AN: Thank you to my reviewers; Guest, EpiphanyFire, Guest, April-Showers82, Ana Quinzel, Anony, and Red Reaper88, as always, I love your reviews. Also, thank you to my other readers, I hope you're enjoying my story too.
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Chapter Forty Four: The Hardest Denial.
"Yeah, I remember." I whispered, an irrationally guilty blush covering my cheeks. My boyfriend turned my brother into a giant wolf. As the information absorbed into my mind, I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate.
"Bella? Bella! Calm down. Take deep breaths." Sam hurried to my side and rubbed my back, "It's okay. Calm down. Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm the protector of the Tribe now; I won't let anything hurt you or anyone else."
His words sunk into my panicking mind and I stared at him in disbelief. Protect me? Why did I need protecting? The Cullens didn't feed on people; they weren't a danger! But I couldn't get my words out to defend Edward, as I attempted to slow my breathing. Sam nodded at me and mimicked exaggeratedly deep and slow breaths, encouraging me to copy him.
"Sam…" I gasped as I regained control of my lungs.
"It's okay, Bells, don't speak yet. Just calm down, it's going to be fine, you're safe." He continued to try to comfort me, his large, warm hand stroking reassuring circles on my back, "Just keep breathing, you're okay, just calm down."
"Sam, the Cullens aren't a threat to the Tribe." I finally said, blowing out a long breath, "They wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Bella, you understand what they are, don't you?" Sam questioned with deliberately composed calm, "They're a danger to everyone."
"No, they're not." He pulled away at my insistent tone, "They don't feed on people. They're not dangerous vampires. They don't feed on the blood of humans, they're vegetarian." I used their tongue-in-cheek expression for their unusual diet, an amused smile threatening to tug at my lips. When Edward had explained about being a vampire, I had been shocked, but unsurprised, and overly grateful they didn't harm humans. The term 'vegetarian' had made me laugh when he first told me with a crooked smile on his lips.
"That doesn't mean they're not dangerous." Sam growled, his fists beginning to shake as he fought to suppress the urge to phase.
"No, Sam, it's okay." I grabbed his clenched hands and rubbed them, our comforting roles reversed, "You don't have to worry; the Cullens don't hurt anyone. I'm safe, and so is the Tribe, its fine."
"How can you say that? They're vampires!" He snarled and snatched his hands away, "They're the cold ones who feed on innocents."
"No, no, no! Sam! Listen to me! They don't feed on humans. They're not a danger to anyone. I'm safe, everyone is safe. Don't worry; you don't need to protect me."
"Wait! You knew they were vampires. You've known before now?" His keen eyes turned on me and I looked away, guilty of secret keeping, "Bella!"
"Yes! Okay, I knew." I admitted, "That's why I know we're not at risk of being fed on. I know them. They wouldn't hurt anyone."
"You know them?" Sam gaped at me, shock and outrage warring across his features.
"Yes, I…I'm dating Edward Cullen." Keeping my eyes closed against his fury, I felt him step closer. His anger rolled off him in scorching waves and I tried not to cringe away.
"You are not." He spat between his snarling teeth.
"I am." Opening my eyes to glare at him, I barely recognised the rage. Before Sam became a werewolf, he always remained calm and collected. Suddenly, the beast was taking over. I had no doubt his instincts were flooding him with violent thoughts, but he somehow managed to keep himself human, and for that, I knew I could convince him to back down on this issue, "We've been dating for months. I'm happy with him, Sam, I-I love him."
Sam's chest rose and fell with each breath, his face contorting and straightening with various expressions of hatred and anger, but I continued to look at him straight in the eye. Love was something both of us were starved of, something we wanted from life. To find someone that made us happy, that didn't hurt us like everybody else. We both fought to find it in life, and now I had found it, he had to understand I would not let it go.
"You love him?" He asked, his voice straining with effort to remain human.
"I do." I nodded and looked at my feet, "I love him and he loves me, for some irrational reason."
"It's not irrational." Sam muttered absently, refusing to let me hold myself in low regard.
"I won't stop being with him, Sam." I watched him battle with himself over this. His wolf wanted to rip about this conversation and the subject of it, while Sam wanted me to be happy; he didn't want to ruin what made me happy. He screwed up his hands and eyes and face, huffing irate breaths with every thought. I hated seeing him hurting, but I wouldn't undo my decision. I wouldn't leave Edward. Finally, he opened his eyes to slits.
"I can't." His voice was barely human and his body trembled so hard I thought he was going to phase in the middle of our small home. Without any other explanation, he yanked the front door open and ran into the woods as a wolf, barely making it out of the house as a human.
"Sam!" I called to him but didn't move. I couldn't. I had made my choice and it had results in the scraps of clothing now littering our front porch. It hurt, it hurt more than any decision I had ever made, but I wouldn't change my mind. This was my choice and he would have to respect it; I wouldn't give up love and he couldn't expect me to.
After I had cleared up his mess, I set about tidying the house. I scrubbed every surface and polished anything that could shiny. By the time the moon had risen, the house was spotless, almost sterile, and I was spent of anxious energy. My decision had stolen Sam from me again, but I hoped he would return. He couldn't leave when we had only just grown back together.
AN: I promise this is not an Edward and Bella story, hence why it's marked Bella and Jacob, but I need Bella to have a relationship with Edward for the story to go how I've mentally planned it to. Please hold on in there with me, we're nearly there.