Time passed as it was already mid-April and Harald had just returned from a hard day of school. Thankfully, tomorrow was Saturday so he can relax as much as he wanted. Especially since things had been pretty tense at school lately.
Why ?
Mostly because of Edward Cullen !
The Vampire had tried to talk with Bella each time she was alone (which was a bit rare seeing that she was almost always with him) but, much to Harald's joy, his soul-mate either ignored him or sneered at him.
However, this seemed to anger the Vampire greatly as after 4 refusals he had tried to be more forceful. Harald's eyes narrowed at he remembered that day just as he clenched his fists in anger.
00/(Flashback)/00
Two days had passed since Bella encountered Aiyanna.
It was a normal Tuesday at school with Harald and Bella sitting at their favorite place in the cafeteria, ready to enjoy their lunches. They were soon joined by a couple of Bella's friends, Angela and Jessica. Away from them, Alice waved at the duo while Jasper gave them a respectful nod which Harald returned in kind.
At first things were good but then, just as they finished their meals, a certain someone approached them : it was Edward.
The Vampire looked confident and calm which was strange but his attention was focused on Bella and her only. That sent alarms to Harald whose eyes narrowed dangerously as he eyed the Vampire.
"Bella can I talk to you please?" Edward asked the chocolate eyed young woman in a calm tone.
Angela and Jessica stopped chatting to look at them with both curiosity and interest while glancing at Harald from time to time. Like many students here, they both knew the animosity between Harald and Edward and wondered how long it will take before things turn ugly.
Bella released an annoyed sigh as she shot an irritated look at her soul-mate/boyfriend before looking at the Vampire dead in the eyes
"No you can't !" she retorted to him in a calm tone of her own but we could clearly hear the annoyance in her tone.
"Please is it import-" Edward began to say back in an attempt to convince her but was interrupted by a certain dark brown haired young man we love.
"She said no you idiot ! Can't you understand it ?!"
Edward's eyes landed on him with an expression of anger mixed with annoyance. The Vampire opened his mouth to retort but Harald was quicker
"You know what ? I already know the answer : you are too stupid to understand such simple words…"
Edward's face showed nothing but anger and rage as he snarled with pure disgust and loath
"Stay out of it you freak ! Its between me and Bella !"
The word 'freak' bring back memories of his time with the Dursleys and a strong anger slowly grew into his heart as he slowly went back on his feet. Edward was 6'2" in height but Harald was taller thanks to him being 6'5" so he towered the Vampire by a few inches.
"Funny coming from you don't you think ?" Harald dangerously said to him with narrowed eyes.
Edward tensed at this but growled in hatred, ignoring the fact that everyone in the cafeteria were now looking at them with anticipation.
The Vampire and the Werebear were glaring daggers at one another, trying to intimidate the others but none backed down.
"You do not want this fight..." Harald told him in a deep stern tone than sent shivers down everyone's spine, except Edward's.
"I pretty sure I do..." The Vampire responded in a calm tone… before slapped him in the face.
The crowd gasped in shock at what Edward just did. Harald, while surprised by this turn of event, was still standing there, his face turned to the left before he slowly looked back at the Vampire who looked a bit shocked about something.
Not that he cared anyway.
"Leave… now..." Harald told him calmly but his tone was cold and harsh as if he was containing his rage.
Why ? Because he didn't want to create a scene at school to end up expelled ! If Edward did this when they were somewhere else, Harald would GLADLY teach him his place but at school… It was almost impossible.
"Otherwise what ? What will you do ?" Edward taunted him with a sneer before punching him on the face with his left hand.
"EDWARD STOP IT !" Jasper cried out as he went back on his feet alongside Emmett and the girls.
"STOP YOU IDIOT !" Rosalie called out to him
Alice had her hands on her mouth as she looked at the scene with horror and Emmett looked shocked by what was currently happening.
But Edward ignored them as he used his other hand to punch Harald's in the gut before using his left one to slap his enemy in the face. Much to everyone's shock, the dark brown haired young man stood perfectly still, not even grunting in pain at the punches.
However, at each punches he received, Harald's rage was growing and the slap was the last straw.
To hell with this ! Consequences be damned !
