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Charcoal irises were trained on the swirling of coffee that sat upon the worn mahogany table in the living room of the Clearwater home where she had been born and raised. She refused to acknowledge Jacob Black, while he anxiously paced from one side of the room to the other, his sun-kissed hands ran over his face, fingers wracking through his short pitch-black locks.
Leah Clearwater wouldn't dare glance in the direction of her mother and little brother, who were both sitting on the couch, wholeheartedly riddled with bewilderment, a couple of feet away from where she stood. Tightly clenched in her hands was the positive pregnancy test that she had taken the night before.
"I'm keeping it, and that's final." .Immediately, the she-wolf shut down any possible notion of terminating her unborn child. This might be my only chance to be a mother. I won't let that be ripped away from me again. At least now, I can't say Demetri hasn't given me something.
A repulsive scoff came from the man, who had been her friend since childhood. When she turned in his direction, Jacob stared at her as if she were a stranger. "You waited an entire year to tell us that you imprinted on a vampire of the Volturi guard! Not only the Volturi guard, Aro's bloodhound of the Volturi, Demetri, and you've been sleeping with him this whole time!"
Her gaze was downcast to the wooden floor of the living room as she shamefully pursed her lips closed; she shut her eyes, attempting to control the tears that had formed at the edges. The warmth of humiliation consumed her entirely.
"This entire time, Leah? When you wanted the Cullens gone, when you hated them, you were lying underneath a bloodsucker staring at the ceiling! When we were gathering witnesses to save Nessie's life, you were seeing him! When we faced the Volturi in the clearing, you weren't going to fight him, were you?" .With every sentence that Jacob spoke, a newfound anger flared to life as he began to recollect the timeline in which Leah and Demetri would have been on completely opposing sides, while simultaneously the pair had been engaging in a secret, torrid love affair for no one to ever know about, until today.
"You would have done the exact same, Jacob. If it had been your imprint, Renesmee. Those nights I've shared with Demetri are because that's what he needed of me when he came seeking me out. Don't you dare question my decisions when you yourself, Jacob Black, along with, Sam, Quil, Jared, and Paul, would have also been there too if it had been your imprints!" .I don't have to take this from him of all people. Jacob Black, the biggest hypocrite I've ever met, chased Bella's tail for years only to wind up imprinting on her daughter. His words had ignited the fire within her heart that burned endlessly and undyingly for Demetri, even though she wished she could hate him.
She met his utterly betrayed and enraged glower with a narrowed, pained glare of her own. Leah cradled her arms around her stomach, shielding the defenseless unborn child that she had created with a man who had only ever seen her as a satisfying afternoon. "I am keeping my baby. I know what I did was wrong- no. What I did with Demetri was never wrong, because at least for a couple of hours he made me feel loved, wanted, even treasured."
I'm thinking about our last time together. A month ago in the hotel room, when Demetri had held me in his frigid embrace, he gave me passionate kisses that were as if he were obsessed with me. When he didn't mock me or tease me, he touched my body with gentle caresses.
The first time Demetri ever made actual love to me, instead of using and overstimulating my body, the first night that Demetri ever told me that he lov-. I'm defending a one-time occurrence, the perfect, blissfully sweet memory of the night that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
"Well, if you need me, I'll be in my bedroom." .It wasn't the time to face her family after having a massive blowout with Jacob in their home. Sue and Seth needed space to process, and she needed the quiet, isolation that her bedroom never failed to provide.
Her shoulder-length ebony locks whipped in the air in response to how quickly her legs strided out of the living room and down the hallway. She shook her head as a set of tears ran down her cheeks. There had never been a right time to tell them.
She attempted to justify the secrecy of her affair that she had spent over the past year maintaining.
The creak of her worn bedframe bellowed from beneath her weight, while she began to heave; her hands were held over her dampened face, spread sun-kissed fingers hiding her guilt and shame. This was the difficult part, spilling her guts to her friends and family, and now it was over with.
//
A week had passed since Leah had confessed to her mother, Sue Clearwater, her little brother, Seth Clearwater, and her leader and childhood best friend, Jacob Black, that she was pregnant with a child fathered by the enemy himself. It had taken nearly four days for the she-wolf to leave her room whenever her family was home, but eventually her mother had managed to coax her out of the dreary bedroom.
At twelve in the morning, Leah sat absentmindedly at the family dinner table with a plateful of scrambled eggs, a grilled cheese sandwich, and a glass of water. With a fork in hand, she hungrily stabbed at the light home-cooked breakfast she then brought the serving to her mouth, where a pleased hum followed shortly after.
