Chapter 4:

Heavy rain was penetrating Bella's clothing as she laid unconscious on the muddy skirting of the forest. The damp clothes clung tightly to her unmoving body. Bella's exposed arms were littered in goosebumps and the hairs on her neck stood up when the cold wind kissed her. Slowly, her body temperature was dropping as if she had been diving in icy water.

So, it was no surprise when Bella's conscious was reignited by the contrast of a pair of large warm hands brushing against her shoulders. It was like a flame melting the ice Bella had become accustomed to. Her heartbeat, recently slowed, kicked into full speed as fear began to course through her body. Adrenaline was spreading through her veins as her natural fight or flight sensations kicked in. Therefore, when the scorching hands grasped at her once more Bella used all her force to strike down. Unfortunately, the fiery arms seemed unperturbed by her violent assault as they gently wrapped around Bella and pulled her up from the freezing Earth.

Once on her feet Bella attempted to sprint but she was held back by an iron like grip. Instead, the force ended up pulling her backwards and she bumped into his impossibly warm naked chest. This sensation only spurred her on further as Bella kicked her leg down onto the naked foot that stood only just behind her own. Crying out, Bella could feel one of the bones in her feet break when she made contact. Undeterred, Bella still tried to use all her strength to push out of the ensnaring grip. To her surprise, the gated arms relinquished their hold and allowed her to break free. With only one good foot Bella still tried to make her escape but she became increasingly aware that her mobility was severely reduced because of the injuries she had incurred. Faintly aware of the voice still trying to calm her down Bella continued to increase her distance away from the warm body.

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He was unsure of how to calm her down.

Seth had been diligently completing his nightly patrol across the La Push borders when he heard heavy breathing in the distance. The heightened sense of hearing he possessed helped him in locating the origin of the noise. Stalking along the peripheral of the woods Seth had spotted a feral-looking Bella racing along the edge of the road. He was confused. His confusion turned to concern the moment he noticed Bella's lack of appropriate footwear and general discomforting look. It was at that moment he decided to phase out of his wolf form and quickly searched to find the spare shorts the tribe kept stashed across the forest.

By the time he'd become appropriately dressed Bella had already fallen unconscious on the ground. This greatly alarmed Seth. He had called out to Bella twice before attempting to help her up, but she was unresponsive. Gently, Seth rubbed Bella's shoulder with one of his hands. No response. Seth couldn't remember what his high school health class would tell him to do in this situation, so he needed to use gut instinct. To leave Bella laying in that position didn't seem safe to Seth, so he lightly placed one arm on Bella's waist and another on her shoulder. It was at the point when Bella began to wildly thrash out at Seth's right arm that alarm bells started ringing in his head. He didn't dare let go of Bella in case she fell but her agitation didn't dissipate with time. This was strange.

Once Seth was holding Bella upright, he became aware of how fast her heart was beating. A sick feeling appeared in his stomach when Bella cried out in pain. She had just tried to kick his foot, for what reason he didn't know.

"Bella, let me help you. Your foot looks badly hurt." Gently, Seth tried to reason with Bella as he loosened his grip.

For a moment, Seth thought he'd managed to calm Bella down. She still had her back to him, but her breathing became deeper. Suddenly, Bella tried to break into a sprint. Emphasis on tried. Her lack of shoes made it easy for Seth to see how much damage he'd caused to her foot. That sick feeling returned.

Bella didn't have a plan. In fact, she was wondering why Jacob hadn't already stopped her from limping to go get help. Her questions were answered when the adrenaline finally allowed her to concentrate on what the voice was saying.

The soft voice offered, "I don't think you should be running on your bad foot Bella. I could get my mom to drive you home." That wasn't Jacob's voice.

"Seth?" Bella turned around to see the fifteen-year-old boy standing in the rain. He was much taller than the last time she saw him and more aged like the earlier photo suggested. Replacing his usual cheeky grin was a concerned smile. "What are you doing out here?" She asked as rain continued to pour down on them.

