"You know, we should probably head back," Jake sighed into my hair. "Billy won't be very happy with me if you miss your first tribal story telling."

I chuckled softly, burying into his warmth as a cold breeze swept by us off the salty ocean.

"No, I don't think he'd like that," I agreed, slowly pulling away from him, but only enough so I could see his face. "Hey, how about we don't worry about the future until we have to. Let's just enjoy tonight and see what tomorrow brings," I said.

A smile lit up his face "That's probably one of the best ideas I've ever heard."

"Good, now we better get back to that bonfire, it's almost dark, and I don't think walking over rocks and through woods will be very easy without a little light."

Jacob laughed at this, a loud full laugh that seemed to ring around us. "It'll only be difficult for you, I can handle the dark just fine," he pointed out. I frowned, my bottom lip pushing out into a pout.

"Fine, I guess I speak for myself then. But regardless, we better get moving, because even though you're fine in the dark doesn't mean we all are," I grumbled, turning and beginning to walk towards the opening in the trees. However, before I took so much as a step Jacob had me back against him, his whole body rigid.

"Jacob what…?" I began, but he held a large hand to my mouth.

"Shh, I smell him," he said softly, his voice full of anger. My eyes widened immediately and I became as still and silent as a piece of dead wood.

Why now? Why did he have to come now? But of course he would. That was his strategy, strike when the enemy is least expecting it.

My heart was pounding loudly inside me as Jacob's keen eyes scanned the line of the forest that seemed to stretch on for miles. I was nearly shaking against Jacob's chest, mostly from the fear, but partly from the fact that the sun had finally sank below the horizon. Though Jacob's heat did the job for the nighttime chill, it only helped minimally for my fear.

"Jake, what do we do?" I whispered into his chest, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Just wait, I'm sure the guys have smelt him too. They should be coming soon," he whispered, just loud enough so I could hear him.

"And then?"

He looked down at me, his face serious as he looked into my widened eyes.

"You get yourself out of here and back to my dad and the others. They'll take you someplace safe," he told me, but the fear did not ease as I stared up at him.

"And you?"

"I plan to end this. I'm tired of him thinking he can take everything away from me without a problem. I won't let him win this time," he said, his eyes hard as he stared into the forest.

Slowly, I reached up and grabbed his face, making him look at me.

"You better come back to me Jacob, and not in pieces, you hear me? Don't you dare get killed, or I'll never forgive you," I said seriously, adding one of his own quotes in there for his benefit.

His eyes softened slightly as he stared into mine, his large hands covering my own that rested on his cheeks.

He carefully moved his head to the left and gently kissed the palm of my right hand, then turned right and kissed my left hand.

"I will. I will come back to you. I can't promise I'll be whole, but I'll come back to you. That's a promise," he told me seriously. Then his head whipped to the right. I followed his gaze, my heart pounding, expecting to see the cold blooded creature standing there, but it was only a wolf. I couldn't tell which one in the darkness, but it was on the smaller side so it must be either Collin or Brady.

"Drina, I need you to go with Collin, he will take you someplace safe. Stay there until I come for you. Under no circumstances are you to leave, do you hear me?" he said seriously, his attention moving swiftly back to me.

I nodded, fear gripping me as I stared into his deep eyes.

"Good, I love you Drina, please be safe," he whispered, pulling me close briefly and kissing my lips before releasing me and hurrying into the forest, pulling off his clothes on the way.

I stared fearfully after him, worry already growing inside me as I turned to look at Collin who was obviously gesturing for me to get on his back. So I slowly approached him and got on.

He then turned swiftly on his hind legs and rushed back through the small path in the trees that would lead us back to where the bonfire was previously held. I hung on tight and tried not to look around at the trees whipping by us, in fear that I'd get sick. I'm sure Collin wouldn't forgive me for barfing on his back.

When we broke through the trees I was surprised to see Brady, Embry, and Seth waiting next to their vehicles which held Emily, Kim, Billy, my mother, and Mrs. Clearwater. As soon as we were near them Embry grabbed me off of Collins back and nearly flung me into the seat next to my mother who was staring aghast at Collin who had just morphed back and hopped into the passengers seat.

"What on earth…?" My mother murmured, staring at Collin with wide eyes.

"Mom, don't be afraid, there here to help us. We'll all explain this later," I told her gently, trying to remain calm despite my humming nerves as Embry swiftly pulled onto the street followed closely behind by Seth.

"Help us? What on earth is going on here? He just- he was just-" My mother stammered, her complexion pale with fear.

"Yes, a wolf mom. They all are, even Jacob. They aren't here to hurt us, they're protecting us," I said, ignoring my mother's first question.

"Protecting us from what exactly? Because I can't think of anything more terrifying than young men that morph into wild beasts!" She said, her voice an octave higher than normal.

"Trust me Mrs. Cobin, there are things out there worse than us," Embry said softly, but we could all hear him, and that seemed to shut my mother up.

"Mom, just trust me," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "It'll be ok," I promised. She looked at me, her wide eyes catching mine as we held a steady gaze.

