Chapter 4:
"Ephraim, please don't do this. Listen to me, you don't know her, you can't trust her. She's out for me. Please, you can't change the future. It will happen anyway. There's nothing you can do." I plead, tugging at the chain that binds me to the tree, staring at my best friend in disbelief. SMACK. My head snaps back as blood begins to pour from my nose.
"Shut it bitch, this is for the best." Amelia says smirking, turning back to the open flame and continuing the spell.
"E, listen. He will need me. The pack-"
"NO!" He turns to me fury in his eyes. "No, I absolutely will not have some skank coming on to my reservation and contaminating the blood line. Giving birth to half breed children, abominations. I won't allow it, you have forced my hand. This is the best way." He takes a step towards me. My heart breaks.. Tears start streaming from my eyes. "You need to be stopped."
"Please."My voice breaks under the strain. "There is a cost." He shakes his head.
"I will pay it." No, no no. You don't understand. I start shaking my head, hysterical.
"Stupid." Amelia sniggers. He turns to her. "You are the cost, and you will be her death." She says. Blood, so much blood.
"NO!" I scream, sitting up. Tears streaming from my eyes, my whole body starts shaking. "No, no, no please, oh god, no." I cover my face, shaking harder.
"Shh, calm, just breathe babygirl, you need to relax." His arms wrap around me, press my face into his chest crying.
"Paul, dont lett me-ee go-o" I plead clinging to him, breathing in the woodsy smell of him. "I need yo-u."
"I'm not going anywhere baby girl, I have you." Slowly I start calming, feeling his relief and concern for me. My hold relaxes slowly till realisation dawns on me. Paul, he's here. He can't be.
"Paul!" I exclaim. "You can't be here, I can't see you!" I cry, covering my eyes with my hands. "Shh" I feel him gently pull my hands down, his warmth seeping into my bones. I squeeze my eyes together tightly. His hands pull away, brushing my hair as I feel a soft piece of cloth cover my eyes, I lean towards him. Seeking the comfort and warmth only he can give me.Let him help, he knows what I need.
"There, you can open your eyes if you want. I covered them. If your not ready for this imprint then I won't force it on you, I-I'm just confused is all. Am I not good enough? Do you not want me?" My heartbreaks at the hurt and pain in his voice.No, I just want to protect you. Even if it's from me.
"No!" I gasp throwing my hands out to touch him. Finding his shoulder I lightly trail my hands up to his face which I grasp tightly in my hands. "Never say that" I say sternly. "You and I, we are perfect for each other, designed by the spirits."
"Then why?"
" Paul.." I start. "There's a lot you don't know. Things that you won't be able to say no to, once the imprint is accepted, you won't have a choice."
"Then tell me."
"I don't remember my birth, I don't know if I had one. Rather my first memory is waking up in a forest surrounded by wolves, perhaps looking around the age of 7-8. I don't know for sure. These wolves they were cuddled around me, keeping me warm, keeping me alive. For the next few years after that, they practically raised me. Showed me how to hunt, what berries and fruit to avoid, how to keep warm. They brought the animals they hunted back to me so I could skin them for clothes. I understood them. These dangerous, wild killing creatures, I understood them." I emphasised, my eyes glowing with excitement as I relived the memories of my first pack. "And they understood me." I nod. "I looked after them, buried their dead, healed their sick, I kept everything in perfect balance."
"Pure of heart and spirit." He muttered. I nod again.
"Yeah, every Original, well, every one I have ever met, has a story like that, a beginning with an animal. We are connected to all animals but we have a spirit connection, one spirit animal, that we are linked to always and forever. The creature to bring us into the world."
"So yours.. it's a wolf?" He asks, his warm hand covers mine stroking over my fingers, heat settles in my stomach.
"Mmhm, yeah."
"Why Embry brought you to the res?"
"His wolf, knew me. Knew I needed help and knew I was meant for you." I lean my head against his chest. "Paul, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that you had to become this, a shapeshifter made to defend against a problem you didn't create." His strong arms wrap around me. Tell him why you can't stay. What you need. "I need you to get Sam to call a council meeting the whole pack, the elders and the imprints, anyone that knows the truth." I sit up. "And tell him for now the treaty holds but that I am calling the Cullen Clan to meet us on First beach."
