A/N: I just want to thank you guys for the continued support and reviews. You rock! Enjoy the next chapter. xxx

Musical inspiration:

Daya - Sit still look pretty

Alan Walker - Shelter

Olly murs and Demi Lovato - Up

Bea Miller - Fire n Gold (first part of the chorus is quite fitting)

Dashboard Confessional - Bell of the Boulevard

Disclaimer: Twilight is the sole property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 10 - Release the beast

BPOV

Bella jiggled her leg impatiently and raked her fingers through her hair. All this waiting was killing her. She hated not knowing what was going on. But worst of all, she hated not knowing if Jacob was alright. It had been two hours since the pack had dissolved like mist into the woods with gnashing teeth and foaming muzzles, hungry for a kill. The clock on the wall told her how agonizingly slow the time was passing. Every time she checked only a meager five minutes had passed. Christ, this was too much for her to handle. But she had to remain calm and strong for the other women who were just as worried.

Bella pushed herself up from the couch with a frustrated sigh and walked to the front door where Seth's wolf was patiently guarding the entrance to the house. Bella sat down crossed-leg on the floor next to the waiting wolf and dug her fingers into his thick, silky fur, scratching his pelt. He let out a satisfied rumble and turned his muzzle to sniff her hair. His long tongue darted out without warning, licking her cheek with a slick tongue.

"Gross Seth!" She complained. "Don't give me wet kisses."

He pulled away and lowered his head so she could stroke him again.

"You'd tell me if Jake was in trouble, right? Or Lee?" She whispered to him. Jacob and Leah were the two people in her life that she just wouldn't be able to live without. They were her family now.

Seth chuffed as if trying to answer her. He didn't seem to be upset, so she tried to find solace in his calm nature. She shifted onto her side and rested her head against the wolf, still continuing her languid strokes over his pelt and listened to the low, contented rumble reverberating through Seth's large frame.

"I'm so worried about the pups, you know." Bella started a conversation with Seth to keep her mind busy. "It's so unfair that the leeches chose this time to come back. The boys have a whole two weeks of exams waiting, starting Monday. They really don't need the added stress."

Seth whined like he understood.

Seth gave her a nod and another sloppy kiss. This time she didn't squirm. He was trying to comfort her the only way he knew how as a wolf. She snaked her arm around his massive body and hugged him even closer. His scent reminded her a lot of Jacob and that fact alone comforted her.

Minutes may have passed. Or even hours. She didn't know which, but she startled and pulled away from Seth as he chuffed again and his body stiffened, ears pointing up to listen.

"What is it?" She asked him.

Seth got up and retreated several steps. He didn't seem threatened, maybe just excited. His tail swooped side to side like he was happy. She could hear voices coming closer and then the heavy footfalls of feet on the porch.

Kim and Emily emerged from the kitchen to wait with Bella. The men were back and they were all waiting to find out if their respective wolves came back in one piece, if at all.

The door opened up and first to enter was Embry, followed by Argent, Reese, Perry and Quil.

Bella's eyes scanned every piece of them she could find for signs of injury. There were none, thank god.

Next through the door was Sam, Jared and Leah. They looked frustrated.

Bella let out a loud, relieved sigh at the sight of her best friend. "Lee! I'm so glad you're alright." Bella flung her arms around Leah. "You guys had me worried sick."

Leah hugged her back hard and abruptly pulled her away for inspection. "I'm fine." Bella assured Leah as her eyes combed Bella's body and flicked up to her eyes when she was completely satisfied that no harm had come to her. "How are you and the girls?"

"We're fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a very long wait."

Leah nodded and blew out a heavy, annoyed breath.

"Still no luck?" Bella asked.

"Zilch."

Kyle and Paul filtered through the door next and the Beta came to a standstill next to his fiancé, pulling her into his side. How long did she have to wait for Jacob? God. The suspense was killing her. She sighed and folded her arms over her chest and tucked her hands under her armpits to stop them from shaking.

"He's coming, Bella." Paul assured her with a large hand on her shoulder. "He's just doing a quick sweep of the area around the house."

Bella nodded and gave Paul a weak smile. She didn't trust her voice right now.

