x

" "So many terrible things are done for love," Mab's voice said.

"For love will men mutilate themselves and murder rivals. For love will even a peaceful man go to war.

For love, man will destroy himself, and that right willingly."

~ Jim Butcher

CHAPTER TWELVE: RIVALS

BPOV

The rain was driving down hard when Jacob reached Quileute land. He headed for open ground, avoiding the tribe's houses and heading for La Push beach instead. He came to a stop on the sand, crouching slightly to allow me to slide off, before skittering off behind some rocks to phase. A few moments later he emerged, shorts on, face unreadable.

I shivered, wishing I had dressed in something warmer, but thankful that I had slipped on a waterproof jacket at least.

"Need warming up?" Jake asked with a smirk, extending out his arms. I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself, shaking my head.

"No thanks, I'm good."

His eyes narrowed, and we stared at each other for a good while, until I started to wonder if he knew why he had brought me here at all. A mix of emotions played out across his face, as he struggled to find words.

"Why did you bring me here, Jake?" I asked, growing tired of waiting. "You said we needed to mend our friendship. But we haven't even spoken about any of this. All I know is you got mad at Carlisle when your pack paid him a visit, and then you gave me death stares at the hospital. You're angry, and I understand why, but you can't just threaten to end our friendship unless I come and talk to you, on your terms, when you haven't even attempted to talk to me about it!"

"Oh, and when was I supposed to do that, exactly, when you've been holed up with him this whole time?" he snapped back, the emotions in his eyes settling back to anger. "What the hell happened, Bella? One minute you're practically kissing me in my car, the next he's back in your house apologising for what Edward did, and the next..."

He trailed off, trying to swallow a growl. "How the hell did you go from Edward's father coming back to town, to being with him?"

"It's complicated, but..."

"Oh, you think?" he interrupted. "According to him, you're mated, and the bond started back when you first met them. But I don't buy that, not when you were so into Edward. What really happened? Everything went to shit when they moved so he thought he'd come back for the pet human? Did he dazzle you, Bella?"

He was ranting now, and I sighed, fighting the urge to lose my temper at him in return. Yelling at each other would solve nothing.

"No, he didn't dazzle me. We..."

Jake cut me off again before I could even get started.

"Because before he turned up, we were..."

"What? We were what, Jake?"

"Something! You almost kissed me, you know you did. Everything was going great, you were healing, we were getting closer, you were going to realise you love me..."

"Jacob Black! That's a lot of assumptions!" I interjected. "First of all, I thought I was healing. I was trying to heal. I admit, being with you was helping to ease the pain. I forgot Edward, for a little while. But the void I was in, the real darkness and pain, that never went away, other than for tiny, brief moments. Until he came back. And then I realised it wasn't Edward I was missing, it was the mating bond, pulling at me, causing me to ache for the one I was really made for."

"Made for! Would you listen to yourself?" Jacob scoffed, looking disgusted. "The pain would have gone away on its own, Bella, given time, given love. Love for me. Love that was growing in you. I saw it. Then hecame back, and ruined everything, because you got all nostalgic for leeches."

I felt my jaw and fists clench in frustration at his audacity. I wasn't sure which was worse; his arrogant presumption that I had been falling head over heels in love with him, or his casual belittling of what Carlisle and I were to each other.

"Jacob," I hissed, fighting the urge to punch him in the face, "I am trying very hard not to hurt you. Because I do love you, but as a friend; as a brother. You read way too much into what was happening between us. I did think about kissing you, because I was happy with you, in your company. You did help heal me, and I will forever be thankful for that. But it doesn't mean that we were meant to be. You were an amazing friend, helping a friend in need. But I love Carlisle, Jacob, please get that into your head. Not Edward, not you. Carlisle."

"Just like that? I don't get it, Bella!" he raged back at me.

"Well maybe if you'd let me tell you what happened between us, you'd get it a little better!" I retorted.

"I don't want, or need to know," he replied, that look of disgust back on his face. "I got enough of the picture from your undead boyfriend. And don't give me any of that crap about him being the one with the most restraint or the kindest heart. He all but confessed he nearly took you out. That's why he left and you were in the woods, crying for him."

Wait, what?

"How did you know...?"

"Quil saw you. Came back and reported to the pack."

He looked so damned smug at that.

"Oh, so where were you then, when I apparently needed someone?" I all but shouted. Such a hypocrite...

"I went to Charlie's first, to see if you had come home!" he replied defensively. "And he was about to go looking for you, so I let him be the one to find you."

