"You will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again." ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
My body jolts awake. The images of my nightmares still swirl around in my head. Embry was hurt. Harry is dead. The vampire is gone.
I groan. My chest heaves. There's a weight on top of me and I can't move. I remember feeling powerless. I remember being stuck between two impossible decisions and not knowing if I made the right one. I remember slipping out of my own mind.
A small whine reaches my ears. Bella. She's laying on me, curled into my side. One of my arms wraps around her, holding her close. I release that tension immediately.
The breath in my throat hitches.
When did we become tangled up like this?
Slowly, the memories return to me. Bella's worried face staring up at me sears itself onto my mind. I almost recoil in shock. She cared enough to try to snap me out of my shock. There's an instinct in my fists to curl upon realizing she saw me in such a state. But remembering her concern and empathy allow me to cool down. I've certainly seen her in enough troubling moments that not sharing my own issues could be considered unfair. All I know is that she stayed even when I told her to sleep somewhere else.
I try not to let my body grow desperate for her touch as she lies on top of me. The memories of her from our night together try to wiggle themselves back to the forefront of my mind. But I'm really not in the mood to be poking her awake.
She's reluctant to move even when I gently shake her shoulder. I suppose I'm not entirely eager to feel her warmth disappear from close to me.
"Bella," I whisper her name. Like I've been parched all my life and her presence is the rain to end the drought. I don't know how I've been able to survive this long without having her this close. All the memories of suffering become so blindingly clear.
It's enough to wake her, sadly. She looks at me, wide and perfect eyes full of confusion. Then she realizes the compromised position we've fallen asleep in and scrambles to get off me. Her cheeks turn red and she won't meet my eyes. I'd almost laugh at her embarrassment if the hole in my chest wasn't a mile deep.
"Oh god, Harry," she exclaims. "And Leah. And Seth too. Oh god."
"It's going to be alright," I tell her.
She shakes her head, "No, I saw-"
"We don't know his status right now," I say firmly. I won't think of anything else. "He was still alive when they took him."
Bella's brown eyes change shape as she looks at me and this time I turn away from her gaze.
"Sam, I saw," she repeats. "Victoria didn't miss. I'm sorry."
My stomach squeezes. I swallow. I know she's right. I can feel it. I just, don't want to think it. I'm tired of coming to terms with terrible things. Now one of the men I used to beg the universe to be my real father is dead. And I'm still stuck with a deadbeat's DNA. More families shattered now.
"I'll try to find a way to contact them," Bella whispers.
I stand up from the couch immediately and face her. "No. They aren't welcome here. We can kill her without them."
She twists the end of my sweatshirt still on her and shifts her weight on her left leg. I recognize it to be her posture when she's nervous. I fight to lose some of the intensity in my own stance and voice.
"But she'll hurt someone else," Bella's voice grows impossibly quiet. I might even only be able to hear because of the mutant that I am.
"No, she won't," I say firmly. "And I won't let her hurt you either."
I'd rather let myself die than have Bella be hurt. Especially in her current condition. That she doesn't even know about. Fuck.
With her cheeks still flushed pink, I know she doesn't believe me. She believes she's destined for sacrifice. Her words to Victoria told me that.
"I don't want you getting hurt," she mumbles in such a way that I could have imagined it. I try not to do a double-take. "Figuring out how to get them back is the way to prevent that."
I grunt, "This is our job, Bella. We're created for this purpose."
"But you told me you don't want that responsibility," she mutters, refusing to stare too intensely at me.
My stomach clenches even tighter. I feel lightheaded suddenly.
"When did I say that?"
Bella looks back down, "Last night."
I don't say anything or move. My nerves freeze and I begin to feel faint. Not a typical feeling for a wolf.
"It's okay, I understand-" she starts to say.
"I promise I will protect you, Bella. I was out of it last night. I apologize," I admit, keeping my voice level. The memories are suddenly very fuzzy to me. I last truly remember agreeing to take her back here to get away from the chaos at the Clearwaters.
