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When the majority of the pack returned it was dark, and Emily's little house blazed with light and they could hear talking and laughter from within. Whilst on their run they had found several duffle bags, Swarhi and Jonty's scent covered them, and the pack had brought them back. Phasing quickly the youths almost hesitated on the threshold, but Paul rolled his eyes and headed in, and the others followed. Swarhi and Jonty sat at the kitchen table with Emily, Leah and Jacob, eating, well, inhaling some sort of pasta coated in cheese. Swarhi was a better colour and had lost her coat – her figure was hidden by the rise of the table, and she regarded the pack as they came in. Jonty held her hand tightly beneath the table, and at her silence he looked up from his food to what she was looking at.
"Why didn't you just tell us?" Sam asked in greeting. Emily shot him a brief look for being impolite, and Swarhi looked to Jonty, then sighed
"Because we lied. We do have enemies pursuing us."
"Who?"
"Vampires." Jonty almost spat the word, although his good-nature didn't allow him to really get cross "We ran into them in north Canada, been trying to shake them off ever since. Seemed like a godsend finding a pack as strong as yours to be in the territory of."
"How do you mean?"
Jonty met Sam's eyes "If we're in your territory, through their eyes we were under your protection. We didn't expect you to find us so quickly."
"We brought your bags back…." Paul said awkwardly, and was rewarded with a beam from Swarhi as he put them down by the wall, "you weren't carrying any food but-"
"We hunted when we ran." Jonty explained, politely ignoring his wife, who was now eating his dinner "got veg and things if we had a chance to get into human populace, but wasn't easy."
"No" Sam said "What Paul means is, one of the 'not-foods' seems to have leaked." He lifted the bag he was holding; there was a dark red stain on the bottom. To all with heightened senses it was clear what it was.
"Why are you carrying a blood bag?"
"In case I needed a transfusion when I gave birth" Swarhi said with a shrug "Its just my blood."
"You were just going to live in the forest until you gave birth?" Leah said in disbelief, Swarhi sighed, her plate empty.
"Yep. What choice did we have? I cant run fast enough anymore to outrun the vampires, and they were gaining on us." Emily discretely took the bag from Sam and put it in the sink, lest it drip on the nice clean floor, already an interesting shade from the muddy footprints of the pack.
"Yeah, you really were a lifesend." Jonty said with his smile, finishing what was left "Please don't think we're weird, the blood bag is just part of our first aid kit. We'll be out of your way soon."
"Your welcome to use the spare room" Sam said, and Swarhi frowned, looking ready to argue until Jonty's hand appeared on her sleeve, a look passed between them.
"Look" Emily interjected "Stay here tonight and we'll talk this over in the morning" Swarhi still looked ready to argue, but shot a final look to her husband and relented.
"Ok" she said "just tonight."
The pack were too intrigued by the newcomers to leave, and so they decided to have an informal movie night. Paul, Embry and Jacob gave up their seats to allow Jonty and Swarhi the sofa (Swarhi argued, Jonty thanked them) and the pair sat down, Swarhi between Jonty's legs, his arms holding her to him as they dimly watched the film. Swarhi's eyes soon drifted shut and Jonty regarded her with a soft smile and made sure she was secure in his embrace; her heavy weight leant back against him as he leant on the sofa arm.
"You sure your comfy?" Sam asked, referencing the weight of his wife. Jonty smiled
"I'm telling you, this is heaven compared to what we've had to cope with for the last few months, a sofa? Luxury compared to pinecones."
"How did you cope?" Emily asked
"Stayed in our wolf form; more alert, warmer, faster…relatively speaking. You wouldn't believe how 'slow' Swarhi thinks her speed is now – she still just about outruns me."
"Doesn't phasing hurt the baby?" She enquired
"No, and believe me we didn't half ask around to check, didn't want to risk anything, then of course these bleeding vampires picked up our scent and started the chase. Buggers don't sleep do they?"
"Sorry, who did you ask?" Leah said suddenly. She was sat on the floor next to Jacob, who turned an ear to the conversation as he watched the film.
"What, about the pregnancy?"
"Yes"
"Other packs, Tam's in the north, we were in Europe for a bit and found out from Rossita the nitty gritty, she's the one who suggested the blood bag."
"Wait, there are other female werewolves?" Leah said, hardly daring to believe, Jonty shot her an odd look
"Of course. How d'you think you get full's like me and Swarhi here?"
"Fulls?" Jacob asked, turning to the conversation
"When both parents have the gene, so our boy will be one as well." Jonty's hands lowered to rest on Swarhi's stomach, and he smiled softly. "We have been through hell for this little fella."
"Why do you think the vamps picked you up?" Jared asked, Jonty shrugged
"Sport I guess, we know we don't taste good to them. Also they've got the whole vendetta-lets-kill-all-the-females-thing that we try to avoid."
"The, err, what?" Sam asked, the couple now had the packs full attention
"You kill half a population, you eventually kill all of it." Swarhi said, her brown eyes suddenly half-open and watching them "wolf genes are always stronger in the maternal side, we're faster, and stronger, so they decided we're the half to cull."
"Is this the Volturi?"
"The what?"
