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Slowly, Mia comes to her senses and awakens in an unfamiliar room. Thinking the worst, she jolts up out of bed and searches for the door, but that's when she recognizes her unlikely savior from Halloween night sitting by the corner.

"What are you doing?" Jackson calmly asks, not batting an eye to her bewildered look.

Mia ignores his presence as she takes a look at her surroundings. It's a small living room with a kitchen nearby and there's the aroma of fresh coffee wafting through the air. Just when she looks to the sofa she had been sleeping in, she can't help but wonder if this stranger had been here the entire time.

"Were you watching me sleep?" Mia folds her arms across her chest, glaring at him so heavily that he might as well have turned to stone.

Jackson scoffs in offense, "Don't flatter yourself. You were stirring in your sleep, so I went to check on you. That's when you woke up like a crazy person and started roaming around like you own the place."

"Well that's how anyone would react if they awake in an unfamiliar place," she defends, but can tell it's of no use by the way he seems to be ignoring her explanation. "Speaking of, where the hell am I and who brought me here?"

"You're in Sam's house and he's the one that brought you here."

Sam Uley?

That's when she remembers everything that happened. A pack of wolves attacked Laurent and due to having used her magic to a great extent, she passed out. She figures Sam must have transformed back and taken her here.

"How do you know Sam?" Mia keeps her distance from him, unsure on whether or not to trust his sudden appearance is anything but a coincidence.

"We met a few months back when I visited my uncle for the holidays," Jackson swallows hard and nervously adjusts the collar of his jacket. "I went through a- a rough patch and he helped me. Since then, he's become one of my best friends."

Mia notices how hard he's trying to hide his scar. It reminds her of Remus', but she doesn't want to associate everything to the supernatural (even when she's been right in her suspicions all along). She wants to ask him about it, but understands that if she were him, she wouldn't want to speak about her circumstances.

"It's strange how you completely vanished after you helped me," she chooses to say instead and he's visibly grateful for it. "Since you got involved for no reason, I expected to see you everywhere."

"Oh, you'd like that won't you?" Jackson stands up from his seat and walks closer her. "Did you miss me, Grey?"

Typical flirty banter. It's unoriginal and the last thing that would work on her. If he's trying to get anywhere with her, he should prepare himself to be disappointed.

Instead of granting him a response, Mia shoves past him in the direction of the door. She's not sure how much time has passed, but knowing how worrisome her mother can be, she makes it her mission to head back home before a frantic Isobel performs a locator spell. However, the second she's out the door, she's surprised to find her talking with Sam.

"You're finally awake," Isobel dashes in her direction and holds her in a tight embrace. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm alright," Mia chooses not to mention not feeling her magic anymore. It's the first time she's ever seen her mother truly happy, so she won't dare ruin it for her. This is something she will have to deal with on her own and if the time comes, she will admit to it.

"You are never leaving the house again. Do you hear me?" Isobel continues holding her tightly, causing Mia to gasp for breath and attempt to free herself. "Why were you even in the forest in the first place?"

Glancing in Sam's direction, Mia's prevented from offering a response when recognizing the other person that arrived – Jacob. He's standing next to Sam like they're a couple of comrades and based on their same tattoo and secretive look, it only signifies the inevitable has occurred.

He's a shapeshifter now.

Instead of answering her mother, she chooses to address Sam first, "Is Laurent dead?"

"He won't be a problem anymore," he vaguely responds, his voice low yet surprisingly firm.

If the circumstances had been different, Mia would have pitied the vampire, but he tried to kill her all in the name of doing Victoria's bidding. Having once trusted his intentions were good had been a grave mistake, but yet again, she was betrayed. Seems it's becoming a trend these days.

"Another vampire is roaming around. Her name's Victoria-"

"Wait, what?" Isobel has been left in the dark many times that she's used to it by now, but having learned from Sam about the fight her daughter had with a vampire has to be the last straw. "How long have you known about this?"

Now Mia's regretting having said anything. Her mother isn't the type to let things go, especially when it comes to her safety. She would have told her if it didn't mean having to reveal the possibility of having lost her magic. With all the wedding preparations happening, she doesn't want to ruin everything by raining on her parade.