"Are you sure that you don't want the baby to have a nursery of its own?" .Her mother's fingernails tapped against the rim of a glass plate; the older Quileute woman appeared wilted, grief-ridden, disoriented.
Swallowing down a bite of toast, Leah picked up a paper towel to dab on her lips, wiping away the crumbs. She averted her eyes to peer at her mother, who hadn't stopped staring at her from the moment she came in for breakfast. "I want to be there when the baby wakes up, and when it goes to bed, it'll be easier on all of us that way."
If I'm there twenty-four seven, Mom and Seth won't have to scramble around to find where I am or rush to tend to the baby themselves. This wasn't exactly the parenting style that Leah had ever planned or envisioned in her future before she had inherited the curse; however, it seemed fate never took her wants, desires, hopes, dreams, or anything into mind.
"Leah, you know we're here for you and the baby, no matter what happens. Uncle Seth will always be there, promise!" .Her brother piped in from his section of the table; his breakfast had been finished long ago. Seth's hand fell to the back of the chair beside his sister, which he pulled out and switched seats to sit closer to his older sister; his dark, hopeful gaze invoked a small smile to play out on her lips. At least one of us can teach the baby how to be optimistic.
Wrapping an arm around her little brother, she took a moment to finally breathe and simply live. She didn't have to ponder and worry about the what-ifs and could-bes right now; she just needed to be surrounded by the loving support of her family.
Our family will help me make this work for us, kid. Your grandma Sue and Uncle Seth will make sure that I give you everything you could ever want or dream of. I'll be a great mother, I promise. Time began to fly by for the Clearwater family. The house was adjusting, their family was growing, and for the first time in years, Leah finally had obtained some peace of mind.
//
As days turned into weeks, Leah observed as her body had begun to further develop; her chest had swelled incredibly, bumping her up nearly two cup sizes; her hips had become wide, preparing for the upcoming birth of her child, and finally, the she-wolf's once slender frame had become round, extending outwards for all to gawk at.
Stepping out of the shower that morning, Leah stared into the mirror as she dried her dark, wet hair that she had felt something shift.
The sudden fluttering of butterflies in her stomach had the towel slipping through her fingertips. Leah peered down at her body; with a shaky hand, she settled a palm over her rounded abdomen. A gasp escaped her plump lips; wide eyes stared in utter awe at the sensation pressing against her hand.
That's my baby. My and Demetri's baby. Mine. She settled on the former rather than the hopeful delusion that the imprint fought tooth and nail for her to entertain. "It'll be alright, kid, because you shall be all mine."
In the past two months, she hadn't contacted Demetri. Leah had decided against telling him about her pregnancy because she wasn't sure how well her phone could connect worldwide, and she had no address to mail a letter overseas.
She was also afraid of his reaction; they weren't exactly committed, stable, or healthy. Every few months, he would show up for a good time with her, then he would disappear the next day. The constant abuse of the imprint, paired with abandonment, was painful enough for her.
Leah knew that she would have to tell Demetri eventually, but as of right now all she needed to focus on was herself and the baby.
//
Once the she-wolf had finished drying off and dressing herself, Leah had decided to swallow her pride and made the decision to drive herself to the Cullen residence. Carlisle was the only doctor with experience regarding supernatural pregnancies, and that meant he could provide medical care for her and the baby.
Currently, the tanned, calloused fingers of the young woman grasped the hem of her oversized, loose sleeveless shirt; she lifted the fabric over to reveal and expose her painstakingly obvious baby bump, that had taken shape over the span of the past fourteen days. Her nostrils flared at the strong scent of burnt sugar, ozone, and a subtle hint of death that filled the room.
"You should have come to me far sooner, Leah." .Carlisle gently chided her with his washed-out English accent; his amber eyes were a stark contrast to the intensity of crimson that she had become intimately familiar with seeing in the irises of a vampire.
She dug her teeth into her vermilion lip, stifling a wince at the cool gel that the centuries-old man applied to her abdomen. This'll be my first time seeing the baby. "I needed time to process."
His topaz gaze flickered to meet with hers briefly before turning back to the blank screen in front of him. Leah propped herself on her elbows to give herself a better angle of the ultrasound.
A high-pitched noise could be heard ringing in Leah's ears, while her onyx gaze went wide, and her mind processed that moving black-and-white image on display was her child, her heart beat rapidly in her chest; warm tears threatened to cascade down her sun-kissed face. You're real.
The pure feeling of maternal joy completely consumed Leah. A bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of her lips. One day, we'll have to see him, but for now I want to be selfish. I need you to be all mine, even just for a little bit longer, and then if he doesn't want us. We can live with that because we'll have each other.
