Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Thank you to my reviewers.


Chapter 28

Leah's POV

I had to get away. It was as simple as that. No… not simple. There's nothing simple about your cousin and former best friend marrying the man that was supposed to be yours. There's nothing simple about people wanting you to smile and pretend your heart is not trying to claw its way out of your chest. I couldn't stand to listen to the ridiculous chirping about wedding dresses, cakes and honeymoons. The pitying looks and side glances were driving me out of my mind. Poor Leah. She's so pathetic and lonely and heartbroken. So I left. Jacob said I was running away but he could have kissed my ass. After all the shit I'd been through, I fucking deserved some time off and he knew it. If he didn't want a crazy, pissed off werewolf at Sam and Emily's wedding, he would give me what I wanted. I knew that Seth and my mom would understand why I needed to do this. Everyone else could fuck off.

The difficult part was that Emily and I were kind of, sort of becoming friends again before I found out about the wedding. I knew she was hurt that I wouldn't be there but she didn't have much of a choice. None of us did, especially Sam. As long as I lived, I would never like imprinting. Falling into obsessive love with someone you didn't know wasn't normal. There might have been a purpose to imprinting decades ago, during wartime, but there wasn't much of a use for it today in our modern society. People deserved the right to choose who they wanted to love. Sam had chosen to love me but that love was now shoved aside because of some ridiculous chemical attraction.

These past few months had been pure torture for me, not having anyone to talk to. Even though Rachel was back, it wasn't the same between us. She was a chosen one. I was happy for her, really but at the same time I knew she would never really understand the anguish imprinting had caused me.

Bella was the only other person I knew that understood the agony of not being able to have the life you so desperately wanted. If anyone had told me two years ago that I would be friends with leech lover Bella Swan, I would have laughed in their face. But we were friends. Bella was the only real friend I had nowadays. She didn't give up on me. Even when Jacob had effectively cut off all forms of communication between us, she still found a way to let me know she was still my friend when I needed it most.

Christmas had been a particularly crappy time for me with the wolves and their imprints sucking face under mistletoes. I lay on my bed in my room, trying not to think about the last Christmas Sam and I were together, when he promised to love me forever. All of our memories meant nothing now. I meant nothing to him and I felt so completely alone. As I began to feel the rage boiling inside me again, my eyes spied a small package on my nightstand. Seth said it was delivered to the house while I was out. I grabbed the package and saw there was no return address. As I ripped open the brown packaging and opened the box, a silver bracelet tumbled out into my hand. I'd never been one of those girls that cried at the drop of the hat but when I saw the engraving 'still your friend,' a single tear ran down my cheek. That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me.

It was hard to believe that Bella had found a way around Jacob's injunction. Jacob may have been my Alpha but I wasn't above letting him know that he was acting like an ass. I understood his anger and I understood why he was drawn to Carmen. For a werewolf, every emotion seemed to be multiplied by ten. Love, sex, anger… all of those feelings controlled us and played huge parts in how we react to situations.

I didn't break any rules by not telling him why Bella left. I got the feeling that a part of him (his male pride) was hurt by the fact that Bella didn't need him to save her anymore. He gotten so used to being her knight and shining armor that he didn't know how to relate to her being able to take care of herself.

By stopping us from talking, he wasn't trying to discipline me, he was trying to punish Bella. He was trying to hurt her. He knew it would break her heart to hear him say he didn't care about her anymore. But now even though he still cared about her, it was too late. After he'd heard from Charlie that Bella went to visit Cullen after Christmas, he went out, got drunk and did something stupid. Now he'll have to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. Idiot!

Carmen may have had Jacob fooled but she didn't fool me. There was something about her I didn't trust. I knew that she was the reason for the current divide among the wolf girls. But Jacob thought the sun shone out of her ass, so there wasn't anything I could do about her. She was untouchable. I couldn't interfere but if that bitch knew what was good for her she'd keep her forked tongue behind her teeth and not talk to me. No one listened to anything I had to say anyway. Just the bitter ramblings of an Alpha bitch.

Bella seemed happier though. Her eyes no longer held the dark, debilitating shadows they used to back in Forks. She'd let her hair grow longer. It was now a little past the middle of her back. She even smiled more and laughed freely. That was a change I welcomed with open arms. Back in Forks, she was always so fucking depressing with her constant whining about Edward and Jacob. It was nice seeing her stand on her own two feet without them instead of endlessly moaning about her sun and her moon. There were times when I wanted to smother her with a pillow. Since being here, I hadn't once seen her trip and break her ass. She walked with her head high, back straight, oozing confidence. I didn't know what it was. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that she got to start over some place new or if it had something to do with her friends.

