Focus.

In the darkness, I fought the heat. I battled fiercely to keep it close to the surface of my skin but stop it from overcoming me. More and more fire gathered, falling off of me in waves, my heartbeat the tide pushing it. My bones were hot iron, my nerves threatened to singe, and I was on the verge of exploding. But I held it back.

You can do it.

I honed in on the scalding magic that was supposed to transform me. I tried to push it to follow my will, to carve a new path for it to fill within myself. A bead of sweat rolled down my temple and sizzled away on my cheek. This was a much hotter burn than I'd ever experienced. I felt like I was being eaten alive by a flame I'd created.

Child. A presence prickled along my spine like if I opened my eyes and turned around, someone would be there. This is your birthright. Take it.

I was trying, desperately. There was no option for failure, no room for doubt. I had to be perfect. My father was watching me. My ancestors watched—

Now!

A new type of energy surged through me, brilliant as the sun. I couldn't contain it. The radiance of a star exploded out of every pore in my skin, spilling power into the world.

Well done.

"Whoa!"

A yelp dragged me out of the vivid dream and I remembered where I was. Who I was.

I sat up, quickly rubbing my eyes and looking around my darkened room. Seth was in my doorway, scared and wide-eyed. For a second, in my tired mind, he was six again. "Did you have a nightmare, bud?"

"What? You were the one having a nightmare. You were on fire!" That woke me up pretty well.

I took an experimental sniff, alarmed when I smelled burnt fabric. I got up in a clumsy rush, bumping into my dresser in the process and knocking off a few potted plants.

There was an outline of char in the shape of me on my sheets.

"Crap. Those were new." That's another apology gift from Alice gone. Not even by choice this time.

Seth had different concerns. "Leah…are you ok?"

I glanced at the mess of broken pots on my floor, sighing. "I'm fine."

"What if you set the house on fire?" It was a valid question.

One I couldn't answer. "We'll cross that bridge if ever get to it. But here's hoping my dreams get less weird with time."

"Yeah… Man, Eddie won't believe this."

I shot him a quick glare. "Stop texting my boyfriend more than me."

"But he said it was fine since we'll be brothers soon."

I suppressed a smile as I said, "Just do me a favor, ok? It makes him feel justified to complain about how crap I am at texting and calling him back."

"Hmph," he huffed, crossing his arms. Rosalie was rubbing off him. "He's right, though. You need to get better at getting back to him."

"Stay out of my relationship." I reached down, throwing the nearest unearthed plant at him.

It sent him running, my door shutting just in time to take the impact of the bromeliad. It made a pretty solid thud for a plant that didn't have its pot anymore. Like really solid.

When I went over to investigate, I saw an odd shape in the clump of soil the roots had retained. I dusted it off until I was staring a ring box dead in the eye. A freaking ring box. So, Peter was definitely crazier than we'd all thought.

With a tired sigh, I flipped open the black velvet lid and…found something strange.

A key in a ring box was strange, right? And it was especially strange since the pack hadn't found anything of Peter's in Rebecca's room that had a lock on it. It couldn't hurt to double-check with them later, though.

For the time being, I pocketed the key and turned back to the mess I'd made in my room. I fully blamed Old Quil for all of it. That living artifact was the reason I'd had the trippy nightmare.

Against my better judgment, "spirit warrior training" began yesterday and the first session was a total flop. It consisted of me standing in the middle of the woods, trying to make fire happen or astral project. Obviously, nothing happened. But if nothing continued to happen, I wasn't sure if it was below Old Quil to try and kill me to yield some results. But, hey, maybe he wouldn't have to. Maybe I'd almost die in a fire I started while asleep.

"Edward's coming!" Seth cheered from his room.

"Sh! Mom's still sleeping."

"Oops."

I cleaned up in a rush, getting changed into whatever I could grab first. When I opened my door to run down the stairs, Seth managed to beat me to it. He jumped down the stairs and bolted straight out of the front door as Edward's Volvo braked in our driveway.

"Eddie!"

My mom stirred in her sleep.

Edward's laughter soared through the air as Seth nearly tackled him in a hug. "Good morning! You're up early—have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then, I'll prepare breakfast for you while you get ready." I heard him ruffle Seth's hair. The sound was becoming one of the easiest to recognize in my memory.

"Can I have bacon?"

"As if I'd make you a breakfast that didn't include bacon. What must you think of me?"

Seth gave him one last squeeze as I came walking out onto the porch. His hair was a mess, and his baggy pajamas were all crinkled from the bear hug.

"Go, get ready for school while I cook."

Despite always arguing with me, Seth was more than happy to follow Edward's orders. He practically pranced past me to go back inside. I stuck my tongue out at him as he passed me and he grinned before disappearing into the house.

And I'd thought I was a sucker for Edward.

Speaking of... "Good morning." His voice took on that special timber, holding the gentleness he always saved for me.

It always got him my full attention. "Now it is."

He smiled, glowing in the first, timid rays of the sunrise. He held up a hand, beckoning me over with a languid curl of his long finger. It was more than enough motivation to unroot from my spot and run to him.

I always jumped on him now because I knew he'd catch me. His arms locked securely around me, keeping me up as I wrapped my legs and arms around him. He laughed as I practically purred in my delight to be with him again.

I hadn't seen him yesterday and it'd been a truly terrible twenty-four hours. "I missed your hugs."

"Even though I'm super warm?"

One of his hands came to the back of my head as I kissed his shoulder, letting his scent stain my lips. "I love your warmth, physical or otherwise." I gave a happy hum, eyes closed as I enjoyed my personified oxytocin rush. "That's all I am to you now? I give you such a nice compliment and you just use me to get high."

