࿔*:･thirty four ࿔*:･
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“You didn't tell me you were a shifter.'' Carter paused in her steps as Bella came to stand by her. Carter rolled her eyes subtly, letting go of Paul's hand, and giving him a smile, “why don't you go ahead?” she asked with a smile.
Paul smiled, pecking her lips once before he left her in the entrance and went to settle next to the rest of the pack, ‘I thought you'd have left by now,” Carter sighed, staring at her friend who simply looked down at her feet, “I wanted to talk to you before I left.”
Carter scoffed, “well I'm not exactly going to go around announcing to everyone that I'm a werewolf,” she retorted, “besides, I think you need to stop acting so entitled all the time. I don't owe any explanations about what I choose to share with you and what I don't.” she finished with a fake smile, moving past her into the house.
“No you're right, you don't owe me any explanations,” Bella replied, “but now I know, so don't you think you should answer some of my questions?” she asked.
Carter stared at her in bewilderment before she scoffed, “You know, a normal fucking person would've fucking apologised for slapping me. Don't talk to me.” she spat, turning away from Bella, “I'm sure you can see yourself out.” she put it bluntly, not bothering to face her.
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The next day, Carter lounged at Sam’s place, waiting patiently for Jared and Jacob to get back from their patrol. Her legs rested in Paul's lap while she peacefully read her book.
‘Guys. the redheads in the forest.’ Jacob's voice rang through her head and she quickly sat up on the couch, “Sam!” she called, and the man in question appeared from inside the kitchen, “it's Jacob. The redheads here.” she informed.
Sam nodded gravely, “let's go then.” he huffed, quickly walking in Emily's direction, he kissed her deeply as Embry, Paul and Carter gathered outside. While they waited for their alpha, Carter moved behind a large enough tree and quickly undressed, she didn't want to rip any more clothes if she could help it.
As Sam emerged from inside, the group shifted.
As the wolves ran through the woods, Carter shuffled through Jacob's thoughts, checking where they currently were. She saw her friend chasing the familiar redhead through the woods, the place looked quite familiar and Carter soon realised that they were near the hiking trail.
‘Sam, I found them.’ she called, immediately taking the lead as she navigated her way to her other two packmates. The girl flattered in her steps as the other two joined the pack, ‘where’s Victoria?’ Carter asked and Jacob barked.
‘She outran us, I don't think she's gotten far.’ he answered and they immediately picked up their pace, trying to find her as soon as possible.
They continued to hunt her for a few minutes and it didn't take them long before they came across her. The sight in front of Carter almost made her heart drop. Victoria stood in front of them, holding Harry Clearwater by his neck, she was trying to choke the old man and Carter didn't hesitate before pouncing on the vampire.
She pushed her off a small cliff and lunged after her. Victoria caught her balance soon enough, standing still as Carter growled at her dangerously. The rest of the wolves slowly surrounded her, all of them snarling lowly as Jacob flew at her, ready to bite. At the last moment, the vampire dodged skillfully before was off running again.
Carter tried to attack her from the side but yelped when the vampire grabbed her, throwing her into the air. Carter let out a whimper of pain as she watched the rest of them run past her, trying to catch up to Victoria once more.
‘Are you alright?’ Paul asked, stopping before her as Carter got up, 'I'm alright, sweetheart. go, don't let her get away.’ she demanded, huffing slightly as the two of them began running again.
Carter pushed her limbs to go faster, and being the Red Wolf, she was ahead of her pack in minutes, she growled, intent on killing Victoria. She barked, trying to bite at the woman, who was still a few inches ahead of her and all Carter got was a mouthful of ginger hair.
She snarled as Victoria jumped into the air, once again trying to outrun them but Carter had other things in mind as she leapt behind her. Carter grew hopeful as she clamped her teeth around Victoria's cold wrist; but before she could completely chomp her hand off, Victoria kicked her midair.
