Thirty-Four

Today was going to be a good day

Leah could feel it—None of her work was expected to be submitted by the end of the day, so she could actually take her time for once. Most of the unit was out and about, leaving the station relatively quiet and peaceful. Paul wouldn't have anyone to argue with until the afternoon. Embry was down the street, fetching the detectives' breakfast after losing a bet. And best of all, no one had been murdered between yesterday afternoon and this morning.

That, friends, was what she called progress.

"I need to move out of that apartment," Leah mumbled to herself; her words were obviously loud enough for Jacob to hear, but she didn't mind. Her feelings about her marital home wasn't a secret. "I honestly rather stay in a hotel."

"Yeah, but hotel bills add up and will mess with your budget," Jacob pointed out. "Aren't you trying to go on vacation soon?"

"Vegas and then the Grand Canyon," Leah confirmed with a smile. Oh, she was so looking forward to her trip. She looked up at her partner, and continued, without thinking, "You should come with. But I'm warning you, plane tickets aren't too cheap because it's Vegas, but it'll be nice to get of the Midwest for a bit."

Jacob was pleasantly surprised by the offer. "You sure Paul won't pitch a fit with the both of being gone at the same time?"

"He'll live," Leah said with a wave. "We have time to get things finalized before we head out. I'm not planning on doing anything until November."

"What about Sam?"

Leah titled her head, puzzled. "What about Sam?"

Jacob gave Leah a knowing look. "Oh, come on, Leah."

Leah knew what Jacob had meant. "Fuck Sam," she declared. "I'm divorcing him, remember? Who gives a shit what I do with a friend? He doesn't need to know a damn thing."

"How long is this Vegas-trip?"

Leah dumped a couple of packets of sugar into her cup and stirred it. She grinned as she took a long sip. "Not even a week," she told Jacob. "I think we can spend a couple of days there before heading to the Grand Canyon, also for a couple of days. The drive is only a few hours."

Jacob nodded, grin matching his partner's. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "But we can't go during the first week in November. That's new-moon time, and the last thing we need is for you to phase in the middle of The Strip."

Oh, goodness.

Imagine?

"Well, at least I'll be famous, then. Maybe even star in my own reality show," Leah joked. The playfulness seeped out of her voice at the sight of Jacob's conflicted expression. "You're worried about Sam," she realized.

"I'm going to Vegas with his wife." Jacob looked in all directions as if expecting Sam to appear of nowhere, ready to fight. "Can you blame me?"

"The Grand Canyon is so unassuming," Leah argued, though she could see her partner's point. If this were last year, she would've never considered the trip; the subsequent drama would've been worth it.

But as she had alluded to earlier, this wasn't last year, and seriously… Fuck, Sam.

"Good morning, my fellow detectives," Embry greeted, interrupting Leah's and Jacob's conversation as he approached them with breakfast in his hands. He blessed both detectives with a bright smile and dropped the bags of food on Jacob's desk. "For the record, I'm never betting against you two on an MMA match ever again… So, on another subject: which homicide cases are we prioritizing? Because we're literally dealing with twenty dead people at the same time."

The detectives looked at each other for an answer.

"Our priority hasn't changed," Leah said. "Jessica Stanley is who we should be focusing on."

"And Gianna," Embry added. He paused to hand the detectives their own, free meals. "Since she was present during the Dahlia's demise."

"We should get the easy case out of the way first," Jacob suggested. "For instance, Riley Biers."

"Can't do squat with the Deal in place," Embry grumbled.

"Jenks is working a work-around," Leah said as she unraveled the foil around her food. She breathed in the aroma and let out a satisfied smile. She was hungry, and craving for a lox-cream cheese bagel. "Last time I spoke to him, he seemed convinced he could pull something off."

"We also have to consider Lauren Mallory," Jacob said.

"What is there to investigate in her case?" Embry asked. "It's an open-and-shut case. Mike confessed to planning the whole thing—"

"He was forced to kill Lauren," Jacob said. "It appears that Edward Masen didn't give him much of a choice. Anyway, Lauren was Jessica's roommate—her death is tied to the Dahlia's. Somehow, in some way."

"And Lauren's case is still open. Mike cannot be sentenced until he is convicted," Leah said. "He has to either endure trial or accept a plea deal. Both of which do not seem to be happening any time soon."