My mind whirled. "Wait, what exactly did you tell him?"

"The truth! That Quil had seen you stumbling through the woods like before. Charlie thought it was Edward all over again, but I told him the cold reality. That you were calling out for the good doctor instead."

"Jake! Do you have any idea..." I trailed off, trying really hard not to lose it completely at him. "So basically, it's your fault he came raging to the Cullens' house, and then got himself in the way of something dangerous..."

"Oh, so you admit they are dangerous! And I highly doubt it was my fault, he knew damn well where you'd been, he'd have gone there anyway, regardless of what I told him."

"I meant that getting in the way of two fighting vampires is dangerous! Stop twisting my words!" I yelled. But Jake was on a roll and oblivious to my words.

"Just as well he did, given that he caught you about to do something that may well have ended you!"

"What?"

"Your leech as good as said you were about to express the love of your bond. Don't think I missed the implication of what he meant by that!"

"So what if we were?"

"He could kill you! He already said he had to run for miles and hunt to get away from you, because he wasn't sure if he could handle being near you without harming you!"

"Yeah well, it's alright now. That was just at the beginning of us coming together, when he was still trying to fight it and got overwhelmed. He came back, and we talked, and when it happened, he didn't so much as hurt me, let alone kill me."

"Wait, please don't tell me that you mean..."

"Yes! Yes I do! Yes, we have! And it was fucking exquisite, thank you very much!"

I regretted saying it the minute it left my lips. Not because I was ashamed, or because I didn't want him to know. But because I felt like I was being a petulant teenager, pulling out a trump card, aiming to hurt him. And hurt him I did. The arrow hit the target bang in the centre of his heart. His face crumpled. And then he recovered, and he was all fury and rage again.

"That filthy, cheating, cradle-snatching piece of..."

His jaw clenched, as he struggled to spit out the words.

"What's wrong with you? Why would you even want to..."

He whirled and stalked away, body trembling. He was close to phasing in a rage and he knew it. I could hear the low growl vibrating through him, as he paced up and down the sand, fists balling.

"Jacob, you once talked to me about imprinting, right? You've seen how it works when two souls meant for each other have no choice in how and when they come together, like Sam and Emily! I know it's not quite the same for vampires, but they do have true mates, it feels very similar, the pull and the desire and the ache when apart... it's just slower, you don't realise all at once like you wolves do. I mean... Carlisle knew... it took me longer, but that's because I'm still human, I guess? And because Edward was always there, confusing things..."

Jacob made some kind of incomprehensible noise, and finally stopped pacing, looking back at me with an expression that almost broke me. There was so much pain in his eyes.

"I can't believe you slept with a leech. That leech. He's way older than you, Bella, I mean..."

"He's frozen at 23, Jacob, that's hardly way older. He's only pretending to be in his thirties to make their human story more believable."

"Yeah, add another hundred or so years," he scoffed. "I mean, he turned Eddie boy, right? So he's even older than him."

I almost laughed. And a couple hundred more, Jacob.

"Whatever, like it matters! He's always going to look and feel 23."

"That's just as bad! Never changing, never growing, never evolving, never getting old. Never having kids. That really what you want, Bella? What kind of life is that?"

"A life with the man I love," I replied, defiantly.

"And what about the rest of them?" he asked, voice suddenly quiet, like the fight had gone out of him for a moment. "What do they think about all this? What about Edward, and the leech's wife?"

"He has a name, you know."

I only got a snarl in response. I sighed.

"Carlisle and Esme are separated, and will be getting a divorce. Edward... we don't know where he is, at the moment."

"Oh, your little psychic friend can't see him?"

"Alice's visions are based on people making decisions. They keep changing."

"What about blondie, she was never a fan of yours in the first place, as I recall."

"Rosalie... is coming around to the idea. Emmett and Jasper are fine about it. So is Alice. They are happy for us, they understand what the mating bond means. Jasper, well, he can literally feel what we mean to each other, he..."

"Yeah, yeah, another vamp gift, I know. Peachy."

He sighed and sat down on a rock. Tentatively, I edged over to him and sat beside him.

"I'm really sorry, Jake, truly I am. I never meant for you to get hurt. I didn't think Edward was coming back. I didn't think any of them were coming back. And I never in a million years dreamed that Carlisle would come back, let alone have feelings for me. I'm sorry if you feel like I used you, it was never what I intended."

He snorted, but the tension ebbed out of his body, a little, and I hoped, for a moment, that we were getting somewhere.

