You loved me and I froze in time
Hungry for that flesh of mine
But I can't compete with the she wolf who has brought me to my knees
What do you see in those yellow eyes?
'Cause I'm falling to pieces

Did she lie and wait
Was I bait, to pull you in
The thrill of the kill
You feel, is a sin
I lay with the wolves
Alone, it seems
I thought I was part of you

She Wolf (Falling to Pieces), by David Guetta featuring Sia, from the album Nothing But The Beat, released in 2011

Bella hadn't improved in the past few days. If anything, she got worse. Her temperature shot up so that it resembled ours, and cold flannels that Sue put on her head were dry in a matter of thirty minutes. I had barely managed to phase back, sitting by her side as I held my hand in hers, pleadingly.

If she had been any other person, we would have taken her to the hospital. We knew she hadn't been bit- but we also knew that she wouldn't have survived had she been taken to a hospital. We couldn't now- not with our blood, no matter how diluted- running through her veins. Perhaps our chance at healing her had only doomed her further.

We couldn't explain why she was still alive with the injuries she sustained, nor could we explain how she was still alive with her fevers. Despite everything, her breathing had steadied out, the steady thrum easily audible. A few of the minor injuries she had healed up, becoming nothing more then little purses of pink.

She hadn't eaten in a few days- if she didn't awaken soon she would lose weight and her body wouldn't be able to fight any more. In the event she didn't wake up soon enough, we would get the Rez doctor to put an IV and fluids into her. I hoped it didn't come to that- because I knew how much Bella hated needles.

I think she would pass out if she awoke to find one in her. I just wanted her to wake up- yet it seemed that it had been so long since she had fallen into a coma. Realistically, it had only been a week. But a week was enough for me to run ragged, for the Cullens to move away before we could collar Edward, a week for her body to deteriorate.

What kind of protectors were we if we couldn't defend those who needed it most- our imprints? Had the Cullen's not fled, I'm sure Sam and the Pack would have ripped him a new one, and burned the pieces. They broke the treaty the minute Edward maliciously attacked Bella- and we wanted vengeance.

Suddenly, a howl reverberated through the silence surrounding La Push. It was rather high pitched, like that of a wolf pup. Like a yowl half howl. It was no normal howl either, regardless of how it sounded- rather it was one that screamed Leech. On instinct, I threw off my clothes, and phased, making sure that Bella was a safe distance from me.

Russet fur grew over me, my joints quickly re-shifting into my canine form. My spine arched, pushing outwards to form my bushy tail. My eyesight increased dramatically, as did the sounds that were audible to me. Upon phasing, the pack mind was filled with various worries, asking who the Leech was, and who sounded the alarm. It was confusing, before we realised that it was Seth who had signalled the alarm.

"Leech. One. Don't know if it is a Cullen. Near south-east border."

That was a start. But the south-east border was too near Bella for my liking. At least if I was already in wolf form, I could be faster to act if the Leech came here, or near here. I knew that I would only go after the Leech if Sam felt like he needed all the wolves, but he also understood that Bella needed defending in case Edward came back for round two.

"Jacob- Stay with Bella. Seth- Head to your house and help Jacob. Brady, Colin, Paul and Embry run the borders. Make sure it doesn't sneak by. Leah, Quil, Jared and myself will track the Leech, and if it is any of the Cullens, work as a team to take them down. No mercy."

It was unlike Sam to see him so vicious, but the Cullens, like previously stated, had broken the treaty. We had grounds to attack. And we would. I temporarily lost myself in the pack mind, feeling Sam's paws push forcefully against the ground, the bleach like smell of a Leech haunting his nostrils. He was panting, his tongue flying out in the air, but he could easily track the Leech. It wasn't something he could afford to lose- not after Bella.

I snapped out of the Pack Mind as I realised that Bella was beginning to stir. Her heartbeat picked up rapidly, and I could hear the distinct sound of her breathing. If she woke up now to see me in wolf form- that wouldn't go down very well and could possibly stint her recovery. I walked outside, and tried to collect myself enough to phase.

I reigned in all my anger, my fear, and thought that Bella was safe, happy, healthy. And she was waking up. It wouldn't be very good for her if she caught me in my wolf form without be telling her before hand. I breathed in, and with the telltale surge of heat, phased back into human form- fur and extra limbs retracting, my spine rearranging into a more humanoid form.

