My dad was quiet on the ride home. I wasn't sure what to make of that. A part of me wanted to break the silence, to speak and shatter the tepid peace that filled the police cruiser. But I didn't. I didn't start to ramble on about my time away, or to start thanking him for covering for me with the school. I didn't say a single thing, because for the first time in my entire life, Charlie was making no effort to hide his emotions from me.

I could sense his anxiety, the heat of it filled the small space between us. It was dry, and stifling, like the peak of an Arizona heatwave. Underneath the rippling waves of anxiety was an undercurrent of possessiveness, and steadfast suspicion. I wasn't sure what to make of Charlie's emotional state, hell I wasn't even sure he knew I could get such clear readings on his feelings. I kept waiting for him to say something, say anything to at least give me a hint to what it was he needed to talk about.

It wasn't until we were home, and standing in the entry-way that Charlie finally spoke. "You go on up and have a shower, I'll make us some dinner."

I paused as I thought over his words. They were said so casually, so calmly. So… normally. I didn't know what to say, or how to act. But I did really want a hot shower. Maybe I was overestimating how well I could survive indefinitely in the wilderness, because at that moment a hot shower sounded like heaven. I swallowed any questions I had and nodded, "Alright,"

I tried not to over think things while I scrubbed away my time in the woods. It didn't seem like Charlie had any issue with me. It didn't feel like he was angry at me at all. The only reason for that I could think of was the chat we had about his sister, about how female wolves sometimes need a little independence from the pack. A part of me had been banking on that, and I had been prepared to bring it up if Charlie started ranting at me. But he hadn't, so I didn't. Also, I wasn't stupid. I knew that he had probably been out of his mind with worry. I was his kid, it only made sense for him to be worried about me disappearing into the wilderness.

I stepped out of the shower and roughly towel dried my hair. It had grown a little bit since the impromptu haircut, and now reached just past my collarbones. I looked at myself in the mirror, my pale face flushed red from the hot shower. Without the weight of the extra length my hair was curling more, tighter and messier ringlets tangling with half-formed waves. My father's hair. I had inherited more than just his lycanthropy, I had his eyes, his hair, and I was tall like him too. The only thing I had inherited from Renee it seems was my pale skin, light and creamy as opposed to Charlie's dark tanned olive skin tone.

I rushed to my bedroom and threw on some clean clothes, tossing my wet towels and dirty clothes in my hamper. I thudded my way down the stairs and tried my best to remain calm, but no matter how much I tried I could not stifle the growing dread of the conversation to come.

I rounded the corner and came into the kitchen and saw that Charlie was just finishing up our dinners, some sort of creamy pasta dish.

He looked up at me and smiled, "Relax, Bella. You look like you're heading to your own execution." Charlie jested, clearly trying to put me at ease.

I managed a half smile in return and shuffled over to the kitchen table, sitting down where Charlie placed my bowl. "Thanks," I mumbled, taking a bite of the food. We ate together in silence for a moment before I couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm sorry." I blurted out suddenly.

"What?" Charlie mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.

"I'm sorry for running off. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you. I'm sorry I was gone for so long, I really didn't mean to do any of it. It's just – god, Dad I don't know. I felt like I was going crazy, I couldn't stand it. I felt like I was trapped and if I didn't get out I was going to die. I know you probably think I'm being dramatic but I'm not, and-" I ranted hastily, the words came tumbling out of me and when I took a breath to continue Charlie took the chance to interrupt.

"You think I'm angry at you?" He asked softly.

My words became stuck in my throat, leaving me sitting there with my mouth open and a word half-formed on my tongue. I closed my mouth and blinked slowly, shaking my head gently before opening my eyes. "You're not?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"No, Bella. I'm not angry at you. I was worried for you, of course. But I knew you would be back when you were ready." Charlie answered smoothly, he placed his fork in his bowl and pushed it away from himself a little bit, his eyes focused solely on me now. Whatever had allowed me to feel his emotions so clearly in the car had stopped, and Charlie was back to being an unreadable enigma.

