Breathe In Union
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 20
"I'm going."
"No, you're not."
"I - am - going."
"No… You - are - not."
"If I have to walk the whole way there by myself, I'm going!" She glared hotly as her voice rose in volume with her temper.
His eyes flashed at just the thought of her alone in the forest, his jaw clenched and nostrils flaring as he tried to breathe through the sudden spike of anger his fear for her incited. Turning from her, he dropped his head as his shoulders rose and fell with every deep breath he took while one hand rubbed at his forehead.
"Bella," he murmured without looking up. "Do you understand there are red-eyed cold ones looking to play games with us right now?" His head lifted and her breath caught at his heated amber gaze. "Deadly games Bella, and you are the perfect target. Do you understand that? Do you get that you are safer because they don't really know who you are from the general population, but once they connect you to us, you are prime time? Is any of this getting through to you?"
She studied him for moments, thinking carefully on her next words as she took time to note the look in his eyes. There was anger there for sure, but underlying that, there was fear and she didn't make the mistake of thinking it was fear for himself. No—she knew better—knew him better. It was fear for her, and it served to deflate her righteous anger instantly.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled with a nod. "Okay, I get it," she said while holding his gaze steadily, her eyes speaking more words than her lips ever could. 'I'm sorry... I love you enough to do this for you... I understand...'
He reached her in two strides, pulling her into his arms as he kissed her head. "Thank you," he breathed in relief as they held each other for moments.
"So what's the plan then?" she questioned, her voice a little muffled as he held her tightly. "I assume we'll have someone here watching over us?"
"Yeah," he answered while carding his fingers through her hair. "Jared and Embry will be staying on the rez…really they'll be patrolling the residential areas, just making sure the families are safe. The rest of us will be at the treaty line for the meeting. I hear they're bringing the human girl. Seems the mind-reader finally found his balls, 'course it may have been due to Sam's insistence."
Bella pulled back to look at him, her brow creased in thought. "I'm surprised she hasn't called me…"
"Well, I'm not too sure what they've told her yet. If they haven't told her everything, she's not going to know you already know. Plus, if they have, she's probably still in the shock stage." He smirked. "God knows it takes a bit to get back to fully functioning when you hear shit like that."
"Yeah," Bella muttered as she turned and sat on the bed with a sigh. "Yeah, I guess it does."
"Except for you, apparently. You took it like a champ… Hell, you took it better than I did," he said dryly as he peeled his shirt off.
Her eyes zeroed in on his flexing abs and her mouth went a little dry.
"Hey shorty," he called to her after a moment. Her gaze dragged up his body to meet his amused one. "My eyes are up here. I'm a person ya know, not an object," he said in a wounded tone.
She chuckled and flipped him off.
"Hold that thought," he purred as he pulled her up into his arms while kissing her neck. "I'll take you up on it later," he said as she felt his lips curve into a smirk against her skin.
"You ass," she said as she slapped his shoulder and stepped out of his arms while he chuckled. "So, Rudy? He'll be going with you then?"
He nodded as he ditched his shoes and socks. "Yep, he will." He continued undressing while Bella watched. She had to turn away when he reached for the button on his jeans with a cocky smirk.
"He seems to be doing okay, at least what I saw of him today…" she remarked and turned back just as he slipped into a pair of shorts and joined her on the bed.
He shrugged and pulled her close as he settled against the pillows. "He's handling it, ya know? I'm sure he has his moments, but he seems to realize nothing he's heard will change who he is—who he's always been. That's what he told me anyway and I have to believe him."
She sat there, lost in thought for moments until he squeezed her gently. "What 'cha thinking about B?" he asked quietly.
"Lots of things," she muttered, and it was true but one subject came to her mind and she glanced at him over her shoulder before speaking.
"Do you know that the other girls have never interacted with their mates in wolf form?"
He pursed his lips and shrugged. "No, but then I never really gave it any thought. Not my business, ya know?"
She turned in his arms to see him better.
