Chapter 38: The Council

Edward's POV

Jacob's apprehension and nervousness thrummed through my body. I was nervous too, but I suppose he had a lot more riding on this meeting that I did. Turning off my Volvo, we slid out of the car and looked at the tall half naked men who were waiting for us. Sam, Seth, Embry and Quil ( according to Jacob) were waiting for us in their human form. The rest of the pack flanked them in their wolf forms. The grey wolf-Paul-wrinkled his canine nose and lifted his lips in disgust.

Actually, everyone of them wrinkled their nose. I watched most of their faces twist into identical sneers, except for Quil and Embry who flushed and looked away from us. And Seth whose face split into a knowing grin.

Despite myself, I couldn't help but smirk at them. They had picked up the smell of sex on us.

"Geez, guys," called Seth as he inched forward across the line to greet us, " could've showered."

Embarrassment flooded the bond from Jacob's side and I watched his face flush deliciously. "Shut up," grumbled my mate as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

A large tanned hand griped Seth's nape and stopped him from crossing the border. " They're coming to us," growled Sam; his face tight.

Jacob glanced at me, open concern marring his face. I nodded reassuringly and took the hand he offered to me, with a small smile on my face.

"Cute," snarked a female voice in my head and Paul sniggered. I refrained myself from snarling at them. I didn't want to aggravate the situation any more. This was already hard for Jacob and I didn't want to make it harder.

Together, we crossed the border and made our way towards the small red house where the council would be meeting us. As soon as we had crossed the invisible line, Seth wormed his way out of Sam's grip and shook our hands with a big grin on his face.

I couldn't help but feel my heart swell up with emotion for this boy, who in his own way welcomed us into his community, his heart and into his life.

I watched as Jacob ruffled his hair fondly. The wolves were outraged. But didn't say anything. Following Sam, we made our way through LaPush. Jacob's annoyance rolled through me and I glanced towards him with my eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Can't believe I have to be escorted to my own home. It's ridiculous," he grumbled mentally and I squeezed his fingers.

"Jake," came the cheerful cry as soon as we entered the small front yard of Jacob's childhood home. Like Jacob, I was pleasantly taken aback by Billy's joyful cry. As per usual, Billy's thoughts were blocked. But, maybe that was more due to habit and the need for privacy than something to do against me.

"Hey dad," said Jacob as he matched his father smile for smile.

Slipping past our 'guards,' Jacob's fingers slipped away from mine as he moved at a hurried pace to hug his father.

Crouching infront of the older man, I watched as they exchanged platonic greetings. Leathered hands came out to cup my mate's cheeks, " It's good to have you home, son," said Billy, his voice cracking.

" It's good to be back," whispered Jacob as he nuzzled his face against the small hands.

" How are you?" asked Billy as his calculating and sharp eyes moved over Jacob's frame.

"I'm fine," said Jacob simply as he smiled up at the man.

Black eyes lifted up to meet mine, " Cullen," he said in a greeting. " Hello, Billy," I greeted.

" How many lies is he telling me?"

I smiled fondly at the pair of them. "Dad!" whined Jacob as he looked over his shoulder to throw me a deadly glare.

"Not much. He's fine, Billy. Physically atleast," I answered as the old man went back to perusing his son's face, " he should still be taking it easy."

" I'm fine," growled Jacob as a leathered index finger caressed the bridge of his nose. When the finger paused at my dent, I felt myself stiffen. Infront of me, Jacob's body mimicked my tense pose. That was my dent. Mine and Jacob's. No one had dared to touch it before.

"Your nose didn't set right," mumbled Billy as he inspected said nose. Possessiveness clawed at my insides. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself by counting backwards. Jacob threw some calm my way and I shuddered.

"Dad," whined Jacob, yet again as he angled his face away from his father's prodding finger. "It's fine. Atleast, it's not completely crooked. 'Sides, Edward likes it."

Behind us, Seth burst out laughing while I shuffled uncomfortably on my feet. I didn't want to be overly affectionate infront of Jacob's family. They weren't fully supportive of us yet. Even if Billy was making an effort, he wasn't completely at ease with our relationship. His visits to the Cullen mansion were awkward to say the least.

Jacob was always tensed before his visits. Happy, but tense. I could feel the pack's awkward thoughts at Jacob's words.

"Jake," I warned softly.

" What?" said Jacob as he stood up; face red with embarrassment. I shook my head softly at him in warning. His eyes slid over my shoulder and he stood a little straighter despite the red that flamed his cheeks. "They should get used to it. We're together whether they like it or not," his eyes flashed as though in warning as he glared at his former pack members.

