world we created, paul lahote

Chapter 22

The forest floor trembles as the pack surges through the undergrowth, their massive paws thundering against the earth. The breeze carries the earthy, musky scent of the wolves, mingling with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers and the rich loam of the forest floor. Their coats glisten in the dappled sunlight, a symphony of greys, blacks, and tawny hues that blend seamlessly with the shadows of the trees.

Sam leads the group, the others bounding after him towards the fight with an itch to tear those filthy leeches to shreds. Their powerful muscles ripple beneath their fur as they bound over fallen logs and dodge between the dense trunks. Though nothing but trouble seems to follow the Cullens since they met Bella, they couldn't deny the fact they were ready to kill the oncoming vampires.

The deep, rumbling growls that emanate from their powerful jaws send shivers down the newborn's spines as they leap into the clearing, knocking down several of them as they do. Their jaws snap closed on whichever leech is nearest, ripping their cold limbs from the bodies and leaving them incapacitated.

The Cullens were the first to arrive at the fight to deceive the newborns into thinking they had a chance of winning, a chance at surviving the whole ordeal. But, they were wrong. The Olympic Coven was nimble in their movements, amputating the newborns and aiding the wolves as they did them in case of a tricky attack.

Paul sunk his canines into the necks of the vampires, piercing the marble-like surface. Web-like cracks formed before he tore their head off with a crack, their bodies landing on the ground with a thud. Adrenaline pumped through him, fuelling his every movement, forcing him to put all his strength into each kill. Not that he'd do less than so.

A set of arms wrapped around him, followed by a few more as a group of the newborns attempted a sneak attack on him. Emmett sprinted towards Paul and ripped a few of them off of him, decapitating them before Paul followed through with the rest. The shifter and the vampire looked at each other and nodded before sprinting off to aid further in the fight.

One by one the newborns fell. Their numbers slowly dwindled, and those who remained gave it their all, ditching the idea of fleeing and attempting their luck against the clan that took out their fellow vampires. That didn't last long, however, as all of them had fallen. Their limbs were collected and set aflame.

The wolves stood together when Leah approached them. Her attention was pulled away when a vampire came into the clearing, and she charged at it, despite her packmates and alpha's protests.

"Leah don't!" Edward yelled, beginning to make his way towards her just as the vampire's hand wrapped its arms around her neck. Whines escaped her as she snapped her jaws, turning her head to the right in a failed attempt to latch onto the filthy tick.

Jacob sprinted away from the group instantaneously, the first one to take action out of the pack and pulled the bloodsucker off of her, rolling around in the dried grass. They kicked up dirt, and they tumbled before landing, and the leech found its way to his back, wrapping its cold arms around his diaphragm and squeezing with all its strength.

A pained whine mixed with a growl escaped Jacob in that instance before Paul leapt over him and caught the vampire in his jaws meeting a fatal but well-deserved death. The rest of the pack quickly shifted back into their forms, pulling out their clothes and rushing back to their packmate who curled in on himself in pain. His mouth opened in a cry yet nothing came out, his arms coming to cup his abdomen as white-hot pain laced his being. It was excruciating.

Carlisle was already at the scene to assess the damage with Edward by his side. A guilty Leah ran ahead of the pack. "Jacob, you idiot, I had it!"

"Leah!" Sam shot a nasty look at his ex, annoyance riddling his being at her recklessness and impulsivity the moment she'd set eyes on the bloodsucker.

"The bones on the right half of his body are shattered. I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in," Carlisle told Sam calmly as he came to crouch down beside him, his hands gently prodding the now-human Jacob to access the damage. "It's already starting."

"We need to get him out of here. We're not gonna win a fight with the Volturi," Edward reminded him of the danger that was coming.

The vampires shared a look before Sam's authoritative tone broke the pause. "We'll take him back to Billy's."

Carlisle nods curtly. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Hang in there, Jake."

The pack shot looks at one another at Bella's blatant display of affection for Jacob—affection that was far more than the friend kind. They supposed this is why the Black shifter was so adamant about being with her. She kept sending him mixed signals.

The pack circled Jacob, the Cullens and Bella stepping away so that they could lift Jacob. Grunts of pain escaped him no matter how much he tried to stop them, his eyes shut tightly as if it could wash away the agony that wracked his battered frame. His sweat-clad skin met their palms as they lifted him, reassuring him as best they could at the moment.

It was excruciating seeing a member of the pack in this much pain, knowing that, if it wasn't for the Cullens' help at times, it could've been them. It struck Leah most out of the lot, knowing that she'd let her bitterness for the situation she was in with Sam and Emily and her burning hatred for vampires fuel her attack at that moment. If it wasn't for Jacob for stepping in, it very well could've been her.

It wasn't long until Carlisle came to Billy's house, swiftly making his way inside to tend to Jacob. Jacob's screams rang out, crashing against the walls of the quaint home and ringing out into the forest beyond. Hours had passed, and Emily and Lucia had come to offer their support to Billy and the pack, who listened to the whole ordeal, a feeling of nausea washing over him every time he heard his son's screams. Anguished and deafening.

Paul's jaw worked painfully, his brows furrowed deeply as each cry filled his ears. He pulled Lucia closer to him, resting his head atop hers as he shut his eyes, hoping against hope that it would come to an end.

The crunch of tyres met their ears, and they looked as Bella's rusted truck pulled into the driveway, the Swan hopping out and heading forward with worried eyes. "Is Jake-?"

Another scream broke through the air before she could finish her question. Jacob's howls of torment rang out once more. Quil spoke up after a brief pause. "It's been going on for a while."

Embry added, "Doc's rebreaking his bones."

Leah's voice dripped with anger, annoyance, and guilt as she joined the conversation. "Why did he have to butt in? I could've taken that tick."

Paul, his chin lifting from Lucia's head, responded to Leah with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Oh, give it a rest, Leah," he asserted firmly.

The entire pack was exhausted from the ongoing love triangle, and it wasn't fair for Leah to take out her bitterness on everyone, regardless of her own pain. No matter who it was or what situation arose, she always seemed to lash out at them. They knew it wasn't intentional but it was annoying all the same. Leah's glare met Paul's as he settled his chin back on Lucia's head, his just as heated, before she broke the contact.

As the front door swung open, Carlisle gracefully exited the house, followed by Sam. He approached Billy. "The worst is over. He'll be all right. I gave him some morphine, but his body temperature will burn it off soon. I'll come back to set up a drip."

Billy visibly relaxed as Dr Cullen informed them of the news, his eyes shutting and his shoulders sagging in relief. Carlisle stepped down from the porch, preparing to leave, when Billy held out his hand for Carlisle to shake.

"Thank you," he expressed sincerely. Dr Cullen shook Billy's hand with a gentle grip before turning his attention to Bella.

"He's asking for you." Dr Cullen gestured towards the house before taking his leave. Bella glanced at the assembled group before rushing into the house. The pack members exchanged glances, defeat filling them at Jacob's obliviousness to his own father's worry. Billy couldn't seem to react much more and sunk back into his wheelchair with nothing more to say.