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Chapter 29 – The Reckoning

Bella was awoken by her door banging open against the wall.

She rolled over and squinted her eyes to see who was standing in front of her. She had to blink a few times to bring them into focus.

"Leah?" she croaked.

"Time to get up," she declared, with no preamble.

Bella groaned and pushed her face back into Jake's pillow.

"No," she mumbled.

"Yes."

"One more day, too tired."

"Nope. You had time to wallow yesterday. Now it's a time for the reckoning."

This piqued Bella's interest. "What?"

Leah came and sat on her bed. "The council found out. We don't know how, but they are dragging Jake before them this morning."

"What?" Bella shrieked again.

"Yeah."

"Oh no… oh no… this is all my fault," Bella started freaking out. She felt sick to her stomach. Oh, shit, not again.

She threw the bed covers off her body, rushed past Leah and threw herself into the bathroom before hurling into the toilet. Well, it was more like dry reaching. She had nothing in her stomach to bring up.

When her stomach stopped cramping, she stood and washed her face with cold water.

Leah was leaning against the door frame. "Jeez, B. You need to pull yourself together. When was the last time you ate something?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, her head propped up on her hands leaning over the sink.

"Great," she said sarcastically. "Have a shower, get dressed; you have ten minutes. I will make something for breakfast, and you can eat it on the way."

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the meeting," she said like Bella was an idiot.

"I… I can't do that. I'm not…" she swallowed.

"Yeah, they will be pissed. But I couldn't give a shit what they think. Jake needs you, so you will fucking be there."

Bella felt her stomach drop again. She knew she had to see him, she needed to see him, but she was still so guilt-ridden. She shuffled back to her bed and sat down on it.

"It's all my fault. I need to go, but I can't face them," she admitted.

"Yes, you can, and you will. You did this together. You need to face it together."

"You don't understand… I told him. I waited until he was most vulnerable, and I commanded him to do it. I didn't know…"

Leah plopped down on the bed next to her and pulled her own shirt collar aside. "Look," she said.

Bella glanced up and saw a mark, just like hers, on Leah's shoulder.

"Embry did that?" Bella was tempted to touch it, but she knew better. So instead, she reached up and touched hers.

"Yep, and he has one too," Leah admitted with a smirk.

"But… yours isn't the same. It doesn't mean the same thing."

Leah narrowed her eye, watching Bella for something. Then, when she didn't find what she was looking for, she continued, "it does. Embry and I imprinted on each about three weeks ago."

"Oh.. oh!" Bella gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no. Leah, I'm so sorry this happened to you too."

"Yeah, it sucks. But the little speech on the beach about loving Jake every day that you could, made me reconsider. That and the fact that I nearly lost him in that last leach attack," she shook her head at the memory. "So, I know what that pull feels like. The desire to mark is powerful. I'm surprised Jake lasted as long as he did. We sure didn't. He was bound to do it someday. You just sped it up."

"Oh," was all Bella could say. It still didn't resolve her guilt or the fact that Jacob hadn't told her everything to begin with.

"Right, shower time. Now you only have five minutes." With that parting comment, Leah left the room and stomped down the stairs.

Suck it up, Bella thought to herself before grabbing some clean clothes from the closet and ran to the shower.

She didn't have time to wash her hair, so she settled for washing her body and brushing her teeth. Then, she flew down the stairs with seconds to spare and met Leah at the door. She had 2 pieces of buttered toast for her.

"Thanks," she said before they sprinted towards Bella's car. It was pouring with rain, perfectly imitating Bella's mood on this dreary Monday morning.

Leah drove while Bella munched on her toast. She managed to get it down, but keeping it there was another issue altogether. Her stomach was churning with anticipation of the chaos that was about to go down. Bella wished she could have still been in bed, in Jake's comfy t-shirt, wallowing in her guilt.

She wound down her window slightly and closed her eyes to try and relax a little bit. She would see Jake soon. Funny, it didn't matter that she was upset with him or that he was presumable upset with her; she missed him deeply. Leah was right. She needed to do this for Jake.

"How's Jake?" Bella finally got up the courage to ask.

