{FF}[A Thread Unbroken] Chapter 17: Between Worlds

“Call him,” Edward said quietly. “Today.”

I looked at him, unsure. There was something behind his eyes—tension, maybe even regret—but he was hiding it well.

He offered a faint, tight smile. “It’s important.”

My stomach turned. I didn’t understand, not really. But I nodded anyway. “All right. I will.”

He handed me his phone, and I stared at it for a long second, my fingers curling around the cool weight of it.

Then I took a deep breath and dialed.

Other than the drive from the hospital, I hadn’t really talked to him in weeks. Not since… everything. My fingers felt stiff against the buttons. My heart pounded as the line rang once… twice… three times—

“Hello?” Jake’s voice was groggy, but unmistakably his.

“Uh, hey. Jake. It’s me,” I said, wincing at how awkward I sounded.

There was a long pause. “Bella?” He sounded surprised—then his voice flattened. “What do you want, Bella?”

Edward tapped me lightly on the shoulder, hand outstretched again. His expression was unreadable, eyes narrowed slightly with focus. I shot him a questioning look, but he just nodded once.

I swallowed. “Jake… Edward wants to talk to you.”

“What?” Jake snapped, his tone cutting. “Goodbye, Bella.”

“Wait—Jake, please,” I said quickly, panic rising in my throat. “Just hear him out. Please.”

There was another pause. Then, reluctantly: “Whatever, Bella.”

I handed the phone over to Edward. His fingers brushed mine briefly, cold and steady.

“Hello, Jacob,” Edward said, his tone perfectly polite, too smooth to be sincere.

I only heard one side of the conversation, but I leaned in, trying to catch any hint of what Jake might be saying.

“No, I haven’t,” Edward replied to something. He was quiet for a few seconds. “Yes. Bella’s in danger.”

My chest clenched.

“That’s the reason I’m calling,” Edward said, his voice lower now. “I knew you’d want to help her.”

Another pause. Edward’s brow twitched.

“That sounds like a great idea. When?”

He turned his head slightly, listening intently. I wished, not for the first time, that I could read minds—or at the very least, eavesdrop like a vampire.

“I really think you should be the one to—” Edward was cut off midsentence, and I could hear Jake’s voice clearly now, raised in irritation even from across the line.

Edward didn’t react, just waited calmly. “Very well. Whatever makes you comfortable.” He snapped the phone shut and looked at me, uncertain.

We were alone in the room. I hadn’t even noticed the others leave.

He motioned toward the couch. “Come sit,” he said gently.

I sat, anxiety crawling up my spine.

“There’s something you should know about Jacob,” he began slowly. “But I’m not going to tell you.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“I want you to figure it out for yourself,” he said, voice quiet. “When you see him, it’ll make sense.”

I was confused—frustrated, too—and I had questions. Too many. Why had he asked me to call Jacob in the first place? What had Jacob said to him? Why was Edward acting so strangely calm now?

My brow furrowed as I looked up at him. His golden eyes locked on mine with quiet intensity, like he was waiting for something, measuring me. After a few seconds, my breath caught, and I had to look away.

“Edward,” I said, my voice uncertain, “what the hell was that about?”

“You’ll understand in just a moment,” he said. “But first, Bella…” His tone shifted—cautious, deliberate. “I want you to tell me about the night you spent in La Push. Last year. The night Jacob told you about me and my family.”

His jaw tightened as he said it. Just the mention of Jacob was enough to draw tension across his whole face.

I blinked, taken off guard. “Why?”

“Please,” he murmured. “Just tell me.”

I sighed, confused, but nodded. “Okay… I remember sitting around the fire. Lauren was saying something about you—trying to set me off. Then Sam said something about your family never coming around there. I pulled Jake aside afterward and asked him what that was about.”

His eyes stayed fixed on mine, waiting.

“I’ve told you this before,” I added, frowning. “Why do you want to hear it again?”

