Bella's wolf

Part 8 (Epilogue)

REWRITTEN MARCH 2022

After graduation, Bella and Derek packed their bags and drove to Forks. It was important to Derek, because he wanted to ask Charlie for permission to marry Bella and they only had the summer since Bella had to be back at the High School for the first day of school. She loved her job there and he loved making her happy, even though he had plenty of money for the two of them to live happily ever after without working.

Before they left, they welcomed Cora home. She moved in one of the empty apartments so she could have her independence but still be closed to her brother and she would spend the summer getting to know her cousin Malia and having fun with Scott's pack before most of them went to college. She had been accepted easily enough and was a member of their pack now, which made her happy. Being a mamber of the True Alpha's pack made her proud, even though she had to admit that she'd like to be in a Hale pack, with her brother as the Alpha, too.

The happy couple took their time driving there, stopping on the way, either because Bella wanted to see some museum or monument or because they had someone to meet or help on the way. When they finally arrived, Charlie was happy to welcome them. He took them to the reservation where his best friend, Billy, had prepared a cookout to welcome them.

"You're different now Bella. I haven't seen you in a long time but I can see it." Billy told her as Derek was speaking with her father and his other friends.

"I figured you'd feel it. You might not shift, but even with the wolf in you dormant, you can feel what I am. I'm a druid, you know, like old times. I use what people commonly call magic. I'm connected to nature and do my best to maintain the balance, though I don't mind helping tip it on the good side once in a while. Derek is a werewolf, a real one, not a shape shifter like most of the people here." Bella replied with a serene smile, as though they had had this conversation a thousand times before, like it was completely normal to speak about this for them.

"And you know what we are..." he frowned.

"Jacob told me the story a long time ago, it helped me find out what the Cullen's were. He didn't really believed these stories to be true when he told them to me. When I came to my powers, everything became clear. Then, after my graduation, I traveled and met a lot of people, from different supernatural species and learned a lot. I know that here you shift into wolves, but I've heard of a tribe in Brasil who shift into super large Jaguars. You have no idea how wide the supernatural world is. Jaguar shifter and Were Jaguars, giant wolves and werewolves, druids, like me and Darach, dark druids, Kanima, Werecoyote, Kitsune... If you've read it in ancient mythology, there's a chance it exists somewhere. There was a time period where most of the ancient creatures were hunted down, so if they still exist, they're rare, but there's a chance they still exist somewhere, trying to lead normal lives." Bella explained.

"What does Charlie know?" Billy asked, curious.

"Nothing of the supernatural, as far as I know. I never told him anything. All he knows is that going to live in Beacon Hills with my aunt was the best thing that's ever happened to me, even if he doesn't know why that is. That's were I met a druid, though he didn't use his powers anymore, he helped me learn what I needed and gave me names and adresses to learn more. Turns out I'm a natural at this. Some even say that I'm the strongest druid alive, others say the strongest in the past century. I was strong enough to kill on my own the mate of the vampire who had sent me to the hospital back in Phoenix, and I was just discovering my powers back then so imagine what I'd be capable of doing now." She told him.

"That's something. Are you happy?"

"Yes Billy, I'm happier than I've ever been. Especially now that I have Derek. He's perfect for me. We complete each other. He didn't have it easy, you know. One of his ex was a hunter and she burnt his family's house, with most of his family inside. His uncle was in a coma for years, then he was catatonic and only woke up to go on a vengeful killing spree. His oldest sister became Alpha after his mother died in the fire but ended up being killed... it's just him and his younger sister now. But he managed to remain good, and kind. I love him." Bella nodded.

"I always kind of hoped you'd end up with Jacob, I think even he hoped it, even though he barely ever saw you. Through the years, the few times he dated... I could see that... Anyway, it doesn't matter. You're happy, he'll just have to live with it. One would have to be blind not to see that you're happy, complete." Billy started to say before he brushed it off with a smile.

"I'm not all knowing or anything Billy, but I can tell you one thing, Jacob will imprint eventually. I don't know on whom, or where he will meet her, but he definitely will, and in less than 3 years." Bella told her father's best friend.

"Thank you Bella, I'll tell him that. It'll give him hope. Anyway, one of the wolves overheard you and your boyfriend speaking of the Cullen's. Are they causing you trouble?" Billy asked her, concerned.

