CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
GRIEVING

When Montana and Paul pulled up outside the Clearwater's, the front drive was already blocked by multiple different vehicles. Montana immediately recognised her parents silver Renault amongst them.

During the journey, Paul had gotten a call from Sam to let him know that Harry didn't make it. Montana tried her best to keep her emotions reigned in, mostly for the sake of Paul, who was possibly the most useless person to comfort anyone, but she also knew she needed to be strong for Leah and Seth.

Paul turned the keys in the ignition, shutting off the engine. He turned his head to look over at Montana, who was staring vacantly out of the window, her tear stained face completely drained of colour.

"You ready to go inside?"

Her stomach twisted into knots at the thought, grief already forming a lump in her throat. She managed a small nod in response, unclipping her seatbelt.

They climbed down from the trunk in silence, approaching the house with cautious steps. Montana could hear nothing but the sound of her own heart thudding. The uneasy quietness, from a house usually bursting with energy, put them both on edge.

Paul hesitated as they reached the door, his hand tightening around the handle. A brief look was shared between them before he opened it and they stepped inside.

The heavy atmosphere felt suffocating to Montana the very moment she set foot into the lounge. Pain stricken faces were what she was met with, and the ache in her chest only deepened by the grief pouring from every soul in the room.

Leah stood by the window, expression stoic as her distant eyes stared outside. A lone tear travelled down her cheek, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. On the arm of the couch, Dakota watched Leah with tearful eyes, her knee bouncing up and down absentmindedly with worry for her friend.

Nita's arms were wrapped securely around Seth, whose entire body trembled uncontrollably as he sobbed into her shoulder. Tye stood beside Billy Black, a hand placed on the man's shoulder, both of them struggling to watch the two broken-hearted children of Harry Clearwater.

Jared and Embry's heads snapped up as Montana and Paul entered the room, the new presence capturing the attention of almost everyone. Dakota got to her feet in an instant, crossing the room in a hurry to fling her arms around her cousin. Montana struggled to hold back tears, her arms tightening around her. Dakota buried her head against her shoulder, soft cries muffled as she pressed her face against Montana's sweater. Tye placed his hands on either shoulder of his two girls, letting them quietly know that he was there for them.

When Dakota finally stepped back, Montana's eyes landed back on the distraught Clearwater siblings, and any of the comforting words she thought she had, disappeared into thin air.

Montana settled for placing a hand against Leah's shoulder as she passed her, knowing not to suffocate her with reassurances, and instead give her time to breathe and process the loss. Montana didn't want her to think she hadn't acknowledged her whatsoever, which was why her touch was a gentle reminder that she was there, whenever Leah needed her.

Tentatively, she approached Seth instead. crouching down beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to him.

Nita gave her daughter a watery smile, squeezing her hand tightly as Seth continued to sob in their arms. Montana's tear filled eyes slowly surveyed the rest of the grief-stricken room, searching for the one person whose comforting arms she wanted to be wrapped in, but she couldn't find him.

The absence of Jacob suddenly filled her with dread, and Embry caught her eyes, nodding towards the kitchen. She got back to her feet, following Dakota and the boys into the other room so that they could talk privately.

Once Montana had shut the heavy door behind her, she naturally moved towards Embry, who opened his arms in anticipation for a hug.

"This is so horrible," she whispered, choking back cries. Dakota also came to her side, rubbing a comforting hand between her shoulders. "I just don't know what to say to either of them."

"Nothing will make this any better," Paul mumbled, gripping hold of the counter. "Other than ripping the bloodsucker's head off."

Jared exhaled heavily, taking a seat at the kitchen table, whilst Montana untangled herself from Embry's arms, beginning to look between the boys in concern. "Where's Jake?"

Embry opened his mouth to respond before closing it again, seeming to think better of it. He exchanged brief glances with Jared and Paul, which Montana couldn't quite read, but their uneasiness certainly raised her suspicions.

Dakota's eyebrows pulled into a frown. "Wait, isn't he with Sam?" Dakota asked, expectant stare drifting between each of them.

Embry drew in a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably. "Jacob is, uh...well, Jake's with Bella."

Montana's jaw tightened, anger flooding through her veins as she realised that, in his tribe's time of need, he was still hanging out with Bella fucking Swan.

Embry picked up on the furious hammering of Montana's heart, loosening his grip on her as she pulled herself out of his embrace.

