Chapter 41

*Trigger warning - Edward will make an appearance in this chapter and be physically controlling. There is nothing that goes too dark here, but if you are sensitive to it, then you may want to skip this chapter. *

Sam POV:

Bella practically chugged the tea and smiled at me sheepishly. I may have appreciated the look on her face and the endearing blush that lit her cheeks on fire, but even that wasn't enough to rid me of the bitter taste of that disgusting tea.

I'd gone into it without any hesitation; there were few things that my stomach couldn't handle. This elixir seriously tested me though.

"Speak for yourself, that shit was disgusting," I ground out around my gag when Bella commented that it hadn't been so bad.

I grabbed a bottle of water and downed it. I smashed it in my hand and just held onto it as another stretch of silence floated between us. The quiet was slightly awkward since neither of us was completely sure what we should be doing. I knew that Bella saw me as someone who always knew what to do, hell, my whole pack and tribe also saw me that way, but I was currently clueless. It was to be expected, I decided. It wasn't everyday I took my mate to an uninhabited, spiritually significant island and drank revolting, hallucinogenic leaf water, afterall.

"So, what now?" She hedged, after giving up on waiting for me to lead the way.

"We just have to wait now." I leaned back on my elbows and Bella snuggled her way in, wiggling until she was comfortably pressed against me. I kissed the top of her head and took in her calming scent. The sun was out and there was a gentle breeze that made it hard to believe that just yesterday such a wild storm had broken out and overtaken us.

We waited and waited. We talked for hours and nearly forgot that we'd even drank the tea at all. I was completely content to listen to my little mate as she chirped on excitedly beside me.

I didn't notice any effect at all until, without warning, Bella stood, smiling at something that I couldn't see. She moved more gracefully than I'd ever seen her move before. She began to skip and twirl with her arms stretched out wide. My girl was utter perfection.

At first, I thought that she was the only one who was feeling the vision tea, but as she drew closer to the fire I was struck by the lack of worry I felt for my usually clumsy woman. I was unable to feel the typical protective nerves that normally would twist in my stomach when she was doing something reckless or at all risky. I simply sat in a weighted content, heavy like a thick blanket as I contemplated why it was that I wasn't at all worried.

My mate seemed to glow as she swayed in circles around the fire. She was magnificent. Enamored, I couldn't bring myself to look away as she moved her hips to a beat that I couldn't hear.

Eventually, she must have caught onto the heat of my gaze because she looked right at me and held my stare as she continued to dance. There was a thin sheen of sweat on her skin from the exertion, but she never looked away from me. Like magnets, we were drawn to each other.

"Come." I heard a whisper from the woods behind her, it was soft and beckoning… then it spoke again, repeating itself.

I realized that the thought of Bella running into the dark woods without me, while she didn't have her wits about her no less, would normally terrify me. In fact, it should terrify me. But, once again, the instinctual need to protect her remained absent. I simply, somehow, knew in my soul that she would be safe.

Bella looked back at me, seeming to ask for my permission to go, as she hesitated to follow the voices of the whispering trees. I nodded, and no sooner did she fade into the shadows, the glow that had surrounded her faded as well.

I then immediately found myself shrouded in darkness. I saw no fire, no trees. I smelled no ocean, I felt no breeze. Even with my heightened senses, there was nothing. Yet still, I was as calm and content as ever.

I didn't know how much time had passed as I just roamed the void, trying to find anything at all.

Then, suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, a figure appeared. A figure I recognized.

"Levi?" I questioned to be sure. Joshua hadn't gotten along with his father, likely because Levi was a much better man, but because of that, I had only met my grandfather on a handful of occasions when I'd been a boy, but the family resemblance was strong.

"Sam," was his only response. One thing I did remember about my grandfather was that he was a man of few words. And when he did speak, he was often stern and unrelenting in his authoritative nature.

"You're my guide," I stated rather than asked. His only response was a curt nod and a motion for me to follow him through the void.

I kept pace with him and followed his lead as I took in what physical features of my grandfather as I could, saving them to memory. I didn't have much family to speak of, and hadn't seen him since I was young.

He was just about the same height as me, broad-shouldered and built like a shifter. We shared the dark hair and eyes that ran in the genetic line of our people, but the most notable thing was that he looked and carried himself much younger than the last time I had seen him before he passed. I figured that now he was the age he would have been when he last phased.

As we continued to walk the pitch-black void gave way to the shapes of the trees in a forest. As we went on, I could make out more and more details until I was surrounded by a patch of woods I recognized, an area that was on the pack's regular patrol route.

My wolfen ear twitched in attention when I heard a growl and noticed that at some point I had phased. A frantic voice that I didn't recognize reverberated through the pack mind-link.

"What the hell? What… what the fuck?" the voice stuttered. It was easy to determine that this was a wolf who had phased for the first time. I could feel the waves of anxiety coming off of him as the ashy brown, almost grey wolf in front of me was practically spinning in circles.

