A year and a half ago

The gathering on the beach after Harry died should have been peaceful. For the most part, it was just that. Preferably, for Leah, it would have only involved those who genuinely loved him. Instead, Leah walked into a shit show gathering filled to the brim with all of her cousins, Sam, and his friends, including the one person Leah had no desire to see; Emily. Emily and Sam had wisely avoided Leah for the evening. Leah was acutely aware of every loving touch and glance Sam gave his no-longer perfect Emily. Emily was focused on Sam, oblivious as Leah tried not to stare at her scars. Leah hated every single line that distorted her face. She had been rather beautiful in her own way, as the opposite side of her face still showed. Now, however, jagged marks adorned one side, leaving the features tugging slightly downward and the corner of her mouth a permanent scowl.

Leah no longer believed in karma. Too much pain had occurred for all involved for some kind of cosmic balance at play. Leah had been devastated to hear about Emily being attacked, though she didn't believe for a moment that it had been a bear. The large black wolf was still being spotted in the area. Emily had been distracted by it to the point of an obsession since seeing it for the first time. Leah had panicked when she heard of Emily's injuries, making her second guess shutting her out. Leah stopped for flowers and a Get Well Soon card before forcing herself to visit Emily in the hospital. She never spoke to Emily, however. Emily was sleeping, her hand firmly wrapped in his much larger one as Sam slept in the recliner at her bedside. Leah silently left the flowers she bought on the bedside table and deposited the card in the trash on her way out the door. Her anger returned with a vengeance afterward, and Leah had avoided them like the plague.

Now, here Leah was the day after Harry's death, sitting amongst too many people she didn't want to see while only wanting to be left alone. She should have focused on her father's memory and the comfort of people who loved her. Instead, she was surrounded by people that had betrayed her and shut her out. Not to mention, Jacob finally showed up looking far too happy with Princess Swan at his side. If it weren't for her incredible admiration for Charlie, Leah would have run the little bitch off. Just because he deserved to be among the crowd tonight didn't mean that she did. Instead, Leah watched as her cousin Jacob stupidly fawned over the girl, pulling her into his lap. He continuously held her hand and made flirtatious comments while their fathers were distracted. To top off absolutely everything, Bella and Emily had become friends. It only made Leah feel further pushed from her circle of people.

I really don't fucking want to be here. Everything hurt. Her heartbreak had gotten no easier with time, and losing Harry had only increased her grief. The more she had to deal with, the more bitter she became. When Sam and Emily dared to hug Sue and Seth in front of her, the last of Leah's patience fled her. Sue had watched as Sam destroyed her, practically ripping her heart out and stomping it into her face.
How the hell can she smile and hug that motherfucker after watching her daughter cry for months? It was bad enough that Leah knew Sam was directly involved with the tribal council now, his obsession with the tribal legends worse than ever. Sue ended up getting a cell phone to deal with her Tribal duties directly. Every time Sam called, Leah called him a piece of shit and hung up on him without allowing him an opportunity to speak. She was too bitter to care about being so petty. His voice was the last one she wanted to hear, and yet she craved it just as much. Leah still loved and missed him, regardless of it all. That pissed her off more than anything else.

Leah turned and rushed away from everyone, heading directly toward the trail that would lead her home. She simply wanted to mourn her father in peace.

Seth's voice was pained as he called out from behind her, "Where are you going?" She picked up her pace, running from him. She was running from them all. Harry had no business being out in the woods with Charlie that day. He was in his sixties, had a heart condition, and should have never agreed to help search for the wolves. Leah knew exactly what he'd be facing if he had found one, having seen the enormous monster at Sam's the day he disappeared. Leah had seen it a few times since then, swearing the massive bastard was sometimes creeping around her house. The truth was that she, like Emily, had begun worrying that it was searching her out for some reason. Harry had called her imaginative, asking her not to start putting too much stock into legends that were only passed down by word of mouth. It had been the first time Harry had ever voiced any sort of disbelief about their local legends. Sue, at least, had taken her daughter seriously, urging her to stay out of the woods for a while. In no hurry to walk around bearing the kind of scars Emily would have forever, Leah had readily obeyed.

