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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer rocks! All recognizable people, places and dialog belong to her.

Chapter Ten - The Truth

My heart was beating frantically in my chest as I watched Bella's reaction. I reached out to her and she shied away in fear. "Don't touch me!" she yelled, backing away. "You're a monster!"

"But Bells…"

"Don't Bells me…"

"I would never hurt you."

"I'm not going to give you the chance." She turned on her heel and started running away from me.

I ran to catch up with her. My hand flashed out to grab her arm.

"Let go of me, Jake."

"Jake. Jacob!" With each muttering of my name, Bella's voice lowered until finally it was my father's. "Jake, you need to wake up. Jake!" he called from the doorway.

"Huh?" I groaned, fighting against the sleep and nightmare still haunting me.

"Jake, it's Bella."

As soon as he mentioned her name, I jerked upright. "What about Bella? Is she okay?"

"Yes. At least…I think so. She's waiting for you."

"What? Why didn't you wake me?"

"I am," he reminded me. "Get up. She knows your secret."

"She knows?" And she still came to see me. I wrestled with the sheet that was tangled around my legs, rolling into the floor. I hopped up and raked my fingers through my hair. "Where is she?"

"At the beach."

"How did she seem?"

"Angry," his response took all the wind out of my sails.

"Oh."

"What happened? How does she…"

"Not now, Dad."

I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't get my feet to move faster than a slow walk, needing to avoid the hurt that might be coming. Her truck came into view and my heart accelerated as my breathing slowed. I forced a deep breath and began my search for her.

She was in the first place I looked; sitting in the same spot where I'd told her too much over a year ago. She had her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her coat and was shivering. I didn't even have a shirt on and was perfectly content with the temperature. Yet another reminder.

I watched her for just another moment, taking in how beautiful she was. I hoped this wasn't the end.

"Hi, Bella."

She turned around and stared at me. With each passing second of silence, I grew more nervous. Finally she spoke, "Jake?"

I kept my distance, fidgeting like a child. "Billy told me you came by -- didn't take you long did it? I knew you could figure it out."

"Yeah, I remember the right story now," she whispered.

Neither of us said anything, standing and staring in silence. I'm not quite sure why, but her silence irritated me. She said she remembered, but made no further comment on it. Was she angry? Did she hate me? What was going through her head? "You could have just called," my frustration came out in my tone.

"I know," she nodded.

I started pacing back and forth. So much was riding on her new found knowledge and my heart felt like it was going to explode with anticipation. "Why did you come?"

"I thought it would be better face-to-face." Her face was full of emotions I couldn't place.

"Oh, much better," I groaned.

"Jacob, I have to warn you --"

"About the rangers and the hunters? Don't worry about it. We already know." At least she cared whether I was dead or not. But her reaction still wasn't what I'd hoped for. I continued to pace, thinking it might relieve some of the tension that was building in my body.

"Don't worry about it?" her voice was a high pitched shriek. "Jake, they've got guns! They're setting traps and offering rewards and --"

"We can take care of ourselves," I informed her. "They're not going to catch anything. They're only making it difficult -- they'll start disappearing soon enough, too."

"Jake!"

"What?" I didn't understand her reaction. "It's just a fact."

Her voice dropped and her face contorted. "How can you… feel that way? You know these people. Charlie's out there!"

She was on the verge of hysterics and I stopped my pacing, turning to face her. "What more can we do?" I asked.

"Could you…well, try to not be a…werewolf?"

How dare she… I threw my hands up in frustration. "Like I had a choice about it!" I yelled, releasing some of my pent up emotion. Then a thought occurred to me… "And how would that help anything, if you're worried about people disappearing?"

"I don't understand you," she whispered, studying my face.

I narrowed my eyes into a glare. "You know what makes me so mad I could just spit?" I snarled.

She flinched and I knew I'd hit my mark. I waited for her to answer and finally she nodded.

"You're such a hypocrite, Bella -- there you sit, terrified of me! How is that fair?" My brain was spinning. My heart was pounding. And my hands were starting to shake.

"Hypocrite? How does being afraid of a monster make me a hypocrite?"

"Ugh!" I groaned, feeling much like I'd been sucker-punched. She called me a monster. I could feel the beginnings of losing it. I closed my eyes and pressed my shaking hands to my temples and began rubbing, thinking of happier times with Bella. "Would you listen to yourself?"

"What?" she asked, really not understanding.

