16 Hurt

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............

Despite that inspiring speech that I gave to rouse the fighting spirits of my people, I could still feel Carlisle hesitating. Torn between what he believed to be best for his family and what he believed to be the path he should follow.

However, if the extreme way in which Jasper was gnashing his teeth, I could tell the turbulent emotions were getting to him.

I thought about projecting the shield to him in order to give him some relief, however the wary looks that a few of the wolves were giving him showed just how much an impact his animalistic display of almost frothing at the mouth was putting the wolves on the backfoot, since they were already mentally out of the fight.

Now, I just needed Carlisle to deal the finishing blow...however the question was, would he?

All it would take was a single show of dominance to gain all the leverage he needed to establish a superior position the next time the two groups met. One that would allow us to set the pace, which was necessary because as things currently stand, the wolves held no respect for the Cullens and it was Carlisle's passivity, along with the wolves disdain for pale-faces that set the foundation for how they interact.

At the rate they were going, they would never stand on equal footing.

However, despite my intentions, I knew that all I could do now was wait to see what decision Carlisle would make.

Could I manipulate his mind...probably.

Could I enhance his emotions...maybe.

Would I do these things in order to get what I want...usually...after all, I spent an entire lifetime doing just that.

Manipulating. Deceiving. Controlling all those and everything around me.

However, in this moment, when all it would take was me exerting this power that I hold in my very mind and body, I hesitate.

Why?

I search my mind for the answer, but can't seem to find one.

Is it an effect of my rebirth?

Is this universe...this world, influencing me in some way? Perhaps, making me unable to take certain steps, despite how simple they would be?

After all, how else could this world be so...pleasant for the weak, if not due to some outside force influencing the powerful and greedy to not take everything for themselves?

No, that wouldn't make sense, otherwise Victoria would have never been able to kill so many, turn so many, and then have them kill so many.

Nothing stopped her from spreading madness and death, and yet, I can feel something stopping me from doing something as simple as pulling a Professor X and influencing a mind to take the direction I want them to take.

This is some of that bullshit.

And I need to break free from whatever it is.

However, it would seem my nudge in the right direction was unneeded in this case.

In my first life, there once was a saying.

One that I felt perfectly captured what I'm witnessing and even I would admit that, for the first time, I can truly understand the danger that creatures like me represent.

Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.

And it seems Carlisle is just now realizing that he has indeed been a victim of wars that were not his own. Wars that he did not want, but also could not avoid.

(Third Person P.O.V.)

The room grew silent.

Completely.

The hairs on the bodies of everyone were standing on edge, and the only sound was coming from the direction that everyone was looking.

There, standing in the middle of the line of vamps was Carlisle Cullen.

His face twisted in both pain and rage. His mind whirring, allowing his perfect memory to replay thoughts, feelings, images, over and over again of every time he found his family in danger and could do nothing. Every time he thought he would lose one of them, and sought to keep the peace, while feeling helpless on the inside. Every time danger came to their doorstep and everyone looked to him for an answer to keep them safe, but he wasn't able to give one.

His heart hurt.

Rage and sadness flowing off of him in waves that made the empath in the room shrink into himself as he tried to cease feeling what his father figure was putting out.

The wolves instincts telling them that in that moment, it was best to stay still.

Even Jacob, with all of his furious devotion to sacrifice any rationale for the one he loves, knew not to bare his fangs and bury his anger.

Our MC, did not know it, but when he gave his speech, due to him not truly understanding just how instinctual his ability was, influenced Carlisle in exactly the way that he was hesitating to do. He brought forth emotions and a side to Carlisle that the man had always kept buried deed within his psyche.

He held fast to his beliefs born from religion and a desire to never be a monster like his father before him, that allowed him to establish a balance within himself that let him walk through life on a path that very few could tread with such a peace of mind.

However, thanks to an unintentional outside influence, that balance was now broken and the container that was formed around all of that darkness that had accumulated throughout all the years of his existence found itself rushing out and banging against the walls of his mind threatening to shatter all that Carlisle Cullen built himself to be.

Despite that, and despite how our MC looks at Carlisle Cullen, he is a man quite worthy of respect, because only the Doctor himself knows just how hard it is to allow one's self to remain a good man, in the face of darkness brought by others. And any man worthy of that level of respect, cannot be called weak-minded. So, there he stood, only allowing a low growl to escape his lips, as he forced his mind to obey his will.

(MC P.O.V.)

Perhaps..........I need to reevaluate my approach.