Yay! This is my favorite chapter! I was so excited to to write it that I had to before the last one... and then I thought to make you all suffer for a couple days before posting it. mwha mwha...
I need to write just one more chapter, the tiny little conclusion, but it will probably be very slow after this exciting one. *sighs, oh well.
So you know the drill: Read and Review,... and blame Stephanie Meyer for not fixing her characters with a happy ending and making me do it instead.
I could barely sleep that night. My mind kept going every little detail of the evening, lingering on every little hand brush and touch and kiss.
The morning couldn't come quickly enough. I ended up getting to the beach a whole four hours ahead of schedule. Lying awake in bed wasn't doing me any good anyway.
But then I had all that time to work myself up into a nervous fit about what I would say. I didn't even know how to approach the subject.
'I hope you had a great time during the few hours we spent together last night, because I'll be spending every day with you for the rest of our lives.'
Yes, that sounded like a wonderful start.
'Oh, did I mention I'm an enchanted creature that could defeat you in any physical challenge and no feat of your strength will ever impress me?'
Way to bruise a man's ego, Leah.
Even though Mike was stronger than most guys his age, I could just imagine the issues that would arise when he realized I wouldn't need him to be the manly man. What if he got frustrated that I never asked for his help with anything? How would he ever feel like I needed him?
But I did need him. I needed him so much. His very presence calmed me and healed me like nothing ever had before. And even though I knew I would never feel safe in his arms, it was such a comfort to think of his embrace as my own security blanket.
For all his humor and laid-back attitude, I knew he had his pride. Somehow, he had overcome his older brothers' shining glory and carved a life out for himself. He was on his way to building something he could be proud of, that others would respect him for.
He was going to be spending the rest of the summer with the pack, and it broke my heart to think of the way his self-esteem would slip further down every time he watched my pack brothers do something extraordinary. And the others were sure to give him crap for it. I could just hear the insults now:
'Since Leah's wearing the pants, you might as well wear the skirt!';
'Who's the breadwinner and who's the bread baker in this relationship?';
'We can handle the danger, your place is at home with the other girls.'...
And I wanted to kick myself because I knew the others were soon going to hear these suggestions in my head and modify them to use at their own leisure. Oh, how I hated this mind link sometimes!
And Mike,... Mike would take it all with a good-humored smile, maybe even making up come-backs about getting in touch with his feminine side.
('Well, if Leah's not going near that side, then it's good at least you are!')
But I knew that inside he would be feeling the insecurity that his brothers had created.
My family wasn't the only problem: What would his mother and father say when we had to tell them that we were living together in Sacramento? What would they say just to the fact that he was dating an older woman?
This was a terrible idea!
How could I do this to him? How could I afford not to?
I considered again how much Fate must hate me. Nothing about this relationship looked like it was going to work!
Where was he? Why didn't he hurry up and get here so I could get this over with?
I plopped down on the sand and tucked my head between my knees, trying to steady my racing heart before it blew out of my ribcage.
I really needed to go for a run. One of the reasons I was getting so keyed up was due to the fact that I hadn't been in wolf form for four days. My skin felt like it was crawling with a hundred little ants. Even sitting on the sand, trying to take deep breath to ease my nerves, the shift rippled along my body.
But I had to keep it together. Only a few more hours and I would show Mike my other form. I really hoped he didn't run away. I didn't think I could live through another rejection.
At last! The invisible chain between us was shortening. Mike was on his way, and my heart leapt with that knowledge. I fought the urge to transform and run to meet him halfway between Forks and La Push.
Tourists and families had been arriving all morning to enjoy the beach, but since it was a chilly and cloudy day (as usual) it wasn't as crowded. Nonetheless, it didn't prevent me from detecting the rumbling of Mike's SUV when it finally-- Finally!-- drove into the parking lot.
I took a few more breaths to compose myself, determined to start this as normally as possible, then I was up and walking toward his car.
He was wearing dark green swim trunks and a navy blue sweater. His eyes were scanning the beach, looking for me. I could tell when he finally spotted me, because his face split into a huge grin that dazzled me. Forgetting all my good intentions to act normal, I started running toward him at break-neck speed.
Mike had begun jogging toward me too, but I cut across the distance a whole lot quicker, skidding up a wave of sand as I stopped myself in front of him at the last minute. I didn't plow him over, but he had to take several steps backward as I threw myself into his arms.
