Twilight – Against All Odds

Author: L

Chapter 1 – Sad, Cynical and Bitter

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Leah's Point of View

My eyes narrowed and my nose wrinkled in disgust as I watched him playing like a love-sick puppy with her. A week ago, we were yelling at each other with bitter and sarcastic comments about Sam and Bella but now, he barely glanced in my direction.

I didn't even know why I was here. Quil and Embry had wanted to see little Renesmee Cullen so Seth decided to go as well, and they thought it was a good idea to drag me along too. It was just what I wanted to see – another member of the pack who had imprinted and found their soul mate.

The smell that was radiating off of her was repulsive. I thought she was supposed to be half-vampire yet she still ended up smelling five times worse than the rest of these bloodsuckers. I could imagine the argument that would erupt when I phased and Jacob heard my views on his sweetheart.

He was stronger than me but I would put up a good fight. My back would be pressed against the ground by his front paws and his hot breath would make my face flushed. There would be a thumping in my heart as the rage bubbled in my blood.

Suddenly, I felt an urge to throw him through the window of the bloodsuckers' ridiculously large living room. I wanted him to be mad at me. At least I wouldn't be invisible to him then. He was the alpha of the pack and I was his beta. I was his.

A growl swept through my chest as I repeated these atrocious thoughts. Heads swept towards me in confusion but he only had eyes for her. I swore loudly in my head. I didn't belong to anyone and no one belonged to me either.

Leah Clearwater is an independent werewolf. I'm better than all the others in the pack because I haven't imprinted and I don't want to. Imprinting makes you a slave to someone and it makes you a slave to love. You become weak.

In my world, love doesn't exist. It's a stupid word and it's a stupid emotion. He was right when he told me that I would be alone for the rest of my life. When he had eventually calmed down, he was furiously backtracking but I blocked out his apologies.

Seth would be the next to imprint; he was already looking forward to it. Jealousy stabbed at my heart when I thought about my brother being happy and it was quickly replaced by shame. I could say and think anything I wanted about anyone in Forks, but not my own brother.

I snarled uncontrollably when I saw him place a kiss on the girl's cheek and the curiosity over my strange, but perhaps not surprising, behaviour became too much for them to handle. Taking a second to regain control of myself, my eyes darted in the direction of the voice.

"Leah, are you alright?" Bella asked in a quiet, nervous tone.

Horror struck me when I noticed the leech that she had chosen over Jacob sitting next to her. The fact that he could read minds had escaped me. This meant that my thoughts had been invaded by his infuriating abilities and I had to repress the second snarl that was threatening to escape.

Gritting my teeth, I muttered my reply in a deliberate cold, unpleasant voice. "I'm fine."

Everyone turned back towards the happy couple, forgetting my visible unease. It felt easier to hate Renesmee than it had been to be mad at Emily. Another man in my life had been taken away from me and the reality of this forced a stabbing pain at my heart.

Wait, what was I saying? I obviously just felt sorry for him because he would have to put up with her horrible body odour and freakishly fast growth spurt. Tears appeared in my eyes and I turned away from the scene so I could wipe them before they fell.

People perceived me as a sad, cynical, bitter werewolf. Well, so what? I like being a sad, cynical, bitter werewolf. For a second, I wondered how Jacob's arms would feel around me. Not forcefully holding me down so I didn't sink my teeth into his neck, but gently holding me in his lap, allowing us to share tender moments.

My stomach lurched and I wondered how the leeches would feel if I threw up over their floor. I couldn't believe that, even if it had been for the tiniest moment, I had wanted to know what it was like to be a bloodsucker.

Actually, I reasoned, I wasn't thinking about being a vampire. I just wanted to know what it was like to be with Jacob. My mouth dropped open in shock and my eyes widened incredulously when I realised how true that statement had been.

Locking my gaze upon his muscled body, I waited impatiently for him to look up. The minutes ticked by slowly, taking twice as long as usual, until he finally glanced in my direction. Disappointment immediately hung in the air when he snapped his head back towards the baby bloodsucker, oblivious to my existence.

I spun around impulsively and ran, desperately stopping myself from phasing until I reached the forest that surrounded their house. I hated Jacob Black for doing this to me. Sam's betrayal had slashed my heart leaving a deep cut and now Jacob had added to it.

There was a part of me that defended him and noted that it wasn't his fault, but I had been stunned into silence at the discovery that I could be reasonable. He didn't ask to imprint, especially not on a Cullen.

Bella had been, up until the birth of her daughter, the love of my alpha's life. She had hurt him and he will always be tied to her through that spawn. It was just like how I would always be linked to Sam because he was now my cousin-in-law.

When I reached my house, I barged through the front door and slammed it shut. The stairs shook under my angry footsteps and I buried myself under the covers of my bed, crying for the first time since Sam had left me for Emily.

The old Leah and the new Leah had merged together. I despised myself for falling for the wrong guy again, because the hurt and pain that took me years to numb had returned, this time sharper than ever. I was laced with resentment for Jacob Black yet it didn't seem to overpower the longing that I had for him.

As my eyelids drooped heavily, the last thing I felt was anger and I was perfectly content with keeping it that way.