A howl broke through the quiet startling me awake as I nearly strangled Jacob.

"Drina, Drina! It's ok," he gasped, pulling my arms from around his neck.

"W-what?" I asked, confused.

"It's just Jared calling for back-up," he said softly, wrapping me in his arms.

"O-oh," I stuttered with a yawn, vaguely remembering the reason why I had awaken. "S-sorry about that, it just scared me," I said, relaxing into the sheets. "Why's he calling for back-up?" I wondered, my muscled freezing up again.

"He just wants to go to sleep, his shifts over," he told me calmly. I nodded, relaxing once again as I rubbed my eyes.

"You should get back to sleep, you're going to be up late tonight," Jake said, rubbing my arm.

"Why?" I questioned.

"The bonfire's tonight," he smiled.

"We're still having that? Are you sure it's safe?" I asked, worried, Jacob laughed.

"Of course it is. There's a whole pack of wolves there, it'll be fine," he assured me, but I still looked on in disapproval. "Plus, I don't want to miss you wearing that dress," he grinned, gesturing to the red and white dress that hung on a hook on the back of his door.

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I could tell he'd been eyeing that since we'd gotten back to Billy's.

"And it would be very rude of me to deny you that simple pleasure," I grinned, he chuckled.

"Pleasure, yes, but I don't think it's simple," he smiled, I rolled my eyes, swatting his head gently.

"Oh, and we also have a meeting with the Cullen's," he added, his voice much less enthusiastic.

"For strategy?"

"I guess. Apparently Edward got some information on Sebastian that could make or break us," he said, sounding hopeful.

"Good, I hope it helps," I sighed, relieved for this new revelation, but nervous as well.

"It must, Carlisle was pretty serious about it when he told us," Jacob said thoughtfully, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Hmm," I mumbled, closing my eyes as I snuggled close to him again.

"Drina?" Jake asked suddenly.

"Mmm?"

"Have you ever… thought about the future, I mean, with us?" He asked softly.

I blushed slightly. I had of course though about it, but with everything going on lately I hadn't in some time. All I knew about my future was that I wanted Jacob in it, no matter what happened after that.

"A little," I said.

"What are your thoughts?"

"I don't know, they're a bit unsubstantial. The only thing I know, is that you're there. I don't think I can let you go now that I have you," I admitted.

"I couldn't either," he told me softly, nuzzling the top of my head gently. "Anyways, get to sleep. Don't want you conking out in the middle of the bonfire," he laughed, pulling me snuggly against him.

I just shook my head, obeying his command. I was too tired to argue with the idiot right now, but in the morning, he'd get it.

Unfortunately, sleep didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked. Jake rolled me out of bed around seven and dragged me to the kitchen where he nearly force fed me a bowl of apple jacks.

"Jake, I can do it myself!" I cried as he tried to spoon yet another bite of cereal into my mouth.

He chuckled, a big grin spreading across his face. Why he was so awake in the morning was beyond my comprehension.

"Well, you're just taking so long, I thought I'd give you a hand," he grinned. I just rolled my eyes and ate another spoonful. "We do have to hurry up though, the Cullen's wanted us to meet them at eight," he said.

I nearly spit out my cereal "Eight? It's already seven forty five! Why didn't you say that in the first place?" I cried, picking up my bowl and downing the last few bites as I raced into his bedroom to find some clothes.

"Relax, Drina," Jake chuckled as he stood in the doorway, watching my helpless scramble to find wearable clothing. I scoffed, only sparing him an irritated glance before I continued my pursuit. That was until he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me against him.

"Jake, it takes time to get ready, now let me go, or we'll be late!" I gasped, Jacob laughed again.

"Did you forget that your boyfriend's a werewolf? We go faster than normal human's, you know," he joked, I scowled.

"Ya, well us normal human's don't appreciate your werewolf strength when we're trying to get something done!"

Jake laughed again, but let me go so I could find my clothes.

