Moonlight in Forks
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Meeting
The babble in Jacob's head was chaos. Everyone shouting their opinion at once.
Sam was pacing back and forth around the top of the ring, doing nothing to silence the others as they all talked over one another. Paul and Jared moved like shadows behind him, their ears pricked forward, ready at a moment's notice to back whatever decision the Alpha wolf made to the hilt. The whole circle was agitated, alternately whining, and snarling in low bursts.
Nothing like this had ever happened before in the pack's history. And they didn't know what to do about it. Then again, there had never been a female wolf before.
Most of the pack shared Jacob's sentiment, they were angry with the she-wolf, and felt utterly betrayed. She was a protector. Her actions had gone against everything that entailed. However, there was also an undercurrent of anxiety, heightening the wolves' disquiet, it was mainly coming from the Alpha wolf, anything to do with Leah was a sensitive subject as far as he was concerned.
Jacob was too messed up and angry to care about Sam's feelings or being sensitive. As far as he was concerned there was only one course of action to take. "She should be banished from the pack and sent into exile." He demanded.
As soon as Jacob made his decision clear Sam's hackles rose straight up, and he began to growl in an unbroken stream, continuing to pace back and forth, but keeping his steely gaze firmly on Jacob.
"That is not your decision alone to make."
"Its not yours either." Jacob retorted. "You're too prejudiced. You're letting your feelings of guilt and shame cloud your judgement."
"And you're not?" Sam challenged. "We know you are upset about what happened to Bella. As you have a right to be. But she will recover. Leah has been through a difficult time. We all know what she has suffered. She deserves our understanding, or at least a chance to plead her case."
The unfocused thoughts of the other wolves began to move together as they responded to what they had heard through the pack mind link.
"How can that be?"
"Not safe for her to remain a part of the pack. Not right. Dangerous."
"We can't allow it."
"Leah phasing was always unnatural. It never worked from the beginning."
"Listen to the Alpha. I stand by his decision."
"She should be allowed to have her say in her own defense."
"It's not Jacob's decision."
"It's not Sam's either."
"She is a protector. She violated that."
"She had her reasons."
"She put a human in danger. She offered Bella up to our enemies like a sacrificial lamb. There is no coming back from that. I agree with Jake. She should be banished."
"And sent into permanent exile."
"You can't force her to leave the res!"
"She should leave for a while."
"I won't be sorry to see her go. She was always a threat to the cohesion of the pack."
"All she did was whine. We've all suffered. Not just her."
The pack was pacing in synchronization now, thinking in synchronization, all but Jacob and Sam. Jacob remained still, listening to each unique voice, assessing each wolf's mood. So far there was an uneven split-most were taking his side, only a few of the more sensitive members were prepared to give Leah a chance to put her side of the story before making a final decision.
"The treaty does not cover this."
"What has the treaty got to do with this?"
"What she did put everyone in danger."
"Don't be stupid!"
"At least if Leah's idea had worked, we would have been rid of those pesky Cullens."
This last thought came from Jared. Jacob emitted a low growl, moving stealthily toward his pack brother, ready to give him a thrashing for even contemplating that what Leah had done was a good thing.
Sam stepped in his path, his hackles still raised, his black eyes challenging. "Everyone is allowed to voice their opinion." He commanded. "Even if they say something you don't like to hear, it is their right to have their say without interference."
Jacob stopped mid-stride, his muzzle pulled back, exposing his sharp teeth. His self-control was a finite resource right now. The part of his brain exerting control was tired - it required energy and that was completely depleted. He knew that repressing that anger was vital. If he wanted to keep the ones who agreed with him on side, he had to stop it boiling up, but how could it be cooled?
If he did explode, whom would bear the brunt? Where would it get him? His anger was like steam in a pressure cooker, he had to find a way to let it out in a safe manner. Challenging Sam's domination right now, when he wasn't in the right frame of mind would make him appear the aggressor, now was not the time to fight one another it they were all going to come to a rational decision.
Instead, Jacob concentrated his mind on the spiraling voices, tried to follow the curling pathway of the others thoughts to see where they were leading, but it was no longer making sense. The pictures, the images in the center of their thoughts were his-the very worst of them. Bella's injuries, Leah's horror-struck face, the smashed car, Edward's face as he burned with resentment at being kept away from Bella.
"It's always about protecting Bella Swan."
"We can't let that influence us."
"The safety of our families, of everyone here, is the most important. Leah violated that."
"The Cullens need to leave. We should make them."
"The treaty!"
"Ugh, the damn treaty!"
"Protect the tribe."
"Protect our families."
"They continue to be a danger to us while they remain here. Leah was trying to do something about it, in her own twisted way."
Another of Jacob's memories: Carlisle bent over Bella, calmly tending to her broken leg. He continued to do his best to focus, to pick out the individual voices who were disagreeing with his decision.
"No time to waste." Jared said. "Leah should be allowed to defend herself."
"There is nothing she can say in her own defense that will make what she did right." Embry argued. "Her actions violated everything we stand for."
"She wanted rid of the Cullens. Just like we all do." Paul insisted.
"It doesn't make what she did right." Embry cautioned. "We are protectors."
"It's the treaty that's the problem." Quil said gloomily. "It's stopping us forcing the Cullens to move on."
"That's a whole other argument." Embry pointed out. "We're here to discuss what to do with Leah, not the treaty."
"Its one and the same thing." Jared thought, starting to strategize now. "We need to find a way around it. Leah tried, badly, but at least she tried. The Cullens stay because of Bella. She knew that, like we all do."
"That's true." Paul agreed.