"Yeah, but don't you think that's kinda weird now that you know? I mean, when we talked about it the other day, they both seemed afraid…" She ran her palm down his cheek to his neck where it rested, her thumb rubbing a soothing pattern just below his jawline. "I can't imagine being afraid of you, in either form…"
He grinned. "Don't take this the wrong way shorty, but being afraid of a giant fucking wolf is kinda the normal response…"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, I get it…I'm the weirdo in this scenario…"
He snickered and she grumbled "asshole" while stifling a smile.
"My point is…I could perhaps see them being afraid at first, but, well…the way I feel at least…" she sighed. "It's hard to explain…but when I look at you—in either form—I can just feel it's you, and while you incite many emotions in me, fear isn't one of them."
"Yeah?" he growled as his warm, wet lips nipped and sucked the tender skin below her ear. "You incite something in me too…" he breathed while pressing his rapidly hardening length against the soft, plumpness of her ass.
She laughed and playfully shoved him away while sliding off the bed, her eyes dancing with amusement as she looked back at him. She patted her thighs as she got to the door. "Come on boy!" she called as one would to a favored labrador. He narrowed his eyes and she whistled. "Outside, go potty?"
When he launched himself from the bed with a growl, she shrieked in laughter and shot out the door and down the hall. "Rudy!" she screamed while hiding behind his baffled looking form with a giggle. "Save me!"
It only took one look at his brother's face to figure out what was going on. He held up his hands as Bella clutched the back of his shirt and maneuvered him to keep his now evilly smirking brother at bay. "Huh uh, no fuckin' way am I getting in-between you two. You pissed him off B, now you save yourself."
Thirty minutes and a fresh change of clothes later, a scowling Bella walked Paul and Rudy to the front door. Paul turned to her, trying his best to stifle a smirk. Rudy however, had no such intentions and was grinning widely. Paul sighed. "B, come on, I said I was sorry…"
She huffed. "I told you to stop tickling me," she groused and glared at him. "I begged and in plenty of time to get to a bathroom too, but did you? Nooo…you just had to keep going…"
"Kinda serves ya right for that "outside, go potty" comment..." Paul muttered and she glared.
Rudy looked over at the clock. "Come on, we gotta bounce, otherwise we're gonna be late to meet the leeches." He shot a grin at Bella and she narrowed her eyes at what she suspected was coming.
"Who knows? After the meeting, we might even have time to pick up some nappies for B." He cackled and shot out the front door, Bella's punch just missing his bicep.
"Jerk," she grumbled as Paul pulled her into a hug. Problem was, his whole upper body was now shaking with suppressed laughter as he tucked his face into her neck. She rolled her eyes. "Get it all outta your system because I hear a peep about this after tonight, I'm fitting you both with shock collars."
He chuckled and nipped the mark on her neck. "Kinky baby, but I'm too much of an Alpha to have a Mistress, sorry."
She pulled away and smirked. "That's where the shock part comes in…training."
He growled and pulled her flush, his eyes flashing amber as his instincts flared with the perceived challenge. "You could try my mate," he answered in a low, gritty-smooth voice as she shivered deliciously. "I look forward to the challenge." His lips covered hers then and she moaned as his tongue swept past her lips to tangle and taste, the kiss fierce and passionate as her hands mapped out his muscled chest.
He smirked at her when he finally drew back to see her eyes still closed, her breath leaving her in shallow pants. "Damn," she breathed as her eyes finally blinked open to stare at his smug expression. "How the hell do you do that to me every time?" she finished with a half-hearted glare.
His smirk grew until that certain dimple she loved showed itself and she smiled. "Arrogant bastard," she chuckled and he smacked her ass just as Rudy call out an impatient, "Jesus you two, break it up already!"
"Go," she said while pushing him toward the open door. "I'll see you when you get back."
He pecked her lips one last time and jogged out the door and down the steps. "Just wait until you find 'the one' bro," Paul said while giving Rudy a shove. "I'm gonna dish so much shit your way dude…"
Bella leaned against the open door and watched as they both disappeared into the trees, a warm smile curving her lips. God, but she loved him, she thought with a happy sigh. Never in a million years did she think she'd ever love someone so much…
She was just about to close the door and find something to do when a glow from the woods drew her attention, but it wasn't just the glow… It was the pull she felt within… A pull that, after a moment of resistance, tugged at her even more insistently. "Oh hell," she murmured. "Why not…"
Closing the door behind her with a click, she padded down the steps, through the yard and into the trees. As she drew closer to the glow, she could see a certain cluster lit up with a soft, white light and her breath caught as she spied two pure white wolves directly in the middle, just sitting there, side by side.