Edward, seeing his enemy unmoving, readied his left arm to threw another punch to his face but when he launched his fist forward, Harald's right hand quickly grabbed it before it could touch him ! The Vampire tried to pull his hand away from the Werebear's grip but gasped in pain when Harald tightened his hold which caused him to fall on his knees.
"I warned you..." Harald told him coldly… before using his left hand to punch him in the guts.
However, he hadn't controlled his strength so he sent his enemy crashing against a wall, fracturing it a bit. The crowd gasped in shock when Edward fell on the ground with a grunt of pain. Harald slowly went to pummel him a bit more when someone stepped before him.
"Harald ! That's enough ! I think he will not bother us anymore !" Bella begged him as she putted a hand on his chest.
Harald stared at his soul-mate's eyes for a second before nodding
"Very well… He can live..." he said with a reluctant tone.
Alice and Jasper, along with Rosalie and Emmett all sighed in relief at those words. Most of the crowd were still staring at him either with fear, fascination or amazement but he ignored them as he added in the coldest tone he could muster
"For now..."
Everyone shivered at the tone and they all flinched when the bell was heard : it was time for classes. Giving one last glare at Edward, who was pulling back on his feet by Jasper and Emmett, Harald then left the cafeteria without looking back.
People scattered out of his way, afraid of being the next target of his anger. Some students were looking at Edward with dark glares or sneers as they all saw that he was the one who started all this. Bella was about to follow her boyfriend when Alice approached her
"I'm sorry for Edward… I..." the pixie-like Vampire began to say in a soft tone but Bella stopped her
"That's fine… You are not responsible… But if I were, I would stay away from Harald for the time being..."
Alice nodded before leaving after a little wave to Bella who watched her go with a sigh before running after her soul-mate to calm him down.
00/(End of Flashback)/00
After the fight, he had been called to the principal's office and because he had punched Edward, he had to serve detention for a week. Edward, had an harsher punishment, : he was now allowed in the school for a month !
Carlisle and Esme were furious for what he did once their children told them what happened and the two parents apologized to Harald for Harald's actions, hoping that the treaty wasn't broken because of this incident.
However, much to their relief, Harald held no grudge against them but did told them to keep a better leash on Edward because the next time it happen, he will not hesitate to end him. Carlisle and Esme instantly accepted while being a bit afraid of the threat.
Edward was now confined at home where he wasn't allowed to leave until he could return to school. The young Vampire had suffered for days from the punch he received from Harald and even then he could tell that the young man had not unleashed his full strength.
However, apart of the pain, he also felt something else : Vengeance. Bella rejected him, Harald punched him AND humiliated him a lot of times. They must pay not matter what he had to do. He will make Bella HIS and HIS only !
He didn't know it but things were about to change… things he will not like at all.
Back to Harald, he was sitting on the sofa, enjoying its softness. But then a new voice caught his attention
["Hard day at school ?"] It was Aiyanna.
She got some weight since she woke up from her hibernation but another thing changed. The blond bear looked more active and took many trips into the forest whenever Harald was not around.
After all, she couldn't just stay there doing nothing!
["School no, the students yeeeeessss..."] Harald retorted with a growl of annoyance.
Ever since he punched Edward, his popularity grew a bit more. He was now seen as the strongest man at school ! Apparently, no many could sent someone crashing against a wall with a punch… and less breaking say wall ! The girls were sometimes heard cursing Bella for having such a man as her boyfriend while the boys were jealous to not be as strong as he was.
All of them now knew that he must NEVER be angered… unless they wanted to become like Edward.
While his newly found popularity was annoying, Harald took comfort that Edward was enduring the total opposite.
Why ?
The Vampire was the one who started the fight and had been acting like a jerk to Harald ever since their first encounter. Every students knew it and some had been betting about how long it would take before a fight broke.
Since the confrontation at the cafeteria, the name Edward Cullen was said with disdain or with a scowl. Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had pretty much received sympathetic looks from some people.
Needless to say that Rosalie, who usually love attention, had cursed Edward for the scene he made that day because she HATED being pitied by others ! Harald had particularly enjoying hearing how his enemy got yelled on my the entire family !
