A/N: Finished another chapter because sometimes I can actually get things done, heck yeah! Sorry for the abrupt ending in advance, this chapter was already kind of longer than normal, and I didn't want to write another heck ton of pages and take even longer to update. Love you all, and please, give me life with your reviews.
Chapter 22
"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you-"
"Bella, I'm so sorry, but-" Billy tried to intervene, but Bella was on the warpath.
"You're cool," Bella said as she pointed at Billy, but then continued to point at each other Elder, "Fuck you, fuck you, don't know about you, fuck you, you're a little bitch, you're kinda cool, and you…" Bella paused as she stared at Quil Sr, struggling to come up with the words to describe exactly what she felt for the man. "You...you're...you're just an asshovel."
Quil Sr let out an infuriated gasp, and while Bella had done and said a lot of things to the man, she never saw him as offended as he looked right then.
"A what?" Harry Clearwater asked in confusion.
Bella never took her glare off of Quil Sr as she shook with fury. "An asshovel. What, you've never heard of that term before?" It had simply been the first word that popped into Bella's head, but now that she said it, she was rolling with it. "And you're the goddamned ugliest asshovel I've ever seen too!"
"You take that back right now, or I'll-"
"What? You'll what?" Bella challenged, her words released along with an inhuman snarl. She was so close to shifting, so fucking close, despite being indoors. In fact, she would have been happy to shift inside, if only to break more of the Elder's shit. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge that if she shifted, they would have no idea what she was saying to them, and Bella definitely wanted them to understand every insult she was throwing their way. "I just came back from my dad being hospitalized to hear you fucks trying to remove me as Alpha. You expect me to be okay with any of this?"
"We have made our decision and it is to be carried out. The majority of us have realized you are much too volatile to be Alpha and have voted appropriately. You continuing to rule will throw the pack into more disarray than you already have!" another Elder declared. Bella didn't remember his name, only how much she didn't like him; she had purposely managed to keep forgetting his name out of pure spite. Now, however, she wished she remembered it, if only to curse him out more personally.
"The only reason I'm so fucking volatile is because of you wrinkled old ballsacks!" Bella growled. Maybe her whole mate shit was part of the problem too, but it was totally mostly their fault. Damn, she wanted so badly to hit them. But if she did that, they'd probably die, she'd go to jail, and Charlie would be sad. "You know, there's a funny thing about wolf packs; they don't let a bunch of shriveled talking prunes make decisions for them. They decide who is alpha on their own." She grinned at the Elders, not from a place of joy; instead, it was a way to show off her teeth to the men. It made all of the Elders nervous, especially when they noticed Bella's canines appeared to be much sharper than they usually did.
"If you don't calm down, we will be forced-"
"To curl into a ball and cry, I know," Bella said dismissively. Her eyes took on a strange gleam, and the next grin she gave was almost feral. "You know what? As the pack are the ones getting affected the most, let's have them decide." She jumped on the large table and, acting completely on an instinct she didn't know she had, she threw back her head and howled. This was the howl of a wolf, not a human, and it was not a sound that should have possibly ever come out of a human throat. Yet even a deaf man couldn't mistake this howl as a human sound; the power behind the howl made the very walls of the building shake. It reached deep into everyone who heard it, touching a primal fear deep in every Elder, leaving them a shaking mess, and one or two even pissed their pants from the sound alone.
The shifters couldn't ignore the call even if they wanted to, and it wasn't long until every shifter in Bella's pack filed into the meeting house without even knocking and asking permission to enter. In only a minute, eleven shifters were all standing in front of Bella, gazing up at their alpha with confusion as they didn't understand exactly how Bella had called them while human, but ready for whatever action Bella required of them. The Elders could only stare at the pack in confusion and concern. Nothing like this had ever happened in the history of their tribe.
Bella stayed on the table, pacing back and forth, everything in her coiled tight with pent up energy. "My fellow wolf bitches, I've called you here today because the majority of these dumb shits," Bella jabbed a thumb over her shoulder to make clear who she was talking about, "believe I'm not fit to be alpha."
