So, we told them everything. The first meeting with the Elders, the legend of Kaya, the night of the bonfire. I was afraid of how they would react. I was sure they would be angry because their bitch of a sister would be put in a position of power. I was sure to give them their privacy; once they knew we were able to hear them, I immediately told them our methods on silencing them in our heads.
There were questions, of course, and we welcomed all of them. Jacob had time to cool down and I had time to recount everything that just happened. Was I wrong? Or was he wrong? I honestly didn't know. I felt something in me that told me I couldn't just leave her like that. I knew that both of us being stubborn wasn't going to get us anywhere, but we needed to get this sorted out as soon as possible. I hated him being angry with me. I was used to everyone else being angry with me, but not him.
"So, what do you guys think?" I asked, looking at the grass. We were still in the clearing, still in our going out clothes. My makeup was probably all over my face because I kept running my hands over it. So much for a night out. "I know it's a lot, but..." I trailed off.
"We value you guys' opinion. We are a pack, and if there's anything you all aren't comfortable with, we want to know now rather than later." Jacob finished for me.
The pack was quiet for what felt like a lifetime. Jared was the first to speak, "So...why is this happening now? Why not when Jacob first phased or when Leah first phased?"
"The Elders felt that, at the time, Sam was the best leader for the pack. He had the level head to deal with new wolves; I didn't. Now that Emily's pregnant, things are about to change. It's time for me to step up." Jacob declared. "As far as Leah is concerned in this ordeal..." Here we go... "after hearing the legend of the first she-wolf, it made sense. Leah's bravery, compassionate, and resilience is the reason why she's been the only female wolf in this long. I mean, she is Kaya. No other Rez girl is like Leah; we need her."
Well I was not expecting that. I expected for him to rip me a new one after what happened. To my surprise, he kept going, "She's been doing countless hours of research to make sure that she was completely ready to take this on. And she wanted to make sure that you all got to know the real her before the change. It's been a massive adjustment for both of us and it's still not over. But we owe it to you all to know what's going on."
"Yeah...it's not very fair of us to have kept this from you." I said, quietly. Quil, sitting next to me, rubbed my back. I placed my head gently on his shoulder and sighed. "But I understand if you all aren't on board. I...I'll do whatever I can to make you guys comfortable with this."
"What does Sam know?" Colin's voice popped up. Colin had really taken a liking to Sam once he phased. I couldn't really say that things were divided in the pack, but there were definitely people that favored Sam's leadership than Jacob's. Colin, Brady, Jared, and some of the younger pups were more prone to side with Sam if there was any kind of disagreement in the pack. Paul sat right on the fence. He and Jacob were close, but so were he and Sam. Paul was the second to phase, so Sam was right there to teach him the ropes. But Paul didn't always agree with Sam's methods. Loyalty to Jacob lie in Embry, Quil, and Seth mostly. And me, of course.
Jacob spoke, "Sam knows that I will be stepping up when he's ready to retire. He will still be active as much as he can, but he will no longer be in a leadership role." He looked like a true Alpha. He spoke with a certain bravado and confidence. His stance was straighter than the Jacob I knew before. He was coming into himself.
Jacob and the guys continued to talk around me. They continued to ask questions and Jacob felt confident enough to talk for both of us. And I felt comfortable enough to let him. I knew that we were still going to have to talk about what happened, but I'm grateful that he wasn't letting his frustration towards me get in the way of him being a leader.
We had been in the clearing so long, I could see the light of a new day start to peak over the horizon. I looked at the pack—my pack, my brothers—and allowed myself to feel afraid of the change. I could hear my heart beating hard in my ears. My breath became shorter and I felt a small bead of sweat roll down my face. I lowered my head and took as deep a breath I could. Quil was still rubbing my back as I worked my way through, what I knew was a small panic attack.
I hadn't had one in years. All of my anxiety had been replaced by anger and resentment; this was the first time where I was aware of things that were changing. Not only were they changing, but they were changing because of me. It was beginning to feel like too much, too fast. With Jacob probably still upset with me and having to figure out what caused such a large group of vampires to come to Port Angeles, it all started to crash around me.
"Whoa, Leah, what's wrong?" I heard Quil say next to me.