I nuzzled my face into his neck, saying a small, "Yeah."

It drew a silvery laugh out of him that I thoroughly enjoyed. "Unrelated question but why do you smell like you've been playing with matches?"

"Oh, that." My good mood soured instantly as I remembered my fiery wake-up call. "I had a bad dream, completely not my fault."

"You burned your bed?" He always had to get so concerned over everything. "I'm not allowed to be concerned that you're lighting on fire in your sleep? Not to mention your newfound key." He put me down and, just like that, the moment was over.

I crossed my arms as I told him, "It's under control."

We were so close now that I didn't wish I could read his mind anymore. Why would I? One look at his face and I knew all I needed to know. He wasn't convinced. "This is serious."

"Ok, fine. I'll tell Old Quil and Billy later. It'll all get dealt with, scout's honor." I led him by hand back to the house. "It's just not worth worrying about for now. Not when today's so great."

He started swinging our hands between us as he asked, "Who's voice is it, at least?"

"Huh?"

"In the dream. That's not Old Quil's voice."

He was right. It wasn't Old Quil's voice. It wasn't any voice I knew. "I dunno. Some made-up person. Maybe an amalgamation of a bunch of people's voices?"

"Perhaps." He towed me to the kitchen, not letting go as he looked through my fridge. "Hungry?"

"Not really."

"You should still try and eat." Translation: He was going to cook me something and wouldn't leave me alone until I ate it. "Maybe you're right. We know each other so well you needn't read my mind."

I let go of his hand, sitting on a counter while I watched him move around the kitchen like he owned it. It wasn't long before my mom came shambling down, too, her early alarm having done its job. The two of us ate and drank coffee, laughing and conversing with Edward like he'd always been in our lives.

Times like these made an imagined future with him look so real.

Edward was hand washing Mom's favorite red mug when he said, "Speaking of amazing gifts, Sue, I already have yours wrapped."

"Eddie, please. My birthday's still over a month away. I don't even have any plans for it. I probably should."

"You don't need to." Just by the tone of his voice, I knew what she was thinking. Whom she was thinking about.

"Dad would want you to celebrate."

She looked at me in shock like she hadn't known I was capable of bringing him up. "Oh...well, I know. I know but I haven't decided. I'll think about it." She grabbed the lunch Edward had prepared and packed for her. "Gotta get moving. Early shift." She left the kitchen to grab her other things. And avoid the conversation.

Seth left the bathroom at that very moment. "It smells so good!" He came running down, hugging Mom who was packing things into her bag for work. Then, he pranced into the kitchen.

Edward took the lid off an awaiting skillet on the stovetop. "Croque monsieurs with loads of bacon, sausage from yesterday, and homemade gravy."

"Oh, man! Thanks so much, bro!" Seth ran over, scooping it all out and onto a plate. He was already eating before he could even grab a seat at the dining table.

I couldn't believe there was ever a time when I'd worried if my family would accept him. He was more popular than me. "This was your plan all along wasn't it? It's always been about my family, I'm just in the way."

"You're a very pretty obstacle." He folded his arms over his chest, flashing his pearly whites.

My mom came running back in to hug me goodbye. But to my utter shock, she gave Edward one, too, and a kiss on the cheek before going to Seth next. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Ok, bye, everyone! Make sure to be at Billy's before three or else you have to wait until after Rachel arrives!" She ran out, closing the front door but not locking it.

Edward cleaned my mom's little mess in a few seconds, not letting me even attempt to help. "I didn't know you had such a passion to clean. I could make a mess for you if it'll make you feel better."

"Nope, no such passion. In fact" —I chugged down the rest of my liquid life— "here. You can have this, fangs. Consider it a token of my love."

"Wow, I'm so pleased. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He took the mug by its unoccupied handle, smiling as he inquired, "On a serious note, are you excited for Rachel's arrival?"

"Yeah, I'm excited. I mean, I know how hard it'll be to keep her in the dark while she's here but I've really missed her. That doesn't just go away because of our big pack-wide secret… Hah, but she won't be too excited about the surprise party waiting for her. And we have a dishwasher, by the way, fangs."

"I'm faster than the dishwasher."

"True. Anyway, you'll have to find something better to do than cleaning my family's dishes soon. It's gonna be a hectic few weeks."

Despite not having a job anymore—as my mom loved to mention—I was still busier than ever. Training sessions as the new spirit warrior, the upkeep for the pack, my job hunt, trying to contact Jacob. It was enough to keep me busy as it was, but soon I'd have Rachel to stress about, too.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" He was always the first to tell me to take a break or delegate. I never listened but I appreciated it, regardless.

"No. I'll miss you too much." He grinned at my response even though I was being serious. Any time I thought about how little we'd see each other, I took on an involuntary pout.

"I'll miss you more."

Seth came bounding back into the kitchen with an empty plate. "Hey, Eddie, can you drive me to school?"

"Sure."

"Or I could drive you," I offered, ignoring Edward's smug chuckle at my expense.

Seth squinted at me. "In your van?"

"No, on my magic carpet."

"Funny!" Seth went out to the living room, grabbing his backpack before leaving the house.

That was a definitive no.

Edward pushed off from the counter he'd been leaning against, way too happy as he said, "You should think about upgrading your ride."

"And give you mercy? Not falling for it. You have to suffer the van, rich boy."

"Sadist," he whispered his accusation with an all-too-alluring smile before leaving.

