A World of Shadows

Chapter 2: Treaty

Chapter song: Done All Wrong by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

I heard the tree trunk crack behind me as I slammed into it, then with an almighty crash it hit the leaf litter. I caught my breath as my hyper-sensitive ears heard the tiny scurrying of the tree's occupants fleeing their broken home. The air swirled into my lungs but it felt strange I realised that was no sense of relief connected with it because I didn't need the air, but I wanted it. It meant I could taste my surroundings; the refreshing perfume of pine, the musky tang of rotting leaves and a truly mouth-watering smell that was stemming from a dark stain on my shirt which was unmistakably blood. Every fibre in my body yearned to press my tongue against it but, with an immense effort, I turned my thoughts to an even more pressing matter which consisted of the stinking wolf pack that currently stood facing me, watching my very move.

I turned my wide eyes on them feeling very unnerved. I hadn't known that they existed. Of course I had heard the legends but I had assumed they were just stories, except the one about 'the cold ones' obviously. Yet plainly they were very much true because here I was facing a pack of wolves that were far too big to be normal wolves. My gut instinct was telling me to follow the fleeing occupants of the fallen tree and get as far away as I could, but the human part of my brain overrode it and I stood my ground. They were all looking at me intently but my eyes sought out Jacob, I knew he was there. This was my explanation finally for his prolonged absence. This was why he had told me to leave and not come back. He had been trying to protect me. I was filled with emotion at this realisation. Then my eyes landed on a wolf that was very familiar.

"Jake?" I breathed gazing at the largest russet brown wolf standing at the centre of the group. He returned my gaze with disgust filling his dark eyes. I felt a stab of hurt as I realised what I had become and what it meant for Jake and I. Suddenly Jacob's eyes tore away from me and he bounded away followed by a huge, dark wolf. I frowned briefly looking after them, confused, before understanding blossomed as they came wading back through the waist high ferns now human wearing cut-offs. I noted the new tattoo on Jake's arm and the massive increase in muscle that matched my last memory of him down in La Push when he had told me to leave. I returned my attention to the present as they came to a halt still 10 feet from me with their posture quite clearly stating they had no intention of getting closer. Both of then wore identical masks of bitterness that went along with their identical tattoos and build yet I noticed vaguely that Jacob seemed to be leading Sam. Which was strange because, from what I could discern in my muddy human memories, Sam had definitely been the leader. Yet here he was standing half a step behind Jacob who, as the apparently new leader, began to speak.

"Bella." He stated and I noticed a flicker of pain break through his mask before it returned even emptier than before as he looked at me. "As we are sure you're aware the leech with the dreads has turned you into bloodsucker. Normally we would have stopped the transformation but I convinced the others you were a...special case." He paused and took in a deep breath before carrying on. "Therefore we will allow you to live as long as you stick to a Treaty similar to the one your bloodsuckers followed."

When he said that my mind was instantly filled with foggy images of Edward. I fell to my knees as agony ripped through me, a hundred times worse than the pain I had endured as a human. Instantly the whole pack jumped into action as Sam and Jacob phased. I felt myself get pinned to the ground by a massive paw and I was sickened as pants of stinking breath poured over me. I made no effort to fight them off, trying to prove I was in control and I meant no harm even as a tsunami of despair enveloped me. I struggled to swim to the surface for what felt like too long before finally my head broke through the surface and I was able to box up the pain and lock it away deep in my chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm fine just struggling with everything." I said lamely. Even in this most difficult moment I couldn't help but marvel, rather vainly, at the beautiful wind-chime like sound of my voice. Still the russet brown paw budge and I made no move to get rid of it, still trying to prove I meant no harm despite the fact that my instincts were telling me to fight tooth and nail till I was as far away from these mutts as possible. "So," I began hoping to start the conversation up again. "What are the conditions of this treaty so like the Cullen's?" The box inside my chest ratted dangerously but I forced the lid to stay shut as I needed my head clear for now.

Finally, to my intense relief, the paw disappeared and I could lift myself off the ground. As I went automatically to brush off the debris that I had collected I noticed the condition of my outfit. My button-down shirt was missing all but one of its buttons and I noticed the enticing stain once again. I quickly looked away from it, battling the urge to taste it knowing that, in present company especially, it was not a good idea. My jeans were in slightly better shape having only suffered a few scuffs and mud stains which were easy to forget about unlike the stain on my shirt which seemed to be beckoning to me. I was brought back to Earth by a Jacob's voice as he spoke, once again human, this time with merely a t-shirt tied round his middle.

"Well our first condition is, of course, that you don't bite any humans. If we get wind of any strange deaths or disappearances then you will be the one paying for it," he said grimly before carrying on without waiting for my reply. "Next is that you will always work with the pack. If we need help you will supply it and so on. Never will you work against us or harm us in anyway. You get what I'm saying?"

"Of course." I replied smoothly concealing all emotions. I was sure I could do that, I had no problem with the pack really and all their rules seemed sensible, but I was desperate to get away to have some alone time. I was aware in the back of my mind that I would need to go hunting at some point, yet I was very reluctant to face that point even as my throat burned. "Are we finished?"

"There's one more thing, Bella." He took a step closer to me and I sensed the other wolves tense even more next to me. This time as he spoke his voice was full of emotion; full of pain and sorrow. "We're so sorry that this happened. We should have got there. We should have saved you. This is all our fault Bella but we will fix it. I promise you, Bella, we will try to make it better." Then with that he exploded into a wolf again and they were all gone before the scraps of clothing had even hit the foliage.

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