Seth was feeling uneasy about the conversation. "I extended my patrol tonight mainly to avoid doing my homework… what are you doing out here? I'm really sorry I hurt your foot, Bella; I promise I didn't mean to scare you. I was worried when I saw you lying on the floor… in the rain. You should probably get your foot…" He paused. Seth could see blotchy red marks scattering over her body. Enhanced sight allowed Seth to see a large red hand print concentrated at Bella's wrists. The scent was harder to place, however, as the rain had permeated its way across her body.

"Someone's hurt you." He said it as a statement, not a question.

Taking a step back Bella replied, "I'm fine, Seth. Thank you for your concern but I'm fine. And you don't need to apologise – I'm a walking disaster sometimes. I just really need to get home – Charlie's expecting me."

"That injury looks bad, Bella. You don't need to tell me what happened if you don't want to – but I really think you need to have it looked at. I could help you back to Jakes house to get you out of the rain."

Bella slightly winced, "Thanks for the offer again, Seth but I'm fine."

"Bella if someone's hurting you," Seth started walking closer to Bella, "Jake would want to know so he can help you. Or at the very least we could call Charlie when we get there."

Gently, Seth offered his arm to Bella to help take some pressure off, but she just stared back at him in horror. He looked back down at Bella's arms to re-evaluate. The hand marks on her wrist were particularly large and at this proximity he could smell through the rain's veil, blood. Blood. Its metallic smell was unmissable now.

A lump was caught in his throat, "Did Jake hurt you?" Thoughts began to whirl in Seth's mind.

Did Jake lose his temper and accidentally hurt Bella? Emily was an unfortunate example of what could happen if members of the tribe didn't exercise control over their phasing. But there weren't any claw marks, that Seth could see, so surely that meant he didn't lose control when phasing. It did mean that Jacob had been careless when touching Bella.

"Bella, I'm sorry that Jake lost control with you. He should know his strength better. I can imagine he's beating himself up about it." Seth idolised Jacob, so it was hard for him to comprehend that he'd lose control and hurt a human.

Bella remained silent and Seth wasn't half convinced that she'd heard anything he said at all. Then he saw it. A steady trickle of blood seeping from the bottom of the sweatpants she was wearing. In fact, some of the pant line was slowly becoming soaked red.

It was at that moment that the gravity of the situation dawned on Seth – Jake had deliberately hurt Bella. He went out of his way to do it. A part of Seth's innocent heart broke when he realised the friend, that he considered a mentor, could carry out such a callous act. Jacob had told Seth last week that he was going to open up to Bella about how he felt – but he didn't realise this was going to happen. He felt overwhelmed with guilt.

"How can I help you?" He earnestly asked.

"Can you help me walk home?"

"Sure. It's quite far though… Shouldn't I call your dad?"

Panic flooded through Bella's body. "Please don't leave me." She hated how desperate she sounded but couldn't help at recoil at the thought of being left alone so close to his house.

Quickly, Seth held his hands up. "I won't leave you, Bella, if you don't want me to," he promised, "But it means we can't get to a phone. Ideally, we should avoid bringing you back to the reservation. Would you be comfortable riding on my back? I know it sounds weird but at least I could get you back home quickly."

Bella grimaced.

"Sorry, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable," Seth said.

"It's not you Seth, I promise, I don't think it's a good idea though. I want to try and walk back."

Seth raked his foot across the muddy ground, "You can put your arm around me, and we can try and walk back but I don't think you're in the right condition to do that."

Nervously, Bella replied, "I want to try."

"Okay, we'll try it," Seth tried to offer a comforting smile. He strode over to Bella's side allowing her to position her arm around his upper back because Seth's height made it impossible for Bella to comfortably reach his shoulders. "Did that hurt? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine," She lied.

The pair slowly tried to navigate their way along the side of the empty road. Bella would never admit this to Seth, but her feet were not used to walking across sharp stones and pockets of water. Therefore, her feet were being shredded with each step they took. She was shivering too, even though she was next to a walking furnace, as the rain continued to seep down into her bones. Noticeably, Bella tried to keep her main body far away from the young boy's body as the heat was bringing back unpleasant memories.

