Summary: Leah had been betrothed to Chief Jacob Ephraim Black for as long as she could remember. It was an ever present presence looming within her household. The pressure to please him was unbearable; she was suffocating in the confines of her Elders' decision and her parents grasp on what happened in her life. So she ran. And ran. And ran. But then he found her. Inadvertently, of course.

He didn't care what it took. He'd find her. The hours he was supposed to dole out for patrols, were wasted, in his fathers mind, on finding her. It was not so much that he desired her,no. She was only 17 when she left, and he 23. His pride, however, his mighty Alpha pride, had been severely wounded when she left, and he would not let that go until he found her.

Just after she left, her younger brother, Seth, whom she had been very close with, phased. He, though loyal to his sister, had proved to be a tremendous help in searching for his sister. Jacob had the suspicion that he was doing it, not for his Alpha, but because he wanted his elder sister back. No matter. The point was that in the year since she had left, they had nearly found her a plethora of times. First they had gone to her best friend Maya's house. They caught her scent, but she evidently knew what she was doing, because it wasn't very strong and they could tell she wasn't there anymore. They searched each and every one of her friends, enemies, and acquaintances. They searched areas of her interest and areas of her disinterest. All they ever got was the faintest hint of her warm cinnamon and vanilla scent.

"Darling, hurry on. We've got less than thirty minutes until we are scheduled to cut the ribbon at the new recreation center you so graciously sanctioned rather than the day spa we discussed." Isabella, his wife, deadpanned as she finished caking on what had to be at least a pound of bronzer to her paper-white face. Bella had been a friend of his from college and her vast contrast to her often helped him to forget his new found obsession for a little while. Jacob shot his wife a withering glare. He was a man of few words, or so people liked to assume. He was more talkative than completely necessary.

"Don't look at me like that. You and I both know that a spa would benefit the kids ten times more than whatever your little center will do." Jacob didn't reply as he fastened the belt on his dark blue slacks before doing up the buttons on his crisp white shirt. Slipping into his loafers he looked towards his wife, now applying a thick coat of mascara. "The spa would make all the parents on the Rez so super happy. Happy parents make for happy children."

"Or, now bear with me, with the increasing rate of crime and street violence on the Rez and by the children from the Rez, the various sports and activities that the center will provide will help them." he stated, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

This was something he wholeheartedly believed in. it was not a crock devised by his publicist, as he was on the bid for the Day Spa. All throughout high school, while he was being conditioned to be a good leader every last one of his friends was negatively influenced in one way or another. Even when he 'took the high road' and befriended the more model students, they had a whole slew of their own issues, despite their reputations as 'nerds' or 'goodies'. No matter what social group he joined and floated to, children on the Rez just seemed to be no good. Fighting. Drugs. Alcohol. Mental or Physical instability. All these damned problems. Back then though he didn't want to be chief, the responsibility frightened him beyond rational belief. The one thing he looked forward to was fixing what he saw as problems in his community, he had promised his mother.

He'd already cleaned up the beach, made the woods a generally safe place, fixed up several roads and pavements, demolished, built up, and graded buildings. There were more problems and he felt that the Rec Center could fix some of them. Between the clubs, activities, sports, and classes the center is just what all the kids need. A home away from home.

"Psh, sure. But I think a spa could have done just as much to help the Indians." she brushed him off as she finished applying very shiny sticky lip gloss. Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh.

"Isabella for the last time, that's degrading and slightly derogatory. The technical, proper, term is Quileute. No wonder you nearly dropped out of school, dear."

"Hey! That was, like, so not my fault. The teachers were way mean to me and they graded really hard. Like, what do I care about the economic system in places like Yugoslavia?" she asked in her valley girl twang. He was beginning to think that she really could not help herself, that she truly spoke and acted like that on a regular basis. "Besides, my usual way to get good marks was, like, out of commission by the time senior year rolled around. I usually slept with the teachers or bribed them or stuff and by senior year we were already dating, so." she shrugged as she wiggled and pulled her rather short summer dress down a bit before sliding her petite hands into the crook of his elbow.

They made it to the center right on point, as they should be. The only people present so far were the Elders, his pack, and a few parents. The Elders all congratulated Jacob and snubbing Isabella. They wholeheartedly disapproved of Isabella, an outsider, being married to someone as important as the chief. No, they were as determined as Jacob and had their hearts set on her while his heart was solely set on finding the little coquette. The Elders hadn't given their union a blessing or made a single comment on it besides to criticize it. So when time came to marry her, he wasn't worried at all about what he'd have to go through. The annulment would be simple.

"Jacob!" Embry, a former friend and current pack mate of Jacob's, yelled out from somewhere behind him. It sounded urgent and he was immediately on high alert. Today was not the day for any leeches to show up. There were too many people. The lives that would be at stake would be devastating. Jacob spun around quicker than any naked human eye would be able to comprehend. It would have given a normal person severe whiplash.

"Speak."

"Seth thinks he may have found her. He's found Leah."