"Jenks is working on a deal that fits everyone's needs," Jacob said, waving Paul over. "But no one's going to accept a plea bargain that puts Mike away for life; that'll defeat the whole purpose of pleading guilty without a trial." He shook his head. "Not happening,"

"Even if Mike's put away for life, he's still going to be in grave danger," Paul added when he reached his employees. "He's in danger now."

"What about protective custody?" Embry offered. "Yeah, he's a murderer, but he's also a witness who knows a lot of shit.

"The judge has to decide on that," Paul pointed out, voice full of doubt. "I'll reach out to him, though, and Jenks to see what they say. Can't promise anything. The court's been hellbent about putting Mike in prison for years. Dead or alive."

Paul's words proved to be prophetic.

Mike Newton did not enter protective custody; rather, his safety would be in the guards of the Cook County Jail. It wasn't entirely ideal, but the man was assigned to an area designed for violent felons. When asked about his decision, the judge said, "There are far more important ways to allocate the taxpayers' money. Solitary confinement is the best we can do."

"You know, there's a bright side to all of this flaming trash heap of a case," Embry remarked, getting into the car later that afternoon. "I may have enough material for a sequel."

Leah chuckled as Jacob playfully rolled his eyes. "You're still working on that?" she asked. "You are aware that you can't mention anything relating to the supernatural, right?"

"Yes, but honestly, the supernatural stuff isn't the most entertaining part," Embry pointed out. "I mean, this investigation has everything: virtually-unsolvable murders, affairs, a mob war, messed-up family dynamics, corrupt judges, the mob, and of course, the wonderful conspiracies."

"Just let us know when you get started," Jacob said good-naturally. He laughed at the sight of Embry's scowl through the rearview mirror.

Leah delivered a light slap to Jacob's arm. "Be nice." She turned around to face the younger cop. "We'll be looking forward to your epic."

Embry grinned, then said, "Alright, we're ready to get this show on the road? I'm definitely looking to a conversation with that bastard."

Jacob laughed as he pulled his car out of the station parking space. "That bastard may provide us the information we need."

"We can only hope," Leah remarked.

About an hour prior, the bastard, Alistair, had contacted Jacob, claiming that, "I have some information that may interest you," before hanging up. The call was welcomed (any call with any reliable information was), but it had come to the surprise of the trio. Alistair did not give information, especially to the police, unless there was an ulterior motive.

"Why now?" would be the first thing Jacob asked when the trio arrived at Alistair's. None bothered to exchange the usual pleasantries; it wasn't needed.

"Why not now?" Alistair returned with the usual smirk playing on his lips. He was now sitting back on his velvet sofa, relaxed, seemingly amused as he sipped on his champagne glass of blood. "I am positive that the esteemed Chicago Police Department needs all of the help they can get." He shrugged. "I am simply doing my civic duty."

Not one cop believed the so-called talent scout.

"What do you have for us?" Leah asked, getting her notepad and pen ready. Alistair might be Alistair, a pompous jerk who refused to call himself a pimp, but he had been around for a long time. He had connections; he always managed to hear the latest gossip.

"I've heard about Jessica's friend, Lauren," Alistair said, swishing around his bloody drink. He knew what happened; everyone not living under a rock and void of media did. He didn't seem entirely sympathetic. Or apologetic. "A tragedy, an unsurprising one, but a tragedy nonetheless." He took a long sip and loudly moaned at the taste. "I cannot understand, for the life of me, what she got involved in all of this drama. If only she hadn't avoided the party or died in the ambush... then none of this would happen."

The cops exchanged looks.

Alistair's comments were harsh but fair.

Lauren clearly could've used some better judgment.

So did Jessica and Gianna.

And essentially everyone who was a casualty to the conflict between the Olympic coven and the Volturi.

"I know you didn't go out of your way to call us just to give an opinion about Lauren," Jacob said; his expression clearly indicated that he wasn't in the mood for Alistair's usual shenanigans. "What do you have for us?"

Leah and Embry looked at the vampire for an answer.

Alistair bristled, annoyed by Jacob's tone, but then he took a deep breath. His usual impassive expression replaced his frown. "Trouble is brewing inside the Denali household," he said, cryptic. "There has been talk of incriminating photos involving one, Irina Denali, and Demetri. All of which were straight to Tanya… I supposed judging on the quietness on the Denali's front, Tanya has not received them yet."

"How incriminating?" Leah asked.

Alistair smirked. "Do not be surprised by anything."

"Are you telling me that Irina, Tanya Denali's right-hand lady, had an affair with Demetri from the goddamn Volturi?"