I hastily threw on my shorts, lamenting over the loss of a t-shirt. I didn't have time to go and grab one, so I hoped Bella didn't mind me only being in a pair of shorts. I walked back in hesitantly, unsure of whether she would be conscious or not- I needn't have worried.

"Jake?"

Her voice quivered, her brown orbs looking at me. I met them, before I sat myself down beside her, my hand in hers. The wolf in me crooned and warbled in happiness, wanting nothing more then to rub his head against hers, and claim her as his mate.

Obviously, Bella didn't even know that I was a werewolf, and I had no intention of claiming her right here and now. We would court like normal people- not like a wolf. God, we didn't even use the word 'court'. Date. I meant date.

"I'm here Bells- how are you feeling?"

She blinked at my question, before she leaned into my shoulder after she hoisted herself back up into a sitting position. Her wrists, despite shattered, had healed remarkably well, and it didn't seem like there was any repercussions, much to my relief. I wasn't sure how she had healed so rapidly- rivalling even our own.

All Sue had to do was reset the bones, and try- keyword being try- to align her wrist fragments into shape. They were in so many and so small shards that it was like sticking glass dust together. Practically impossible. The strength that the Leech must have used was astounding- and for the wrong reasons. That was what could happen if we supernatural creatures lost control..and Bella had been the one to pay the price.

And apparently, that old legend failed to mention the super human healing part. Her bruises were all healed up- and Sue had given her a sponge bath a little while ago, realising that Bella probably wouldn't have felt comfortable with being dirty. If you had walked across her in a street, you would have hardly been able to tell that she had been near death a week ago. She healed that fast.

"Um..dizzy. Very dizzy."

She blushed heavily, her cheeks going blood red. She was adorable when she did that- but she was really testing my control. My wolf really wanted out now, and I was trying my best to pacify him while making sure that Bella was okay. Oh, and the fact that I needed to keep an eye on the Leech situation.

The dizziness, while I'm no doctor, was probably due to the lack of liquids and food she had been receiving lately. While we did end up managing to get some soup down her, and some water, it hadn't been enough.

"I think your concussion has passed- the dizziness is probably due to the lack of food. Do you feel like eating?"

Her stomach rumbled, pretty much answering my thoughts for me. Her blush decided to rejoin her face, and I pretended to ignore it. I didn't want to embarrass her after all. I didn't want to address the elephant- or rather vampire- in the room, so I thought it was best we got her fed- and maybe even up and about if we could. Sue- who seemed to be psychic- came in with a small bowl of soup, followed by a cheese sandwich.

"Nice to see you awake Bella,"

She greeted, placing the food and water on the small desk beside the bed. Bella put her hair behind her shoulders, probably trying to keep it out of her food. She shifted herself slightly, before Sue carefully balanced the food on her lap, her spoon sitting on the side. I trusted Sue to look after my Bella- and I knew that she would be okay.

"Thank you..Sue, Jacob."

I smiled at her, as I faintly heard a wolf howl in the background. I was reassured, but also anxious- that was not the howl for an injured pack mate, nor was it the howl for that they captured it- no, it was the howl signifying that it got away again. But the pack would be even more aware now- because we had an imprint on the line- and she would not be hurt again by that bloodsucking leech.

"Charlie thinks you are out camping with us, he's okay Bella."

Her first thoughts were worrying about Charlie, whom we had lied to try and keep not only our secret safe, but also so that we didn't have to explain how Bella got hurt. Because it didn't look like any animal attack I'd seen ever. And it would probably cause Charlie to go out hunting for whatever animal we said hurt Bella, which would not only make phasing and patrolling difficult, but could also expose them to the Leeches.

And whether they were apart of the Rez or not, we had a duty to protect them. Charlie had been happy to hear that she was hanging out with us, after not talking in so long, and I felt bad about lying to him. But it was for his own good- Cullen could go after him if we weren't careful. I'd have to talk to Sam about adding Bella's house to the territory.

