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Chapter Text

The first time I laid eyes on Isabella Swan, I was less than impressed. The girl looked like a simple breeze could topple her over.

Pathetic.

And don't even get me started on the way Jacob Black fawned over her. It was nauseating. The hilarious part was that she didn't even seem aware of his advances. It was a wonder her dad made her attend some dumb Super Bowl party. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, her eyes glazed over with apathy. The only one who seemed to elicit a reaction out of her was Seth.

My little brother was a bother at the best of times. Why she looked at him like he'd hung the moon every time he talked at her was anyone's guess.

And then Seth tricked me into inviting her to his own birthday party.

At least this time she looked like she'd recently showered.

And then I became the pathetic one, somehow spilling my guts to her about the hell that had been my life for the past year. What the fuck. I should be moving past this, not rehashing the foul details like I wasn't over it. Because I so was.

But then―

"So, you want to know why Sam fucked off with Emily? I'll tell you why."

"…You're fucking with me."

Her face twisted into a frown. "I wouldn't. I'm sure you'd deck me otherwise."

"You bet your ass I would." I'm not sure how well I hid the waver in my voice.

"Come on," Isabella sighed, abandoning the bag of chips on the bench and rising to her feet. "It's not meant for just any ears. Plus, I'd rather not get caught."

"Caught by who?" I demanded, jumping up and following after her.

Her answer was not one I expected. "Your father. Or any of the tribe elders, actually."

"What the hell do they have to do with Sam and Emily?" Fortunately, there were enough brats running about that no one batted an eye once we disappeared past the treeline.

"You said it yourself―your dad's in on Sam's cult," she reminded me and then shot me a look. "Or maybe, it's Sam who is a part of your dad's cult."

I bristled. "My dad may be a pain in the ass, but he's not the one who made Sam disappear. And he sure as hell isn't the one who made Sam leave me for Emily!"

Isabella held her hands up as we continued our trek. "Right. He didn't. But you don't think it's weird that he doesn't disapprove?"

I violently crushed the hurt that rose up at the reminder. "Duh. I think I noticed when my own father started acting the traitor. So what?"

She huffed a small sigh. "Look―how well do you remember your tribe's legends?"

"…Well enough," I bit out and kicked a twig out of my way. I didn't tell her I knew them nearly as well as the elders. I didn't explain how much Emily had loved listening to the stories growing up. Didn't bother trying to recall how we would stay up late as she tried to recount them from memory alone.

"Right, then here's another question―when Sam came back, he was different, wasn't he?"

We finally drew to a stop in a small clearing. Isabella dropped against a rotting log bisecting the area, but I didn't bother. I was too agitated.

"He was," I admitted. "He'd shot up like another foot. And his skin―it was feverish, but he refused to go to the hospital. And his hair…" His beautiful hair had been shorn off. Sloppy and jagged.

"And I'm guessing," Isabella said in a tone that implied she was doing anything but, "that he refused to explain any of it."

"Yes," I snapped. "How do you get to know any of this?"

Isabella scowled. "Because I'm not normal."

I sneered. "Clearly."

"Leah," she said, tone suddenly softer, "how inclined are you in believing in the supernatural?"

I frowned. "What? You're telling me you have some sort of freaky ability that lets you know everyone else's secrets?"

"I am."

"…Right," I said. "Say for a second I'm actually buying any of this bullshit―what then?"

"Then," she sighed, "I would reveal that I'm a small blip in the supernatural world. Sam, on the other hand? A much more notable individual. In layman's terms, the legends are true and he's now a werewolf. Or, a wolf shifter."

"I know what a werewolf is," I retorted. "Also, this sounds like a load of bull."

"I would also tell you," she continued, speaking over me, "that he's not the only one. That Jared, and then Paul, shifted as well. That they're a pack. That when they're wolves they share a telepathic connection in which no thoughts can be hidden. That when they get angry, they can't control the shift. That they won't be the only ones who will join."

"Yeah, I'm out." I pivoted on the heel of my foot and retraced our steps, feet stomping into the mud with a foul splash.

And then she called after me, "Do you really believe your dad would be on speaking terms with him otherwise?"

I paused and tried not to remember the first time I realized just how close my dad was with Sam. After everything he'd pulled.

"Think about it," Isabella urged me, "Sam isn't just close with your dad, but with all the tribe elders. He goes through all those changes, and then he suddenly starts working closely with them? And of course, I'm sure your dad has also explained none of it. Why all the secrecy if there are no secrets to keep?"

I hated her logic. Because it still sounded impossible. And then, a small traitorous voice whispered in my ear, I bet that's why Emily became a backstabber. Sam is everything she'd ever want. One of her precious legends come true.

I spun back around. "Then what about Emily?! What about that, Swan?!"

"You know the legends," she reminded me sadly. "It's the soul magic―they call it imprinting. When they find the one they cannot live without."

All the words―all the swears ready at the tip of my tongue, died a swift, brutal death, and my face drained of all expression instantly. I could barely hear the thunder rolling high above over the blood rushing in my ears as I staggered back, a wave of black threatening to overtake my vision, my stomach churning with the need to throw up.

And then, I regained my balance, but the world still felt off kilter. Like everything had suddenly shifted two degrees sideways and tilted backwards an inch.

I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, as though that would keep my heart from squeezing painfully. And although I didn't know what face I wore, it felt like stone, like one shift would cause it to crack and break. Isabella didn't attempt to add anything more. She seemed nervous, like it hadn't just been her world that had been completely flipped on its head.

The moment remained frozen in time until I couldn't stand it any longer.

"So…Emily is his soulmate?"

When Sam had disappeared for weeks, I hadn't imagined I could ever experience anything more agonizing.

But then, he'd broken up with me.

But then, he'd pursued Emily.

But then, Emily had pursued him in turn.

But then, they were soulmates. Not Sam and Leah. Sam and Emily.

How many times could a heart break, before it died for good?

"I…yeah. She is." Isabella stood then, and stepped closer to me. Her hand hovered for a second, before she pulled away. It was probably for the best. At the moment, I was sure I hated her for telling me the truth.

"That's…" I could feel my voice about to crack, so instead, I forced a harsh laugh and wiped the traitorous tears building in my eyes. "That's bullshit."

Isabella's eyes were stupidly sad. "I know."

Fuck you.

"Do you?" I could feel my face twist into something ugly and hateful. "Tell me, Isabella. How do you know any of this?"

Yeah right, she has a superpower. There's no fucking legends about that.

And then, her cellphone rang, abruptly cutting through the tension, and she answered the call. Whatever was being said on the other line caused Isabella to become troubled. "Um, that depends," she answered warily, lips pursed. "What did you see?"

I tapped my foot impatiently.

"Oh." Suddenly, she didn't seem so concerned. "I won't cancel. In fact, I'll just head over now. How does that sound?"

Head over where?!

There were still too many questions I needed to ask. And proof! I wanted at least some evidence, before I decided that I would kill her for screwing with my head like this.

"Wait. What?" But it was clear there was no answer to her question once she snapped her phone shut almost immediately after.

I rolled my eyes at her stupefied expression and arched an eyebrow. "Who was that?"

"Alice Cullen."

The name rang with a certain familiarity―like an annoying itch.

Until I recalled a bonfire party from a few years back. It hadn't been much of a party. The tribe elders' stern expressions had made it feel more like a funeral. And the only legend they'd recounted had been the one about the Cold Ones.

"…Cullen," I repeated, and then I remembered. "Wait. Aren't they…?!"

Isabella said it so casually, like we were discussing the weather, "Vampires? Yep."

And over by the cliffs, are the resident mermaids. I'll introduce you later.

"…And you're friends with them?"

I took back my earlier assumption. Isabella wasn't wimpy. She was a flat out idiot.

"Basically. Yeah." Before I could slap some sense into her, she cut me off, "Look, Leah. No one told me the Cullens were vampires the same way no one told me Sam and his lackeys are teenage werewolves. I just know things. Always have."

Not this shit again.

"What? Like it's some superpower?"

Isabella had the audacity to agree. "Sure. Think of it that way. Edward Cullen can read minds and Alice Cullen can see the future. I'm human, so I'm still not the weirdest one of the lot."

Before I could wrap my mind around the fact that superpowers were not that uncommon, she was already walking away from me.

"Wait! Now I know you're pulling my leg, Swan! There's just no way!" I followed after her, mind racing.

Telepathy? Clairvoyance? Foreknowledge? Did she pick up one of Seth's dumb comic books?

"I'd tell you to come see for yourself, but it wouldn't be safe."

Ew, I don't want anyone reading my thoughts.

And then, I registered her words.

"What." Yes, Isabella, because vampires aren't going to find your blood any more yummy than mine. Idiot. "As if it's any safer for you."

I stumbled to a stop when I realized she had as well, and turned to face her. She was looking at me like I was the idiot. "That's not what I meant. It's the proximity to vampires that activates the wolf gene. And you Leah, will be the first female shifter."

And suddenly, my world tilted even further on its precarious axis. I could taste the sour hint of bile at the back of my throat. "You can't be serious."

"Remember what I said about the wolves sharing a telepathic connection?" Isabella asked. "Do you really want to share a headspace with Sam at the moment?"

"No!" If any of this was even remotely true, that would be the last thing I'd want. Hadn't I already been humiliated enough?! But if she was right… "…How long before…?"

Her expression shifted into a thoughtful frown. "About a year."

"Oh." Okay. A year. Going by my current track record, I should have no fucks left to give by then. "So, if I see that Cullen girl now, I won't explode into a giant furball?"

Her eyebrows arched. "Hard to say. If, for some strange reason, they decided to attack you, then yes, you would. Otherwise, no. But it would likely speed up the process."

That settles it.

"I'm going with you," I told her. And when she looked ready to protest, I tacked on, "I just…I need to see for myself."

To my surprise, she merely shrugged. "Suit yourself." She took in my shocked expression with disinterest. "What? It's no skin off my back. If you want to chance it, I won't stop you."

I smirked. We'll be idiots together. "Good!"

We continued our trek through the woods. And I wondered, "Is there really no way to stop it?" While it was a relief that I would at least have some time to process everything (assuming it was all true) I wasn't overly fond of the idea of ever seeing Sam again, let alone sharing my most intimate thoughts with him. Could I somehow scrape away every memory of him from my brain in a year?

Isabella offered an unhelpful shrug. "Like I said, it's the proximity to vampires that's causing the change. Your best chance would be getting away from here, although I can't guarantee you wouldn't run into some other vampire. Otherwise, the only thing you can really do is slow down the process."

"How's that?" I'd take anything at this point.

To my annoyance, she grinned. "Control your temper."

"Seriously?!"

"You've seen Paul?"

I snorted. Yeah, like I could ignore one of Sam's little clones. Who the fuck do they think they are? The Plastics? "Yeah. He looks a breath away from spontaneously combusting."

She tapped her nose. "Bingo."

"That definitely explains that."

Shit. I'm not much better than Paul on a good day. I'm soooo fucked.

I glanced up, realizing we'd reached the treeline, closer towards the side of the house, where most of the adults were gathered. "Oh look, your old man is here. Follow my lead."

Isabella caught up to me. "What? Why?"

Isn't she the one who's supposed to know everything? "You think my parents are just going to let me visit the Cullen girl's house?"

Isabella's face lit up with realization. "Ohh. Point taken."

Idiot. "Hurry up, Swan."

She grinned, like she could hear my thoughts and didn't give one single fuck. "Yes, ma'am."

God, I can't believe I actually kind of like her. I stalked across the muddy terrain and ducked around the adults drinking and eating, and shouted over the music, "Hey, mom!"

"Leah, there you are," she turned from where she stood beside my dad. On either side of him sat Billy and Chief Swan. The rest of the long table, and tables around them, were crowded with nearly the whole of La Push. "We're going to cut the cake soon, after Seth opens his presents. Will you help me out?"

"Actually," I hedged, knowing her temper to be as sharp as mine, "Isabella invited me to hang out for a couple hours. This isn't really our scene."

As I expected, she frowned. "I don't think so, Leah. This is your brother's birthday party. You can leave after presents and cake if you want, and no sooner."

"But mom―"

"Leah, I don't want to argue right now."

"Fine," I bit out, and turned to look at my dad, "Dad, can I please go?"

That caught him off guard. When we weren't arguing, I did my best to pretend he didn't exist. But I needed to know Isabella was right. I'd rather he be a liar than a traitor.