"So what now?" he asked after a short silence. "They come back to Forks? You date the good doctor? How's that gonna work, Bella? Everyone in this town thinks he's older. Not going to do much for his reputation, if he's dating an 18 year old, huh? Or are you just going to sneak around until you're older? If you make it that far, and they don't all get bored of trying to keep a human danger-magnet out of trouble. I mean, that red head is still out there, for starters."

"She won't be such a problem once I've been changed," I snorted without thinking. At once, his whole demeanour changed, and we were back to square one again.

"So you still want to be one of them?" he growled, leaping up from the rock, body shaking. "Never gonna happen, Bella. Any of them bite you, even if they don't kill you, the treaty is over! At least Edward had the good sense to not want to change you."

He looked down, then his head snapped straight back up again, as a thought entered his mind.

"Wait, Doctor Fang turned most of those leeches, didn't he? So I'm guessing he doesn't share Eddie's point of view..."

"No, he doesn't. He will change me, when the time is right. We've discussed it."

"No! The time will never be right!" he yelled, desperation in his voice now. "You can leave, you can evade the consequences of the treaty, but you can't ever come back if you do. What about Charlie? You gonna force him to leave Forks, too?"

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes," I rebuked, not sure of the answer to that little conundrum yet myself.

"You can't!" Jake continued to rage. "You can't become one of them. I won't let you!"

"Won't let me? Are you kidding me? Since when did I need your permission?" I yelled back. "We are done talking about this. Take me home."

"Sure, I'll take you back to Charlie's,"

"You know damn well where I mean."

"Nope, not taking you there."

"Fine, I'll get myself back!"

"The hell you will! You're not going anywhere!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

Jacob's voice was a roar now, and his face was fury, beyond reasoning. The trembling in his body was getting worse, and I backed away, suddenly realising how close he was to phasing, and the danger that meant. I knew he would never want to hurt me intentionally, but Sam had never wanted to hurt Emily, either, and we all knew how that had turned out.

"Jake, calm down," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Don't tell me what to do, Bella," he snarled. "You're staying here, where I can protect you, from them. It's what we were created for."

"Oh, so it's alright for you to tell me what to do, but not the other way around?"

"You don't know what you're doing, Bella. I know what's best for you."

"Fuck you, Jake! You sound just like Edward!"

He ignored that jibe, and simply squared his shoulders, and stared me down.

"You can't keep me here against my will. The pack won't allow it. Carlisle won't allow it."

"Oh, what's he going to do? Come charging onto our land? He crosses the treaty line, he's dead. The pack will rip his filthy cold dead body to pieces."

I stared in horror at the smile that crept across his face. Was that what he wanted? Was that what he had planned all along?

"Any one of you hurt him, and I'll kill you myself!" I screamed back at him, and that did it. He finally snapped, and I could but watch as the world moved in slow motion, and his body morphed, and grew, and phased.

xxx

CPOV

I ran at top speed the second my feet had crossed the line. I knew that once I set foot in La Push, my moments before at least one of the wolves was on my tail were numbered. I let my body fall into that open state where I let the mating pull take me; feeling into the separation between Isabella and I and letting it tell me which way to go to lessen that gap. Instinctively my body turned in the direction of the beach, and I ran hard, seeing nothing around me as I flew across the land, aware only of what my keen instinct needed to see to duck and weave and leap accordingly as I moved through trees and open land alike, crossing creeks and ditches.

Isabella...

I felt what I could only describe as a full body shiver as I felt her essence growing nearer. So lost in the feel of her was my body and mind, that I almost failed to sense the sudden approach coming from my left.

Wolves.

Two of them flanked me, snapping and snarling at my heels. Grey and large and unrelenting. I zigzagged my way forward, managing to keep ahead of them, but only just out of reach of their slavering jaws. The beach was close... I could smell the salt in the air getting stronger.

But then, I was forced to come to a shuddering halt, as a huge black wolf leapt in front of me, blocking my path. The two tailing me split apart to block me from turning, and I could hear more of them running to bring up the rear, surrounding me.

They circled me, growling and crouching down into attack positions. Instinctively I held up my hands in a silent plea to wait. My eyes locked with the huge black alpha.

"Sam," I said, meeting his gaze with a desperate plea. "Please. Jacob has taken Isabella. I mean you no ill, and I know I have broken the treaty again already, by crossing the line. But I believe he means her harm... maybe not intentionally, but in some way... he's a danger to her. I had no choice, she is my mate. I will do whatever it takes to protect her."

I was met only with increased growling. Sam's eyes narrowed, and he snarled deep in his throat, advancing closer.

