Chapter 36

I was dizzy and felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Paul and I were related? Was Haylas Lahote my great grandfather? My great uncle or something? Paul hated me… Emily didn't like me either…suddenly my vision went black and I fell to the floor, passed out cold.

Bella POV:

"Bella?" Angela's soft voice was the first thing I heard when I came to. I had yet to open my eyes when I heard Jacob's rough voice respond.

"That's it, I'm gonna call Sam," he said with finality.

"It's ok, don't bother him at work over this," I mumbled as I finally opened my eyes and sat up, rubbing at my bleary eyes.

"Are you ok?" Angela asked, concern etched into her pretty features.

"Yeah. It's just an awful lot to take in," I told her honestly. Jake helped me to stand and we all made our way back upstairs, taking the journals up with a glass of cold water and a heavy sigh we struck up a conversation about everything that we had just learned.

"Do you guys know anything about Haylas Lahote?" Angela just looked at Jake, apparently wondering the same thing. Jake shook his head.

"No… The Lahote line has had its share of indiscretions, Paul isn't the only Lahote to be the Black Sheep of the tribe. I've heard rumors of them getting the worst of the racial tensions back in the day. Maybe Charlie's birth parents are the reason for those rumors…" Jake said, mostly just thinking out loud.

"Well, I guess I will need to get more information in a different way then. Thankfully, a research and history major just gained knowledge of the werewolves." I would need to reach out to Amanda to see if she could help me out with this in the meantime. I really needed Paul and Emily to not catch wind of all this until I was ready to confront them.

"Obviously I need you guys to keep this quiet," I told them. Something that I couldn't quite describe was different in my voice and I could tell that Jake and Ange had heard the difference too.

"Uh… Bells you just Alpha ordered us…" Jake muttered, his face a picture of confusion.

"How is that possible?" Angela asked, her expression mirrored Jake's.

"Hm, Sam told me that I would take on a leadership role, I didn't realize it would be this literal," I shrugged. "I guess we need to read some of these journals now, there have been several effects of the mating mark that I hadn't been expecting."

I gave Amanda a quick call to see if she could come by, then we set to work. A few hours passed in quiet focus as we read the journals and collected any relevant information.

The doorbell rang and when I answered, a shy looking Amanda and a smiling Embry were what greeted me. They really were cute together.

"Hey Bella, it's nice to see you again," Amanda said, giving me a gentle hug. Embry nodded as his way of greeting, then helped himself to a beer out of Sam's fridge and offered one to Jake as well.

"So you said you needed help with looking up ancestry?" Amanda asked. I just nodded in response and pulled her to follow me to the desktop computer that Sam kept downstairs.

Angela came with us and we all huddled around the computer desk as I caught Amanda up on the whole situation. She pulled up some research engine, similar to the ones I used in college, and pulled up anything to do with the Quileute people.

"Alright, it's going to take awhile for me to filter through all this information, but don't worry, I'm your gal! I've got this." She waved us off, insisting that she needed the quiet to focus on the task at hand. I quickly thanked her, then Ange and I made our way to update Embry and Jacob.

"I see what you mean now, Jake," Embry stated, looking at me with something akin to pride.

"What?" Angela looked between the two men.

"Bella just seems different. Sure, ya smell like Sam now, but you also seem to have a more… commanding presence or something." Embry answered after taking a drink from his bottle of beer.

I blushed at the attention, but decided not to say much of anything about it.

"Let's get back to work on this. Embry, will you help?" I asked instead, again my voice came out a little more clipped and demanding than I meant for it to.

"Woah, I get that now too," Embry winced as he came over to flip through more of the journals.

"Oh no. I'm sorry guys, I need to learn how to turn the off switch." I apologized as soon as I realized that I had unwittingly alpha ordered again.

"It's ok, Bells. It just means that you're going to make a strong leader," Jake said. Embry and Angela both nodded in agreement.

I blushed, embarrassed by the compliment. Until Sam, I had never pictured myself as a leader, but the more time that went by, the more I felt that I was destined for this role.

"Ok! I think I've found everything there is to find on Haylas Lahote!" Amanda called as she came up the stairs, holding a stack of papers she must have printed out. We all turned our rapt attention to her, to listen to what she had learned.

"So Haylas was around at the same time as Ephrian Black, Peter Clearwater, and Levi Uley, so I assume that he was a wolf," Amamda stated.

"Yes, I knew of him as a wolf first," I interrupted to confirm her suspicions.

"He was the oldest of the four and had a daughter and a son. Imogene Lahote and Terrance Lahote. Imogene was several years older than Terrance and she married much later in life. However, when she was just fifteen, she fell pregnant with Geoffery Swan's child, Charlie Swan. She was forced to give him up. Geoffery and she were kept apart." We all looked around at each other, a bleak mood settling around us.

"Terrance was born just a year later. Terrance is Paul's father, and well, Charlie is your. So you two are second cousins," Amanda finished telling us.