He chuckled breathlessly with the impact, catching his balance awkwardly as I continued to squeeze him. Enthusiastic as I was, I remembered how fragile he was to my super-strength, so I didn't break his ribs.
"Going out on limb here, but I think you're happy to see me," he laughed.
"Always," I said, pulling my head from where it was buried in his neck and kissing his cheek. Only the little kids running around us kept me from pulling his face down for a full make-out session.
He noticed our audience as well. "Shall we go for a walk?" he said with a pointed look at the distance beach. He offered his arm and I linked mine with it.
We chatted about nothing as we walked along the sand. Now that he was here, all my worries and fears had vanished. I felt confident anything could happen, that any problem could resolve itself, that no one would dare to ruin the perfect peace we had found.
"Another jellyfish," he pointed out, steering us around the dead thing on the beach.
"You never find any shells on these beaches. Just a whole bunch of dead invertebrates," he remarked.
"Picked clean by the tourists," I agreed. "But my grandmother had a lovely collection that my mom has decorating our kitchen window ledge. Conch shells the size of your fist."
"I would like to see it," he said. "Do those things really make a horn noise when you blow in them?"
"Mom can do it, but me and Seth have never gotten a squeak outta them."
He chuckled and pulled me out of the way of a meshed clump of smelly seaweed.
I led him over the rocks and through a few small coves, wanting a good distance between us and any bystanders. It took us about half hour to reach the private beach I had in mind. It was a tricky location that few humans would how to find. I could have gotten there in minutes, even in human form, but I was being particularly careful as I let Mike help me up rocks unfamiliar to him.
When we finally reached the cove, he was out of breath and a line of perspiration beaded his hairline. I announced that we had arrived at our destination, and he plopped down wearily in the sand. I sat down beside him and he instantly put his arm around me in a half hug.
"So what makes this beach so special to you, Leah? It has to mean something to spend the time getting here," he said.
I gave a weak smile. "Well, it's far away from prying eyes."
He looked startled for a minute, then took my meaning to heart. "So there's no one to object if I do this, then?"
His lips brushed the side of my neck and brushed upward to behind my ear. It tickled and I squirmed. "Nope, no one at all."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed him over. We started making-out on the beach, something I hadn't done in years, and it was wonderful.
His hands skimmed my back and held the back of my head. My own hands caressed his cheeks and fluffed his hair, loving the tiny little moans that escaped his throat. I was moaning too, and really starting to enjoy what we were doing when his mouth broke away from mine. He gasped for breath as he struggled to string words together to form a sentence.
"Wait, Leah, you said you had something important to tell me."
I groaned in frustration and kissed under his chin, not wanting the reminder of why we were here in the first place.
"As cute as you look when you pout, I really would really prefer if you told me before we continue from where we left off," he teased.
"But you might not want to kiss me again after I tell you," I muttered, still looking down at his chin.
His hands framed my face and pulled my gaze up to his. "I think it would be fairly impossible to ever not want to kiss you. Truthfully, I don't even know how I made us stop this time."
"Then there's no point in denying ourselves," I said, reaching my lips for is again. He kept me pushed back. Although I could have easily overcome his meager strength, I let him keep me at arm's length, because I knew the inevitable was about to take place. And also I couldn't refuse even this little wordless request of his to maintain the distance between us.
"Come on, Leah. Just blurt it out, and then we'll decide what's deniable," he encouraged.
Sighing, I pushed off him into a kneeling position. He followed me up on his elbows then straightened his arms so I was leaning across his lap. I dropped my eyes from his, following the column of his neck to where it was hidden by the zipper of his jacket.
One more deep breath, gathering the mental strength for what I had to do. I couldn't resist pressing my lips to his again once more, hard and quickly, afraid it might be the last kiss we would ever have. Then I scrambled back so we were sitting across from each other.
He had picked up on my solemn mood. His blue eyes were very serious as he sat cross-legged and leaned forward, completely ready for bad news.
"What do you think I'm about to tell you?" I couldn't help asking, curious as to what he was expecting.
"Honestly, Leah?"
I nodded.
"I'm afraid you're going to tell me you are going to move away on Monday, or that you have some incurable disease and only have until the end of summer to live. That would explain why you are suddenly so interested in having a romantic relationship with a nerd like me. I'm just your self-pity boyfriend and this means nothing to-"
I had to silence him with my lips to stop the terrible words coming out.
"Don't," I gasped, covering his mouth with my fingertips. "Don't ever say anything like that again, Mike. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're a wonderful person, full of light and hope and happiness, and I'm a miserable shrew without you around."
