Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story.

So, I have two things to tell you! The first is that I missed my final exam this morning... Because it was ACTUALLY yesterday... I only missed it by 24 hours, so I'm drowning my troubles with merlot. The second thing is kind of an announcement. I have a tumblr! I don't know how many other people have them, but if you do/want to follow me/just want to check it out, my url is: here-in-my-castle then you add the dot tumblr part and then the dot com. Just don't forget to use a real period instead of the word dot (LOL). If you forget the url, it's also on my profile! Feel free to check it out! Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!

Chapter Thirty Five

A bright light was shining into Bella's eyes. Softly she moaned with displeasure at the intensity of the light and how it was slowly but surely waking her up. In reaction to this, Bella heard a growl that also vibrated against her and a wet nose snuffled against her skin, investigatively. It was then that she recalled the sequence of events that had panned out over the past twenty four hours.

Edward Cullen was dead.

Jacob was in a completely unreachable state, buried in the recesses of his wolf's mind.

And there were still two vampires after her blood.

"Jacob?" Bella asked in a groggy voice, cracking open her eyes and reaching up with one hand to brush away the sleep from her eyes. Peering upward she was met with the sight of her russet wolf laying above her. It nearly stole her breath away as his yellow eyes stared into her own, searching through her soul, trying to see if she was truly alright. Reaching up to pet the fur on his snout, Bella hissed as an ache raced up her arms.

Growling again, Jake nuzzled at the crease of her right elbow, his tongue sneaking out and licking at the flesh. The tenderness of the action made Bella smile slightly. No matter how far Jake drifted into his wolf's mind, he would never drift away from her. She was always a part of him, a part of his very soul. And without a doubt he owned her soul in return.

Thinking these things over, Bella felt her stomach growl violently. She hadn't had anything to eat since her lunchbreak at the school. Not to mention her bladder felt as though it was going to explode.

Squirming underneath Jake's heavy front leg, Bella managed to get out of his hold, although he watched her carefully. Bella wondered if he'd understand what she tried to tell him at this point, and then decided to let him figure it out on his own. Pushing herself up onto wobbly legs, Jake rose up as well, watching her intently. she grabbed a handful of his fur on the side of his neck to steady her as she gained her balance back, then she walked towards a tree.

As Bella relieved herself, Jake watched carefully, standing only a few feet from her. Obviously making sure that she did not leave his sight again. It made her blush as she finished and walked back over to him, but she knew that he was in a much baser frame of mind and probably did not care in the slightest.

Bella stood in front of him for a moment, amazed at how big he actually was. Most of the wolves were the size of horses. If Jacob was to be compared to a horse it would be the biggest clydesdale in the world and even then, Bella felt as though he was much larger than that. When she outstretched her hand and placed it on the side of his neck, she stepped underneath him and stroked his warm fur. The scent of him calmed her considerably and she could almost forget for a moment the horrifying ordeal she had been through.

"Oh, Jake. I love you. I love you so much," Bella whispered quietly as tears dripped down her cheeks. It wasn't as though she could help it. It was overwhelming to her human body to feel the pure, raw bond that Jake's wolf held for her. It constantly felt as though her ribs would crack open and her soul would escape her fragile human body to join it's other half.

Jacob yipped in her ear and she stepped back so that she could see into his eyes again. For a moment there was the faintest flicker of understanding within them and Bella smiled. Leaning down, Jake's wet, overheated nose nuzzled against her cheek and a light laugh escaped Bella's mouth. She was almost surprised about how light the sound was despite all that she had been through, but Jake did not seem to care. His nose pushed into her skin, sniffing against her jaw and then going down her neck to her shoulder. The hot air that pulsed against Bella's bare skin almost tickled and her hands combed through his pelt.

"I'm here, it's okay, Jake. You found me, I'm alright," she whispered while his nose traveled down the valley between her breasts, to her stomach. Bella continued to speak softly to him while he breathed against her skin. When his nose encountered her elbow on his way back up, he growled menacingly, once again licking at the skin and covering it with his own scent. In the back of her mind she thought about the scars she would have.

She would never be able to wear something sleeveless without being reminded of the torture she'd been through. Briefly she wondered if Jacob, once he regained his human mind, would look at her differently. She wondered if he'd blame himself for what she'd gone through.

That would be wrong. There was nothing he could've done more than what he had in order to save her. Perhaps her fate, which had brought her to Jacob had also had a hand in her kidnapping. It was all part of a higher plan that Bella could hardly begin to understand in her fragile, simple human mind. And she was surprised that she made peace with that idea.

From the forest behind her she heard heavy footsteps turning just in time to see Leah's wolf carefully and slowly approaching. A snarl erupted from Jacob as he raised his head and moved to stand in front of Bella, his lips curling up as he stared at the gray wolf. Leah froze and Bella watched was fascinated as the air around her shimmered with heat, and her body morphed back into a human's. A very naked human.