I had a busy day of job hunting and Edward graciously joined me after dropping Seth off at school. You know, so he could slip a lunch date into my schedule easier. He also told me whenever I for sure didn't get the job I applied for, which saved me a lot of time. He even came with me to pack practice, which only a few of the members were happy about. Most were still mad about the Irina thing but they'd come around. If not because of their own decision to get over it, then due to my broadcasted adoration in the pack mind sinking into their brains.

After an unsuccessful half hour of trying to reach Jacob, I went to my room, Edward following. He laid down on my bed and I curled up with him for some primetime cuddling action. I rested my eyes for just a second.

Use your power!

I shot up in my bed, breathing hard. A cold hand came to the back of my neck before jerking away. "How hot am I?"

"Exceptionally." I looked down at him where he was still laying beside me. I hated being the reason he had such worried eyes.

Before I could try and reassure him, my phone rang. He handed it to me off my nightstand and I picked up the call. "Hello?"

"Leah, I'm stuck helping Billy get the cake. There's been some mixup. And neither Sam nor Emily'll pick up—"

"Oh, nice, Mom. So, I'm the fourth choice."

"Look, Rachel's early so can you just go and get her and distract her, please? Thank you." She hung up on me.

I climbed out of bed, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. "Looks like we're gonna pick up Rachel."

"Are you sure?"

The question made me twist around to face him. He was laying next to me, looking down with a blank expression. "Uh, yeah. I'm sure."

"Alright."

I got ready to go and Edward waited for me by my car. Of course, this was the day my van decided to stall and spit on all of Rosalie's hard work. I'd hoped to keep it longer since I'd bought it, myself, but maybe it was time to let it go.

"Could you dr—?"

"Yes." I thought he'd be happy to not have to ride in my car but something was off. "Nothing's off."

Something was definitely off. Thankfully, we got to the airport pretty fast. It gave us time to right whatever was off.

I threw half of my hair into a topknot with the hair tie I had around my wrist. It was getting a little too long, I needed a trim.

"Alice could do it whenever you decide to truly forgive her." Edward was leaning against his steering wheel with his arms over it. It was a relaxed position but his eyes had unusual darkness to them.

I propped my elbow against the glove compartment, resting my cheek in my hand so I was about level with him. "Is it the nightmare I had that's bothering you?"

"That certainly doesn't help." His pretty features twisted with obvious unease. "However, Leah, I'm still a Cullen."

So?

"So, I understand if you've any apprehensions about introducing me to Rachel so soon. I could run home if you wish."

It felt like I'd missed a whole conversation. "Did my thoughts give off a weird vibe when I asked you to come or something?"

"No, it's only that I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position." He reached over before changing his mind and sitting up instead. "You're so excited to see her again and if there's a chance I could ruin—"

"You're nervous because you don't want Rachel to dislike you." It was so normal. The anxious boyfriend hoping your friends will like him. I liked it way too much.

"Well, I would, at least, like to avoid her condemnation if possible." So cute. "Leah," he sighed, not as amused as I was by the situation. "I truly don't wish to ruin your reunion."

"Look, you make me happy so she'll love you. You're not gonna ruin anything. Trust me, it's really that simple for her."

With one lukewarm statement, he ended the conversation: "I trust you." Then, he reached for his door like he was getting out. Already? "I can hear her. She's on her way to baggage claim."

"How do you know it's her?" I challenged, sitting up with him.

"She's picturing what you look like since she's sent pictures but you've sent none. Now, she's realizing it's only been two years and lamenting how it's felt so much longer. And that's led her down a path of thought paved by pages of a harlequin romance. It's quite graphic and about two kids who lived around each other but one leaves for years and—"

I held up a hand. "Let's give her some privacy."

"I'll tune her out." He got out of the car ahead of me.

I waited for him to open my car door for me since now he got upset whenever I didn't. As I got out, I took the sign I'd made for Rachel in anticipation of meeting her at the party. It still worked for the airport, though, since all it said was, "Welcome Home!"

It was still so crazy to me that I'd be seeing her in just a few minutes.

"Even in here, your thoughts are louder than everyone else's." He swung our locked hands between us. A new habit of his.

"It's the excitement." My phone beeped in my back pocket. I whipped out my phone, making a concerted effort not to crush it in my excitement. "She's got her stuff!" I dropped the sign and booked it, leaving Edward behind.

I saw her as she was walking out of baggage claim. Her hair was even longer than I'd last seen it, reaching her waist since it was loose—and straight—as ever. She didn't see me, at first. She was busy juggling her luggage, all pink.

"Rachel!" I called to get her attention, dodging around the busy people.

She looked up and I noticed her face was thinner, the fullness from her early college photos gone. Maybe she hadn't been kidding when she emailed that her diet was ramen, ramen, and more ramen.

For a moment, I worried she wouldn't even recognize me. My changes in her absence had been way more drastic. My pace began to slow. But then— "Leah!" She shrieked, dropping her things to meet me.

We crashed into each other. Well, she crashed, I caught.

At the same time, we exclaimed, "You're so pretty now!" And then burst into laughter together.

I had to watch myself because I wanted to squeeze her so much tighter than I already was. "I can't believe you're really here!"

"I know! I'm just so brilliant they had to get me out of school quick so no one else felt bad," she joked, rubbing my back. "I missed you so much."

"Not even close to as much as I missed you." I pulled out of the hug and we held each other's hands, hard.

"I can't even remember why I was nervous now. It's great being back already." She gripped my hands even tighter, wearing a wide grin on her narrow face. "Wow, you look so different. Did you grow?"

I chuckled, offering a dismissive, "Just a late bloomer, I guess."