Until now, anyway. Leah brushed away tears nearing Jacob's house. Her name sounded out behind her again, though she was far from sight to her brother. Leah huffed in aggravation. She quickly ducked into Jacob's garage to hide, plopping down on his broken-down old sofa. Her comfortable respite didn't last more than a couple of minutes. She heard Seth talking to someone animatedly as he approached. She cursed under her breath when her mother's distorted voice rang out from Seth's shitty old cell phone.

Sue complained, "Just get to the house quickly, Seth. I could absolutely slap you both for taking off."

Seth argued, "I just want to make sure she's okay."

Sue grumbled, "When you get home, stay home."

Seth asked, "What if she's not there?"

Sue said, "Stay home anyway. I'll be there soon."

Leah waited for all to go quiet before finally exiting Jacob's garage, managing to just catch Seth's attention from the trail. Seth yelled, "Leah, what the heck are you doing?"

Leah said, "I need some time alone."

Seth warned her, "Mom's pretty upset that you left."

"Seth, I am over eighteen. If I want to be alone, I'll do it. Go home," Leah said. Seth huffed angrily and kicked the trail with the toe of his sneaker.

"You need to go home, too, Leah," Seth snapped at her a little more forcefully than intended. He looked so much like Leah felt these days that it would have been startling were she not already so overwhelmed. Much like she did, her little brother shook with his anger. Neither had felt well lately, running fevers for days at a time and losing their tempers easily. Seth had remained faithfully in Leah's corner for the first few months since Sam and Emily had betrayed her. Over time, Sue tried to talk to them about forgiveness. Leah's unconditionally loving and kind little brother had agreed. Leah's still very broken heart and anger-fueled mouth told her mother to forget it or fuck off, as she had no intention of forgiving either one of them any time soon. Leah and Seth had been bumping heads ever since.

His eyes welled with angry tears as he glared at Leah. Tears of grief and anger for their losses. Not just with the loss of Harry, although his death had been the cherry-shaped bomb on top. Seth was mourning the loss of Sam as the big brother he had come to know and love. He missed Emily, always so warm and inviting. Seth was mourning Leah, too, but she didn't realize it then. He missed the sister that had helped raise him. He didn't recognize the bitter harpy she had become.

Leah snapped, "Do you not understand that I need to be alone? On my fucking time, Seth. Not yours or Moms. Just leave me be."

Seth screamed at her, "Do you have any idea how damn selfish you've become?" He pulled his phone from his pocket and held down a button.

After only one ring, Sue's voice crackled through the speaker as she asked, "What's wrong, Seth?"

Seth complained, "She won't come home. She's acting like a raging bitch, so I'll see you there."

Tattling on her was annoying enough when she was this angry, but hearing her sweet baby brother call her a bitch shot straight through her like she had been lit on fire. Her shaking rapidly turned to violent tremors as her heart raced. Her body felt flush with a searing heat that ached into her very bones. Her leg jerked involuntarily, and Leah screamed in agony as her bones began to snap. She fell to the ground in a heap, terror-stricken. The vertebrae in her back felt as if they were coming apart one by one, protruding against her skin. The seams of her clothing popped and tore as she writhed in agony, unable to move of her own accord. Seth cried out in horror as his phone slid from his hand and landed at his feet.

This can't fucking be real! Leah panicked, fighting to catch her breath until the next snap of bone ripped more screams from her.

A frightened Sue yelled, "Seth, what is going on?"

Seth could not pull his eyes away from her as the tremors began in his legs. "Mom, she's -" Seth's voice was cut off as Leah screamed again while more bones painfully shifted around her body. She could feel her jaw break as her face began to change. Leah struggled to breathe as she gagged from the pain.
Seth screamed, "Her bones are breaking by themselves. Mom, something is really wrong."