"Why don't we head inside?" said Billy, in hopes of diffusing the tension. I nodded and as I made to move forward, Jacob stepped besides me, sliding his huge warm fingers in between mine. With a gentle squeeze, I allowed him to pull me forward through the small house.

Truth be told, I felt really intimidated as I stood with Jacob infront of the Quileute elders. I nodded to each one of them as Jacob introduced us. Sue Clearwater, Seth and Leah's mother, who had taken over the tribal duties after her husband Harry had passed away a few weeks after their children had phased for the first time. Quil Aterea Senior, who I had met years ago when he was just a boy. And to my horror, Sam Uley, who moved from behind us and slid down in the seat beside Old Quil's. Apparently as alpha, he had the right and was considered a tribe elder. He would, after all, take over when the other elders passed away.

I could feel the venom in my mouth drying away as I stood under their watchful eyes. I guess Billy had made them aware of my special talent, considering every one of them had closed their minds.

"So, gentlemen," started Billy, his posture was erect with pride and his wise eyes full of seriousness, as he looked at Jacob and I, " please state your business."

"Dad," said Jacob, almost in disbelief.

"Jacob, I apologize but until this meeting is adjourned and a decision has been reached, I'm afraid you'll have to refer to me as Chief Billy or just Billy. I'm here to make the best decision not only for you, the protector of our tribe, but also, for the whole community."

As Jacob's sense of elation and courage deflated through the bond, " I understand," he replied solemnly. Through our bond, I tried to comfort him.

" I'm sure," he said as he drew in a breath and puffed his chest with as much pride as he could, " you're aware of my situation," as he glanced around the room at the elders.

As they nodded solemnly, Jacob continued, " My request is that I'm not banned from LaPush..."

" That was never the issue, was it, Jacob?" interrupted Sue Clearwater.

" No. I suppose not. But, the issue is that you are still banning my imprint from accompanying me to my home."

"Your imprint is a leech," growled Sam.

" Who hasn't fed on humans in centuries. Who has never breeched the treaty. Not once," countered Jacob as he glared at Sam. " So, why would he change his diet as soon as he's allowed to cross the reservation?"

" That does not change who he is, Jacob," added Old Quil, " he's a vampire. It's in his nature."

" He's never fed from me."

" And the fang marks on your collarbone?" interrupted Billy. I felt Jacob's confidence shake at his father's words. Of course, Billy had seen the mark. He had been in our home countless of times. He had seen Jacob shirtless.

Jacob gulped, " I asked him to do that," he answered. Ignoring the collective gasp from the rest of his pack, he continued, " It was not for feeding purposes. I asked him...to mark me."

" Mark you?" asked Billy.

" Yes, mark me. His venom wouldn't heal the fang markings. That's why. I wanted him to..."

" Claim you," finished Sam, a frown marring his face as he stared at my mate. " You submitted to him," he growled; it was not a question.

" I did," replied Jacob as he tilted his chin in defiance. The proud jut of his chin enraged Sam, I could tell. " The original alpha of the LaPush pack submitted to a leech," he snarled, his face red with anger.

" Not to a leech. To my imprint," answered Jacob coolly, " it doesn't matter. It's none of your concern who submits to whom."

" Yes, it fucking does. Cullen fucking owns you," snarled Sam in retort. " Do you fucking realize what this means? You have to obey him. You belong to him. If he asks you to slit the throat of your father, you would. You would do anything for him."

" That's not Edward's fault. This is the imprint." " You could easily do the same if Emily told you to."

"...That's... that's not the same. Emily is not a leech."

" She's still your imprint. You would do anything for her. Including murder."

"Emily is not a fucking leech," ground Sam.

" She could be a psychopath. You could've imprinted on a psycho. What then? Would you have murdered us?"

" Sam," interrupted Old Quil, " Jacob has a point. Humans are not all good."

" If I may interject," I started slowly, speaking for the first time, as I glanced at the faces of the elders, " Jacob may have imprinted on me, but I had found my mate in him before he had turned into a wolf. Billy, you remember."

Billy nodded. " He's right. When Jacob phased for the first time, it was Cullen who risked him life and took him away from the humans. Took him into the forest; knowing the dangers that being near a young wolf entailed. He told me then, that Jacob was his mate."

" I would never hurt Jacob like that. His happiness means the world to me. I can't live without him. I could spend the rest of my eternity without stepping on this land, but Jacob needs to be with his family. Needs to be able to visit his home whenever he deems acceptable. Without guards escorting him like he was a criminal. And Jacob will only do that if I can accompany him."

" We cannot trust you," interjected Sam, " we cannot trust Jacob anymore. You own him."