["Suck to be you..."] Aiyanna said with mock-compassion and he glared at her in response.
Sadly, she only giggled in amusement, not intimidated in the slightest. But then her expression turned serious as she asked next
[Do you have news about this Edward guy ?"]
["Yes… Alice told me he was still not allowed out of their home… Except to hunt but even then he is escorted by at last two members of the family..."] Harald replied with a scowl.
He hated speaking about Edward Cullen.
["How was YOUR day Aiy ?"] Harald asked her with a curious raise-brow, trying to change the subject.
["Pretty uneventful… I made a friend today..."] the blond bear began to say before being interrupted by her human
["Wait really ? Another grizzly bear ?"]
["Nah a black bear… Her name is Chenoa…Apparently, she moved in the area to escape the 'Pale Humans with yellow eyes'..."] Aiyanna responded with a look of understanding.
["I see...Can't say I blame her… Anything else ?"] Harald asked her curiously.
["Yes… she warned me than a cougar had taken residence west from here…His name is Tork and from what she said, he is not one to be messed with..."]
["I don't think he will try anything against us… You are a big grizzly bear after all and me a Werebear ! A mere cougar is not match against us..."] Harald replied with a shrug.
["Maybe… But just in case, we should still mark our borders..."] Aiyanna stared at him with a serious expression on her face.
["We will… Not because of the cougar but to be sure the Mutts won't try to intrude..."] Harald retorted with a sigh.
["Good… now can we eat ?"] Aiyanna asked with puppy dog eyes as she titled her head to the side.
["You really are a big glutton do you know that ?"] Harald asked her with amusement.
["And proud of it !"] The blond bear replied proudly while puffing her chest.
The dark brown haired young man rolled his eyes with amusement but did went back on his feet
["Alright then… I think I have some salmons left for you..."] Harald said while making his way to the kitchen.
Hearing the word 'salmons' caused Aiyanna to start drooling in anticipation. Like Harald, Salmon was her favorite fish !
As her human was in the kitchen, the blond bear laid near the sofa, waiting for her food to come. However, as she waited, she couldn't help but feeling that something bad was coming in the future.
She didn't know it but it will be the case…but thankfully, not before a long time.
00/(Time Skip)/00
The next day, Harald was watching TV with his familiar : they were both watching their favorite emission, National Geographic. It was the end of the morning and Harald had already finished his homeworks, so they had the entire day for themselves.
However, their little moment was broken when someone knocked at the door.
"COMING !" Harald called out as he slowly went to the front door, wondering who it was.
"Anderson's residence, What can I d-"Harald began to say as he opened the door before freezing when he saw who was outside.
Four people were there, standing in front of him along with an old Elk, a female Bobcat, a male Crow and a female Bald Eagle. He would recognized them anywhere and tears started to fall from his eyes at the sight of them.
"Mom…" He whispered softy in surprise and delight at the view of his mother who looked as radiant as ever.
"Harald my baby boy !~" Astrid cried out in joy as she pulled her son into a tight hug, kissing his cheek repeatedly.
Harald embraced her back, happy to finally see his mother again after so long.
"I missed you Mom…" he whispered softly to her and she smiled warmly as she pulled herself away from his arms, staring at him with maternal love in her dark green eyes.
"I missed you too son..."she cooed back as she caressed his cheek with a hand.
"Hey Aspen… Still as gorgeous as ever..." he said to the Bald Eagle who ruffled her feathers with pride at the comment before nuzzling his hair with her beak.
Harald then looked at the other people? While they got more wrinkles and white hairs, they were still the same.
"Afi… Amma…" the dark brown haired young man greeted his grandparents with a joyful smile on his face.
"Dótturbarn ! Come give your grandma a hug !" Karina cooed as she opened her arms welcomely.
Harald, of course, hugged her gently as tears fell more from his eyes.
"I missed you grandma…" Harald said to the old woman with a warm smile.
"I missed you too little one..." Karina replied back gently to her grandson.
"Hey Eira… How are you girl ?~" Harald cooed to his grandmother's familiar who was rubbing herself against him, purring loudly. He sure missed this Bobcat.
Then he looked at Njord, his grandfather, who had stepped closer.
