Bella POV
I squared up my shoulders and stood tall, as I heard the other wolves approaching, their paws thudding mutely against the damp earth. Edward and Jasper stood beside me, Jasper having texted Emmett. Jake was still in some pain, so he was still crouching down in the middle of the clearing. Charlie was behind Alice, like I ordered, looking apprehensively towards the direction of the howls. After a minute or so of waiting, Emmett appeared by my side as well.
"Where are those mutts?" Emmett asked, flexing his arms.
"Calm down, big guy. They're coming from that way." I flicked my tail. "I can hear them." And boy, could I. it wasn't just their running, or their howls. It was their thoughts. I was in Jacob's mind, and when the wolves got close, I could hear them through him.
Jake, hey, Jake! You ok?
Whoa, that stench – vampires!
Leeches!
Oh, yes! let's fuck 'em up!
No, Jake, come here! Get away from them!
Thankfully, I had told Jacob to face the wolves, as well, because when they burst through the tree line, the look of pure shock was priceless.
Jacob… behind you… uh…
I know, Sam. Jacob huffed, looking at the black wolf, biggest out of them all. Relax. Don't –
Those leeches made an abomination! And they've got Charlie! Sam! I could tell that was Paul, the grey and tan wolf, snarling, snapping his teeth.
No, Paul, you don't underst-
Jake? Um, why are you with those guys? A chocolate brown wolf, younger, stepped closer, sniffing. Sam barked at him, and he took his place again.
Quil, I just turned into a wolf, and they were here to help –
Help? Likely. A bunch of leeches, helping one of us? This was a lighter brown wolf, now. Embry, possibly, he was the only one left.
I knew none of them were going to let Jacob explain, so I stepped forward, standing next to him. The others looked worried, seeing the clear and daunting size difference between me and him. I stood twice as tall as Jacob, and twice as bulky. "No, you fucking idiotic mutts. I helped him."
What the fuck?! was their unanimous thought.
"Classy. Gentleman, if you are men, under those fur coats, allow me to introduce myself. I am Isabella Marie Swan, daughter to Charlie Swan, and mate of Edward Cullen. I am a werecat, a creature similar to you only in the ability to transform my shape. I would hate to see any of you make fast assumptions, but looks like I'm too late. Jacob confronted us about why his father and the rest of your tribe in on the wolf secret hated the Cullens so much. When he understood the truth of it, he got pissed. He transformed, and I helped him through a little of it. That is, until you pups charged in here like a bunch of half-starved lunatics."
No… you can't be… Bella… Bella is human… Sam cautiously crept closer, wanting to get Jake on his side, and wanting to see the human me behind my feline form.
I sighed, and let myself shift back. When I stood, naked, human again, all the wolves' jaws popped open.
BELLA?! Holy fuck, guys, that really is Bella!
Holy shit, wait until Billy hears about this!
No! Bella, you can't be! They did this to you!
"Wrong again, boys. I was born a werecat. I turned when I was sixteen. Renee was my werecat mother. Was, because she tried to kill Charlie and Emmett here, so I killed her instead." I patted Jacob's shoulder before stepping up to Sam's face. "Now you take this message and run it to your masters: I will not be brought to La Push under imprisonment. I am not a victim, and I will not be ordered around. The Cullens are good people, and I will stand in front of anyone who tries to kill them."
You think you're so tough, little bitch, Paul barked at me, but you're nothing to us. And since you're with them, you might as well be one of them. Sam, don't let her come to La Push! She's a danger to the tribe!
Danger to the tribe? Are you fucked up, Paul? She would protect humans, you idiot! I want her to help us. Brave Jacob stood taller, the pain having gone away. He stalked up to Paul, growling. Jasper was trying desperately to ease the tension, but to no avail.
Sure, Jake. Do you even know what she's capable of, pea brain? She probably eats humans! Did you think of that? Do you think of anything besides how great Bella is?
Yeah, like how much of an asshole you are!
Paul roared, and launched himself at Jacob. Not knowing how to properly coordinate his new body, Jacob flailed against Paul's trained skill. I erupted into werecat form, and stood on my hind legs, fur fluffing out, tail whipping back and forth. I hissed, sucked in some air, and roared directly into Paul's face. The sheer force of it made him crumble back, whining in pure fear. I marched slowly forward, making him relinquish his hold on Jacob. Paul stumbled and fell, his tail tucked tightly against his balls. I snarled, and turned around to help Jacob up. But the little bitch behind me jumped on my back, and dug his claws into my shoulders, biting down on my neck. I yowled, twisting this way and that, reaching back for him. When I caught my claws in him, I wrenched him forward, and slammed him down on the ground in front of me.
There was a sickening, loud crack as he landed, dirt spraying everywhere. When I could properly see him, Paul's upper half was scrabbling around in the dirt, while his lower half was limp, ragdoll-like. He was screaming, and his pack, including Jacob, all crumpled a little in shared pain, each of them feeling it in their backs.
I had snapped his spine.
My anger vanished, replaced by pure horror. I hadn't meant to do it, I had just wanted him off of me. I panicked, yowling, jumping to Paul's aid. But Sam, Quil, and Embry, all blocked my path, snarling and spraying saliva in my way. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all hissed, coming to my side. I waved them down, but they wouldn't listen. "Stop! I didn't mean it, Sam, please! I can fix it! Please!"
No, Bella. You've done enough. You proved you were stronger. Don't come near him. Sam said darkly, his fur standing on end. Jacob whined and couldn't decide what to do. He was shocked that I had hurt Paul, but scared that Sam wasn't going to let me help.
