Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Twilight.

Bella's POV

Edward held me close to him as I deepened the kiss, trying to savour the moment, knowing that it couldn't last forever. I slid my hands up his shirt, running my fingers over his cold muscles, allowing them to rest on his shoulders. Edward groaned and pulled away, letting his arms fall to his sides. I let go of his shoulders and took a step back, not letting him see the disappointment on my face.

"So, I guess it's time?" I asked, hoping that we could just forget that I had ever changed and continue with the wedding.

"Yes," Edward said "we need to see what my family thinks of you. We need to see how they react to a werewolf joining my family." I looked up in shock at the word 'my' realising that he no longer saw me as part of the family; he saw me as a werewolf. No matter what he said, the only way I would be able to stay with Edward was if his love was stronger than his hatred of … my kind. I looked into the forest and had a sudden urge to phase and run amongst the trees, my kin by my side. I had a desire to race through fields, feeling the soft grass beneath my feet, the wind against my face. A ripple ran up my arm so I bit my lip, hoping the pain would stop the change from coming. Looking up, I noticed that Edward had already headed back to the house, leaving me on my own...in the woods. Noticing the growing darkness of the forest, I hurried off to catch up with Edward.

I emerged from the forest a couple of minutes later and spotted Edward leaning against the wall of his house, waiting for me. I walked up to him and smiled, hoping it would show confidence and not reveal how scared I suddenly was of the people I loved. The door eased open and Alice appeared in the doorway, a harsh, yet not unkind look on her face.

"I can't see you," was all she said as she let me and Edward past. I knew exactly what she meant; she couldn't see me in her visions of the future because of my change. That suddenly made me feel out of place in the world, it made me feel like I didn't exist. I walked across the room and sat down on the creamy white sofa, letting my hands run slowly over the surface. Edward sat next to me but put a lot of distance between us. The others began to enter the room taking their seats on the other sofas. Alice and Jasper, with a pained look on his face, took the one closest to us. Carlisle and Esme, both looking as kind as ever, took seats opposite. Finally, Emmett and Rosalie, with a happy smile on her face, took seats next to them.

My stomach clenched at the thought of what was about to happen, nothing good would come out of this...they would never accept me as one of them. Alice, noticing my discomfort, smiled reassuringly at me... but I couldn't calm down, I felt trapped and in danger. I noticed a strange smell in the air, a smell that made my fight or flight instincts flare into action. I suddenly realised that it was them I could smell, it was the smell that Jake had told me about; the one that made werewolves hate being near vampires. Personally, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Yes, it was an unpleasant smell, but it wasn't strong or overpowering; I could easily forget about it. Doing just that, I waited for the inevitable.

"Bella," Esme started, "It's unfortunate that this happened...and so close to the wedding too. In a couple of weeks you could have been changed into a vampire and we would have no problems." Esme sighed and leaned forward, "but now we don't know what to do; vampires and werewolves just don't mix."

Carlisle nodded and stood up, "I'm sorry, Bella. We don't have much of a choice in the matter," he paused and looked me straight in the eyes, "the wedding can't go on."

"But I love him," I stated as tears welled up in my eyes, "we can make it work." Rosalie suddenly turned and glared at me.

"Oh really?" she spat, "Edward can't even sit next to you. You think it can work between a vampire and his dinner?" The look of sheer hatred had me rooted to the spot. I knew Rosalie could be cold, but never this cold; my blood had turned to ice in my veins.

I quickly stood up and walked out of the room, slumping against the wall, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. Wiping the tears away, I headed towards the back of the house as frantic whispers drifted from the other room; I couldn't stay knowing how they felt. I walked out into the garden and sat down on a bench, staring up into the dark sky. I don't know how long I sat there for but, looking around, I noticed that Alice had taken the seat next to me.

"Don't worry," she said calmly, "we'll work it out and we'll be a family soon enough." Smiling, she leaned forward and hugged me. The scent wafted up my nose, a slight smell of death and decay; of corruption. Alice jumped up and walked back into the house, pausing only to grin at me.

Walking down the garden path, I admired the beauty of the stars, wishing that I could be here forever. Looking up into the night sky made me feel free and safe, made me forget the current problems of my life. After walking around the garden, and noticing how wonderful it looked at night, I took a seat on the bench again.

"Beautiful aren't they?" someone intoned from behind me. Looking around I saw Esme and smiled, offering her a seat beside me. She smiled and sat down, noticeably closer than Edward had sat before.

