Chapter 8

It felt like the earth had stood still. If a pin dropped, it was possible any house close enough would be able to hear it.

Everything was moving slowly, playing frame by frame.

"How do you know about that?" Sam questioned. He could smell them on her, which could only mean that they had told her directly. "Were you with them today?

"Is one of them your boyfriend?!"

"That's neither here nor there, Paul. And, honestly, none of your business. So, what do they have to do with you and the whole thing about the treaty?"

"Answer the question, Spencer," Sam spoke through gritted teeth. In the blink of an eye, Paul's body started to shake. His breath staggered and his chest heaved. Sam's attention was directed to his beta, who was too close to shifting right in front of his little sister. "Paul, you gotta calm down, man. It is not the time for that."

"W-what's happening to him?" Spencer tried to get close to him, but Sam's arm stopped her.

"Get inside the house, Spence." His tone led her to understand this wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. "Now."

"What's going on, Sam?"

"You wanted to know what's our involvement? Well, you're about to see it."

Spencer had seen Paul get angry, his hotheaded temperament no secret to anyone in town. But this was different. His brows were furrowed, his shoulders slumped forward, and his breathing had become harsher. He exhaled through his mouth, short and heavy breaths. She couldn't move, all Spencer could do was stare at her friend as he went through whatever he was going through.

Sam pushed her behind him as he instructed Paul to move forward. The events would unveil swiftly and the last thing he wanted was for his sister to get hurt as Emily once had. But his attention couldn't be on both people at once. If he let Spencer go, she could get into the line of fire – but letting Paul go would mean he would shift where anyone could see him.

"Hold it 'til we're in the woods, Paul," Sam pushed. He decided to let go of Spencer and make sure the boy made it into the hiding behind the trees. As suspected, his sister followed close behind, the look of worry painted clearly on her face. It didn't take long to get to a secluded area, the whole place was surrounded by secluded areas. "Spencer, seriously. You need to get away."

It all happened quickly.

Spencer didn't understand what her eyes were perceiving. One second, Paul was next to her, heat radiating off his skin, burning her own even from the distance they held. The next, she could hear how his skin ripped, and standing before her was a giant dark silver wolf. She stumbled back from the force of the wolf hitting the ground right next to her. So much adrenaline was running through her veins, she didn't notice the gashes along her upper arm nor the warm blood running down to her fingertips.

The wolf in front of her looked down with sad eyes, perceiving the girl's wound before she had. Spencer got up from the ground, patting at her behind to remove the dirt that had taken place on her clothes. With shaky hands, she got closer to the animal. No danger was emanating from the towering wolf. Her hand lifted to rest on the right side of the wolf's head, a touch he leaned into. Spencer felt calm, her brain still not processing anything that had happened before her. Suddenly, a brown wolf joined them. It seemed worried about the scenario in front of it.

"Jared. Paul. Phase back," Sam commanded. The grey wolf let out a whimper, unwilling to leave Spencer's side. "Now, Paul!"

Both wolves disappeared between the bundles of trees, shielded from Spencer's eyes. A swooshing sound resounded from where the pair had gone, echoing through the vast expanse of the forest. A minute later, the human version of Paul and Jared emerged, both clothed in white tank tops and denim shorts. Paul rushed to Spencer's side, using the shirt he had just put on to cover the wound on her arm. The white fabric rapidly soaked the crimson liquid, not doing much to retain it from spilling.

"We need to call Sue," Jared panicked. "That looks deep."

"Sue's away this weekend," Sam answered. "We're going to have to call the bloodsucker. He's the only other person that could help us without asking too many questions."

"We don't need him!" Paul yelled. "We can just take her to the hospital."

"And say what, Paul? That a wolf attacked her? Then have the sheriff and his team hunting in the woods? What a great idea."

"We can't let her go there. They've already snaked their way into her life."

"She has a voice," Spencer spoke up. "Just call Carlisle, Sam. Take my phone."

Spencer reached into her pocket with her left hand, handing it to her brother before passing out in Paul's arms. He went through her recent calls, assuming his contact would the first on the list. The annoyance was evident on Sam's face as he pressed the phone onto his ear, Carlisle's voice streaming through it after a single ring.

