A/N: Rosalie and Laurent know what is going on, but Rose is fighting it a bit. It will work out though… I think. I am sending it back to the wolves in this chapter for a bit. I also have it to where they phased sooner than in the books. Sorry if that is confusing to you. Enjoy!

Chapter 35 – Heartache

It had been a month since the nomads had come through their land and on one hand things seemed to be settling down, but on the other, some things had gotten worse. Bella and Emmett's relationship was stronger than ever and every time Jacob saw them together or met up with Bella alone, it seemed as if his heart would break. "How is it even right that she is with him?" The teen yelled to the sky as he paced back and forth on the beach.

Quil and Embry watched their friend as his agitation grew. They knew what his problem was, but they also knew that there was nothing they could do to stop it. Bella had made her decision and even if Jacob didn't like it, Sam had already blessed the match; and what Sam said went since he was the alpha. The three friends had recently gone through a slight change in their life and they couldn't exactly be considered fully human any longer. They knew who and what the Cullen's were and they also knew that it was their sacred duty to protect the tribe from vampires… sans the Cullen's because of a treaty that was made before the three wolves were ever born.

Now Bella had chosen to be with one of the "cold ones" and Jacob was fuming. It was no secret that he had feelings for the brunette girl, but she didn't return those emotions and that hurt him. He just didn't understand how she could fall for someone like Emmett Cullen and not him. Emmett's heart wasn't even beating; he was basically a walking dead man. It just didn't make sense to Jacob. He wanted her, but he couldn't touch her or go near her. It wasn't that he wanted to do anything to her, he just wanted a chance to prove that he was better than the leech; however, it appeared that he wasn't going to get that opportunity. Since he when through his shift, he has to follow ordered from Sam and that included allowing Bella to delude herself into thinking she was mated to a vampire. It wasn't right.

"You have to leave them alone. It is her choice and she wants to be with Emmett Cullen. There is nothing you can do," Embry stated reminding his friend that the door was closed and sealed.

Jacob stopped in his pacing and glared at his friend, "You can't tell me that it doesn't make you sick that she is with him. A human should never be with a leech like that; they should stick to their own kind. I can't believe Sam gave the ok for him to bite her if she wants to become like them. Isn't that against the treaty?"

"He is the alpha. He has every right to make that decision," Quil defended his leader.

"If you hate it so much, you shouldn't have passed up your opportunity. What's done is done, and everyone can see how much Bella loves him. It is not for us to judge her," Embry added. It hurt him to see his friend in pain, but at some point in time, it was time to move on and Jacob was refusing to do that. It was almost as if he relished in the pain and wanted to keep harping on it so that he could stoke his hate and anger; and in this Embry knew that Jacob was wrong.

Snarling, Jacob rounded on his friends, "So it is perfectly ok for him to bite her, stop her heart, and turn her into one of those blood suckers?"

"Bella has already said that is what she wants, but that it won't happen until after graduation. You need to drop it and if you really loved her, you would let her have this," Embry retorted.

"Let her…?" Jacob yelled and he could feel himself on the verge of losing it, "What she wants is dangerous and could kill her, will kill her in a sense. She won't be Bella any longer and no one here wants to face that fact!" Before he could say anything else, he shifted and ran down the beach away from his friends. He would never escape the thoughts of the others; they were always with him. They knew what he felt, what he thought, what he desired; and in return he could hear everything they were thinking as well. It was a curse. He could hear Sam screaming at him in his head to leave the Cullen's alone and to allow Bella to be with the man she chose. The only problem with that was that to him Emmett Cullen wasn't a man; he was a blood thirsty, walking dead man who could potentially snap at any time and kill the one woman Jacob believed he would love for eternity. It wasn't right; it wasn't fair, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"They are already mates, and that is why they have my blessing. They were mated before those evil leeches came to town and there is nothing you can do to change that. I could see it with my own eyes and as such, they belong together. They have every right to their own chance at happiness that everyone else does and that means for as long as they can grasp it. You will not come between them. I am ordering you to leave them alone. Do I need to order you to stay away from Bella as well?" Sam growled in Jacob's head.

Stopping in his tracks, Jake knew that Sam would give the order, and he didn't know if he would be able to be so close to her and not be allowed to see her or approach her. Regardless of what he wanted, he knew that the path Bella was on right now would eventually lead to their separation. Was he prepared to face that before she committed a form of suicide in his eyes?

Before he could stop the words, Jacob asked, "What happened to no biting a human?"

"This is different. They are mated and nothing can stop that, not even a treaty."

"It isn't different! She is a human too! No human should be bit by those blood suckers!"

"She is choosing this for herself and is happy with him. She loves him and she will never turn her eyes upon you. I'm sorry."

