"Tears were for the weaker days. I'm stronger now, or so I say. But something's missing... Whatever it is, it feels like it's laughing at me through the glass of a two-sided mirror. Whatever it is."

-Rihanna, What Now

Soulmates

'I'm telling you guys. She's into me. Just wait and see. By the end of Summer Stephanie Jean is gonna be all over this dick.'

'Sure sure Pipsqueak.' Leah heard Jacob scoff. 'Maybe in your next life. She's like twenty-five and you're like… five.'

Paul and Quil laughed along with the runaway while pesky newbie Collin muttered profanities.

Out in the forest Leah growled. The rich, heady scent of her cousin's cooking drifted towards her from the house, and hummingbird harmonies were blessing the forest with musical offerings. But it did little to lift her bad mood. She had left her mother's car behind, preferring the lengthy walk to Neah Bay in a vain attempt at delaying the inevitable. Her gorgeous leg was long and fabulous again, and it was back to long mind-numbingly torturous Patrols with her control-freak ex.

Her face found its usual scowl as she walked through the front door.

Almost all of the wolves were at Emily's, loud muscle and bustle all squished into the tiny place. They were boisterous and talking over one another, slapping each other's shoulders, stuffing food into their mouths like the animals they were and taking up all the oxygen. No one had to tell her that a big part of the excitement was Jacob Black's return. The pack had not been whole since he'd left.

No one would say the same thing about her.

Instinctively, her eyes scanned the room for threats, a habit she'd picked up since embracing her wolf. Quil, Jake and Paul were stuffing their faces full of giant turkey legs at the table while Seth and the not-so-new recruits helped Emily in the kitchen. Leah ignored the unexpected disappointment that washed over her when she didn't find the watchful face with hazel eyes sprawled out on the hammock. Her eyes darted to her cousin, searching for injuries and checking to make sure her cousin was healed up from the attack that had happened only a week before. Emily was leaning against the fridge, one hand resting gently against her stomach as she smiled wistfully out the window.

And Leah knew.

Her eyes darted to Sam. The Alpha was chatting quietly with Jared, barely audible behind the others and standing in the corner. He looked tall and little bit sunburnt. His dark eyes were tired, and as usual she noticed the tension in his body that hadn't been there back in their less supernatural days. When the Alpha felt her staring at him his eyes found hers and relief flooded them. It was quickly replaced that other thing. And a shadow that was altogether new to them.

And Leah knew.

'Welcome back chica!' Paul jumped up before stalking towards her. The bulky, squinty eyed man all but galloped to her side and looked nothing like the glowering, irate wolf she'd gotten used to these last few months. 'Looking fresh Clearwater! Take it you've had a few good rounds between drinks!'

Emily straightened quickly, and the wolves laughed at the bartender reference. All but Seth, he groaned and slapped his hand to his forehead.

Leah was still in some kind of shock. One day? No. She couldn't even spend a second in this fucked up place without being reminded that she was just a casualty for other peoples happiness. The unwanted reminder. Collateral damage.

She must have made a face. She must have given realization away, because Sam froze, staring at her.

'Hello! Lee!' Paul waved his hand in front of her face. 'You deaf or something?'

Leah forced down her shock and pain, turning to glare into Paul's face. 'What drugs have you been sniffing up Lahote?'

'Probably Rachel's underwear!' Jared yelled happily, and there was more laughter from their brothers.

'Stop.' Jacob groaned.

Sam placed his hand on Jared's shoulder, as thought to quiet him. His eyes were dark, and they were full of regret and concern. They were full of that other thing too. Something worse than his pity for her. It was all of his wasted love, all the feelings the Imprint had never taken away, still raw and unchanged and lying wasted in his heart. It hurt so much to look at him she couldn't breath.

She turned to look back at Paul, but Emily was in her line of sight and that hurt just as much. Her cousin's smile was gone now, replaced by confusion and weariness.

And Leah knew.

She glared at Paul, more venom in her eyes than the vampire had fanged into her system almost two weeks before. Almost on auto-pilot her voice fell back into its usual sharpness. 'Good for you Paul. One little Imprint and now you don't have to worry about coming out to daddy anymore. Or telling Jared about your many fantasies.'

