Jake stepped gracefully off the steps. "See ya, Leah."
She smiled. "Thanks, Jakey."
He froze and turned to face her. "Before I go, would you do me one favor, Leah? It may sound silly, but just close your eyes for a second."
She did as he asked. "Okay. Now what?"
His voice was soft but deep. When had that happened? "When you open your eyes, pretend you've never seen me before. Never knew me as a child. What do you see?"
Leah opened her eyes. The young man standing before her was well over six feet tall with a slim waist, massive arms and chest, muscular legs. He had always worn his hair long, but now it was close cropped and raven black. His skin was a warm copper color, and he appeared to be a young adult, maybe 25. She had never noticed he was quite breathtaking. "I see you, Jake. What's this about?"
"Do I look like anybody's baby brother?"
Leah looked gobsmacked. "No, Jake, you don't. I'm sorry. You're my right hand, and you deserve my respect. I won't make that mistake again."
He grinned and bent to kiss her cheek. "Thanks."
Leah chuckled aloud as she mounted the stairs, and she found Emily standing inside the screen door, staring at the departing teen. "Good lord, Leah, is that Rachel Black's little brother?"
Nodding, Leah said "It's Jacob. But I don't think we can call him 'little' any more."
As Leah closed the screen door behind her with the usual squeak of hinges, she heard a knock at the front door. Sighing, she looked at Emily and said "It's gonna be one of those days." Emily nodded and continued clearing the table while Leah walked through the living room and stood before the closed door. She knew who was on the other side.
Sam raised his hand to knock again when the door was yanked open. "What do you want, Sam?" Leah didn't move to let him in.
He was dressed neatly, in jeans and a Henley instead of his usual half-naked attire of denim cutoffs. He even wore shoes. "Can we talk?"
Leah nodded, closing the door firmly behind her. She sat in a rocking chair and he leaned against the porch railing. "I'm not sure there's a lot to say, Sam," she said, "what with all the mind reading."
Sam had been running his scheduled patrols, but he was an open book. He simply could not accept the idea that Leah was the intended Alpha, and he couldn't hide his resentment. He still loved her in his own way, but she needed more than that. She absolutely required his respect.
He looked nonplussed, as if this detail had escaped his attention. "It's just...I miss you," he said. "Can't we work this out somehow?"
Leah was already shaking her head. "I don't hate you, Sam - but I don't love you any more either. You always treated me well until our relationship required mutual respect." She shrugged. "It's just not there. And I can't live with your sense of superiority. You try to hide it, but I know you too well. Even without the mind reading."
Reaching into her pocket, Leah handed Sam his class ring. "You should have this back," she said as she dropped it in his palm. "And one more thing. You need to stop sharing those private images of you and me with the pack." Her voice turned cold. "I'll order you to stop if I have to, but I'd prefer not to go there."
His eyes blazed. "I was angry, Leah. I'm still angry."
"That's no excuse," she said. "It has to stop."
Sam slipped the ring on his pinky. "Is there someone else? You're spending a lot of time with Jake…"
"Oh, for heaven's sake," she interrupted. "You do realize Jacob is 16, right? He may look older, but he's not interested in me. Not that way."
"You sure about that?" He turned and left her with that thought.
"You okay, Leah?" Emily had opened the front door and stood there, dish towel in hand.
Leah nodded wearily. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," she muttered.
Emily looked confused. "Crown?"
Leah shook her head and followed her cousin inside.
The following afternoon, Leah found herself patrolling with Jacob again. They tried to pair themselves with younger pack members, but Embry was grounded again and didn't dare defy his mother. Tiffany had no idea what was going on with him, but she knew his grades were slipping and he was spending too much time with his friends.
"Hey, Jake," Leah said as she scanned the horizon for the incoming patrol. Quil and Seth were due back any minute now.
Jake's smile was dazzling - another thing that had escaped her notice until recently. He leaned against a boulder. "I was talking with my dad this morning and your name came up."
"Oh?" Leah said with studied nonchalance.
"Yeah. I asked him if he thought I might have imprinted on you." He was studying his bare toes now. "I mean, we work together all the time, so we're together a lot…" He shrugged. "Dumb idea, huh?"
Leah cleared her throat. "Okay, full disclosure. Did Billy mention I had asked him the same thing?" She chuckled softly at his startled reaction. "I gather my secret was safe with him."
Jacob grinned. "Thanks for making me feel less like an idiot."
Leah nodded. "We're all getting used to this new reality, and I guess we're all on the same learning curve. So what did he say?"
"He said imprint isn't the appropriate word, that there's a better word in Quileute, but he wouldn't enlighten me. He said I'll figure it out for myself. Any ideas?"
"How about 'friends?'" she said. "Here come Seth and Quil."
They patrolled in companionable silence for the first half hour. The russet wolf turned to his companion and looked her in the eye. "Something on your mind, Leah?" He already knew her moods, and something was obviously bothering her.
The grey shaggy head nodded once. After a few beats, her thoughts replied. "Yeah. I had a call from the blonde Cullen kid - Jasper."
The larger wolf missed a step and stumbled. He turned to Leah. "What on earth did he want?"
"They want a meeting with us. At the border. Something about a mutual threat, to both them and us. I don't know."
"Do you trust them, Leah?"
"No. I have no reason to. Then again, I have no reason to doubt them either. And I'm not afraid of them. Do you think we should hear what they have to say?"
Jacob didn't answer right away. They ran on, eating up the miles as they both thought about it. Finally, he broke the silence with a sigh. "Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer. I guess we need to hear them out."