"Spencer," Carlisle let out a sigh of relief.

"It's Sam," he gritted. "We need your help."

"What happened? Is Spencer alright?"

"There was an accident," Sam explained. "She needs medical attention."

"Alright. Should I come to you?"

"No," he denied. "We'll come to you. Get your blood-hungry one out of there."

After hanging up the phone, Sam instructed Paul to carry his sister's body to his truck. Paul pressed Spencer's own, pressing her wounded arm tightly to his chest, trying his best to apply pressure on the cut. The boy continued whispering in his friend's ears how sorry he was, fighting the tears that were stinging the corner of his eyes. When they were little, he had always promised her that he'd always protect her from danger, and this day he had not been able to protect her from himself.

Sam and Paul sped to Forks whilst Jared stayed behind on patrol to make sure no one had seen what just happened. The alpha's emotions switched between anger, worry, and disappointment — a cycle the beta could feel. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the trio to arrive at the Cullen house.

Carlisle was waiting outside, the smell of Spencer's blood invading his senses from miles away. As soon as the call had ended, the doctor had prompted Alice to take Jasper far from the house, told Edward to ready his study with the necessary medical equipment. Once the preparations were done, the rest of the Cullens followed behind Alice and Jasper, claiming that it would be easier if Carlisle was the only one at the house when the wolves and Spencer arrived. As much as he wanted his family beside him, he needed Spencer more.

"Bring her to my study," Carlisle directed. Opening the back door of the truck, he felt like crumbling to the ground. Spencer laid in the arms of Paul, unconscious and pale. "Everything is prepared there."

"Take her," Sam grumbled. "We'll wait here."

Carlisle simply nodded before slipping his arms softly under the girl. His arm shook slightly as he felt phantom tears threatening to fall. He had not felt in ages as human as he did at that moment. The worry of mortality literally a weight on his shoulders. Her chest rose and fell at a steady pace, minimizing his concern as he listened to Spencer's heart.

He placed Spencer on the blue mattress of the medical bed in his office, working swiftly to begin an IV drip and prep for a blood transfusion. The doctor clothed himself in a surgery gown and gloves and began to clean off the wound on the girl's arm. The cuts were deep and would surely leave a scar. Four lines ran down her upper left arm, oozing blood as quickly as he could clean them. He removed as much seeping blood as he could before he started sewing the first gash.

Suddenly, she began to stir awake. Spencer winced and groaned at the pain, unsure of what was the source of such discomfort.

"Don't move, Spencer." She stiffened at the voice, knowing who's owner it was yet unsure of how she had gotten there. "I'm just working on your stitches now. I'll be done before you know it."

She opened her eyes, growing used to the blinding spotlight the man was using to provide enough luminescence to fix her arm. But she dared not look into his eyes. She turned her head to the side, focusing on a moving tree branch outside the window. Truly, there wasn't much she could say to her vampire boyfriend. The one thing on her mind was how could she grow accustomed to knowing the supernatural exists and she was stuck in the middle of it.

Carlisle was hurt by the avoidance but understood why she felt like this. An hour ago he revealed the biggest secret he had and forced her to confront her brother about his. He had uprooted her whole existence. Hoping she would come to terms with it quickly was futile.

"Alright," he let out a sigh of relief. "All done. I'll pack you some bandages to change as needed. Keep it bandaged for tomorrow and..."

"Wash around the wound with clean water two times a day. No hydrogen peroxide or alcohol to clean the wound cause it can slow down the healing process." Spencer spoke as she pressed the bandage flush to her skin, still avoiding Carlisle's gaze. "I can use a thin layer of petroleum jelly and a nonstick bandage. Am I forgetting anything else?"

"Not really, you have all the bases covered." He squeezed the base of his neck, trying to unravel the knot that had formed. "You'd just have to come back in ten days to have the stitched removed."

"I'm sure Sue will be back by then. I'm sure she can take them off."

