AN: Thanks for keeping up with this story and for reviewing! Finally we get some Blackwater fluff!

PART TEN - NEED

Warriors were waiting for them and immediately ran off when the two women came closer.

"They have gone for the chief, I would guess," Kim said.

"Probably. You don't need to stay, I'll take care of him. But thanks for getting me back Kim, you should go to your family now, and please send word if there is any news. I want to help." Leah wanted to talk to her more about the wolves, but it would be selfish, she could see how sad the other woman presently was.

"Alright, I will." As Kim reached the doorway she turned back with a final sigh. "The boys weren't lying to you earlier, just so you know…they are what they said they are, and it's not a bad thing."

Leah nodded and smiled. But as soon as she was alone, she allowed herself to cry.

…

Samuel was a busy man. He had so much to do, so many tabs to keep, sometimes it left him dizzy. But if he was to see his plan through and become a richer man, he had to be strong and stretch himself to the limit.

While his warriors were busy 'looking' for the missing girls, certain villagers were taking liberties to meet one another and talk about things they shouldn't be talking about.

He knew that those damn wolves would have taken any opportunity to seize Leah Clearwater and fill her head with lies about him. He knew that Sarah Black didn't want the girl to marry him, and it followed that the pack would feel the same. She was Jacob's bride, not his, and he had no right to claim the betrothed of their precious, fallen prince.

Samuel gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated when people didn't take him seriously. And now because of their meddling, he was sure that Leah was going to pull away from him. All the hard work he had put in over the last week would be ruined and he'd be back at square one. At times, he felt it was pointless and that he should just let Leah return home. It would certainly make Emily less grumpy if he complied. But Samuel wanted power, he wanted to be seen as a powerful man. And if he had a wife from the Makah tribe - the chief's sister - if he managed to take Jacob's bride for his own, people would recognize that he could do whatever he wanted. It was simple really. Leah was a boon to his image in every possible way.

But if the pack filled her head with their nonsense, then he couldn't control her, and that was a problem. When Uta brought news that Leah was back home he immediately made his way over. He found Leah seated inside her hut, staring at the wall, still as stone, fragile. She was beautiful like this, when she had her guard down, and for a fleeting moment he felt concerned.

What had they told her?

"Is everything alright, princess?" Samuel asked as he invited himself into the room.

Leah quickly straightened up and pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. Sam wished that she wouldn't so that he could admire the swell of her breasts. "I am well, yes."

"Are you sure, you seem upset?"

"Kim's sister was one of the missing girls, I worry for the family. Kim is very sad."

"Ah yes. It is most unfortunate." It was unfortunate for others, but not for him. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, turning on his charm.

"Unless you can guarantee that you can find them, then no."

Samuel nodded with understanding. "I could if I would, anything to make you smile again."

"If you want to see me smile again, then remove these guards from my door. I do not like feeling like a caged animal," the young woman snapped, her eyes seeming to blaze fire.

Sam cocked his eyebrows at her demand. "It is for your own safety Leah. What would I say to your family if something bad happened to you too? You are most precious to me Leah."

Leah snorted. "I am most precious to many people, and they do not insult me by having me watched. If you mean to control my every move and stop me from making friends here, then I can never marry you. I have always been my own woman, and marriage will never change that."

Now it was Samuel's turn to scoff. "Would you dishonor your father with such words? You are a woman Leah Clearwater, you will belong to the man you marry whether or not you like it. You are not chief, and therefore you cannot do as you wish." But he couldn't help but notice that she had implied that she WOULD marry him. Sam knew that maybe he did have to ease up on the princess to get what he wanted – but honestly, what she wanted wasn't possible so he'd have to find another way to make her happy.

"Not even a chief can do whatever he wishes, Samuel. You should try to remember that."

HA, he thought. This girl was a fool if she really believed her words to be true. And yet, he found her fiery tongue to be quite appealing. He envisioned moments when they'd argue, and he'd subdue her by taking her from behind, commanding her to submit to his will. She certainly would never be boring, like Emily tended to be.

"I wish to be alone now, goodbye Samuel."

Samuel regarded her for a moment longer before bidding Leah farewell.

Uta and Teku remained at the hut all night.

….

If Leah's friend in the woods was a wolf and had been exiled, it meant that he was at risk of being hurt by Samuel's men who were out looking for the girls. She understood now that the chief who wanted him dead was Samuel not Billy. Samuel hated the pack and he was doing his best to discredit them. Leah wondered why HE had been cast out of the tribe and not them all. That part didn't make sense. Embry had called him alpha, that meant he was a leader, and now Leah wondered if he would be the one to take Samuel's place. Could it be?

Snippets of a conversation they'd shared came back to her that night as she lay awake on her stuffed mat, failing to find rest. Leah had a feeling that she was on the right track, it had to be HIM Sarah wanted to replace Samuel.