Without thinking, my feet carried me closer to her. I leaned over her tiny figure until I was right in her face. "Well, I'm so sorry that I can't be the right kind of monster for you, Bella," I fumed. "I guess I'm just not as great as a bloodsucker, am I?"

She scrambled to her feet, trying to match my fury with her own. "No, you're not!" she shouted, wounding me. "It's not what you are, stupid, it's what you do!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I roared, my whole body giving in to the shaking now. I knew I needed to control my anger, but couldn't find the peace to do it. Bella's face was usually what I used to help relax. Right now, though, seeing her face contorted in anger, wasn't going to help me calm down.

My whole body was reacting to her rejection. Besides my anger, I was hurt. Really hurt. Betrayed. How could she accept him and the fact that he craved her blood; but couldn't accept what I'd become -- because of what he was?

Her soft voice interrupted my thoughts, "Jacob." She said my name, pleading. "Is it really necessary to kill people, Jacob? Isn't there some other way? I mean, if vampires can find a way to survive without murdering people, couldn't you give it a try, too?"

Huh? Another sucker-punch. My eyes widened and my heart jumped. Relief washed over my body as comprehension began to dawn on me and the shaking subsided. "Killing people?"

"What did you think we were talking about?"

"I thought we were talking about your disgust for werewolves." Did I dare hope that she could accept what I was?

"No, Jake, no. It's not that you're a…wolf. That's fine, if you could just find a way not to hurt people…that's all that upsets me. These are innocent people, Jake, people like Charlie, and I can't just look the other way while you --"

"Is that all? Really?" I couldn't contain the relief and happiness that were consuming me. My face felt as though it were going to crack, my smile was so big. "You're just scared because I'm a murderer? That's the only reason?" Oh, how I love her.

"Isn't that reason enough?" she asked, panicked.

A laugh ripped from my chest and she stared at me in disbelief.

"Jacob Black, this is so not funny!"

"Sure, sure," I agreed, placing my hand over my mouth to stifle another chuckle. I closed the gap between us and pulled her into my arms, hugging her. I needed to feel her; to smell her scent. I'd missed her so much. "You really, honestly don't mind that I morph into a giant dog?" I asked for clarification. My heart beating so hard in my chest, I thought it might just explode.

"No," she gasped. "Can't -- breathe -- Jake!"

I released my hold on her body, but took her hands in mine. "I'm not a killer, Bella."

Her eyes studied my face, and I watched as her body relaxed, all the former tension disappearing. "Really?"

"Really."

She pulled her hands out of mine and for a split second, I panicked; until she threw her arms around my waist, crushing her body to mine. I returned her embrace, feeling complete for the first time in a long time. I stroked her hair and inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the sweet smell of strawberries.

"Sorry I called you a hypocrite," I muttered into her hair.

"Sorry I called you a murderer."

Her apology made me laugh.

"What about Sam? And the others?"

Poor, confused Bella. I shook my head. "Of course not. Don't you remember what we call ourselves?"

"Protectors," she said without even thinking.

"Exactly."

"But I don't understand. What's happening in the woods? The missing hikers, the blood?" her voice getting higher with each question.

I shared her anxiety. "We're trying to do our job, Bella. We're trying to protect them, but we're always just a little too late."

"Protect them from what?" her brows narrowed. "Is there really a bear out there, too?"

Was she really that naïve? "Bella, honey, we only protect people from one thing -- our one enemy. It's the reason we exist -- because they do."

She stared at me, confusion still on her face. Then in an instant, recognition flashed in her eyes. All the color drained from her face and she took on a green hue. She let out a tiny yelp, suddenly terrified.

I nodded. "I thought you, of all people, would realize what was really going on."

"Laurent," she squeaked. "He's still here."

I didn't understand who she was talking about. I tipped my head to the side, "Who's Laurent?"

Her brain was spinning, trying to wrap itself around all the information she had just received. "You know -- you saw him in the meadow. You were there…." She trailed off, her statement soaking in. "You were there, and you kept him from killing me…."

"Oh, the black-haired leech?" I smiled, remembering the thrill of ripping him to shreds. "Was that his name?"

"What were you thinking?" she shuddered. "He could have killed you! Jake, you don't realize how dangerous --"

Her concern made me smile, but her worrying made me laugh. "Bella, one lone vampire isn't much of a problem for a pack as big as ours. It was so easy, it was hardly even fun!"

"What was so easy?"

"Killing the bloodsucker who was going to kill you," I said with a grin. "Now, I don't count that towards the whole murder thing. Vampires don't count as people."

"You…killed…Laurent?" she breathed.

