Training had been going great, or at least as great as it could have been considering we were practicing killing each other I guess. However, a strange routine had been formed ever since the day Skylar appeared in the training clearing. Every day, before the actual session, the pride, and most of the time Leah, all gathered in the Cullen house. Usually the gathering involved video games and a lot of yelling, but somehow acted to calm us anyways.
If someone had asked Kat why we gathered in a house of vampires every day she would probably give some bullshit answer about getting to know the people that we had to fight with in only a weeks time. But the answer would have been just that, complete bullshit.
In all honesty, I could tell Kat actually had warmed up to the Cullens, it was hard not to after all. With Esme insisting on cooking for us and Emmett providing constant brotherly teasing and humor, the house was always welcoming. That, and the fact that Carlisle loved to ask Kat about anything supernatural she had come across in her time, and shared his own stories right back.
So yes, the Cullen's place had become a second house to the pride, even Rikki had allowed herself to enjoy the afternoons spent there, which was quite the accomplishment.
Currently, Kat, Leah, and Emmett were playing some sort of shooting game while Danni and Alice gushed about some sort of girly television show that they both watched, but had very different opinions on the ending. I was sitting with Rikki, both of our attention split between the game and the debate that the two tiny supernaturals were engrossed in, which was actually rather adorable.
"No fair!" Emmett's voice caused my head to turn towards the game. "You two keep ganging up on me."
"Were you expecting anything else?" Kat teased and threw him a smirk, then high-fived the wolf-shifter.
"I mean really." Leah chuckled. "It's been like that for the past three games, which makes it three to zero. You ready to give up yet?"
"If I had someone helping me out, you two would be so dead…" Emmett mumbled to himself, but shot Rosalie a glance.
"Not a chance." She brushed off as she turned the page of her book.
"Why not?"
"Because you'd be the reason we lost, and I don't really want to lose to two shifters." She replied calmly.
"Fine. Rematch then?" Emmett asked the two girls.
"Eh, why not?" Kat shrugged and set up the next game.
"Bells, you wanna jump in? I bet we could take them." Emmett asked me, holding out a controller to me.
"Why not?" I shrugged and took the offered controller from Emmett.
Fifteen deaths and not a single kill later, I realized exactly why not… And I couldn't even blame distraction, seeing as Alice and Danni seemed to have finished their argument. Finally, as the game drew to a close, accompanied by a huff from Emmett, Danni spoke up.
"You know, I just realized something." The small blonde mused.
"And what would that be?" I asked her.
"You and Kat never got to ask Jacob's dad about the bond between you two." Danni answered.
"Bond?"
"What bond?"
Leah and Alice's voices seemed to blend together as they asked their questions.
"You never told her?" I asked Kat.
"Well, you never told her." Kat grumbled back.
"I had no idea what it was, how was I supposed to tell her?"
"And you think I know any more than you?"
"How about you just tell us what you do know." Alice suggested, putting an end to our little argument. Looking at her, I realized she didn't look too mad, though she was probably pretty good at hiding her emotions by now.
"Kat?" I motioned for her to explain.
"Wuss…" She muttered, then looked between our two Imprints. "When I first saw Bella, some sort of bond formed. It wasn't as strong as an Imprint bond, but it was strong enough to make me change her, strong enough to make me want to keep her alive no matter what." She then turned her attention solely of Leah. "I'll be honest though, I've noticed it less when I'm around you."
"I've noticed that too, but when I'm with Alice." I told Kat.
"Hey Bella, what about that weird thing when Kat and Sam had the Alpha bond. You said that you could hear them." Rikki spoke up.
"You could hear us?" Kat asked me, sounding rather surprised.
"Yeah, but it was much quieter than a normal pride mind conversation would be."
"That's… odd." Kat finally said.
"Look, if you want to talk to Billy about this weird bond thing, why don't you?" Leah asked Kat bumping her shoulder. Leah didn't look angry either, and it was usually easier to read the shifter than it was a vampire. Maybe they were just curious what it was, and Kat and I weren't going to be in trouble with our respective mates.
"We were going to, the day we met the council. But then the werewolf happened, and getting ready for the battle seemed so much more important. And like we said, the bond is kind of becoming a background thing." Kat shrugged. "But asking Billy about the bond, and figuring it out what it means would probably be a good thing."
"Then it's settled, I'll call Billy." Leah stated, pulling out her cell phone.
