Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 21:
I’m only able to get a few sips of coffee into my system before I hear a knock on the front door. I pat Taha’s knee, stand from the dining room table, then head toward the front door. I’m not surprised when I open it to find Old Quil, Billy, Sue, Sam, and Jake. I knew he wouldn’t let Billy come all this way without him.
“Morning, everyone. Sorry you had to drive all this way so unexpectedly, but you’ll understand soon. Please… come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
The elders all enter first, but as Sam goes to pass me, he inhales. His eyes go wide right before his expression turns to confusion. He whispers, “Bella?”
I hug him, promising, “Soon, Sam. I swear.”
It’s Jake who can’t keep his mouth shut, of course. As soon as he notices my mate mark at the edge of my tank, he closes the door behind him, then hugs me tight while swinging me around, “Holy shit, Bells! Really? Dad, Bella is an imprint! She’s mated!”
The elders all stop in their tracks and turn around, so I slap Jake as he puts me down, “Thanks for that, jackass, but I’m not only someone’s imprint… so you need to be patient and let me tell everyone what happened.”
They all settled around the dining room table, my dad and Billy slapping each other on the back, but Sam stopped short as he went to sit next to Taha. His eyes shot to me, then back to Taha, before he shook his head. “Bella, I think you need to hurry with that explanation. Our pack is the only wolf pack, out of all the tribes able to shift… yet you find a wolf out here? Your mate smells of wolf, not coyote.”
I nod, point for him to sit, then explain, “Two weeks after I moved in here, I went to the picnic island on my land, because I wanted to see the sunset from out there. I happened to hear splashing around in the water, and thought it might be one of the coyotes cooling down. There had been at least 2 or 3 of them around the property non-stop, so I was surprised when I stopped in the trees to find a wolf.”
I nod to Taha, who stands from his seat and backs up into the open area, then shifts without saying a word. I offer, “In the water, from the distance he was at, I thought at first that he was a newbie. That You or Jake had sent a pup out to check on me already, Sam.”
Old Quil cries out, “How?! This is not possible!”
I shake my head, then state, “The only way to know the truth is to see it from his eyes, Sir. You know that, and it’s why Sam needed to come.”
I go to stand in front of Sam, who just looks lost, and say seriously, “I need you to listen closely for a minute, Sam.” He looks into my eyes, so I say, “You need to shift, so you can relive the memories with him. You need to know to understand. Please, Sam. Do this for me, but also for your pack. Somehow, in the histories, it was better to make him seem dead than to know his pain. Is that what you want your son or daughter to know? Is that what you want to live with, or do you want to know the truth?”
Sam stands from his seat, but so does Jake. I look into Jake’s eyes, saying sadly, “It’s very difficult to witness. You’ll need to prepare yourself, Jake. The pain you’ll experience doing this is mind-altering.”
He holds my shoulders as he explains, “But Bella, I have to. Don’t you see? If he really is Taha Aki, it changes everything. I have to know the truth, even if no one else wants to recognize it.”
I nod, so he lets me go, quickly going out the dining room french doors with Sam to phase. In no time, a black wolf and a rusty one are in their places, so Taha meets them outside after nuzzling his muzzle against my cheek.
Once he is laying on the grass out in the yard, Sam and Jake join him, both laying near him. I sit down in Taha’s former chair, then sigh, knowing everyone is staring at me. “I will wait until Sam and Jake shift back and confirm my mate’s identity to finish my story. What they are witnessing will take a while. In the meantime, please enjoy your coffee. Would anyone like breakfast?”
Billy shakes his head, “I don’t understand how you know what they are witnessing, Bella. How do you know that whatever he told you isn’t a lie?”
I look directly into Billy’s eyes and assure him, “I know because I lived it, Billy… the exact same way Sam and Jake are living it now. Taha didn’t tell me, he showed me, after my coyote was forced to emerge to protect us. Now I’ll say nothing more until they can be part of the conversation.”
Knowing exactly how much shifting takes from one’s energy, I make my way to the kitchen, and quickly whip up a bunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, two trays of roasted potatoes, a large bowl of mixed fruit from the gardens, and another pot of coffee. Sue comes in at some point, and starts helping me without saying a word about Taha. She does place a kiss on my temple, which gives me hope that Taha won’t be exiled from the tribe.