It did sound hard to believe. The Olympic coven and the Volturi had despised each other for centuries. Even if good money were to be made, they wouldn't work with one another. Not one member would be caught dead engaging in liaisons with the enemy—it was straight up blasphemous.

"Yes," Leah told her stunned captain. "That's exactly what we're telling you."

"The pics don't lie," Embry said. "Unless they used Photoshop. Hold up, do you think they did?"

Jacob shrugged. "They look pretty convincing to me."

Paul cleared his throat a couple of times and laid out several photos all over his desk. "Well, damn," he said. There nothing else to say, to be honest.

"They are intense," Jacob commented.

"I knew about Demetri, but damn, I didn't know Irina was a freak, too," Embry remarked, earning disapproving looks from everyone else in the room. He threw up his hands. "What? Have you seen those pictures? Talk about being creative."

"Anyway, we know that technically, this revelation has nothing to do with our investigation," she said, referencing herself, Embry, and Jacob. "But since you've been hellbent on the destruction of these covens, we thought this was something you'd like to know."

"Why did Alistair reveal this to you?" Paul asked. He picked up one of the photos and grimaced. "I highly doubt it was from the goodness of his stilled-heart."

"He didn't give us a clear answer," Leah said. "Maybe this was all a classic C.Y.A move?"

"Or he knows something's about to pop off, and he's giving us a heads up," Embry suggested. "You know, a little scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."

"With Alistair, it's the other way around," Leah mumbled, and then in a clearer voice, "Tanya has a reputation of being. I can only imagine what will happen when she finds out about this."

"Which she will," Jacob insisted. "Alistair lives for drama."

Paul sighed. "Of course, we find out about this after Irina arranged early released." He delivered a hand slap to his desk. "Alright, I'll have a team follow this lead. Hopefully, it's nothing but a rumor."

"You don't want us to look into it?" Embry asked.

"No, you, three, have enough on your plate."

Leah wholeheartedly agreed.

"Seriously, what was Demetri's appeal?" Embry wondered as the trio left Paul's office and headed their respective desk. "I mean, he wasn't an ugly guy, but damn. He was getting all of the chicks, both human and otherwise."

Jacob smirked. "Jealous?"

"Confused is more like it."

"Maybe it was people find his supposed bad-boy attitude attractive?" Leah offered. Personally, Demetri wasn't her type, but she could see why Lauren had thought he was a model. Plus, he was allegedly a smooth-talker with a long of money—all of those attributes would get anyone far. "Perhaps Irina was no exception."

"Tanya's gonna flip her shit if she finds out about this," Embry said with a shudder. "That lady doesn't play."

"When," Jacob corrected. "If Alistair knows about Irina and Demetri and felt compelled to let us know, that means it's no longer a secret. There has to be a reason why this twenty-year-old rumor is coming out of the woodworks now."

"I'm afraid to know the answer," Leah quietly admitted.

"Having a party without me?"

Leah wouldn't exactly call it a party. It was just an official together inside the station's breakroom over a six-pack of beer. They were breaking the no-alcohol protocol, but it was almost eleven in the evening. Nothing much was going on since Alistair's bombshell a couple of days ago. The beer was wolf-bane free. No one was planning to get drunk. One drink wouldn't kill anyone.

"What brings you in here, Detective?" Jacob called out, waving Martinez over. "Don't you have a coven to dismantle?"

"I'm working on it, Black," Martinez replied with a wink. He pulled out a chair from under one of the breakroom tables and sat down across from Leah, Jacob, and Embry. "Boy, do I have some news for you."

Jacob scoffed as he opened his second can of wolfbane-free beer. "Do you, now?"

"You heard about what happened with Mike?" Martinez asked. "About what he did?"

"Yeah, he shot Lauren Mallory in cold-blood and completely confessed without much persuasion," Jacob said. "He fears for his life so much that he's willing to accept life without parole."

"Don't tell me you came all the way here to tell us that," Leah told Martinez. Her tone was light, but in all honesty, she didn't want to talk about the disgraced business owner. Her focus was now on the murder of Riley Biers and how she'd be able to bring his killers to justice without sparking a bureaucratic war. "That investigation is over."

Martinez leaned forward. "But do you know why he killed her?"

"It was a hit," Embry said. "It's practically an open-and-closed case."

"Are you sure?"

Jacob eyed the detective. "We already have a confession."

Leah looked at Martinez.