"It doesn't matter. Laurent is dead, so that's one issue gone."

"The redhead's been around since Halloween," Jacob finally speaks up and Mia's confused on why he's getting himself involved considering he recently just phased. "We've been tracking her nonstop, but she always reaches the border before we can catch her."

"Don't worry, Isobel," Sam notices the infuriated look in her eyes and as a way to spare Mia the trouble, he hopes to take some unease away. "We're good at what we do, so she won't be a problem soon."

"I can try a locator spell on her, figure out where she's hiding and then you can ambush her," Isobel suggests and Sam actually appears to be considering it.

Mia would have volunteered herself for this task, but the gaping hole in her chest is reminding her of her loss. There's an emptiness consuming her and it's unlike anything she's ever experienced. It's almost like she's lost a piece of her puzzle and the thought of never finding it terrifies her more than anything.

"That would actually be helpful," Sam takes Isobel up on her offer, both of them now heading into the house to discuss more about this, but not before she addresses Mia first.

"You and I will have a very long talk back at home, so don't think you're off the hook," Isobel warns her, causing her to offer nothing but a sarcastic salute.

"Oh, joy. Looking forward to that," Mia scurries off before her mother changes her mind and decides to take her home now. However, she stops shortly when seeing Jacob waiting for her by the trees with a guilty look. "So, you're a werewolf now, or... shapeshifter, to be more specific."

Nodding lightly, he leaves his spot in her direction, "Yeah, last time I checked, and you're a witch. What a creepy bunch we are."

Mia couldn't feign a laugh or a smile of some sort at his comment. The chances of her still being a witch are fairly low and it hurts thinking of how different her life will be without it. Would it make her father and the Dark Lord decide to stop going after her? Will she be safe from becoming the monster everyone expects her to be?

"What is it?" Jacob notices the concern in her eyes and worries he might have said something that offended her.

She wonders if telling someone about this would be right. She doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems, but it's gnawing at her to confide in at least one person.

Just when she's about to make a rash decision, she notices Jackson walking out of the house and heading to them. Already finding him to be irritating, she mutters a few curses under her breath and wishes to walk away, but it appears he and Jacob are friends from the way they greet each other.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Mia gestures to the two of them, now fully confused on how her unlikely savior managed to make friends with Jacob this quick. "How do you two know each other?"

"So many questions, Grey. I'm starting to think you're interested in me," Jackson avoiding her question only makes her grow wary of him. This all feels like a strange coincidence, especially that he happened to be near the attack on Halloween. Maybe she's overthinking too much about this, but it's better to remain cautious than suffer another deception.

"You just happen to be everywhere I go, like you're becoming my shadow," Mia becomes fully irritated when seeing that smug look on his face. If she was still able to, she would definitely hex him right then and there. "If anything, I'd say you're the one who's interested."

Jackson nonchalantly shrugs, "Maybe I am. Would that really be such a crime?"

"Of course it is and if you haven't noticed, Jake and I were having a private conversation," she grabs ahold of Jacob's arm in an attempt to leave the scene, but it seems he's not getting the hint.

"Do you two know each other?"

"No."

"Yes."

Their different responses make her internally cringe. She becomes more frustrated by him, especially since he's the only one besides Sam that knows about the Halloween attack and the curse attempted to be placed on her. She doesn't trust he won't tell anyone about it, so it's obvious she'd become unsettled by just seeing him.

Jackson appears to know what she's thinking with just one look. He knows better than to reveal a secret that doesn't involve him, seeing as he wouldn't want his to be revealed either. "We met at the Halloween party. She was quite the fighter, but I'm guessing it was just the alcohol."

Just the alcohol?

If only he knew how capable she is of fighting, but she's not granting him a reaction when it's obvious it's what he wants. Not to mention how she doesn't trust he won't reveal her secret now.

"Yeah, everyone was pretty wasted," Jacob agrees, but loosens his smile when receiving a death glare from her. "Anyway, we have to go. Emily's waiting for us."