The sound of Sue immediately calling out for Sam pulsed through Leah like another wave of fire. She screamed again, her voice heightening as her scream elongated into a howl. Seth's cry of terror turned to one of pain as he jerked backward and his legs snapped underneath him. Leah stared back at her brother as she remained frozen in her own pain, fear, and rage. As his arm snapped on its own, Seth screamed for Sue. The shifting in her body finally ceased, though she found no relief as Leah watched the structure of Seth's face begin to change. The presence of something feral seemed to smother her like a blanket before settling inside of her. The stories Leah knew rushed her as she gazed down at the massive paws where her hands once were. She flexed her knuckles, her protruding claws slicing into the hard earth as easy as softened butter. Leah howled as the overwhelming need to run swallowed her. She glanced back mournfully at Seth's still changing form. The new presence inside of her began taking control, urging her to flee. More lost and angry than ever, Leah ran as fast as she could into the night.

Present Day

Leah rushed home from the garage to get ready for her shift at the club. She dressed and applied her makeup with extra care. Leah wanted to show off her figure, hide how heartbroken she felt, and, especially, to cover up the puffy redness from crying. Leah was determined to not let anyone see how his rejection had devastated her the day before. When she walked into the club later, she was surprised to find Rick and his wife sitting at the bar with Tom. Rick did his best to smile at Leah, despite the heavy bandaging partially supporting his wired jaw and very swollen face. Leah tried not to tear up and ignored Hodie as she headed straight for Rick. She wrapped her arms around the kind older man and hugged him gently. Rick chuckled and squeezed her harder instead.

A woman Leah assumed was his wife said, "He's proud of you. He wanted to tell you so himself. In his own way for now, anyway."

Leah smiled at the woman warmly despite her aggravation with her. Leah turned to Rick and said, "When you went down, it just broke my heart. I lost my shit, Rick. I couldn't stop myself. I had to get to him."

Rick gave her another weak smile, though his eyes were shining proudly. Rick attempted to mumble something Leah didn't comprehend. His wife chuckled and said, "He said Harry would be proud."

Leah gave Rick an affectionate smile and said, "You take it easy and let that heal correctly, you hear me? I need you to get back here and help me kick some ass."

Mrs. Clark looked over at her husband triumphantly, and he chuckled again, nodding.

Leah said, "When is your next oil change? Bring the truck down when you're feeling up to it, and I'll pay for Jake to change it since you're gonna be off for a while." Rick nodded again, sliding his arm around his wife's shoulder. Tom surprised Leah as he stood and pulled her toward him for a side hug.

Tom said, "We are glad you decided to take this job. And, we hope that you will eventually decide to stay on."

Leah said, "Hmmm, I'm still not sure about that. For now, though, I'm here, and it's time for me to get to work." She waved to them and made her way back to the changing rooms. It was not lost on her that Hodie didn't call out to her in greeting as he usually did.

Leah had dutifully guarded her dancers, keeping her eyes off of Hodie as much as possible. Twice, she caught him staring at her. Leah ignored the ache to talk to him, though it drove her mad all night. As usual, she tried to deal with her stress by being her dramatic, sarcastic, joking self. Word had spread among the patrons of her heroism on Wednesday night, and many came Friday out of curiosity. They wanted to see and meet the female who certainly didn't appear strong enough to smash a man's cheekbone. Some got rowdy with her on purpose just to test her. She dealt with them as playfully as she would allow herself, not needing to toss more than a few out for the night. Leah kept the crowd lighthearted and laughing with her thinly veiled insults and sarcastic comments.

Tom had made many appearances in the club that night. It was rare for the patrons to see him, and his constant surveillance made some of the bartenders nervous. They need not worry about his presence. His eyes were on Leah the majority of the time. Despite that, not even staring after Leah kept Hodie from running circles around the other bartenders. He was as on his game as he ever was, only further disappointing her. She had hoped he would at least seem a little affected. She certainly was.

Seems like he is doing just fine.

When the last performance ended, Leah went back to the changing room to help escort the ladies to their cars. The girls were uncannily silent, putting Leah on edge quickly. She certainly remembered what gossiping girls had been like in high school. That was what it felt like as the women all struggled not to meet her eyes in silence.