"Right now?" I asked her.
"Sure. If we go now we'll be able to make it back for training." She told me as she held the phone up to her ear, and before I could say anything else she was talking into the cell.
The conversation itself was very short, Leah basically asked if we could come over, then thanked him, then hung up. It probably lasted no more than a minute in total.
"We're all set." Leah announced, standing up and pulling Kat with her.
Not a moment later, Alice was pulling me up as well, following the now retreating Leah and Kat out the door. It seemed our mates were more eager to get this whole situation sorted out than Kat and I were.
"And where do you think you're going?" Leah asked Alice once she noticed the girl pulling me along.
"If you're allowed on our land almost every day, then I think I can come onto your land for one afternoon." Alice retorted.
"Fine." Leah grumbled, though seemed none too pleased about it.
Still reeling a bit from the sudden direction of events today, I was completely compliant as Alice led me to the passenger seat of a car and ushered me inside. Hell, I barely noticed as Alice zipped to the diver's door and quickly got in, started the car, and drove away. And of course, since it was Alice driving, we made it to La Push in record time, and before I knew it, we were all walking into Billy's home.
"It's good to see you all." Billy smiled at Kat and me warmly as he wheeled into the room. He even spared Alice a small nod of recognition, which was a pretty big deal for any native here. "Leah says that you have something that you wanted to ask me about."
"Yes." Kat nodded and sat herself down on a chair across from Billy. Following suit, I sat down on the couch, and was quickly joined by Alice. Leah chose to just stand to Kat's side, her arms crossed as she leaned up against the chair. "I wanted to ask you if you've ever heard of a bond between shifters that's not an Imprint bond."
"Actually, I have. Quite a few different types of bonds exist, so I'm going to need some more detail if you'd like any information." Billy answered.
"I don't know much about it to be honest." Kat admitted.
"Do you have this bond, along with your Imprint?"
"Yes."
"Then just describe what the bond makes you feel." Billy suggested helpfully.
"Well, it started when my pride found Bella right after the vampire attacked her, before she was a shifter. When I saw her in the clearing I felt a pull towards her, and it was like I had no choice but to change her to keep her alive. But my pride-mates told me that the pull was nothing compared to the strength of an Imprint." Kat explained.
"Also, I can hear her Alpha conversations, and I'm told I shouldn't have been able to." I threw in, trying to help out.
"I see." Billy nodded, furrowing his brows in contemplation. "This may seem like an odd question, but were you two involved before you found your Imprints?"
"Um… yes." I answered, a faint blush on my cheeks. I didn't really want to discuss my past relationship with Jacob's father of all people.
"And was this relationship romantic, or purely sexual?" Came his next question.
Well, if I thought I was blushing before, it was nothing compared to now. Though I wasn't the only one affected by the question it seemed. Kat actually choked a bit on nothing, Alice had completely seized up, and Leah almost fell over in shock.
"Romantic." Kat finally managed to get out.
"Not sexual." I reinforced. Next to me, I could feel Alice physically relax. What, did she really think after only two months I'd jump into bed with someone? Well, okay, so we shared a bed, but that was all!
"I'm guessing that it didn't feel right to be involved that way?" Billy asked, and I shook my head quickly. Alright, he was pushing so many boundaries right now. Sure, he was hitting the nail on the head, but that was beside the point!
"Can we just get to the point?" Kat asked, though her voice seemed to have raised a few octaves.
"I think that the two of you have an Alpha-Beta bond." Billy concluded, looking rather amused at out reactions.
"And that would be?" I asked.
"There are stories in which the Alpha and his Beta have a special connection. This makes their packs stronger than it would have been otherwise. According to legend, this bond occurs when neither Alpha nor Beta have an Imprint, and it results in the two coming to care deeply for one another. Really, this is to benefit the Alpha, so that he wouldn't need to worry about his Beta trying to kill him for power. But it had other effects; a view into Alpha conversations for the Beta for example." Billy explained.
"So Bella is my Beta?" Kat asked, glancing at me.
"It would seem so." Billy nodded. "Also, I'm guessing that the bond led to the two of you becoming involved in a relationship, as you two don't mind being involved with the same gender."
"And what happens to the Alpha-Beta bond once the two find their Imprints?" Alice asked him.
"The bond becomes a little less important, but will always be present. The fondness a Beta feels for their Alpha will remain, to keep the Beta from killing the Alpha." Billy answered her.
