Chapter 16:
The scent of bacon and eggs wakes me up in the early morning. Wolf is holding me tightly, but as soon as he sees I am awake and well he pecks my lips gently and leaves the control to Paul.
"Hi." I whisper and he caresses my cheek.
"Hi, princess. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, who's in the kitchen?" I ask and he sighs.
"Everyone… the pack, that vampire you called, the elders, and your father." He reveals and I stare open-mouthed at him.
"M-my d-dad?" I stammer and he grins.
"Yeah, princess. We think it's time to tell him the truth… and he is now trying to kill the leech so you might want to get out there quickly." I jump out of bed, wrap a thick robe around me and burst out of the bedroom with Paul right behind me.
"Dad! Put the gun down!" I yell as I take in the sight. The whole pack and all the elders are seated at the table. Charlie has Emmet up against the wall with his gun pressed against his temple. Emmet is looking down at the floor guiltily, his hands up by his sides in the universal peaceful gesture.
"But Bella! He is a Cullen!"
"And? It's not his fault that Edward dumped me. Let. Him. Go." I growl. He sighs, relaxing his posture and holsters his gun.
"Fine, but now you need to tell me whatever is going on." He demands and the pack look at each other and then the elders. Finally, Paul sighs.
"Charlie, sit down." He orders and though Charlie looks like he wants to fight it, he relents. "I am a werewolf as well as the alpha of the La Push pack. Emmet here is a vampire or as we call them a cold one. You have heard our legends before but you always thought they were fantasy. They are not. They are real." He reveals everything and the colour drains from Charlie's face. I hold my breath, clinging to Paul's arm in wait for Charlie's response. After a few minutes, Paul scoopes me up and sits down on one of the couches with me in his lap.
"Dad?" I ask hesitantly and he breathes in sharply.
"I- werewolves? Vampires? B-Billy?" He turns to Billy, who sighs and nods.
"Everything is true Charlie. The boys here are werewolves and exist to protect our tribe from the cold ones. The Cullens only feed on animals, that is why they have golden eyes, and are therefore considered relatively safe. Usually they are not allowed on our land but Bella vouched for Emmet and he saved her life." Billy's voice, ancient with knowledge, seems to have a calming effect on Charlie. Taking a deep breath, Charlie turns to me.
"He… He treats you well, right?" His eyes hold mine hostage and I nod.
"I love him, he loves me. We would do anything to protect each other." I whisper and he nods slowly, looking at Paul instead.
"And you… You won't ever hurt her? Not even as a wolf?" He questions and Paul growls quietly, his eyes changing to grey, startling Charlie. Charlie throws himself backwards and reaches for his gun but pauses when Wolf answers his question.
"I could never hurt my mate and I will not let anyone else do it either. Rest assured Charlie Swan, no one will ever touch your daughter without my permission, and if they do, they will be dead before they have realised what they did." Wolf promises and I stroke his chest soothingly.
"Ssh Wolf, calm down. He doesn't know you yet." I murmur and Wolf closes his eyes, nuzzling my neck slightly with a quiet purr. Slowly his muscles relax and when his eyes open again they are beautifully brown. Paul looks over at Charlie.
"I apologize, Charlie. My wolf side is very protective of Bella and also very instinctive, but I promise none of us will ever hurt her." Charlie nods slowly, relaxing back into his seat again.
"Then I'm happy about this. I don't care whatever you are as long as Bella is happy. I love you, Bells." He smiles gently at me and I smile back.
"I love you too, dad." I whisper and he looks away with a little bit of tears in his eyes. "Paul and I have something else to tell you… According to the tribe we are married and… um… I- I am pregnant." I mumble the last and his head snaps to me again.
"Married and pregnant?" He almost yells and I flinch slightly, moving further into Paul's arms. He growls at Charlie, who instantly holds his hands up in surrender. "I would never hurt her, Paul." He swears and Paul relaxes a little but watches him closely. "But what do you mean with married and pregnant?" Charlie asks and I sigh.
"Well, there is this thing called imprinting and…" I tell him everything that happened, except for the sex and such, of course. When I am done he is sitting there quietly, seeming to think hard about something. Sam gets me and Paul a plate of breakfast, which we eat while he thinks.
"So you are married, bound to him by life and are carrying his… cubs?" He asks after a while, his voice completely neutral. I nod and he sighs deeply. "Okay."
"Okay? What do you mean, okay?" I ask frustrated and he smiles at me.
"It's your life, Bella, and since you are already in this supernatural business I prefer that you are safe and loved… and have contact with me." He almost asks the last but I nod.
"Of course! I want you in mine and our cubs lives." I assure him and he smiles at me.
"Then, I'm okay with this. Just keep me informed, okay Bells?" He asks and I nod happily. Paul smiles widely and kisses my cheek as dad eats breakfast, chatting with Billy.
"Happy?" He hums in my ear and I nod.
"I'm so relieved. Thank you, baby." I whisper, kissing him passionately. He answers eagerly before pulling away.
"We better stop now because I don't want to jump you in front of your father." He whispers darkly and I smile brightly.