Again surprising me, Bella reaches forward and grabs my hand. I'm instantly struck with the realization she did the same thing last night trying to comfort me. I shake myself out of the memory.
"Sam, you've seen me in some pretty bad spots. How could I possibly be mad at you for the same thing?" Her eyes shine at me.
My hand feels clammy in hers despite the warmth. It feels simultaneously natural and undeserving. I should pull away, but I don't want to offend her.
I clear my throat, "We'll solve this without the Cullens."
She lightly flinches at the name and I feel guilt cascade in. Apologizing would call even more attention to it, however. One day with enough courage on my end, I'll tell her she deserves better. She deserves the whole world if only I were capable of giving it.
"I have to get back to my dad soon," she says. I don't let the hope fly in my chest for sensing a note of regret in her tone.
I nod, "I will need to go see Billy with Leah, and Seth."
Bella squeezes her eyes shut, "How old is he?"
"Fourteen." An unspoken agreement passes between us. The acknowledgment of a life so young taken away. Truthfully, I didn't know someone that young could phase. We both allow a moment of pain to pass.
She finally speaks up again, "When can I see them?"
"I'm not sure. It will probably be rough for a while."
She doesn't really respond to that. I can see the way her eyebrows furrow together that she's trying to think. It's another moment that takes me completely by surprise at how effortlessly beautiful she is. I can't recall any other things that have ever triggered this response from me. Is it the imprint or proof that the imprint was right?
"I want to be there," Bella admits, looking at me with determination on her face, "not just for them but for you, all of you, too."
It strikes me how selfless Bella tries to be without drugs or alcohol in her system. How much more alive and persistent she can be. It hurts to think how long she went without caring about anything at all. Maybe she wants to feel included in something meaningful. I can't fault her for that. I just don't want her getting hurt.
I might stare at her too long because she blushes and twirls a piece of hair awkwardly below her chin.
"Would you like me to drive you back to your house?" I offer. The thought of seeing her for a little bit longer weighs on my mind. I'm not opposed to it.
She shakes her head, "No, that's too much. I don't want to keep you from your responsibilities anyway."
"But um," she shuffles her weight between her feet awkwardly, "my dirty clothes are still in your bathroom."
"I'll clean them and bring them to you when I see you next," I say immediately. "Don't worry about it.
Bella almost opens her mouth to argue but decides against it, "Thank you."
She then reaches towards me as she did at the party months ago. My breath is sucked out of my lungs. I wait a long, torturous second for what is to come. But her small, warm arms wrap around my torso. She presses the side of her head into me and closes her eyes.
I take too long to move, stuck in shock. Slowly, my own arms reach around her and the mystical force between us hums in great approval.
I can feel the flutter of her child's heartbeat with her pressing against me like this. It causes me to be dizzy. I know instantly that I will love her baby regardless of who the father is. The sound is so rhythmic and strong, just like Bella herself. Whenever Bella figures it out, I'll make it clear to her that they're both accepted on our land. They're pack.
"Thank you, Sam," she whispers again, and then she leaves.
I wait for my body and mind to catch up. They both seem intent to linger on her recent presence a moment longer. But I know I have important work to get to.
Billy confirms the worst for me when I approach the green Clearwater house. Harry didn't make it. I almost crumble in front of him, but the ghost feeling of Bella's arms wrapping around me keeps me upright. Neither of us use this time to say a word about the loss. That will come later.
"Tried to do what I could, son. House is a mess, you'll see. We're going to need to tear the floorboards out of the porch as well," Billy grimaces.
I nod. I only now think of the mess that was probably made with Harry's attack and his children phasing.
"And Sue?"
Billy shakes his head, "Still out of it."
I exhale through my nose, "Alright, let me see them."
He's entirely right about the house. Quite a bit is torn up, but both of the Clearwater kids are currently in a human state. Huddled up on the couch together, their undereye bags tell me they've not slept at all during the night. It probably took many tries to get them in their current state.
