A/N:

Hello! First, to those of you who are waiting for an update on My Past, Your Present, Our Future, know that I am just taking a little break from that story.

The idea for Tribal Daddy just kind of came to me and I started writing it and figured you all might like to read it!

So, give me your thoughts and share your opinions on my first attempt at a non-human Jacob/Bella story.

As always, my stories would completely suck without my awesome Beta WOLFYFANGRL.

She's working on some HOT new stories, along with her cool The Reinvention of Isabella Swan. Check out her stories and leave her some lovin too!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Twilight, except for my obsession with hot wolves.

CHAPTER 1

BELLA's POV

If you haven't seen or heard from your father in 20 years, wouldn't you be a little shocked at his urgent request for you to visit him? Half-way across the country, no less?

Well, that's the predicament I found myself in. My father, Charlie Swan, had found me one of those class reunion websites and had apparently been trying to contact me for the past few years. I wanted nothing to do with him since he abandoned me and my mother all those years ago. As a child, I hated him for not wanting me; making me feel like I wasn't good enough to be his daughter. But as an adult, I had moved on and realized that everyone makes mistakes.

Not that I would ever forget the years of hurt he caused us, but I could forgive. And I did forgive him, but I never expected to see him again. I forgave him for my own benefit - so that I wouldn't hold onto any anger or bitterness in my heart - and I prayed that he was happy and healthy wherever the hell he was.

That was up until a few months ago when I got another annoying email saying some person I graduated with had signed my profile page or something… who cares, really? I didn't, and that's why I always deleted any and all emails from that site. But for some reason I didn't delete this one and decided to open it. What I found surprised me.

My inbox held several messages from my father going back the past couple of years. I opened the most recent one and read it; and then the next one and so on. In each one, he begged me to contact him in any way possible and left me several ways to reach him. I wasn't sucked in by his words where he said he was sorry for everything and how he had missed me so much. No, what got me was how he didn't give up. Each note was a little different, but the message was the same… please contact me.

It made me curious and I wondered if he was on his death bed somewhere and needed closure or something before he faced judgment day at the pearly gates. I took a couple of days to think about it and kept going back to re-read his messages. Finally, I relented and replied. And I think I shocked him just as much because he had figured I would never respond.

We spent several months emailing and talking, getting to know one another again. My mother, Renee, had died a few years ago and he was crushed to learn the news. She didn't have an easy life growing up and had moved to Forks as a teenager after being passed around from family member to family member to live with. Her mother, my grandmother, was much older when Renee was born and died when Renee was a young child. Renee's father, my grandfather, was an alcoholic and could barely take care of my mom's teenage siblings. So Renee was sent from house to house to be raised.

She turned out to be one of the most caring, loving women I know, despite the dysfunctional upbringing she had. She eventually moved to Forks as a teenager and met and fell in love with my dad. It was a scandalous affair, with him getting a 'white' woman pregnant and all. The reservation didn't like their tribal members procreating with women who weren't part of the reservation. They didn't care if they banged with anything with two legs, but if they ended up pregnant, look out!

My mom tried to get child support and any type of emotional support from my dad over the years. He would come and visit here and there, and I actually was able to spend one week with him when I was little, but it wasn't on the reservation. He had rented a hotel room for the week in a city about an hour away so that I wouldn't be seen.

Growing up I didn't have a lot of information on the history of my family. I needed that for medical reasons, but I was genuinely curious who my relatives were; if I had brothers or sisters; what my cousins looked like. But I was at a loss.

So in our months of talking, Charlie answered my many questions about our Indian heritage. I had since learned that he was now on the Tribal Council of the reservation and trying to 'make things right' as he said. But I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. I was very interested in his work and my heritage, and I wanted my son to know more about it that I ever had. That led me to take my father up on his offer to fly us out and meet him. So here I am, on an airplane with my little boy taking him to meet his grandfather for the first time.