"Was there any more information about Haylas himself?" I asked, curious about the shape-shifting man who had saved me via my dreams.

"There's a little bit of info on him, but not much… Haylas was a widower and kept to himself mostly, aside from the pack. He was a fisherman by trade and was a very stern father, as you can tell by how he handled the situation between Imogene and Geoffery."

"I don't understand why he would come to my dreams to help me if he didn't want anything to do with Carlie or Geoffery…" I wondered aloud. Everyone just sort of shrugged, just as clueless as I was. "Sam will be home any minute now." I told them.

"What makes you say that? I can't hear him." Embry said, he and JAke had their heads tilted towards the door, trying to hear any sign that Sam was near.

"It's another effect of the mark…" I explained, sheepishly. Their eyes widened and that's when Sam came through the front door.

"Woah, throwing a house party without me?" Sam laughed as he dropped a light kiss on top of my head. He was slightly sweaty and smelled like man. I immediately wanted him. Sam smirked at me, but didn't say anything.

"Whelp. That's our que." Jake rolled his eyes, then he and everyone else began to make their leave. I hugged Angela tightly, glad that we had gotten to spend some time together and had officially cleared the air. I turned and hugged Amanda just as fiercely, glad that she was a part of the pack now too.

I went to hug Jake and Embry as well, but Sam growled, not having it. I gave him a disapproving stare. They excused themselves, then the home was empty save for Sam and I.

"What? I can't hug our pack now?" I asked sarcastically with one hand on my hip.

"Blame the wolf, not me." He shrugged, then laughed. His smile was warm and perfect to me, and it wasn't in me to be mad at him.

"Alright, wolf, get your shit together, they're our family. Got it?" I told him, unable to hold by my laughter.

"Loud and clear, mate!" Sam chuckled, pulling me to him and nibbling on my mating mark. I moaned and reached for his mark in return.

"Come one, let's go get cleaned up." He said, then lifted me up, carrying me to the shower.

The next day passed quickly. Leah had been my 'babysitter' for the day, but we'd been having a good time. We'd busted out the swimsuits and had been sunbathing. It was a wonderfully warm day, considering the time of year, but the water was too cold to swim, so we stayed out, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"I like the mark, it suits you." She told me, inspecting my mating mark. I shifted, uncomfortable with someone being so close to the mark. I'd gotten on Sam for being too possessive with me, but the feeling was shared. I had never felt as possessive of anyone or anything than Sam since we've been mated. Not even that one waitress from a few weeks back.

"Nothing has really happened, but I can tell you found that back bone we talked about." She told me, smiling warmly. We hadn't known each other long, but ever since we went shopping together, and braved the fitting rooms, we had grown close.

"Yeah, I did." I nodded, happy that she could tell. "That doesn't mean I am excited to confront Paul and Emily though."

"Well, Paul will be on patrol with Sam for the bonfire, so at least you get to handle them one at a time…" she trailed. I had caught her up on the whole Paul-and-I-are-related situation, and she was just as shocked as the rest of us had been.

"Change of subject please?" I didn't want to think about it anymore, I just wanted to handle it in the moment once the time came.

"I've started seeing someone… it's not serious by any means… but you and Sam, I guess you guys give me hope that I don't have to be lonely just because I haven't imprinted." she admitted. I blushed, it warmed my heart to know that she felt that way. "Although, I totally think Sam was supposed to imprint on you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, shocked.

"Well… you've got vampire venom in you right? Maybe it's the venom keeping Sam from imprinting… I mean, vampires and werewolves are enemies, so maybe the venom prevents it from happening somehow." She reasoned.

"Woah... you might be right. I didn't think of that." I sighed. I wished that there was some way that we could remove the venom to find out, but there wasn't a way that we could think of. None of the wolves could suck it out for me because it would kill them, and Jas, Rose, and Emmett didn't trust themselves not to drain me dry if they tried. Plus, Sam hadn't been very keen on that idea anyways.

"So tell me about this special someone…" I waggled my eyebrows suggestively and leaned in closer.

When the sun began to set, Leah and I made our way back home to change into some night time appropriate clothing to wear to the bonfire. I chose to wear one of my new pairs of jeans and slipped into one of Sam's hoodies. He was patrolling tonight and I hadn't seen him all day either because of work. I missed him, and even though everyone else seemed to smell his scent on me because of the mark, I couldn't smell him enough.

Leah had also worn some of her new pants, and she also threw on a basic black v-neck top along with her new leather jacket too. She looked effortlessly good in that outfit with her long, toned legs and glossy black hair. I allowed myself to feel just a moment of jealousy.

"Ready?" She asked, then looped her arm around mine. We headed down the trail that led to the beach, where the imprint bonfire was taking place. I realized that even just a few days ago, I would have felt like I was intruding since I wasn't invited. Now, I held my head high, knowing that I had just as much right to be here as any other wolf or imprint.

"Bella! Leah!" Kim bounced towards us, smiling ecstatically. She was so bubbly and energetic that it was impossible not to catch the good mood from her. "I'm so glad you guys could come!"

