The wolves started trickling back slowly. First Kim and Ryan returned, both had blood stained fur and immediately sank themselves into the river to clean themselves off. They hadn't taken their visit home well, and Kim was once again grieving the loss of her mate. She had hoped to see him, to catch a glimpse or a smile but he had been taking shelter in his home with his family tucked away from the action.
Ryan was as angry as Bella was. He had followed her rules absolutely, and believed in the way she ran the Pack. He didn't like vampires, but he was sure they had been spared many attacks because of Bella's diplomatic approach. Sure, some of the vampires tried to kill them anyway but at least when they attacked them they did so with a clear conscience.
Kyle sidled through the forest about an hour later and bathed in the river before phasing and laying out on the grass with his family. They didn't say a single word to one another, which was irritating to the vampires who were waiting for some news. He wasn't as cut up about the vampire as everyone else. He was more angry about his so-called family, his wolf pack that had so easily cast them aside and looked down on them.
It was nightfall before Thomas and Bella both returned. They kept their distance from one another, but the bleeding cuts and gouged teeth marks revealed their tumultuous relationship. It hadn't been a nasty fight but after the day they'd had, it hadn't taken much to trigger their instincts. Real fighting turned into sparring and, after an hour or so, exhausted, playful lunges and rolls. They phased and joined the others on the lawn. The air was tense and heavy with unspoken accusations and anger, but Bella didn't know how to address it without sparking another conflict.
"They looked at us like we were Quileute's," Kyle mumbled as he lay with his arms thrown over his face. "Like we're so fucking disgusting for having a back bone."
"Not everyone likes how I run things," Bella defended softly. She had never held anyone's opinion against them, though she felt the only reason she'd kept most so happy was her rule about orders which gave them at least the semblance of free will.
"But the whole thing is fucked up," Kyle argued loudly as he sat up glowering. "You don't control who you imprint on – everyone knows that. Punishing you for imprinting on a vampire is like punishing Kim for being a wolf. It's makes fuck all sense."
"Actually it would be like Kim transforming into a vampire, instead of a wolf," Thomas said with a small shrug when Bella rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't matter," Kyle argued. "The pack should never split."
"I can't believe they're killing vampires now," Ryan butted in, keeping his eyes on the sky above them and his hands on his stomach. "That didn't take them long, did it?"
"The council never made a secret of their dislike for the way I ran things."
"Are you honestly going to sit there and defend them?" Kyle spat with narrowed eyes.
Bella bristled. She was a friend, a sister but still an Alpha and he was getting too much. "I can understand why they are doing what they are doing. That doesn't mean I agree with it, or support it at all," she said harshly.
Ryan hit his brother in the stomach without looking "Stop it." Kyle flopped back to the ground next to his brother.
Kim said nothing, her mind filled with her mate and nothing more.
"There's a meeting later tonight," Kyle said with a sigh, forcing himself to be calm. He knew Bella was patient, but he still didn't want to get on the wrong side of her. "I heard them talking earlier," he mumbled, meaning the vampires.
Thomas looked at Bella with a smirk. "I think we should go."
Bella felt her own smirk mirroring his. "I don't know," she hedged.
"Oh come on," Thomas laughed easily. "It's not like things can get any worse! The vampires can't stand us, the Quileute's hate us and our own people are mocking us... why not?"
Bella laughed because his words were hard, but true enough and it was time they stopped being quiet and took a stand. They were still wolves, still willing to run home to protect their people and still in this fight to the end. They had as much right to be in that clearing as everyone else, even if they had already learned quite a lot just by being in such a close proximity with the vampires.
"I'm in," Kim called suddenly. She gave no reason, but the anger in her voice spoke volumes.
"Okay," Bella said with a nod. "We'll go, but I swear to God you're staying as wolves. If you start anything I will personally march you back to Neah Bay and let Lana have you."
–
The vampires headed out at half past six, with Garret laughing and happily anticipating the wolves that he was about to see. He hadn't even heard of werewolves before he'd been chased down by one, and here he was in the middle of a political battle. As a general rule, he lived as he liked and gravitated towards what made him laugh. He liked to be on the move, and had yet to find anywhere that held his attention for more than a week or so.