"YOU CAN'T! THEY ARE OUR ENIMIES, THEY COME ON OUR LAND AND WE WILL KILL THEM." He yells, I pull away, standing as I feel the full amount of fury and hatred vibrate through him.
"Don't you yell at me Lahote, do as I told you or I will go and you won't see me again. They need to hear the truth to." I say coldly. You can't leave, you need him. "You need to see the reality of everything."
"Cassie." He whispers, I back away.
"Call the meeting Paul and go, I will see you tonight." I turn my back to him and remove my blindfold, opening my eyes to see a white wall. "Who said it was your land anyway?" I mutter, wiping my eyes. Paul gasps.
I stand in front of the bonfire staring into the flames, ignoring the arguing going on around me.
"Elements of the sun,
Elements of the day,
Come this way,
Powers of the night and day.
I summon thee,
I call upon thee,
To protect me.
I will it to be."
A breeze runs over the fire as it grows larger. I breathe a sigh of relief as all pain fades away.
"Cassie.. are you sure this was a good idea? Bringing them here."
"William, they are part of this, there are things you don't know. That they don't know. It is time for the truth to come out and for this pack to become who it is meant to be." I look up from the flames to see the to groups screaming at each other. I roll my eyes. "Everyone sit down and shut up." I yell. "For goodness sake, you guys are centuries old vampires, would you please act like it." I say exasperated.
"I apologise Miss.."
"Her name is Cassandra Hazelwood Carlisle. She's a witch. It's nice to see you again Cassie."
"A witch, Rosie, I'm hurt. Is that what you think of me?" She smirks, I laugh. "Oh darling, how I have missed you." I walk over to her and pull her into my arms, squeezing her tightly.
"It's been so long, you look gorgeous." I say, taking a step back holding her hands, just taking a minute to look at my old friend. I feel the spike of anxiety behind me. Shh.. It's okay, Rose would never hurt me. I pull her back in to a hug, gripping her tightly. "Please don't hate me." I whisper in her ear. She pulls back and looks at me confused.
"Why would I hate you?" I pull away and turn to the group.
"I have called you all here to discuss the true legends of this pack. Of the legends of the cold ones. Of this world and it's beginning, because I will need all your help." I look at them all.
"We have heard all the legends, the tribal stories." Jared says leaning forward.
"Not the right ones, just the ones you were led to believe. Ephraim most likely changed them when he found out who I was destined to be with." I sigh.
"How can you even stand on our land right now, what about your supposed curse? Shouldn't it be carving into you?" Sam asks. Is that hostility in your voice Sam? I thought we understood each other now. I stare at him curiously.
"Yeah, for now the fire is protecting me, but it won't last." I hold up my wrist, showing the pink teeth marks. "As you know, the legends are all rooted in truth, at least in part." I sit down on log and stare at the crackling flames. "There used to be thousands of Originals all around the world, we protected the land, we inspired growth and kept the crops plentiful. But the human species grew greedy, resentful, they were jealous of the power we had, the ability to grow something from nothing. They wanted it for themselves, and when they couldn't get it.. well.." I close my eyes. "Humans are good at one thing. Slaughter. They began with kidnapping Originals and trying to force them to work, but we wouldn't. So they began killing us off. The mundanes were jealous, fearful and power hungry they wanted what they couldn't have and so began the Salem witch trials, where thousands of my kind were destroyed, burned, beheaded or drowned." I look back at the flames, lost in the memories of my past. "It is against our beliefs to kill a nature made creature. They were awful, yes, but they were still natural. Eventually however, we couldn't handle it anymore and 4 Originals and myself decided enough was enough. It was time to protect ourselves. We took a male that was leading a charge against us, into the woods, chained him to a tree with iron links and fed him our blood, blood from each of us, every hour on the hour. For 3 days, we chanted a possession spell to possess the mind and encourage hunger to overcome everything else. Our magical blood burned him, burned through his veins, turning his blood to ice, cooling his skin and freezing his body in time."
"No." Rosalie whispered. I closed my eyes against the pain in her voice.
