Hello! I'm sorry I took so long to update here. I haven't had much inspiration and I didn't want to write something that I wasn't happy with, just to get it over with. I deserve better, and you deserve a chapter that I am an 100% in love with.

So here it goes.

Later today I will update Full Moon, so stay tuned :)

PACK SOULS.

CHAPTER 19. DON'T DO IT.

"Don't do it, please."

She sat heavily in front of the toilet. The content of the message floated in her mind as she flushed the toilet.

It's been a week now, and every day she had woken up by raving nausea and a migraine that didn't let go.

She stood up, knees trembling, and hopped in the shower, dreading what was ahead of her that day. She didn't want to get married, at least not to Edward. She woke up that day with a goal in her mind.

The first thing she did was take off the ring. As beautiful as it was, it didn't belong with her.

She sighed, drying her body and dressing up. There was nothing better than a warm shower to calm the nerves and gather up some courage.

But the thing was that in the state she was in, she was lucky she could even walk a straight line. As it was, she could barely walk down the stairs.

And as it was, she actually couldn't. She stumbled down. Her dad couldn't get to her in time to stop her from hitting her head on one of the steps or with the floor on her final landing. It was such a nasty fall that she lost consciousness. He called an ambulance, trying to use all his experience as a cop and remain calm. He followed the instructions of the paramedics. Don't move her. Check her breathing and wait for the ambulance.

He sat next to his daughter, tears running down his cheeks. He remembered when Rennee took her from him. The first night was the worst. He couldn't sleep; he kept going to an empty baby room, the feeling of emptiness and sorrow creeping on him as he stared at the empty crib, where a two-year-old Bella would have been sleeping.

He caressed her hair. He had been so happy when she asked to come to live with him, but she'd been so miserable with the Cullen boy, and he felt he'd failed as her father. He'd failed to protect her from heartbreak, disillusion, and pain.

She looked younger than eighteen -almost nineteen- as if she were the pre-teen girl that had proudly caught a fish before falling into the lake in a clumsy attack.

She was his baby girl, and he was so fucking scared.

The ambulance arrived shortly after he hung up the call, but for him, it felt like forever.

"She hit her head and lost consciousness. She's breathing, but she hasn't moved." He described in autopilot to the paramedic that was gathering information about the accident while the other worked on stabilizing her body before moving her.

He answered more questions for the paramedics on the way to the hospital. "She's been vomiting and having migraines all week. She was about to get married, so I thought it was nerves. Wedding jitters."

The paramedic made a few more annotations. "She's not wearing any jewelry."

Charlie hummed but offered no explanation. The paramedic was kind enough not to ask anything else.

When they arrived at the hospital, Carlisle Cullen was there. He didn't like him, but he was a hell of a doctor. And Charlie wanted the best for her.

"Please, help her."

Carlisle looked shocked at the sight of Bella in that bed but quickly recovered. "I'll do my best, Chief."

With those words, he followed the paramedics and waited for them to discharge their emergency and fill in the necessary papers before taking over the case.

He had just wanted to check on a few patients before returning to the house to prepare for the wedding. He sighed sadly, looking into Bella and her empty hands. The paramedic had said that she hadn't been wearing any jewelry when they took her, and he knew as well as they did that it was highly unlikely that her ring would have fallen off with the accident.

Knowing Bella as well as he did and having observed her attentively the last few weeks, he was pretty sure about the reason for her bare ring finger.

…

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…

Half an hour later, Jacob, Billy, and Sam Uley arrived at the ER. The three Quileute men sported worried looks. Sam, however, looked as if he might cry.

Charlie was a perceptive man, and he noticed more than he let on. He hadn't gotten the Chief position out of luck. And he had noticed a dynamic between her daughter and Sam that went beyond friends.

Yet, another thing he'd failed at. He'd noticed something and had decided to shut up about it; instead of telling his daughter she could trust him, he would never judge her.

Sam and Jacob left to buy some food for them, leaving Billy and Charlie alone.

"She's strong, Charlie. She'll get through this."

Charlie blurted everything to his best friend, between hiccups, sniffs, and ugly tears.

Billy smiled tenderly; this was more his late wife's territory than his own. She had been the one to console Charlie when Rennee left with Bella. "You have done nothing wrong, chief. You are as good a father as they come. Bella knows that, and she certainly doesn't think you failed her in any way. She loves you."

Charlie nodded.

When the guys came with coffee and sandwiches, he forced himself to eat, but they could have given him rubber, and it would have tasted the same.

Sometime later, Carlisle came to the waiting room and sat next to Charlie and the wolves. "She's resting now. It was a minor concussion, but I want to keep her overnight for observation." Charlie was about to speak, but Carlisle stopped him, knowing what the chief was about to say. "No, there is no swelling on the brain. I think the migraines and the vomiting you described to the paramedics might have been due to stress. She was a bit dehydrated, but we're also taking charge of that. I made arrangements, and she's being transferred to a room. I can walk you there if you want."

Charlie asked some more questions that Carlisle answered while Sam zombied his way through the hospital, and Jacob led Billy's wheelchair.

