Chapter Twenty One.

Sam Uley

It was time to get this over with once and for all, rid Forks of the Cold Ones and take back our lives, our human lives. I looked at the wolves pacing the small clearing, Paul, Jake, Embry, and Leah, all young people with their lives put on hold by the arrival of the Cullens. Young men and a girl who should be living their lives, finding love, getting jobs, seeing the world, but instead they were here in the pouring rain, transformed into savage beasts in order to protect our tribe from the threat of the vampires. We had hoped, Quil, Billy, and I that the treaty would protect us from becoming guardians but it hadn't and one by one my young friends woke confused and scared, not knowing what was happening to them. With no choice about whether to put their lives on the line for the rest of the tribe. Well it would end here, tonight in this storm, and the sacrifice of the human girl was a necessary evil. It wasn't as if she were innocent after all, she was consorting with one of the vampires, I'd seen her, we all had, and that marked her as our salvation.

I climbed up to the cave entrance once more hoping to smell blood or hear screams but it was silent and as I phased all I could hear was quiet breathing and a single heartbeat so the vampire hadn't killed her yet. We could wait a little while longer but Jared's warning had come through crisp and clear, Chief Swan had asked the Cullens for help finding his daughter and they were on their way shadowed by my right hand man. One way or another Bella Swan would be dead by the time the Cullens appeared and we would attack them, kill as many as possible and end it. Chief Swan could hardly refuse to believe his own eyes and when we took his daughter's body back to Forks with the marks of a vampire on her he would understand and then he would know what creatures he chose to side with.

I heard the vampire move towards the entrance and backed away calling to my brothers and sister,

"Its time"

"Is she dead?"

"No Jake but we have to move, we dare not wait or we'll lose our chance."

"But the idea was that he killed her first, isn't that why we've poured blood in the water seeping into the cave? To make him attack?"

"Yes Jake but he's taking too long, she has to be dead before the Cullens get here. We can't risk them saving her so we'll have to do it for him."

"You want us to kill Bella? She's Charlie's daughter. I can't do that Paul"

"You don't have to Jake, you stay here with Embry and watch out for the Cullens. I'll join Sam and we'll do it."

"What about me? I'm not being left out of this. I've been waiting here in the rain for hours and I'm going with you. Leave the bitch to me"

I knew Leah hated Bella because she had become friendly with the Cullens guest and was therefore one of those responsible for her own predicament. We'd never heard of a female phasing to become a guardian and it had been one hell of a shock. Especially when she attacked Emily in her jealousy and scarred her face. I told the elders it had been me and Emily never contradicted my story. She knew how guilty I felt at leaving Leah for her when the imprint happened. I had never wanted to hurt Leah, I had loved her, but it just hadn't been meant to happen and there was nothing I could do about my feelings when I saw her cousin Emily. When Leah phased it was all we could do to control her but once she understood she wouldn't harm Emily again, instead she turned her burning hatred on the Cullens who had done this to her. Which meant there was no way we would prevent her from coming into the cave with us, not without someone in the pack getting seriously hurt or killed. I could give her an Alpha command but it didn't seem fair. She had a right to hate the vampires and Bella by association.

Bowing to the inevitable I nodded and the lithe wolf form that was Leah jumped up the bank to join me followed by Paul. As we stood at the entrance I hesitated, by going ahead we were breaking every law of our tribe but none of us could see any other way out of this so I gave the signal. Then suddenly there was a terrible noise from behind us and we whirled to see Embry's body laying still and dead in the clearing while Jake fought with a figure, a vampire we did not recognise, not one of the Cullens.

"Leah, Paul go in, kill the vampire and the girl then come and help."

I jumped from the rocks into the clearing as I heard a sickening crack and Jakes limp body hit the sodden ground, his neck broken. I pounced but realising my mistake I twisted in the air to land at the side of this vampire. He was not a Cullen, this was a warrior and a seasoned one, he smiled as he shook his head in warning,

"If I were you I'd call off my friends and head home or stay and die. The choice is yours Alpha."

I feinted to the right but he knew better and stood waiting,

"Its not going to work. I'm far too experienced to be taken in by your infantile tricks now call off your friends and leave before I'm forced to kill you Sam Uley."

He knew my name! This vampire was something I had never experienced before, a fully fledged warrior and I knew my chances of taking him were poor. I hesitated and he nodded,

"Good idea. Now call them off before I do"

Garrett

I heard a disturbance at the entrance, they were finally coming. I had no idea what they were but they threatened us and I had to protect Bella, if I had forced myself to control my blood lust I sure as hell wasn't letting anyone else kill her. I tensed ready to take on the forms I saw in the entrance, one huge and the other two slighter, wolves! So it was members of a guardian tribe who had trapped us here. Well I may not be able to kill them both but perhaps I could save Bella by blocking her in. I stretched my arms to the walls of the cave and pushed with all my might just as I heard another voice. There was someone else out there, someone challenging the guardian Alpha. Quickly I pulled back but I was too late. The walls behind me collapsed burying the entrance to the chamber and trapping Bella within. The two wolves crept in ready to attack and I fought the first feeling as its claws and teeth ripped into my flesh throwing chunks left and right as it fought to get past me but that wasn't going to happen.

I had protected Bella and I would die to keep her safe. As I caught the first wolf by the throat the second leapt over its head and landed on my back, its sharp teeth sinking into my throat and I felt venom flow from the wound as I tried to get a hold of it, to tear it from its perch but it was strong and stubborn and I couldn't break free. The first wolf collapsed at my feet but the second was determined to kill me. As its teeth met through my throat and consciousness left me I heard another voice, the snarl of another member of my own race but too late to save me with the other wolves still below, and I went into the darkness thinking of the human girl who had called to me so strongly and wishing I could have lived long enough to know her properly.