“Do you remember the stories he told you?” Edward asked, his voice quieter now. “The Quileute legends?”

I nodded slowly, the memories stirring. “Yeah, he told me about some of the old myths. Some of them were really strange…”

“Try to recall what he said about the cold ones,” he prompted, his gaze unwavering.

I closed my eyes, trying to summon the details from that night on the beach. Jacob’s voice echoed in my memory.

“There are lots of legends,” I began, “some of them going back to the Flood. He said the Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive, kind of like Noah’s Ark…”

Edward didn’t react, just waited.

I searched further back. “He said something about wolves, too. That his tribe descended from wolves. That they weren’t supposed to harm them, even now.”

I opened my eyes and found Edward studying me closely, his expression unreadable. “What?” I asked, trying to piece it together. “What does that have to do with any of this?”

“Think back to the rest of the story,” he said gently. “The part about the cold ones.”

I forced myself to focus. To pull the rest of Jacob’s words from the haze of memory.

“Then there are the stories about the cold ones…”

“The cold ones?” I repeated aloud, the phrase like a whisper from another life.

“Yes,” I continued, voice barely audible, “there were stories about vampires. And some were recent—his great-grandfather supposedly knew them. Made a treaty with them to keep them off Quileute land.”

I paused, my heart thudding. I could feel the shape of it now, the shape of what Edward was trying to show me. And suddenly, the last line from Jacob’s story snapped back into my mind with crystal clarity:

“You would call them werewolves.”

My lips parted. “Werewolf,” I breathed.

Edward nodded slowly.

And then I just sat there, stunned. The silence that followed was thick with the weight of what I’d just said—and what it meant.

“Jacob,” I whispered, “he’s one of them.”

Edward said nothing. He didn’t need to.

Because I already knew.

“Werewolves have enemies?”

 

“Only one.”

Panic surged through me like ice in my veins.

My breath came in short, frantic gasps, and before I could register anything else, Edward’s hands were on my shoulders, steady and grounding. His presence anchored me, but barely. My chest was tight, my vision blurred with tears I hadn’t even felt forming.

“You have to go,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You can’t fight the Volturi and—Jake—and the rest of your family…” My voice cracked. I buried my face in my hands, my body trembling as the weight of it all crashed down on me. “I can’t imagine losing any of you. It’s unbearable. I can’t go through that pain again.”

Edward pulled me gently into his arms, holding me close as the sobs broke free. His voice, when it came, was low and careful. “Bella, love… he asked me to tell you. We’re meeting with him tonight.”

I jerked back, my eyes wide with fear. “No!” The word came out sharper than I meant. “You can’t. Edward, if he sees you—he already hates you. He’ll lose it. He’ll try to kill you.”

I clung to him like the thought alone might tear him from me.

Edward’s arms tightened around me. “Nothing is going to happen,” he murmured, his hands moving slowly up and down my back. “We’ll meet, we’ll talk. He needs to understand what’s coming. If he can help, if the others can—then maybe we stand a chance.”

There was something in his voice—something grim he wasn’t saying.

I looked up into his face and felt a fresh wave of dread. If anything happened to him—if Jacob hurt him—I wouldn’t survive it. Not again. Not this time.

Without thinking, I pulled him to me and pressed my lips to his, desperate and raw. My fingers threaded through his hair as I kissed him hard, slipping my tongue past his lips when he didn’t resist. He welcomed it, deepening the kiss, but the edge of urgency never left me.

It wasn’t just passion—it was fear. This could be the last time.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine, his breath cool and steady. “Everything will be fine, Bella,” he promised softly.

I didn’t believe him. Not entirely. But I needed to hear him say it.

“Just let me hold you,” I whispered, and he nodded, letting me fold into him again.

And there we stayed—for a little while longer—pretending the world wasn’t about to shift around us. Pretending we had time.

