Carlisle

There were two things in life Carlisle was absolutely certain of.

The first was that he was damned like the rest of his species and the other that Leah Clearwater was his mate.

He watched her as she loaded the fourth fried egg onto her plate and greedily devoured it too, just like the unbelievable amount of food before it. He knew he should not stare like that, but at the same time he couldn't take his eyes off her either. Even if there was still a lot to learn about this woman, he already knew one thing - she was fascinating. Every now and then she gave the waitress disgruntled looks and Carlisle had to smile again and again.

By now he was used to drawing the attention of women in particular and he no longer paid any attention to it. It was very different with Leah.

Carlisle was surprised at how much he longed for her attention. He felt like a little kid doing everything just to get a look from his mother and he couldn't even be ashamed of it. Leah was like a drug and the more he got of it, the more he wanted it. Which posed a completely different problem - what if they got back home. How was he supposed to get his job, his family and Leah under one roof?

Carlisle could hardly imagine how he would survive the emptiness that Leah's absence brought with it for a longer time - especially not now that he knew what the feeling of her presence was, or even better, the direct contact with her.

Leah could feel his inner turmoil because she stopped eating and gave him a worried look. Carlisle had to smile again as he handed her a napkin.

He knew that his look probably couldn't hide the delight he was feeling, but apart from the blush that rose in Leah's face, she hardly reacts. With a mischievous look he asked her if she wanted to eat something else, which she suprisingly denied.

As they left the restaurant, he was disgruntled to see three men, presumably truck drivers who made a break to grab something to eat, who looked over Leah. The appreciation and lust in her eyes triggered something in Carlisle that he had certainly never felt before. He knew immediately that his anger and jealousy were absolutely unjustified.

Leah was beautiful, that was obvious. So how should others not notice it too. But he felt that consuming, possessive feeling rise in him, similar to what he felt when he thought about Sam and Leah being a couple.

Carlisle was easily overwhelmed with the sum of new emotions this woman brought over him. Only when they had left the bar did he notice his hand resting on the lower part of her back. How she got there was a mystery to him, but he suspected it had something to do with the three men. The situation raised a question that Carlisle preferred not to ask - was it in the nature of an imprint to be monogamous? Or how did Leah feel about it?

He knew he was barely in a position to make demands - still married as he was - and even if he was not, he wouldn't ask anything of her that she wouldn't give voluntarily. The thought of her touching someone else triggered a wave of anger and pain and Carlisle inevitably grimaced.

"Carlisle?"

He opened his eyes and immediately focused on the delicate blue that surrounded Leah's pupils. The effect was immediately noticeable, but he also knew that he couldn't just leave the subject.

"Is the imprint actually related to a person?"

He stressed the word "a". It was diplomatically but he could immediately see that Leah knew what he was talking about. His reaction to the men had obviously not been as inconspicuous as he had hoped.

Leah raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"I don't know, Embry has been chasing me since he was 5 years old, maybe it's worth a try."

Carlisle's face immediately petrified. Leah must have also noticed the sudden change in mood and immediately followed up apologetically.

"That was a joke Carlisle."

He blew out a breath of relief and unconsciously put Embry on his list. Leah looked at him amused and immediately questioned.

"You know that you are married, right?"

Her question wasn't reproachful but determined nonetheless, and Carlisle couldn't help feeling guilty. Given the situation, his marriage looked almost ridiculous, and he was immediately ashamed of the thought. She didn't wait for his answer and let her gaze wander over the forest again.

"We should go back."

He could literally hear her displeasure and briefly considered whether he should just leave all decency and common sense behind and just run away with Leah. It seemed as if she had the same thought, briefly she stepped from one leg to the other, as if weighing the thought. He felt that he had to act.

"Yes, before Embry shows up here."

Carlisle didn't intend it, and he didn't mean it as a joke, but Leah let out a loud laugh and Carlisle was glad that his subconsciousness had reacted so quickly.

She shook her head and ran into the forest, he heard her tearing her clothes and smelled the slight change in her scent. It was almost imperceptible and was not detrimental to the deliciousness of the fragrance itself, but he perceived it. As he chased after the gray wolf, noticed another urge. He hadn't hunted for too long and only now, after he he found her, he felt the thirst rise again.

Briefly he worried that she would turn away from him in disgust if she really saw what he was. Even if it wasn't a human he sunk his teeth into, it didn't make the act any less bestial. He stopped and took a few seconds to formulate his words. Suddenly he stared into pale blue eyes and forgot what he really wanted to say. It was as if the delicate, almost imperceptible blue had been evenly distributed and now shimmered at him in innumerable tones.

He may not have been an avowed animal lover, even if he felt sorry for the creatures that he and his family hunted, he was sure that there was no more beautiful aimal on earth. His admiration was not hidden and he was amused to see her tail wagging. He considered commenting on her gesture, but the urge to hunt burned his throat again.

"I think I need to hunt."

It was an open question and Leah could now decide whether she should stay by his side or let him do his work alone. Carlisle didn't know what the worse option was, although he didn't want to expose her to the act and yet the thought of being separated from her brought an almost worse burn than his thirst. She nodded to him and he was relieved to find that she followed him immediately. It wasn't long before he took in the sweet smell. It was just a group of deer and not a better tasting mountain lion, but it was enough to trigger his instinct in Carlisle.