I took a deep breath through my nose and out of my mouth. "I just got a little overwhelmed for a second." I looked up to see all of the boys looking concerned. "I think that this is a lot for everyone to take in in a couple of hours. Jacob will call an official meeting with the Elders for the day after tomorrow. I think it's time for all of us to head back to the Rez and get some rest." I stood up from the ground, brushing the grass off of my butt. "Are you guys feeling ok?"
"We want to make sure that you're feeling ok," Paul said, his brows furrowed.
I smiled, "I'll be fine! Let's go home, guys."
We all made our way back to the cars. Seth, Colin, and Brady piled into one car. Embry and Quil rode with Paul and Jared so Jake and I could have the Rabbit to ourselves. I sat in the passenger seat with my hands in my lap. He had his left hand resting on the top of the wheel and his right arm resting on the middle consol. It was silent. I wanted so badly to just switch on the radio, but I felt like if I didn't move, he wouldn't say anything. I picked at my thumb nail as I watched the trees zoom by as we drove. Small droplets of rain hit the window and the sun was starting to rise.
"I understand," was all he said. I turned to look at him to find him already looking at me, instead of the road. "You did the right thing; I was just afraid."
"Afraid of what?" I said, quietly.
He raised his arm to run his hand through his head. I took the time to appreciate his flexed biceps. The sleeves of his t-shirt hugged his muscular arms. "It feels like no one actually believes I can be Alpha. And the first time I have to assert myself, it's in this freak occurrence. Seven vamps in one night? I got scared...and I needed you..."
I found myself a little irritated. "Well, you can't just yell at me whenever you feel like it," I said, firmly. "I thought we were a team."
"We are a team!" Jake exclaimed. He sighed. "This whole night just didn't go the way I thought it would..."
He was right. We all wanted a night off and it completely turned to shit. He slid his hand on my bare thigh and I felt myself relax.
"I'm sorry, Lee." Jacob said, squeezing my thigh.
I couldn't bring myself to say anything back, so I just went back to looking out the window. By the time we pulled up to my house, the tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. I was still mad at him, but I didn't want him to leave. I still craved his body on mine. Not sex. I just wanted to feel the security of his arms around my body. We both looked at my small, childhood home. Jacob cleared his throat as he put the gear in park. What do you want, Aileah? His thoughts were soft in my head, like a whisper.
"Will you come upstairs with me?" I asked, still looking out of the windshield. We found our way inside and upstairs. I left him in my room as I got myself ready for bed in the bathroom. My makeup was a mess and my hair was slowly becoming a rat's nest on top of my head. As I made my way back into my bedroom, after taking my makeup off, I noticed Jacob making a small palette on the floor. He had stripped himself down to his boxers and was fluffing the pillows he laid on the ground. "What are you doing?"
He blinked at me and then looked back down at his pillows. "I figured you wanted your space."
I pulled a pair of shorts and a loose top from my dresser and changed. "Is that really what you think I want?" I slipped into my bed and got myself comfortable.
Jacob gave me a boyish smile. "No," he shook his head. "But I think, after tonight, I'm ok with just being in the same room as you. I want a fresh start tomorrow...or today, I guess." He chuckled. Laying down on his palette, he looked up at me with beautiful brown eyes. "I really am sorry, Leah."
I pursed my lips before pulling myself out of my bed, grabbing a pillow. He watched me as I kneeled down on the floor and bent down to gently kiss his lips. "I forgive you." I laid next to him, facing him. His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Jacob placed a small kiss on my forehead as my eyes fluttered shut. "We'll figure it out..." I whispered as I fell asleep.
XXXXXXXXX
I woke up to a loud pounding on my front door. My eyes shot open to see Jacob resting peacefully next to me in bed. In the midst of the night—or should I say morning—, he moved both of us to my queen-sized bed. He slept on top of my navy-blue, floral comforter after he tucked me under it. He was sleeping on his stomach, his mouth slightly agape. He never snored often; just when he was absolutely exhausted. I reached to run my hand through his black hair. He sighed and snuggled his face deeper into the pillow. I looked over at the clock. 3:45 pm. Fuck, we had slept all day.
The loud knocking at the front door continued. I quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Jacob. I snuck downstairs, closing my bedroom door behind me. My bare feet still made the old wood audibly creak under me. It was definitely time for the house to get some updates. There was a spot on the floor where a nail was raised, and no one bothered to fix it. The walls hadn't painted since Seth and I were kids. The kitchen desperately needed new appliances. I couldn't wait to do that for my mom. One day.