He stood in the clearing, with Kate at his side and waited with poorly concealing anticipation that had Jasper rolling his eyes at his old friend. There was no doubt his red eyes would surely set off a few tempers, but they were all hoping the wolves would be able to control themselves.
Bella and the others set off at just gone seven. A dramatic entrance was what they were going for, and damn if they were going to miss seeing Lana's face when they stepped into that clearing. They were perfection personified, even as a pack of five as they moved easily and gracefully into the clearing. They had completed the square – with them standing to the Cullen's left and facing Lana and their old Pack. The Quileute's were wild, squealing and snarling and baring their teeth while Sam fumed silently.
Bella stood, human and confident as ever as her pack flanked her closely.
Across the clearing stood Lana. Her eyes were wide and worried as the wolves around her looked this way and that, torn. She knew that unless she phased, Lana wouldn't be able to control her pack but to phase meant admitting weakness and pride was everything to them all. When Bella locked eyes with her, she knew she had her cornered and anything less than a stare back would mean failure.
It was childish, but the way they worked.
Jasper was pretty sure he could have danced naked in the middle of that clearing and no-one would have batted an eyelid – a thought that made Edward smile widely. With Jasper talking and showing them moves, purposefully standing between the two women and trying to drop the tension that was gradually escalating. With a smirk, Bella looked away and concentrated on Jasper and his lesson, leaving Lana reeling.
The vampires watched with amusement. Bella was effortless in her control and manipulation. Even Tanya was impressed.
Their meaning was clear; they are here, no matter what anyone did.
By the time Jasper stepped down, he was sure Bella and her pack were the only ones even polite enough to pretend to pay attention. His own family and friends were busy watching the wolves, the Quileute's were far too angry and agitated to pay attention to anything and there was such a myriad of emotion from the Makah Pack that he did his best to ignore them.
It hurt to see her pack so visibly torn in two. Neither side were completely happy. Of course there were those few who preferred the new order, but most didn't and Bella could see that. When Jasper stepped back, Carlisle introduced Garret to everyone. He kept his smart comments to himself as he nodded curtly to Sam and Lana, reserving a smirk for Bella.
"He is adopting our diet of animal blood while he stays with us," Carlisle told the clearing, not that anyone even reacted or responded in any way to his words. Bella thought it was incredibly rude and it annoyed her.
Sam turned and left with his pack, but the tension didn't lift. Lana still had her feet firmly planted opposite Bella, squaring off in a dark stare. The wolves around them waited, muscles tensed and coiled. The vampires watched in silent amazement. It was a silent battle of wills, and there was no doubt who would win.
Lana lifted her chin suddenly. "May I have a word?" she spat.
Bella smiled sweetly and dipped her head in a half nod. "Of course."
Lana rolled her eyes and stepped away from her pack and towards Bella. They all saw Thomas tense and lean forwards just an inch or so. Lana's wolves reacted similarly, but Bella put her hand on her Beta's leg without looking and he raised his head and sat back on his haunches again. She would not tolerate fighting between them.
"In private," Lana scolded patronisingly before stalking away from them towards where Sam and his Pack had left from. She trusted Thomas and the others to keep themselves in check as she left their ranks, keeping a good twenty paces behind Lana just in case she was trying something underhanded and sly. She didn't trust this woman anymore.
Lana lead her further into the forest and away from their wolves, until their hearts were a distant harmony and their soft breathes were nothing more than whispers. She stopped suddenly, where the trees grew tall and high and much closer together than anywhere near Forks or Neah Bay. It was almost black, but their eyes were decent enough to see clearly. She watched Bella's approach, and sighed as she stopped at quite a distance.
For a long moment, the women merely stared at one another. Bella was impatient. She had her pack to think of. "I fucked up," Lana whispered hoarsely, and with a shock Bella realised she was close to tears.
Bella said nothing.
Lana laughed as she wiped at her leaking eyes. There was nothing happy in her smile. "I asked for this."
"Things will get better," Bella said softly, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her distance. She had very little sympathy for this woman standing in tears in front of her. She was right – she had asked to be Alpha, and had handed Bella's ass over to the council to get it. Complaining was nothing less than disrespectful.
The tears flowed and she sniffed as she turned away from Bella. "I'm not the Alpha."
Bella frowned at her back. "Of course you are."
"No," Lana argued angrily. "I..." she faltered as she turned and met Bella's hard gaze. "I stepped aside for the council."
