New Moon's Enigma: The Volturi's Daughter

Chapter Seven

Upon lunch time the next day, the group had been talking. Though Isabella could feel the coldness between herself and Eric, after breaking it off with him the previous year to be with her mate. Though he had thought it was because she had lost feelings. Isabella tried her best to engage in the conversation, but she couldn't shake off the awkwardness between her and Eric. Despite her attempts to explain her decision to him, it seemed that there was still a lingering tension. She felt a pang of guilt for hurting him, even though she knew that being with her mate was the right choice for her.

Angela and Jes had been talking about the flu, until Angela started to talk about the big Wolfe thing they saw in the woods. This caused Isabella to freeze.

"Ang, maybe you should keep that to   yourself," Mike finally spoke up. Isabella's heart raced as Angela mentioned the wolf sighting. She knew the truth behind the creatures lurking in the woods, and the last thing she wanted was for their secret to be exposed. She silently hoped that Angela would heed Mike's advice and keep the encounter to herself.

"We saw something, Mike," Angela went on. What had made Isabella freeze even more was when Eric admitted to believing her. Isabella's anxiety skyrocketed as Eric and Angela discussed the wolf sighting. She struggled to maintain her composure, her mind racing with thoughts of the potential consequences if their secret was revealed. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin as she fought to keep her emotions in check.

"You're not the only one," Bella finally spoke up from her slump, and isabella just stood up.

"I need to go make a phone call... to my uncle... I will be back," she lied, but with her compoltion skills, it was perceived as the truth. Isabella's heart raced as she made her excuse to leave, her mind swirling with worry and fear. She hurried out of the cafeteria, needing to find a secluded spot where she could compose herself and figure out her next move.

Once she found a supply closet, she pulled her phone from her pocket. Dialing Sam's number, she could feel herself shaking. As the phone rang, Isabella tried to steady her breathing, waiting anxiously for Sam to answer. When he did, she wasted no time in speaking.

"Sam, it's Isabella. We need to talk," she said urgently, her voice betraying her nervousness.

"Isabella? Are you alright?" He asked as if a father speaking to a child.

"I'm fine, Sam," Isabella replied quickly, trying to reassure him. "But something's come up. Some of the students at school saw something... something they shouldn't have. They're talking about it, and it's causing a lot of tension." She paused, her mind racing with the implications of what she was about to say. "They saw one of you... one of the wolves."

Sam frown was visible through the phone as he spoke. "I'll talk to the pack. It isn't your concern why, just yet anyway. But you can't act like this around your human. Bella can't know anything. Are we clear?"

Isabella nodded, even though Sam couldn't see her. "Crystal clear," she affirmed. "I'll keep things under control on my end. But please, keep an eye on the situation. We don't want any unnecessary attention."Pausing, she waited for him to say something else. "Oh... and Sam, please don't leave me alone again."

"I won't," Sam assured her. "We'll handle this together. Just focus on keeping Bella safe for now."

As the school day ended, Isabella smiled softly as she made her way down to the car park. She had told Bella that Embry had been picking her up, to which Bella told her to be careful. Isabella took a deep breath, and got into the jeep that had been sitting at the end of the stairs of the school.

Shutting her door, Embry looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Emily wants to finally meet the vampire who fell for a wolf," he spoke, placing his hand on her knee. "I told her you were only half."

Isabella chuckled softly at Embry's comment. "I guess it's about time I meet the rest of your pack," she replied, placing her hand on top of his. "Just as long as they don't mind a half-vampire tagging along."

He chuckled as he took off.  "I think that the vampire princess might scare them a little more," he spoke. Glancing at her, he kept his eyes on the road. Isabella let out a huff.

"I'm not a princess. I am a runaway guard member who used to be kept in a case," she spoke, squeezing his hand. She leaned back into the seat and took a deep breath. She was a bit nervous to meet Paul and Jared.

Embry smiled reassuringly. "Well, whatever you are, you're mine," he said warmly. "And don't worry about Paul and Jared. They can be a bit rough around the edges, but they'll come around once they see how much you mean to me." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as they continued driving.

She nodded, and pulled his hand up to kiss it. She took a deep breath once more and tried to change the subject. "Any word on Victoria? I smell her ever time I go hunting... but I end up loosing her scent."

Embry's expression darkened slightly at the mention of Victoria. "No, nothing yet. The pack has been keeping an eye out, but she's been elusive. We'll find her though, Izzy. We always do," he reassured her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "Just stay safe out there, alright?"

Opening up her eyes and looking out her window, she watched as they enter into the reservation. "You all need to be more than just careful. Jess saw you all," Isabella spoke, as she moved to cross her legs in the seat.

Embry nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know. We're being extra cautious now. Jess shouldn't have seen us, but we can't undo that now," he admitted, his tone serious. "We'll keep a closer eye out and try to be more discreet. Thanks for letting us know." He gave her a grateful smile before focusing on the road again.

As he started down the gravel road, Isabella instantly started to smell the scent that Alice and Rose had said she smelled like when she hung around Embry. Isabella's senses went on high alert as she detected the familiar scent. She glanced at Embry, a mixture of curiosity and concern in her eyes. "Do you smell that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid someone might hear them.

Embry let out a laugh. "You realize that you smell like Vanilla and lavender to me... but to the rest of them, you smell like vanilla and a hint of death," he admitted, as he pulled beside of a truck. He got out and opened the door for Isabella.

Isabella chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in her eyes despite the seriousness of their situation. "Well, that's comforting," she remarked dryly as she stepped out of the car. She glanced around, her senses on high alert as she tried to discern any signs of danger.

After the time with the pack, only Paul had still had a problem with Isabella. Though she still had a heart beat, she was born of a cold one. Emily however loved her, and treated her like a friend. When she left, and arrived at the swan home, Charlie was watching a game and Bella was in the kitchen doing homework. Isabella greeted Charlie with a nod as she made her way into the kitchen. She smiled at Bella, who seemed engrossed in her homework. "Hey, Bella. How was your day?" Isabella asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Bella shakes her head. "I'm going to change," she spoke.

Isabella rolled her eyes, and grabbed a pop tart out of the cabinet. Moving to the couch, Isabella watched the game with Charlie. "So..." she muttered. "So, how was your day?" Isabella asked, trying to start a conversation with Charlie. She took a bite of her pop tart, waiting for his response.

Charlie looked at her, seeing her as the teenage girl who had been best friends with his daughter. "Fine," he spoke, taking a sip of his beer.

Isabella nodded, acknowledging his response. "That's good to hear," she said, trying to keep the conversation going. "How's work been lately?"

"Why don't you go check on Bella," Charlie spoke, with a sigh. Isabella sighed and walked up to Bella's room. Sitting on the bed, she tossed her empty pop tart rapper in the trash.

Isabella watched Bella for a moment, noticing the tension in her posture as she worked on her homework. "Hey, everything okay?" Isabella asked softly, trying to gauge Bella's mood.