Hello, darlings. Here goes another chapter!

Who among you loved Seth? I did. I think he was very cute, and this chapter is dedicated to him.

Those of you who hadn't visited Red moon, I recommend you do. It will get more interesting the more stories I add.

In the meantime, stay safe, alert, review, and most importantly, enjoy!

Silver

Chapter 21: Leah's confession.

It had been a month since the newborn fight. Jake was forbidden to phase for another month, but the Quil Sr. was optimistic about how his injuries were healing. He was given a clean bill of health and was allowed to move freely, albeit still carefully. If he got tired, he must rest immediately. It had been a hard call, and his body still needed time to heal completely.

Leah's shoulder healed within a week, and she was able to phase easily without pain. Sam had relaxed the patrols once again, but they still didn't let down their guard. They were all still shocked by the events of the fight and were starting to create a new routine. The younger wolves were focused on the last weeks of the school year, while the ones out of school were focused on keeping up with work and their personal lives.

She was still pissed at Jacob for what he had done, but she was starting to let go of the anger. She was terrified of losing him, losing what they had built that it had been easier to be mad at him than to admit what she was hiding from him. She had fallen for him, irrevocably. She had had her heart on quarantine after what happened with Sam, so the imprint had been a strange surprise, one that she grew to like. The imprint didn't guarantee love, but she had found it. He had been extremely patient with her, just offering his silent support, being what he'd always been to her, a friend, a packmate. And just like that, she started craving his company, seeking his comforting words, and before she knew it, she was kissing him.

She had been thinking of doing things that were out of her comfort zone. Falling for him had been the most difficult one; having him fall for her was the second most challenging thing to do. That's why she agreed to go with him to the amusement park with the rest of the pack and the imprints. She had planned on speaking with Bella about her relationship with Jake; she'd use this opportunity to try to do so.

Likewise, Paul's ribs healed in two weeks. At least, he waited precisely two weeks for the pain to leave his body so he could go on with life.

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Some of the guys, along with their girlfriends/imprints (at least those who had them), decided to visit the fair in Port Angeles, enjoying the summer air and basking in the people's joy at the fair. They were happy, excited, and played in most of the games.

But when it was time to get into a scary-looking attraction that looked like a hammer and put you upside down when it reached the top, she put her foot down, refusing to get in line to get up. Paul looked amusedly at her.

"You jumped off a cliff with a storm coming, and you're afraid of this?"

Bella nodded. "Firstly, jumping off was not one of my brightest moments. Second, I didn't know there was a storm coming, and third, I'm afraid of heights, and I don't particularly look forward to being upside down." She crossed her arms defensively.

"I'll stay down with her." Seth volunteered. Bella smiled at him; he was very sweet. Since she started tutoring him with literature, he grew closer to her, seeing her as an older sister and getting very comfortable with her presence. He also confided in her a lot, which Bella loved.

Paul shrugged, and after making sure neither of them wanted to get on the attraction, he went to get in line with Jared, Embry, and the rest of them. They stayed down gladly guarding everyone's possessions

Seth waited for the music to start and people to start yelling before turning to Bella. "I have a date tomorrow." Bella took a few seconds to process the words.

"That's nice. Are you nervous?"

"Very." He nodded eagerly.

"I understand. I was very nervous on my first date too."

Seth seemed to find that helpful. "I really like her, and I'm kinda bummed that I haven't imprinted on her."

Oh! So that's where they were heading with this conversation. She wasn't versed in the workings of imprinting, barely understanding how hers even happened. However, she tried her best to offer him her advice.

"Well, I'm not particularly an expert on any wolf-related topics, but I'll say what I think." Seth nodded. That's what he wanted. "In life, we fall in and out of love. Some are pretty exciting, some might be toxic and not good for us, but out of each one, we learn something." She had for sure. "Go out with this girl, have fun, kiss her, be a teenager and enjoy whatever time you have with her. Be her friend tomorrow; kiss her only if it feels right. And just see how it goes from there. It might not go anywhere. You may discover you have no chemistry at all, or you might discover that even if you have chemistry, you're better off as friends than as a couple."

Seth pondered about it. It had been close to what Leah had said. He had seen good things coming out of Paul, Embry, and Jared's imprints, even Sam's. Even though his sister was more subdued, she was still afraid.

No one knew that Leah and Jacob had a weird double imprint thing going on. They were waiting to tell everyone, mainly because Leah was not ready. Jake had fallen in love with her, much to his surprise and hers, and he knew she had strong feelings for him if she wasn't already in love with him. They were good for the moment - everything at its own pace.