"Like she could kill me." Kat rolled her eyes.
"I'd be careful of your pride, Katherine. Wasn't it you that told the vampires that arrogance was their greatest downfall?" Billy told her.
"Right…" Kat deflated slightly.
"Still, I don't think I'd ever want to kill her. Bond or not, I'm not super keen on murder." I cut in.
"What if an Alpha does something that goes directly against her pride's morals? What if the Beta knew that what the Alpha was doing was wrong?" Kat asked him, looking a bit worried. But I knew that that worry wasn't for herself, instead it was for the rest of us. Kat hated using Alpha commands; so controlling me without even meaning to would obviously freak her out.
"The emotions that result from the bond can't control the Beta, just act as a guide. The bond can't control anyone's actions, it's simply a way to help a group of shifters have peace." Billy assured her.
"Good." Kat visibly relaxed at that.
"So, this Alpha-Beta bond can't interfere with an Imprint bond, right?" Leah asked.
Is that why the she and Alice had been so eager to have this talk? Did they really think that Kat and I were going to run away together and leave them behind? Wow, I was bad at reading situations if I was just realizing this… Even if there was no chance in that ever happening.
"Of course not. The most important thing to a shifter is their Imprint, and nothing can change that." Billy actually looked confused as to why Leah would even ask such a question.
"Good."
"Well, I'm happy that I could help clear everything up for you girls." Billy said after a moment of silence. "But I believe that it's time to leave for your training."
"Thank you Billy." Leah nodded at the older man and turned to leave.
The rest of us quickly followed suit, emerging from the small house.
"I'm glad we got that all cleared up." Alice beamed up at me.
"It's nice to know what the bond was, yeah." I said, not quite as enthusiastic. Truth be told, I was confused as to why Alice would even consider that she had competition in Kat. And it made me the slightest bit angry. Not enough to show, but enough to be in the back of my head. I knew that vampires could get possessive, but if this was going to be a constant thing then we were going to have to talk about it.
Alice was about to say something else when her face went blank, and I was worried that she was having one of those terrible visions again. My fears were dismissed a moment later when she snapped out of the vision with only a slight frown on her face.
"What was that?" I asked her.
"Edward's back." She replied curtly.
Well, that's just fantastic…
XXXXX
It didn't take us long to get to the clearing, again due to the ridiculous speed that vampires seemed to favor while driving. So I didn't really get much time to collect myself in preparation of seeing Edward again.
Sure, I knew he was coming home soon; after all, a psychotic vampire and a group of shifters that did nothing but fight were threatening his family. So yes, I knew he was coming back, but I wasn't really counting down the days or anything. It was similar to knowing that eventually your wisdom teeth have to come out. You didn't eagerly await the actual event; instead you tried not to dwell on it.
The second I entered the area I saw him; he was talking to Carlisle, probably trying to catch up on everything that had happened while he was gone. I didn't move until Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me forward towards the gathered group of shifters.
"You guys get everything cleared up?" Rikki asked me once I got close enough.
"Yeah." I muttered, trying not to glance over to Edward. I was still a bit nervous to have Alice and him too close. Like he said, vampires were incredibly possessive creatures, so I was guessing neither of them was going to do great with the other one.
"And?" Rikki prompted.
Figuring I needed to distract myself from the bronze-haired boy across the clearing, I decided to just have some fun with Rikki instead.
"Well, I officially outrank you now." I told her with a smirk.
"Excuse me?" Rikki asked, straightening up slightly.
"I'm your Beta." I clarified.
"Says who?" Rikki grumbled. I could tell she was getting a bit riled up, nothing too dangerous, but enough to entertain me for sure. It was a nice change, me teasing her for once.
"The bond that we formed." Kat spoke up, no doubt trying to avoid a scene between Rikki and me.
"What?" Rikki turned to the Alpha, confusion apparent on her face.
"I'll explain later." Kat dismissed, turning her attention towards Jasper, who was looking at our group expectantly.
"Are we ready to begin?" Jasper asked.
Kat nodded and we split up into our groups to practice fighting multiple opponents at once. Thanks to the foresight of Jasper, and most likely Carlisle, Edward was not included in my group, so the session went by without a hitch.