"Yeah, we have confirmation that Lauren's murder had something to do with Mike's ambush. She was there, and definitely wasn't supposed to survive..." Martinez trailed off, slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead. "Oh, right. I forgot. There is a reason why I came here. Guess who just got arrested at JFK?"

"Why should we care about what happened in New York?" Leah asked. "JFK Airport is several hundred miles outside of our jurisdiction."

Martinez rolled his eyes. "I know that."

"Who got arrested?" Embry wondered.

Martinez sat up in his seat. "Felix Antonius," he said with a wide smirk.

Felix Antonius.

The Volturi's number one hitman.

As Leah's and Embry's jaws dropped at the news, Jacob nearly snorted his beer through his nose. "From the Volturi?" When he got the affirmation, he blinked a couple of times. "No."

"Oh, yes. Border Control snatched him up right before he was about to board a flight back to Italy," Martinez said. "I'm sure Barba is going to toss the entire book at Felix."

"Barba?" Jacob questioned. "As in Carolina Barba? As in the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Illinois?"

Martinez nodded.

Leah tilted her head in confusion. "They're bringing him here?"

"Yeah, why would they do that?" Embry asked. "Southern District should have a field day with that guy."

"The federal courts in New York don't want to be bothered, I guess." Martinez shrugged. "Can't say I blame them. And plus, Felix's technically our problem, so..."

"And exactly where in Illinois is Felix going to be staying at?" Jacob asked. "We don't have an Alcatraz.

Leah raised both eyebrows as she brought the beer to her mouth- Jacob had a very good point.

"That's what I said." Martinez tossed up his hands. "But I was assured that the feds, in fact, do have a secret-prison not named Alcatraz somewhere in this state. Don't know anything else besides that." He cracked open his can of beer. "You should ask your ATF-buddy about that. He should know. His agency was the one who suggested the location."

"So, I'm not supposed to tell you this," Aisha told Leah, sounding absolutely ominous as she pulled her friend to the side, aside she entered the station the following afternoon. Once the friends out of earshot of everyone, including those not human, she carried on, "But I guess with everything going on, who gives a crap about the rules?"

Leah swallowed. Aisha's words weren't comforting. "What happened?"

Did someone else die? Was another victim M.I.A? Did someone they knew get arrested?

"Paul's thinking about pulling Sam."

Leah's eyes widened. There were only a few reasons why a captain would shut down an undercover assignment, and none of them were good. "His choice or Sam's?"

"His," Aisha said. "It's heating up a little too much for comfort. Shit has been hitting the fan, especially after what happened to Lauren and Riley." She shrugged. "But you know how Sam is; he thinks he can handle everything."

Leah ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "So, he wants to stay."

Aisha gave a solemn nod. "According to him, he has a good case, and the brass is one hundred percent behind him," she explained. "Paul can resubmit a recommendation, but ultimately, it's the commander who signs it."

Leah frowned. That didn't bode well for the captain. "What's the chances of Paul getting his way."

"This time, slim to none," Aisha admitted. "You know how it is; it's always about the numbers. I think they're getting sick and tired of the feds taking our cases. This shit right here, it's the biggest thing we've dealt with since Saint Patrick's."

If they were to be honest with themselves, this investigation surpassed Saint Patrick's a long time ago.

Leah squeezed her friend's shoulder. Aisha was worried and wasn't making much of an effort to mask it. Just because both women weren't Sam's biggest fans, didn't mean they wanted a fellow cop, who was doing honest work, to fall. "Thanks for letting me know."

Leah would find out later that week that Paul's decision to pull Sam was overruled. It was expected, but that didn't mean that Paul, the man in charge of all of his employees, was going to remain quiet about it—she wondered if he had a bad feeling.

"The situation must be pretty terrible if Paul wants to end an undercover mission," Embry whispered to Leah during their walk from the breakroom to their desks. "But everyone knows it's the bottom line that matters in the end."

A few minutes later, Jacob put in his two cents on the matters, "I suppose the brass' justification is that if the feds aren't pulling their guys, then we shouldn't either. Also, word on the street is that Sam doesn't want to leave." He stole Leah a quick glance. "He thinks he has something big. Like Donnie Brasco-big."

Leah cleared her throat before taking a sip of her mediocre breakroom-brewed coffee. She didn't know what to think. "Sam's always been keen about getting to the bottom of a situation," she quietly said. "A blessing and a curse." She looked up at her partner. "Do you have any idea what he's doing?"

Jacob shook his head. "But I hear that he's asking for another few months, which the brass will give. No questions asked."

