Twilight does not belong to me. All copyright goes to Stephanie Meyers

It is important to note that this will be a Jacob and Bella pairing but the Cullens will play an important role in my story.

In light of the racism and exclusion of the Indigenous in Canada, America and Australia I felt it is important to highlight the Quileutes. Stephanie tried (I am giving her the benefit of the doubt hoping she did not portray the Quileute population the way she did due to certain beliefs she may have) but let's be brutally honest, she made them very stereotypical. What I mean is she made them all poor, high-school/post-secondary drop-outs which does not sit well with me.

There will be a proper werewolf council since the Volturi exist for vampires worldwide you best believe the werewolves have their council thank you.

Also, I plan on including other Indigenous tribes from Canada (most likely Metis and Inuit) and Australia (Vanuatu). I will probably include other American Indigenous clans.

This will be a romance/fantasy rewrite of New Moon. Meaning there will be more supernatural forces, more enemies and action-packed scenes.

Bella will be OOC because I hate how she was a nervous time bomb on the verge of having a panic attack. She will grow into the confident, bad bitch I know she is capable of becoming. Other characters will appear to be more OOC.

I have written and deleted countless stories due to my fears of how people would receive my writing. I would love to become a bestselling author one day and I am currently working on my own original stories. But I want to grow as a writer and I believe writing fanfiction will allow me to receive constructive criticism that will help me with writing.

I hope to pump out at least one to two chapters per week. My chapters will be lengthy so work with me, please.

I have no direction for this story lol. This was originally a one-shot but I am going with the flow.

Let me know kindly how I can improve my writing and be honest with me. I promise my feelings will not be hurt as long as you give me constructive criticism and not blatant hate. I will block/delete comments from users who leave unnecessary hate.

Without further do, Happy Reading!

Chapter 1

I have been sitting at my window watching the months go by. My life feels pointless without Edward. He was everything to me. How could he leave me? How could he utter those wretched words? I remember the night he left, the words he departed. Isabella, I am not in love with you. He said he did not love me. He called me by my first name. I should have known that a guy like him would never be interested in a girl like me. I mean I am a plain Jane. I am clumsy, I barely know how to dress, not to mention my social skills are non-existent. I wonder what he ever saw in me. I continue to people watch feeling sorry for myself when I hear the clearing of a throat.

I turn around thinking it's my dad coming to awkwardly ask me how I'm doing. My jaw drops as I realise that it's none other than Jacob Black. He has changed since the day I attempted to flirt with him for the sole purpose of finding out what Edward was. I never spoke to him again until the prom where he only came to deliver a message his father wanted him to give me. I feel guilty for using him the way I did. I pause to take his appearance. He is now taller standing over six feet tall. His lanky limbs are now lean. He has lost most of his boyish face shape. His hair is still long and silky.

He gives her a bright smile flashing his perfect white teeth at her. He holds a plastic bag up and says, "I heard about your break up with Cullen. I am so sorry. I can't believe the bastard left you alone in the woods. I wanted to search for you with everyone else but Dad said no." He takes a moment to take a breath. "I brought some junk food over. I figured the best way to get over a breakup is to eat junk and watch corny romance movies. It worked for my sisters."

My heart melts at how sweet he is. It makes me feel even more guilty for never becoming friends with him. He fixed my car up for me, not to mention he was nothing but kind to me when I first arrived in Forks. For some odd reason, my whole mood is lightened. I find myself returning his smile. "Can I braid your hair?"

He rolls his eyes feigning annoyance but amusement is prominent. "Fine, just don't tell anyone I let you braid my hair."

I find myself smiling yet again. "Deal."

He interlocks our hands and the first thing I notice is how warm his hands are compared to Edward. Not to mention they are the size of bear paws. I feel myself blush at our hand-holding. Although Edward and I held hands it was never for long due to his cold body temperature. Jacob smiles at me yet again as we make our way down the stairs. I grab a DVD of The Princess Bride putting it into the DVD player. I turn on the tv. Jacob is already situated on the couch munching on a bag of Skittles.

"Hey, don't hog all the food!" I exclaim in amusement. He proceeds to shove more Skittles in his mouth causing me to laugh. Just a few minutes ago I was wallowing in misery. How is it that when Jake came my mood is immediately uplifted?

As the movie starts, Jake's body is close to the point where our knees are touching. We munch on the food whilst making fun of the movie. I laugh so hard at the jokes Jake makes. I have never laughed so hard before, not even when I was with Edward. I rest my head on his shoulder.

A hand shakes my shoulder, causing my eyes to flutter open. "Hey, sleeping beauty."

He smiles warmly at me which causes me to smile at him. "What time is it?"

"It's 11 pm," he says, glancing at his watch. "You fell asleep 30 minutes into the movie. I didn't have the heart to wake you up seeing as you haven't been sleeping well at night."

I look at him with a curious expression on my face. "How did you know about my sleeping problems? Are my under-eye circles that bad?" I cringe at the joke I made. Surprisingly a soft chuckle escapes his mouth.

"Charlie told my dad about the nightmares you have." He pauses, throwing a look of pity my way. "He's really worried about you."

My stomach drops. I didn't think Charlie could hear my screams at night but apparently, I was wrong. I feel guilty about my behaviour. My poor father has been talking to his best friend due to his concern for me. I am a horrible daughter.

"Stop." Jake grabs my shoulders looking directly into my eyes. "Don't feel guilty for something you can't control. Cullen made a mistake breaking up with you and then leaving you in the forest." He gives me a wary look before continuing to say, "But Bells this behaviour has to stop. I know life feels grey without him. That's how I felt when my mom died. However, you have people that love you and want the best for you."

