This is why we bleed, this is why we scream
But we won't run away
This is why we know, that we must go
So we can fight today
You can make me bleed, you can make me scream
But I won't run away
This is how I know that I must go
So I can fight today

Open your eyes to the world unknown
Fighting the lies of the dark alone
But you're still bleeding
And it's still feeding
Don't fight the dark alone

This Is Why We Bleed, by Leader, from the album This Is Why We Bleed, released in 2016

Note: There are more graphic descriptions of injuries. I will underline parts that follow this, so they can be easily avoided. If this is likely to trigger you, please either miss out the segments underlined, or skip this chapter entirely.

Psychic Leech still hadn't reappeared. I hadn't forgotten about their disappearing stunt, instead focusing on my Imprint. We got her to the plane with ease, taking it slow and gentle, but once I got on the plane, fury burned up my body like standing in a flame. An ungodly roar shook the metal belly of the plane, my fangs stuck out, and my posture spread like the Alpha wolf I was.

I stood tall, my Pack falling into position by my sides, as we laid Bella down on the plane. My wolf slotted neatly into place in my mind, as wolf fur threatened to crawl up my skin, claws threatening to stretch out and rake across them, like claws had raked across her body. The sharp increase of my senses became noticeable, as the smell of Leech whirled around my body, taunting me and begging me to lunge, to attack, to maul like a wolf hunting its prey.

You might ask why I was so furious, because after all, Bella was safe, certainly safer then she was a day prior. That was true. But no, I wasn't furious at that, it was a moment to rejoice after all. No, I was furious at the fact that Edward Fucking Cullen was sitting at the far, far back of the plane, sitting next to his fucking sister-Leech like nothing had happened.

Like he hadn't almost beat Bella to death. He was so fucking lucky that she had enhanced healing, because if she had been a baseline human? She'd of been dead five fucking times over.

The minute Bella was placed down, with purple barriers folding over her, I sprinted, shifting with a blaze of fury and anger and the urge to protect, that sent the loose clothes I was wearing fluttering around me, as I barrelled down the isles, straight towards Cullen, who stood up slowly. My vision almost changed down to a single focus on the one I wanted to murder, before the Psychic Leech tackled me head on, whilst I was mid charge.

I was sent flying back down the isle, as I quickly disappeared down into the shadows thanks to Shadow's intervention. I charged along the corridor before bounding up the steps, appearing just past the Psychic who was splayed on the floor, preparing for another tackle, and getting closer and closer to the one I wanted to murder.

"Jacob, Stop!"

That voice came from no one in my Pack, so I ignored it, lunging at Cullen, claws outstretched, as he stepped out of the way, the best he could. Landing on my paws, I turned around, charging once again, and this time grabbing his arm. My teeth found their vengeance on his arm, cracks spreading rapidly as I bit deep, tearing my head from side to side to pull his arm off. With a sickening shriek, it came off, allowing me to discard it with a toss of my head.

My Pack were trying to get to me, jumping over seats as they fought to get to my side. They kept getting intercepted by Psychic Leech and Doctor Leech, so I was on my own for now, anger fuelling my moves. I roared again, charging forwards, but I anticipated his attempt to move, and corrected my course accordingly. I landed another bite, but he simply flung his leg out, with me still hanging on, as he tried to dislodge me.

"Jacob! We'll make you a deal!"

Carlisle didn't seem like he cared that I wasn't paying attention, and I could hear him sidestepping the angry jaws of one of my wolves. Getting up from where he flung me, I pounced once more, dodging a kick, before setting upon him once more, my claws scratching across his legs, leaving crystal-like spiralling marks across his skin.

He was not getting away with what he did to Bella, I don't care if he had a fucking illness, he still did God knows what to Bella, and the shit she's been through because of him only fuelled my anger further.

"Edward's cured now. We are unsure as to how the cure worked, but he's 100% Edward. I checked. If you leave him be, we'll go back to Forks, and once Bella is on the mend, we will leave, forever."