I looked directly into his eyes so he would know I was telling the truth. "For the rest of time, there is nowhere else I would ever want to be but with you."
"I knew it. You are sick, aren't you? That's why you have a perpetual fever. I should have realized something was wrong that night you showed up nearly unconscious."
"No, Mike, I'm not sick," I assured him. "I'm healthier than ever and, because of you, happier than I've ever been."
I dropped by hand away from his cheek and then scooted back on my knees again.
Okay, here we go…
"Remember those legends I told you last night, about our ancestors shifting into wolf form? Well, they're not all legends. Some of them are actually still true in my tribe."
I paused to see if he was taking this in, but I couldn't read his expression.
"Mike,... I'm a... werewolf."
I couldn't look up at him. Instead, I stared at my clenched fists, waiting for his response. My head was finally empty of thoughts for the first time that morning. Nothing else in the world required my attention than whatever Mike was going to do next, and I was too frightened to even look up to see what it was.
He was quiet, so quiet. His breath didn't even pick up or falter, but I his heart skipped a few beats, so I knew he had heard me.
Was that a good sign or a bad sign?
"Is there a full moon tonight?" he asked flatly, I couldn't hear any emotion in his voice at all.
"I don't need the full moon to transform. I can whenever I want."
He nodded matter-of-factually, then he became deeply silent and pensive again.
Oh, I should have brought Edward! If only I had made him hide behind the rocks, he would be able to whisper Mike's thoughts to me. Instead, I was stuck waiting for the suddenly mute Mike to regain his ability to speak.
Then I remembered that Edward hated Mike and forgave myself for even contemplating that possibility, but it still didn't help my current situation.
The waves continued to lap against the sand. The gulls were crying and flying over the water. In the distance, my ears could still hear the laughter of the tourists. The entire world was still turning somehow, but my life had come to a standstill as I waited for Mike's reaction.
Finally I couldn't take the not knowing anymore. "Please tell me what you're thinking," I begged, not noticing the tears that had managed to leak out of my eyes.
"I'm wondering if it's dangerous to your health to feel so many different emotions at the same time," he whispered.
I looked up in concern. Any mention of harm coming to him had me instantly ready to do whatever it took to prevent it.
"A big part of my head is laughing and telling me that you're joking, but I know you would never kid about something like this," he said. "And then a rational part of me is saying I need to get to a phone and call the funny farm, but anyone who talked to you would know you're not crazy."
He was watching his fingers trace circles in the sand, so I couldn't see his expression. "So logically, you must be telling the truth. And that brings up a whole other array of emotions, which are pretty conflicting when I remember everything else you've said."
His hand stopped playing with the sand and I didn't breathe. "I don't know whether to run away, throw you down and kiss you till you can't remember this nonsense, or say how cool that sounds."
A spark of hope was stirring that this might work if he was contemplating positive outcomes, but then he shattered it.
"Are you going to kill me?" he whispered.
"No!" I gasped, horrified. I almost reached out to touch his knee, but stopped myself. "I would never do anything to hurt you. And anyone who does will answer to my bite."
A small smile touched his lips, but he still didn't look up. I didn't know what else to say to reassure him.
"Then why would you tell me? This has to be an important secret, so you wouldn't tell me if you didn't intend for me to live on the off-chance that I might blow your cover."
He did look up then, his eyes were hard and un-giving, the eyes of a man considering his death. "I take it that it would be useless to try to run away anyway."
"Do you want to run?" I asked in a small voice. "I promise I won't stop you."
"I want to know why you told me first," he declared.
Gods give me strength.
"When Quileute wolves find their soul mate, the one they are meant to be with for the rest of their lives and into the next, we imprint upon that person. No one else will ever appeal to us; we will never want anyone else. We give that person everything we have in our power to give, and even more. Wolves mate for life, and we spend that lifetime trying to give back to our mate even a fraction of the peace they have brought us."
I paused to let that sink in. "So you're privy to the secret because my life now belongs to you."
"Whoa, you're saying I have a part in all this?" Now he was animate. He got to his knees and peered anxiously at me.
"A very big part, Mike." I dropped my head, ashamed of the guilt and responsibility I was about to unload on him.
"I don't blame you if you want to leave, but you should know that I'll be there everyday. Thursday night I almost died because I had gone all day without seeing you. Bella drove me to your house in desperation, and seeing you was the only thing that saved me. I, quite literally, can't live without you."