Carter landed on her feet, a few feet away from her as she once again growled, sprinting after her.
They reached a clearing, ‘Carter watch out she's gonna jump into the water!’ Paul's alarmed voice ran through her head as she tried to stop, barely tumbling from the cliff herself. She glared down at the water, letting out a disappointed huff as Jacob came to stand next to her, he nudged her with his snout gently, ‘Hey, it's alright. We’ll get her next time.’ he assured her and Carter simply nodded at him.
Carter spotted some movement from her peripheral vision and she turned to see a very familiar figure standing on the same cliff the pack usually jumped from. She squinted her eyes, spotting a brunette she knew all too well.
‘Shit, Jacob, that's Bella.’ she informed the younger boy who immediately perked up at the mention of his best friend.
‘She's going to jump.’ Jacob predicted and Carter looked back out at the sea, ‘in this weather? Does she have a death wish or something?’ Carter groaned.
‘Well-’ Jared started but Carter interrupted him, ‘Don't answer that.’ she mumbled.
She turned back to face the rest of them, ‘Guys go check on Harry Clearwater. The poor man is probably in shock. Jake and I will handle Bella and we'll join you soon.’
Sam nodded, leading the pack back into the woods while Jacob and Carter walked off to the beach. As they reached the clearing, the two separated, shifting back as Carter found the tree behind which a small backpack was stashed. She opened it to find a pair of mid-length shorts and a maroon tank top along with some undergarments that she had put in every backpack throughout the woods.
She emerged from behind the trees to see Jacob waiting on the shore impatiently, he bounced on his feet and Carter frowned, “what's wrong?” she asked, patting his back as she reached him. Jake frowned in worry, craning his neck as if it would help him, “I saw her jump, but she hasn't surfaced yet,” he informed her and carters eyes narrowed, “what?” she asked sharply, immediately kicking off her slippers, she slipped out of her tanktop, passing it to Jacob who stared at her dumbly.
She sighed heavily, “I swear if she's dead, I'll kill her.” she said, moving towards the sea that was particularly violent that day. She cursed loudly as the cold water hit her knees, her breathing became quicker and she felt her heart beat violently as she strode further into the water. Once she was deep enough, she inhaled deeply before she went underwater.
She opened her eyes, darkness greeting her as she tried her best to look for the familiar brunette head that annoyed her every day. She turned around in the water, trying her best to fight the current as she looked everywhere around her. Her lungs started burning slightly and she ditched her search for a little oxygen. She gasped loudly as she resurfaced, rubbing the water out of her eyes as she looked around the surface, hoping to miraculously find Bella swimming towards her.
She had no such luck but she paused as she looked upon the rock from which the girl had jumped. She must still be near the rocks, Carter decided, immediately swimming towards them.
She groaned loudly, as she moved against the current to get there and before she could move further, a large wave rose, causing Carter to freeze in alarm. Her eyes widened as she tried her best to get out of the way but before she could do so, the wave crashed over her, taking her under. She yelped loudly before swimming back to the surface. She coughed loudly as she had accidentally inhaled some water.
She went back underwater as she got closer to the rocks and went back to looking all around herself. She wanted to curse out the murky water that made it impossible to see anything properly, or at least as properly as one could see in the water.
She immediately relaxed as she spotted Bella a few feet away from her, trying her best to fight against the current but Carter's heart dropped as she saw Bella’s back hit the rocks. She swam as fast as she possibly could as she saw Bella’s body go deadly still.
She swam after her friend as her body sank further underwater but Carter used all her strength to pull the girl up and out of the water.
She inhaled deeply as she broke through the surface and pulled her friend along, however, Carter felt her heart sink even more when Bella’s head dropped onto her shoulder.
No no no no no.
Carter couldn't do much in the water so she decided to drag Bella’s seemingly lifeless body all towards the shore where she was surprised to see Sam standing next to Jacob.
