Note: I do not own Twilight, any of its sequels, or any of its wonderful characters; Stephenie does.

Unfair Justice

You wouldn't believe me if I told you how unbearable it was being Leah Clearwater. You wouldn't understand the pure insanity of my mind as I watch the pity through my own brother's eyes. His eyes. Everyone's eyes. If I could escape—escape to anywhere but here—even for a second of my unthinkably long life, it would still be agonizing. Would they judge me if I ran? Would they even care?

Yeah, they would care. They would care because for once their minds would be free of my intolerably annoying thoughts. My heartthrob would be gone from their minds and they could accomplish their job in peace of me for a split second. Even miles away they would still know, though. They would still see through my eyes and still see the reasons for running. Would it matter? Probably not.

I let my thoughts get away from me, pulling my attention to a hawk circling its prey from the skies above. Its wings spread out several feet, picking up the wind as it blew by and making the creature glide gently through its oval shaped pattern. Eventually it flew away from my cliff's edge, carrying its struggling prize in its sharp talons. I felt sympathy for the poor life that was diminishing to almost nothing and soon would become a meal. How sad it must be… being the prey, not the predator.

My gold eyes watched the hawk's silent escape. I envied it. Being able to leave whenever it pleased, not having to worry about its thoughts being interrupted by frustrating pack members. I missed those times. The times where my thoughts were the only ones I could hear.

The swells of the ocean crashed on the shore below, jogging me back into a reality my body wasn't quite caught up with yet. I shook my large head, clearing the obtrusive thoughts from the corners of my mind. It would take all my determined concentration to hide the pestering thoughts and opinions from the others. But for now, I was alone. Which, in itself, was a reward.

The others must be off having lunch at Emily's, I told myself. Though I did not feel like eating quite yet, I would join them in time.

Emily Young. My cousin. What joy it will be sitting in her home, watching the love of my life never take his eyes off her. I gagged—if a wolf could gag—throwing my head to the side and sticking out my tongue. Why did I deserve this torture and agony? What had I done in my past lives that would call for this unfair justice?

Stupid werewolves. Stupid imprinting.

I was so ready, so willing to finally imprint. To finally let the hurt disappear and have someone who could really understand the harm I was feeling. Jacob Black did, but he was always too busy pining after Bella Swan.

The leech lover.

I rolled my great eyes at the irony in the situation. Werewolves, put on this Earth to rid the land of the evil called Vampires. Vampires, put on this Earth to haunt the darkness of the humans and to suck the blood of the innocent. Bella Swan, put on this Earth to fall in love with both, hurting the ones who love her truly in the process.

Me? Put on this Earth to obsess after Sam Uley, the Alpha of our pack, my ex boyfriend, and the love of my too long life. And whom did he love? At one point, the answer to that question could have quite possibly been me. Now apparently it was Emily, his soul mate. One minute, he was promising to always love me, the next minute, I was old news and he was in love with my cousin.

Oh joy, I thought.

My stomach grumbled aggravatingly as I realized I hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. As if on cue, a small forest rabbit jumped from a bush a few hundred feet away. In human form, I probably wouldn't have second glanced the creature, let alone hear the soft rustle of the movement. But as a wolf, my instincts made my head snap in the rabbit's direction. I unwilling licked my lips hungrily. I did need to eat before my turn on patrol but I had no desire to eat raw. Ew.

I might as well be honest with myself, because they would see every little regretful thought in my head when they rejoined me in a few short hours. I was not cut out for this werewolf life. Billy Black once said that I was more wolverine than wolf, and I am starting to agree with the old coot. I hated the taste of raw meat, I preferred mine cooked medium well, thank you very much. And I very much did not want to join them at Emily's to eat. That would be just as painful—if not worse. Imagine having to sit there and watch them stare into each other's eyes, watching Sam grieve for the once beautiful face of my cousin. Even after he tore half her face to shreds, she still loved him. Okay, maybe I was jealous of the bond they shared. Anyone would be. But even the guys had to admit that witnessing the mushy scene a million times, for a million reasons could become maddening. I avoided any occasion that would catch me in the same room with my cousin and Sam and now I was officially a bridesmaid. Great.

Fine, I resented them when they were apart, too. Was that so horrible? After almost quite literally feeling the despair of him slipping through my fingers, could I not grieve for the vision that had been so close to becoming my reality?

I knew I was a pest to the pack, and I knew it well. Annoying. Impatient. Whiney. I did feel guilty for causing my brother's grief. They might not have thought me capable of that, but I knew some of them understood.

You could ask any one of my brothers, and they would tell you that life is so unjust exactly when it's your turn to get what you want. Okay, maybe not all of them might explain it exactly in those words. Especially not my little brother, Seth. He runs his mouth 24/7 and still everyone loves him and his personality. Seth's always looking for a fight, whether its to release anger from a day of hard work or just for . . . fun. I shuddered at the thought. Since when was fighting and killing fun?

Ah, but that was Seth for you. Always calm. Perhaps I would have developed a better character if Sam had not broken my heart, barely taking the time to make sure the shards were fixable. I suppressed a sigh. I highly doubted it.

Miles away, a wolf howled; the sound made me jump and I automatically scanned the forest border for any sign of danger. I cocked my head slightly, wondering where the sound had come from. If it had been one of my brothers, I would have recognized the call immediately. Was a wolf injured? I hoped not. I gazed back over across the horizon, the piercing sun stinging my eyes.