The Elders were shocked to find every single shifter erupting into furious snarls, their bodies starting to shake with fury. Never before had any of them shown this level of anger or disrespect in the faces of the Elders save for Bella herself, and seeing all of them glaring at the Elders was nerve wracking.
Bella held up her fist and all of the wolves went silent. "They say I'm too volatile, that I'm going to destroy the pack if I continue to lead. Most likely, they want a weak little bitch who they have under their thumb, but sadly, they'll find none of us are like that. Regardless, they raised a concern, and want me to be removed as Alpha immediately and appoint Sam as the next Alpha instead." Sam's eyes widened, and he looked absolutely stunned at the words. "As I'm not one to roll over for a bunch of grumpy raisins, I've decided to do this the wolf way. Any of you who have a problem with me will say so, step forward, and challenge me for the spot. Now, where do we begin?"
Honestly, Bella knew she hadn't been the best alpha. Kate had taught her how little she had prepared herself and her pack to fight a vampire, and she had been so wrapped up in her mate problems and fighting her wolf that she definitely hadn't been at her best. Truth be told, if the right person stepped forward and challenged her, no matter how much her very being told her she was meant to be Alpha, she might throw the fight.
To her surprise, the one to step forward was Sam. She had thought she had gotten through to him how he wasn't fit to lead in his current state, and she was disappointed he thought that he was a better potential alpha than Bella was. Maybe telling the wolves the Elders' decision to appoint Sam had gone to his head? Regardless, there was no way she was going to let him lead, not with his current mindset. She was about to tell him to go outside so they could fight when Sam spoke.
"I had just turned eighteen when I shifted for the first time. I was scared, confused as hell, and thought I had to be in some kind of nightmare. Then Bella appeared. She took control, talked me down, and even managed to be her usual asshole self while doing it. She was there for my imprint when I...when I couldn't be." He got choked up at the memory, eyes glistening with pain and regret, but he quickly moved on. "My first shift wasn't the first time Bella had helped me either. Ever since I could remember, even when she didn't like me, she was getting me out of just as many situations as she got me into. Yeah, she's wild and crazy and impulsive and a real pain in the ass. However, she's also a natural leader, kind, strong, and she cares more about us than anyone else could. Ever since I met her, I knew I could count on her to have my back, and as long as I was loyal to her, she was fiercely loyal to me. We couldn't ask for a better alpha. As the Elders don't seem to realize where my loyalties lie, it looks like I have to show them again." To everyone's surprise, he got down on one knee and looked up at Bella. There was not a single moment of hesitation, fear, concern, or regret in his eyes. "I, Sam Uley, pledge my being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black. She has had my undying loyalty since we were kids, and she will continue to have it for many years to come. This I swear."
Bella could only stare blankly at Sam, as dumbstruck by his declaration as the Elders were. Finally, she managed to speak. "You insane, dramatic little fucker," Bella breathed, and that made Sam let out a laugh and grin up at his alpha. Before Bella could try to come up with a way to put her feelings a bit more eloquently, Jared and Jacob quickly stepped in, speaking at the same moment. They glanced at each other before Jacob decided to back down, giving the floor to Bella's beta.
"When Bella appointed me as second in command, I didn't know what to think. I never was someone who wanted to pursue power; I always felt like I was meant to be a follower and nothing more. Honestly, when Bella told me she wanted me to be her right hand, I was terrified. It was so much responsibility and I was sure anybody else would be better for the job and that I would just fuck it up. But Bella told me why she had chosen me, and when I looked at her, I could see how much she believed in me. Now, it's my job to show I believe in her." Jared kneeled down on one knee, copying Sam's pose, and looked up into Bella's eyes. "I, Jared Cameron, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
"You know ever since I met Bella, my life has been turned upside down. I never realized how much I was missing out on until she showed me, and as such, I started following her around before I knew it. She's my best friend." Jacob grinned at Bella despite the serious moment, enjoying how mind fucked she appeared to be. "I don't know what the fuck you all have against Bella, whether it's because she's a girl or because of bloodlines or what, but I don't care about any of that. I see Bella for who she is; an awesome friend, a genuine badass, and the best Alpha anyone could ask for. I'll never follow anyone else." Jacob copied Sam and Jared's positions. "I, Jacob Black, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
"Yeah, fuck you assholes and your stupid rules!" Paul cheered. "The fuck do you mean, she's not fit to be Alpha? None of us could do better." He quickly knelt like the others, grinning up at Bella. He took joy in basically flipping the Elders the bird, but more than that, he meant every word he was saying when he repeated the pledge. He couldn't imagine anyone else in charge, and didn't want to. "I, Paul Lahote, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
"I agree with Jacob. I don't know why you don't like Bella as Alpha, but she's the only one for the job. Bloodlines, gender, how much Bella listens to you all; none of that matters. What matters is that Bella is Alpha, and no one in the pack wants that to change." Embry blushed a little with his next admission. "Honestly, she's always been an idol of mine. It's been a dream to become at least half of the person Bella is." Embry quickly knelt, trying his best to shake off his embarrassment so that no one could think for even a second that he might be hesitating when he said, "I, Embry Call, pledge my entire being, human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
Quil Jr stepped forward, and for the first time ever, someone that wasn't a wolf spoke up.