She exhaled in relief before she sat relaxed slightly, shuffling in her bed awkwardly. Now that Bella had woken up, I was a lot less tense- and my control had returned to me once more. I wanted nothing more then to claim her- and I was constantly resisting the urge to phase. My wolf wanted to sniff her, lick her, confirm for his self that his Mate was safe. And I couldn't allow him to do that while she was injured.

Well that, and the fact she didn't know about my wolf in general. I conversed with Bella for a little while, before I heard an 'everyone phase right now' howl. I knew that this time I couldn't ignore it. But how could I escape without her becoming suspicious?

Luckily, Sue came in, saying that Sam was asking for me, and that I needed to come to his house urgently. I looked to Bella apologetically, while subconsciously thanking Sue from the bottom of my heart. I dashed outside, and once I breached the tree line, I shed my clothes and phased in mid air, quickly and painlessly.

"Same Leech as before."

Sam growled out as he pursued him. I bounded after him, flanked by Quil and Jared. The rest were patrolling the border to keep everyone safe. It was hard to recognise the scent- because not only were their scents burning to our nose, but that made it difficult to identify their scent.

The only reason we could recognise the Cullens was that we had grown slightly used to their scents, but even far away we couldn't identify their scents. And from the smell of this scent, they were close but not close enough to identify.

"Has anybody identified or seen it yet?"

My answer was a chorus of no's. Great. They couldn't go anywhere near Bella! She was already weak enough as it was, she couldn't cope with this on top. We hadn't even explained to her the Imprint or Pack Life. How do we explain that 'You almost died because of your Leech boyfriend?'

Sure, subtlety wasn't my best suit, but even I knew that would be a bad idea.

Subtlety was more Sam's thing then mine. But considering she blamed Sam for taking me away from her, and that she would definitely try to punch him in the face, it would probably be best for me to tell her. And I wasn't looking forward to that conversation. I concentrated on tracking, while it wasn't my best skill, I was good at it enough to get by. But no matter how far I tracked, it seemed that the owner of the scent was getting further and further away.

"He just passed us!"

Embry yelled, as we all suddenly turned on our heels and sprinted back to the Reservation. Embry showed how he caught a faint flicker of movement beside him. He was fast- and it was suddenly obvious who it was. Only one Leech we knew of could run that fast- and one who could read thoughts who was able to dodge Embry even though he was normally unnoticeable.

And that same vampire was one who tried to murder my imprint just a week earlier. Embry's sudden silence was all I needed to know, and I pushed myself to the limit. Embry was the one closest to the Reservation, and to Bella, and he was pushing himself to the limit.

We could keep up with Vampires hypothetically, especially those who had what was deemed a normal speed, but with this Vampire? He could easily outpace our fastest, and since she was currently with us...I had to hope that Embry could get there before anything could happen, and that somebody could back him up. Even as my muscles screamed, I couldn't get fast enough.

I was terrified for my Imprint- and since he simply ignored us, it was clear he was going after Bella. But as much as I hated the Leech, as much as I hate what he did to Bella, I couldn't help but ask- what was wrong with him? He not only hurt the one he supposedly loved, but he also damned near killed her.

If he hurt her..I would do much more then maul him. And from the look of Sam's face, he agreed wholeheartedly. The Leech better watch out, because not only did he shatter the treaty but he hurt one of us. And by hell would he pay.

Embry, by some sheer force of luck, managed to catch onto Cullen's leg, throwing him back before cornering him and snarling around the house protectively. Not only was Bella in the house, but Sue was as well. Both could be an innocent bystander in this. He had already proven himself to be willing to attack whoever he wanted- as evidenced by Bella.

Why hadn't Doctor Leech come and, oh I don't know, reigned in his murderer of a son? Was he even aware that the Leech had done this? Leah was the next to arrive, being the fastest and second closest to her. She was soon followed by Paul and Seth as they surrounded the Leech, who was clean and 'perfect' in all his entirety.

"Why did you hurt Bella?"

Embry growled out, staring the Leech down as the four of them covered him in a circular shape, trying to fence him off from attacking the house. Me and Sam were almost there, our muscles burning and stretched from the run. Soon enough our pack fluidly folded into formation, circling Edward and growling violently and eager to tear him piece from piece.

If you didn't consider the fact that he had hurt Bella a few days ago, and had shattered the treaty, you would think he looked normal. But there was murder in his eyes, and not the normal one that lingered in Vampires. A different kind of murder.