"You know you like it, don't even lie," Jake said cockily.

"Ya, whatever, Jake. If that boosts your ego, sure," I responded, pulling a t-shirt over my head after scrounging up a bra I couldn't tell was clean or not.

"As a matter-of-fact, it does."

I rolled my eyes, jumping into a pair of jeans as Jacob chuckled in the corner. I just ignored him as I pulled on some shoes.

"So, are we meeting them where we did last time?" I asked, lacing up my new sneakers.

"No," Jacob said darkly, that made me look up. His face looked angry, but not to the point of phasing, he was simply irritated.

"Then where?"

"Their house," he said.

"Um, ok, and why are you acting as though that's bad?" I wondered.

He glared at me, "you're going to be in a house full of blood-sucking vampires, doesn't that cause you any concern?"

I shrugged, "kind of, but they seem nice enough, I'm just not too thrilled to be seeing Bella again, I might just have to take Quil up on the punching her thing," I said.

"Don't do that, you'll only hurt yourself," Jacob said, chuckling slightly at the thought.

"So? It'll make me feel better," I said darkly, pulling the bow on my shoe a little harder than necessary.

There was then a soft hand on my chin, lifting it up to meet his dark eyes.

"Drina, you don't need to worry about Bella," he told me sternly.

"That's what you think," I said, staring him straight in the eyes, they darkened.

"Drina, please, I'll handle her, you just-" but I pressed a finger to his lips.

"Remember what I said Jacob, Sebastian's my problem and I'm not fighting him alone, so I won't let you deal with Bella alone, got it?"

He stared at me for some time, scrutinizing my face, then sighed heavily, pulling away from me as he straightened up and headed to the door.

"Come on, we'll be late," he said.

I sighed, slowly getting up and following him. I'll make him understand, even if not now, I will.

Of course the ride to the Cullen's was silent, due to the fact that Jake was a large beast that could only bark and howl. Yet, this silence, unlike the previous when he was a wolf, felt thick, heavy. I hadn't thought I had made him that mad, but he certainly didn't seem pleased now. Just the way his muscles moved beneath gave off the aura of being exceptionally annoyed. I didn't like him being mad at me, but what I said made sense, he was just too proud to admit it. I wasn't going to give into his childish behavior, so I stayed silent as well, much to my own dislike.

Then finally, at the edge of the forest, that seemed to lead onto a large field, Jacob stopped, his body contorting beneath me as his smooth skin appeared beneath my fingers.

"You alright?" He asked, feeling the tension in my body.

"Are you?" I wondered. He simply shrugged, not bothering to respond with words as he pulled on his pants and walked out of the cover of the tree's.

The grassy area beyond was indeed a large area of grass, but what I didn't expect was to see the humongous white house situated at the other end.

"So this is the Cullen's place?" I asked as I slid off his back.

"Yes," he replied simply, taking my hand and beginning to walk towards the mansion.

Since Jacob wasn't much of a companion, I filled in the time between the forests edge to house by marveling at the structure. Simply looking at it, you definitely wouldn't think a group of blood-sucking, sun sparkling vampires would live there. This was mostly due to the large window's that spread all across the front of the house, and according to the gleam coming from some of them there must be some on the back as well.

It was a stunning home that any person would long to live in. Yet the way Jacob was so seized up beside me made me think that this house wasn't so grand after all.

That's when I stopped walking, wanting desperately to get to the bottom of this.

"Jacob, what's wrong? I'm sorry if I made you mad earlier, but-" I began, but he cut me off, his lips fierce against mine.

Jacob had never kissed me this way before, it was as though this was the last time he'd get to, so I pulled away.

"Jake, what's wrong?" I asked again, worried now.

He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Just having you around them, it makes me really… uptight. I just… I don't want anything to happen to you," he said softly, looking down at me through his hair.