"No, not at all. To make a long story short, Alice saw something that made her think that I was in trouble, so Edward, wanting to convince his family that I needed help told them how he had left me. Until then he had told them that I was the one who had broken up with him, demanding that I never saw his family again. Anyway, with my powers, Alice couldn't see much and I definitely wasn't in danger but there was something going around town, a dead pool filled with the supernatural beings of Beacon Hills and they were on it, so I went to find them. They explained themselves and offered to help us. We had a lot of injured and weakened Buddhist werewolves to protect so we accepted. After that, I allowed them to stay and now we're friends. They fit pretty well in Beacon Hills. Carlisle was more than welcome at the hospital because a few months before they arrived, a Dark Druid had killed 3 doctors in a ritual... I know that you don't like them much, but they're good people." Bella replied, keeping a peaceful smile on her face.

"As long as they remain peaceful..." Billy frowned.

"Don't worry, they are. They help protect the town, which is a good thing because it's a real beacon for the supernatural, because of the Nemeton. I think they'll be able to stay there a long time without anyone suspecting them. And once Carlisle can't work at the hospital, he'll be able to work at Eichen house, a mental asylum that also serves as a supernatural prison." Bella replied.

"If Charlie comes and visit you, he'll see them, then?" Billy asked.

"Yes, he will, but a temporary spell will allow them to look older, so far it doesn't last long and can't be done too often but I'm actually looking for the right ingredients to make it into something ore permanent but it's not easy. Don't worry, he'll either come up with his own explanation or I'll tell him just enough to help him accept it. No matter what he will be safe. Did I mention that my cousin was a True Alpha? Usually, you either steal or inherit the title, Scott became an Alpha on his own, by strength of character. I assure you, it's more than safe to visit." Bella assured him.

"Well, maybe I'll come and see it with Charlie next time he comes, see what it's really like. Now, why don't you help me roll back to your father, see if he's been telling embarrassing stories to your boyfriend." Billy joked.

"Oh, he's too late for that, I've already told him all the embarrassing stories during the first dates, to see if he really was serious about us. I doubt dad can tell him anything that would make him run away now. The ones I didn't tell him, he heard from my cousin and his best friend before he even met me. Scott and Stiles wanted us to get together before we even met and he probably knew more about me than most of my friends do by the time we met." She replied with an amused smile.

"Billy, I want you to know, if anything happen that you and the pack feel like you need help, don't hesitate to call me. I'll do whatever I can to help." Bella offered before they eached Charlie and Derek.

"Thank you, it's kind of you to offer." he smiled.

.

The day after the welcome home party at Billy's, Derek and Charlie went fishing while Bella relaxed a bit (and, let's be honest, used the time to clean her father's house and cook him a few meal she'd put in the freezer to be sure he had something healthy and easy to reheat to eat later).

"So, I didn't think you were really the fishing type. Why did you want to be alone with me?" Charlie told Derek, breaking the ice.

"You're right, I did go fishing with my grandfather a couple of times when I was a kid, but it was a long time ago, feels like a life time ago now. There's something important I want to ask you." Derek nodded.

"I was hoping this kind of conversation would never come, but I guess Bella grew up and isn't a baby anymore." Charlie sighted.

"I really love Bella, Charlie. I've never felt this way before and I want to do things right. I won't propose to her until you and her mother have given me your blessing." Derek said before he added:

"I guess I said it before I could ask you. Charlie, I'd really like for you to give me your permission to marry your daughter."

"Truthfully, as soon as Bella told me about meeting you, I tried to find something bad to hold against you. I talked to Scott, Melissa, even Rafe and Sheriff Stilinsky. Nothing bad came up. The record you have was because your twisted uncle set you up, you have a temper but only when the ones you love are hurt or in danger... Nothing I can fault you for... I guess I can give you my blessing." Charlie sighted.

"Thank you, Charlie, really. I promise to take very good care of her." The werewolf exclaimed happily.

"You're welcome but don't rejoice too fast. You said that you wanted both of her parent's blessing. Mine was easy to get, I actually believe in marriage and in long lasting love. Rene's blessing might be harder to get. Though I can promise to put in a good word for you." his future father in law told him.

"I appreciate it. Now, am I doing this fishing thing right? It's been a really long time and I don't even remember ever catching anything with Grandpa, we always ended up going to some store and bringing fish from there." Derek asked before they both went back to fishing.

Derek actually had a good time and he could already imagine himself with a son or two, visiting Charlie and going fishing all men, with the kids. He really hopped that Bella wanted a big family, that he'd be able to convince her to have a lot of children (or at least 2 of each).

.