Bella's 'gang' was a cool bunch of people. Liz and Ryan were so in love that it was almost sickening to watch. Angela had just gotten her heart broken and was on the market for a summer romance. Taylor was an exotically, beautiful man and if it wasn't for the fact that he and Bella couldn't stop sneaking peeks at each other, I might have made a play for him myself. He was that good looking. Of course, I didn't miss when her heartbeat fluttered nervously as I mentioned that I thought Taylor was hot. She'd been worried about me going after him. I also didn't miss the way his eyes automatically sought her out as we sat by the lake. Something was going on between them.

Zach on the other hand was annoyingly sexy and he knew it. From the first moment we laid eyes on each other, he'd been coming on to me. He called me 'beautiful' and 'sexy' every chance he got. I was flattered, really. It had been a while since a man dared to shamelessly flirt with me. Zach wasn't afraid of me and he wasn't the least bit turned off when I flat-out shot him down in front of his friends. It was a new experience for me.

As his friends threw Bella and the girls into the lake, Zach swaggered over to sit beside me. "You know, you really hurt my feelings earlier." He feigned a hurt look but his hazel eyes betrayed his amusement. Who is this guy?

Rolling my eyes, I smirked, "Oh please, next you'll be telling me about your wounded soul." He threw his head back in a laugh, exposing perfect white teeth that gleamed against his russet skin.

"We'll have to spend some more time together before I tell you about my secret pain." Zach lay back on the blanket and placed his hands behind his head. I couldn't help but study his muscles.

Huffing in annoyance, I looked away. He probably stretched out on purpose, just so I could see how well defined his body was. What an egotistical buffoon, he was. "Forget it, evil spawn. Your charms won't work on me."

"I guess I'll have to pull out the big gun then." He sighed and my eyes wandered back toward the lake where Bella was having a splash fight with Taylor. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were slightly flushed as she swam away from him, leading him to playfully swim after her. Already I could see that he liked her. How Bella felt about him… though- that I wasn't sure about.


Obviously, Zach's idea of pulling out the big gun was to look unbelievably sexy in his cowboy getup. He looked mouth watering in his plaid, long sleeved shirt, wrangler jeans and biker boots. The man really knew how to make his assets work for him. I had to give him that much. Everything about him irritated yet intrigued me at the same time.

He clearly thought I looked good in the outfit Liz pushed on me. God, that girl had such a bossy streak in her and she could be really intimidating when she wanted to be. I watched as her and Ryan pawed each other out on the dance floor. I wouldn't have been surprised if they started having sex right then and there. God knows they already smelled like they wanted to.

I saw conflict on Bella's face when Taylor asked her to dance. She was clearly attracted to him but was having a hard time figuring out what to do about it. As they danced, I observed the way he held her in his arms and the fierce tenderness he gazed at her with. With a jolt, I realized that Taylor was irrevocably in love with Bella. Yet Bella, in true Bella-fashion, had her head up her ass. She owned that man heart and soul and she didn't even know it or maybe she didn't want to see it. They danced together like they were the only people in the room.

I turned Zach down when he asked me to dance. It was so annoying how he managed to make me feel all girly and stupid with that one question. It had been a long time since someone wanted to dance with me and I felt awkward. I'd been angry for so long that I didn't know how to be anything else. After he left to get us more drinks, Bella stumbled back to our table. Her dilated pupils and slightly slurred speech indicated that Bella was high as a kite. I expected her to back down when I dared her to ride the bull. Never did I think that Bella would take me seriously but she startled the hell out of me when she accepted my challenge. It was impressive to watch as she stomped off with a defiant twinkle in her eyes.

Zach and Taylor joined me back at our table just as I was getting ready to follow her.

"Where you going, sexy?" Zach set our tequila shots down on the table.

"Bella's gonna ride the bull." This I had to see.

"What?" Both men wore shocked expressions on their faces as they follow behind me. I guess no one wanted to miss the show.

By the time we got to the back, Bella was already on the bull being coached by the controller. "Okay, hold on with one hand and wave your free hand around to help you balance when the bull turns." Bella nodded. "Also, you should keep your thighs tense but your upper body relaxed. And don't worry, little lady. I'll go easy on you." Then he quickly made his way off the inflatable pad to stand behind the bull controls.

Bella tighten his grip on the bull and used her free hand to adjust the cowboy hat on her head. She's really going to do this, I thought in amazement. Looking around, I saw that Bella had drawn a crowd of onlookers… mostly male. Her jaw tightened with determination. Then Bella nodded her head, signaling that she was ready and slowly, the bull began to move. She leaned back as the head of the bull went down and leaned forward when the head came up. There were hoots and hollers as she sexily and slowly moved her body in time with the bull. I swiveled my head to see Zach looking on slack jawed. "Holy fuck, that's hot. She looks like she's having sex." He mumbled in fascination. Hell, even I was a little turned on by her.

