⁺◟ STARDUST ! ⋆·˚ ❪ ✦♥ ❫
❛ chapter eighteen ❜

⊹₊ ⋆ "THE SCENT DISAPPEARED ABOUT FIVE miles south of Bella's house," Jasper spoke as he along with Emmett and Melanie entered the Cullen home after tracking whoever was in Bella's home.

"Someone's orchestrating this. It can't be a coincidence." Melanie said, making her way over beside Alice, wrapping her arm around her wife and pulling her closer.

"Victoria?" Bella asked.

"I would have seen her decide," Alice shakes her head.

"Has to be the Volturi," Edward pointed out.

"I don't think it's the Volturi, either. I've been watching Aro's decisions, too."

"It has to be someone we don't know, but this person obviously knows us," Melanie chimed in. "So we keep looking," Emmet spoke up.

"We'll also take shifts guarding Bella at her house," Carlisle stated.

Rosalie looks at her adoptive father in disbelief. "Another protection detail?"

"-Rosalie."

Bella shakes her head, looking up at the vampires. "No, she's rights. You can't protect me, watch my dad, and search for the intruder."

"And for Victoria," Rosalie adds on.

"And feed." Melanie continued, earning a look from Edward. "What? You know it's true," She replied with a roll of her eyes.

Edward takes a step forward towards Bella before talking. "I'm not leaving you here defenceless."

"Well, I'm not gonna let you starve," Bella spoke quickly to disagree. "And I wouldn't be unprotected. I... have-"

"What?"

Bella explained how the wolves would help, despite not even asking them first. The next morning Edward and Melanie went with Bella while Jacob scooped out Bella's house, she had gotten a phone call from Sam and one of the Elder's, asking if she could stop by for a chat. So she would be joining Jacob over to his territory.

"Whoever it was, he left a stink behind. It'll be hard to miss when we cross it again. We'll handle it from here." Jacob explained.

Edward, whose eyes were black from a mixture of things; anger, hunger, worried-ness, and jealousy spoke. "We don't need you to handle anything. Or anyone."

"I could care less what you need."

"All right, we're done here." Edward sighed, shaking his head anger-ly.

"No, you're done here."

"Stop!" Bella snapped. "I'm tired of this. From now on, I'm Switzerland, okay?"

"About god damn time," Melanie yelled from her place at the car.

Edward hated the idea, but it wasn't about rivalry anymore. If they wanted to protect Bella and Charlie. They had to work together.

Jacob and Melanie were both riding in Melanie's car towards his home where Billy and Sam were waiting, to say it was an awkward ride, was an understatement.

"Do you have any clue what this is about?" Melanie asked looking over at Jacob who shook his head.

"Not really, only that it's about your family." Jacob awkwardly replied before awkwardness filled the air once again.

"He'll never tell you this because he's burdened with too much hatred and jealously, but I know Edward appreciates what you're doing for Bella, despite constantly trying to make a move on her. The rest of us do as well."

"I won't let any harm come towards Bella. I love her too much." Jacob replied.

"I know you do, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry she doesn't love you back." Jacob looked over at the girl in shock, it didn't really click what Melanie said was in some ways rude, but at the same time, she wasn't really bothered.

Luckily by the time she realised, they had arrived at the Black house. Jacob practically ran inside, away from the vampire.

"What's this about?" Melanie questioned, looking between Billy and Sam as she closed her car door..

"Why don't you come inside?"

The trio walked inside the home of Billy Black, sitting down in one of his couches before Billy started explaining what he had found out.

"Wait, so you're telling me, that the people I grew up with, weren't my real family. And Carmen isn't my real sister, and my real family were both shapeshifters and not just any shapeshifters but they were both Alpha's." Melanie spoke seriously before busting out in a fit of laughter.

A burst of laughter that stopped once she noticed the serious expressions on both of the werewolves faces. "Wait? You're being serious?"

"I'm afraid so. You have always wondered why you had such a connection with shapeshifters and even wolves themself when they're supposed to hate, no despise each other. You always wondered why to other vampires shapeshifters stunk, and vice versa, but it didn't apply to you. You have always wondered why you were immensely stronger than the original vampire when that was not your ability." Said Billy.

"This explains why. And there's more you should know." Sam spoke up. "If you were not turned when you were, give or take another few years and you would have become a shapeshifter live us, not only that. But with the power of two alpha parents, you don't know how rare that is."

Billy nodded his head in agreement before carrying on. "You may not be a shapeshifter now, or a human. But you still have our blood running in you. Do you know what that means, you can do things vampires would kill to do." Melanie looked between both of the wolves in shock, still trying to process everything she was being told.

"Have you ever tried to eat human food, or drink water, alcohol, anything that wasn't blood?"

"I've always been told if I did I would throw up, and feel a horrible pain in my stomach, so I never tried it. Why?"

"We believe that you should be able to do such things, we also believe if you tried, you could shapeshift into a wolf, we would like to try out our theory, for the first part," Billy explained.

Melanie looked up once hearing footprints, she noticed Emily, Sam's fiancé walk in with a tray of muffins, placing them down in front of the trio.

Billy continued, pushing the plate towards her. "If I'm wrong, you can leave, go back to normal, pretend we didn't even have this discussion, but we're almost positive that we're correct."

Melanie hesitated, looking down at the muffins, she hadn't had human food in years, she can't even remember what it tasted like. She picked up a muffin, taking the wrapper off the bottom of it, looking up at the shapeshifters who nodded, before taking a bite.

She expected to swallow it, just to throw it back up again, but it never came, a sore feeling in her stomach never came? All she felt, was the happiness to actually be able to chew something.

Billy and Sam both nodded to each other, a slight smile on their faces which was rare, mostly for Sam. "What else have you found out?" Melanie questioned before taking another bite of the muffin.

"Everything else is still pretty much normal, you still have to drink blood to survive, that won't change, you will still have to drink blood bags or your powers will get out of control, the only difference is being able to eat, drink, being stronger and faster than other vampires which you already knew but now you have an explanation, and who knows, maybe who can shape-shift, but we will get into that another day," Sam explained.

"There's one more thing," Billy said, standing up and walking over to a table that had a yellow envelope sat on top. "Unfortunately, both of your parents are dead, but you do have one living relative, a brother, who's just like you." Billy sat the envelope down on the table beside the plate of muffin.

Melanie hesitated, taking a hold of the envelope and taking out the piece of paper which was inside, inside was a name, an address, and a photo of what this brother of hers looked like.

Her eyes widened slightly, her jaw-dropping. "What? You know him?" Sam questioned, looking at the girl's expression.

"Yeah, yeah I know him..." She read over the paper again, whispering the same to herself.

Niklaus Marshall.