'Leah.' Sam whispered.

Silence.

Paul's face went from shock to embarrassment in a second, his eyes darting to Jared before coming back to rest on hers, full of hatred. 'You're just a lonely, unwanted, fucked up bitch.'

'Leah smiled coldly at his words. Sticks and stones. Water off a duck's back. Paul was the very least of her many concerns, a speck of forgotten dust underneath her least favourite toenail. 'Probably a side effect of free will.' she said, 'But I guess you don't remember what that is anymore. Run along now, back to Rachel, go have your pups - seeing as the bitch owns you now.'

Leah glared from Paul to her cousin, not caring about the pain she saw in Emily's face.

She didn't hold Emily accountable for Sam's broken promises, but she couldn't find it in herself to believe that all of this had been some Imprint's fault, and that Sam and Emily weren't partly responsible. She could still remember their faces the first time she'd seen them together after joining the pack. There had been so much love and adoration there. They'd had to force themselves not to kiss.

It was never wise to Insult a wolf's Imprint. Paul lunged for her, but Leah did nothing to protect as Quil jumped over the small table to keep him from hurting her as his hands curled around her neck. But the shock was giving way to rage, to the insufferable pain as it washed through her chest. Why now? Why now when she had actually started to believe that she could move on and be happy for them?

Sam stood frozen as Paul snapped against Quil, his wolf barely leashed. If he got free of his brother he was going to kill her. Leah hoped he would. She hoped Paul would complete the job Embry hadn't let the leech finish. The dead didn't feel anything. Even numbness in death would be better than this.

'Just go.' Leah heard Emily say as she walked quickly down the porch steps.

The excitement and bustle from earlier had been swallowed by confused silence and muttered insults like 'cunt' and 'bitch' thrown behind her back. Leah didn't care. The other wolves didn't understand. They didn't know yet.

Good. She needed a little bit of time before she'd have to face their never-ending pity again. This time it would be so much worse.

She had only a second to brace herself before familiar set of footsteps followed her down the stairs. She didn't turn to him.

'Leave me the fuck alone Sam.'

'Leah please.' Sam trailed after her, but she was faster even in this form.

She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to see him. She hadn't thought there was anything more he and his Imprint could do to hurt her, that there was any more bitterness she could feel. She'd actually believed that she was getting over him - distracted by escapades with Julie and entanglements with Embry. She hadn't known, hadn't realized that there were still fucks that a scorned, barren woman could give.

Sam cussed under his breath. 'Leah Stop.'

Her feet stopped moving without her permission and the grey wolf thundered from the deepest pit of her stomach. She was surprised by the ferocity of the snarl that emanated from her lips. Suddenly the she-wolf was overcome by the impulse to challenge his wolf for Alpha. The grey wolf snarled, urging her. It wanted her to make it clear that she had not been born to obey him. Not like he had been made to obey her cousin. And she would win, fueled like this.

'Lee-lee...'

'Shut up.' Her words were low. Threatening. 'You've got some fucking nerve ordering me around after -' tears sprung to her eyes and she bit her lip. '- after putting my life in jeopardy for your pregnant Imprint.'

Her breathing came out fast and hard as Sam closed the distance between them.

Leah didn't know what was worse: seeing a stranger in those dark eyes she loved or knowing that the stranger would always say her nickname like that. Like she still mattered. Like that fifteen year old girl still existed. She didn't. She didn't.

'Leah... We can't carry on this way.'

'No shit. But let me guess… you're worried it's not good for the baby.'

Her wolf was clawing for control. It would be so easy to give in to the desire to tear her claws into him.

But she wouldn't. Because even if it offered her wolf some temporary relief from her suffering, such a display would leave her woman without what was left of her dignity. This was too close to how she had begged him not to leave her all those months ago. She had begged, begged him to stay while he'd stormed away towards Neah Bay with his fists shaking. And then she'd found out about Emily. Only days afterwards. She would never do that to herself again.

'Does my mother know? Was that why she had to spent the entire night tending to your beloved Imprint while I was out of my mind with venom?'

Sam didn't answer.

There was that familiar stone again, getting harder. Right in the middle of her fucking chest. 'You fucker.'

