Moonlight in Forks
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
The Russet Wolf
Jacob and Bella greeted the Cullens but kept their distance as they waited for the wolf pack to arrive. Bella noticed that Alice looked uneasy. She kept close to Jasper, pressing close into his side to seek comfort, which was an unusual thing for her to do.
"What's wrong with the little pixie?" Jacob whispered to Bella.
"You noticed that too?" Bella mused.
She thought hard, trying to work out why Alice didn't look as optimistic as the others. Then it suddenly occurred to Bella, that with the approach of the werewolves, it messed with Alice's powers, making her effectively blind. It must be a whole new experience for her.
Bella explained this to Jacob, keeping her voice low, but she knew Alice heard as the little psychic kept glancing her way.
Carlisle took this opportunity to approach them. "When will the others arrive?" He asked Jacob politely.
Jacob had never had a problem with the vamp doctor. It was Cullen he had issues with, so he answered just as politely. "They are about a minute away."
"How can you tell?" Emmet boomed, coming up to join them.
Jacob didn't shrink away from the cloying smell of the vamps, though his nose wrinkled a little. "Werewolf senses." He muttered. He may not mind the vamp doctor, but Emmet he wasn't too sure about. "I have to let you know that they will all be in their wolf forms."
"Why?" Edward, who had thus far remained silent on the edges of the group, demanded. He had been brooding, watching Jacob and Bella from afar, quietly seething that his rival held all of Bella's attention. She hadn't even acknowledged him, apart from the initial greeting.
Carlisle put his hand on his adopted son's shoulder, his soothing voice attempting to downplay the sudden tension. "This is hard for them. I'm grateful they are coming at all." He smiled over at Jacob.
Jacob didn't smile back. He sensed his pack were close. He needed to leave to go and meet with them. They wouldn't approach until he let them know it was safe to do so. However, he didn't feel comfortable leaving Bella alone with the vampires.
Taking her to one side-even though he knew it was a pointless exercise, the Cullens would still be able to overhear their conversation anyway-Jacob explained to Bella what was happening.
"Go." She said, not seeming worried at all. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Jacob glanced over at Edward warily. "What about him?"
"I can handle Edward." Bella reassured him. "The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."
"Okay." Jacob touched her face with his warm fingers for a moment, before reluctantly taking his leave.
As soon as Jacob was out of sight, Edward took full advantage of his absence. He went straight to Bella, putting his hands on her shoulders, and gazing at her tenderly.
"How are you holding up, my love?" He asked, cautious of her reaction. "I know this must be overwhelming for you."
Bella could feel the ice coming from his touch through the thin material of her shirt. With Jacob being like her own personal space heater, she hadn't thought to bring anything more substantial, like her rain jacket. "I'm fine." She muttered.
"You don't seem fine." Edward continued in the same concerned tone. "Look at you, you're shivering. The dog should have made sure that you brought a jacket at least."
"Jake isn't responsible for that. I am." Bella snapped. "And you're not exactly helping. Can you let go of me, please?"
Edward swallowed thickly, letting go of her shoulders instantly. "Of course." He murmured. "I didn't think."
Bella sighed, she hated being short with him, but was finding it difficult curtailing her irritably when she was around him, especially when he treated her like a wayward child, unable to take care of herself or make her own decisions. They really needed to talk…and soon…things couldn't go on the way they were. It was over. It seemed that her actions hadn't driven the message home clearly enough. She was going to have to state it out loud so that there was no confusion.
"Edward, we need to tal – "
"Shh" Edward cautioned, and stared past her into the darkness. "The wolves are here."
The Cullens informal circle widened out into a loose line with Jasper and Emmet at the spear point. From the way Edward leaned forward next to Bella, she could tell he wished he was standing beside them. She wished he would join them, but he remained cemented firmly to her side.
Bella squinted toward the forest, sensing the wolves' closeness, but still seeing nothing.
"Damn." Emmet breathed in awe. "Did you see anything like it?"
Bella saw Esme and Rosalie share a wide-eyed glance. She didn't know why this made her so proud. She got a kick out of seeing Rosalie's reaction, especially. Not much impressed the ice cool blonde. She continued to strain her eyes in the gloom. Finally, something glittered in the blackness-their eyes, higher up than they should be. She had forgotten how very tall the wolves were. Like horses, only thick with muscle and fur, and teeth like knives, they were fierce and intimidating to be sure, but utterly magnificent.
Bella's eyes ran eagerly over the wary pack of wolves, scrutinizing the new additions. There were ten altogether. She knew it had thrown the Cullens off guard, to see how much the pack had increased in size. She ran her eyes over the light gray wolf that was much smaller than the others. It was Leah Clearwater. Next to her was another, the color of desert sand, who seemed gangly and uncoordinated compared to the rest. That was Seth, Leah's younger brother. A low whine broke through his throat, showing his nerves. The hackles on the gray wolf's back rose as his sister moved protectively closer to him.
Bella recalled the lone tear that she had seen roll down Leah's cheek, all those wees ago at the bonfire. She had never forgotten it. The scene often replayed in her mind at odd moments. Somehow, Leah's sadness had stayed with her, even though she had barely exchanged two words with the other girl.