"We hoped we could get inside his mind, force him to stop the trials and leave our kind in peace. Instead we made a vampire. A cold one.. The first of his kind. A formidable creature. He slaughtered his town and changed others. By the time we destroyed him, it was too late." I sigh and looked around the circle. "You need to understand, we were being hunted, we had never harmed anyone and wanted to live in peace, but they hunted us. But what we created.." I sigh. The other Originals were happy we had solved the problem, the trials had stopped. We were safe again." I say bitterly. "Our creation wouldn't turn on us, couldn't it was our blood running through their veins. Besides the ritual had changed us as well, we were immortal now, nothing could kill us five. Injure yes, but not kill." I look at my hands. "I felt empty though. We had made something humans couldn't destroy, unleashed a being on the world and provided no protection. So by myself I went searching, there had to be something in my history that could help me fix what I had done, or end me if I couldn't." A low growl sounded out. I smile a little. "Shhh, I never got that answer Paul, and I don't need it any longer. No I decided to come home, back to the forest in which I awoke. Only to find that man had taken it, turned it into a reservation. The Quileute Reservation." I say looking at William. "The very being that tried to destroy us had now stolen my home..This land was never yours. It has always belonged to me."
"NO, THIS LAND IS OURS. OUR ANCESTORS SETTLED HERE, DIED HERE, FED THE EARTH, THE CREATURES. WE BELONG HERE. YOU ARE THE INTRUDER, YOU BROUGHT THESE FILTHY PARASITES HERE BREAKING A TREATY THAT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT EPHRAIM BLACK HIMSELF TO PROTECT THE TRIBE." Sam stood up screaming at me. His whole frame began shaking, his fury almost uncontrollable. The pack all leaned away, cowering away from the angry alpha.
"Sam.." I say calmly, standing holding my arms out in front of me, hands towards him.
"YOU STUPID BITCH, WHY ARE ANY OF US EVEN LISTENING TO YOU? EPHRAIM NEVER WANTED YOU HERE THATS WHY HE CURSED YOU. YOU NEED TO GO." He stepped towards me, just then two things happened. One, both Paul and Rosalie appeared in front of me, shielding me from Sam, and two a low, powerful growl rang out across the small space.
"Finally." I breathe.
"You will not touch her. No one here will harm Cassandra." A deep, compelling voice, comes from Jacob Black. He stands tall, his arms by his side staring straight at Sam. "I am Jacob Ephraim Black, heir to Ephraim Black and Alpha of the Quileute Pack." Sam slowly kneels before the rightful Alpha, as does the rest of the pack. The elders all bowing their heads in respect. I fold my arms across my chest, smirking.
"Well finally. Took you bloody long enough. You almost got your title right, you are missing one though, I can help you with that."
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"Well if we could all calm down, I will get to that." I say sitting back down, Rose sits next to me. Paul on the other side holding my hand. "As I was saying, the Quileutes had already settled here when I came back and their chief decided he wanted to meet with me. Taha Aki was a brilliant man, smart, caring, understanding. He understood what I did, even before I gave him the reasons. Together we decided to use my power for good. I changed him and his brothers into wolves. Creating the first Quileute pack. Making the shapeshifters. Protectors of the mundanes. That was what you were made for. To kill the cold ones only if necessary. Otherwise you were tribal protectors. This worked, I had something to believe in again. I didn't stay with Taha too long. Only to make sure that he was okay. That the gene would pass on for generations. I came back when Ephraim was born. I helped him grow, become Alpha, Tribal Leader and Chief. He was my best friend the closest person to me. I trusted him. That was my mistake. When I had my vision, of Paul and the children I confided in Ephraim, I was excited, I wouldn't have to live my eternity alone. I had a soul mate." I smile, squeezing Paul's hand. "But I was terrified as well. My magic and this wolf won't want to be apart ever, what if, in the event, my wolf were to die, what would happen to me. I can't live without him. I would go crazy looking for a way to free myself from the pain, unable to ever move on and that would make me dangerous." I look at our hands.
"Right now, our imprint hasn't been realised by you, my magic while anxious without you can go on, knowing you are happy. Paul, I know you hate what you are. That it was forced upon you and you had no choice and for that I am so sorry. But if you choose to accept this imprint and be with me.. It will be for eternity, you will not be able to stop shifting, it is my magic that is making it possible, you won't be able to stop with me. You won't age, you will live to see everyone you know die, including your brothers." I say nodding towards the pack. "And with the protection I will put over you, you won't be able to die either. You and me, we will be together for eternity. Eventually, you will become the Alpha of your own pack. Our children and our grandchildren." I finish, keeping my eyes carefully on our hands. If he says no.. if he denies me.. as long as he is happy that's what matters. It's silent, the only sound the crackle of the wood burning in the fire.
Word Count: 2837