Tears stream down my face. The past few months have been horrible. I barely functioned. Jake is right, life still goes on with or without Edward.

I smile wanly at him. "Thank you Jake for everything. I am sorry for basically ghosting you since our day at First Beach." I look at him nervously hoping he will accept my proposition. "Is it possible for us to become friends again?" I divert my glance away from him, afraid to see his reaction.

His fingers trail up my chin making me look into his warm, dark brown eyes. "Of course Bells anything for you. As for being friends, I thought we already were." He smirks at me, causing me to laugh. He wraps his arms around me encompassing me in warmth. My mind goes back to how stiff Edward's hugs were. He tights his hold on me. "Jake, I need to breathe." His smile turns sheepish and a faint blush appears on his face. He mutters sorry as I laugh at his sudden demeanour.

"Jake, I think it's time for you to go home. I'll drive you before Billy starts freaking out." My dad says from the entrance of the living room. He seems relieved and happy. Probably because of the change in my mood. Jake gives me one last hug before heading out the door with my dad.

"Jake, can we hang out sometime soon?" I ask nervously.

He looks directly into my eyes and says, "Of course Bells how about tomorrow you come over and we can hang out? Sound good?"

I nod my head up and down excited about spending more time with my childhood best friend.

"Goodnight Jake, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Bells, sweet dreams." My dad looks between the two of us with what appears to be teary eyes which he quickly blinks back. With that, the two males leave and I head upstairs to my room. I change into flannel print pyjama bottoms and Renee's grey oversized UCLA sweatshirt. I climb into bed pulling the covers on top of me. I can't help but smile at the events of the day. My eyes close as I drift off to sleep.

For the first time in months, Bella does not scream.

In the next days and weeks to come, Bella and Jake rekindle their friendship. She goes to La Push every day watching Jake work on his car whilst she sips on warm soda. She meets Quil and Embry, Jake's best friends with whom she gets close to. Everyone can see the change in Bella. Before her under-eye circles were blue-purple, and her weight was bordering on unhealthy. Overall she seemed wrecked after the breakup with Edward. Now she is vibrant, always smiling and seems more confident. More alive.

Bella knows her relationship with Jake is changing. Ever since their near kiss on New Year's Eve, she knows her feelings for Jake are bordering on love. It scares her. She never expected to fall in love so soon after Edward. Granted it's been five months since that dreadful day but she told herself she would never fall in love again. She can't help the physical attraction she feels toward Jake. The boy is good-looking. Not to mention he is sweet albeit a bit cocky and arrogant but aren't most teenage boys?

Sighing I shake my head as I place the chocolate chip cookies into the glass container. I made sure to make a lot since Jake eats a lot. I swear that boy could eat a literal cow.

I grab the container and take my keys from the coffee table. "Dad, I'm heading to Jake's!" As I close the front door, I hear Charlie chuckling. He and I have a close relationship now thanks to a little thing called communication.

Twenty minutes later, I pull up to Jake's. I let myself right into the living room. "Hi, Billy." I bend down to kiss him on the cheek. He chuckles and says, "Jake is in the garage. Are those cookies I see?"

I laugh, opening the container to offer him one. "Chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven."

He bites into it moaning in satisfaction. "Bella, you outdid yourself."

I grin, giving him one more kiss on the cheek before heading out to meet Jake. In the garage I see him work on the Taj Mahal. I get the feeling he is angry. "Jake, what's wrong?"

He turns to me with his jaw clenched. "Embry has joined Sam." I gasp at this. Sam Uley according to Jake is a La Push gangbanger who reigns over the land with his sidekicks Paul and Jared. Quil, Embry and Jake made a promise to one another that they would never join him. Now Embry of all people is in the gang. That does not make sense. He would never do drugs. "Jake Embry is not into gang life. Maybe it was someone that looked like him?"

He sighs in defeat. "Bella it was him. He cut off his hair not to mention he has the matching tattoo." He grabs my hands and I squeeze him in return. "Bells he gained muscles and you know Embry is or used to be lanky." I shake my head in denial. Embry is the sweetest boy I have ever met. He would never take drugs.

I place both my hands on his face cupping it. "Jake we will figure this out, I promise."

He smiles warily at me but nods his head in understanding.

We spend the rest of the night talking about cars and trading jokes. In the next few days to come things became worse. Jake and Quil confronted Embry who told them in turn that he does not want to be friends with them. I know Jake is taking this hard. His jokes are forced not to mention he seems more prone to anger.

I look at myself in the mirror smiling at my appearance. I suggested to Jake that we go to the movies just the two best friends. Although with the sexual tension building up between Jake and me, our movie-going could be considered more of a date. So I decided to dress up a bit because you never know what could happen.

I look good. Inside of wearing a flannel with jeans, I have on black leggings, a forest green turtleneck and black combat boots. My eyes look hazel thanks to the turtleneck. Angela was right about the colour looking good on me when we went shopping the other day. I head downstairs. To my surprise, I tripped only once down the stairs, a record for me. I see Jake downstairs talking animatedly to my dad about sports. I size him up. He is wearing a fitted long-sleeved black shirt, denim blue jeans and white tennis shoes. As soon as his eyes make contact with me, he flashes his pearly whites at me. God, I love his smile.

He looks at me and says, "You look good Bells." A blush appears on my face. I'm glad he thinks I look good, I did dress up for him.

"You two have a good time." Charlie gives a death glare in Jake's direction. "I want my little girl home by 11 you hear?"