"I don't want to hurt her if we end up having a relationship and I imprint on someone else." That was a common fear among the single members of the pack that took an interest in girls. Some of them avoided getting tangled with those love interests to avoid any Sam-Leah-Emily situation again. It sucked, but it was the right thing to do, but it was their choice to do so.

Bella grabbed Seth's hands in hers. "Life's full of uncertainties. If you think this girl is worth the risk, by all means, go on. I'm not going to tell you not to go out with her because you can have a delayed imprint, like what happened with Paul and me, although that is rare. Just be honest with her. Maybe, if you end up liking her enough to go into a relationship, just be as honest as you can." She shrugged. There was no perfect answer, but it was her best advice.

That was also true. "Thanks, Bella." He gave her a toothy smile with adorable dimples.

She kissed his cheek. "No problem at all. Do tell me how things go tomorrow."

"I will."

A few minutes later, everyone got off the hammer-looking attraction. Paul looked thrilled with the high of the adrenaline, while Kim looked squirmish. Jared was holding his green-looking girlfriend while they moved to the next attraction. Bella was still holding her bag, debating between being amused and worried for her friend.

"You'll never convince me of going up on one of those things again." She complained eventually to Jared, looking less green.

He kissed her cheek and apologized.

"Would you have gotten that green?" Paul murmured to Bella.

"Probably. I would have screamed my lungs out and dug my nails in your arm." She answered, shuddering at the thought of being held upside down like that.

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Leah had been quiet the whole time, save for some laughter and comments here and there. She observed Bella and Paul and observed Bella when she approached Jacob. Obviously, Leah didn't think she was playing with either of the guys' feelings; she just wanted to observe her, to gauge the best way to approach her. Her opportunity presented when the guys said they were going to get something to eat. Bella volunteered to go as well, but Leah stopped her.

"Actually, can we talk?" Bella nodded immediately. This was what her dad told her to do, wait for them to come to you. Paul assured them that he could carry his and Bella's food without trouble and left with the rest of them. Did they all know what they were going to talk about? Emily winked at Leah, which answered her non-verbal question.

"How's everything with Paul?" She asked as a nicety while waiting for them to get out of earshot.

Knowing they all could hear her, Bella smiled and answered, "Oh, It's great. I've always wanted a dog."

Paul rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't avoid laughing at Bella's words. It was the fact that she took them all by surprise that was the funniest.

Leah snorted, shaking her head. "I wanted to apologize to you."

"What?" This was not what she was expecting to talk about.

"I did something bad, and you didn't deserve it." She could see it now, and she felt terrible at having done so.

"Leah, what are you talking about?"

"I know Jacob, and you are best friends and have been since you were kids. I love him, and I was scared of his feelings for you, so he stayed away from you these past few weeks to prove a point to me. I let him, but it was unfair, and you didn't deserve to be ignored by your best friend just because his girlfriend is an insecure bitch."

Bella shook her head furiously, interrupting Leah's diatribe. "Let's make things clear. You're not a bitch. Second, I understand what you were feeling and why Jake wanted to stay away. I was never angry at you or him. I knew he was seeing someone because he was too secretive, and that guy can't keep a secret even if his life depends on it." Leah laughed because she was right. Jake told Bella about the wolves before phasing and urged her to remember when he phased; then, he told her about imprinting and what it was. "I suspected it was you he was seeing when he got injured after the fight." The fact that Jake had managed to keep Leah a secret for so long spoke of his feelings for her and how he wanted to protect her.

"Neither of the guys have asked us anything directly, not even Quil, whose mouth is bigger than Jake's." Bella laughed.

"Paul hasn't asked me anything either. Until now, I didn't know anything myself. I'm glad you have each other." She genuinely meant it.

Leah smiled, feeling shy in front of this girl because she knew how important Bella's opinion to Jake was and consequently to her. She felt as if she had Bella's blessing, and the Leah from a few months ago would have made spiteful remarks at this Leah; she would have made fun of her for trusting a leech lover. But here she was, trusting her with one of the most important things she had: Jake's and her relationship.

"Are we ok?" Bella wanted to make sure that Leah didn't hold any grudge against her for any previous feelings Jake had for her, and vice versa.

"We're good, pale face." Leah winked, and Bella smiled.

This might be the beginning of a new friendship, and she couldn't wait to see where it would go.