"Sure thing, sweet pea."

"Harry!"

I grinned and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

"You don't mind?" Isabella piped up from beside me, looking towards her dad.

"No, you go ahead Bells. Have fun."

Before anyone else could stop us, I gripped Isabella's arm and dragged her away.

"Don't stay out too late!" mom shouted after us.

Chapter Text

"Where are we going?" I demanded, when Isabella missed the exit to Forks.

"The Cullens don't live in town."

I blinked. "Huh…I guess that makes sense. Who wants an undead cannibal for a neighbor?"

Isabella snorted a small laugh. "Among other reasons."

"Like what?"

She glanced at me from her peripherals, briefly eyeing my intense gaze. "Their senses are heightened," she explained. "It's enough of a distance that they don't have to listen to the town's going-ons after they're done playing human. They can be themselves there, instead of continuing the pretense. Mainly, it's where an old settler's mansion was located, before Esme renovated it."

"Oh." The way she spoke about them…made them sound almost human. "Strange."

"Yes," she agreed. "Most of their kind thinks the same of their lifestyle."

"If you say so."

The truck wobbled unsteadily underneath us as she abandoned the highway and turned into an unpaved road hidden amongst the brush of the forest. We jerked and wound through the uneven terrain, until we finally broke through the treeline.

Isabella hadn't been exaggerating. It really was a whole fucking mansion. Its white overlay practically glowed as the gloom began to set in. It sat at about three stories high, with wrap-around balconies at every level, floor-to-ceiling length windows, and a peaked roof to add to its enormity.

And waiting under the porch light was a tiny girl with cropped hair and slender limbs.

I squinted. "Um. What the hell is she wearing?"

"She's just wearing pajamas, Leah." With her tone of voice came the implication that I was a moron of the highest degree.

Although, now probably wasn't the best time to insist that what Isabella called 'pajamas,' I called a hideous spew of fuchsia polka dots that could give Elle Woods a run for her money.

They really are monsters.

Instead I conceded defeat and grumbled, "Whatever you say."

I shoved open the passenger door, hopped out of the truck, and stalked across the lawn, falling to a stop just short of the porch steps.

"Hey, Alice!" Isabella called as she caught up to my side.

The girl, Alice, grinned an eerily perfect smile. "Isabella." And then she glanced towards me with a curious tilt of her head. "Who's your friend?"

Me? Friends with the chief's daughter? What is the world coming to? This is all your damn fault Emily.

"What? Aren't you supposed to be psychic or something?"

Despite her petite figure, the chill of her bone-white skin caused me to shudder even from a distance, goosebumps flaring and the hair along my neck and arms standing on end. My heart began to pick up speed and I could hear the roar of blood rushing against my ears as adrenaline pumped through my veins.

It was at that moment that I knew Isabella hadn't told me a single lie all night.

Appearing unimpressed by my question, the Cullen girl said, "Let's head inside." She then twirled and skipped into the house like a fucking ballerina.

For a split second, I hesitated, before ignoring the voice screaming at me to turn back as I stomped up the steps.

Inside was just as extravagant as the outside. A vast room characterized by a winding staircase, a grand piano on a dais, and a whole wall made up entirely of glass, with a cozy sitting area sprawled across a massive flat screen TV.

Despite their lavish lifestyle, someone must've gone ham on the fucking Febreeze. This is what unicorn shit must smell like.

"Isabella." I glanced back over to the pair of vampires standing by the staircase. Unlike Alice, blondie did a better job at projecting a threatening appearance as she hissed, "Mind informing us why this girl knows about Alice's abilities?"

Beside me, Isabella didn't appear phased. Idiot.

"Because of her current situation, I decided to let Leah in on the secret early. She's meant to become the first female wolf shifter in her tribe," she explained. Despite my annoyance that she would reveal my future so casually, I didn't protest. It was little compared to what she'd already revealed about the Cullens and I had a feeling she'd be willing to share more.

So, this is what you've been hiding from me, dad. The lies stop here.

If it were possible, I stiffened even more, tendons like tightly coiled springs when the brunette neared my other side. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm Esme," she said with a gentle smile. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your situation, Leah?"

She was sweet, like you'd expect a mother to be.

If I ever told my mom she could use some pointers from a Cold One, she'd fucking end me.

"My ex-fiancé started acting like a lunatic, dumped me, and has now moved on with my cousin," I bit out, nails biting into my palms.

Isabella shot me a look and elaborated, "In other words, Sam became the first wolf shifter in decades, which resulted in him imprinting on Emily, Leah's cousin."

Esme looked towards me with sympathy.

I shifted uncomfortably, once again ignoring the voice in my head demanding I get the fuck out of there.

Isabella continued, "You all already understand how the telepathic connection works within the pack. I figured I'd rather break the news now than have her find out when there's a bunch of guys in her head."

It was disturbing how much they already knew about the mechanics of my tribe's abilities when I was only just finding out now. Then again, if the legends were as accurate as Isabella painted them to be, they'd likely known long before I'd even been born.

"Huh. Good call," Alice said from Isabella's other side.

"…You guys are really vampires?" Despite what my instincts already told me, I wanted to hear it from them.

The moment I made eye-contact with Alice's strange yellow eyes, she blurred from existence.

And then, she reappeared on my other side, between Esme and I, holding up a parchment bag.

My heart fluttered madly. Son of a bitch.

"Yes," she winked at me (I refrained from decking her) and then shoved the bag into Isabella's arms. "This is for you and Rosalie!"

"Rosalie's joining us?" Isabella asked.

In the same instant, blondie snapped, "I am not wearing that ridiculous outfit, Alice!"

Blondie's got eyes. Good for her.

Alice appeared delighted, like a demon on your shoulder, knowing exactly what to whisper into your ear to get you to agree with her evil schemes. "She's only joining us if she agrees to the dress code!" she sang, and then turned to me with the same mischief in her eyes. "What about you, Leah?"

"Not a chance."

If the pajama sets were anything like what Alice was currently wearing, I'd rather turn into a fucking werewolf here and now, before wearing that ugly get-up.

She looked ready to protest, but Isabella cut in. Thank fuck.

"Don't mind her, Alice. She shouldn't have come here to begin with. The longer she is around you guys, the closer the wolf surfaces. No sense in quickening the transformation."

"She's right," I said sharply. "I should go." I shot Isabella a pointed glare. "But this conversation isn't over, Swan."

"Sure," she agreed easily, as usual, not put off by my attitude.

I threw a hand up in time to catch her keys.

"What?" She arched an eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd actually drive you all the way back to La Push?"

I twirled the keychain around a finger and flipped back my hair. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later."

I didn't bother with pleasantries and shot everyone a quick wave, before darting out of the house.

The moment I stepped out, the uneasy feeling throughout my body dissipated, muscles relaxing and fists uncurling.

But my heart still beat painfully against my rib cage and my mind spun with the excess of adrenaline roaring in my veins. And then, I hesitated for another second, afraid to leave Isabella behind. But I forced myself to move forward, down the steps, and across the lawn, limbs stiff and teeth gritted.

Looking back, the mansion didn't appear so glamorous anymore. Its white gleaming paint reminded me of clean-picked bones cradled between the shadows of spindly branches.

I shook away the morbid thought and climbed into the truck.

I drove past the exit that would lead me into La Push and continued further and further, until I reached the coast by First Beach.

By now the temperatures had dropped low enough that no one was braving the black waters, although a couple of local teens were hanging near a bonfire.

I ignored them.

Although from this distance, I couldn't tell which classmates they were, I highly doubted it was anyone I would call a friend.

I abandoned the truck in one corner of the lot and stalked across the pebbled sand, until I reached the height of the tide and crouched down.

Even now, as I listened to the crashing waves, I could feel the taut line of my shoulders ease down.

The more I thought about the truth, the more the world began to make sense.

My dad's secret conversations with Sam, Jared, and Paul.

My mom's apathy towards his actions.

The up in council meetings and sequestered bonfires.

Sam's erratic behavior and Emily's betrayal.

It didn't ease the pain, but it lifted a weight off my shoulders from the part of me that'd never gotten the answers I'd deserved. And although my hatred didn't lessen, my fear did. If I knew what was to come, I wasn't powerless. I would make sure of that much.

The echoes of laughter from the locals suddenly grew louder and I jumped to my feet in time to catch the silhouette of three figures nearing my spot.

I squinted.

"What the fuck?" I said. "What are you three doing here?"

Once again, I was graced with the presence of the stooge brothers. How unfortunate.

"Told you it was her," Quil said gleefully and turned to me. "Where's Isabella?"

I rolled my eyes and jabbed a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the forest, "I just finished burying her body."

"Fucking hell, Leah!"

"That is not cool!"

"Yeah, well, she'd probably find that preferable to hanging out with any of you losers," I sneered.

Jacob scoffed. "Quit being a jealous cow."

I darted forward and seized him by his hoodie. "What did you call me?" I hissed.

Even in the dark, his sudden pallor was noticeable. But to my surprise, he didn't back off, "I said you're a jealo―"

Embry and Quil simultaneously clamped a palm over his mouth.

"What he meant to say―"

"―is that you're very nice―"

"―very pretty―"

"―and he is very sorry!"

I scoffed. "Idiots."

But instead of releasing my grip on him, I lifted my other hand, and ignoring his flinch, pressed it against his forehead. "You haven't had a fever lately, have you?"

It'd only been a couple weeks since Paul's own transition. Other than Embry, any of them could be next, and I recalled the signs all too well.

Abruptly, Jacob shoved all of our hands away and stumbled back. "What the hell?"

So instead, I turned to Quil and pressed a palm against his face. His cheeks turned pink, but his skin felt normal temperature-wise.

"Um, no, we haven't been sick. Why?" Embry asked.

I frowned, dropping my hand, but didn't answer.

"Seriously, where's Isabella?" Jacob asked again, eyes darting around. "We know she's here. We parked by her truck."

Parked? Whose car did they jack?

I smirked. "Don't tell me you guys drove around looking for us."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Quil, shut up!"

"She's not here," I repeated. "We were over by Forks and she decided to spend the night at a friend's house. I bailed, so she let me borrow the truck."

The disappointment on Jacob and Quil's faces was plain.

And suddenly, I had the urge to share every secret I'd learned tonight. Would they believe me? What would they think? They'd probably be stoked, knowing those idiots.

Whatever their reactions, it wasn't fair. We were all being fooled. But already, they were turning around and heading back.

"What?" I sneered, rushing forward and falling into step with them. "You don't want to hang out with me?"

Simultaneously, they all looked towards me in horror.

"Is this a trick question?" Quil squeaked.

"Of course not," I smiled wickedly. "You want to hang around Isabella? You'll have to go through me."

"Bullshit," Jacob scoffed, but the waver in his voice revealed his doubt.

I tossed an arm around Embry's shoulders. "Try me."

Idiots they were, but they deserved to know the truth. Unfortunately, I had to gain their trust first.

Chapter Text

As soon as the bell rang, I shot up to my feet, ready to get the hell out.

"Leah," my teacher called, stopping me in my tracks. I watched in despair as the rest of my classmates shuffled around me, out of class.

"Yes, Mrs. Littlesea?" I forced through gritted teeth, turning back and bouncing on the soles of my feet, restless. I knew I should've ditched.

"I noticed you didn't vote," she said, gesturing towards the small cardboard box sitting at her desk, where everyone else had dropped in a slip.

I shrugged. "You pick one for me, then." I couldn't care less about choosing the next topic of discussion for American History. But Mrs. Littlesea was one of those adults who gave off hippie vibes and wanted us to have deep, meaningful discussions about the state of the world. Boooooooring.

"That sort of defeats the purpose, Leah," she said with an expectant sort of look on her face.

I scowled and stomped back to her desk. Picking up a copy of optional topics, I ripped out the last one on the list, crumpled it, and tossed it into her precious box.

I had reached the classroom door, so close to sweet freedom from her academic terrorism, when she stopped me in my tracks once more.

"Oh. And Leah?"

"What?"

"Detention."

I spun around. "For what?"

"For failing to do your schoolwork. Again."

I glowered and stalked out of her classroom, fuming. Ugh, that bitch. She actually expects me to do her crummy homework?! What a waste of time!

By now, the halls had emptied and there was no one to block my way to the cafeteria. Which was slightly disappointing. Slamming a few heads together would've been a quick way to let off some steam.

