A few days had passed since his meeting with both the Quileutes and the Vampires and so far all parties were respecting the treaty. After Edward had been taken away, Carlisle, Esme and Alice could peacefully talk with the young Werebear and in the end, the treaty was made.
Once they left, Bella climbed downstairs and the two lovers had promised each other to keep a eye on the Vampire boy. Then she asked him if he minded her befriending Alice Cullen… of course, he was TOTALLY against it but after a short argument (their first one !), Harald reluctantly let her… as long as the pixie-like Vampire doesn't try anything funny against her.
Back to present, it was the beginning of March and Harald was preparing some food for lunch: beef and chips for him and Kokanee salmons for a certain someone who could wake up at any moment. He had caught a lot of them the day before during a trip near the river.
His stocks of fishes were good but with his familiar who will soon wake up from her hibernation… he had to double it in preparation. A part of him was excited because Aiyanna would finally meet his soul-mate but another part was worried of how the blond bear would take the news of him having a peace treaty with the enemies.
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Harald went back to his cooking but his mind then went to Bella. She had, like she said, befriend Alice Cullen and the two could sometimes been seen together at school when the former wasn't around him.
Himself grew to appreciate the pixie-like Vampire mostly because of her bubbly and optimistic personality. That and she made Bella happy so it was good in his opinion… Alice had presented the two to Jasper and at first, it was a bit tense to both parties but then things went smooth. He and Jasper would have long conversation about philosophy or historical matters while the girls would bond over… girl-stuffs like shopping or things similar.
Then he got to meet Emmett and Rosalie and again, it was tense at first as the former Vampire looked a bit hesitant of him while the second hadn't stopped glaring at him.
When he asked Alice, he was a bit shocked to hear than Emmett had died from a Bear attack and with him being part bear… bad souvenirs must have resurfaced.
Rosalie was the one who saved and so became really protective of Emmett so that's why she disliked him : because of he was part bear, a creature who caused her mate's death. However, that didn't stopped him from growling or glaring at her each time their eyes met.
Mainly because Rosalie seemed to dislike Bella for some reasons. He didn't wanted to ask Alice as it wasn't his problem but he made sure to keep an eye on the girl every now and then.
Something that changed was the enmity between himself and Edward grew even more and even the students at school saw it, which caused rumors. Some said that Edward must have tried to rape Bella and thats why Harald hated him; some said that Harald must have done something bad to the guy.
A few were saying that it somehow concerned Bella. Yeah you heard right, some people believed that Bella was the reason the two hated one another : Edward loved her but she chose Harald, which resulted in the two being hostile toward one another.
Regardless, the rumors were pretty much ignored by Harald but not by Edward whose hatred toward went higher to the point that he would openly sneer at him. Bella and Alice, sometimes had to stop Harald from attacking the guy and pummel him !
A growl escaped Harald's throat as he thought of Edward Cullen and did the right he always do when he was angry : take a trip into the forest. But first, he needed to finish his cooking… didn't want to have it cold after all.
When it was done, he went out of his house before heading toward the forest in hurry as his fists were clenched with anger. Thinking of Edward always angered him ! Even Sam the Mutt wasn't as annoying !
Back to present, the second he entered the woods, he changed into his Full Bear Form before dashing away to the river. The snow was slowly melting but Spring will not be there before a little while. His huge dark brown form was a contrast with the whiteness of the area as he ran through the woods toward the river which was now flooding freely.
The massive Bear stopped at the shore before roaring loudly to the sky. A roar filled with anger… He roared for at least 30 seconds before stopping to catch his breath. He usually do this when he was angry : roaring out his anger.
However, he was still not calmed down so he decided to do another thing… The massive Bear slowly entered the cold water and he couldn't help but shivering at the temperature as he kept diving until his head and shoulders were the only things still outside the surface.
The cold water literally cooled him down and he felt himself relaxing for a minute. His anger faded away at the calming sound of flooding water and he wholeheartedly enjoyed this moment of peace and quiet.
Harald, however, blinked when he felt something brushing his side and plunged his head underwater to soon what it was. To his surprise and internal delight, it was fishes. But not any fishes, but Kokanee Salmons !