These weren't the wolves she was used to though—they were the size of normal wolves, their eyes an icy blue—they were breathtaking… "Hello there," she murmured cautiously, one hand held out as she slowly approached. She came to a stop though as one rose to pad over to her where it circled her twice before yipping and bumping her hand with its muzzle.
She smiled and ran her fingers through its thick fur just as its companion joined them, snuffling and bumping her leg as she chuckled and petted it too.
Dropping down to kneel, she laughed softly as they nuzzled and chuffed at her neck before nudging her to lick at her cheek and chin while she scratched behind their ears.
She couldn't quite believe they were wild wolves with the way they were acting, but there were no collars on them and she just had a feeling… Somewhere, deep inside her—the very same place where she felt her silver wolf—she felt their essence—their souls—and she knew they were free and only here because they wanted to be.
Amazing her yet again, they both dropped down on the leafy forest floor, baring their bellies to her as her eyes widened. She didn't know much about wolf behavior, but she knew this was a show of trust and respect on their part. Needless to say, she was awed by these majestic animals as she rubbed and scratched the bellies of what she could now see was a male and female pair.
"So, are you two a thing?" she questioned with a fond chuckle as they rolled playfully on their backs as she scratched.
"They are," a wizened, slightly familiar voice responded, causing Bella to jump as the two wolves gained their feet, immediately alert, although completely quiet as they watched the old indian woman from the Pow Wow approach.
"You…" Bella breathed as she rose to stand, her eyes wide in disbelief. "How…?"
The old woman just smiled and took a seat on a fallen tree as she gestured to the space in front of her. "Come child…sit. I have much to share with you before your wolf returns."
"I'm going."
"No, you're not."
"I - am - going."
"No… You - are - not."
"If I have to walk the whole way there by myself, I'm going!" She glared hotly as her voice rose in volume with her temper.
His eyes flashed at just the thought of her alone in the forest, his jaw clenched and nostrils flaring as he tried to breathe through the sudden spike of anger his fear for her incited. Turning from her, he dropped his head as his shoulders rose and fell with every deep breath he took while one hand rubbed at his forehead.
"Bella," he murmured without looking up. "Do you understand there are red-eyed cold ones looking to play games with us right now?" His head lifted and her breath caught at his heated amber gaze. "Deadly games Bella, and you are the perfect target. Do you understand that? Do you get that you are safer because they don't really know who you are from the general population, but once they connect you to us, you are prime time? Is any of this getting through to you?"
She studied him for moments, thinking carefully on her next words as she took time to note the look in his eyes. There was anger there for sure, but underlying that, there was fear and she didn't make the mistake of thinking it was fear for himself. No—she knew better—knew him better. It was fear for her, and it served to deflate her righteous anger instantly.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled with a nod. "Okay, I get it," she said while holding his gaze steadily, her eyes speaking more words than her lips ever could. 'I'm sorry... I love you enough to do this for you... I understand...'
He reached her in two strides, pulling her into his arms as he kissed her head. "Thank you," he breathed in relief as they held each other for moments.
"So what's the plan then?" she questioned, her voice a little muffled as he held her tightly. "I assume we'll have someone here watching over us?"
"Yeah," he answered while carding his fingers through her hair. "Jared and Embry will be staying on the rez…really they'll be patrolling the residential areas, just making sure the families are safe. The rest of us will be at the treaty line for the meeting. I hear they're bringing the human girl. Seems the mind-reader finally found his balls, 'course it may have been due to Sam's insistence."
Bella pulled back to look at him, her brow creased in thought. "I'm surprised she hasn't called me…"
"Well, I'm not too sure what they've told her yet. If they haven't told her everything, she's not going to know you already know. Plus, if they have, she's probably still in the shock stage." He smirked. "God knows it takes a bit to get back to fully functioning when you hear shit like that."