"Jake, it's alright. It's only Leah," Bella murmured, scratching at his fur on his ribs. Jake's growling did not cease as Bella tried to move around Jake towards Leah. However Jake used his large head to push her backwards, stepping in front of her body. Signaling that he was taking absolutely no chances while making it crystal clear that she would not be leaving his side.

"It's okay, Bella. I don't blame him for being wary… I thought you'd be hungry… I brought some cereal," Leah called to her calmly, picking up a red box that had been laying on the ground next to a length of rope behind her and setting it down next to a tree in front of her.

"Thank you, how long do you think he'll be like this?" Bella replied, poking her head out from behind her unpredictable mate. Leah looked from Bella to the russet wolf standing tall in a protective stance.

"I'm not really sure… But we'll try and get you food for as long as he is. I don't think you'd like to eat anything he hunted, right? Although I don't even think he'd leave you to do that…" Leah commented and Bella's eyebrows pulled together as she nodded in agreement. Her hand was still wrapped in the coarse hairs of her mate, and she could feel the tenseness of his muscles under his fur.

"What happened to Charlie? When I was at his house before… Before they took me, he wasn't there. Is he okay?" Bella asked with bated breath.

"He's fine… We suspect that one of the vampires hit his head against the sink. He's in the hospital getting stitched up, but there's no other damage done. He'll be fine… But he'll have questions when you finally get home… Either me or one of the boys will be back later with more…" Leah said as she turned back to walk into the woods.

"Hey, Leah!" Bella called suddenly as she took a step forward, only to be head butted back behind Jake once again. Bella huffed but met Leah's eyes, "Back in the cave… There were two other vampires. Edward had two others, but he said that they'd been driven away, but they'd be back because they wanted more of my blood. James and Victoria. Those were their names," Bella said quietly. Leah's face paled a bit at this news, but she nodded at her.

"I'll tell Sam. The Cullens are grieving over their disgusting son's death, but that solves the mystery of why we picked up two different scents leaving the cave other than Cullen and the other male," Leah said and then turned without a word, phasing back into her gray wolf form and loping back into the cover of the forest.

Bella turned her attention back to Jacob who was still growling, his haunches raised and teeth exposed.

"She's gone, Jake… Calm down for me. Come back to me," she whispered to him, tugging on his fur that covered his shoulder. With a slightly annoyed yip, he swung his head back towards her and nipped at her shoulder.

"Don't you dare bite me, Jacob Black!" Bella warned, but her voice held a bit of laughter. Although her mate was entirely consumed by his wolf, he acted like a regular overgrown dog.

"I wonder if you'd like to play fetch," Bella joked to herself, and then let go of his fur, walking away towards the box of cereal Leah had left. Jacob barked at her and trotted in front of her, trying to nudge her backwards.

"You silly boy! I'm getting food!" Bella crossed her arms over her chest and stared her mate straight in the eyes. Those beautiful, wild yellow eyes that held so much feeling that she could hardly comprehend.

He stood at his full height, looking back at her, and then she ducked under his chest, and scurried underneath his enormous body. Jake barked and almost sounded surprised, making Bella laugh lightly as she ducked out from under his side and ran over the the cereal, snatching it up in her hands just before Jake came up behind her, growling in the same annoyed tone.

Before she could turn around Jake had sat down behind her and wrapped one of his front legs around her front. She looked up at the length of his strong neck and his head leaned down and nipped at her shoulder again, almost as if he was disciplining her in the most gentle way he was able. He was telling her, Do not run away from me again. You must stay with me.

"It's okay, Jake. Everything's alright now," Bella said and turned in her space. Tugging on his fur again, she tried to push him onto the ground. With a long exhale, Jake seemed to understand what his mate was asking of him, and he sunk to the ground, looking at Bella closely. Not wanting him to become tense again, Bella takes a seat, leaning back against his large warm side. She could feel his unwavering heartbeat under his ribs, and his deep breathing. With a smile she felt almost the same as if she was laying in bed with him if he'd been a human in that moment.

As she opened the packaging of the Froot Loops, Bella scooped up and handful and shoved it into her mouth, not realizing how hungry she actually had been. After a few moments of shoveling the sugary cereal into her mouth she turned and looked at her mate who was still watching her attentively. Reaching into the bag again, Bella held out her hand to her giant wolf. Leaning forward, Jake smelled the cereal curiously, then pulled back quickly and wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Bella surprised herself by laughing loudly at the reaction, tossing her head back against Jake's huge body and laughing from deep in her belly. Jake leaned closer to her and nudged his nose against her body, and licked her shoulder softly.