The furious side of me, the one that thirsted for blood, for vengeance, to reclaim Bella's stolen honour, was screaming at me to go ahead and maul him. To harm him like he had harmed my Imprint, to make him realise the pain she had gone through while he had kept her in captivity. The more rational side of me, the angry but level-headed, encouraged me to listen, to see if I could twist it to my Pack's advantage.

If they left forever, we could stop people from phasing in the future, to stop children having to grow up so quickly, to stop them from being immortal until they gave up their wolf. So they didn't have to watch those they loved die. And ultimately, that side of me won, causing me to step back, my growl still steady, but my attention equally poised between Doctor Leech and Blood-Sucker-Mind-Reader Leech. I was not letting him get the jump on me.

"You will hold yourself to this deal? You will truly leave forever?"

I was aware that the Leech could read my mind. Beneath the haze and anger, the double timbre of my voice became audible in both my growls and my thoughts. Carlisle looked at Edward expectedly, clinging to his detached arm with his remaining arm. He blinked his onyx eyes slowly, a forced action, as he translated to Carlisle, who had since returned to Bella's side, the purple shield dimming slightly.

"He's asking if you will take honour in the deal. If you will actually leave forever."

"Yes. If you would like, we can draft up a new treaty."

This was one reason why I would dislike being Alpha. Not that I had much option on whether to become it or not, but it was definitely a reason why I was against it. Anyone else, and they probably would have torn Edward apart by now, limb by limb, turning him to ash and dust. And I still very much wanted to do that, my anger hadn't simmered any. But I had to consider the pack, like I mentioned before.

That, was what was keeping me from tearing him apart, trying to juggle what I wanted to do, and what I should do. I took a calming breath in, looking at the pack who were spread over the interior of the plane. They each had their own opinion, even Shadow, who hadn't particularly taken part in anything, other then protecting Bella.

"We're really just going to let him get away with what he did? The fact that he was ill doesn't excuse what he did! Bella deserves better then that Jake!"

Jared's words hurt. The fact that he, however indirectly, implied that I didn't care about Bella, made my simmering blood come to the boil again. I levelled a glare at Jared, the urge to put him in his place strong and prevalent. How dare he say that! I curled my lip at him, barely remaining still as my claws dug deeply into the carpet.

"You think I want to Jared? That I don't want to maul him!? I know Bella deserves fucking better, but it's not just my wants that I have to consider! I have to consider the pack, and maybe you should consider that!"

Embry came forwards, his stance carefully neutral, as he tried to placate the two of us, who were just about ready to tear the other's throat out. Seth stood by the side, his belly low to the ground and his tail tucked in, in a submissive gesture. I wasn't angry at him, but I could imagine that I was making an impression with my alpha instincts reigning high.

"Maybe we should all take a breath and-"

"If I were her, I would be ashamed to be your Imprint."

The words, simple in nature, released the anger I'd been trying to suppress. I could hear Embry's sharp intake of breath as I lunged, teeth bared, my hackles raised and my fur up on edge. Realistically, when up against a pissed off Alpha wolf, he had no chance. He tried to back-pedal, only to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Or to be specific, airline seats and a pissed off wolf. Seeing no way out, he charged towards me as we clashed together, his claws finding purchase in my side, as my teeth bit deeply into the scruff of his neck. Continuing to roll with the movement, as Jared thrashed trying to escape, I flipped him onto his back, before standing on top of him, my teeth hovering just a few centimetres away from his throat.

"Submit."

He continued to thrash as I bit down on his scruff, enough to scare and hurt, but not enough to permanently kill. I curled my lip as I bared my teeth, ears poised back and my claws deep. Jared slowly ceased his thrashing, his tail tucking in, as he tilted his head up to allow me to get a better angle.

"I submit Alpha."

Satisfied, I got off him, but not before a warning nip to the flank, clearly saying 'do not try this again'. He righted himself, but still kept his tail tucked in, as both Seth and Embry began to relax upon seeing that I wasn't about to kill Jared in front of them. I would never do that, even if he was out of turn. Satisfied and placated, I turned to face kidnapper-Leech, knowing he was our translator.

"Upon returning to Forks, we will convene with the Councils, and draft a new treaty."