Bella could have hit her so hard in that moment, so hard her teeth fell out and she had no bones left in her chest. But instead, she closed her eyes and shook her head because it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Why..."
"They said they wanted more control, that you kept them in the dark about everything and they wanted to have more of a roll in the pack..." Lana said helplessly, her eyes wide and pleaing for something Bella couldn't give her. "They give me orders, and I give them to the wolves – that's why I don't have a strong power over them."
Bella hadn't even thought about it.
But, when she thought about it, it made a lot of sense and she didn't for a second doubt the honesty in Lana's words. It had been many years that the council had petitioned for more control over the Pack but she had never been stupid enough to hand over the Alpha role.
"Do the others know?" Bella asked quietly.
Lana scoffed bitterly, "We're barely holding it together as it is."
She sighed because there was nothing she could do. Lana had well and truly fucked everything up, but there was a sadness and painfully lost expression on her face that tugged at Bella's conscience and reminded her that not everyone thought like she did. It was something to know that these new rules hadn't come from Lana herself, though it was a small mercy.
"Well-"
They were jolted by the sudden snarls and shaking of the ground. In a flash they phased together and darted back through the forest deaf to one another but their minds were in sync as Alpha's. In a matter of seconds they were back in the clearing where the previous formations had been abandoned and there was nothing but blood and fur and utter chaos as bodies were flung and pinned and lunged at.
Bella's presence was felt by all – even the vampires who had retreated to the very fringe of the clearing. It was as if she commanded the attention of every single on of them just by being there – and by God was that an amazing quality to have. Just by appearing, most of the fighting stopped and the wolves dragged themselves to their feet, keeping their body language submissive and low as Bella stalked closer.
She was not the largest, not the fastest or the strongest by a long way but when she passed by, the wolves scuttled back as if she was burning the ground beneath them. There was only one wolf still snarling and that was Kyle, and her eyes were hard and angry as the wolves parted and left a clear path right to him. He knew he was in trouble, but he still stared at Hannah with hatred and barely restrained fury.
Stand down, Bella urged him flatly as she slowly approached. She knew trying to barge in and force his mood to calm would only escalate it. She didn't want to issue an order, but damn it if she was going to let him ruin the tenuous treaty between them all.
His mind was awash with anger and his thoughts were barely legible through the haze of emotion that clouded his judgement. Hannah, a small pale brown wolf sat comfortably staring lazily back at Kyle with a smug superiority that irked Bella.
Kyle, Bella said to him as she neared him. His low growl was unending, and his glare utterly unwavering. We can't jeopardise everything for this. You need to let it go.
The very notion was crushing. A wolf was proud. It was their ultimate weakness, and none of them would ever want to back down from a fight. Kyle was primed and ready, but he wasn't naïve and stupid. He knew launching himself at Hannah again could rip their packs apart completely and ruin any chance of re-merging and becoming a family again.
The growl was silenced. The pale wolf made a small noise in the back of her throat and tossed her head to the side. A sharp snarl from Lana silenced and stilled her. Kyle, who had been crouched low and tight was nudged away by Thomas and his snout in his stomach urging him away. Kyle gave in easily and allowed Thomas to guide him back to their previous station.
Lana gave one last strange look at Bella before turning and leading her pack away through the woods. Only a few actually moved.
Bella noted that only Kyle and Ryan had any wounds at all – and even then they were minimal and minor at most. She could see huge, gaping wounds on John and Ted, and chunks of fur missing from Julie and Rick. It was heart wrenching to see her pack staring back at her – those she had ran with, played and laughed with for so long now stood against her.
She missed her friends.
Lana looked over her shoulder and barked loud and sharp – an order no doubt. All of the wolves got to their feet and turned to leave. Six kept their feet planted, twisted halfway to go, undecided and hesitating. Bella stood with Kim and Ryan – waiting for them to leave so they could stand down and head back home.
To the vampires it was clear the six wolves stood in the large expanse were torn between their Alpha's. It was a heavy moment. Lana could sense the weakness and was panicked by the thought of losing even more. Her orders became more urgent, her ears flattening as she snarled and growled.
It wasn't enough.
Two dark coloured wolves returned to her side, but four remained in the centre. The vampires waited. Bella didn't seem to be able to move, but her eyes were huge and expressive as she looked between the four who stared back at her.