I swung open the front door and was met by a pair of emerald green eyes. My own hazel eyes widened as I took in a girl about my age. Her tan face was framed by full, curly dark brown hair. She had small features except for full lips, and a cute round face. She wasn't Native, though. She looked mixed. I hadn't gotten a really good look at her in the darkness of the alley, but I knew exactly who it was. It was the girl from last night. Bianca.
Holy shit.
Her face broke out in a wide smile; her teeth were, of course, perfectly white and perfectly straight. "You're Leah!" she exclaimed. She jumped up once and eagerly wrapped her arms around me. "You're the one that saved my life!"
I stood there, stunned. Why in the world—? What in the world—? How in the world—? I was confused. How did she find me? What was going on? I swear, I spent more time being confused in this phase of my life than any other time. She pulled away from me and we locked eyes. I shook myself out of my shock and spoke, "How...?"
She looked down at the ground and smiled slightly. "I know it's strange of me to pop in like this. I just...I came by to thank you for saving my life."
I stepped aside so she could step into the house. She looked around as I closed the front door. "How...?" I repeated.
She turned to face me, the skirt of her mustard yellow, eyelet dress flared as she spun. This girl was a walking fucking Disney princess. "I was talking to my roommate about what happened to me last night. I-I go to Peninsula College and I was describing you to her and told her your name. She said you sounded familiar, so we did some digging. And she figured out that she knew you and your brother from La Push High School! There's only one Clearwater family in the whole state, so it wasn't hard to find you on the Yellow Pages website. I owe you my life; the least I could do is come here to see you in person."
I bit my bottom lip and stared at this girl, trying to process. "Um..." I started. I didn't even know what to say. "C-Can I get you something to drink?" I hooked my thumb to point at the kitchen. She excitedly nodded her head and took a seat at the kitchen table. I was shaking as I poured her a glass of water. What had I done? Yes, I helped save this girl's life, but if she told her roommate about what happened then she probably told her about what we were and what she saw. I set the glass in front of her and took a seat. "I don't...really know what to say."
"I didn't tell anyone about the whole big dog and red eyed freak thing. I was pretty vague, if that's what you're worried about," Bianca nodded again as she tipped the glass towards her mouth. "I'm not here for answers. I really just came to say thank you."
Just as she finished speaking, Jacob bounced down the stairs. Clad in just his black boxers, he stopped dead in his tracks as he took in that there was an extra person in the house with me. "Uh...hi." Jake said, confused.
Bianca whipped her head to look at him. Her eyes widened as she took in all of his half naked glory. "Oh! Hello!" she smiled, standing up and holding out her hand. "I'm Bianca."
"I-I'm Jake."
"It's nice to meet you! Well...officially. You're one of the guys from last night, aren't you?" she asked.
I ran my hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. Jacob was just as stunned as I was. So much for tying up a loose end. No one could have ever predicted this happening.
"I probably should have called or...sent you a Facebook message or something..." Bianca said. "I know I shouldn't have dropped by like this, but I would never forgive myself if I couldn't properly meet you guys."
Jacob shook his head. What did she see? He asked me.
Everything.
"Sorry, we're just not used to things like this happening." I smiled at her. "You could say we live in our own little world over here."
"Oh, I know! My roommate is always talking about how people don't really leave La Push and, I guess, I understand why now." Bianca took her seat back at the table and looked at me. "So...can I ask questions or is that just completely inappropriate?"
"We'd rather you didn't as—," Jacob started to say as someone else knocked on my front door.
"Yo!" I heard Embry's voice on the other side. "Lee! Is Jake in there?"
Jacob walked to go answer the front door. "Now is not the time, man. I need you to come back later."
"Pfft, what do you mean come back later? What could you guys possibly be doing in here?" Embry moved past Jake and entered the house. As he said hey to me, he looked at the other girl in the room and froze. I knew that look. I'd seen that look. His jaw dropped and his breathing seemed to shallow as their eyes locked. It was as if they were both moving in slow motion. I looked over to Bianca and saw her with the same expression on her face.
Embry just imprinted.
I had a small humorless smirk on my face. Of course! Of course, the girl whose life I saved is meant to be part of this fucked up world the pack lives in. I closed my eyes and sighed loudly. I heard Jacob curse. Not that it mattered, Embry and Bianca were still so wrapped up in each other, they didn't even notice. Embry slowly made his way to the kitchen table and sitting in a chair. It creaked beneath him. "Hi," was all he said.
