Chapter 2

Obviously I'm not Stephenie Meyer. All things in the Twilight Universe still belong to her and I'm stuck here, smacking my head, wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?" Ha, ha, but in all seriousness no infringement is intended on my part.

Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, or reviewed this story so far. I have to confess that most of this story is already written. I plan to post a chapter a day on this site till I'm all caught up. I'm actually hoping to have this story completed by months end. I hope you're enjoying it. This is the first story I was brave enough to share.

After September 14, 2010, 10:16pm

"If only they were starting with Jacob, we could wait another day," I grumbled petulantly.

"I know you don't mean that, Bella."

"He deserves to be punished for this, Edward."

"Then I'll punish him for you, if you'd like."

My sobbing stops. I'm staring into his eyes. There's no mistaking the sincerity in his voice or in his eyes.

"You'd kill him for me?"

Edward's brow is furrowing. "I don't know if what he did deserves the death penalty. But I'll kill him for you, if that's what you really want."

That was the million dollar question. How he escaped death by the Volturi's hands is another. Do I want Jacob dead? With his treachery still fresh in my mind, I'm not sure I'm able to make a wise decision regarding Jacob. He's caused me so much pain over the years, even before we were werewolves. Not to mention he's always picking fights with Edward's muscle bound brother, Emmett. Of course Emmett likes to egg him on. It was only a matter of time before Emmett found something he could potentially start a war over.

It was Emmett and his mate, Rosalie that caught Jacob in his treachery. Jacob and his girlfriend were hiking on neutral territory when Jacob decided to spill the beans to Nessie about vampires and werewolves. The moron even transformed in front of her. He was too distracted by his girl to notice Emmett and Rosalie following him. He's lucky they didn't kill her on the spot.

She's neither his imprint or a member of the tribe. Jacob had no right to blab our secrets. "I don't know," I mumble more to myself, but of course, he hears me.

Without thinking too much about it, I'm giving him a chaste kiss on his exquisite cold lips as a kind of thank you. Edward's giving me a gentle smile in return.

Yes, I kiss him sometimes and it always makes my lips tingle. What can I say? Like it or not he's my husband now and I'm trying to form a bond with him. And no, I'm not leading him on. I've explained to him why I feel the need to kiss him sometimes. He told me he understands and that he doesn't expect me to develop feelings over night. He's just happy that I'm trying. I have no idea why trying is so important to him.

He's lowering his lips to mine again, kissing me softly, slowly. I thought the touch of his cold hands would repulse me, but somehow it almost feels nice. It would feel perfect if I wasn't so afraid. His arms are wrapping around me now, hugging me gently to his body. His hands are caressing my hair, my back, my butt. I'm starting to relax. This kind of kissing is something I could eventually learn to enjoy. If only we weren't so rushed.

Edward's right hand is sliding up my ribcage gently cupping my left breast. He's groaning into my mouth, pulling my hips tight against him. I gasp, shaking again, because I'm really starting to like the way this feels and I'm terrified because of it.

He's pulling back to look at me because my body's stiffening. He's seeing my fear. "I'm nervous and a little afraid too, Bella," he's admitting freely.

"Why would you be?" I'm asking angrily. "You're a guy. What do you have to loose? You're obviously enjoying this." Now I'm glaring down between us at his obvious arousal.

I'm lifting my face to glare at him; his hurt filled eyes are staring back at me.

"Regardless of this being an arranged marriage, there's no shame in a man desiring his wife, especially when she's as beautiful as you." There's no mistaking the pain in his voice. His eyes are glossing over as if tears are about to spill down his face.

"And I have plenty to loose, Bella. If after tonight you start to hate me, I don't know what I'll do. This body I'm in now, this thing that I've become, I know you hate it. I hate it too. I didn't choose this life. I didn't choose for Jacob to tell our secrets and I didn't choose for the Volturi to force us to marry. But at the end of the day and underneath it all, I'm just a man that's been thrown into yet another situation not of my choosing. I'm just trying to make the best of things. I may be a vampire, Bella, but I take marriage and starting a family very seriously. You're the only wife I'll ever have, I intend to love and cherish you, just as I've vowed to do. That's just the way I am. So, if tomorrow you hate me for this, I stand to loose a lot.

I know I shouldn't be so hard on him. I can tell he's trying to make this easier for me. I lay my head on his shoulder willing myself to calm down. Deep down I know Edward would never hurt me.

"I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy, Bella. If you'll only let me try, and by doing this you'll be making me happy too. I know if we can get through tonight, get through this honeymoon and get through the birth of our eventual child and just… well…try. I know we can make each other happy."

A loving husband and a family is all I really wanted for my future. Sure I wanted to be a teacher too, to help mold the minds of the tribes children. The children of the tribe, all of them, have a special place in my heart. That's the only reason I agreed to this. I couldn't let those monsters hurt the children.

Before May 29, 2010

The day the Volturi showed up was the worst day of my life. Emmett and Jacob were fighting so much the humans started to notice. "Strange Happenings" were reported in the local newspaper. Townsfolk were speculating on all the strange sounds they heard in the surrounding forest and the sporadic damage done to the ancient trees. It was just my luck the Volturi took notice.

The Cullen's had us all convinced that the Volturi would simply irradiate all of us. There was no use in trying to run, the Volturi would inevitably find us. Only our deaths would be more painful for having fled. For us it didn't matter anyway; Quileute don't run.

However, Aro, the leader of the Volturi, seemed delighted to learn of our existence. He told us of some experiments he had been undertaking involving male vampires and female humans. They were kidnapping human women, keeping them captive until they ovulated, then Aro would have one of his male guards rape the woman, effectively impregnating her. The woman always died in childbirth, but that didn't seem to concern Aro. He was more concerned with the child's development. He was fascinated with the hybrid children's rapid growth.