She felt the shiver, felt the tug in her mind before more voices joined her own. Her eyes slipped shut and she dropped her head low as Lana snarled loudly and seven wolves rushed back to Bella, jaws snapping and claws ready. Lana controlled them, silenced their aggression and dulled their anger by ordering them back. Eleven sank into the forest and disappeared with pounding paws and snapping fury, leaving nine in the clearing silent and heavy.
The sadness was difficult to lift, but Bella raised her head and walked over to the four that had become hers. Their own sadness was clear. She felt it, heard it as if it were her own and she didn't need to add to that. They were very welcome.
Thomas bounded over and barged into John who, as injured and bleeding as he was, pushed straight back and snapped playfully at his old friend. Tails wagged – a fact that left Garret in near hysterics.
Fur was shed in favour of skin and close tight hugs and playful punches were exchanged. Lauren and John seemed in high spirits and glad to be gone, but Rachel, who had always been quiet let her tears fall silently as she stared at the ground with anxious eyes. Ted was stoic but shared hugs and small smiles with his friends as they embraced one another.
Bella had wanted to remain as a wolf, to protect them from her personal feelings but Rachel tugged at her heart. The girl was only a few years younger than her, but Bella thought of her as a younger sister. The poor girl had lost all of her family in a vampire attack when she was only six. She was, by no means scarred or broken, but the loss had left her meek and introverted. She liked the comfort and known.
And so Bella landed on two feet and went to her, with her tears and shaking hands and wrapped her arms around this tiny woman who was surely falling apart because there was nothing else she could do. She felt warm arms wrap tightly around her waist and hot, wet tears soak through her shirt to her chest but Bella didn't mind. She rested her cheek on Rachel's head and let her cry. Bella wished she could cry. She wished she could be so vulnerable and weak to cry, to be strong enough to pull herself back from that low and be okay again. Her handful of tears was nothing to Rachel's sobs.
No words were needed, and when Rachel was ready and collected, Bella released her. Her face was red but her dark skin hid it well, even as she wiped her eyes and sniffled. There was no denying that Bella was glad to have her friends back, but it only added more fuel to the councils fire, and more pressure on her. It was a burden she had no choice but to bear.
–
Back at the house the wolves settled in on their side of the river and talked about the changes in the Makah pack dynamic, how people were considering rebelling and the villagers were seriously considering leaving. Bella's voice was missing. She'd chosen to stay quiet this time. Her mind was elsewhere, her eyes vacant as she sat leaning against her tree and staring at the grass between her legs.
Nine was too many to take back.
She had effectively halved the pack – and if what Lauren was saying was true more would be on their way given enough time. That meant less wolves protecting their people, less people standing in her corner back on the reservation and less of a chance of ever reconciling the whole situation.
The more wolves switched sides, the more bitter and angry Lana and the council would be, and the less likely they would be to accept her back. If things continued in the same manner, she'd have most of the pack by the end of her second week away and the Council would have no choice but to reinstate her as Alpha but she didn't want to force their hand. She didn't want to be where she wasn't wanted.
She considered stepping aside and her mind lingered too long on the suggestion; far longer than it ever had before. The more she thought about it, the more she saw that it could be one of the only ways to get out of this dead end.
They saw her distraction and left her to her thoughts.
Bella was a good Alpha – sure, she snapped and got frustrated but so would anyone with nineteen people shouting and complaining in their ears all day. Her decisions were good, her moves well thought out and she never did anything that wasn't for the good of the pack or their people. She was a testament to them all. Thomas could see that four more people had pushed the boundaries too far, so that they were stretching and straining especially for Bella. Thus far the vampires had been silent on the matter but he was sure that was only a matter of time.
Lauren was small but stocky, with a big chest and wide hips and impressive curves that she was not ashamed of in the slightest. She had sharp eyes, a thin mouth and a small thin nose that made her look annoyed almost constantly. She was a sharp contrast to Rachel, who seemed to embody youth and fragility with her thin whispy brown hair, narrow shoulders and large doe eyes.
Night fell quickly but it was much warmer and they remained outside chatting idly. John and Ted were much older than Thomas – each in their fifties and far more stoic and reserved than the other guys around them. Ted, who looked not a day over twenty, had left behind a wife and his daughter while John had his mate. The loss was devastating but there was only so much a person could take.
