Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Fourteen

Sam's POV

Despite the fear that the Cullens would declare war, Bella was not with us when we met up with the coven for a second time. Paul's satisfaction emanated from him as he watched the Cullens approached, his smug smile taunting Edward. The entire pack was in human form, a silent appeal for peace. Jacob stood beside Paul, scowling at the vampires, but it was Embry who seemed to be struggling to keep from phasing. His anger surprised us all, but Jared seemed to understand and stood beside him, a restraining and supporting hand on his shoulder. Quil kept rocking on the balls of his feet, clearly impatient for the meeting to begin.

"Thank you for meeting with us again," I said, hoping civility would keep the peace.

"Thank you for agreeing to a second meeting," Carlisle nodded, smiling slightly.

"I understand your family was very close to Bella and wish to see to her safety, but I must ask you to leave Forks. Your presence here activates the wolf gene and a prolonged stay might trigger more of our young ones to phase," I told him.

"I see. I was not aware of that fact. Of course, we will not remain, then. I must ask, though, why Bella is not with you today," Carlisle said curiously.

"She's not here because she doesn't need to be. You think I'm going to subject her to being near the same bastard who drank from her?" Paul glared, his entire body tensing.

"Edward only drank from her to save her life. Surely she told you that. If he had not sucked out the venom, she would have changed into one of us," Carlisle frowned, turning to glance briefly at the vampire in question.

I looked at Paul, surprised to find a sick smile twisting his face. I knew whatever was coming next wouldn't be good.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Paul asked, leaning towards the coven.

"Tell us what?" Carlisle questioned cautiously.

"That he drank from her the night he left her in the woods," Paul smirked, though it made him look more dangerous than smug.

The reactions from the Cullens indicated that they had not heard about their coven member's actions. Carlisle and Esme both gasped in outrage and shock, turning to face Edward as if he would dispute the accusation. Rosalie glowered at her "brother" and Emmett growled threateningly. It was, perhaps, Alice and Jasper who reacted the strangest. Alice simply looked down, her shoulders slumped forward. Jasper glared at his brother, baring his teeth in a show of aggression.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? After you flipped your shit on me for attackin' her, you go and drink from her three days later?" Jasper snarled.

"It's different. She was mine. She belonged to me. She was my singer," Edward growled, snapping his teeth at his "brother".

"Edward! How could you?" Esme gasped, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Did you honestly think I would be able to just walk away from her without sampling that sweet ambrosia one last time? Ever since Phoenix, I've been drinking from her nightly. I was careful, though. Obviously I couldn't have my eyes giving me away. I hunted twice as often to mask the effects of her blood and none of you were the wiser," Edward gloated.

"You fucking bastard," Emmett hissed, lunging toward him.

His wife's arm came out to hold him back, though she never took her eyes off Edward.

"Later, babe. You can't hurt him yet. I want a shot at him first," Rosalie glowered.

"I didn't do anything wrong, so stop thinking I did. She was always meant to be mine. Her mind was silent to me, perfect for my own personal snack," Edward insisted.

I jumped forward, grabbing Paul by the waist and hauling him away from the coven. I was surprised it had taken him so long to snap, listening to them discussing his mate as a food source. Clearly, Bella being referred to as a snack was something his wolf just couldn't tolerate. Jacob was instantly there beside me, helping me keep Paul back as he thrashed in my arms.

"You mother-fucker! I'll kill you!" Paul screamed, trying to get away.

"Paul, stop," I snapped, putting the weight of the Alpha command behind it.

He slumped forward, his chest heaving with his breaths, but he stopped fighting. The Cullens watched warily, though they quickly returned to their own conversation.

"Alice, did you see him doin' this?" Jasper asked, sounding as if he dreaded the answer.

Alice didn't look up, but nodded her head once. At the sounds of disappoint and outrage from her family, she let out a sob.

"I'm sorry, but it didn't seem like it was hurting her and it made Edward happy. I didn't want him to lose his mate after finally finding her," Alice explained between sobs.

"Oh, Alice. You still should have told us," Esme admonished gently.

"I'm so sorry, Esme," Alice sniffled, hugging her mother figure.

Esme patted Alice's back, hushing the girl as Carlisle turned back to us.

"I am terribly sorry for any trauma Bella suffered because of this. I assure you, we will take care of it. Please tell Bella we had no idea he was doing this and if we had, we would have stopped it," Carlisle requested.

"We will pass along your message," I agreed.

"Thank you. We will not return to Forks again. No matter how much we enjoy the area, I do not wish to cause any future generations to phase," Carlisle promised.

"Thank you for that," I said.

Carlisle bowed his head before he and his family disappeared into the trees.

Two Months Later

I stood on Bella's back porch, watching as the pack celebrated her marriage to Paul. The service had been held on the beach a few hours prior. Bella had worn a simple summer dress, the flowy material showcasing her growing baby bump. Paul couldn't seem to keep his eyes, or his hands, off her. He followed her around, hovering over her as she spoke to everyone. Charlie watched the two of them like a hawk, but at least his face was no longer purple. I'd been worried he was going to have a heart attack during the ceremony from the color of his face. Thankfully, he had settled onto a mild red.

The pack was dressed appropriately for the occasion, actually digging up shirts to wear. Bella had been thoroughly impressed when she saw us and had laughed outrageously when Paul grumbled about wearing a suit. She had relented and let him wear just the dress shirt with slacks.

"Hey there," Emily murmured, coming to stand beside me.

"Hey," I smiled, leaning down to kiss her sweetly.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, leaning into my side as I put my arm around her.

"Just watching," I answered, turning back to our family.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Emily sighed.

"Yeah," I agreed, grinning as Quil chased after Emily's two year old niece and Kim's five year old brother.

"You've done good, Sam," Emily said, looking up at me.

"You think so, huh?" I asked, turning my grin on her.

"Yeah, I do. And I know the pack would agree with me," Emily insisted.

"I wouldn't be anywhere without you," I told her.

"Well, duh," Emily teased, shooting me a wink.

I laughed, kissing her one more time before turning my attention back to the yard. My hand smoothed down to where the second pack pup was growing, content with the direction our lives were going.

The future was filled with possibilities and, as I watched Paul dance with his bride, I realized none of it would have been possible without her.

Totally unexpected, but that's the end of HER. I thought I would have more chapters to write, but this is it. And I do mean it. I won't be writing an epilogue. There won't be another sequel. This story is done and I'm hanging up my hat.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll be posting a new story anytime soon. I kinda need a break. My creativity well is running a little dry. Thank you all for taking this ride with me! I love all of you and hope to see you again next time!