26. Alpha's Choice

[Jacob POV]

Blood and pain.

And it wasn't from the labor. He had bitten her. EJ didn't have teeth yet but he'd sucked her hard enough to leave a bite mark.

I wanted to be angry at him, hate him, punish him but he was in Leah's arms now and there was no way I could go after my sister's imprint.

"Leah do something," I barked.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"I don't know anything. You imprinted on him so you must be immune to his venom. Suck it out of her."

"No way! I don't care if you are my leader I'm not risking my life for hers. Think of the kids, Jacob."

"I am thinking of them. They need their mother."

"In what form," Leah asked. "We're immortal Jake, the guy she had babies with is immortal, the kids will most likely be immortal. What about Bella, you ever think of that? Let the change happen for all of us. Don't let her stay human and get older while her children stay young. It's not fair to her and you know it!"

Leah stormed out of the room before I had a chance to argue. I was left with Sue and my best friend lying on the bed in agony.

Our treaty clearly stated that a vampire could not bite a human for if they did the treaty would be broken and though we'd ratified the treaty due to me and Leah imprinting, the turning process was not something we'd included in the changes but this wasn't just any Cullen who had changed Bella, it was her very own flesh and blood.

I hated to think Leah was right but maybe she was. I couldn't let Bella die. I may have imprinted on her daughter but I wasn't that selfish. Ness needed her mother, EJ too. And just as much as they needed her, so did I. We'd grown up as kids and reunited when she'd moved to Forks. I suddenly couldn't imagine my life without her or all of eternity for that matter. Just as I needed her daughter, I needed my best friend too, human or not.

"You're gonna be okay Bella, I promise," I said to her despite her screams. "Find a way to stay. I don't care how okay? The kids need their mom. I need you. Find a way back to us."

I wanted to stay, be with her until the change was over but I was drawn elsewhere when Seth called out to me.

"Go, I'll stay with her," said Sue.

I nodded at Sue and quickly made my way outside.

"Seth, get Charlie inside and keep him downstairs," I commanded.

Seth, still holding Ness did as he was told no questions asked but not until Leah passed EJ off to his grandpa.

I knew Charlie would hear Bella's screams but inside was the only safe option for him.

Outside Embry had all ready phased and Leah jumped forward from the porch letting her wolf take shape.

I stood between them not phasing but waiting.

A few more strides and Sam's pack were in full view. Sam had come in human form while Jared and Paul stood behind him at his flanks. Two smaller wolves stood behind them.

Five against three. Five against four had Quil been with us but he had become the exception.

"We heard the screaming," said Sam. "We know Bella delivered the babies but now what's going on?"

"It doesn't concern you," I stated outright.

"Regardless of how we feel toward the Cullen's and Bella's relationship with them, we are still family. Those children are as much a part of her family and yours so it does concern us so what happened?"

I looked at my pack and Leah specifically. No matter what I told Sam, it would affect her most.

My attention returned to Sam. "EJ bit Bella. She's turning now as we speak."

The wolves behind Sam began to growl at us. Paul took a step forward and closer but I moved so that I was between him and Leah incase he dared something.

"And you haven't done anything about it," Sam shouted.

"I won't. If you kill EJ, you kill Leah. Are you willing to fight to the death over an innocent mistake?"

"Innocent," said Sam. "You call what it did innocent?"

Leah growled at Sam for calling EJ an 'it'.

"Yes I do. We were there. We saw what happened. He wanted to suckle on Bella's breast just like any other newborn baby."

Sam took a deep breath while the wolves behind him huffed.

"I'm allowing the change to happen," I said to them. "Better that than Ness and EJ living without their mother. We owe Bella that much. It's done."

Sam looked at me knowing, as we all knew, that he couldn't contest my decision. There had never meant to have been more than two Alphas' in a pack. With Sam as the Alpha it was his job to hold my position but when I turned I hadn't wanted the job and so he remained but when I stepped away from him others had followed me and so the two packs were formed but ultimately I was still the rightful Alpha.

It was Sam who had been born to bow down to me, not the other way around. And despite the two packs, the hierarchy still remained which was why he could not dispute or trump my authority and if he couldn't, neither could the others.

"What can we do?" Sam conceded.

I nodded. "Help Charlie," I said, "He's inside with the twins. Seth is with him. Charlie's not aware of what's going on with Bella so don't tell him."

Sam nodded and turned to his boys. "Colin, Brady, go home. Paul stay out here. Jared you're with me."

I turned to my two wolves. "Embry, you good here?" The gray wolf nodded. "I'll send Seth out with you."

I could see the look Leah was giving me. Now that the conflict with Sam and his pack was over she was ready to go back inside with EJ.

I nodded to her. Quickly she took off into the woods and returned human. She'd kept a pair of clothes out near the trees for the very reason.

Leah and I made our way inside where Charlie was sitting on the couch holding EJ in one arm and a bottle in his other hand. Seth was doing the same with Ness.

"You're feeding them formula," I asked as I walked over to Seth.

"What else would we feed them," asked Charlie.

I looked at the four wolves in the room. EJ had all ready bitten Bella so he most likely fed on blood but he and Ness were also handling the human food. Good thing too since Charlie was around. After months he seemed to be handling the wolf life pretty well but I doubted he could with vampires.

"Can I hold him Charlie," Leah asked as she took a seat next to him.

"Yeah sure," he replied passing EJ off to her, "My arms could use the break anyways."

Charlie's eyes began to drift. With him falling asleep I made my way over to Seth. I smiled at Vanessa and held her soft little hand while she had the nipple of the bottle in her mouth.

"Wanna hold her," Seth asked.

"As much as I would love that I wanna go check on Bella first. Seth I do need you outside though."

"Not a problem chief," the kid said to me.

Sam walked over to us, "Here I'll take her."

Seth looked at me like he thought Sam was nuts.

"You're not gonna kill her are you," Seth asked.

"No I'm not going to kill her," Sam replied.

Seth looked at me for permission. I nodded to him. Without a word Seth handed the baby over to Sam.

"Her name's Ness," Sam asked.

"Vanessa Elizabeth," I said using her full name.

"It's pretty."

"And what about that little guy," asked Jared.

"Edward Jacob," Leah answered, "EJ."

A new bond seemed to be forming. Though we had renewed our bonds with Sam's pack months ago, now that the twins were here even Sam and Jared were drawn to the allure that the children possessed.

Bella screamed again.

This woke Charlie up.

No one in the history of the packs had experience with vampire transformations. We didn't know how long they lasted.

It sure sounded a hell of a lot more painful than what we experienced from our first phase.

"Jake," Charlie said as he stood now fully awake, "What's happening to my daughter? She's not becoming a wolf like you and your friends is she?"

"It would be a lot easier if that was it," I replied. "Charlie, in order for Bella to survive the birth she has to experience a change."

"Change, what kind of change?"

"The Cullen's are…different. Your grand-kids, they're part Edward so in order for the universe…to make sense, Bella… she's gonna become more like Esme rather than like you and Renee. She won't be as soft and warm anymore either."

"Jacob, what is my daughter becoming?"

"That part is need to know Charlie, I'm sorry."

"She'll be okay though right?"

"She'll be better than okay. She just needs to get passed the pain first."

"Well then good that's all that matters."

"I'm actually going to go check on her now. You should stay down here. I don't want you to have memories of her that way."

Charlie nodded and after placing a kiss on top of Ness's forehead I went upstairs to see Bella.