"And you must've become a fitness nut or something while I was gone. Those arms are seriously impressive! I mean, dang!"

"How can we even talk about me when you're standing there with the prettiest face of makeup I've ever seen?"

It wasn't a throwaway line to get the attention back on her, Rachel did look beautiful. The eye-catching shades on her eyelids stood out the most, blended perfectly together. I liked to think it was her mother's artistry manifesting in some small way, even if Rebecca was the artsy one.

"Thanks! I'll teach you how to recreate it later if you want." Her good mood dimmed for a second. "Man, I knew Jake was gone but part of me still thought he'd be here. How could my dad send him to boarding school like this?"

I gave her the abridged truth. "There was a lot of drama with Bella and he honestly needed to get away."

"But I wish he would've called or that my dad would've. No one ever calls... And I can't believe I didn't even get to see Bella while she was back in town after how much Jake talked about her. She's traveling now, right?"

I nodded, leading her back to her toppled suitcase. "Seeing the world and all that. Everyone else is still here."

"I can't believe you're still here after everything." She stopped walking, facing me. "You know, with Emily and Sam. And then, of course, the funeral I didn't attend."

"We've been over this. Your flight got canceled and I wanted you to focus on school. We all did. Besides, you left Forks to get away from funerals."

She frowned, her brow dimpling. "Hey, don't say that. You know I would've come if you hadn't guilted me into staying."

Back then, Rachel coming back had been unthinkable. I was so scared she'd get mixed up in everything and even though Billy denied it, so was he. We'd decided then that it was better for her and Rebecca to stay away.

This visit was gonna be short; a pit-stop before she made a whole life and career that never included coming back home again.

"It's in the past now." I held her to my side by an arm around her shoulders as we went and scooped up her things. "There's someone I'd like you to meet who's gonna be a big part of my future."

"No, don't tell me. There's a boyfriend?" I gave a happy little nod. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! I thought you'd never move on! But, God, it must be pretty serious if you brought him here, huh?"

Time to rip the bandaid off. "It's serious, I'm in love with him, and he's a Cullen."

"A Cullen?" Her body jerked as if an actual bolt of lightning shocked her. It was a pretty mild reaction, all things considered. "Leah, are you kidding? Is this a joke? You and a Cullen? Seriously?"

I clicked my tongue, giving a coy, slow, "Yeah." I was pretty sure I couldn't have sounded more pleased in one word if I tried.

"Your dad hated Cullens, even your mom—Leah, you hate the Cullens! Why would you date one of them? And which one's the lucky bastard?"

"You'll see. I left him back there somewhere, let's go."

"Ugh, I hate surprises."

We found Edward leaning against a wide, metal-paneled column, texting someone. Probably Emmett. Or, if he was nervous enough, maybe he was even reaching out to Carlisle. Either way, he glanced up as we approached, pretending he only just now noticed us approaching.

"Holy crap," Rachel whispered under her breath.

He wore a disarming smile as he held up the sign I'd made for Rachel. I waved and he waved back before he pushed off from the column, coming toward us in a fluid motion.

"Ok, be cool for Lee," she muttered so low that even my ears struggled to pick her voice out of the busy noise.

"Hello!" It was a happy, musical chirp of a greeting. Edward was getting a kick out of whatever she was thinking.

"Hello," she mumbled her greeting, keeping her eyes down. "I'm Rachel."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Rachel. I'm Edward and Leah's told me all about you." He leaned, trying to catch her eyes. She averted them even harder, creating a gratified smirk on his face. "Let me get that." He took the luggage from me.

"Thanks, fan—fantastic boyfriend." He raised his eyebrows at me, teasing me without even speaking. "I'll drive, Rachel sits upfront."

He nodded, smug as vampirically possible. "Sure. I don't mind being the third wheel."

Rachel was talkative, way more bubbly now than she'd been in high school. It was amazing to see how she'd come into her own. But she did get thrown off every time Edward spoke unexpectedly, stuttering and stammering in response. I couldn't blame her. Even I never got used to him.

During a natural pause in our conversation, she commented, "I keep looking for landmarks. Isn't my house only, like, twenty minutes from the airport?"

"We'll be there soon," I promised her.

But I was driving the long way, trying to give everybody time to arrive and hide for the party. I even drove in circles sometimes, anything to get to eight o'clock before letting her get close to the reservation. Hell, I even gassed up my van to buy some more time.

We got to Billy's at a snail's pace and I stifled a sigh of relief when I saw he was waiting out front for us. Rachel barely waited for the car to stop before sprinting to hug her father, leaving me and Edward behind to grab her things.

As we unloaded her luggage, they got a private moment to themselves. That was a pretty purposeful choice on our end. After their fourth hug, Edward passed by them to carry her things inside without me. He had to shush excitable guests on his way to Rachel's bedroom.

I walked to Rachel's side, smiling at Billy who was giddy with joy. At the reminder of my existence, she said to him, "I'm guessing you knew Leah's dating Edward Cullen since you allowed him to walk right into the house."

"It's not like it's a secret," I grumbled.

Billy served her his own, more sober answer. "It took time getting used to but Edward is doing his best to be different. That's what matters."

Rachel gasped. "Dad, you mellowed way out while I was gone! What happened?"

He smiled, warmth in every line of his face. I'd almost forgotten what he looked like happy. "Come inside, I'll catch you up on everything you missed."

I hung back, waiting for the big reveal.

Billy asked as they were approaching the door, "How'd you get a sandwich?"

Rachel laughed. "Edward brought one, in case I was hungry. Why aren't you asking me more intense questions?"

"I figure you don't have many stories to tell. You must have done nothing but study to graduate so early."