I wasn't sure what her reaction meant. "You're not upset about that, are you? He was going to kill you -- he was going for the kill, Bella, we were sure of that before we attacked. You know that, right?"

"I know that. No, I'm not upset -- I'm…" Her color drained again and she swayed back and forth. She stepped backward and sank down on a piece of driftwood. "Laurent is dead. He's not coming back for me." It sounded as though she were speaking only to herself.

"You're not mad? He wasn't one of your friends or anything, was he?" I wanted to make sure I understood her relationship to the dead leech and why she was reacting so strange.

"My friend?" Her eyes started to look glassy and she started babbling, "No, Jake. I'm so…so relieved. I thought he was going to find me -- I've been waiting for him every night, just hoping that he'd stop with me and leave Charlie alone. I've been so frightened, Jacob…. But how? He was a vampire! How did you kill him? He was so strong, so hard, like marble…."

I sat down next to her and put my arm around her shoulders, holding her close. "It's what we're made for, Bells. We're strong, too. I wish you would have told me that you were so afraid. You didn't need to be."

"You weren't around."

Her words cut to my core. She'd been scared senseless since that day in the meadow; worrying every night that her nightmares would come true. Damn the restrictions. If only I would have gone to her earlier. "Oh, right."

"Wait, Jake -- I thought you knew, though. Last night, you said it wasn't safe for you to be in my room. I thought you knew that a vampire might be coming. Isn't that what you were talking about?"

It took a moment for understanding to hit me and I dropped my head, embarrassed. "No, that's not what I meant."

"Then why didn't you think it was safe for you there?" she asked, her big brown eyes studying my face.

"I didn't say it wasn't safe for me. I was thinking of you," suddenly guilt-ridden for my stupidity.

"What do you mean?"

I avoided her eyes and kicked at a rock. "There's more than one reason I'm not supposed to be around you, Bella. I wasn't supposed to tell you our secret, for one thing, but the other part is that it's not safe for you. If I get too mad…too upset…you might get hurt." My thoughts jumped to Sam's warning, and then my mind replayed how his claw disfigured the woman he loved and I cringed.

"When you were mad before…when I was yelling at you…and you were shaking…?"

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid of me. I have to keep a better hold on myself. I swore I wasn't going to get mad, no matter what you said to me. But…I just got so upset that I was going to lose you…that you couldn't deal with what I am…." Even knowing the outcome, the thoughts were almost more than I could bear.

"What would happen…if you got too mad?"

"I'd turn into a wolf."

"You don't need a full moon?"

I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh, "Hollywood's version doesn't get much right." I sighed, returning to more serious matters. "You don't need to be so stressed out, Bells. We're going to take care of this. And we're keeping a special eye on Charlie and the others -- we won't let anything happen to him. Trust me on that."

Panic flashed in her eyes as her skin turned an unhealthy gray. "Laurent is dead," she gasped.

"Bella?" I reached out and brushed my hand against her cheek. The constant drain of blood from her face couldn't be good. I'd been worried about Bella before, but now that I knew just how scared she was, I felt horrible guilt.

"If Laurent died…a week ago…then someone else is killing people now."

"There were two of them," I snarled through clenched teeth. "We thought his mate would want to fight us -- in our stories, they usually get pretty pissed off if you kill their mate -- but she just keeps running away, and then coming back again. If we could figure out what she was after, it would be easier to take her down. But she makes no sense. She keeps dancing around the edges, like she's testing our defenses, looking for a way in -- but in where? Where does she want to go? Sam thinks she's trying to separate us, so she'll have a better chance…."

The more I talked, the worse Bella looked. What little color had returned, was now gone. Sweat was beading on her forehead and her eyes were glossing over again. She turned away from me and leaned over the side of the tree trunk. Her body heaved, sending all the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, leaning down next to her cheek. "Bella! What's wrong?" I'd never seen her like this and it scared me.

"Victoria," she gasped between her breaths.

Who? I pulled her limp body from off of the stump and into my lap, her head rested against my shoulder. It was a challenge to keep her lifeless form upright. I'd never seen anyone so scared. She was really freaking me out.

"Who?" I brushed at the sweat-drenched locks falling in her face. "Can you hear me, Bella? Bella?"

"She wasn't Laurent's mate," she croaked. "They were just old friends."

"Do you need some water? A doctor? Tell me what to do," I sounded frantic, even to myself.

"I'm not sick -- I'm scared," she whispered.

I ran my hand over her back. "Scared of this Victoria?"

She nodded, a shudder rose up her spine.