Bella and Derek stayed a couple of weeks in Forks, hanging out with the wolves from the reservation quite often during this time, before they made their way to Florida to spend another 2 weeks with Bella's mother, still by driving, crossing the country in a fun road-trip where they'd stop once in a while to help someone or meet someone, or even collect rare and powerful herbs that Bella could eventually need some day and that they would store in the Hale vault.

Bella and Derek had grown quite close to Sam and Emily and they had already invited them or a visit as soon as they wanted to come. They'd stay in touch and Derek knew that they'd be invited to the wedding, if Bella agreed.

Renee had easily given Derek her blessing, having been warned in advance by Charlie, she had called her sister to know more about Derek and how he was with Bella, and so, all Derek had to do was find the right way to propose. He found the perfect occasion on their way back to Beacon Hills.

They hadn't stayed as long in Florida. Bella wasn't as close to her mother as she used to be and she realized that it was now easier for her to hang out around Charlie. Sometimes she wondered if her druid powers came from her mother's side of the family or her fathers. If it had come from her mother's side, then surely either her mother, Melissa or Scott would have had abilities, so it probably came from Charlie. Unfortunately, she didn't have any more family on her father's side, so she couldn't check, but she had heard often from her father that his mother loved taking long walks in the woods and that she grew weird plants in her garden. It's possible that she could have been a druid, maybe not a powerful one or not one who had to fight for her life, but it would explain where her powers came from. James' bite might have multiplied her powers.

Bella and Derek usually stayed in a hotel room, after all, Derek could afford it, but once in a while, they spent the night in the woods or in nature, to enjoy the beauty of the scenery. That night, they had decided to spend the night on a hill, surrounded by the woods. It was a clearing filled with flowers of different kind and whose fragrance mixed in many different ways depending on the wind and the spot you stood in. Isolated and absolutely beautiful, they could see the stars and the weather was definitely warm enough for them to sleep outside, the sky clear enough for them to see the stars.

Derek had planned a nice meal and surprised Bella with everything. She believed it was a simple romantic night and had no idea that it was actually a marriage proposal until after dessert, when he kneeled in front of her and he offered her his grandmother's ring.

Bella had never been one to believe in marriage, or to even dream of getting married some day. Probably because of the way her parents divorced when she was just a baby, maybe because it influenced her in some way. Even her Aunt Melissa had divorced her husband, so she had never really been witness to long lasting wedding life.

She had never imagined herself walking down the aisle in a big and beautiful white dress with everyone's eyes stuck on her and in awe of her beauty but the moment Derek asked her if she wanted to be his wife, she couldn't remember why she had been so against it in the past. She wanted to say yes. There was no other answer possible for her. She wanted to become his wife.

"Of course I do." She smiled, having trouble speaking with the emotion.

"Bella Hale or Bella Swan Hale?" he asked her after they had kissed a few times.

"I don't know, I think I kind of like both of them together." She replied.

"Me too." He nodded before he added:

"I think I'd like our children to have both of our names as well."

"Our children? Do you know something I don't? How many do we have? Did we forget them in the last gaz station?" She chuckled.

"I mean our future children. You do want them, right?"

"Of course I do, especially with you. And yes, I think it'll be nice for them to have both names." Bella nodded.

She wondered of their children will be werewolves or druids. Would they be a mixture of both or only one? She was curious but not worried, it didn't matter. They'd be loved, accepted and happy.

.

Eventually they reached their home where a big party was waiting for them. Alice had organized it to celebrate their engagement as soon as she had been told the news and she begged them to be allowed to organize the ceremony. Bella and Derek agreed of course, it would be one less thing to worry about.

"So, when do you want to get married? This is a lot harder since I don't see you well anymore Bella." Alice asked her friend.

"It will be a challenge." Jasper smirked.

"It'll be nice to see you be not all knowing for once." Emmett added, making everyone else smile as well.

"You'll have to be normal, what a pain." Edward said, joining in on the mocking of his sister.

"Next summer, this way everyone can be here and it won't interfere with anyone's classes." Bella replied.

"Any demands about the wedding?" Esme asked.

"Only that Derek be the husband." Bella replied, making everyone chuckle.

"What about the dress? Do you know the kind you want?" Rosalie asked.

"No idea, I've never really imagine myself in this situation before, I guess we'll have to go shopping and try a few different dresses on, see which style I like most." Bella replied, knowing it would make Alice happy.

"What about best man and maid of honor?" Alice asked, taking notes.

