(Bella)
I was dreaming of nothing in particular, one of those soft, hazy dreams that faded as soon as you tried to hold onto them, when a deafening crash ripped through the house.
The sound was violent, splintering, like wood being torn apart.
Then my dad shouted.
"Bella!"
I was awake instantly.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I shot upright in bed, adrenaline flooding my veins. Another noise followed, like something or someone smashing into furniture, and panic seized me fully.
"Dad!"
I didn't bother with shoes. I didn't even slow down.
I bolted out of my room and down the stairs, nearly missing a step and pitching forward. I windmilled my arms, barely catching myself on the banister before I could fall flat on my face. The metallic smell hit me as I reached the bottom.
Blood.
The living room looked like it had been torn open.
The front door was shattered inward, the frame splintered and hanging loose, light spilling through the jagged opening. A chair lay overturned. Glass crunched under my feet.
And in the middle of it…
"Dad!"
Charlie was lifted off the ground, his back pressed against the wall, boots dangling uselessly a few inches above the floor. A young man had one hand wrapped around his throat, fingers digging in hard enough that my dad's face had already gone a frightening shade of red.
His gun lay several feet away, skidded across the floor, useless.
For half a second, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.
The man looked… normal. Young. Almost my age. Dark hair, sharp features, an expression twisted into cruel amusement.
Then he turned his head slightly, and the light caught his eyes.
Red.
Ice flooded my veins.
A vampire.
"Let him go!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I rushed forward before I could stop myself, not caring about the cuts in my feet. "You're killing him!"
The vampire's lips curved into a slow, pleased smirk. His grip tightened just enough that Charlie choked, a raw, awful sound tearing out of him.
"That's the idea," the vampire said lightly. His voice was smooth, almost bored. "Now be a good girl and wait right there. I'll finish playing with your daddy, and then you're next."
My stomach dropped.
"No…"
He tilted his head, fangs sliding down, mouth opening as he leaned toward Charlie's neck.
But right at that moment, a white blur exploded through the broken doorway.
The impact was monstrous.
The remaining doorframe disintegrated as something enormous slammed into the vampire from the side, knocking him completely off balance. There was a split second of confusion, a flash of red eyes widening…
Then a massive set of jaws closed around the vampire's head.
Crunch.
The sound was sickening.
The body went limp instantly, collapsing to the floor as the enormous white wolf wrenched its head free and tossed it aside like it weighed nothing.
I screamed.
Then I realized I was crying.
"Mike!"
The name tore out of me without thought, without fear, without hesitation.
The giant wolf turned his head toward me, blood smeared across his muzzle, eyes bright and alert. He was too big for the living room, his body nearly spanning wall to wall even as he lowered himself slightly, careful not to knock anything else over.
Charlie collapsed against the wall, coughing violently, clutching his throat as he dragged in desperate breaths.
I ran to him, dropping to my knees.
"Dad, Dad, are you okay?"
He looked at me like he barely recognized me, eyes wide and wild as they flicked past me to the wolf.
"Bella, get back!" he rasped, one hand still at his neck as he scrambled clumsily toward his gun. "Get away from that thing!"
He grabbed the weapon and turned, hands shaking as he pointed it straight at the massive wolf.
"No!" I shouted, throwing myself between them. "Dad, stop! Don't shoot!"
"Bella, move!" he yelled, panic sharpening his voice. "That thing just…"
"He saved you!" I snapped, breathless. "He's harmless, see?"
I didn't wait for permission.
Ignoring Charlie's horrified protests, I stepped closer to the wolf. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst, but I wasn't afraid of him. Not even a little.
I reached up and placed my hand against his massive head.
His fur was thick and warm beneath my fingers.
The wolf froze for half a second, then he leaned into my touch, just like a dog.
Like a very large, very deadly dog.
He lowered himself awkwardly, clearly trying to make himself smaller in a space that absolutely could not accommodate him, tail thumping weakly against what used to be the coffee table. He pressed his head into my palm and let out a low, pleased rumble.
Charlie stared dumbfounded.
His gun lowered by an inch.
"What… the hell…" he whispered.
The wolf's tongue flicked out suddenly and dragged across my cheek.
I yelped, recoiling. "Mike! That's disgusting!"
I wiped my face furiously, half laughing, half on the verge of hysterics. "You just killed a vampire with that mouth!"
Charlie blinked.
"…Vampire?"
Oh.
I sighed, shoulders sagging as the adrenaline finally began to drain out of me.
"Yeah," I said weakly. "About that."
He looked from me, to the destroyed living room, to the headless body on the floor, and then back to the giant white wolf who was now very obviously trying to get me to scratch behind his ears.
"What the hell are you talking about, Bells?" he asked hoarsely.