'Emily wanted to be the one to tell you.'

'Yeah, because it would have hurt so much less coming from her mouth.'

'Lee-lee…' Sam was so close now that she couldn't escape his scent. It was still sunlight and cedar. It wasn't as comforting as it used to be. 'Tell me you understand. Please tell me you understand that we didn't hurt you by choice. We didn't do it on purpose. Emily loves you. I- I've never stopped-' He choked, his throat burning with pain. 'I never stopped-' he said.

He couldn't even say it. It physically hurt him to admit that he still loved her. The front row seat to the struggle in his face threatened to draw tears to her eyes but she would not cry. She was done shedding tears for him.

'Leah I'm so sorry.'

She smiled a smile that wasn't really a smile and shook her head. 'God you just never stop. You just keep finding ways-'

- to hurt me. To betray me. To make me feel like I'm nothing. She couldn't say all the things he made her feel.

Sam clenched his jaw. 'I know.'

'And you are so happy.' she said, tera threatening again. You're so happy with her.'

'I would have been happy with you, too.' The look in his eyes was so earnest she had to look away.

'Not like that. You dodged a bullet. Cause I'm a fucking freak of nature who can't have kids, and you always wanted kids Sam. We wanted kids. But congratulations! I'm happy for you. I'm glad she can give you all the things that I can't.'

Sam's hand reached out to touch her cheek, his eyes searching. 'Leah you ever think... you ever think that maybe I was the one who couldn't give you all of the things that you needed? That maybe I was the one who wasn't good enough for you?'

'No.' Leah pushed his hand away with a scoff. 'Because I don't get to lie to myself like you and Emily do.'

God Leah missed the good ole days. She hadn't properly appreciated the fierce jarring stabs she'd felt in her chest back when she'd thought that Sam and Emily had been fucking behind her back. She wished they had. She would have survived a cheater and a tramp.

But she couldn't hate her cousin anymore than she could stop loving Sam, no matter how hard she tried. They were happy, they had it all, good for them. But did she have to be the one forced to stand by as witness? Watching as they ran off into the sunset with all the things she had always wanted but would never be able to have? Hadn't the universe slapped her in thee face enough?

The Pack and the Tribal council threw the word Soul mate around like they knew what it meant, but for all of their happiness even the Imprints were slaves. But she had chosen Sam once. He had chosen her. His love was still there in his big brown eyes, full and pregnant as Emily was. How could that not have been enough?

'How can being owned against your will be love?'

Sam paused, and his dark eyes grew thoughtful. 'When you meet him Leelee, you'll understand.'

'I don't want it.' She said, raking her fingers through her short hair. 'If the condition is losing myself I don't want it Sam.'

The Alpha frowned at her, looking stunned as though he couldn't believe what she had just said. He couldn't even imagine it, couldn't imagine his life without his Imprint, without his Emily. Sam's Emily. Emily's Sam. When would the idea of them linked together for all eternity stop hurting?

'I need to head to Tiffany's.' Leah shook off the pain, surprising them both with the strength in her voice. 'Let me go. I'll be back for my shift in the evening.'

Sam nodded slowly, his dark eyes filled with uncertainty as he revoked his Alpha command before replacing it with another. 'Leave. Be back for your shift.'

Leah narrowed her eyes at him.

Maybe that was the answer to the question of what would make her truly happy. Maybe finally leaving this place was the only way she'd ever be able to find some kind of peace.

Leah Clearwater left Samuel Uley standing in his driveway. If she could have had it her way she would have kept walking forever and never returned.

Shittiest. Day. Ever.

Tell me about it.

Let's do drinks?

Not tonight. Leah sighed, her fingers moving swiftly over her cell as she texted Julie. Tomorrow?

'There you go.' Leah pushed her phone away as Tiffany Call set some biscuits and lemonade on the kitchen table with a generous smile. After her conversation with Sam, she didn't feel like eating much but Tiffany had insisted. Makah people had a thing with nourishment. 'I hope you like lemon creams. They're the only snack Embry and I both agree on.'

'They're fine, thank you.' Leah said politely, shuffling into Tiffany's cozy kitchen seat as the older woman watched her with undisguised curiosity.