"I would love to get lost in the night sky," I whispered, trying to stay away from the subject of the marriage.

"The marriage can go on," Esme said, as if she had read my mind. I continued to look at the sky until the words suddenly sank in.

"What!?" I pretty much shouted at her.

Esme smiled, "we are going to give you a chance, Bella." I grinned and jumped forward, pulling Esme into a sudden embrace. Getting up, I ran back into the house to find Edward.

Lying in bed I thought about everything that had happened in a single day, so much for such a short period of time. I had had an argument with Edward, I had phased into a werewolf, had a fight with Leah, made up with Edward and been accepted back into the Cullen family. My life definitely wasn't perfect right now but it sure wasn't the worst it could be. However, Edward hadn't seemed as happy and excited as I had. After my short chat with Esme, he smiled at me and gave me a quick hug before going to talk to Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper while Esme, Rosalie and Alice chatted amongst themselves. I had felt left out so, after a few brief chats, I said goodnight and headed off to bed.

Hearing the faint murmur of voices coming from outside, I walked over to the window and looked out. Emmett, Jasper and Edward were walking out into the forest, obviously going hunting. Little snippets of their conversation drifted up to my window.

"Don't worry," Emmett was saying, "you'll ... used ... it. If not you can...her." His joking laughter floated up to the window.

"Yeh," Edward replied, all serious, "yeh, good idea." I froze while trying to work out what Emmett had said which I had been unable to hear. It could have been anything ranging from 'dump her' to 'kill her', the latter obviously being ridiculous and unlike Edward. Yet...Edward had not seemed himself since entering the house. He had acted normal when we had kissed, but not since...like he was having second thoughts about us. I felt out of place and unwanted within the family, it was obvious that they were going through a lot just to have me here, to try and accept me.

Making a quick decision, I got up and packed the few belongings I kept in the Cullen household into a backpack. Throwing the backpack, over my shoulder I left the room and descended the stairs as quietly as possible. I dropped the backpack by the front door and entered the kitchen to get a glass of water to make it seem as if that was all I had come down for. After packing a few supplies of food and water and picking up my savings, I picked up the backpack and left the house, running down the path to reach the main road.

A couple of minutes later I reached the main road and headed in the direction of home. On the way there, I thought about what would be the best thing to do; would it be good to stay in Forks? Should I stay away until the Cullens moved on? I walked into my house and packed a few more belongings and more money. I couldn't stay here knowing that I wasn't welcomed by the Quilettes, who resented me for choosing the Cullens, and the Cullens, who resented me for something I had no control over. Though Edward could live with the fact that I was a werewolf, Alice and Esme seemed to be more comfortable around me and more able to put the truth aside; their loyalty and love for me appeared stronger than his. A sad and painful truth. I stepped outside and headed in the direction to leave town, hoping to get a good distance away before anyone realised I was gone. Even if they didn't want me around, the Cullens would still want me to stay in Forks with my dad. But I couldn't stay right now, I needed to work some things out.

I considered phasing to make the journey quicker but I knew that the Quilettes might be able to hear me and it would be hard to carry my backpack. I jogged along the edge of the road, keeping an eye on the forest. A few miles along the road, in my peripheral vision, I saw a flash of red among the trees making me turn my head to look carefully. Whatever it was was gone now but anxiety was building up in me, making me look for more flashes.

15 miles along, I was far from Forks and came across a small, possibly abandoned, house. Plucking up some courage, I eased the door open and did a quick scan of the close areas; everything seemed fine. I slowly, and carefully, walked through each room of the house, checking for signs of people recently living here. An hour passed, the sun had risen, and I had found nothing, so I walked into the bedroom and put my bag down. The bed looked clean and nothing looked odd, so I felt that it would be safe to stay here for a while; at least for the next day. I got into the bed and huddled under the blanket, desperate to sleep but unable to calm down due to fear, of what was outside, and the past day of events. Thoughts and worries kept whirring through my mind but I finally managed to drift off to sleep.