Leah

She would be lying if she said that she wasn't disgusted with his statement for a second and she was glad that she was in wolf form and that her face hadn't given her away. But at the same time she realized that it was his nature and actually, if you took it seriously, she had no other menu. Granted, blood wasn't her favorite food, but she still ate meat and killed her meal every now and then when she was in wolf form.

The hunt brought an entirely different side to Carlisle. A side of which she knew that he always kept hidden with all his might. His eyes were black and his mouth twisted in a greedy and dangerous grimace. His pearly white teeth flashed out and his teeth were in no way inferior to hers. He ran gracefully and caught a buck in one fluid movement. Immediately he sunk his teeth into the neck of the animal, which did not even have the opportunity to cry out. He closed his eyes with relish and Leah couldn't take her eyes off him. Even when fighting the newborns, Carlisle was always composed and controlled. Now he was only dominated by his instinct and Leah would lie if she said that she wasn't enjoying the sight more than she should.

He treated himself with two more deer and Leah found that she liked this wild, animal Carlisle a little better. At least a little voice in her head was curious to see whether he would show this side in other situations. A thought that she immediately rejected. He was still married and she doubted Carlisle was the type of man to start an affair like that.

It wasn't long before they stood at the crossroads that would separate them. Leah trotted over to Carlisle and nudged him with her snout. He gave her an ecstatic look and Leah actually felt a little like a pet. A thought that provoked a resounding laugh from Jacob, who she immediately admonished to leave. When she felt Jacob's reluctance, she thought back to Carlisles hunt and the thoughts she had when he tensed the muscles in his arms and back and a deep rumble came from his throat. Disgusted Jacob withdrew and Leah enjoyed the silence. Carlisle was still staring at her and carefully raised his hand. She knew he didn't want to just touch her so she moved to his hand and closed her eyes with relish as he buried his fingers in her thick fur.

Saying goodbye wasn't easy, but Leah steered her paws in the right direction and even managed to turn around just once.

As soon as she crossed the reservation line, she was already flanked by Quil and Paul.

She felt their pity and at the same time an incredible relief. Luckily for her, Sam didn't show up. Even if it shouldn't be an issue, she still didn't know how he would react to the whole thing. A large part of her didn't care, given the situation, but unfortunately a small part of her still cared about what he thought. Leah huffed, after all, with Carlisle, the agonizing feeling she had when she thought of Sam and Emily was gone.

At least something.

In front of her house she had found a backpack with a top and shorts, after all it was her robe and not Seth's shorts, which were much too big for her despite his young age. As expected, the second Leah entered the house, her mother rushed to her and pulled her in a big hug. A torrent of words and tears poured out and Leah couldn't understand a word.

Apparently Sam had done his best to calm the woman down, which, given that Leah had inherited her stubbornness from her, didn't help much. Even Seth joined them and pulled Leah into a tight hug.

It shouldn't be the only surprise of the evening, because when Leah woke up in the middle of the night, there was none other than Carlisle Cullen in the middle of her room.

Leah's scream stopped before it escaped from her throat and Carlisle immediately apologized. It took her a few seconds to get used to the darkness and was startled again when she saw the expression on his face. He reminded her of the day she went to see him in the hospital. His eyes looked tired and his expression was twisted in pain.

"I'm sorry, Seth showed me your room and said it would be okay ..."

He played nervously with his scarf.

"I can go if you-"

"No!"

Leah interrupted him and he looked relieved. Undecided they stood opposite each other and Leah considered whether she should ask him about the reason for his visit or not. When she noticed a bag behind him, however, she concluded that the conversation with his family must not have gone so well.

His suffering tore her heart apart and timidly she approached him. He paused and cast an indecisive look around the room. Only when she took his hand he visibly relaxed and took a deep breath.

His eyes softened noticeably and she could watch the pain and tension slowly leave him. She sensed that he didn't want to talk about it. At least not yet. And she was too tired to have this type of conversation.

She pulled at his hand and led him to her bed. She slide as far as she could to the wall, leaving him enough space. For a brief moment she thought he was just going to sit on it, but it seemed as if he was just as exhausted as she was. As if he were at puppet, he let himself be pulled onto the bed without resistance and lay down next to her. His hand was still in hers and she squeezed it for a moment. The sigh that escaped him hurt her heart and she moved like a magnet in his direction. Carefully she put her head on his shoulder in case he would change his mind.

There was silence for a few seconds and Leah could only hear one breath that he actually didn't need. Her guilty conscience fought her way up and she hated herself for being the cause of his suffering. She also hated herself for enjoying this moment and refreshing herself with the feeling of what his closeness triggers in her. His body was cooler than hers, but almost imperceptible. She sighed.

"I am sorry."

She knew it was just a drop in the ocean, but she felt it nonetheless. She felt the guilt, she felt the guilty conscience and yet there was nothing she could do about it.

Timidly she felt his arm pull out from under her and she feared for an agonizing moment that he would pull his hand away, but when he put his arm around her and pressed her even closer, she let out a relieved breath. She felt his cool breath on her head and couldn't help but just enjoy this moment.

As she had told him then, it was hard not to believe in fate when she was lying next to him like that.