An Occasion
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Part Three-The Wolf
Through her hazy vision, Bella saw Edward glare at Jacob impatiently as he approached. Then, abruptly, he inhaled sharply, whipping his head to the left. His eyes widened slightly, words slipping from his parted lips that were barely audible. "I don't believe it."
Jacob paused in his movements as he followed the direction of Edward's shocked gaze. "What are you looking at?" He demanded uneasily.
Edward didn't respond. He kept his eyes focused on something only he could see. Bella finally managed to prop herself up on her elbows and scanned the immediate area, searching for whatever had caught Edward's attention. At first, she saw nothing, and her anxious gaze flicked back to Edward and Jacob. Jacob backed toward her, hovering beside her protectively, making sure to keep Edward in his line of sight in case he tried something.
Then Bella saw it, a huge black shape eased out of the trees, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately in Edward's direction. It was enormous-as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling through the frigid air like a prolonged crack of thunder.
"Bella, please, don't move an inch. Let me deal with this." Edward said in a low voice.
Bella stared at the monstrous creature, her mind boggling as she tried to put a name to it. She watched Jacob crouch down next to her, doing his best to shield her from the creature's view with his own body. Frightened tears bled from her eyes. This was all her fault. She had put them all in danger because of her recklessness. She really was a danger magnet, just like Edward said.
The enormous creature moved stealthily toward Edward. There was a distinctly canine cast to the shape of it, the way it moved. Bella could think of only one possibility, filled with horror as she was-it had to be a wolf. Yet she had never imagined a wolf could be that big.
Another growl rumbled in its throat, and she shuddered away from the sound. Edward was backing away toward the line of trees. As she watched it all play out in front of her eyes in frozen horror, she still found herself wondering why Edward was retreating. Granted, the wolf was monstrous in size, but it was just an animal. What reason would Edward have to fear an animal? And Edward was afraid, Bella could see it. Perhaps it was fear for her safety, although something in his wary gaze told her this wasn't the whole truth, he was distinctly nervous.
"I don't want any trouble."
The sound of Edward's voice made Bella gasp-was he really trying to negotiate with the terrifying creature? The wolf was a wild animal, there was no placating it. What was he thinking? She couldn't understand why he was delaying crushing the wolf-it would be so simple with his vampire strength. Or maybe he wanted to lure it out of sight so he could kill it without Jacob as a witness. Yes, that had to be it. He didn't want Jacob to see him take care of the situation, there would be too many questions.
The wolf's eyes were dark, nearly black. It turned its head for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild creature and focused its gaze on Jacob. It let out a frustrated growl, almost as if it was mad to find her and Jacob still there. It gave a sharp jerk of its large head, as if indicating for them to get out of the way.
Throughout all of this, Jacob had remained as frozen as she was. But suddenly he sprang to life. Bella found herself being lifted off the ground again and cradled against a bare chest.
"I'm going to get us out of here, Bella." Jacob whispered close to her ear, making her jump.
"Huh?" Bella felt completely disorientated. She touched her aching forehead, her fingers covered in drying blood. She had temporarily forgotten about the injury to her head. Smelling the metallic aroma of blood made her feel nauseous. "Oh, god, this is a nightmare!" She mumbled.
The enormous black wolf's attention immediately snapped back to Edward. It emitted another low growl, sounding almost like a warning. Edward looked back at the wolf with barely concealed agitation. His hand dived into the inner pocket of his tux jacket and reappeared again holding a set of keys. With one precise movement he flung them in their direction. With surprising agility that impressed Bella, Jacob caught the keys in the palm of his hand.
"You can take my car. Get Bella out of here." Edward called out to Jacob.
Then to Bella's astonishment he ran away at inhuman speed. So much for not letting Jacob be witness to his inhuman ability.
The enormous black wolf was after him in a second, sprinting with powerful bounds, snarling so loudly that it disturbed a flock of roosting birds, who peeled off into the darkened sky, screeching in alarm.
"What the fuck?" Jacob swore under his breath, his dark eyes round with disbelief.
"Jeez, what is the stench in this car?" Jacob complained as he opened the driver's side window, allowing the fresh air to roll inside and cleanse the Volvo's interior.
Bella, strapped in the passenger seat, stared straight ahead, her mind a whirl of activity. She couldn't get past the fear, the horror, the confusion. She didn't understand what she had just witnessed. Why had Edward run from the enormous wolf like that, it was almost like he was scared. The wolf's teeth would have no impact on his granite skin. And, surely, the wolf itself should have given Edward a wide berth. Even if its extraordinary size had taught it to fear nothing, it still made no sense why it would pursue Edward. Bella doubted his icy marble skin would smell anything like food. Why would the wolf pass up something warm blooded like her and Jacob to chase after Edward?
"Bella, that was insane!" Jacob's excitable voice broke through her brooding analysis. "I can't believe the size of that thing! And your boyfriend?" He shook his head, one hand gripping the steering wheel while the other reached for hers. "I don't know what happened, Bella, but the way he ran off wasn't normal. It was almost superhuman." His brow furrowed and he threw her a quick glance. "You're very quiet. I thought you would be as freaked out as I am. Perhaps you're in shock."
