SEVENTEEN

LEAH

WRONG INSTINCT

Hey, can we talk?

Please?

The text messages are the first thing that light up my phone's screen when I turn it on.

They're from Jacob.

My heart literally flips, and I take a deep breath. We DO need to talk, but just the thought of telling him that I'm pregnant makes me so anxious. Two more texts come in, this time from Seth:

Have you told Jake yet?

You both need to come home.

I groan and set my phone down on the bed before flopping myself onto the mattress. I rub my temples and growl in frustration at the two men in my life.

What if he's upset, what if his imprint gets mad?

I take a deep breath and place my palm against my stomach. Closing my eyes, I block out all the negativity in my head and tune in to the very faint sound of little wings that is my baby's heartbeat. I can't help but smile.

I'm going to be a Mom.

Me, Leah Clearwater, the barren bitch of La Push. Tears spring to my eyes as I think of all the pain I've been through over the years, thinking of the family I'd never have, watching Rachel's womb grow round and her breasts fill with milk for Lotus. It had been such a bittersweet experience.

But now, it's my turn. My turn to share in the joy and wonder of motherhood.

And it's all thanks to Jacob. No one could doubt that he is the True Alpha after hearing about this. He must have some type of super sperm to knock up a woman who hasn't seen her period in over seven years.

"Fuck," I whisper to myself. I could never do this without him. I could never not tell him, no matter the outcome for us.

This little one is ours. Our miracle.

I sit up and grab my phone again, pulling up the text.

Hey. We can talk. I type quickly, then bite my lip in anticipation.

It doesn't take long for the phone to ring. Sucking in another deep breath I answer the call, ignoring the pounding in my chest. "Hey."

"Hey," Jacob's voice is raspy and sad, and I immediately worry that something else has happened.

"What's wrong?"

A chuckle rumbles on the line. "Besides you dumping me and everyone in La Push hating me?"

I release the breath that I'd been holding, the guilt making me shrink back against the padded bedhead. "You know why I had to go Jake, I told you we had to stop what we were doing…but I'm sorry I hurt you. I never wanted to…and it wasn't easy for me to leave. But if I didn't, things wouldn't have been good for either of us. The packs and the Council would have crucified me, and I just couldn't handle that on top of you going back to Nessie."

Jacob sighs on the line. "I know…I understand, but Leah…you were worried for nothing. I'm not with her like that, and I stood up to my father about us."

I can't help but smile a little. "Seth told me…thanks for doing that."

"I'd do anything for you Lee, don't you know that? Do you have any idea how much I miss you? How much I worry about you? Are you okay?"

Hearing it from his mouth does all kinds of things to me. For the first time since I left home, I feel the worry start to seep away. I want to see him more than anything. His voice cries out to every piece of me.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Besides the morning sickness that landed me in the hospital. "I'm…I'm in Hawaii with Becca, Jake. I'm safe."

"You're what?!"

"I'm with Becca."

"You've been there this whole time?!" he screeches in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Fuck, I never even thought to ask Rachel."

"She wouldn't have been able to tell you anyway. Becca knows I didn't want anyone to know I was here. I only told Seth and my Mom."

Jacob grunts on the line. "Should have made him tell me…" he mutters.

I smile and roll my eyes, picturing his pouty Alpha face. "But you didn't because you knew it wasn't what I wanted, and I'm grateful you let me have some time to myself."

"Well, when you put it like that I sound like a saint. It wasn't so easy, Lee. I just felt like I'd been a dick to you, and if you wanted to be gone, I had no right to say otherwise. Seth basically told me to leave you alone. It wouldn't have been right to order him to tell me, but if you didn't answer my calls I would have eventually."

My interfering brother really has had a bug up his butt recently. I appreciate him looking out for me though. "So what did you want to talk about?" I ask, not really wanting to talk about me leaving Jake anymore.

"Well, I'd prefer to do it in person…"

"Okay." I smile, biting my lip.

"Okay?" he echoes in surprise.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you too."

"About…?" he leads on for me to explain myself, but I shake my head even though he can't see me.

"In person, Jake."

"So can I come see you?" he asks, and the hope in his voice is so earnest and vulnerable that I wish I could be with him right now.

"Yes…please…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to see you, Jake."

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can, I'll book my flight tonight." I can hear the smile in his voice.