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…

At the Cullen house, the situation was tense. With Carlisle at the hospital, the bride unconscious, and the boys on their way back from hunting, there was nothing for the girls to do besides cancel all the arrangements. Alice had called the guests and told them that the wedding was postponed until further notice. She didn't offer any explanations. Esme and Rosalie braved the flower delivery, the cake, the catering, etc.

Once that was done, Alice sat on the front porch waiting anxiously. When the boys finally made it, Jasper was the first one to pick up on the emotions coming from his wife. She was worried, sad, and nervous. It wasn't the emotions he was expecting to find.

"Ali, what's wrong, darlin'?" He grabbed her gently by the shoulders. "Why are you not dressed yet?"

Instead of answering her husband, she looked at her brother. She kept a lock on her mind, not allowing her thoughts to filter. "What's wrong, Alice?" Edward knew when she was purposely trying to hide something from him. Something that would make him upset.

"Carlisle called. Bella's in the hospital."

"What?" It was Emmett's turn to ask. "What happened?"

"She fell down the stairs at her house this morning. Carlisle updated me a few minutes ago. They're keeping her overnight for observation, but everything is fine. She got a minor concussion, but otherwise, she's fine."

Emmett knew Alice enough by now to know she wasn't telling them everything. "What else happened?"

Alice looked down, not wanting to tell. "Tell me, please." Edward begged.

"According to the report that the paramedics did, she wasn't wearing any jewelry when she fell. Charlie said he only touched her to see if she was hurt before calling the ambulance. He had no reason to take off her engagement ring."

Edward sat heavily on the porch stairs. What could have happened in the span of less than 12 hours? She had looked happy last night; a little sarcastic about the whole event, but he thought it was wedding jitters.

"You need to call Carlisle. I'll stop by Bella's house to get her some clothes."

Edward did call Carlisle, who confirmed what Alice had said. Bella had taken off the ring.

"You need to respect her decision, whatever it is. This is not the right moment to ask her about it. I recommend waiting until she leaves the hospital. I wouldn't recommend visiting, but until we know more, she is your fiance, and I won't stop you from coming. As long as you promise to behave."

Edward promised to behave and promised not to bring up the subject of Bella's missing ring to her if she woke up at any point before the next day. He could wait until she was recovered to ask about it. Right now, he wanted to see her. He trusted in Carlisle's words, but he needed to see her.

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Edward came into the room, finding only Charlie, but the wolves' essence was all over the place. He placed the bag that Alice had given him on the empty chair and took a look at Bella, who looked surprised to see him.

"Good afternoon, chief." Charlie nodded tiredly. Bella had tried to make him go home, but he wouldn't budge. He didn't know what had tired him more: his fear of Bella's accident or dealing with Renee over the phone.

"Dad, can you give us 5 minutes alone, please?" Charlie looked between the two and nodded, standing up. He left silently. He felt as if Bella would say everything that was needed. There was no point in him adding anything else.

Edward had promised Carlisle he would not ask Bella anything. Still, he didn't make any promises about his response if she started the conversation, which she was doing by asking her father for privacy.

"Why did you take the ring off?" He asked softly, taking the first step.

Her eyes welled with tears. He cleared them gently. "You're calling off the wedding, aren't you?" Bella felt even more guilty at the resignation in his voice. He wasn't blaming her or accusing her of anything.

She nodded softly. "I'm so sorry, Edward." She cried. "I genuinely thought this is what I wanted."

He understood what she meant. In retrospect, he should have seen it coming. "Just for future reference, there is no need to throw yourself down a flight of stairs to get off from doing something."

Bella snorted amusedly at his poor attempt at humor. "Oh, but with how much I enjoy the attention." She answered with a dramatic sigh in the end.

Edward chuckled. "In all seriousness. I will make sure to cancel everything. Though, I'm sure Alice did most of it by now." Bella lowered her eyes, focusing on the hideous blanket from the hospital bed. Edward tilted her chin. "Don't feel bad for doing what you want and what your heart desires. I only wished it was me it wished." He kissed her forehead. "Alice sent you some clothes. I think the family will wait until you feel better to say goodbye."

Bella smiled sadly at him. "Thank you, Edward."

Edward shook his head. "I'll always love you, Bella. And I'll be one call away if you need anything."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I'll always love you too."

With that, Edward left the room, falling apart out of sight from everyone else. He'd put on a brave façade for Bella because that is what she deserved after everything he'd put her through. It hadn't been easy, and the pain in his chest will take a long time to recede. But he couldn't force love.

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Charlie didn't comment nor ask about her conversation with Edward, but Bella knew her dad was just biding his time, letting her process everything first. She was lucky to have him.

"Your mother called, by the way." Bella groaned. "I dissuaded her from coming here. Dr. Cullen even talked to her, but she expects a phone call when you're discharged."

After a few minutes of silence, Bella felt the need to speak. "Thank you, dad."

Charlie looked surprised. "What for, kiddo?"

She took his hand. "For everything." Neither of them was good at expressing their emotions. They were too similar; it was hilarious how uncomfortable they looked when speaking about each other's feelings to the other. Charlie smiled at patted her hand.

