Chapter 20 – Jacob POV

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We leave the council meeting hand in hand. I steal a look at my mate and can't help the smile on my face. If those men only knew their most powerful tool for controlling a wolf was to get his mate on your side they would kiss the ground she walks on.

When we get to the trucks the guys start laughing like a bunch of hyenas.

Paul slaps Embry on the back while laughing. "I think Jacob scared more than pee out of the old man!"

"Man that just stank! I know mine don't smell that bad." Jared adds.

"Jared! Don't be gross!" Kim reprimands.

Jared grabs Kim around the waist; giving her his best puppy dog eyes he whispers "I'm sorry KimieBear. Am I forgiven?" He gives her a tender kiss.

"Always" she sighs against his lips.

"Oh KimieBear…" Paul teases.

Jared punches his friend in the shoulder.

I can see the way things are escalating. "Paul and Quil have the next two hour patrol. Jared and I have one to four, then Sam and Quil have eight to eleven, Paul and Embry two to five, and Jared and Quil eight to eleven."

Sam quietly says to me "Three hours may be pushing yourself with the new imprint."

"I had planned on four hour shifts tomorrow so I hope not."

"You will only be three days out from your first phase and your imprint. That may be a lot of strain." Sam continues.

"We will just have to play it by ear." I smirk when Bella tries to hide her yawn behind her hair as she leans in to me. "Jared, I'll see you at my place about one. I am going to go home and wrap myself around the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth."

Jared pipes up with a smile. "Alpha or not if you try to wrap around Kim I will lay you out."

"Whatever man. I have only ever had eyes for My Bells."

Bella interrupts what I was saying. "Jake, I'm tired. How about lunch tomorrow after Sam and Quil are back?"

Emily chimes in. "We can host so your Dad can have a break from all the chaos."

"Sounds good. You heard the women, lunch at Sam's. Paul, Quil call an alarm if you find anything. That redhead is still out there."

Bella's head snaps up and I can feel her panic. "What redhead?"

"Just the vamp that got away yesterday. Don't worry Honey, if she comes around we will take her out."

"What does she look like?" Bella asks wither heart racing.

"Don't worry about it Bells. We haven't caught scent of her since then." I assure her.

Bella steps out of my arms with almost a manic look in her eyes. "WHAT DOES SHE LOOK LIKE JACOB?!"

I hold my hands up in front of me. "She has red curly hair, fur trimmed jacket, she and the dread head were about so tall." holding my hand up.

Bella wraps her arms around herself backing away from everyone and shaking her head vigorously. "No no no nononononoooo." Tears are coursing down her face and I stagger under the onslaught of shear panic through the bond.

"Honey, it'll be OK. We will get her if she comes back. We don't know why she was skulking around Forks let alone Charlie's once they saw the Cullens were gone."

"She was at my house! You didn't bother to tell me that she was near my father! He can't be there anymore!"

"What do you want me to tell him? 'Hay Charlie there's a vampire lurking around your place you have to come hide out on the Rez while me and my gang that just so happens to turn into giant wolves hunt it down and kill it.' We don't even know why she was interested in your dad's place." I sigh in exasperation.

"She's after me." Her voice is so soft that if I was human I would have missed it. "It was her mate that bit me. The Cullens killed James because he was after me, now Victoria's after me."

Paul chimes in "How many bloodsuckers do you know?"

I snarl at him.

Bella walks over to her truck and gets in.

"Where are you going Bells?" It feels like she has turned herself off. I am getting no emotion at all through the imprint.

"I need to make sure Charlie's ok."

I go to get in the passenger door. "Ok let's go check on your dad. Then…"

"NO! *I* am making sure my family is safe." She starts the engine and drives off.

I watch her pull down the road and I start pacing. I am so angry that Cullen left her with a blood thirsty vamp after her and I am scared shitless that she has shut me out. Did she reject the imprint?! Can she reject it now? The wolf is having a fit. Our mate doesn't want us now.

Dad, Harry, and Old Quil are heading over to Harry's car by Sam's truck.

Dad asks "Jacob, what's wrong?"

"Bella's mad and I can hardly feel her now. She just found out that the redhead was at Charlie's house and apparently she is the mate of the one that bite her that the Cullen's killed so now she is after Bells and Bells is pissed that I didn't tell her but it isn't like we haven't had a crazy fucked up day I didn't even think that she would know her or I would have told her. Now she has gone off to make sure Charlie is safe and she wouldn't let me go with her and I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest and the wolf is howling in my head." I fist my short hair in my hands, squat down, and growl in my frustration.

"Slow down son. Let me get this straight, the cold ones were at Charlie's and they were the ones that chased Bella to Phoenix?"

"I think she rejected the imprint dad. I can hardly breathe. Since I phased I could tell where she was and feel her desire to be with me. I could feel a pull in my heart and now I can still feel that she is alive but it's like there is a wall between us. She doesn't want us anymore."

Billy puts his hands on my face so I meet his eyes. "It doesn't make sense that she would not want at least one wolf to go with her to check on her dad. She can't kill them so she would need one of you. What *exactly* did she say?"

I take a deep breath and try to center myself. "She had just told us that Victoria – that's the vamps name – was after her because of Edward. She went over to her truck and got in. It was like she shut a door between us right then. She said she needed to make sure Charlie is ok. That's when I said I would go with her to check on him and she yelled at me that SHE is going to make sure her family is safe and she drove off."