Seth was considerate. Although, he didn't know the full story, he still regarded Bella with an appropriate amount of protectiveness. His touch on her body was like the light caress of wind because he didn't want to add pressure to any potential injuries she had sustained. Luckily, the cooling rain helped to contain agitation boiling beneath his skin. Seth wasn't used to that feeling. The feeling that he was so close to phasing just at the thought of something that destressed him. It was the thought of Jacob betraying Bella's trust that threatened to unravel Seth's normal composure. He was a young wolf, yes, but his kind nature often meant that he was less impulsive.

As they reached a bend in the road Seth could feel Bella placing significantly more pressure on him. This wasn't an issue for Seth, rather a concerning sign that her injuries were exhausting her willpower.

Seth suggested, "We can stop for a bit, Bella, if you're tired."

"No, we can't." He could catch up. "We need to keep going."

"I won't let him hurt you," Seth promised, answering Bella's unsaid words.

"You can't guarantee that Seth," Bella's voice slightly faltered, "I need to keep going, whether you come with me or not."

Bella removed her grip from Seth's back before trying to walk a few steps on her own. Her legs were numb. The pain between her thighs was scorching; it was hard for her to even think. Suddenly, Bella's legs gave in, and she began to fall backwards onto the muddy ground. Quickly, Seth wrapped his arms around Bella to slowly place her on the ground instead.

She tried to get back up again, but her legs wouldn't allow it. Bella forced back some tears.

"I really need to get you some help."

"Please don't contact anyone." She pleaded.

Seth was trying to remain calm, but he was shaking with worry. "I can't get you back to your home without hurting you further. I need to go back to get your phone." Bella opened her mouth to protest but Seth continued, "You can call anyone you like; I'll stay with you the whole time. I just need five minutes to go get your phone."

"You're leaving me." Bella stated.

"I'll be back as quickly as I can. I doubt he'll come back for you right now as he was ordered by Sam to patrol the Northern part of the reservation. But if he comes back for you Bella, I won't let him hurt you again," Seth soothingly said.

With that Seth phased back into his wolf form. Seth's Russet fur was darkened by the continuing assault of the rain. His kind eyes stared at Bella, and he blinked encouragingly at her before racing out into the woods, leaving Bella by herself. Alone.

XXX

Bella stared at Seth until she lost sight of him in the labyrinth of the large thick trees. Ideally, she wanted to stand up and continue moving as far away from the reservation as possible but her physical pain made it unlikely.

No cars. The road was barren from the lack of any vehicular activity. That meant Bella couldn't even flag down help if she wanted to. It also meant that if Jacob came back for her, she had zero protection. Her heartbeat started to speed up again. Realistically, there was little Bella could do apart from praying that the rain would make it hard for Jacob to track her down if he decided to. Contemplating her choices, Bella repositioned herself on the ground to get a better peripheral view of the forest.

She was trying her best not to think about the future; how Edward would react when… if she ever told him what happened. It was inevitable, she knew, but Bella's stomach turned at the thought of Edward being disgusted with her.

The mixture of physical pain and emotional anguish was severely taking a toll on Bella's mental health; she could feel that she was entering a stage of panic. Breathe in. Breathe out. These commands were becoming less controlled as her thoughts got out of hand.

Remembering what Angela had told her about grounding techniques last night at dinner; Bella tried to implement what she had learnt.

Five things I can see. Bella observed her surroundings. The road. Mud puddles. The trees. A birds nest. Storm clouds.

Four things I can feel. "I can feel the rain droplets falling down my skin," Bella said aloud. "My hands can feel the moist mud. I can feel the wind blowing my hair. I can feel the… blood dripping down my leg." Bella felt sick again.

Three things I can hear. I can hear the rustling of tree branches. Bella had her back to the tree behind her. I can hear rain splashing in the puddle next to me. And I can hear the faint sound of a bird song in the distance.

Two things I can smell. The woods are full of the earthy smell which always occurs when it rains. And I can smell… the damp moss on the tree behind me.

Taste. All Bella could taste was Jacobs invading tongue. Orange juice is a more pleasant taste. Bella concluded as she tried to pivot her thoughts away from him.

The technique worked, sort of, Bella was feeling less panicky, but it didn't make her feel much better either. Anxiety started to trickle back as the time without Seth's kind presence grew longer.