I poised myself, ready to leap to avoid his attack, but suddenly, he was gripped by something, his great wolfish head shaking from side to side as if something was buzzing inside of him. The other wolves continued advancing, but Sam shook off whatever had seized him, and he barked and growled what turned out to be an order for them to cease advancing. Rumbling their displeasure, they dropped back slightly, still alert and ready to lunge at me should the order change again.

Sam surveyed me, his wild eyes unreadable in his wolfish state, but I got the sense that he was suddenly on my side. The other wolves suddenly became agitated, shaking their heads as he had done. He growled, then looked at me again and jerked his head towards the beach.

Had Jacob phased? Is that what they were getting agitated by? His rage?

Suddenly gripped with a renewed fear for Isabella's safety, I realised with relief that we were on the same page, and without further thought I streaked forward, the beach my only goal, barely aware of the pack racing at either side of me – running with me this time, not after me. But they were no longer my concern. My only thought was reaching that beach, and reaching Isabella...

xxx

BPOV

I backed away as Jacob phased into his wolf form. For a moment it seemed as if he was lunging straight for me, but then he staggered slightly to the side, shaking his head and whining between the snarls and growls. I wondered if the pack were in his head, but could they know about his intentions and lack of control that fast? I had no idea just how precisely this wolf telepathy worked.

He recovered from whatever was going on inside his pack mind, and advanced again, growling, and pawing at the sand.

"Jake, it's me, calm down!" I hissed, but he either didn't hear me in his wild state, or chose to ignore me.

Suddenly, my veins felt as though they were filled with molten golden liquid, a shiver of bliss running through me.

Carlisle?

Within seconds of thinking his name, he was there beside me, lunging from the rocks to a defensive crouch by my side, growling equally as fiercely as Jacob.

Oh, but you broke the treaty, my love! They will kill you!

I looked at him, gripped with fear, but his eyes glanced back with steely reassurance, before darting back to the wolf his senses were honed in on.

The growling intensified. Jacob prepared to strike, and Carlisle tensed, his emotions winding their way into my own body, somehow, for we were that deeply connected now.

Suddenly, the snarls became many, and the rest of the pack emerged from the inky gloom, arriving on quick and silent paws across the sand. I braced myself, ready to fling my body over Carlisle's in the hope that I could spare him, but to my utter shock, they ignored Carlisle and instead surrounded Jacob, growling and gesturing for him to back down. He refused, snapping and biting at any wolf which came near him. After a short brawling between them all, the one I knew must be Sam, for he was so huge, lunged at Jake and nipped at him, snarling his demands in wolf. But Jacob would not be cowed. He squared up to the giant black alpha, trying to assert dominance. I felt Carlisle's hands on my shoulders, pulling me gently back and as far away from the fray as possible without the pack getting antsy that we might flee. I recognised Paul and Jared, who were keeping their eyes on us warily, whilst also keeping a peripheral ring around Jake with the others.

An unearthly snarl rang out, and the two wolves were suddenly lunging at one another, locking onto each other with their mighty jaws, and I knew then that Jacob was making a play for alpha. The others fell back, and I could see the concern in their eyes as they watched the battle for dominance unfold. Jacob was wild and relentless, but he was also wound tight with anger, and for all that I still loved my friend and knew that truly, he was the rightful pack leader, I hoped with all my heart that for now, his unfettered and chaotic state would be his downfall, and Sam would rein him in. For whatever reason, he had once again sided with Carlisle, and I did not fancy our chances if Jacob took control of the pack and commanded that they destroy my love for breaking the treaty.

Shouts sounded in the distance, and I realised some of the tribe must be on their way, alerted to the ferocious battle going on at the beach. Carlisle wrapped his arms around me as I shivered, and whispered in my ear softly.

"Don't be afraid, Isabella. All will be alright."

We watched silently as Jacob made one final strike at Sam, but the alpha was ready for him and in a blur of motion, caught him off guard and had him pinned. Seeing victory for their alpha, the pack moved in, and at last, Jacob lay still, whining miserably as Sam got him back under control.

Several of the Quiluette came running onto the beach, looking stunned at the situation, and furious at the presence of Carlisle.

Satisfied that the pack had Jacob cowed, Sam darted away to phase, hurrying back to have brief words with his fellow tribe before a full scale riot could begin over a vampire being on their land. He then stalked over to us, fury in his eyes.

"Get yourselves over to Billy's, now," he snapped, and Carlisle needed no second bidding, for his tone was not to be argued with.