By the time I reached the lunch room most of the tables had been usurped. Not that it mattered in my case. As soon as I dropped into the chair beside Embry, Jacob jabbed a finger in my direction and demanded, "What are you doing here?!"

"Just shut up for a sec," I muttered, scouting out the table in the very back corner, which had been taken over by Sam and his clones.

It was so obvious, now that I knew the truth. It was insane how much my own ignorance had blinded me.

Jared, once a puny-looking sophomore, was near-identical to Sam, not just in his added height and muscle-mass, but in his behavior. He carried himself tensely, with an air of power coiled in his rigid muscles.

As usual, one of them was absent. Today, it was Paul. Despite that, I knew he would capture the same likeness.

And amidst Jared and Sam, nearly concealed between their large frames, was a little sophomore girl. Kim, I believed her name was.

I nearly gagged, when I noticed the way Jared gazed at her―like he was a split-second away from falling at her feet and worshiping the ground she walked on.

Imprinting is such BULLSHIT.

Unable to stand looking at them for a moment longer, I turned back to the idiot trio.

"Quil," I said sharply.

He jumped in his seat. "Y-yes?"

"I need you to do me a favor," I said. Before any of them could protest on his behalf, I continued, "There's a chance you might get to chat with your precious cousin, if you do."

"Quil, don't do it! It could be a trap!"

"Aww, but what if it isn't?"

"Are you sure we can trust Leah?"

"I'm still here, boneheads," I snapped.

"I'll do it!"

Jacob and Embry groaned in despair.

"Good. Borrow your grandpa's car and pick me up after detention."

Before they could argue with me, I jumped to my feet and stalked back out. I didn't need to look, to know that Sam's eyes had strayed in my direction once again.

It was after detention, when I was standing near the steps to the school's entrance, that I heard an achingly familiar voice call my name.

"Leah."

Every tendon in my body grew rigid, shoulders jerking up and fingers curling into white-knuckled fists.

When I didn't acknowledge his presence, I heard him step closer, until he towered at my side, the heat of his skin warming me from his proximity.

"Leah," he repeated softly, with such affection, I could feel my heart being ripped open once more.

"What do you want?" I snarled, keeping my gaze locked forward.

"Leah," he repeated again, almost regretfully, and then continued, "you need to stay away from Jacob and Quil."

I whirled around, my face twisted with incredulous fury. "The hell I will!" I snapped, head nearly craned back to meet his eyes. "Where the fuck do you get off on telling me what to do?! You have no right, Sam! No right."

I cut off my tirade when a hot pressure suddenly formed inside my throat.

"I know." Sam heaved a sudden sigh. "But this is bigger than both of us."

I sneered. "Save it."

Although that did raise the question of who was next, didn't it? Isabella hadn't said, but I had the feeling she knew exactly when each of us was damned to join the tribe's wolf pack.

The beeping of a car horn jolted us back to reality.

Simultaneously, our heads swiveled to catch sight of Quil leaning across the passenger seat of his grandpa's car, towards the open window. For once, he didn't wear one of his easy grins. Instead, his expression was oddly flat, eyes darting between myself and Sam.

"Leah, you ready to go?" he called.

"Fuck yeah. What took so long?" I demanded, unable to completely conceal the relief leaking into my voice.

"Leah. Don't," Sam warned me one last time.

Without looking back, I flipped him the bird over my shoulder. "Eat shit, Sam."

Wrenching the passenger door open, I jumped in and slammed it shut. "Step on it."

Quil didn't waste a second and immediately peeled out of the lot, leaving Sam in the dust.

I collapsed back against the seat, digging the pads of my fingers into my eyes. "Fuck," I hissed.

"Uh, Leah?" Quil piped up. "What are we doing exactly?"

I heaved a sigh and dropped my hands. "Right," I recalled, "We have to swing by my place first. I still have Isabella's truck and I need to return it."

"Oh! So you need me to give you a ride back from Forks," Quil realized, cheering up once more. Likely at the idea of getting to see Isabella again.

I scoffed. "Yeah, exactly that, Quil."

"Cool!" he grinned.

"Yeah, very cool."

I rolled my eyes when I realized Quil took no notice of the mocking tone in my voice. Idiot.

Unfortunately for Quil, there was no one home at the Swan residence. Which was just as well. I didn't need his nosy ass within earshot while I interrogated Isabella.

It wasn't until later that night, after dinner, that I was able to get ahold of her over the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, we're a little overdue for a conversation, aren't we?"

"…Yes. Can you give me five minutes to call you back?"

"Yeah, yeah. Make it quick."

Just like she'd said, she called me back within minutes.

"Sorry, Charlie can be a bit nosy," she explained, later. "I'm in my room now. What did you want to know, exactly?"

"Everything, obviously," I scoffed.

"Alright…" she hesitated, before launching into a much more detailed explanation than she'd been able to provide the first time around, until I became intimately acquainted with Sam and his pack.

"That's…a lot," I admitted, a little taken aback. I still couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that Isabella also had weird, supernatural abilities. "Do a lot of people have powers, like yours?"

"Not really," she admitted. "It's extremely rare, but not impossible. I do know of a few other cases though."

"Huh. Is that why you got involved with the Cullens?"

"Sort of. They definitely noticed I had strange abilities. I guess getting involved with them couldn't be completely helped, but now that I'm dating Edward―"

"You're what?" I hissed. "That is so wrong! He's basically an animated corpse!"

"Well when you say it like that…" she trailed off, laughing nervously.

"It's sick," I reiterated, nose wrinkling with disgust. "Anyway, there's something else I wanted to ask."

"Shoot."

"Who's next in line to join the shifters?" If I still had another year, it was likely that some of the others would join before me.

"It shouldn't be any time soon, but I believe Embry is next."

It took a moment for me to process her words. "…Embry isn't Quileute."

"About that…"

I stood stock still as she explained Embry's situation regarding his father, blood turning to ice when faced with the reality that Embry was someone's brother. We just didn't know who.

"That's―"

"Leah."

I whirled around, nearly becoming entangled with the phone cord when I caught my dad entering the kitchen. How long had he been home? I could only hope he hadn't heard anything incriminating.

"We need to talk."

"I have to go, Isabella. I'll talk to you later," I said, hardly waiting for her response, before I hung up the phone.

"What is it?" I said warily, watching as my dad took a seat at the kitchen table.

He heaved a tired sigh. "Sweetheart, what are you doing hanging around Jacob and Quil? I think―"

"Sam talked to you?! What the hell, dad!"

"Leah―"

"No. I am not listening to this," I snapped. "You are the absolute worst!"

Ignoring his call for me, I swept away from the kitchen and out the back door, slamming it shut with enough force to rattle the frame. I stalked down the steps, skin nearly vibrating with rage.

As soon as I reached the treeline, I screamed and slammed my fist into a tree. It formed a neat crater.

I exhaled a sudden gasp, bruised hand dropping back to my side.

"I fucking hate it here."

Chapter Text

I scowled, the stack of college applications creasing in my tight grip as I stalked away from the school grounds.

After everything that had gone down last fall, Mrs. Littlesea had been the first person with enough balls to confront me on what I planned to do after graduation.

The reality was that all my plans with Sam had fallen to the wayside. I had avoided thinking about it, until today, when she had handed me a stack of pamphlets and applications, with directions to start thinking about what I wanted to do with my life.

And now, I had less than four months to figure my shit out.

I paused, long enough to shove the papers into my backpack, before falling back into a quick gait, taking the quickest route back to my house.

I was hiking through the shortcut in the woods when I recalled that the path ran near Jacob's garage, where he, Quil, and Embry usually hung out. As soon as I saw the familiar structure through the trees, I abandoned the trail and traipsed through the wet shrubbery, until I broke through the treeline.

Even from this distance, I could hear their voices inside.

"Just admit it, Jake―you have no chance!"

"Shut the fuck up, Quil. What do you know?"

"Dude, she literally told us she has a boyfriend! I think I heard it's some kid named Edwin?"

"Pfft! So? With a dorky sounding name like that, I doubt―"

Without preamble, I shoved open the door to the garage and strolled right in. "Actually," I cut in with a sneer, "his name is Edward. And you probably shouldn't interfere, Jake. He's a Cullen." Despite my taunt, I sincerely hoped Jacob stayed the fuck away. Pissing off a coven of vampires was the last thing any of us needed.

The trio jumped, Quil toppling off the couch and Embry spilling Coke on his jeans.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Jacob demanded, shooting to his feet. "Were you eavesdropping?!"

I rolled my eyes and darted past him, tossing aside my backpack and dropping onto the couch before Quil could reclaim his spot. "Ew, no. But you guys aren't exactly quiet. Anybody with a pair of ears could hear you bitching about Isabella's beau."

Jacob turned red. "I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped.

"Besides," Embry said, "what does it matter that he's a Cullen? Is that supposed to mean something?"

Quil bounced onto the couch beside me, ignoring the glare I shot him when he nearly dislodged me. "Sure! Remember when my grandpa and the other elders got us together to warn us about them? Those old, paranoid codgers actually think we have a family of vampires living down the road!" Quil howled with laughter.

"Shit, I forgot about that!" Embry laughed. "Apparently it's okay though, because they don't feed on humans."

Jacob cracked a grin. "Yeah, Leah. Don't tell me you're afraid of a pack of bunny munchers."

My expression twisted in disgust. "Hysterical."

"Exactly!" Quil snickered, elbowing me.

I shoved him back. "Get off me!"

"Alright, alright," Quil laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Whatever," I huffed. "How did those old stories go again? Astral projection, body thieving, wolf shifting?"

Of course, I knew the stories perfectly well. I wasn't sure if I could say the same for these knuckleheads.

"Who cares?" Jacob rolled his eyes. "Why are you even here, Leah? Don't you have your own friends to bother?"

"No, I can't say I do," I snorted. It was no secret that I'd become a bit of a pariah after my explosive fallout with Sam. No one wanted to be around me and my volatile temper, especially after Emily's betrayal came to light. "If you're trying to hurt my feelings, Jake, you'll have to try harder than that."

I jumped to my feet and strode out of the garage, feeling vaguely disappointed. At this rate, it was doubtful they would ever believe me.

I was nearing the treeline, when I heard Quil shout, "Leah, wait up!"

I turned, surprised to see him jogging after me.

"You forgot your backpack!" he said, dropping the strap into my hand. "And don't listen to Jacob. We'll totally be your friends if you want!" He looked a little red in the face.

I smirked. "Thanks, Quil. I'll see you around?"

"S-sure!" He grinned.

I nodded and resumed my previous trek back home.

Maybe there was some hope after all.

When I got home, I was struck with the faint smell of Febreeze. It was a little too similar to the overpoweringly sweet scent I'd encountered in chateau Cullen and I followed my nose into the small living room, where Seth was sprawled on the couch.

Quick as a flash, I darted over and snatched the DS out of his hands. On the screen, Yoshi lurched over the snow capped mountain trail and plunged into the abyss.

"No!" Seth wailed as he scrambled to get up. "Leah! I was almost done with the Cool, Cool Mountain Level!"

I wrinkled my nose. "Where did you get this?"

"From Isabella!" he said, expression brightening. "She gave it to me for my birthday! Isn't she so awesome?"

"Sure," I agreed with scoff, ambling off into the kitchen and grabbing a disinfectant wipe. What the fuck is her problem? Is she trying to drag Seth into this mess as well? Idiot.

"What are you doing?" Seth demanded, having followed me and now peering over my shoulder.

"It's filthy," I said flatly and wiped it down until it smelled like lemon Lysol. "Here," I said, turning and handing it back to him. "And don't accept any more gifts from her."

"In your dreams!" Seth scoffed, hurrying off and darting up the staircase.

I rolled my eyes.

The phone began to ring, before I could also head up to my room.

"This is Leah," I said once I picked up the phone from the mount on the kitchen wall.

"Leaaaaaaaah! I miss you!"

I laughed and leaned a shoulder against the wall, cradling the phone more comfortably between my neck and shoulder. "Hey there, stranger. How's the city life treating you?"

"You already know!" Rachel said. "It's you I'm worried about, still stuck on that tiny reservation. You need to come visit me! Maybe this time, I can convince you to apply to Washington!"

"You know my grades are shit," I reminded her.

"It's a public university," she argued. "The standards for acceptance are lower than you think."

"Let's fucking hope so," I scoffed. "Mrs. Littlesea has been on my ass about college applications."