When I start hearing Sam and Jake whimpering as I’m preparing some fresh whipped cream, I have to stop the hand mixer and brace my hands on the counter. My eyes fill with tears while I let out a shaky breath. Sue notices, then rubs my back quietly until I can compose myself.
Right as Sue and I come into the dining room with finished breakfast plates for Dad and the elders, Taha walks through the open french doors in human form. He pulls me into his arms after I set two plates down, then says loud enough for everyone to hear, “They just need a minute. Greg and Devon are with them.”
I nod, cup his face in my hands, and ask, “Are you alright? You’ve relived that time twice in the last week and a half alone.”
He nuzzles his nose against mine, “It needed to be done, and feeling you in my arms helps immensely. Have you told them anything else?”
Shaking my head, I offer, “Nope. I told them that once they had the confirmation of your identity from Sam and Jake, I would finish telling them. Now sit, so I can make you a plate.”
With a light kiss to my lips and a pat to my hip, I’m released to make my way to the kitchen again. I hear Sam and Jake come in as I start plating, so I make 4 piled high plates, place them on the tray, then return to the dining room.
Once we’re all eating, I ask, looking at each of the elders, “Do you believe?”
Old Quil nods, “There are many questions that need answers, but yes. We believe this wolf is Taha Aki.”
I let out a breath and dive in, “As I said before, I believed he was a pup sent by Sam and Jake at first. When he finally came out of the water and sat near me, my mind was scrambling to figure out how this massive white wolf could have come to be here, when the legend you told me of him stated he was long dead. It had to be him, since he was the only pure white wolf in the history of the wolves.”
I shook my head, “We were watching the sunset together when the coyotes suddenly sounded an alert. I hopped off the boulder and directly onto his back, and he ran me to my bedroom porch. I remember telling him to let me know everyone was okay, no matter what time it was when the danger was over.”
Jake grumbles about how I never change, but I smack his shoulder as I explain, “The next thing I know, Zander and Greg are carrying this massive white wolf into my house, and there’s blood everywhere.”
Taha kisses my temple, then says, “The cold one was from the Italians you told Zander about, Jacob. With my shock and elation of finally imprinting, and my determination that my imprint would not die to a cold one… I misjudged. I took a long swipe on my underbelly, as well as a few short ones. The cold one died, but the price was me being fatally injured. The swipes were made by an arm with a detached hand, so I ended up with venom in the wounds. I made them promise not to move me at all unless they were taking me to Bella. I just wanted to look into her eyes again.”
I clear my throat, then say, “I was so scared. I had been making a new batch of Gran Hurit’s salve while waiting for news, and the only thing I could think was that I hoped it was strong enough to draw out the poison. My first batch wasn’t, and I made Zander call the tribe shaman, Will. I knew I needed his guidance, needed him to keep Taha stable, if I was going to make him better.”
Sam nods, “He gave us a couple of clips of that time, after letting us see the moment he imprinted. You did really well listening to your instincts about him, Bella.”
I nod in thanks, then say, “With Will’s help altering Gran Hurit’s recipe slightly, I was able to make a drawing salve strong enough to draw out the vampire venom. It was touchy for a while, but he made it, and his wounds healed nicely after being stitched for a bit. We knew we still had Edward and the Italians to deal with, and that either would be watching the wolf pack to find me, so that’s why I called and told you to wait before coming out.”
Sam hums, “Though I want to be upset about you not telling us, I understand. Edward was watching us pretty much all the time until just under 2 weeks ago.”
Sam’s head whipped in my direction, then he sagged visibly as pain crossed his features. “You’re not only an imprint. I get it now. He found you, didn’t he?”
I nod, “Just as I was sure Taha could hunt for himself. The coyotes were ready for him. I had a dream the night before about him finding me, and warned them to be on the lookout. Taha and 2 coyotes stayed here with me, while the others tried to take him out. He caught my trail close by, and proceeded to try and kill all the coyotes that stood in his way. When he caught a fresh wave of my scent in the backyard, then saw Taha, I knew he wouldn’t stop until he killed every one of them to get to me. The fear was so suffocating, and I was afraid Taha wasn’t healed enough to fight yet. One second I was shaking and scared as Edward barreled toward us, and the next second I was jumping over Taha as I swiped at Edward. My jaws clamped down on his temples, and I shook my head hard. That terrible metal screeching.”