Exhaustion crept over me like a tide, dragging me under before I could resist. Curled against Edward’s chest, the steady rhythm of his breathing—or the memory of it—lulled me into sleep.

But peace didn’t follow.

***

In the dream, I was standing in an unfamiliar clearing, the air too still, the light too bright. Every color felt over-saturated, like the world had been sharpened to a dangerous edge.

Then I saw him.

Edward, stepping toward me across the field with that radiant, unguarded smile—the one I thought I might never see again. Relief washed over me, and I opened my arms. He mirrored the gesture, closing the distance between us.

But something streaked past the trees.

A massive russet wolf burst into the clearing.

Before I could react, it launched itself at Edward. I heard the horrifying sound—metal rending from stone—as marble-white shards flew through the air. My mouth opened in a silent scream. No sound came out.

Then more wolves. They swarmed Edward’s body, tearing, dragging. And when they finally pulled back, all that remained was a crumpled pile of limbs and stone. A crude sculpture of his destruction.

The russet wolf turned.

And in its place stood Jacob.

He gave me a wicked, triumphant grin and pulled a silver lighter from his pocket. I tried to move. My legs tensed, but I remained frozen in place. Helpless. Useless. Voiceless.

Jake flicked the flame to life.

No.

The fire consumed what was left of Edward in an instant. My chest splintered with pain as if I were burning with him. My knees buckled. I dropped to the blood-soaked grass.

Then everything changed.

The clearing darkened, and a blur of black and gray cloaks spilled from the trees. The Volturi descended like shadows come alive. In seconds, they tore through the wolves. Blood drenched the field, slick and warm beneath my hands and knees. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. The stench of fire and flesh clogged my throat.

And then they looked at me.

Every crimson gaze turned to where I knelt in the blood and ash. My body refused to obey, even as every instinct screamed to run.

They closed in.

One shoved me face-first into the thick, coppery pool. My scream was drowned. I felt weight crash down on my back—then pain. Tearing. Burning. My blood pouring out of me in rivers.

And then—

Darkness.

***

I woke screaming.

Before the sound had fully left my throat, Edward was there, arms around me, panic in his eyes. The room was still dark, the shadows from early afternoon just beginning to recede. My cries quieted as I realized he was holding me, safe, alive. My whole body shook as I scrambled into his lap, burying my face into his shoulder.

He didn’t say anything at first—just held me, arms wrapped tight as I trembled against him. I couldn’t stop the tears this time. They came hard and fast, and I didn’t bother fighting them. The images still clawed at the edges of my memory: fire, blood, Jacob’s grin, Edward’s ruin.

Eventually, I ran out of tears. My eyes ached, raw and swollen. I wiped at them with trembling hands, trying to compose myself. Edward watched me silently, worry carved into every line of his face.

“Bella,” he said softly. “Talk to me.”

I sniffled, voice shaky. “Didn’t you see it?”

He shook his head gently. “No.”

I blinked in confusion. “That’s weird. You saw the others… the ones with the Volturi.”

He didn’t press. Just let me rest my head against his chest again, his fingers moving slowly up and down my spine.

“Are you okay?” he asked after a while, pressing a kiss to my hair.

“I think so,” I whispered. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize,” he murmured. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

I hesitated, then nodded. Shifting in his lap so I could face him properly, I began to describe the dream. I told him everything—how real it had felt, how I couldn’t move or scream, how it ended in fire and blood and teeth. His expression darkened as I spoke, his eyes never leaving mine.

When I finished, I was embarrassed. “I know it was just a dream, but… it felt like a warning.”

Edward reached up and brushed his thumb along my cheek. “I can see why you woke up that way. Are you sure you’re all right now?”

“I just needed you,” I said softly. “To remind me what’s real.”

He nodded, though I saw the tension still in his jaw. Then he glanced at the clock. “We should get ready. We’re supposed to meet Jacob in the woods behind your father’s house. Five o’clock.”

At his words, something inside me locked up. My body went cold.