"It's very simple, Carlisle. If you wish to remain alive have one of your sons impregnate one of the werewolves' females."

"Aro, that go's against everything I stand for."

"I don't want to hear any excuses. You have five minutes to make up your mind. If you fail in giving me the answer I wish I'll kill every man, woman and child in their tribe, human and wolf alike and I'll kill your entire family.

"Edward." Carlisle pleaded. A tall boy with messy bronze hair step forward. The boy looked out over the pack, pensively meeting each of our eyes. His eye's seemed to glance my way, holding my gaze a fraction longer than the rest. His butterscotch eyes were glazed, scorching with an ancient sadness, a longing that I couldn't decipher

He clenched his eyes closed for only a moment before turning towards the crotchety old vampire. "Aro," he addressed him with a voice so beautiful it could only be compared to the richest, softest, smoothest, swatch of velvet. "I've been raised by my human and my vampire mothers to respect and protect all woman kind. I can't condone a rape and forced impregnation on an innocent woman. I am however, open to the idea of an arranged marriage."

My eyes widened at Edward's suggestion.

"Yes," Aro laughed. "We wouldn't want to upset your virtuous nature."

"It's the one thing I've been able to hold on to. I have no intention of compromising it now."

Virtuous, I thought to myself. A virtuous person would be someone of moral high standing. Certainly a vampire couldn't be that good; unless of course, he meant the boy was a virgin. Neither circumstance seemed probable.

"This leaves the ball in the wolves court now," creepy grandpa vamp smirked menacingly. "Which one of your females will you be willing to sacrificing."

"Aro," Edward scolded gently. "Do you have to make it sound like a horror flick. I fully intend to love and respect my future wife to the best of my ability. And she certainly won't be left to suffer and die in childbirth. My father's a doctor after all. With that and the wolves' ability to heal quickly the birth should have little to no complications."

"Of course, Edward. I do apologize. It was merely an unfortunate choice of words. Aro turned his head towards us smirking at our horrorstruck faces.

"Leader of the wolves, if you wish your tribe to live, step forward now and transform to your human form. Be prepared to give up one of your females. Keep in mind she has to be a wolf girl. We will confer in the woods."

I could hear it in Sam, our leader's thoughts, he was crushed. I saw the faces of the girls, myself included, that developed the ability to transform into wolves, in his mind; us wolves were connected that way. This is how we communicated with each other in wolf form, but when Sam stepped forward and transformed the connection was lost. We could no longer hear him in his human form. Edward, the bronzed hair vampire boy, seemed to be looking right at me again. His brow furrowed before he turned away following Aro and Sam into the forest

I was in a near state of panic as we waited for them to deliberate. After all, there was only four of us. Sarah was 14. Lisa just turned 16. I doubted either of them would be picked because of their age, which left Leah and I. It was only logical that they pick Leah. She was, after all 22 and I wouldn't be turning 18 until September. That was three months from now.

Finally, they immerged from the trees. Aro was smiling victoriously, Edward was frowning, glaring at the ground in front him and Sam was unable to stop the tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Bella," Aro sang. "Beautiful, step forward, my dear. I'm afraid you've drawn the short straw."

Still in my wolf form, I howled mournfully. My life, as I knew it, was now over.

"Now, now. None of that. I've never known Edward to be a liar. He promised to take good care of you. He and his father Carlisle are probably the only honest vampires in existence." Aro chuckled, seeming to take this little tidbit about the two Cullen men as some kind of joke.

"Step forward, my dear girl and transform so I may converse with you."

I shook my head. I didn't want to transform and stand there naked in front of all these strangers.

Edward, guessing my dilemma, started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Aro, perhaps you'll allow my bride to keep her modesty in tact."

Aro looked at him and nodded his agreement.

"Esme, Mom. Will you go with her?" Edward asked the woman with caramel colored hair standing next to Carlisle.

"Of course, son. Bella, dear. Let's step behind the bushes."

Edward stood there in a white t-shirt. Esme took the light blue long-sleeved button down shirt from his extended hand and walked towards me.

"Of course, if you're not willing, Bella, we'll have to kill your entire tribe," Aro reminded me.

I began to cry. Lowering my head, I followed Esme behind the bushes.

She didn't say anything as I transformed and slipped on Edwards shirt. The sweet sent from the shirt burned my nose a little but I was surprised to find that it didn't stink as much as I'd anticipated, in fact, for a vampire, the smell was rather pleasant.

"Why, Sam? Why? I asked of him as I walked back to the clearing.

"I'm sorry, Bella. You're the best choice. You're the only choice."

"But Leah's older than me! Is this because I'm only half Quileute? I'm a mutt so you can just throw me away!"

"Of course not, Bella. You know none of us think of you that way. You've been in our minds, girl. You know I speak the truth."

"Then why?"

"You knew going into this we all must be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the tribe."

"Fine, if that's the way you want it." I was livid, and I knew from his tone I wasn't going to get a straight answer.

"You have to come with us now, Bella." Edward held out his hand for me to join him. I reluctantly walked towards him, but I didn't take his hand.

"Perhaps, Aro, if it pleases you, we could go back to the Cullen estate to hash out the fine details."

"Why Carlisle, I would be delighted."

Jeez, Bella. How much longer are you going to deny your connection to Edward? Please, it's obvious the guy's crazy about you. You say you're trying to form a bond with him. Right. Maybe someone needs to wake up. You're already there, Sister.