I can't help the happy relief that rushes through me. "Okay, good."

"I can't wait to see you, honey…" he whispers on the line.

"Me too Jake. I've missed you so much," And just like that, I'm putty in his hands again.

"I've missed you too, and I swear, it's just you and me okay? I just want us to be together. I don't care who accepts us, I'll always fight for you."

I nod and bite my bottom lip as tears fill my eyes. "Me too," I whisper. I'll fight for us and our baby.

"No more running off then, okay? I'm not sure my ego can take it again," he jokes and I roll my eyes.

"Is THAT what you're worried about, then?" I tease back.

"Of course not, babe. So what's it like there? How's Becca?" he asks excitedly, and I sink down further onto the mattress, prepared to tell him all about my new life.

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A little over an hour later I say goodbye to Jacob and put my phone to charge. Feeling light and happy, I make my way to kitchen, ready to eat everything in sight. There I meet Rebecca placing some popcorn kernels into the popper. "Hey, were you napping?" she asks, looking up at me as I grab an apple from the bowl next to where she is.

"No I was talking to your brother."

Rebecca's mouth drops open and she shrieks in shock. "Get out!"

"Yeah, he texted and I agreed to talk. He'll be here in two days." While we'd been on the phone Nessie had booked his flights for him. It was really weird knowing she was right there while he and I were on the phone, but at the same time it was reassuring. It was proof that she was okay with me being Jacob's lover. We carefully avoided the topic as we talked but I could sense that Jacob wanted me to be reassured.

And I am. Sorta.

As much as I realistically can be. For now.

Until we really work shit out.

"Are you excited?" Rebecca asks with a cheesy grin.

"Yeah," I answer with one of my own. "I am, but I'm freaking out too. Telling him about the baby…I just…it's a little scary."

"Well he's the one person you don't have to worry about. I know he'll be happy, Leah. Jacob has always been responsible and kindhearted, even if he's stubborn too."

I nod, my smile falling away as I stare at my apple. "I guess I'm scared we won't get the happily ever after…that something will tear us apart." Or someone or lots of someones…"It still feels impossible to get everything I've ever wanted," I admit, feeling pathetic.

But it's the truth. I've never been that girl who gets to live the fairytale. If I had, Sam and I would have been married years ago like we'd planned. We'd have gotten out of La Push and gone to college and everything else. Having lived through the heartbreak of realizing that those dreams were nothing but wishful thinking, makes me prone to doubting things with Jake. There are so many people who won't support us being together. So naturally I'm terrified that the one thing I should have, will forever elude me.

"It'll all work out. You can just live somewhere else if Billy and whoever back home has a problem with it. They're not a factor in this. Don't let them scare you off."

I shrug, taking the last bite. "I guess you're right." It's not what I would ideally want…but, so what? When did I become so soft? Fuck them all. Once Jake commits to me and our baby, no one else matters. We'll be happy anywhere as much as it would hurt us not to have our pack. It's just another hurdle I'll have to cross when I get there. The first step is to make sure Jacob is mine…ours.

The pregnancy does make me a little more confident that I have a reason to stake my claim on him. Not like he's property, but at the same time, Jake's heart is mine and I want it back. Now that I know for certain that he hasn't given up on us, I want to be possessive of him. My wolf demands that we be with our mate.

Rebecca turns on the popper and fishes out a big bowl from the cupboard. She pours herself a glass of wine and heads to the den. I make myself two sandwiches and follow her inside. She's settled on the couch watching Fifty Shades.

We've already missed a chunk of it, and it's up to the part where Mr. Grey shows Anastasia just what he wants to do to her. I grunt in approval as he takes a riding crop and pleasures his woman. She's clearly anxious because he's got her blindfolded, but at the same time she can't resist the pleasure he's giving her.

Rebecca chuckles and I look over at her. "What?"

"I don't know if to be weirded out and intrigued."

"What do you mean?"

"You're into that kind of stuff? You and my brother?"

I laugh and slap my knee. "Jake probably doesn't even know where to begin with that kind of stuff."

"Really? So he's into vanilla sex then?"

"Vanilla sex?" I laugh again. "Are you serious right now?"

"You know what I mean? Like regular, missionary style, you know, the same boring thing all the time."