A couple of months passed during which I stayed in the house. Nothing happened in that time, I heard nothing from the Cullens or the Quilettes...either none of them cared enough, they knew it would just make the situation worse or they knew I could make my own decisions. Leah had suggested that I do the right thing...and this was the right thing; this was the best choice for everyone. I had told my dad that I was staying away for a while, but I wouldn't tell him where. He had worried and called everyday for the first few weeks. Eventually we reached a deal, as long as I kept him up to date on how I was doing, he would stop calling and worrying as much. I had managed to convince him that it would be good for me to prepare for moving away from home. However, this whole thing had made him dislike Edward more than ever so he kept trying to make me go see Jake. I wasn't going to give in that easily; I had no idea how Jake would react to what I had become and I didn't have any desire to find out soon.

Other than spending my days cleaning the house and garden and my nights in a fitful sleep, I had strayed into the nearby town a few times to get supplies, luckily no one had paid much attention to me. Attracting attention now could cause problems, a lone wolf was a weak wolf; if any vampires arrived and noticed me...I'd be in trouble. I just couldn't deal with any on my own, they mostly travelled in groups of, at least, 3 and the house was too far away from anywhere to get help.

One late night I felt a massive pressure building up inside me; I needed to shift, even with the risk of the Quilettes hearing my thoughts. I hadn't shifted since that first day and the urge to change now was too big to ignore. I looked outside to make sure that no one was around and then undressed so that no clothes would be ruined during the transition from human to wolf. Opening the back door, I ran out into the garden and started shifting. I felt the bones within my body changing into a new shape. Agonising pains filled my whole body during the change; a splitting headache and aching limbs that felt like they were being crushed.

Suddenly, the pain stopped and I was a wolf again. The pressure left my body and I felt calm, I felt as if I was where I belonged. The only problem was that I felt alone, I couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts in my head...it made me feel lost somehow. Ignoring my thoughts, I jumped over the garden fence and ran into the nearby forest. Leaping over tree roots and bushes, I ran deeper into the forest, quickly gathering speed. The speed with which I ran and my heightened senses made me feel free and alive; I never wanted to stop running. I could hear, and smell, the various animals moving among the underbrush. I could smell and sense the beginning of a storm coming, I could feel the dampness in the air. I felt exhilarated and alive, how could I live without this?

Rain began to fall as lightning raced across the sky, the crash of thunder arriving a few seconds later. I sat back on my haunches and looked up, watching the storm decorate the night as it slowly travelled closer to the forest. The hair on the back of my neck prickled and stood up as the sense of being watched washed over me. I quickly got up and padded off in the direction of the house, constantly aware that I was being followed. I risked a quick glance behind me and glimpsed a flash of red in the shadows. I started running faster, bounding over the roots and bushes. I was going too fast, my legs hit a thick tree root and I went down, sprawled on the floor. I heard a growl and looked over in that direction just as the red eyes disappeared from site. A series of ripping noises followed as I got up and sprinted back into the house, shifting as I crossed the threshold. I locked and bolted the back door and ran around the house making sure everything was locked. I then grabbed the nearest bookshelf, or piece of furniture, to each door and window and barricaded the entrances.

Once I was sure all the entrances were as safe as I could possibly make them, I made my way upstairs, dressed and got into bed...not that I'd be getting any sleep. Any noise made me jump up and stare at the closest entrance thinking that a vampire had managed to get into the house. I didn't even know if there was a vampire to worry about, I had heard growls and then a ripping sound...the vampire could be dead. But...that would mean werewolves, I wasn't ready to deal with the Quilettes; though they'd be better to see than any hostile vampire. A crash from the hallway made me snap out of my thoughts, I froze, having no idea what to do. I quickly, but silently, got out of bed and made my way to the corner of the room. Turning my back on the doorway was a mistake, the only hint I got that the vampire was behind me was a sudden whoosh of air before I was suddenly flat out on the floor.

"I'm sorry," the vampire whispered before biting my shoulder. A quick, sharp pain flared through my shoulder but was quickly replaced by a dull ache. I wasn't aware of how long it took him to finish, it could've been minutes or mere seconds...but he didn't kill me, there was no agonising pain.

I felt him stand up, I took this opportunity to get up and attack but he was already on the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," he said and smirked, "I have a certain attraction to female werewolves...the scent is intoxicating."

"Why doesn't it hurt?" I asked, feeling slightly dizzy from the blood loss. I looked up at him to check his eyes, they were a dark amber with another colour near the pupil, but I couldn't see what colour because he was too far away; at least they weren't red. His hair was dark brown, straight and shoulder length, his build was athletic and he was around 6'2. While noticing all this, he had decided to undress me with his eyes, so I glare at him.