So I told him.
Not everything. Not every detail.
But enough.
About vampires. About wolves. About why Forks was not, in fact, just a rainy little town with a crime problem.
Charlie listened in stunned silence, his expression shifting through disbelief, anger, confusion, and finally… exhaustion.
When I finished, he rubbed a hand over his face and looked at the wolf again.
"So," he said slowly. "You're saying this… thing… is Mike?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
The wolf's ears perked up at his name, tail giving another hopeful thump.
Charlie stared for a long moment.
"…Huh."
I glanced at the wolf, squinting. "It's weird though," I added thoughtfully. "He's acting kind of dumber than usual. Like a real dog."
The wolf immediately let out an offended whine.
"Oh, sorry," I said quickly, guilt flooding me. I scratched under his chin. "I didn't mean it like that."
I softened my voice automatically. "Who's a smart boy, huh? Yes, you are."
The wolf perked up instantly, tail wagging hard enough to knock into the couch, eyes bright with unmistakable pride.
Charlie closed his eyes.
"…I need a drink," he muttered.
And somehow, despite everything, I laughed.
…
"We need to burn the body."
My words echoed in the ruined entryway, sounding far more confident than I felt.
Dad stared at me like I'd finally lost my mind. His fingers tightened around his gun, knuckles pale. "No," he said immediately. "Absolutely not. That's evidence. Bella, this is a crime scene."
I swallowed and forced myself to look at the vampire's body again. Even without a head, it was wrong. Like a statue that was waiting to become alive.
"Dad," I said quietly, stepping closer, lowering my voice the way I used to when he came home tense from work, "it's not dead."
He scoffed, sharp and automatic. "Bells, I watched that thing get its head removed."
"I know," I said quickly. "And that should have killed it. But vampires don't work like that. If we leave it here, if we do nothing, it can come back. Slowly. Piece by piece."
He froze.
"Come back," he repeated, like the word tasted bad.
"Yes." I nodded. "And that's not even the worst part."
Dad dragged a hand down his face. "That's comforting."
"There are rules," I continued, because stopping now would only make it worse. "Vampire laws. Humans aren't supposed to know they exist. If the wrong vampires find out that you know…" My voice shook despite my best effort. "They won't care that you're a police chief. They'll kill you. They'll kill me. Anyone who knows."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Dad looked at the body. Then at the broken door. Then at Mike.
The giant white wolf shifted slightly, claws scraping against the floor as he repositioned himself protectively between us and the doorway, ears flicking toward every sound outside.
"So," Dad said slowly, his voice flat, "there's a secret vampire government that executes witnesses."
I winced. "When you say it like that, it sounds bad."
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah. Funny how that works."
He paced once, then twice, boots crunching over splintered wood, muttering under his breath. Finally, he stopped and stared at the body again.
"This is too much," he said quietly. "This is way too much."
Relief flooded me so fast I almost sagged. He believed me. Or at least… enough.
Burning the body was worse than I imagined.
We dragged what was left of the vampire into the woods behind the house, far enough that the smoke wouldn't reach the road. Dad insisted on doing most of the work himself, jaw clenched, movements sharp and angry, like staying busy was the only thing keeping him together. When he struggled, Mike nudged the body farther with his massive shoulder, then sat back, watching the treeline like a guard dog the size of a truck.
When the fire caught, the smell was wrong. Sharp and chemical, nothing like burning meat. I gagged and turned away, pressing my face into Mike's thick fur. He leaned into me instinctively, a low, steady rumble vibrating through his chest, grounding me enough to keep my knees from giving out.
Dad stood rigid by the flames, firelight dancing across his face. He didn't look away until there was nothing left but ash.
When it was finally over, when the woods were quiet again and the night closed in like nothing had happened, he cleared his throat.
"This stays in the family," he said gruffly. "No reports. No calls. Nothing."
I nodded. "I know."
He looked at me then, really looked at me, and some of the hardness in his expression faded. "You okay, kiddo?"
I hesitated. Then nodded. "Yeah. I will be, I just need to bandage these cuts." I winced as I shifted my weight into my uninjured foot.
His eyes drifted to Mike, who was sitting beside me, tail thumping lazily against the ground, tongue lolling just slightly like he was proud of himself.
"…I'm definitely gonna need a drink," Dad muttered.
Mike thumped his tail harder, like he agreed.
…
(Well, I read the comments on the previous chapter and quite a few people wanted Bella turned, but those who wanted her to stay human weren't few either, and someone even wanted her dead, which would be an interesting turn. In the end I decided to let her stay human. Unfortunately, I can't please everyone, so... what do you think of this result? Support with power stones or comments 🐢 🎶)