"Do you hate me that much, Spencer?" Carlisle whispered. He removed the needles in her arms slowly, noting her appearance was already changing. "I owed you the truth. Continuing our relationship whilst leaving you in the dark would have been too much of a farce."

"Yet you still waited until now to tell me?" Spencer countered. "You waited for almost two months to tell me that you and your family are vampires and that my brother and my best friend were werewolves. How am I supposed to trust you when you were able to keep this from me for this long so effortlessly? I don't hate you, Carlisle. It's because I love you that I am so hurt."

"Spencer, I..."

"You looked into my eyes day after day, having endless moments to tell me the truth, but you didn't. You made the choice to withhold reality all this time, and let me fall in love with a human. Someone I thought could grow old beside me — loyal, honest. Meanwhile, you guarded your immortality secret, distracting me with the promise of a future we will never have. You spoke of traveling, a home here in Forks, you spoke of children," she cried. "You allowed me to fantasize about us. The truth that you owed me should have been provided before we decided to pursue a serious relationship. We were built on a foundation of lies that has now crumbled, standing on a base of nothingness, waiting to be rebuilt."

"So, you're saying we still have a chance?"

"What I'm saying is that I need time, Carlisle."

"Yes! Please take all the time you need." He was ecstatic, holding onto the Hope that Spencer would one day come back to him, and they could have a good life — however they could in their case. "Before you go, I need you to know how sorry I am about all of this. I never wanted you to be hurt."

"Unfortunately, you did."

Spencer left without another word, the pain in her heart knotting her chest. She grabbed the bandages and ointment Carlisle packed and placed her arm in a sling to limit her movement, ensuring a quicker recovery. With one last look around the house she had come to adore, she exited toward Sam's truck.

Sam and Paul were resting against the truck, too engaged in their nerves that they had yet to notice Spencer exiting the house. Paul had been chewing on his fingers, distracting himself from what he had done — who he had hurt. He was expecting for the Uley siblings to never again direct a word to him, and he'd understand why.

"Let's go," Spencer announced herself, startling the two men. "We're done here."

The ride back was quiet, a choking ambiance sucking up all the air around them. No one spoke about the events that had transpired, the awkwardness filling the void of their voices left. It felt like a lifetime before the truck's roar died down and the trio was back in the reservation.

"Spencer, wait!" Sam stopped her. Spencer had been quick to leave the truck and head to her own car. "We should talk."

"The only right thing you've said in a long time." She followed her brother back into his house, Paul following shortly behind. The siblings sat at the dining table, followed by Emily and Paul excusing themselves to allow them to speak privately. "Alright, then. Talk."

"Firstly, I want to apologize for everything that happened tonight. As the alpha, I take full responsibility for your injuries. My job is to keep everyone here safe, and I failed," Sam started. "I'm sure by now you've connected the dots and know what we are. I'll let you know that everything the elders used to tell us are real — vampires and werewolves are a part of our world. The cold ones our ancestors made a treaty with were the Cullens. Before that, the men of our tribe were cursed to phase into wolves when near vampires, entrusted to protect the people in LaPush. When the coven came back to Forks two years ago they triggered the curse one more. Last year I was the first one that phased, and I thought I was alone — somehow gone crazy one day and was having delusions. It wasn't until Old Quil came by one day and noticed I had gone through the phase that I knew the truth. Then, Quil, Billy, and Harry revealed everything we thought were myths was actually real. Also, more tribe members would phase as well thanks to the appearance of the cold ones, and as the first one to phase, I was deemed the alpha. So, when Jared and Paul later one were going through the phase we were able to bond through our experiences and mutual secrecy."

Spencer blinked in the information, slowly digesting the fantastical words her brother spoke. "So, the falling out you had with mom — and Leah — was it all because of the phase? Why couldn't you just tell them?"

"It's not that simple," Sam sighed. "In order to reveal our secret, we'd need to reveal the Cullen's secret. This would mean that we would be breaking the treaty and vampires would have free reign on the rez. That's why when someone phases they cut contact with their families, to protect them from the harms of the supernatural world. The only people that are allowed to know are the former wolves, and our imprintees."

"What?"