"You are angry though, or at least you were." I hedged, I copied his movements and pushed my half-eaten meal away.

"Yes, but not at you. I am angry at Edward." Charlie's eyes darkened slightly, a frown creased his face.

I huffed out a breath, "Edward? Why?"

"I told him not to go after you, and he didn't listen." Charlie's voice was rough, his anger showing through in his growly tone.

"So you're angry at him because he didn't listen to you?" I repeated. It felt like I was missing something, some important piece of information that would make all this make sense.

It was Charlie's turn to let out an exasperated breath of air, "Well not just that, I suppose." Charlie paused and I waited for him to continue. Charlie saw my expectant expression and grimaced before continuing. "I told him that you would come back when you were ready. That you could look after yourself, and just because he is your mate does not give him the right to chase after you and force you home. Because I knew – and I told him this – that even if you weren't ready, that you would come home if he asked. It was disrespectful, and there are many things I can abide, but someone disrespecting my daughter is not one of them."

I stared at Charlie blankly for a moment, trying to comprehend his words. Mate. Charlie had explained the concept of mates to me, it was part of a completely mortifying sex talk he had forced me to endure when I was about 14. He explained that the Goddess had made a perfect partner for each of her people, not someone perfect exactly, but perfect for you. Someone who would love you with everything they had, protect you, and would do anything in order to make you happy. And in turn, you would feel the same. When you meet this person, Charlie had said, you would want nothing more than to be as close to them as you possibly could. Every fibre of your being would yearn for them, and you would burn the whole world if it meant keeping them safe. They would challenge you, push you to be the best version of yourself, that the Goddess knew exactly what you needed even if you didn't.

I had rolled my eyes at the time, it all sounded so sappy and romantic. I had sarcastically asked if I was supposed to not date anyone until I found my mate. Thinking that this was some coy attempt at abstinent only sex ed. Charlie assured me that that wasn't the case, and he himself had yet to find his mate. That alone made me more sceptical of the whole thing, if after so many centuries Charlie hadn't found his 'perfect partner' what hope did I have? Either way, when I had started dating Edward, not once did I consider the possibility of him being my mate. I mean… he was a vampire. In what world was a vampire a perfect match for a werewolf? I had figured that I would just enjoy myself, love Edward with everything I could and didn't bother thinking about it. I wasn't even fully convinced mates were a real thing anyway.

Until now.

"Mate?" I sputtered, apparently unable to form a complete sentence. Charlie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and I swallowed thickly before trying again, "Edward… he's my mate?"

A soft blush coloured Charlie's tanned skin, he looked down to his folded hands on the table. "Well, yes." He muttered gruffly, "Thought you knew this already."

I gaped at my father, eyes wide with incredulity. "Why in heaven's name would I think that!?" I squeaked, my face reddening to match Charlie's.

An amused smirk quirked at Charlie's lips, "I thought you had figured it out." He shrugged, amused twinkling eyes meeting mine. "I knew that first day when you came home from school, the way you went on about how good he smelt. I knew there was no other explanation."

Righteous fury bubbled in me, stemming mostly from how fucking embarrassed I was. How was it that my Dad had worked this out before me? "And you didn't think to fill me in?" I demanded, scowling across the table at my father.

"I told you. I didn't want to ruin anything by telling you." Charlie responded, his face clearing of the blush as he sat up straighter in his chair. "Besides, I know you, Bella. If I had told you he was your mate you probably would have done everything you could to fight against it. You're stubborn like that."

I sputtered indignantly, "Well, okay then!" I crossed my arms over my chest, "But still, Edward's a vampire. Is that even possible?" I took a deep breath and braced myself for the answer, not realising how much I wanted it to be true.

Charlie shrugged, "The Goddess knows what her people need, and She provides it. She made you, created you to be exactly who and what you are. Forged you, so you could become the person you needed to become. And the same is true for a werewolf's mate. Edward was born human, but the Goddess had a hand in his creation too. She knew that he needed to live a certain life, experience things a certain way, and yes, become a vampire I suppose. All so when it came time for you two to meet, you would be perfect for one another." A soft, loving smile crept it's way across my father's face.