"Hey kiddo !" He greeted his grandson with a small laugh while embracing him.
"Hey grandpa ! Hey Munin !" Harald greeted back with a smile on his own.
The Crow cawed in greeting, happy to see the young man again.
"Look at you ! You are as strong as the last time I saw you !" Njord commented while looking at his grandson with pride.
"I could say the same about you ! And grandma you are as gorgeous as ever !"
"Awww thank you dear~" Karina cooed at him with a smile, appreciating the compliment.
"What about me ?" Astrid asked him while having her hands on her hips, staring at him with a raisebrow.
"Mom… You know you are the most beautiful woman of the world..." Harald retorted to her with affection.
"And don't forget it !" His mother said with a hint of arrogance in her tone as she puffed her chest with pride.
Harald, Njord and Karina all laughed with humor at this but then the former turned his head to look at the last person present. Einar looked very tired… sure he was still tall and strong but still… He looked older than he should.
Apparently, when Harald had started school at Forks, Einar became sick and Karina had to go to Oregon to heal him. And while he recovered, he was now weaker than before. Sure he still performed rituals or shamanic stuffs, but he was not as energetic as before.
Age seemed to have caught up with him…
"Hey Einar… How are you old man ?" He asked the shaman with a small smile.
Einar glared at him with mock-anger "I may be old but I'm still strong enough to kick your butt brat !"
His answer caused everyone to laugh with humor only to stop when Einar started to cough. Karina was instantly at his side, helping him.
"Maybe we should get inside..." Harald commented while leading everyone in his home, to the living-room where a certain blond bear was.
"Hey Aiyanna~" Astrid greeted gently upon seeing the bear.
["Hey..."] Aiyanna growled back with affection as she rubbed her head against her human's mother.
"Make yourself at home everyone ! Do you want something ? Coffee ? Tea ?" Harald asked his guests as Karina helped her brother to seat on the sofa.
"Coffee for me please dear~" Astrid told him gently while making herself comfortable.
"Me too lad..." Njord said while sitting near his daughter.
"A green tea for me Dótturbarn..." Karina said while sitting near her older brother who said softly
"A hot chocolate for me..."
"Two hot chocolates, two coffees and a green tea Understood !" Harald cried out with a nod before rushing toward the kitchen to prepare the drinks.
["What about me ?!"] Aiyanna called out to her human, outraged that he hadn't asked her.
["You get water !"] Harald's voice responded from the kitchen.
The blond bear's eyes narrowed at this ["Haaaaaaaarrrrrrraaaaaaaald !"]
["Just kidding ! You have honey !"] The dark brown haired young man said from the kitchen.
["Good..."] Aiyanna huffed with satisfaction.
A few minutes later, Harald returned with the drinks and served them to his guests who all thanked him for it. The blond bear had thanked him for the honey by licking his whole face with her tongue, much to everyone's amusement and his annoyance.
"So dear… Where is this soul-mate of yours ? I can't wait to meet her !" Karina asked her grandson with a teen-like squeal.
"She is with her father… I don't know if she plan to come to be honest...Beside why are you all here ? Not that I mind of course !" Harald responded calmly while taking a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Don't tell me you already forgot ?" Astrid inquired him with a raisebrow
Harald stared blankly at her before a flash of remembrance passed through his eyes. Slapping his forehead with a hand, he grumbled something inaudible under his breath before looking back at his guests.
"To my defense, you didn't told WHEN you would come to perform the ritual so..."
"Fair enough..." Astrid agreed with a shrug.
Njord and Karina took a sip of their own drinks before looking back at the people present.
"She needs to be here..." Einar said from his seat in a grave tone.
Harald nodded at the old man before going back on his feet "I will call her..."
Then he went to the phone where he composed Bella's number. For a few seconds, no one answered the call but then.
"Hello ?" It was a masculine voice and pretty familiar to him.
"Mr. Swan ! Sorry to bother you but is your daughter at home ? I need to speak with her..."
"I told you you can call me Charlie ! But yes she is… Can you wait a minute ?"
"Yes I can..." Harald responded to his girlfriend's father in a calm tone.