"I'll be fine, Jacob. With you and the guys there, nothing can ever hurt me," I smiled, stroking his cheek gently. He smiled at that, grabbing my hand and gently kissing my palm.

"I'm glad you have that much faith in me, especially after everything you've seen," he said softly, his lips traveling onto the inside of my wrist, making my breath hitch.

"I do have faith in you," I said, not sure what else I could say, especially when his hot lips were trailing their way up my arm.

"So, you gonna come inside or continue thinking those obscene thoughts?" Came a slightly strained voice. I jumped, looking towards the house to see Edward standing on the porch, a smirk on his lips.

"I'd rather keep thinking," Jacob said, slowly moving away from my arm, but leaning in to kiss my forehead before pulling me towards the house.

"I'd prefer you didn't," Edward said darkly as we passed. He stared at me probingly, I didn't like the feeling of being dissected. As this thought occurred he grinned, closing the door behind us.

"I'm sorry that makes you uncomfortable, but it's simply a gift of mine and I can't control it," Edward apologized. I blushed at his kindness, but I could feel Jacob seize up at the exchange.

"The other's are already in the living room, you are the last to arrive," he told us, leading the way through a large arc. I threw a nervous glance at Jake as he pulled me slowly into a very spacious living room.

I couldn't contain my gasp of surprise when I entered. It was just so… bright. I mean, the whole back wall consisted of all windows, it was rather shocking.

However, a cold feeling on my arm made me pause in my ogling and look down at a short dark haired girl.

"Hello, I'm Alice! It's great to finally be able to meet you in person!" She said excitedly, giving me an enthusiastic hug. I must admit, it was quite strange, but this was mostly due to the contrast between her cold skin and Jacob's burning hand in mine, which tightened slightly.

Otherwise, I was glad to be welcomed so warmly. I don't know why in particular, but somehow it did.

"You know, you don't smell very good," she said, crinkling her small nose as she moved away. Ok, now that hurt, did I really smell mad?

Just to make sure I picked up a piece of my shirt and sniffed it. It smelled like my orchid body lotion, and of course, a little bit like Jake's musky scent.

"That's what doesn't smell good, I'm sure the orchid is quite lovely," Edward said, grinning at me as he sat down next to Bella. I looked at him quizzically. "Jacob's scent, you smell like a werewolf. To us, they don't smell very appealing," he explained. This baffled me, I had always thought Jake smelled quite nice, a bit manly on occasion, but nice none the less. I had no complaints.

Edward chuckled at my thoughts, but said nothing as he wrapped an arm around Bella who I noticed was giving me an intense look. I couldn't quite make out what it was, but it didn't look very pleased. I don't think she took our last meeting particularly well, and this fact satisfied me, because I didn't much like it either. Edward studied me as I thought this, his arms tightening slightly around Bella. I stopped thinking at this, that little meeting was between Bella and I.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, I think we should get this meeting going," came Sam's commanding voice from the far corner of the room. His face was contorted in what looked like disgust as he stood rigidly with the rest of the pack, looking equally uncomfortable.

"Yes, you are quite right, Sam," said Carlisle, standing up. "While fighting Sebastian a few nights ago, my son, Edward," he said, nodding to him. "Has acquired a piece of information that should be quite useful." At this Edward stood, moving to stand next to Carlisle.

"As you all know I am able to read minds, and during the last battle, Sebastian's mind was slightly more hectic than it was when he stayed with us. Because of this gap in his thoughts, I was able to pick up a very useful piece of information." Here he took a breath, looking straight at me. "Sebastian thrives off of people's fear, and since none of the creatures present besides you are fully human, I have come to deduct that he thrives off of your fear of him," he told me.

"A-and that means?" I questioned, shocked that he was now speaking directly to me. Could us not winning be all my fault?

"I know this is a hard thing to accept, but yes, I believe you are the reason why we cannot win against him. He takes your fear and worry and turns it into his own strength and prowess. In order to weaken his defenses you will not be able to be present at our next encounter."