Leah frowned. She wasn't surprised, but she wasn't thrilled. "So, December, then," she grumbled. December was a long time in her professional as well as personal life. She couldn't do shit about her marriage until after Sam's return.

"I know it's not ideal, but…"

"That's the job."

"I can't say I'm too surprised that he doesn't want to come back," Moran, a fellow cop assigned to the Voldemort Taskforce, said to Leah later that day. He was one of the few task force members privy to the Sam situation. Why he was talking about it out loud was another story.

Leah knew Moran was talking about Sam. He and Sam were friends.

Annoyed that the infuriating detective was effectively and purposely disrupting her work, Leah looked up from her computer screen, not bothering to hide her frustration, "Excuse me?"

Leah's sharp voice didn't faze moran. "It's a damn shame," he continued, taking a step forward until he was hovering over her. "Putting a good man in danger because his wife got a problem with him."

The cop's words knocked the wind of Leah. She was stunned by the accusation, confused, angry, completely taken aback. All she was doing was minding her own business, and here was this man, accusing her of essentially putting a fellow's cop in danger.

Leah pushed back in her chair and stood up. She looked around; no one was around or paying attention. She could have turned his encounter to a scene, but doing so would attract too much attention, and she wasn't in the mood to be in the rumor mill again.

She looked up at the other detective. Yeah, he was taller than her with a mean scowl on his face, but she wasn't an ounce scared of the mad. She narrowed her eyes. His smirk grew as he stood up tall, shoulders square, daring Leah to act.

"Hey, what you're gonna do?" He taunted, puffing out his chest. "Hit me. Go right ahead."

Leah would've done it, hit the bastard scare in the jaw. Her fists were ready for it, but right when she was about to raise it, Jacob, that saint, came into the picture. He looked between the two silent cops, and it didn't take long for him to catch out.

"What the hell is your problem, Moran?"

"Automatically going to her defense," Moran accused, giving Jacob a sharp look. "I don't give a damn if she's your partner. We're about to be one man down because of her." He pointed at Leah. "We need all we can—"

"He's working undercover," Jacob tried to reason, keeping his voice steady. But Leah knew his patience was wearing thin. "Shit like this happens all the time. What the hell is blaming Leah gonna do?"

"I'm only stating the truth," Moran said, looking around the squad space for anyone to speak up for him. Unfortunately, the area was still relatively empty; only a few people were paying attention to the commotion. Aisha, who was watching from a distance, gave him the finger when he looked her way. Frowning, he turned his attention back to Leah. "You don't belong here."

"Go fuck yourself," Leah bit out before Jacob stepped between her and Moran. Good, because she was going to land someone right in that bastard's face, disciplinary-action, be damned.

Moran was seeing red. Leah didn't give a damn. Jacob was staring the man down to the point that he actually backed off, but still seething. Before Leah could toss in another insult, Jacob took a step forward Moran, then said in a quiet, yet threatening voice, "Get the hell out of here before you regret it."

"Hey, you okay?"

It was a stupid question, but Leah supposed she could appreciate the gesture. Jacob was worried about her. For what reason? She couldn't figure out. Was it about her, or was it about Moran? Hell, all she wanted to do was pull her hair out. How dare that bastard? After everything she had been through, and he had the nerve to blame everything on her.

Leah turned her attention to the entrance of the small room she was currently occupying with Jacob. Her eyes narrowed at it, glared it. She considered bursting through that door and starting round too.

She looked away. No, she was going to stay in here. Where it was safe. Where there was a barrier between her and Moran. Where Jacob could easily hold her back. She took a deep breath in hopes of calming her nerves and slowing her heart rate. "I wanted to kill him," she admitted through gritted teeth. She felt ashamed. Only somewhat. "Or hurt him really bad."

Jacob swallowed. "Well, yeah, we wouldn't want that."

"I'm not an angry person," Leah insisted. Rumors, be damned. If life worked out perfectly, she would never have to confront everyone. "I mean, I have my moments, but I'm not angry. I don't have anger issues. I don't—"

"You don't have to explain anything," Jacob said. "Moran's an asshole. Simple as that."

Leah found Jacob's words only somewhat comforting. "I'm used to the taunts. Been dealing with them for all of my life. Both personal and professional." She rubbed her hands together and started pacing around the room. She didn't know what to do with herself. "I've always ignored it. To myself that it wasn't worth—"

She stopped, already feeling herself getting riled up all over again. That wasn't what she needed right now. Although, another thought of bolting out of this glorified storage closet and haunting Moran down sounded very appealing. She swallowed. Very appealing. Too appealing.

