Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the Twilight franchise. All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter One
Jacob Black had never thought this would be it; that his short time on earth would come to a screeching halt. He was a shifter, a beast in the night. Yet here he stood in the forest, shivering from the cold drizzle that fell from the night sky. He clutched his shoulder tightly and winced as the area throbbed. His body shook as the heat from his body slowly seeped out. He looked around, fear taking over every nerve. Jacob was a brave cocky teen with a temper to match and yet he was feeling like a lost beaten pup. He took a step, stumbling and whimpering. A curse left his cracked lips and he collapsed to his knees. Every ounce of strength drained from the very being. The pain was growing with every passing second. It would be unbearable if his body wasn't in shock. The shock was subsiding as the adrenaline had run its course. He couldn't continue.
He let his body fell forward, tears falling over the paling cheeks. He was dying and so much in his life he began to regret. He didn't tell his father he loved him one last time. He never won Bella back to his arms. He never got to be a teen or even a normal person. He was pushed into this world of monsters without a choice. He was expected to just take it in stride and give up the ideals of normality. Jake had chosen to stroll further from those on his shift, drawn away to deal with the turmoil running through his head. Bella and her engagement to the leech had caused him to lose any sense of caring for safety. He was so angry, so hurt, and needed time which no one would allow him to have. Sam forced him to continue his duties. He was a shifter after all. He wasn't allowed to have a moment to himself if it wasn't contributing to the pack and their need to protect the tribe.
He had managed to forget his duties for a moment as he trailed further and further from Embry and Quil who were on watch with him. He reached a point in the forest when his screams would go unheard even by the keenest of ears, crossing the boundary of his land into the enemies. Jake had stopped and looked around, coming to realize this when the scent hit him like an unseen wall. Their sickly-sweet scent had permeated the air and for the briefest second he had wondered how he had not noticed. The monsters dropped from the trees where they had been spying on the russet wolf and surrounded him. They were nothing like the Cullen's nor the newborns. They looked feral in appearance, following instinct like a starving animal yet they were more cunning. A female who appeared older than any vampire he had seen before stepped forward. She must have been turned at a far older age than most. Her hair was long auburn knots with twigs and debris sticking out in various locations. She wore a dress of crudely skinned furs and her limbs marked in black paint to form detailed patterns of swirls.
Jake lunged at her, finally allowing his inner wolf to take hold but ten against one was a losing battle. The nine others were on him and holding him down with incredible strength. He tried to contact the others through their mind but he couldn't set up a link. The distance may have strained it but something else was blocking them. He looked to the elder woman as he struggled to gain freedom from the freezing bodies. She grinned broadly, there was no need to utter a word. She had something to do with the disruption. There a shrill buzzing in his head and it grew with every step she took forward. It got louder and made his head split in agony. He snarled and tried shaking the vampires off harder. Then he stilled as his body seemed to freeze as if he were paralyzed. Jacob couldn't will a single muscle to budge. He looked up with wide eyes and stared at the cold being before him. Her lips moved but no sound came out. He heard a vampire grunt in some sort of unspoken agreement. That was when a set of teeth lodged into his left shoulder. He let out a howl of pain and screwed his eyes shut. The burn of venom began to surge through his veins. Jake's wolf form began to falter and he shifted back to a human state. He wanted to curl in on himself and will the pain away but laid on his back. Sweat coated his body and he let out pained cries. The vampires backed away a few feet, watching the teen. Prying his lids apart, his eyes darted to each leech in the group. The paralysis that had held his body vanished and he slowly pushed himself from the ground. He swayed slightly but crouched low into a stance of defense, fighting the pain back. While Jake knew his odds against so many were nonexistence, he had every intention to fight with the last of his breath.
He heard a sound, like the whispering of the wind. Jake jerked his head toward the old vampire and stared at her. She chuckled lowly and said whispered once more. Reading her lips in favor of straining his ears to hear her, he read run. He backed up slowly before turning and taking off through the forest like the wounded beast he was. Pushing his body hard and not allowing himself to look back. He tried so hard to phase but the wolf inside was nowhere to be found in his mind. He was alone, cold, and stuck in a weakened form.
Those moments were the reason he now laid in the wet dirt, shaking and unable to force himself any further. His breathing was labored as he rolled to lie on his back and let out a groan. His body was so heavy and cold. He wished he had not left the group; that he had stuck to Embry and Quil like glue. Now he would die and no one could save him from the monsters lurking in the darkness. He arched off the ground as a surge of pain burned through him. A scream tore his throat before he could stop it. He had hoped to be numb to the end of his time but the moment of rest allowed his body to register what was happening. Jake reached up and clawed at the marks, desperate to remove the tainted skin with his nails. He recalled the last time he had suffered like this. The moment in the newborn battle, yet this was far worse because it was so fresh in his mind.