When Jacob finally emerged through the door, Bella sighed in relief. The pull deep in her belly slackened like a rope that had been pulled way too tight and had finally been released. She kept her place next to Leah and Paul, watching Jacob as he zeroed in on her and chose a straight and decisive path toward her. He was still in Alpha mode. His eyes were obsidian with just a hint of gold and his jaw taut and clenched, muscles ticking dangerously under the skin. He was stressed.

He pulled her into his arms and Bella buried her face in his neck, mirroring him by dragging in a lungful of his blessed scent to settle her nerves. They stood there, wrapped up in each other for an eternity before Jacob pulled away to look at her. He tenderly stroked her jaw with a rough pad of his thumb and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "We're going to Forks to get your clothes." He said. "You're staying here with me until we've found the leeches. I've got a real bad feeling this time."

"Okay." She nodded. Now wasn't the time for questions or protests.

"You guys can go home." Jacob announced to the room in general. "We're sticking to the set out schedule like before. Paul and Argent will be patrolling the two to six shift and Kyle and I will take over from six to ten." Paul and Argent nodded in agreement.

Oh her poor boys. They were forced to accept so much pressure at such an young age. It wasn't fair.

"Jake, I was thinking that maybe I could take the boys for study sessions for the next two weeks while they are writing exams. Give them the opportunity to come and study here, instead of taking class. Stick to their regular schedules but prepare them for the exams some more. Then they can just focus on patrolling and getting enough rest when they're not here with me."

"You guys wanna do that?" Jacob asked the six younger wolves.

There was a collective sigh of relief from them, followed by vigorous nods.

Brady stepped forward and pulled Bella in for a hug. "Thank you, Bella." He released her and stepped away again abruptly, eyeing his Alpha like he might get reprimanded for displaying too much affection toward her.

Kyle nodded, dark eyes boring into Bella's own. "You have no idea what this means to us that you are willing to help us without fail, Bella." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "This will really help us."

"Oh Kyle." Bella got all teary-eyed. Jacob had mentioned a short while back that he'd had a really tough upbringing. He didn't tell her exactly what had happened, but she could see the damage behind his boyish features that had tainted him irreparably. He was so young and he was still supposed to live the innocent, care-free and rambunctious life that was expected for a fifteen-year-old boy. But it had passed him by with ruthless disregard. "You know I'd do anything for you guys, right?"

He gave her a solemn nod and turned away. Everyone in the room stared at them in slack-jawed amazement. Apparently it was a very unusual occurrence for Kyle to show any measure of affection.

"Okay." Jacob cleared his throat and brought the room back to attention. "Let's go, then." He nodded toward Paul and Argent. "There are vampires to be found out there in the woods. If you come across one, don't ask questions. Just kill."

JPOV

Bella removed her lace panties with teasing slowness, keeping her soft brown eyes trained solely on his own as he stood in front of her at the foot of the bed, so fucking aroused. He needed her in the worst way tonight. It was an ugly and raw need. He wanted to bury himself inside of her and fuck away all the lingering fear and anxiety of a fruitless search for leeches. He wanted to stay buried inside of her with the complete knowledge that she was safe here with him.

Jacob dragged a lungful of Bella's arousal through his nose and over parted lips, eyes rolling to the back of his head as the potent scent of her arousal filtered through him and registered with red alert in his brain. They would need to use protection tonight. Bella was extremely fertile right now and the risk of unsafe sex was just too big. There was a whole packet of condoms stashed in his bedside drawer from back in the day when he'd let loose so to speak, right after he'd broken up with Lira.

Jacob reached for a condom, teared open the foil with his teeth and removed the slick rubber from the packet. He fisted his cock in one hand and rolled the disgusting but necessary protection over his throbbing member with nimble fingers.

"Please." Bella begged again, like she'd done before. "Mark me, Jacob. We need this. Especially now."

Jacob shook his head despite his straining resolve. The heady scent of her arousal beckoned him to take, mate and claim her with his mark. He ground his teeth together to focus, but tonight his wolf refused to back down. If the man was too weak to mark his imprint, then the wolf would handle business.