"Someone needs to be," Rachel said with little sympathy. "I know the whole situation with Sam was a shit show, but you're a free woman now. Come over to the dark side and apply for student loans."

"Shut up, you're so annoying."

"You totally miss me!"

"Yeah," I agreed. "You and Rebecca just had to abandon me."

"Don't remind me. We were supposed to be roommates and now I'm stuck with this total weirdo. You have to join me in the fall or else I'll never forgive you!"

"I'm sure I'll live," I scoffed.

"Whatever," she grumbled. "How is everything, though? We haven't talked since winter break. Catch me up!"

"…Nope, sorry. There's not much going on around here."

I felt like a total hypocrite, refusing to tell her the truth, but I could hardly believe it myself on the best of days. What if she didn't believe me?

"Leah Clearwater, why are you lying?"

"What makes you think I'm lying?!"

"I talked with Seth the other day, because you weren't home," Rachel said. "He said you've been hanging around my little brother?"

I scoffed. "It was Seth's birthday party. Everyone was there."

"But not everyone went down to the coast afterwards," she taunted. "What's going on?"

"Look, it's complicated. It's not something we should talk about over the phone." Having dad nearly walk in on my previous conversation with Isabella had taught me better.

"Complicated? With Jacob? Leah, what the fuck?"

"Ew! Don't be gross! That's not what I meant!"

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to know?! You're being all secretive!"

"Ugh, I know. Just…I'll call you when I figure out how the hell to get to Seattle, okay?"

"I doubt that's likely," Rachel said. "Spring break is next month. I wasn't planning on visiting, but you're worrying me."

"Don't come," I said. The last thing I needed was for Paul to complete Sam and Jared's clown act and imprint on her. "I'll figure something out, okay?"

"Fine," she relented. "But I'll hold you to that. Preferably, come sometime during spring break. I have midterms coming up."

"Got it. I'll see you then."

I hung up before she could continue to hound me. Rachel had the tenacity of a bull when she wanted to know something.

"Leah, was that Rachel?" I heard my mom call from the front hall.

"Yeah," I said. "She was just checking up on me. Sends her love." Or at least, she would've, if I hadn't cut her short.

"I do miss those girls," she said, coming in and dropping into one of the kitchen chairs, still wearing her scrubs. "Did she say how her classes are going?"

I shrugged, leaning back against the wall and crossing my arms. "She said she has midterms coming up."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll do fine." She smiled, eyes crinkling. "Is she still on you about applying to University of Washington?"

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone and their mother is on me about applying somewhere."

"Good," mom said, fingers brushing back the hair strands framing her face, having come loose from her bun. "You're a bright girl, Leah. I'd hate to see you waste all your potential. But first, get your grades up. If I have to suffer one more call from your teacher, you'll be hearing it from me. Understood?"

I grimaced. "Crystal."

Chapter Text

"Whoa! How'd you do that?!" Seth demanded, his chin practically buried in my shoulder as my thumbs maneuvered over the buttons.

On the DS screen, Yoshi used the green turtle shell I'd unlocked to surf smoothly through the lava.

"What? Like it's hard?" I smirked, acquiring golden coins and silver stars in quick succession.

Seth pouted. "I would've figured it out eventually."

"I'm sure," I said, collecting the final gold star and finishing up the Lethal Lava Land Level. "There you go."

"Thanks, Leah!" Seth grinned, snatching the DS back into his grubby little hands.

I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome," I said, just as a series of quick knocks resounded through the house.

"Leah, could you get that?" mom shouted from the kitchen.

"Yeah," I called back, jumping up from the couch and ambling over to the front hall.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Quil on the other side.

Sure, after he'd extended the proverbial olive branch, I'd been friendlier with the guys at school, despite Jacob's waspish attitude. But not so much so that I'd expected for any of them to drop by on a Sunday afternoon.

Before I could get a word in edgewise, Quil hurried to say, "Leah, please don't kill me, but I may have done something stupid…"

"That certainly doesn't surprise me," I snorted, leaning against the doorframe and eyeing his expression of guilt with curiosity. "Well? What did you fuck up this time?"

"Promise you won't hurt me?" He grimaced.

"I don't think so," I scoffed. "Quit being chicken shit and just tell me."

"So, um, remember how you told us that my cousin is dating that Cullen kid, Edward?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What about it?"

"Well, it turns out that Jacob's dad was not aware of that…until I mentioned it within earshot," he confessed, unable to look me in the eyes.

I straightened up. "What do you mean he wasn't aware?"

Quil shrugged. "Uh, I guess Isabella's dad kept referring to him as 'Edwin' or something? Anyway, Billy forced me to explain everything and then he went all postal. He's going to head over to Forks soon and I guess confront her? It's insane! I knew the elders were superstitious, but what the hell!"

"You idiot." I scowled. "You should've known better."

Unfortunately, I was the bigger idiot for making them aware of it in the first place. Fucking hell, Isabella's gonna be pissed.

"Mom, I'm gonna head out for a bit," I called and shut the door behind me before she could argue.

"Come on, Scrappy-Doo," I said, gripping Quil's forearm like a vice and dragging him behind me. "We're going to fix this before Isabella kills us both."

Once I'd bullied Quil into giving me the keys to his grandpa's car, I arrived at Isabella's place in record time.

Fortunately, Billy's car was nowhere in sight.

After slamming my fist against the front door a couple of times, Isabella answered the door and I was immediately struck with the sharp scent of sugar and bleach.

Worse than Billy confronting Isabella, is him confronting actual fucking vampires.

I quickly shoved past her, ignoring her protests as I searched the front hall, and then the living room, finding both empty.

Inside the kitchen I was hit with a warm, brothy scent and the lingering smell of freshly chopped veggies. It was also empty, so unless Cullen was hiding upstairs, it appeared he was long gone.

"Smells good in here," I called, but when I turned back around, my nostrils burned once more with the cloying incense of decay. "Let me rephrase that," I said flatly as Isabella returned to the stove. "The food smells good. You? Not so much. What? Is bleach the new Chergui?"

She shot me a horrified look. "No. That's you being able to smell the scent of vampire."

"Oh, shit," I said, the realization hitting me like a freight train. Was that not normal? Was I going to transform into a big, furry monster?! "Is it happening?! Am I starting to smell like a dog?!"

Isabella pointed to her nose. "Human nose, remember?"

I lifted the collar of my shirt and sniffed it, but all I got was a whiff of the flowery fabric softener we used for our laundry.

"But there's no need to get hysterical, Leah," she added, stirring a ladle inside the big pot. "It's just a sign that you need to leave as soon as you're able."

"Not a chance," I retorted, my thoughts immediately snapping to Seth. I leaned back against the counter beside the stove, arms crossed. "As inconvenient as that is, I can't just leave Seth on his own to deal with all this bullshit." Not when there was a damn vampire coven living down our street.

"Leah―"

"Anyway," I cut her off, recalling the real reason I'd sped over. "You're lucky I got here when I did. I have bad news, and I want you to know now―it was definitely not my fault."

"Leah, I think what I have to say is more important―"

"Okay, it might have been slightly my fault. But how was I supposed to know Quil would spill the beans to Billy?!"

"Hold up―Quil did what now?" she demanded, shooting me an aggrieved look.

"So, it turns out that this whole time Billy was under the impression that you were dating some kid named Edwin. Unfortunately, Quil dissuaded him of this, and revealed that it's actually Edward Cullen―you know, the vampire―who's been wooing you. And now, he's on his way here with Charlie."

"Fuck!" Isabella hissed, dropping the ladle with a small splash. "What am I going to do? What am I going to say?!"

I grimaced, unable to offer her an easy solution that could ward off Billy. The only conceivable idea I'd come up with so far was to use myself as a meat shield.

I took her place beside the stove, stirring the soup in her stead, frowning when I saw just how thick the broth was. "Swan, what the fuck? Where are the noodles? Is this rice?!"

"Yes, it's rice!" she snapped. "That's how I make my chicken soup."

I stared at the white flecks gathered inside of the ladle and wrinkled my nose. "Why the fuck would you want to eat soggy rice―"

I took a tentative sip. It was warm and soft and seasoned just right.

I blinked. "Shit. Never mind. That's delicious."

Isabella glared at me. "As much as I appreciate your approval, that's not really my current dilemma."

I set the ladle against the towel sitting on the counter and turned to her. "Duh. Why do you think I'm here?" I reminded her. "If I stick to your side, then there's no way Billy can say anything without endangering any secrets. Which is complete bullshit, considering I'm going to be a fucking werewolf in a year. But yeah, I'll help you out. No need to thank me."

To my surprise, the anger abruptly drained from Isabella, leaving her with a tired, forlorn expression. "I'm grateful, Leah. Really, I am," she assured me, sounding oddly apprehensive. "But there is something more important we need to discuss."

I arched an eyebrow in disbelief. I couldn't imagine what was more important than fending off Billy's interrogation (Rachel hadn't inherited her doggedness from her mother after all) but I relented, "Fine, out with it."

But she remained silent, appearing so wretchedly stricken, it spurned a sick feeling in my belly, my mind awashed with flashbacks of when she'd first revealed the truth about Sam.

Outside, I heard the voices of Chief Swan and Billy Black greeting each other.

"It's too late," I said with relief, unsure if I even wanted to hear what she had to say. "They're here. We can talk later."

"What are you on about―"

The house key swiveled inside the lock with a snap and the door was pushed open, bringing with it the smell of fresh rain.

"Bella?" Chief Swan called.

"In the kitchen!" Isabella said, wiping away her bleak expression and twisting her lips into an even smile.

Her dad paused once he reached the kitchen entrance and caught sight of me, Billy and Jacob at his side. "Oh, hello Leah."

"Hiya, chief," I said, offering him a lazy salute.

"Sorry, you wouldn't mind if Leah stayed over for dinner?" Isabella asked.

Billy looked to me with an expression of discontent.

I rolled my eyes.

"As long as you don't mind feeding Billy and Jacob as well." The chief smiled, oblivious to the underlying tension.

Isabella's smile tightened. "Plenty to go around. Hello, Billy. Hi, Jacob."

Billy swept his eyes to Isabella, finally removing his withering gaze from my direction. "Good evening, Bella."

She acknowledged him with a barely-there nod and then suggested, "Why don't you all go ahead and watch the game? Dinner will be ready in a bit."

"You're the best." Her dad grinned and disappeared, Billy along with him.

Jacob looked like he wanted to eat me alive. "Did Quil tell you I was coming? It was bad enough I had to fend him off!"

You and me both.

"Get real, Jakey. Isabella's taken," I reminded him with a sneer. "You don't stand a chance."

I turned to face Isabella, hoping he'd skulk off and leave us be. "Everything is going as planned," I whispered. "We can postpone our other conversation for later. Hopefully, they don't linger."

"You're not being as quiet as you think you are," Jacob hissed, suddenly appearing on Isabella's other side, intruding in our circle.

It appeared I wasn't the only one exhibiting enhanced senses. They'd manifested slow enough that I hadn't given it much heed. Not until Isabella rightly pointed out that I could detect vampires like some sort of supernatural sniffer dog. Listening for Billy's arrival likely wasn't so normal either.

"Or maybe you just have the ears of an attention-starved dog," I scoffed.

Contrary to Isabella's advice, I imagined there was little chance I still had to back out of this damn mess.

"None of that in my kitchen," Isabella suddenly snapped, before Jacob could retort. "Jacob, how are you?"

"Oh, um, I'm alright," he said, appearing a little startled by her direct attention and quickly mellowing out. "I just snagged a couple new parts for the car I'm building, so progress is steady."

"That's awesome, congrats." Isabella smiled as she moved to crouch beside one of the lower cabinets. "Hey Jacob, could you grab me the loaf of bread? It's sitting on top of the microwave."

"Yeah, sure thing!" he agreed, eager to please.

I rolled my eyes.

"Leah, grab me the minced garlic from the fridge please?" she asked me next, as she dug for a pan inside the cabinet.

"You're kidding me," I said flatly.

She shot me a look. "You're the one who wanted to help."

"Not with the cooking," I scoffed. I would rather have a free-for-all with Jacob than become one of her little helpers alongside him.

"It's cool, Isabella, I can grab it!" Jacob called, already opening the fridge like the little kiss-ass he was.

"Idiot, you probably don't even know which one the minced garlic is," I snorted.

"I can read," he snapped.

I smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure you can read about as well as you can hide your unrequited crush. Which is to say, not very well at all."