"What did Lana want to talk to you about?" John asked, his voice so deep and vibrating that he demanded attention. It was only the dull vibration in his voice that broke Bella from her mind and made her look over to his dimly lit face as the lights from the house struggled to reach them.
"It doesn't matter," she mumbled dismissively.
"She's been blocking everyone from the moment she became Alpha," John argued strongly. Bella had nothing but respect for the man. He had seen so many of his friends fall in battle, and it had left an impression on him as much as he tried to hide it. "She's hiding something."
But Bella wasn't one for gossip or spite, and Lana's confidential words would stay so.
Edward found her later, wandering though the forest having volunteered for a patrol. She had said very little since returning to the house and he didn't want her upset. He hoped that, if she couldn't speak to her pack, that perhaps she would confide in him.
She was the only wolf out that night and her mind was quiet and private. She heard his approach, caught his scent a good five minutes before he slowed in front of her. She had paused somewhere to the north and looked out over a steep hundred foot slope where the forest continued on for hundreds of miles. She looked melancholy, even in her wolf form.
"Bella," he said softly, and she turned her head but didn't move to greet him or phase so that they could speak. So he went to her side – careful not to touch as he looked out over the forest. He wondered how far she could see across the water. It was a peculiar feeling, standing next to a ten foot wolf.
In her human form, Bella looked thin and weak like any other teenage girl. As a wolf, he couldn't pretend not to be intimidated and a little emasculated.
He said nothing and just stood by her, a silent support, an open hand and willing ears.
She moved suddenly, bumping into him and making him stumble. Her strength still took him by surprise but he caught himself and regained his footing and she was sniggering at him, her eyes alight with glee. Her skin was burning hot and she leaned on him just a little and sighed loudly before lowering her head and staring at the floor.
"It'll be okay," he comforted gently as he pushed back against her, supporting her too.
She shook her huge wolf head, ears twitching and fur flicking this way and that. She felt the offer in his silence and patient stare. They were a team now, whether willing or not. She pushed off from him and phased, landing lithely on two legs and straightening her shirt before looking up at him. She wished she still towered over him.
Still, he waited but she felt torn.
"Nine is too many," she whispered out at the slope, crossing her arms over her chest as she worried.
"Too many for what?"
"To ever make this better," she answered quietly. "We are a proud people – losing half of the pack will only strengthen their resolve to keep us out until there is no other choice."
Her mind was still focussed on the future, worrying for the weeks to come when in a matter of days they would be fighting for their lives. She had so much responsibility on such narrow shoulders.
"You'll get home," he soothed softly, looking over at her in the darkness. She truly was incredibly beautiful. He was getting quite attached to this girl.
"But at what cost?"
"Lana will step down," Edward assumed quickly. "She's struggling handling them as it is."
"She's not the Alpha," Bella said quickly, knowing Eleazar was too far to hear. She watched Edward's face crumple in confusion. "The council have a seat within the pack – but they have to be voted in. Historically, it has only been used in emergency situations when an Alpha has been killed in battle but they've been pestering me for years to let them."
"But they can't..." Edward said, puzzled.
"They have none of our abilities," she assured him. "But they would automatically take the seat of Alpha. Unfortunately, Lana agreed and they are dictating the rules to her," she explained quietly. "That's what she wanted to tell me. She's losing control of the pack because her hold over them is only a tenth of what it should be."
That, and she had betrayed and back-stabbed every single one of them so none of them trusted her anymore.
"What does that mean in the long run?" Edward asked after a long silence.
"It means things will continue to get worse in Neah Bay. The council know only what they read in the old books and texts. They don't know what it is to be a wolf," she said heavily. "But, in the long run it means that it will be easier to get back in. I'm pretty sure it's not just the Pack the council are pissing off."
She told him of her sadness, of her bond with Rachel and her history. She tried to explain that she was happy to have her friends away from Lana, but not away from their people. She told him how she wanted to start patrolling Neah Bay at a safe distance to make up the numbers, but feared an attack spurred by bitterness and anger.
There was only twelve more days, if Alice's vision was correct.
They heard Eleazar's approach and left the truths for later as they fell silent. "Thanks," Bella said with a small but sincere smile as she peered up at Edward.