She refused to acknowledge the aching possibility that Demetri would want their baby. He doesn't love me. He has made that abundantly clear. He loves the power and control that the imprint gives him during our encounters. The only scenario I could ever picture him wanting this would be for further leverage.
"Congratulations, Miss Clearwater, you are having a baby girl." .It felt as if the world had tilted on its axis for Leah as her awestruck expression stared at the screen. A baby girl. I'm the mother of a little girl. She used the sleeve of her zip-up jacket to wipe her face, while her free hand reached for the tissues to clean the gel from her stomach.
The alabaster blonde doctor remained quiet, although he hadn't finished examining and studying the she-wolf and her pregnancy. When she sat upright, he turned to her with a clipboard in hand. "Who is the father, Leah? From what I know he is immortal."
But that was a secret she hoped to take to her grave for a little bit longer. It's bad enough that Jacob knows. Which we haven't really spoken since I told him exactly who her father is.
Tightly pursing her mouth shut, Leah hopped off the edge of the examination table. She zipped her jacket and crossed her arms over her chest. "Thank you, Carlisle. I'll ring you when I'm due."
//
On the first day of November, at half past seven in the morning. Leah Clearwater, with the assistance of Carlisle Cullen, her brother Seth's poor hand, and the support of her mother Sue. She welcomed her tiny, reddened, screaming daughter into the world.
When her daughter had been laid on the new mother's chest, squirming, whimpering, and helplessly in need of her. Leah had fallen in love, but it was entirely different from the complicated, wild, scandalous love affair that she had with Demetri; it was steady, certain, complete, and fulfilling.
Leah allowed the tears to fall as she cradled the newborn against her chest. She gently stroked her finger over the soft skin of her daughter's expanding red cheeks as she hungrily gorged. She briefly glanced at her mother and Seth leaning over to peer at the little bundle in her arms.
"Can I write her name on the board, Leah?" .Seth bounced estatically not even bothering to contain the overwhelming happiness he felt in that very moment for his older sister, who nodded with watchful eyes.
Briseis Fawn Clearwater. Born on the first of November. She weighed five pounds, ten ounces, and was eighteen inches long. Sue reread her granddaughter's first name before turning to her daughter with a curious glint in her eye. "Briseis after the princess in the Iliad? She fractured the entire Greek army."
The younger Quileute woman could only smile and nod at her mother as she turned her devoted attention back to the fussing infant in her arms. Hushed cooing was elicited from Leah while she adjusted her well-fed daughter into a more comfortable position.
"Briseis symbolized a prize of honor." . Although the Iliad had been a story of a captive girl thrown to commanders with no regard for her personal wants and desires, Leah could take the past and make it into something beautiful. I am honored to be her mother, yet I can't help but wonder if Demetri would've approved of that name for her.
Her daughter's cloudy gaze stared back into her mother's charcoal irises, who adoringly looked down at her as if she were the most precious thing she had ever come to possess. Leah's warm fingers ghosted along the downy dishwater locks of the infant.
"It's alright, my Briseis Fawn; for you shall be all mine. I love you so much" .Leah tentatively whispered over her newborn daughter. She lifted the small bundle and pressed her lips to the infant's forehead.
//
The crinkling sound of plastic crumbled in Leah's hands as she reorganized her mauve colored diaper bag backpack, shoving plenty of diapers, two bottles that she had pumped the night prior, extra onesies, swaddle, baby wipes, blanket, a change of clothes for herself, and her cell phone.
Fawn's quiet yawns caught her mother's attention. She tilted her head and smiled at her daughter strapped in her car seat; the hood that she could pull down to cover the infant had a shade of forest green background with autumn leaves. It had been a week since the birth of her daughter, and today would be her first patrol in a while.
Her mother had offered- had insisted on babysitting her granddaughter to give her oldest child a break, but the young mother loathed the very idea of being separated from her newborn, so Leah decided to take Briseis along for the ride. It'll be a lot of walking, mostly. I could try to skip ten minutes here and there.
Grabbing the handle of the baby carrier and slinging the strap of the packed-down diaper bag over her shoulder, Leah sharply inhaled and set out on her way out through the back door and into the dense woodland forest of the La Push Reservation.
//
The horrific scene of the baby car seat's handle held in the jaws of a massive, silver pelted, wolfish creature would have had regular people running for the hills, screaming in terror, but for the other shifters, this was a new adjustment that the only she-wolf in history was now a mother.
With a snort of her wet nose in the direction of Paul and Embry, Leah continued trotting through the trees, carefully descending steep hills and rocky terrain. If possible, she did everything she could to avoid treading her infant daughter through those rough areas of the land.