If Charlie had his way, he would have put me on a plane after I first responded to his email. But I didn't trust him then and I needed time to establish some sort of relationship. And that's what we did with our talks and exchanging photos and sharing memories. I felt more comfortable with the new relationship I made with Charlie but I was still very nervous about seeing him again.

We stepped off the plane, 4-year-old Michael holding his favorite blanket, and looked for my long-lost dad.

CHARLIE's POV

"Are you ready old friend?" Billy asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I can't believe I'm finally going to see her again."

"I know you've missed her terribly; and I'm sorry for any part my father played in you not being able to be with Renee or Bella."

"It wasn't your fault and now that we're in control of the tribal council, we can finally set things right."

"When do you plan on telling her everything?" he asked hesitantly.

"In due time. Look how long it took her to finally contact me, and then for me to convince her to visit. I'm not going to scare her off by telling her that her father used to turn into a wolf!"

"But she needs to learn the truth and we need to see if the prophecy is indeed correct."

"We will, we will. But right now I just want to meet my grandson," I smiled proudly.

I waited just past the security check point and searched every face that rounded the corner from the arriving gates. And then I saw her. Her picture didn't do her justice… she was beautiful with dark brown wavy hair and piercing green eyes. She truly was a stunning combination of her mother and me. And then I spotted the little hand she was holding. Ah… my grandson. I can't believe I'm a grandfather!

I approached her and she smiled. I wasn't sure, even after the months of communication, if she would feel comfortable if I embraced her but she surprised me by wrapping her arms around me.

"Hi sweetheart," I choked out, overcome by emotion.

"H-Hi," she whispered.

She pulled away and looked down when the little one next to her tugged on her shirt.

"Charlie… um, dad, let me introduce you to your grandson. Michael, can you say hi?"

I knelt down to get on his level and held out my hand for him to shake. He was hiding behind Bella's leg.

"Hi there. You're a pretty big guy. I guess you wouldn't want the surprise I brought for you, huh?"

That got his attention and he peeked around her leg. I pulled out a stuffed wolf from behind my back.

"Is that for me?" his little voiced asked.

"It sure is. I need someone to take care of him, can you do that for me?"

He looked up at Bella and she nodded in approval.

"Okay," he smiled and grabbed the stuffed animal, hugging it.

We walked out to the car and made our way back to the reservation. The conversation was light, with me pointing out tourist spots to Bella and telling Michael fun stories about wolves and other animals.

We pulled in front of the house and as I carried their bags inside, I could see several pack members hiding along the tree line and a couple of council members just so happened to be taking a walk (which never happens around here, lazy folks) trying to sneak a glimpse at what they had hoped would be the answer to their prayers.

BELLA's POV

My dad's house reminded me of a cabin secluded in the woods. It was very homey. We got Michael settled into the room where he would be staying and put him down for a nap. The poor kid was really tired from all the traveling we did today.

"You sure we're not putting you out by staying here? I don't mind going to a hotel," I said, sitting down at the kitchen nook with Charlie.

"Not at all. I haven't seen you in so many years, I'm not about to let you stay miles away at some hotel!"

"What about a girlfriend or something? I don't want to be in the way…" I trailed off.

He chucked, "You don't have to worry about that."

"I bet there's a few women who'd like you, dad. Are you dating anyone?"

"Not officially," he blushed.

We sat there in awkward silence for a little while.

"Look, I know we said this before in our emails but now that we're here – in person – I just want to say something to get it out of the way."

"OK, shoot."

"The past is the past. Let's just try and move on from here, OK? If I have any questions or need to talk to you about something from years ago, I'll ask. Otherwise I don't want there to be any awkwardness."

"Fair enough. And there is a lot I want to share with you… things from my life since I last saw you. But that can all come in time."

"Like what? You sound serious. Is there something I should know? Are you OK? Is your health OK?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing like that," he sighed. "Bella, do you remember when you were little and you came here to visit?"

I nodded.

"And any of the other times we talked or saw each other, how I always told you about the legends passed down to us?"

I nodded again, not understanding where he was going with his questions.

