Jared felt like he had been struck by lightning. There was this raw, bizarre power that radiated through his veins. Looking down at Bella he could suddenly feel her emotions and right now she was fearful, anxious and angry. They weren't as strong now that the marking had taken place but they still bound her.

Jared growled in agitation, He would not let her fall through the cracks.

"Bella I know you can hear me. And right now I need you SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT! YOUR STRONGER THAN THIS! WE ARE STRONGER THAN THIS! I. OUR RELATIONSHIP IS OUR OWN AND NO ONE ELSES! I KNOW WE STILL HAVE SOME STUFF TO WORK OUT AND IM STILL SUFFERING FROM KIM BREAKING MY HEART BUT YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP BELLA!"

Jared yelled as he bit Bella again this time with more force.

Bella was in the dark and all she could hear and feel was Edwards cold and hard hands...the words that he threatened her with choking her into a comatose state and she felt hands on her all she could do was fight because he was trying to hurt her. His words replaying in her mind " So weak and innocent…don't think I don't know about you trying to avoid me, Isabella. But you will be my wife and I will not stop at anything to get it and that includes having to harm anyone who dare touches you. Don't make me get the volturi involved...Mrs. Cullen."

It had shaken her to her core and kept her trapped but every now and then she would hear a voice. A voice calling her, she just couldn't figure out who it was, but Bella didn't get the chance to look more into it because she felt a blazing power literally force her awake. It was like being underwater and coming up for air. And suddenly she recognized the voice. It was Jared. He was calling her. She could hear him. He sounded so close…so close.

"BELLA SWAN OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Bella was dragged from the darkness and away from Her mind's closed off torture and brought back to the light. She was in Jared's arms. His eyes yellow and his body trembling. He smiled in relief.

"oh Bella. Bella, Bella, Bella, Bella. Chabelita. My mate."

Bella leaned into Jared's touch and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jared? Jared I was so scared and angry. I didn't know what was going on. All I could feel was...Edward's touch. It sickened me."

Jared growled as he sniffed her neck.

"That leech isn't going anywhere near you. Now come on. We need to get somewhere safe…somewhere where the leeches can't find us ..but also somewhere the pack won't be too noisy."

"what about your grandparents' old home. Its hidden enough to where people won't just start showing up right?" she asked wearily. She suddenly felt tired and drained

"you're tired. You've been fighting for too long." Jared told her

Bella looked at Jared and smirked "you're tired too. I can tell. Wait? Jared, what happened? Where's Charlie!"

Panic set in as Bella truly realized that she was NOT in the hospital and her father was not next to her.

"ssh. It's ok. It's ok. Sam has the pack taking care of your father. You just need to relax. We both need some sleep and some food before we can go see him again."

Bella nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"alright then. Hang on."

They came upon his grandparents' home quicker than expected and Jared was glad it was dark out. He entered the musky smelling home and sighed. It was odd…but he felt…relief and the hole in his chest didn't feel as big. The pain from the imprint pull was dull almost nonexistent and when he looked at Bella sleeping form in his arms.

It made it all worthwhile.

Shane Cameron wanted to meet the man who saved his sister's life. He had taken the first flight he could find when he got the call. His little sister had been shot, he thanked taka aki that it had only been a flesh wound and a broken leg, his whole purpose was to check on her and make sure she was alright. So why was it when he came upon the girl with short black hair and dark eyes did, he forget everything he cared about? In that moment…his parents' divorce didn't matter, not his job, not his grades...nothing. all he could see…was ...this woman. However, a cough broke him from that.

"Shane why are you standing in the doorway? Is chief swan awake?"

It was his father.

"huh! Oh...um no no. he's still asleep." Shane said as he stepped aside for his father to enter the room.

"I see. Well that's fine. Well just leave him the card with our number in it. also I talked to Chief black. He suggest we move raven to the clinic at the reservation. With raven out of the woods, it probably be best she was in a familiar place."

"oh. Yeah I guess that be best…" Shane agreed as he glanced back at the women who had yet to speak to.

"um…hi."

"hi." She said in a low voice and then suddenly everything changed. Her eyes went from full of life to complete…hatred?

"look if you r done here. I'm sure Charlie wouldn't like strangers in his room. So, when he wakes up ill tell him you stopped by. But for now you can leave." She hissed

Shane was taken aback.

"oh...uh…well ok then. Please tell him the Cameron family sends their thanks." With that said Shane walked away.

Colin could not believe his eyes or his ears.

"dammit Leah. Did you really just reject your imprint!? out of everyone in the pack. You reject your imprint?"

Leah went to make a snide remark, but she couldn't because the youngest member of the pack had just told her off and it looked like he wasn't done.