"In simpler terms, it's sort of like a soulmate — but the bond is stronger than that. When a wolf imprints, they are unconditionally bound to that person for life. It's like your gravity shifts towards them. There was your life before, then after you meet them. You become whatever they want you to be — a protector, a lover, or a friend."

"Emily," Spencer muttered. "That's why you're together. You didn't mean to hurt Leah and leave her for her cousin. You were destined to be with her. And the, um..."

"That was an accident I caused. Trying to protect her, I ended up marking her for life." Sam bit back the tears that wanted to escape, unwilling to allow too much vulnerability when in presence of his beta. "I need you to know that the reason I never told you about this is because I wanted to protect you. And in a twisted turn of events, I'm guessing the bloodsucker was trying to do the same. Having the people we care about being involved in this world is scary. Now, you being closely in relation with the Cullens was not something I could have ever predicted. Wanna tell me about that?"

"Not particularly," she grumbled. "It's just hard to wrap my head around all this. My whole life had been based on the study of facts and science — the existence of the supernaturals just opens a floodgate of questions. How does no one notice? What else is out there? How did I not connect anything?"

"Spence, there's a reason why it's a secret. No one is meant to find out. Had it not been for the doctor you would have probably gone your whole life without knowing."

"And I'd probably not have you or Paul, or anyone that phases for that matter, in my life ever again. And I would most likely resent you for the rest of my life for pushing me out without a reason." A wave of sadness rushed through Spencer, replacing the anger she held for the people she loved. All they were trying to protect her from whatever dangers these news could bring. "I'm such an idiot. Carlisle, Paul, you... all you were doing was protect me for as long as you could. And all I've been doing is being bitter about it."

"You didn't know, Spence. Once we're in this life we learn to adjust to the people around us harboring a grudge by our sudden distance. It's hard and heartbreaking, but it's something we grow accustomed to."

"I'm so sorry, Sam."

"You're the one that got hurt, Spence. You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I came here, yelling at you both for answers. I egged Paul on and didn't listen to your warnings," Spencer sobbed. "We wouldn't be in this situation had it not been for me."

"Spence, we are all at fault here," he smiled softly, wiping away the tears from his sister's eyes. "However you reacted to the information did not warrant your injury. I was too focused on calming Paul down and didn't protect you."

"You couldn't have known, Sam." She placed a reassuring hand on his forearm, providing him with a genuine smile to appease the pain he must have been feeling. Slowly, but surely, Spencer was growing used to the idea of the supernatural surrounding her. "But, I think there's someone else that's beating himself up over this. He might need a bit more comfort at the moment."

"You're right," the man nodded. Whilst guiding his sister through to the living room, he graced hold of a hoodie that stood on a perch. "Take this jacket and cover up that bandage. Don't think you want mom asking questions about that arm."

"Thank you, Sam." She allowed him to wrap her in a hug, careful to avoid contact with her arm. "I'll probably come by in a few days to ask a lot more questions. But for now, I'm content with the answers. Good night, Sammy."

"Night, Spence," he laughed.

Outside, Paul was pacing, kicking a rock around. His shoulders were slumped and his hands were stuffed in his pockets, regret heavily painted on his face. He looked up at the creaking sound of the door, watching as Spencer cautiously went down the front steps. On her face, she wore a smile, but Paul could only feel that she had put on a mask out of pity for him. Even as she motioned for him to come closer, he remained still in his position.

"Paul, come on," she pleaded. "I just want to talk for a sec."

"You should just go home, Spencer. You need to rest up."

"Will you at least walk me home? I'll come back for my car tomorrow."

"Fine."

Spencer smiled brightly as Paul joined her side, although he was almost two feet from her. She delayed the walk, dragging her feet and taking her time to stride down the road. Paul was growing annoyed, and all she could do was laugh at him.

"Are you seriously going to ignore me, now?" Paul only responded in a grunt. "Fine, then just listen. Stop blaming yourself for what happened, alright? It was an unfortunate accident, but I'm okay now. I shouldn't have kept prodding and head Sam's warning. I won't allow you to carry the guilt of this by yourself, Paul. I know you would never intentionally hurt me."