He was silent again for several long seconds, his dazed expression leaving his eyes unfocused.
"So we're like... bonded now?"
"For ever and ever," I whispered, feeling like it was the final chink of the handcuffs. There was no going back now. My life had come to a crossroads, and the path I took would either be alone or with Mike at my side.
I really wanted it to be the latter!
"Mike?"
"Just give me a second to absorb this," he said, suddenly getting to his feet and walking away.
I watched him pace along the water's edge. After about twenty steps, he stopped and stretched upward, crossing his fingers in his hair. He turned to stare out at the ocean, emotions and thoughts visibly passing over his face. A few seconds later, he raked his hand through his hair again and paced away again in a different direction.
Helplessly, I watched him, knowing that he was making up his mind. Whatever he decided would determine both of our futures, so I didn't blame him for wanting to take more than a few minutes to think about it. I patiently waited for him on the sand where he left me and let him pace back and forth.
My man. My only one. Choosing the course of our lives.
And I was content to let him do it.
Conceited and dominating Leah was actually going to let some man decide how she should live her life.
Maybe I would have been angrier at myself if Mike wasn't looking so sexy as he wore a long trench in the sand. I couldn't afford to be picky with the little pleasures anymore. If Mike's stressed face was any indication, I was going to have little prospects when it came to happiness in the future.
Finally he spun around and stomped back to where I was sitting. I looked up at him expectantly, awaiting the verdict of my life, and ready to accept whatever resolution he had come to. Even if it meant my unhappiness, I wasn't going to be able to deny him something he wanted.
"Okay," he sighed, sitting down across from me again. "Let's see it."
"Huh?"
"You said you can do it at will, right? Well, if I'm going to be a part of this paranormal world, I wanna see it." And then he smiled at me, and all the troubles in the world disappeared.
The bottom fell out of my stomach in the relief I felt. I would have given in to his demand immediately, except I remembered Kim's reaction the first time she saw Jared transform.
"Are you sure, Mike?" I whispered desperately, tears glistened in my eyes again. "Do you really want this life? You might change your mind once you've seen me."
"Are you kidding? I did not just have that wrestling contest of truth with my feelings just for you to reject me. I've decided I'm way more curious than afraid of you. In fact, I don't think you could beat me off with a stick at this point."
Something that might have been a joyful giggle escaped me, but I didn't dare to hope yet until I had seen how he would react.
Standing up, I walked several feet away and turned my back to him. A few sniffs of the air told me we were completely alone, the only human scents were the weeks-old werewolf smells.
I kicked my flip flops into the sand, then took another deep breath for strength and crossed my arms over the bottom hem of my T-shirt. It came over my head and I dropped it into a pile on top of my flip flops.
Behind me, I heard Mike's heart start beating fiercely. "Um,... Leah? What the-?"
I pushed down my shorts and kicked those away too. The pulse behind me kicked into overdrive, and I couldn't help a tiny pleased smile, because that heart rate meant Mike liked what he was seeing.
Then I focused on the fire inside my body, letting it rip me apart. It was harsh and spiteful after being kept subdued for so long. I fell forward onto arms that turned to paws before they hit the sand, and then the fire was gone and I was left furry.
Distantly I could hear my pack's thoughts. All the truth and reason for my actions and attitude the past few days was there for them to read in my mind. But their reaction to what they were seeing was the farthest thing from my concentration right now. Bracing myself for another rebuff, I turned around to look at Mike.
He was solid stone as he stared at me, his eyes huge blue saucers and his mouth hanging open. I couldn't hear him breathing. It was a good thing he was already kneeling or he probably would have fallen over.
Not wanting to scare him, I tried to look as least intimidating as possible. I dropped to my belly and crawled along the sand toward him, hoping to wake him out of his shock. When I was close enough, I reached out and touched his knee with my wet nose.
That touch shocked him out of his stone-like state. He jumped and sprawled back on his elbows; gasping as he kept looking at me. But then his face split in a grin.
"So. Totally. Awesome!"
He scrambled up and reached a hand out to touch the top of my head. He eyed me questioningly and I dipped my head to indicate he could go on. His fingers traced my soft fur, and it felt like magic to my oversensitive wolf senses. I kept my muzzle down as he petted me, then he reached to scratch behind my ear.
Oh yeah! You could tell he owned dogs. He knew just where to scratch.