Leech repeated my words to Doctor Leech, as I slunk over to Bella, before curling up next to her. Doctor Leech ran his hands over Bella's fur, looking his several tools. I tried my hardest to not focus on her injures, lest I risk losing it, and instead stared into where her brown eyes would be, yet they were covered by her closed eyelids. It was going to be a long flight.

The crunching of Bella's bones giving way under Doctor Leech's strength made me flinch, the sound haunting me forever. It repeated twice more, like a mantra, but one that I was quickly learning to despise. Despite the lack of an x-ray, from what I could tell, Doctor Leech was honouring his word, giving Bella the medical attention she desperately needed. Bandages were rolled around where the other chains had been clamped around her legs, clean and padded, protecting the exposed and inflamed skin from the outside elements.

She was looking slightly better now, still injured, still critical, but not as pale and sick-smelling as she was previously. Hooked up neatly on where you would store your hold-on luggage, were the two IV's from earlier, having been refilled. The hip was braced, a metal rod secured to the outside of Bella's skin. I ran my tongue along Bella's fur, trying to clean it the best I could, but with every lick I managed to get, I also got the taste of her copper-like blood.

Raising my head, I looked around at the plane. Kidnapper-Leech and Psychic-Leech were sitting next to one another in the cockpit, clearly having a conversation silently as they took us home from Russia. Jared was watching them with sharp and alert eyes, having not spoken since I'd slammed him into the ground. Whether he wasn't speaking because he was trying to keep calm, or some other reason I didn't know about, he was still trying to protect Bella.

Seth was curled up, softly sleeping, probably exhausted from his days of travelling. I couldn't begrudge him sleep, especially when he was so young. Embry was sat talking to Shadow. Speaking of which, we'd offered him a place in our pack. His help in getting us to Bella was highly appreciated, and his use of his powers to get us in even more so. We owed him more then we could ever describe, which was why we had offered him his place.

As the rightful Alpha of our Pack, (a position that after today, I realised I had to take) I ultimately had the right to make that decision. Nobody attested it. Truly though, I hadn't anticipated him to accept it- not after how he had responded to me asking him if he were human born. And he knew we were human born, so I had been doubting his acceptance. But he did.

After fifteen minutes of deliberation, he did. Whether he had nothing to loose, or Bella had made an impression, he had agreed to join our pack on a trial run.

So, I wrapped my mind around his, had walked up to him, and had nipped him on the back of his neck, rubbing my scent all around him. The mark was light, my scent only slightly covering him, so that he could easily break out of the pack of he so wished. A pack wasn't a dictatorship, it was a family. Anyway, where was I. We were currently ten hours into this ridiculously long journey, and I could once again hear the thrum of Bella's heart, stronger then it was several hours ago.

I hadn't moved from my position, hadn't done anything but lightly, and I mean lightly doze, and watch Bella's still unconscious form, her fur still sleek with blood despite my best attempts at cleaning her. You could make out that her ribs were fighting to escape, and by that I mean you could clearly see them, even more so now that she had been slightly cleaned up, and some of her wounds sown up. Shadow raised his head up, ears flicking, as he looked towards Bella and me.

"When I got there, I brought food. She… Bella, looked like she'd been starved. It would explain her loss of weight."

Bella's name sounded foreign, and the gruff exterior of Shadow's voice almost folded away to a different accent, one that definitely wasn't Russian or American in nature. I couldn't place it, because it only emerged for the utterance of her name, but I was confident that if I heard it for longer, I'd recognise it.

As it was though, I realised that perhaps I'd never truly understand what Bella went through, because she might not want to tell me. And while the thought of her not confiding in me hurt, the feeling of losing her forever hurt more.

Two hours remaining. Bella was still unconscious. We still had a missing Leech on our hands- a red haired bitch who would be torn to pieces if she came near me. And this time, I meant it even more, because she didn't have any leverage over us. We'd concentrate on hunting her down once Bella was on the mend. Mind-Reader-Kidnapper-Leech, despite working with the cow despite being former enemies, supposedly had no idea where she could have disappeared to.