"Hello… my name is Sam Uley. I too turn into a giant wolf. I don't mean to confuse you even more, but you are not crazy, this is really happening. I can help you though. Can we take a deep breath?" My alpha instinct took over and I said the words I knew he needed to hear in order to calm down. I was compelled to help the new wolf even if this was just a spiked tea-induced hallucination.

"Ok…" he said softly after heaving a large gulp of air. "Wait. Fuck… how are you in my head?"

"Remember all the tribal legends? They are true. You can hear my thoughts and I can hear yours because we are in our wolf bodies right now. We call it phasing." With eyes as large and wide as saucers the young wolf nodded once in understanding.

"Ok, now what is your name?" I asked him.

"Brady."

As soon as I heard my new pack brother's reply, the scenery morphed around me and became the front porch of my house. My head spun for a second as I tried to process what had just happened. Wondering what this vision could bring, I took a deep breath and readied myself for whatever was to come.

I could scent my sweet woman inside. She beckoned me in like a moth to a flame. I stealthily made my way up the porch steps and into the living room where Bella was curled up on the couch with her bottom lip between her teeth in concentration as she read from a weathered book. She was so focused that she didn't notice me there right away, which just brought a small smile to my face. I stood still, just taking in the idyllic image of peace.

Unfortunately the peace didn't last long. The stench of sweetened bleach hit my senses and a viscous growl ripped from my chest. When Bella still didn't look up I realized that, in this vision, I was invisible, just a watcher rather than an active participant.

I waited anxiously for the leech to show itself. I knew that vile scent. That particular stench belonged to Edward Cullen. Before he could make his appearance Bella proved me wrong by looking up from her book and nearly jumping out of her skin a little. She panted and held her hand over her heart.

"Sam! You scared me," she chuckled and sighed in relief. "When did you get home?"

I wasn't invisible as I'd originally thought. I then realized, however, that I was paralized as I tried to respond to her and nothing came out. That's why she hadn't heard my entrance or my snarl. My chest practically vibrated with the effort I was making to warn her of the impending bloodsucker.

After what had seemed like forever, that protective instinct returned to me in a flood of anxiety and near panic as I grasped the reality that a parasite was here and there was literally nothing I could do to protect my very human, and comparatively, very vulnerable mate.

"Sam? What's wrong?" her brows furrowed in confusion and her bottom lip pouted slightly in worry. Bella's chocolate eyes looked between mine, trying to find the answers as to how and why I couldn't respond. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted before she could get anything out.

"Hello Isabella," Edward's voice was just about as sickly sweet as his odor was. "I see you have your guard dog with you," his voice lilted with distaste. The feeling was mutual. I instinctively growled deep in my chest, despite the fact that I knew nothing would come of it.

"Edward." Bella acknowledged, sounding rather displeased. I was proud of her, she spoke evenly, not showing him her fear. Even though this was just only a vision, and I couldn't say or do anything here, I could still feel her through our bond. I knew she was terrified. The fact that I was unable to help her in any way made me sick to my stomach.

"What's wrong with your dog? Hm, Isabella?" a twisted smirk stretched across his face. He'd put it together that I was currently incapacitated. "Well that certainly makes this more fun, since I don't have to put him down first, he will be forced to watch…" he trailed off.

"I don't know what you think you'd get away with. The rest of the pack will be here any second and you'll be ashes before you could do anything you have planned," pride in her swelled in my heart at her courage and fierce words. Despite her brave words, she still stepped closer to me and wrapped her small hand around my arm.

'No baby, don't show him your fear,' I thought before realizing that she'd actually changed her position not to cower behind me, but to put herself between the leech and I. I felt a twinge of love within me, but my anxiety was heightened all the same. It shouldn't be this way, I was literally built to protect her.

"Ha!" Edward let out a screech of a laugh, as if the concept of my wolves taking him down was a joke rather than a real threat to his being. That just pissed me off even more.

Just then the leech looked at me with what could only be described as a look of pure evil, then turned back to Bella, his expression changing entirely.

"Come here Isabella, my love," he crooned. The bloodsucker's dangerously red eyes swirled with an intention I couldn't determine.

Bella's hand tightened its grip around my arm and she leaned impossibly closer into my side.

She shook her pretty head no, but somehow was unable to look away from the vile creature.

"Isabella. Don't make me lose my patience with you," Edward threatened, his voice deep with warning. The primal urge to protect my mate had never been stronger as Bella's fear spiked and I desperately willed my body to move. Regardless of my efforts, I still was paralyzed where I stood inside my own home.

"Listen to me, love. It's time to come to me now," Edward repeated, his voice only becoming more persuasive and forceful. That swirling intention only grew in strength within his eyes, and before I could register what was happening Bella was loosening her hold on me. She took a small step towards the monster that stood before us, sending a jolt of pain through me.

"Sam," the woman that was my whole world whimpered as she let go of me completely. My wolf whined from where he was imprisoned within my imobile human form. He twisted in nervous circles itching to be let out, and I tried to let him out, but still I could make no move at all.

"That's right, my love… you only see me. Soon you won't remember who the mongrel is at all," the leech promised. Bella simply repeated the words back to him, sounding like she was far away in a tunnel and in a drunken stupor, missing every other word. She stumbled forward, clumsy in a way that told me my girl was fighting whatever control he had over her, but that it was a battle she wasn't going to win.

