CH 10

A/N: Hello! Anyone reading this? Would love to hear your feedback. Interesting? Not interesting? Too many OCs? What characters do you want to hear more from?

Leah POV

I closed the door to the master bathroom and rubbed a towel on my face. I had no idea how to tell Akeala about phasing. Okay honey, so phasing means turning into a giant wolf that kills blood sucking vampires and I was one, and so is your uncle and your brother might be one too. Time will tell! No biggie!

"Fuck my life," I muttered in a shallow breath.

"Leah?" A concerned voice came from the bedroom. I had woken my mother. I moved into her bedroom and sat on the edge. "I'm sorry I woke you, mom. How are you feeling today?"

"Still pretty tired. I think it's these new meds…" she trailed off looking at me with worried eyes.

"Leah, what's going on? Why are you so upset?"

I exhaled. "Akeala asked about phasing. She heard me talk about it I guess and was suspicious… It's long overdue that I tell the kids. I have no idea how to do it or how they will react…"

"Honey, just be honest with them ok. Ask Seth for help, then he can show them that it's real and they don't have to be afraid…" I nodded at her. As she spoke my phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize and pressed to send it to voicemail.

"That's a good idea mom…I knew I'd have to tell them eventually…" my phone rang again, same number. I picked it up this time.

"Leah, it's Paul. I need you to get in your mom's car and drive to Jared and Kim's house. It's an emergency. Do you remember where they live?" He was calm but intense in his directions.

"Paul?! Um, yeah I do. I'll be right over," I didn't ask more. He said emergency, and he wouldn't have called me unless I could help in some way.

I hung up and told my mother I had to run out but would be back soon.

Mom smiled at me. "Whatever it is, honey, you can handle it. Do you understand?" She said in a faint voice.

Akeala was still in the shower so I went into the kitchen and pulled out the tea pot and some tea and wrote Akeala a note.

Keal,

I had to run out real quick but I promise I will be back this afternoon and go over everything with you and Omar. Make some tea for you and Grandma. I love you, honey.

Love,

Mom

When I arrived at Jared and Kim's the whole pack was there in their backyard, plus Jared. Everyone was human except for Seth and what I assumed to be a new wolf.

"Is… is that Omar?" my voice slightly shaking, saying this to no one in particular. Paul turned and came over to her, shaking his head.

"It's Ava, Rachel's daughter. She's the first female wolf since you," he said authoritatively in his burly voice.

"More wolf pack love triangle shit, 2026 edition," Quil piped in, trying to be funny. Paul and I both shot him a look.

Paul inched closer to me. "In light of our conversation this morning, I thought you might be able to better help… ease her in."

I took a deep breath. All of the pack members around me, besides Paul and Will who seemed angry, looked hesitant and unsure. Some looking at the ground, or lost in thought. What a welcome. That poor girl. Poor Rachel. I turned to Jared who had come home from work to see his half naked son and two wolves in his yard.

"Go get some of Kim's clothes for her so she doesn't have to be naked whenever she phases back," he nodded and went inside the house. I looked at the rest of them, now looking at me. Will and Theo both had clearly recently phased and we're just wearing mesh gym shorts. Now, they all looked nervous.

I moved forward to talk directly to Ava, her long majestic white fur waving in the breeze.

"Ava. I'm Leah, I know your mom. Your Uncle was a really good friend to me a long time ago…" before I could continue she started to morph back into human form, was couched on her hands and knees and then slowly stood up, naked. Everyone stared at her, taken aback at how much control she seemed to have and how quickly she was able to phase back to human form.

"Avert your eyes!" I shouted at the pack.

"Do it," Paul commanded, backing me up. They all looked down. Jared rushed out with a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie that said 'Don't Worry Be Happy', thrusting them to me. I looked at the ground and handed them to her.

"I know who you are," she said softly. "You were a wolf," I nodded at her as Seth also phased back, pulling up his shorts and making his way over to Paul, likely debriefing any conversation they had in wolf form.

Ava quickly threw on the clothes, pushing her hair out of her face. "You have amazing control," I said, in awe. "It took me days to phase back, and it took some of these guys nearly a week."

She looked directly at me, unbothered by the revelation. "I wanted to tell you that I know you, so I just thought 'human' and here I am again." I breathed out in amazement.

"That's exactly how it is… but it took me months to grasp the control and ease."