"You wish! So, to get how funny this first story is, I have to set it up. I, despite my major, got sucked into the music theory majors' friend group and—"

"SURPRISE!"

She screamed bloody murder. It gave me genuine chills but everyone else laughed and clapped.

The party was fun after the initial shocker. For the most part.

There was an awkward moment when she asked, "Where's Charlie?"

"He wasn't feeling well." Billy was fast to dismiss it, though.

And she wasn't even half as happy to see Emily as Emily was to see her. I'd never seen Rachel so hostile before. She was there when the beginning of everything with me, Sam, and Emily started. A few early, woeful emails filled her in on any mistreatment I got before phasing.

"I was sad you couldn't make it in time for the wedding," Emily said as she was cutting a slice of cake for herself.

"Yeah, I'd already booked the flight, so..."

"Right... Well, I have pic—"

"Anyway, where'd Leah go?"

Yeah, it wasn't great and I'd have to fix that later but the party was still mostly fun. Until Paul showed up an hour late and extra rude, in his usual way.

He came straight to me, stealing frybread off my plate. "Where's the birthday girl?"

"Do you listen to anything anyone tells you? Ever?" I snatched the bread back before he could bite it. "It's not her birthday, we're just welcoming her back, and she's literally right next to me."

"Hi," Rachel said with a good-natured smile and wave.

When he saw her, he froze. "Hi..." And he was at a loss for words. Paul was never at a loss for words. Edward tensed behind me, removing his arms from around my waist. "I—I'm Paul. Lahote. Paul Lahote." His eyes shot to mine, panicked.

Why in the hell was he panicking?

"Leah," Edward whispered too low for any humans to overhear. "Leah."

It clicked.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked as casually as I could, grabbing his arm.

"Sure," Paul mumbled as I was already dragging him away.

Edward helped me, distracting Rachel with small talk while I took Paul outside. Sam ordered under his breath who was allowed to come out with us and who had to stay to act normal.

Paul fought me once we were outside but I got him by the back of his neck, forcing him into the cover of the trees. "Ah, ah! Leah, you're burning me!"

I took a deep breath, shoving him away, deeper into the woods. "Sorry."

Sam wasn't far behind us. "Tell me you didn't," he said, walking over to Paul to grab him by his face. He searched his eyes and knew what was true, instantly. He'd said before alphas had a sense about these things and I was starting to believe that. "Billy's daughter?"

"I didn't ask for it!" Paul was struggling against Sam's hold on him.

All that work to keep Rachel away was for nothing. We'd alienated her for nothing... It doesn't get much worse than that.

"Get ahold of yourself, Paul," Embry said from a few feet behind me.

Paul had begun shaking, amping up to a phase. It was inevitable for him when he got like that. A few seconds later and he'd be a wolf. Yet another reason why his imprinting was no cause for celebration.

When Paul phased—because, of course, he did—Sam stripped, phasing with him. Embry had to phase, too, when Paul got volatile. The remaining three of us stayed human and clothed, darting around whenever he tried to make a run for it back to the house.

I knew the desperation he was feeling. A lot of us did, but that didn't change anything.

Rachel should have never come back.

Paul resolved himself to pacing when trying to outmaneuver us didn't work, almost looking like he was chasing his tail from how fast he strode back and forth. It was a while before he could calm down enough to phase back with Sam and Embry.

"We have to tell Jake," Paul said, deadly serious.

"Billy, first," Embry mentioned, uneasy gaze settled on Sam for guidance.

Collin scoffed, straightening his riled shirt. "Are you kidding? Billy knows just by how we came out here. Paul won't survive the night if he goes back to that party."

"Enough." Sam looked to me then. It was his second's opinion he needed now, in the panicky night where everyone floundered in the dark. "What's your take?" He asked as if the expectant look hadn't been enough by itself.

I ran my hands through my hair to get my bangs out of my face, closing my eyes. What was my take? Under all the despair, I had to have an opinion.

"He imprinted. It's done. And, knowing Paul, it can't stay a secret for that long. I say we take our cues from Billy since he knows her best and he'll get over the initial shock fast. He's a reasonable guy. But we shouldn't tell Old Quil, for now. He'll push the matter, make it worse for everybody. Just send Paul home tonight and keep two people with him, at all times, to keep him on a leash."

To my surprise, Sam agreed. "Well put. I'll sit down with Billy and Paul tomorrow, talk it all out." He set his gaze on Embry and Jared. "Can you keep an eye on him for me tonight?"

"But what about Rachel? When do we tell her?" Jared questioned.

"Now's not the time."

"But it has to be soon. She has to start building her bond quickly so she won't leave. Otherwise, Paul runs away to follow her." I brought my attention to Jared then. Something was amiss. "And if we do tell her soon, then we have to worry about Paul's anger issues. We don't want another bear attack."

Everyone in the pack froze and waited for the explosion to come. But Sam was perfectly composed as he ordered, "Collin, Embry, keep an eye on Paul tonight."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison. Then, they grabbed Paul and dragged him off against his will.

Sam couldn't let it slide, though. I met his eyes in the dark, trying to convey that without words. Seconds later, he said, "Jared, you can't question the alpha like that. Understand that there's a chain of command for a reason."

"I was only pointing out the facts," Jared spoke first, already on the defense.

"Of which I'm aware," Sam said, standing at his full height, looming with the trees beside him. It didn't seem to bother Jared. "What's your plan here? Other than to undermine my authority. Is it to stay angry the rest of your life just because you're not second?"

"This has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with how you've been an absent leader."

