{Author's Note: Humongous thank you to akf for sharing my story on Jacob Black N Pack. I'd never heard of the site until you reviewed and not only do I appreciate you spreading the word of my story, but also for introducing me to an amazing site for Jacob/wolfpack fanfiction. I just hope it doesn't distract me too much from the story. XD

Also to Mc, Susie, Twisted Musalih – your reviews are very much appreciated, and thank you again for following along with the story and being awesome enough to let me know what you think.

SomeDelicateFlower – Don't worry, I wanted to kill Jake myself as I wrote the last couple of chapters, but keep in mind that he truly does feel as if he's doing the best thing for her by staying away from her. Very similar to why Edward left her in the books – not to mention that the only other example Jake has of an imprint is Sam and Emily, and he's seen first hand what his "curse" can do to the person he's with, he loves her too much to risk something like that. HOWEVER, having said that – he's going to wise up and realize that he's being a douche, I promise! And thank you x's ten for reviewing.

The rest of you – please read and review, this by far has been my favorite chapter. LOTS of drama/action/surprises/and well, all around good stuff. :] I couldn't wait for this one either, so if there are any mistakes I apologize, my betas aren't around and I don't want to keep you guys waiting.

No copyright infringement intended, I only wish I owned these characters. Well, except Edward.. ahem, on with the chapter!}

Jacob's POV:

The moment Bella had run away from me and into her house, my world had started crumbling down around me. The look on her face when she'd first spotted me in the parking lot of the school was enough to start that process all by itself. Her expression had shifted back and forth between a thousand different emotions in the short time we'd been in each other's company; none of them making me feel any better about my decision to finally confront her about the Cullens.

I was baffled by the fact that she'd obviously known what they were, yet still chose to hang around them. As much as I tried to keep her away from this world, it seems she'd found her way in without even knowing it. My heart was screaming to me that if she was already a part of it then there was no point in torturing either of us anymore and that I should just explain the situation in it's entirety to her. I wasn't sure I was ready to give up the fight I'd been trying my hardest to win – there was still a tiny bit of hope that I could succeed in both keeping her away from those blood-suckers and continuing to keeping her safe from what I was.

The initial shock I'd undergone at seeing her again was quickly turned to annoyance when I noticed her new hair. I couldn't help but wonder if the style she'd chosen, while much shorter than I ever would have pictured Bella going for, was done partially because I'd made a point of telling her never to cut it. It was hard for me to picture Bella doing something like that just to get back at me but as I'd learned several times over the last two months, heartbreak caused some really off-the-wall decision making. I knew it was petty but the whole thing was really bugging me.

I hadn't noticed the change right away, even spending most of my time around her house. After the first thirty days or so Sam had forced me to keep watch over her home, I finally started to do so without ever having to lay eyes on her. It felt like a rusty steak-knife carving into my heart every time I did and even the constant abusing of alcoholic beverages was not helping to ease the pain anymore. Self preservation was a funny thing, I thought, finally opening the door to the rabbit and sitting down in the front-seat. I rested my elbows against the steering wheel, my head in my hands. I probably should've thought over the conversation and how I was going to go about it before I just showed up and started telling her how to live her life. I knew that from her perspective I had absolutely no right to judge who she spent her time with but she didn't understand a damned thing about the choices she was making, and seeing her put herself in harm's way was something I couldn't stand to ignore any longer.

The only thing I'd thought through was bringing my car with me, rather than running on foot to the school – I wanted her to leave with me one way or another. I was curious as to why she was outside by herself, why she looked so upset even before she'd seen me, but I'd let myself get caught up in the moment and none of the questions I had for her had escaped my lips. I owed her a lot of explaining but I was still trying to wrap my head around how I was going to do that without telling her things about my life I'd prefer she not know. The more I sorted through everything in mind, the more I felt like a selfish jerk. Bella was my imprint, and maybe the choice I'd made to keep her away from danger wasn't just mine to make. As much as I detested the thought, maybe Sam was right about everything.

Even from my place in the rabbit, I could hear the gut-wrenching sobs Bella was spewing forth. It tore me apart knowing that I'd caused her that kind of pain all over again. I ignored her growing friendship with the leeches for as long as I possibly could before I broke down and went to her. I knew their little dance was tonight, everyone within a twenty miles radius of the school, did. I had unintentionally overheard a conversation between Embry and one of his new friends during lunch about the people who were riding to the dance with them, and how the "Cullen guys" had so graciously paid for the limo for everyone. As soon as he mentioned them I knew Bella was going with Edward. It made me physically ill to call the creature by his name, as if he was a person or something. His nauseating stench was all over her; even with my arms wrapped around her and her body trembling against mine, I couldn't ignore the smell.

