Leah (English Version)

Rules and More Rules

Jacob underestimated the visitor. He was much smarter than Jacob had imagined, but it was too late to send them away – the Quileute pack was bound to the girl, and if they expelled her, they would also drive Seth away or subject him to an unbearable torment. The only solution was to welcome them and study them, to learn their strengths and weaknesses in case they ever needed to face them.

"You decide, Jacob. I'll tell you everything you ask. I don't intend to keep any secrets," Lucian confessed, hearing the wolf's suspicious thoughts.

"What tribe are you from? What are the physical characteristics of the Children of the Moon?" Jacob asked.

"We're Cherokee... Physical characteristics? Well." He laughed. "No one's asked that before. You can expect things like high body temperature, which doubles as the full moon approaches; we don't age in the constant presence of vampires; we have great brute strength despite an apparently normal physique; our immune system varies from person to person; we don't heal as quickly as we'd like, but our healing factor is useful; and we have reasonable speed in human form, which triples when we transform."

"Do you have declared enemies?" Quil asked, interested in these new discoveries.

"Our natural enemies are vampires; our instincts immediately react to them, driving us to kill them." Jacob was shocked. "However, we also have acquired enemies... Over time, we discovered that the feelings we have when the full moon appears influence our animal state positively or negatively. If we are resentful or angry at someone, it will be transmitted to our wild side, which will likely seek revenge. That's why we don't want to fight or argue; we are willing to follow any rules you give us without resentment. We don't want to hurt anyone, just to have a place to live."

The wolves remained silent, waiting for Sam's next move, which seemed to be laying down the rules of behavior for the refugees.

"If you accept our rules, you will be welcome in La Push. If not, I'm sorry, but you will have to leave." Lucian nodded in agreement. "First: you are forbidden from transforming. Whether in La Push, Forks, or Seattle, you cannot take your animal form unless the moon forces you to."

"What's going on?" Hana asked, feeling the tension course through her brother's body.

"Sam gave the first rule: while living in La Push, there can be no voluntary transformations. We can only change form under the moon's influence since it's something we can't control."

"We'll be very vulnerable, and what if we need to protect ourselves?" Kiary retorted.

"You will be on our land; your enemies will be our enemies, and only when strictly necessary will I give you permission to transform."

"They will protect us, and only when strictly necessary will Sam give us permission to transform," Lucian translated. "I agree," he said, defeated.

"I will protect you," Seth whispered in Hana's ear, making her shiver at the sound of his voice and smile as he discreetly held her right hand.

"Second rule: our absolute law will be your absolute law. You cannot do anything against the target of a pack member's imprint. Third: our allies must be respected. Soon we will take you to meet them, and..."

Jacob let out a small growl, interrupting Sam's train of thought before he revealed too much information while trying to keep the Cullens out of his thoughts, preferring to leave the introductions for later or even another day.

"The Cullens, right?" Lucian asked, picking up the name of the family from Jacob's thoughts, irritating him. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Our land, our lives. If you want anything, you will have to work for it. We will only provide you with a place to sleep and eat. By respecting these four rules, you can stay with us as long as you want!"

"Understood." He turned to the two girls who were anxiously waiting. "The terms for staying are: no voluntary transformations while living here, don't touch a hair on the targets of the pack's imprinting, respect the Quileute allies, and work to get what we need. They will give us a home and food; the rest is up to us."

Seth looked at Hana expectantly, filling with joy when she accepted the rules, committing to behaving just to stay in La Push. Kiary hesitated for a moment but also agreed to the terms, just to stay close to the alpha – for whom she had a special interest – and not let him live on the reservation at the mercy of the Quileute females.

"If anyone breaks any of the four rules, the sentence will be death! And the same goes for me."

The girls shivered at the alpha's tone in his voice and promptly confirmed. Lucian had full confidence in his sister, but he knew Kiary's difficult temperament and had to ensure she would behave well. Conversely, Jacob couldn't help but be surprised by the visitor's sentence, thinking that perhaps old Billy's tales were more than just bedtime stories.

"You'll be staying at the reservation's guest house," Sam explained. "It's small but cozy. Seth will guide you there. For now, we need to take you to meet the other council members. Follow me, we should start with Billy." He turned to the rest of the pack. "Wait at my house..."

With just a nod, the pack ran to the designated location, leaving only Jacob, Sam, and Seth behind, the latter visibly confused, still in human form and unaware of the alpha's order. After a brief explanation from Lucian, the group headed to their first destination, with the three Quileutes in wolf form leading the way and the three Cherokees following in human form, demonstrating the superiority of their bodies even in that form.

As they approached the house, the group stopped, waiting for the wolves to return to normal and dress appropriately. Jacob was the first to return, puffing out his chest and trying to look much older and more threatening than he really was. Sam followed shortly after, reintroducing himself and allowing the Cherokees to see his true appearance.

From where they stood, the wolves could see Billy in his wheelchair on the porch, watching them intently as they made their way from the forest to his house. Billy greeted the familiar faces and stared unashamedly at the strangers, making it clear that the Children of the Moon were not welcome in his home.

"This is my old man, Billy Black," Jacob said, stepping onto the porch in one stride and patting the old man's shoulder. "Dad, these are our visitors: Lucian, Kiary, and Hana, Seth's imprint," he explained, pointing to each one as he named them.

The man widened his eyes at the revelation and scrutinized the Cherokee girl from head to toe. What a trick fate was playing on little Seth, tying him to the worst kind of companion a Quileute could have. An imprint with a Child of the Moon? What terrible irony...

Lucian frowned slightly, displeased with the negative thoughts about his sister but working incessantly to keep his mind clear, as any resentment could be lethal, and he, more than anyone, knew that. However, while trying to control his own emotions, Billy stared at him intensely, already recognizing him as the alpha and holding his gaze with equal intensity.

"Know that my vote in the council was against your coming!" He suddenly declared, sounding much more rancorous than Jacob would have liked. "I don't want you near my house, and when you cross paths with me on the street, change sides."

"What a warm welcome," Kiary muttered through gritted teeth. "If everyone who hates us sets a rule, we'll have about a hundred topics to follow..."

Jacob was surprised by the girl's words and for a moment feared for his father's safety. However, as if responding to his internal alarm, Lucian smiled and nodded sympathetically, demonstrating that none of them would hold a grudge against Billy's opinion but would respect his wish to stay away.

After a quick farewell, they set off for the next families, taking the opportunity to give the new visitors a brief tour of the reservation, which they found very beautiful and peaceful. After a whole morning of visits, Quileutes and Cherokees headed for their last stop: the Clearwater house.