𝑺𝑶𝑳𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑬 [𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑹𝒀 𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹/𝑻𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻]

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸 𝑂𝐹 𝑃𝐿𝐴𝑁𝑆

Opening her eyes when feeling her feet on the steady ground, she turned to see Jacob lost and confused. He immediately fell on all fours, looking as though he were about to puke. She figured the surprise pressure and stress from Apparating had completed made his anger go away.

"We're not too far off" Gwen said, as Jacob gagged. "Sorry, but I had to get you out of there. You were causing quite the commotion."

"H-how?" Jacob managed, looking up at her with a surprised look on his face.

"I'm a witch, remember? I figured it was either get you out of there or watch everyone start fighting over you."

"I-I just want to see her" Jacob managed, still looking quite sickly as he managed to get on his knees.

"I know."

"They won't tell me anything! They say...They say Bella doesn't want to see me."

"And what do you think?"

"That those bloodsuckers are lying."

"And your brothers and Leah, are they lying too?"

Jacob remained quiet, the look of contempt leaving his face as he looked so young and innocent. Gwen was quite taken aback of the youthfulness in his face, as most of the Pack had bodies of men and faces of children. She had almost forgotten how wrong it was, to send youth to fight in these battles...What scars would everything they had gone through leave them with?

"And what if it was the truth, what then?" Gwen asked him gently.

"Then she can say it to my face."

Gwen gave him a gentle smile, "I forget how young you are sometimes."

"I'm not young! I'm 16 and--"

He stopped speaking as Gwen gave him a look.

"It's not a critique" Gwen said calmly, as she sat on a small patch of grass and joined Jacob on the ground. "Just wanted to acknowledge it. I think sometimes it's easy to forget because you look like this."

She pointed at his 25-year old mans body, as Jacob sat up taller.

"Bella seems to see me as just a kid, everyone does."

"And it's not a bad thing" Gwen said. "To stay a kid...To not grow up so fast. Especially with you all having to remain the protectors of this land, of your communities, of being the defenders against the vampires. Sam does a good job of protecting you all from it, well, most of it."

"He doesn't need to protect me. I can handle myself. I can handle them or any bloodsucker."

"All this for Bella? Even going against your family?"

Jacob looked away, "Bella doesn't know what's good for her. She's so trapped in this idea of becoming a vampire, of him! He's like a drug to her and she consumes it all...Just like you."

Gwen sighed, "And Bella isn't that for you? You're willing to fight your family for her, to save her when she is not asking you to. Is that not, 'all consuming?'"

The boy said nothing, continuing to look away from her as her words sunk in. As they sat in silence, she wondered how long it was going to take for the other wolves or Edward to capture her scent. So she decide to use their time together.

"I know from what Cal has told me, the elixir to help with your enhanced emotions has been helping control the transformations. But just then, when we were back there, everyone seemed to be afraid of you transforming."

"Why should I have to take that? If they just let me see her--"

"They won't. Because they're afraid of your reaction when you do. They're afraid you're going to attack her on accident or will do something to harm the alliance they have now. And you seeing Bella isn't worth that alliance breaking."