"That Bitch?"

He scoffed and I snarled louder, teeth on display, ears pushed to the back, and my hackles raised. I was ready for a fight, but no doubt, he was as well. The fact that he had referred to Bella as a bitch shocked me- he had always given the impression that he loved her with his entire being. People could change, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

"She never had enough time for me, whispered 'I love yous' and 'you're my everything' that meant nothing, and worst of all she always spent time with you mutts!"

I was shocked for the second time that day. Because he was clearly delusional. Bella hadn't spent time with us since I had first phased, and Bella wasn't one to whisper I love you if she didn't mean it. Adding onto the fact that she hadn't ever known that we were wolves, so she would never refer to us as 'mutts.' So what the hell was he on?

"Believe it, don't believe it. It means nothing to me. What matters is finishing her off for good."

Funnily enough, I didn't believe him. Didn't believe a word of it, didn't trust any of his kind. And the fact that he spoke so casually about killing Bella caused me and my- the- pack to snarl viciously, with me issuing a verbal challenge to him. He just looked at me as if I was child's play, and with a murderous glint on his face and a bloodthirsty snarl, replied to my challenge, causing the entirety of the pack to spring, snapping at legs, pouncing on arms, and tugging at his shirt.

Edward sprinted into the side of Seth, who had managed to dodge most of the hit, but was still hurt in the hind legs, causing him to elicit a high pitched whine as his leg was pushed back. Leah didn't let him cause any more damaged to her brother as she clamped her teeth around his leg and pulled, dodging away lithely when he tried to kick her.

Both me and Sam nodded to each other, and Sam distracted him as I sneaked around the back of him, attempting to butt into him and force him to become distracted, allowing us to fight him. But unfortunately, he was a mind reader. Have I ever expressed how much I fucking hated that ability.

He smirked as he easily dodged another lunge from Paul, and I was cursing him to all depths of hell. We were so distracted, we hadn't even noticed a dark coloured tawny wolf with a black splodge on it's lower legs run up and full on chomp on the Leeches leg. He had kicked out in retaliation, and landed it on the front half of it's body. They whined in agony, before slinking away and letting us take the lead, allowing us to distract the Leech.

They then sneaked around similarly to what I'd tried to do, and took a bite at Edward's torso, and while they managed to hurt him, it caused him to pick it up, and throw them away, landing with a hard roll on the ground. It looked like they wanted to stand to fight again, but couldn't, their legs buckling underneath them.

By the time we had noticed the new arrival, Edward had promptly decided to flee, with half the pack pursuing him and half the pack staying with the new arrival. We waited for a panicked voice only to realise they were silent, but it wasn't because they were unconscious, no. Because while they were awake, with both fresh and old wounds, lying splayed on the ground, they were snarling viciously, ears still back and hackles still raised.

We knew that it was one of us, due to the size, but not only did we not know who it was, but we also couldn't ask. Not only because they weren't apart of the pack mind, but also because they had lost themselves to the wolf instinct.

As much as I wanted to check on Bella, I knew that we had to find out who the arrival was, and calm them down so that they were no longer feral. And we had to do it fast- it wasn't good for a new arrival to go feral so soon into phasing.

Author's Note

Thank you to everyone who reads this story, who enjoy it! I'm overwhelmed by how many people actually like this, considering that it was my first ever one, and was rough around the edges and pretty unoriginal. I read every review, and it always puts a smile on my face, especially considering that I'm super stressed out about it. So thanks! It makes me happy to know that people enjoy this story!

On another note, ENDGAME IS OUT. FINALLY. I know I've been going on and on about it, but I haven't been this excited for a film in years. Although, granted, I haven't been alive that long in theory. And that's all I'll allude to my age. YouTube is a like a land mine at the minute: 'Endgame Spoiler this' and 'best scene in Endgame that'. So I'm just like: 'Well, I guess I better hurry up and see it'. I'm hoping to maybe see it either tomorrow or Sunday, just before my first exam which is on Tuesday. It'll be a nice distraction I think

Speaking of which, I should probably get back to revising, so I'll see you all later.

Have a nice week, and see you on Sunday

Edit Note, 28/05/19 - Paragraphing issues fixed.

~Cait