Wound around Leah's neck hung the straps of the diaper backpack that carried all of Briseis' necessities, comforts, and essentials. Fortunately for the young new mother, the newborn had slept through the past hour of patrolling the sacred grounds of the La Push Reservation.
Soon enough, Leah found herself satisfied with the amount of time she had spent on duty. Weaving her way through a bustle of bushes and shrubs, she settled the carrier gently to the ground, swaying her furred head from side to side, dropping the bag into the dirt next. Her body gradually morphed into a bare woman sat upon her knees; she combed her fingers through her grown-out ebony locks.
Unzipping the mauve baby bag, she pulled out the clothes she had packed for herself to change into. As Leah had buttoned the beige shorts, the ringing of a device had her freeze.
I thought I had more time. Her charcoal eyes zeroed in on the all-to-familiar caller ID glaring back at her. Italy. Which means Demetri's back. She tried to steady her shaky hand as she lifted the phone and pressed it to her ear. A soft static came from the line.
"You were too deep into the Reservation to reach, la lupa. I booked us the same hotel for this afternoon, tonight, and tomorrow. After my last visit, I had a realization that there need to be clear changes within our arrangement. Once you are here, I will explain and make them easy to follow and understand." .Oh, our arrangement is in for a change, alright. Biting back that remark, an interested hum elicited past her lips into the speaker.
"Why do you want things to change?" .She leaned her ear close to the electronic, even if it ate her alive to admit this; she had to be honest, and that was that she found Demetri's voice to be intoxicatingly sexy, and the imprint craved to hear him speak.
"Because you need to be reminded that it is I that your soul and fate are tied with, and that factor happens to mean something to me, Leah. Now, go shower, dress for me, and come straight here." .The pointed words he spoke had immediately triggered a mildly impulsive reaction within Leah to please him, but when he had hung up, a heart-aching, piercing, hungry cry rattled from her infant daughter.
One thing was instantly clear for Leah Clearwater in that moment: Briseis' needs came above Demetri now, but the suffocating urge remained, pestering her heart, mind, and soul to hurry back to her house and do exactly what her imprintee had demanded of her to do.
Fishing through the diaper bag for a bottle, she crawled across the two feet of space between herself and Fawn, untucking the blanket from around the week-old infant's neck, she tapped the nipple of the baby bottle to her daughter's mouth, encouraging her to latch.
"I know, I know. My little Fawn is hungry." .Leah crooned at the dishwater blonde infant, who continued to shriek and sob. Right, we haven't done any weaning. That's mostly on me for nursing her through the night hours. Mom did tell me to use the bottle as much as possible. "There, there, mommy's gonna fix it."
//
Leah remained silent when she stepped back into her home, and immediately killed two birds with one stone; she took a shower and attentively sponge bathed Briseis before meticulously drying off the infant, being mindful of the soft spots on her head.
Pre-calling a taxie, she tossed the electronic aside and riffled through her wardrobe. In her fingers, she held up a decent little black number, which she thought would please Demetri, although she knew that he was anticipating tonight to end a lot differently.
Brushing her longer, silky ebony tresses, twisting her hair into a bun, Leah spun around to face the content baby that remained in the car seat on her bed. She sighed to herself and perched on the edge of the mattress, she peered down at her mousy-haired, cloudy-eyed, borderline fair skinned daughter. She's nearly his spitting image.
"No matter what happens, it'll be alright, my Briseis Fawn; for you shall be all mine." .Her usually laid-back confident tone was shaky, weak, and uncertain. She stroked a warm finger on the infant's pudgy cheek before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "I love you so much."
//
If the world could open up and swallow me whole right now that would be great. A flighty charcoal gaze stared at the three numbers on the slightly ajar hotel door that she stood in front of. Her hand held onto the handle of the baby carrier in a knuckle-white grip. I just have to go in there. I have to face Demetri, not just as a man, or as my imprint, but as the father of my daughter.
With a push of her boot against the entrance, the door creaked open, and light bathed in front of her feet. Inhaling, Leah hung her head down low as she stepped into the hotel room, knowing full well that once she crossed the threshold, she would be in Demetri's full line of sight and there would be no turning back.
He's going to kill us. The fun and thrilling games are definitely over now. What if he takes her away from me? Aro is obsessed with assets and building his army; if Briseis has any kind of gift like her father's or is capable of shifting they'll want her. A pitiful whimper escaped Leah; she kept her eyes centered on the pristine white carpet floor.
Even as the familiar scent of the Mediterranean Sea and ozone washed over her senses. She tried to avoid his chilling touch, but a millennium of practice meant his skillful hand effortlessly caught her jaw; gloved, elegant fingers guided her to stare into the eyes of a blood-lustful man.