"Like he owns me," I retorted.

As Sam opened his mouth, Jacob interrupted him, " Sam, you're not the one who gets to make this decision. Hell, you shouldn't even be sitting there. That's my seat. I'm the real Alpha of this pack."

" An alpha who fucking submitted to a leech," snarled Sam.

" Doesn't matter. That's my position. I'm the leader of this pack, and not you. I'm just asking for my mate and I to be granted permission to cross the border. I want to be able to see my father and my family whenever I feel like it. I don't want your fucking position as alpha. But, if push comes to shove, you know I will take it."

"You can't do that..."

"Can't I?"

"That's enough," interjected Sue Clearwater, " Jacob, there's only one way I can think of allowing you to cross the border with Mr. Cullen in tow," she said carefully; her calculating gaze looked me up and down before she continued, " you would have to form part of Sam's pack."

" I fucking will not," cried Jacob.

" Language, Jacob," exclaimed Billy as he glared at his son.

" Sorry. But, I will not be part of Sam's pack. I won't. I don't need to be part of a pack."

" You will die without a pack. But, I was thinking that your being part of the pack would allow us to keep an eye on you and Mr. Cullen," she continued, her voice calm and collected.

" No," said Jacob resolutely, " I will not be part of a family that has no respect for my mate. Or my preferences. Being part of a family means unconditional love and faith. Not spying. There are no ifs and buts. You should be accepting me the way I am. Like the Cullens have. They don't fucking care that I am a wolf. They respect me and have accepted me into their lives."

His statement was followed by stunned silence. I could feel the nervousness through the bond; his fear and I wished I could reach out to take his hand in him down. But, I didn't want to aggravate the situation, so I kept my hands in my pockets, allowing the blunt edges of my nails to dig into the marble of my skin. Through the bond, I did my best to comfort him.

"There has to be some other way. I will be a lone wolf. Not all wolves have packs."

" They're animals, Jacob," snapped Billy as he glared at his son, " you will not risk your life unnecessarily."

"He is right, Jacob," added Old Quil, " you are part of our legacy and we will not allow you to put yourself in danger."

" Wolves live alone in the wild. Besides, I won't be staying in Forks the whole time. Edward... and the Cullens need to move after sometime. I don't need the leadership of the pack. I want you, all of you, to respect my imprint. Can't you give him the benefit of the doubt?"

"And while you are in Forks? We cannot have two alphas. One of you will need to prove yourself to the other," said Old Quil.

Jacob swallowed noisily, " Well. Like you said... I'm human. I can control my mind and that of my wolf's."

" No. That's too much of a gamble. A gamble that we cannot take. Not with your life nor Sam's," interrupted Billy.

" I agree," I said softly, not meeting Jacob's irritated glare. I would not risk his life. Not on any condition.

" I will not be part of Sam's pack to take their insults and their taunts day in and day out. I don't want them telling me that preferences and my life is intolerable and unnatural."

My stomach clenched at the last word as it reminded me of Bella's words. Jacob still didn't know about this. Nor did I plan on telling him and hurting him like that.

"We can have two packs," cried Seth from the back of the room.

"No," cried Jacob, whirling around to look at the young Quileute.

"Enough," called Sam as the other elders looked at each other, " we're not going to split into two packs. Jacob is part of our pack. Leech lover or not. I won't have two packs in Forks. Whether we like it or not, Jacob will be part of this tribe and of our pack."

" And what?" spat Jacob, " Take orders from you? Listen to you mocking me and my way of living? I've had enough of that. Thanks. Do you realize what I had to live with? For weeks, I had to listen to you telling me how awful my imprint was; how hard it was for me to have imprinted on a bloodsucker, how hard it was on the pack, how my imprint was going to affect your pack and your tribe. Did you even stop to think how much that imprint was hurting me? Huh? Any one of you think that? How much it hurt to love Edward because you...you all said it was wrong," as he looked around the room accusingly.

My heart clenched at his words.

" You will not disobey me, Jacob. You have a duty to protect this tribe and you will perform your duty."

It was an order. This was Sam's order as the Alpha of the pack. No one could disobey the Alpha.

No one. Except for Jacob.

I drew a sharp unnecessary breath as I watched Jacob struggle with the need for his freedom and the hesitation to accept his birthright. The conflict of breaking away from his pack and the life he's known to embrace the unknown of being the rightful heir and the leader.

My eyes were trained on my mate. His mental block was up but his conflict was apparent through the bond. It was at that moment that I realized that Jacob sometimes put his mental block up, not to hide from me, but to protect me. Protect me from him. From his torturous thoughts.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jacob had made his decision. And I felt it rock the core of my body.