"There's nothing to thank me for, kiddo. I'm glad you're ok." He kissed her forehead as he used to when she was little, and he was tucking her in bed, ready to read her a story.

"I'm sorry I didn't come live with you sooner." She honestly regretted it. She never admitted this to anyone, but she loved spending her summers with her dad. He used to read her stories at night, making up voices for the characters, frowning when something in the story didn't make sense.

She hadn't come sooner because she knew Rennee needed her. And some part of Bella resented her mother for it. She loved Rennee, but she wasn't the mother, and she had to grow up too fast due to her scatterbrain.

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A few weeks after she was discharged from the hospital and a few weeks after her final goodbye to the Cullens, she was sitting at home, thinking about one more brave thing she wanted to do. She just needed to gather up the courage.

The nausea and the migraines had receded from every day to once or twice a week. She made sure to get plenty of rest and liquids on those days.

Today was the best day she was having. She felt strong, energized, and ready to take on the world. She was also nervous about what she was about to do, but she couldn't, nor didn't want to delay it anymore.

She showered, dressed, and ate, and when she opened the door to walk to her truck, she came face to face with her fate

Sam was standing there, looking as handsome as ever. She remembered the first time she had seen him. He was bigger than the rest of the wolves. She even had the naughty thought -was he bigger everywhere?- He was handsome, sharp, and brilliant, and the more time she spent at his house, the more she fell in love with him.

She never said anything to anybody, but she knew he loved her back. It was in how he took care of her, looked at her, spoke to her, or smiled at her. He was like a dream come true. He could rile her up better than anybody; he could infuriate her, scare her and make her love him all the way more.

She had never felt like that. And that's what scared her into hiding, into accepting Edward's marriage proposal. That's what started this whole mess.

It's time to come clean and apologize.

She looked as beautiful as always.

She received him with a smile. The smile that had been in his dreams ever since he imprinted on her. The smile that haunted him every time he closed his eyes. The smile he never thought he would see again when she had delivered the news of her engagement.

He had heard from Jake that she had called off the wedding. He was happy, of course, but he felt guilty about how everything developed.

He knew it was dangerous to stay away from an imprint—especially one as stubborn as Bella.

Bella was recovering quickly. The nausea had disappeared almost completely, fortunately, same as the vomiting spells. What lingered, although not as repetitive as before, were the migraines.

Bella stepped aside, and he came in. She observed his strong back and his confident stride as he took the turn to the living room. He observed the raw magnetism that pulled her to him. He was a beautiful thing, and she was madly in love with him.

He turned around when he heard her approach him. It took her by surprise. She gasped at the raw emotions she saw on his face, and unable to wait longer, she ran the short distance that separated them and jumped into his arms, planting a kiss on his lips.

The kiss was a bit awkward, with unsaid words lingering between them, but she still felt an electric current run through her body as he held her against him and kissed her back fiercely.

She moaned softly in his mouth, and he tangled his hand in her hair, pressing their lips tighter together, desperate to feel as much of her as he could.

They stumbled backward into the couch, somehow managing not to break the connection when he sat, and she straddled his hips.

They lost track of time but couldn't care less. They were finally acting on that tension that was between them. When things started getting heated, he stopped. He needed to clear the air before taking her body and marking her as his. And there was also the pride thing in his mind that made him stop because he wanted to take her in his bed and not hers. He wanted to see her naked on his black sheets, caress her body and pleasure her until they no longer could tell where either of them started and the other ended.

"Is it always going to be this intense?" She whispered against his forehead.

"What do you mean?"

"Us, the imprint, me loving you so much." She smiled.

He should have been angry at her. She knew all this time about the imprint.

"How did you know?"

"Jake told me."

Sam frowned.

"Ok, not exactly. He told me about Jared and Quil, and I was scared that he had imprinted on me. At the time, I let him think it was because of Edward, but it's always been about you."

He nodded. "Why did you accept his proposal? Was it something I said or did?"

Bella cupped Sam's face in her hands, her eyes shining with love. "No. I don't know how to explain it. It was so intense being in the same room with you, and I was genuinely confused. But the week before the wedding, I knew what I wanted but didn't know what to do or how to get out of it."

Sam cleared away a stray tear. She pecked him on the lips.

"I had already made my decision the morning everything happened. I was getting ready to go to the Cullen mansion and end everything. I received your text, and the nausea, migraine, and throwing up started again. I was stupid enough to think I was strong enough to walk down the stairs."

"So, you were going to cancel everything with the leech, and then what?" He asked.

"I had the perfect thing planned. I was going to be brave, put on my big girl's panties, and ask you out on a date. I was also thinking of telling you everything that day. But as with everything that involves me, it didn't go as planned."

Sam cupped Bella's face then, silently looking into her eyes and passing his thumb distractedly up and down.

"So…" She smiled. "All that to tell you that I love you. Like very, very much."

Sam chuckled. "Hell of a couple we are, baby." Bella laughed. "I loved you the moment I rescued you in the woods. It just took me a long time to understand it."