The impending battle had not been discussed once, Emily made an amazing meal and now us girls were waiting around the dwindling fire for the pack (excluding Leah) to return with more firewood. Embry, Brady and Collin were out doing a final perimeter check and would join us later. Leah and Catori were having their own conversation perched upon one of the logs and Kim, Emily and I were clearing up after the pack had ravaged the food table.

Something had changed between Jacob and I tonight and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. It was like I wanted to be around him but I was still reserved. We weren't on top of each other like the other couples — well we weren't even a couple ourselves, but I still needed that closeness. We acted as if were just best friends again, and I liked that, it was nice to just feel normal for once.

"Aria, can I just apologise on behalf of Jared?" Kim changed the subject from our previous conversation concerning the boys' obsession with wrestling.

"Oh no, Kim, you don't have to do that." I began, now feeling slightly awkward. I really hated Jared but I wasn't going to be rude to his imprint. Besides, I liked Kim.

"I do." She sighed almost angrily. "I understand the natural enemies thing... but you're so different I don't understand why he doesn't see that when everyone else can." I shrugged and gave a side glance to Emily, she had had enough of Jared as well. To be honest I think everyone had. "I promise I will keep digging at him until he apologises in person, however long it takes."

"Well its a good thing I'm immortal." I joked and the girls laughed. "But seriously, even before I became a vampire there was bad blood between us so don't worry. It is just how Jared and I are."

"I'm still going to try." She promised. "Anyway, you and Jacob? We need an update."

I groaned and they both laughed at me. "I don't even know. I still don't trust him, we're just friends, kinda, I guess?" I struggled for words and they both rolled their eyes at me.

"You so want him." Emily pointed out and I scowled at her.

"I don't." I whined only to get laughed at again.

"It's so obvious. You haven't left his side all night, and the way you two look at each other is so unbelievably perfect and romantic. I know he's a bit of a prick," Kim broke off when Emily and I scoffed. "Okay, a big prick but you know it's inevitable you'll be together."

I did know that, it was always lingering in the back of my mind but right now I didn't want that with Jacob. How could I imagine spending my life with someone I couldn't trust?

"I know. I just don't want him now." I said truthfully and both of the girls seemed to accept that.

Boisterous, bellowing laughter then echoed off the trees and I burst into laughter myself when Kim jumped and dropped the plate she had in her hands in the sand. They all walked in synchronisation and it was kind of mesmerising to watch. All of them holding huge amounts of sticks and branches in their toned arms, and all of them wearing bright smiles on their faces. When they were alone together you could see the connection that they have, how bonded they were. Like they were true brothers.

Jacob's eyes turned to me due to my laughter and his smile turned soft and warm and his eyes looked at me with so much love it made my heart flutter. This was a rare look, one reserved just for me.

"She's blushing." Emily pointed out.

"She so wants him." Kim teased and I huffed.

"Kimberly!" I whispered, nudging her in the ribs softly with my elbow.

I prayed that Jacob hadn't heard us as he approached with the guys. When they were a few feet away from the fire pit they dropped their bundles of wood and worked together to get the bonfire roaring again.

The boys who had girlfriends quickly made their way over to their partners to embrace them, and I swiftly made my way over to one of the logs by the fire wanting to give the girls space. Jacob lingered with the singletons of the group chatting about the joy of getting to slaughter vampires in two days time. Nice.

As I sat alone, Jacob's eyes kept watching me and he soon became less and less involved in the conversation and ended up making his way over to me. "Hey." He said softly before taking a seat beside me.

"Hey." He sat close to me despite the empty seats around us but I appreciated how his large body acted as a windbreaker to the cool sea breeze.

I snuck a glance past him to see Tori and Seth talking, the smile on her face reaching her big brown eyes. But her happiness didn't stop my own smile from faltering.

"What is it?" Jake asked taking my chin in his hand so my eyes would meet his.

"I'm just worried about her." I shrugged out of his hold and he sighed.

"Look, he may never imprint. Just don't worry about it now, okay?" He said sincerely and I nodded knowing that there was nothing I could do about it now. "So," He began in a slightly excited tone. "What were you giggling about earlier?"

"You made Kim jump when you came back, it was nothing." I said as a small smile fell over my lips.