"I'll see you later, Jake," Jackson disperses from the pair, but not before providing a slight shove against her shoulder. "Meet me by the docks at sunset. We need to talk about your little problem," he whispers, low enough so only she can hear.

As much as Mia wishes to never speak to him again, she has to reconsider the possibility that he might have some answers to her situation. His knowledge on magic might be more advanced than hers, so it's the only reason why she considers heading to the docks after.

"Someone seems to like you," Jacob tries teasing her, but she doesn't find the slightest bit of humor in his comment.

"You're crazy if you believe that," Mia now finds it hard to believe that anyone might find her pleasing. There's nothing extraordinary about her anymore that it seems absurd to catch the attention of someone. Jackson is only acting this way because he knows about her secret. He can ruin everything by opening his mouth, so that's all this is. Nothing more.

Jacob turns quiet as he appears to be concentrating on something. She recognizes that look too well. Edward always used to appear like he was concentrating whenever he tried reading anyone's mind, so she guesses that telepathy must be a gift Jacob has also been blessed with.

"The pack wants to meet you already," he says after the longest seconds. "They're getting impatient."

Following his guidance to Emily's house, she's tormented when realizing this walk is happening by the shore. While the ocean is beautiful, it's also a torturous sight as the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and the wind blowing the mist into her face serves as a reminder of the lake's frigid waters.

Instead of suggesting taking another route, Mia chooses to attempt brushing past this. She can't worry about her fear when an even greater one has developed. One is more important than the other, so despite her mind insisting that she's in danger, she forces herself to walk along the shore.

"Are you going to tell Bella?" Mia asks as a way to distract herself from the waves.

Jacob turns quiet for a moment, unsure of how to express his plan without receiving a reprimand from her. "No, I don't want her to get involved in my world. It's too dangerous for her to know."

Stopping in her tracks, Mia glares up at him in disbelief as she views this as nothing but irrational and the most overused excuse to cut someone off. "So you thought breaking her heart is the way? Seriously, Jake?"

"I did it for her own good."

"Bella knows about me," Mia can practically see his expression change into surprise. "She also knows about vampires, so don't think she won't be able to understand."

"Look, I just can't tell her!" Jacob doesn't want to involve Bella into this. It's dangerous for her to know about them and he's not sure what he'd do if anything were to happen to her because of him. Even if it hurts staying apart from her, the imprint bond states that he would do anything to protect her, which is exactly what he's doing. "She'll be safer not knowing and I just want what's best for her."

As much as Mia understands him, keeping Bella in the dark would be useless. She knows about magic and about the existence of vampires, so learning about shapeshifters won't seem like a great deal. It's only a matter of when she figures it out, and it will only make everything worse if the truth doesn't come from him.

He glances away and sighs heavily as they continue walking, "I'm also afraid this could be the final straw. That it might drive her over the edge and make her push me away-"

"You pushed her away by breaking up with her."

Jacob rolls his eyes at how right she is, but won't dare admit it. "Okay, yes, but I did it to protect her. It's dangerous to be around me. I can lose control easily and hurt her, so believe me when I say that ending things was for the better."

Mia scoffs in incredulity at how much this repetitive excuse is constantly used for everything. She's had enough of men thinking ending a relationship is the right way to handle things. Edward had attempted to do so when he found out the truth about his past, and even if she now believes she should have taken him up on his offer, it still angers her that pulling away always seems to be the solution for them.

As if there aren't any other ways.

It's ridiculous.

"What in the bloody hell went through your mind thinking this is the right way to handle this?" Mia gapes at him in disbelief, shaking her head in incredulity. "Regardless if you push her away, she's still exposed to danger. You act as if wolves are the only dangerous beings in the world, but in truth, there's a million more things that can bring her harm."

Jacob understands her viewpoint, but his stubbornness prevents him from remedying his mistake. As much as he wishes to tell Bella, he's afraid she'll be frightened over what he is.

"Bella's smart, so she's going to find out," she speaks in a softer tone, hoping her reasons would somehow enter through that hard head of his. "I know how you feel about wanting to protect her."

"And how would you know?"