"Yeah," Bella muttered as she turned and sat on the bed with a sigh. "Yeah, I guess it does."
"Except for you, apparently. You took it like a champ… Hell, you took it better than I did," he said dryly as he peeled his shirt off.
Her eyes zeroed in on his flexing abs and her mouth went a little dry.
"Hey shorty," he called to her after a moment. Her gaze dragged up his body to meet his amused one. "My eyes are up here. I'm a person ya know, not an object," he said in a wounded tone.
She chuckled and flipped him off.
"Hold that thought," he purred as he pulled her up into his arms while kissing her neck. "I'll take you up on it later," he said as she felt his lips curve into a smirk against her skin.
"You ass," she said as she slapped his shoulder and stepped out of his arms while he chuckled. "So, Rudy? He'll be going with you then?"
He nodded as he ditched his shoes and socks. "Yep, he will." He continued undressing while Bella watched. She had to turn away when he reached for the button on his jeans with a cocky smirk.
"He seems to be doing okay, at least what I saw of him today…" she remarked and turned back just as he slipped into a pair of shorts and joined her on the bed.
He shrugged and pulled her close as he settled against the pillows. "He's handling it, ya know? I'm sure he has his moments, but he seems to realize nothing he's heard will change who he is—who he's always been. That's what he told me anyway and I have to believe him."
She sat there, lost in thought for moments until he squeezed her gently. "What 'cha thinking about B?" he asked quietly.
"Lots of things," she muttered, and it was true but one subject came to her mind and she glanced at him over her shoulder before speaking.
"Do you know that the other girls have never interacted with their mates in wolf form?"
He pursed his lips and shrugged. "No, but then I never really gave it any thought. Not my business, ya know?"
She turned in his arms to see him better.
"Yeah, but don't you think that's kinda weird now that you know? I mean, when we talked about it the other day, they both seemed afraid…" She ran her palm down his cheek to his neck where it rested, her thumb rubbing a soothing pattern just below his jawline. "I can't imagine being afraid of you, in either form…"
He grinned. "Don't take this the wrong way shorty, but being afraid of a giant fucking wolf is kinda the normal response…"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, I get it…I'm the weirdo in this scenario…"
He snickered and she grumbled "asshole" while stifling a smile.
"My point is…I could perhaps see them being afraid at first, but, well…the way I feel at least…" she sighed. "It's hard to explain…but when I look at you—in either form—I can just feel it's you, and while you incite many emotions in me, fear isn't one of them."
"Yeah?" he growled as his warm, wet lips nipped and sucked the tender skin below her ear. "You incite something in me too…" he breathed while pressing his rapidly hardening length against the soft, plumpness of her ass.
She laughed and playfully shoved him away while sliding off the bed, her eyes dancing with amusement as she looked back at him. She patted her thighs as she got to the door. "Come on boy!" she called as one would to a favored labrador. He narrowed his eyes and she whistled. "Outside, go potty?"
When he launched himself from the bed with a growl, she shrieked in laughter and shot out the door and down the hall. "Rudy!" she screamed while hiding behind his baffled looking form with a giggle. "Save me!"
It only took one look at his brother's face to figure out what was going on. He held up his hands as Bella clutched the back of his shirt and maneuvered him to keep his now evilly smirking brother at bay. "Huh uh, no fuckin' way am I getting in-between you two. You pissed him off B, now you save yourself."
Thirty minutes and a fresh change of clothes later, a scowling Bella walked Paul and Rudy to the front door. Paul turned to her, trying his best to stifle a smirk. Rudy however, had no such intentions and was grinning widely. Paul sighed. "B, come on, I said I was sorry…"
She huffed. "I told you to stop tickling me," she groused and glared at him. "I begged and in plenty of time to get to a bathroom too, but did you? Nooo…you just had to keep going…"
"Kinda serves ya right for that "outside, go potty" comment..." Paul muttered and she glared.