"I'm not so sure everyone feels that way, but thanks Kim, we're glad to be here." Leah responded, eyeing Emily warrily.

"Hey there Bells!" Jared greated me as I sat down on the log that he was sitting on, opposite the side of him that Kim had sat down on. Leah had run off to talk with Angela, Jake, and Embry. Amanda, Emily, and then also Seth and Quil, who were not imprinted either, were all in their own little group chatting away too.

"How are you guys?" I asked the pair, genuinely curious. I really liked them both. Jared assured me they had been well, then Kim went on about all the things they had been up to lately, I guess they were talking about marriage and future kids, so they were redoing one of the bedrooms in their house to turn into a more family friendly space.

After a while of everyone just talking and laughing, having a good time, I decided that it was the perfect time to pull Emily aside and talk with her. She looked at me a little like I had three heads, but she chose to come with me anyways when I asked. I walked us down the beach until I knew that we would be out of ear shot from the rest of the group, then I turned to face her.

"Emily, I first want to say that I am sorry if I have upset you or offended you in any way." I started, shivering a little in the cold air. I pulled Sam's hoodie a little closer to my body, then continued, "but I also think that you owe Leah and I an apology."

"You're absolutely right. I do owe Leah an apology." Emily responded, snottily. "And you do offend me. You're pretending to be the alpha's mate, when you aren't even his imprint."

"I AM his mate." I snarled at her, practically growling like a wolf myself. "How dare you try to say what we have isn't true."

"You are NOT his imprint! A true mate is an imprint!" Emily insisted, though physically she had cowered from me a little.

"I AM Sam's TRUE MATE." I pulled the hoodie down just far enough to give her a good look at Sam's mark on my neck. Her eyes widened in surprise, then in fear when she looked just past me.

"My my my, what do we have here?" Came a tinkling, bell like voice. "When the dogs aren't around, the cat claws come out, I see." Victoria said, stepping into the moonlight fully.

"At least I know why you have been so hard to track down, my sweet Isabella. Your reek of the head dog around here hm…" Her lips curled menacingly over her fangs at the smell. "You used to smell like such a delectable treat, my dear." I stayed quiet, listening to her talk, trying to come up with a plan to get both Emily and I out of this safely. I pushed Emily behind me in the meantime, and stuck my arms out to the sides, trying to create a shield around her. Emily clung to my back in fear.

"Oh, such weak little things, you humans. Tell me, why is it that this one still smells so sweet, when you do not, Isabella?" Victoria eyed Emily dangerously. The hair on my arms and on the back of my neck stood on end and goosebumps rose on my skin. Instincts told me to run, but I wouldn't leave Emily behind.

"Stay away from her." I nearly growled at the fellinesque vampire in front of me.

"I'm sorry, but you're defenseless against me." She smiled, evil glistening in her eyes. Then, before my human mind could even take in what was happening, Victoria was behind me and Emily was in her death grip. Emily thrashed and cried, but couldn't fight the vampire off. Victoria leaned down and licked Emily from her shoulder to her jaw. "Then again, I'm not all that sorry about it after all."

I watched in horror as Victoria's fangs elongated and she bent forward. I had to act fast. I picked up a piece of sea glass and drug it across my left arm, drawing as much blood as possible. Victoria froze.

"Your blood is still pristine, my Isabella. Edward is going to be so angry with me." She dropped Emily to the ground and slowly started her way towards me. I took small steps back, trying to put more space between us again, desperate at this point, as my arm was still bleeding, blood dripping down it and to the sandy ground below.

"I am going to enjoy my snack, I'll worry about Eddy-boy later on." I was starting to feel the panic when I finally felt Sam. He and Paul were here.

Sam's massive, black form pummeled her distracted self and was tearing into her as Paul took the final bite and ripped her head from her frozen body. The two phased back and made quick work of setting the corpse on fire before she put herself back together and reanimated.

Sam and Paul then ran to us in their human forms and I couldn't be happier to be in Sam's arms. He pulled a part of the fabric of the undershirt I was wearing, and wrapped up my still bleeding arm, then checked me for any other injuries. He pulled me into him and was still growling softly. I felt secure and warm in his arms, and Emily and I made eye contact over our mens' shoulders as Paul was holding her just as tightly as Sam was holding me. When they let go and we'd all had a moment to breathe, Paul regarded me with intense eyes as Emily continued to do so as well.

"Thank you Bella… you saved my life." Emily spoke gently, with a small, watery smile. Paul nodded his thanks from behind her. I frowned.

"That's what you do for pack." I practically spat at her as I allowed Sam to lead me away from the pair, and back home.

Author's Note:

AHHHH! I hope that ya'll liked this one! I know I did! I hope that the confrontation between Emily and Bella was worth the weight! I love that Paul is speechless! I love that mean ol' Vicky is gonzo!

Tell me what you think!

I owe a big thanks to MacabreMystic for proofreading and keeping me at least mostly sane!

Happy Reading!

~Dahlia~