The defensive stance she took when I mentioned what they were and how dangerous it was being around the clan was enough to turn me livid. I had to go to the quiet place in my head in order to keep from snapping – revealing my wolf to her in the middle of the parking lot was not exactly the way I intended to go about it … assuming I even told her at all. That was the biggest question weighing on my mind at the moment; what do I tell her? I knew another confrontation was inevitable and I didn't know how to explain in any other manner how I knew what the vampires were or why it troubled me so much that she befriended them. And if I did tell her about the wolf-gene, did that mean I explained the imprinting process to her as well? Hey Bella, I know I left you without so much as an explanation but we're fated to be together and I swear I was just trying to protect you! I was sure that would go over incredibly well.

My brain was on auto-pilot as I turned the key in the ignition, the car revving to life. Forming thoughts that made any kind of sense was becoming a lot more difficult than it should have been.

Not being able to sit outside of her house and listen to her crying anymore, I slammed my foot on the gas pedal and pulled away from the curb, speeding out of her neighborhood. I had to do something to clear my head; I wasn't going to do myself any good in this state of mind. As I pulled to a stop in front of a red light, I reached behind me and grabbed the bottle of vodka hidden behind my seat. It was late, and I knew there was very little chance of me being stopped by a cop, so I opened the bottle and took a long swig after I'd driven through the intersection. I needed to go see Leah – tonight was the one year anniversary of the day Sam proposed to her. She was going to be hurting as well, and I knew she'd need someone as much as I did at the moment. It was still weird to me that Leah and I had grown so close over the last couple of months, but given how similar our emotional states had been, it made sense. We never talked about it, it was more of an unspoken 'I've got your back and you've got mine' kind of thing between the two of us. Anytime the guys got on her case about her attitude, I'd rip into them until they backed off. She did the same thing if one of them made a remark about me or Bella.

Half-empty bottle of Vodka in hand, I made my way up her porch and let myself in through the front door without knocking. I never bothered as she always yelled from wherever she was to come on in anyway. Setting my keys down on the table near the door, I plopped down on her couch and voiced my presence, as if with her heightened hearing she wouldn't already know.

"I'll be out in a sec," she slurred. She must already be drunk, I thought, taking another drink from my own bottle. I saw an empty glass sitting on the table in front of me, and inspecting it, I could smell that it had indeed contained a heavy amount of alcohol at one point. Leah didn't act like a girl very often, but when we drank she was never one to take 'em down like a guy would. She always made herself mixed drinks, which amused me because it always took her much longer to get drunk. I rarely used a cup, and I certainly never mixed mine.

I flipped on the TV while waiting for her, and made myself comfortable, my feet resting on the edge of the coffee table.

"Get your damn feet off my furniture," she ordered, irritation in her voice, as she picked her cup up from the table and walked toward the kitchen. This was a game we'd played back and forth every time I was over. She'd complain and I'd ignore her, until eventually she'd kick my feet off harshly, and I'd usually retaliate by calling her a bitch or something. She didn't seem to genuinely care this time, though, and instead went to work refilling her drink as I pretended not to hear her bitching.

"How'd it go?" she called from the other room.

"About as well as can be expected," I grunted in response. I heard the ice hit the glass, followed by a long stream of liquid, and then she sat down on the sofa next to me.

"I stocked up." She stated, motioning toward the bag of bottles near her feet, next to the end-table on the other side of where she was sitting.

I nodded, "Thanks, it's gonna be one of those nights."

"Kind of figured that," she retorted. Leah and I didn't say much when we hung out; I think we enjoyed having someone else to share the misery with more than anything. Despite how screwed up that sounded, it was nice not to feel so lonely all of the time. We really were two messed up individuals.

Not even two minutes later, her glass was empty again, and with a shrug, she opened one of the bottles on the floor, drinking straight from it. It must be even worse for her than I'd thought; that move was pretty out of character for her. "It's a good thing we physically can't get alcohol poisoning" she said, after she'd swallowed a good portion of the Rum in her hand.

"One of the wonderful perks of being a monster," I agreed, half-heartedly. She laughed, following with a hiccup, and I couldn't help but laugh along with her. We were a pretty damned pathetic sight. If Sam or one of the other wolves had seen us, we'd be getting major shit for it.