"I am an outcast. I cannot go back until I know I can set things right again..."

"…It is safer for you if you don't ever speak of me, Leah. Please."

"You ask me to forget you?"

"Yes."

"…I was accused of something and the chief wanted me dead. He took away everything from me, I am no one now."

That's when it clicked. "No! It can't be…." Leah gasped clutching her chest, just the thought alone had her reeling. What she felt was a mixture of fear and hope and confusion. Something was telling her that she already knew who the man in the forest was and yet it seemed too impossible to be true.

Leah needed to get all the answers, she needed to know his name – she needed him to say it to her face. She needed to go back and find him, just like she'd promised the first day she arrived. With little thought Leah quickly got dressed in her warmest clothes and boots, donned her fox coat and crept out of the Great Wife's hut.

There was a sleeping warrior lying on the floor outside the hut, he didn't even stir as she crept past. Leah didn't know if it was a testament to her hunting skill of stealth, or if the boy was just an amateur. Either way, she kept to the shadows and kept going until she made it to the forest. She did not even both to exit through the gates, knowing that the warriors there were bound to catch her.

Leah prayed to the Spirits that they would guide her back to the place she had first met him. It would be dawn in a few hours and she felt as if she'd been walking in circles, but there was this pull within her body that kept her moving forward. Although she could recognize nothing, Leah was still optimistic that she was headed in the right direction.

A sudden rustling in the trees caught her attention and she immediately drew her knife from her boot and held it in front of her, knees bent so that she could spring into action. She expected it to be one of the warriors, finding it strange than none had found her yet. Leah's breath hitched as she watched the dishevelled man step into view, a look of confusion and curiosity on his face.

"Leah?" Jacob asked, disbelieving the vision of beauty before him. "Is that really you?" Jacob had seen her in his dreams so often that he was still doubting whether he truly had that much luck. When the wolf had caught her scent moments earlier he had easily shifted back to his human form. It was the first time since he'd seen her last. Jacob stopped moving when he was just a few feet away, his eyes hungrily devouring her. She was safe and she was right there, in flesh.

"It is me, yes." Tears filled Leah's eyes at the sight of him - he was a mess. His skin was dirty, his hair was a tangled nest and the loin cloth was like a dirty rag about him. But he was beautiful, he was so damn amazing that her heart hurt with longing.

"Why do you cry?"

Leah hastily wiped the few tears that had escaped and shook her head. "I just…this is just a bit overwhelming." She chuckled with embarrassment and internally kicked herself for going soft at the sight of this wild man before her. If he was who she thought he was then she ought to be angry with him, in fact, part of her was. But right now, all she could think about was how much she missed him and how relieved she was to be with him again.

There was just something about him that felt like…home.

Jacob nodded knowingly. "Indeed, I feel the same way. May I approach you?" He asked softly, eyeing her knife while becoming acutely aware of how filthy he was in his current state. His human form hadn't had a bath in a long time.

Leah felt a part of her react instantly to his request and instead of answering she dropped the knife and launched herself at him. A sigh of relief immediately escaped her lips as she registered how warm and safe she felt in his arms. Leah didn't even care that her arm was now hurting from being raised so high so that she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"Leah," Jacob sighed into her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin, causing a shiver to trail her spine. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, princess." Jacob tightened his grip on her waist, raising her slightly off the ground so that he didn't have to strain his neck in order for her to hold him. The fact that she came looking for him in the darkness gave Jacob so much hope that they'd be together soon.

He'd needed this, he'd needed her. He wanted to be himself again.

When the pain became too much Leah loosened her grip and slid the short distance back to stand on her feet. She looked into those dark eyes she'd missed, and raised her good hand to cup the side of his cheek. "Are you okay?"

Jacob sighed and after a moment shook his head. He wasn't, as much as he was happy in that moment, everything was wrong. He wanted to tell her but he was afraid. He didn't know how much she knew already.

"You need to come back to the village, living out here like this, it's not right," Leah urged. Now that she'd seen him, touched him, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him here alone again.

"I can't, not yet."

"Why not!" Leah snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. "Don't you want to fix this?"

"I do! But I can't until I find them…those girls that went missing. They're my only chance to clear my name. You know who I am don't you? You know what everyone thinks about me, right? Isn't that why you came?"

"I didn't know…but I figured it out and I came here so that you could tell me face to face. You're him aren't you?" Leah felt chilly with fear as she waited for his answer.

Jacob nodded. "I am Jacob Black. My pack didn't kill me like Sam wanted. They beat me pretty badly so that when he saw my body he figured I was dead. But wolves have fast healing capabilities. The guys brought me out here and hid my body so that I could heal, I've been here ever since, living as a wolf…until I met you that night."

Just hearing his words was like a heavy weight lifted from Leah's shoulders. "Sarah knows," she confirmed.

"Yes."