"I had my mother erase her memories, because like you, I thought if she knew about us, the more she'd be in danger," Mia folds her arms across her chest as she starts feeling a tinge of hope that he's considering her view. "In the end, it didn't matter, because danger still came. Vampires used her to get to me, so it seemed better for her to know so she could be on the lookout. If you keep her in the dark, you're only risking her much more."

He's quiet in thought for a moment, "I thought ignorance is bliss."

Laughing, she shakes her head, "Not always, but I know this is your choice. No matter what you decide, I'll support it, but just think about it."

"Thanks for that, M," he places his arm around her as they continue walking along the shore, the house now starting to get closer to sight.

It's a quiet walk for a while. Nothing but the waves crashing and the sound of the thunder blaring from afar are heard, but neither of them mind it. While they have tons of questions wanting to be asked, they know better than to pry into each other's business, but it's their mutual concern for the other that encourages them to break the barrier.

"What happened to you over there?" Jacob's question makes her freeze her tracks as she knows what he's referring to. "You can trust me, M. I won't tell a-"

"I lost my magic," Mia isn't sure why she said it, but the words just poured with ease as if having clawed their way out for an escape. "Dark wizards attacked me on Halloween night and attempted to place this curse on me, but now I think it actually worked because ever since then, I've been getting weaker. I struggle to cast spells and when I force myself, it hurts. It's like- I'm fading and losing the only thing that made me worth something."

"Mia-"

"It's how I met Jackson," she continues explaining, not daring to stop as it's liberating confiding in someone and having them hear her. "If it weren't for him, I would probably be dead, and a part of me resents him for it. If I had died that night, I wouldn't have lost my magic, but I am also grateful that this happened because that would mean I wouldn't hurt anyone I love."

"That's a sick joke," Jacob comes to a halt, shocked at the way she's talking about herself. "You could never hurt anyone. Not even if you tried."

She wants to believe him, but this darkness is imprinted in her DNA. It's her destiny to become her father's successor and a prophecy can't be escaped. No matter how many times she looks to the sky and pleads for salvation, she will always carry this curse. It's the cross she's being forced to carry and even if she might not have her magic anymore, there are different ways to become the worst.

"You don't get it, Jake," Mia walks past him, not wanting to explain herself to someone who won't understand.

"Enlighten me then."

Trusting one person with this had brought her nothing. It was used against her in the cruelest ways that she's become afraid of burdening another with this. What if they settle she's not worth it? What if they decide to hurt her with it?

It's taken her so long to repair the cracks in her walls, and even then, they will never be fully healed. Nothing in the world will remedy the pain his words caused. If she goes through another betrayal at the hands of someone she loves, she won't survive.

What if another betrayal drives her over the edge and she becomes what everyone expects her to be?

"He did this to you, didn't he?" Jacob shakes his head in disbelief, his resentment and loathing for the vampire becoming much greater. Edward had chosen to hurt her with this and anyone who's capable of hurting the person they supposedly love isn't worth anything.

"He didn't say anything not true," Mia tries to remain neutral, but becoming tormented by the memory of the day he left makes it a million times harder. "I was born with blood on my hands because of my father, so everyone always expected me to follow in his footsteps. It's practically my destiny to become like him and everyone made sure I knew about it. Edward did the right thing to leave before I hurt him or his family, because the truth is, I am my father's daughter and there's no use denying it. I'm slowly turning into a monster and I- I just have to live with that."

"That's crazy!" Jacob's angered at how much Edward had managed to alter her perception of herself for the worst.

When he first met her, she was full of bliss, positivity, humor, and radiance. Now, she's the shell of the person she once was. She only sees the worst in herself instead of all the great qualities she carries, and it angers him that someone who claimed to love her had been responsible for inflicting so much pain.

"With or without magic, you're not capable of turning into your father," he tries reassuring her in hopes that hearing someone who actually cares for her would bring a change to her perception. "A bad person wouldn't be scared of becoming evil, but the fact that you are, it just shows you're good. Don't ever go around thinking the worst of yourself just because he does."

Everything would be simpler if she could see herself the way he does. She used to believe love would be enough to heal all wounds, but it's not the case. Love is nothing but a weakness and the first step to loss. She's become weaker since Edward left and it infuriates her to have ever allowed him to become a part of her life.