"But I did hurt you, Spence. Just like Emily, you'll now have a physical reminder of the danger we can put humans in — of how dangerous I am."

"The danger from this world would follow me regardless of whether you scratched my arm or not. My boyfriend is a centuries-old vampire — a scratch from a wolf is hardly my biggest worry."

"Just like that Bella chick, you fell for one of them, Spence. It's not like you didn't have options."

"Seriously, Paul?" She scoffed. "It's not like we have much say in matters of the heart. You should know — you literally can't control it."

"I might not be able to control who I imprint on, but I choose who I love," Paul retorted. "He's never going to be able to give you the life you've dreamed of."

"Gods, Paul. In a span of seconds you're talking about being too dangerous and then hitting on me," she laughed. "I'm not gonna justify my decisions on who I date. This is the first time in two months that I have been in your presence for more than a few seconds, not to mention the first time we've been able to speak truthfully — without the vagueness and emptiness that came from keeping the secret. I may not have a say on who I fall in love with, but I do choose who I share a relationship with. It just so happened that Carlisle is both."

"But think, Spence. He could have told you from the beginning, and we wouldn't be going through all of this right now."

"You could have done so too. If you didn't want to break the treaty, you could have made up another story about why you turn into a massive wolf whenever you get pissed off. Not you nor Sam can judge Carlisle with how he chose to handle things when you both chose the same route of silence." Spencer was growing infuriated. She only wanted Paul to release the guilt he was feeling for injuring her, but he decided to go on a tangent and condemn her actions. "I will say this only once, Paul. What I do and who I date is no one's business but mine. I don't need anyone's approval or blessing for who I have in my life. Now, if you want to continue to be in it and have an ally by your side, I suggest you try to mend your differences with the vampires or just be my friend — no mention of my romantic relationship. Got it?"

"So, you're planning on going back to him?" Paul muttered, embarrassed by how he was acting — a lovesick puppy chasing after his childhood crush. "Well, whatever. Just know they never stick around for very long. They technically can't. I'll be here whenever it happens."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pauly boy. But I think I'll be fine," she smiled cunningly. "Should it happen then, and only then, shall you gloat about it. Now, I'm gonna go home and finally sleep. See you."

"Good night, Spencer."

"Night, Paul."

Inside the house, Spencer crept around to make sure her mother wasn't awake, to avoid any questions. The darkness inside provided her with an undetectable path to her room, Allison's bedroom door shut. She was able to rid her clothes that were drenched in the smell of fear and agony and wash away the feeling of heartbreak and lies. Finally, she let herself come undone. The tears mixed with the water coming from the showerhead feeling like waterfalls descending from her eyes. Her back hit the cold wall as she slid down until meeting the shower floor, clasping a hand over her mouth to cover the sobs that were reverberating in her throat.

In a matter of seconds, her whole life had taken a harsh hit. The truth collided into what she deemed reality at full force. Everything around her had been a carefully crafted secret dating back decades. But she wasn't disappointed as much in Carlisle for being an immortal being, she felt insecure. What could she give a man that already had everything, especially time? Spencer would not be able to give him anything but love during the short time they were allowed — sometimes love simply wasn't enough.

Once the water had turned cold, Spencer stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel around her body. She removed the bandage that Carlisle had applied, noting the light red stains on the outside. This was the first time she was noticing how big the wound actually was. Four jagged gashes went from her shoulder down to just a bit over her elbow, slightly tilted. Spencer wasn't sure If the wound was real, the moment playing hazily inside her head, the aura of a dream drenching the scene. She ran a cautious finger over the stitched skin, a phantom feeling of claws running through them. She needed to confirm that she had been truly hurt.

Carefully, she did her best to wrap it once again, unable to reach some areas with her right arm. It didn't hurt as she thought it would, possibly due to the drugs that had to be in her system. Tomorrow would be agonizing, she thought. Perhaps the mix of adrenaline with chemicals was working perfectly to allow her a good night's sleep.

Only one thing was running through her mind as she drifted into the darkness of rest — she needed to get answers... answers to everything.