"Peachy," Leah replied sarcastically. Bella grimaced.

Leah sighed, "he slept on Embry's couch for the past day and a half. Didn't move once. Wouldn't speak to anyone."

Bella felt her heartache; she had done that to him. "I should have been there for him," she whispered.

"Yep," Leah agreed. "I know you had an agreement of no more running and no more secrets. And you both blew it. He should have told you the whole truth, and you shouldn't have run. So, you need to be there for him today, and you need to hear what is said."

"Thanks, Leah. You are a good friend to Jake and to me."

"When our alpha is upset, we all suffer. So, I'm doing this purely for selfish reasons," Leah said, trying to deflect the compliment.

Bella studied Leah. She had a fantastic poker face. Bella smiled at her, "thanks, anyway."

They pulled into the car park of the recreational centre, and Bella's nerves kicked up again. She fumbled with her seat belt, trying to undo it. Leah reached over and un-clicked it for her. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Just try not to take anything personally. They are a bunch of dried up idiots with nothing better to do than to meddle with our lives. Okay?"

Bella nodded. She didn't trust her voice at this point.

Leah marched straight up to the front doors and pulled them open without a seconds hesitation. Bella admired her confidence.

Bella followed her through the door, and they walked straight into the meeting. All the chairs were sitting in a circle, with Jake's back was to the door, his head in his hands, leaning over his knees.

He jerked up when the doors opened and turned towards the girls. A sad smile laced his face as he looked at Bella.

"Leah!" Old Quil barked. "This is a closed meeting. What is Bella doing here?"

"Oh, shut up, you old fool," she said as she walked straight towards Embry and plonked down in the seat next to him. She kissed him on the lips before winking at Old Quil.

Jake stood up and raced towards Bella. He stopped a few feet from her, unsure what to do. Bella noticed a few healing bruises on his face.

She closed the gap and stepped into his arms. He hugged her tight, and she laid her head on his chest, in her spot. The spot just below his shoulder, where she fits perfectly, and she could listen to his heart.

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time. They held the hug for a few moments before Jake pulled her back. He took her face in his warm hands and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Then, he leaned down and kissed her lips tentatively.

They stared into each other's eyes, expressing all the feelings and words they couldn't say out loud right here in front of everyone.

Old Quil cleared his throat, and they reluctantly took their gaze off each other. Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the chairs. She kept her eyes lowered to avoid looking at anyone in particular.

"Jake…" Old Quil started warning him.

"She stays, or I go," Jake said, leaving no room for discussion. Embry swapped chairs, moving from one side of Leah to the other, leaving room for Bella to sit next to Jake.

"Well, since Bella is here, maybe we can get some answers directly from her since Jacob is refused to say anything," Old Quil stated, clearly frustrated. Bella looked at Jake and squeezed his hand. "Bella, is it true?" he asked.

Bella risked a glance up at Old Quil, "you're going to have to be a bit more specific if you want the correct answer."

"Did Jacob mark you?" he asked.

Bella swallowed and looked at Jake for direction.

"Yes, I did," Jake answered for her.

"Since Bella is here, we would like to see it for ourselves," Old Quil stated.

Jake growled, "like hell you are."

"We need to confirm it before we continue. Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?" Old Quil questioned.

Bella didn't mind showing the pack the other day. It felt natural. But showing it here felt wrong. It felt like they were asking her to stand naked in front of them. This should have been something she was proud of; she was his, and he was hers, but the people in this room wanted to reprimand them for it. Make them feel ashamed about it. Bella felt tears pool in her eyes, and she shook her head.

Jake turned his furious gaze on the elders, "I said, NO!" he roared.

"I can confirm it is there," Sam stated. "We've all seen it," gesturing to the other members of the pack, who reluctantly nodded.

Billy starred at Sam a second longer before lowering his head. It was the first time Bella had really looked at him today. He looked defeated. Bella took a deep, shuddering breath in.