"Yes Chief," says Jake rolling his eyes. Charlie gives him another look of warning before giving me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. With that Jake and I head to the car. He opens the passenger door for me, making me swoon. Once he climbs into the driver's seat, he speeds down the road. Eminem's voice blares from the speakers. I am not into rap yet thanks to Jake and the guys Eminem, Kanye West and Tupac are frequent listeners of mine.

We sing along to the songs. We laugh at one another. It's nice to see him laughing and joking around. His mood has been erratic since confronting Embry.

I turn down the volume. "Jake, we have to pick Mike up."

I see him rolling his eyes. "Do we have to pick up the Marshmallow? He says in a whiny tone. I swat his bicep feigning annoyance at his behaviour. I know he wishes it was just the two of us going to the movies. At first, it was supposed to be a big group of us going to see the new zombie movie but then everyone except for Jake, Mike and I came down with a stomach bug.

Jake grudgingly pulls up to Mike's house. The blond climbs into the backside.

Jake speeds down the road making Mike fall forward. Of course, this makes him laugh. I give him an unamused look and he gives me an apologetic one. "Sorry about that man," he says with gritted teeth.

"No worries. I just need to put on my seatbelt." With that, the rest of the ride is spent in uncomfortable silence.

We are sitting in the theatre with me being in between the guys. Jake bought a gigantic tub of popcorn with extra butter. He is laughing his head off at the gory parts. Mike on the other hand looks sickly green. He dashes out of the movie clutching his stomach.

"Marshmallow. The movie isn't even bloody," Jake mutters.

"Can you please go check on him?" He gives me a look. I stroke his arm, fluttering my eyelashes at him. "Please Jakey it would mean so much to me." I used to despise girls who used their looks to get what they want. Now I realise it is more about feminism than anything. At least that is what I tell myself.

"Okay, I'll go check on him." He leaves and I decide to go with him. Well to wait outside the men's bathroom for them. I am sitting on a brown bench waiting for any news on Mike. Jake comes out utterly annoyed. "Bells, it's horrible. He is puking away."

"He must have caught the stomach bug," I sigh. This was supposed to be a fun night out with Jake and my friends. This night is ending on a disgusting note.

We sit in silence waiting for Mike to finish his business. I feel Jake shift closer to me. He brings his hand up to my face. "You're so beautiful," he whispers, leaning towards me. For a moment I freeze zealously waiting for his lips to touch mine. Just as our lips are about to connect, I pull back. He reaches for me but I scoot away from him. I know it is stupid but I'm scared to put my heart out again.

I take a glance at him. He is angry. Jaw-clenched fists tightened into balls. "Jake I-"

"Ugh, I feel so sick." Mike looks at Jake looking a minute from hurling. "Can you please drive me home?"

Jake rolls his eyes. He gets up leaving the two of us beyond. For a second I thought he left without me. He comes back with a monstrously-looking popcorn tub. He shoves the tub in Mike's hands. "Here. I don't want you puking in my car."

The three of us head out to the car. The ride to Mike's house is uncomfortably quiet except for the blond's heaving. I take a peek at Jake, taking notice of how angry he seems. He is clutching the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. He is glaring at the road. I sigh knowing that I messed things up. I do not know why I keep holding onto Edward. He made it clear he was never coming back. Jake has been there for me through everything. So why did I not let him kiss me more? He likes me and I like him.

Before I knew it, we arrived at Mike's house. He gets out of the car muttering, "Thanks, Bella and Jake. I'm so sorry I ruined the movies for you guys."

I roll down the windows. "That's okay Mike. I hope you feel better," I say, giving him a small smile. He smiles back at me waving bye to both of us before getting into his house.

Jake speeds off into the night. The silence is even more awkward now without Mike's heavy breathing and moans. I rack my brain in an attempt to say something however my mind is blank. What should I say to him? We arrived at my house. Before I get out of the car, I turn to him. "Jake we need to talk about-"

"There's nothing to talk about Bella. I get it you're still not over him," he says in a menacing tone. I gasp shocked that he would talk to me that way. In the months of us growing closer together, Jake has never talked to anyone in that tone unless we are discussing Sam Uley and his supposed La Push gang.

I notice he is sweating profusely. His beautiful tan skin is flushed red. "Jake, are you okay? I think you might be coming down with something."

"Yeah. All of a sudden I don't feel too good. I think I'm going to go home."

I touch his arm in an attempt to comfort him and he flinches away from my touch. Hiding my hurt I say, "Goodnight Jake, I hope you feel better."

I hear him mumble goodnight. I climb out of the car and he speeds away without giving me a second glance. I have a quick conversation with my dad before heading into my room. After I change into my pyjamas, I crawl into bed. I begin to cry. I messed up my relationship with the one person who is always there for me. Godammit, why couldn't I kiss him?! I wanted his lips to touch mine so badly but instead, I pulled back. Nice going, Bella. For the first time since Jake re-entered her life, Bella had a restless sleep. She did not have nightmares yet sleep did not come to her that night.

The next morning before school started, I called Jake to see if he was doing okay. Billy was the one who answered and he told me, Jake had a severe case of the flu and I should not come over. Each day that passed, I would call and get the same response. After two weeks I suspected Billy may be lying to me. Every time I tried to come over he made excuses that at first made sense but now I am beginning to think Jake wants nothing to do with me.

I shake my head concentrating on the task ahead. I came into the grocery store to get ingredients for Jake. I figure I can beg for forgiveness with food because the guy loves his food. I end up colliding with someone. I look up realizing that it is Quil.