He could hear Charlie calling out Bella's name along with a short discussion between the two before his soul-mate's voice echoed through the phone
"Harald ?"
"Hey love ! Sorry to bother you but..." He was interrupted by Bella who brushed his concern aside by saying.
"That's fine ! Charlie said you wanted to talk to me..."
"Yes… Is he with you ?"
"No he left to give us some privacy !"
"Good...Do you remember our little agreement ?"
For a second, nothing was heard from the other side.
"Which one ?"
"About something you wanted to become..."
Another second of silence before an answer.
"Are you saying-"
"Yes ! My granduncle is here to perform the ritual… We just need the guest of honor~" Harald responded with a teasing grin.
However, he quickly pulled his ear away from the phone when he heard Bella squealing loudly from the other side.
"I will be there in a hour !" By the tone of her voice, she looked excited… a bit too much maybe.
"Ask your father first at least !" Harald reminded her in a scowling tone.
"Oh right ! Chaaaaarrrrliiiiie !" He heard her calling her father and he couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.
He could hear a muffled conversation through the phone but sadly, he couldn't understand what was being said. For a moment, he just stood there, listening until Bella's voice echoed again through the phone
"Charlie gave me permission !"
"Wonderful ! See you soon sunshine~" He said to her in a charming tone.
"See you soon my strong teddy bear~" he heard her saying on the other side.
He hung up the phone before putting it back to its place. Harald then went back to the living-room where everyone stopped chatting to look at him.
"She is coming..." Harald announced them with a smile.
"Wonderful ! I will FINALLY meet my future Daughter-in-Law !" Astrid cried out with a grin.
Harald blushed madly at his mother's words and it reddened even more when she added
"After all, it is my duty as mother to decide if she is worthy enough to be with my baby boy~"
"MOM !" Harald cried out in pure embarrassment while everyone laughed with amusement at the scene… even the familiars.
"I hate you all !" He grumbled to them but it only caused everyone to laugh even louder.
["No you don't~"] Aiyanna cooed to him while licking the right side of his face, covering it with her saliva.
["Not again ! Stop !"] Harald cried out to his familiar who gave him another lick before walking away with a smirk on her muzzle.
"Bloody bear gonna be the death of me..." he grumbled under his beard before yelping when Astrid slapped the back of his head.
"LANGUAGE MISTER !"
A chorus of laughs echoed afterwards and Harald once again felt like the world was against him. He just hoped that sweet Bella wouldn't be like them when she arrived.
00/(Time skip)/00
Its official he was cursed !
A few moments ago, Bella Swan had arrived home where she was greeted by Harald's entire family. Karina had welcomed her warmly and Njord did the same. Bella had been kinda spooked by the animals present but once she learned that they were familiars , she calmed down.
However, as he feared, Astrid had taken his girlfriend aside barely 5 minutes after her arrival to have a 'discussion' with her. When she returned, Bella looked a bit scared but Astrid simply told him when she passed near him
"You choose well dear~"
At least she approved of Bella… But sadly for him, things became worse when Astrid started to tell her some embarrassing stories about him. He had never blushed so much in his life.
Mothers could be cruel when they wanted to be !
Worse, Astrid , and soon Karina, started to tell his girlfriend about how cute he was when he was younger ! Going as far as to show her, PICTURES from their phones ! He had never been so embarrassed in his life.
Thankfully, he was saved by Einar who abruptly went back on his feet with a grave look on his face.
"It is time..."
Njord, Karina, Astrid, Bella and Harald all looked at one another, understanding that it was time to perform the ritual ! Heading outside, they all went to stand in the clearing right in front of Harald's porch.
They watched as Einar drew a large circle on the ground before looking up. Harald, along with everyone did the same, and he saw it : shining brightly in the sky, was the Constellation he and his kind literally worshiped : the Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
"May the girl enter the circle !" The shaman's grave tone said to Bella who gulped nervously as she stood near her boyfriend.
"Go on… Everything will be fine..." the dark brown haired young man whispered to her with a comforting smile.
Bella smiled back at him, silently thanking him for his support before taking a deep breath as she made her way to the center of the circle. Her chocolate eyes looked back at Harald who gave her a small smile of encouragement.