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He'd been gone no longer than ten minutes, but this didn't appease Seth's concern. It didn't take him long to find Bella's jacket in the backroom of Jacob's house where her phone was kept. As Seth had walked through the house his nostrils were assaulted with the sickening smell of Jacob and Bella. The hallway was particularly doused in their smell. Though it was the smell in Jacob's bedroom that made Seth's stomach turn. Blood. A very strong smell of it. And something else that Seth couldn't and didn't want to think about. He fought the urge to trash Jacob's house as he saw how he'd been violent towards Bella. Plates, pictures, clothes were strewn everywhere. As Seth passed the picture of them all that Emily had taken, he couldn't stop himself from throwing the frame on the floor, smashing it into thousands of small fragments.

Bella was still laying in the same uncomfortable position he'd left her in. She looked like she might freeze to death. Normally, Seth would offer people a hug on cold nights like this, but he understood that it would probably make Bella feel uncomfortable.

"I got your phone."

Looking relieved to see the sight of Seth, Bella tried to offer a small thankful smile, but it ended up looking more like a grimace. "Thanks for getting it, Seth, you didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," Seth stated, "we need to get you some help. Are you going to call Chief Swan? Sorry, I mean. What about your dad?"

"He'll freak if he sees me like this," And will probably find a way to blame Edward for it, "I can't tell him."

Seth looked over at Bella, "But he's your Dad."

Trying to hold back tears she responded, "I know, but I can't call him."

"Then call one of the Cullens."

"I can't." Bella's mind started swirling in unpleasant thoughts of how they might treat her if they found out. They'll hate me… blame me. Leave me alone again. Edward. Edward. Oh God.

"I could call them for you," Seth offered, "I don't mind doing it Bella; I really want to help you."

"No, it's fine… I'll do it."

Seth started to walk away from Bella, "I'll try to give you some privacy." He stood facing away from Bella and put his hands over his ears.

Bella's hands were shaking as she held the phone in her hand, trying to muster up the courage to call one of them. Finally, she settled. The phone rang for only one full ring before it was answered.

"I was wondering when you were going to call me Bella," Emmett started, "Now that lover-boy Eddie's out of town you're looking for some other form of vampiric amusement. Consider me flattered, Bella. I can come over and show you a good technique for cracking boulders."

Words were caught at the back of Bella's throat.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Boulder cracking doesn't seem that interesting to you humans. What about video games? I've got that new gaming console with a second remote that has your name on it. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because your human, little sister."

"Emmett?" Bella's voice cracked even though she tried so hard to prevent it.

Any humour in Emmett's voice was replaced with pure urgency. "Are you okay?"

"No… I really, really need your help." Bella's subconscious started berating her for being so truthful.

"Where are you?" Emmett's vocal tone was like an unnervingly calm day just before you find yourself in the eye of a storm.

"I'm… I'm near the edge of the La Push reservation."

There was a pause on the other side. "Did you fall over again? Are you hurt? Could ask Jacob to drive you back to our house?"

Tears started slipping down Bella's face, "No, I can't. God no I really can't."

The wind started picking up in Emmett's voice. "What do you mean I can't? What happened?"

Bella offered a vague answer, "We had a fight."

"Listen Bella, I need you to try and make your way out of the reservation. I'll meet you at the very border."

"I can't…"

"Ignore whatever that dirty mutt said to you and meet me at the border. I'll pick…" Emmett started to say before the realisation dawned on him, "Did he hurt you?"

"…"

Emmett's jaw clenched, "Bella? You need to answer me, or I'll have to cross the border myself to get the answer. Did he hurt you?"

"Yes," Quietly Bella admitted as she began to shake wildly. It felt like the ground beneath her was going to fissure and swallow her whole.

"Physically?" Emmett wanted to clarify.

Bella managed a defeated, "yes... Emmett I won't be able to get to the border. It hurts too much. The pain… I can't even stand."

