Jacob PoV

As much as I wanted to follow the Cullens down to the clinic and be at her side, I knew I had to check on the pack first. Seth hadn't sounded so good when he called, and Leah didn't move when I sped past her.

Quil and Embry were already at their sides, both looking tattered and beaten but otherwise unharmed apart from a slash across Embry's head which would probably leave him with a small scar but nothing too serious. Leah was already stirring, whimpering in pain from an obviously broken leg and a wound on her chest but it was Seth who worried me most. He didn't move when I came up to him and touched him gently with my front paw.

What's wrong with him? Embry's voice sounded in my head.

I don't know... He's breathing but not moving Worry clenched at my heart as I tried to find out which wound had caused his state. When I couldn't find any, I made an unhappy face.

Internal bleedings? Quil came up too.

We must make him phase and bring him down to the clinic as well. Leah too. Her leg needs fixing if we don't want it healing the wrong way

Someone came up, a man. It was Sam, human now. I knew why. Since I had separated and formed my own pack, I wasn't able to hear him or the others anymore. Only Seth, Leah, Quil and Embry were in my thoughts now and they had told me that this went for them too. It seemed you could only hear the members of your own pack.

Since Sam had phased to talk to me, I returned the favour and soon we were standing face to face, two Alphas of two packs.

"How are they?" he merely asked instead of a greeting.

"Leah's a broken leg and Seth is breathing but not moving. They need to go to the hospital. The others are fine."

"And Bella?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I hadn't expected this question, not after everything Seth had told me everything Sam said about me.

He sighed. "Jacob, I know our last meeting didn't end well. I was very angry and said a lot of things I shouldn't have said. But I saw you fight today, and I know that, despite everything, you are a fighter and on our side. I am sorry for the things I said. I shouldn't have tried to control your life or your relationship with Bella. It was not my place to do so. This town needs all of us to protect it and even if we belong in different packs now, I hope we can still live and fight together as friends."

"I hope that too." I nodded. Inside, a huge load was lifted from my shoulders. One problem solved, a hundred remain...

"We can take care of everything here. The others are not too badly hurt and will help burn the bodies. We'll take Seth and Leah down to the clinic too. Go to her. She needs you at her side now more than ever."

I lowered my head in agreement. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam nodded and then turned back, already barking orders. I was phasing again and finally ran to the place my heart was lying. Where my Bella was. My home. My love. My everything.

When I arrived at the hospital, Alice was already there, greeting me. "She's fine," she told me as soon as she saw me. "Carlisle treated her and apart from a very sore throat and a lot of bruises she'll be okay. She's sleeping right now but he says that you can visit her if you want."

As if this was an option. I would have stormed right through the whole building for her. Alice led me to a small room with only one bed in it. In it lay Bella, my Bella, sleeping. She was wearing a blue hospital night gown and hooked to all sorts of machines and tubes. Carlisle stood at her side, checking something on a chart. He looked up when he heard me enter.

"Jacob." He smiled. "Your Bella is a real fighter, you know that? I don't know a lot of people who would have handled this thing this good. She's very weak and I gave her something to make her sleep a day or two so her body gets time to heal. Don't worry about all the machines," he added when he saw me eyeing the tubes and drains. "They are mostly for monitoring and feeding her with different nutrition to make her body strong again."

I nodded while I took a chair from the wall and placed it at her bedside. I took one of her too cold hands in me and gently brushed away a strand of hair from her face. I had completely forgotten about Carlisle and when I remembered and looked up, he was already gone before I could thank him.

Well, that didn't matter. I would thank him later. For now, there was only her. I took her hand up to my mouth and kissed the back of her hand lightly.

"I am so sorry Bella for leaving you there, unprotected," I whispered. "I should have been there for you, be at your side the whole time and not Leah or Seth. They are fine by the way. I thought you'd want to hear that. Leah has a broken leg and Seth some minor injuries but as I said, werewolves are pretty much indestructible. They fought bravely, I know that, but it should have been me. I'll never leave your side again, I swear. No matter what, I'll be there. Nothing will ever separate us again. I love you Bella, so much. Please, please, don't leave me. I need you at my side. You are my everything and I need you so much. Victoria is dead and our life together can really begin now, a normal life. You deserve that, Bella. A world without monsters. I know I can't give you that since I am one of the monsters, but I promise you I'll do everything within my power to keep you safe. Nothing will ever hurt you again Bella. But please, come back to me. It will be worth it, I promise." I smiled sadly and kissed the back of her hand again. "Please, come back Bella. I need you."

A small knock on the door and Embry stepped in. He looked tired and dirty but otherwise fine. "I am so sorry for intruding, but we are all so worried and I just had to check on Bella."

I sighed. "You can tell the others that she's fine. Or that's what the doctor said. She'll sleep for the next few days. How are Seth and Leah?"

"The doctor is with them right now. They are fixing Leah's leg and are currently working on Seth. They say his healing process has already begun but he got a nasty bang on the head, that's why he didn't wake up. You know, this blond guy isn't really that bad considering he's a vampire and all. He is very friendly and treating them like any other patient despite the fact who we are and what he is."

"He's a doctor. That's what they do. Help people. Being vampire or werewolf mustn't necessarily control your whole life. Life is more than hating and killing. Bella taught me that." I looked down at her and stroked her pale forehead. "You can be both. A vampire and a good person. Just as you can be a werewolf and a bad person. Just because you're one or the other doesn't mean you're automatically good or bad."

Embry shook his head amused. "She's really gotten under your skin, hasn't she?"

I sighed. "More than you could possibly imagine."

"Well, she definitely is one of the best ones. I hope she'll wake up soon." Then he lowered his head a little in a gesture of greeting and went out again, leaving me and Bella and some beeping machines.