Silently I cheered, go drunk Bella, go drunk Bella, go! Where had this Bella been hiding herself? She was looking in our direction, sexily smiling and winking at someone. I turned to see, it was Taylor. She was actually flirting with him. Taylor's eyes blazed as he stared back at her. I could almost see the sparks flying between them. After what seemed like forever, but was only forty seconds, Bella lost her grip then slipped off. The crowd cheered as she giggled and made her way off the pad.

As she was making her way over to us, a middle-aged man slapped her on the ass. With lighting speed Bella had his two of his fingers painfully bent back as she growled dangerously, "Touch me like that again, old man. And you'll be left with stubs." She let go of his hand only after he nodded and continued on her merry way like nothing happened.

I couldn't get over what I'd just seen. When the hell did Bella get so bad ass? As she reached us, Taylor grabbed her and they were back on the dance floor dancing like they were glued to each other. I concluded that if Bella could be brave then so can I. Zach was astounded when I turned to him. "Come on, let's dance." I walked to the dance floor and Zach followed behind me like he'd won the war, when in reality he hadn't even begun to fight the battle. If he thought I was easy, he was in for a surprise.

Zach wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me close to him. As we began to dance, I noticed Zach's hand inching their way down my back. Earlier tonight, Bella cautioned me about his roaming hands. "The hand that touches my ass will be the hand that gets broken." I warned and his hands conveniently stopped at the base of my spine.

"You can't blame a guy for trying." He shrugged and grinned lazily.

"Yes, I can." I huffed. Pervert.

Of course, Zach just had to be a great dancer too. I hated admitting how attractive he was. A sexy smirk made its way to his face and I couldn't help but smile in return. Looking at Zach, I got the feeling that no one could stay mad at him for long. As he twirled me around the dance floor, I tried to remember the last time I'd enjoyed myself so much. I relaxed and let myself get lost in the music. Here, I had the chance to be myself and not the Leah that everyone back in La Push had become accustomed to. I was having a good time. So good that I was a little disappointed when it was time to leave.

Looking around, we found Ryan and Liz making out back at our table, Angela was dancing in a corner with Danny but Taylor and Bella were nowhere to be seen. I was so busy dancing with Zach, I couldn't remember the last time I saw them. How long had they been missing? I picked up their scents leading out of the bar, so I told Zach to look for them in the bathrooms and I would check the back of the bar.

After Zach left, I followed their trail outside. The cool night air greeted me as I sniffed the air, trying to determine where they'd gone. I began to wonder if they'd decided to walk back to the house as their trails led in that direction and the house wasn't far away. Moments later, I found them a few buildings down at a tattoo parlor. Walking into the establishment, I wasn't prepared for what I'd see.

Usually, when you pictured a tattoo shop, you would envision a grungy, dirty environment with bad lighting. The place was surprisingly well-lit, clean looking and there was a tattooed receptionist sitting at a desk out front. She took one look at my cowgirl outfit and inquired, "You here for the cowboy couple?"

"Yeah. Where are they?" I knew where they were but for the sake of appearances, I asked anyway.

"They're getting inked in the back. You can head in." She went back to reading her magazine.

In the back room, Taylor was lying shirtless on a table while a tattooed man, who looked to be about in his forties, worked on his back. Bella was sitting on the other side of the room with her pants pulled down exposing her back while a woman, who I assumed to the man's wife, worked a tattooed onto her lower spine.

The man spared me a disinterested glance then went back to his work. His wife looked up from Bella's back and inquired, "Friends of yours?"

I mumbled, "Yeah." This was fucking awesome. Now Bella was getting a tattoo. It was so difficult to wrap my mind around the girl I'd seen clinging to a vampire two years ago and the woman before me who rode mechanical bulls, threatened men in bars, and got drunk and tattooed. This wasn't boring Bella anymore. This was her alter ego, Izzy.

Bella opened her hazy brown eyes. "Hi, Leah. I'm getting a tattoo."

"Yes, I can see that. Can I borrow your phone?" I needed to call Zach and I knew Bella would have his number. He was probably wondering where I was.

"Okay." She squeezed her cell out of the pants pocket then passed it to me.

As I walked out of the back room and into the lobby, I found Zach's number and dialed it.

Zach answered, "Izzy… where the hell are you?"

"Zach, it's me, Leah. I just wanted to let you know that I found Taylor and Bella. We're a few buildings down in a tattoo shop." I sat down in one of the chairs.