Emmett was attempting to mask the volatility coursing through his body. He was trying his best to seem uncharacteristically calm for Bella. "I'm going to help you, but you're gonna need to help yourself first. Use whatever strength you have left in you to make your way to the border. I'll be there when you arrive. And Bella, this is really important for you to know, I won't ever let that disgusting dog ever lay another finger on you. I'll make him regret the day he was born. I won't let him get away with hurting you. I'm going to keep the call running in case you need me Bella – fuck the stupid treaty. I'm not letting that disgusting low life near you again."

Bella slowly put the phone in the back pocket of the borrowed pants she was wearing and let out a large broken sob.

"What's happening, Bella?" Seth asked as he made his way back over.

"I – I – I need you to carry me to the border," shame was pooling inside her body, "Emmett's going to meet me there."

"Are you sure?" Seth tentatively asked.

"No – Not really. But I can't make it there myself."

"Okay. But let me know if it feels too overwhelming and I'll stop straight away." He tried to offer a reassuring smile. Carefully, Seth wrapped his arms underneath Bella's lower back and legs before slowly lifting her off the ground. "Does this hurt?"

Yes. "No."

"Okay, let's do this." A half-naked Seth started to run at a speedy pace, although not too fast to try to prevent Bella from feeling unwell.

It was the presence of warm hands all over her body that made Bella want to crawl in a hole and die. The unpleasant feeling was starting to trigger her fight or flight instincts again. Truly it was torturous. Bella tried her best to ignore the urge to lash out at Seth. It's not him, she kept reciting to herself. Jacob was on the other side of the reservation, not currently holding her. Therefore, Bella rationalised that she didn't need to lash out. Seth was holding her. Kind Seth. He wouldn't hurt her, Bella tried to convince herself of it.

A few minutes, that's all. Just a few minutes and I'll be safe. Bella repeated to herself like a mantra. It's not him, it's Seth. It's not him, it's Seth. She kept repeating.

In only a few minutes the pair arrived at the border separating the La Push territory from the rest of Forks. Small stones were embedding themselves into the vulnerable soles of Bella's feet, but she was too numb to feel their razor-sharp edges threatening to pierce her skin. They stood above a hidden line that existed underneath the earth. To Bella, this invisible boundary felt like crossing the borders from Hell to Heaven on the back of a Guardian Angel. She felt very indebted to Seth, but she mostly felt an immense amount of pain: both physical and mental. The pain was unbearable, but Bella also had horribly intense feelings of mourning for the friend she once had. Yet, also taken aback by the betrayal of trust; how low he went. Feeling bereavement for a friend who has not died, stings in an indescribable way.

Silence. Asides from the shallows breaths of the wind it was eerily quiet. Then she heard it. The sound made her broken heart both sink and soar. It was the deep thundering roar of Emmett's jeep speeding across the solitude road. A slightly delirious Bella was still able to see that he was travelling dangerously far above the speed limit, but in this circumstance, Bella was relieved to know that she would be one step closer to being away from him.

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Emmett's driving was manic. He tackled corners at the same speed that he would usually reserve for racing down a straight road. Every single damn stop sign was ignored. They were the least of his concerns. Keeping up with appearances was not high on Emmet's priority list when he knew his little sister was in danger.

He almost broke his precious steering wheel when he caught sight of Bella in the distance. Bella was shivering vigorously, and she had wrapped her arms around herself protectively. An animalistic growl was stirring at the back of his throat when he saw the exterior abuse that Bella endured. Emmett had assumed Bella had been hurt by the boy losing control during his phasing, but the hand print markings on her skin disproved that. This was far, far worse. This wasn't a case of gross misjudgement; it was purposeful maliciousness. He wanted to hurt her. This confirmation fuelled Emmett's most deprived thoughts of slaughtering Jacob Black. It didn't help that another werewolf was standing far to close his sister. He didn't trust their kind before this incident, and he certainly wasn't going to trust them after. To Emmett, there wasn't a guarantee that this other creature wasn't a threat to Bella's safety also.

Sharply, Emmett pulled the jeep up only a few metres away from where Bella was standing. The door was slammed with such force that truck wobbled back and forth. He speeds over to the girl who looked like she'd been dragged to Hell.

