The Phantom Wolf

Chapter 83 (Awakening)

*3rd Person POV*

Edward was the first of the family to greet the new born vampire, Bella Cullen. And the first thing she did was ask about Renesmee, to which Edward informed her that their daughter was okay. But he had to deny Bella's request to see her because Bella needed to go hunting first. Agreeing to her husband's wishes, the couple left the house at a high rate of speed. Leaving the rest of the coven inside the home.

To which, as soon as they had left, Bree frantically called out to Carlisle. After hearing the panic in Bree's voice, the entire coven responded to her call. Rosalie quickly passed Renesmee over to Jacob's awaiting arms and sped upstairs to join the rest of her family.

When the large group entered the room, they saw Bree and Emmet staring at the unconscious hybrid with unreadable expressions on their faces. Looking at Pearl's limp form, what they saw, startled them and rendered them all speechless.

The visible injuries on Pearl's body were healing. They were stitching themselves together at an incredible rate of speed, and her heartbeat had become a lot more erratic, beating loudly in their eardrums.

Carlisle immediately began to check Pearl over and noted that her injuries were healing in a way that would suggest that they were responding to the healing agents of vampire venom. The speed at which her back was repairing itself, could only be compared to that of a human turning into a vampire.

The coven leader muttered in an astounded tone, "She's healing... her own venom... is healing her..."

"I thought Pearl didn't have any venom?" Bree questioned.

"She's always had it." Carlisle denied. "She just couldn't seem to inject it. Her wolf fought off the venom when she first transformed, so it was never allowed to become a true part of her." He answered.

"That's why when she fought with the shifters, nothing ever happened after she bit them." Jasper explained, and then started to process what Pearl's increased healing speed might mean.

"But what does this mean?!" Emmet yelled in frustration. Worry evident in his voice.

Before Carlisle got a chance to answer, Alice took over and said, "Her wolf accepted the venom. It's no longer fighting off it's effects. So the venom can now heal her properly."

"... I don't understand." Said Bree, fairly confused about the explanation.

Catching on to what Alice was saying, Carlisle replied to Bree but also directed his words towards everyone else as well. "Pearl's wolf never really accepted Victoria's venom when she was turned. That's why Pearl's two forms felt so separate. Although Pearl could use her gift when she shifted into her wolf, she didn't have her vampire characteristics in wolf form. It's why she naturally didn't have the strength of a vampire in her wolf form."

"She had to think about it, to use it. The strength never came automatically." Rosalie added on to Carlisle's explanation.

"It would be the same for her speed." Esme commented, following along with what her husband and daughter were talking about.

"Her wolf is just as fast as a vampire. But theoretically, with Pearl being both a shifter and a vampire, she should have been much faster than us." Carlisle finished calmly.

"But she wasn't. Because whatever form Pearl was in, aside from her gift, she only had the characteristics of that one thing." Bree quietly mumbled, understanding crossing her face.

Carlisle nodded at her words.

"... That's why she couldn't outrun them back at the clearing." Bree realised.

"I believe so, yes." Carlisle answered.

Getting frustrated by the fact that he still didn't understand, Emmet yelled out in worry. "So what does this all mean?! Is Pearl going to be okay or not?!"

"... I'd be better if you stopped shouting, Emmet." Pearl muttered groggily from the bed.

Everyone's head snapped towards the hybrid in shock. None of them had heard her stir, let alone wake up.

No one got a chance to say anything, because the moment that it registered in Bree and Emmet's minds that Pearl was awake and talking, the two vampires launched themselves at the hybrid and hugged her tightly.

Moments later, the rest of the present family joined in on the tight hug. All of them finally feeling real relief for the first time in weeks.

Pearl gripped onto her coven tightly, as they hugged her, she let a small smile slip onto her face. She was safe. They were safe. And it was all over.