After a moment she nodded her head once, then turned her head back to the front, her lips shut tight.

I desperately wanted to do something for her, explain everything, but I just couldn't. I didn't have enough strength to be able to relay to her the real reason behind her husbands tragic death. I couldn't bring myself to break her heart all over again. Not yet.

So we rode the rest of the way to wherever we were going in silence. We ended up stopping in front of Emily and Sam's house, obviously the designated safe house, and piled out of the cars, rushing into the house as fast as humanly possible.

Once the door was shut tight behind all of us, Billy turned to my mother, his face sad as he stared into her frightened eyes.

"Amelia, I will explain everything," he told her, then turned to Emily. "Is there someplace quiet we can go to talk?" He asked her.

"Yes, follow me," she said, then led Billy and my mother down the hall, Mrs. Clearwater following silently behind.

I then turned swiftly towards the boys. "What's happening?" I asked.

"Sebastian appeared, we're going to fight him," Embry said simply.

"And? Do you have a plan? A strategy?" I asked.

"Yes," Seth supplied, but did not elaborate. My god they were frustrating.

"Will it work?"

"We hope so."

"That's descriptive."

"I'm sorry Drina, but we really can't tell you," Brady said, looking ashamed.

"Fine," I said, turning away from them and beginning to pace as Kim took a seat on the sofa, her face pale.

"We'll be outside keeping guard," Seth told me as they all headed to the door. I just nodded, not stopping my pacing.

"Drina," he said gently, grasping my shoulders. I looked up at him, slightly irritated, but I'm sure only the worry and fear registered on my face because he pulled me into a gentle hug. "Everything will be fine, I have a good feeling about this. Plus, Jake is a good fighter, he can handle this, especially if he's fighting for you," he told me, his face sincere.

I smiled weakly and nodded. "I hope you're right Seth."

"So do I," he agreed, then without another word they all piled out the door and into the night, closing and bolting the door behind them.

I sighed, giving up on my pacing and moving to sit next to Kim.

"You think Seth is right? That they'll be ok?" She asked shakily.

"I don't know Kim, but I hope so," I told her, then quickly grabbed the remote to the TV and turned it on, changing the channel to the Food Network. I knew no one was going to watch it, but the silence was killing me.

"Did the guys leave?" Emily asked as she entered the room with three steaming mugs.

"Yes, what's that?" I asked as she set the tray down.

"Hot chocolate. Kim and I have come to find that a bit of chocolate makes the wait easier," she said, handing me a mug. I took it, though I wasn't too sure I would be able to drink it.

"Is it always this hard?" I asked softly. "Just sitting here waiting?"

"Yes, we always worry. Even though we know they are capable, it's human nature to fear for them," Emily said, sitting down into a comfy looking armchair and sipping at her cocoa.

"Yeah, I can imagine," I said, curling my feet up under me and taking a sip of the steamy drink myself. It was good, and you could tell that it wasn't just the cocoa that made the mixture so soothing.

"So, who is this Sebastian character anyway? Jared refused to tell me anything more than his name," Kim said suddenly.

"He's the thing that killed my father, and I guess he wants to finish what he started," I told her, anger now adding to swirling mass of emotions.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry," she said softly, rubbing my arm gently with her hand.

I just shrugged. "It's ok, I'm dealing with it, I just hate that I had to bring this whole mess onto you and the guys." I hung my head, not able to look either of them in the eye.

"Drina, you have nothing to apologize for. This is all completely out of your control. Finding us was probably one the best things that could have happened anyway. Fighting creatures like Sebastian is the guys job, they're destiny, what they're made for," Kim said, her face a little less pale as she took a generous swig of her drink.

"I know that. Everyone keeps telling me that and I know that! But I still feel bad! I mean what if one of them doesn't make it back? It would be my fault for bringing Sebastian here to you guys and causing their death! I can't handle that!" I cried, burying my face into my hands. I hadn't realized I was crying until I felt the hot wet tears seeping through my fingers and onto my knees.

"If that happens it is not your fault," said Emily as she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and sat down on the other side of me. "I'm sure the guys would have had to deal with Sebastian, or something like him eventually. He is the problem. He is the one at fault. Not you. It's not your fault he decided to target your family. It's not your fault he wants to attack you. It's his decisions, therefore the outcome is his fault, not yours. Now I don't want you taking the blame for this again, do you hear me?" Emily said sternly, her voice harsh but kind at the same time. Yet she sounded so sincere that I couldn't help but look up into her face, seeing that same sincerity that I heard in her voice.

"Yeah, I hear you. Thank you," I said, a small smile turning up the corners of my mouth.

Emily's answering smile was radiant as she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Anytime," she said softly.

A.N. Ok, so I hope this chapter didn't go too fast, or too slow, but if it did, please let me know and I will try to fix it. If not, I hope you enjoyed it, and I've already begin working on the next chapter, so it should be out in a decently timely manner. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think, whether it's good or bad (criticism is always welcome). Thank you!