Some part of me realized that Seth was howling with laughter somewhere. I tried to block it out with a wolf purr.
Mike reached up another hand and scratched both ears at once, growing more confident that I wouldn't bite him. His smile continued to beam away and it lifted all the remaining tension in my heart.
Mmm, I could certainly get used to this.
"I don't buy the whole terrifying monster bit," Mike suddenly said, his fingers still working wonders. "You're too much of a pussy cat."
The voices in my head had been increasing. A cycle of disbelief, shock, fear, happiness, and then humor kept repeating every time one of them came online. Whoever had been aware when I changed had alerted the others, and they all wanted to hear first-hand what was happening. They roared in laughter at Mike's words, making it a waterfall of noise easy to tune out.
I made a tiny growl in my throat at Mike.
"Oh, scary," he said, then started laughing.
The little rascal! With only my head I was able to knock him down again, then I pounced lightly on him. Leaning over him, I smiled my werewolf teeth menacingly.
He only laughed harder. So did the voices in my head. I couldn't help giving Mike a few wet dog kisses in punishment.
That shut him up! He tried wiping the slobber off his face with his hand, groaning in disgust. But I just licked him again, hand, face, hair, and all. He cried out in protest, begging for mercy. A few wolf-like chuckles escaped my chest like wheezing, I was having a lot of fun.
Jumping off him, I transformed back to my human form. The guys' laughter was really starting to get to me, and I had no intention of giving them any more entertainment for the day.
Mike sat up and looked at his hand, which was holding a large glob of wolf slobber. "That was completely gross, Leah! Ugh, and it smells like raw chicken."
I pulled my clothes on quickly and came back to him. "Come on you dirty boy. You need a bath."
Grabbing his drool-covered hand, I pulled him into the chilly ocean water. Mike quickly dunked his head under in an attempt to dislodge the wolf saliva from his hair. He unzipped his drenched sweater and threw it back onto the sand bank.
Then, in unexpected move, he tackled me and wrestled me under the waves. We struggled in each others grip, both trying to get a hold of the others' wrists. The bubbles swirled around us as the motion of the waves above rocked us back and forth. Finally we had to surface when our oxygen-depleted lungs threatened to collapse.
I only managed to take two gasps of air when Mike's arms locked around me again. This time I didn't even try to struggle. If he wanted to hold me, then I wasn't going to object in the slightest. Besides, he was starting to shiver in the cold water. I wrapped my arms around his waist in attempt to keep him warm.
It was only natural that our lips came together, searching and exploring, in no rush at all. The incoming waves crashed around our bodies in a lulling caress, and the sun broke through the clouds at last. I felt like the clouds had opened up just at that moment to bless this moment. I knew it had to be the greatest moment of my life. But then again, every next second with Mike was the best moment in my life.
"You were wrong, Leah," he murmured, soft lips gently stroking mine.
Was he thinking of talking during this perfect moment?
"I do want kiss you after knowing the truth. I actually think this is better than when I was still in the dark."
Oh, how I loved him!
"Mike," my voice broke on his name, but I didn't care. "This might not have been the life you expected for yourself, but I want you to know that I'm so glad you are my life-partner."
"And I want you to know that if I have to be stuck with one person for the rest of my life, I would consider it an undeserved privilege if it were you."
He kissed away the tears that were falling from my eyes again.
The wind blew across us and I felt goose bumps pop up on his bare skin. Jumping up, I wound my legs around his waist, trying to get closer to him so he wouldn't catch pneumonia. Well, that was one of my reasons, anyway.
He grunted with the extra weight, but as we were in waist-deep water, it was pretty easy for him to hold me up. We held each other closer and fell into another famished kiss.
Nectar. Sweet, sweet nectar.
It was several more minutes before I became aware of the catcalls and whistles coming from shore. I groaned into Mike's mouth, only in annoyance this time. He could hear the difference in my tone from the pleasure moans I had been giving before, and he looked at me curiously. I kept his head firmly in my hands so he couldn't look back toward the beach, he probably couldn't even hear them yet with the crashing waves and his weak human ears.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's time to run the gauntlet," I murmured. Some noise must have gotten through to him because he tried to turn his head toward the beach. I gripped his ears and pulled his eyes back to me, then I rested my forehead on his, gathering courage and strength for what was to come next.
This day was nothing but a roller coaster with all these emotional ups and downs. What had I been thinking by planning all my life-changing confessions on the same day?
He pressed a few kisses to my lips encouragingly. "What's behind me, Leah?"