"Hi."
He blinked a couple of times before flashing her a dimpled smile. "I'm Embry."
"Bianca," she said, taking in every inch of his face. She reached up and touched his cheek. "I saw you last night."
"Somehow, I didn't see you..." he said, leaning into her touch.
Jacob and I both had complicated feelings about imprinting. I, obviously, wasn't a fan of it because of everything that happened with Sam. And the Elders had told Jacob early on that he probably wouldn't imprint because he was the rightful Alpha. They told him his main focus was to be the pack when the time was right. Enter me at 19 years old; the first female wolf in hundreds of years, and everything changed. But what Jacob and I had wasn't an imprint. It was something bigger. Something way bigger than us and way more complicated than an imprint. I glanced at Jacob, who was scratching the back of his head as he watched the scene in front of him.
Bianca seemed to snap herself out of it and gave a small chuckle. "Oh wow, that was a little intense. Anyways," she tucked a tightly coiled curl behind her ear. "I was asking you something...oh right! Do you mind if I ask questions? I'm still very confused about what I saw last night."
"You can ask as many questions as you need," I shrugged. "How about I make dinner for all of us? Are you hungry?" The boys got excited. "I'm not talking to you two, goofballs. I know you're hungry. I'm speaking to Bianca. Are you hungry?" I looked at this girl in front of me. She looked really sweet. She smiled and nodded.
"I would love to stay for dinner!" she said.
"Great! Umm...Em, why don't you take Bianca into the living room? Behave yourself. Jacob, you're in here with me." I sprang out of my seat to open the fridge. Jacob stood close behind me as I started to grab things out of the fridge. "Oh my god..." I said, under my breath. He could hear me and the panic in my voice.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Jacob chuckled behind me. He placed his hands on my hips as I figured out what I was going to cook. "Well, this makes things easier."
I scoffed, pulling out the ingredients for chicken fajitas. "For who?"
"For us, mostly." Jake shrugged.
I yanked a cutting board from behind a recipe book and a knife from the block. "This girl is about to be pulled into a whole world when she probably already has her life planned. She's in college, Jake."
"So?" he said. "She can still finish college. She can even still keep a job in Port Angeles or Forks if she wants to. She can still live her life. She's not bound here."
The onion started to burn my eyes as I cut it into rings and then in half. "What if she wanted to leave after she graduated, Jake? What if she wanted to go to another city, another state, even?"
Jacob grabbed a knife and began to slice the bell peppers. "The universe is in play here, Lee. Taha Aki himself picked this girl for Embry. There's nothing we can do about it now. Same for Rach and Kim and Claire...and you."
"You know it's different for me," I rolled my eyes. Once again, I'm not an imprint. I'm...a freak accident.
We were both silent for a second, as we continued to cook. The aroma of the food was thick in the air. I could hear Bianca and Embry in the next room, laughing. Clearly, they were getting along well. "She's pretty," Jacob said.
"Very," I mumbled.
I could hear Embry walking back into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. I groaned and swatted him with a spatula. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lee!" he said, putting me back on the ground. He had this giant smile on his face, his dimples poking. "Holy shit, she's incredible."
"Why are you thanking me, Em?" I said with a small smile.
His face dropped into a serious expression. "You brought her to me." I shook my head. "No, really, you did! Just imagine what would have happened last night if we hadn't gone out there. If you hadn't talked to her. You did this." He retreated back into the living room, thanking me once again.
Jacob and I finished up dinner. I took the time to appreciate his presence in the kitchen and allowed myself to think about us doing this again. Maybe in our own house? If we ended up together? He held out a cooked chunk of chicken out for me to taste. I wrapped my lips around the food and his fingers and moaned as the flavors burst on my tongue. "Oh my god, that's so good."
"Where did you learn to cook, Lee?" Jake asked.
I looked at him funny. "You know Emily and I are from the same family, right? Who do you think taught her to make those stupid ass muffins?" I pointed at myself. I took a pair of tongs and placed all of the food on serving platters. I called to the two in the living room, as I set the table.
"Well, you just continue to amaze me, don't you?" Jake said, brushing his hands across my torso. I looked up at him with a smile as I put down the last plate.
And, over dinner, Jacob and I started to tell the whole story of our tribe and our history to this new girl who was bound to be in our lives forever. I was really starting to get tired of explaining myself.