Rosalie
I was internally panicking over the situation that was unfolding around us, but I had to maintain my composure for Emily's sake. She confirmed that she knows the sound of Jared's howl and there were two new distinct ones. I sat down to try to think of the best plan when she came to me and put her hand on my shoulder.
"Honey, I know this must be stressful for you. But if we are in danger we have to get out of here. Sam is trying to tell us something, I just don't know what it is. He and Paul won't fight as well as they could if they are both worried about us being here. There must be vampires here on the reservation. I don't know where we should go but we have to leave." I appreciated Emily's reassurance at a time that I wasn't even calm.
I looked up at her, dreading what I had to say next. "Emily, I ran here. I don't even have my car. Our only choice is for me to carry you and run- and if they are that close I don't even know if my house is safe. Unless you want to run there and get my car and then get the hell out of here?"
Before she could respond, a man I hadn't seen before burst in the door. This must be one of the new wolves. He looked terrified and out of breath. "Emily? Rosalie? Sam told me to tell you both to get the hell out of here. There are five leeches on the reservation and it is taking the entire pack to keep up. Sam and Paul aren't at their best when they're worried about you. We have the chief's house covered, so don't worry about Bella. Just go, now!"
"Do you think my house in Forks is safe? The closest family I have that could help protect Emily is in Alaska. I can take her there and bring her back when the danger is gone if I need to. I can even come back and help while she is safe with them at their home." I wished so badly that Emmett and Jasper were here to help us.
"I don't think your house is safe, but I would try to get there and get your car before you go. Sam's won't make it to Alaska. I'm Embry Call, by the way. I have to go. I will let them know what you're doing. Please be safe." Embry ran for the woods and phased again without giving us a chance to respond.
Emily looked over at me and nodded. She walked over and I grabbed her in my arms. "Emily, do you get motion sickness? I was much faster than Paul on the way over here, so I'm assuming I would be faster than Sam too." She shook her head and I didn't wait for any further response. I grabbed her cell phone and put it in my pocket before running out of the house. We would need hers since mine had been shattered when Paul hit me earlier.
I had been in many dangerous situations since becoming a vampire but never without my family around to keep me safe. I was confident that I could keep myself safe, but I worried about being able to protect Emily. How would Paul feel about me if something happened to her? Would Sam want to kill me? I wouldn't blame him if he did. This sinking feeling of helplessness was taking me back to the night my human life was ended. I decided that when I saw Jasper again he would be training me on how to protect myself. I never wanted to be in a position to need to protect a human again and I was not capable. If I was going to be involved with humans and shifters who were part human, I needed to know how to protect them and how to care for them.
We quickly got to my cabin and entered through the back door. Surprisingly, we didn't run in to anyone on our way- vampire or wolf. I ran through the house gathering a few things when I heard my garage door open. It was locked, and nobody had an opener for it but me. I told Emily to hide in the back of the house while I went to see who was there. I snuck quietly out the backdoor and crept around to the front of the house to see the open garage. I peeked around the corner and saw a bike sitting there. I instantly felt my anxiety melting away as I ran toward the garage and jumped to hug my brother. Jasper was finally here.
"Well, hi there darlin'. Ali told me I needed to join you here early. She said that she saw you and a human running to the Denali coven and being ambushed on the way. Where are the vamps that are hunting you?" Jasper's voice had never sounded so sweet.
"They are on the reservation. Is anyone with you?" I heard a vehicle pulling down my driveway as soon as the words left my mouth, and turned to see Kate Denali. Kate and I had never really gotten along, but she had a powerful gift. She could electrocute someone with a simple touch.
Kate got out of the car quickly. "Come on Jasper, someone jumped on my car as I was coming here. They aren't far."
"Wait!" I stopped them. "Neither of you can go to La Push and the wolves need help. Someone has to stay here with Emily, she is the alpha's mate. Jasper, can you stay back and trust me to come get you if I need you?" I realized he wouldn't go for that by the look on his face.
Jasper looked at Kate and back at me. "What if Kate stays? With her gift she can take on more than one of our kind at once. I respect the treaty but if you think I won't break it to keep my sister safe, you're wrong."
"I'm fine with that plan, go tell your friend what you're doing and get your ass to La Push. I don't know what is going on but your friends must be in trouble." As Kate was speaking I heard another howl pierce the night and my heart broke as I realized who it belonged to.