"It's not what you think," he attempted to reassure. "Bella had an accident...sort of."

Worry sparked in Dakota's eyes. "An accident?" She whirled around to face Jared. "Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Is she okay?" Montana asked, her irritation slowly sinking back down, nerves rising to the surface instead. "What happened?"

"She went cliff-diving," Embry replied, wincing slightly at the furious looks on the two girl's faces. "Listen, I know we should have told you earlier but it wasn't the right time–"

"Cliff diving?" Dakota blinked, still registering the information. "What the hell?"

"Jake promised he'd take her one day," Jared said. "But she went on her own."

"He didn't say whether what happened was intentional or...uh, recreational," Embry added.

"Great," Montana said through gritted teeth, turning to face the counter. "So whilst you were all out there risking your lives for her, whilst Harry was dying, Bella was busy trying to fucking kill herself."

"Montana," Dakota cautioned, noticing the muscles in her back tighten.

Montana shook her head, drawing in a sharp breath. "And of course Jacob's with her."

"He was the one that found her, pulled her out. Sam told him to take her home," Embry attempt to quell the growing tension.

Paul scoffed. "Yeah, like over an hour ago."

Montana whirled back around, her elbow accidentally catching a bowl on the side of the counter, the force knocking it to the ground. It shattered to pieces by her feet.

"Oh, nice one," Embry snapped at Paul, moving to guide Montana away from the broken ceramic on the floor.

"What? Like I'm the one that smashed it," Paul retorted with a scoff.

"Shut up, man," Jared chastised. He stood up, brushing against Paul's shoulder as he passed him, bending down to help Embry pick up the mess.

The kitchen door began to open cautiously, Tye taking a small step inside. "Everything ok?" His eyes landed on the shattered bowl scattered across the kitchen tiles. "What happened?"

"Montana accidentally knocked something off the counter," Embry responded calmly, his hands squeezing her shoulders. "We're just cleaning it up."

Tye's eyes drifted over Montana and Dakota's tight and stormy expressions. He hesitated for a moment, before eventually nodding his head, stepping back into the lounge again.

Dakota's teeth ground together as she thought about what had happened to Bella. Whether almost drowning had been intentional or not, the reason for her downward spiral had been Edward, a vampire, a killer of innocent people, and the mortal enemy of the pack. He and his family had caused so much unwarranted pain to the people she loved, and she was sick of it.

Without another word, Dakota angrily snatched her leather jacket from the back of the chair, shrugging it harshly over her shoulders.

"Kotes, where are you going?" Jared asked, reaching out to stop her.

"To see Bella," she responded, jerking away from him. "Don't follow me."

"I'm coming with you," Montana stated. "I need to talk to her too.

"No, you should stay," Dakota dismissed, pausing by the door.

"Why? What use am I doing here?" Montana fired back.

"Both of you should stay here," Paul said firmly, stepping between them. "It's not safe. Victoria could have gone after her–"

"I don't care right now, Paul," Dakota huffed exasperatedly.

"Yeah? Well I do," Jared shot back. "We all need to stay here."

"No, you don't get to tell me what I can and can't do," Dakota snapped at him, yanking open the kitchen door. "So let me go."

"Hey," Embry hissed, grabbing Montana's wrist to stop her from leaving. He briefly glanced out at the people gathered in the living room, his eyes then lowering back to Montana as she turned back to face him properly. "We can't protect you over there."

Montana pulled her arm from his grip, levelling her stare with his. "Then it's a good job neither of us need protecting."

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the three wolves in a stunned silence.

"Well, that went well," Paul muttered sarcastically, heading towards the fridge.

"Are you seriously eating at a time like this?" Embry criticised. Paul simply shrugged, reaching for a plate of leftovers. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Jared ran a hand over his face in exhaustion, letting out a groan. "Guys, Jake's seriously gonna kill us."

"Nothing we can do about it now," Paul responded, taking a seat at the table. "They made up their minds."

"But they're not safe," Jared countered.

"We can't force them to do anything," Paul said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "They know the risks."

Embry gave him a harsh look. "Your lack of conscience is truly astonishing."

"Thank you."

"Dude, I don't think that was a compliment," Jared said, leaning back against the wall. Paul simply shrugged again.

"I'm gonna follow them," Embry announced, moving towards the door. "Make sure they're safe. You never know what's out there."

A/N

The next chapter is going to be dramaaa