Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
The Trap
When Jacob and Bella arrived at the big, open field, the Cullens were already there. It felt strange to be there, the clearing was bigger than a baseball field, the moonlight shone down on the Cullens, making their visages look ghostly.
Bella noticed Alice's change in demeanor straight away. Her former optimism seemed diminished, as if she was beginning to harbor doubts about the plan. She stood a little to one side of her family, watching Jasper stretching his arms as if he were warming up to exercise.
"Jake, I think something is wrong with Alice." Bella confided to Jacob, aware that everyone could overhear what she said anyway, she still whispered.
"What makes you think that?" Jacob whispered back, frowning as he glanced over in the little psychic's direction.
"She was the biggest advocate for this collaboration…and now…she looks subdued." Bella pointed out.
Edward, overhearing the conversation, came up to them, his mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile. "Its because he's here." He said directly to Bella, meaning Jacob. "And the other werewolves are on their way, so she can't see anything that happens now. It makes her uncomfortable to be blind."
Alice, though she was farthest from them, heard Edward's comment. She looked up at him, her golden eyes revealing nothing of her thoughts. Bella still thought there was something amiss. Edward's explanation sounded too simple, too easy. The coven, or maybe Alice alone, was hiding something.
"Hey, Bella." Emmet greeted her with a smug smile. "Is he going to let you practice, too?" He turned his gaze onto Jacob, laughing when his question provoked a scowl out of Jacob.
"When will the others arrive?" Carlisle asked, coming up behind Emmet.
Jacob smoothed his features into an indifferent mask. He still didn't trust the coven leader. After their last face to face confrontation months ago, he still believed that Carlisle hid behind his compassionate façade to fool people. To Jacob he was as untrustworthy as any of the other vamps, maybe more so, because he had a wealth of experience the others had not, having lived for so much longer than they had.
"The rest of my pack will be here in a minute." Jacob answered coolly. "They will not be in their human forms like I am."
Carlisle nodded. "This is hard for them. I'm grateful that you all came at all."
Jacob nodded curtly, stepping back, making sure to keep a tight hold on Bella's hand as he did so.
A strange gleam suddenly came into Edward's eyes, as though something had just occurred to him, something that was altogether unpleasant. He turned away quickly, facing Carlisle and the others.
"Prepare yourselves-they've been holding out on us." He accused.
"What do you mean?" Alice demanded, her angry gaze flashing in Jacob's direction.
Bella looked uneasily up at Jacob. He met her worried eyes with his own, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Bella, honey. They were going to find out anyway."
The Cullens informal circle widened out into a loose line with Emmet and Jasper at the spear point. From the way Edward leaned forward, he looked like he was fighting the urge not to attack Jacob where he stood. She believed it was only because she was standing right there, that was stopping him giving into the impulse. He obviously thought Jacob had deceived them all, which wasn't really the case at all. It was clear Edward took it that way, though, which Bella found concerning. Jacob just stood his ground, hiding behind the same, indifferent mask that he used to conceal his emotions.
Sighing, Bella squinted toward the forest, seeing nothing.
"Damn!" Emmet muttered. "Did you see anything like it?"
Esme and Rosalie shared a wide-eyed glance.
"The pack has grown!" Edward declared loudly, his eyes narrowing.
Bella swallowed thickly. She had known this, of course, but hadn't given much thought to how the Cullens might take this pertinent bit of information. They hadn't concealed the wolves' growing numbers on purpose, just decided to keep it on a need-to-know basis, until it was no longer possible to hide all the new additions.
Bella held on tightly to Jacob as she strained to see the wolves in the gloom. Finally, something glittered in the blackness-their eyes, higher up than they should be. It wasn't until you saw the magnificence of them in front of your eyes, that you could truly appreciate their size and strength. They were like horses, only thick with muscles and fur-and teeth like knives, impossible to overlook. They were fierce-some beasts and Bella was proud of them.
As she scanned, straining to see more, she caught a hint of gold flashing in the shadows, and immediately recognized Billy at the head of the group. She counted the others, recognizing each wolf individually by the color of their fur and the way they held themselves. She heard Edward gasp, and smiled to herself, he must have just made the discovery that there were two new additions to the pack. Colin and Brady, had recently transformed. It had happened almost overnight. They were barely fifteen years old, so shockingly young, but they didn't lack courage or determination. Their grit matched their peers, and they held themselves as steadily as the more mature members of the pack.
"Fascinating." Carlisle murmured thoughtfully. He took a slow, deliberate step forward. It was a careful movement, designed to reassure.
"Welcome." He greeted the whole pack.
"They say thank you." Jacob responded calmly. Being the Alpha, he didn't need to be phased to read his brothers minds, an ability that had come as somewhat as a surprise to him and the elders. Nowhere was this skill recorded in any of the old legends. Certainly, Ephraim had never possessed the ability, but then his pack was small compared to Jacob's.