Jacob must've caught on. He grabbed Leah's arm, causing her to stop in her tracks. His grip firm yet in a way, gentle. "Hey, look at me," he softly demanded. His hold relaxed when Leah did. "Listen, like I said: he's an asshole. He shouldn't have said those words to you."

Leah drew her bottom lip between her teeth and averted her gaze. Jacob was right, but maybe he wasn't? Perhaps, it was her attitude that had driven Sam away? Perhaps, if she had been a better wife, he would've never gone to Emily. He would have never accepted that undercover mission or accepted an extension— those were pervasive, dangerous, foolish thoughts. Leah knew it, but she was having a hard time fighting them off.

Before Leah knew it, she felt the wetness forming in the corners of her eyes. Damn it, again. She was crying off this fool again. "Moran said I didn't deserve—"

"He's the one who didn't deserve you," Jacob whispered, pulling his partner into a tight, comforting hug. "None of them do. You're an amazing woman, Leah. One day, I hope you truly see that."

Leah choked up even more.

"Paul will hear about this," Jacob vowed hotly. "He's the captain. Let him dish out the punishment. He doesn't have any tolerance for those words. Especially now, with everything that's been happening. We don't need that shit."

"Looking forward to it," she mumbled into his chest, batting away the tears.

"You're good now?"

Leah nodded. She deeply inhaled as Jacob released the hold around her and wiped away her tears with her inner wrist. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jacob squeezed Leah's shoulder and nodded. Silent, he led Leah out to the room and into the squad space. Moran was still there, looming in the back. His smug expression was no longer than, replaced by something Leah couldn't discern. He would make eye contact with Jacob, but it would be brief. Seconds later, he scurried away.

Good for his ass.

"You almost phased," Jacob told Leah during the ride to her home. It was the first time in a few hours either detective spoke of the Moran Incident. "Just one more push and it would've been all over."

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure if I hadn't come when I did, we would be having a completely different conversation," Jacob said. "Don't worry about it, though." He flashed her a reassuring smile. "The anger, the increasing intensity of emotions… it happened to all of us. It's just the hormones acting up."

Leah faced her partner, blinking a couple of times.

She hadn't realized…

Leah cleared her throat as her gaze turned to the city sights quickly passing by.

"I'm not saying this to downplay your feelings," Jacob carried on. "Because I get it. If it weren't for the law, I would've fucked up Moran, too."

"I could've done it myself," Leah mumbled; her hands balled into fists, and then opened. She could hear her heartbeat speed up. "I was ready."

"Then my turn would've been right after," Jacob said, flashing a lopsided grin. He reached over to tap Leah's shoulder a couple of times. "It's all good."

For the first time in a very long time, Leah's smile reached her eyes.

"Your place or mine?"

Leah was going to make a sly joke about such a suggestive question, but she chickened out. "Mine," she instead said. "I'm paying enough money for rent. I should attempt to enjoy the place more, actually sleep in my own bed."

"That's the spirit," Jacob said, turning the steering wheel to make a wide turn. "Your place, it is."

That annoying, glaringly loud ringtone was quickly becoming the bane of Leah's existence.

She wanted to ignore it so badly, especially now, right at the moment when she was entering deep-sleep. But the damned thing kept on ringing. Defeated, Leah reached out for her phone and slid a fingertip across the screen, accepting the call without checking who was on the other line. "What?" she grumbled.

"Nice."

Oh, it was just him.

Leah slowly sat up in the bed and checked the time on the digital clock sitting her on her bedstand. It read 12:04 am. "Who died now?" she mumbled, sliding back down on her oh-so-comfortable mattress.

"No one. Be ready in thirty," Jacob, that inconsiderate asshole, sounded wide awake. "And put on some work-out clothes."

"Oh, fuck you," Leah groaned into the phone before shoving her face into her pillow. The only thing she was ready to do was phone up this damn phone, but she still held on. She lifted her head slightly. "Why?"

"We're going on a run."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

Leah made sure to express her displeasure when she entered Jacob's car twenty minutes later. It was the middle of the night, a work night. Leah liked to get in, at the very least, five hours of sleep. Unfortunately, despite all of his efforts, Jacob didn't pity her. He seemed excited, particularly jittering in the driver seat, ready to go to fuck-knows-where.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?"

"Sag Valley."

Leah's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? At this ungodly time?"

There went her five hours of sleep.

"You'll get used to it, and soon, you'll love it."

