LEAH
She hadn't wanted to leave the house. Hadn't really wanted to leave the bedroom if she was honest. Which surprised her because she'd never been this person. She'd always been the reliant one, the one that put everyone before herself. The one who took every punch or insult thrown her way but never reacted back.
Yet suddenly that had changed.
But she'd finally checked her phone – and she'd nearly fainted (again) at the number of messages she'd missed.
From teddy bear emergencies and injured visiting alphas to dire begging for help, the guilt had nearly swallowed Leah whole.
So, showered, dressed and with Jack in tow – because he refused to let her go and face them alone – Leah headed for Darcy's Diner, where her family and friends had gathered to discuss the rogue problem.
And as they walked into the diner, everyone had fallen silent. Leah gave them a small, meek smile and her and Jack took the nearest available seats. But they didn't continue the meeting, they just kept staring.
"That's Jack?" Saf blurted, earning another growl from Jonathon and a few eye rolls from around the table.
"Um, yeh, hi everyone. Oh, hi, you must be alpha Nicholas?" Leah asked the man who still bore a few bruises on his jaw thanks, apparently, to Callie. He only nodded in response. "Um, yes, so, this is Jack. Jack, this is everyone."
Jack, to his credit, gave everyone a friendly wave before slinging his arm around the back of Leah's chair.
Conversation began to restart and Leah released a long breath, relieved they'd not pushed her for information on where she'd been or hated her for abandoning them when they'd clearly needed her.
However, Saf had noted the hand around the back of Leah's chair, and the way the wolf gazed at her friend with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. She'd seen that look a lot from Jonathon in increasing quantities since that ill-fated kiss in the library.
Ignoring the conversation still going on around them, Saf leant forwards and pinned Leah with a gaze. Leah noticed and must have seen what Saf had realised – her eyes widened and Saf could see the panic on her friend's face.
What Saf had missed, however, was that Jack too had noted Leah's panic – but didn't know why. All he and his wolf knew was that his mate was terrified.
The change was so swift and unrelenting that he didn't have a hope of holding back his wolf and with a loud clatter of his chair, Jack transformed into his wolf, placing himself in front of his mate and herding her back and away from the table until he was sure that she was safe.
That in itself would have been bad enough. But, upon seeing Jack's wolf, Logan's own wolf lunged for the surface and the two wolves met in a clash of claws and fang while everyone else in the room tried to work out with the f*ck had just happened.
*
J
One minute, she'd been sat beside her mate basking in the fact that he was human and she was here surrounded by her family.
The next minute, she was watching Logan and Jack trash the diner as they fought, as everyone dived away from the table and headed to the opposite end of the room.
She watched in muted horror as her mate lunged and gouged out a chunk of Jack's flesh. The wolf roared in response and turned on Logan, swiping him across the face. She went to join in, to save her mate, when Cassidy caught her arm and gave a pointed look at her stomach. The she-wolf was, of course, right. J couldn't risk her cub by diving between two raging wolves but why had Logan gone for him so quickly? Was he really that unsettled still that simply seeing another wolf freak out had sent him rogue already?
Feeling her life was falling apart before her eyes, J could only watch.
No one moved. No one could. The only wolf powerful enough to stop Logan was J. Cassidy went to move forwards but J couldn't risk her, so gripped her arm like she had done before. They shared a worried glance and watched on as the two beasts snarled and fought.
J's mind was spinning as she tried to think of a way to stop them. Perhaps if they could get a tranquilliser, perhaps if-
A flash of fur interrupted her thought process as a wolf darted forwards and smacked into Logan's side, sending him flying across the room before a paw swept out and caught Jack under the chin, sending him flipping through the air. Both wolves bounced back to their feet, slightly dazed, but a growl that was similar to a rolling wave of thunder echoed across the room at the same moment that dizzying power waves crashed against them all.
Most of the wolves in human form instantly fell to their knees on the floor. Only Jake, Cassidy, Jonathon and J remained on their feet, but eventually Jonathon's legs gave way and he too was forced to submit to this wolf who had both Logan and Jack straining against their power.
Next, Jake went. Followed quickly by Cassidy. And finally, J was forced to her knees for the first time in her life, by a wolf more powerful than she.
By this point, both Logan and Jack's noses were on the floor, their ears flattened against their heads. They were submitting, everyone in the diner – probably everyone in the packlands - was submitting to this wolf.
Happy that everyone was under control, the wolf forced both Logan and Jack to transform back into their human forms – which was no small feat. Finally, the wolf too transformed back into her human form.