"Hey Bella how are you," he says with his voice full of sadness and frustration.

"I'm doing fine, Quil is everything okay?"

He sighs, raking a hand through his hair. "Jake has joined Sam's gang alongside Embry."

I gasp not expecting him to say that. He must be mistaken. Jake, the sweetest guy I know, would never join a gang. "Quil, are you sure? Jake would never join a gang."

"Bella I'm sure. I thought he was sick with the flu since Billy told me that. I saw him, Embry and Jared all hanging out. They were shirtless, flashing those fucking tattoos."

Jake got a tattoo? He told me he would never join Sam's gang. All this time, I have been restless thinking that he was sick or that I destroyed our relationship with my fears.

"Thank you, Quil for telling me. I will talk to Jake to see what the heck is his problem."

"Good luck. Let me know how it goes," he says heading down the aisle.

I am cooking and baking up a storm. I am furious. Who does Jacob Black think he is avoiding me for two weeks? Making me worry for no reason.

"Hey Bella, what are you cooking?"

"I am making Jacob and Billy some food. I figured with Jake being sick I could do something nice for them."

My dad shakes his head. "You know I saw Jake today with two other guys. He seemed to be doing well. I tried waving at him but I guess he didn't see me."

I just shake my head giving a fake laugh before turning my focus on the food hoping my dad does not see the tears streaming down my face.

An hour later, I drive as fast as I could. Well as fast as my stupid car will go. I am going through what my dad and Quil have told me however it just seems unbelievable. My Jake would never join Sam's gang. Woah Bella your Jake? Since when did you call him that I think to myself.

Before I know it, I pull up to the little red house that has been like a second home to me. I hold the bag of food and walk up to the front entrance trying to calm myself. I notice Billy staring at me through the window with a baffled and surprised look on his face. He was not expecting me to visit.

The front door opens. Billy is in his wheelchair with a glare directed at me.

"Bella, what are you doing here? I told you Jake is still sick," he says in a sharp tone.

I gasp at this. One, Billy has never spoken to me that way. Second, he just bluntly lied to my face. I can feel tears starting to pool in my eyes however I blink them away.

"I know Jacob is not sick. Both my dad and Quil saw him and they said he seemed in good shape. I also made you guys food since I thought Jake was sick but that's not true is it," I say in a shaky voice.

Billy gives me a sad smile before saying, "Bella thank you for the food. I appreciate it, believe me, I do. However, you should have never come down here."

"But-"

"I think it's time for you to go," he says in an icy tone.

I flinch but hold my stance.

"I don't know what is going on with Jake but I will be there for him like he was there for me. I will wait for him in my car."

With that, I stumble over to my car. Once I am seated, I wait for what seemed like hours when in reality it was more like thirty minutes for Jake to arrive. I catch Billy peeking through the windows. He wants me to leave but I am not going anywhere. I gave him a sweet smile whilst he graces me with a scowl. I guess I dozed off because I jump when someone knocks on the window of the car. Low and below is Jake with a stern expression on his face. I notice he is not looking at me directly in my eyes like he usually does. What happened to the sunny smile he used to give me? He motions for me to get out of the car again making sure he is not looking at me.

I climb out of the driver's seat, shutting the door behind me. I look up gasping at how different he looks. He has added on a few inches over his already tall height. His shoulders are broad, his muscles are more defined than they were before. He has an 8-pack. His normally long hair is now short and dishevelled. On his left shoulder is what appears to be a tribal tattoo. When I saw him last he did not look like this. I mean I once told him he was sort of beautiful but this boy no man in front of me is more than sort of beautiful. I feel my cheeks turn red as I realize how I have been ogling him for the past couple of minutes.

I look up to realize Jake is still not looking directly at me. His expression is still unreadable and stern. I reach out to teach him but he flinches away from me. I try not to appear hurt by his rejection. "Jake, what's going on? Your dad said that you were sick but you look just fine to me. What happened to you? Why did you cut your hair?"

He sighs and says, "As you can see I am fine so you can leave."

I try to look him in the eyes but he directs his glance to over my shoulder.

"Jake, you obviously are not fine. I mean why on earth would you join Sam's gang? He and the others are bad news. They coerced Embry into joining them now you. Jake please whatever it is I can help. My dad is the police chief maybe we could tell him and-"

"You will not tell Charlie anything! He yells out. "Sam and the others are trying to help me. They are good people unlike those filthy bloodsuckers you were shacking up with," he growls out.

I am taken aback by Jake's knowledge of the Cullens. How does he know about them being vampires? I mean he never believed the legends were true.

"Jake, I don't know what you are talking about," I say, noting how shaky my voice is.

His expression turns fiery. "Save it, Bella. I know all about the Cullens and how they are vampires. I am also aware that you used me to get information about them and like the lovesick puppy I was, I told you everything." For a brief moment, I see hurt flash across his face but before I know it he schools his face back to the stern look. "Look Bella, I am not the person I used to be. I have changed. The Jacob I used to be is gone."

"Jake, I don't understand. Whatever it is I can help-"

He shakes his head. "You can't help me. No one can expect for Sam." His expression turns sad. "We can't be friends anymore."

The tears flow down my cheeks. Not to be friends anymore? Jake has been my rock since Edward left. He helped me get out of my zombie phase. I need him more than I need Edward. With this thought, I realize how much Jake means to me. I never thought I would fall for anyone that was not Edward. I am in love with Jacob. Oh my goodness, I love Jake.