Embry's mother was in her mid-thirties. A beautiful woman, and younger then most of the other parents on the reservation. From what Leah knew the introverted woman green-eyed woman had come to the reservation broke and pregnant seventeen years ago. She hadn't had any family, and yet the woman had managed to pick herself up by the bootstraps and make something of herself. She'd worked multiple jobs and was now studying towards her dream of becoming an accomplished academic. She knew Embry held her in high esteem. She had raised her son while she had been no more than a child herself, and she had done it with only Old Quil and his late Lucy's help.

The community members of the rez whispered tirelessly about her. To this day people still wondered over who had fathered her bastard son. Most assumed the man had been Makah and Tiffany claimed that he had been declared died in the Afghan Civil War in the late 1990s. But the general consensus amongst the wolves was that Tiffany was lying and Chief Billy Black was the culprit. Tiffany and the older man had always been close friends, and Billy had a history with younger women.

'Em says you have an interest in Makah legends.' Tiffany eased into the chair on the opposite side of the table. Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail but two wisps had been parted from the rest and fell on either side of her face. It made Leah think of how Embry used to wear his hair before he'd been forced to chop it off.

'I'm curious about the legends on Princess Sakari. The one who married a Quileute Prince named Kaheleha.'

'I know the one.' Tiffany tucked one lock of chestnut hair behind her before grabbing her reading glasses from the table. 'And technically she was his mistress, not his wife. Their marriage was never officially recognized.'

'Why not?'

Tiffany smiled. 'I imagine it was because he was already married to her sister, Chenita.'

Leah blinked. 'What?'

Tiffany spoke with her hands, and Leah followed them as the older woman began her story. 'Chenita and Kaheleha's union had already been agreed upon by the two Chiefs of their respective Tribes. It was a formal agreement, legitimate. But... when Sakari arrived instead of her sister Kaheleha refused the elder's requests to send her back home to her people. Instead he took her into his tent and made her his wife. The whole thing was quite scandalous.' Tiffany sent Leah a naughty grin that made it quite clear that she wasn't ashamed of being a mistress herself.

'As the legend goes their forbidden union incensed the ancestors so much that the ancients set a curse that wreaked havoc over both tribes, and many young men and women were killed viciously by blood-drinking demons, entities that were too strong to capture or fight.'

Leah placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward, her curiosity peaked.

Her phone buzzed on the table. Tomorrow? I have a date. Wanna double with Sarah?

Leah ignored the device and focused on the woman across the table. 'Why would the Prince do that? Wasn't he supposed to be some famous magic man who was in touch with the ancestors and the Creator? He had to have known that there would be consequences to taking Sakari as a lover if he was already married.'

Tiffany placed her cheek on her palm, sighing wistfully. She looked exactly like the kind of woman who obsessed over soap operas and Romantic fiction. 'The answer to your question is the only sweet part of the entire story. It is said that the exact moment Kaheleha laid his eyes on Sakari, he knew that she was the one.'

Where have you been?

Embry focused on the lush, green forest flying past him. He didn't want to think about it. Needed a run to clear my head. What's up guys?

What isn't? Quil's voice joined the mind link and Embry saw. Leah. God, Leah looking angry and beautiful. The fury and pain in her face as she'd looked from Paul to her cousin. Sam storming out after her. The conversation everyone but Emily had overheard. The guilt in Sam's eyes when he'd returned. So. Much. Drama.

Jacob sighed. Yes, I've definitely missed having the mopey little harpy in my head. Patrols are going to be so much more fun now.

Quil backtracked. Wait, wait… what do you mean beautiful?

Citrus. Cherry blossoms. A long neck on a pillow. Nothing.

You dog!

Don't let Sam see it! Jacob warned. What the hell Bri? I leave for two seconds and you end up in Leah's bed?

To be fair Jake, it was more like two months.

Yeah I know... Isabella's face. Red eyes. Pain.

So… when'd you two make it to third base? Quil asked eagerly. Quil loved his gossip as much as Paul did. I thought she was doing the bartender.

It wasn't like that.. we're just friends. Leah's head against his bare chest. Her body melting into his. Rapid heartbeats. Flushed cheeks.