"Well, we're having a bonfire tonight and I'd like for you to go with me. Members of the Tribal Council will be there, telling the legends to the children… I think Michael would enjoy it… and there are several people I'd like for you to meet – that is, if you're up for it."

"I'm a little tired after the long flight but if I could take a little time to rest, I'd love to go."

I checked on Michael quickly to find him still fast asleep. I went into the room I would be using during my stay here. For some reason, I felt really comfortable in Charlie's house.; like I was meant to be here. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes.

I was walking through a wooded area, maybe a forest, with Michael. He was running up ahead of me and picking wildflowers and bringing them back to me. We were laughing and enjoying the warm sun shining on our faces. Michael's laugh stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong baby?"

He put his little finger up to his mouth, telling me to be quiet. He started looking around in all directions. I followed his gaze, trying to figure out what he might have heard. A sudden breeze blew past me, causing my hair to fly up in front of my face. When I pushed my curls away from my eyes, I saw Michael standing in front of me staring at something in the distance. But my little boy was shaking and making noises that sounded like growls. There was another gust of wind, blowing the bottom of my sundress all around me.

Then I saw him… it… a figure, as still as a statue, leering at me and Michael. I feared not for my life, but Michael's – as any mother would – and I went to pull him behind me. But when I touched my little boy's arm, I noticed how hot it was.

Before I could register the strange temperature, Michael disappeared in front of me as his body seemed to explode, the force knocking me to the ground. I put my arm up in front of my face to shield myself when I heard a whimper. I lowered my arm and opened my eyes to find a tiny, adorable white wolf in front of me. My shock at being next to this wild animal and wondering where Michael was, made me forget about the creature that was still staring at us in the distance.

I heard a rustling noise behind me and turned to see if it was Michael; perhaps he was thrown some distance as I was. But then the breeze blew by me once again and I looked to find the creature was gone. The little wolf in front of me began to take off after it but suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. I heard and felt the approach of slow, hard footsteps behind me. I was afraid to turn around and become face-to-face with a bear or some other large animal that could only make sounds like that.

I began to panic as my eyes darted from side to side, searching for Michael and a safe escape. Then the creature behind me huffed, and I could feel its warm breath on the back of my neck as it blew my hair around my face again. My heart started to race, realizing it was probably the mommy wolf thinking I was hurting this little one beside me. I slowly turned to face it, but I wasn't prepared for the sight before me… a large – horse-sized – wolf with beautiful russet brown-colored fur was staring down at me. I noticed its deep brown eyes, rimmed in gold, and became lost in its gaze.

"Mommy?" I heard a tiny voice call from behind me. I whipped my head around to find my little boy standing there naked and crying.

I sat up straight in bed, my chest heaving with deep breaths, as I tried to calm myself down from that crazy dream. I ran to Michael's room as fast as I could to check on him. His peaceful body was still asleep, hugging the wolf my dad had given to him. I sighed in relief and heard Charlie talking with someone.

CHARLIE's POV

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts of how I would tell Bella about everything. I opened it to find Sue Clearwater, Rose Atera and Evelyn Call standing at my front door.

"Ladies…" I said in a warning tone. I had specifically asked that they all give me some time alone with Bella for a day or two to be able to explain everything before any nosey neighbors started interrogating her.

"Charlie, I know what you said. But we just had to see her for ourselves," Rose happily announced.

"Did you tell her yet? How did she react to the legends? What about the prophecy?" Evelyn rattled off question after question.

I looked at Sue and she smiled apologetically, "I'm really sorry Charlie. I couldn't keep them away."

"Dad?" Bella called. "Is everything OK?"

"Oh my! Aren't you a pretty thing?" Rose looked her up and down.

"Bella, I'm fine. These ladies were just leaving," I said, eyeing them.

"Nonsense, Charlie. We're here now, let us meet the girl!" Evelyn demanded.

"Uh, hi. I'm Bella," she said and put her hand out to Sue.

Sue looked at me first in surprise and then took her outstretched hand.

"It's so nice to meet you Bella. Please forgive our intrusion but Charlie has told us so much about you and I'm afraid everyone is just dying to meet you."