They were talking about me before I came in here. Amara and the woman Leah had dubbed Red both shot her a glance as they continued gathering their belongings.

Leah asked, "Someone want to let me in on the secret?" The dancers looked around amongst themselves before all focusing on Amara.

She took a deep breath. There was genuine sadness in her voice as she asked, "Why did you hurt Hodie like that?" Leah had to take a deep breath of her own, clenching her fists at her side.

Red pointed at Amara and warned, "I told you it was a bad idea to stick your nose in it, didn't I?"

Leah asked, "Why do you think I hurt Hodie? Why is no one under any assumption that maybe Hodie hurt me?"

Amara said, "He is my best friend. I talked to him yesterday."

Leah said, "Some best friends. I didn't know about it, that's for sure. I can't think of a single time he has even brought you up." Leah knew her words were cruel and instantly regretted them as Amara flinched. She blinked back furious tears, catching Chelsea staring at her. Chelsea turned to glare at Amara accusingly. Leah tried to soften her tone as she said, "I hope he told you both sides of the story, Amara. Because if Hodie hurts right now, he did it to himself." Leah glanced around at the others, none of which could look at her directly. "Find me at the back exit when you are ready," Leah said. She slammed out of the room and made her way toward the back door as calmly as she could, again avoiding Hodie as he stared after her. Leah leaned against the back wall of the building and pulled her cigarettes from her back pocket. She lit one and took a deep drag.

A deep but almost musical voice said, "Those are terrible for you."

Leah spun on the owner of the said voice and smirked. "What's up, leech?" God, this motherfucker is quiet. I didn't even smell him this time.

The tall native vampire laughed. "I haven't heard that term in many years."

Leah asked, "You obviously live nearby, right? You're always walking through." She was surprised by the ease of the conversation. So much had happened in the last few days that Leah seemed to be stuck somewhere between pissed off and completely numb. The vampire stared back at her suspiciously.
Leah said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to try to rip your head off or anything. Your eyes are yellow. I'm well aware of what that implies." She gave him a dazzling smile as he gaped in shock.

He asked, "You are an imprint?"

Leah said, "I'm a wolf." His eyes widened further, and he scoffed.

He said, "Wolves are not females."

Leah laughed bitterly and said, "Yeah, no shit. I'm the first one. The only one. You have to be able to smell it." He continued to stare at her skeptically. "So, you know my tribe," Leah said. He nodded.

He asked, "Is your young man in the bar your imprint?" He nodded toward the building. Leah chuckled in surprise, though she knew rumors of their legends had traveled through other tribes in the area.

Leah smashed out her cigarette and said, "Nope. He's not my young man, either,"

He smirked and said, "I see. You should stop those. Good luck." With that, the vampire casually strolled away from her toward the trees behind the parking lot.

Leah escorted the dancers to their vehicles. She could tell that Amara was fighting the urge to speak with her again. Instead, Amara remained silent, climbed into her car, and drove away. Leah went back inside and began helping with cleanup. She stuck to the jobs she knew were part of Rick's routine. As she finished her final task, Tom came back into the bar. "I need everyone over here for a minute, please," Tom hollered out as he sat on a barstool. Everyone crowded around him, though Leah chose to keep as far from Hodie as possible in the small circle.

Tom said, "We have a bit of an issue. Rick has a mortgage and bills just like most of us do. His wife doesn't earn enough on her own to cover everything. Rick is going to need surgery to completely repair his jaw. He will be having surgery in a couple of days. He will also need dental repair since the bastard broke three of his teeth. Now, insurance is covering some of it. By the end of things, it looks like I will be dropping about twenty grand on medical alone. I haven't even seen the ambulance bill yet. I would like to find a way to help with his bills. Then he can worry about getting better instead of whether or not he's going to lose his house. If anyone can come up with a fundraiser idea to raise some extra cash for him, I'm all ears, guys."

Leah offered, "How much is his mortgage payment for the month? I have money saved back. I'd be happy to help."

