The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter CXI: Jacob's Point of View

It was hard to leave her when I had only just gotten her back. This stress wasn't good for her. But I heard the strangled cry of what sounded like Embry. "Just what I need this morning," I muttered to myself before I phased and joined the rest of the Pack. What's going on?

He tried to play the hero, Leah spat angrily. A little angrier than I would have expected, actually. I mean really, Embry! What were you trying to prove?

I wasn't trying to prove anything. I smelled leech. I was just following the smell, Em countered, whimpering on the ground a little ways away from me.

Knock it off you two. Em the leeches you smelled were probably the Cullens. You're pretty close to the border, I replied, trying to get Leah to calm down without having to use the Alpha command. I hated it when it was used on me so I made an effort not to use it on anyone else. So far, Sam had been the only one that had provoked me enough to do so. Even then, I hadn't meant to do it.

Maybe you should have. Sam deserves to have someone knock some sense into him. That prick, Leah muttered. She would forever hate him and it was reality that I was willing to live with. They had cooperated before the Pack split and I expected the same from them now. Yeah, Yeah; I know. Let's go. We followed the trail of leech up the hillside to the borderline, where the smell mingled with Cullen.

I howled, letting the parasites know that we were here and wanting to talk. I howled again a few minutes later when no one had answered me. "Calm your balls, wolf boy; we're here," the large one said. "What do you want?" I growled at the fact that he would be able to understand us.

"You could always phase human," Edward said from behind him. Never thought I'd be happy to hear that voice in my life. "Yes, well I'm glad that I could be of service. What is the problem?"

My Pack came across a leech that they didn't recognize that crossed into your territory. Do you know them?

"I suppose it is a good thing that you are here. Carlisle would like a word with you," he continued, ignoring my question and nodding towards the burly one. "Emmet," he corrected. "And he'll be back with Carlisle."

Leah, Embry, take off. Send Seth and Collin on patrol, I commanded. The younger ones had to learn at some point and life had been so quiet, we hadn't really had a chance to train Collin and Brady with real vamps around. Leah and Embry nodded and took off, leaving me facing the Cullen.

"So you are the Alpha?"

I don't think that Pack business is any of your concern. Are you going to tell me why the good Doc wants to talk to me?

"We have decided what we're going to do about the Volturi. And we need your Pack to stand with us," he said simply.

For what exactly?

Carlisle broke through the tree line and appeared in front of me. Seth and Collin were standing behind me, flanking me like their training had taught. Seth I wasn't worried about; he knew what he was doing with vampires. Collin, on the other hand, was still learning. He had never been in an actual fight. Him I had to watch. Edward filled the doc in on what we had talked about. "If we have enough witnesses, we believe that we can convince the Volturi to stand down. They will see that Renesmee is not a threat to them and we can all live in peace."

Witnesses? I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen next, but the thought of it pissed me off.

They wouldn't do that, Seth insisted. Kid saw the good in everything and everyone. They know that would endanger people.

They don't care about people anymore. Bella is a vampire; they have noting human to protect, Collins cut in. He was right, of course. There was nothing left for them to protect. Whether they wanted to protect humans or not, they had no real motivation to do so.

"We do, though. We do not wish to see anyone hurt," Edward insisted.

What are the witnesses?

"Friends of ours from around the world. They will come and see that my daughter is no danger. Hopefully we can convince them to stand with us. The more people, the more likely the Volturi is to see that we're right," he explained.

And how does saving your daughter protect my people and my imprint? It doesn't, does it? You want your family safe and I understand that. But how exactly does that protect my imprint and my people?

"If there are families of vampires and a Pack of wolves that will attest that there is no threat, perhaps we can get the Volturi to leave peacefully," Edward explained. "But if you are there, then there is nothing that will hurt your imprint while we await judgement."

You think I'm going to let her be around those things? Not on my life. My Pack will not work with you until I know that my family will be safe. And as for your witnesses; if they cross this border they're as good as dead. We won't tolerate vampires on our land.

Edward nodded and translated, frowning the entire time. Carlisle nodded. "We understand that. You have your own family to protect and we respect that. Perhaps we could speak, face to face, on a neutral territory," he suggested. I narrowed my eyes. "With the Pack, as may of them as you would like," he added, sensing my hesitation.

Perhaps. I will discuss it with my Pack and let you know, I replied. The smell of leech on my land permeated the air. I wheeled around to find Bella standing there, a disgusting smile on her face. "Jacob," she tinkled.

Go away before I kill you, Bella, I growled, crouching low. "Bella, perhaps you should come back over here," Edward said. She better listen to him before I killed her. She should not be here.

"He won't do anything to me, Edward. Jacob, we're best friend. I'm telling you, Ryanne will explain everything to you," she begged. Annie was right, she was delusional. "Please, let's just go talk to her together."

She took a step in the direction of La Push. The wolf in me took over. I grabbed her brittle wrist in my mouth and wound her around, tossing her into the river. The vampires on the other side hissed at me, but Carlisle shouted for them to stop. "She is on his territory," he said to Edward. Well at least one of them remembers the provisions of the treaty.

"But her dress!" the pixie screamed. I just laughed to myself. Seth and Collin came forward. Back down. We won't kill her.

But she's on our territory! Collin exclaimed.

But if we kill her than we have nothing to use as a bargaining chip, Seth said, having listened to my every word the other night. He was right; if we killed Bella there was nothing to stop the Cullens from wanting to protect my family from the Volturi. And the sad reality was that I couldn't do it alone.

"Mom!" The little bell voice tingled from behind me. I hated her voice, her smell, her quiet heartbeat. It was unnatural and disgusting. Bella shouted the ugly name in return, forcing me to turn my attention back to the leech responsible for every bad thing that had happened in the last two years.

"You don't want to hurt us, Jacob. You're my friend." God how I wished she had mind reading so that I could tell her exactly how much I didn't like her, how we were never going to be friends again. I wished that I could explain that she was nothing more than a childhood fantasy and I had found my real happy ending. "Please, Jacob."

I stalked closer to her then, growling a low warning in my chest. "Bella please come back here," Edward bargained, standing over the edge of the river bank. I was surprised that he had yet to jump over the line. Just goes to show how much he really cares about his family. "You know nothing you mutt!" he shouted at me.

I heard a growl and a yelp behind me, my attention leaving Bella for a brief moment. "You mongrel!" she screamed. "How could you do that? To my daughter!" she shouted. I turned to find Collin on the ground, whimpering. Seth stood over the little monster, staring at the eyes that were eerily similar to her mothers. The girl looked like she could be crying if that were at all possible. "How could you?"

Seth what did you do? I snapped at him.

I didn't mean to.