AN: thanks to all that read and reviewed. Someone asked about imprinting, sorry but I cannot say anything yet. Now on with the story.
2.
Bella studied him, and bit her lip. "You want me to tell you first because you've got no idea of what happened."
Paul glared. "You're as difficult as fuck. I don't know how Jacob can think that you're nice and sweet."
Bella glared back, and crossed her arms. "You don't know me, I can be nice, but you're making it very difficult for me."
Paul shrugged his shoulders, and took a deep breath. "Ok, I'll tell you what I know. When we turn into wolves there is a ceremony where we get the tattoo and the necklace. Both are symbols of our status in the tribe, and Old Quill said that they're both powerful. I think that you broke something that held some magic, and we were sent here. Wherever here is. We'll need to find out."
Bella analyzed the information he gave her. "It actually makes sense, if vampires and werewolves exist then anything can happen. Now, I agree with you, when I broke that necklace something happened and we need to find out where we are and how to get back. We saw some Native Americans, I guess it's your tribe, we could go there and ask a few questions."
He nodded and then started walking towards the tepees. Bella followed him close, when they arrived the tribe slowly gathered around them. They started speaking in a language that she didn't understand, but Paul was listening intently and then he replied to one of the men. Bella was a bit nervous, the people there were watching her not menacingly, but still not very friendly either. She scooted closer to Paul, and then placed her hand on his wrist, she somehow felt safe.
Paul turned to look at her hand on his wrist, and then met her eyes. "They asked me about us, I told them that I come from a different tribe but one of them once came to our place and taught Quileute to us. Now brace yourself Swan, because they asked me if you were my captive and I had to tell them that you're my wife. So behave like Mrs Lahote."
"Your what? Are you kidding me? Why would you say that?" She replied angrily.
"Calm down dear wife, we don't know where we are and if you haven't noticed they aren't exactly friendly yet. It's for protection." He whispered.
She was going to reply with an angry retort, but she was stopped when everyone stopped speaking and the crowd opened to let someone, who looked like the Chief of the tribe, approach them. Bella scuttled even closer to Paul.
Paul placed her a bit behind him. The Chief started speaking with Paul and she noticed that Paul paled. He looked like he had been punched in the gut, what was the Chief telling him? And why was he looking like Jacob?
Paul turned to look at her, and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. "What happened? What did he say?"
He cleared his throat. "He introduced himself as the Chief of the tribe. His name is Taha Aki. I would say we're roughly in 1250."
Bella blinked, and tried to digest the information. She couldn't believe him, but at the same time she knew that Paul wasn't lying. She took a calming breath. "Do you think he can help us get back? Has he already turned into a wolf?"
Paul looked at her, and then turned back to the Chief and spoke some more. The Chief replied and then started walking, Paul followed and Bella who was holding his wrist went along.
Paul turned to look at her, and whispered. "He isn't yet a shifter, I didn't smell the wolf in him. I asked for the shaman of the tribe. Unfortunately the tribe is at the moment divided. This part is gathering meat and fur for the winter, while the others are building somewhere else the winter camp. He told me that the shaman is with the other part of the tribe, and they will meet again in five weeks time. We'll be staying with them and try to participate in the gathering of food for the winter, then we'll follow them to the winter camp and we'll be able to speak with the shaman."
"But Paul, five weeks is a long time! What will my father think if I disappear for that long? And what about your family or the pack?" She asked agitatedly.
Paul shrugged his shoulders. "I live alone, no family to worry for me. My pack will go to Old Quill and somehow I'm sure he'll know something. There isn't' anything we can do until we meet this shaman, I'll say we should go with the flow Mrs Lahote."
"Don't call me that! Hell will freeze over before I would even entertain the idea of marrying you." She spat and he smirked at her. She was furious, but at the moment she knew he was right. She didn't know the language, and she was really in another world so the wise thing was to stick with Paul.
Taha Aki brought them to a tepee, he spoke with Paul quickly and then left. Paul pulled up the buffalo's skin of the tent and then motioned for her to enter first. She sighed and then went inside. The tepee was large and quite clean, on one side there was fur laid down probably as a sleeping arrangement, and in the center there was a fire pit, with fire already warming the place. She went and sat next to fire. "So what's going to happen?"
"We wait and try not to bother them too much. They will bring some more suitable clothes, then tomorrow I'll go hunting with the men and you'll stay with the women. You will need to help them with food storage and preparation of the furs, try to follow what they do and just keep your mouth shut." He said and sat next to her.
Bella thought he looked like her, exhausted and quite disheartened. "I guess I don't have any other choice, and I don't understand anything so you'll be the only one that can piss them off."
He shook his head. "Look Swan, it's already bad that they think that I shackled up with a pale face, so for the love of all the gods, behave and don't complain. Can you promise me that?"
"Ok I'll behave, but don't you dare call me Mrs Lahote again." She told him.
He glared back at her. "Don't worry princess, I would rather eat my shorts than get married to someone like you."
She stood up, and fisted her hands. "What is your problem with me? You're very rude with me. I didn't do anything to you."
He stood up too, and started shaking. "You dated a fuckin leech, how stupid could you be? And then when he dumped in a fucking dangerous forest you just stopped living, you've been a fucking zombie for the past few months, you hurt your family, your friends and you strung Jacob along with your misery. The boy is crazy in love with you, but you don't give a fuck about him, do you? You only care about your poor broken heart, you're just a selfish bitch."
Bella wanted to reply to his harsh words, but then stopped. She felt tears threatening to fall, Paul was right she had been selfish. She had just given up on living, because everything hurt so much. She hugged herself to keep a modicum of control.
Paul took a step towards her. "You should take this time to really think things through. Perhaps being here will make you see that there are worse things than being dumped. Fuck, at our age it's normal that relationships ends. You really didn't believe he was going to be with you forever." Something on her face must have given away what she was thinking because his shaking worsened. "You did! You thought what? That he would turn you and that you could live with him as a leech forever?"
She didn't reply, and he turned away from her. "I need to get out of here, before I do something that I would probably regret. Stay here and don't fucking go out. I'll be back soon."
Paul left her, and she sat again. She had so many things to mull over, they were stuck there and she decided to do as Paul had suggested. She would take this time to think things through, and then when she would be back home she could actually pull her life together again.