"So you like Kim?" Jake asked mirroring my smile.

"Yeah, it's a shame about Jared though. She's made it her mission to make him polite." I explained and he laughed.

"Well good luck to Kim."  He grinned happily.

"Embry, there you are! I was beginning to get worried man!" Quil said standing from his seat a few spaces down, he hadn't brought Claire with him tonight. It turned out Quil's imprint was Emily's niece, our world was a small one.

He walked over to Embry before doing that weird handshake/hug thing boys do. "Sorry I'm late but the party has now arrived." He smiled nodding at Sam before his gaze turned to Jake and I.

Jake stood doing the same hug thing with Embry before he turned to me. "Hey Blue." Embry smiled and joined I them hugging Embry tightly before letting go.

"Hey. I've missed your hugs." I beamed and he chuckled.

"I give the best hugs." He affirmed before Tori and Seth joined us.

"Hey man." Again they bro hugged with huge smiles on their faces. "Hi Tori." Embry looked past Seth and at Tori, their eyes locking.

What happened next was something I was totally unprepared for...

Jake instantly grabbed me and pushed me behind him as Tori was grabbed by Seth. He growled menacingly at Embry who was doing the same, his whole body shaking fiercely. Tori trembled behind Seth, holding onto his shirt in fear as the boys squared each other up. My eyes were darting around at everyone in panic. What the hell was happening?

Embry lunged for Seth and the boys and Leah acted quickly. Sam and Jared pushed their girls behind them like Jake had done with me, whilst Jesse ran towards Tori and ripped her from Seth's grasp and shoved her over to me. "Get her out of here." He yelled but was instantly gone after the words left his mouth.

I couldn't focus on his words as my mind was too concentrated on the chaos around us. "What?" I yelled back but by then it was too late.

They phased simultaneously, the sound of ripping filled the air as Jake quickly turned to me grabbing me around the waist, leaving me and millisecond to grab Tori's hand, before he ran us up the beach and onto a small grass hill away from the fight.

"Jake, what's happening?" I grabbed onto his arm and his eyes switched from my panicking face to the fight going on down the beach.

"Stay safe and don't move!" He commanded before kissing my forehead and sprinting back down towards the fight.

"Jacob!" I yelled but he didn't listen. It was only then that I registered Tori's loud sobs and the tight grip she hand on my hand.

"Aria what's going on?" She got out through her sobs, my arms wrapped around her tightly.

"I don't know sweetie." I hugged her not knowing what to say to her.

From the corner of my eye I could see Sam carrying Emily towards us, Jared doing the same with Kim behind him. After they were dropped off they ran back down the beach as well, helping Leah, Jesse, Paul, Jake and Quil in trying to calm the guys down. I could hear Sam giving orders at the others to not phase as Seth and Embry continued to fight.

Within that same moment, Embry's teeth latched onto the back of Seth's neck and he began to struggle. I lurched forward as Seth began to yelp. "Aria, no!" Emily warned as if she could see the plan forming in my head.

I let go of Tori and shook myself out of her hold as I sprinted down the beach. I ran past Jake, his own protests following me as I neared the two wolves. Embry definitely had the upper hand so I knew I had to stop him first.

I sprang forward and jumped onto Embry's back and pulled on the fur on the back of his neck to try and steer him away from Seth. He released Seth's throat but the fighting continued. Both of them were now on their hind legs snapping and clawing at each other as I struggled to hold on.

I sunk my nails deep into his skin and a sharp yelp escaped him. I held back from screaming myself when I felt my nails tearing into his flesh as he yelped and growled again. I began to try and pull him away again and it worked.

He released Seth and he dropped to the floor but then Embry's attention was on me. He kept snapping his head around trying to reach me on his back but I was in a too difficult position for him to reach.

"Aria get off him!" Jake's panicked yell rang through my ears but I needed to get Embry away from the others to calm down.

I released Embry, cringing at the blood that coated my hands, before I jumped off of him and grabbed the scruff at the back of his neck on the way and pulled his head to the ground, pinning his face there. He thrashed around for a bit trying to get back up but I held his face down in the sand restraining him. "Embry, calm down!" I screamed as he continued to try and get out of my hold.

His paws reached out trying to claw at me but I reacted quickly, using my newest gift to distract him. I had never done this before so I hoped it was going to work.