Jacob continued to scream and wither on the ground. He begged to the sky for someone to save him or to end this agony. It was like he had been forced to swallow hot coals that were burning all his insides to ash but his skin was cold like fresh snow, biting him as if he were pricked by a thousand needles. Jake wanted to die, for once in his short life the wish to perish weighed heavily in his mind. The teen couldn't handle another moment of this hell. His vision was blurry from the tears falling from the once tan cheeks. He choked on his own spit as his throat felt like it was closing. The woman came into his vision with a feral grin. The smile took up most of her face, giving the illusion she was nothing more than two eyes and a large mouth filled with sharp jagged teeth. Jake stilled and stared up at her, a weak whimper escaping him.
He reached out with a shaking hand and gripped the dirty fur she wore. His eyes begging her to end it all. He opened his mouth, lipping the words. If his pack were to see him, they would be disgusted. He was pleading for death from the enemy. Jake was so weak but he didn't care in the moment. He needed escape from this moment. He could see Sam's face, clear anger etched into the features and Jake was sorry but the older man couldn't understand the feeling of insides being torn away. The vampire knelt and pulled his hand from her skirt gently. She clutched it and stroked it as if she were a mother consoling an ill child. Her eyes focused on the digits she held. A soft purring sounded from her along with other appreciative noises at the touch of his slightly warm skin. Though it was cooling, she seemed to adore the flesh with how she stroked it with care. Licking his lips, he curled his fingers around her wrinkled hand.
"P-please….. please…. Kill me…." He whispered.
She moved her eyes from his hand to his face and cooed. She dropped the hand and moved to crouch other him, leaning close to his face. There was only a mere inch between them allowing him to smell her decaying breath. She inhaled deeply and grinned once more. Bouncing a little on the balls of her feet in excitement. She threw her head back and let out a noise that he had never heard before. It was a mix between a scream and a growl. It was shrill and hurt his ears. The vampires around made the same noise. He wasn't sure if they were crouched close or standing far in the tree tops. Jake's mind and senses were becoming muddled. He didn't dare move his eyes from this lethal woman. She looked back down and gripped his face tightly, digging the claw like nails into his cheeks.
"Never….. no death… no end…. Keep….. Keep you.", she whispered back "Make forget…. All…. Everything… revert…. Child…. I take all away and give you new. You special. You a new monster that scare all other. No man, no cold one, no shifter will stand next to you. You are creation. My creation. Mine. I will control. Make use. For now, I erase."
Her English was poor as if it were a second language on her tongue. She began to hum and sway around, red eyes rolling back and exposing only the whites. Jacob felt warm once more, a pleasant warmth that numbed his body to the pain that consumed him. His eyes fluttered shut and he let out a soft pleased noise. However, he began to feel strange, his mind becoming fuzzy. He couldn't cling to the world anymore and he welcomed the sensation of finally falling away.
Edward watched the deer nibble on the patch of green grass. It was the last piece of greenery as the fall consumed the color, before turning it into an ugly brown. The cold teen wasn't hungry, no need to kill the animal to feast upon it's blood. Rather he was observing it and mulling over his future to come and the binding of two individuals. Edward may not have much of a say in what was to be done at his wedding but he still had so much to think over. He was making an eternal commitment. Smiling softly, he let out a soft sigh. He finally felt happy. It wasn't to say he hadn't been happy in the decades he had lived with his adoptive family but this was different from that. It was like he had a beating heart once more in his chest. He would be whole once he became intertwined with Bella.
The deer jerked it's head up and looked off toward the opposite direction of Edward's perch in the tree. He cut his thoughts to look off in the direction that spooked the animal and listened closely for movement. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of something stumbling about. The morning light illuminated the forest but left shadows that allowed ample areas to hide. The deer darted off from the small clearing, leaving Edward alone and waiting for the creature to emerge. He climbed down slowly from the thick branches and kept his eyes trained on the spot. There was a thud as the being fell to the forest floor followed by a pathetic cry. It was sounded human. Edward used his telepathic power reach out to the other's mind. One word was sounding on repeat over and over in his head; scared. It was soft and sounded like a child in his mind.