"Don't you dare! You sit down right now, I will not have you taking any part of this!" Quil Sr screeched. He struggled to get out of his chair as if to physically stop his son, but his own fat held him back.
Quil Jr stared at his father. Never before had he looked, or sounded, so serious. "Bella is meant to be our Alpha, Dad. I don't care what you do to me, but I'm not going to bow out just to make you happy. I've spent my entire life trying to make you happy, you know that? I did everything I could to try to make you proud and it never worked. You know who the first person was to tell me they were proud of me? Bella. And she's told me so many times since. She taught me a long time ago that it was okay to be myself; that just because I had the same name as my dad, I didn't have to be him. Bella is more family to me than you ever were, and she's the Alpha I'm proud to follow."
"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!" Quil Sr shouted, looking almost crazed at this point. "I will not stand for any more disrespect, do you hear me?"
"Of for fuck's sake, you can't even stand at all," Bella snapped, eyes almost glowing with anger at how he talked to Quil Jr. She gestured to where Quil Sr was still struggling to get out of his seat. "Or can you stand, but you decided to just hump your chair for the hell of it?"
Quil Sr sputtered, his face turning almost purple with humiliation and anger, but he couldn't think of a proper comeback. Billy was able to make Quil Sr sit back down, and that was all that Quil Jr needed to continue as he knelt in front of Bella.
"I, Quil Ateara the fifth, pledge my being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black." In that moment, it looked like Quil Sr actually died inside, and every single wolf who saw, and even a few Elders, enjoyed the look on the old man's face at his son's apparent betrayal.
"Bella has been helping me and my sister out in all kinds of ways since we were kids." Seth said next. Unlike Collin or Brady, he wasn't cowed by all of the adults glaring at him or Quil Sr's near rampage. He didn't act like a fourteen year old kid at that moment; he was just as much of a member of the pack as the others were. "I love Bella. She's fun and kind and is always there for us. I'm grateful for every minute I get to spend with her, and when she looks at you, it's clear how special you are to her and how much she really cares about you. She's not the Alpha because she shifted first, she's the Alpha because we all love her and respect her, and we're willing to follow her into any situation no matter how crazy it is, because we know she'll get us out of it alright. We all trust her with our lives." He leveled all of the Elders with a look, and later, many of the Elders would be embarrassed for shrinking in on themselves due to a fourteen year old boy's gaze. Now, however, they were busy doing just that. Some even looked ashamed of themselves when Seth added, "You know who we don't trust with our lives? You all." Just like the others, Seth took to a knee and said, "I, Seth Clearwater, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black." Then, unable to help himself, he grinned up at Bella and gave the girl a quick thumbs up, mouthing, "Love you Bella."
Collin and Brady stepped forward together, glanced at each other, and then did a quick rock paper scissors game where the Elders couldn't see to decide who would go next. Collin cursed when he lost and Brady went ahead with a triumphant look on his face. It was only when all of the Elders' eyes fell on him that he froze, realizing he had no idea what to say and that he had horrible stage fright.