I thought of nothing but darkness. An image of nothing but a black, starless sky. With my hand on Embry I transferred this image in my mind hoping he'd see it. He seemed to panic for a moment, confused. "Embry!" I called again and this time his body stilled at my voice.

The guys were running towards me now, Jake reaching me first. His arms wrapped around me from behind and he pulled me up and away from Embry's calming wolf body.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He spun me around so I was facing him and he cupped my face in his hands, his eyes searching my body to check for any wounds. "You could've gotten hurt or killed!" He yelled though I could see he wasn't angry, just worried and in shock.

"I'm sorry, I just had to do something." I refrained from touching him as Embry's blood still coated my hands. It wasn't like I was fragile like the other girls, I could stand my ground. Besides Sam had alpha commanded the others not to phase so they weren't going to be any help.

"Don't ever do that to me again. Especially after I told you to stay safe and not move." He pulled me into his arms, his lips pressing against my head as he hugged me.

I let him have his moment after feeling slightly bad for scaring him but then reality came into the picture again.

"But Jake, I am going to be doing it again. In two days time to be precise." I told him, pulling away and walking towards the water's edge to clean off my hands. He reluctantly followed, his large hand resting itself on my waist comfortingly, more for him than me.

"You know what I mean." He whispered as I shook my hands off and turned to face him.

"Okay, I'm sorry for scaring you. What happened?" I asked turning to see the blockade that had been formed by the other pack members to keep Embry and Seth away from each other, and a hysterical Tori fighting to get out of my brother's arms and over to Seth. He had blood dripping down the front of his furry chest, Embry didn't look any better either with blood across his shoulder blades.

Seth looked defeated, completely shattered and it broke my heart to see him like that. Embry's eyes were locked intensely on Catori and it was of seeing her this sad was causing him pain. His expression suddenly triggered a thought... had he imprinted?

Jake and I began to make our way back to the crowd and away from the waterfront. When Jesse saw us approaching he kissed Tori on the head and jogged over to us. "It's not good man." He said to Jake, shaking his head before looking around the group.

"Have you figured it out?" Jacob asked looking down at me, and behind his eyes I could see him mentally struggling not to reach out and touch me.

"Did Embry imprint on Tori?" I asked just wanting to check and from the way they both grimaced I knew I was right. This was going to be messy.

"Can I continue?" I rolled my eyes at Jesse's bitterness. "But yes Embry did imprint on Tori, seeing her so loved up with another guy set him off. And I guess Seth didn't want to let her go. He'll get over it, he has to." Jesse shrugged but still let a sympathetic gaze linger on his face as he looked at Seth.

Sam then joined us.

"Leah and Paul are going to take Seth home. Embry is coming back to my place and I need you guys there with him to keep him calm. He needs to be mentally prepared for the battle." I let in a sharp intake of breath. I had completely forgotten about the battle. Dammit I had jinxed it.

"No, Ari, you didn't." I guess I had transferred my thoughts to Jake by accident. "It's was bound to happen sometime soon anyway."

"We should get going." Sam nodded before turning around and heading towards Seth.

"Wait, what?" I asked quickly, looking between the three of them. "You're all going?" Surely they didn't need the whole pack to watch over the two of them.

"Brady and Collin need to go home and rest after patrol. Seth will be watched over by Leah and Paul. Jared, Jesse and Quil will go on patrol a little earlier than anticipated and Jacob and I will stay with Embry." Sam explained authoritatively, not allowing anyone any wiggle room to change his decision. "Alright let's go." Sam called out to everyone with his booming voice.

Jake gave me a sorrowful look. "I guess this is goodbye then, I'll see you on the battlefield." He placed a simple yet lingering kiss against my forehead before walking away to join the retreating pack.

His words rang in my ears and I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. I had only just realised I wouldn't see him until we were actually fighting.

The plans were for me to spend the night at home and go the Cullenss early in the morning for a final day of training. I was going to make the journey to the campsite alone that evening and meet up with Edward and Bella there, ultimately missing Jacob.

I began to panic. What if one of us died? I couldn't let this be the last time I ever got to see him in his human form, to feel his warmth, look into his eyes, hear his laugh, or see him give me that look... my look.