"I just asked Scott to be my best man and he agreed." Derek replied.

"And the maid of honor will be Derek's sister Cora." Bella added.

"Then as groomsmen we'll have Isaac and Stiles." Derek declared.

"And the other bridesmaids will be Lydia and yourself, Alice." Bella explained, having discussed this with Derek on the way back home.

"I already have tones of ideas for our dresses." Alice exclaimed happily.

"Billy and Jacob will be coming to the wedding, I might end up inviting more wolves from the reservation like the Clearwater's, Sam and Emily..." Bella informed her.

"And you also wanted Araya and a couple of Calaveras to be invited." Derek reminded her.

"Sotomi's pack too, and I have here for you a list of friends I've made over the years, they're supernatural and I want them invited." Bella said as she handed Alice a folded piece of paper.

"Why is my name here?" Edward asked curiously as he glanced over Alice's shoulder to look at the list, which was longer than he expected.

Bella was glad that they were able to be friends, that he had been able to move past his feelings for her, despite his insistance that he was frozen he couldn't change. They were friends now, just like she was with Jasper, Carlisle or Emmett. She was also glad that she had been able to move past her own anger towards them. They had all grown and she felt that they had always meant to be like they were now. Friends.

"Oh, I'm not actually sure. I've already warned him about the wedding and he'll come with his sister. I had a feeling after he told me that his sister would be coming with him. She's supernatural too and I'm not sure but you need to meet her. I think she might be your soul mate but I can't promise anything so don't get your hopes up too much. She's just 15 now, will be 16 by the time the wedding happens. They live in a small town near New York." Bella informed her ex.

"Soul mate?" Edward asked her with hope in his voice.

"I'm not sure, but what I know about her and the kind of supernatural she is, you'll be just what she needs and you'll be perfect for her. Worst things worst, you'll just become life long friends." Bella replied.

"Magical warning?" Jasper asked her.

"Yes, it's not always exact. I'll tell you more about this later. I just wrote this so that Alice can place you next to each other when she does the sitting chart. Like I said, at the very least she'll end up being your best friend, but she'll definitely be in your life for a very long time." The bride to be declared.

They spoke a while longer of what they wanted for the ceremony and, after that, Bella told Alice that they'd have plenty of time to talk about it later, that it was time to celebrate and have fun. Plus, she really wanted to spend some time with Cora, get to know her future sister in law.

She even managed to convince Alice to wait until next month to start worrying about shopping for the perfect dresses.

.

Eventually, summer ended and everyone parted ways, going to college for most of them, or staying in Beacon hills to finish High school for the others. Of course, none of them went far, they were all within driving distance and Bella knew that if anything happened, Scott and his pack would assemble once more though she doubted it would be necessary. They had already made a reputation for themselves in the supernatural world and those who didn't fear the True Alpha's powerful pack at least respected them.

The only problem could have come from Gerard Argent, but Chris and Allison had taken care of him. The geriatric psychopath was now locked up in Eichen house. They had tried to give him a chance over the summer but Gerard had tried to kill Melissa McCall. His goal had been to hurt Scott, who had prevented him from becoming a powerful Alpha werewolf, but also punish his son, who, he felt, had betrayed their family and hadn't tried to cure him.

Bella went back to work and easily found the time to organize her wedding with Alice and her friends. She also managed to spend time with Cora, who seemed to like having her around.

The year flew by quickly and, when it was finally time for the wedding, Bella felt ready. Luckily, Derek had plenty of room for the guests, along with the Cullen's and some members of her pack who had offered to welcome some guests for a few nights.

"Nervous?" Renee asked her daughter as they made their way to the room where Alice and Rosalie waited so they could help Bella get ready.

"Not really, I expected to be nervous, but I'm not." Bella smiled.

"You're sure he's the one?" Renee asked.

"Absolutely." She nodded.

"Good." The mother nodded.

"Charlie should arrive shortly before the ceremony starts, he, Jacob and Billy were sleeping at the Stilinsky's." Bella commented.

"Melissa told me. Apparently, Scott is already there with his friends, organizing everything." Renee added just as they arrived.

Renee was amazed at he amazing group of friends her daughter had assembled around her.

"Yes, I know that Alice has given them all very strict to do lists." Bella chuckled.

Bella rushed to the room Esme indicated and, while Esme and Renee made sure to check over a few last minutes details, Bella was entrusted into Alice and Rosalie's magical hands to get ready.

"I expected you to be more nervous." Alice commented.