A fierce love burned away inside me, setting my chest aflame. I let Charlie's words sink in, then I wrinkled my nose in realisation. "You told Edward?"

"Told -?" Charlie started in confusion, before understanding dawned, "That you are mates? Yes, I told him."

"He didn't say anything." I grumbled, confusion and anger slowly taking the place of the blossoming love I had felt just a moment ago. "We spent days together, and he didn't say anything!" I didn't mean to yell, but the words left my mouth in an outraged shout. "I mean… that's kinda important isn't it? You'd think that that would be something you'd share, right!?"

I stood up and paced the short length of the kitchen. From the corner of my eye I saw that Charlie had gone back to eating his dinner, sparing me a glance from the corner of his eye every now and again. When it became clear that I was too irate to finish my meal, he reached across and started to finish my pasta also.

"Look, Dad… I know I just got home and everything, but I-" I started, but Charlie cut me off before I could finish.

"Go, give him hell." He said casually with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Grateful for my father's understanding, I stalked out of the kitchen. I snatched my keys from the bowl on the hall-table and stormed out the front door.

I pushed my truck faster than I should have as I raged my way towards the Cullen house. I knew that Edward would be able to hear me from a mile off in my old truck, but I didn't care. I drove up the gravel drive and parked the truck roughly near the front steps. I jumped out of the truck and angrily slammed the door, a small cloud of rust appeared from the force of it.

I stomped my way up the wooden steps, making damn sure that my anger was obvious to anyone in the house. I didn't bother to knock and threw open the front door, it made a satisfying bang as it hit the wall of the entry way.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" I seethed, and in a blur of movement Edward was there. He stood in front of me, a small but confused smile on his face. He looked over my face, seeing the outrage and irritation so plain there, and his smile faltered. "We spent days together, weeks, and you didn't think to mention to me that we are mates!?" I screeched, shoving against his chest for emphasis.

Edward stumbled a step back, but kept his balance. "Love, please calm down."

I heard a deep guffawing laugh sound out from the second floor, followed by Emmett exclaiming. "Oooh man, you fucked up!"

"Calm down!?" I repeated in a shout, "Don't you tell me to calm down." I sneered, "We are mates! A fact you have apparently been privy to for weeks now! We are supposed to be honest with each other!"

I watched as Edward's Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily and eyed me warily. "I didn't mean to lie to you, my love. I just…" Edward trailed off, apparently unable to come up with an adequate excuse for his behaviour.

"Stop while you're ahead!" I heard Jasper heckle teasingly from upstairs.

I couldn't stop myself from smirking a little bit, a soft chuckle escaping me despite my efforts. Edward gauged my reaction carefully before smiling cautiously himself, "I'm still annoyed at you." I grumbled, but the words were too soft, too affectionate to hold any real weight.

"Of course." Edward replied placatingly.

"We're mates." I stressed, "That's really important, it's something you should have told me."

"I know. I am truly sorry." Edward risked a small step towards me.

I bit my bottom lip for a moment, considering whether I should continue to stay angry at him, or just give in. I sighed and closed the small gap between us and threw my arms around Edward's neck. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and breathed in deeply, allowing myself to become consumed by Edward's scent. I felt Edward's arms come and wrap around my body, holding me close against him. A contented growl rumbled in my chest and I continued to shamelessly nuzzle against Edward's neck.

I felt Edward laugh lightly, "Am I forgiven then?" He jested.

"Don't push your luck." I grumbled.

Eventually we pulled apart, reluctantly ending our embrace. Edward smiled lovingly at me, reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Come up to my room?" Edward asked, already leading me by the hand to the stairs, "I have a feeling that this mates thing is has a different meaning for you, than for me." He continued to lead me along the hallway and into his room. I happily made myself at home on his day bed, sitting cross legged I studied him as he came to sit across from me.