The clearing.

The vision of it crashed into my memory again—Edward stepping toward me, Jacob’s transformation, the wolves, the flames. I stared into the distance, the fear creeping in like ice under my skin.

“Bella?” Edward’s voice was gentle but urgent. “Are you okay?”

“The clearing,” I whispered, still seeing it. “It’s the same one. From my dream. It’s the woods where you left me. Those are the woods behind Charlie’s house.”

His face tensed, but his voice remained even. “We’re not going that far in, love. Just a short way up the path.”

“You can’t know that,” I said, shaking my head, panic rising again. “Edward, please. Something bad will happen if we go there. I can feel it.”

“Bella, you’ll be fine—” he started, but another voice interrupted from the doorway.

“You’ll be fine,” Alice said confidently, leaning against the doorframe with a knowing smile.

Edward turned to look at her over his shoulder. “You can’t see anything when the wolf is there. So how do you know?”

I could tell he already knew the answer—he’d read it in her thoughts. He was prompting her for my sake.

Alice shrugged slightly, still smiling. “True, I can’t see past Jacob. But I saw you two standing on the porch when Charlie comes home. Whatever happens in the woods, you both make it out.”

That should have reassured me. But all I could feel was the pounding of my heart and the dread curling low in my stomach.

I nodded slowly, trying to hold onto the calm in Edward’s voice, and Alice’s certainty.

But the clearing still haunted me.

“So, do you feel better now that you know we’ll be fine?” Edward asked, looking down at me with that carefully calm expression he wore when he was trying not to let me see how worried he really was.

“I suppose,” I said.

It was a lie. No matter what Alice had seen—or claimed to see—I still couldn’t shake the dream. The images clung to me like smoke, bitter and cloying. I nodded anyway, not wanting to burden him with more worry.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek softly. “We really should get ready.”

His lips lingered there a beat longer than necessary, as if anchoring himself to the moment.

Alice’s earlier words finally registered, and I blinked up at him. “Wait. We’re going to have to see Charlie?”

Edward shook his head. “Not if you don’t want to. We can take a back way out of the woods. I’ll park the car a few blocks over so he doesn’t see it.”

I hesitated, chewing on the inside of my cheek before letting out a quiet sigh. “No. We should probably just get this over with. It might be my last chance to see him before I—” I caught myself, the word lingering in my throat, heavy and real now.

I swallowed. “Before I change.”

Edward went still beside me.

His entire body tensed, and though his face remained composed, I could see it—just under the surface. The pain. The resistance. The way that single word cracked something deep inside him. It wasn’t anger or even fear. It was mourning.

I watched as his eyes dropped to the floor, his jaw clenching so tightly I thought it might splinter.

“If you’re sure,” he said finally, his voice low and uneven, like it had to fight its way out of his chest.

That reaction said everything.

He wasn’t ready to hear it. Maybe he never would be. But I had to be honest now—with him, and with myself. The Volturi were coming. Time wasn’t a luxury we had anymore.

And he knew it, too.

***

It was painful to walk this path again—Edward leading me through the woods like he had once before, down a trail that had once ended with heartbreak. Everything felt heavier now. My steps. My thoughts. Even the hand Edward held tightly in his own.

We stopped at the edge of the clearing just behind Charlie’s house, and I could see the tension in Edward’s posture even before I followed his gaze.

There, just beyond the trees, a massive russet-colored wolf stepped into view.

I froze.

I’d known, of course. I’d overheard the conversation. I’d remembered the stories Jacob told me around that fire last year. I’d even put the pieces together after Edward all but confirmed it. But none of that prepared me for the reality.

The sheer size of him.

The power.

The strange familiarity in his eyes—brown and wary and heartbreakingly human.

I gasped and instinctively moved closer to Edward, who responded with a low, warning growl deep in his chest.

The wolf—Jacob—held still, watching us, ears alert, chest rising and falling with restrained energy.