"Leah, not helping!" Isabella cut in sharply, standing back up and pointing a heavy pan in my direction, the threat clear in her eyes.

I grimaced, ignoring Jacob's snickers somewhere behind me. "Sorry, mom."

Chapter Text

"That was my shin."

I instantly pulled my foot back with a wince. "Ugh, sorry," I said to Isabella, meeting Jacob's glare with a dirty look of my own. "This is all Jacob's fault. All things considered, there's no way Billy invited him along."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jacob hissed, at the very least smart enough to keep his voice low. Billy and the chief were talking sports, but if Billy's distracted hums were anything to go by, he was likely more invested in what we had to say.

"Leah, just drop it," Isabella said to me and then to Jacob, "Jacob, quit fighting with Leah. You're both being annoying."

I frowned. "I was just trying to help…"

"Yeah, I know," she assured me, voice still hushed. "But instigating a fight with Jacob isn't making this any easier."

Despite my offense, I knew she was right.

But of course, Jacob refused to let sleeping dogs lie. "I know you two are hiding something."

I bit my tongue before I could dish out another cutting retort.

Isabella gaped at him. "...Excuse me?" But when he simply glared at us stubbornly, she turned to her dad and loudly cut into his one-sided conversation, "Hey, chief, you mind if we go hang out in the yard?"

"Sure, Bells. You kids go ahead."

"Thanks!"

I jumped to my feet, putting my dirty dishes in the sink and hurrying after her, leaving Jacob in the dust. As soon as the back door shut behind us, Isabella whirled around to face me. "What is going on? What did you tell Jacob?"

"Hey, I didn't tell him squat," I scoffed, crossing my arms. "...But I may have asked him what he remembered about those old legends we'd listened to as kids."

I couldn't think of any other suspicious thing I'd said to him or the guys. Other than maybe asking him if he'd had a fever, but that was arbitrary enough to be dismissed.

"Leah!" she groaned.

"What?!" I huffed. "There's no way I was going to ask my dad! We haven't exactly been getting along great!"

Her stricken face caught me off guard.

But before either of us could say anything more, Jacob joined us on the porch, shutting the door behind him with a careless bang. "Leah spending time with me out of her own free will was freaky enough," Jacob cut in, making it clear that he'd heard every word we'd said. "Then my dad loses it when he finds out Isabella is dating Edward Cullen and invites himself right over. And surprise surprise, Leah is already here. Being a pain in the ass is typical, but the protective streak is new."

I sneered at him. What the hell did he know about how I treated my friends? "And?" I demanded. "We're not friends, Jakey. Isabella and I are. So what if I want to keep her from dealing with Billy's superstitious tales?"

Jacob stared at me, incredulous. "Superstitious tales? If they're so superstitious, why were you so keen on listening to them not even a few days ago?"

I carefully maintained an expression of mockery as I needled him, "Don't tell me you believe those ridiculous stories."

And as I expected, he grew unsure of himself. "...No, obviously not. But I'm not stupid. You've been acting strange, Leah. Hanging around Quil, Embry, and I? That's not normal."

I immediately felt like a fool for trying to make him doubt himself. Hadn't I wanted this? Hadn't I wanted to tell them everything? So, why was it that Isabella appeared so against it? Why was I the only one who deserved to know the truth?

When I turned to her, she was already staring at me, waiting for my explanation. "...You remember our last phone conversation?"

"Sure," she said, seeming nonplussed. And then, understanding dawned across her features. "You want to tell them."

"Well, they're not being fair!" The words gushed out with all the force of a broken dam. "We all deserve to know! After all the shit they put me through? I deserved to know." My voice cracked, but I soldiered on, "It shouldn't have had to come from you. And Embry…"

Embry, who could be a brother to any one of us. It wasn't fair.

Isabella's voice softened as she said, "You don't need to make your case to me. I'm not a tribe member and these are tribal concerns. It's your call."

I breathed out, relieved. For all that Isabella sometimes seemed larger than life, she was right. It was my call. Despite her disapproval earlier, I didn't need her permission, though I was glad to have her support. "True," I told her. "But I wanted your help. I doubt those imbeciles would take me at my word."

Jacob glared at me, insult not going unnoticed. But instead of devolving into another argument, he bit out, "What is it that you're trying to tell us?"

"Not tonight," Isabella suddenly cut him short. "We can sit around, have tea, and gossip about tribal secrets another time. There are still things I haven't discussed with Leah which concern her."

The unease returned, creeping uncomfortably beneath my breastbone. Whatever Isabella had to say to me, I wouldn't like it.

Jacob frowned. "It can't wait?"

"No," Isabella snapped, shocking us both. "It's a matter of life and death. But since you'll be joining the club soon, you can do us a favor and get your dad home. I really could do without him butting in, all good intentions aside."

Jacob carefully concealed his hurt behind a mullish scowl. "Anyone ever tell you you're bossy?"

Isabella didn't seem especially offended. "No, but thank you."

"Wasn't a compliment," he muttered.

"I know."

I watched their exchange with little sympathy. We had all made it clear to Jacob that Isabella wasn't interested in him. His hurt feelings would pass. I was personally more concerned with her dramatic declaration of 'life and death.' The sinking feeling in my stomach grew heavier.

"Seriously," Isabella said to Jacob in a kinder tone. "I need to speak with Leah."

All it took was her pleading eyes for him to give in.

Ugh. Puppy love. How revolting.

"Sure, sure. I'll get him out of your hair. See ya."

"Thanks, Jacob," Isabella sighed in relief.

He turned, waving us off as he went back inside.

Isabella turned as well, moving to sit atop the porch steps, gesturing for me to join her.

I reluctantly moved to sit beside her, no longer hiding my apprehension. "'A matter of life and death?' Please tell me you were lying to get lover-boy off our backs."

But as I suspected, Isabella shook her head, expression grim. "Let me know when they leave."

I looked over my shoulder, listening to Jacob and Billy's conversation inside with more ease than I'd expected. Fortunately, he did as asked, convincing Billy that it was getting late and suggesting they return home.

"Why don't you call Bella in for a second so I can say goodbye?"

"Ah no, I can't do that," Jacob said, completely losing his cool, like the idiot he was. And then, "Leah's out of sorts and Isabella's a lot better with tears than I am."

"...I see."

"That dumbass!" I hissed. "He told Billy I'm crying and you can't come say goodbye because you're so busy comforting me! I'm going to strangle him!"

Isabella's eyes lit up with mirth. "In his defense, he did do as I requested."

"Yeah," Jacob, the moron, continued, "you know how abrasive she can get. I'd rather not go back out there if I can help it."

"Fuck that and fuck him. He's dead."

"Leah."

I held up a finger as I continued to listen. "Hold onto that thought a little longer."

Fortunately, Jacob kept his mouth shut after that and Isabella's dad saw them out. When I finally heard them drive off, I turned back to Isabella. "They're gone."

Isabella's gaze dropped, expression twisting with guilt. "You haven't been getting along with your dad?"

I stared blankly at her. "...No. But you're already aware of that, little miss know-it-all." What? Did she need me to remind her? I seethed, "After Sam pulled all his bullshit with me, dad hardly treated him any different. Instead, he hired him along with the other tribe elders."

It was only after knowing the truth, that it made so much more sense. But it failed to lessen the hurt or anger.

"And now you know why," she said, as though reading my thoughts.

"Duh. Doesn't change the fact that they all lied to me."

Isabella didn't disagree. "How's his health?"

The non sequitur threw me off. Of course I shouldn't be surprised that she was aware of his health issues, but it still seemed out of left field. "Not the best," I admitted. "Mom's been on him about eating healthier ever since his blood cholesterol tested high. Why?"

Isabella gripped the edges of the step, as though she were bracing herself. "When I said this was a matter of life and death…"

My heart dropped. "Oh."

For a moment, my vision grayed out as my lungs shrunk and collapsed in on themselves. Somehow, I managed to choke out, "He dies?"

And suddenly it didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter that he still maintained a relationship with Sam. It didn't matter that the reality of the legends was more important to him than my broken heart. It didn't matter, because who would there be left to be angry at, if he was dead?

"It's a little more complicated than that," Isabella blurted out, staggering to her feet and onto the wet grass below, pacing across it in a frantic manner. "Leading up to your transformation, you were arguing a lot."

"We argue plenty now," I scoffed. Was that it? Had I caused him so much grief that I had irrevocably hurt him?

My throat closed painfully at the thought.

Isabella paused and said gravely, "It needs to stop. His heart won't be able to take it."

My own heart thundered in my chest with bruising force, threatening to shatter bone. "He dies because of me?"

The words came in a rush. "You were arguing and at the height of your temper, you shifted into a wolf. His heart couldn't take the shock of seeing that. And then, after seeing his dad die, Seth shifted as well."

I jumped up and slammed a fist against the wooden post of the porch. The wood splintered under the force. "Typical," I spat, the rage that had burned inside of me for so long releasing in one explosive tirade, "it's not enough that my boyfriend turns into a fucking werewolf. It's not enough that he dumps me for my cousin because of some mystical bullshit magic. It's not even enough that I'm lined up for the same fate and will be forced to share a mind space with him. No. Now, it turns out that my dad dies because of me, and my brother suffers for it. What utter fucking garbage." I stalked down the stairs, past Isabella, and shouted into the creeping dark of the forest, "Well, universe?! Anything else you wanna fucking throw at me?! Maybe kill me and bring me back as a ghost so you can have a good laugh?! Or just astral project me straight into hell?! At least then I'd get a break from all your bullshit!"

I heaved and breathed in sharply, before screaming, "Nothing?! Well then, piss off!"

"...Are you done waking up all the forest critters?"

I huffed a humorless laugh and spun back around. "For now." For all that I hated everything about my future, not all of it had yet come to pass. It wasn't too late. "Listen up, Swan. Because you are the single worst fortune teller ever, and there is no way I'm allowing the rest of your rotten story to happen."

Isabella stared back with fierce determination. "I'm listening."

"Here's what we're going to do," I began, crossing my arms and tilting my head in thought. "First, we'll have to tell the idiot trio everything. After tonight, there's no way Jacob is letting us off the hook."

"I can do that," she agreed.

"As for my dad, there's no way around it," I sighed. "It'll be an uphill battle to get him to eat healthy. But I'll force-feed him if I have to. He's not going to die under my watch."

"I'll rope Charlie into the plan," she decided. "It'll have to be a team effort. You can't supervise him for the rest of your life."

I grimaced. "Maybe not. And as for me…do you happen to know anything about anger management?"

Before she could reply, the backdoor swung open and her dad stepped out. "Leah! Was that you screaming like a banshee out here?"

"...I was expressing my feelings."

"People are trying to sleep. Express them more quietly," he said sternly. "Besides, shouldn't you be heading home? Your parents will be wondering what you're up to."

"It's not that late."

"It's fine, chief," Isabella cut in. "She was just leaving."

"Geeze, okay, I know when I'm not wanted," I huffed and began to head around the yard of their house, back to where my car was parked in the front. "I'll see you around."

"Bye, Leah!" Isabella called.

I waved over my shoulder and hurried off. After all, there was plenty of work to be done.

Chapter Text

"I'm here to see a doctor," I announced with all the confidence of a yappy dog terrorizing the neighborhood pets.

The receptionist eyed me strangely. "Right. Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, no. Don't they take walk-ins or something?"

He grimaced. "Ma'am, this isn't a clinic."

"Well, can't you call someone down here? I just need like, a consultation."

"Alright," he sighed, turning to his computer. "What's your health insurance plan?"

I scowled. "Hell if I know. Look, all I need is to have a quick chat with a cardiologist, okay? I don't actually require any medical treatment―"

I nearly gagged as my nose burned with the familiar scent of concentrated bleach.

"Ma'am?"

"Never mind," I said, scrunching my nose up in disgust. "Actually, my mom works here. I'll just go ask her."

Before he could protest, I spun around and darted down the hall to my left, following the smell of decay, until I found the tall, blond vampire in the lab coat.

"Hey, you!" I called, making a beeline for him. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

"My apologies," he said, glancing over and blinking at me with a stupidly innocent expression. "Do I know you?"

"You're about to." I glared.

"I'm sorry, please excuse us," he said to the nurse he'd been speaking to only moments ago, and then gestured for me to follow him. "This way please."

I eyed him suspiciously as I followed him, but kept my mouth shut. Even I wasn't stupid enough to start shouting the word 'vampire' within earshot of other humans. I knew enough about the treaty to understand that I'd only land myself in extremely hot water.