I walk towards him cupping the sides of his face with my hands. I can feel how hot his skin is. I try to get him to look at me but he still keeps his glance over my shoulder. I sigh. "Jake, I love you. I really love you. For the past months since Edward left, I felt my emotions for you shift towards love. I was scared because I did not want my heart to be broken by another person but you are different from Edward. You would never leave me, you promised."

Jake finally looks me straight in the eyes. I can't even begin to describe what happened at that moment. When Jake looked into my eyes all that mattered was him. I swear it felt as though my broken heart was mended back to its original state. All that mattered was Jake and the love I feel for him.

A sunny smile lights up his face, making me smile in turn. His arms wrap around my waist and I can't help to think how right this feels. Being in his strong arms makes me feel safe. Safer than I did with Edward. He leans down and before I know it we are engaged in a passionate kiss. His lips feel soft against mine. My lips part allowing him to delve his tongue into my mouth. We kiss for what felt like hours when in reality it was probably a few minutes. He slightly pulls back and says, "I love you too, Bells. Forget everything I said before. I would never leave you as that filthy bloodsucker did. You are my girl, never forget that."

I smile at his words. As we continue to embrace I hear wolf calls in the distance. I try to lift my head from Jake's chest but he holds me tightly to him.

"Jake what's going on," my voice muffled by his bare chest.

I feel his already warm arms go hotter and he starts trembling. I pull away from him wondering why he is acting this way. I peer over my shoulder gasping at the view before me. Sam, Jared, Paul and Embry stand before me. All boys, no men are over six feet tall. They are all well-muscled although Jared and Embry are a bit on the lanky side. They all have short spiky black hair and what I assume to be a tribal tattoo on their upper bicep. They all look identical.

I move toward Sam in a blind rage. He did this to Jake and Embry. Who the heck does he think he is recruiting young boys for his stupid gang?! I plan to give him a piece of my mind.

Chapter 2: Confrontations

I manage to get right in Sam's face without stumbling. He has a small smile on his face. Why he is smiling I don't know.

"What can I do for you Bella," he asks with a hint of humour.

I see red. "What can I do for you?! Who the heck do you think you are recruiting Jake and Embry in your stupid little gang!"

The smile Sam has now vanished. "I don't know what gave you the idea I am a gang banger but I'm not!"

I laugh humorlessly. "You expect me to believe that? I mean look at all of you. Obviously, you are on drugs and you are trying to force the others to join in." Jabbing her index finger into his bare chest. "Stay away from Jake and Embry or else I will involve my father who is the police chief and you wouldn't want that, would you?

Stepping back, Bella looks at the stunned expressions of the other guys. Clearly, they weren't expecting a girl like her to confront Sam but she has changed since Edward left. She is no longer the girl who will not defend herself or speak out. Jake has been there for me through everything. It is time for her to be there for him.

"Yo Black check your leech lover. Who the hell does she think she is calling us gang bangers," comes the vicious voice of Paul Lahote. He is giving Bella the nastiest look and she gives him an equally nasty glare in return.

"I call it as I see it," I say. She hears astonished gasps come from all the guys including Sam. They thought she was nothing more than a frail pale-faced girl but here she is defending herself against the big bad Paul. Jared who is standing behind Sam is holding back a snort. He has to give to Bella, the girl has guts.

"Why am I not surprised that a white girl who whored herself out to leeches has the nerve to assume that because we are Indigenous (the country that I am from, the correct term for Natives is Indigenous but I know it's different depending on what country you live in. From what I know in America the current term is Native but I will refer to the Quileutes at times as Indigenous) we are automatically gang bangers?"

I see red yet again. How dare he accuse me of being a racist?! She marches right up to him giving him a hard slap on the face. "Don't ever call me a whore and don't you dare insinuate that I am a racist! I yell out cradling my right hand which is burning from the slap. I notice Paul trembling from anger. His breathing is erratic. His face was full of fury. Bella hates to admit she is a bit scared of him.

"Bella, move out of the way!" Jake yells.

"Bella, move back!" Sam commands attempting to hold Paul back.

I hear the tearing of clothes before a huge grey-coloured wolf takes the place of Paul. He snarls at her before Jake pushes her out of the way shifting into his reddish-brown wolf form. She watches as the two fight, rolling off into the woods behind the Black's cabin. Holy crap! Jake and the guys are the wolves who saved her from Laurent she thinks to herself.

Sam shakes his head in annoyance before looking at Jared and Embry. "Take her back to Emily's."

Sam shifts into his black wolf form running after Paul and Jake. Jared and Embry look at Bella who appears to be shell-shocked by the whole situation. Embry approaches Bella placing a large yet gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bella, are you okay?"

I look up at him. "Am I okay? Yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that?" Jared asks surprised that she seems so calm about everything.

"I'm sure. Now let's make our way to Emily's house," I say to the two.

Embry wraps his arms around her shoulders with Jared following behind them. The three joke around and before they know it, they have arrived at Emily's house. The house which is more like a cabin looks very small but quaint. When they went inside I am overcome with the sweet smell of muffins and bread. Right before they walk into the kitchen Jared stops Bella by the elbow. She looks at him expectantly before he goes to say, "When you see Emily don't stare at her face. Sam doesn't like it."

I give him a weird look but I nod my head in understanding. Once the three are in the kitchen they sit at the small round wood dining table. I look up and get my first glance at Emily. She is a tall beautiful woman with silky long black hair, tan skin and almond-shaped brown eyes. It wasn't until Emily turned her face to the left that she noticed the horrid scars defined across her face. Long, angry red lines go from the top of her face down to her chest. The scars should have healed however they look as though she was recently attacked. Damn, that must have been one big bear Bella thinks to herself.