"Victoria is the red-haired female?"

"Yes," came her feeble response.

"How do you know she wasn't his mate?" All of this was so confusing; her reaction, her explanations.

"Laurent told me James was her mate."

I took her face in between my hands and turned her head, forcing her to look at me. I stared into eyes. "Did he tell you anything else, Bella? This is important," I spoke slowly. "Do you know what she wants?"

"Of course," she squeaked. "She wants me."

Her answer surprised me. I took a deep breath to replace the air that just rushed out of my lungs. "Why?"

"Edward killed James," she whispered. I tightened my grip on her, knowing that the mention of him hurt her. "She did get…pissed off. But Laurent said she thought it was fairer to kill me than Edward. Mate for mate. She didn't know -- still doesn't know, I guess -- that…that…" She couldn't even say it. "That things aren't like that with us anymore. Not for Edward, anyway."

Her last sentence was filled with anguish. Even though she was wrapped securely in my arms, she ached for his cold, marble ones. I hated him for so many reasons. Then a thought occurred to me. "Is that what happened? Why the Cullens left?"

"I'm nothing but a human, after all. Nothing special."

To hear her talk like that, infuriated me. A growl rumbled low in my chest. "If that idiot bloodsucker is honestly stupid enough --"

"Please," she whispered. "Please. Don't."

I wanted to unleash my tongue on what a moron I thought her leech was, but simply nodded. I studied her face. "This is important," I reminded her, getting back to the present threat. "This is exactly what we needed to know. We've got to tell the others right away."

I stood and placed my hands on her hips, making sure she was steady on her feet.

"I'm okay," she lied.

I released my hold on her waist and took her hand. "Let's go."

My brothers weren't going to be happy with what I had planned. My relationship with Bella was already a sore spot between us. I pulled her gently toward the truck.

"Where are we going?" she yelped.

"I'm not sure yet," I admitted, honestly. Then a thought occurred to me, "I'll call a meeting. Hey, wait here for just a minute, okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," I promised as I headed off to the trees.

"Jacob!" she croaked, panic in her voice.

I quickly shed my clothes and phased, careful to keep Bella out of my thoughts.

I need to call a meeting. I have new information on the red-haired leech.

What is it? Sam asked. Just go ahead and tell us.

No, I'd rather do this in person. Get a hold of everyone and I'll meet you in the clearing in ten minutes.

But…

I didn't stick around to hear the rest of his protests. I changed back, pulled on my shorts and headed back to find Bella. She had managed to climb into the cab of her truck. Her eyes were closed and she looked a sickly shade of green.

I tapped on the window and she yelped. I hated seeing her so scared. She needn't be. I wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"You're really scared, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Don't be. We'll take care of you -- and Charlie, too. I promise."

"The idea of you finding Victoria is scarier than the idea of her finding me," she muttered, staring out the windshield.

A laugh rumbled in my chest. "You've got to have a little more confidence in us than that. It's insulting." I placed my hand over my chest, faking my hurt feelings. I hoped that in making light of her fears, she would relax.

She just shook her head. "Where did you go just now?"

What was I supposed to say to that? Oh, when I'm a wolf, I can talk to my brothers no matter where they are. Yeah, that sounded totally normal.

"What? Is it a secret?"

"Not really. It's kind of weird, though. I don't want to freak you out."

"I'm sort of used to weird by this point, you know." She attempted a weak smile that only made her lips tighten into a thin line.

I smiled back at her. "Guess you'd have to be. Okay. See, when we're wolves, we can…hear each other."

She stared at me, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Not hear sounds," I tried to put it in a different way, "but we can hear…thoughts -- each other's anyway -- no matter how far away from each other we are. It really helps when we hunt, but it's a big pain otherwise. It's embarrassing -- having no secrets like that." I stole a glance at her face. "Freaky, eh?"

Realization flashed in her eyes. "Is that what you meant last night, when you said you would tell them you'd seen me, even though you didn't want to?"

"You're quick."

"Thanks."

"You're also very good with weird. I thought that would bother you."

"It's not…well, you're not the first person I've known who could do that. So it doesn't seem so weird to me."

That was an interesting statement. "Really?" I considered it again. "Wait -- are you talking about your bloodsuckers?"

"I wish you wouldn't call them that."

I laughed, but rephrased my question. "Whatever. The Cullens, then?"

"Just…just Edward." She wrapped her arm around her middle as she said his name. Just thinking about them was still painful. But I couldn't focus on her pain right now. She'd just relayed some important information regarding the Cullens.