"What the hell are they doing there? Are they getting tattoos? Why didn't you stop them?" Zach asked with disbelief in his voice. Like me, a tattoo shop was the last place he'd expected to find them.

"When I got here they were already getting inked, so I figured I'd let them finish." Besides, this will be so much fun when Bella sobers up tomorrow.

"Fine, I'll drive the others home then come back to get you guys…" Zach paused for a moment then shouted, "Angela, Liz get down from that table… Damn it, Ryan! Stop throwing money at them and help me." The call disconnected and I chuckled to myself. Bella really rolled with a rowdy gang.

I picked up one of the catalogues from the table and flipped through it. Maybe I would come back later and get another tattoo, something to piss Jacob off with.

Zach came through the door about twenty minutes later, looking exhausted. He collapsed into the chair next to me and sighed, "They still in there?"

"Yep." I noted that he was the only one what wasn't drunk or high. "So, how come you're not drunk like the rest of them?"

"I have a two drink limit." At my confused expression, he continued, "I never knew my dad but I was told he was a mean drunk, so I make it a point never to drink too much. Don't want to develop a problem later on in my life." That was really smart of him. Lots of kids with an alcoholic parent tended to develop drinking problems as adults. I concluded that there was more to Zach than met the eye. He turned to me with a devilish glint in his eyes. "Anyway, I think there are better things to get hooked on. Don't you think?" Zach's eyes then proceeded to wander up and down my body.

I sighed with frustration and rolled my eyes. Just when I was beginning to think that Zach was a decent guy underneath, he just had to ruin it. "Besides, I'd like to be sober when I check on Suzie Q tonight." Of course, he had a girlfriend. Why would someone who looked like Zach, be single? I could tell by the way he said her name that he cared about her a lot.

Trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice, I asked with false nonchalance, "So, you have a girlfriend?"

With surprise in his hazel eyes, he replied, "Girlfriend? No. Suzie Q's my pet python. I didn't want to leave her alone at the apartment, so I brought her up to the house with us."

Growing up in La Push, with the forest right in my back yard, I came into contact with lots of snakes. So, I'd never been fearful of them. I would never have pegged Zach as a snake lover but as I looked at him, I could understand it. Suzie Q was probably the only female he could really commit to.

I changed the topic. Gesturing to the back room, I asked, "Could you believe those two? Getting tattoos?"

Zach laughed, "It's about time those two cut loose and had some fun together."

I decided to cut to the chase. "So, how long has he been in love with her?"

"For as long as I've known him. I'm not surprised you picked up on that. Everybody can see how he feels about her except Izzy. We all know she has feelings for him too but…"

"Yeah, Bella has a history of lying to herself."

"I think she's afraid of getting hurt again. That Jacob guy really upset her with whatever he said in his phone call." Anger curled in my stomach causing me to frown. Zach misinterpreted my expression. "Look, I know you're probably friends with the guy but-."

I interjected, "He's not my friend." Jacob might have been my Alpha and brother but that didn't make us friends. We worked together, risked our lives for each other because we had an obligation and a duty to carry out. That was all, nothing more nothing less.

With slightly raised eyebrows, Zach continued. "Well, whatever he said, it upset her so much that she went on a weird baking spree. She wouldn't eat or sleep at all. We were all freaked out by it and didn't know what to do. Taylor was the one who snapped her out of it or made her snap herself out of it. I'm not sure."

Sitting back in my chair, I let myself soak in that bit of information. It seemed that Taylor was good for her. "Those two have been dancing around each other for two years and I'm sick of it. Christ, get on with it already." Poor Zach sounded so irritated.

"Hmm… Two years, huh?" How Bella managed to keep her panties on around these guys was beyond my understanding. It had been only one day and already I was fixated on a certain Native American. What can I say? The guy was hot.

"I keep asking Taylor why he hasn't told her yet but he just says he's waiting. What the fuck's he waiting for? For Dillon Buchanon to move in on his girl?"

Who the hell is Dillon Buchanon? Dang, Bella sure knew how to get the guys hot for her. Now if she'd only relax enough to let herself go, then maybe she could move on with Taylor. An evil thought suddenly occurred to me and I smiled mischievously. "I have an idea that might help move things along."


A/N:Now before you guys start freaking out on me, no Carmen is not pregnant.

Jacob did something else stupid but I won't say anything else about it.

Hope you guys enjoyed hearing a little from the she-wolf.

For those of you that thought Leah would sleep with Zach, it's a bit too soon for that. My girl will make him work for it.

Coming up next:Bella remembers exactly what happened with Taylor, in startling detail.

She also remembers some strange things and sees her tattoo.

You know what to do if you want your chapter early. Review!