"Thank you, Sam," he said courteously, scooping me up at the same time, and then whirling in a blur in the direction of Jacob's family home.

xxx

I paced outside the Blacks' house impatiently, still somewhat incensed that they had made me stay outside while they hauled Carlisle in for a grilling. I wished that I had vampire hearing so that I could listen in on what was being said. I couldn't even get close to try and see or hear what was going on, because every time I moved slightly closer to the house, my wolf guards, Leah and Embry, would remind me to remain where I was.

Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, Carlisle emerged from the doorway. I forgot the wolves entirely and ran to him, throwing myself into his arms before they could protest.

His cold, hard arms shot around me, pulling me close into the comfort of his stone embrace.

"Are you alright? What happened? Is the treaty..."

"Shhhh..." he murmured against my hair. "I'll explain it all when we get home. But yes, I am alright."

He was followed out of the house by Sam, who was pushing Billy in his wheelchair. Billy's face was set in a scowl, and if looks could kill, his eyes would have drilled right through Carlisle's dead heart like lasers. Sam's expression was hard, but a little more forgiving. I was beyond grateful that he was alpha, and not Jacob.

"Get off our land, Cullen, and be quick about it, before I change my mind. I don't ever want to see you here again without permission," Billy spat. "By all accounts, you should not be standing here at all."

Sam clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Billy. We came to a unanimous decision."

"Only because my son lost sight of his senses," he muttered. "For which I had little choice to agree with the pack and the elders."

He turned his glare on me. "I think it best you keep off our land for a while also, Bella Swan. You cause nothing but chaos among all our families, it would seem."

I went to reply, but Carlisle hushed me again, ushering me onto his back and nodding briefly at the two men.

"I won't trouble you again, and I offer my apologies endlessly. If not for the protective nature of our bond, I would never have come here. Thank you for the wisdom and compassion of your council."

Sam pursed his lips and let out a sigh.

"Get out of here, Carlisle. I've already given you far too many second chances the past few days."

Despite his words, I could have sworn I saw the slightest hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. And it was the only time I had ever heard him call Carlisle by his first name. Could it be that he was warming to my vampire family?

I didn't have time to contemplate the thought further, because the next thing I knew I was hurtling across La Push at vampire speed, clinging onto Carlisle's back for dear life as the world passed by in a frenzied rush. I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew I was toppling from my love into the arms of four very relieved vampires, who crowded around us demanding to know what had gone on. Alice especially looked overjoyed at our safe return, and I knew it must have been agonising for her to not be able to see our fates while we were in the presence of the wolves.

We moved inside the house in a flurry of questions. I briefly filled all of them in on what had played out between Jake and I, before Carlisle took over and explained things from his experience. I listened intently as he told us how the wolves had initially moved in to take him out, before hearing Jacob's uncontrolled rage break out as he phased, and realising he did indeed pose a danger to me. Back at the Blacks' place, they had argued endlessly back and forth among the elders, Sam and Billy about what to do with Carlisle, and also Jacob. Eventually, and thanks to Sam and Old Quil's persistent wise counsel, they had grudgingly acknowledged that Jacob had been at fault, and that Carlisle had every right and good reason to try and protect his mate from suspected harm. The treaty was now hanging by a thread, but it still stood. As for Jacob, they promised to exact a suitable punishment for his actions. They had also promised an understanding that they would not attempt to interfere in our relationship, provided of course, that I remained human. That irked me, but getting Carlisle out of there had been the priority, and we had succeeded. The question of my immortality was a fight for another day.

Exhausted, for it was now well into the early hours of the morning, I slumped into Alice's arms, burnt out from the traumas the night had wrought.

"She needs rest, Carlisle," I heard her murmur, but my eyelids were already drooping, and I could feel myself succumbing to sleep, before I was abruptly brought back to consciousness by Alice going rigid against me, as a vision seized her. I extracted myself from her arms as she shook and flailed, her face a picture of utter distress.

Jasper attempted to hold onto her hands as everyone gazed at her worriedly. I looked to Carlisle, noting that his face was the most worried of all.

Finally, she came back to reality, hands shaking as she stood to look at Carlisle. Something silent passed between them, and he ran a hand through his hair, looking pained. Sleep threatened to take me under again, and despite my desperate need to finally know what was going on, and what her visions had been, I could no longer fight the crushing exhaustion. Snatches of words came to me as I slowly lost consciousness.

"Edward... Volturi... Carlisle... death..."

I shuddered, and then slept, and then dreamed.

Sorry for the slow update this time! I hope you enjoyed the chapter – as always, please do share your thoughts, I love to read them!