Seeing my face, Leah turns redder and begins to curse at me. Jacob and Jared poise ready to defend if she phases involuntarily.
"You let him die!" Leah cries at me. "How could you?"
"I didn't know what was going to happen," I say.
None of the others say anything. But she continues to scream and beg at everyone as if they can change the situation. Her sobs wrack her entire body and she's not a small woman so she must be crying particularly hard.
"We're going to kill her, Leah," I promise. I keep my features passive.
She cries further. I don't even want to take a look at Seth to see how he is coping. If I don't do something to remedy this situation soon then I'm going to look like a bad leader unable to take charge. And I know that isn't me. Even Billy waits expectantly for my words.
"We're going to be a stronger pack now that we have two more," I tell them all very seriously. "And we're going to need it because of the threat that's coming."
I explain to everyone the intricate details of what Victoria said to us. Despair falls over the room rather quickly. Leah shuts up and listens. She even perks up hearing that Bella is the target, caused by Edward Cullen's action against James, the mate. If I wasn't so pissed off about it happening, I might admit it's at least an interesting story. I can only imagine the turmoil Bella went through living it.
But now that Victoria made it clear that she intends to kill more, all of our efforts need to be directed towards stopping her. Fortunately, everyone also agrees with me that the Cullens are absolutely unwanted here.
"So we're going to train even harder now. Everyone understand?"
They all do.
The new members need to start from the beginning in their training. And as much as it pains me to admit, Jacob is capable enough to lead the older boys in advancing their work. I try to get Leah and Seth to follow their instincts when hunting.
The younger sibling takes to it, although still in doubt that his instincts are all that great. But his sister, good god, fights me on everything. She seems to have very little instinct on how to be a wolf. And each time I pair her up with another to fight, she
Yet, something is discovered when I make everyone race to the edge of our land.
Leah is the fastest of all of us. I don't know how considering her small size, but it's true. It's the breakthrough that finally gets her to stop hating being a wolf.
"Did you see that? Did you see that!" she yells in utter glee. She prances around having made considerable distance on the others when they reach the finish point. I see the images of freedom flash across her eyes. She's taunting the universe to hold her back here and for some reason, it can't.
I can even see Embry and Jared being out of breath when they reach her after many long seconds.
"Woah, sis!" Seth agrees.
"That was amazing! Let's do it again!" Leah hollers.
And I can't deny her some joy after all that has happened to her. She kicks everyone's butt repeatedly. It lessens the heaviness in my own heart to see it.
I allow us a light celebration in the Clearwater house. Sue is still gone and I know that hangs over everyone's heads, especially her children. But there's enough smiles and stories of 'war' that a jovial tone takes over for now. Of course, that can't last forever.
"Obviously the imprint keeps drawing me back to Kim!" Jared laughs in the middle of explaining why he gets even less sleep than the rest of us. But once the words fly out, he realizes his mistake and glues his mouth shut.
Our voices quiet down. There's no way she can't focus on the word now. Everyone's eyes also shift over to look at Leah, who only grows in her confusion as the moment ticks on.
Fuck.
"What is an imprint?" Leah asks. Her voice teeters on the edge of suspicion.
Jared runs a shaky hand through his hair as he looks at me, "Ah, well, it's, you know. When you find your soulmate."
My whole body pulsates on edge. This is not going to be a good conversation. I should walk over to the fridge and pull out one of Harry's leftover beers to drink. That might piss her off enough to change the topic.
But Leah just laughs as she looks at us incredulously, "Soulmate? For real? That's ridiculous."
Yet when none of us elaborates much further, her annoyance grows. She looks each of us in the eyes and tilts her head in confusion. "Is there something I'm not getting here?"
"Why don't you ask Sam?" Jacob sneers. "He knows all about it too."
I cross my arms over my chest. Fucking bastard.