"My mother said the same thing. I'm just sure of myself, my choice to be with Derek and confident in our future." Bella smiled.

"Have you seen Derek's suit?" Rosalie asked the bride.

"No, we applied the same rule as the one for the wedding dress, but Stiles assured me that it was a serious one and not something silly, even though he tried to make him choose something funny." Bella chuckled, making the other laugh as well.

"I've heard that he tried to make him choose a tie with a howling pink wolf on it." Rosalie chuckled.

"That would have been something." Bella chuckled, eager to be reunited with her beloved wolf.

.

Once Bella was ready, it was time for the ceremony to start and her father joined her to walk her to Derek. Of course he was handsome and the ceremony was perfect.

Once they exchanged "I do"'s and were declared man and wife, they made their way to the party, where everyone had a lot of fun.

"We're finally married, Bella. I can't believe it. You're my wife now!" Derek whispered excitedly in Bella's ear as they shared the first dance.

"I know. I'm Bella Swan Hale now."

"I know I've said it before Bella, but I love you." He added.

"I love you too, more than anything." She replied before they exchanged a long kiss.

They wouldn't go on a long honeymoon, simply because school would start again soon but they had planned a long honeymoon during the next summer. Until then, they'd live life as usual, except that now, everyone would know that Bella was with Derek Hale.

.

On their second wedding anniversary, Bella told Derek that she was pregnant. Of course he was happy and they knew that this child would be the first of many.

Seeing Bella about to become a mother opened an old wound in Rosalie, who was now close enough to Bella to confide in her and so Bella used her powers to help Rosalie find a child. She used magic to guide Rosalie toward an orphaned supernatural child who needed her, and promised to use the same kind of magic the next year for Esme because she couldn't do it more than once a year.

Bella and Derek's first child was a girl and they decided to name her Talia, after Derek's mother, and as a second name they used Derek's older sister's name. Talia Laura Swan Hale. Their girl would end up being a druid, like her mother.

Bella got pregnant again a few months after Talia was born and she gave birth to twin boys. They named them Charles Scott, in honor of Bella's father and cousin for the first one, and Peter Carlisle for the second.

At first, Derek had been reluctant to name one of his sons Peter, but as Bella argued, it wasn't only the name of his uncle but also of his grandfather, and their son wasn't named after their father's uncle, but after his grandfather, which was completely different. She had also asked to put Carlisle's name as a middle name, because the Cold One doctor had grown into one of her best friend and had been very present in her life. He had been over attentive and protective during her pregnancies and she wanted to honor him this way. Derek had agreed. His sons were both werewolves, and he took them fishing every time they visited Charlie.

Rosalie and Emmett ended up being guided to an orphaned 1 year old girl and her baby brother. Both parents had been massacred by hunters less than 2 hours before they had arrived but the children had been hidden. They didn't know what the children were at first, but they didn't care. if Bella's magic had guided them to her, then it meant that they were meant to have them, to protect them and guide them. They'd figure things out later. Doctor Deaton, the veterinarian and Druid, helped them find out what the kids were and informed the couple that they were Wendigoes, which would make things more difficult, but seeing as they were vampire themselves, they were sure that they'd be able to help them learn control. They'd try to make them live on animals, they could hunt together, and if that didn't work, then Carlisle would be able to help them get dead bodies suitable for them.

When Esme and Carlisle used the same magic, a year later, they were guided to a 5 years old were-coyote boy and they happily took him in.

Just like Bella had predicted, everyone came back in town later. Scott came back to work full time at the animal clinic and he eventually took over. Stiles was an FBI agent who was mostly stationed in town. Lydia became a doctor and worked at the hospital. Allison and Isaac worked with Chris Argent, in his security councelling company. Ethan and Aiden hadn't gone to college but always found jobs, mostly in construction.

Kira was the only one who didn't come back. She had broken things with Scott and had left to learn more about herself. Malia had broken up with Stiles as well soon after they started college, after it became obvious that he was still in love with Lydia.

Malia had remained close to Scott and they naturally got together, falling in love and growing closer than they had been to their exes before.

A few years later, Scott and Malia would get married, as would Stiles and Lydia. Isaac and Allison never got married, but they were still a couple. Ethan and Aiden remained members of Scott's pack, faithful and always ready to help and willing to clean up their reputations.

Things weren't always happy or easy, sometimes they had to fight in order to protect the town, but they did so happily, because it brought peace around them.

review please?

Lorelei Candice Black