I choked as the shackles that held him broke. His mental wall broke down. It all happened simultaneously. In my mind, I could see Jacob picturing the bonds of the pack falling off him; see the ropes that tied up his legs loosening until he could move away from them. Through the bond, a rush of emotions passed through me. It was freedom. A liberation. There was a strange power that coursed Jacob's frame. But something was wrong. The power echoed through him, but it was hollow. Like an empty soda can.

Jacob had embraced his birthright.

"Wrong," he said softly; his voice was husky with a tinge of authority that echoed through the room and even without any connection to him-mental or physical-the tribe instinctively knew. "I was not made to kneel before you. I do not have to obey you. I have no pack now," his soft voice carried a truth. He stood proud and tall in the living room.

"Jake," whispered Billy, horrified and afraid for his son.

" Your pack, Jake," breathed Billy, concerned.

"I have no pack," repeated Jacob. But, his voice didn't carry that out. No. It was his mind. His eyes were trained on the black orbs of Sam. They were directed to him. Alpha to Alpha.

"What have you done?" answered Sam mentally.

" I won't follow you, Sam. Not on these conditions."

" You would abandon... You would...choose the leech over your family."

"Destiny. Destiny chose Edward for me. And I'm-I will be-standing by him. Forever and always"

"They're our enemies, Jacob."

" They are not. They've never been our enemies. Think about it. Think it through."

" We protect our families, Jacob."

" Edward is family! Just like Emily is yours, Edward is my family."

" Jacob, you cannot turn your back on the tribe."

" I will not. I didn't choose the Cullens over the tribe. I chose my imprint over you. And your pack."

" So, is this it then, Jacob? We fight? Or are you just going to order the rest of the pack to follow you?"

" I would never take someone's will away from them," answered Jacob. Sam recoiled at the judgmental tone of Jacob's voice.

"Then what is your plan? There cannot be more than one Alpha. You heard the elders. Do you plan on breaking our family apart? Is that it?"

" I will not be breaking your pack, Sam. The pack has chosen you. You are their Alpha. I have no pack. I will not fight your for leadership. I will not order them to follow me. I will not ask you to step aside. I trusted you in Hawaii with the pack and I trust you with them now. I cannot-I will not-abandon my imprint to be part of a pack."

" So, you are part of a coven now?"

Jacob flinched at his words. " I will be standing between you and the Cullens if you decide to attack them, Sam. I would always choose Edward over anyone. You should know this better than anyone. You did choose Emily over Leah. Her cousin." " The Cullens are not the enemy, Sam," said Jacob out loud, " we have a treaty with them. A treaty they haven't broken since it was made."

" What about the other leeches? As long as the Cullens will be here, others will follow. Like that leech we killed a few days ago."

Jacob's sharp intake of breath caused Sam to pause in his anger.

Jacob's body shook as fear racked his body. Darting forward, I wrapped my arms around him. " Jake," I whispered, pressing my lips against his neck, "Jake. You need to calm down. He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. I killed him myself."

Turning around in my arms, brown eyes met mine. I could see the flashes of James's torture of Jacob before he duck his head into the crook of my neck. With one hand, I smoothed the column of his spine, allowing him to catch his breath.

" There was someone else, Ed. Someone else in the room," whispered Jacob.

" I know, Jake."

Jacob stiffened and pulled away from me, " You know?"

I nodded, " When we came to get you in Washington, there was another scent. Another vampire. But, the scent was diluted. James's scent and your blood overpowered it. I had hoped you would remember who it was when you woke up. But, you didn't."

"Why did you ask me anything?"

" Carlisle believed that it might have been the shock. That your mind had been repressing the events from your time there. You don't remember the whole thing yet, do you?"

" Not a lot. No. It's a blur. With some scenes more prominent than others."

Pinning Sam with a look, " Show me," I demanded.

Confusion clouded Sam's eyes, but one glance at Jacob, he complied. A tanned vampire with cropped black curly hair. His olive skin glowed in the sun as he stood in the clearing. With Bella. His attempts at running had been futile. The pack had overpowered him. Easily.

I gasped. "Laurent," I said as I met Jacob's questioning glare.

Fear throbbed my body through the bond. " He was there. Laurent. He was there. With James."

"You know him?" asked Sam.

Jacob and I nodded. " He was a nomad. Working with the Volturi. James and him were accomplices. And Victoria."

"The Volturi? James? I don't understand."