Unlike their larger relative, the Sockeye Salmon (one of Harald's and Aiyanna's favorites) , this fish do not go out to the ocean but spend their entire life in fresh water !
His instincts took over for a moment and Harald tried to catch some of them as they passed by his large body.
It was not an easy task when you directed tried to catch a fish in its element.
How does a bear usually catch fishes ? Easy : when the ursine feels a fish in the water, it quickly pin it to the stream bottom or against their body with their paws before biting it. Only then, the bear would begin to eat.
That's exactly what Harald was currently doing. He waited for the perfect time to strike and when a rather large salmon passed a bit to close… his paws quickly pulled the fish against his chest and before the salmon had a chance to escape, Harald's jaws fell on it like wave on sand.
The massive Bear, however, realized that his head was to large and he might accidentally swallow the fish whole (he saw his mother doing this and did NOT wanted to do the same) . In consequences, Harald turned into his Anthropomorphic Form , smaller than the precedent but faster.
His jaws clamped around the salmon's scaly form as he made his out of the water to the shore where he started to feast on what he just caught. Unlike Cats, Bears had a strong digestive system that allowed them to eat pretty much everything in a fish, bones included.
Harald slowly ate his fish, enjoying the taste despite it being raw and not cooked. It wasn't the first time he ate raw meat or raw fish as his mother Astrid taught him that no matter what, it was still food.
Contrary to normal Humans, Werebears tend to snack between meals. Of course, some of them practiced sports to stay in shape.
After a moment, Harald finished his salmon and instantly looked at the water where he saw dozens of forms under the surface.
After all, it doesn't hurt to catch a few more right ?
00/(Time Skip)/00
Harald sighed in pleasure as he finished what remained of the 10th salmon he caught. He didn't know for how long he had been fishing but he felt good. Now he was laying against a rock, his stomach full of fishes… thankfully, he still had at least 3 hours to wait before eating dinner so he had time digesting his food.
Beside, he still wanted to enjoy the peace and calming sounds of nature.
However, after a moment, he suddenly tensed as he caught a strange scent carried by the cool wind. A deep growl escaped his throat as the Werebear looked toward where it came from before following it to its source.
He had recognized the smell and his body was filled with anger and hatred. Vampires were in the area ! However, whoever they were, it was without a doubt NOT a member of the Cullen Family !
What he didn't know was that a certain person he loved dearly wa currently in the forest looking for him.
Who was it ?
His girlfriend and soul-mate Isabella 'Bella' Swan !
Her father, Charlie, had allowed her to see her girlfriend but when she knocked at his door, no one answered. Bella, instead of sitting on the porch to wait, decided to take a little trip around the woods.
She knew that with Harald being a Werebear and having his scent on her, a lot of the animals, especially the most dangerous ones would think twice before attacking her.
In addition, the Cullens weren't allowed on his lands because of the treaty and it was the same for the local Shifters so in her mind, she had nothing to worry about.
She was so wrong !
Because unknown, to her, three people were moving graciously through the woods. The three of them were Vampires with 2 men and one woman.
The woman was 5'6" tall and had long, curly, brilliant orange hair similar to fire along with blood red eyes of a vampire. . She also possessed a seductive, feline-like beauty and like the cats, she moved with perfect, lethal steps.
The first man was 5'10" tall, with an average build and average-looking, which made his appearance less beautiful than the Cullen. There was nothing remarkable about his face or body at all in fact.
He also possessed light brown hair cropped short, and burgundy eyes. His outfit comprised of blue jeans and a pale blue shirt, both frayed with wear. He looked to be barefoot.
The last man was 5'9" tall, with glossy black hair, a slight olive tone to his pale skin and dark hair . He had a medium, slightly muscular frame and an easy smile. Like his fellow man, he was barefoot.
The three of them were moving with graces in the world of trees, grasses and bushes but then the brown haired man stopped in his track as he smell the air. His two companions stopped when they noticed it.
"James what's going on ?" The woman asked him with some curiosity
"There is a human nearby…A female… " The Vampire, whose named was apparently James, responded with a sadistic grin on his face.