Come eat, Leah. Sam's voice was abrupt, but still calm and quiet. Just a whisper in my subconscious.

Later, I said. I would rather sit in my nasty slum than have to face the wrath of the beloved couple but I would never tell Sam that.

Is something wrong?

What kind of question was that? Did it look like something was wrong? Yes, I answered his question silently to myself—avoiding the area of my mind that was invaded by trespassers. Everything. Everything is wrong these days. But I could not let him know that. So, I lied. No.

He didn't reply, nor did I assume he wanted to. Sam kept his distance from me most days, only talking and thinking to me about new strategies. The others did the fighting while I did the running. He reserved my skills for the long distance chases. If by some off chance a vampire escaped the clutches of our pack, Sam sent me after the party. I could fight, but I was relatively small and that meant the boys bothered about me getting my bones crushed by some parasite. I was larger than most average female wolves, of course, but so much slighter than the rest of my brothers. They all towered over me, impertinent about my size. It's not like I could do anything about it either. Those that have the gene thrust upon them don't have any choices in the matter. We are what we are. I cannot go to a gym and work out to beef up or make myself any more superior so I can stand a chance next to my brothers. I was stuck forever as the smallest Quileute werewolf.

A sudden flash of life was sent through my body as I recalled the other visitor in my mind. I grudgingly waited silently while my vision became blurred and I focused on the scene Sam was voicelessly making a commotion about in my head.

Through my eyes, I could see what he saw. And I saw a vision. A vision of us. Of what our life together would have been like if he had not imprinted on my cousin. If he had not broken every promise he had ever made to me, went back on every commitment, second-guessed every decision. I knew he felt guilty, utterly revolted with himself but it did not change the matter at hand. I wore his betrayal like a neon sign, and I knew how every person who had ever heard my story viewed me. I was the pitiful girl, unwilling to let go of past wrongs and the treachery situated on my shoulders. Sam still saw a beautiful young woman, filled with a compassion and friendliness that had long been pushed under the surface. I grimaced as he pressed the remorseful memories on me.

I snarled, large tears spilling over leisurely at the brim of my dark eyes. This werewolf could not take the painful blow that left a stinging awareness in the pit of her gut as she watched the future she'd never have. If there's one thing I discovered, it's that you will always get burned but you never get enough.

I'm sorry, he sighed but made no attempt to stop the rush of reminiscences.

Why was he torturing me like this? How much will power did Sam think I had in me? I scowled, replacing my agonizing expression with one of frustration.

Sam shook his head slowly. I am sorry, Leah. For everything. You must realize what it feels like seeing the accusation in your eyes everyday; it's agony. His piercing eyes penetrated the very gates to my soul as if he could see every little detail. Every vision I fantasize about, every memory, every thought I've ever withheld from him. I grimaced at the very thought, though he seemed not to have noticed my reaction. He continued, but I cannot change what's done, Leah, please try to understand that. I am marrying you're cousin and you are a bridesmaid. Do you really want to be the one everyone stares at because you ruined your cousin's wedding? I know that's not who you really are, Leah. Not the girl I fell in love with in high school. I still love you, Leah, though it's not in the way you might hope. I'm sorry…

I couldn't reply to his plea. I couldn't make the thoughts appear in my head. I wanted him out of my subconscious now. Sam seemed to understand but I could easily tell he was reluctant to leave. He hadn't said that much to me about our situation since my werewolf gene was triggered; he was afraid of my reaction. My body did not respond to the supplication in a way I thought it would. It stayed still, calm… Though I could feel the urge to run as far from this dreaded place as I could manage creeping up on my nerves. Where had Jacob run to cope? Northern Canada?

We both sat quiet for a few minutes. Sam was probably contemplating whether or not I would need a shoulder to cry on. Would he call Sue? My mother knew me well, though. She would know that I would come to her if I really needed that shoulder. And I was grateful for once that I was a werewolf. I knew I was only this calm because wolves could handle rash emotions better then humans. I knew I would not combust of tears just yet. I would wait until my thoughts were secure behind locked doors and I was a pretty young girl again . . . not a scruffy—but cute—grey wolf.

Come home when you're ready. But remember you have patrol with Quil tonight. Sam's awareness drifted off and I comprehended that he was phasing back to give me whatever privacy I could find. I nodded. Thankful. All I needed was some peace and quiet in the safety of my mind.

I considered his last words carefully. It was an order, no doubt. I could feel the Alpha's command radiating off every word still implanted in my memory. Ugh. Patrol… At least I was accompanying Quil. Fun loving Quil. He was still so jazzed up about being apart of the pack, though he had come to realize his heritage before Seth and I. I could feel the corners of my mouth pull up into a hint of a smile. Maybe Quil's positive, laid-back attitude could save me from slipping off the edge I was clinging to inside my head. If he could, then I would be forever in his dept.

With that thought in mind, and only that thought, I raced off in search of him. Grateful for any escape that would rid my mind of the pestering leftover feelings for Sam Uley.

Hi!! Thanks so much for reading my very first fanfiction :D Hope you enjoyed it. I'll be putting up another chapter very soon, so no worries!! Please leave lots of reviews!!