Edward didn’t flinch. His voice, though taut, was measured. “Do you mind, Jacob? If you want to speak with Bella, you’ll have to do it properly. In your human form.”

The wolf let out a low huff and turned away, vanishing silently back into the trees.

I was still trying to breathe.

“That’s… that’s him,” I whispered.

Edward nodded, keeping his eyes on the spot where Jacob had disappeared. “Yes.”

I didn’t know what I’d expected. Maybe something less real. Less jarring. Not this graceful, terrifying shift from boy to beast.

But there was no denying it anymore. Jacob was a werewolf. And I was standing in the middle of a supernatural standoff I barely understood.

When Jacob returned, now barefoot and shirtless, he looked nearly the same as I remembered—but there was something undeniably different now. His presence felt heavier. Wilder. Like something old and dangerous lived just beneath his skin.

“Bella,” he said, his voice gravel-thick, shoulders tight. “You okay?”

I nodded, unable to speak.

He looked at Edward then, his expression turning dark. “Let’s get this over with.”

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes locked on Edward with open distrust. “I’m only here because you said she was in danger.”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise,” Edward replied, his voice smooth, but clipped. “We need your help.”

“My help?” Jacob scoffed. “That’s rich. The last time we saw each other, I told you what would happen if you ever came near her again.”

“I remember,” Edward said evenly. “But things have changed.”

Jacob’s gaze slid to me. “Yeah, I can see that.” His jaw tightened. “You okay, Bells?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “I… I think so.” But my voice shook, and I could feel both their eyes on me, watching too closely.

Jacob looked at me a moment longer, then spoke, low and rough. “Is this it, then? You’re choosing him?”

The question hung in the air, heavier than anything else that had been said.

I swallowed hard, my eyes flicking to Edward. Then back to Jacob. “I love him,” I said quietly. “That hasn’t changed.”

Jacob’s jaw clenched, pain flashing behind his eyes. But he didn’t press.

Edward shifted beside me. “Tell him,” he said gently. “About the Volturi.”

I nodded, grounding myself, and continued. “There’s a group… the Volturi. Vampire royalty, sort of. They’re coming.”

Jacob’s expression darkened instantly. “Coming here?”

“They believe the Cullens broke a rule. That I know too much.” My voice faltered. “They’ll want a resolution. One way or another.”

Jacob swore under his breath. “And let me guess, their version of a ‘resolution’ doesn’t exactly come with options.”

“Only two,” Edward said quietly. “Immortality. Or death.”

Jacob turned on him. “You’d let them turn her?”

“I’d rather turn her than bury her,” Edward growled. “But she hasn’t chosen yet.”

“I’m standing right here, you know,” I snapped, the pressure building in my chest finally boiling over. “Maybe stop talking about me like I’m already gone.”

They both fell silent.

Then Jacob stepped closer. “So why am I here, exactly? What do you want from me?”

“We believe,” Edward said carefully, “that when the Volturi arrive, things could turn violent. And if it does… we can’t protect her alone.”

Jacob’s eyes narrowed. “You want us to fight with you.”

“I’m asking you to protect her. Not us.”

“And what’s in it for us?” Jacob shot back. “Why should we put ourselves on the line for a bunch of leeches?”

“Because,” I said quietly, “they’ll come for you next. Once they find out about the wolves, they won’t stop.”

That gave Jacob pause. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, the weight of the choice he was being asked to make.

“I need to talk to Sam,” he said finally.

Edward nodded. “We figured as much. I’ll give you the details.”

Jacob turned to me again, something softer passing over his face. “I’ll do what I can, Bells. You know that.”

I nodded, throat too tight to speak.

Jacob’s expression hardened, his eyes darting between me and Edward. “Can I speak with Bella in private?”

Edward’s voice was tight. “Ask her yourself. I’m not her keeper.”