"I mean all the craziness we go through and you do something like that! don't you think your worth more than that? I mean…with the crap you went through with Sam and Emily and then your dad! and suddenly a good thing lands in your lap and the only thing you can do is push it away. Why? Because your still bitter. Your still bitter about sam. Your still bitter about phasing and your still bitter about your life. But you know what I really think Leah. I think your scared. Your scared of the imprint and what it might mean. your scared to move forward and your scared to fall in love. No one says your marrying him today and if your friends ..great but don't let it slip by you either. So, get out of here and go get him."

"I can't…the order..." Leah said once she finally spoke.

"the order was for me to stay and not to let a Cullen in. Not for you to stay Leah. Your only job was to escort Billy and you did that. So, go. Go after him..." Collin told her.

Leah hesitated.

"Leah you wont ever get a chance like this! Go!"

"why!" she shouted, "why do you care so much!"

"Because I had an imprint! But I let her get away!"

Leah's mouth dropped.

"Jared wasn't the only one whose imprint left him, but my situation was just completely different. She was way too old for me and married. I mean, I'm thirteen years old and this woman was 35. She had recently lost her son. He was my age. She was so stricken with grief…it hurt me to se her hurt. It lasted a few months. A mother son bond…but.. we knew that it wouldn't last. It was only temporary. How would look a thirty-year-old and 13-year-old togather. All the time and not related. So, after a while…she packed up and left. I mean she said goodbye and it hurt...but we were never in love. I was exactly what she needed me to be. She needed comfort. I will forever be happy and yet regretful. Because while everyone is falling in love. All I can do is think about the women who was a piece of my soul. So go Leah. Don't let him get away."

Leah felt her feet moving before she realized it.

Shane. His father had called him Shane.

Bella hummed in content as the shower head spewed the hot water. Her body had been freezing ever since she woke up. She knew it was due to Edwards enthrallment and his threat. She still hadn't told Jared what he said and she would, but she just couldn't right now. She needed to think. Yes, Victoria was gone. Yes, there weren't anymore newborn vampires and life was just returning back to normal. So here she was…engaged to a vampire, in love with a were wolf and being threated that her whole life would ngo up in flames. What was she supposed to do? Her father was in the hospital, her soon to be fiancée was threating her and she had fallen in love with Jared.

Wait…she had fallen in love with Jared?

Bella took a deep breath and decided not to lie to herself. Of course, she had

Her thoughts and next plan of action consumed her as she stepped out the shower. One thing she wasn't going to do was make matters worse. She couldn't do any of this by herself and she would need to be honest with those around her but that would include telling Jared what Edward had said and…then there was Charlie. Could she relay tell him about the supernatural lives she was involved in? it would probably help him immensely and even keep him safe. But at the same time…wouldn't put him in danger as well? However, her father was a cop and his life was on the line every day. Just like today…or was it yesterday? She had been trapped on her own mind for so long, she couldn't tell. As Bella went to brush her teeth, her eyes raked over her face and stopped at her shoulders.

Their on her left shoulder…was a bite mark.

"We had to mark you."

Bella looked up to see Jared's sullen expression in the mirror.

"you were being tormented. Your eyes were glossed over and lost. You were so lost in your mind, trapped by the leeches enthrallment. Y-you accidently attacked quill's mom, thinking she was Edward. I didn't know what else to do. please Bella. I didn't mean to do it without your consent, but I was so afraid for your life."

Jared was on his knees in the doorway now.

"Jared, Jared its ok. Just breathe. Now tell me what's ...marking?"

"..it's. It's oh heck Bella I can't really explain it. I only read on it once in the tribal archives and it was very brief, and it didn't explain much. All I can tell you is that its when wolf makes a claim on his mate permanently and no other wolf has done it in centuries. Its supposed to be really really sacred, there's a whole ceremony and the elders are supposed to give you their permission. But Bella I wasn't thinking about of that all I was thinking about was that there was vampire venom in that stupid bite on your wrist and it was making you crazy. My wolf could smell it and I think it had been dormant for a while and Edward suddenly awaked it when he dazzled you. So please, please don't hate me."

Bella didn't know what to think. Marking. Venom. Her wrist. Charlie. Edward it was all too much.

"..i don't hate you jared. I could never hate you and I trust you. I trust your judgement. However, I do need some time to think and mist of all sleep. I am exhausted. And too much has happened at once. So lets just go to bed and we figure this all out in the morning."

Jared whined softly but followed her out the bathroom and into the master bedroom that had an old bed on it.

Bella quietly removed her towel and stood naked in front of Jared.

"..come on Jared…lets go to bed."

Jared felt some relief as he laid his head-on Bella's chest. Her heartbeat was strong.

For now…For tonight. It would be okay. He just prayed they could go back to their normal routine. They needed it.