Chapter 3: Denial and Desires.
Authors note:
So glad you guys are enjoying this story so far! One of my readers asked that if Bella was already living on the reservation wouldn't she have already known Sam?
Well, my answer to that is you must keep reading! there's a reason why!
"Hey! Chief! We found her!she's on the porch!" a voice rang out.
Bella didn't know where she was. All she knew was that she could hear voices, and footsteps.
"Bella?" her parents frantic voice rang out.
She could feel herself being shifted and soft voices being spoken in the background. When she finally opened her eyes, the room was full of people. However, it was Dr. hector hovering over her who caught her attention.
"Bella, sweetheart can you hear me? Bella?"
She didn't speak but she did nod her head. There was a loud murmur somewhere in the background, but Dr. Hector shushed them quickly.
"Ok. your communicating. That's good. Bella, do you know where you are?"
Once again, she nodded. She was in her fathers home. Her childhood home since the age of twelve.
"Bella. Do you understand that you've been missing? Everyone has been searching for you. you have been missing for three days. Can you tell me who hurt you? your arms obviously broken, and your lips are blue. And just from the sound of your lungs I believe you have pneumonia. Can I examine you?"
It was then Bella snapped out of her silent stupor.
No.
No, she didn't want the doctor to look at her. She wanted to be left alone. She wanted to sleep and most of all she wanted to be back in the arms of her stranger.
"no." she croaked. Her throat raw from coughing. On instinct, she wrapped her arms around her middle.
It was then she realized that under the animal skin blanket, she was still naked.
"Im sorry? Bella, I think you've been seriously hurt? I need- " "Edward did this didn't he!?" an angry voice spoke up.
Looking up Bella was met with the angry eyes of her best friend. Jacob stood in the kitchen doorway. His body shaking and his fist curled tightly.
Behind him was what the tribe called "the protectors ". They were a group of guys and one girl, special and sacred to the tribe. They could do no wrong. Bella had hung out with them every once and a while, but she had a feeling as if they didn't like her. It was funny because most of them were people she grew up with when she and her father moved unto the reservation. And yet, her siblings Seth and Leah were apart of the same group.
"Now, is not the time for accusations Jacob." An older voice spoke. Bella recognized it as one of the tribal elders.
"But you know it's true! Its not a coincidence that the Cullen's leave three days after Bells goes missing! He had something to do with this! He hurt her!" Jacob argued.
It was then a small argument began between some of the people among them.
"Bells?" her father questioned as if speaking to a frightened animal.
"Did… did Edward hurt you? he was the last one you were with before you went missing. You don't have to cover for him if he did. We will take care of this."
Bella swallowed hard, as she squeezed the blanket tighter.
She couldn't do this. She wouldn't do this. Not here. Not now and possibly not ever.
With whatever strength she could manage, she stood. The blanket hiding the secrets she wanted to keep.
As she made her way towards the stairs, she made a statement for everyone to hear. It would hurt. And it would make her face the truth… but it had to be said.
" Edward is gone. We broke up. None of you must worry anymore. You all got what you wanted. Apparently… I wasn't what he wanted…"
With that said Bella went to bed.
Bella's dream:
" EDWARD NO!" Bella screamed. However, they were drowned out by a distorted laugh. A very dark distorted laugh.
"You made a fine pet… but your worthless now!" Edward roared as his eyes flashed red. He had her pinned. Breaking her arms, her legs, and her ribs and then he left her. He left her in the rain.
To drown.
And drowning she was. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs refused to open. She was going to die.
But then. Her nightmare changed.
Instead of drowning, she found herself being rescued. Hot hands hands were pulling her.
Pulling her out of the water.
She was alive.
End of dream
Bella sat up gasping for air. Opening her eyes, she realized it was just a dream. A horrible dream. A very bad nightmare.
And at the same time her bedroom door opened to reveal her younger brother. Well, he was technically younger but from the way he had buffed up recently you would think she was the younger sister.
"B? you alright? heard you scream. Mom's making you some tea."
"Hey Seth, sorry I woke you."
Her brother chuckled as he sat on the edge of her bed.
"Well, if you checked the clock, you would see that its seven thirty.
Saved you a plate." He suggested.
Bella however shook her head. "Thanks, little bro, but im not hungry."
Seth sighed.