If he'd known her better, he would have pulled her in for a hug and probably kissed her, but their situation left him floundering. He supposed it was like an arranged marriage – you're supposed to do all of this stuff that comes naturally, but you're still strangers, still scared and hesitant.
So they parted and continued the patrolling separately, ignoring the knowing smirk from Eleazar. It was almost sunrise by the time they started heading back to the house, having switched places with John, Thomas and Kim. She was very careful not to think about her conversation with Edward, but know she owed her pack the truth. She didn't like lying to them.
She probably should have slept but she didn't feel tired enough. She had something of a pack, as broken and halved as it was. They were still a force to be reckoned with, powerful and deadly and she was proud of that. "We need to train," she said after only ten minutes of sitting down with the others.
"Come on," Lauren groaned while rubbing her eyes. "Can't we have a bit of rest?"
"No," Bella said as she got to her feet. "We're relying on a psychic for our timing, but it's not a precise science. Those newborns could be on their way right now," she said, dusting down her trousers and looking down at her pack as they lay and sat on the ground peering up at her, humouring her. "Come on," she kicked Ryan's foot and he scowled but got to his feet.
Plus Bella thought it was only fair, since they'd stood and watched them all having a go at one another.
Their idea of training was very different to the vampires; there was blood and fur lost, skin torn and yelps released. It was savage and hard and fast and head on, and completely enrapturing to watch which the vampires all did unashamedly. The patio doors were thrown open in the dry, hot weather and the vampires spilled out slowly, pretending to be casual but Bella and the wolves knew they were curious.
Those that sat aside did so in their wolf forms, to keep up with the action and learn and give pointers. Esme's beautiful lawn was ruined after only ten minutes, the grass torn and shredded and dirt tossed through the air. Ryan did not hold back against Bella and she gave it all she had, but he was much stronger than she was. It was difficult, hearing the yelps and seeing the dripping blood – but Bella was learning too. She didn't consider herself above her Pack, or any better and Carlisle respected her for it.
Bella was fast – they already knew that. Her reflexes were tight and on point, and she relied on them rather than her brute strength. She found herself playing defensive instead of offensive and only when Ryan stood up straight and tapped out did she raise from her own crouch. They switched places with Lauren and Ted. Kim was so small and a beautiful blond, sandy colour while Ted was almost pure black and twice her size.
Edward could smell the blood – could see a nasty, deep cut across Bella's muzzle and it made him irrational and angry because she was hurt. She saw his expression and wished to go over, to assure him that she was fine but injuries always looked more severe on human skin and she was sure his family wouldn't appreciate her in such proximity. So she laid down beside Kyle and stayed calm while her injuries healed and the blood clotted and skin knitted back together.
She was tired after her session with Ryan and allowed her eyes to slip shut, letting her pack's view replace her own. She hadn't even noticed she'd drifted off to sleep until she felt dirt fly into her face and she was startled awake rather rudely. Her pack's thoughts flooded her mind and their amusement was far too obvious. She merely grumbled and settled back down again, but kept her eyes open this time. As tired as she was, now wasn't the time for a nap.
It was obvious that they took training very seriously, so serious in fact that even Emmett was shocked by how far they allowed it to go. Bodies were thrown through the air, teeth were bared and to anyone watching, it seemed a fight to the death filled with savagery and ruthless fury but the moment they stopped it all fell away and they loped and limped back to their ranks as calm as ever.
That was the difference between the Makah pack and the Quileute's.
Rachel struggled, as she always did. She was not a natural born fighter. She was so soft and quiet, and it took a while for her to drop into the wolf mentality. They all saw the weakness. They were all aware of it – but they didn't roll their eyes and get cross. Rachel shrank away from conflict and even when facing Kyle she was hesitant to strike.
A heavy stare from Bella silenced any criticism Edward and those around him. She couldn't say the same for Garret. "I thought they were supposed to be trained killers," he scoffed with his arms over his chest. She heard Rachel's heart stutter and her emotions drop into defeat as Kyle rose to her defence, snarling at Garret, who merely held up his hands in surrender. "No offence intended," he assured the snarling wolf. "But we're going against these newborns any day now and we can't afford dead weight."