This just gets juicier and juicier…

Jake whistled. Sam is gonna kill you. He's still so whipped.

Sam's got other things to worry about. Like his baby. Shit, this is gonna break her.

Haha! You're whipped too. Embry what the fuck?

Embry, where've you been? At Sam's entry into the mind link the trio flinched.

Uhm…uhm… look at the trees. Look at the clouds. So pretty. The beauty of nature…

Man it's really good to be back. I missed Billy and the rez and everything. Billy's stern face. Emily's muffins. The rabbit.

Citrus. Darkness. Fingers playing against his arms. Had an errand to run for my mom.

The Alpha was torn, struggling to keep his thoughts under control. (EMILY. EMILY. EMILY.) Chiming laughter. Warmth. Promises. Lips pressed against a navel. Joy. Contentment. (Leah). Loaded Glares. Unshed tears. Fingers curled into his hair. His cheek on her bare breasts. Longing. Guilt.

Embry's response was a low, threatening growl. Jake's heart stopped. Quil's eyes went wide.

The Alpha was too distracted to notice. Alright Embry. Take the evening shift with Quil and Leah. Jared will join later.

Sam phased out.

Easy boy. Jake said nervously.

Embry shook off the red and rolled his eyes. Real smooth guys. Real nice.

You think we're the problem?

Always a Pleasure Em. Quil said cheerfully. Now stop thinking about Leah. You're being reckless and she's completely off-limits.

Leah.

Sunlight. Plaid shirts. Cherry Blossoms. Full lips just begging to be kissed.

Jacob laughed. You're sooo fucked.

'Soulmates.' Leah deadpanned.

'Yes. Kaheleha's behavior struck his people as odd so they assumed Sakari had bewitched him. But according to the legend the two were fated to meet. Are you familiar with the origion of the word?'

'Nope.' Leah failed to hide her annoyance. She'd heard enough of that word to last her an eternity.

Tiffany Call made her way to the bookshelf in the living room. She grabbed a humongous book off the shelf before heading back to the table. 'Most people use the term to describe romantic relationships, but the word is quite old and has different meanings. The most common uses of it are New Age and describe a connection between two souls that share a mission and meet repeatedly over many lifetimes.'

Tiffany dropped the book onto the kitchen table and flipped through at least a hundred pages. She settled on one with images of eerie beings made up of two heads, four arms and four legs.'

'That's not creepy at all.'

Tiffany smiled the endearing smile that her son had inherited. 'Well. So, according to Aristophanes' speech in The Symposium human beings originally looked like this. Creation had three genders; men, women and the Androgynous - that is, the Children of The Sun, the Children of the Earth and The Children of the Moon.'

'According to the myth these... beings became too powerful and proud, and they incurred the wrath of the gods. Their makers wanted to punish them but could not destroy them completely without losing their offerings, so Zeus split all souls in half as a punishment for their sins. They were sentenced to live out many lifetimes miserable and without purpose until they learned their lessons and found their other halves again. Once they did Apollo would then stitch them back together so that the souls could finally find eternal rest and re-join the ultimate.'

Lifetimes. Kaheleha had said.

Leah looked up at Tiffany. 'The Ultimate?'

'You would say the Creator. Christians would say God. Free Thinkers would What Can Never Be Known.'

Leah frowned. 'So… how does this fit in with Kaheleha and Sakari's story?'

'Well...' Tiffany sat down again, pushing her glasses higher up her nose with her index finger as she worried her lower lip. 'some legends claim that Chenita eventually demanded that her rightful husband take her as his wife and they saved their tribes. It drove Sakari to bitter madness but otherwise pleased the ancestors. Peace achieved.'

'Yeah...nothing's ever that easy.' Leah smiled dryly, 'What's the real version?'

Tiffany laughed. Her fingers playing against her chin as her eyes searched for the stories in the air. When she spoke, her voice has borrowed some of the majesty Leah associated with Billy Black. 'The other legends state that Kaheleha turned his back on his duties as Chief and refused Chenita. He drove her away at Sakari's demand and the violent deaths only got worse. But eventually the guilt of their happiness at their people's expense grew heavy on them, and Kaheleha and Sakari disregarded the elder's warnings, performing a powerful spell to undo the curse. They channeled the elements: Kaheleha's strength was water. Sakari's was drawn to the wind.'