Jake’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head, but Sam hums, “Your coyote came forward to protect you both. Did you imprint right away?”
I shake my head, “It was so crazy that I didn’t have the chance to do more than a side glance to make sure Taha was okay. I had Edward’s decapitated head in my mouth, dropped it in the fire, then drug his torso to the fire. As soon as that was done, every muscle in my body wanted to give out, and Taha told me to shift back. Zander caught me, but I passed out.”
Jake gasps, “You weren’t ready. That’s why the Chief left Forks so suddenly. You were already running on zero from taking care of Taha, then phasing out of the blue overextended you, right?”
I nod in confirmation, “It did, but Will sedated me… put me into a type of dream state. I guess he sedated Taha, too, because he was with me the whole time in my dream state. He was meant to be my guide, but I knew the instant my eyes met his there, that I had found my mate. I was sedated for 9 days, and in that time, Taha and I spent most of our time as our spirit animals. Hunt, rest, repeat. We got to know each other more completely than any two normal people could, with the mind link. When he sensed my questions about the way the legends were written, he showed me his 3rd wife. I felt how much he loved her, and his pain when she sacrificed herself to give him a chance. I lived that day with him, as well as his memories after that, so I truly know what you saw this morning. In that dream state, living the motto of hunt, rest, repeat, I steadily gained strength and energy reserves under his guidance.”
Jake’s smile widens until it looks like it’s going to split his face, then he asks hopefully, “So wait… that means no more riding. We can run together? For real?”
It’s Billy that brings him back down to earth, reminding him, “It means the vampire rulers must be stopped for good, Jacob. Bella will no longer turn if one bites her.”
His face falls like someone just popped his happy bubble, but I nod, “Yes, they need to be stopped. And yes, we have a plan on how to do that, but we need to know where the council stands. Will you stand with us, knowing it means acknowledging that Taha’s legend was twisted at some point? Or will you keep the legend as is, exiling Taha from the tribe for good?”
I’m only able to get a few sips of coffee into my system before I hear a knock on the front door. I pat Taha’s knee, stand from the dining room table, then head toward the front door. I’m not surprised when I open it to find Old Quil, Billy, Sue, Sam, and Jake. I knew he wouldn’t let Billy come all this way without him.
“Morning, everyone. Sorry you had to drive all this way so unexpectedly, but you’ll understand soon. Please… come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
The elders all enter first, but as Sam goes to pass me, he inhales. His eyes go wide right before his expression turns to confusion. He whispers, “Bella?”
I hug him, promising, “Soon, Sam. I swear.”
It’s Jake who can’t keep his mouth shut, of course. As soon as he notices my mate mark at the edge of my tank, he closes the door behind him, then hugs me tight while swinging me around, “Holy shit, Bells! Really? Dad, Bella is an imprint! She’s mated!”
The elders all stop in their tracks and turn around, so I slap Jake as he puts me down, “Thanks for that, jackass, but I’m not only someone’s imprint… so you need to be patient and let me tell everyone what happened.”
They all settled around the dining room table, my dad and Billy slapping each other on the back, but Sam stopped short as he went to sit next to Taha. His eyes shot to me, then back to Taha, before he shook his head. “Bella, I think you need to hurry with that explanation. Our pack is the only wolf pack, out of all the tribes able to shift… yet you find a wolf out here? Your mate smells of wolf, not coyote.”
I nod, point for him to sit, then explain, “Two weeks after I moved in here, I went to the picnic island on my land, because I wanted to see the sunset from out there. I happened to hear splashing around in the water, and thought it might be one of the coyotes cooling down. There had been at least 2 or 3 of them around the property non-stop, so I was surprised when I stopped in the trees to find a wolf.”
I nod to Taha, who stands from his seat and backs up into the open area, then shifts without saying a word. I offer, “In the water, from the distance he was at, I thought at first that he was a newbie. That You or Jake had sent a pup out to check on me already, Sam.”
Old Quil cries out, “How?! This is not possible!”
I shake my head, then state, “The only way to know the truth is to see it from his eyes, Sir. You know that, and it’s why Sam needed to come.”