Tom said, "That is helpful, Leah. Thank you. Rick is concerned that he may be off for up to a couple of months. He can't take another blow to the face before that jaw is fully healed. It could be a big setback for him. He's a diabetic as well. If we can help him stay home to fully heal, it would be best."

Leah knew all too well what kind of issues diabetics could have with healing their injuries. Billy wasn't in a wheelchair for nothing.
Hodie is right about one thing. Tom is a pretty decent guy. Most employers would only worry about when their employees would get back to work.

Hodie asked, "Why didn't we talk about this with the dancers here? Surely they would want to help."

Tom said, "I talked to them about it earlier, and they have already offered to donate their wages from the night of the Halloween party. I would like to put out a large tip jar for Rick that night for patrons to donate, as well. Rick is well known and liked among most of them."

Tricia piped in, "You know, Chelsea was going on and on about how hot Leah is. She thinks Leah needs to be up on stage sometime." Everyone, especially Hodie, whipped their heads up to stare at Leah.

Leah forced an awkward laugh and said, "Yeah, and I said no way. Tom, you can have my wages that night, too."

Tom said, "You are not on the schedule that night, Leah. You seem to be a curiosity among the patrons now. I was hoping you would come to the party and bring some friends with you."

Leah said, "Well, you can consider my ass on the schedule for free. I'll come to hang out and hop in if I'm needed. I can't bring any pals with me, though. That same night is Charlie's bachelor party. He's kind of a favorite around my guy friends." Leah noticed the scowl on Hodie's face and assumed he was thinking about the messages from Quil. She could practically feel the jealousy radiating from him across the small circle.

She looked up and caught one of the other Bouncers glancing between them, smirking. So did Tom.
These fucking people are as nosey as my damn family. However, that was something about this place that Leah also loved. The employees here were clearly like family. They also clearly stuck together, as her sour reception from the dancers had proven. It was the first time that Leah truly felt like an outsider in the small, dark club.

Tom said, "You should have told them to come here."

Leah said, "I didn't work here yet when they planned it. Besides, there is a reason I wasn't invited. I don't think either of us could handle seeing Charlie getting a birthday dance."

The nosey bouncer asked, "Why?"

Leah said, "He's my step-dad." Numerous other employees cringed, laughing awkwardly.

Tom asked, "What about your female friends?"

Leah scoffed and said, "Literally, every single one of them is pregnant. My cousin will give birth any day. The only person that isn't pregnant is my sister. She has a seven-month-old and watches her baby nephew every evening."

Tom chuckled and asked, "Your life is a little bit crazy, isn't it?"

Fighting against the glare she was tempted to throw in Hodie's direction, Leah said, "It is a hot damn mess, actually."

Tricia insisted, "I think we should try to get Leah to dance that night. Many of the customers are crazy about her. They would probably pay at the door to get in and see her dance." Tom raised an eyebrow and smirked at Leah again. He was intrigued by the idea, and it made Leah feel both nervous and slightly uncomfortable. As evident by the scowl on his face, Hodie was not happy about the encouragement, either.

Leah joked, "What makes any of you think I can dance like that?"

Tricia said, "You used to come on club nights, Leah. We all know you can dance."

Leah said, "I don't think everyone needs to see me quite that naked." Lord knows enough people already see me naked at home.

One of the other security guards said, "Not all of the girls get naked, Leah. You could wear whatever the hell you wanted if you wanted to do it."

Tricia said, "I bet some of the girls would even go on with you so you are not out there by yourself." Leah blushed as Tricia blatantly trailed her eyes down Leah's body, grinning at her. Hodie was still scowling, eyeballing Tricia silently.

Jesus, is he jealous of Tricia right now? Wait, is she flirting with me? Leah asked, "Tricia, how come you and Chelsea haven't hooked up yet?" This time Tricia was the one to blush. Leah chuckled as the tiny blonde bartender finally went silent. Tom glanced from person to person, amused by the inner social workings of his employees.