As soon as she was waist-deep in water, they both rushed forward to grab Bella from her grip. They dragged her cold body to the beach and Jacob immediately fell to his knees, “Breathe.” he urged, moving her hair out of her face as Sam passed Carter her tank top. She was shivering, but she would be alright soon enough because of her normal body temperature. Still, Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm.
She let Jacob take care of their friend and she looked up at Sam's grim face, confusion evident on her own, he sighed gravely, “Harry Clearwater’s dead,” he mumbled, “he had a heart attack.”
Carter felt her heart break into two as she whispered, “No,” she sighed, tears brimming in her eyes but she didn't have enough time to process the news as Bella began coughing out some water. Carter slipped out of Sam's hold and kneeled on Bella's other side, she let the girl regain her consciousness properly.
Bella breathed heavily as she stared at both her friends in amazement, “Jake? Carter?” she mumbled and Jake let out a sigh of relief before helping her sit up.
Carter grabbed her arm tightly, “are you crazy? What the hell were you thinking?” Carter snapped but Bella simply shook her head, “I just wanted to see something.” she replied and Carter scoffed, “You couldn't wait a day?” she asked, her voice thick as she tried to conceal her tears.
“Get her home!” Sam called, rushing back into the woods, “I'm gonna go help out over at Harry's place,” he told them and Carter nodded.
“What happened at Harry’s place?” Bella asked, her face slowly regaining colour. Jake sighed, “Harry Clearwater had a heart attack.” Jacob told her and Bella frowned, “is he alright?” she asked and Carter swallowed, “he’s dead.” she choked, getting up and walking away from the both of them.
As she created some distance between her and them, she finally let her tears fall for the man who was like a father figure to her.
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Carter chose to sit next to the window, letting Bella take up the space in between while Jake drove her truck, the girl shivered violently from how cold she was but Bella didn't dare to huddle closer to Carter. She might've saved her but that didn't mean Carter forgave her.
Jake looked over at her and chuckled, “108 degrees over here.” he offered and Bella smiled, scooting closer to him. Carter sighed, tuning out their conversation as she watched the trees pass them by.
The car ride back to the Swan residence hadn't been that long and Carter had chosen to stay silent the entire time. As Jacob parked the truck he spoke up, “This is better,” he mumbled, “now that you know about me. About us.” he nodded at Carter.
Bella looked up at him, “but…?” she asked and Jacob sighed, “you saw what happened to Emily,” he started, “Sam got angry, he lost it just for a split second, but Em was standing too close.” Jacob told her and Carter stayed quiet, thinking about his words.
Her mind drifted to her imprint, she thought about Jacob's words, she thought about how angry her mate could get, though she had been lucky enough to never be on the receiving end of his anger. Her temper wasn't anything less. Could she and Paul ever hurt each other like that? As if she didn't have enough scars already.
“He's right, Bella,” Carter mumbled, not meeting her eyes, “all it takes is one accident,” she mumbled before she got out of the car and leaned against the door.
She sniffed the air as a revolting scent filled her nostrils, a smell she was now very familiar with. Vampires. She walked towards the door, sensing the smell grow stronger, causing her eyes to narrow as she walked off towards jacobs side of the truck, she knocked on the window urgently and Jacob opened the door, “you smell that?” she asked the younger boy who paused for a moment, sniffing the air, “vampires.” he muttered and carter nodded, climbing behind the steering wheel as Jacob moved into the middle, stopping Bella from getting out.
As Carter reversed out of the driveway, Bella turned to look out the back, “that's Carlisle’s car.” she mumbled, making Carter stop, “They're here.” Bella spoke, sounding hopeful as she opened the door and stepped out. Jacob ran out after her while Carter turned the car off.
“Bella it's a trick! Stop you gotta come with us.” he protested, grabbing onto her arm. Bella glared at him slightly, “They won't hurt me.”