"I thought those were just stories. I've heard legends about vampires who could do…extra stuff, but I thought that was just a myth."

"Is anything a myth anymore," she snorted.

"Guess not." I would take the time to digest all this new information later. Now, we had to get to my brothers, they would be waiting. "Okay, we're going to meet Sam and the others at the place we go to ride the bikes."

Bella began the drive before breaking the silence, "So did you just turn into a wolf now, to talk to Sam?"

Heat started to rise in my cheeks as I nodded. "I kept it real short -- I tried not to think about you so they wouldn't know what was going on. I was afraid Sam would tell me I couldn't bring you."

"That wouldn't have stopped me."

"Well, it would have stopped me. Remember how I couldn't finish my sentences last night? How I couldn't just tell you the whole story?"

"Yeah. You looked like you were choking on something."

I laughed at her observation, because in a way, I was choking on the words that I wasn't allowed to tell her. "Close enough. Sam told me I couldn't tell you. He's…the head of the pack, you know. He's the Alpha. When he tells us to do something, or not to do something -- when he really means it, well, we can't just ignore him."

"Weird," she muttered.

"Very. It's kind of a wolf thing."

"Huh," was her only response. I wondered what was really going on in that pretty little head of hers. What she really thought of all of this.

"Yeah, there's a load of stuff like that -- wolf things. I'm still learning. I can't imagine what it was like for Sam, trying to deal with this alone. It sucks bad enough to go through it with a whole pack for support."

"Sam was alone?"

"Yeah," I mumbled as my thoughts returned to that agonizing night of my first change. "When I…changed, it was the most…horrible, the most terrifying thing I've ever been through -- worse than anything I could have imagined." I sighed, looking at Bella. "But I wasn't alone -- there were the voices there, in my head, telling me what had happened and what I had to do. That kept me from losing my mind, I think. But Sam…" I thought of how much harder it must have been for him and shook my head. "Sam had no help."

We drove along with the only sound being that of the roaring engine. Bella was biting on her bottom lip and her brows were narrowed in concentration.

Finally her voice broke the silence, "Will they be angry that I'm with you?"

My stomach jumped, knowing they would be more than angry. "Probably."

"Maybe I shouldn't --"

"No, it's okay." If the leech was after Bella, I wasn't going to let her out of my sight -- out of our protection. "You know a ton of things that can help us. It's not like you're just some ignorant human. You're like a…I don't know, a spy or something. You've been behind enemy lines."

My mind was spinning with the possibilities of what Bella's time with the bloodsuckers could offer us. "Like the stuff about the mind-reading bloodsucker. That's just the kind of thing we need to know about. That really sucks that those stories are true. It makes everything more complicated. Hey, do you think this Victoria can do anything special?"

"I don't think so. He would have mentioned it."

"He? Oh, you mean Edward…" she cringed and I regretted mentioning his name. "Oops, sorry. I forgot. You don't like to say his name. Or hear it."

She grasped tightly at her midsection. "Not really, no."

"Sorry."

"How do you know me so well, Jacob? Sometimes it's like you can read my mind."

"Naw. I just pay attention." I paid attention to everything about Bella.

"This good?"

"Sure, sure."

She pulled the car over to the edge and cut the engine. Her face was so sad.

"You're still pretty unhappy, aren't you?" I asked, hating that her heart was still hurting. But not only had he devastated her, he was a bloodsucker. He was a horrible choice for her.

She nodded, staring out into the forest.

"Did you ever think…that maybe…you're better off?"

She took a deep breath, exhaled and spoke a soft, "No."

I continued, "Cause he wasn't the best --"

"Please, Jacob," she cut me off, her tiny whisper begged me. "Could we please not talk about this? I can't stand it."

"Okay." I took a deep breath, not wanting to hurt her anymore. "I'm sorry I said anything."

"Don't feel bad. If things were different, it would be nice to finally be able to talk to someone about it."

I nodded, understanding her dilemma. "Yeah, I had a hard time keeping a secret from you for two weeks. It must be hell to not be able to talk to anyone."

"Hell," she agreed.

I sensed the arrival of the pack and inhaled sharply, "They're here. Let's go."

"Are you sure?" she asked as I pushed the door open. "Maybe I shouldn't be here."

"They'll deal with it." I grinned, "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?"

"Ha ha," she said, rolling her eyes. She hurried out of the truck and to my side.

I was nervous about how my brothers were going to react to my bringing her, but she was showing physical signs of her fear.

I took her trembling hand in mine and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Here we go."