She stared long and hard at the mirror, something she did every day. She would first pick out every little feature of her face and compare it to those of her family. It helped her remember them. Her green eyes that would sometimes dissolve into hazel, her father. Her cute little button nose with the slightest upward tilt, her mother. Her delicate facial structure, Seth. Then she'd pick away at the things she disliked. The color of her hair, a soft yet deep brown. Her thick yet straight eyelashes. Her ears. She always did this. Measured the good. Measured the bad.

And when she was done, she'd ponder. She'd ponder what it was about her that, out of all the girls on the Rez, they'd chosen her. Why did they trap her so heartlessly at such a young age? She was only a newborn and Jacob already six. Imagine that. A six year old being brought to a hospital and being told 'there. That is your future wife.' She couldn't imagine it. What nobody knew was that Leah had long made her peace with her betrothal to Jacob. He seemed like a nice enough person. When she was ten and he 16, he'd go out of his way to talk to her. Unlike others, he never really got around to condescending to her or ordering her around. She liked that about him. She figured, she had to marry him, but she didn't necessarily have to like him as more than a friend.

But on her 17th birthday when her best guy friend/boyfriend came up to give her her present she saw. She watched as Spencer strode up towards her house. She wasn't allowed, under any circumstances, to date. Never. So she and Spence just told her family they were best friends, which wasn't a lie, but they'd also had to tell them that he was gay. Leah smiled a private smile and bit her lip in anticipation. Knowing Spencer, he probably got her something absolutely glorious. He'd probably made her a leather bracelet with her name engraved, or got their initials on a large smooth rock, or promise rings, or even built her a bird house! She was excited.

She watched as he spotted her through the window and winked secretly in her general direction. She watched as Jacob, nearly red, convulsed violently with his fists pinned to his sides as he interrogated poor Spencer. She was annoyed at that. But it was fine. Then she watched as Spencer stupidly gave him a snarky reply and Jacob burst into a large demon-wolf, the one from all the legends. Her 'Uncle' Embry jumped into the mix and turned into a beast as well, but he was helping to pry Jacob off of Spencer. She was utterly horrified. She rushed out the house where, already clothed once more, Jacob breathed heavily and looked down at Spencer's mangled form guiltily. Leah's legs wobbled underneath her. She fell to the floor as Embry and her brother rushed into the family truck and sped Spencer to the hospital. She spent the entire rest of her birthday in his hospital, holding his hand, willing him to wake up. She decided to leave then.

"Wake up, Spence! Please? Come on, wake up." she bawled. Sniffling, she continued as she saw his breathing pattern change. "Come on, now. Who is gonna complain about Mrs. Maran with me? Who's gonna be there to snuggle with me when its all rainy and suckish? Who's lips are gonna potentially bruise mine? Wake up, dammit!" after a lot of croaky moaning and grumbling.

"I can't do that, Lee. Waking up is facing reality."

"And what's so bad about that if I'm here for you? We've always faced stupid reality with each other." Leah chuckled at her dorky boyfriend who, though he was talking, insisted upon keeping his eyes closed.

"Because I think we need to break up. We won't be facing it together this time because I want to break up. I cant handle all the secrecy, the lying, all of it, Lee! Lee, I love you enough to want to scream it on top of Mount Everest. Go to my coat your present should be somewhere in there." He was wheezing with the effort it took to talk, she noted. She stood and went over to a chair in to corner of the small room that was already cramped with beeping machinery. She dug all around the pockets until she found a small velvety box. An engagement ring. Leah's heart sank. She couldn't have accepted anyway. No matter how much she wanted to.

Now she really had to run away.

After tying all loose ends with Spencer, she left the hospital, wishing him the best, knowing she'd never find another love like him. She ran home and packed a small knapsack. Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner. Clothes: 6 simple outfits. She wore what she referred to as her travel clothes and she only carried one other pair of shoes than what she wore now. She ran and ran and ran. First to Maya's, to say goodbye. Then to everyone else, making sure to make her presence known, should the freak beasts come searching for her.

Going over a list in her head, Leah now prepared to move once more. She never stayed in one place more than a week. So far, she'd been safe. At eighteen years old, she wasn't allowed the luxury of finishing up high school or applying and going to her dream university, Princeton. Her entire life was stolen from her, and for what? To marry a Chief? Great.

Slipping on her knapsack and biting into a juicy green apple, she left the note, thanking the people who'd graciously taken her in, on a counter and slipped out. It was still very early in the morning and the sun was still attempting to rise. Leah sighed at the sight she'd grown to resent. Darting away from the nice country style home she went toward the first train station she saw. She weaved inconspicuously through the large crowds with her eyes down and her other senses up. Out of nowhere at all she ran into a wall. Slipping her hand under her bangs she rubbed her forehead soothingly. She was sure a knot would form by this time tomorrow. She looked up and saw not a wall, but a tall russet-skinned, broad shouldered, muscled man.

"Sethy?"