The child seemed to be in trouble and while Edward was undead, he was not going to leave an innocent to die in the forest. Using his inhuman speed, he moved toward the noise. Stopping just short behind a tree, he studied the body on the ground. It was no child but a grown man. The scent was strong and smelt of dog which gave him a clue the other was a shifter. The man lacked clothing like one who had just phased from the large wolf form. He moved hesitantly toward the man, staying cautious in case of an attack. Even if he was injured, the mutt knew it crossed the border. The smell of wet fur was diluted however by the sickly-sweet scent of vampires. The mutt must have crossed a rouge or two and wore himself out, Edward thought. He let out a noise and shoved his hands in his pockets, stopping a foot from the prone form. He moved his foot out and toed the man in the side gently.
The body stiffened before a scream and sob ripped out of the shifter like he had been stabbed rather than prodded. The man covered his head in protection and shook heavily. Edward took a step back and frowned, finally taking in the man in detail. The flesh was noticeably paler then what was normal. The veins that ran through the body seemed to be visible through the skin, almost as if nothing was hiding them. They had a purple like tone and became more prominent near the left shoulder. Golden eyes widened as they crossed lingered on the bite imbedded in the skin. It was an ugly scar torn into the flesh, jagged and darker then the surrounding skin. Edward stared at the shifter and felt sick. This man had been bit but the fact was he should be dead. Venom was especially potent to shifters. Their bodies could not take on the vampire virus as the wolf rejected it. It would cause too much strain on them and lead to death if not treated quickly. Kneeling, Edward reached out hesitantly. The man was shivering and whimpering. He grasped the upper arm gently, making a comforting noise when the man jerked under him.
"I am here to help you. No harm will come from me. I need to look at you and get you to my father quickly." He said it in a soothing voice.
He wouldn't have tried to be so comforting to the shifter but the fear that was clouding the other's mind was echoing inside his own. It was pathetic to see the shifter in this state when they could tear his kind limb from limb. The shifter didn't budge at first. He seemed to be completely terrified that this was a trick. After a long moment of soothing sounds from Edward, the man slowly uncurled himself, pushing himself to his knees. Edward's jaw dropped slightly as he looked upon the familiar face. It was Jacob Black. The mutt who had been a thorn in his side from the very beginning of his relationship with Bella. He took in the boy's appearance, noting the eyes were a strange mix of dark chocolate and deep red. It was as if his body was trying to transform into a vampire but the wolf had stopped it halfway through the process. The two parts at a standstill within the teen body. Jake's lips trembled as he stared back at Edward.
The vampire closed his mouth and furrowed his brows. Questioning the abnormal behavior Jake was exhibiting. Reaching up, he gripped the quivering chin in his hand, not allowing the boy to have the chance to look away with a firm grip.
"Jacob, what happened?" He asked, locking his eyes with the other's
Jake looked confused, his face scrunching up as he made noises of discomfort. He whined and gripped Edward's wrist to pull at the hand. Edward dug into his mind again and was shocked from his findings. The boy was questioning who Jacob was. He felt sicker than he had before at this thought. Edward dropped his hand and studied Jacob, pressing his lips tightly together. He began to question the boy, trying to find something Jacob could recall. Asking of his father, his pack, his life yet the teen continued to look confused. This mind was a muddle of uncertainty. His thoughts were child-like in their structure. Staring at the scar on the left shoulder, Edward bit his lip and worried it. What had happened to cause Jacob to completely forget his life and become a young child mentally? He released his grasp and looked down on the other. The boy simply watched Edward from the ground.
"Come, we are going to my house. You need help." Edward said softly
Jake moved to stand and stumbled a little, catching himself on Edward before gaining some balance on his unsteady legs. Jacob did something unusual; he grasped Edward's hand in his own tightly. Edward looked down at their interlocked hands and frowned. The teen despised him and yet he was grasping his hand tightly as if it were his only security to safety. The boy thought himself a child. Edward looked away, favoring the trees and carefully led the nude man who kept very close to him. It was rather annoying to move at a slow pace and have the shifter glued to his back. Edward brushed off the annoyance in favor of the fact that Jacob needed help. He hoped that Carlisle would have ability to restore the teen.
Author's Notes: I haven't written a fanfiction in a decade so my skills may be incredibly rusty. Though, my previous works were poor to start with. In reading this, I am hoping you can help me in providing constructive criticism. I love to write but fanfiction can be tough as you are using characters that are already fleshed out and building a story off another story. I may have an issue of staying in character but I will try to keep them as close to what they were in the books. I am pretty busy as I do go to college and have a full-time job so updates may not always be on time. I hope to do so every week. If you see any grammar errors, please feel free to point them out. I tried to reread and catch misspellings and issues but some things can slip by. Thank you for taking the time to read this!