"Listen," Jared laughs shakily. "There's not much to know. It's just when you look into the eyes of a person and know they're the one."
"That's it?" Leah presses. She was always very good at knowing when information was being held back.
"Well, and then usually," Jared takes another glance at me, "you end up together as a perfect match."
"Usually," Leah repeats, enunciating every syllable.
Jacob decides to take another inopportune moment to speak, "The imprintee apparently will never want to be with anyone else again. Even if they've been friends forever."
The wrath drips through his voice like molasses falling from a spoon.
Leah straightens up her posture, "What if they don't like the person back?"
An eye-roll from Jacob, "Evidently they'll come around. It's inevitable. Just look at Bella."
"What do you mean, 'look at Bella?'" Leah asks. It strikes me then that Bella's compassion for Leah is not unrequited. They're both keen to look out for each other.
The vibration in the room is sucked out. No one moves an inch.
Her features contort more angrily and then she looks at all of us. Jacob glares at me per usual, but then drops his head when I give him a silencing look. It's too late, recognition passes over Leah's feature. The Baby Alpha left her enough clues. Shit.
"We're going outside now," she hisses at me and grabs me by the wrist before I can do much about it.
I know I'm strong enough to stand my ground and prevent her from dragging me somewhere to interrogate me, but that's only going to fuel her rage. I take a look back at my pack and bark a low command to them, "Stay there."
Leah's saunter and pull on my arm tells me she's a second away from being viciously pissed off. We hurry into the beginning of the woods while she lets me go to put her hands on her hips and lean into my personal space like a chastising mother.
"What did you do to her?" Leah's voice goes dangerously low.
"I didn't do anything," I answer. The desire to have this conversation plummets into the negatives.
Leah takes a shaky step towards me. I can see the fire burn in her eyes as she struggles to hold the wolf back. Yet, as I knew her those years ago, telling her to calm down would be the worst move on my part.
"I would never do anything to hurt her," I enunciate my every word as she continues to stalk forward.
"But she doesn't have a choice, does she?" Leah bites out. "You took that from her."
If we were close two years ago, my response to her would be what about my choice? But again, that would be a very bad decision. The truth anyway is that there's long been a part of me ecstatic that I don't have to go the rest of my life wondering who is 'the one.' And the part continues to war with the very argument Leah is right to bring up.
"She is free to be with whoever she wants." She likely already has been, I think bitterly.
Leah bites out, "I don't believe for a second you're not going to prey on her like that vamp."
Red hot anger flashes across my mind, "I will never abandon her like that creature did. You should know that."
By now she knows I was the one to find Bella. That's what started this whole damn thing. I saw firsthand how Edward Cullen destroyed her. To willingly do it a second time, now that's cruelty. And I'd like to think our kind is better than the ones destined to kill all around them.
A thought tugs on my mind at this very inconvenient moment. Yeah, I walked out of the room after our encounter at that party. But she said his name. It was him she wanted there. I wonder if she even remembers it all.
"But you left me, didn't you?" Leah snaps.
My jaw tightens, "I didn't want you to get involved in this."
A howling laugh, "A little late for that."
"I am sorry, Leah," I tell her. There are a million things that could apply. For her father and her new, torturous life most of all.
Her voice loses all emotion. Enough to scare me into taking an unconscious step backward. "I don't care."
By now, the rest of the pack is gathered across the land, huddling together to eavesdrop. I know enough about our abilities to realize they can definitely hear. Leah isn't doing a very good job trying to maintain a private conversation.
She's got a wild look on her face. The wildest I've ever seen from her. Being a shifter now has transformed her typical ferociousness into a whole new level. I can feel it deep down in my bones that I was never the person meant to handle her. I wonder what kind of creature it would take to do so.
"Tell me, do you have any idea how upsetting it was to realize your own parents weren't that concerned to hear their daughter's fiance abandoned her? Oh boy though, do I understand now. It's because 'we're not destined.' Fine whatever, I can accept that. But tell me, Sam, why then did you fuck my cousin?"