"If your older brothers are conceited, low-life jocks, then my brothers are the very demon spawn of the devil," I said.
Hollers and boos came from shore.
"I thought there was only Seth."
"Wrong. I got a couple of idiots that I run with on moon-lit nights."
More laughter from shore.
Mike was smiling again. The little fool should be running for the hills as fast as his human legs could carry him.
"That bad?" he laughed.
Oh heavens. He had no idea how difficult his life was about to become.
I tightened my arms around his neck one last time, clinging desperately. "Please, Mike. Whatever they say, whatever they tell you, please believe that I need you more than I need to breathe. Nothing you are or aren't could ever change that. I love you this way and no way else."
I sent my meanest glare back to the beach, making my threat known to whoever dared to pick on my Michael.
Mike's arms tightened around me. "It's all going to be okay, Leah. Let them bring it."
"Oh, don't say that! Don't encourage them anymore," I pleaded.
"Leah. Get up here." I heard my Alpha's voice and wanted to run away, sink into the water, swim to Hawaii, anything but go up there and face them.
Taking Mike's hand, I finally let him turn to see the beach. They were all there, of course. All sixteen of them. Spread out along the sand bar, jumping up and down and cheering with offensive gestures. Sixteen muscle-mountains of bronze. Did they all have to come shirtless?
Mike finally had the good sense to look pale and scared. My smallest brother would still topple him by eight inches. Even their cackles sounded like growling monsters. I was a terrible person. I was going to feed Mike to the lions without even giving him a blanket to hide behind.
Jacob and Sam stood at the center of the line, both looking the most composed, but that only meant they were sporting Cheshire-cat grins and not hooting to us. Those two were the most likely to just feel happy for me and not dish out any grief.
Mike squeezed my hand, and he smiled encouragingly at me, then he pulled me to his doom. I quickly overcame this momentary lapse of insanity and placed myself between him and the merciless hyenas before we were completely out of the water. Then I put on my war face.
Anyone who tried to yell something was met with my death glare. Some of the younger ones took my silent threat to heart, but others just laughed in my face. I hated them! I wanted to pull Mike into my arms and cover his ears from the some of the dreadful things they were saying under their breath. Even without super-hearing, he had to be hearing some of it.
"That's enough!" Sam finally barked, taking pity on my growing distress. With a few more snickers, the taunting ended.
I walked up to Jacob, pulling Mike with me. I had a strange sense of déjà vu and I glanced over at Sam to see if he recognized this scene too. This was just like the day I had brought Sam home to meet my dad for the first time. Of course dad loved Sam, eventually, but that day had been scary for both of us.
Jacob was a far cry from my father though, and Mike was everything that Sam wasn't. Still, I felt just as scared as I stood before my Alpha leader.
"Jacob, I imprinted on Michael Newton Wednesday morning. I was sick Thursday night because I tried to keep away from him. I handed my patrol off to Seth Friday night because I went to dinner with him. And today, I promised today I would explain my behavior, and I just did."
I kept it short and simple, my voice steady and toneless, determined not to cower. It wasn't like I was confessing to a crime or anything. I hadn't even done anything wrong. So why did it feel like I was signing someone's death certificate?
"Why did you go and do a stupid thing like that?" he asked harshly.
Oh gods! Jacob couldn't even accept this?
I wasn't strong to get through this if he didn't. How was I supposed to convince the others? I was going to break down in tears in another few minutes, it didn't matter if they were watching or not.
"You never deliberately keep away from your imprintee mate, Leah. Don't you have any common sense?" Jake finally said exasperated, and my heart started beating again.
Jacob turned to Mike and smiled widely. "Welcome to the family, Michael Newton."
He stuck out a hand and Mike shook it, returning Jake's smile.
"I'm Sam Uley, and except for your vow secrecy, there's nothing else you need to do but make Leah happy from now on," Sam said, offering his own hand to Mike.
"Vowed and given," Mike agreed, playfully pulling me closer to his side. It was nice, but it still didn't reassure me about what was coming.
"You're invited to come to dinner tomorrow night. The rest of the family will be there to meet you," offered Jacob.
"Sure, of course," Mike readily agreed. The atmosphere between the three of them was already friendly. Too bad I couldn't share their optimism.
"Why didn't you just tell us about him, Leah?" asked Sam finally, turning back to me with genuine curiosity.
I stared at him incredulously. Did he really need me to spell it out for him?