"You told me that you were infertile. Now you finally arrive here with my child." .There was an edge to his cultured accent; the baritones lowered to a whisper as if anyone else could hear them. His livid tone and scrutinizing glare, paired with the rigid stance, caused Leah to physically recoil, as shame began to boil inside of her; however, the firm, unrelenting hold he had on her face didn't allow her to move very far.
"Go on and tell me why? Did you think yourself wise to hide yourself and our child from me? I knew. I thought myself patient and kind that I would allow you the chance to come to me with this, but instead you ran to the Cullens'. It should have been me there, Leah." .Demetri clicked his tongue in an irritated manner with a shake of his head; meanwhile, his confession shook Leah Clearwater to her core, she nearly forgot how to breathe. She felt sick to her stomach. How? How did he know? How could he have-? His gift. He tracked the essence of my maternal instinct and the love I have for my baby.
She couldn't bring herself to utter a word in response, even while the urging power of the imprint clawed at her insides to respond to Demetri's presence. The she-wolf was shocked and riddled with the shame of the choices she had made.
Abruptly, Leah jolted at the sensation of a cool caress of her lover's fingers along her chin, the pad of his thumb pressed to her lip settling there for a beat before resting on her cheek. "Were you scared, Leah? You have done an excellent job; so far our daughter appears very happy and healthy, la mia lupa."
Disoriented and trying to wrap her head around the new information that he knew the whole time. Leah hadn't entirely registered that his scarlet gaze had flickered down to the baby carrier that had her daughter on full display; it was only when the sound of the clasps of the seatbelts popped that terror flooded every fiber of her being.
Rooted in place, she was forced to watch as the Volturi's bloodhound lifted her week-old baby girl into his large, destructive hands, resting her small, fragile body in his palms. Demetri cradled the infant against his chest with an experience that she had yet to achieve.
"Please, Demetri, I'm begging you to be gentle with her." .Leah wouldn't dare move; she couldn't provoke him and risk Briseis getting harmed in the process. She felt like a suppressed cattle herded into a pen. Her comment seemed to insult him as she flinched at his scoff.
He stared at her for a long, silent minute, his gaze soaked in crimson from his victims diverted back to study the defenseless, yet truly precious being that he held in his arms. Demetri's mouth quirked at the corners into a grin; he leaned forward, placing a fleeting kiss on the infant's head before turning his attention to the mother of his child. "I believe we have danced around each other long enough, la lupa. It's time you come home to Volterra."
What? Come home to Volterra? He said it like I was some troubled teenager who ran away from home one day. "La Push, Washington, on the Reservation, is my home. It's Briseis' home!"
The mention of her daughter's name had Demetri pause before he could speak over the young mother. His eyes went wide before looking down, awestruck at their infant. "Briseis, a name of Greek origin. You thought of me after all, but you allowed your fears and selfishness to get in the way of us. I find that all the more reason to take you back to Volterra."
He's the best tracker in existence. He's the Volturi's bloodhound. I won't be able to shake him. Even though he's not physically hunting me, he's persistent and relentless to argue with. The tilt of his sculpted, perfect features in her direction, an expectant gleam in his eye, forced a defeated sigh and nod from Leah, her resolve temporarily broken as she found no way to turn the odds in her favor.
"La mia lupa, this is not a punishment. Think of it as a step guiding you down the right path for yourself and our little Briseis." .Demetri beamed at her silent consent, his attention then stolen at the clumsily, wriggling infant girl, who had captivated him entirely.
Leah slinked around the immortal man to settle on the edge of the hotel bed. Her daughter began to fall asleep in her complicated lover's arms. She then hid her face behind her hands, hunching over, attempting to make herself as small as possible. Imprinting on him has been worse than a death sentence. I'm shackled, bound, and stuck underneath of a man with no remorse.
Her moment of solitude wouldn't last as the mattress dipped under Demetri's solid weight, and his free hand came to the back of her neck, massaging the sensitive skin. She gasped at the feeling of his icy lips against her temple. "There, there, my Leah. You're doing what any good mother would do and prioritizing the needs of her child. I forgive you, la lupa. I love you, I do."
Swallowing down the series of curses, violence, and hatred that her blood boiled with for him. Leah couldn't resist the urge to preen under the praise of the man, who for the past year had been her reason to keep living, and who was also the father of her daughter.
I'll just have to learn how to endure and survive for us while standing at Demetri's side. I don't want to leave. I wanted to keep her as far away from Volterra as possible, but he wants us, and he'll never let go of the power he has over me. So Leah parroted exactly what her imprinted wanted of her. "I love you too, Demetri."