Disclaimer : I do not own the legal rights to the Twilight series

Copyright 2007 by C.N.G.

A New Life

1. Secret Plans

I ran. I ran for miles and miles, never looking back. I ran for hours, for day, without stopping or eating. In fact, I didn't even feel hungry. I was too consumed by my other emotions: sadness, anger, helplessness, grief, betrayal, love, hate…Pain, in general.

How could she have chosen that leech over me? He was cold, deadly, dangerous. Did she even know how dangerous? A little voice in my mind answered me: She knew the risks. She chose him over you anyway. She loves him.

"She loves me too!" I cried out loud. "And she knows it."

And, obviously, she loves you more.

"Great," I muttered. "The voice in my head is turning sarcastic."

At least now, though, there was only one voice. The first days of my, er, trip, the pack kept trying to communicate. I could still remember all their threats, their reassurances and their so-called comforts that were supposed to make me feel better. Quil's voice had come first.

"Jake? Where are you, man?"

"Hell," I had answered simply.

I heard him sigh. "I'll get Sam." True to his words, Quil's voice faded from my mind, replaced by Sam's in a few minutes.

"Jacob. Quil told me you're in Hell. Why?" His deep, commanding voice urged me to answer.

"Because that bloodsucker, that leech, stole my Bella! He had no right! He had no right to take her back after he left her! She would have been mine. She was mine."

"Was, Jake. She's with them now. She's not coming back. Let it go. Let her go. She's not going to come back." Of course, Sam was right. I knew that. I understood that. But that didn't mean I accepted it.

"You'll have to accept it sooner or later," growled Sam. Then he was gone from my mind. By then, I had been running for almost 4 hours.

I kept going. I ran through the next few days, but on the 3rd night, I fell to the ground. Pain shot through my whole body, shaking me as I lay on the ground. What was wrong with me? I'd never felt this much physical or mental pain! My eyes stung with hot, dry tears. I still shuddered on the ground, and I realized I was changing. Some parts of my body were wolf, some human. The shuddering was coming from the transformations, which were happening so fast that it made me dizzy just looking at my body parts. What was going on?

Then it hit me. The pack. I was too far away. And the only reason that I would be too far from the pack would be…that I'd left Quileute territory. I was out. I'd left my pack behind, my family, my tribe. They were gone. And I sure as Hell wasn't going back for them.

Another realization dawned on me. If I was feeling so much pain, were the others? If so, they would be coming after me soon. I had to keep moving. With an immense amount of will, I got up off the ground and changed into what I really was: a wolf. I took off again, speeding through forests, across plains, and around lakes. 2 days later, I felt a shift in the wind. A strong smell burnt my nose and chilled my bones. I had smelt this before. What Bella would smell like. Vampire.

My chest got tight. If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction…But it wasn't, I told myself. I shook the thought out of my head and sniffed the air again, though it hurt my nose and lungs. There were seven of them…no, eight. I had only smelled seven at first because those ones smelt so strongly that I hadn't noticed the 8th. They were a few miles north-west of me. I progressed more slowly now, carefully, quietly. If I got too close, it was possible they would smell me. Caution was absolutely necessary. I advanced until I was about a quarter of a mile away, then crouched down. I perked up my ears. One was speaking.

"We must do her will. The girl worries her, and, though she would never admit it, scares her. Seven of our kind protect her, which is why there are eight of us, and why you are all newborns.

"She had hoped that the female from a while back, Victoria, would finish the job, for she had a small army of newborns with her. However, she was killed, dismembered and burnt. She obviously failed. She had her own motivations for trying to kill the girl. But her anger was not enough."

The name Victoria had startled a silent snarl from me. My lips curled back in distaste and rage. Victoria. The catlike, red-haired, female who had tried to kill Bella. I had a special hatred for that bloodsucker. She had come to hurt my Bella. To kill her. I and my pack, even the Cullen leeches, had returned the favour. The red-haired one was gone forever.

Yet, these parasites were discussing her. Discussing her failure. It seemed as though they, too, wanted to hurt my Bella. No. I would not let that happen. They would die, not her. I resisted a strong urge to jump up and howl. I had to keep listening.

"Who is this human? What does she look like? We need to know all about our target." This was a new voice. It must be one of the…what had the leech said? Newborns. What did that mean? Innocent children? But she had said they could win against those Cullens. That meant…they were strong. Even stronger than that big stupid one? I froze. Not good. I heard sounds of a short scuffle, a yelp, and the snarling voice of the first vampire reached my ears.

"Listen up, newborns. The human is not your target. She is mine. You are only here to fend off our kind, should they interfere. Got it?"

"Y-yes, Heidi. Got it. But do you mean that the vampire family currently living in Forks would try to stop us?" That was the newborn again.

"I'm positive. Now, commit your charges to memory. They are under the guise of being an adoptive family. Carlisle, father, doctor, 23. Esme, his wife, mother, 26. Emmet, very strong, 20. Rosalie, his wife, extremely beautiful, 18. Jasper, affects emotions, 20. Alice, clairvoyant, 19. And, finally, Edward, the human's boyfriend, is 17 and reads thoughts as they pass through your head. A strong family. They are your responsibility. Now, I will describe the human to you, so that you do not bite her. Her name is Isabella Swan, Bella to her friends. She's brunette, pale-skinned and pretty enough…for a human." She smirked, and I heard snickering. "Her father is the chief of police in Forks, and his name is Charlie. Bella herself moved to forks only a few years ago. As you know, she is immune to skills that affect the mind, and hates blood. Ironic, isn't it? Her blood is particularly…how shall I put it? Many vampires find it more irresistible than other humans. I will kill her. A caution, though: there is a certain Quileute tribe of werewolves – they have a treaty with the aforementioned vampire 'family', who go by the name of Cullen. If a vampire bites a human, the wolves can and will attack. As soon as I kill the girl, they will come. Be ready, The members of the pack are: Sam Ulley, alpha male; Jacob Black, 2nd in command; and 7 others, Quil Ateara, Seth Clearwater, Embry Call, Paul, Brady, Collin, and a female, Leah Clearwater. The only one you really have to worry about is Jacob Black. Apparently, he is, uh, a natural. He could very well destroy a newborn."

I grinned evilly at the praise and at the revelation of the bloodsuckers' plans. I was extremely angry and hateful towards these parasites especially, and I knew what I had to do. With all the self-control I had left, I turned human and walked the rest of the way to the clearing where the leeches sat.

"Something smells," I heard a voice say just before I saw them.

"That would be me," I said. "Jacob Black." Than I phased and attacked wildly. With the element of surprise and my hate and anger as fuel, I quickly slashed at two of them. With satisfaction I saw I had decapitated one. I saw another opening and dove…