Sam was exasperated in a way I hadn't seen since I'd stopped baiting him after imprinting. "What happened with Irina isn't my fault."

"Wasn't it? You relaxed our defenses and I almost died for it. Spike did die."

"Spike's death was tragic, no one will ever deny that. We're all sorry. But everyone thought she was gone, even you," I said, backing Sam up. "Don't act like you were begging for extra protection or something."

"What if my parents had been there? Ask yourself that, Sam. What if there'd been three losses instead of one? It's his job to make sure things like this don't happen! Generations of shapeshifters have been inactive but under your leadership, we've fought in a whole war of vampires!"

I interjected with narrowed eyes, "Sam didn't invoke the army of newborns but he did end that war in a day. Your point?"

"It's only that Sam clearly isn't taking this seriously enough. If something happens to Rachel because of his decision...well, then the rest of the pack won't stay silent. I may be the only one talking now but what happens next depends on Sam's choices."

Sam snapped, "If you hadn't refused to come to the wedding out of pride, you and your whole family would've been fine!"

"It's too bad what-ifs don't count. I'd be careful if I were you."

Sam came stomping forward. "Are you threatening me?"

"Hey," I stepped between them, holding up my hands. "If you start a fight, I'll end it."

Jared held up his hands in surrender, smirking. "I'm good. This is as much as I'm willing to say for now. I've gotta get back to the party." He ran off before getting dismissed.

Sam didn't say anything but he went the same way as him, back to Billy's. I said after him, "You should cool off, first." He pivoted after my advice, heading away from Jared and the house.

I had to go back inside, though.

Edward met me on the porch before I could enter, taking my hands in his. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." I wanted to ask him what Jared was thinking but it wasn't the right time. "Is Rachel good?"

"Worried more than suspicious. She thinks Paul's in trouble but doesn't understand why." It paid to have a mind-reading boyfriend. "Glad to be of service."

I kissed his cheek before we slipped back inside. *Rachel excused herself from her conversation, beelining for us. "Is everything ok?"

"Goes catatonic around pretty girls is all. Poor kid."

"Kid?"

"Yeah, he's sixteen."

She paled. "What've they started putting in the food since I left? I mean, Seth looks—well, he looks…just not like Seth."

I pulled her into a hug to hide what I knew would show on my face. It was all so messed up. "Let's keep dancing!"

After the party went smoother, of course. Most people left and the few who stayed were all in the living room, playing poker with Billy. They'd even invited Edward to join them, to my amazement.

Rachel and I preferred to hole up in her bedroom and talk like the good old days. She's started having fun again and was bringing out the teenager in me like it'd never left.

"I have to ask. I've been holding off but I have to!" She leaned in, youthful joy dancing in her eyes, her squinty smile just the same as it'd always been. "How is he?"

"Who? Edward?" She nodded, clarifying for me. "He's doing well even with the drama on the reservation. People are getting used to him, slowly but surely."

"Oh boy," Edward sighed.

"Bad hand?" One of the guys at the table sounded pleased at the prospect. Edward had purposefully lost every poker game he'd played so far. They were making a small fortune off of him.

"No, Leah. How is he?" Rachel repeated her question to me with more emphasis. "Don't tell me you haven't. I'd last a week, at most."

It still took me a few seconds to realize. "You're still a complete pervert."

"Can you blame me for being curious? I mean, look at him!"

I gave her an ambiguous truth since any lie I told would be outed soon enough. "We're taking things slow, so there's nothing to tell."

"Oh man, I'm sorry." She was unbelievable.

"I'm fine, it was a joint decision." It was spearheaded by me but she'd get the wrong idea if I said so. And I didn't have to explain myself to her.

She leaned over the side of her bed, picking up her smallest bag to unzip it. "Ok, if you say so. Anyway, I have a few gifts for you and you have to pretend to like them."

"Easy."

I was admiring the limited edition horror movie Rachel had scored for me when a knock came at the door. She called, "Come in!"

The door cracked, not quite opening the whole way. "It's Edward. I was wondering if I could say goodbye before I left."

"Oh! Bye, Edward! It was nice meeting you." Talking to him was easier for her with him out of sight. Precious. "Leah, I'll let you say goodbye to your boyfriend."

"Thank you for your allowance, your majesty."

She laughed, face gaining a faintly red hue. "You're welcome, you facetious peasant. Now, go."

I got up, prancing out to see him. He received me with a smile and nodded back toward the porch.

We found more privacy outside. A storm was approaching, so its winds would muffle us to any shapeshifter who wasn't in our immediate vicinity.

Edward called over his shoulder before he shut the door, "Bye, everyone!"

The poker table said bye back, even Billy. It was nice, despite the state of things.

With the door shut, he came to stand in front of me, a gale whipping his hair around. "Stick around," I said, reaching up to get a strand of hair stuck in his eyelashes. "I'll sneak out to see ya." It was the only way we'd get to see one another for a while, sneaking around at night.

"Can't wait," he whispered, the words almost lost to the wind.

This was a great moment to kiss him. I knew that, my heart certainly wanted that, too. But my brother came between us. "As soon as I stop phasing, we'll make up for all the missed kisses."

Something was odd about his smile as he said, "Sounds like a plan." But I didn't get to ask him why before he'd turned and started for his car.

I watched him get into his Volvo and listened to him put it into gear. He drove away without saying goodbye, just missing the incoming storm. Rain sprinkled after him, dampening his scent before I ambled back inside.

That was…weird.

When I walked back into her bedroom, Rachel giggled. "I do see now. You're so cute with him." She rolled onto her stomach, looking up at me from the book she'd been reading. "Honestly, I can't imagine you with anyone else anymore."