Billy spoke for the first time during the meeting. He had been reticent up until this point. When he spoke, it was not in anger as Bella had predicted. "I'm truly disappointed and deeply upset to hear that the rumors are true." He paused as if to gather up more courage to continue, "this is the reason that I didn't want you sleeping with Bella. Not because I don't like her, as you assume. I just knew that this was a strong possibility, and the longer you spent with her, the greater the temptation.

"What you have done went against council instruction and cannot be undone. It will have long-lasting consequences for both you and Bella, as well as this tribe. Due to your foolish and childish behavior, you have effectively ended the Black's lineage as Chief's of this tribe. As you will never produce an heir, we need to discuss what comes next for you and for the Quileute Tribe."

There was a heavy silence in the room as the words sunk in.

In some ways, Bella already knew what Billy was saying. But hearing it now, spoken aloud, by Billy, made it more real, made it official.

She could feel her own guilt and the shame that Jacob felt, radiating from him and through their bond. It was enough to take her breath away. The pressure on her chest became unbearable, and she gasped for breath. Oh no, not hear, not now…

"Bella, are you alright?" she could hear someone ask her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry… I'm sorry," she gasped again. "I…"

Bella was struggling to breathe; she could breathe in, but not out.

She clutched at her chest while her eyes closed, and the darkness set in. She remembers warm arms and then nothing…

"Bella! Bella! Open your eyes, honey?" she heard him say. She needed to come back to him, but it felt like she had been pushed underwater.

She focused on her breathing and listening to Jake.

"I'm so sorry, Bells," he sobbed as he cradled her body. He was rocking her. She felt like a child in his massive arms.

"Jake?" she finally managed to breathe out.

"Hey, you're awake," he said, wiping her face.

"Why am I all wet?" she asked. She could feel water on her face dripping down her neck and her damp clothes clinging to her skin.

"Sorry," he muttered, picking her back up. "You had a panic attack and fainted. I brought you outside for some cool air. It's kinda raining."

More like pouring, she thought.

The next thing she knew, she felt the warm air around her, and the realization that she was back inside hit her. She started freaking out again.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Take some deep breathes," Jake tried to smooth her. He sat on the floor with her and put his hands on the side of her face, "look at me."

Bella locked her eyes on his, blocking out the people around them. "Hey," he smiled at her.

"Hey," she replied. She paused and took a deep breath.

"What did we do?" she whispered.

Jake chuckled darkly, "we kinda fucked up, but it's going to be okay. Do you know why?" he asked

She looked up at him, "I still have you."

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. She melted into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They broke the kiss and hugged each other fiercely. "Don't leave me," she whispered into his ear, hopefully, quiet enough that no one else could hear.

"Never," he replied.

When they pulled apart, Jake looked at her again. "Are you going to be okay to finish the meeting? I have a feeling it's going to get worse, or do you want to go home?"

"I'm okay. We need to do this together."

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she smiled back at him.

Bella shifted off his lap, and they stood up to face everyone. Most of the pack were still sitting on their chairs, pretending to ignore them. The elders were glaring at them.

Bella took a deep breath, and they walked hand in hand back towards their seats.

She went to sit on her own seat, but Jake pulled her onto his lap. She was sitting sideways to the elders, facing Embry and Leah. They both looked at her. She blushed, embarrassed by her very public meltdown.

Leah gave her a nod of approval. Strangely enough, this simple gesture boosted Bella's confidence and made her hold her head just a little higher.

She turned to face the elders.

"Are we all good to continue?" Old Quil asked, with a tone of annoyance, looking straight at Bella.

She nodded. "Sorry," she said, apologizing for more than just disturbing the meeting.

Old Quil stood up. It appeared he was taking over from Billy for the next part of the meeting.

"When need to discuss the future going forward for the tribe and also, Jacob's punishment for disobeying instructions by the council." Bella flinched and held on to Jake's hand tighter.

"Right now, Billy is Chief and will remain so until he chooses to step down or passes away, whichever comes first. Then, after Billy, Jacob is in line to take his place.

"In the past, when there is no son to pass down the role of Chief to, the closest male relative is found. In the case of the Black family, there has only been one male in each family going back 6 generations. (This is true according to SM's Black Family Tree.)