Jacob shook his head, rising slowly to his feet. He felt himself losing control as he listened to Jared and Paul. They were just like Leah, blaming Bella to give their weak argument some justification. Paul had never liked Bella. He had always spoken out against her. Jacob had been taken by surprise by Jared's attitude, he had thought him one of the more rational ones.
The circling of the other wolves paused for a beat, as they picked up on Jacob's anger. Then it resumed again, at a much slower pace this time.
Sam finally spoke his mind. "We need to give Leah the benefit of the doubt. Her actions going forward will determine whether she deserves forgiveness long term. She's been through a lot, enough to traumatize anyone, and she deserves our empathy. I understand Jake wanting to banish her from the pack, but I think that punishment is too harsh. I think we should allow her to speak for herself, to get a better understanding of her mind set – "
"She's mentally unstable!" Jacob broke in, enraged at Sam's hypothesis. "How could any of us trust that she won't do this again?"
Sam was incensed at the interruption. "If she is shown to be remorseful for her actions, she deserves to work to earn forgiveness from us, Bella and her family. If she is not remorseful, then it will be time to think again. Until we hear her speak for herself, then I suggest we delay making any final decision on her future within the pack."
"And that is your final word?" Jacob growled.
"It is." Sam stated firmly.
"Jake, buddy, I think Sam's right." Quil said carefully, knowing that he was upsetting his best friend.
"I can't believe you agree with this!" Jacob snarled. "Bella could have died! Leah is a menace. By her own choice she kidnapped Bella and offered her up to our mortal enemies as some kind of bait in order to get them to leave. She violated everything we stand for as protectors. There can be no coming back from that-ever!"
"This is crazy." Embry backed Jacob up. "I agree with Jake. There is nothing that Leah can say in her own defense. Her intention was clear from the outset. Regretting her actions now makes no difference. She can no longer be called a protector."
There were several mutterings of agreement at his words.
Sam silenced them all with another Alpha command. "I have listened to what you all have to say-but the final decision rests with me. I say we wait and listen to what Leah has to say in her own defense before we decide her punishment."
"You are wrong!" Jacob snapped.
Sam swung around to face him; his hackles still raised. "In your mind only. In my mind this is the only fair and right way to proceed. I have made my decision, Jacob, you need to accept it."
The sudden silence was deafening and full of meaning. Even the natural sounds of the birds and animals were muted.
"You had already made your choice before you even called this meeting. It was always going to go this way. That's why you sent Seth to the hospital to talk to me, isn't it?" Jacob surmised. "This was your plan all along. Send Leah's little brother to play on my sympathies, then intercept me on the way back so you could follow through. I see right through you, Sam Uley! You are allowing your guilt over Leah to influence your decisions again. Well, I won't stand for it. I need to think of Bella's welfare and the future of this pack."
Sam lost his cool. He started circling Jacob slowly. "You seem to forget I am the Alpha wolf, Jacob. You abdicated that responsibility, so it fell to me. So, you have no say in the matter."
That did it. Jacob leapt toward Sam, with his teeth bared. He was about to sink his teeth into the black wolf's flank, when he felt Jared and Paul surround him, pulling him back before he could do any damage. He howled in fury, swinging around to face his brothers, who quickly retreated.
"Stop!" Sam ordered in the double timbre of the Alpha.
Jacob's legs bucked underneath him. He jerked to a halt, only managing to keep on his feet through sheer willpower. "This is not over." He seethed.
The pack rumbled behind them; the tension had everyone's fur on end. They began pacing quicker, and the sound of their paws against the brackish floor was sharper, toenails tearing into the soil.
Sam had never pushed his authority this far before. And Jacob had never resisted as hard. The pack knew that a big fight was looming, but for now, the two biggest, most dominant wolves backed away from each other, eyeing each other with hostility.
It was the first time Bella had been left alone since she had woken up. Charlie had been forced to leave to deal with a work emergency. Renee was off somewhere, talking on the phone to Phil.
It felt odd being by herself. She wasn't sure she liked it. She missed Jacob's comforting warmth, hoping that he would soon return. The room was so quiet, eerie almost. The air seemed electrified, almost quivering with some hidden menace.
Bella's sixth sense was on full alert. She just knew something was going to happen. She just didn't know what. Her fingers clutched at the sheet covering her, trying to silence the fear building inside her. In one corner of the room, she spied a spider, hanging upside down from its cobweb, the woven strands of white swayed slightly as it wrapped up its latest victim in a careful spool of spun silver.
The hidden tension grew more ominous. Bella felt trapped like that fly, caught up in a spider's web not of her making. As soon as she thought this, the door to her room was pushed open and Edward slid cautiously inside.
"At last, Bella." He was by her side at once, the smell of his sweet breath washing over her. He held her rigid gaze, waiting for her body to relax and her heart beat to return to a normal pace. He seemed bemused when neither happened. His eyes were dark, closer to black than gold. "I came at the first opportunity, my love. Are you feeling any better?"
"Better?" Bella asked.
"Yes." He said carefully. "You do remember what happened?"
"Vaguely. Jake told me the specifics."
Edward shook his head and muttered something unintelligible when she mentioned Jacob's name. She thought she heard the words 'damn dog.'
"What do you want, Edward?" Bella whispered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "You shouldn't be here."
"I wanted to be with you. I needed to make sure you were recuperating properly. Do you want me to go away?"
"Yes." Bella affirmed. "Just go."
"But, Bella, I can't be without you. I told you once that the wolves were dangerous, and here you are, in hospital, proving me right all along. I cannot, I will not leave you unprotected."
Bella felt a dull ache beginning to throb in her temples. Leah's reckless actions had given him the perfect excuse to fool himself into thinking that the wolves were dangerous, just as he always perceived them to be. She felt herself growing irritated, causing her fists to clench in her lap.
Would she never be free?
A/N-thanks for reading!