Fifteen minutes passed and I was feeling good and drunk, while Leah had hit the point of no return. She'd gotten up to turn the radio on, a loud fast-paced song coming through the speakers, and nearly fell and landed on the table. Luckily I'd been able to grab her before she lost her balance completely and for a brief second sadness washed over me again as I thought of Bella. That girl was more prone to accidents than anybody I'd ever known, though with Bella that quality had always been endearing to me.

Leah looked into my eyes for a second and all of a sudden her arms were wrapped around my neck, her lips fastened to mine. Where the hell that had come from, I had no idea, but for some reason I didn't want to push her away from me. I welcomed the feeling, enjoying the closeness we were sharing. I closed my eyes and returned the kiss eagerly, as she backed me up against the wall behind the couch, leading into the kitchen. She ground her body against mine roughly while she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth, biting down harshly. My hands flew to tangle themselves in her short hair, and when I made the correlation between her hair and Bella's newly short locks, I pushed her away from me. I was relieved to see that she didn't look hurt, just frustrated, and I walked back over to the couch, resuming my position while reaching for the bottle I'd left lying on the floor.

"That was awkward, man. Sorry." I laughed, not expecting much more than that from Leah, and shook my head at her.

"Don't worry about it, we're cool." We both understood that the alcohol had been the thing which had fueled our actions and that there was nothing between us that went beyond mutual emotional issues. Loneliness and pain was enough to drive any already unstable person, crazy. What had just taken place, however, had caused an epiphany to hit me and I knew instantly what I needed to do.

I was right earlier; this was something that Bella not only deserved to know, but needed to. Whether she decided to have a future with me or not, the choice still had to be hers. Keeping her in the dark after she'd already been exposed to the existence of vampires was not only dangerous to her, but also stupid. I needed her to understand where I was coming from with my dislike for her new friends, and why their place in her life troubled me so much. As much as I'd like to say that the only reason I'd been driven toward this decision, was because of what was best for Bella, the reality was that I was dying without her permanent presence in my life. I needed her, and I knew that the throbbing her absence had caused was not going to go away.

Leah sighed audibly, getting my attention, and when I looked up to her face, she spoke softly. "Jake, just go. You need to talk to her."

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was half-passed six in the morning and that even if Bella was still awake, it probably wasn't a good idea for me to go over there this early to have a conversation that I was sure was going to be uncomfortable, for me and for her. I decided instead, to take a long run through the woods and wait for a more appropriate time to approach her while I cleared my head and got my thoughts together.

"I'm gonna wait on that, wait until the sun sets before I have that talk with her. You're right though, I do need to. Thanks Leah, seriously, you're a good friend." It was unlike either for us to acknowledge the fact that we were friends aloud, but I imagined that my next actions probably surprised her more than the words I'd said. Standing up, I walked toward her and wrapped my arms around her, planting a quick kiss on her forehead. "Call me if you need me, for any reason." She shot me a rare, but genuine smile, and I headed out the door, running toward the trees.

Bella's POV:

Ripping, searing, mind-numbing pain shot through my chest like a bullet shoving its way into my flesh. Every moment I'd spent out with friends, or having dinner with Charlie, had all meant nothing in that moment. Every attempt I'd made to be normal, to be happy and content and enjoy my life, was pointless. He tore all of that out from underneath me without so much as a warning; and the worst part was that it hadn't been the first time this had taken place. You'd think the next time he decided to tear my heart into pieces he'd be nice enough to give me some kind of heads up, first.

I couldn't figure out what I'd done to deserve this – had I somehow severely pissed off the karmic gods and this was their way of punishing me? I knew I sounded ridiculous, even in my own head, but it was taking all of my strength (what little I had left) not to completely lose it. My face was drenched with tears and my breathing was becoming more labored by the second – the minutes passed like hours and I couldn't stop the bile making its way from my stomach into my throat.

I ran to the bathroom as fast as I was able, and heaved unattractively into the toilet. Shutting the door with my foot, so as not to alert Charlie, I tried to calm myself. I took several deep breaths before I moved to stand, washing my face and brushing my teeth over the sink. After I'd spent hours begging myself to relax, I was finally able to stop crying. It'd only taken throwing up in order to achieve that.

Still wearing the dress I'd put on the day before, I'd decided to change and shower, desperately needing to clean the tear-streaked makeup from my face. I turned the shower on, as hot as I could stand it, and leaned against the wall, letting the water pour over me soothingly. I kept replaying the events of the night over and over in my head, wondering what had caused Jacob to show up at the school in the first place – and why he felt it necessary after showing how much he obviously didn't care about me, to warn me of the Cullens. That last part had to be a lie, he wouldn't have reacted the way he did to my touch, or my crying, if he didn't care. He was keeping things from me, something he'd made evident from the conversation both outside the school and in front of my house. There was something I should have known, something I wish he'd just spit out and stop causing an even bigger mess by keeping his mouth shut.