Emily finishes plating up the food for them making her way to the table. "It's so nice to meet you, Bella, Jake has said nothing but kind things about you. My name is Emily, Emily Young."

I try my hardest not to look at the hideous scars that have marked Emily's beautiful face. Giving the scarred girl a smile she says, "Likewise it's nice to meet you and thank you for the food, it looks delicious."

Emily gives her a warm smile before using her hair to cover up the scars. "Well, I hope you enjoy it, dig in!"

With that, the air is filled with comfortable silence. All that was heard was the munching of food. I have to admit Emily can cook but she believes she can cook and bake better. Embry and Jared begin fighting about who will win the fight. "There is no way Lahote stands a chance against Jake. I mean have you seen his wolf, the man is a beast!"

"I would agree but Paul can pack a punch," says Jared.

"20 bucks says Jake beats him up," Embry challenges Jared.

"You're on. Bella, you wanna join the beating pool," asks Jared.

I give him a dirty look. She cannot believe they aren't concerned about what happened. Whilst she ate her food, her worry for Jake continued to grow. "No, I will not join the bet! How could you not be concerned about Jake?!"

The two guys both look amused at her reaction. "Because Jake can take care of himself, trust me on that," says Embry.

"Trust you? Really Embry this is rich coming from the guy who stopped all communications with his best friends and acted as though they didn't exist," I exclaim, annoyed at the childish behaviour between the two.

Embry has a guilty, almost sad expression on his face and I immediately feel bad for what I said. "I wanted to talk to Jake and Quil so badly but I wasn't allowed to because of Sam-"

Jared smacks Embry hard on the arm before giving him a look that says you better keep your mouth shut. Embry gives me a look of pity before saying, "Jake will come back and he will explain everything."

I give them both annoyed looks. "Fine, whatever."

A few minutes of silence pass before the sound of laughter fills the house. In walks Sam who wraps his arms around Emily giving her a kiss on her scarred face before lightly pecking her lips. Jake and Paul walk in a few minutes later looking all buddy-buddy. They are laughing and exchanging jokes as though they weren't about to rip one another apart almost an hour ago.

I feel a great sense of relief and happiness from knowing that Jake is okay. She runs up to him wrapping her arms around his waist with him reciprocating her gesture. They embrace for a moment before Jake pulls back a bit and leans down to give me a kiss on my lips. I feel my mind go blank as Jake coaxes my mouth open with his tongue entangling with mine. The kiss would have gone on for a while had Paul not interrupted by saying, "Ugh can you two get a room it's like watching mild porn."

I look at Embry's amused face, Emily's warm smile and Sam's surprisingly small smile feeling her face go red as she realizes how passionate she and Jake got on with an audience. Embarrassed, I hide my face in Jake's chest feeling his chest rumble from laughter. "Jake why don't you and Bella go outside so you can talk," Sam says giving Jake a knowing look.

Jake intertwined his fingers with mine before leading me out the back door towards First Beach. We sit on the log, the place where Jake first told her about vampires. They sit in amicable silence enjoying each other's company. I turn to Jake giving him a what's going on look, placing a comforting hand on his knee to show that whatever he has to say she will be there for him.

Jake takes a deep breath in an attempt to prepare himself for what he is about to reveal. "Remember last year when you asked me to tell you the Quileute tales?" I nod my head. "Right I told you about vampires and you somehow figured out that the Cullens are vamps. Do you remember the other part of the legend?"

Bella gives him a confused look before Jake could see the light bulb go off in her head when she realized what he was talking about. "You and the rest of the guys are wolf shifters who protect mankind from vampires right?"

Jake nods his head in agreement. "Yes, those who have the wolf-line blood are the ones who can shift into wolves. We are not like real werewolves who shift only on a full moon. We can shift on command at any given time." He pauses to take in her expression which is currently blank. "Bella I know this is a lot to take in but the guys and I are the good guys," he says with a pleading look.

I have her face directed toward the soil taking in all the information. First vampires, now werewolves, what other supernatural things exist? I look up at Jake noticing the anguish expression on his face. That was when I discerned that Jake probably thinks that I am scared of him. As if I could ever be scared of her lovable teddy bear of a boy no young man.

I use both of her hands to cup his face urging him to make eye contact with her. "Jake, I'm not scared of you. How could I be when you along with the rest of the guys saved my life from Laurent? So you're a wolf shifter, are you forgetting I hung out with a bunch of vampires for a year?"

Jake gives her that sunny smile she loves so much. "That's right my girl has tough skin."

He wraps his arms around me and I can't help but think about how I never want to leave the comfort of his warm strong arms. We embrace for a while enjoying the sun setting. I pull back to check the time on her watch. "Jake, I have to get going. Charlie will be home soon so I need to get dinner going," I say in her melancholy voice. I do not want to leave Jake but if I don't, Charlie will burn the house down with his poor attempt at cooking

We both get up with our fingers intertwined making our way to my car. Once they have arrived Jake gives her a quick kiss and whispers, "Leave your window open."

I nod before hopping into the driver's seat where she buckles her seatbelt and starts the engine. I give Jake a wave before heading down the dirt road. During my drive, I can't help but feel a sense of happiness. Although my boyfriend and his friends are wolf shifters, he is still the same Jake I fell in love with. He loves her and I love him back.