The woman blinked but then smelled the air and instantly caught a DELIGHTFUL scent ! The other man must have smelt it too because he was looking everywhere to find where it came from.
"Let have some fun !" James hissed to his companions with sadistic excitement as he dashed away from their spot, followed by his comrades.
As they ran, the olive-skinned Vampire was grinning toothily, exposing his white fangs while the woman looked just as bloodthirsty. Even James looked excited at the prospect of feeding on the human whose smell was simply to delicious to be ignored… even if it wasn't the tastiest scent they even smell.
Back to Bella, she was walking through the woods, staring at the nature around her, enjoying the silence. The young woman was unaware of the creatures heading her way as her attention was focused on the things around her.
Which was one of her biggest mistake as her attention shifted away from the beautiful nature to something else.
"Hello there~" a sweet masculine voice echoed from nearby
Alarmed, Bella turned her head to see who talked only to froze when she saw three people standing a few feet away from her : a woman and two men.
All of them were looking at her with those red eyes of theirs. Wait red eyes ?! Bella, at the sight of them, froze in horror when she realized that she was facing VAMPIRES ! And from what Harald told her, red eyed Vampires meant that they drink HUMAN Blood !
"Don't you know it is rather rude to not greet back ?" The olive skinned Vampire asked her with a small grin on his face.
"Does it matter if she answers you or not Laurent ? She is human after all..." the woman replied with disdain before looking back at Bella with a smirk that sent shivers down the girl's spine.
James smirked at his coven-mates before looking at Bella who had taken a few steps back in fright.
"No no no my dear… Do not fear us… We just want to play with you~" He cooed evilly to the frightened woman who backed away further at those words.
"What do you have in mind James ?" the Vampire woman asked him with a raise-brow.
" My dear Victori-" James began to say to the now named Victoria only to be interrupted by Bella who gathered all her courage to hiss angrily.
"I WILL NOT PLAY WITH THE LIKES OF YOU, VAMPIRES !"
Victoria and Laurent snarled at her and were about to lunge forward but were stopped by a calm if not amused James.
"So you know about us ?" he asked her with a raise-brow
"I already met some of your kind yes..." Bella retorted coldly while taking another step back.
"Really ? Interesting..." James muttered to himself before adding
"Thank you for the information sweetheart but I'm afraid it is not enough to keep you… alive~"
At the last words, Victoria licked her lips with anticipation as if she was imagining feasting on her corpse. Laurent looked at Bella with contained excitement himself.
Seeing this, Bella became more alarmed and afraid so she blurted out rather shakily
"Harald will destroy you all if you touch me !"
"I don't who's this 'Harald' but a human will never hurt a Vampire !" James replied arrogantly with a shrug of indifference.
At his side, Victoria snorted in amusement at the other girl's comment while Laurent frowned.
Bella gulped her loudly in nervousness as she backed away again… only to trip over a little rock on the ground. Yelping in surprise, she fell on her back and instantly crawled away from the Vampires who were slowly approaching her.
"You know what ? I can't take it anymore ! She smelt to good !" Laurent hissed with hunger as he lunged forward.
Bella, however, tossed some mud (under the snow, there was somehow a bit of mud) in his eyes causing him to yelp in surprise as he backed away from her. The young human woman used this opportunity to run away as fast as she could, leaving behind the Vampires who looked at her with slight anger.
James, however, looked amused, as he looked at the running human before shouting loudly in a sadistic tone
"GO AHEAD ! RUN FAR ! MAKE IT MORE FUN FOR US !"
Just as he finished those words, they lunged forward leaving behind Laurent who was furious at what the human did to him. After pulling away the mud on his eyes, he quickly went after his coven-mate, eager to teach this girl a lesson before drinking her warm blood.
As Bella ran, she felt like she was followed and so slightly turned her head to look above her shoulders… only to become frantic when she saw the Vampires tailing her !
"HAAAAAAARRRRRRRRAAAAAAAALLLLLLLD !" she screamed loudly in alarm as she ran even faster.