It had been a whole week since she awoke on the porch, and she hadn't eaten one single thing. Even with the antibiotics they were giving her plus the cough medicine. she would drink here and there but, she was essentially starving herself.
"B… I… have no idea what you went through, no one does and if you just tell- "
"Stop it, Seth. Nothing happened… at least… not what you any of you are probably assuming. He didn't rape me, Seth." She finally admitted.
She knew that was the conclusion most of their family and friends had come up with, but it wasn't true. She could at least give them that.
"But Bella, we found you naked… and your arm broken. You have pneumonia… and- "
Bella cut her brother off again.
"Seth, please just… drop it. Edward and I broke up. End of story. There's nothing more to tell."
She knew her brother didn't believe a word she said but he stopped pestering her.
Bella sighed once he left. She couldn't keep doing this.
She couldn't keep hurting her family like this. None of them were getting proper sleep and the food was being wasted.
She knew what she needed to do.
Silence met Bella as she opened her apartment door. It still smelled the same even after being away for a while. Well, it had only been a few weeks but still.
With ease she chucked her keys into the bowl on the kitchen table and threw herself in bed.
From la push to Seattle was a four-hour drive, and in her condition her father would certainly have a coronary once he found out she drove back to her apartment.
However, the note she wrote would have to do.
With exhaustion at her back, Bella fell into a another nightmare.
…
The days wore on and Bella's depressed starvation soon became an a fit of anger and rage.
She ignored her families calls and when she did answer, she told them that she just wanted to be alone. That she loved them and was grateful that they cared but she just needed to be alone.
She missed the first week of class and when she did go back, she barley spoke, and barley did her normal workload. She also called off work and just didn't give a darn.
Right now, she was angry. Beyond angry.
Edward Cullen could rot in hell.
He had wasted five years! Five years of her life! Five years of putting up with his family! With his better then you sister and her confederate twin! With their snooty and sometimes better then humans attitudes.
How could he just leave? How could they just leave? No goodbye? No letter, not even a darn phone call.
No, there had to be a reason. They couldn't all have just left right?
With urgency Bella dialed Edward's number.
It didn't even ring. It had been disconnected.
And in a full-on panic, she called the whole family.
Still nothing.
All the numbers had been disconnected.
No.
No.
This couldn't be it.
They couldn't have just left.
In a fit of rage, Bella threw the nearest thing her hand could reach.
It was a plate.
"Why!" she screamed "why! Why! Why!" "Why waste… my time… why crush my heart.."
She finally whispered.
Before Bella knew it, she had put herself in a routine.
School, work, call her family, eat (maybe) and then sleep (or at least try). She had to put on a pretense that everything was ok.
But the nightmares got worse, and her throat hadn't healed because of her screams.
Her parents urged her to come home, maybe switch to online classes, but Bella refused.
She couldn't let them see her like this. She didn't want to burden them with this.
It also didn't help that her friends were on her back as well.
Jessica suggested she should see help, Angela suggested she should live with her parents for a while, and mike suggested she drink her sorrows away, but Bella rejected the advice.
It was odd, how it all worked.
He had been her first boyfriend. Ever . No one really showed interest in her romantically. On the res, she was just one of the guys. She did everything they did. Cliff diving, touch football, tailgating. She was basically a tomboy but… then she met Edward and he made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the room.
Five years. From sixteen to twenty.
And maybe that was the issue. As she began to grow and change, Edward had not. It wasn't that he couldn't change, but it was too much effect to do so. Edward had been born and changed in a time where things were vastly different. but as time went on, he was frozen in those ideals, and nothing could change him. However, Bella had changed. She had gone from being a little girl to a women and Edward just couldn't see her that way. She had matured while he stayed frozen.
Bella vision blurred as tears poured down.
She had had many bad times with him, but she had also had many good times with him.
What was she supposed to do?
Well, wallowing wasn't going to get her anywhere either. It was so strange. One minute she was sad. Next minute she was angry and then nothing.
No emotion. No feeling.
It was as if a hole had been ripped open inside her and it refuse to close yet, it was trying to.
As Bella made her way to bed, she thought about her Stranger.
Just who was he? And had that night truly been real? It had surly felt real. His hands. They were rough and they held her ..hard.
But it felt good.
So darn good.
With her stranger in mind Bella fell asleep.
…
Bella's Dream:
"no." Bella groaned. "no. no Edward!"