She couldn't breathe. Emmett looked furious. Was he angry at her? Bella couldn't get a good look at Emmett's face but she could clearly see how tight his jaw was locked. Suddenly, she felt the urge to be sick. Frightened tears pooling at her eyes threatened to spill down her cheek. The presence of a warm hand emerged on her shoulder.

Seths soft voice tried to calm her, "Would you like some help getting in the Jeep?"

"Take your dirty fucking hands off of her, dog," Threateningly, Emmett growled.

Seth retracted his hands quickly and held them up, "Hey, man I'm just trying to help," Seth tried to reason with Emmett. "I'm just trying to help Bella out."

"Like Hell you are," Emmett gave Seth a firm shove, "She got hurt on your land. By one of your kind." Seth tried to fight his natural urge to shift, as Emmett took another step closer to Seth. "You fuckers call yourselves the protectors of humans and you can't even protect just one human on you land." Emmett went to give Seth another shove but Seth quickly phased before he got the chance.

The russet wolf gave a concerned side eye look to Bella who was now crouching on the ground trying to remain conscious. Tears were streaming down her face as she watched the following fight ensue. A low warning growl emitted from Seth has he cautiously backed away from Bella. The atmosphere was tense. Emmett lunged towards Seth at an incomprehensible speed, landing a sharp blow on the wolf's jaw. Seth whimpered as the pain began to spread across his face. He gave out another warning growl as he looked out for Bella again. She needed to get help – fast.

Emmett was gearing up for another offensive attack. His large frame was shaking with reckless rage: icy skin was impervious to the effects of the freezing rain. As his feet began to anchor themselves to the ground to get to steady his force, Bella began to feel overwhelmed. His attack was only halted when Emmett saw the level of Bella's discomfort.

Desperately, Bella begged, "Emmett stop! Seth has been trying to help me." Bella began to sob, "It's my fault I got hurt not Seths." She found it impossible to breathe, "It's my fault. I should've listened to Edward. I – I was too blind to see what J- he wanted. It's my fault – I aggravated him."

He's going to hate me. Emmett's going to leave me – he'll tell Edward – Edward won't want me anymore. Bella began to overthink.

Emmett, known for using physical confrontation before even considering verbal discourse, paused only for a second to consider her words. What he wanted? What would that mean? Looking back at the young wolf before him, Emmett sighed. He knew deep down that fighting wouldn't help Bella, at least not right now, but he didn't know how to comfort her. It took Emmett a long time to be the supportive partner that Rosalie deserves and he sure as hell would be the brother that Bella deserved too. Not a moment later, Emmett devised a plan of action; get Bella to Carlisle; next find out what actually transpired today. Also, kill Jacob Black – but Emmett suspected that he'd have to wait a while before he could cross that one off his list.

"Get in the back," Emmett ordered the younger boy. Seth disappeared into the woods to phase back.

More carefully than usual, Emmett walked over to Bella. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Bella. I should've checked on you first. Let's get you to Carlisle."

An exhausted Bella was feeling too weak to protest when Emmett gently lifted her onto the back seat of the jeep. It was a blessing in disguise that her physical exhaustion was masking the embarrassment she would usually feel in a situation like this. Leather. That's all she could smell as her body sent her to sleep – knowing she was finally safe with her big brother to protect her.

XXX

A half-naked Seth reemerged from the forest once again. His face was on fire; it was still recovering from the assault it endured during Emmett's rampage. Still, the young boy's composure didn't change. Yes – he was a little apprehensive climbing into the back of a jeep being driven by a vampire who just tried to beat him to a pulp – but he made a promise to Bella that he was going to try his best to keep. She'd given into her exhaustion. Seth was careful to give her space as he leaned against the cool, jeep window. The rain pattering on the roof did little to quell Seth's worries and he had to work out what he was going to tell the pack when he returned later.

"I'm sorry for punching ya – it wasn't personal or anything." Emmett said. It wasn't the most succinct apology but Emmett was never known for his eloquence.

A nervous Seth replied, "Don't worry about it."

There was a brief moment of silence before Emmett spoke again, "You need to tell me everything you know about what happened. Everything."


Sorry for such a long delay since the last upload - life gets in the way. The next update should be ready for next month.