Releasing a howl, Jacob started to run again, but this time he didn't stop. He kept running and trying to block out the hurt and the anger he felt for everyone and everything. He didn't want to think about Bella as anything less than the warm bodied girl he had known since they were kids, didn't want to think about the fact she didn't love him and had chosen to be with a vampire instead, and didn't want to think about the fact that his alpha was allowing it all like it was no big deal. So he didn't think, and instead he moved swiftly through the woods, letting his feet fly over the terrain as he left everything and everyone behind. He knew it wasn't going to be forever, but he needed to get away right now because if he didn't, he didn't know what would happen; and he would rather leave now than to have Sam order him to stay away from Bella. That would have been too permanent, too real. No, leaving was for the best and this way he could create space and hopefully move on past these feelings and infatuation, "Tell my dad that I'm sorry, but I need to get away for a little bit." Those were the last words he spoke to his pack before he refused to speak again. He couldn't stop his thoughts, but he didn't have to talk and he didn't have to answer anyone. He was gone.

Sam received that last sentence from Jacob and knew his subordinate had reached the end of his rope. In all honesty, they had all been expecting it for a while now, even his own father was waiting for the day when he would lose it; and yet, it still caught Sam a little off guard. When all of the thoughts were right there for anyone and everyone in the pack to hear, it made it hard not to feel sympathy and pain for their brother. Now as the alpha made his way toward Billy Black's house, he wondered if there was anything he could have done differently; shaking his head, he knew there wasn't. The only way the outcome would have changed would have been if Bella Swan had chosen Jacob Black instead of Emmett Cullen; and he knew that was never going to happen.

He wasn't exactly sure when his mindset or opinion changed, but it had. Sam still didn't particularly care for any vampire; however, even he had to admit that the Cullen's were very different, a different breed if you will. They didn't like to kill humans for their food, lived off of animals, and tried to keep up a human appearance at all times. They also respected life and tried to get along with the Quileute tribe. It was due to all of this, Sam had to respect them even if he didn't like them.

The alpha also liked to think that he had a different perspective on mated couples since he had found his own mate and imprinted on her. Emily was a breath of fresh air, and although he still felt guilty for leaving Leah behind, he didn't regret it. As soon as he had seen Bella with Emmett, he knew they were mated. Not like humans say this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, but more than that. It was something that had been blessed and destined to be. They were fated for each other and he could see it between them. When he saw that, he knew he could not be the one to come between them and had given them his blessing. If Bella had been aligning herself with a vampire such as the nomads or actually anyone other than the Cullen's, he would have probably intervened, but he couldn't do it to her with Emmett. The big man might be a vampire, but he had proven himself to be a good mate and a good man.

Walking up to the door of Billy's house, Sam knocked on the door and felt a sense of dread at telling the man his son had decided to run away from home. He waited until the door opened and the older man wheeled himself to the door, "Hi, Billy. We need to talk."

Billy could see the worry on the other man's face and knew that whatever Sam had to tell him was not going to be good news, "Come in." Once the door was closed and the two men were alone, Billy folded his hands in his lap and quietly asked, "What happened?"

Struggling past the lump in his throat, Sam told his elder the whole story and finished with, "I am sure he is going to be back soon Billy, but he needed some separation right now."

"I know he did. We all knew he needed it," Billy said softly.

"I think this will be a good thing for him. A little space and time away from Bella, and maybe he will realize that she wasn't his intended mate, she belongs to Emmett. Jacob never imprinted on her, which means there is someone else out there for him."

"I know there is, but when you are young and it is your first love, it is not always easy. When they were kids, Charlie and I used to joke that we wanted to see Jacob and Bella get married to each other. Maybe there was some wishful thinking in it since we are best friends and all, but I also knew there would come a time when we would know if they were intended for each other if he imprinted on her. I knew after he shifted that they were not made for each other. She was mated to Emmett Cullen and Jacob never imprinted. He is still young and naïve, and let's his emotions rule him instead of his head."

"I'm sorry Billy."

Billy shook his head and offered Sam a small smile, "This isn't your fault. He needs to learn that there is a bigger world out there than Forks, and like you said, this could be a good thing for him; as much happiness as I wish for my own son, Bella deserves just as much. We may not like her choice of mate, but there are times when that destiny is out of our hands. You can't pick who you imprint on, and vampire cannot pick who they are destined to be mated with. Bella's mate was already chosen for her by the ancestors before she ever moved to Forks; and somewhere out there Jacob's destined mate is waiting for him."

"You're right."

"Thank you for coming and telling me Sam."

"You're welcome Billy, and I know he will be alright. We will keep you informed of his whereabouts and what he is doing. If you need anything at all, please just ask."

"I appreciate that, now if you will excuse me…"

Nodding, Sam shook his elder's hand and left the house. It had not been a meeting he wanted to have, but at least Billy was accepting of what his only child had done. Making his way back to his own home, he needed to embrace his own mate and shake off the sadness that still clung to him.

Billy gazed at the door where Sam disappeared and could feel the tears gathering before they pooled over his lids and fell down his cheeks. Yes, he knew it had been coming, but it was still hard. His son was out there alone nursing a broken heart and there was nothing he could do for him. All he could do now was pray he came home safe and soon.

Jacob didn't know where he was going and he didn't care. He felt a little guilty for leaving his father like that, but he had to do it. He couldn't take it any longer and had to bolt. It was better this way for all concerned; and as he let out another howl of morning, he could hear it echoed in the air and in his heart.