My eyes travelled down one side and then the other of the row of evil smiles. All broad chests, shaved heads, and bronze hands rubbing maliciously together as they sized Mike up like he was prey. They looked like a flock of vultures waiting for the signal to start feeding.
Not if I had anything to say about it!
I risked letting go of Mike's hand for a moment to march over to Brady. He was clutching Mike's soaked and sandy sweater in his hands and I snatched it away before he had the bright idea to begin a game of keep-away.
Quil snorted and I threw an evil look his way. Served him right that he started choking for trying to laugh harder!
Returning to Mike's side, I took his hand again. "We should go home and put some warm clothes on before we catch a cold," I told him. "Come on, you can drop me off at my place. Please excuse us, Jacob, Sam."
Everyone there knew I was only saying that to get Mike out of there. And they knew my excuse wasn't even viable because there was no way a werewolf could get cold. I was just saying that for Mike's sake.
I pulled him along the beach, away from the whispers I could hear so painfully well.
"...regular mother hen."
"Robbed the cradle and tucking him right back in!"
"It took a baby blondie to domesticate her!"
I gritted my teeth in anger. Fortunately, Mike didn't ask me anything on the whole trip back. By the time we reached his SUV, the cold wind had started his teeth chattering. Most of the tourists had gone for the day and no one saw us crawl into his backseat to get warm. He turned on the car and I put the heater on full-blast.
His purple lips were making me nervous, so I wrapped my arms around him again. His arms came up to enfold me, and then he leaned back against the seat. It had somehow turned out that he was the one holding and comforting me instead of the other way around.
"Would it be better if I didn't go to dinner tomorrow night?" he asked. He had sensed my mood during the entire confrontation.
"It's not just dinner, it's Sunday night barbecue. Everyone and their mother will be there. And it will last all night long. Once the beer starts flowing, I won't be able to keep track of who needs a butt-kicking and who needs to eat dirt for speaking to you."
"Leah," he objected, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "You don't need to protect me. I may not be as big as those guys, but I can fight my own battles."
I groaned and buried my face against his bare chest. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of. And you're already beginning to think like that, like you have to compare yourself to them. Please, please, believe me when I tell you I am so glad you're not their size. It's all brawn and no personality or brain."
His skin tasted salty, and his heart was a comforting sound beneath my cheek. "I would never put you in a situation that would hurt you or embarrass you. I will never ask or want you to prove you're like them in any way. I couldn't bear it if you sank down to their level."
I was crying again, dammit! Why did this keep happening today!?
His fingers gently brushed the tears, and the tender gesture made me cry harder.
"They're supernatural beings, Leah. Of course I couldn't measure up to them. But like my dad says, there's always someone who's going to be better than you at something. Why are you getting so worked up over this?"
"Because I don't want you hurt, in any form of the word."
I didn't want to make his life worse than I already was, or add to his sorrows. It wasn't because I was afraid he would leave me or anything commonplace like that, I just couldn't live with myself if he came to resent himself for all the shortcomings the guys would reveal to him.
"Sticks and stones, Leah. I'll be fine." To seal his bargain, he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.
I was dragging him into a world he had only read about in books, turning his entire perception of reality upside down, changing his life plans forever, taking away his choice the same way mine had been taken, and he was the one comforting me?
He was either extremely brave or extremely foolish. But somehow, his kisses just made all the world balanced and perfect. I returned his kiss with my own enthusiasm. But, of course, we couldn't stop at just one.
However, the drying salt inhibited our movement by the way it made everything sticky. It was getting late too. And he needed to get back to shower before his mom came home from work with dinner.
He did end up dropping me off at my house. Leaning over the seats, we shared one or ten more good-bye kisses, then promised to see each other tomorrow afternoon. I would come meet him at his place, and then we would arrive at the bonfire together. While watching him drive away, I felt like my heart was being dragged along behind his car.
As soon as he was out of sight, I ran for the back yard. My transformation could barely wait for my clothes to be pulled off. And then I was running.
The forest whipped past me in a blur, and the ground didn't make a sound as I passed over it. Tension of the last four days finally erupted. It felt so wonderful to be letting off steam in this form. The wind rushing past my face, the tree branches reaching out to brush my coat... So good,... and so bad at the same time.
I was still dreading the tragedy that would be the barbecue tomorrow. Mike thought he could handle the jeers that would be coming, but I knew he wouldn't hold up forever. Everyone broke down under enough pressure, and there were so many people in my family to heap more and more on the load.