"I know, right? Anyway, let's break out your childhood coloring books and I want every detail of the last two years of your life."

"Ooh, it's been forever since I've ironically colored!"

"Is it still ironic if we both enjoy it?"

She flashed a smile. "Maybe? I'm not sure."

"Dammit, Black! You're supposed to be the smart one!"

"I'm sorry!" She laughed, getting off her bed to dig out the coloring books from her crowded bookshelf.

She'd had a great, normal life. While I'd struggled with phasing, she'd crammed for tests and created games with her roommate to stay awake. While I'd faced Aro in Italy, she'd had heart-to-hearts with friends on campus who she already missed. But it was supposed to be that way. She was supposed to get a good life but now…

"I wish you'd come with me," she said after finishing another crazy college story. "You would've had so much fun. I ended up showing your picture more than my family's because I missed you so much."

"I missed ya, too." It was late and everyone was gone or asleep, so it was time for the deep conversations. I was already bracing for it.

Rachel delivered. "You started shutting me out of your life, though. You promised you wouldn't just because I left but your emails kept getting shorter. And then there'd be weeks between them. Even Rebecca would call me sometimes, worried. It's...startling how little I know about you when I used to know everything."

Through everything over the past year, I'd taken solace in the fact that Rachel and Rebecca were free from it. It sucked that keeping them safe had hurt them anyway. And, on top of that, it'd been pointless.

"You didn't tell me you cut your hair," she whispered, sniffling. "Did you do it at the funeral?" The question came out watery and uneven.

"After," I admitted. " I did it the day after."

"Alone?" The word was a shaking whimper. "Oh, Leah…" She was crying for me, I could smell it. I tasted the salt in the air on my tongue.

I sped through an abridged version for her sake. "It wasn't easy for a long time. Edward helped me with the getting back up part after falling so deep. My life went from something I was dying to give up to something I'd never let go of all because of him."

There was a long pause before she resumed her low mumbling. "Why do you always keep these things to yourself?"

I shrugged even though she couldn't see me in the dark half as well as I saw her. "Back then, I didn't want anyone's help with things. I wanted to feel miserable if that makes any sense. 'Cause it felt like as long as I was still hurting about it, it kept life from actually moving on."

"I know that feeling. When" —she gulped, rubbing her eyes in a wet sound— "my mom died, I'd always keep how I felt inside. I guess I thought if I never dealt with it, it wouldn't ever be real. My dad got me in therapy, of course, and I processed it all. But moving was the only thing that genuinely pushed me forward. Rebecca, too. I...worry about Jake, a lot. So, I guess it's good he got away, in the end. Right?"

I reached out, holding her hand in mine. "I promise you, Jake's fine. Or he's finally on his way to getting there. I'm sorry he isn't here but I am and I'm happy you're back."

"Yeah, me too. But, you know, you could've visited if you weren't so busy with your new boyfriend." She threaded her fingers through the spaces between mine. "I'm so glad you have somebody, though."

"You and me both," I said, chuckling.

"I guess it's just up to me now to find someone to love... Man, I wish all my photos had developed before I left. My roommate'll mail 'em when they're done but some stories aren't the same unless you know what people look like."

"There's more?"

She smiled, eyes closed. "Yeah. You can see the lame guys I let take me out on dates like a total idiot."

"Tell me everything because I had no idea you'd been dating till just now."

"Ugh. You know what we need before we get deep in these weeds?" She asked me, letting go of my hand.

"What?"

"Cigarettes. I bet Rebecca keeps them in the same place."

"I completely forgot about her stash!" Underneath a floorboard, under Rebecca's bed—

Under the bed.

I got up too fast for a human but the darkness saved me. "I'll get 'em."

"Not gonna fight you on that," she said just before ripping an impressive yawn. "Way too tired. Just come get me if you end up needing to move the bed."

Rebecca's stash was always in the same place where she kept her diary. She'd hide things underneath it since Billy was a controlling parent. Strict as he was, he never dared to cross the line of reading her innermost thoughts and teenage dread.

After closing and locking Rebecca's door behind me, I went straight to her old bed. Getting down onto my stomach, I reached underneath its frame, waiting for my fingernails to catch on the specific floorboard. It creaked when my fingers stubbed into it.

Without a thought, I pried it up, surprised at the resistance I got from it. It'd always been a feeble plank.

The first thing I pulled out was Rebecca's diary, of course. It had warnings written all over it not to read and I tossed it aside to reach back into the hole. I only pulled out a pack of cigarettes, old and dusty.

It felt stupid to keep looking. There couldn't be anything there, it couldn't be that simple.

But it was. Embedded in the subfloor was a metal square. I pried it out and stared at the black box about the size of my palm in my hand. It was real.

A tap came from the window and I got onto Rebecca's bed, sitting on my knees as I opened it up. Edward climbed in, dripping wet and grim-faced. He took the box from me as I reached around him to slide the window closed again.

"It has a lock," he murmured.

"Just crush it open."

"I can't." His fingers bent and the box only creaked in response. "I don't know why but I can't. We need to find the key."

The timing was eerie. "Lucky for us, I found a key this morning."

The bromeliad key. A spike of anxiety got my heart racing as my first Rachel-related obstacle came up. But when I listened to see what she was up to, she was snoring. Her crazy day had finally caught up to her.

I snuck into the room, probably stealthier than I even had to be. I plucked the key out of my pants pocket and crept back out. Edward was waiting for me in the living room and took the key.

Surprise, surprise, it fit. "Stand back."

