsion brought me back to the present and I turned to see the scowl on Peter's face. "What's wrong," I asked.
"You don't smell that?" he asked incredulously.
The stench of wet dog permeated the yard and I knew the wolves had been around, recently if I was going by how strong the scent was. I knew Peter never had the opportunity to make their acquaintance and I was going to enjoy his reaction to them.
"Shape-shifters," was all I said.
He looked at me like I had lost my mind. "You have got to be fuckin' kidding me! Not only is this podunk town home to a coven of vampires, now you're telling me there's shifters here too? How the hell did that work out?"
"Yeah," I laughed but there wasn't any humor in it. "Unfuckingbelievable, huh? The shifters are a tribe of Native Americans, the Quiluetes. Years ago, Carlisle signed a treaty with the elders with both sides agreeing that we would stay off of each other's land and never reveal the other's secrets. The wolves were nervous when we moved back, but they had to abide by the treaty. Remember Bella talking about Paul?" Of course the question was rhetorical, we never forgot a thing. I waited until he nodded, just to make sure I had his attention. "Paul is a shifter and a part of the Quileute tribe, or he was. He killed his Alpha."
"And now he's working with James and guarding Bella," he stated.
"Yep. I figure I'll go to the treaty line and wait for them to come to me. I'll explain what happened and see what they want to do. I'm sure if there's any vampires lurking around watching Charlie, they'll know." I had given this a lot of thought and decided I'd let the tribe get their retribution from Paul.
"I'm coming with you," Peter stated, "just in case you need back-up."
"Ok," I agreed. I knew there wasn't any use in arguing with him. I'd let him go just so I knew where he was. Besides that, I wasn't for sure how the wolves were going to react to the news of Paul's betrayal.
We took off running and it wasn't long before we were at the treaty line. I knew Peter's crimson eyes were going to be a problem so I asked him to stand back with his head down. This accomplished two things…one, he would be in the universal submission pose and two, it would hide his eyes. Peter didn't like it, but he knew I was right.
A few minutes later, the unforgettable aroma of eau de wet dog wafted to us and I snuck a peek at Peter. By the look on his face, if it were possible for vampires to puke, he'd be spewing chunks. I laughed at his discomfort and got a low growl in response.
A huge Native Americans flanked by two wolves approached us and I took a couple of seconds to size them up. The dogs were enormous and their leader was about the size of Emmett but I knew Peter and I could take them. I could feel the anger rolling off of them and sent out some calming waves. The hulk in the middle turned to his crew and nodded his head before walking towards me. From the way the other two stopped in their place, I figured I would be speaking with their leader. He stared into my eyes and I felt his anxiety lessen.
"Your eyes are gold…you one of the Cullen vamps?" he asked.
I fed Peter some annoyance when I heard him snort. I knew how he felt about the Cullens, but right now I needed the wolves to trust me like they trusted Carlisle.
"Yeah, I used to live with the Cullen's. I left the family, but still follow the diet. I'm Jasper Whitlock and this is Peter Whitlock, my brother." I tilted my head towards Peter and was glad to see he still had his eyes down.
"I'm Sam Uley. This is Embry," he motioned to his left and then to his right. "This is Quil. What are you doing here? The Cullen's haven't been around in a while."
I knew this was where things could get volatile, so I took a deep breath to center myself. "I need to discuss Bella Swan and one of your wolves, Paul."
I could feel how suspicious he was as he hesitated before answering me. "We haven't seen either of them for a couple of years. What is it that you want to discuss?"
I glanced at Peter to make sure he was ready for anything and when I saw him slightly nod his head, I answered. "I know where they both are."
It took two point zero seconds before we were surrounded by eight more wolves and less than that for Peter to have my back. We were both crouched down, ready to defend ourselves.
"Stand down!" Sam barked. The wolves immediately sat back on their haunches and I have to admit, I was rather impressed with the control he had over them. He faced me with his hands raised in the air. "Sorry about that. The Swans and Paul are sore subjects among the tribe. So you know where they are?"
I straightened up and was glad to see that Peter followed my lead. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and related the story that Bella had told me, leaving out what her life had become. The wolves were in shock to learn that Paul had been working for James all this time, guarding Bella. Sam looked heartbroken that one of his pack would stoop to the level that Paul had, not only killing one of their kind but also that he would align himself with their enemy. Then he got furious.
"So you can lead us to where Paul is?" he asked between clenched teeth.
I pushed out some calmness as I answered him. "Yeah, but you've got to understand that James is holding Charlie's life over Bella's head. We've got to get him secured before we do anything. James told her that Charlie was being watched and that one misstep would lead to his death. You know how selfless Bella is…her main concern is that Charlie is safe."
"Whitlock, the night Bella was attacked, the pack was split up. The other half was at Charlie's house fighting the vampires that were there, but we were too late…Charlie's dead," Sam's voice dropped off at the end.
It was my turn to be in shock. Bella had been tortured all this time protecting a dead man. How in the world was I going to tell her that everything she had endured was for nothing? Fuck, fuck, fuck!
A/N next chapter is going to be in Jasper's POV as James and Paul get what's coming to them! Please let me know what you're thinking!