I had been lying to myself this entire time. Of course I wanted him, I needed him even, and shutting him out wasn't doing us any good. I knew I didn't entirely trust him but that didn't mean I couldn't one day. We were meant to be together no matter what. Emily and Kim were right.

"Jacob!" I called out in a panic, my voice straining due to the lump in my throat.

He stopped a few metres from the trees and swiftly turned to face me, surprised. I wasted no time in speeding over to him until I appeared in front of him instantly. My heart was thumping hard inside my chest but I knew I could possibly never get this chance again.

I looked up into his deep brown eyes and suddenly felt the confidence surge through me. I leaned up onto my tiptoes and wound one arm up and around to hold the back of his neck so I could press my body up against his. "That wasn't going to be our goodbye." I whispered, taking one last look into his eyes before I closed my own and pressed my lips against his.

It took him a moment to react but soon enough our lips were moving together hungrily, craving the feelings we had ignored over the last few weeks. I knew I was being stupid and selfish, letting my feelings back in way too quickly but I couldn't not say goodbye. Imprint or not, Jacob had been my best friend all my life and the thought of not being able to see him anymore for the rest of eternity was killing me.

He held onto me tightly as if he was afraid this was a dream and I would slip away at any moment. To be honest it felt like a dream, he was taking my breath away as he kissed me so intensely, forgetting we had an audience.

"Jacob!" Sam's voice rang through my ears startling me, causing me to jump away from Jacob and back into reality. In that moment I wanted to rip Sam apart, he knew what we had been through and he still wasn't going to allow us at least five minutes together.

"Yes Sam." Jake said through his teeth yet his eyes never left my own. His warm hand left my waist to caress the side of my face, his thumb smoothing over my cheek. "I have to go, I'll see you in two days time. I'll be fighting right there beside you and then when it's over I promise there will be no more interruptions." He meant it as a joke as his head nodded back towards Sam but I didn't find it funny.

"What if there is no after the battle?" I asked him warily. "What if this is the last time we get to see each other like this. You can't make promises Jake when you aren't sure about the outcome that is going to affect it."

"We're going to win." He said confidently.

"Maybe." I stressed and he sighed.

"I really have to go. I love you and we will win. I swear." He grabbed both of my hands in his and kissed over my knuckles.

"I love you too." I whispered back to him but I wasn't confident at all. I knew I felt that way about him but I just needed to tell him that just in case it was the last time he was ever going to hear it.

If we got through this battle with smooth sailing I was going to bring my guard back up, I was going to be honest and tell him why I did what I did tonight. He couldn't get angry at that. And if he did, well then too bad for him, he's the one that needs to make it up to me. He had a lot to make up for and it wasn't going to be easy.

He let go of me then, looking over me once more before he reluctantly retreated and followed the rest of the pack into the trees.

*  *  *

Later that night when we finally returned home, I sat there for hours with Tori in my arms as she cried. She didn't understand anything that was happening to her, it reminded me of myself when my world began falling apart and changing.

She asked me what was going on, and I struggled to find the words to explain but I eventually replied with "some things in this world aren't meant to be, but somehow we manage to pull through in the end. What you saw tonight is just the start of something life changing. It may seem scary now but trust me when I say that it will be everything you've ever wished for in a few months time."

Her falling in love with Embry was inevitable, it was going to happen because of the bond they shared. She would be heartbroken over Seth for a while and I could obviously understand why, but once she started spending time with Embry she would forget the pain she went through and she would finally be happy. She would know that being with Seth wasn't going to be possible because one day he'd have to leave her for someone else. At least she was going to have it easier than me.

Once Tori went to bed I had a lot of explaining to do to my dad when he got in. He didn't expect us to be home so early but with Embry's untimely imprinting the evening was ruined. I didn't mention my moment with Jake but I did say I didn't even get to say goodbye to everyone and that worried me for obvious reasons.

My dad was also confident that we would win and that helped a little, but due to him being human, it also meant he could never began to fathom the strength that these newborns had. We had an emotional goodbye before he went up to check on Catori. I contemplated on calling my mom but I knew that would only make things worse for myself emotionally.

I needed to be ready for this battle and that started with disconnecting myself from my family, I couldn't think about never seeing them again. I needed to fight for them and not thinking about them was the best way I knew how.