"Edward, I doubt it's that serious," I muttered, flipping open the box open myself.

Our big prize was a slip of paper with a set of numbers in Peter's handwriting. A set of coordinates, I realized pretty fast. There was something so familiar about them. Something like...

The air got snatched out of my lungs with my realization. I snatched the paper from Edward, reading it again, just to see it was the same numbers.

"You don't have to go. I can go." He took the paper back, tearing it to shreds. It made me feel a little better, somehow. But it didn't change the fact that I did have to go. "Leah—"

I broke into a sprint, dashing out of the house. As fast as I could, I sprinted to the place I'd almost forgotten. The place Peter had found, against all reason and possibility. The place I agreed with my mom I'd never return.

None of us were supposed to.

Yet I found myself standing over top of the forbidden spot, panting and keeling over. It started to rain in earnest, thunder and lighting quick to join the torrential downpour. Such an intense storm reminded me of tales of Thunderbird from my childhood.

Things were simpler back then... Back when we first found this place.

Rainwater dripped off of my nose, running into the ground beneath my feet. "Leah," Edward whispered, his hand a gentle press of support against my back.

This was where my dad once stood with a shovel and a promise. It didn't look like it'd been touched since then.

"We'll come back in ten years, dig it up together. It won't feel so corny then, you'll see!"

Through a rush of pain, I whispered, "I can't do it."

"It's alright. You don't have to." He took me by my arms, guiding me to the side, off the spot that had to be dug out.

Lightning streaked the sky, creating skewed shadows from the tree branches above me. It was like the world was furious with me, wind howling at my transgression. Some promises weren't worth breaking. I hoped this wasn't one of them.

What felt like an eternity later, he clawed back enough dirt to see it. The trinket box that'd been passed down the Clearwater family for four generations. We'd buried it as a family, five years ago.

Cedarwood, lacquered, and pretty. I would hide it in my room when I was little and keep my favorite books in it. My mom always got mad when she found it but my dad had always laughed. It had inspired him to make this time capsule.

I took the box from Edward with shaking hands, removing its protective bag. Rain spotted its polished top, reflecting the brilliance of the rampant lightning. I swiped the droplets away, leaning over the box to try and shield it from the weather.

With the gentlest touch I'd managed since phasing, I removed the lid. And it was all there. Our favorite books and the letters we wrote for each other. Seth's three letters were covered in little doodles and word bubbles. My mom's letters were all perfect, her cursive detailing our names with hearts anywhere she could fit them. I'd refused to write any since I was fifteen and thought it was all so lame.

But my dad's letters were intact, one for each of us. I held mine reverently, five years too early for when he wanted me to read it.

The wind barreled into me, making me shiver where I stood. I tucked away the letters into my pants' waistband, freezing when I saw there was still something left in the box. In disbelief, I pulled out a leather folder organizer, one that still smelled like Peter.

I opened it.

Old records, legal documents, and journals ranging from old and yellow to brand new. I didn't know where to start reading so I handed it to Edward, everything besides the startling family tree portrait I'd found in the stack of papers.

It was accurate. The tree detailed every pack member's ancestry back to Taha Aki, the Spirit Man, himself. Peter hadn't missed a single name. It was a perfect retelling of our bloodlines.

Except for mine.

Mine had an extra branch, one that claimed one of my ancestors had a sister. The line attached to her name reached all the way down to me and Seth. It was a really strange way of showing she'd had no descendants. It almost made it look like…

"She's still alive."

"Yeah, exactly."

"No, Leah." I looked up, gnawing on the inside of my cheek the second I saw the severe expression on his face. "If any of this is honest, then the only conclusion is that your twenty-first great-grandaunt is still alive."

The rain stopped, all the lightning and thunder going with it. The wind which had shaken all the trees ascended back up into the sky where it came from. Everything was calm, at once.

"I have to find her," I said, looking up at the ominous clouds, silenced by—… I didn't wanna assume what had ended the storm. I'd ask her myself. "Can you use this stuff to figure out where she is now?"

"I'm not sure." It took him three seconds to rebury what belonged underground and put all our evidence back in the folder. "Part of me wonders if we should even engage with this. Perhaps if we leave it alone—"

"Fangs, Peter found out about me first." I pointed to the folder he held. "Probably because of all that stuff I've yet to read. So, since anonymity's out the window and my family could be targeted, I need to know what's going on. To do that, I have to find her." The sooner this got done, the better.

He didn't look pleased about it. "I suppose that would be our best lead."

"I mean, what do you think? From the crap you read, did she seem dangerous?"

"There were only two journal entries, it's far too little to judge her character on. That is, if she truly does exist."

"We'll find out." Since there was still that shred of doubt, precarious as it was, it made me feel brave. I could still think that this was all a wild goose chase set up by Peter until we confirmed anything. But no matter what our investigation came to, I knew how we'd deal with it. Together."

It still took him few dozen seconds before he handed me the folder. "Together," he wearily agreed.

That was our only way to navigate through the mess of our lives and definitely our only hope of enjoying them. We'd stick together and we'd work things out. That was how couples lasted, right? We were going to last. Everything would work out.

As long as my newfound relative didn't turn out super evil and try to kill us. "Thank you, Leah, for such a lovely mental picture."

I winced. "I'm sorry! It's just where my thoughts automatically go! I mean, it'd just be pretty consistent with the overall tone of my life!" He gave me a big frown and I frowned back, guilty. "Let's just get this folder to your house, ok?"

He heaved a long-suffering sigh.

A/N: I'm so sorry. I hope you enjoyed and please be forgiving of any mistakes. But I'm back.