A growl escaped from the man's lips as he lost the battle to the wolf, head snapping up to his mate, golden eyes observing her panting body lying on the bed with a glistening core that told the wolf she was more than ready to take all of him.

Refusing to waste any more time, he gripped his mate's ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wider, hitching it up over his shoulders.

The wolf dragged another lungful of her arousal in through flared nostrils, pleased at her response to him. With strong hands wrapped securely around her milky calves, he gave a sharp jerk of his hips, thrusting himself into her tightness and eagerly started pumping in and out of her.

Claim and mark replayed over and over in the wolf's mind. It was all he cared about: To fuck and then mark her with his teeth and the potent scent of his seed so that there would never be any doubt about whom she belonged to. He grumbled at discomfort of the heinous piece of latex wrapped around him. It would prevent his mate from smelling like him tonight. The wolf was irritated but got sidetracked as her watched the sight before him.

His mate's chest heaved and cries of pleasure fell from her lax, rosy lips as the wolf pushed her body higher and higher with grunting thrusts, losing himself in the ecstasy of her warm and smooth body.

The wolf growled at the tantalizing sight of her hardened pink nipples peaking tautly against the milky swells of her breasts and slipped her legs from his shoulders, circling them around his hips. He needed to taste. He leaned froward with grinding hips and claimed her pink buds with desperate and ravenous lips - sweeter than candy. He parted with one, grazing pearly white teeth over the skin between the valley of her breasts and took the neglected nipple of her other breast between careful teeth and bit down gently. Her response was exactly what the wolf had craved. Her body bucked up into him and her screams caught in the back of a silent throat, fingers curling into the muscles of his bulky arms. He groaned as her body tightened like a vice grip around him, grinding out her slick release against his pelvis with brazen hips as she trembled and convulsed with rapture.

More. He wanted to give his mate more pleasure. He needed more skin-to-skin contact and withdrew from her arousal-slicked body with determination, ignoring her cries of protest.

With an expert move, he flipped her onto her stomach and forced her hips into the air, her glistening lips in full view for him to do with as he pleased.

The wolf lowered his head to his mate's mound, where arousal leaked onto her thighs from post-orgasmed bliss and licked the sweet nectar from the creamy skin.

His mate moaned at the unexpected flick of his tongue against her core, calling the wolf back to the task at hand. To mate. His fingers curled around her hips and he slid his pulsing cock into her beckoning slit, sinking slowly into the silky warmth that her body provided. Home.

Skin slapped heedlessly against skin in a fierce and violent battle for release. Teeth nipped and lips cried. Growls and moans echoed from the walls and hands grappled and gripped for anchor, finding purchase against slick and fiery skin. The wolf's hand slid over her soft stomach and to the bundle of nerves between her legs - a full plump cherry that pulsed with turbulent desire. A rough pad of his thumb stroked over her, making her body jolt and quake. He circled her nub slowly, applying calculated pressure and was rewarded with her second orgasm for the night, convulsively gripping around him as he continued his labored thrusts. He reveled in her cries of delectation. He liked the sight of his mate so sated and flushed.

With soft grunts and rough thrusts of his hips he pumped himself to the brink of ecstasy, lips pulling back from sharp canines and plunging deep into the soft skin at the base of her neck, breaking through the flesh there and drawing blood.

His mate's body that had barely relaxed around him, contracted again with fervor as she cried out in pleasure and pain while he came with merciless force and growled out his pleasure into her shoulder.

The wolf pulled out of her and discarded the slick, dripping condom into a bin in the corner of the room with a lazy flick of his wrist. He pulled his mate into his arms, cradling her body and laving her wound with his tongue as she drifted off to a satisfied sleep. The wolf was appeased now as she lay next to him, baring his mark for eternity. He'd achieved what he'd wanted to for a while now. The man would thank him soon for strengthening their bond.

BPOV

Bella awoke to a cold and empty bed in Jacob's room. She sat up and rubbed her scratchy eyes, still so tired. Last night's events had completely worn her out.

Jacob was probably out on patrol right now and she wondered if they were making any progress in finding the vampires.

Bella stretched her sore body to check the time. The clock read 08:55. It wasn't that long ago that Bella and Jacob had still made love. Or more accurately, fucked. There was nothing slow, sweet and calm about their coupling. It had been fierce and wild. Mind blowing.