Leah's eyes widened and Tiffany smiled, enjoying her role as teacher and completely unaware of the tumult brewing underneath Leah's careful façade. 'They failed and the spell rebounded. Kaheleha took the brunt of it to protect Sakari and their unborn child. His soul was split apart, and the pieces were thrown off into the Spirit World. His body was never recovered.'

The whole world had gone silent. Leah watched Tiffany with shocked silence as the words fit the pieces missing from her visions.

'So Sakari attempted to retrieve the parts of Kaheleha's soul from the Spirit World, so he could finally live out his remaining lives on this plane before re-joining the ancestors on the other side. She succeeded in retrieving only two out of three parts; tethering one to a hunter's bow and the other to a wedding bracelet. It is said that she will return to save the remaining part from eternal unrest and together they may have the power to undo the evil of the Full Moon's curse.'

Leah remembered her vision by the bonfire, Chenita's gifts. 'Why the bow and the bracelet?'

Tiffany shrugged. 'They were probably enchanted Talismans. Sorcerers were believed to use them to channel powers. Sakari linked the different parts of Kaheleha's soul to separate talismans because she wanted him to live out his next life as two people and not one. Bracelets are symbols for marriage and husbands. A bow would be the symbol for a warrior.

'A husband and a warrior?' Leah asked, slowly picking up a biscuit from her plate.

'I think it was a precaution. Just in case Kaheleha still had to pay off his debts to their ancestors in their next life and marry her sister. If they could be reborn, then so could Chenita, and if that was the case, then the part of him linked to the bracelet could fulfil all of those duties, and she would be free to love the parts of him she truly wanted; the wild-hearted warrior and the mysterious man of magic.'

Leah stared in awe at Tiffany Call. 'Miss Call,' she said, 'That is one of the craziest things I have ever heard.'

'Maybe in a world of soulmates and myth it wasn't so crazy.' Tiffany shrugged. 'Legend's are rarely boring.'

The older woman leaned back into her chair and suddenly the magical world Leah had gotten lost in faded away. She was sitting in a small, warm kitchen again. In a house that smelled faintly on books, lilies and coffee.

Leah frowned when a sudden though tugged in her brain. 'What was the third talisman?'

Tiffany gave a thoughtful pause and frowned, 'Wouldn't we all love to know?' she said sadly. 'That's where all of my research falls short.'

Leah grabbed a lemon cream off the plate, realising that her appetite had retuned. 'Do you think it could have worked? Her plan? Do you think she outsmarted fate?'

Tiffany raised her shoulders and took another sip of her lemonade. 'I don't know Leah bear, too many variables. According to some beliefs if a person meets more than one soulmate in their lifetime then all three are cursed to a life of pain. Chenita and Sakari were very close sisters, they could have been soulmates too. If all three of them were fated to return to their next lives at the same time...' Tiffany made a face.

Leah thought of Emily and Sam. Her heart sank. 'Would that be likely?' she asked, already knowing the answer. Already hating it.

'We're talking about myths related to fate Lee. Unlikely almost doesn't exist. If reincarnated Sakari returned, I'm sure that she would meet a part of Kaheleha's soul. I'm also sure that it wouldn't be the one she was hoping for. Greek gods were famed for intervening in the lives of mortals, and they were cruel to humans who overstepped their power. Sakari was one such witch. I'd reckon they'd go out of their way to punish her for it. She'd never even meet her warrior. She'd probably be bound to the bracelet and then suffer-'

'-when the bracelet was bound to her sister.' Leah's whispered.

Tiffany nodded and took another sip of her lemonade. 'Exactly.'

A/N: Dear Silent, took some time but I finally got to answering some of your many questions haha. I hope you liked it.

Thank you everyone for the reviews. I deviated from the origional story plan so I would love to hear what you think. Comment, critique, suggestions... do the most. I love to know what you're thinking.

Stay safe!

A few references on 'Soulmates':

Brida by Paulo Coelho (2008).

Plato's The Symposium.