The training was over the moment Bella stood, her hard stare fixed to Garret who stared straight back without flinching. She couldn't care less for his opinion, but they couldn't afford to have any wolf feeling as low as Rachel did and he wasn't helping. Kyle's snarl stopped abruptly. Every single wolf eye was pinned to Garret, daring him to say another word against them.
"Again, I apologise," he said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.
Kyle flicked his ear. It was decided by Bella.
When she finally broke eye contact, she ignored the sighs and went to Rachel who was sat staring in the opposite direction. There was a short, silent exchange before the small pale wolf got to her feet and loped over the lawn and into the forest with Bella at her side. The tension was thick and palpable and something of a stand-off ensued with Garret far too arrogant and child-like to back down even against four very pissed wolves; none of which so much as twitched or looked away from the now uncomfortable vampire.
There were no tears, but the truth was spoken quietly; a truth they both knew. She was the weakest, the slowest and the softest and her head hung low and her eyes were on the floor. "This is not a bad thing," Bella urged with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"It's not exactly a compliment," Rachel sniffed weakly.
"Do you know what I'd give to not think about strategies and speeds and moves and training..." Bella said encouragingly. "You're not the best wolf – but as far as people go, you out-fly all of us hands down. We all have strengths and weaknesses," she urged when it was obvious Rachel was still doubtful. "But we work as a team. We help each other."
There was no anger or frustration in Bella. Admittedly, she worried about Rachel when the newborns did inevitably come but she was by no means weak and feeble. She was sure that, given the right incentive and supported by the pack, Rachel would be just as strong and deadly as Ryan or Garret. Her personality wasn't as loud and strong as the others, that was all.
Rachel didn't listen and didn't care, and Bella didn't press her luck.
She headed back to the house and Rachel went to hunt, though they both knew she just wanted to stay as far from Garret and the wolves as possible. She went east, and Bella allowed her mind to stay quiet and give her some privacy.
She heard shouts – the sounds of pounding feet and heavy breathes and she broke into a sprint.
Fuck.
Kyle was being restrained by his brother and Ted. Bella noted that the others had returned from their patrol, and Emmett, Carmen and Kate had also rejoined the ranks of the vampires who still remained standing just outside of the patio doors. She phased as soon as she hit the open lawn – as aware as she was of the hard, aggressive stare going off between Kyle and Garret she did not want to provoke anything else.
Ryan looked at her helplessly, an arm around his younger brothers chest while Ted stood to his left, his hands pushing on his shoulders. Neither could move the man, who seemed dead determined to get to Garret. His arms thrashed, his mouth spitting insults and exclamations of pride and honour when he was only ruining them himself.
She did it again – from the moment she stepped onto the lawn, the wolves behind Ted, Kyle and Ryan all lowered themselves just a little in submission. The vampires were not impervious. They, too felt the power and strength and stood in silent awe of her. Even as a small, just-barely five foot four teenage girl she was something to be reckoned with.
"Stand down," she said as she stood in front of Kyle. He could still see Garret over her head. He didn't spare her a glance.
"Kyle," she repeated in a hard tone.
"You're going to stand there and let them say that!" he cried, gritting his teeth as he pulled against his brothers grip.
"He has apologised for his comments," Bella said evenly.
"You're so far up their asses..."
A line was crossed. Ryan hissed angrily in his brothers ear, his grip becoming punishing instead of restraining but Kyle's gaze was on his Alpha, his rage redirected. "You imprint on one of them and suddenly they can say whatever they want – what next? You want us to fuck them too?"
The vampires couldn't see Bella's expression, but her heart beat remained steady. She was annoyed and angry, but knew his temper and words were borne of frustration; she could forgive them, if and when he was willing.
"Shut the fuck up," Ryan growled in his brothers ear. "Bella – order him before he kills someone."
"No," she said quickly. "He has free will."
"Damn it Bella-" Ryan cursed as he huffed and struggled to keep his sibling under control.
"If he doesn't like the way it is, he has the choice to go back to Lana. I will not force him to remain where he is unhappy," she informed them all. Kyle's struggles and protests died as he glared down at her. She looked so small.
"Move," he spat at her.
"I will not allow you to harm any of our allies," she said readily.
And she saw it in his grin, in the narrow of his eyes and the tension in his arms. He was wanting a fight – and by God he was going to get one. "Let him go."
"Are you mad?!" Lauren screeched from behind them.
