Sorry this chapter came so late, guys. I've been really busy.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 45 – It's Coming

Jake's POV

"Bella, please," I begged, the second after she smacked me. Of course it didn't hurt me. Physically. But that smack brought me more emotional pain than anything else I'd felt since our relationship had begun. She, on the other hand, was cradling her hand. I'm sure it stung. At least she hadn't punched me. Who knows what would have happened.

"I deserved to know Edward was such a threat to us! I can't believe you didn't tell me," she said, her voice a deadly whisper. I took a step towards her but she stepped away. My hands fell limply at my sides.

"I know. I was just trying to protect you. I was going to tell you last night, but then Sam called me. I was going to tell you," I said, pleading with her to listen to me. She was shaking, letting her hand go. When she didn't speak, I went on.

"It was my responsibility to tell you. I can't believe someone else did," I said, tearing my gaze from her and looking to Sam immediately. He was at Emily's side, his arm on her waist. She was looking dreadfully guilty.

"Jake, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Sam told me you'd told Bella last night," she said, glaring up at Sam. He didn't remove his gaze from me. I'd always respected Sam as my alpha. I've always done what he'd said, not because I knew I had to, but because he made the right calls.

This was not one of those times. I clenched my fists and started walking towards him. He pushed Emily behind him.

"She needed to know, Jacob. You weren't going to tell her if you could keep it from her-"

"That was MY decision to make! This was a conversation Bella and I should have had!" I yelled, walking at him faster. He walked forward to meet me, distancing himself from Emily.

"And if you'd told her last night like you should have, she wouldn't have heard it from Em!" he yelled. I let out a furious growl and lunged at Sam.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Paul said, grabbing my arm and yanking me back. Sam was poised, ready for attack. Paul got in between us, putting a hand out in either direction to stop us.

"I don't want to hurt you, Jake. Don't make me fight you," Sam said around Paul. My alpha would always have the upper hand on me. But with all the anger running through me, I wasn't thinking about that. Paul put his hand on my shoulder and gripped it tightly, making a little bit of reality come back to me.

"You don't want to do this here..." Paul said, catching my gaze. He glanced over at someone and I turned my head to see Angela. I stood up straight as I saw her, seeing Sam do the same thing. I looked back to Paul and we both nodded at each other. I wouldn't shove our world on his imprint so rudely.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all of this to get out of hand," Sam said, looking at Bella. I glared at him, opening my mouth to speak-

"No, don't apologize. At least now I know," she said. I whipped around to look at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring at me. The crowd dispersed then. Everyone sat around the fire pit, busying themselves and I made my way over to my steaming girlfriend.

"Look, Bells, I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say," I said as I reached her. She looked me up and down and then turned on her heel. She started walking away. I followed.

When I felt like we were getting too far away from the bonfire, I went to grab her but she turned around. I took a step back.

"I don't know how to deal with this, Jacob. You've always been my best friend and I'm not used to you hiding things from me. You used to tell me everything," she said. I could hear the hurt vibrating through her voice. It made my throat close up.

"I was going to tell you, but then the Cullens interrupted. I couldn't tell you after they left last night... You weren't in a good enough position for me to tell you..." I said. I saw her eyes flicker in pain. She glanced down at the ground.

"I'm not as fragile as you think. You shouldn't have kept this from me," she said.

"I didn't want to worry you!"

"Yeah, well good job, Jacob. Now, instead of being worried, I'm pissed, worried, frightened and feeling a little betrayed," she spat. I reached forward but she shoved me back again.

"Just leave me alone," she said, passing me and heading back to the bonfire. I sighed, watching her walk away. All the fight left me. I took in a deep breath and turned my head to look up the cliff above us.

Edward's POV

I walked through the forest like a snake, Victoria at my side. Our children followed behind us, making twigs snap and so on. It would have been nice to have had time to train them, but I didn't have the patience for it. Jacob Black needed to die and Bella needed to sleep in my arms.

Ever since my conversation with Alice, time had never seemed to go by so slowly. Either Victoria or I had always been at the cave where we were keeping the newborns, monitoring their progress. It was a noisy process. It was nerve racking, as all I wanted to do was reach down and choke them into ending the transformation.

Eventually, they had started to come around, one by one. By this morning, most of them had fully changed. It was hard to contain them, knowing they needed to feed. But their harbored aggression and need to feed would come in handy up against the wolves.

I had waited for the day to draw to a close, knowing the wolves would be least perceptive and dreary as sunset approached. They usually switched out their scouts at the sunrise and set. It was nice that they were so predictable.

As we approached the Forks/ La Push forest, I sent out my senses, searching for any of the wolves thoughts. I encountered none and stopped. Victoria stopped at my side. The crumbling and snapping ceased behind us.