Bella looked at me and smiled and pulled Sue by the hand into the house.

"At least she invites us in," Rose grumbled as she and Evelyn walked past me.

I rolled my eyes and prayed they wouldn't say anything that would give away our secret just yet.

The ladies grilled Bella about everything under the sun… what her favorite color was; her preference in music; her favorite flower… you name it.

"I don't mind telling you whatever you want to know, but I have to ask that we keep the noise down. My little boy is taking a nap right now," Bella asked politely.

Evelyn and Rose shot daggers at me.

"Oh! I didn't realize. Is his father here too dear?" Rose sneered.

"Oh, um… no. We're not together anymore."

Sue knew that; in fact all of the Tribal Council members knew about Bella's history but they were very respectful of keeping certain information private… unlike these catty women. The only reason Rose and Evelyn knew anything about the pack was because their stupid sons phased in front of them once, so they had to be told. Sue, on the other hand, was a member of the Council like myself and my old, dear friend Billy. Sue understood how everything had to be relayed very carefully to Bella in order for us to gage her reaction and see if the prophecy was true.

"Ladies, I appreciate you coming over. But as Bella said, my grandson is taking a nap and Bella would like to rest up before the bonfire tonight. So if you don't mind…"

"Oh, not at all. I'm so sorry for us barging in before. It was so lovely to meet you dear and I do hope we get to talk again soon. I have some children your age that I'd like you to meet," Sue said as I politely ushered them out the door.

Once we got rid of them, Bella said she wanted to take a shower before Michael woke up.

Just before she closed the door to the bathroom she said, "I liked Sue. She's warm."

"Warm?"

"Yeah. I don't know how to describe it. I generally get good vibes or feelings about people and things. And Sue gave off good, warm vibes."

I walked to the porch and called Billy as soon as she closed the door.

"Well? How's that grandson of yours?"

"He's great," I laughed. "You were right. He loved the stuffed wolf."

"Ah… I'm always right. But what about Bella?"

"That's the funny thing. I asked if she remembered the legends and she said she did. I told her we'd be going to the bonfire tonight where we'd tell them again."

"And…"

"Well, Sue, Rose and Evelyn showed up here unannounced and started bombarding Bella with all kinds of questions. I finally got rid of them after she fulfilled their gossip desire."

"OK, but what's funny about that? You said something 'funny' happened."

"She said Sue was warm."

"Really? What did she mean by that?"

"I asked her because I wasn't sure if she meant body temperature. But she said she usually gets good vibes or feelings about people and Sue gave her a 'warm' vibe."

"Hmmm… interesting. Maybe there's more to this prophecy than we anticipated."

BELLA's POV

I was a little nervous as we approached the cookout and bonfire that evening. I hadn't met any of these people before, but apparently they knew of me. I felt at a disadvantage and held Michael's hand a little tighter.

I had a weird feeling about tonight. I often got these feelings or vibes from time to time, and more often than not, they were always right. This feeling was more in the way of something was about to happen. I hated those type of feelings, because since I didn't have ESP (or even believed in it for that matter) I didn't know if something good or something bad would happen. But at least I could prepare myself either way, I guess.

We received several glances and some downright stares as we walked up to a group of men. A few seemed to be around my dad's age, and some much older.

"Charlie," the younger men greeted as the older ones nodded to him.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter and grandson, Isabella and Michael."

I smiled and Michael waved shyly.

"Bella!" a man with long dark hair called to me. "It is alright for me to call you Bella, right?"

I nodded.

"I'm Billy – the best friend your dad could afford!" he laughed and opened his arms to me.

"Hi Billy. It's nice to meet you," I responded and appreciated his warm welcome as the older men continued to leer at me.

"Little Bear!" Billy called to a group of children as one boy ran over to him. "This is Robert. Robbie why don't you take Michael to play with you… if that's OK with you Bella."

Michael smiled up at me, excited to meet new people and play with new friends. I nodded and watched him run off with Robbie... or was his name Little Bear?