J blinked up at Callie as she grabbed her coat and wrapped it around her naked form. The entire room was silent as Logan and Jack both sat dazed on the floor.
"Callie, what the hell was that?" Caleb snapped. And J knew he echoed everyone's thoughts.
"I-I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do, I-"
J got to her feet and stumbled towards Callie, capturing the girl's face in her hands. "Do not apologise, Cal'. You did the right thing." Leaving Callie, J walked to Logan's side and dropped into a crouch beside him, brushing his hair out of his face.
"What the hell happened, Logan?" J whispered quietly as Leah tended to Jack and the others began to pick up what was left of the furniture.
Logan growled and didn't stop, his wolf flashing in his eyes. J's stomach clenched in fear. He'd gone rogue again, he'd-
"That's the rogue. I'd recognise him anywhere. That's subject-6."
His accusation silenced the room and everyone slowly turned to look at where Leah hovered over Jack.
Realising they had everyone's attention, Leah turned to face them. Jack pushed himself to his feet and pulled Leah behind him.
"You." Logan growled, getting to his feet. "You're the rogue. I should have killed you. I thought I had killed you." He took a step forward, ready to finish what he'd started when Leah threw herself in front of him.
"Stop. Just stop it! H-He was rogue but I healed him. I-I healed him. OK? And he's my mate. My moonmate. So, just...STOP!" She finished on a yell, holding her hands up in front of her.
Logan's growl stalled and J wasn't sure which admission had done it. The fact that they were mated or that Leah, her friend Leah, had healed a rogue.
"Leah." Cassidy admonished, sounding like the alpha she was. "You brought a rogue into our packlands?"
Leah shuffled nervously, and Jack wrapped a protective arm around her. "I-I didn't. He was here already. Logan had nearly killed him when I found him. I didn't know who he was, not until I'd healed him."
"So wait," Jake interrupted, "you've known since J bought Logan back that this man was the rogue? You harboured him on our packlands? You lied to me when I asked who he was?"
Leah flinched at the hurt in Jake's tone. At the anger.
"You lying sow. That's why I felt so awful after healing you!" Elenor interjected. "You'd healed a rogue, that's why you were sick."
Leah hung her head in shame and nodded wordlessly.
J took a step towards her but Logan's hand shot out and captured hers, not willing to let her near a wolf he'd known as rogue. J shook off his touch and walked to Leah. She looked up through wet eyes, shame and pain written into every inch of her face.
And breaking a promise to herself, J raised her hand and slapped Leah hard across the face. The she-wolf hit the floor and instantly Jack was in J's face, growling. Logan stepped forwards ready to end him for the move – for putting his mate and cub in danger – but J held out a hand to stop him and levelled Jack with a glare.
She let a little of her power wash over him, let her anger be known in the look that burned her from the inside out.
"Jack, please. Stop it." Leah whispered from the floor where she cradled her cheek.
And to J's surprise, he did. He released his hold on his wolf and slowly stepped away from J. Satisfied she wasn't going to go for his jugular, though in J's opinion he was a little too trusting of her in that moment, he knelt down beside Leah and helped her to her feet.
J glared at Leah in disgust. "You could have saved my mate. Instead you lied and you hid from us. We have been through many things Leah, but even I don't think I can forgive you that."
Spinning away from her, J stalked out of the diner, Logan and her pack in tow.
Cassidy levelled both Leah and Jack with a stare. "It would seem that we need to have a little chat."
Leah took a shaky breath and was more relieved than ever before that Jack had come with her. For in his arms she felt safe, even from the ones she loved the most.
*
J was seething. Anger radiated from her every pore. Logan could not be near her. His wolf so agitated by her anger and the knowledge that the rogue was near was driving him insane and so she stalked off into the forest alone.
And alone she was happy. Alone she would be. And all because her oldest friend hadn't even tried to help her heal her mate. And yes, a small voice reminded her that maybe now Leah could heal Logan. But what if she couldn't? What if he was too far gone? Or what if Elenor hadn't healed him right and had complicated things? She wouldn't put it past her.
J growled and sent wildlife around her fleeing. So lost in her anger, it took her a while to realise that she wasn't alone. It also helped that the wily old wolf was rather good at sneaking up on people.
J sighed in relief and turned towards her grandmother. She ran into her embrace and sobbed into the old woman's shoulder as she held J close.
"It would seem," her grandmother whispered, "that you called me just in time."
And J knew that no truer words had ever been spoken.