Bella rubbed her shoulder where not five hours ago, Jacob (or his wolf) had sunk his teeth into her and finally claimed her for himself. Jesus. What a medley of sensations it had been. Pain, burning, bliss, euphoria! Everything she'd expected and more.

She angled her naked body toward the mirror and traced a gentle finger over the light pink mark now tattooed on her shoulder for the rest of her life. It was healing so fast. She'd thought Jacob's teeth would leave a ugly purple string of teeth marks on her fair skin, but it was now almost invisible.

Bella lay back against the pillow, sighing deeply. She really wished Jacob was here, next to her in bed.

"Soon, Baby." His voice startled her as it echoed loudly in her mind.

Bella shot up, eyes wide. What the fuck was that?

"Relax. I'll explain it to you later." His voice filtered through her mind again. She slammed her mind shut, like she was trying to block out the foreign and intrusive sensation. It was too weird. But what was even more strange was how she could feel her mind open and close like a door, or a window maybe. Like she could control it. Like the door to her mind was tangible.

Deciding that she couldn't just sit here and worry about what the hell was going on with her, she got up to freshen up and keep herself busy with preparing breakfast for when Jake finally came home. She knew he'd be hungry.

JPOV

Jacob sprinted home in wolf form, eager to get back to his mate. He'd been so surprised when he heard Bella calling to him. Like she was telling him that she wanted him with her. And then it clicked - this was all part and parcel of marking her. Like his father had explained it to him. He found that he liked the fact that he could hear her. It would come in handy if she ever needed him.

The underbrush combed through his pelt as he weaved through the woods, nearing his house. The patrol had been futile. Nothing. It was like the vamps had completely disappeared. What the fuck were they playing at? Were they just passing through, distracted perhaps by the sight and smell of wolves, compelling them to come to the Reservation for a closer look? He wasn't sure anymore.

Phasing back to man, Jacob didn't bother pulling on his cut-offs. He simply removed them form his ankle and bounded up the steps to the front door. His stomach growled fiercely at the smell of bacon frying.

He yanked open the door and went in search of Bella, needing to pull her into his arms and get a good whiff of that delicious body of hers. Fuck the food. He could eat later.

"Something smells good." Jacob said, sneaking up behind Bella and wrapping her up in his arms.

"I'm making you breakfast. I thought you might be hungry." She pulled the pan from the stove, turned off the knob and angled herself around in his arms. She smiled up at him - that breathtaking smile reserved only for him.

"I wasn't talking about the food." He chuckled. "I was referring to you."

"Oh." She blushed. "Is that why you came in here naked and looking all sexy and sweaty? To seduce me, Mr. Black?"

He nodded and gave her a grin.

"You make it quite hard for me to focus, you know?" She whispered.

"That's the point, baby. I missed you and that alluring body of yours."

Bella frowned, like she remembered something.

Jacob's eyes searched hers for a moment before he spoke again. "What are you thinking, baby?" He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and gave her a lazy kiss. "You shut me out so abruptly, earlier. I got worried."

"What was that?" She wondered.

"That was part of the marking. One of the perks, so to speak."

"So is it some kind of telepathy?"

"I guess you could call it that." He smiled at her adorable interpretation.

"So, how did I shut you out?"

"It's a voluntary thing." He explained. "We can communicate with each other whenever we choose to. When we open our minds to each other."

Bella nodded in understanding. "I guess it's quite convenient."

"I'd like to think so. It gives me peace of mind to know that you can call me when you need me. Not lost signals or dead batteries getting in the way."

"So..." Bella grinned. "Breakfast?" She pointed to the pan. "Or breakfast?" She boldly ground her hips into him, providing him with two options.

Jacob groaned. "Definitely breakfast." He emphasized, pushing his erection against her stomach. "Shower?"

"Yeah." She panted. "I'd like that."

A/N: Okay, so just keep in mind that it's one a.m. right now and I'm dog tired. So please excuse any mistakes. I'll try and edit (if necessary) in the morning when my mind is fully functional again. I just really wanted to get this chapter out to you guys. Reviews are more than welcome. xxx