I woke in the morning without dreaming, which was a relief. I made my way slowly to the bathroom, where I made the most of the hot water. As I pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater on, I suddenly remembered the flash of russet the previous evening. I hurried downstairs, not bothering to stop for breakfast. Charlie had already gone. I climbed into my truck, and headed straight for La Push. When I arrived at Billy's house, Jacob came out to greet me. Without me having to ask, he started explaining,

"Hey Bells, come in. It's best if you stay inside today."

"Why?" I was alerted to his cautious tone.

"Well, yesterday evening we caught the scent of your red-headed Victoria heading back this way again…"

I froze, "Charlie!"

"It's ok Bells, we've got Jared keeping an eye on him. You're the one we're worried about, which is why Embry and I were patrolling the area last night. We think she'll know you're here, so we're hoping she'll head this way."

I felt so guilty. Jared, Embry, Jacob, all the others, risking their lives because of me. The thought of Victoria made me tremble – and I didn't want my Jacob, nor his brothers, in her way.

As Jacob guided me inside, I noticed Sam deep in conversation with Paul, sending me only a cursory glance as I entered. Jacob explained that they would be going out to catch Victoria this very morning, in fact I had interrupted their battle plans. I caught hold of his arm,

"Jake, please, don't go…stay with me…"

"Aw Bella, don't ask me to miss the fun! Besides, Embry will be guarding La Push just in case she doesn't act as we expect. You'll be perfectly safe here with Billy. We'll be driving her North, away from here, so don't worry, Bella." He hugged me fiercely as he finished his spiel.

"I'm not worried about me! I'm worried about you! She's terrifyingly dangerous; how would I cope if I lost you now, Jake?" But he just grinned. Billy wheeled himself into the room,

"Relax, Bella, the boys will be fine. I just wish I could go with them! Stay here, have a cup of tea, and we'll hear as soon as there is some news."

As Jacob left, he gave me another swift but tight bear hug, ending in a kiss to my forehead. My heart leapt in my chest. What if this were goodbye? How could I possibly bear to lose my Jake? I felt sick with worry as I saw them all disappear into the forest. Billy looked at me, and raised an eyebrow, no doubt wondering at the emotions rushing across my face. But true to his nature, he stayed quiet. Billy rolled into the kitchen to put the kettle on, while I paced up and down the living area. I couldn't stand waiting, not knowing.

I couldn't concentrate on the tea that Billy gave me. I'm sure it was lovely, but my thoughts were trained entirely on the whereabouts of my favourite russet-coloured wolf. What if Victoria hurt him, or any of them for that matter? I couldn't bear to lose Jacob. As this thought ran through my head again and again, I realised that I would do anything to keep Jake by my side.

As I made the decision to go after Jacob, a howl ripped through the air. I raced towards the front door, even as Billy called out for me to stay inside. How could I stay inside when someone was in trouble?

I dashed out the door, tripping over stones on the way to my truck, and clambered up. The engine roared to life, and I prepared to head North. As I turned the truck around, I noticed Embry appear from the forest, and come flying down into my path.

I leaned out of the window, "Embry, what's going on? I have to find Jacob. I have to know he's alright! Please, get out of my way!"

Embry stood his ground, refusing to let me go anywhere. But then he yelped, and let out a different yowl; he crouched in agony, whining.

I leaped out of the car, running to Embry

"What is it? What's wrong?" Embry shook his great head – he wasn't hurt, but someone was, someone in the fight.

"Who? Who is it? Is it Jacob?" Embry just looked at me. My world collapsed; everything went black.