Chapter 11: Broken Ties

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long to be posted. I've been really busy with summer work, so I don't have as much time to write anymore. I'm going to continue the story (of course) but the updates won't be as frequent as I would like.

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature." - Abraham Lincoln

Bella POV:

"Jake!" I exclaimed, stepping away from Edward. "What are you doing here?" Before he could respond, Edward snarled.

"Mutt," he let out under his breath. I turned around to see Edward clenching his fists, trying his hardest not to lunge at my best friend. There was an awkward silence as the two people I cared for the most stared each other down. Finally, Jacob tore his eyes away from Edward to look at me; the icy glare remained.

"I..." he paused a little, before rushing out the rest of his sentence, "decided to take a walk." I could tell he was lying. My eyes narrowed at my best friend. What did he have to hide? "But then I find you here with this- this bloodsucker." Every word that fell out of his mouth dripped with venom, but only the last one caught my attention. My mouth dropped open as I realized Jake knew. I was pondering whether he finally decided to believe Billy, or if the Cullens had accidentally exposed their secret when Edward's response nearly knocked my off my feet.

"At least I'm not a filthy dog."

I spun around, eyeing Edward carefully. "Do not call Jake a filthy dog," I said slowly between my teeth. To my surprise, Edward just raised his eyebrow and smirked. He looked past me at Jacob; I guessed he was reading his thoughts.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Edward taunted, the smirk on his face growing bigger. I turned to face my best friend and began to close the space between us, only to be stopped by Edward grabbing my arm. "Don't go any closer. He can't control himself; he's new."

"Jake?" I prompted, staring at him curiously.

"Bella, I…" he trailed off, shuffling his feet on the forest floor. He looked into my eyes and sighed before continuing. "I wanted to tell you, I really did. When I found out I- I tried to stay away so I wouldn't hurt you, but I couldn't. Remember when I told you I was sick?" I nodded. "Well, I wasn't so much sick as I was…going through some…changes. After that week, I just had to see you. And I'm so sorry for keeping this from you for so long, but I wasn't allowed to tell you the truth, and I was afraid that you wouldn't accept me for who I really am." He paused, checking my face for any clues of how I was taking this. I smiled at him, motioning him to finish explaining himself. "Bella, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and it would kill me to lose you, but you have the right to know. I'm…a werewolf."

I stared at him, before rolling my eyes. "Jake, you idiot. I don't care. I mean, I'm in love with a vampire, after all." The expression on his face made me realize my mistake. I shouldn't have mentioned love.

"That's new," he said through clenched teeth. "How long have you two-" I cut him off before he could finish.

"It's a long story," I began. I took a couple steps toward him, hoping that he would let me explain everything, when Edward's hand caught my arm for the second time. I looked back at him, making sure he knew I was annoyed.

"Wolves are unstable. If he were to get angry, he would…change…" I could figure out what would happen if I wasn't careful.

"I just want to talk with my best friend. There are some things that need to be sorted out." I looked down at my arm and Edward released his grip. His eyebrows pulled together as he contemplated my request, finally giving in with a sigh.

"Okay, Bella. But when he gets angry, he's going to shake. It's a warning to you to stop the conversation. Be careful...I can't lose you now. I just found you." He lightly placed a kiss on my temple before meeting Jacob's gaze.

When Jacob and I were out of earshot for Edward, I began to tell him everything. I had hesitated to tell him the truth, but I decided that he needed to know that what Edward and I had was real, and not just an infatuation. I didn't see a way I could make him understand without me sounding like I just had a crush unless he knew the whole story. After he learned about Espere and her doings, I finished by telling him about my relationship with Edward before the spell was cast, and how we still managed to find each other given the odds. I smiled to myself, thinking about how all this proved we were destined to be together. Jacob scoffed.

"Bella, he's not even human," he whined. His lower lip jutted out, creating a pout. He looked just like a puppy. I laughed. The big werewolf Jacob reminded me of a puppy. Jake's eyebrows pulled downward, a puzzled expression masking his face.

"Sorry, Jake…just some random thoughts in my head. I don't know how I can get through to you. I love Edward. I love him."

"Well you don't get my blessing."

"I wasn't asking for your blessing," I growled. "I just thought that you should know what happened."

"That leech is all wrong for you. You should be with someone else- someone like me." His last words were quiet, but I caught them. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His head hung low; he seemed almost ashamed, regretful.

"Oh, Jake," I sighed, leaning against him. "I love you so much, but just not that way." I felt horrible. My eye closed to relieve the pressure building behind them. I looked up at him, forcing a smile. "You are one of the most important people to me, and that will never change. Just because I don't love you the way you want me to doesn't mean I don't love you with all I have."

"You don't love me with all you have," he said gruffly. "Because if you did, you wouldn't be running around with him. I just- I just don't see how this is going to work." He lifted his head to look at me, and I noticed at once that his eyes looked tired and dull. His face seemed to have aged since I started talking to him.

"What do you mean? Why can't we just be friends? Why can't things just stay the same?" I was on the verge of hysteria now. Jacob was my crutch. I needed him, I would always need him, and now he wanted to leave me.

"Bella, you know that vampires and werewolves just don't associate with each other. You can't have both and still live in harmony. It's one or the other, and from the way you've been talking, it seems like you've chosen Cullen." He sounded defeated, but he didn't even fight.

I held on to his arm, pulling him closer to me. "I need you, and I love you. Please don't do this." My eyes pleaded with him, asking him to stay with me.

Jacob stood up, startling me. He took a deep breath before turning to face me. "Sorry I'm not the right kind of monster for you," he whispered. I cringed. Even in this version of my life he said that to me. I closed my eyes, letting the tears escape from the corners. They flew open at the sound of footsteps behind me. Jacob was nowhere in sight, but Edward was slowly making his way towards me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting down next to me and snaking his arm around my shoulders.

"Edward," I said between sobs, "he didn't shake once."

Author's Note: I know it's not the best chapter, but review anyway!