For the rest of the day, Bella stayed close up against Jake both to ward off the late autumn chill and to calm her mate. A few times he had started to bathe her skin again, and other times he'd cover her body with his own, nuzzling the juncture of her shoulder and neck where his mark lay on her body. The bite mark had healed since the last time he'd bitten her, and Bella wondered if he'd do it again once he was human. She hoped he wouldn't get any ideas as a wolf because her big bad wolf certain did have very large teeth indeed.

When the sun had started to set Leah had returned, this time with a box of cheez-its and a loaf of bread that she'd tied to her legs. Jacob was no different in his reaction to the she-wolf than before. He growled menacingly and even lunged towards her, snapping his jaws angrily when she had put down the food next to a tree. Bella had to step in front of him and hang onto his fur to prevent him from moving her aside so that he could attack his pack sister. After Leah had gone, Bella had received an admonishment from her mate in the form of a growl and a head but so that she was forced to sit on the ground.

It had taken Bella at least twenty minutes to make her way over to the food that Leah had left, but when she finally had it, she sat crosslegged on the ground, while Jacob lay on his stomach, settling her body between his front legs. Leaning back into the warmth of his front, Bella ate the meager meal of bread and processed cheese crackers thinking about how thirsty she was. She knew that Jake would not let her go and find a stream to drink from by herself, and there was no telling how long it would take for him to come back to his senses. But at the same time, Leah was long gone, probably back to the reservation, and hopefully he would just follow her while she searched.

"Jake. I need water," Bella stood up, coming up to be eye level with her mate despite the fact he was still laying in front of her. Not a single flicker of recognition lit up his yellow eyes, and Bella sighed unsure of how she was going to approach this situation. Not to mention she also had to relieve herself again. Drawing herself up to her feet, Jake followed suit, sticking closer to her.

With bare feet, Bella started walking only to have Jake circle around her, blocking her path.

"I'm going to become dehydrated if you don't let me go find something to drink you overgrown puppy!" Bella huffed in exasperation, looking at her mate's furry face. He didn't seem to grasp what she was saying. Frustrated, Bella glared at him. Seeming to recognize that she was upset through their bond, Jake let out a whine and nudged his wet nose against her cheek, seeking forgiveness.

However that was when Bella had an idea. Instead of using words, Bella grasped the fur on the sides of Jake's face and closed her eyes, focusing solely on her thirst. She had no idea if this tactic was working, but using their bond she focused on what she needed as clearly as she could.

Suddenly Jake pulled his head back and gave a small bark. Turning his body, Jake lifted his nose into the air, his ears twitching slightly, and then he began walking in a different direction. Bella was pleasantly surprised that her idea had actually worked, or at least seemed to have conveyed what she needed.

They walked for a few minutes, but when Bella stubbed her toe on a protruding root and swore loudly at the pain, Jake had paused, looking back at her sharply and sniffing her body, and finding the small amount of blood coming from under her toenail. Leaning his body down in a move that looked familiar to her, Bella grabbed the fur on the back of his shoulders and hoisted herself as well as she could onto his back.

Once she was secure against his back, Bella laid down on her stomach, resting her head against his neck and grabbing on tightly to the fur. Jake traveled at a faster pace since Bella was not walking and it was only a matter of minutes until Bella could hear rushing water.

Jake came to a stop next to the small river and leaned down once again. Bella slid off of her mate and stumbled slightly down to the water. It was freezing as she dipped her hands into it, but she drank as much as she could from it. When she'd had her fill she turned to see Jake drinking from the river as well.

For a moment she admired the sleek, powerful shape of him. His coat was thick, but there was no mistaking the muscle that rippled beneath it. His size was almost unimaginable. For some reason, Bella almost seemed to think that he looked bigger than he had before when she'd first seen him phased. That fateful day on the beach.

Bella was smiling to herself, standing barefoot in the mud and staring at her gigantic soulmate who was actually a werewolf. Three months ago, if someone had told her this was how her life would turn out, she would have called the cops. Now, she was so convinced that this was where she was truly meant to be. Jake raised his head and turned his enormous head and intense yellow eyes onto her. She felt her heart pick up and their bond begin to sing as they stared at one another, entirely at peace by that river in the middle of the woods.

She was about to step forward towards him when Jake's lips pulled up over his teeth in a vicious snarl. Bella stalled for a second, confused by his reaction. But she barely had time to worry over it when Jake had lunged forward and took up the familiar aggressive stance above her, shielding her body from the world.

Bella turned around from her space on the ground and a scream left her lips when her gaze landed on the two pale vampires standing beside each other only twenty feet away.

James and Victoria had finally returned for her.

I'm kind of killing you guys with these cliff hangers, aren't I? But really I do it with love! If you'd like to, leave a comment and again if you have a tumblr and want to follow me, or just want to check it out, my url is: here-in-my-castle. Then you add the dot tumblr and then the dot com part. :) Thank you for reading! ~W.