"In here," he said, opening a door which appeared to lead into his office.

I gingerly stepped inside and immediately slammed my palm against my nose, pressing the side of my face against my shoulder.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked, features drawn tight with concern.

"Just takes some getting used to." I nearly gagged, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, gently shutting the door.

I dropped my hand with a scowl. "Why did you come here?"

"Whatever grievances you hold, I believe they would be better aired out in privacy," he explained, moving to sit in the chair behind his desk.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't mean your damn office. I meant Forks! I get that you and your family enjoy acting out your human charade, but if you knew that your presence here would cause me and bunch of other teens on the rez to start exploding into giant fucking monsters, why the hell did you decide to come back?!"

It'd been a question that'd been festering since last night. Isabella had thought the solution was for me to leave, to walk away from the miserable hell Sam had contrived for me.

But she'd been wrong. I was not the intruder. They were.

For a moment, the vampire could only stare at me in horror.

"You mean to say," he began slowly, "that we caused the change?"

"I'm sorry, did it escape Isabella's mind to mention that part?" I sneered.

A stiff curtain instantly fell over his expression. "Isabella?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Isabella. The weird human girl who's dating your son. The one with the crazy comic book superpowers. The one who warned me away from you lot. That Isabella."

"Ah," he said and his features relaxed. "Am I right in assuming that you are Leah?"

"No duh," I grumbled, dropping into one of the chairs across from him.

He leaned forward, bracing his forearms against his desk. "Yes, my daughters mentioned that you had visited. My name is Carlisle Cullen. Despite the circumstances we find ourselves in, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Leah."

"Don't think I can say the same," I said, scowling.

"I'm sorry, but you're right," Carlisle said with a perturbed frown. "Isabella did not happen to mention that it was our proximity which set all of this in motion. But you must understand, she holds a great quantity of knowledge in her head. I have noticed that she struggles in keeping track of so much information at times, and it has even resulted in fatigue. Please do not hold it against her."

I rolled my eyes. "No need to get all sentimental. Besides, Isabella's just the messenger. She didn't actually do anything to cause this mess."

Carlisle nodded, seeming appeased. "As for our presence here," he continued, "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that we'll be taking our leave soon."

I narrowed my eyes. "How soon?"

"You must understand that the way we live requires that we attract the least bit of attention possible, lest we put our secret in danger," he explained. "I've already put in my notice. Once Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett graduate from Forks High, we will make our departure."

"That's not for another three and a half months." I frowned. "Whatever. It's too late for me anyway. As long as you're out of here before my little brother starts exhibiting symptoms…"

It was bad enough that my whole life had been capsized by their mere proximity. Seth didn't deserve the same.

"I assume he's not quite old enough to start shifting yet?" Carlisle asked, appearing sincerely concerned on his behalf.

I shrugged. "He just turned thirteen. In the right circumstances, he definitely could." I grimaced, recalling Isabella's rotten tale. "But I don't plan on allowing anything to happen to him."

"I don't doubt it," Carlisle said earnestly. "Leah, I am truly sorry for any grief that we have caused you and your tribe. We truly didn't know."

"Yeah, yeah. I believe you," I huffed, unable to appease him with my forgiveness.

If he and his family of bloodsuckers hadn't come, I'd still be engaged to Sam, Emily would still be my best friend, and I wouldn't be so familiar with the foul stench of betrayal.

Perhaps they had done me a favor. Perhaps the betrayal would've still occurred, just without the excuse of bullshit magic. Perhaps they had saved me from a failed marriage and a wasted lifetime.

But I was still too hurt to consider that possibility.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Carlisle asked. "I am employed here for another few months, and if medically, there's any way I can assist you…"

I eyed his heartfelt expression. For a vampire, he didn't strike me as very vampire-like. Though I suppose his current occupation should've been clue enough.

"Sure, actually," I finally said. "That dumb receptionist was no help."

"I'm sure he was just doing his job," Carlisle assured me.

"Whatever," I grumbled, rubbing my nose. I was growing more accustomed to the burning odor the longer I sat here, but it didn't make it any less irritating. "I wanted to talk to a cardiologist."

He frowned. "Any abnormalities to your heart could possibly be a result of your impending shift. But if you would like me to run some tests―"

"I'm not here for me," I cut him off. "I'm here for my dad."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Carlisle prodded when I fell silent.

"...Isabella revealed something to me last night," I whispered, my throat suddenly growing tight. "You see, my dad suffers from heart disease, which increases the likelihood of him having a heart attack. She said that…that a year from now, I shift into a wolf for the first time right in front of him and he…he dies because of me."

"I see," Carlisle said softly. "Leah, I will do everything I can in my power to help your father. But I need you to understand, in this future that Isabella has revealed to you, your father does not die because of you. You are not responsible for his health."

"I know!" I glowered. "But I still played a part in it. And I'll be damned if I do so again. We both need help."

"Then let's start with you," he said kindly. "What do you need help with?"

I blew out a sharp sigh. "Isabella says that I need to learn to control my temper. It's the only way to remain in control of the shift."

"How you conduct yourself is ultimately up to you," Carlisle said. "But, I happen to own a few books on anger management and I would be glad to let you take them off my hands."

"You?" I snorted. "Why do you have books on anger management? If I weren't aware of your nature, I'd be under the impression that you couldn't hurt a fly."

Carlisle smiled. "Thank you, but I didn't purchase them for myself. A few decades ago, when anger management was being developed in the psychology field as a form of psychotherapy, I read a few studies and eventually acquired several books to learn more. Although I haven't had to train a newborn vampire since the 30s, I wondered if I might find anything that could help make the transition easier."

"Newborn vampire?" I wrinkled my nose. "Like a baby?"

"No." He smiled wryly. "It's the term used for newly turned vampires. It's not an easy change and the first few years are always the most difficult."

"That's a bizarre fucking term for a freshly made cannibal," I scoffed. "No offense."

His eyes crinkled. "None taken."

"Whatever," I said. "I'll take your books."

"Excellent," Carlisle said. "As for your father, what more can you tell me about his prognosis?"

"Honestly? I don't actually know a whole lot," I admitted with a frown. "I know the heart disease is a result of high blood cholesterol. My mom's always on him about eating healthier. And I know there's some medication he takes for it."

"Unfortunately, that's not much information to go on," Carlisle admitted. "But your mother is right to be worried. Losing weight will lower his cholesterol levels, which means he does need to eat healthy and exercise. But without seeing the results of his blood labs for myself and how the medication he's on is affecting him, then there's no practical advice I can offer beyond that."

"Figures," I grumbled. "Although maybe if I nag him alongside mom, he'll actually listen for once."

"Perhaps," he said. "Can I assume one of the doctors here is the one treating him?"

"Nope," I said with a scowl. "My dad refuses to visit this hospital because of you. He got his diagnosis from the Neah Bay Hospital up north. But it's an hour and a half away, so he's not exactly seeing a doctor on a regular basis."

"In that case, I believe the best course of action would be for you to begin to monitor his health at home," Carlisle decided. "At least until I am officially resigned from here. If there were anything I could do to make him feel at peace in being attended to here, I would. But I get the sense that that's a hopeless venture."

"You'd be right," I said without preamble. "I think they've also looked into the possibility of a gastric bypass surgery to help with the weight loss, but I'm not sure if that's still on the table."

"Yes, that's usually more of a last resort, if regular weight loss methods are proving difficult," he explained. "But if they choose to go that course, he will need to lose weight regardless."

"Guess the nagging route it is," I muttered, slumping down and leaning my head against the backrest of the chair.

"If you have copies of his blood test results, and the type of medication he's currently prescribed, I could give you a better analysis of where he's currently at. But, that would be a violation of his doctor-patient confidentiality," Carlisle said reluctantly.

"Nah," I decided after some thought. "It's been a few months since he last had blood work done. It's probably all outdated by now."

"Then let me write a few recommendations for you," he offered instead. "There's several doctors here that I believe would be a good fit for his case."

"I'd like that," I said with relief. "At this point, anything would help."

"I'm glad I could be of some assistance." Carlisle smiled kindly. "I'll bring those books I mentioned tomorrow, and you can drop by to pick them up whenever you're ready."

"Thanks doc," I said, cracking a small grin.

Although this wasn't the direction I'd expected our conversation would go in, I couldn't help but feel appeased. There was something strangely reassuring about this particular vampire's demeanor.

"Although, I would prefer it if you did not come by when you're supposed to be attending your classes."

I rolled my eyes. Admittedly, keeping Quil's grandpa's car and ditching school wasn't one of my better impulses. But needs must.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," I huffed, pushing myself to my feet. "Thanks again."

"You are most welcome."

Chapter Text

I was exiting my last class of the day when I was accosted in the middle of the hall.

"Leah!" Quil shouted, catching up to me, Embry on his heels. "What the hell did we miss on Sunday? Jacob's been keeping mum and you played hooky yesterday. What's the deal?"

I scowled and continued marching towards the exit, pushing past anyone not quick enough to get out of my way. "Not so loud you idiot."

Quil thankfully shut his mouth, but continued to follow after me like a stray. Outside, I hurried down the steps and began my trek home.

"Where are you taking us?"

I shot them an incredulous look over my shoulder. "I'm not taking you anywhere. I'm going home," I scoffed. "What are you following me around for? Where's your fearless leader?"

"Jake's got detention," Embry said as they both quickened their gait, falling into step on either side of me.

"And you two aren't with him?"

Those three always managed to find a way to get into trouble. But they generally stuck together. I missed one day of school and suddenly Jacob was playing lone wolf and getting detention without his faithful sidekicks? What was the world coming to?

"There's always next time," Quil said cheerfully. "But he's been acting strange. What did we miss?"

I huffed a dry laugh. "Trust me, Quil. You'll find out soon enough."

Embry shot me a look. "What does that mean?"

"And why are you making us wait?" Quil complained. "I can hardly stand the suspense!"

"You'll live," I said and turned, abandoning the sidewalk for the uneven forest ground, taking my usual shortcut through the familiar stretch of woods, "and why are you two still following me?"

"We're not following you anymore," Quil said cheekily, traipsing noisily over a patch of shrubbery. "We're now simply headed in the same direction."

Embry snickered.

I glared at him over my shoulder. "Here's a better idea: Don't."

"We're just going over to Jake's garage, Leah," Embry assured me. "Jake told us we could hang out there until they released him from detention."

"Yeah! Don't get so bent out of shape," Quil sniggered. "Besides, we're basically friends now. You can join us if you'd like."

"No, thanks."

"Your loss―" Quil's words were muffled under the sharp smack of my palm.

"Shut up," I hissed, freezing in place. Around us, the woods remained eerily quiet. "Do you hear that?"

Quil pushed aside my hand and exchanged a look with Embry. "I don't hear anything."

"Shhh!" Again, I listened closely until I detected the heavy footfalls of something big vibrating along the forest floor. "Either keep your trap shut, or leave," I whispered harshly before cautiously moving in the direction of the near-silent thudding. I moved carefully through the dips in the rugged terrain, trying to keep quiet, though my attempt at stealth proved futile. Behind me, Quil and Embry sounded like a pair of newborn elephants with their giant, clumsy feet, seemingly incapable of stepping over rotting branches.

I gritted my teeth, but continued forward, eyes darting through the gaps between towering firs. It was darker out here, the muted gray light struggling to breach the canopy overhead, every shadow inevitably catching my eye. When I no longer heard the footsteps of the mysterious giant, I grew still, listening once more.

"Leah," Embry hissed, sounding spooked. "What's going on?"

I held up a hand, eyes closed in concentration, but all I heard was the wind whistling against my ears and the distant scraping of branches and foliage far above. Whatever was out there, had fallen silent. Or it had disappeared. Either way, there was nothing else to clue me in as to where it could have gone.

I heaved an irritated sigh and opened my eyes. "Never mind. False alarm―"

"Holy shit!" Embry shouted as we all stumbled back, the shadow of a great black beast exploding out of a nearby thicket and launching forward, blurring into a mere streak as it flew into the shadowy woodland.

"RUN!" Quil shouted, grasping my hand and dragging me back the way we'd come. I stumbled after them, heart thundering and blood roaring in my ears, the image of the terrible monster impressed upon my mind's eye.