Without him, she wouldn't be doubting herself this much. She would choose to believe Jacob's words and learn to live with this darkness, but she can't. Her heart won't allow her to. She's become tied to the forbidden and no amount of spells or distance would free her from it. If she had not trusted him, everything would be easier.

Mia blinks away the tears, feeling ridiculous for wanting to cry for someone that's not worth it. She wants to forget him, to move on, and to find the strength to evict him from her heart. He once told her she was the love of his life and that he'll never leave, but he fed her lies and she believed them like a child.

Hell had been disguised in the form of heaven and she had so foolishly fallen for the devil's trap. She trusted him with her whole heart and he did nothing but toss it to the tarnished souls. It was incomprehensible how in spite of her mountain of issues, she resulted in confiding in the wrong person concealed as deception.

"I can see you still love him, but I don't understand how you still can."

"I don't," she forces herself to say, hoping that by saying it out loud, it would become true. "Edward Cullen ruined my life and I hate him more than anything."

"Good. He doesn't deserve you, so let's not talk about him," he places an arm around her as both of them start parting from the shore. "I think you should tell your mom about your magic. Maybe she can help you with this."

"I'll only ruin everything for her," she refuses his suggestion, not daring to explain her situation to anyone else as it would only complicate everything. "She's excited over her wedding plans and if I tell her, she will drop everything to help me."

"I get that, but she has a right to know."

Walking away from him, she narrows her eyes in startlement as she finds this to be hypocritical of him. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you. You don't even want to tell Bella about your secret, so don't offer advice you won't follow through."

Jacob frowns ever so slightly, "Okay, you got me there."

She laughs lightly and nudges him on the shoulder, "So how come the pack wants to meet me? I mean, I haven't given them a reason to want to."

"Are you kidding? You're a freaking witch and don't forget how they saw you fighting those two wizards that night," he points out, wishing to have been able to witness it and see her in her range.

Oh, right.

The pack of wolves had been them. She keeps forgetting having had an encounter, but in all fairness, she had been forced into dealing with two deranged people.

"I'm still finding it strange seeing you with your hair short and with a tattoo," she ruffles his hair, but it's harder to do so with his different hairstyle.

He extends his arms as if priding himself, "I finally made it to the pack, so things had to change."

"How did it feel?" Mia curiously asks. "To phase for the first time?"

He kicks the sand under his feet, wondering how to explain a complicated concept he's not certain he'd be able to put into words. "I guess it felt... liberating. I always felt a part of me was missing and I tried so hard to figure out what it was. When I phased, it all made sense."

"Now you know the legends aren't just scary stories," she elbows him on the ribs and he laughs at the remembrance of that day of when they walked along the beach and talked about the legends. Seems like a lifetime ago.

"Did you know I would phase?" Jacob's been wondering this nonstop and now that he knows she's a witch, he's about ninety-five percent certain she did know.

While she doesn't want to admit to it, she sees no use in keeping anything hidden anymore. "Not at first. I thought the legends were scary stories when you first told me about them, but after learning vampires lived in town, I connected the dots and realized that they were true. Halloween certainly was the first hint."

"I missed a lot of things that night."

She nods, "I wished I did, so consider yourself lucky."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jacob asks as he can't prevent from feeling guilty over how much he talked smack about Sam when all he did was just try to look out for him. All those awaiting stares, attempting to get closer, and even being caring, it was just his way of protecting a future member of the pack. If he had known about this sooner, he wouldn't have been so harsh on Sam.

"Would you have believed me?" Mia answers in the form of a question instead. "I'm sorry I didn't, but I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing."

"And you were," he reassures her. "Even though I was scared when I first phased, I can see where you were coming from."

Mia suddenly glances into the forest and finds a small house sitting in the middle of the trees. She guesses it must be Emily's house and the thought of officially meeting new people starts to hit her. It's nerve racking to say the least, especially when they seem to have expectations of her already.

"And there it is," Jacob points toward the house and briskly follows the path hidden in the trees.

"Here we go," Mia takes a deep breath before following after him as she hopes they end up liking her in spite of everything.