My jaw pops as I try to open my mouth to say something. No words feel adequate. I want to say 'it was a mistake,' but treating Emily like that would be hugely unfair. It was a choice. Just the wrong one made deliberately.
I hear snickers from our crowd of onlookers, but I doubt the woman in front of me is paying any attention to that.
"Huh?" Leah presses. "Didn't hear you, Sammy."
"A moment of weakness," is all I can say.
She looks ready to explode as she grits her teeth together. "I was ready to give up my life for you."
"I never wanted that for you. I still want you to achieve your own dreams," I try to calm her.
"Well, look at me now! I've done fucking nothing since high school. And now my father is dead."
There's nothing more I can say. Apologizing again is going to tick her off. I know the feeling of people just apologizing to you over and over again when they can't take away the pain. My dad left often enough for all the rez teachers to personally give condolences. But I know the death of a parent is worse.
"Why Emily!" she yells, eyes building and fists shaking when I don't answer. "Why her!"
"She was there, Leah. She saw what happened with my mom," I try to keep my voice strong, but I still end up whispering the words more than I'd like.
Realization takes over her face. For a single second, she looks almost regretful towards me. Then she shakes her head to snap herself back into her tirade. Again, this is the Leah I forgot I knew. The one who won't let outside interferences change her purpose with each argument.
"You could have given me that chance, Sam."
"I didn't want to hurt you either," I admit. "The violent impulses you feel now? Everything that sets you off? I went through that too. And I paid for my lack of control."
Her eyes flash, "You can pay again."
I shake my head, "I can't do this with you, Leah. We need to focus on the bigger issues at hand."
Ah, there it is. My alpha attitude getting the best of me. I've hit the point of no return with Leah now as I had with so many previous arguments of mine.
Her eyes flash and violent tremors take over. I know what's coming.
"Fuck you!"
She phases, transforming into a bundle of furry limbs. I'm quick enough to slip out of my shorts and phase as well. Her small body still posies itself against me in a fighting stance, but I know any lunge she makes towards me will be defeated easily.
Her attack is as rage-filled as Paul's first were. But she lacks the strength he possesses. We all know she is the weakest of us. I try to keep this thought out of my head when I pin her to the ground, letting her struggle and whimper below me. A lifetime ago, I might have enjoyed being this dominant.
I hold her there as she cries in our mind link. I'll hold her until the breath in her lungs steadies as she howls and growls away all the air she has. Many minutes later when she stops fighting, I feel her ribcage rise and fall against mine.
"You are not going to tell her," I Alpha-order.
Leah doesn't respond.
When I let her up, she phases back into human form without needing to calm herself much. She's still a trembling ball of fear, naked and shaking. Is it me she's afraid of? Maybe. I guess I'll face that possibility when I'm alone again next and in the mood to hate myself more.
Jacob and the rest of the pack approach quickly after. Jacob drapes a blanket over her body and guides her back into their house. He looks back at me with a glare on his face.
As I put on my shorts again, the others wait for guidance I can't seem to give them. Seth's expression is one of pain. I know he wishes to follow his sister, but his loyalty to me keeps him here. Another thing to put on my list of self-disappointments.
I don't make Leah phase or take shifts patrolling with me. From what the others tell me, she won't stop yelling in her own head. And when she doesn't yell, her anger prevents her from being a good packmate. Not that she has much strength anyway.
Silencing the complaints of the others doesn't seem to be working. I know they're whispering behind my back about a situation they might deem to be my fault. But Hell, I didn't make Leah phase. Didn't even know a woman could.
There's something I could do that would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I've yet to see Sue and explain how sorry I am. Because truthfully, I'd understand if she too thought it was my fault.