It was real; more real than I could have known. I had watched my fair share of horror movies, had seen the grotesque transformation of man into wolf on screen, had grown up listening to the legends of our ancestors, of the wolf men. But none of it could have prepared me for the vicious reality of seeing a real-life werewolf; larger and more monstrous than I could have ever imagined.

And I was meant to become one of them.

"What the fuck was that?!" Embry gasped as we stumbled to a stop outside of Jacob's empty garage.

Quil inhaled sharply. "Nathan was right. He was right. Bigfoot is real…"

Embry and I straightened up and exchanged an exasperated look.

"Quil, you're an idiot," I said, yanking my hand out of his grasp.

"Eh? How can you say that after what we just saw?!" Quil demanded, hands flailing. "And you! What's with the bat ears?!" He pointed an accusing finger at me. "How the hell were you able to hear it from so far away?"

"Quil, calm down," Embry said, lightly smacking him upside the head. "It was probably just a bear."

"Whatever," Quil grumbled. "But I'm so telling Nate everything."

"It'd be in your best interest not to," I said, picking a twig out of my braid.

Quil cast me a suspicious glare. "Why not?"

"If you really want to know what happened on Sunday, you'll keep your mouth shut," I said simply. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"Ugh. Fine. You win," he said grudgingly, "but I'm not going to let you forget."

"I didn't think you would," I said, adjusting the backpack strap on my shoulder. "I'll see you guys later. And remember, not a word!"

I darted off towards Jacob's house, planning to take the neighborhood sidewalk this time, unwilling to come across any more wolf men. Once was more than enough.

"Lee, are you sure this is a good idea?" Seth complained as we continued to pile the junk food atop the kitchen counter.

"This is for dad's own good," I assured him, tossing him a box of microwave popcorn. "If you wanna save a stash, keep it at Brady's or Collin's house. This place is going to remain squeaky clean until dad's health improves."

"Fine. But I'm taking the cookies," he warned me.

"Take whatever you want, kid." I finally shut the pantry door and moved on to the fridge.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," I said with a laugh as I lugged out dad's entire case of beer and moved to drop it by the sink.

"Dad's going to kill us," Seth moaned, dramatically collapsing against the countertop, crushing the family-sized bag of Doritos.

"Probably." With a crack and hiss, I popped open the first can. "But I believe one day, he'll thank us." I tipped over the can and poured the beer down the drain.

"Fat chance," Seth grumbled, shoving a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth.

Once the can was empty, I crushed it in my fist and launched it into the trash bin across the kitchen. "Either way, he'll outlive us."

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically around a mouthful, crumbs littering his chin.

"Chew with your mouth closed, you heathen."

Seth opened his mouth wide, displaying a mouthful of mushy cookie and chocolate, and began to chomp obnoxiously in my direction.

I crushed the next empty can and nailed him in the forehead.

"Ow! That actually hurt!"

"Cry about it."

"What in blazes is going on here?!"

Seth immediately straightened up as Mom and Dad walked into the kitchen, guilt coloring his face. "It was Leah's fault!"

I rolled my eyes and cracked open another can of beer. Dad watched in horror as I poured it down the sink.

"Leah! Put that down!" he shouted.

I dropped the entire can into the sink with a clamorous splash. "It's down."

"Not what I meant." He glared at me.

"Leah, what is the meaning of this?!"

"You tell us," I said to mom, meeting her eyes with a stony gaze of my own. "You were the one who took dad up to the Neah Bay Hospital a few months back. What did the doctor have to say to him then?"

Her grimace was answer enough.

"Is that what this is about?" Dad looked less like he was about to explode, though he still seemed fairly peeved. "I'm not going to kick the bucket over a few cans of beer, sweetheart," he said, his glare softening into a kinder expression.

"No," I said decisively, opening another can and dumping it out. "You won't."

"Leah," Mom snapped. "That's enough!"

"What?" I sneered. "So you don't care if dad dies?"

"He's not going to die," she said with a glower. "You're taking this too far!"

"Dad's going to die?"

Seth's small voice shattered the tension, and immediately Mom's wrathful face transformed into one of comfort. "Of course not, baby," she said in a soft voice, going to his side and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"No, doofus. That's why we're doing this, remember?" I reminded him with a roll of my eyes as I dumped out the last can of beer.

Dad heaved a sigh. "Is this all really necessary?"

"Alcohol is a privilege, not a right," I told him, flinging the rest of the empty cans into the bin and reaching over to grab a fresh trash bag. "You can buy more when you're not on the verge of having a heart attack."

He shot me a dry look. "Is that all?"

"Of course not," I scoffed as I whipped open the bag. "We're also banning all fried fish."

Dad's face turned an interesting shade of red.

I smiled at him, swiping the junk food off the countertop and into the open trash bag.

The following night, I swiped the keys to the car while mom and dad were out walking. I doubted I'd be gone long enough for anyone to notice.

This time, when I arrived at the hospital, I didn't bother approaching the front desk and instead strode confidently in the direction of Carlisle's office. Even if he was busy, I could, hopefully, just drop in and nab the promised books from his desk. But when I knocked, I was welcomed by his eerie vampire voice echoing through the thick door like windchimes singing in the breeze.

"Hiya, Doc," I said once I threw open the door, allowing it to fall shut behind me. "You got the stuff?"

"Leah, good evening," Carlisle greeted me from where he sat behind his desk, "and yes, they're right here." He scooped up a pair of books that had been stacked on the corner of his workspace.

I drew closer and plucked them from his outstretched hand. "Thanks!"

"I hope they will be of use to you."

"Eh." I shrugged, flipping through the first one, eyes glazing over as I encountered a bit of psychobabble. "I don't have a whole lot of options at the moment, so they'll have to do."

Carlisle dipped his head in acknowledgment. "And your father? How is he faring?"

I snorted. "I mean, it's been like two days." I shut the book and sat down across from him, balancing the small stack on my lap. "But, there's been some progress."

"Is that so? What have you accomplished in two days?" he asked with a genuine, encouraging smile.

"I cleaned the house top to bottom," I announced, mouth curling into a sharp grin. "I threw out everything―all the alcohol, junk food, and red meat I could get my hands on."

"Oh." Carlisle sounded surprised. "And your parents were okay with this?"

"Like hell they were," I snorted. "They just about lost their damn minds. But no worries, my brother got through to them, so it worked out." Really, I should've thought to weaponize Seth's cuteness against them myself. The fact that it had happened organically was a blessing all its own.

"Ah. Well then, I am certainly glad for you," he said kindly. "And what of your father's physical activities? Have you gotten him started on any form of exercise?"

I waved my hand in a so-so motion. "I was going to force him to take walks with me, but mom says she has that covered. She thinks I'm being too hard on him."

"I suppose," he allowed, "that for someone who does not have the privilege of knowing the future as you do, that it might seem that way."

I grimaced, slumping against the backrest of the chair. "Yeah, sure."

"You are angry with her."

I scoffed, "What gave it away?"

Carlisle smiled wryly. "Leah, I know it is not my place to say, but I assure you, your mother has no ill will towards your father. It is as simple as, she does not know the future you know. And so, she cannot possibly understand your urgency."

"She's a nurse. She should know better," I bit out.

"It is the ones we love that we tend to be the most blind towards," he reminded me gently. "There is a reason physicians are not supposed to care for relatives. Personal feelings will inevitably interfere with our professional judgment, and your mother's feelings for your father have compromised her judgment. But I am certain that if she, too, had the advantage of knowing his future, that she would act exactly as you are acting now."

The bitterness in my heart slowly dissipated at his words. I huffed, "Anything else, or can I go?"

Carlisle laughed softly. "I am not holding you hostage, Leah. Though I do hope you have not been skipping out on more school since you last visited."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not my dad, so it's not your concern." I jumped to my feet, books in hand. "But if you must know, no; I haven't."

"Excellent," he said. "Have a good night, Leah."

"Night, Doc," I called and flounced out of his office.

Chapter Text

I rapped my knuckles loudly against the front door until I was faced with an unenthused Billy Black.

"Leah," he greeted me dryly. "Embry, Quil."

"Hiya, Billy!" Quil said cheerfully, standing at my right.

Embry, on my other side, added, "Morning, sir."

"We're here for Jacob," I said.

"I figured as much," he huffed and turned to look over his shoulder. "Jake! Your friends are here!"

Billy rolled away without another word to us.

"...What the hell? Why are you guys here so early?" Jacob grumbled, appearing at the door, still in his pajamas.

"Uh, we're going to the beach, remember?" Quil said.

"Not until later," Jacob groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You said you wanted answers," I reminded him pointedly. "Get changed."

That was all it took to set him into motion. He ran inside and within minutes was back, hair haphazardly brushed, dressed more appropriately for the cold weather. We then turned and traipsed back to the car as a unit, planning to drive down to First Beach. With Jacob still half-asleep and Embry's and my irritable morning demeanor, Quil took it upon himself to keep the chatter going, speculating needlessly and complaining about having skipped breakfast. Unfortunately, ordering him to shut up only seemed to worsen it.

We couldn't have arrived soon enough. And as planned, Isabella was already there. We found her and her friends sitting around a campfire as we hiked along the rocky shore.

Unable to withhold his enthusiasm, Quil shouted, "Isabella!"

Isabella turned at his call, startled, nearly tipping off the log she sat on. As soon as she caught sight of us though, she smiled and jumped to her feet, waving in our direction. That was all the encouragement Quil needed to break off into a run, reaching her first and lifting her in a bear hug.

Jacob, Embry, and I ran after him.

"Quil, knock it off! You're crushing me!"

"Sorry!" Quil laughed unrepentantly as he released her.

Jacob reached Isabella in time to catch her, before she could fall on her ass.

"Careful there," he snickered.

Isabella shook his grip off with a huff.

"That's my bad," I said tiredly, resting my elbow against Embry's shoulder, though it wasn't as comfortable as I'd imagined. When had he gotten so tall? "I forgot to leash them before we left the house."

"Enough with the dog jokes, Leah," Jacob snapped. "They're getting old."

I grinned sharply at him and then turned to kick Quil aside when he got leaned a little too close.

"Rude!" he hissed at me.

"Don't sound so shocked."

Finally, one of Isabella's friends spoke up. A blonde girl with a spiteful gleam in her eye. "Isabella, won't you introduce us?"

"Um, sure," Isabella said, not especially eager, but gesturing towards us all the same. "This is Leah, Quil, Jacob, and Embry." She then turned to us and pointed out her friends. "That's June, Ashley, and Jennifer. Eric and Katie. And Tyler and Lauren."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving at them half-heartedly. "Hate to cut this nice, little integration, but we're actually here to kidnap Isabella."

"Wha―"

Without warning, Quil and Jacob ambushed her, scooping her up by the arms and legs.

"Put me down!" Isabella shrieked as they ran away with her.

I rolled my eyes and said to the Forks kids, "Nice meeting you."

Without waiting for a response, I turned and jogged after them, Embry on my heels. We caught up to them further down the beach, near the treeline, where they'd dumped Isabella on her ass at the base of a driftwood tree, laughing hysterically and high-fiving one another.

"Idiots."

"You can say that again," Isabella said with a fierce scowl, a hand clutching her chest, face paler than normal.

I eyed her strangely and sat on the ground between Embry and Quil, wondering why she looked like she'd just seen a ghost. But Isabella quickly regained her composure and straightened up. "So," she said, still glaring at Jacob and Quil, effectively cutting their laughter short. "What are your terms for releasing me?"

"Easy," Jacob said, suddenly peevish. "You and Leah tell us the truth."

Isabella leaned against the trunk at her back, features easing into a bemused look. "Telling you the truth was always part of the plan. You don't need to hold me hostage for that."

Quil grinned. "We thought it'd be more fun this way."

"Now that you idiots have had your fun," I cut in, "are you ready to listen or not?"

"This ought to be good―ouch!" Embry shot me a glare, clutching the tender spot where I'd punched him.

I stared back, unimpressed.

"We're listening," Jacob said, a little more keen this time.

Isabella looked to me, but I shook my head. "You do it. You explain it better."

She appeared unconvinced. "It's pretty straightforward."

"Then go on," I said.

Truth was, the guys had a much better opinion of her, unfouled by a short temper and a violent streak. While I didn't necessarily blame them, I knew they'd be more willing to listen to anything coming directly from her mouth.

"Fine," she said and swept her gaze across each of the guys. "You all know Sam Uley?"