Terror gripped my heart. If I couldn't get to Paul in time, he would be paralyzed forever. "PLEASE! Jacob, you HAVE TO LET ME THROUGH! I CAN FIX HIS SPINE! Please!"
A loud gunshot rang through the air. We all stopped, and looked to see Charlie, still in his uniform, with a shotgun in hand. He cocked it, and raised the sights to look straight down the muzzle of Sam Uley. Sam's ears flattened, and he slowly backed up. "You better move, boy, before I have to put down two dogs."
"Charlie -" Jasper warned, but Charlie grunted, partially growling as well. Sam, eventually stumped as to what to do, slowly backed away. I guess even wolves like him had lines they didn't cross. Quil and Embry backed off, too, and I stepped toward Paul. He had stopped moving, and was furiously, painfully, looking up at me. I knew that I broke his spine, but I hadn't broken the skin. I needed Carlisle. He was the only one who could guide me through helping him. So I quickly relayed the message to Edward before speeding off as fast as my legs would go. Carlisle was outside already, so when I arrived, he came to me. I gestured for him to get on my back, and once he was secure, I took off again. Not five minutes had passed when I got back to the group.
"I broke his spine, Carlisle. I need your help fixing him. Please, I just wanted him off my back."
He nodded, and tried to get close to Paul. Paul snapped at Carlisle, but Sam barked, and Paul remained still. Charlie was still pointing his shotgun at Sam, and it would have been funny had there not been dire circumstances. Carlisle gently examined the area, feeling where he could. I had to hold down Paul so he wouldn't bite the doctor's head off.
After a few minutes, Carlisle stood up, running a hand through his hair. "I need him in human form to begin guiding you, Bella. I deal with human patients, not wolves."
I nodded. "Paul, come on, man, don't be stubborn. Turn back, and we'll fix yours."
He reluctantly shifted, and lay there in the grass, naked. We gently turned him, with the help of Edward, so he was flat on his stomach. Carlisle took out a pocket scalpel – don't look at me, I dunno why he had one of those! – and cut two incisions near the break, to make a cross shape. Paul grunted, but Edward held him down. Carlisle peeled the skin back, and moved the muscle in my way to expose his spine. It was completely severed, but looked as if it were trying to grow bone mass over the break. If I didn't fix it soon, there would be nothing I could do.
"Bella, scrape some of the bone off with a claw. I shall hold the two sides of his spine together, and you will lick the two ends, which should fuse his spinal cord and repair the damaged cartilage."
Ew, lick it? What kind of sick shit is that? Embry shook his head, snorting with disgust.
I dunno, some sort of crappy ritual? Quil replied.
I ignored them and nodded. Carlisle carefully moved the spinal cord into place, and when I licked it, the result was instantaneous. His nerves reached out to each other, and wove back together. The cartilage mended itself back, and with a grunt, Paul's legs twitched – a good sign. Carlisle moved his muscle back into place, and returned the skin to its original position. I licked the skin, and it seamlessly fused. I stepped back, and Carlisle stood up.
"Paul, I need you to move your legs. If you can do that, and then stand up, I'll be satisfied Bella's healing agents did their job."
"Whatever, leech," Paul retorted. He did manage to move his legs, and after a few seconds, got up as if he had never been hurt. "Well, alright, my legs work. Cool. Now I can tear your ass apart for that!" He looked straight at me. Jacob moved in front of me, however, and growled.
You tell that fucker he's lost some brain cells, because attacking you would be suicide.
"Jacob politely asks you to fuck off, Paul. I don't want to hurt you again, but I won't sit here and take a beating if you do." I said, standing on my hind legs.
"And some goes for me, boy." Charlie swished his shotgun around, aiming at Paul. "That stunt you pulled was uncalled for, and even though you were the antagonist, Bella still healed you. She could have left you paralyzed, kid, but she didn't. Now, you all run back to Billy, and you let him know I won't stand for this bullshit anymore! My little girl, as badass as she is, needs an apology from him and all of you. And so do the Cullens, for that matter. They have done nothing wrong, and will never kill a human. You can guarantee that."
How dumb is your father, Bella? All vampires are-
I snarled, getting super pissed, facing Sam. Something in me now wanted to show this ass who was boss. So I stepped over Charlie, and grabbed Sam by his scruff like one would grab a kitten. He yelped and whined, but went quiet when I snapped my teeth inches from his eyes. I placed him on the ground, rolled him over on his back, and stood over him in a dominating manner. I hissed, my whole body trembling in anger. My skin itched, my body twitched, and I felt a new change. My mind was able to access Sam's mind, further than simply reading it. I could feel the innate, instinctual power he held, more than any other wolf. He was the Alpha. But I knew, somehow, I could dominate his will. And when I spoke, my voice rang out with a thousand other voices, ancient, primal.
"You are never to insult my father or the Cullens with heinous words, Sam Uley. And your pack will never touch another creature again without my permission. Jacob Black will be excluded from his rule, and shall be able to come and go as he pleases between La Push, Forks, and Cullen territory. And if you cross your border into another territory, regardless of where you go, you shall experience pain. And the pain will not stop until you return to your borders. This is your fate, Sam Uley, should you choose not to cease this petty hatred of the Cullens, who have never wronged you." When I stopped, a sense of finality crossed me, and I stepped off of Sam, returning to Edward's side.
No one spoke. And after a pause, Emmett decided to test out my edict. "So, mutt, what do you have to say to me?"
Do not talk to me, you- the thought abruptly ended, when Sam seemed to lose the word. In fact, I could sense that he didn't even understand what word he was trying to use.
I smiled a toothy smile. "The mutt has nothing to say, brother of mine. He's at a loss for words."