Bella never took her eyes off Kyle. After a moment or two of realising she was, in fact, waiting for them to release him, Ted and Ryan let their hands fall and they dropped back. Ryan remained hovering close, just in case.
Kyle phased first, sudden and quick and almost knocking Bella off her feet. He stepped away a little and she phased next. She wanted to look at Edward, to assure her this was normal and okay but she dare not take her eyes off Kyle. His mind was rampant with hunger and exhaustion – he was angry and frustrated and drained and she understood. That didn't mean she liked his words.
The ensuing battle was nothing like the vampires had ever seen. They had considered the training macabre, but it was nothing compared to a true fight. There was not even half a moment of respite between lunges, kicks, bites, swipes. Kyle was by far he superior fighter, but he was too clouded by emotion and instinct to realise that Bella wasn't quite as lost in instinct as he was.
Blood was shed by the bucket load, but neither allowed a single sound of pain to leave their mouths, not even when they limped and winced, when bones were broken and muscles exposed. Edward wished he could hear their minds – to hear the conversations going on between the pair. The wolves across from them had remained human.
There was no winner.
There was a brief second, where they picked themselves up and stared hard into one another's eyes before Kyle turned and ran off into the woods. Without hesitation, before he had even left her sight Bella was human again and her injuries were grotesque and shocking to say the least. She spat blood from her mouth, wiped the hair from her face and said, "I apologise for what just happened," to Carlisle who did little other than nod back.
Her pack did not move to help her, but watched her lower herself to the ground between the two parties and gentle stretch her bleeding legs out in front of her. Kyle was long gone but she hoped he would return. She could see the pain in Ryan and Kim's faces – torn as they were between their brother and their vampires wavered and slowly went back inside. Bella was busy checking herself over. She had a broken leg, but with a very painful push she was able to realign the bone. Edward was there, lingering but cautious. She didn't like how, even now, he was so uncertain of her.
It was the blood that streaked down her cheek, that matted her hair and revealed bare bone and muscle. She should be dead. She shouldn't be pulling bone from her leg and just sitting back and letting it heal. Her face revealed nothing of the pain she must have felt and he was once again struck by her strength.
So he went to her and sat down, wishing he had a cloth to wipe the dried blood from her face and hands. The cuts and gashes had already healed. "What happens now?"
She sighed but didn't turn to look at him. "He has a choice to make."
She didn't seem at all upset about Garret and his comments – more that Kyle had lost his temper. It didn't even seem to bother her that he had, so easily attacked and hurt her – something Edward would not take from his brothers with such poise. "I wanted to kill him."
His words make Bella smile, though only a little. "I know. Thank you for not though," she added sweetly before her face crumpled just a little in pain. He'd never seen her like this – she'd never allowed him to, and remained in her wolf form. She saw his face mirror hers and she cursed herself for revealing the agony ricochetting up her shin, up her knee and spiking through her thigh. A broken bone usually took hours, if not more than a day to properly heal.
"I could take a look at it for you," he offered quietly.
At least he would feel like he was doing something.
"It's only broken," she said with a sigh and shrug. "I just have to wait for it to heal."
It wasn't what he wanted to hear. This girl wasn't what he had wanted in his search for a mate. He had imagined pliant, quiet but intelligent, appreciative and respectful and while Bella was all of those things, she wasn't quite any of them either. She was intelligent in ways Edward would never understand, but he doubted she'd ever read Bronte. She was stubborn and proud and strong resilient and he knew he would hardly ever wear the trousers in the relationship.
Relationship.
He had a relationship.
The notion made him smile.
"What're you smiling about?" she asked as a mirroring smile crept on her face.
But he just shrugged because he may or may not have a girlfriend.
"You're weird," she sighed and looked away from him. It was easy with him. She didn't see him as a vampire, but he was and eventually she would be forced to reconcile the quiet, watchful eyes of her imprint with the savage terror of his kind.
A spew of sugary sweet comments hung on his tongue.
You're impossible.
You're beautiful.
You're everything.
He said nothing and watched her smile fall as she looked out at the forest around them. He had no idea where her mind was – with her pack behind her, with Kyle, with Rachel... with one of their allies who bordered on enemies. Her mind must have been so full.
Just want to say thanks to Tarbecca for the recommendation on ADF!
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