"How is she going to make sure Charlie is safe on her own?" Emily asks.

"Let's go back to the house and I'll give Charlie a call about coming over tomorrow. That way we will know she is with him when she gets there. I'm sure she will calm down and see that you weren't trying to keep anything away from her. She's a lot like her old man, quick to flash temper but very levelheaded and loyal over all." Dad pats my arm.

The pack pulls off their shirts and drops them in the cab of Sam's truck with Emily and Kim. We hit the tree line and phase.

"Let's make a run of the beaches so you can blow off some steam before going inside" Sam suggests.

I give a mental nod and take off to Third beach.

Twenty minutes later we are walking up to the house to see Billy sitting on the porch upset.

"She took her things and left. I haven't gotten through to Charlie. He called earlier to complain how some new assistant dumped coffee on his phone and ruined it so I can't call his cell."

I phase back and rush in the house. I can smell her trail. She has taken all her clothes and bathroom supplies. I run out of the house and phase before my feet hit the dirt. I'm off at top speed toward Charlie's.

The pack phases in as they chase after me. I can't stop. I can't slow down. I have to find my Bella, my mate. I have to make it right.

I get to Charlie's and neither the cruiser nor her truck are here but I can smell a fresh sign of her. I risk going to the porch and yes there is a fresh trial going in and back out to the tree line. "I SMELL BLOOD! There on the tree nearest the road. Oh god she's hurt and bleeding and I had no sense of it. Dear God what have I done to break our imprint so badly?"

I fallow the blood trail skirting the edges of Forks. My thoughts spin around and around. "I have to make sure My Bella is alright. I have to find her and make it right, make us right again."

"Jacob. JAKE!" Quil forces his thoughts through.

"WHAT?!" I snap back.

"I smell a leach! It smells familiar."

We had fallowed the blood trail to the High School. That was where the Pixie came to a skidding halt in her Porsche. "Have you found her?" She asks as she jumps out of her car.

I phase back not bothering with my shorts. "What are you doing back here? What have you done with Bella?" I growl.

"She is going to lure Victoria away and sacrifice herself to protect all of you dogs."

She walks up to Sam. "I haven't been able to see her hardly at all since we left. What I did see recently was Victoria was in the area and hunting Bella when she couldn't find us. That's when I started trying to see Bella and couldn't. So, I headed back here to check on her. Then tonight I got a blast from her that she had to save everyone from Victoria and that she was going to lure her away and sacrifice herself to keep all you safe."

Sam phases back, slipping his shorts on quickly. "This is the fortune teller Jacob. Where is the rest of your *family*?"

Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett should be here soon. They're on their way from Minnesota. Jasper is meeting Edward at the airport.

I interrupt "Edward is not needed or wanted here."

The pixie harrumphs out a sigh. "Edward is beside himself that Victoria is after Bella. We will deal with her then keep Bella safe until she is ready to leave with us."

I lunge at leach. "You will do nothing with Our Mate! We will protect her! We will make it right!"

"What do you mean your mate? Bella is Edwards Singer. They have chosen to spend eternity together."

My pack tackles me and pin me to the ground. Embry meets my gaze. "Jacob! This is not helping right now. We will deal with all this once we have Bella safe. Once your mate in back in your arms we can sort out the rest."

I relax with the realization that my friend is right. "This is getting us nowhere. We need to find Bells."

The pack gets up, freeing me. I stand, "We will deal with the Cullens later. We need to find Bella now."

The little vamp asks Sam, "Why is the pup giving orders?"

Sam smirks at her, "He is the true Alpha. I was just keeping the seat warm until he was ready. You will be dealing with him from now on." He turns and follows me.

We head off to the trees and phase. The trail is easy to fallow. We pick up speed now that we know her plan. The trail leads all around Forks and then she heads south on 101.

As we come upon Ruby Beach I see her truck and my heart leaps. Her scent is blowing in on the sea breeze. "She's here! She's safe!"

"Don't forget pants man" Embry chimes in with a mental grin.

"We will make sure the area is secure" Sam starts directing the others to scout the area as I phase back.

I approach her quietly once I find her sitting on a large outcropping of rock. My heart is racing. It feels like it is going to rip out of my chest.

"Bella" It comes out almost like a prayer as I drop to my knees beside her.

"Oh Jacob!" she sobs as she wraps her arms around my neck.

I pull her into me with my head buried in her neck. Tears of relief are streaming down my face. "Thank the Spirits your safe."

"You weren't supposed to follow me. I left to keep everyone safe."

"I can't lose you. You are the air I breathe Bells. You are my beating heart. Without you I am nothing. What can I do to fix us? I can't go on with you locking me out."

"There's nothing to fix. I am trying to spare you getting hurt or killed for me. I'm not worth the risk…"

I silence her by claiming her lips with my own. I poor all of my love and the desperation I felt when she was gone into that kiss.

We break apart when an alert is called.

Quil and Embry come jogging up. "The *others* are coming."

I growl and pull Bella to me.

"Who's coming Jacob?"

Before I have a chance to answer Edward comes running up.

"EDWARD?! Bella gasps.