Sam had given Seth the weekend off because of his birthday and the rest of the weekend was spent getting to know each other a bit more. We took long walks on the beach and went up by the cliffs, though Seth made sure to keep me as far away from the edge as possible.

We'd gone over to Sam's and Seth had asked him nervously about the mark he'd given me, which Sam had explained was a wolf's mating mark. He'd been really surprised that Seth had already given me the mark, considering his age, but it was just another thing that the imprint had dictated and couldn't be controlled. His wolf had demanded it, and he wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been ready for it too.

Sam had said that it was a sign that I was truly mated to my wolf and that no one could ever take that away. I carried his scent now, and other supernatural creatures would notice immediately. Seth apparently had been very proud of that fact.

Our imprint was now at the strongest stage as well. We felt more connected than ever and I loved every second of it.

The hardest part was leaving to go back to Charlie's at the end of it. It almost physically hurt to do so. I wondered if it was because of my mark. We were officially mated now, in every sense of the word.

The week past by nauseatingly slow as I continued to go to school every day and go down to La Push afterwards. Mine and Emily's business was booming and we had clients as far away as Port Angeles and the Makah reservation.

The pack had chased Victoria three more times over the course of the week and her adventurous teasing was getting more and more personal.

Sunday evening, when I was helping Emily make a wedding cake for the next day, I heard a series of howls coming from the woods outside.

Emily and I both knew that meant something had happened while the guys were out patrolling.

We waited anxiously, having abandoned the cake. It was nearly twenty minutes later when Sam and Paul arrived carrying Jacob, who was screaming out in pain.

Emily and I quickly cleared the table off as they laid him on top of it. Nearly half of his body was bruised and swollen. I felt myself in tears as I looked at my best friend.

Then I noticed my imprint was missing from the rest of the pack.

"What happened, Sam?" Emily asked as I was unable to.

"Big Red. She came at us this time, right at the border. She went right after Seth because he smelled so much like Bella and she was coming for him, ready to kill when Jacob jumped in her path. She crushed almost half of his body. Seth is getting Sue. He's already starting to heal, but I think that his bones aren't set right." Sam said as he felt along Jacob's left arm and leg.

I felt my tears come more quickly. Jacob had gotten severely injured because Victoria had come after Seth. My Seth. All because he smelled like me. I had endangered him. And Jacob had saved his life by taking the force of the impact himself. Jake knew he was the bigger wolf, he could take more than Seth could.

I was relieved that Seth was okay though, having only been absent to get his mother. They arrived only five minutes later and Seth came straight for me, wrapping his arms around me as we watched his mother evaluate Jacob's injuries.

"His arm and legs aren't set right, Sam, but they've already healed too much for me to set them." Sue told Sam as we watched with baited breath.

"I'll have to re-break them, won't I?" Sam asked quickly. Sue swallowed but nodded. "Jared, Paul, hold his upper body down. Embry and Quil hold his lower body. Don't touch the injured limbs. Seth, run and get me one of my belts."

Seth did as he asked and returned with a leather belt that Sam stuck into Jacob's mouth to bite down on.

"I'm sorry Jacob, but this is going to hurt and we don't have time for medicine." Sam told him before taking his arm and re-breaking it in the same place it had been broken before. The sickening crack was enough to make you want to vomit as I clung to Seth, burying my face into his chest as it happened.

Jacob screamed out and thrashed against all of the guys who were holding him down as he bit down on the leather belt enough to leave teeth marks. Sue quickly set the limb and wrapped it in a splint.

"One more time, Jacob, then I won't have to anymore." Sam told him as he moved down to the bottom of his leg.

This time Jacob screamed even louder as tears rolled down his face. The sheer pain from it all eventually caused him to go limp on the table as Sue carefully set the bone and wrapped it as well.

She then took inventory of the rest of his body and determined that he had cracked every rib on his left side, though his breathing was okay, so none of it had punctured his lung. He also broke his pelvic bone and collar bone, but they were healing in the right place.

I cried into Seth for a long while after Sue had taken her leave.

All of it was because of me. Jacob had gone through that because of me. Seth had become a target because of me. Jacob had sacrificed his own safety so that Seth wouldn't be killed, all because of me.

It was then that I made a choice.

A/N- Poor Jacob! :(

What choice do you think Bella made?