Sickeningly pale arms wrapped their way around Bella's torso and pulled her warmth the rest of the way into Edward's marble chest. Something akin to desperation washed over me in shockwaves as I could do nothing but watch as the leech drew her chin up with one cold finger and encased her soft, pink lips against his stone, dead ones. I watched as my heart stuttered and my stomach fell to the floor, my soulmate, my other half- my better half, was being forced right in front of me. My wolf snarled and struggled from within but on the outside there wasn't so much as a tremor.

Edward dragged his putrid tongue along the expanse of her beautiful neck, stopping just above the mark that claimed her as my life mate.

"It sickens me that you allowed this beast to defile you Isabella. There's nothing I can do about that now, but I can cover the evidence, the stench and the mark with a mark of my own... the mark of immortality, my darling," the man in me was internally sobbing in helpless agony at his words, the wolf in me thrashed about, practically screeching in its panicked effort to get to Bella.

Edward looked at me evilly, making direct eye contact as he drew her perfect lips to his own again, bruising them. Eventually he closed his eyes, enjoying himself despite Bella's unresponsiveness. His body relaxed against hers and his hands started to roam her body.

Bella yelped, a shrill shriek leaving her lips when the vampire's fingers brushed against my mark, the first actual contact he'd made with the mark. She jerked her body away from him and he released her, more because of his shock at her reaction rather than her actually overpowering him, it seemed.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed at him, taking a few small steps backwards.

"Now, now Isabella, don't be that way, come back to me" His voice was controlled and filled with the same unnatural tone as before, the tone that he'd use to get her under control. His venomous eyes swirled with that intention once more.

"Sam, Sam, Sam…" Bella mumbled the mantra of my name as her petite form shook with the struggle, she wouldn't lose herself to his command this time.

"How dare you, you whore!" the leech hissed. He then flew forward in a movement so quick he wouldn't have been visible to human eyes, and slapped his stone cold hand across her vulnerable cheek, making an awful crunch ring out in the space around us.

Bella fell silently to the floor, her tiny hands cradling her face.

Suddenly, with an incredible fury, a colossal man burst through the front door and lifted the vampire in the air by the throat. The man's face and body was so vicious and wrought with a white hot rage that I didn't even recognize that the man was me. Well, another me as it was.

Just as soon as I had realized who the man was, I became him and he became me. I was just Sam again, but now I had complete control of my body. And I had the piece of shit that had dared to hurt my mate held up by his skinny little neck.

Normally, I would have enjoyed ripping the leech limb from limb, but at this point, I just needed the threat that had come entirely too close to my sweet mate, and my claiming mark on her, to be extinguished. My hand squeezed tighter against his throat, ignoring the sound of crumbling rock as I, not so cleanly, decapitated the now twitching leech.

My pack entered my small home at that moment and took in the scene with solemn eyes. I nodded to Jacob, who was holding a lighter and turned my back away as Jared and Paul gathered the pieces and heaved the corpse outside to light it up.

My sole focus was now on Bella. I gingerly grasped her hands in mine and pulled them from her face so I could see what he had done. As her hands fell away, I expected to see fear, anxiety, sadness, any number of emotions I could have understood, but instead of those, she wore an expression of guilt and shame. A look I was sure mirrored my own.

"Oh, baby, come here. Shhh.." I hushed her and pulled her into my arms. I fell back to sit criss-cross on the floor and she climbed the rest of the way into my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist.

Before anything more could happen, the scene faded and Bella was no longer clinging to me, I was back in the vision void. My nerves were much too strung out to handle being away from her and I felt the stirring of panic start to rise again.

"You see this is a battle you cannot help her with. Trust in your bond. You will see me again soon, my grandson. Now go to her." Levi's voice filled the darkness and faded out as he spoke.

I shot straight up, panting, my head spun as I took in the forest of James Island around me. Bella stirred next to me and opened her doe eyes to look at me. I reached out to cradle her face, checking her for injuries that hadn't really happened.

"I love you, Sam," she whispered with conviction. Something must have happened on her first vision quest as well. I would need to ask her about it, but for now the only thing I could manage was to pull her closer to me.

"I love you so fucking much, Bella Swan."

Author's note:

Thank you everyone for your amazing reviews and well wishes! They mean more to me than you can imagine! I really struggled with this chapter because I know where the story will go and I am excited to get there, but I think after working on this story for three years now (I can hardly believe it) in my head it is winding down, when in reality there are still several chapters to come. Not only will the main plot line need to be brought to fruition, but there are so many loose ends to tie up as well :) It will be bittersweet, I think. I will be sad when Exposed is over, but I also have so many other ideas floating around in my head that I've been beating into submission for so long now in order to keep focused on this story, and I can't wait to be able to work on those too.

I hope you guys are still loving the story and that you will continue to until it is time for it to eventually come to an end.

What loose ends are you excited to see tied up? What are your theories as to what will happen? I want to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading

Dahlia