Not far away from there, her boyfriend (still in his Anthropomorphic Form) stopped dead on his tracks when he heard the cry and his blood turned cold when he recognized the voice.
It was Bella's !
"Bella ! Hold on ! I'm coming !" Harald said in a cavernous tone as he ran on all four toward where the cry came from.
He had to move faster !
Back to Bella, she was still running from her life as the three Vampires were still after her. For a moment, she wondered why they haven't caught up with her yet… After Vampires were FASTER than Humans and not SLOWER.
But then she remembered their behaviors and realized that they were playing with her ! She was so focused on this that she didn't noticed the root on the ground… until it was too late. Yelping when she felt her foot crashing against something, she fell forward on her stomach with a grunt of slight pain.
Widening her eyes, she turned around to face her pursuers… only to see them standing a few away from her , staring at her with toothy smirks on their faces.
"Look like playtime is over~" James cooed sweetly as his red eyes looked at their victim in sadistic pleasure.
"Let me have her first James ! She must pay for throwing mud on me !" Laurent angrily demanded to his fellow man as his eyes glared at the pale form of Bella Swan.
"Hey women first ! I WANT a piece of her !" Victoria hissed back as she looked at Bella with hunger clear on her face.
James opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a growl-like voice echoing from nearby
"Why don't you start with me ?!"
Looking toward where it came from, James didn't have the time to react when a furious Anthropomorphic Brown Bear appeared with a cavernous roar before swiping at the Vampire who was sent crashing hard against a tree who broke at the impact. His two companions stared toward where he fell and were shocked to see him laying on the ground, unmoving.
Turning away from his fellow coven-mate's body, Laurent looked at the Creature with nothing but pure terror as he backed away from it.
"JAMES !" Victoria cried out in shock before looking at the newcomer with wide eyes of fright as he towered above her while standing protectively in front of Bella who released a sigh of relief.
"First, you trespass on MY territory..." the Werebear snarled in anger as he took a step forward.
Laurent and Victoria took two steps backwards.
"Then YOU try to hurt MY soul-mate !"
Another step forward for the Werebear and two backwards for the Vampires.
"Give me one reason, WHY I SHOULD KILL YOU ?!" Harald roared at them as he glared daggers at the two Vampires who seemed to cower under his rage.
However , before one of the two could answer, someone else stepped in
"How does it feel to be faced with stronger than you ?~"
It was Bella who had been looking at the scene with a smirk on her face as she looked at the Blood-suckers.
Victoria and Laurent glared at her hatefully for those words and forgetting that a mass of fur was there, the male Vampire lunged forward. Bella released a scream of fright just as Harald grabbed the Vampire by the throat with his clawed left-hand.
Effortlessly lifting him, Harald bring him to eye level where red eyes met blue-green.
"You shouldn't have done that Leech !" The Werebear snarled the last words with disgust as he tightened his hold around Laurent's throat, causing the latter to struggle madly to escape.
But it was futile as soon, Harald literally broke his neck, killing him instantly. Victoria stared at the scene with horror but before she could move, she found herself in the Creature's shadow.
"What will you do now woman ?" Harald asked her with a cavernous growl as he towered above her.
The orange haired Vampire instantly regained her composure at those words and hissed threateningly at the Werebear who smirked in response, not intimidated in the slightest. Something that unnerved the Vampire woman greatly.
With a cry, she lunged at him but the large Beast swiftly moved out of the way and just as Victoria was about to turn around, he strike. With a thunderous roar, Harald lunged at her and clamped his jaws around her left shoulder which caused her to scream in agony as his fangs pierced her skin.
She tried to push him away but couldn't. Harald then did something that frightened the Vampire : using his hands, he grabbed her legs while pushing his head backward while still having his jaws clamped around Victoria's shoulders.
The orange haired Vampire released a screech of agony when the Werebear separated her body in two with a roar. The top part of her body landed right now to Laurent's dead corpse while the other part was tossed aside like garbage.
"VICTORIA NO !" A masculine voice cried out in anger from nearby and Harald turned his furry head to see none other than James.