"I can control my venom," he replied as he walked around the room, "I guess you could say its my power. So...what's your name, little lupa?" For a few seconds I was at a loss for words, he had a sexy accent. Blushing slightly I looked away from him.

"Bella," I answered, "my name is Bella...what's your name?"

"Ari," he replied and turned away.

"That's a strange name," I whispered, stupidly fearing what his reaction would be. I glanced at him quickly to gauge his reaction, he seemed fine enough.

"It's a Nordic name, it means eagle," he started walking around the room and examining my meagre belongings, "sorry about breaking in by the way; I had to see if you were okay." This brought on a sudden spark of anger within me.

"So I guess seeing if I'm okay means biting me and leaving me for dead!" I shouted and stood up to show I could look after myself. This sudden outburst seemed to shock him and I instantly felt bad.

"I guess I deserved that, little lupa, I hope you can forgive me...I don't know what came over me. I just had to protect you from that vampire and come and see you." Well, that explained what had happened back in the forest...but I couldn't trust him, I had no idea what he was like.

I stood up and walked out into the hallway to assess the damage he had caused, he had somehow opened a window and knocked over the bookcase that I had used to block it.

"So, you don't intend to kill me?" I slowly asked, dreading the answer, I was a vampire's enemy; I was his enemy. But the fact that he had let me live so far, and didn't appear to be hostile, sparked a glimmer of hope within me. I looked over at him and caught him smirking, was it really so funny for me to think he was a possible threat?

"I won't hurt you," he replied while laughing slightly, "I promise." As he walked around looking at the few belongings in the house, a thought came to mind.

"Why are you here on your own?" I questioned. I had thought most vampires travelled together in groups; there were always hostile vampires that would be a threat to a lone vampire.

"I'm a nomad," he started whilst walking around the room, "I travel alone all over the world; tasting all the ...delicacies." He stared intently and began to walk towards me, backing me up against a wall, stepping into my personal space. He put his hands on either side of my head and leaned in, blocking my escape and pressing me up against the wall. He moved closer and kissed my neck, grazing his teeth along it, causing me to tense up. After a few seconds he pulled back and held one of my hands, running his fingers over it. He suddenly looked down, so I followed his gaze. He was looking at my engagement ring, I had never thought about taking it off.

"You're getting married," he stated, without looking up.

"Yeh," I said and looked away, feeling ashamed. "Well...I was anyway. He's a vampire and he...can't live with the fact that I'm a werewolf now. Neither can his family" With that said, I turned away and walked towards my room as I felt tears come to my eyes. I sensed him following me.

"Why continue wearing it then?" he quietly asked as he turned me around to face him. I narrowed my eyes at the memory of how Edward had been treating me recently. Gritting my teeth, I replied "I forgot to take it off."

"Tell me what happened," he whispered and took a seat in a nearby chair, so I followed suit. I sighed and proceeded to tell him about my sudden change and how the choice of either the Cullens or the Quilettes had led to me leaving Forks. He listened to the entire story but didn't seem to agree or disagree with anything I said.

"You should go back and sort this problem out," he suggested after I finished telling him everything, "staying here won't be easy for you; wolves belong in packs." At first, I didn't agree with him but, over the next few hours, he managed to convince me that returning to Forks was the best thing to do. I began packing my bag with my new, and old, belongings to get ready for moving back home. Ari had promised to come back with me, after I rested for a while, which made me feel safer about the trip. For some reason I could trust him, I felt safe with him; maybe because he saved me from the rogue vampire. Travelling with him would be a lot better than another vampire sneaking up on me unawares.

In the morning, after a peaceful sleep, Ari and I stepped out into the rain to begin our journey to Forks. I felt nervous, how could I face anyone after everything that had happened? The Cullens would most likely be upset with me and not want me around and I had no idea whether Jake had been told anything. There was also the case of Ari, how would everyone react to him? I decided to put these thoughts aside for the time being and focus on getting home. At least I knew one certain worried father would be happy to have me back.

Summary

Oops, took me a long time to update. Sorry about that :) I have been distracted by games, books and Youtube. Hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot quicker. My brother also had a lovely addition to this story while I was AFK:

Edward then decided he was to be gay. "Bella is a bit of a bitch you see". IKR said Benjamin.

Just to add, I haven't read the series in a very long time and I have lost a lot of interest in it too...so some things I may have forgotten so if anything is wrong feel free to point it out.