" The Volturi are the ones that make our laws. They're our police, if you will. They've always been threatened by our family. Aro, the leader, lives in constant fear that a coven larger than his, will want to throw him off the throne. And ours is one of the largest coven that could potentially do that, according to him. Carlisle is well known and well liked in our world. Aro doesn't understand that Carlisle doesn't want power. Or his throne. And so, every now and then, he sends his guard or his nomads to check on us. This time it was them. James, Victoria and Laurent. James was the one who kidnapped Sarah and tortured Jacob. Victoria, his mate has disappeared. And Laurent, apparently, had held Jacob captive, too. But, James is dead. As is Laurent."

" So, if James wanted Jacob, why was Laurent here?"

" I don't know. He had disappeared in Washington. We hadn't seen him. Other than the diluted scent, there was no trace of him. From what I know of their dynamics, James was the leader. And Laurent, the follower. So, if James had already been dead, I don't know why he would have been here."

" But, they are both dead now," interjected Billy, " there shouldn't be any danger, should there?" as his eyes slid to where Jacob was standing, frozen on the spot.

"There was the red head," said Paul, calmly from the back of the room, where the rest of the wolves were waiting.

My head snapped back, " She was here?"

" Right after you guys left," he answered, his eyes narrowed slightly at me.

" You haven't seen her since?"

" No."

The silence following Paul's negation was deafening. Jacob's mental block had slipped back up again and the bond was numb. Looking at my mate, I watched his straight back as he looked away from the room and outside the window. His arms cradled his chest as he hugged himself.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Embry as he looked up to meet my eyes for the first since I've known him before, glancing at Jacob's tense form before meeting the eyes of his Alpha.

" I don't know. Cullen, would you say that the danger is over? Now that the males are dead? Or is she as dangerous?"

" I don't know. They were part of the Volturi, so I wouldn't put any past her. I certainly wouldn't want to risk anything...or anyone," I replied softly; my eyes seeking Jacob again. "Why was Bella there, Sam? In your thoughts."

" She was in the clearing the day we killed the leech. They were talking. Bella left as soon as we started chasing the vampire and we never thought anything about it. It made sense for her to run. She didn't know him. Atleast, I didn't think she did."

I nodded. The clearing Laurent and Bella were in, had been the clearing where I had taken her. That was our spot. We needed to speak to Bella.

" You should work together," interrupted the soft voice of Sue Clearwater as she glanced around the room, " if anything, she would want Jacob, wouldn't she?"

My body stiffened as she voiced out the thoughts I knew, but hadn't allowed myself to acknowledge.

Her sharp brown eyes watched me and when I averted my eyes from hers, she got the confirmation she needed. Victoria would blame everything on Jacob and I. She would most likely want her revenge from us. She knew what Jacob and I meant to each other. It would be the perfect revenge for her dead mate.

Looking at Sam, " You cannot abandon your brother, despite the fact that he's no longer part of the pack. He's still part of our tribe," she said with authority. Sam nodded gently; his eyes flickering to the tense posture of Jacob's body.

" We'll help you in any way we can, Sam. I hope you know that and will accept our help. We're family now," I said.

Sam locked his jaw but stayed otherwise silent.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone,

I would like to apologize, first and foremost, for the delay in updating the story. I've been busy and I've had major writer's block. ( That's not to say that I haven't had ideas for other stories swirling in my head. But, I made myself a promise to finish this one first).

A few other things, I'd like to add was one, the mental conversation between Sam and Jacob. I know in the books the alphas can only speak with each other when they are in their wolf forms but I changed this. It's fanfiction so I assume I have the right to be creative with the information the author gave us. And plus, it fitted the storyline more and made things easier for me in terms of showing the differences between the alphas and showing how monumentous Jacob's decision was.

Secondly, from the last chapter, I've had a few people comment on how they didn't like how cold Edward was to Bella. And I'd like to add that the reason behind Edward's behaviour will be explained in a few chapters. As I've mentioned earlier on, I write everything as a whole and then later break the story into chapters. So, for me things from chapter 2 ( for example) can be explained in chapter 60 ( There's no chapter 60 btw. This is just an example) :P

That being said, I'd like to remind everyone to log in for the reviews so I can send them a preview of the next chapter. Additionally, I'd like to ask a question to everyone. It might be a tad personal and you can answer, if you want to. But, this will actually help me in a future story I'm writing ( and I might add something to this story as well). Here's my question:

Do you guys remember your first kiss? The answer will be mostly yes( you can't really forget that), but what were the emotions coursing through you at the time? Right before he/she bend his head to touch your lips? During the kiss? And after?

Were you guys afraid of being terrible at it? Or too overwhelmed to think about it and just took the bulls by the horns?

Let me know. ( Me: I was terrified at being awful. My heart was pounding like crazy. Lol.)

Until the next time,

Lisa