A chill crept down my spine. Edward’s unreadable face, his calm tone that didn’t match the sharp tension thrumming beneath his stillness—it unsettled me. I looked between the two of them and nodded slowly.

Edward gave me one last searching glance before turning and disappearing down the trail, silent as a shadow. Jacob waited until the rustle of Edward’s departure faded before stepping closer. He took my shoulders gently, but his grip quickly became too firm.

“What the hell are you thinking, Bella? You don’t want to become a vampire.”

I stared at him, caught off guard by his sudden intensity. “Jake, I know what I want. Please… let go. You’re holding on too tight.”

He released me, but didn’t step back. His eyes stayed locked on mine, full of pain and something like desperation.

“Bella, there are other ways. You don’t have to do this. You could still choose life. A real life. One with a future—a family.”

I shook my head slowly. “Not if I want to be with Edward. This is the only way.”

“Then don’t be with him,” Jacob said firmly. “Let him go. Let him take all this darkness with him. You could turn away and still have everything.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. “When he left last time… I barely survived it.”

Jacob’s face contorted. “You could survive. I’d help you. We could move forward together. You could be happy again.”

I looked at him, my heart aching, knowing what was coming next.

“Choose me, Bella,” he said, grabbing my shoulders again, softer this time. “I’ve loved you since you came back to Forks. I could give you everything he can’t. A normal life. Children. We could grow old together. I could keep you safe.”

My heart clenched. The words I had to say would hurt him, I knew it. But lying would be worse.

“I’m sorry, Jake. I don’t love you that way.”

He didn’t flinch. He just stood there, too calm, hands still resting on my arms.

“That’s okay,” he murmured. “I can love you enough for both of us. Maybe someday… maybe you’d love me back.”

I didn’t have time to respond. A cool hand wrapped around my waist, and Edward’s breath tickled my ear.

“Charlie is coming. We need to leave.”

Then, to Jacob, his tone edged with steel: “I need your answer. Will you grant your pack’s permission for Bella to be changed?”

Jacob stiffened. He let go of me and stepped back, his hands forming tight fists. “That decision isn’t mine. Only the Alpha can give an answer like that.”

Edward’s jaw clenched, but he gave a single, curt nod. “Then take the message to him. And what about the Volturi? Will you warn your pack?”

“I’ll tell them,” Jacob said. “We’ll discuss it. You’ll get your answer soon.”

He turned to go, but Edward held out a slip of paper. Jacob hesitated, then snatched it with a grunt.

“Can I find Dr. Fang in the phone book?” he muttered.

Edward didn’t rise to the bait. Jacob turned and loped away, his body already trembling with the effort to keep control.

Edward spun me toward him, pulling me flush against his chest. His mouth was on mine in an instant, hot and urgent. I parted my lips for him without hesitation, the heat between us eclipsing everything for a moment.

When I finally had to pull away for air, he rested his forehead against mine, breathing hard.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “His thoughts… the way he touched you… I couldn’t help it. I had to mark my territory.”

I held him closer, not trusting my voice. The ache in my chest wasn’t from guilt or confusion anymore. It was fear.

There was no turning back now.

Edward kissed my forehead, then laced his fingers through mine as we made our way out of the woods. As we rounded the corner of the house, I saw Charlie stepping out of his cruiser. He shut the door with a firm click and looked up—his eyes landing on Edward, then me, then our joined hands.

The look on his face made my stomach twist. This wasn’t going to be easy.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

Better to just get this over with.

“Hi, Dad,” I said as we stopped in front of him.

His eyes narrowed slightly as they flicked between us again. Then, without a word of greeting, he turned toward the house.

“Come in,” he said, voice flat. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, leaving it open behind him.

I looked at Edward. He must’ve seen the fear on my face because he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and nodded once.

Together, we stepped through the door. I paused just long enough to glance back at the path behind us, then pushed it closed with a quiet click.

What waited for us in the next room, I wasn’t sure. But I knew we’d face it together.