"Yes I know what it means!" I snort. "He's definitely not vanilla. But we've never used props or bondage before." (But we do fuck hard and multiple times, many more times than Mr. Grey could manage in one setting.)

"Okay, weird again, sorry I even asked what my baby brother's into. So gross!"

"Bet. What about you and Surfer Dude? How goes that?"

Rebecca snorts. "He's all into the luuuvvvv. He's definitely not into anything like that. He likes to be high."

I giggle. "Honestly, I'm not surprised."

Even though I've already eaten, my stomach growls loudly. I know I can't ignore my constant hunger, but what I'm craving is nothing we have home - a burger and fries…and a shake…and an apple pie. I groan loudly, knowing just the place I want to get it from.

"What?" Becca asks and I explain to her my sudden dinner craving. "Well take my jeep. Give little baba whatever he or she wants." I'm touched by her sincerity and offer a warm hug. I can't help but be worried that my pregnancy hurts Becc more than she lets on, but I cherish her for hiding it so well. She's all I've got, and her support means everything. It doesn't escape me that she's me in this situation, how I was with Rachel back home.

I agree to the idea of driving readily, as I don't feel like walking. I get so tired these days – and it's late. I change into a pair of jeans and slip a charcoal cardigan over my pale blue t-shirt. I brush my hair (which is finally growing out) up into a low ponytail and slide my feet into a pair of black ballet flats.

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Kiki Burger isn't too busy, thankfully, and I barely have to wait ten minutes for my order – which I've doubled as if eating for two adults rather than my growing nugget. The wolf appetite coupled with pregnancy has me eating like Jake after patrol. At the thought of him again, I can't help but smile. Soon we'll finally be together, and he'll get to hear the little wings for himself.

My plan was to carry my dinner home but my stomach growls so fiercely that as soon as I hop into the jeep, I'm tearing open the bag and sinking my teeth into the first burger. I moan as the flavor of the barbeque sauce bursts on my tongue. Unable to help myself, I dig for the fries and decide to turn the radio on for some company.

But before I can get to my second round, or my pie for that matter, I hear a whimper, followed by a shriek of pain. My wolf immediately goes on high alert and I find myself climbing out of the jeep and following the sounds of someone in danger.

Then it hits me, the putrid stench of bloodsucker. Holy shit! The pores of my flesh raise and the wolf stirs in me. It's been so long since she's needed to be on high alert. My hand immediately reaches to my abdomen. I don't know if I can do it. Not only is the parking lot too public a place for a large wolf, but I have no clue if I'd hurt the baby.

But still, I can't turn around because I can hear a defenseless human whimpering in pain. I can't drive away to safety knowing that someone is being attacked. I round the corner behind Kiki Burger, where the dumpsters are, and that's where I see them. It's a vampire alright, and he's currently feeding off a poor young woman. I recognize her as the same pink-haired girl I saw inside, taking orders.

"Hey! Get off her!" I shout, and my instinct to protect propels me forward. I try to phase but it doesn't come, so at the last second I grab the sleeve of the vamp's sweater and pull as hard as I can, forcing him to fall back. The white demon looks back with its red eyes and screeches at me and I release a loud growl in return.

The girl falls to the ground like a rag doll, lifeless, as the vampire stares back in shock at my animalistic display.

"You sick son of a bitch!" I snarl at the creature.

"And you are?" he asks, intrigued, as if he weren't just in the middle of killing someone.

"I'm your worst nightmare!" I tell him, not caring how cliché I sound while trying to be threatening.

He scoffs at me and cocks his head to the side. His red eyes sweep over me and it's off-putting, it makes my skin crawl. "You sound and smell like an animal."

"Because I AM, vampires are not the only supernatural creatures in this world."

"Well, obviously, but regardless of that, you never should have interrupted my meal. There's a certain type of etiquette involved in such cases," the leech tells me, rather matter-of-fact, but I can hear the threat behind the words. I take in his black hair and sickly color and for a moment, I wonder who he is. He speaks so eloquently. And where did he come from? For all the time I've been in Hawaii, I've come across zero vampire scents.

"You don't have the right to take innocent lives," I respond, mustering as much confidence as I can manage. I try to summon the wolf, but she resists and I know it's because of the baby. "You need to get away from here, or I'll make you pay." It's an empty threat at this point, because I have no wolf and no lighter. Fuck me for not having one in my pocket. At home, the pack always has a light on hand. It's a rule. How could I have been so careless?

