Episode 14

Jordan watched Bella pace back and forth and gave her an odd look. It was almost midnight, and she was afraid their plan would fail.

"What are you so nervous about?" he asked, and she scoffed.

"I don't think I can do this," she snapped, and Jordan shrugged.

"Then don't."

"What!" Bella exclaimed, stopping, and he leaned against the truck.

"If the act is greater than the risk, don't do anything."

She looked at him angrily and stormed toward him.

"My family is worth more than our lives combined!" she growled, and he straightened, unphased.

"Then save them," he said.

Bella scoffed, turning away, but Jordan snatched her arm and pinned her against the truck. She looked at him and growled.

"Jordan Baker, I don't have time for games. I don't even see the point in this!"

He searched her eyes and saw them shimmer.

"You know what I see? I see a scared little daddy's girl with a goddess inside, trying to claw her way out, but you keep pushing her away. You haven't accepted her or the power you been given," he sneered, towering over her, and she growled.

"You growling at me now?" he asked.

"Get used to it, Beta," she sneered, and Jordan smirked.

"There it is. Now, you can run like a scared little daddy's girl, or you can keep owning your shit. People die, baby girl. It's how the world always worked."

Bella felt the beast inside, clawing to the surface, and blew a shaky breath. Anger, guilt, sadness, and rage built behind the creature, and Jordan saw Bella's eyes shimmer. He grinned, showing his gold canines, and licked his lips.

"That's it, baby. Don't fight it. Let it consume you, and let that gorgeous creature out. The Bandits took your family. Abraham, Megan, Charlie, Dale, and the others. The people who keep you going. Those assholes stole them from you. They want you to doubt yourself and fail. Now, you gonna be that scared daddy's girl, or are you gonna man up and be who you meant to be?" Jordan asked through clenched teeth, making his stripes appear and his eyes glow.

The tigers and jaguars roared and stood tall.

"We at the top of the food chain, baby. Not them! Embrace those feelings and use that shit!" he snarled.

Bella searched his eyes, and Jordan felt something commanding him to step back. Immediately, he backed away, and she walked to an empty spot away from the house and vehicles. She wanted to ensure she didn't bust any windows or mirrors.

Bella held her arms out to the side, feeling the full force of the undead power coursing through her veins, and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, feeling the beast claw its way to the surface, and exhaled a deep roar into the sky. Jordan watched as thick black stripes appeared on her body, and claws and sharp fangs with golden canines appeared. She opened her eyes, and they glowed crimson red.

Jordan saw three tiny black triangle stripes in front of her ears and thought they were adorable. Bella looked at him in her evolved form, breathing heavily, and Jordan smirked.

"That's better, ain't it?" he asked, and she nodded.

He walked toward her and pushed her hair behind her shoulder.

"Bout time you came out of your shell, baby girl," he said softly, and she grinned, showing her gold teeth.

"Now, you ready to go save our family?" he asked.

Bella searched his eyes and realized Jordan was her Beta. He was family now, but how did he become her Beta? She didn't bite him.

"Tears in the wound."

She looked at Jordan, and he nodded.

"You saved my life again."

Bella looked at him thoughtfully and nodded. She needed time to process everything but knew it would have to wait until she saved her family. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and saw the Bandits pulling her family out of a van. She opened glowing, angry eyes, and Jordan nodded.

"Let's go."

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Abraham, Megan, Dale, Charlie, Sarah, Mike, Andy, and Bonnie sat on their knees, and the bright headlights of the Bandits' vehicles blinded them. The pebbles under their legs dug into their skin, and the group feared for their lives.

"It's two minutes to tea time, folks. I wonder which will come first. Your undeniable untimely deaths, or the kid who's turned into a freak?" asked Wess, and the Bandits laughed.

Charlie and Bonnie started sobbing, and a girl in the crowd scoffed.

"Aww, come on, Wess. Did you have to make the kids cry? You know, I hate it when the young ones cry," she said, and Wess chuckled.

"I'm not a monster, Claire. I've never killed a child, and I'm not about to start."

Claire only nodded and glanced at Charlie and Bonnie. She didn't want them or their group to die, and she hated it when Wess made them torture people for no reason. Megan maneuvered her gag off, and Abraham shook his head.

"What about Jordan's kids? What about my daughter, and what about scaring the hell out of my son? You are a monster!" she yelled, and Wess looked at Megan thoughtfully.

"She isn't your daughter anymore, Megan. Wake up."

"She is my daughter, and she's going to wipe the pavement with your sorry ass. You can't stop her!" Megan snapped, and Wess knelt in front of her.

"She isn't your daughter. She's the monster, and I'm going to end her once and for all," he said softly, and Megan spit in his face.

Wess looked at her thoughtfully, wiping his face, and stood. Without a word, he quickly sliced Megan's throat, and the group gasped. She looked at Abraham, gasping for air, and he started sobbing, watching the blood pour from her neck. Sarah, Bonnie, and Charlie screamed through their gags, and the group cried.

Dale glared at Wess, getting his gag off as Megan's lifeless body hit the ground, and Wess looked at him, pointing his sword.

"You got something to say, freak lover?" he asked, and Dale shook his head.

"Look, Dale. If your girlfriend doesn't show, I'm going to hang you right in the middle of this intersection and watch you turn. I bet she'll love that."

Suddenly, they heard a chirp, and Bella jumped from a tree, landing between Wess and her family. Abraham, Dale, Charlie, Sarah, Mike, Andy, and Bonnie stared at the dark stripes and golden canines. Bella growled protectively and stared at Wess with glowing eyes.

The Bandits gasped, stepped back, and looked at each other.

"Oh, would you look at that? The little bird flew in for a landing a few minutes too late," announced Wess, pointing at Megan, and Bella looked.

She saw her stepmother heaped in a puddle of blood, and Bella gasped.

"Mom," she whispered, looking at her sobbing father and brother.

Charlie gave his sister a pleading look, and she nodded.

"Yeah, you missed it, firebird. Your mother tried to act all tough and shit, then spit in my face. I don't like people spitting in my face, so I slit her throat," said Wess proudly.

Bella growled at the man, turning her head, and he put his hands up in defense.