To Live Again (Twilight)

🗯️3: Plans and Pacts🗯️

The plan was in action. Bella was left alone for two days now.

Bella and Jake had a huge fight about dating in front of everyone on the beach, where they were sure Victoria was spying from. Even though they faked the fight, they made a deal that she would attend the defense classes with the imprints. They didn't come with her to drop her at school or follow her. They didn't patrol her home. She was mostly free of the wolves' scent now.

She may also have said that she was tired of being stalked and followed by them everywhere she went by them. She was antsy. But they had only one chance of making this work or fail.

She acted forlorn and sad most of the time she was in eye view of anyone.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked. Bella was working on the decoration and preparation for the graduation ball with the committee after school and she was distracted about going home after.

"Yeah. I am alright. I think we should go home, it's getting late." She said to her. Angela looked at the watch and nodded her head.

She dropped Angie at her house and went home.

***
The next day, she woke up early when she heard Charlie going fishing. She got ready and cooked lunch for herself and packed it. She took a book, and a picnic basket with her to the forest.

The pack helped her. They helped her heal and be able to live with that hole, pain and the hurt in her heart. But she wanted closure and this was her chance for it.

On few drunken nights, she bitched about the injustice and unfairness of how the Cullens' left to Paul and Leah, who were her chaperones. They were her chaperones cause she was a flirt when drunk and embarrassed herself. Paul came cause he didn't imprint yet and there would be no hard feelings if she flirted with him and Leah came for the amusement of seeing her embarrass herself, which she rarely did. But when she did embarrass herself, it was epic and memorable.

She didn't forget to take her phone with her while she went. All her exercises, jogging and self defense classes paid off when she reached her and Edward's clearing without panting.

She laid down the blanket, put the basket beside her and sat down reading. She was sure something would happen, just not what was going to happen.

She laid the book down after a while and looked around. If she really wanted to move on she should be able to say his name aloud along with inside her mind.

She walked around the place, everywhere she and Edward walked, talked, laid down, going through the memories and feeling the pain come and moving through it. She didn't push it aside like she did all those months ago. She didn't become numb to the world. She let the pain come, she welcomed it and she felt it and let it pass through her.

After an hour of doing this, she felt tired and also like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She wanted a fresh start from today. No more pain at his name or at their memories, she wanted to leave the past behind. She didn't want the ghost of her first love haunting her forever.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." She heard someone sing her name and she turned around. She was a little disappointed that it wasn't whom she was expecting.

"Laurent." She said in a clear voice. She looked on as he circled her. She was thinking. But shrugged mentally. A vampire was a vampire. She would call the wolves the minute his back was turned.

She messaged Jake that she was going to the clearing before she exited her house. So, she was sure they would be ready for her signal to come as soon as she sent it. She would send the message she had ready when she entered the clearing.

He turned back as he finished circling her and she took her cue and sent the message. When he turned back to face her, she already put away her phone. Was it her, or was the vamp really slow? Was he playing with her, or did he really not expect her move? She shrugged mentally. It didn't matter, the wolves would be here.

"I thought you were with the Denali's." She said quietly. She didn't expect to see him here. He left to visit the Denali's and learn the vegetarian life style when James was hunting her. She thought he liked it there or that he left as there was no news or discussion on the topic at the Cullen house. At least there was no discussion when she was there. They may have talked when she was at home.

She was really suspecting every memory, every action, everything related to the Cullen family these days. What else did they lie about? What else did they not tell her? What more were they 'trying' to protect her from?

"I was intrigued by this vegetarian diet of theirs. I find very few things amusing and even less interesting and worth my attention." He shrugged. "It was vile. It was unappetizing and unsatisfying. I slipped quiet a few times." Now she knew he was just playing with her to pass the time. He knows she can't out run him. She doesn't have protection. She was just a plaything.

"Humans are much more satisfying. Sweet, tasty, aromatic and fulfilling." He was circling her and sniffing at her again, as if he was a dog. That thought brought a little amusement to her. "Victoria wants me to capture you and bring you to her so that she can torture you to her heart's content. You were the reason her mate is dead after all. But I may as well just slip again and kill you. I am saving you from her torture." He was one of those types who rant before the big showdown or maybe he was just bragging before killing her.

"Victoria came to me. She asked my help when she saw you surrounding yourself with those dogs. I lied to the Clan that I was just helping her with an errand." When he said lied, she knew it would bite her in the ass later on. She had to do something. She just knew that she had to ask some question, get some proof, just not what question. She stood motion less for a while longer.

She started recording the conversation, she knew this was the proof, now for the question. "Why lie to them? It isn't like they knew you for long or that you are close to them. You can just leave." Bella knew she was still missing the vital question. But, what?

"Of course I had to lie to them. It is fun playing with the poor naïve fools. They think Irina is my mate. I kill you and go back to play with them for a while longer. No one would be wiser to what happened today here."

"Think Irina is your mate? She isn't your mate?" She asked with shock in her voice.

"Yes... Mate. She isn't my mate." He said and gave a laugh. It sounded cruel and cold. "My mate died two centuries ago, when I was still young. I have no mate." He replied with amusement and a hint of sadness.

"Then why did you..."

"Everyone believed that I had no power. Even Eleazar couldn't detect it as it was small and unnoticeable. I could slowly influence people to fall in love with me and eventually think that they are my mate." He laughed cruelly. "I made Irina Denali believe that she was mine."

She gave a sigh of relief mentally. Now, she could rest easy. She had the proof and asked the right question after all. He admitted to it. She had a bad feeling that if she lost this recording or didn't record this at all, it would have led to very large trouble.

The wolves were here, she knew when Laurent stiffened and was about to pounce on her. She dropped to the ground and rolled away as the wolves chased after the vampire. She ran back to her truck leaving her picnic basket and book there. One of the wolves will get it for her. She drove back to reservation with one of the wolves following her back leaving the hunt.

Well, even if the plan to draw Victoria out failed, it worked in drawing Laurent out. And it also freed one of the sisters. They owed her, especially Irina owed her. She knew how big of a deal mates was in the supernatural world. She would collect this debt one day.