"Yeah," Jacob said, face contorting with hostility. "He's all buddy-buddy with mine and Leah's dads, and Quil's grandpa. He's kind of a freak."

Quil scoffed. "Kind of? Try more like, total freak. Not to mention all the drama he caused last year! Remember when he went missing last fall? And then he comes back and suddenly dumps Leah for her cousin―"

I clenched my hand into fist, glowering at him, the familiar rage threatening to consume me once again.

"S-sorry Leah, I forgot―ouch!"

"Not so funny now, is it?" Embry grumbled, still clutching the spot where I'd punched him earlier.

Isabella glared at them both, losing what little patience she had. "Alright, knock it off. The reason you all think Sam Uley is a freak, is because he's not exactly human anymore."

Jacob scoffed. "What the hell? We may not like the guy, but you expect us to believe he's some kind of monster?"

"Ooh, I know this one!" Quil said, obnoxiously shooting his hand up. "I heard from some of the other freshmen that they swore they saw a beast roaming the woods. I thought they were full of shit, but then grandpa started giving me all these spooky warnings. I thought he was trying to scare the shit out of me, but then―"

Embry snorted and cut him off. "He was. Don't be a dumbass, Quil! Bigfoot isn't real!"

"Is so! You saw it too!"

"I didn't see shit."

"Then why did you run?!"

Jacob gaped at them. "What?! Where was I when this happened?!"

"Would you boneheads shut up?" The words exploded out of me. "No, Bigfoot isn't real. And yes, Uley is a monster now. Just not that kind of monster."

Jacob turned to me, a sneer on his face as he taunted me, "Ooh, I'm sorry Buffy, I should've thought to bring my monster encyclopedia!"

"Look," Isabella said irritably, "you guys are the ones who ambushed me. If you don't actually want to know, I can leave."

"Wait, no!" Quil whined. "I want to know!"

Isabella eyed Jacob and Embry, but fortunately, they kept their mouths shut. Finally, she said, "Sam is a wolf shifter―like from your legends."

"He's a what?!"

"That's fucking sick!"

"…I don't believe it…"

I wrinkled my nose and exchanged a look with Isabella. "Was I this bad?"

"No," she said, "you were worse―ouch!"

I smirked and dropped my fist. But all amusement was lost in the face of the millions of questions besieging us from all sides.

Isabella shot me a smug smile. "It's your turn."

I scowled, but readily turned to answer them. I was more intimately familiar with the legends of our tribe, so it was easier to remind them of the lore and magic that predated us, beginning as early as Taha Aki. From there, the technicalities were a little more sparse, the mechanics of the modern day wolf pack only as clear to me as what I'd learned from Isabella. Either way, they grew captivated by my words, awe shining in their eyes the longer they listened to us, to me.

Before long, our legs grew numb and our stomachs growled in hunger.

"Let's get some grub," Jacob said as we stood to our feet.

I shook my legs, trying to wiggle feeling back into them.

"I'm starving," Quil agreed, to no one's surprise. He then shot me a look. "Isn't that a symptom? Am I going to sprout fur?!"

I smacked the back of his head. "Don't be an idiot, Quil."

Jacob snickered. "No man, you're just a pig. Maybe you'll sprout a curly tail," he said, twirling an index finger in his direction.

"Hey!" Quil said with a glower as we trekked through the pebbled sand, back to where the rest of the kids were gathered near the campfire.

I grinned. "A little piggy nose wouldn't be remiss."

"Yeah, if there were such a thing as a swine gene, I bet Quil would successfully activate it," Jacob continued to needle him.

"Eh?! That is so uncalled for!" Quil protested, barely heard above our laughter. "You're literally the one who said werewolves have a big appetite!"

"Yeah," I said around a huff of laughter. "Ones who have already shifted."

"How do you know?" Quil grumbled. "It could totally be a sign!"

"A sign that you're a glutton, maybe."

"Yeah, I think the dog jokes are lost on him."

Quil turned to me with a look of offense. "Is that why you've been making dog jokes this whole time?!"

"Guilty as charged."

"Don't worry, Quil. She'll probably switch to calling you Piglet now."

"Like that's any better!"

I shrugged. "I could come up with far worse things than Piglet―"

The words abruptly died on my tongue and I froze.

He stood out amongst all of them, taller and stronger. He wore a half-grin, laughing at something one of the others (Paul) was saying, hair shaggier than the last time I'd seen him, spiking gently over his forehead.

It was easier, amidst all the anger and hatred, to forget just how sorely I missed him. The old, festering wound spasmed in my chest the longer I stood there, every breath hitching painfully, abrasive against the swelling in my throat. It had been a half-year now since Sam had vanished, since he had broken my heart, since he had been compelled by ancient magic to pursue my best friend; a half-year since he had walked away from me and decided I was not worth including in his new, fantastical life. And the questions pounded against my skull: Why had he not chosen me? Over the elders, over his pack, over Emily?

If it were me, I would have chosen you. Every time.

Pain erupted across my bicep and I stumbled back, catching my footing just in time to see Jacob. His jaw was raised in a challenging tilt, eyes narrowed, hand still fisted at his side.

"What the fuck?!"

Jacob smirked. "What'cha gonna do about it?"

Something violent and animalistic rumbled in my chest. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

The familiar rage convulsed and exploded like the crashing of a tidal wave, launching me into a fierce sprint. But Jacob's longer legs kept him a step ahead and he laughed gleefully. I kept my eyes firmly trained on him, allowing my ire to fuel me as I chased after him, right past all the palefaces and rez kids; right past Sam.

"You're gonna pay for that!" I shouted at Jacob, redirecting my pain, determinedly ignoring everyone and everything.

But even with my back to Sam now, I could feel his eyes on me.

I pushed myself harder, until I caught up to Jacob amongst the cars in the lot. We stopped, hidden between the rear end of an old minivan and a Suburban.

"You good?"

I brushed the flyaway hairs out of my face, scowling as I caught my breath. "Just peachy."

Jacob frowned. "There's something else, isn't there?" he said. "Something you and Isabella haven't told us about Sam."

"Drop it," I snapped.

"Look," he said tersely, "I don't know everything about what happened last fall. Obviously what Sam did to you was fucked up, but there's no way he dumped you for Emily of all people, just because he turned into a werewolf."

"Keep your voice down," I hissed, looking over my shoulder. But our side of the lot remained empty. "I don't know how sensitive their hearing is."

"Fine then, let's bail," he said and turned to march off in the direction of Old Quil's car.

I gritted my teeth, but stalked after him. Despite my aversion, there was no avoiding it and they had as much a right to know as I did. But I didn't have to be happy about it.

"Guys! Wait up!"

Quil and Embry caught up to us as we were climbing into the car.

"Where to?" I asked resignedly, twisting the key into the ignition.

"Somewhere with food, please!" Quil piped up from the backseat.

I rolled my eyes, but hit the gas and peeled out of the lot.

"―isn't that right, Leah?"

I dragged my eyes away from the window, the ocean a slate blue line on the horizon. "What?"

Quil pouted. "You weren't even listening. And you haven't touched your food! Aren't you hungry?"

I shrugged. "It's not as good as my dad's fish fry."

In a place like La Push, there weren't many options to begin with, so we'd ended up in the seaside restaurant perched near the harbor.

"You got that right," Jacob said. "So? Are you gonna spill or what?"

Embry heaved a sigh. "More secrets?"

I scowled. "Something like that…"

To my shock, none of them immediately bugged me about it, instead waiting on me to gather my thoughts. But when I stayed silent for too long, Quil swooped in and snatched my basket of fries.

"What? If you weren't going to eat them, I wasn't going to let them go to waste."

"Whatever," I grumbled, slumping down in my seat. A sense of déjà vu hit when I asked, "Do you guys remember how the old stories went?"

"Well enough, I think," Jacob said. "Is there a specific one you had in mind?"

I nodded, leaning my cheek against the palm of my hand, eyes drifting back towards the oceanfront. "The one about Taha Aki and the third wife." It was easier this way. I didn't want to see the inevitable pity in their eyes. "She wasn't like the others; she was his true spirit wife."

Warily, Jacob asked, "What does that mean for us?"

"They call it imprinting," I explained, voice growing hoarse, still unable to look at them. "It's what happened between Sam and Emily. It's why he left me for her."

"What the fuck."

"That's…" Jacob struggled to find the words. "Shit. I'm sorry, Leah."

"Maybe if he'd just told me…maybe if Emily hadn't started seeing him behind my back…" I scoffed. "It doesn't matter either way I guess."

"No," Quil said vehemently. "It does. I mean, I don't totally understand what Sam went through, but we all heard the rumors about what was going on up at the Makah rez. You didn't deserve that."

"Thanks," I said with a brittle smile and stood to my feet. As much as I appreciated their support, I didn't want to talk about this anymore. "Let's go."

Quil shoved the last of my fish fry into his mouth and jumped up after me, with Jacob and Embry not far behind.

"Does that mean the same will happen to us?" Jacob asked as we exited the restaurant.

I shrugged and tucked my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. "Maybe." I hadn't even thought to ask Isabella. "We'll see."

Quil swallowed his mouthful and asked, "Does that mean we can't date girls?"

I frowned and bypassed the car entirely, hitting the pathway along the coast. "I wouldn't recommend it," I said. The thought of another girl enduring the same pain as I, was disturbing. But Taha Aki had lived two entire lifetimes before he'd imprinted. Were we meant to sit around, waiting for someone who might not even be alive, just for the sake of not hurting anyone?

The reality was that there was no right answer.

At the very least we had Isabella. There was a good chance she could shed some light on what that sort of future looked like. If she had done it for me, she could do it for the guys before it was too late.

We were wandering near the harbor, when Jacob suddenly elbowed me in the side. "Look."

I narrowed my eyes at the sight of Sam, Jared, and Paul making their way down Main Street on foot.

"Just ignore them," I decided. I'd had enough of Sam for one day.

Unfortunately, the moment he spotted me, he and his lackeys made a beeline for us.

"Leah," Sam called, but as soon as they stood before us, he began to look unsure. "...How are you?"

Even Jared and Paul appeared skeptical of Sam's motives, but they remained quietly supportive, standing on either side of him.

Unexpectedly, it was Jacob who answered on my behalf. "She's fine," he bit out, eyeing him with obvious disdain. "What do you want?"

Sam frowned, but before he could respond, Quil butted in, "Yeah, you broke up with her last year. Why are you still bugging her?"

"He was talking to her, not you," Paul snapped, glowering at Quil.

"And no one was talking to you, period," I said flatly, sneering in Paul's direction, before turning back to Sam. "Well? Quil's got a point. What's your deal?"

"Leah," he said, voice softening with affection. "I still care―"

"Dude." Quil gaped at him. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"This is seriously twisted," Embry mumbled under his breath.

"Stay out of it," Paul bit out.

"You know, I don't think we will," Jacob said, not in the least bit cowed by Paul's larger, more intimidating frame. "Leah may be a pain in the ass, but she's our pain in the ass."

Jared snorted. "What a glowing commendation."

Sam eyed the guys, huddled around me closer than before, their stance protective. "You're friends with her."

"Gee, I wonder what gave it away," Quil said.

"Why?" Paul's eyes found mine, displaying his contempt. "Friends with a bunch of freshmen? That's the best you could do?"

"Slim pickings," I said with no amount of embarrassment. Our school was tiny and with sixteen, including me, my graduating class was the largest in a while. Besides, age was not what united me to these guys. And with their massive stature, it was easy to forget they were only fifteen years old.

"At least she didn't abandon her friends for Sam," Jacob goaded them, pointedly eyeing Paul and Jared.

Sam was forced to hold an arm out, preventing Paul from stepping any closer. "No," Paul snapped, "she just acted like a crazy bitch when Sam moved on with someone else."

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard, I tasted copper on my tongue. But I would rather bleed than show an ounce of vulnerability to these idiots.

"That 'someone else' being Leah's cousin and best friend," Embry said dryly. "I think that says it all."

"If you really cared about Leah," Jacob said, "you'd leave her the hell alone."

Sam appeared frustrated, but resigned, eyes bouncing between Jacob, Quil, and I. "I won't pretend to understand your sudden friendship," he finally said, "but don't be disappointed when it doesn't last."

Jacob and Quil grabbed me before I could throttle him. "Get lost," I snarled.

Appearing stunned by my unexpected show of violence, Sam quickly backed off, marching off and leading away his pack.

"Wow, I fucking hate that guy."

"You're telling me."