Bella nodded dumbly. She didn't know what to say.
Jacob concentrated on the road again, his expression turning thoughtful. "You know Billy said something that was weird. I was supposed to pass it on to you, but I got distracted."
"Tell me." Bella urged him.
"Okay…but, jeez, this sounds bad." Jacob shook his head, his frown deepening. "He said to tell you, no, to warn you, that-and this is his plural, not mine" he let go of Bella's hand so he could make little quotation marks in the air- "We'll be watching." He glanced to the side at Bella again, waiting out her reaction.
It sounded like something from a mafia movie. Bella's face paled and all she could do was stare at him.
"I've been thinking about everything that happened tonight, Bella." Jacob lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "This is going to make me sound crazy, but…." He paused as if considering whether or not to continue.
"But?" Bella felt her throat tighten.
"What if Billy somehow sent the wolf?" Jacob gave her a sheepish smile, obviously expecting her to call him crazy. When she stayed mute, he took it as confirmation she was willing to hear more of his hypothesis. "What if that's what he meant by 'we'll be watching.' My tribe is affiliated with the wolf-maybe he can summon up a wolf when he senses trouble."
"That was no ordinary wolf." Bella whispered hoarsely.
"And the way your boyfriend was able to run so fast wasn't ordinary, either." Jacob reminded her. "I'm thinking of those stories I told you all those months ago on First beach."
Bella's breath caught in her throat-she remembered it all now-every word that Jacob had said to her that day on the beach, even the part before he got to the vampires, the 'cold ones.' She became lost in memories.
"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from-the Quileutes, I mean?" He asked.
"Not really." Bella admitted.
"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood-supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive, like Noah and the ark." He smiled then, to show her how little stock he put in the histories. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves-and that the wolves are our brothers still. Its against tribal law to kill them."
"Then there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice dropped a little lower.
"The cold ones?"
"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." Jacob rolled his eyes.
"Your great grandfather?"
"He was the tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf really, but the wolves who turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."
"Werewolves have enemies?"
"Only one."
There was something stuck in Bella's throat, choking her. She tried to swallow it down, but it was lodged there unmoving. She tried to spit it out. "Werewolf!" She gasped.
"What?" Jacob lost control of the car and it swerved to the left. He quickly straightened it. "I didn't just hear you say werewolf?" He questioned.
"You put the idea in my head with all this talk of Billy being able to summon wolves and all this talk of old legends." Bella huffed. She snatched her hand out of his and glared at him resentfully. "I mean, didn't the legends say something about your own great grandfather being one of them. It obviously runs in the family."
"Are you seriously suggesting that my old man can turn into a giant wolf?" Jacob scoffed.
"You said it." Bella retorted. "You told me yourself what he said- "he'll be watching"- the proof is right before our eyes. He was watching tonight and took action. Billy Black is a werewolf!"
Jacob's mouth dropped open and he nearly ran the car off the road again as he absorbed what she had just said. "Well fuck!"
If there was one thing that he could cook that made Billy proud, it was pizza. He could put anything on a pizza and make it taste fabulous, he swore he could. There were the days he pulled a plain cheese from the oven just to make Jacob laugh, but most days it was an edible form of his crazy wonderful imagination. And tonight, he had gone all out as a thank you to Jacob for going to Bella's prom.
Pizza was a thing to share. More than other meals it brought a sense of togetherness. The pizza with the rolled stuffed crust was Jacob's favorite and Billy was looking forward to sharing it with his son. They could have a movie night; he would even let Jacob choose which movie they should watch for once. That, with popcorn afterwards, was a special family treat.
Billy was already salivating at the thought of eating it. It smelled heavenly-fresh from the oven, the tomato and mozzarella were a delight for the nostrils. Teamed with anchovies and other weird combinations, Billy knew it was his best one yet.
"Just one slice won't hurt." He muttered to himself as he cut himself an extra-large portion.
Billy was so caught up in the heady aroma of the fresh pizza that he didn't hear the front door open and bang shut. Eating was by far his favorite time of each day, not that he was ever one for snacks, just three-square meals and often a small supper. Maybe a beer or two to pass the time….
The delectable slice of pizza had barely time to touch his lips before he was suddenly confronted by the tall figure of his son. And Jacob wasn't alone. He had Bella with him. "Um…hi?" He said cautiously. "I made pizza."
"I'm surprised you had the time." Jacob said cryptically as he snatched the extra-large slice out of Billy's hand and lifted it to his own mouth. He bit down hard, tearing off a great chunk. "Where were you tonight when you sent me on this fool's errand, Dad?" He demanded with his mouth full.
"Here." Billy answered in confusion.
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying!" Billy snapped indignantly. "This is the thanks I get for going all out to make you your favourite."
"Dad, I know." Jacob said pointedly as he finished off the last of the slice.
"Know what exactly?" Billy replied grumpily, he was still ticked off that Jacob had stolen his pizza slice. He reached for another and guided the pizza to his mouth.
"That you're a werewolf."
Billy choked.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.