"My brothers will watch and listen, but no more." Jacob continued. "That is the most I can ask of their self-control right now."
"Why keep your true numbers such a secret?" Edward glared at Jacob with hostile eyes. "I'm beginning to think this is a trap. You learn things from us while withholding things yourself. I don't trust you."
"That is more than enough, Edward." Carlisle admonished him severely. He waved Jasper over. "My son, Jasper, has experience in this area. He will teach us how the newborns fight, and how they will be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."
"They are that different to you?" Jacob asked.
Carlisle nodded. "They are all very new-only months old to this life. Children, in a way. They will have no skill, no strategy, only brute strength. Tonight, their numbers stand at twenty. It shouldn't be difficult. The numbers may go down. The new ones fight amongst themselves."
A rumble passed down the shadowy line of wolves, a low growling mutter, that somehow sounded enthusiastic. The chocolate brown wolf, Quil, was especially looking forward to the fight. Jacob stared hard in his direction, warning him to simmer down. The chocolate wolf dropped his gaze deferentially underneath the scrutiny of his Alpha.
"Do you know when and how they will arrive?"
"They'll come across the mountains in four days, in the late morning. As they approach, Alice will help us intercept their path." Carlisle continued. "She will keep a close eye on Bella, you don't have to worry, Jacob Black. We have gone over this again and again and have planned things down to the finest detail. Bella will be removed from the scene before the newborns are anywhere near her. Her scent alone will send them into a frenzy."
Jacob met Carlisle's cool gaze with one of his own. Immediately he knew that the coven leader was lying. It had already been revealed to them that Alice was almost totally blind when the wolf pack were nearby, so how on earth was she able to see or predict anything, let alone intercept the newborns path before they reached Bella. No, the little psychic would not be able to see anything.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Jacob suddenly demanded.
At the sound of their Alpha's sharp tone, the wolf pack bristled. A low growl rumbled amongst them all, initiated by the golden wolf who remained at the head of the group.
All the Cullens were on the defensive at once. "We are not trying to trick you, Jacob Black." Carlisle said smoothly, the only one of the coven able to keep his cool under duress. "Unlike you by keeping your numbers secret from us."
"There was a reason for that." Jacob revealed with a tense smile. He raised his hand to signal his pack. As one the huge, majestic beasts sailed down the hill, bounding into the clearing, and quickly surrounding their Alpha and his girl.
"What is the meaning of this?" Jasper seethed, his body a blur as he ran to stand protectively in front of Alice. "We have not deceived you in any way."
"Oh, really?" Jacob replied scathingly from the center of the circle of wolves. "We know that your mate cannot see us in her visions, and when Bella's with me or the other Quileutes, she can't see her, either, because her life becomes tied up with ours, which proves that every word out of your mouths is a lie. You lured us here under false pretenses."
Bella felt like her brain was on overload. She had no idea that the Cullens were contemplating this, or that Jacob suspected them of duplicity. He must have kept that part secret from her because he didn't want her to worry more than she already was. It also explained why he was so reluctant to take her with him to the clearing that night. None of this had even occurred to Bella, she had guessed something was amiss by Alice's odd reaction upon their arrival, but she would never have figured it was this. Thankfully, Jacob was one step ahead in the game.
"I guessed something was up." Jacob continued, his voice calm and controlled. "You've been after Bella ever since she moved here. Your son has become obsessed with her, with your and the little pixie's encouragement." He looked directly at Carlisle as he spoke. "You've done nothing to really stop it. Most of your coven have special gifts: mindreading, pathokinesis, the ability to predict the future, superior strength. Odd that one coven should have so many gifted members, don't you think? You certainly have collected the best over the years, Carlisle Cullen. What latent gift does Bella have that you want to possess so much?"
"What is he talking about, Carlisle?" Edward asked warily.
"He's talking nonsense." Carlisle responded dismissively.
Jacob took a step forward, his pack parting to give him room to stride forward. Bella stayed frozen in place, watching him move fluidly to stand in front of a glowering Carlisle. "Am I?" He said coldly. "You want Bella because she has some sort of power that you crave. You've used your son's obsession to your advantage to try and get her to turn, making it look like it was no-one's fault but his. But your little plan didn't work. You didn't factor in one thing….us." He towered over Carlisle, his dark eyes boring into the coven's leaders, making him look terrifying. "I believe its you who have overseen the newborns this whole time. You are the one who turned them." His gaze drifted to Jasper, who stood irresolute in front of Alice. "And you've used his past experience to control them, getting them ready to unleash hell, and remove the last obstacle standing in your way to possess Bella. Your plan has failed Carlisle Cullen. It ends today. Right here. Right now."
Emmett stepped out of line with a grim smile. Jasper backed toward the north end of the opening.
Carlisle stayed where he was, his eyes locked on Jacob, saying nothing. Then with one wave of his hand all hell broke loose.
A/N-thanks for reading!