First Chapter of a short story.

Non-Canon/AU/OOC

This was an idea I nudged around with ShadowPast620.

Pairing: Quil/Bella

Warning:Strong Content

Do Not Own Twilight.

...

"Suffering is a gift.

In it is hidden mercy."

- Rumi

…

The Deepest Scars

...

The shape-shifter kneeled in front of his best friend's grave, violent sobs wracked through his bulky frame. He covered his face with his hands; the guilt and agony ate away at him; shredded him apart from the inside out.

Jacob Black was a large part of Quil's life. They grew up together, and even though a blood bond was not shared, they were brothers. They had the same sense of humor, argued over what to name their shop when they opened it, and constantly made bets on who would get a pretty girl's phone number first.

The hardest part for him to accept was the fact that he was alone.

They were always there for each other, no matter what happened in their lives.

Quil was by Jacob's side when his mother died. Jacob sat next to Quil on the days when the loss of his father hurt too much.

They didn't bombard the other with unnecessary words of encouragement or sympathy. They both knew, sometimes, you just needed a silent companion.

His heart clenched and throbbed; he missed his best friend.

He couldn't bring himself to visit Billy Black. The man was distraught, filled with deep suffering. Nothing and no one could bring him out of his grief. A parent is not supposed to outlive their child.

Quil seemed to be living on autopilot.

When the Cullen house began to burn, once it was assured the coven would not interfere, Embry phased and has not been heard from again. Sam didn't have the energy to stop him. His own heart heavy over the loss of Jacob.

A sound brought Quil out of his thoughts. Her scent slammed into him like a freight train... it was her.

The girl responsible for all this torment and death... Bella -fucking- Swan.

Traces of salt lingered in the breeze that touched his face. Tears.

How dare she show her face on the reservation after everything she cost the pack?!

Quil stood to his full height and rolled his shoulders. Anger and venom laced his words, "What do you think you are you doing."

He felt her gaze transfixed to the back of his head.

A frail whisper replied, "I came to say goodbye to Jacob. To pay my respects."

Quil's deep, unemotional laugh echoed through the graveyard. "Respect? What the fuck would you know about respect, girl?"

Her sniffles began to infuriate him. What right did she have to cry over someone she didn't love?

Quil turned around and stared at the girl who ruined his best friend's life. "It takes balls to show up here, girl. Especially after the damage you did to Jacob when he was alive. All the times you spit his love back in his face like he was nothing but a piece of shit on the bottom of your shoe."

Bella's small body shook as her weeping grew. "You think I didn't love him? I did love him. A part of me will always love him. It was me that would never have been good enough for him. He - Jacob deserved so much more."

Something inside him began to unravel. He had enough of her martyr act. With the ease of the killer that he was, he prowled around her. "The leech must not have told you what happened or you would be halfway to the other side of the world right now."

Her fear invaded his senses. It only served to fuel the fury and anguish within.

"W-what do you mean?"

Quil's skin slithered as he fought the beast within; the wolf inside demanded he seek retribution and take from the selfish human.

He stopped behind her; their bodies so close, yet they barely touched. "Did the corpse tell you how Jake died? Or did he sugarcoat it so his sweet, innocent Isabella did not suffer needlessly?"

Her lifeless voice wavered, "E-Edward didn't... He told me Jake was killed. But he wouldn't tell me anything else... were you there?"

Quil put his hands on her shoulders. She was tiny, barely pec height. He could easily crush her with his bare hands. The monster inside snarled at him; it wanted something else.

Quil leaned down, his mouth hovered over her ear, his tone raw and hard. "I was there when Jacob died. I held his head so he wouldn't drown in his own blood. Victoria punched a hole through his ribs, and crushed his heart. He managed to rip her head off before he fell to the ground." - the bile rose in his mouth; he forced it back down - "Sam had to break her fingers off in pieces so Jared and Leah could burn every bit of the leech. We would never leave Jake's body with parts of a bloodsucker inside."

He tightened his grip as he continued - sorrow touched his now blackened soul. "Oh, I know what you want little girl. You want me to give you details; like how Paul sat in a pool of blood while he held Jake's hand and cried for hours. How about the fact that after Seth and Embry torched the fucking Cullen house, Embry went wolf and we haven't seen him since."

She flinched and tried to step away from him. Quil held her still, putting more pressure on her shoulders, effectively showing her who controlled this situation.

Her breathing grew heavy, and her heartbeat increased. "Let me go."

A deep rumble vibrated from his chest. The beast inside clawed at him, a flayed sensation splintered through him as he fought back. "No."

She tried to free herself from his grasp, which only succeeded in further infuriating Quil. He spoke through clenched teeth. "Stop."

Bella's body froze. The realization of who and what she was dealing with finally clicked in her mind. There was no one close to come to her rescue. Edward would not be back for her for a long time. She was alone... with an angry wolf...

"What do you want?" Her uncertain question barely audible, even with his heightened hearing.

Quil contemplated for a moment. What did he want from the girl? Why couldn't he just let her go? She deserved to be turned and exist with the knowledge that she killed the man that loved her more than anything. She deserved to be miserable with the leech and his coven.

He then thought of his best friend. Jacob was dead. He was never coming back. It was all her fault. All of her indecisiveness was the cause of this shit. She ran back and forth between the bloodsucker and Jake, never truly picking one. Bella ruined lives; she was selfish. She took and took and never gave anything. Not to Jacob, not to her father, not to anyone but Cullen.

A strange conviction blanketed Quil. A decision was made before he realized it. He knew what needed to be done. Her wildflower and honey scent washed over him - it was time to put a stop to Bella and her destructive ways.

"You never could make your mind up, right girl?"

"What?"

He breathed in deep and stared at the stark, milky skin on the shoulder exposed to him. "It doesn't matter. You'll find out what it means to belong to someone."

Her body shuddered, and she babbled words that fell on deaf ears. He ignored her high pitched wail as the pain rocked through her. His teeth tore, and marked her flesh with his bite.

A flurry of emotions traveled through him. Her tears did not stop him. He couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to. Instead, he simply gave in. The beast inside demanded he take from Bella. This needed to be done; and now she was his.

Quil released her neck and spit out the blood in his mouth. Bella fought to breathe, he just marked her. She felt him, and his dominating life force as it crashed into her very being… she knew what this was… a long forgotten conversation between Jacob and Embry about marking a mate.

Oh, god - mate?

"You... you marked me." She lurched away from him, as the weight of her understanding processed.

He remained still, his fists clenched, his jaw set, his endless eyes burning into hers. "I'm only going to say this one more time. Then you can leave and try to go back to that fucking leech. Now you will understand what it means to belong to someone."

He strode over to Jacob's grave, touched the headstone, whispered a vow in Quileute, and walked away from her.

…

Side Note:

Different. Dark. Hopefully this is received well, and I will post the rest every few days. Thank you for reading.