Leah gets to the edge first a happy grin plastered to her face as she takes a deeper breath of the chilly air. The beach, the forest, her imprint. Every scent earning a wider smile as she looks back over her shoulder her hand already outstretched. Waiting. Hopeful.
"Oh no." Skyler shakes her head "I love you. But not that much. No way." She says her arms tucked in tight across her chest. Defensive. Nervous. Leah's smile turned to a pained pout, but Sky was already talking before she could ask. "I heard Seth talking about this with a few of the younger boys. It seemed like something you'd want to do that you haven't been able to you know with the split and everything."
Leah giggles under her breath at Sky's rambling as she folds herself down onto the grass at the edge of the tree line surrounding the cliff face Sam's pack had claimed for their more daredevil activities. "Cliff jumping has never been high on my list of fun things to do around here." Leah admits "but there is something about this view." She pauses taking another long look out at the horizon.
Skyler's eyes flicker up to meet her own but then drop just as fast her heart rate picking up speed. "It's true I have been getting used to the Cullen's—" Leah pauses trying to find a better word than 'stink' as she takes a seat beside her imprint. "flavor." She decided "but I have been missing going for runs without the vampire smell clogging the air."
Sky rolled her eyes at that. "I know I'm just some silly human, but I don't-"
"You're not silly." Leah argues bringing a fresh wave of her spiced vanilla and deep forest scent as her arms slide around Sky's waist holding her close against the chill of the wind.
"Agree to disagree but okay." Sky shrugs greedily welcoming Leah's added warmth.
"Sky." Leah sighed nuzzling her head against Sky's shoulder.
Sky however had seemed to spot something or rather someone down on the beach drawing most of her attention. "Are you sure Collin didn't imprint on you?"
"Huh?" Sure, enough Leah could easily make out Collin's lone figure as she follows Sky's gaze down to the watching teen not so interested in watching the waves so much as watching the couple cuddled together on the outcrop.
Even with the distances between them, Leah recognizes the pinning pained look etched on the younger man's face. She'd seen it often enough on her own face in the thoughts of her packmates before she'd left Sam's pack for Jacob's.
They'd run into Leah's former pack mate the night before on the walk towards the pizza joint 'Fashion fangs' had driven them to in one of the fewer flasher cars the Cullen's had collected in their long lives. Rose and Alice having opted to do a drop-off for the couple rather than having to set and not eat during their mini-date, so Rose handed over one of the vampire's many credit cards after shooing the couple from the backseat.
"Have fun." Alice smiles from the driver's seat before the car peels away fishtailing too fast before rocketing off back down the side road.
Collin's wolf self had stepped from the shadows before the car's taillights had even faded causing Sky to press even closer to Leah's slide and the then human, she-wolf to let out a very real growl in protective warning as her arms locked around Sky's middle. The ashy brown wolf immediately lowered his head in an apparent submissive apology.
"Sorry," Leah answers in an apology of her own without lowering her arms.
"Sky, this is Collin Littlesea." The Black pack Bata introduces once she'd taken a calming breath nuzzling her face against Sky's shoulder. She didn't bother doing the revers introduction seeing as she was certain everyone in Sam's pack knew about her imprinting by now.
Only Sky seemed to notice the look of obvious pain in the young wolf's eyes as she feels more than sees Leah once more nuzzling her face against the dip of Sky's shoulder with a contented sigh.
"Are you finished with your patrol?" Leah asks in a low tone when the auditable rumblings of a hungry stomach reach them. "Sky and I are going for pizza and your mom would kill me if I let you go home without food." She goes on interlacing her fingers with Sky's.
For a few moments, Sky thinks Collin will decline the invitation, but he huffs in response before turning back into the surrounding trees. Quicker than she'd expected the teenager she guessed to be Collin himself emerges from the darkness tugging on a fresh tank top over his shorts as he jogged over to them with a light "Good to see you again, Leah" in greeting
Instead of answering in words, Leah reaches over to ruffle the younger boy's hair just as she would with Seth from time to time before Collin's rumbling stomach reminds them of their earlier destination. The younger boy falling into quiet step behind the pair as they started off in the direction of cooking pizza.
"That I know of nothing like that has happened yet." Leah says bringing Sky out of her remembrance of the previous night.
"But didn't Seth say you were the first female in your tribe's history to shift?" Sky asks leaning her head once more against Leah's shoulder. "And that…" she pauses her eyes going back to the still watching figure on the shoreline.
"I'd have known if that had happened. The pack link doesn't leave room for privacy." Leah reminds "That was until I embraced my own inner wolf I guess so now I can shadow some thoughts from the others." She smiles "Jake isn't the only true Alpha around." Leah says at Sky's surprised glance behind her as the human she-wolf presses closer along Sky's back as they watch the skyline now. "Seth and I have just as much right to lead as Jake but neither of us wants that kind of…"
"Headache?" Sky offers
"That's one word for it." Leah agrees "Not as big as the one I have for Mom but…." She breaks off with a low guilty sigh that has Sky turning as best as she can in the circle of Leah's arms around her.
"I meant what I said. Its your choice." The soldier reminds her fingers sliding into her girlfriend's short, chopped hair. "its not just that weird wolf thing of imprinting that makes me love you."
Leah's gaze drops to the small space between them, but Sky's fingers tap under her chin drawing her head back up to meet the girl's gaze. "Did Jake tell you?" Leah asks
Sky shakes her head in denial. "Seth then." Leah decides remembering her brothers own shock at picking up Leah's growing fears it was only her wolf that kept Sky from leaving her.
"You're a dummy, dummy." Sky sighs pressing her forehead to Leah's as she spoke. "My dummy but still a dummy."
Leah chuckles weakly under her breath at that. "I'm sure Collin hanging around is just Sam's way of keeping an eye on us when we're here."
"If you say so." Sky whispers once again leaning back into Leah's offered warmth when another chilly gust of cold wraps around them.
"Collin."
The sound of Emily's call of the younger man's name once again draws the couple's gaze down below them. Leah's eyes immediately landed on the tallest of the pair now making their way across the sandy shoreline below.
For his part Sam only gives the smallest incline of his head in the couple's direction before his gaze turned back to that of his packmate as he takes the open seat on the log Collin himself had chosen to sit. Emily took the opposite one, so they were now on either side of the younger man.
"I think I've gotten my fill of beach air." Leah decides feeling more than seeing Sky tense up against her front.
"We're going to have to talk with him sometime."
"But not right now." Leah reminds "No right now I wanna have a nice run in the woods with my favorite ray of sunshine."
Sky rolled her eyes with a dull "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"Only you." Leah promises with a grin already unfolding herself from their rocky seat.
"Just run, LeeLee. Let's see if I can catch you this time before you go full Wolfie."
Only the soldier notices when Leah's giggled laugh carries down to those still lingering on the beach making the youngest of the trio wince. Jealous understanding is clear even at the distance between them as Collin's eyes meet Sky's as Leah takes off into the tree line with a teasing "Catch me if you can."