I knew I had to go. "Jasper, please explain what is going on to Emily and catch up with me. I have to go, NOW." I didn't wait for his response and took off toward the reservation. I had just met Paul and I already needed him so badly, I wasn't ready for something bad to come between us. I picked up on the scents of a few of them as I got closer and realized it wasn't Victoria. This couldn't be good. I only hoped that Jasper wasn't too far behind me, and that the new wolves that had phased wouldn't pick a fight with him.
When I finally made it, I realized I needed to be strategic. My scent was everywhere so it would be harder for the nomads to pick up on it, unless one of them was a tracker. I went for the trees and stayed above their line of sight while I was taking in the scene around me. The wolves were greatly outnumbered, but even the two new wolves were putting up a good fight. Before I knew it, Jasper was at my side. He was staring at the fight intently. I looked over to him "Well, what's our move here major?"
He grimaced at my mention of his old title. "We have the element of surprise right now. Have you seen them phased? We need to look out for the two that phased tonight. That will take some stress off the alpha and the beta of the pack." He pointed out Sam as alpha and Jared as beta. I always admired how Jasper can pick up on those things.
I pointed at Paul's silver wolf. "That one is not one of the new ones, he is a very skilled fighter." I looked and quickly identified the new wolves for Jasper. We were both getting in position to intercept the vamps going after the two new wolves when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I looked up and saw that one of the vampires had bested Paul and was about to wrap their arms around him. They could easily crush every bone in his body. I turned to Jasper quickly. "Change of plans, Jas."
Seeing the nomad that close to harming or even killing my mate filled me with a new kind of rage I had never felt before. It was at that moment that I knew Paul was meant for me and I would no longer be with Emmett. I jumped from the tree and landed on his shoulders. His head was off before he even realized I was there. Sam looked over at me, and I let him know Emily was safe. A female vamp started running toward me, I assumed her to be the mate of the one I had just killed. Before she got to me, Jasper jumped from the tree he was still in and tripped her from behind. She turned back toward him, and Sam pounced on her from behind. While Sam held her down, I walked over to talk with her. I wanted to know who the hell sent them here.
I sat down in front of her. "I think you know you're going to die, but how you die is up to you." She spit in my face and I slapped her hard. "You're delusional if you think I won't pick apart each and every one of your limbs and burn them slowly in front of you before I get to your head. If you tell me what I want to know, I'll make it quick."
She spit at me again. "Go to hell, bitch. You just killed my mate."
"Your mate was about to kill MY mate. All I want to know is who sent you here. Why the hell are you here? Was it Victoria?" She started laughing at me as I talked. "Okay then, if this is how you want it." Jasper ripped her right foot off and threw it in the fire that was burning bright behind us. Her and her mate must have been the best fighter of the group, because the wolves had quickly gotten rid of the rest of the nomads. She kept screaming and Jasper did the same with her other foot.
"Victoria sent us for the human that's responsible for her mate's death. We were just the first group she had contacted, and if you don't hand the girl over soon you will regret it. Victoria knows Maria and her Major. He is the most lethal of our kind in the world, your pack of mutts won't stand a chance." Jasper started laughing when he heard what she said. Paul, Jared, and the new wolves had phased back. Sam still sat on this girl's back. She had no idea what was coming for her.
Jasper moved to stand in front of her. "Have you met Maria? What is the major's name?"
"I have, and the major will kill you to avenge us. You are making a huge mistake." Jasper started laughing and so did I. I ripped off one of her arms and waved it in front of her before tossing it in the fire.
"That's where you're wrong, darlin'" Jasper started, "I don't know if you've heard, but it's damn near impossible for one of our kind to commit suicide. I think I'll live to protect the pack another day." He quickly grabbed her other arm and tossed it in the fire as well.
Her eyes widened after she stopped screaming. "You... you're the major?" Jasper laughed and took off his jacket revealing all of his scars.
"I sure am. Victoria doesn't know Maria, and she damn sure wouldn't stand against me and my family in a fight she knows she won't win. Tell us what she is actually planning next and I'll put you out of your misery." Jasper stepped back and gave her a chance to talk. Sam got up, knowing she wasn't a danger to us without her feet or arms.
The girl wept knowing what was coming next. "Victoria isn't going to stop until she has the girl. She may not know Maria, but she is assembling an army. I know that she's called for Laurent to come to check on Bella, but she was mad at the wolves so she sent us first. She really wants Edward too, but since he disappeared his pet will be the one to pay the price alone. Laurent will be here in a few days, and if he doesn't kill Bella she will start building her army." One of the wolves growled. I assume that was Jacob, the one that had been spending time with Bella.