"Bella is awesome!" Brady blurted, unable to come up with anything else. "She's cool and strong and she doesn't treat me like a kid most of the time. She even taught me cool tricks and makes me feel like I'm cool too. I don't want anyone else to be Alpha either!" He almost fell on his face in his eagerness to get his turn over with, but managed to catch himself. Blushing furiously, he couldn't bring himself to look in Bella's eyes as he quickly said, "I, Brady Full-" Brady didn't think it could get any worse, but then he managed to bite his tongue. It took everything not to curse as he blushed a dark red, wanting nothing more than to curl up and die. Still, he pressed on. "I, Brady Fuller, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black." There was a pause of silence as Collin struggled not to laugh at his best friend's expense, and it made everything so much harder for poor Brady. Thankfully, Collin collected himself quickly and stepped forward.
It was hard for Collin not to fidget with so many people looking at him, but he did it, if only for Bella's sake. Hands fisted at his sides, he started to speak. "For us, Bella isn't just the one who happens to be Alpha. She's our friend, our sister, our teacher, our leader, our boss, and the person who pushes us to be the best us we can be all rolled into one. We loved and respected her before she was Alpha, and we're going to continue to do so regardless of what the future holds." Once more, another shifter fell to one knee. "I, Collin Littlesea, swear my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
There were only two members left who needed to speak. Leah made sure to gesture for the other shifter to go first when that shifter looked at her nervously. So the girl walked forward, hands in her pockets, shoulders slightly slouched. She didn't hold the confidence that the other shifters did, but when she looked at Bella, there was clear respect and something almost like adoration in her eyes.
"What everyone else said," the girl muttered, glancing at the other shifters to make sure she got the kneeling position right before taking a knee herself. "I, Cassia Littlesea, swear my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
"Now it's my turn," Leah said, and the smile she gave had such an edge it unnerved almost everyone in the room, both human and shifter. "You know, I really don't like any of you so-called 'Elders.' All you do is sit around making up stupid rules and acting like you're the boss of everything just because you're old. Not once have any of you actually helped us; instead, you order us around, order Bella around, and make us feel like shit about this whole thing. It's like you go out or your way to try and make shifting as complicated and suffocating as possible. If it weren't for Bella, I wouldn't enjoy any of this and I would probably spend every day hating myself for what happened to me." Her eyes landed on her father, and for a moment, pain flashed across her face. Harry looked to be just as upset. "You said it yourself, Dad; female shifters aren't normal. To hear you tell me that if Bella hadn't shifted first, you might have had a heart attack from the shock, even as a joke...it hurt. Not just hurt, but you made me feel almost ashamed of myself; for imprinting on a girl and for shifting in the first place. I really hope you weren't one of the ones who tried to make Bella step down from her position as Alpha, because if you did, I might have to reevaluate what kind of man I thought you were." Leah focused on Bella before Harry could try to reply. "Bella, you're a real pain in the ass. You cause more trouble than anyone I know, you're so stubborn I wouldn't be surprised to find out there's some donkey shifter in your DNA, and quite frankly, there were some times when we were younger that you were so agitating I wanted to slam my head against a wall. But you're also so goddamn strong, and I know you put all of us before yourself. The day you nearly died for me is a day I can never forget," surprise flashed across Bella's face, and she opened her mouth to protest. Leah rolled her eyes. "Yes, I do know it was you. You aren't nearly as sneaky as you think you are, Black. The point is, I'm pretty sure you're genuinely insane, but there's no one else in the world I can think of who would be willing to do so much for others like you do-even when that person is being such a bitch that you felt the need to hide your identity to come to her aid. The fact that these old farts don't realize how amazing of a person and Alpha you are only shows how deep they're assfucking themselves with their own heads. And speaking of fucking…" Leah's eyes glimmered with mischief, and Bella grinned even when she didn't know what was coming. "We all know all of these old farts are jealous because you fuck their wives better than they do."
A surprised and delighted laugh escaped Bella as nearly all the Elders, save for three-Billy, Harry, and the tribe doctor-erupted in an uproar. Many tried to defend their honor while others demanded to know if Bella actually had sex with their wives.
"Oh, come on, if you actually think I stole any of your wives away from you, you're even more pathetic than I thought," Bella told the Elders with a roll of her eyes. Then she turned back to Leah. "Want to wrap this up, Clearwater?"
