I felt my smile immobile on my lips as a small shiver ran down my spine, and for a moment I didn't know how to respond. Locked into his gaze I found myself unable to look away. This was not the reaction I had expected from him. My easy going Jacob had seemingly been replaced by a new Jacob, a Jacob who cut straight through the innuendo and went for the kill. Not less than 48hrs ago, he had been floundering with polite declarations of love, and now for the first time I realised just how dangerous he could be.

"Why I'm really here? Did you think I would leave you to fend for yourself, I doubt you could make a sandwich in your condition" I replied jovially trying to hide my discomfort under his intense gaze.

I waited for him to break the visual connection, to release me from it's intensity, but he didn't.

"Bella, half the reservation is available to help, Billy can get me all my meals, so I'll ask you again, why are you still here?"

There was an edge to his voice and for the first time I started to wonder if I had made the right decision. Should I be here? Here I was at the bedside of boy or man (I couldn't decide which) who had kissed me, and whom I had kissed back, who loved me – and yet whom I couldn't love. Did he really want me to see him like this? Or worse, did he hate me for putting him through all of this?

I felt myself flinch away from him, still unable to look away from his deep brown eyes. I sat back on the floor and pulled my knees to my chin as I tightly wrapped my arms around them, subconsciously defensive.

"Don't you want me here" I mumbled, realising as the words left my mouth that I didn't actually want to know the answer.

Wanting to read his answer before he gave it, I looked deeper into his eyes and was surprised at a flicker of yellow that seemed to shimmer like a reflection of the sun. I watched as the flicker became an all-encompassing pool that flushed out the warm brown I was used to. I unconsciously leant closer, all but ignoring his attempts to verbalise a response to my question, I was oblivious to it now.

As if hypnotised, I found myself reaching towards him, completely entranced by the strange sheen to his eyes. I had unknowingly leant in close to enough to inhale the sourness of his breath, when a menacing growl startled me. I looked at the mouth from where the growl had been uttered and saw not lips, but a half formed muzzle filled with teeth and froth.

At this moment a spasm of pain shook him and forced him to avert his wolfish eyes to the ceiling. His jaw clenched as beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead, and ran over his temples onto the pillow beneath. His good hand clenched as an animalistic grunt escaped his lips, his back arching up off the bed. Grinding sounds like bone grating on bone brought me to complete awareness as a snarl caused spittle to spray onto my still outstretched hand.

I jumped to my feet heading towards the door to call for Billy, I had seen pain, but nothing ever like this. Jacob was fighting the change in front of me, I was sure of it. Jacobs direct questioning, so out of character, and this display of agony had me frightened. I hadn't realised what I would be exposing myself to when I decided to stay and care for him.

"Stop….." I heard the garbled and pained exclamation, almost inhuman, as my hand touched the door handle.

"I'll be…. Ok…. Just give me …..a minute" the effort of talking left him breathless, but I noticed that his back had eased onto the bed.

I stepped away from the door still unsure as to whether I should listen to him or get Billy nonetheless. Yet I couldn't help but feel myself responding to this new and confusing Jacob, who seemed to be a lot more direct and authoritative than I had even experienced. I almost couldn't help from kneeling back at his bedside.

Shaking myself a little I realised that if he didn't want me to get help, I could at least try and ease him through this episode. I reached for a damp, cool cloth from the bowl on the chair beside his bed, and laid it on his forehead. I noticed that his eyes were still closed, so I couldn't tell their colour, but no longer held shut with any major force.

The face that had begun to sprout the auburn fur that I associated with him in wolf form had disappeared, and I watched with disbelief as his muzzle retreated and the lips that had declared their love so fervently not 2 days before, returned. His hands had relaxed and it took me a minute to realise that he had fallen into a stupor. The violent spasm that had gripped his body had passed, leaving him bereft of energy and breathing in a deep orderly pattern reminiscent of sleep.

I found myself shaking as I gently pressed along the length of the cloth on his brow. I had never been afraid of Jake before. I had never once worried about my safety with him. Even when he had almost lost control in the car when I had told him about the plans to change after graduation, I had been more hurt than scared. It was almost as if his injuries were connecting with a more animalistic part of himself. Perhaps in his instinct to heal, he was more beast than man.

As his breathing eased I slumped back onto the floor, every nerve buzzing with a frightened excitement. Adrenalin coursed through my system as I recounted in my mind the sudden shift in his face, that had occurred whilst I watched. I thought of the grinding sounds that I had heard, and wondered if more damage had been caused because of them. In the aftermath of such a close encounter, I couldn't quite catch my breath and found myself again wondering if I should really be here. This wasn't just about caring for one of truest friends in the world, I was caring for someone who wasn't human.

I suddenly realised that I knew absolutely nothing about werewolves. For all my research into vampires, I had never thought to do the same for Jacob's kind. I had always seen him as a human with occasional fur. Now I wondered, and wanted to know, what information was I missing?