Jasper carried her to the fire. "I may be ruthless, but I am a man of my word. Thank you for telling us what she has coming for us. Don't worry, it will be over soon." He held her up and nodded at Sam. Sam phased and quickly took her head off, tossing it in to the fire. Jasper threw the rest of her body in on top of it. We all watched as her body burned and the sky filled with purple smoke.
A few minutes went by before I finally broke the silence. "Do you guys want to follow me back to my house? That's where Emily is, she's with one of my cousins. She is like us, she doesn't feed from humans either. I know we have a lot to talk about." Sam nodded, and the guys all phased to keep up with our speed. When we got back, I noticed they were no longer in my house but actually in the house my family had occupied when we all lived in Forks, and I could smell human food. We walked in and saw Kate sitting at the island in the kitchen and Emily was busy cooking. I had kept a great deal of food in my house for the sake of appearances, and I was glad to see it was being put to good use. As soon as we entered the house, Emily ran to Sam who swooped her up in his arms.
"Rosalie, thank you so much for helping the pack. I hope you don't mind that I cooked, your kitchen is gorgeous." Emily was beaming, and I smiled back at her. She had such a good soul.
Jasper cleared his throat. "Why don't we all sit? We have a lot to discuss. There are plenty of plates and silverware in the kitchen, feel free to use whatever you need. I am so glad that the food we've kept is finally being put to use. We buy quite a lot when we're here and it all goes to waste, I'd love to start giving it to you to feed the pack." Jasper walked toward the large dining table we had. It had never been used for eating before. I followed him as he sat at the head of the table on one side and Sam sat at the other. I knew I was supposed to be the link between the two groups, but I took the seat next to Jasper. Emily went back to the kitchen to get a plate of food for Sam, and the other wolves followed her. One by one they came back and sat down, Jared and Paul on either side of Sam and the new wolves next to both of them. Emily found a seat next to me and laid her hand on top of mine sweetly. Kate sat down on the other side of Jasper.
Jasper was the first to speak again, and he spoke to Sam directly. "I guess first we should discuss the issue of the treaty. I realize that my sister and I have broken it, though I am confused by Rosalie's obvious friendship with your mate. I had been warned by my mate that there was something coming for Rosalie and that she would need help protecting herself and a human. Alice can see the future, and she saw Rosalie and Emily fleeing to Denali and being killed by one of our kind before they made it there." Sam and Paul were growling at the thought of us being killed. "Treaty be damned, I wasn't going to let my sister or an innocent human be killed. I can call Carlisle to inform him that I've broken the treaty, and if he needs to meet with you and the council to discuss that can be arranged. Carlisle is still the formal leader of our coven, but I am the one that makes decisions for our family regarding any conflicts."
Emily stood up and hugged Jasper. "Jasper, thank you for saving me. I know that you did it for Rosalie, but I am so thankful for you and your mate for protecting both of us. Sam and Paul wouldn't have known what to do if something happened to us."
"Emily is right." Sam said. "I really appreciate you saving both of them. Do not worry about the treaty. Rosalie is always welcome on the reservation, and as far as I'm concerned you are too. If you both hadn't helped us when you did, we would have lost Paul too. We do have something else to discuss, but I think it needs to be kept between the pack and members of your family that are covered by the treaty."
Kate got the hint and stood up. "I need to hunt anyway. I will see you later tonight, Rose. Ali called me while you were fighting to tell me that she's coming tomorrow. Emmett will be here too." My heart sank when she said Emmett's name. Jasper nodded at her as she ran out the door. Paul stepped up from his seat next to Sam and switched with Emily to sit next to me.
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the new wolf that I assumed was Jacob. "Are the rest of the bloodsuckers coming back then, or just the two she mentioned?"
"Jacob, stop." Sam scolded.
"It's okay Sam." I looked toward Jacob. "If you're asking about Edward, I'm not sure. But believe me when I say that I want him to stay away as much as you do. If he does come back, I will be first in line to knock some sense in to him."
Jared shook his head. "With all due respect Rosalie, you can't be as mad as we are. I know you've been keeping an eye on Bella, but we have too. You weren't the one that found her that night, and that is something the three of us have had to live with for months. I couldn't sleep for a long time without seeing her curled up on the ground lifeless and sobbing. It was brutal. I know that Jacob loves Bella, and I can tell you're angry, but please don't discount how the rest of us feel about him because we're not directly involved with her."