Their house continues to improve each time I visit it. It might be the efforts of Sue to keep herself distracted now that I think about it. My own memories of my mom doing the same thing strike me across the face. One day, maybe, she'll learn to accept that Joshua Uley can't be relied upon. Unlike Harry, who could be, but will never come back again.
Sue gives me a soft smile when she opens the door after I've knocked. It's not the reaction I was expecting, but she's a gentle soul so I shouldn't be shocked. Maybe there's forgiveness in her heart.
She even leads me inside and asks if I want anything to drink. I decline. I'm grateful I decided to wear a jacket and pants when seeing her. She might forget that our kind never gets all that cold.
"How are they doing?" she asks me.
"As best as can be expected," I answer. I realize that was the knee-jerk diplomatic answer. It's not going to get me anywhere with the problem at hand.
"Well," I cough as the truth fights its way out, "Leah is very angry and I know she has every right to be, but it's affecting the others."
Sue nods, "I'll try to talk to her."
"Sue, I am sorry. I wish I could have gotten there in time-"
She makes a 'tsking' sound, "Samuel, there was nothing you could have done. They told me about what happened with Embry, you know? You made the best decision at the moment."
"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," I grumble. "I should have delegated the responsibility."
"Now you know better," she responds, arms crossed over her chest like she's lecturing me as a small child who ate too many cookies and didn't get dinner.
"I don't know how you can forgive me," I admit.
"Because you're not the one who murdered my husband," she tells me. It's then I see her eyes shine with the same fury present so often in Leah's. Another person who wants revenge.
"I'll get her. And I won't let her touch Bella," I say. I know she can see the promise written on my face. When it comes to my imprint, the reasons for killing Victoria become thousand-fold. Sue seems to understand this despite not being a wolf or her husband being one. Maybe she thinks back to her own days of young and passionate love. Regardless, I speak the truth she wishes to hear.
Sue promises again that she'll try to reach her daughter. It maybe works for a day. With the preparations going into Harry's funeral, I can see how each time she returns home she's reminded of her now broken family.
Leah's anger really begins to affect the others when she hints that no one knows who Embry's father is. Billy Black could have another son for all anyone knows. It dampens everyone else's mood considerably.
I decide this is when I need to step in again.
She isn't hard to find. Sue tells me she hangs outside their house where she and Harry used to prepare his fishing kits for retreats. I always knew their relationship was close when we used to date, but the reminder of it still burrows itself underneath my skin in a painful itch.
"Thought you were staying away," she spits out at me when she sees my approach. Leah crosses her arms over her chest and turns her chin sharply away. Her red flannel blows in the wind.
She's offended I've kept my distance? Fuck. Why can't I ever understand what it is women want?
I still choose not to engage her further on her grievances, right as they may be.
"Look," I say, "Embry is a Uley. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't make the others think about his parentage anymore."
Eyes widened and mouth gaping open, Leah tries to catch flies for a few moments. Then she regains her balance and makes a 'tsking' sound.
"How do you know that?" Doubt is present in her voice.
I sigh, "I felt it when he first phased. He is my blood."
Now is hardly the time to explain to Leah the sorts of feelings I get. Though I am rather inclined to call them instincts instead. Knowing when a vampire is on our land, usual. But if she hears that I can sense Bella's presence nearby too, she could blow another gasket.
She sucks in a sharp breath, "Does he know?"
"If he does, he hasn't talked about it with me."
A nod and then I see her eyes glaze over. Sadness and regret. I've pushed her into another round of uncomfortable feelings. Well, it's the usual experience of being a shifter. I can't take that away from any of them.
"Suppose that's why you went back for him," she finally says. She doesn't look at me when she says it, but I know what she's thinking.
We watch the breeze blow through the trees around the Clearwater property. There are a thousand memories of Harry going through my head. I can only imagine what it would be like having him as a father. A good man, no doubt about it. One ready to take on the responsibilities associated with having a supernatural pack to protect the land.
It pains me then that he'll never get the chance to guide his own children.