He was a mind-reader, how did he not know where she went? It's more believable that he did then he didn't, and once again, I didn't trust him at all. But the fact that Mister Repentant over there didn't say anything- well, it didn't fare well for his claims, did it? Still, my head was (metaphorically for once) ringing from the shift of time zones.

It'd changed so much that combined with my lack of sleep and appetite, my body was confused as hell. Truthfully, so was I. My schedules were absolutely fucked, I'll have you know. Once we'd gotten closer to the USA, we probably would be able to communicate with our long separated Pack, who I could sense faintly. Speaking of faint, I backtracked into our bond- mind and Bella's, that is.

It had definitely strengthened since we'd picked her up, but it was nowhere near how it was once we'd bonded. And honestly, I don't think it will until she wakes up. I had my eyes closed, but I was nowhere near asleep, just daydreaming in my head. My head was filled with memories of my life so far, focusing on all of the fun times I've had with Bella and my Mom. Cliche, I know, but it still applies. It wasn't like I had anything else to do.

I couldn't focus enough to watch a movie, eat, or drink, and I wasn't feeling particularly conversational, so hence, the thoughts. Gentle huffs of my breath escaped, giving the impression that I was asleep, as I tried to relax to the point where time would flood by quickly, but it wasn't being co-operative. I guess I was being a bit demanding.. especially something that wasn't exactly a physical entity.

I opened my eyes again to a rather bumpy landing. I'd somehow managed to slip into a light doze, and had awoken to landing. The reason, other then the turbulence and the distinct rumbling of the tires, was that there were suddenly two different wolves talking. Sam and Paul. It seemed like they were talking with the others. I stood up slowly, keeping my balance, as Doctor Leech was crouched by Bella's side, holding her steady.

It took a brief ten minutes to land, upon which the stairs opened, allowing Doctor Leech to carefully take Bella off of the plane, with Embry having phased and taking up the back. Edward had gone to help, but I cut that movement off with a growl before he could even get near. Also evidently, Sam had been caught up on what was happening, because he was sympathetic, and I could see his form lingering at the forest, upon exiting from the plane.

He didn't approach, and his fur was a mere speck in the distance, but it was most definitely Sam. Not acknowledging him, I followed behind Embry and Doctor Leech, as they gently carried Bella to a waiting car, where Tall-N'-Butchy was leaning against it. It didn't take them long to fold open the back and resting her form in the back. I jumped up, carefully manoeuvring around her form, before curling up next to her, watching her carefully.

The rest of us- Seth, Jared and Embry would switch out with Paul, Quil, and Leah. Shadow would continue to follow me, running behind. It wouldn't take us long to get to the Cullens, where they would finally finish up healing Bella to the best of their abilities. I just hoped that their best was what they did… and that they would honour their agreement.

Author's Note

Hello!

So.. I had every intention to have Jacob maul Edward more then he did. It would be entirely justified, considering the state of Bella. But then I realised that Jacob would also consider the needs of the Pack, even if it meant that he couldn't eviscerate Edward like he wanted to do. So, I compromised, after seeing that it wouldn't work for future storytelling purposes. That's why that segment about Jacob attacking Edward and tearing off his arm, and gnawing his leg is in there, as a compromise. Plus, I just really wanted Edward to get mauled. *shrugs*

As to why the cure worked on Edward, well, that will be mentioned next chapter. Please feel free to guess why.

Anyway, there's not really much else to talk about. Not in my life anyway. Pretty slow, pretty tiring, studying a text for English- The Crucible. I kinda hate plays. The story behind it though is pretty cool. I'll give it that at the very least.

Question of the Week before this becomes a fifty paragraph Author's Note: If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have picked? Keep in mind, you don't have to mention your actual name if you don't want to. Honestly, I'm not sure. My name is Caitlin, in case you didn't guess from the 'Cait' part in my name. I've always liked the name Eleanor, Evelyn or Sophia. The thing is, just because I like those names, doesn't mean they would suit me. Like, at all.

So there's a fun fact. Anyway, I'd better get back to writing. I won't get time tomorrow 'cause I'm going to see Grease at the outdoor cinema tomorrow.

Have a nice week, and I'll see you next time!

~Cait

(Oh look, it still ended up being really long)