"I'm sorry, you found her on the ground? Where at, in the woods? Rosalie, you didn't tell us about this." Jasper was fuming. He hadn't known Bella well, but he felt responsible for the entire thing.
"It's something I don't enjoy reliving." Paul was speaking now. "I was patrolling alone when it happened. I had just phased about a week before. I hadn't ever caught any of your scents before, but Carlisle had told us that you were leaving so we expanded our patrol to include your territory. I came upon him and Bella in the woods behind her house. The things he said to her were much crueler than I would have expected. That she wasn't good for him, and that it would be like he never existed. I'm not a very sensitive man, but I could see the heartbreak on her face and I couldn't stand to listen. I ran back to the reservation and phased out. It was a few hours later that Harry called us and asked us to go help look for her because she never made it back home. I was so angry at myself- if the bloodsucker had killed her it would have been my fault for leaving her alone with him. Since I had seen them earlier, I knew where to go to look. We followed her scent until we found her laying on the ground cold and alone. She had tried to chase him and gotten lost. Damn leech didn't even make sure she made it home safely."
Jasper stood from the table and ran. Next to the door in the living room sat Edward's piano, he hadn't bothered to have it moved when we left. Jasper took all of the anger he was feeling out of in, which I'm sure was a lot considering everyone in the room felt the same. "Jasper is feeling his range times six right now, he can feel his own and everyone else's. I was planning to burn the damn thing tonight anyway." Paul chuckled and placed his hand on top of mine.
A few minutes later, Jasper returned. "When Edward comes back, I can assure you I will be the first to let him know how we feel about what he did to Bella." Everyone believed him this time.
Emily stood up from the table and looked at Sam. "Sam, since they have company why don't we all go on and head home? We can see them tomorrow. You need to talk with Jacob and Embry and someone needs to let Billy know what is going on so Bella can go home."
"Bella isn't going home tonight, my dad told Charlie she could stay at our house." Jacob told us.
Sam grimaced. "We will discuss this at my house, Jacob. Jasper, do you know when Alice and Emmett will be here?"
"Since the plan was only made today, I'm sure it will be a day or two at least." He replied.
"Lets plan for you and Rosalie to be at my house tomorrow morning. I will have the Chief over too so everything only has to be explained once." Sam suggested.
Jasper agreed, and we said goodnight to the pack. Paul hugged me before leaving and I hoped that he wouldn't let go. They all went outside and phased and I saw Emily climb on Sam's back. They ran and disappeared into the night. Jasper and I agreed that we still didn't want Bella to know that we were here, so we made the family house look lifeless again, recovering all of the furniture and shutting off all of the lights. We decided to go for a quick hunt since we would be around more humans again tomorrow. As we ran, I could tell something was on Jasper's mind though he wasn't saying much. A lot had happened today, so there was no telling what was bothering him. After we had both drained a few deer, we found our way to Bella's house. We were surprised to see that she was home, and that she was crying. She was mumbling about Jacob and Edward and sobbing in to her pillow. I knew I would be asking him tomorrow what he had done and why she hadn't stayed at his house like they planned. Jasper sat in the tree closest to her window and made her feel calm enough to finally fall asleep. We both decided to leave once we felt content that she wasn't going to wake until morning.
We made our way back to my cabin and I thought about how much I dreaded seeing Emmett. For the months that I had been here alone I had wished he would show and now that he was finally coming, I didn't want him to. I didn't understand why I felt so strongly about Paul, but I knew it had something to do with imprinting. When I saw the position he was in with the nomad earlier and how close to death he was, there was no doubt in my mind he was my mate. Would Emmett even care? I wasn't sure. I still wasn't excited to tell my husband that my real mate is a wolf. We had both known we weren't mated, but we loved each other so much we didn't care. I wondered if Emmett had met his mate, and that was why he was distant from me. I'm not sure why he would be coming back at all if that were the case, though. It was certainly possible that he actually was worried about seeing Bella in such a vulnerable state and his absence had nothing to do with our failing relationship.
When we walked in the door, I sat down at my kitchen table and Jasper sat across from me. "So Rosalie, when were you going to tell me that Paul is your mate?"
I started to answer him when I heard the voice I was dreading behind me and turned to face Emmett and Alice. "Who the fuck is Paul?"