Jacob shook his head as Carter reached them. She sighed, "Bella if a Cullen is back that means that this is their territory,” Carter said. Bella scoffed, “A Cullen? Really Carter? They are your friends too!” she yelled and Carter shook her head, “they were until they ditched us,” she countered, “listen, our treaty says that we can only defend you on our own lands.” she tried to persuade her.
“She's right, Bella. We can't protect you here.” Jacob added, but Bella was stubborn, “It's okay you don't have to.”
Jacob shook his head, letting go of her hand, “You're about to cross a line.” he told her but she simply shook her head, “then don't draw one.” she argued.
Carter sighed, “That's not up to us Bella.” she mumbled as the girl simply walked away.
She heard Jacob slam the car door and turned to him with a gentle look, “She'll choose what she wants, Jake. We can't control that.” she said to the boy.
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The two stayed outside for a while, sharing a chocolate bar they'd found in Bella’s truck while they waited for her.
Jacob sighed, getting up, “I can't take it any longer. She could be in danger!” he called, barging inside. Carter simply sighed, rolling her eyes and silently wishing that she was with Leah instead, the older girl was probably taking her father's death very hard on herself. Instead, Carter was stuck with a bunch of six-year-olds.
She got up, following him inside and she caught a familiar voice speaking, “...not good company to keep.” Alice was saying as they walked in.
Jacob scoffed, “Speak for yourself.” Carter raised an eyebrow at his statement.
“Carter.” Alice mumbled as the girl came into sight, “Alice,” she greeted.
“You're still here,” Bella smiled, “yeah well I had to make sure you were safe.” Jacob rolled his eyes.
“I thought you couldn't be here?” Bella asked and Jacob shrugged, “Maybe I don't care.”
Bella stared at him, smiling lovingly.
“Well, I'm not going to hurt Bella.” Alice declared.
“No you're just a harmless Cullen,” Jacob glared at her and Carter sighed, “he's talking about the other bloodsucker who tried to kill Bella because of you.” She said.
“Victoria?” Alice asked and Carter nodded.
“But, I didn't see her.” Alice informed them, “I didn't see you get pulled out of the water, either.” She looked down in realization, “I can't see past you and your pack of mutts.” Alice spat and Carter knew that Jacob would try to threaten her.
She grabbed onto the boy's arm, “Hey there's no need for you to go there, Alice.” Carter growled, pulling Jake away as Bella came to stand between them.
Alice stared at her old friend in bewilderment, "You're one of them... you turned."
Carter didn't answer, instead simply staring at her intently.
Alice looked away, "I'll leave for a minute." She spoke quietly and moved to walk out of the room.
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Carter got up when she heard the phone ring in the kitchen and walked in to find Jacob picking it up.
"He's not here right now," Jacob spoke through gritted teeth, "he's arranging a funeral." He said, before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Bella asked as Jacob stepped away from her, "always in the way." He snarled.
"Jacob, who was that?" Carter asked from behind him.
Just then, Alice barged back into the room, "Bella! Bella, it's Edward. Rosalie told him why I came here. He thinks you're dead."
"That- why didn't you let me talk to him!?" Bella shouted at Jacob who only glared back at her, "he didn't ask for you."
"Bella, listen he's going to the Volturi. He wants to die too." Alice told her.
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Carter stood in the doorway as she watched Bella and Alice rush out to the car with Jacob walking behind them. Carter and Jacob had both tried to convince Bella to not go but the girl had simply refused.
"I cannot let Edward kill himself out of guilt." She had said.
Carter had given up already but Jacob didn't. He rushed after her, begging her to not leave him.
Carter sighed tiredly as the car sped out of the street. She threw her hands up in the air while Jacob stood next to her, his head lowered dejectedly.
"How the hell are we supposed to tell Charlie that his daughter went to fucking Italy to save her suicidal ex-boyfriend?" She scoffed.
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Gawd damn this was a long one
We're almost done with new moon woo hoo and a happy new year to my baes too
Vote and comment my loves
Not edited.