Leah rolled her eyes. "Is that your response to all of my complaints?"

"It's not my fault that it's true," Jacob chuckled, amused at Leah's misery. "Trust me on this; you'll feel better when we got to Sag Valley. Completely rejuvenated even when you have to work in several hours… I don't know what it is, but going on a running, it's like you got an overdose of endorphins."

Leah trusted her partner, but not his words. Usually, when she went on a run, no matter how easy it was, she couldn't wait until she reached the finish line. "Explain," she demanded, sitting up in her seat. She had her eyes on her partner as he pulled out of the curbside parking space and drove away.

"You know how dogs need to be walked every day or need to run around in an open field? It's like that, except that we don't have to go on a run every day. A few times a week would be just fine. Unless it's New Moon Week. Then, we go more often."

"So, the moon is important."

"Not in the way you think. We're not werewolves or the Children of the Moon. We don't always need the moon to transform."

"I do."

"Okay, yes, for the first few times," Jacob said. "But after that, you'll be able to shift at will. Your instincts have to, you know…." he trailed off, wrinkling his nose as he tried to find the wrong words. "Need some practice."

Leah blinked, still not understanding. "How does the moon affect us, then?"

"It's…" Jacob huffed out of frustration. Not necessary at Leah and her questions. The whole concept of shifting seemed too complicated to explain, even for a born-shapeshifter like himself. "You know what they say about the full moon?" he eventually said. "About how people go crazy, the tides go crazy…. I don't know. The moon just does something to us."

Leah nodded, accepting the answer that really wasn't. Maybe it just one of those things something one had to experience themselves.

Like love.

This wasn't her first-time visiting Sag Valley.

Leah had been at the forest preserve plenty of times, especially throughout her childhood. She had fond memories of Harry taking the family out for some good old-fashioned day camping.

However, this was Leah's first time visiting Sag Valley in the middle of the night.

The forest was completely deserted. Completely understandable since it was a little after one in the morning. Leah could pick up some human-like voice from the far end, but that area was a designated campsite. Far from where she and the pack would be, Jacob promised.

The area they would use technically shut-down at sundown. When asked about trespassing, Jacob ensured Leah that the state had made an under-the-table agreement, allowing nighttime roaming just as long as the general population didn't find out.

Leah swallowed as she took a few steps from Jacob's jeep. There was no other vehicle in the vicinity, no other person. No other light—Leah blinked a couple of times as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, cursing her decision not to bring a flashlight."

"Why would you?" Jacob asked, stretching out his arms before leaning on the hood of his car. "It's not like you need it."

Leah gave her partner a questioning look before realizing she could trace out the shapes of the forest, of Jacob's dark-colored jeep, the trees, and the ground. She could tell the difference between dirt, pebbles, grass, and more. The colors weren't discernable, but still distinct enough.

Wow.

"Told ya," Jacob said, smiling at Leah.

Leah's smile matched her partner's. It seemed like she wouldn't need a flashlight after all. God damn, she had night-vison. Of some sort—it didn't matter. She could see.

"Where is everyone?" Leah then wondered.

Jacob didn't appear too concerned. "They'll come," he said, confident.

And they would.

Ten minutes later, Embry, Paul, and Quil arrived.

"Jared couldn't make it tonight," Embry said once everyone exchanged the usual pleasantries. He let out a short laugh. "He finally convinced someone to go on a date and spend the night with him." He smirked. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Atta boy!" Paul cheered.

Leah wrinkled her nose; she did not need to know about Jared's liaisons.

"TMI," Jacob said, trying in vain no to smirk.

Leah rolled her eyes. Men—She was going to comment until a realization came to mind. She took a step back, giving each man a puzzled look. She knew that Jared was a shapeshifter. Well, at least, she had suspicions until now. But she had no idea he had a connection to this pack.

"Jared's technically a lone wolf," Quil explained to her. "It's a long story, but Jared is kind of like an honorary member of the pack because Jacob loves to take in strays.

That earned a laugh from Embry and Paul.

Jacob pouted. "I do not take in strays."

Everyone laughed, including Leah.

"If that's what you want to believe," Quil teased. He chuckled when Jacob gave him the finger before telling Leah, "Jared usually tags along."

Leah nodded. "I see," and then asked, "So, how does this run work?"

"You're tagging along?" Paul carefully asked, seemingly very surprised by the development. Everyone was except for Jacob. "You've phased already?"

Leah shook her head.