"They'll stay right here on the beach where we can keep an eye on them, don't worry," my dad said.

"Did your father ever tell you about the time…" Billy said as he began telling embarrassing stories about he and my dad growing up on the reservation.

I saw a group of people walk up to the crowd. Most of them looked to be around my age, maybe a couple of years younger. They were all coupled with a date, or spouse perhaps, except for one or two guys. They eyed me strangely – not in a mean or condescending way, but like they were sizing me up or seeing if I met their approval. It was odd. I tried to keep my face neutral but had a hard time as the guys would nod at me or at each other; and the ladies would raise an eyebrow or whisper to the girl next to them. It kind of reminded me a bit of high school.

The night continued on and Michael was having a blast with the other kids, making sandcastles, playing in the surf and later roasting marshmallows as Billy and others told stories of their legends well past the sun setting in the sky.

"Bella, I'd like for you to pay attention to the next story Billy tells," my dad whispered.

I nodded but wondered why it was so important. Then Billy began the tale of their ancestors being descendants of wolves and how for centuries the men in the tribe would change into wolves to protect the reservation when needed.

Billy paused when the children started pretending to be wolves, just like in his story. I looked at the group seated around the bonfire and found nearly everyone staring at me. It made me very uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat as Billy started speaking again.

"There is a prophecy that has been foretold by our forefathers for generations that a Native woman would be a peacemaker to our people," Billy said as he gazed into the dark sky. "We have yet to see that prophecy fulfilled, but perhaps that woman is among us tonight and her destiny will be revealed."

People started whispering and speaking in hushed tones.

"That woman is expected to meet her wolf, her soul mate, and bear the next true Alpha and Chief of our tribe," Billy continued as he looked around the group at each woman in attendance. "That young wolf will be loved by all creatures, but sought after by our enemies to be destroyed."

The children were hanging on Billy's every word… me included. I looked around at the people in attendance, and wondered which of these ladies thought she could be like the woman in the story? I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye near the edge of the forest. I narrowed my eyes, squinting, to get a better look.

As Billy's tale of the wolves continued, my mind began playing tricks on me as I could have sworn I saw an animal – possibly a wolf – in the tree line. Maybe it was part of their ritual? Maybe they dressed someone up in a wolf costume to either scare or make the legends more real to the children. At least that was what I thought until…

The same russet-brown colored wolf from my dreams stepped forward. I was held prisoner in his deep chocolate eyes with the gold rim when they captured my gaze. I gasped and abruptly stood up… just moments before I blacked out and fell to the ground.

JAKE's POV

Seconds before I saw her faint, I could feel our heartbeats become in-sync. I could smell her scent as the anxiety set it when her eyes met mine. I heard her breathing speed up and then… nothing. For a whole second… nothing. One second might not seem like a long time to anyone, but when the heartbeat and breathing for your imprint, future wife, future mother of your children actually stops… you feel helpless.

My dad, Billy, begged me to come tonight to see if I would imprint as soon as I saw Bella. I didn't want to. Not because I didn't want to imprint on her – I did – I just didn't want it to be a spectacle in front of the entire reservation. To me, imprinting and finding your true soul mate, my wolf's mate, was private. And since I didn't know how she would react, I decided to remain hidden. I had hoped that after she had heard the legends from my father's lips, she might be more accepting and when we did meet, she would understand our connection. That was IF I actually imprinted on her.

As I watched Charlie and several women gather around Bella, I stepped back into the tree line to keep myself hidden. But my pack brothers sensed my presence and made their way over to me. I quickly phased and dressed before they reached me.

"Well?" Embry asked.

"What?" I feigned innocence.

"Nice way to introduce yourself, Jake!" Quil teased.

I shot him a look.

"So, she DID see you?" Seth yelled.

I kept my eyes to the ground, afraid to meet their gaze and reveal what just happened.

It had been years since I first phased as a wolf and I watched my fellow pack mates imprint and fall in love. It was something I desperately wanted, but was discouraged to seek on my own because the tribal council insisted that as the Alpha and blood heir to the chief, I would imprint and mate with the woman described in the prophecy.

