Revelations

Chapter 26 – Revelations

The sound of the waves crashing against the beach of La Push echoed in Bella's mind as she tried to remember more details of that conversation with Jacob. She had been so focused on what he had told her about vampires that the rest of the Quileute legends had gone unnoticed... until now.

"The Quileutes are descended from wolves..."

Those words of Jacob floated in his mind like a constant echo. That night, as she slept, her memories began to fit together. Jacob's tale of the ancestors of her tribe, the warrior spirits who could transform into wolves to protect people from the "colds"... Bella woke with a start, her heart racing at her revelation. Could it be true? Was Jacob hiding something bigger from her?

In the morning, without a second thought, she grabbed the keys to her truck and bolted towards Jacob's house, feeling an uncontrollable urge to get answers.

Upon arriving to the Black house, Billy was the one who opened the door. The expression on her face told him something wasn't right

—Is Jacob here? Bella asked, her voice sounding more nervous than she intended.

"No, Bella." Jacob and Ethan aren't here," Billy answered in a calm tone.

Bella didn't pay attention, she went straight in, looking around the family house looking for any sign of the brothers. She first passed by Ethan's room, but it was empty. She then came to Jacob's room and found him sleeping soundly. As she gazed at the figure of her friend, she heard something outside of her, something that made her look to the window

There, at the edge of the forest, she saw Sam, Quil, Jared and Embry approaching. She felt a mix of anger and confusion as she remembered how Jacob had been so scared and distant lately. Determined to get answers, she left the house to confront them

—What did they do to Jacob? —Bella demanded angrily.

Paul, who always had a spark of sarcasm and aggression, was the first to respond, laughing.

—What did he say to you? What did we do? "What did he do?" she said a little aggressively. with that.

Paul laughed, and before Bella could think about what he was doing, he slapped her. It was a bad idea.

In the blink of an eye, Paul began to shake with anger. Bella watched in horror as his body stretched, his muscles growing and tearing at his clothing until, in a couple of seconds, he was gone, leaving in his place a huge dark gray wolf that glared at her with flaming eyes.

Bella stepped back, paralyzed by fear. Just then, Jacob came out of the house upon hearing the commotion. Bella yelled at him, warning him to run, but instead, Jacob launched himself into the air, transforming into a reddish-brown wolf mid-jump. The scene was terrifying and fascinating at the same time. The two wolves, Jacob and Paul, began to fight fiercely, snarling and baring their fangs as they rolled on the ground in a violent dance of power.

Sam quickly intervened, running towards them to separate them, but not before ordering the other boys:

—Take Bella. Take her to Emily's house.

The boys escorted Bella to Emily's house, when they arrived the boys were arguing among themselves.

—I hope Paul wins—Muttered Jared.

—I doubt it —Embry responded—. Jacob is a prodigy. Did you see how he transformed?

—Well, he's Ethan's brother, right? —Quil added with admiration—. It must be good.

Bella, not fully understanding what they were saying, intervened.

—What does Ethan have to do with all this?

Embry, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. world, responded:

—He is the alpha of our pack. And well, Jacob... he is the alpha's brother. That makes him special, I think.

As they entered Emily's house, Bella noticed that, although the boys still showed respect for Sam, they spoke of Ethan with a different reverence, almost as if he were the real one. authority figure.

Emily, Sam's fiancée, greeted Bella with a warm smile, although marked by the scars that covered one side of her face. It was silent proof of the danger of living with wolves.

Sitting at the table, Bella felt surrounded by a familiar but strange atmosphere. Embry broke the silence by speaking directly to her.

"Jacob didn't tell you anything because he was the alpha's order," she said calmly. Ethan ordered us to keep it a secret.

Bella looked at him in disbelief, still trying to digest the information.

—Did he tell you what we talked about last night?

Embry answered.

—We can read everyone's thoughts, except those of the alpha. It's part of our pack bond.

Before Bella could ask another question, Quil intervened, looking warily at Bella.

"Shut up, Embry," she said seriously. She "runs" with vampires, referring to her hanging out with vampires. We shouldn't be telling her this.

The atmosphere in the room became tense, but Bella tried to calm the situation with a nervous smile.

"Vampires are fast," she said in an attempt to joke.

"Wolves are faster," Jared replied, his tone defiant.

Everyone suddenly fell silent as a deep, terrifying sound echoed in the distance. It was a howl, but not a common one. The air in the house seemed to grow heavier, and Bella felt the skin on her arms crawl. The howl conveyed something primal, something that penetrated to her bones. The boys looked at each other with serious, tense eyes.

"That's Ethan..." Quil murmured, so low that no one heard him, but there was a mixture of respect and fear in his voice.

~ ~The air seemed to vibrate around him, as if the howl had had the power to change the atmosphere itself. Bella felt small, insignificant in the presence of such an overwhelming force.

"Looks like the boss is back..." Embry said quietly, without taking his eyes off the window.

Bella frowned frown, still not fully understanding.

—The boss?

—Ethan," Jared responded, almost reverently. He's been away for a week. She missed Jacob's transformation, but he is the one who has taught us everything we know.

Emily, while pouring tea, calmly intervened.

—Sam has been in charge while Ethan was away, but Now that he's back, everything will return to normal.

Bella felt a chill run down her spine. Although she had felt that the Cullens were powerful and terrifying, she now realized that there was something bigger and more dangerous that also inhabited Forks, and it was closer than she imagined.