There is a part of me that is afraid to love again. Scared to leave my heart on the line only to have it broken again. Another part of me knows that Jake will never leave her as Edward did. He'll love her until the end of time. Woah Bella, where did that thought come from? You guys just started dating. Why are you thinking about being together forever? I shake my head from these thoughts unwilling to be the hopeless romantic she was when she was with Edward. She will be a better person for herself and Jake.

A few hours have passed and I am lying in bed reading a copy of Emma by Jane Austen when warm arms wrap around her. Immediately I know it is Jake. Putting the bookmark back into the book, I place it back on my nightstand. I wrap my arms around his waist relishing his heat.

"Is being hot a wolf thing," I ask relishing in how hot his skin is.

Jake gives her a cocky grin. "Being hot is Jacob Black." He receives a swat to his chest for that remark. "I know you mean my body heat and the answer is yes we run hot. It's why we barely wear clothes we don't need to."

I get a curious look on my face as I massage his scalp with my fingers smiling at Jake's reaction to this. "Why did you cut your hair? I loved it long plus you said you would never cut it because of your mom."

Jake smiles sadly at her. "I had no choice. When we shift my hair would have gotten in the way so it needs to be short." I give him a kiss on the lips hoping to take the pain away. I know how much his hair meant to him.

Pulling back I say, "Tell me more about the wolf legends."

Jake sits up against my headboard causing me to sit up as well. He wraps one of his arms around my waist. "I'm not the best at storytelling, that's all Dad. When we throw a bonfire, which will happen soon, you will learn the history of Quileute wolf shifters." I pout at this but know he is right. I vaguely remember Billy's ability to captivate the listener with his storytelling.

We sit together in silence simply enjoying one another's company when I feel my eyes start to droop. In no time she is fast asleep with her head against Jake's shoulders. Jake smiles down at Bella, taking in how beautiful she is. He places her down on the pillow pulling the covers up to her neck and giving her a kiss on the forehead before jumping out of her window.

He walks into the forest behind the Swan residence stripping his clothes off before shifting into his wolf form.

xxxxx

(The wolf conversation is Italicized)

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up. What took you so long Black still hooking up with the leech lover," comes the annoying voice of Paul.

One thing Jake hates about being in wolf form is that he constantly hears the other guys' thoughts, feelings and worst of all their voices. Paul is the worst of the pack. His thoughts are always sexual and he always has something insulting to say about everyone but mainly Jake and Embry. So he ignores him for the most part but it takes a lot of control to not punch him for his snide remark about his imprint.

As he runs through the forest he catches up to where both Paul and Jared are on watch for the red bloodsucker.

"Any sign of her yet," he asks the two.

"No, not yet. She is one fast leech."

"Yeah well we're faster," says Paul, his voice full of arrogance.

"So how did things with Bella go?" asks Jared.

At the mention of Bella's name, Jake's mind goes back to the moment he imprinted on her. How beautiful she looked and the kiss they shared was hot.

Jared smirked although it looked more like a grimace due to being in wolf form. "So it went well. I'm glad she accepted your wolf and the imprint just like my Kim did." A goofy smile replaces the smirk as he thinks about his imprint Kim.

"Ah crap! I forgot to mention the imprint to her. I mean she accepted me being a wolf but how will she react to me imprinting?" In the heat of the moment, Jake forgot to tell Bella the most important thing which was imprinting.

"Really Black how dumb are you? I mean you imprinted on a pale face who happens to be obsessed with vampires. I mean for all we know the redhead is here because of her," growls at Paul.

Jake raises a huge reddish-brownish paw and punches Paul in the face. Paul retaliates back kicking Jake in the gut.

"Guys cut it out! Do you hear that? Something is out here," Jared yells out.

The two guys stop getting up on all fours before tuning their ears to the noise Jared is talking about. All three hear the rustling of trees and the horrid stench of-

"It's the fucking bloodsucker! Ugh, she smells fucking disgusting."

"Don't they all?"

"We need to go after her and get rid of her once and for all!" With that Paul sprints off with the other two flanking him. They catch up to the red vampire who they have been chasing for the past few weeks. The vampire is a female with long fiery red hair, skin as pale as snow and gleaming red eyes that burn with hatred.

Why she is in Forks they have no idea and quite frankly they don't care. All the pack cares about is getting rid of her immediately before she harms anyone. Paul lunges at her and the two scuffle before she frees herself running as fast as she can.

"I'm going after her! Jake yells out. Chasing after her. He catches up to her grabbing her by the leg. At this point, Paul and Jared catch up with him ready to trap her when she rips her leg out of Jake's grip and jumps off the cliff.

"Dammit! We almost had her," Paul says.

"She's fucking fast," Jared chimes in.

"All of you get back to La Push, Quil is about to phase." Comes the commanding voice of Sam.

All three wolves ran as fast as they could to La Push. Jacob wanted to go back to Bella's, however, his best friend needs him. It's going to be a long night he thinks to himself.

xxxxxx

It's the afternoon of the next day. My mind is still in a whirlwind after the encounters of yesterday. I am at the grocery store in La Push shopping around for ingredients for dinner tonight. I want to cook Jake and Billy a wholesome feast as a thank-you for all they did for me.

Right as I am turning into the produce aisle I accidentally bump into a young woman. Now this woman is tall and slim like a supermodel. She has flowy long black hair that curls at the bottom. Her eyes are a beautiful light brown but Bella notices how much anger and sadness are prominent in her eyes. Bella could have mistaken her for a supermodel until she notices how much she looks like Harry Clearwater.

"Leah, Leah Clearwater?" I say as more of a question rather than a statement.