"What is it?" Vic asked beside me. I could feel her looking at me.

"I don't hear them," I said. She scoffed.

"You shouldn't be able to, they're silent creatures," she said. I realized then that she still didn't know about my powers. Of course my comment wouldn't have made sense to her. I cleared my throat.

"Let's keep moving. Keep an eye out," I called behind me. We continued forward.

It was difficult for me, to say the least. Knowing the wolves personally, after keeping Bella away from them for so long, I knew their determination. I couldn't hear them. That meant they weren't around. What were they doing? Did they somehow know what we were planning?

Even as we approached the same cliff I had stood on just days ago, watching Bella and Jacob come together, there was no sign of any wolf on our level. Looking down, I realized why.

I knelt down and felt Victoria follow my every move. The newborns stayed a good twenty paces behind us. No doubt they were still trying to get used to the ridiculously wretched smell of wolves.

Peering over the side of the cliff, I saw the wolves and their kin coming around a fire pit. It seemed they were going to have a meeting. I scanned the crowd, instantly spotting Bella. Jacob was coming up behind her. She was shaking. I felt a wave of paranoia roll through me.

Jacob reached for Bella, was touching her. The jealousy rolled in next, but I masked it. Victoria couldn't have doubt in her way tonight. I gritted my teeth silently until Bella flipped around and pushed at Jacob.

What the hell? Jacob's thoughts yelled. Ooo, so he didn't know what was going on? That didn't help me. I needed to find someone who did.

"I had the right to prepare for this!" Bella's words floated over me like I had just slipped into a lake on a warm summer day. I closed my eyes, imagining the anger as passion, the tone, weak with desire. My eyes shot open so I could watch the entertainment. Bella was angry about something. That was putting it lightly.

She was pissed.

She shoved Jacob again and this time he stumbled. I bit back a snicker. I could feel Victoria shifting beside me, waiting for my word. I felt the blood from our last meal rushing through me, empowering me. She felt it too.

I glanced at her and she at me. I could see the look in her eye, the need to kill. The need to kill for me. I reached a hand forward and caressed her cheek with my fingertip.

A loud smack rang through the air and my head snapped back. I caught Bella pulling her hand towards her chest as Jacob stood still. The anger inside me subsided. I had thought Black had been the issuer. If he had been...

He would have been in pieces.

I almost laughed. Bella had been naive enough to try and hurt a werewolf? I could rip him to shreds for her... But she didn't have enough strength, enough power to hurt him.

Black was pleading now. I let Bella's words wash over me again as she spoke, anticipating it this time.

"I deserved to know Edward was such a threat to us! I can't believe you didn't tell me," she said. A grin lifted the corner of my mouth.

Way to go, Black. Not telling Bella was the perfect way to send her back into my arms... Once I kill them, she'll see my side of things. She'll love me again. Bella will love me.

Bella will love me.

Bella's love.

Mine.

I blinked, shaking the words from my head. Focus. My eyes fluttered across the pack as I rose to my feet. My eyes stalled on a girl with plaited hair and glasses. I squinted and realized it was Angela.

What the fuck? When did she become a part of this? I thought. Then I shrugged. One more casualty would make no difference. Bella would forget about her with time.

Victoria had risen at my side. I realized that her hand was running along the skin of my lower back. I hissed a little as she went to my ear.

"Now?" she asked. I could hear the longing in her voice. Her tongue traced a trail down from my ear to my neck and I turned to face her when she finished.

I glanced behind me and saw the newborns stepping closer. They were licking their lips, their eyes hollow. They looked starved. They would quench their thirsts soon enough. I looked each of the six of them in the eye. It was a small number, but they need only be distractions. We only needed to get to two people. Victoria and I would take care of them.

I turned back and looked into her eyes. Before I knew it, I was leaning down, pulling her close in my arms. Our lips came together and, at that moment, I realized this was the last moment I would ever hold her again. Some weak part of me felt sadness. Most of me was astonished. Soon, it would be Bella in my arms.

I gave her lower lip a sharp bite and then pulled away. Her tongue darted over her lip and she grinned up at me.

"Remember," I said, catching her gaze. "Leave Bella to me. I want her to look up at me as she dies," I said, cementing my wish in her mind. If she killed Bella... No.

She gave a nod and then I glanced at the newborns, getting a nod of approval from them all. They knew better than to attack any human. We had told them to only go after the wolves.

I stepped away from Victoria and she did the same. We turned to the edge of the cliff and I got a running start before her.

A/N : Check out "Inevitable Evening!"

Also, over 900 reviews! Great job, my lovely readers!