I gasped, fear gripping me. I just had to sit? Simply wait until it was all over? Even if Jacob was in so much danger?

I was panicking now as I clutched Jacob's hand as though it were my life line. I couldn't breathe. It was all my fault. My fault that Sebastian was here in the first place. My fault Jacob had gotten beaten so badly. My fault Quil was lying in bed recovering from nearly fatal injuries. This was all my fault.

"Drina?" Came Jacob's worried voice.

"Th-this is all my fault," I said softly, tears brimming in my eyes. "A-all my fault."

"Drina, no it isn't, don't think that!" Jacob scolded, but I ignored him.

"Jacob, she's panicking, you need to get her out of here," Edward said.

"Ya, no thanks to you!" Jacob exclaimed, glaring at Edward. "Why didn't you warn me about what it was? I could have just told her she couldn't come! That it was too dangerous!"

Jacob was furious at him, livid, and it was because I was freaking out. It was my fault.

"J-Jacob, don't get mad, he-he was only helping, I-it' my fault that-" I began, but Jacob silenced me, picking me up and exciting the house in a few quick strides.

"That damn bastard, I'm gonna-!" Jacob began, but he stopped when he saw the tears glistening on my face.

"Drina, don't cry, please, it's not your fault ok? You didn't know," he told me, pulling me close so his musky scent surrounded me.

"J-Jacob, I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry about everything," I sobbed, my face buried into his neck.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Drina. You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently, beginning to walk again. I think he was keen on getting me away from this house as soon as possible.

"Y-yes I do Jake! He's stronger because of my fear! He can win because I'm there, and I'm… scared," I said softly, cuddling up against him. Even with my worry and guilt, his warmth was soothing.

"Drina, if you weren't scared of him, you would have a serious problem," Jake said as though the fact was as plain as day.

"I-I know but-" I began.

"Don't argue, Drina, none of this is your fault. Sebastian is just a cynical bastard that decided to target you and destroy your life. Don't give into him! Don't give him what he wants!" Jake said sternly.

"I won't Jake, I'm just sorry about bringing all this to you and the guys, I don't want anyone hurt, or-"

"Like I said before, if you hadn't found us, you'd be dead," he said bluntly. I shivered slightly at the finality in his voice. I could not fight back however, because I knew what he was saying was true. I couldn't do this without the pack, I couldn't fight a, strong, fast, powerful, blood-sucking vampire by myself. I would die. Especially if he was getting even stronger because of the fact that, like a normal human, I feared him.

"You're right," I murmured, relaxing into his arms. "Now that we know what makes him so powerful you can destroy him. I will stay on the reservation," I said, determined to help in the only the way I could, and if that was to stay completely out of the picture, I would… for Jacob.

"Thank you, Drina," he said softly, leaning down to kiss my forehead gently.

"I'm sorry for freaking out like this-" Once again, I was cut off.

"Please don't apologize anymore, you know I've forgiven you anyway," he said, almost pleading. This time I simply nodded, not really trusting my words right now, knowing me and the situation, I would start apologizing again.

"Good, now let's get you home, you think you'll be ok if I phase? It'll be quicker," he said.

"Of course, you know I've always loved the wolf part of you," I said, unable to contain my smile. He grinned back, leaning in to kiss my lips tenderly.

"Alright, just hold on tight," he grinned.

I raised an eyebrow at him as he set me on my feet.

"What? Wouldn't want you to fall off," he said with a smirk. I just rolled my eyes.

"Sure, you just like being cocky."

"Course I do," he grinned, and with that the wolf overtook him, and there in front of me stood my wolf friend once again.

A.N. Alright folks, I know some of you were a bit concerned as to why Sebastian was kicking so much ass, so I hope this clears things up a bit. Also, sorry about Drina's crazy mood swings in the chapter, but really, wouldn't you? I kind of feel sorry for her, oh well, it all makes for a good story. So I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review, thank you!