I go to stand in front of Sam, who just looks lost, and say seriously, “I need you to listen closely for a minute, Sam.” He looks into my eyes, so I say, “You need to shift, so you can relive the memories with him. You need to know to understand. Please, Sam. Do this for me, but also for your pack. Somehow, in the histories, it was better to make him seem dead than to know his pain. Is that what you want your son or daughter to know? Is that what you want to live with, or do you want to know the truth?”
Sam stands from his seat, but so does Jake. I look into Jake’s eyes, saying sadly, “It’s very difficult to witness. You’ll need to prepare yourself, Jake. The pain you’ll experience doing this is mind-altering.”
He holds my shoulders as he explains, “But Bella, I have to. Don’t you see? If he really is Taha Aki, it changes everything. I have to know the truth, even if no one else wants to recognize it.”
I nod, so he lets me go, quickly going out the dining room french doors with Sam to phase. In no time, a black wolf and a rusty one are in their places, so Taha meets them outside after nuzzling his muzzle against my cheek.
Once he is laying on the grass out in the yard, Sam and Jake join him, both laying near him. I sit down in Taha’s former chair, then sigh, knowing everyone is staring at me. “I will wait until Sam and Jake shift back and confirm my mate’s identity to finish my story. What they are witnessing will take a while. In the meantime, please enjoy your coffee. Would anyone like breakfast?”
Billy shakes his head, “I don’t understand how you know what they are witnessing, Bella. How do you know that whatever he told you isn’t a lie?”
I look directly into Billy’s eyes and assure him, “I know because I lived it, Billy… the exact same way Sam and Jake are living it now. Taha didn’t tell me, he showed me, after my coyote was forced to emerge to protect us. Now I’ll say nothing more until they can be part of the conversation.”
Knowing exactly how much shifting takes from one’s energy, I make my way to the kitchen, and quickly whip up a bunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, two trays of roasted potatoes, a large bowl of mixed fruit from the gardens, and another pot of coffee. Sue comes in at some point, and starts helping me without saying a word about Taha. She does place a kiss on my temple, which gives me hope that Taha won’t be exiled from the tribe.
When I start hearing Sam and Jake whimpering as I’m preparing some fresh whipped cream, I have to stop the hand mixer and brace my hands on the counter. My eyes fill with tears while I let out a shaky breath. Sue notices, then rubs my back quietly until I can compose myself.
Right as Sue and I come into the dining room with finished breakfast plates for Dad and the elders, Taha walks through the open french doors in human form. He pulls me into his arms after I set two plates down, then says loud enough for everyone to hear, “They just need a minute. Greg and Devon are with them.”
I nod, cup his face in my hands, and ask, “Are you alright? You’ve relived that time twice in the last week and a half alone.”
He nuzzles his nose against mine, “It needed to be done, and feeling you in my arms helps immensely. Have you told them anything else?”
Shaking my head, I offer, “Nope. I told them that once they had the confirmation of your identity from Sam and Jake, I would finish telling them. Now sit, so I can make you a plate.”
With a light kiss to my lips and a pat to my hip, I’m released to make my way to the kitchen again. I hear Sam and Jake come in as I start plating, so I make 4 piled high plates, place them on the tray, then return to the dining room.
Once we’re all eating, I ask, looking at each of the elders, “Do you believe?”
Old Quil nods, “There are many questions that need answers, but yes. We believe this wolf is Taha Aki.”
I let out a breath and dive in, “As I said before, I believed he was a pup sent by Sam and Jake at first. When he finally came out of the water and sat near me, my mind was scrambling to figure out how this massive white wolf could have come to be here, when the legend you told me of him stated he was long dead. It had to be him, since he was the only pure white wolf in the history of the wolves.”
I shook my head, “We were watching the sunset together when the coyotes suddenly sounded an alert. I hopped off the boulder and directly onto his back, and he ran me to my bedroom porch. I remember telling him to let me know everyone was okay, no matter what time it was when the danger was over.”
Jake grumbles about how I never change, but I smack his shoulder as I explain, “The next thing I know, Zander and Greg are carrying this massive white wolf into my house, and there’s blood everywhere.”
