Promises, Promises

Chapter Two

"Like a leech lover's gonna help us."

"Watch what you call her."

I'd driven, staying far enough back from Bella so that she hadn't seen me. Ditching my car a ways back helped me to not alert anyone to my presence, but meant I'd had to walk the rest of the way. It was clear I'd missed a lot, walking in on an argument between Paul and Jacob. About, it would seem, the vampires.

Embry held a placating hand out to the two boys. "Get a grip, guys—"

But Paul and Jacob were so angry, their bodies began to shake, nearly convulsing. It was unnatural, unnerving, and sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine.

Bella took a hesitant step back. "It's alright, Jacob, I'll go—"

They ignored her.

Paul scowled angrily. "All you care about is her—"

"Paul, back off," Sam commanded, a tone of finality in his voice that I would have surely been afraid to disobey. He didn't seem to have that issue, because he simply ignored it and continued.

"—and she doesn't give a crap about you—"

If it hadn't been clear that he was talking about Bella, Jacob's reaction made it obvious. He growled, rippling muscles tensing as he strode forward and shoved Paul backwards.

Hard.

"Jacob!" Sam shouted, but the damage had already been done.

Paul rose, outraged, and threw his head back in a growl, the shaking intensifying. But it wasn't a human growl. It wasn't even remotely human-like, the sound that came out of his throat.

"Too late."

It was animalistic, as if he was a dog, as if he was a—

"Bella, get back!"

Paul fell, body shifting, morphing, the change accompanied by a loud ripping noise as his body grew out of his clothes, shredding them. Silver fur burst from his skin, covering his entire body, his arms and nose elongating before he finally touched the ground on four legs.

Wolf. A giant, freaking wolf.

I could barely pay attention after that, shock taking hold. Werewolves? Except, werewolves changed during full moons. Jacob changed into a wolf, too, russet brown. Bella was screaming. They had to be werewolves. Vampires and werewolves. But, it wasn't a full moon. Were werewolves different? I hadn't known that vampires could drink animal blood, or that their eyes would change color, or that their skin glittered, but those were minor changes. They still sucked blood and were immortal. Their base identities were the same. Presumably, it would be the same with werewolves. So, if they weren't werewolves— but they still changed— no, they shifted forms. Shapeshifters?

Shapeshifters.

I finally focused on the scene in front of me again, to see wolf Jacob and wolf Paul fighting, snarling at each other, teeth gnashing as they tried to gain the upper hand. They quickly moved out of sight, into the woods, though the sound of their combined anger was still quite loud.

Sam started after them, kicking off his shoes. "Take Bella to Emily's place." Then, just like the others, he disappeared behind the tree line, leaving an eerie quiet.

After a short pause, Embry turned towards Bella with a smile that I felt was inappropriate for the situation. "Guess the wolf's out of the bag."

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the clearing, and the sound of a huge tree falling over, presumably due to the wolves. When it hit, it sent a strong vibration through the ground. It made my already shit sense of balance worse, and I stepped forward to try to steady myself, but my foot came down right on a tree branch.

The Quileutes still in the clearing immediately looked up at me, my hiding spot blown. So, of course, I did the only sane thing one could do in that situation. I spun on my heel and ran back to my car.

I only made it a few steps before one of them was in front of me, blocking my escape. "Oh, no, you don't," Jared warned, reaching towards me. I jerked back, away from his hand, not keen on being touched by anyone, much less a—

"This one's scared," he said, not taking his eyes off of me, though I could tell he was talking to someone else. "Finally. Someone with some goddamn sense."

I took a hesitant step backwards, trying to see if he'd let me, but he did. So I took another one, and another, putting as much distance between us as I could.

Someone behind me laughed, too close. "Oh, come on. We're not that scary."

I whirled, seeing Embry, only a few paces away and coming closer all the while. "Stay back."

He smiled at me, trying to be friendly, I guessed, but it only unnerved me even more. "Relax. We're not gonna hurt you."

The shock wearing off enough for me to finally remember myself, I grabbed my trusty switchblade, opened it, and held it out threateningly. "I said, stay back."

He finally stopped, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Jared laughed heartily. "She's a fighter, isn't she?"

I glanced at him, but he hadn't moved, so he didn't seem to be a pressing concern, unlike Embry. "Natural consequence of being surrounded by... things trying to kill me all the time."

Embry raised his hands in surrender. "We aren't trying to kill you."

"Wow, that's so convincing," I assured him sarcastically, still pointing my knife at him.

"Twyla."

My gaze flicked to Bella, who was nowhere near as freaked out as I was. "Why are you so calm?"

She glanced back at where wolf Jacob and wolf Paul and Sam had gone. "Because I trust—"

I groaned aloud. "Damn it, Bella! You're too goddamn trusting! First the fucking vampires, now these giant shapeshifter wolf things—"

"Jacob won't hurt me."

"Again?" I clarified. "You mean he won't hurt you again? Because he's already hurt you, Bella, multiple times, might I add—"

"Hey, that's a little low—"

I emphasized the knife in my hand. "Shut it! No one is talking to you, Embry!"

"Okay, look," Jared interjected calmly. "I get it. You don't trust us. That's fine. Smart, even. You shouldn't trust us, in my opinion. So, how about this. Let us take you to someone who you do trust, and have them tell you to trust us."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Like who?"