"As far as I can see, we have two available options. The first would be that Jacob continues in the role of Chief after Billy steps down. Then, as he will be unable to produce an heir, the oldest daughters of the previous Chief, Rachel, her firstborn son, would be the next Chief."

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone turned to look at Paul. Then all hell broke loose.

"Lahote?"

"You can't be serious?"

"No way!"

"Enough," Jacob commanded. The pack had been silent throughout the whole meeting, so watching Jacob command the elders did things to Bella's body… no, now was definitely not the time.

She turned around to watch a very uncomfortable looking Paul sitting in his chair. The reaction from the council had clearly upset him.

"But, Paul…" Kevin tried to say.

"Is a changed man since meeting Rachel. Do not continue to insult him or his future children," Jacob continued to stand up for Paul.

Old Quil cleared his voice, and all eyes turned back to him. "As I was saying, there is a second option, and this will be based on what the council decides as Jacob's punishment."

Bella leaned in closer to Jake, and he pulled her in tighter, kissing her on the head.

"The council is within their rights to force Jacob to abdicate his position as future Chief of this tribe due to his actions…"

"What?" Billy and Jacob both said at the same time.

Old Quil ignored them. "If we decide to go down this road, the next in line would be Billy's sister's son, Colin."

The pack all looked at each other. Colin was thirteen years older, the baby of the pack, currently at school with the other puppies. It was very hard to imagine him in a position of leadership. However, they kept this opinion to themselves.

"I think that is a much better idea," Kevin said, smirking.

"Of course you do," Billy said sarcastically to his brother-in-law.

"There is a possible third option," Jacob spoke up. He paused and looked directly at his Dad. "Who is Embry's father?"

There was a collective gasp around the room.

"Are you accusing me?" Billy asked Jacob.

Jacob shrugged, "clearly, he's Quiluette, and his father carried the wolf gene. So that kinda narrows the pool of suspects down. Don't you think?"

Bella watched Embry with a mixture of curiosity and hurt on his face. Part of him would want to know who his father was, but if it was Billy, he would be upset that he was forced to grow up without a father.

Plus, from what Bella knew of his and Leah's relationship, it wouldn't matter anyway regarding the Chief position. Not that many other people knew that.

"It was probably Joshua Uley. We all know that man was a flake," Old Quil said.

"You would say that," Sue accused Old Quil. "You wouldn't want to think Quil Snr was capable of cheating on Joy."

"And, you would say that because Embry's dating your daughter!" Peter accused her.

"My guess is that he is a Uley. I would make sense that Leah couldn't get Sam, so she attached herself to his brother," Kevin remarked cruelly. Leah flinched and glared at him.

"Billy!" Jacob yelled, getting everyone's attention again. "Have you got anything to say?"

"I can't believe you are accusing me of cheating on your mom," Billy replied.

Jacob narrowed his eyes. He still hadn't answered the question. Jake was about to speak when Old Quil interrupted.

"Clearly, this meeting is getting out of hand, and none of it matters until we decide what to do with Jacob. Therefore, this meeting will be adjourned until we meet again with our final decision. Until then, Jacob, your weekly stipend from the tribe for security services will be halved."

"Awesome," Jacob muttered, rolling his eyes.

The pack started to get up to leave. Bella slid off Jacob's lap and took his hand as they walked out together.

"Wow," Bella whispered as they exited the building. "What a shit show!" A few laughed at Bella's unexpected swear word.

"I told you not to take anything too personally. Seems they pretty much insulted everyone today," Leah remarked.

"Except Jared!" Paul laughed.

The pack all gathered around Bella's truck. They must have all walked to the meeting.

"I'm so sorry for everything," Bella said.

"No one is blaming you, Bella," Sam said.

"It's my fault," Jacob said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you all got dragged into this today. I swear when I'm on the council… if I'm still allowed, things will be different."

"We will all be different," Sam said. "They were out of line today."

"Agreed," Jacob said. "And, who the fuck told them?"

A/N Sorry, we still didn't get to find out who the leak is. Heaps of big chapters coming. More drama, action and finally some answers.

Tell me, who do you want Embry's father to be?