"You need to tell her about it," Leah sighs at me. "It's the least you can do for arguably ruining her life."
Surprisingly, Leah's words don't have the same bite to them from before. Instead, all I can pick up on is her worry about Bella. I've been through that same emotion enough to instantly emphasize. It prevents me from arguing back like instincts might tell me to.
So I shake my head. "She's still not right, Lee."
Instant anger, "Don't call me Lee. You lost that privilege long ago."
I bite the inner corner of my mouth to stop an ugly retort. "You didn't see how she was when he left her. Her psyche or whatever is still fragile. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I made it worse."
"You underestimate her," Leah laughs, surprisingly. "Since you freaks can read my mind now, I'm sure you'll hear all about it."
She rolls her eyes and walks off.
And she's right. I do see into her memories.
I'm faced with a side of Bella I hadn't considered before. One where she's screaming and obviously devastated by Harry's brutal murder. But out of the corner of Leah's frantic eyes, I see Bella calm herself. I see her step up and take charge of the situation. I see her try to do what I've been trying to do for so long with my pack: lead.
Bella gets Leah to calm down enough to phase back. If I believed in divine miracles, that would be one.
Leah also shows me memories from before that event. Where they barely regarded each other during their family dinner night. In turn, I can't stop myself from showing Leah my perspective waiting outside to warn Bella. Proof I care, at least. She might not accept it, of course. She'd chalk it up to my 'controlling' nature if anything.
But something changes between their acquaintance relationship when Bella finds Leah on the beach one day. They both couldn't understand the secrets being kept from them. And the burning desire in each that prevented them from letting it go. It makes more sense to me now why Bella knocked on my door for Jacob's life.
It tugs on my chest briefly that I still won't tell Bella the truth about the imprint. But neither of us are ready for that, I'm still certain of it.
I'll focus on training everyone more instead. I might be spending half of my time in wolf form these days. It's grueling, but it keeps my mind off of Bella as well. I'm too focused on making sure everyone else is progressing to think of anything else.
"The leech is back," Paul yells at me when I've phased once again. He shows me images of curly red hair flashing before his eyes and my blood begins to boil.
How can she be back already?
Suppose I can't count it as too surprising. Evil creatures probably tend to lie. If she's here to hurt more people, I'm not going to make the same mistake as last time. My mind already begins scrambling through multiple combinations of splitting the pack into different groups to cut her off.
"She's not trying to pass on the land though," Paul elaborates.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I don't know, man. It's like she's just taunting us, not trying to attack."
The images of her crossing deliberately lightly into our borders rile me up even more. She knows exactly where to toe the line. Maybe she can sense what land belongs to a different type of monster. Or maybe this is just part of her ability that Bella told me about. Either way, I want to destroy her.
My paws hit the forest floor rougher than usual. I follow Paul and Embry's eyes to see where to catch up with them. No one knows this forest better than me. If she's keen on some light teasing today, I'll ensure she falls into a trap she can't escape.
But maybe she's expecting this.
When I'm finally within eyesight of her, she doesn't look surprised at all by my presence. It's obvious with my shape and color that I'm the leader of our group. She's been waiting for me to join. She wants to drag me here to keep me from plotting how to kill her. I figure it out in a matter of seconds. She's here to waste my time and keep everyone on edge.
Victoria just smiles at me. At that moment, I am reminded of Bella covered in Harry's blood within Leah's memories. In something real that happened. Those soiled clothes that I had to clean. The bloodsucker doesn't give a single damn about the pain she's caused.
She winks at me and then speeds away.
I will find a way to kill this bitch.
A/N: Late again, sorry! But somehow?! my chapters are getting longer, so I hope that makes up for it!
I love Leah's character. And I totally think she's justified in her anger against Sam hahaha. Of course it's a bad time to be hashing that out, but wolves aren't exactly known for their intelligence.
One more chapter to go and I really will need to take a bit of a break. However, this might just be my favorite chapter so far! Anticipation!