Maybe that would explain why he left me so unexpectedly, why my gut had been screaming at me that there was more to the story – something I wasn't aware of.

Wrapping a towel around my damp body, I used another to dry my hair and wipe the moisture from my face noticing that while I was still feeling nauseous, the numbness was starting to set in. I finally felt like I could somewhat function asI walked quietly back into my bedroom, closing the door behind me, and sat down on the edge of my bed. The crumbled up picture of Jake and me that I'd thrown angrily under my bed after a particularly difficult night, was poking out from underneath the sheet hanging down from my disheveled mattress.

I leaned down to pick it up, smoothing out the creases I'd caused in the photo. He was smiling down at me, arms circling my waist, his head leaning on my shoulder. I was grinning awkwardly at the camera, mid-laugh at something Jake had said, and the picture had turned out perfectly, despite my distraction. He really was gorgeous when he smiled. I could see that my face was lit up and I knew I hadn't looked that happy since the night of my birthday party.

I had to get out of my room, out of this house – to get some fresh air and try to understand the thoughts swimming around in my head. The sun had just started to rise and hearing Charlie moving around in his bedroom, I knew he'd be leaving soon to meet Harry for their fishing trip. I decided to sit tight for a few more minutes, letting him leave the house before I took off, myself. I didn't want to deal with his questions, knowing that if we ran into each other he was going to ask where I was going, and at the time I really didn't even know myself, I just knew I had to leave.

I thought back to the conversation we'd had a month or so ago when he'd told me he wanted me to go live with my mother in Jacksonville. At the time it sounded ridiculous but given the confusion that took place the night before, I was starting to warm up to the idea. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand being miles down the road from Jacob, knowing that the way I felt for him hadn't decreased even in the slightest. And Edward… god what was I going to do about that whole thing? I should've believed Alice when she told me that his feelings for me had gone further than that of a friend, maybe if I had I could've avoided the entire situation all together. Why had I let him kiss me, why had I returned it as if it was something I wanted? Why was I so okay with losing myself to him and the way his lips felt against mine, if I didn't look at him in that light? And why after months of total silence from Jacob did my body still respond just as automatically to his touch as it had when we were together?

I was extremely grateful when I finally heard Charlie's cruiser pulling out of the driveway – my thoughts were going to drive me to literal insanity if I didn't stop, soon. Having already thrown on some clothes, along with my shoes, and brushed my hair, I slid my keys and phone into the pocket of the jeans I was wearing, and headed to the door. Without realizing it, my feet led me into the woods and after a few moments I understood exactly where I was going. I looked around the small clearing Jake and I had occupied the night before the big party he'd thrown for me, where he'd said that he loved me for the first time. I hadn't heard it too many times after that, as our relationship was pretty short lived after that night together.

The shape the area was in caused a lump to form in my throat – no longer was the grass green or covered in pretty purple flowers. Instead, the grass was dead, as were the trees around it, and none of the flowers had lived through the harsh beginning of winter. I couldn't help the bitter thoughts centering around how this must've been a metaphor for our lost relationship. I wanted to scream but my throat was tight and I wasn't able to voice my frustrations.

The sound of rustling leaves startled me, and I spun around to investigate the source of the noise. "Isabella." I was staring at a dark skinned man with dreadlocks, and an opened button-down shirt that exposed the skin of his chest. I noticed his eyes right away and immediately flashed back to the memory of Edward pointing to his own eyes, assuring me that he didn't feed off of humans because if he did – his eyes would've been red in color. I was horrified as I made the connection and started backing away slowly, desperate for a way to get away from this man.

The Cullens had explained that there were other vampire covens out there who didn't share their "vegetarian" philosophy – that very few vampires fed from animals like they did. They'd made sure I was aware of the potential danger running into one of these creatures had been, because apparently Alice had a vision of "visitors" who would be passing through Forks soon. Edward expressed his concerns, asking that I not leave my home if I was alone, especially on foot. I should've listened to him but I hadn't been thinking.