The girl in question looks up at Bella in puzzlement before realization sets in. "You're Charlie Swan's daughter." She gives Bella a once over before saying, "Well it was nice to meet you but I have places to be."

I can't help but feel for her. Leah radiates sadness. She is dressed in a grey sweatsuit, something I always did during her zombie phase of reeling from her breakup with Edward. She knows Leah is experiencing the same thing and she wants to help her.

Leah looks at her expectantly. "Are you okay?"

Anger flashes in Leah's eyes, "Am I okay? My Ex-fiancé disappears for one month and then shows up unexpectedly only to dump me for my cousin. And to make things worse my father has the audacity to say I should forgive him. So no, I'm not okay!"

It is evident to me that Leah is going through a lot and she does not have anyone helping her cope with all her emotions. "How about we go to my car and talk?" Bella asks calmly, unsure of the young woman's response. It is apparent that Leah is a stubborn, strong-headed person.

"Okay, that actually sounds nice."

With that the two girls pay for their groceries, making their way to my truck. Once they get comfortable an amicable silence takes over. I know Leah needs a bit of time to gather herself so I wait for her to do the talking. Taking a deep breath in, Leah commences her story.

"I met Sam when I was 15. He was a senior, the most popular guy in school. We hit it off immediately. My parents were concerned at first because he was older than me but once they met him they instantly liked him. We dated for four years before he proposed." At the mention of her proposal, Leah's voice cracked. "A month later he disappears. We looked everywhere for him. He showed up on the day of our engagement party. Emily, my cousin, the person who I called my best friend, who was like a sister to me came down to support me. It turned out that the month he had disappeared he was with her the whole time. After that day he broke up off our engagement and he and Emily bought a house at the edges of the reserve."

My mouth opens in shock at what she told me. I thought Edward leaving me and telling me he didn't love me was bad but my God her own cousin, someone who she considered a sister went behind her back and hooked up with her ex-fiancé. Her opinion of Sam Uley was already low. Hearing about what he did to Leah makes her dislike him even more than she did before.

Leah takes in my gobsmacked expression and says, "You know what's funny about this situation? A week after she and Sam moved in together she got attacked by a bear. Mom says the bear clawed the left side of her face. I would feel bad but I believe she got what she deserved."

At that, a tense silence falls between the two young women. On one hand, I understand Leah's pain. When Edward left she was a wreck until Jake came in and picked up the pieces. On the other hand, Emily is such a sweet person and I cannot fathom why she would do such a thing to her.

I turn to Leah, giving her a compassionate smile. "Look, I understand exactly how you feel. My ex-boyfriend Edward Cullen (Bella can't believe she can say his name while feeling a pain in her heart) broke up with me. He left me in the woods and told me he never loved me. The pain I felt for months was horrendous. I spent the first few months rotting away until Jacob came and picked up the broken pieces of my heart."

I smile as I remember how my heart mended itself each time I was around Jacob. "The pain won't go away but maybe one day you will meet your knight in shining armour that will sweep you off your feet as Jake did with me."

Leah laughs humorlessly. "Sam was my Jake. I'm not sure I will ever get a love that great again."

"I thought I would never love again because of Edward but Jake proved me wrong."

"No offence Swan but from what I've heard your relationship with Cullen was not one made from love."

I begin to get angry. Her relationship with Edward was one based on love. Leah seeing the anger start to build on Bella's face continues on to say, "One day my dad, Billy and your dad were having their stupid sports game ritual and your dad was talking about how he believes Cullen is changing you for the worst. You always spent all your time with him, not to mention you did whatever he told you to do. Let's not forget how you mysteriously fell down 100 flights of stairs."

I gasp. She knew that Charlie did not like Edward in the slightest but to hear that her dad thinks Edward changed her is unsettling because a part of her is starting to realize that he did.

"I guess you are right. I was in love with Edward." I pause for a second smiling sadly at how I wanted to spend the rest of her life with him even if it meant dying to do so. "However I became a different person, the type of person Edward wanted me to be just to be with him."

Leah snorts bitterly. "The things we girls do for love eh?"

The air becomes tense as the girls reminisce bitterly on their past loves. Bella is thinking over how much of herself she lost with Edward whereas Leah is wondering where things went wrong. How she went from being in love to being a bitter girl who lashed out at everyone and everything.

After a few minutes, Leah sighs. "Look, I have to go. It was really nice having someone listen to me."

I give her a small smile in return. "Well, I am here to listen whenever you want. If you like, can we hang out sometime?"

For the first time in a while, Leah smiles a real, genuine smile. "I might just take you up on the offer Swan."

As the black-haired woman gets out of the car she turns to Bella. "I know you've been hanging out with Black recently which is cool and all. But be careful. Jake used to be a good kid before he started to hang around Sam and his goon squad."

My smile fades at that. "I'll be careful. Have a safe journey home."

"Later Swan," the black-haired beauty says walking over to a black Hyundai.

I sit in the parking lot even after Leah drives off, stewing over what she told me. I cannot believe the nerve of Sam. Now dare he leave his girlfriend/ex-fiancee of 4 years for her cousin? I didn't think he was the type of man to do that. I mean he saved my life for crying out loud.

I shake my head.

Jake has a lot he needs to explain to her.

End Notes

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know this chapter seems all over the place which is why I wanted to keep it as a one-shot. I hope to create a solid plan for this story so there will be actual structure to this story.

Let me know what I can improve. Also, let me know what pairings you want to see.

I am writing this in the first-person point of view from Bella's perspective. Other people's perspectives will be written in the third person. Let me know which writing style you like better first (I) or third (she/he)?