Rudy looked over at the clock. "Come on, we gotta bounce, otherwise we're gonna be late to meet the leeches." He shot a grin at Bella and she narrowed her eyes at what she suspected was coming.
"Who knows? After the meeting, we might even have time to pick up some nappies for B." He cackled and shot out the front door, Bella's punch just missing his bicep.
"Jerk," she grumbled as Paul pulled her into a hug. Problem was, his whole upper body was now shaking with suppressed laughter as he tucked his face into her neck. She rolled her eyes. "Get it all outta your system because I hear a peep about this after tonight, I'm fitting you both with shock collars."
He chuckled and nipped the mark on her neck. "Kinky baby, but I'm too much of an Alpha to have a Mistress, sorry."
She pulled away and smirked. "That's where the shock part comes in…training."
He growled and pulled her flush, his eyes flashing amber as his instincts flared with the perceived challenge. "You could try my mate," he answered in a low, gritty-smooth voice as she shivered deliciously. "I look forward to the challenge." His lips covered hers then and she moaned as his tongue swept past her lips to tangle and taste, the kiss fierce and passionate as her hands mapped out his muscled chest.
He smirked at her when he finally drew back to see her eyes still closed, her breath leaving her in shallow pants. "Damn," she breathed as her eyes finally blinked open to stare at his smug expression. "How the hell do you do that to me every time?" she finished with a half-hearted glare.
His smirk grew until that certain dimple she loved showed itself and she smiled. "Arrogant bastard," she chuckled and he smacked her ass just as Rudy call out an impatient, "Jesus you two, break it up already!"
"Go," she said while pushing him toward the open door. "I'll see you when you get back."
He pecked her lips one last time and jogged out the door and down the steps. "Just wait until you find 'the one' bro," Paul said while giving Rudy a shove. "I'm gonna dish so much shit your way dude…"
Bella leaned against the open door and watched as they both disappeared into the trees, a warm smile curving her lips. God, but she loved him, she thought with a happy sigh. Never in a million years did she think she'd ever love someone so much…
She was just about to close the door and find something to do when a glow from the woods drew her attention, but it wasn't just the glow… It was the pull she felt within… A pull that, after a moment of resistance, tugged at her even more insistently. "Oh hell," she murmured. "Why not…"
Closing the door behind her with a click, she padded down the steps, through the yard and into the trees. As she drew closer to the glow, she could see a certain cluster lit up with a soft, white light and her breath caught as she spied two pure white wolves directly in the middle, just sitting there, side by side.
These weren't the wolves she was used to though—they were the size of normal wolves, their eyes an icy blue—they were breathtaking… "Hello there," she murmured cautiously, one hand held out as she slowly approached. She came to a stop though as one rose to pad over to her where it circled her twice before yipping and bumping her hand with its muzzle.
She smiled and ran her fingers through its thick fur just as its companion joined them, snuffling and bumping her leg as she chuckled and petted it too.
Dropping down to kneel, she laughed softly as they nuzzled and chuffed at her neck before nudging her to lick at her cheek and chin while she scratched behind their ears.
She couldn't quite believe they were wild wolves with the way they were acting, but there were no collars on them and she just had a feeling… Somewhere, deep inside her—the very same place where she felt her silver wolf—she felt their essence—their souls—and she knew they were free and only here because they wanted to be.
Amazing her yet again, they both dropped down on the leafy forest floor, baring their bellies to her as her eyes widened. She didn't know much about wolf behavior, but she knew this was a show of trust and respect on their part. Needless to say, she was awed by these majestic animals as she rubbed and scratched the bellies of what she could now see was a male and female pair.
"So, are you two a thing?" she questioned with a fond chuckle as they rolled playfully on their backs as she scratched.
"They are," a wizened, slightly familiar voice responded, causing Bella to jump as the two wolves gained their feet, immediately alert, although completely quiet as they watched the old indian woman from the Pow Wow approach.
"You…" Bella breathed as she rose to stand, her eyes wide in disbelief. "How…?"
The old woman just smiled and took a seat on a fallen tree as she gestured to the space in front of her. "Come child…sit. I have much to share with you before your wolf returns."
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.