After all he had been through... everything he had suffered by his older brothers, this just wasn't fair. I couldn't go around breaking noses all night for every taunt and insult. I was imprinted now, fighting didn't hold that much appeal anymore.
After all this time building a butt-kicking reputation for myself, I just wanted to let my bad name go and be left in peaceful happiness with Mike.
No one else would catch this much crap for their imprinted choices. Jacob had imprinted on a freaking fetus, for goodness' sake! But I was the unfortunate one to have found a "baby blondie" as a soul mate. They were only attacking him because of me. After every rotten and mean thing I had ever said or thought about them, they were getting their payback in the worst way, by taking it out on my innocent Michael.
I threw back my head and howled, my heart breaking at the thought. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair! Let them rip me to kibble, but please spare Mike any insecurity he was already going to gain watching overgrown boys competing in bouts of strength.
I had been inside guys' heads long enough to know how their brains worked. For all Mike's bravado and assurances, it was a male's nature to contend with other males, and there was no way Mike was ever going to win any contest against his new in-laws.
What would he be like in just a few short years? Broken and cheerless? His humor dried up with his self-esteem? Pot-bellied and covered in moles because there was no point in putting efforts into your looks when you were surrounded by the finest specimens in history?
All his dreams for National Geographic would vanish in his depression. His self-pride in tatters and a heavy disappointment weighing him down.
I had faith in Mike, I knew he would have a great life if there wasn't anything around to shadow him from growing into a success. And now he had sixteen shadows to block the sunlight. And it was all my fault!
I wanted to gather Mike up and run away from them all. Take him far away from the taunts and teasing... as far away as Sacramento? And keep his pure and cheerful spirit safe from contanmination. They wouldn't even know they were tainting his free spirit until it was too late.
For the first time ever, I truly considered if I resented my brothers. They could annoy me through every circle of hell and back, but I would still love them. I would still jump in front of a bullet or a train to save their lives. The sparring between us was harsh at times, but that was just me being spiteful for my bitter life. I could give as well as receive, so it barely made a difference to me how far our teasing went. They were always in my mind, and I in theirs; they knew as well as I did that we never really meant anything seriously.
But this was different. This was serious on the deepest level.
I would never forgive them- Ever!- if they did this to Michael.
I became aware of the silence then. They only thing I could hear were my own thoughts echoing back at me, only in shameful and injured voices.
Ah, crap. They had all been listening in. All of them. Well, actually, only nine. But all my distressed thoughts, all my gut-retching fears, self-loathing, and scorn were echoing in their minds. They were offended and defensive, throwing up their guards as they realized I had finally noticed them.
I never laughed once at him, Collin claimed.
It's your own fault for bringing this on yourself. This from Quil.
We don't need to be there anymore than we have to be, said Seth softly.
For the record, I was going to give his sweater back, said Brady. But he was also trying to hide the idea that he would've have made Mike jump up for it.
You can't just drop a bombshell on us and not expect any consequences, Embry put in. I mean come on, did you see how brittle his skinny little arms were?
He better not be referring to the gentle arms that held me and made me feel special!
Embry tried to stop thinking after that.
Leah, are you really going to blame us for something we can't control? asked Jake last of all.
I don't know, I admitted truthfully. But we you can help yourselves. Please, all I'm asking is that you leave him alone!
They loved showing-off; it was ingrained into their nature or something. I could just picture them being all buddy-buddy at the barbecue, but then they would laugh behind their hands and behind his back. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I had been running back home during this time. I had changed my mind: I didn't want to be in wolf form. A small part of my mind marvelled at my ability to change back so quickly after spending four days away from this form, but the rest was trying to hum to myself. I didn't want to hear all the snide remarks about Mike they couldn't seem to help.
(A cougar werewolf! Oh man, I should have thought of that. Embry again.)
I just wanted to take a bath and maybe cry some more.
Oh, dammit! They all had heard that!
Argh! There was no peace from this!
I transformed on the spot and walked the last mile to where I had left my pile of clothes.
Ten minutes later, I was soaking in the bathtub. And I wasn't crying.
Dang-it! I read through this and realized that I didn't save after my last edit, so I've lost a lot of this chapter! And I can't remember what I wrote before! Aww, and I really liked those additions!
So this is a half-effort result of my bad memory. I know it works, but there was more to it. Arg, so frusterating!
Well, at any rate, one more chapter to go.
Peace Y'all!