Jacob had confided to Bella once just how much Leah was suffering. Her transformation had been especially difficult. She held herself responsible for her father's death. Seeing his daughter phase rather than their son, Seth, her father suffered a fatal heart attack. Seth had also witnessed the incident and the shock caused him to phase as well. Furthermore, poor Leah was forced to join Sam's pack, and their telepathic link was a constant reminder that he abandoned her for her cousin, Emily Young. Leah had been deliberately using this connection to punish Sam and the pack both with her memories, and by bringing up uncomfortable subjects, such as Embry Call's parentage, all things the pack would rather forget. Sam gave her a lot of leeway because of his past guilt, but her behavior continued to mess with the pack's cohesion.
Bella felt a great deal of empathy for the wolf girl. With the way she had reacted over Edward's abandonment, the risks she had taken just to hear his voice, the depression, the numbness-she had wallowed in sadness, while Leah wallowed in her anger. They were both extreme reactions to dealing with a broken heart.
Bella's had started to mend, and that was all due to Jacob. Leah didn't have a Jacob. If she had, and if she wasn't forced to live part of her life in her ex's head, she may have eventually been able to heal. But with the way things were right now, that wasn't going to be able to happen. The whole sorry saga made Bella want to reach out to the older girl, but Jacob had advised her it was probably not a good idea.
These thoughts flew through Bella's head while the Cullens staged their mock battles and the wolves watched. Edward was acting as a translator, so she was left in peace from his attentions.
Bella sat by herself to on a little hillock, her gaze drifting to one wolf in particular. Jacob stood out from the rest. His reddish-brown fur was longer than the others, shaggy in comparison. He was almost as tall as Sam, the black wolf, making him the second largest in the group. His stance was casual, somehow exuding nonchalance over what the rest obviously considered an ordeal.
The enormous russet-colored wolf seemed to feel her gaze, and he looked up with familiar black eyes. Bella stared back at him, wonder and fascination finally pulling her out of her thoughts of what she could do to help Leah.
The wolf's muzzle fell open, pulling back over his teeth. It would have been a frightening expression, except his tongue lolled out the side in a wolfy grin.
Bella giggled as Jacob's grin widened over his sharp teeth. He was clearly enjoying her reaction to him. He left his place by Sam's side, ignoring the eyes of his pack as they followed him. He trotted past Edward, who stood motionless, a statue, his amber eyes betraying his misery, as he watched Bella climb to her feet and run toward the loping wolf.
"Hey, you!" Bella whispered, as Jacob crouched down on his front legs and dropped his head so that his face was no higher than hers. She reached her hand out, and touched the red-brown fur on the side of his face affectionately.
The black eyes closed, and Jacob leaned his huge head into her hand. A thrumming hum resonating in his throat.
"Why did I ever say you were sort of beautiful?" Bella said in awe as she gazed at him. "You are so much more than beautiful."
The russet wolf made a huffing sound, much like laughter, at this unexpected compliment. He settled down beside Bella. In the clearing Edward's head whipped around. He had heard everything Bella had just said and so had the others. His face remained a picture of misery, mixed with anger.
Edward was about to move toward them when Carlisle stopped him. The coven leader shook his head and gestured toward Sam and the others. "Bella is fine." He murmured. "We need you here to translate." He gave his favorite son a sympathetic smile before returning his attention to the wolf pack.
Bella wasn't even aware of what was transpiring in the clearing. She was still staring at Jacob in awe. His shiny pelt ruffled in the slight breeze. Each individual strand of fur shimmered like rose gold in the weak moonlight filtering through the clouds above.
Bella smiled as she sank her fingers into his thick fur. It was so soft and so incredibly warm. She shifted onto her knees and pressed herself into Jacob's flank, still running her fingers through his coat, admiring as it shone like burnished gold when he moved. His body was strong, powerful. She noticed the muscles ripple along his shoulders and back.
"Wow, you are just something else." Bella nestled against his side and made herself comfortable.
Jacob flopped down further, completely relaxing. A contented rumbling emanated from him, almost like a cat's purr. Bella laughed as she continued her ministrations, alternately stroking and combing her fingers through his fur. She was totally oblivious to everything but Jacob.
Edward was still translating for the wolves, calling out instructions. Often, he glanced toward the slope and gazed with abject misery at Bella and Jacob. He was privy to Jacob's thoughts and he wasn't happy about what he was hearing. He wished Bella would stop stroking the dog. She seemed completely mesmerized. He wasn't used to having her attention focused elsewhere when he was close. It made his jealousy rear up again. He didn't like it.
Jacob was staring at her intently. It was if he was trying to communicate something to her with his eyes alone. Bella gazed back at him, captivated. His eyes were the most human part of his wolf. She felt like he had her under some kind of spell. She continued to gaze into his eyes, caught up in the magic of it all. Something was shifting. The world seemed slightly out of focus, only Jacob seemed real.
It was at this point that Bella realized that everyone was watching them, the Cullens and the werewolves-the Cullens with perplexed and somewhat disgusted expressions. It was hard to read the wolves' faces. She thought Sam, the black wolf, looked thoughtful.
And there was Edward, on edge and clearly disappointed. She could feel his hurt from a mile away. She realized he had been hoping for a different reaction from her when she saw Jacob in his wolf form-he seemed to forget-this wasn't the first time. He probably hoped she would scream and run away in terror, not fawn over Jacob's wolf as she had been doing.
Jacob made the same huffing laughing sound again, as if he was very much aware of what was going on inside Edward's head.
The other wolves were backing away now, not taking their eyes off the Cullens as they departed. Only Jacob remained, watching them go. Soon they disappeared into the murky forest and out of sight.
The meeting was over.
A/N-thanks for reading!