"Well, I guess that depends. What does it mean for vampires?" I hedged carefully, staring down as I played with the cuff of my sweat pants. I guess habits do die hard, and I didn't want all my cards on the table before Edward had shown his.

Edward considered my question for a moment before responding, "I suppose that depends who you ask. I have always seen it as soul mates, I suppose." Edward shrugged, and it almost seemed like he was embarrassed by the small confession. "Some of our kind don't believe we posses souls, though." Edward paused and it made me look up at him, I could see the doubt swimming in his eyes. "I didn't think I had a soul, not anymore. That changed when I met you." Edward's voice was so quiet, his words half mumbled, like he wasn't sure if he truly wanted me to hear him.

My heart broke for him and I reached up to gently caress his face, my fingertips ghosting across his cheekbones. "Of course you have a soul." I whispered.

Edward smiled, a half broken sort of smile and he reached to take the hand I was using to caress his face and held it in his own. "I've seen how Carlisle is with Esme, and Alice and Jasper, and of course Emmett and Rosalie. It's a… profound connection, one that can't be quantified or explained. Even though I can read their minds, I don't think I truly understood. A bond like that," Edward sighed with a shake of his head, "It's…" Edward seemed unable to complete his thought.

"Divine. It's divine." I finished.

"Yes," Edward breathed, a giddy love-struck smile curling his lips. "What does it mean, for you?" He asked gently, and I felt his thumb start small soft circles on the back of my hand.

"I think you covered it," I chuckled and shrugged uselessly. "Werewolves, we believe that the Goddess watches over us, protects us, guides us." I started my explanation, even though I wasn't completely sure I believed everything I was saying. I mean, if the Goddess truly protected her people, why did she let them almost get wiped out? I pushed those doubts away for the moment, and instead focused on Edward. He was watching me patiently, calmly waiting for me to continue. "We also believe that the Goddess created us, each werewolf was made by her hand, even a human who becomes a werewolf. We believe that it was always that person's destiny to become one of us. In that same way, the Goddess creates for each of her children a perfect mate." I stopped for a moment and just watched the way Edward's pale thumb traced nonsense patterns against my hand. "You're my destiny." I murmured after a moment, still looking at our joined hands. "And I am yours."

The silence that followed felt stifling, and I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I looked from our hands to Edward's face, a small frown of concentration was on his face. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his bottom lip was sticking out in a slight pout as he frowned. Gently, his expression shifted into a curious sort of smile. "You… you believe that I was made by the Moon Goddess. That She made me… for you?" Edward asked cautiously, carefully trying not to offend or upset me.

"Yes." I answered quickly, not hesitating for a moment. I was briefly shocked by my ready admittance but I pushed on anyway, "Yes, I do. I also believe She made me for you." I said confidently, believing my own words the more I spoke. "We are what each other needs. We fill in the gaps, making each other whole. Everything that you are, everything that you have done and will do, makes you perfect for me in every way."

Edward's eyes glistened with un-shed tears, a watery smile on his lips. He reached across and grabbed my face with both hands and pressed a bruising kiss against my lips. I greedily kissed him back, tangling my fingers in his hair. Edward pulled away too soon, and I was left gasping as he settled back across from me. Although he now sat closer than he was before and he gently rested his forehead against mine. "I want to believe, as you do." He breathed the words against my lips, "But I do not know what I did to deserve you, the Goddess must have made a mistake."

I pressed a soft, chaste kiss against his lips. "It's not about deserve. It's not even about want. The Goddess knows what we need, and she made sure that each of us were what the other needed before we ever even met."

"Then she definitely got it right," Edward replied in a joking tone, as he slowly pulled back to look into my eyes "Because you are everything I need."

I smirked back at him, "Whether or not what I believe is true, I still think it means the same thing." I paused and placed a hand flat on his chest, right over where his heart sat silent. "Soul mates. You are my soul mate, Edward Cullen."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed the update.