The rest of the pack looked on at us talking as Seth came over. "Ava, Paul's going to take you home, ok? He'll talk to your parents. I am going to start your training this week, but for now you can just rest up, ok?" She nodded at him. "You did great today, girl. We're all really excited to have another sister." She and I both looked at all the men and boys around us. Theo and Will couldn't even look at her and the rest mostly stared blankly, not exactly excited. She is alone, I thought.

Paul broke in, "Leah will help," he said, affirming it and also asking me right there, "won't you, Leah? Help with Ava's training." I looked back at Ava, whose eyes had widened at the notion, curious to see if I actually would.

"Yes..sure," I said, not quite knowing what I had just agreed to.

"Okay," Ava crooned, resigning herself to this new life, knowing she has no choice now. She then took a deep breath and walked over to Paul's truck.

"Thank you, Leah," said Paul, coming up behind me. He put a warm hand on my shoulder, spinning me toward him. He dipped close to my ear, "I'll see you tonight?" All ears perk up. I took a step back.

"Paul, it's been a long day and I need to talk to my kids… about everything. Can we take a rain check, maybe tomorrow?" He nodded and smiled at me, his hand still on my shoulder. He ran his hand down my arm and it tingled all the way down. Then made his way back to his truck where Ava sat waiting in the cab.

"See you tomorrow," he said lightly over his shoulder, not caring who knew and not keeping it in his alpha lock box. He got back in the cab and drove away, only breaking eye contact with me as he drove out of sight.

I turned to see my brother only in shorts staring at me like a lunatic. "What the fuck was that?" Seth asked, astonished by the gesture between us. He stuck his nose on my neck. "You smell like him…" he said, confused.

I let out another deep breath. "I don't fucking know, Seth. I turned my head to see pack members trying not to eye me…"we're going on a date…" his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"We'll that's an interesting turn of events…"

"Listen, Seth," I broke in trying to steer him back, "I have my own emergency. Akeala asked me about phasing. I need you to help me tell her and Omar," he gulped.

"Now?" He asked. "Leah, I got to deal with these idiots," he said, gesturing at Theo and Will.

"We got it," Said Embry, placing an arm around Will. "Quil, Brady, Colin and I can all go over how to not act like a douchebag 101 with Will and Theo," he said smiling. Seth breathed out of his nostrils, looking at them.

"I promised her Seth," I implored. "It has to be now."

"Okay," he drew out reluctantly, waving at Embry. "I'll get Omar and come over to mom's."

When I got back to my mom's house Akeah had changed into sweats and was drinking tea with my mom at the kitchen table. Soon after Seth came in with Omar. Seth still only wore his cargo shorts.

"Uncle Seth where did your shirt go?" Akeala asked as she settled on the couch. I answered for him.

"He likes to pretend he's a underwear model," I quipped. He gave me side eyes.

"Actually, honey, it has to do with the word you were curious about. Phase," he said as he sat down at the kitchen table.

I had told my kids the Quileute legends as bedtime stories over the years. Seth and I gingerly explained how they actually were true. How cold ones were. I explained how when I was 19 I phased into a Wolf and how Seth did too.

"You're a wolf?" said Omar, looking at me like I had a third head.

"Well, not for 20 years..."

"But, I am," said Seth.

We went out back to the woods and Seth phased to show them. To my shock, both kids were calm. As if they knew or somehow expected it.

"Are you guys ok?" I asked. The were quiet, but nodded.

After some silence, Akeala stated, "You weren't a camp counselor, were you?" as Omar inspected Seth's wolf. I titled my head to go back inside and Seth went back into the woods and phased back.

"No," I said as we walked back inside. "We call them protectors. I was a protector."

"And the boss protector, you were engaged to him and he cheated on you with you for your friend? And he ordered you around? Ordered you around to do wolf crap?" I nodded. "We call the wolf boss Alpha, but yeah." I said.

"So, could it happen to us?" asked Omar.

"Well, it's a possibility. But guys, if it happens, I am totally here for you," Seth said, looking at them booth deeply. They seemed to be comforted by this, or maybe were just still in utter shock. It was hard to tell.

There was a lot left unsaid. Imprinting. That Ava turned into a wolf. That the Alpha who cheated on me was now married to my cousin. How I escaped into another pack. The trauma of being a lone female in a pack. But it was a start.