"So, you are the Cullens' pet? I can see why they would keep you around, little girl... " he trailed off, and in a split second he was standing in front of me, his long nails trailing lightly down my cheek. "You are simply mouth watering." I knew he was referring to the aroma of my blood, as Alice had pointed out that I smelled to them what a platter of steak would smell to a human. I'd scrunched my face up at the explanation, telling her that there were some things that friends just did not share, and that had been one of them. She'd been vague when she said that there were things about their lifestyle that were hard for Jasper to adjust to, which was the reason he'd been so distant when I was around. He'd come from hard times and spent the majority of his new life with violent, merciless vampires, and it was harder on him than any of the others to go without human blood.

I could feel myself shaking as he kept continued to run fingers over my face. "Don't worry, as a favor to Carlisle I promise your death will be quick. We're old friends, you see." I flinched at his words, panic spreading through me. I had to find a way to distract him.

"They'll know it was you, they'll come after you." My voice was shaky and I stuttered as I spoke.

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, little one. I'll be long gone before they discover your disappearance. They'll be no body left for them to find, and once your transformation is complete, I assure you, you'll enjoy life as my mate." The reality of his statement set in and while I'd always been curious about what it would be like to become one of them, I wasn't inclined to find out, at least not this way.

A thought struck me and I responded, terror coating my voice. "Alice! She has visions, she'll know what happened. They won't let you live."

He chuckled for a moment before tugging painfully on my hair. "I've had about enough small talk." I closed my eyes as he bent back, ready to strike, and prepared myself for the blow. A loud snarl forced my eyelids to pop open and when I saw the scene laid out before me, instincts kicked in and I started to run. The biggest wolf I'd ever seen had pounced on the vampire, clawing viciously at his face. He was outrageously huge, his fur a reddish-brown color, his teeth digging into the creature's neck.

I glanced behind me while I ran, and made eye-contact with the wolf. His gaze caught mine and I noticed that his eyes looked eerily familiar. I should have been paying better attention to where I was running, and when I'd faced forward again my head slammed into the trunk of a large tree. I vaguely remembered hearing a male call out to me in a voice I'd know anywhere as my eyes fluttered shut and my mind slid into darkness.

Jacob's POV:

I'd been flying through the trees, letting the wind blow through my fur as the adrenaline coursed through me, allowing the mixed emotions I'd felt over the last twenty-four hours, to slowly melt away. I'd hated what I was from the get-go but being in my wolf form, running at a speed most humans couldn't dream of, was one of the most enjoyable rushes I'd ever experienced. I loved the feeling of my paws pounding over the dirt as I raced through the forest.

I slowed down a bit, the familiar sticky-sweet scent of a vampire in the area distracting me from my run. At first I'd chosen to ignore it; as much as I would've liked to rip into a blood-sucker at that moment, the Alpha command Sam had placed on the pack would have kept me from doing that anyway. I stopped completely, realizing that this smell had been different from any of the ones I'd witnessed both in the field, and on the rare occasions I'd seen the unattached vampire poking around near Bella's house.

As soon as I heard her voice, I'd run as fast as I could manage, anger rippling through me. The irony of the situation was not lost on me – I'd done everything I could to keep her away from hidden world of monsters and here she was chatting one up in the middle of … our spot. She was in the clearing I'd taken her to the night of her birthday. Damnit, Bella, I cursed in my head. Only she would choose to go for a walk by herself in the woods.

I heard someone phase, and called out to them mentally.

New vampire in the woods near Bella's house – I've never seen him before. I don't think he's like the Cullens.

I'll be there as soon as I can, keep her away from him. I'm going to phase back and call for back-up. Be careful, Jake. For the first time I was glad to hear the sound of Sam's voice in my head, and after covering miles in a few short minutes, I'd finally had the leech and Bella in my sight. His filthy hands were all over her beautiful face, and rage kicked into high gear as her eyes closed and he leaned back, ready to attack.

There was no way in hell I was going to let anything happen to her, and before he could get any closer I willed my body to carry me faster, finally my paws and teeth making contact with his flesh. Growling, I tore into every part I could reach, ignoring the sounds of the hisses coming from his mouth. I saw her running out of the corner of my eye, glad that at least for the moment she was safe. I didn't smell any others in the air and returned to the task of ripping the vampires' limbs from his body. He put up a fight but I allowed the fury to intensify my blows, and soon enough I saw three more of my pack enter the clearing. I was just about to rip off his head when I heard a loud thud and noticed Bella lying unconsciously on the ground, her head bleeding.

Take care of him! I shouted to Sam and the others, phasing back immediately and making my way over to where she'd fallen.

"Bella!"

{Dun dun dun, cliff hanger! Aha, please review!}