But after years of waiting and searching for this mystery woman, I became frustrated and decided it was just a story - a fairytale - and would never come true. I started sleeping around with many women but never finding love.

Then, a few years ago, after changes were made within the Tribal Council and the old members were replaced, I was given new hope. Charlie and my dad had done some research of the legends and searched for any descendant from our tribe that we had overlooked that could be the key to fulfilling the prophecy and my destiny.

After several nights of interviewing every person on the reservation and conducting their own form of a census, they found three children that were born out of wedlock. Two of those children were male; one female. The female just so happened to be the daughter of Charlie Swan. Charlie was really taken back by the news, as he was forbidden by the elders of the Tribal Council for years to have any contact with his former love, Renee, and their daughter.

He secretly visited her when she was a child but they threatened to strip the future chief title from my father if Charlie continued a relationship with either of them. He tried to fight it, but with Billy being his best friend, he surrendered in hope that one day when Billy was chief of the tribe, he would be able to remove the order issued against him.

My dad felt terrible that their friendship was used against Charlie in that way and renounced any council member who was a part of that order after my dad became chief.

They spent the next couple of years trying to contact Bella – partly for her to have the relationship with her father that she was denied all these years, and to see if she was, in fact, the woman spoke of in the prophecy.

So I stood back, fighting the imprint pull to help Bella after she passed out. I didn't want to confirm everyone's suspicions without first talking with her. But my inner wolf fought me and desired to be near its mate.

Sam, the first of our pack to imprint, recognized the situation right away. He and Jared worked to get the rest of our pack away from me and back to the bonfire.

"You know Paul will try to hit on your women, imprint or not. So you guys better get back over there," Sam said.

After they left the area, Sam turned to me, "You OK?"

I nodded.

"Come on, Alpha! Give us something!" Jared pleaded.

"She's my mate," I whispered as she started to come to and look around for her son.

"Congratulations! It's been a long time coming, huh?" Sam cheered.

"Yeah, it really has."

"But what about the prophecy? Does that mean she's the one?" Jared asked.

We all remained silent, not 100 percent sure of her part in the prophecy just yet.

"All I know is that I've waited a long time for her and I'm not waiting any longer," I said as I made my way over to her.

BELLA's POV

"Mommy!" Michael cried and hugged me. "Are you OK, mama?"

I nodded and hugged him tighter. What just happened to me? I feel like a fool with all these people fussing over me.

"I'm fine baby. I just got up too fast, I guess," I smiled at him.

"Let's get you home," my dad said.

I nodded and glanced at Billy who had a smug look on his face. We started walking to the car when someone called for my dad.

"Go ahead and get in. I'll be just a minute," he said handing me the keys.

I was getting Michael into his car seat when I felt like I was being watched. I didn't turn around at first and started to get the same feeling – quickened heartbeat, faster breathing – as I did before I passed out. Was I having a panic attack of some sort? Brushing off that idea, I squared my shoulders and turned to see who or what was behind me.

At first I didn't see anything or anyone out of the ordinary. But then, he caught my eye. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen… and he was staring right at me. His gaze was so intense and the look on his face mixed with apprehension and determination. My dad stepped toward us when he saw the man and my dad stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back and forth between us, nodded once at the man and then walked to the car.

My dad had this look of awe in his eyes as he kissed me on the forehead and opened my door for me. As I tore my gaze from the mystery man, I heard Charlie mumble just before he shut my door, "It's true... she's the one."

A/N:

OK, for those of you who've followed my other story you know the drill... leave a review and get a preview of the next chapter!

I hope you like this story. I'm not sure how long I intend to make it - as I had originally planned for it to be a one-shot, but started having too much fun writing it out.

So ultimately, the fate of this story is up to you readers!

Do you have any questions about this chapter so far; or any suggestions on what you'd like to see happen or NOT happen? Let me know!

Thanks and big hugs,
Juls