She knew she was dreaming but she couldn't seem to shake her self-awake. She was back in the woods, the rain was pouring, and she could barley see but one thing she knew, was that Edward was chasing her. The dark laugh from before was back.
"You silly human… you think you can get away." His voice echoed.
Bella looked back and saw nothing but when she turned around, there he was. Red eyes cold hands and teeth sinking into her neck.
The pain was unbearable.
Bella screamed.
Her screams were cut off however when she felt a heat. A searing heat. Strong enough to wake her up.
End dream
Bella was ripped from her sweat induced nightmare as she felt a familiar heat between her her eyes. Her shade of brown met the yellow ones of a stranger.
Her stranger.
Before she could speak, he had flipped them over So that she was on top.
And in the glow of the moonlight
Bella was able to see her stranger for the first time.
She gasped as she realized he was the man who haunted her dreams.
The copper skin. The raven black hair and yet instead of coal black eyes, they glowed yellow.
Primal.
Feral.
Wild.
Completely unhinged. Not in control in any shape or form
And oh, how she loved it.
For the first time in her life, she was faced with a man who wasn't in control.
The grip on her hips made Bella groan.
Her arm was still broken, but it seemed as if her stranger didn't mind holding her up.
Bella panted heavily, as her stranger adjusted them and with ease, she felt him enter her.
Bella moaned.
She had never felt this way before.
"l… et… goo." He said into the darkness.
And Bella did.
She let go.
In this moment, Edward didn't matter. Her family didn't matter. Not her hurt, or her pain just her and this… stranger.
And yet he didn't seem like a stranger at all.
He seemed so familiar.
Like she knew him but not just physically, it was like she knew his soul. Knew his spirit.
And he knew hers.
As they connected, Bella threw her head back in content and as her eyes close, Bella saw a vision of a black wolf. He was standing over her, his head buried in her neck.
Bella gasp.
Was this stranger a wolf? Was he, her wolf?
She shook her head. She couldn't think about that right now because her strangers lips were on hers.
Bella moaned into the kiss.
This man. He tasted… sweet and yet spicy. But a good spicy.
"… more…" she begged. Being on top was nice, but… she needed more.
Her stranger didn't respond, instead like their first time, he flipped them, so she was on all fours. By now, he was entering her, filling her in such a way.
She could feel his breath on her neck, but she really fell into pleasure when he pulled her hair.
By now, her back was pressed against his chest, and he was breathing in her ear, pushing, and pulling out of her. By now, Bella could feel just how slick she was. It was too easy for him to slip in.
"You. are. mine." He said clear as day.
Bella groaned as a primal growl filled the air.
" Yours. .." she moaned as she rested her head on his chest.
And just like the last time, Bella heard chants and drums. But it was stronger and louder. As if the sound was next to her.
Just as her body arched in pleasure, Bella felt something pop. Like something inside her soul had burst. Something like a balloon popping.
And then it tightened. Almost like… a security blanket or a very strong hug.
"s..l..ee… p" he purred.
And sleep she did.
…
The next day, Bella went through her regular routine. But this time, she didn't feel as empty as she had the weeks before.
Today… she felt… alive.
To her friends surprised, she made quiet and yet engaged conversation with them, she even cracked a joke at work.
But it was the nighttime she was beginning to love. Unlike the night before, Bella found her stranger waiting for her.
He was standing by her window, waiting.
And unlike the other nights, the moon was at its fullest allowing it eerie glow to shine upon her naked lover.
And unlike all the other nights, Bella was finally able to see him in the light. Starting from his feet.
Which were barefoot, dirty, and calloused. Her eyes continued to travel up his body. His legs were defined and hairy, and like she already knew he was packing and from the looks of it erect and ready to go. But that's when things on his body began to change because starting form his though all the way up to his bicep were scars. Some small and some big. They grew deeper as her eyes grazed over his neck and finally, she was able to see his face.
No longer where his eyes glowing yellow, but they were coal black. His hair long and his face… scarred. It was if an animal had slice there way sideways upon his face.
Bella was surprised. He wasn't what she expected, at least it wasn't what her dreams showed her.
But it didn't matter. Because her strange lover simply held out his hand and in a deep, rough, scratched and yet soothing voice said one thing.
"come"
And that exactly what she did.
Bella took his hand without hesitation.
One question brewing on her lips.
"Who are you?"
His answer surprised her.
"Yours."