The session ended a few hours later, enough that the shifters felt a bit of fatigue, but nothing too serious. Alice was over talking with her family, and I was walking over to the rest of my pride when I realized that someone was behind me. Turning around, I saw Edward standing there, looking rather uncertain, one hand half raised towards me. As soon as I made eye contact, his hand dropped and he offered me a small smile.
"Edward." I greeted, trying to be polite.
"Hello Bella." He greeted back, his voice sounding a bit strained as well.
"Did you need something?" I asked him, figuring the shorter this conversation was the better.
"Yes. I was wondering if I could speak with you and Alice."
"Why?" I questioned him, my eyes narrowing slightly. The last time the three of us were in a room together he was yelling and throwing people out of windows.
"I promise that I won't be yelling or harming anyone." He told me with a small smile that almost seemed a little sad. "Please?"
I don't know if it was the expression on her face, or the fact that he was practically begging me, but something about his request had me believing him.
"Alright." I agreed, giving him a small smile back.
I turned to find Alice, only to see her watching the two of us intently, her lips turned down in a small frown. After a quick motion from me, Alice made her way over to the two of us quickly.
"Is everything okay?" Alice asked, glancing between the two of us.
"Yeah." I assured her, grabbing her hand, and felt her relax at the contact. "Edward wants to talk to us for a bit."
"Oh. Alright then."
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Kat shoot me a questioning glance. I nodded at her, signaling that I was fine, and she nodded back before turning to leave with the pride.
"So why did you want to talk to us?" Alice asked, pulling my attention back to the two vampires.
"To apologize." Edward stated. I'm sure my face reflected exactly what I thought of that, but he quickly went to elaborate. "I know that I will have to work towards any forgiveness you're willing to give me, but I want to try."
"I thought you said that you couldn't understand our relationship. How do you go from not accepting us to wanting us to forgive you?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.
"While I was away I had nothing but time to think about what happened, and I felt horrible. The separation from you probably helped to clear my head, acted to allow the vampire part of me to let you go. Once it was apparent that you didn't belong to me, so to say, the vampire started to let you go. So I could think about the situation clearly. It helped me to reflect on all that I had done wrong, and helped me realize all that I needed to make up for.
"Before I left you accused me of not wanting to work to fix anything. And at the time, it was true that I didn't think I was able to work to mend all I had broken, but now I think I am. I want to try and make up for everything that I have done to you, as much as I am physically able to.
"Now yes, the idea of two women together is still foreign to me, and a bit disconcerting, but if you two are truly in love, then who am I to say it's wrong? And how could I not want my sister and the girl I claimed to love to be happy?"
As he explained, I couldn't help but feel that he was being completely sincere. I found that I believed every word he was saying, even if I didn't really want to. Maybe it was the fact that we were going to be in a fight to the death in less than a week now, maybe it was something else. I really didn't care what the reason was. All I knew was that something told me that this was the truth, that he really did feel terrible, and that all he wanted was forgiveness.
"Bella?" Alice prompted me, noticing the look of concentration on my face.
"Right before you left, you apologized to me, and I told you that it actually meant a lot. That still stands. The fact that you can stand here and admit that you were wrong, that you can admit that you need to fix things, that means a whole hell of a lot. And it takes a strong person to be able to admit that they messed up. So while I may still be angry about the past, I accept your apology." I told him.
"And you Alice?" Edward turned to his sister hesitantly.
"You really regret everything you've done? Everything that you've said?" She asked him.
"Yes. I never wanted to push my family away. Alice, you know I love you, you're my sister. I'm sick that I let my instincts control me so drastically, that I even considered fighting you for anything." Edward told her, tears shining in his eyes.
"Then I forgive you. I didn't want to lose my brother any more than you wanted to lose your sister." Alice declared, pulling him into a hug.
After a moment, Alice unwrapped one of her arms and motioned for me to join the little family moment. And I'm glad to say I did, not a moment of hesitation.
Edward wanted to try to fix everything, so I'd give him the chance to. Not to mention, I knew that Alice missed her brother dearly; he was the one that was closest to her after all.
While we stood, all three of us huddled together, I couldn't help but feel optimistic for the future. Everything was going fantastic in the training, everyone was actually getting along, and now the Cullens were whole again.
But of course, only time would tell.
A/N: Next chapter's going to be the fight, then I think there's only going to be one or two more chapters to wrap everything up. I really want to try to get this finished before Friday, because that's when I go back to school, but I can't make any promises. And if anyone has any ideas for the big fight, I'm open to suggestions!