Taha kisses my temple, then says, “The cold one was from the Italians you told Zander about, Jacob. With my shock and elation of finally imprinting, and my determination that my imprint would not die to a cold one… I misjudged. I took a long swipe on my underbelly, as well as a few short ones. The cold one died, but the price was me being fatally injured. The swipes were made by an arm with a detached hand, so I ended up with venom in the wounds. I made them promise not to move me at all unless they were taking me to Bella. I just wanted to look into her eyes again.”
I clear my throat, then say, “I was so scared. I had been making a new batch of Gran Hurit’s salve while waiting for news, and the only thing I could think was that I hoped it was strong enough to draw out the poison. My first batch wasn’t, and I made Zander call the tribe shaman, Will. I knew I needed his guidance, needed him to keep Taha stable, if I was going to make him better.”
Sam nods, “He gave us a couple of clips of that time, after letting us see the moment he imprinted. You did really well listening to your instincts about him, Bella.”
I nod in thanks, then say, “With Will’s help altering Gran Hurit’s recipe slightly, I was able to make a drawing salve strong enough to draw out the vampire venom. It was touchy for a while, but he made it, and his wounds healed nicely after being stitched for a bit. We knew we still had Edward and the Italians to deal with, and that either would be watching the wolf pack to find me, so that’s why I called and told you to wait before coming out.”
Sam hums, “Though I want to be upset about you not telling us, I understand. Edward was watching us pretty much all the time until just under 2 weeks ago.”
Sam’s head whipped in my direction, then he sagged visibly as pain crossed his features. “You’re not only an imprint. I get it now. He found you, didn’t he?”
I nod, “Just as I was sure Taha could hunt for himself. The coyotes were ready for him. I had a dream the night before about him finding me, and warned them to be on the lookout. Taha and 2 coyotes stayed here with me, while the others tried to take him out. He caught my trail close by, and proceeded to try and kill all the coyotes that stood in his way. When he caught a fresh wave of my scent in the backyard, then saw Taha, I knew he wouldn’t stop until he killed every one of them to get to me. The fear was so suffocating, and I was afraid Taha wasn’t healed enough to fight yet. One second I was shaking and scared as Edward barreled toward us, and the next second I was jumping over Taha as I swiped at Edward. My jaws clamped down on his temples, and I shook my head hard. That terrible metal screeching.”
Jake’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head, but Sam hums, “Your coyote came forward to protect you both. Did you imprint right away?”
I shake my head, “It was so crazy that I didn’t have the chance to do more than a side glance to make sure Taha was okay. I had Edward’s decapitated head in my mouth, dropped it in the fire, then drug his torso to the fire. As soon as that was done, every muscle in my body wanted to give out, and Taha told me to shift back. Zander caught me, but I passed out.”
Jake gasps, “You weren’t ready. That’s why the Chief left Forks so suddenly. You were already running on zero from taking care of Taha, then phasing out of the blue overextended you, right?”
I nod in confirmation, “It did, but Will sedated me… put me into a type of dream state. I guess he sedated Taha, too, because he was with me the whole time in my dream state. He was meant to be my guide, but I knew the instant my eyes met his there, that I had found my mate. I was sedated for 9 days, and in that time, Taha and I spent most of our time as our spirit animals. Hunt, rest, repeat. We got to know each other more completely than any two normal people could, with the mind link. When he sensed my questions about the way the legends were written, he showed me his 3rd wife. I felt how much he loved her, and his pain when she sacrificed herself to give him a chance. I lived that day with him, as well as his memories after that, so I truly know what you saw this morning. In that dream state, living the motto of hunt, rest, repeat, I steadily gained strength and energy reserves under his guidance.”
Jake’s smile widens until it looks like it’s going to split his face, then he asks hopefully, “So wait… that means no more riding. We can run together? For real?”
It’s Billy that brings him back down to earth, reminding him, “It means the vampire rulers must be stopped for good, Jacob. Bella will no longer turn if one bites her.”
His face falls like someone just popped his happy bubble, but I nod, “Yes, they need to be stopped. And yes, we have a plan on how to do that, but we need to know where the council stands. Will you stand with us, knowing it means acknowledging that Taha’s legend was twisted at some point? Or will you keep the legend as is, exiling Taha from the tribe for good?”