Finally, he looked straight up at Leah. He said, "If you want to think about the idea, Leah, that's fine. Just let me know what you decide. If you're against it, that's fine, too. As far as I'm concerned, any of my employees can do what the hell they want with their bodies as long as they do their jobs. If you wanna dance, but not undress, I don't give a damn. Wear a fucking parka if you want to. I do agree with Tricia, though. The customers would probably pay to see the new favorite security put on a show." There was a collective chuckle and many nods of agreement around the room.

Leah grinned, covering her face in embarrassment. Leah wasn't a vain woman, but she wasn't blind either. She knew how attractive she was considered to be, especially when she smiled. So much so that her snark and strength tended to take people, men especially, by surprise.
Most men don't like me much when they realize what a bitch I can be. Not like Hodie. He loved it as long as it wasn't directed at him. So did Sam and Quil. She glanced up to find Hodie still scowling, staring at Tom. His fucking face is going to stick like that. For someone who wanted to dump me, he seems awfully jealous. "You know what," Leah said coolly, "I'll think about it. Maybe I'll talk to Hodie's bestie Amara and see if she can show me some moves." Hodie shot Leah an angry glance. Tricia squealed and clapped her hands as she jumped excitedly.

This little shit reminds me of Alice. Leah added, "But, Tricia has to get her ass up there, too." There was another collective laugh as Tricia stopped hopping and gaped at Leah.

Tricia said, "I can't dance, Leah. Like, at all."

Another of the female bartenders said, "Join the club, sister. Neither can half the dancers, but damn it, they try."

God damn, I need to learn some names around here. "I'll think about it. Give me a day or five," Leah said. "I don't know if I could even find the time to prepare for that. You know how crazy my schedule is."

Tom said, "The Halloween party is the weekend after next, Leah. If you are interested, talk to the other dancers tomorrow. If you can figure something out, Let me know. If we're going to get the word out among the customers, we need to get started." Leah took a step back anxiously.

Shit, Leah. What the hell are you playing around with here? Leah was surprised to find that while the idea made human Leah nervous, it seemed to excite her wolf. Leah's wolf loved admiration. She loved to be desired, playful, and carefree. If Leah came up with the courage to dance, it would be her wolf's personality that she brought out. Briefly, Leah wondered what the crowd would think if she climbed on stage as her wolf and just shook her tail at everyone.

Tom said, "Go on. Get out of here. If anyone has any more ideas, let me know."

Leah had turned to stare up at the stage for a minute, trying like hell to imagine herself up there. How do these girls do it? Leah had done recitals for ballet, tap, and gymnastics as a kid, sure. It had been a luxury that Sue Clearwater could not afford but managed to pay for somehow. As the only girl her age in a neighborhood full of boys, Sue wanted Leah to have somewhere to indulge in her more feminine side. And, she had. Leah loved it. The criticism of her tall, firm yet full figure had made Leah very self-conscious of her body in her teen years. She had once been underweight, only managing to make herself lose muscle tone rather than thinning down the places she desperately hoped for. Sue eventually removed her daughter from the harsh criticism for the sake of her health. It had been Sam that had made Leah start to love her body again.

Leah's stomach growled. She had not eaten since morning, a bad habit she had fallen into. Leah sighed as she thought of the food Bella had made her the night before. Leah was standing that way, still looking up at the stage as a throat cleared beside her. Leah turned to find Hodie waiting nervously.

Lamely, he said, "Hi." He held his hand out, a sim card and micro memory card resting in his palm. Suspiciously, Leah took them from him.

She asked, "I guess these are from my phone?" Hodie shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. He looked as if he'd gotten about as much sleep as she had. "Thanks, I guess," Leah said, looking back at the stage. She wanted to stare at him the way he had so often stared at her. Leah had the sudden desire to memorize every line of his face.

Tom ushered them to the back door as he said, "Time to go." Leah was lost in thought as she walked out in front of them. She didn't realize Hodie was following her until she reached her car.

His words came out in a rush behind her as he asked, "Are you going to get up there for the Halloween party?"

Leah turned back toward him and asked, "Why do you care?"

He was taken aback by her question, his temper immediately flaring. He snapped, "You're right, Leah. I guess I don't." With that, he spun and began limping toward his truck.