"Oh really? And how would you do that?"

"Ever hear of the Cullens and the Volturi?"

The leech's eyes widen, and for a moment I'm shocked that he does know about them. It's just my luck that it's not a newborn, that it's a seasoned vamp that knows about its own world and culture.

"Well let's just say that if the Volturi know not to mess with my kind, then you should too."

"The wolves huh? No wonder you smell like wet dog." The vampire scoffs. "You should know that the Volturi have also said that if any of us come across any Children of the Moon, that we should kill them on sight."

I gasp in shock, which fills my lungs with the putrid scent of the creature before me. My hand reaches to cup my abdomen, as fear creeps into my body. I have no pack to call, no Jake to come find me, to feel my need for him.

My wolf is alert, but she won't come to my rescue. She wants me to flee but I know if I run, the vampire will attack. Seth was right, I need the pack's protection. I should have gone back home as soon as I got out of the hospital. I'd gotten too careless, too comfortable in this happy place.

And now I'm too scared to even think what this means for me. For us.

I can't help but admit that I made the wrong decision for my unborn child. I had acted with the wrong instinct: as a protector, not as a mother. Shakily, I try to swallow down the panic that threatens to bring my food back up the way it came. But the reality is too bitter to bear.

What have I done?

The creature's eyes follow the movement of my hand on my abdomen and it looks up at my face once more. "You're finally scared now, huh? As you should be. You're lucky that you smell so disgusting, or you and your baby would be dessert."

"Gee thanks. You're lucky I'm pregnant or my wolf would kick your ass," I clap back with albeit false bravado. If I'm going out tonight, at least it will be in true Leah Bitchwater style.

The creature growls at me, a deep guttural, bone-chilling sound; and what comes next happens in a split second, in a literal blink of my eye. Before I can even think to run or move out of the way, the leech crashes into me and sends me flying backwards. I crash into the dumpster hard and pain spreads like wildfire through my limbs, starting at the crown of my head. The leech punches me in the jaw and rams into me one more time, crushing my mid-section just below my breasts.

"Bitch," the bloodsucker spits, before zooming off into the night.

As the pain radiates to every limb in my body, I drop and fold in on myself, defeated. I don't know why the vampire didn't finish me off. Maybe he thought he'd caused enough damage and wanted to escape before others heard us. Maybe he thought there were more of my kind nearby. Whatever his reasons for fleeing, I'm actually grateful because I'm still alive.

I squeeze my eyes shut and offer prayers to the spirits, begging them to spare my unborn child. "Please, please don't take my baby away from me," I whimper. I open my eyes and they immediately fall to the unconscious girl on the ground. Her heart is still beating to my surprise, but it's really slow and really faint. She'll be dead soon, as she's lost a ton of blood. My heart hurts that I wasn't able to save her, to help her. I feel like a failure in more than one way.

Her lifeless body pushes me to focus on the other person I've failed to protect, my baby. I need to get out of here before I'm found and blamed for this. How can I explain that we were both attacked by a vampire? There are no bears to blame this incident on.

With great effort I manage to pull myself up to stand, wobbling slightly as the pain continues to terrorize my body. Thankfully, I can feel the supernatural healing already starting to work on my legs. I feel my wolf carrying me forward, her strength sustaining me, us. I have no idea if the baby survived yet, because the pounding of my own racing heart is the only sound filling my ears, but I just know in my heart that I can't lose my little miracle. The Spirits wouldn't be so cruel to me again, would they?

I limp all the way back to the jeep, keeping to the shadows. Luckily, it's late so the car park is pretty empty. No one inside notices me, especially all bruised and dirty. It's a struggle to get myself into the vehicle, but the desire to get my baby to safety is all the fuel I need to make my way back home.

I can't even think about how I'm going to explain this to Rebecca.

AN: I must admit this was not one of my fave chapters in terms of content, but it served to bring Leah and Jake back together and to finally let Rebecca in on the secret so we can get the ball rolling. I tried other ideas but decided to stick with this vampire episode. So yeah I dunno lol :/ Thanks for reading favoriting and reviewing my fic, it means a lot to me!