He had been knocked down when he crashed against that three and had regained consciousness the second Harald was about to cut Victoria in two. Needless to say that seeing his mate being killed right under his eyes by this creature filled him with anger and revenge.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT YOU FREAK !" James roared in anger as he lunged at the Werebear who tensed at the word 'freak'.
This simple word filled him with memories he wished to have forgot… memories of people he wanted to forget forever : the Dursleys. Images of the past started to fill his brain and a deep growl erupted from his throat as he glared at the coming Vampire.
James, however, was too blinded by his anger to notice the hatred in the Beast's eyes… until a dark brown fist crashed against the left side of his face. Harald, in one swift movement, punched the Vampire in the face, sending James tumbling on the ground.
"You and your friends shouldn't have tried to touch Bella..." Harald growled out as he cracked his knuckles while approaching James.
"Because now… This is gonna hurt !"
The Vampie didn't have time to react when the Werebear fell on him with a roar. James screamed in pain when Harald mauled him with not only his claws but his fangs as well. First, his hands were cut, then his arms…
"Prepare for your death Leech !" Harald snarled as he raised his right clawed hands to strike.
A second later, James' head was cut out of the main body in a swift movement, ending his life once and for all. The Werebear looked at the corpses of the Vampires who tried to kill his girlfriend with satisfaction before looking at the sky as he released a triumphant roar than echoed throughout the forest.
Bella looked at her boyfriend with wide eyes then at the vampires on the ground. He killed them so easily and so fast… Harald was really the strongest ! Her heart was filled with warmth as she looked at her boyfriend just as she felt really bad : he put himself in danger to save her… again. She wasn't as strong as him… but maybe she could BECOME stronger ?
A feeling of Determination spread through her body : her desire to become a Werebear grew and she WILL be one !
"Bella !" Harald's call for her broke the young woman in her thought and her chocolate eyes looked up to see her boyfriend back in human form looking at her in concern
"Harald !"
"Thanks Kallisto you are safe !" The dark brown haired young man whispered in relief as he pulled her into a hug.
Bella smiled at her boyfriend before hugging him back tightly.
"Thank you for saving me..." she whispered in his ears.
"I would lay down my life for you..." was his answer.
Her heart was filled with warmth at those words but also horror as she didn't wanted to imagine a life without him. That's why she tightened her embrace on him, pressing her head against his shoulder.
For a moment, nothing was said as the two held one another, no wanting to break the embrace. Until…
"Harald ?" Bella called him out softy.
"Yes love ?"
"I want to be like you..."
"Huh ?" he looked at her with confusion.
"I want to be a Werebear like you..." Bella clarified her words and his eyes widened in shock as those words reached his ears.
"Why ?"
"I want to be stronger… I want to be able to defend myself against creatures like..." Bella paused in her explanation to stare at James' body.
Harald nodded in understanding but couldn't retain himself from asking "Are you sure this is what you want ? You cannot tell Charlie about this..."
"I don't care… If it mean being stronger and being closer to you, then I would do anything !" Bella's response was filled with determination as a fire was burning in her chocolate eyes.
Harald looked hesitant for a moment as he looked at his soul-mate then at the Vampires. For a long time, he was thinking and Bella looked at him with concern : concern that her boyfriend was about to refuse her wish.
After a moment of silence, a deep sigh escaped Harald's throat before his blue-green eyes looked back at her with a tiny smile
"Very well… I will see what I can do for you..."
"Does this mean ?" Bella asked him with growing happiness.
"Yes… If you want to become one of us then I will help you to the better of my ability !" Harald answered back with a chuckle.
"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !" Bella kissed him again and again with happiness as she shouted those words.
"Anything for you love~" Harald whispered to her gently before kissing her on the lips.
Bella smiled as she returned the gesture, ignoring her surrounding as her main focus was kissing her boyfriend.
"Now come on… Let head back home..." Harald declared softy once he broke the kiss before leading his girlfriend to his domain so they could enjoy the rest of the day in relative peace.
As Bella walked beside him, her mind was filled with happiness : soon she will be like the man she loved… A strong Werebear. Soon she will not be an easy prey for Vampires to feast on… she will be ready !
And if this meant not telling her father anything about this… So be it !
(To be continue…)