"Gladly." Leah dropped to one knee and spoke loudly, needing to yell due to the noise from the Elders. "I, Leah Clearwater, pledge my entire being, both human and wolf, to my Alpha, Bella Black."
For a moment Bella just grinned at the eleven wolves kneeling before her, still blown away by the huge and incredibly cheesy show of support from every single member of her pack. "I love you all, you crazy adorable fucks," Bella declared. Then she turned her attention to the Elders. "You heard the pack; I'm Alpha, and I'm here to stay!" she boomed, silencing everyone. "Out of respect for my dad, I'll keep pretending I can stand the majority of you and keep you updated on any crazy going on. I'll even be nice and let you try to give advice as long as you don't try to act like I have to listen to you. But you've lost the control over the pack you used to have, and clearly I'm not the only shifter who feels this way."
Quil Sr glared at Bella hatefully. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you would be nothing but trouble."
Bella just rolled her eyes as she jumped off of the table. "I'm sorry, but the Alpha is not taking compliments from puckered assholes at this time. Goodbye." She walked out of the meeting room and her pack immediately got up and followed, many giving the Elders dirty looks or, like Paul, flipping them off. Bella wanted nothing more than to go and run like hell, but before they reached the forest someone distracted her.
"That was awesome! I can't believe you just said those things, and they just had to take it! Damn I've never seen something so satisfying in my life!"
Bella turned to the girl with black hair and hazel eyes. "Wait a minute, who the fuck are you?"
"That's right, Cass, what are you doing here?" Collin asked, just as surprised as everyone else was to see the girl walking around with the pack. "Aren't you supposed to be at that boarding school?"
"I got expelled," the girl stated proudly as she slapped the huge boy on the back. "I missed you too, little bro. My name's Cassia by the way, but everyone calls me Cass," she added for everyone else's benefit. "I'm Collin's big sister."
"No, but what are you doing here?" Bella stressed.
At that, Cass shrugged. "I don't really know. I was on my way home to tell my parents the great news so I could go pass out for a bit because I've been feeling like shit since I got here an hour ago. Then there was this wolf howl, and I got this super overwhelming urge to just go find the source of it. Next thing I know, here I am, watching you guys verbally slaughtering all of those old guys...and I had no idea what was going on but I totally wanted to be a part of it."
At her words, Bella frowned and examined Cass closer. It didn't take long to realize that the glistening eyes and flushed cheeks weren't just from excitement. The girl was showing the telltale signs of being on the road to shifting, and for whatever reason her body was speeding up the process. The girl appeared to be getting sicker before Bella's very eyes, and Bella knew that it might only be hours before she changed for the first time.
"Fuck, you're coming with me." Bella picked Cass up like a football, making the girl giggle. "I don't know when you're going to change, but you're staying with me until you do. As for the rest of you, we're having a party at the border we share with the Cullens to celebrate! Get us enough alcohol so that we can actually get a buzz going, you hear me? I miss getting drunk."
"On the border, huh? Strange place to have a party. Are you hoping to get a glimpse of two blondes, by any chance?" Jacob teased.
"Shut up," Bella snapped, but couldn't even try to deny it.
"Ooh, Bella's got a crush," Cass giggled, and Bella already knew that she was going to be a troublemaker just like her. Which she liked...just not when she was currently the one being teased.
"You shut up too," Bella snapped at her, making Cass laugh even more. "Let's just get this party going already. Or do you all want to try my new training regimen instead?" The look in her eyes made it clear the Alpha was eager to have an excuse to kick everyone's ass in the most lovingly way possible, and it was enough to send all of the wolves running off while calling over their shoulder what they were going to get for the party. Bella couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.
"That's what I thought."
It was only when Bella and Cass were alone that Cass spoke. "So…can you tell me what exactly is going on?"
Bella sighed. "Yeah, come with me. It's a long story."
"I mean, you're carrying me, so I don't really-"
"What did I say about talking?"
"I don't know, I kind of blanked out for a bit earlier."
Bella's only response was a sigh. Apparently, this was going to be a longer talk than she originally thought.