"Why did you let me go to the village Jacob? Why would you send me there knowing that man was chief? He wants to marry me now."

"I couldn't let you stay here with me, I have nothing to offer Leah, I spend my time as a wolf just to survive. I wanted you to go to my family and hear the truth, I knew they'd tell you and I knew that somehow, sometime soon I'd be able to come back and fix things. I couldn't ruin you, I have to clear my name in order for us to be together, don't you understand?"

Leah chewed her lip before finally nodding her head. "I understand, but it doesn't mean that I like it. All this time I was so upset, thinking you were dead! I had no idea what I was going to do, how I was going to go back to Makah and tell your sister that you were gone!"

Jacob pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of Leah's head, inhaling the scent of rosemary in her hair. "I know, and I'm sorry, my Leah."

Leah smiled against his warm skin and wrapped her arms around Jacob's waist. It felt so good to finally be able to think of him by his name. "Jacob," she whispered.

"Jake," he murmured with a smile. "My friends and family call me Jake."

Leah giggled and looked up at his beautiful smiling face. "Okay Jake."

Jacob palmed one side of her face and rubbed the pad of his thumb against her feather soft skin. "You're amazing Leah, so strong and brave like a true Great Wife should be…and I can't wait to make you my wife."

"I long for that day too," Leah answered, feeling extremely shy at admitting such a thing. Laying with Jacob was something she definitely wanted to happen in the near future. Her body was calling out for his touch, for more. She'd never felt like this before. To care for a man she barely knew? Yet because he was her betrothed, because Rebecca had told her everything about her brother, Leah felt like she'd known Jake for years. This was right, he was hers.

"I promise, I will come back soon okay? I will do all that I can to come for you and for my people. I HATE knowing that Sam is trying to sink his filthy claws into you. He could never deserve what is mine."

Leah grimaced as she thought about the usurper. "You have to kill him Jake, you have to."

"I know princess, I plan on it."

The tinge of anger and vengeance in his voice made Leah smile. She loved that her man was a warrior,;heck, he was a beast! She could practically feel the satisfaction that would come when Jacob ripped Samuel to pieces for his crimes.

"Find those girls, Jake. The ones who were taken last moon. They couldn't have gone far."

"What! Girls were taken again?" Jacob had been deep in the forest closer to the Makah carrying on his search for any human presence, he'd only just gotten back earlier that day. He hadn't been close to the village to hear the news.

"Yes! Kim's sister is one of them. Rachel is convinced Samuel had something to do with it. Maybe you should go to the moon hut and see what you can find."

"I can try to find a scent in the woods, but there may be warriors there." Now that Jacob knew the worst had happened again the wolf itched to get back on patrol. "I must leave you now Leah, the scent will likely be polluted already but I have to check. I will take you back some of the way first."

Leah nodded, sliding her hand into his and giving it a firm squeeze. "Now that this tragedy has repeated itself, maybe people will realize that you were not to blame."

Jacob shook his head. "We can hope, but knowing Sam he is blaming my brothers."

Leah had forgotten all about the pack. "Yeah, you're right…he did spew some nonsense about the wolves being the ones to blame. OH!" Leah suddenly remembered. "You have to be careful when in wolf, he has issued an order to kill wolves on sight."

A growl rumbled in Jacob's chest. "That bastard, he will stop at nothing to get rid of us all."

"We won't let him win, don't worry. And Jake?"

"Hmm?" Jacob ran his fingers along the length of her braid, committing to memory the scent and feel of his woman.

"Thank you for saving me from the Cold One the night we met," Leah said shyly, her face warming as she met his eyes.

"You don't have to thank me, it comes naturally to my wolf."

Leah nodded and tugged his hand so they could start walking back to the village. Jacob retrieved her knife and tucked it into her boot.

"It doesn't scare you? Me being a shape-shifter?" Jacob asked as he lifted her over a small stream. Leah thought for a moment before shaking her head. "How come?"

Leah smiled up at him for a moment as they walked. "I saw Jared and Kim together and what they share. That love is so strong, so pure…and Paul and Rachel have it too. I remembered what it felt like the first time we met…and how it feels to see you now… It's just so… I dunno how to describe it…but I think maybe it has something to do with the wolves…and that must be a good thing right? That and you all being protectors?"

Jacob smirked, realizing that his betrothed was the smartest person he'd ever known. Nothing seemed to slip past his Leah. "You're right, and one day soon, when this is all over, I promise to explain it to you."

Leah wanted to know now but the need wasn't as urgent as enjoying the last few minutes with her warrior. "I look forward to it," she simply replied giving him her best smile which he easily returned. "So that means you have to come back soon, deal?"

Jacob brought the back of her hand to his lips and nodded. "Deal."

Dawn was starting to peak and the birds were already singing their songs from the trees. Leah sighed, knowing that her absence would be noticed. She wished she didn't have to go back and face Samuel's interrogations now.