Paul turned to Jacob. "She can't—You're good with this?"

Embry and Quil shared a look.

"It's fine," Jacob insisted, waving off Paul's concern. "She needs to unwind. We all need to unwind."

Quil and Embry nodded in agreement.

Leah's gaze dropped to the ground. Maybe Paul was onto something. This was her first time going on a "run", standing around with a group of guys who had done this tons of times. "I don't want to slow you guys down," she said in a quiet voice.

"You won't," Jacob assured his partner. "This ain't a race. We move as a pack. Leaving no one behind."

"Not even you," Quill told Leah with a smile.

Embry nodded. "Yep."

"But please sure you can keep up. We do have a deadline to meet," Paul taunted. He let out a hearty laugh when Leah gave him the finger. "I'm just saying."

"Dude, don't be sleeping on Leah. I'm pretty sure she could win a freaking marathon," Embry argued. "I've seen it with my own eyes. She's probably faster than all of us."

Leah lifted her nose in the air, proud. "I appreciate your faith in me, Embry," she said, giving Paul a pointed look. "Hey, I'll be fine. I mean, I've been doing well so far."

"She has a point," Quil remarked. "A very good point."

"We're not leaving you behind," Jacob assured Leah. "No one is, not even Paul."

Paul let out an exaggerated groan.

"Now, not that I don't love this whole-bonding stuff, but shouldn't we address the elephant in the room?" Embry asked, rubbing his hands together. There was mischief in his eyes as he turned to Leah. "So, how do you feel about nudity?"

Leah blinked a couple of times. She hadn't expected that question. "Excuse me?"

Paul and Quil exchanged amused grins.

"Shut up, Embry," Jacob snapped.

"What? It's a good, honest question!" Embry argued, dropping his shit-eating grin the moment he caught sight of Jacob's glare. "I don't know if you've noticed, but our clothes don't exactly stay on when we phased."

Leah's eyes widened—Oh, she hadn't thought about that. Not at all. It did make sense. Wolves didn't need clothing; they had all that fur to keep them at bay.

"It's not a big deal," Jacob maintained, giving Leah an apologetic glance before narrowing his eyes at Embry. This was clearly not a conversation he wanted to have; eventually, Embry got the point. "Don't make it a big deal."

"It's fine," Leah insisted. Seriously, if she could handle seeing dead bodies in various states and fucked-up crime scenes, then she could certainly handle seeing a bunch of guys in the buff. So what, if all save for one, were her coworkers?

Actually—

Jacob clapped. "Alright, back to business. We have to be back in Chicago and in our beds by three. Unfortunately, we all have to work in the morning."

"And no, I will not accept any lateness," Paul added; the comment was mainly directed to Embry, who generally didn't believe in alarms. "Except from Leah and only because this is her first time. Got it?"

"C'mon," Jacob said with another clap. "Let's get this show on the road."

Leah looked away as the guys discarded their clothes, choosing to direct all of her focus on the news story on her phone—The next thing she knew, there were three massive wolves carefully approaching her with Jacob in the front.

She stared at them, mouth open, eyes wide, and body, seemingly unable to move to the point that her phone slipped out of her hands. She couldn't—she was used to Jacob seeing in this wolf, but… she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god," she breathed, as the wolves circled her.

They were all friendly, but that didn't mean Leah's heart sped up. She wasn't afraid, far from it. She was just surprised? No, she had expected this. Perhaps, in complete awe.

Eventually, Leah's heart rate turned to normal (and her phone went into her pocket). The wolves relaxed and began to move around in the cleaning. And before Leah knew it, she was watching Paul taunt Embry by charging at the smaller wolf, only to stop inches from his face. Embry did the same, and not before long, both wolves were engaging in what Leah could only describe as a wolf-version of an argument.

Beside her was Quil, who was fighting an itch on his shoulder. Deciding to give the wolf some relief, Leah scratched the bothersome area, earning the closest thing to a purr she had ever heard from a canine.

Soon, Jacob rounded everyone up, mostly focusing his attention on Paul and Embry, who was moments away from engaging in a friendly brawl. Quil was ready to go minutes ago. And Leah—long gone was her fatigue. She was now excited more than ever, ready to go on the new adventure into the dark forest that looked like it starred in horror movies. But no matter, she had a pack of oversized wolves by her side.

Jacob barked several times, getting the full attention of everyone in the pack. With his snout, he pointed in the direction of the forest. Quickly, the other wolves squared up.

Leah tightened her shoelaces.

And then, they took off.