Taking a deep breath, Bella then looked at her soul-mate's granduncle before saying calmly "I'm ready..."
Nodding at her, Einar then opened his mouth to say to the sky. Bella, sadly didn't understand what was being said but Harald did
"We are gathered here today to welcome a new addition to our noble family ! Great Kallisto, this young woman wants to walk among us as one of your children !"
In the sky, the Constellation brightened slightly as Einar spoke.
"O Great Bear, allow this person to become a member of your noble people !"
At those words, a ray of light shot straight toward Bella who gasped in shock when found herself surrounded by it. Looking around, she saw that she cannot see anyone and was starting to panic
"My child..." a deep feminine voice echoed from above and she looked up to see… a transparent woman looking at her with warmth
"Wh-What ?" he mumbled in shock at what was going on.
"Are you ready to give up your humanity to become one of my children ?" the transparent woman asked her in a maternal and kind tone.
Understanding that this woman was none other than Kallisto, Bella took a moment to answer but when she did, her voice showed nothing but calm and determination.
"Yes…"
Kallisto smiled at the young woman but then opened her mouth to ask her
"Tell me why you want to become a Werebear ?"
Taken aback by the question, Bella took a second to think about the best answer to give. A few seconds later, the chocolate eyed young woman looked up at the Spirit/Deity (?) before saying
"I want to become like the man I love… I want to become a bear to be stronger… I want to be one so I could stay with Harald forever..."
The answer seemed to please Kallisto whose smile widened as she said those words
"So be it !"
Suddenly, Bella found herself being lifted by an unknown force, heading toward Kallisto whose smile hadn't disappeared. The young woman wanted to scream in fear but no sound could came out of her mouth as she went higher and higher into the sky.
However, just as she was about to touch Kallisto, the spirit disappeared to be replaced by a transparent Bear Head. When Bella reached it, she had to close her eyes as she was engulfed into a bright light just as pain started to spread through her body.
She could clearly hear her bones popping or shifting but at first it was tolerable… for 30 seconds. Bella couldn't retain herself anymore as the pain was becoming too much and opened her mouth to cry but instead, a guttural roar was heard.
Meanwhile, Harald, Njord, Karina and Einar along with their familiars couldn't see the young woman as she was inside a column of light but they could hear her. When they heard the roar, they looked at one another with happiness.
Soon enough, the column dissipated to reveal a massive bear with reddish brown fur slowly descending from the sky to soon being deposited in the circle by an unknown force. Staring at the sky, Harald saw that the Constellation wasn't as bright as it was a moment ago but brushed it aside to stare at the massive bear in front of him.
Without hesitation, Harald turned into his Full Bear Form before stepping closer to the unmoving form in the circle. Under the light of the stars, the reddish-brown bear looked magnificent. After a quick inspection, Harald could say that Bella's Bear form was smaller than his or his mother's.
["Bella ?"] he called softy as he stopped at her side.
A little growl escaped the reddish-brown she-bear's throat as she raised her head. When she opened her eyes, Harald was delighted to see they were still chocolate in color. Speaking of eyes, Bella looked at her hands… only to blink when she saw clawed paws instead.
Looking up at him, she shot him a bright smile ["How do I look ?"]
["Like a Bear ! Except she gave you antlers !"] Harald responded with a straight face at the last part.
Bella gaped at him before her eyes went up to see the top of her head ["What ?!"]
["Got you !"] Harald replied back before laughing as he tapped her on the shoulder.
Bella laughed as well before going back on her paws. In her new form, she stood 7 feet tall but when she went on her hind-legs to hug her boyfriend, she stood 14 feet tall !Harald and her circled each other, laughing with delight as the others watched the scene with amusement.
Bella was overjoyed : she was now a Werebear ! She took a second to feel her new body : she felt stronger… she felt like she could lift mountains ! However, she quickly brushed her thoughts aside when Harald gently touched her on the shoulder saying
["Tag you are hit !"]
["Get back here !"] she roared with playfulness while laughing loudly.
However what they didn't know was that the two of them were being watched by Kallisto who harbored a warm smile on her face before disappearing.
As the two lovers played together, they didn't know that many things were about to happen… both good and bad.
(To be continue…)