"Royal vampires"
"Don't know." Swarhi said, closing her eyes again as one of Jonty's hands finger combed her dark waves "Didn't seem that organised to me. Your lucky" her eyes were open again, and pinpointed on Leah "you've got some strong bonds in this pack and the next, they wont get you."
"Pardon?" Leah said in disbelief "These lot…are protecting me?" They could hear the disgust in her voice
"No." Swarhi said "Vamps have a thing against families; the stronger your bonds, mine and Jonty's for example, and ours to our son, make you stronger, gives your soul more strength. Vampires don't have any souls, it automatically make them weaker. They cant love, they don't have families, and they don't have children."
"I don't get it" Leah stated, Jonty took over
"I can tell you've got a brother here, right?"
"Yeah, so?"Leah said, Seth gave a wave and a grin
"You've got family, and you've got someone who loves you, loves you enough to be there when you need him. And you have your pack brothers, who would jump for you if you needed them too. Those are your bonds. You will never see a lone female wolf, people always attach themselves to her." Jonty explained
"Really." Swarhi added "I got lumbered with this lump from day one." She hid a wince which the pack saw, and subconsciously Jonty rubbed small circles on the side of her stomach.
"What we're saying is, this is a fairly strong pack, and we are so glad we found you." Jonty finished with his smile. Leah turned back to watch the TV from her place on the floor by Jacob, running things over in her head. In this pack was someone who loves her, someone who is there for her when she needs him… Leah didn't need anybody, she was strong, stoic, alone….
And yet… really? Someone actually thought of her that way? She gave a small tight smile as she felt happy for the first time in a long while. Jacob saw the smile and willed his blush away, why was the room so hot all of a sudden?
As the sky above filled with stars hidden by light pollution the new couple headed to bed, sinking beneath the sheets with a great appreciation towards the kindness of the people in the room below.
"Can not believe our luck" Jonty murmured quietly as he plaited his hair and threw it over one shoulder so he didn't lie on it "a whole pack, here?"
"I know." Swarhi replied "Didn't know about them…. They don't know about everyone else…." Her voice was woozy and floated around in the dark. Jonty stared into the ceiling as he lay on his back, hands beneath his head
"It must be the vampires, their stench must have hidden this lot, such a new pack, no elders, no children…"
"Will be soon….."
"Yeah." Jonty agreed "Its just, they're so strong, and the vampires-"
"We'll find out tomorrow Jonty, now go to sleep" Swarhi's voice was muffled by the pillow as she uncomfortably laid on her left side
"Alright" he said amiably "night Swarhi"
"I said go to sleep."
"Was only saying-"
"Sleep." He could sense her drifting off, and smiled, before leaning over and placing a kiss on her ear.
"Alright" he whispered "g'night."
"She made it sounds like there were loads of other packs out there! And in Europe! So it cant just be Native Americans who have the gene…. This is amazing!" Seth babbled on to the amusement of the others, the film had long since ended and now conversation was taken up about their new guests
"How long d'you think they'll stay?"
"How fast can she go?"
"Where'd they come from?"
"Think she can outrun Leah?"
"I'm right here Quill."
"Oh, sorry" Quill apologised, then started up again "but girls being faster and stronger? What was that all about?"
"Is it really so hard to believe?" Leah asked dryly, staring him down "We heard her use an alpha command"
"She fainted though…." Paul mused
"She had run a long way…." Emily said "and she's asleep upstairs so shoo. No doubt you'll all be round here tomorrow to question them."
"Sorry Ems" They slowly filed out, heading in different directions. Leah had gone about 20 paces when there were heavy footfalls behind her and Jacob landed at her side.
"Hi, want company?" He asked with his usual smile, she nodded, and they started the walk. Leah lived at the opposite end to most of the others, and pushing her hands deep in her pockets and trying to ignore the drizzle. She usually walked it on her own. She didn't object to Jacob being there, its just that with everything that had happened today, she would rather have been alone with her thoughts before Seth returned from one of the other pack's houses in the early hours and crashed around. Ever since he started to look older he'd been staying out later... she'd know if it was a girl...
"Quite a discovery, right?" Jacob jolted her out of her thoughts
"Err, yeah"
"Theres a whole world of us we didn't know about, and you!"
"Me?" she said with an eyebrow raised
"Yeah! I mean, you're not the only female werewolf out there! And Swarhi was-"
"Pregnant. I know Jacob, I was there."
"Well this means the same for you!"
"It might not…."
"Why not?" Jacob frowned "Same race, similar age -give or take 8 years or so- why couldn't you have kids?"
"Because I'm not getting my hopes up just because a pair of magical wolves have swanned onto our territory!" Leah hissed, getting very irritated with him for voicing her internal thoughts. It was bad enough he was inside her head when she phased, she did not want him there whilst she was human! Jacob held up his hands in surrender
"Sorry sorry! I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought that, well, maybe you wouldn't be such a gripe anymore…."
"A what?" Jacob did not pick up on the danger of his loose tongue.
"A gripe? You know, the whole 'cold-hearted-only-female-totally-barren' thing you've got going on. I reckoned you probably wouldn't want to be called a bitch-"
"Alright!" Leah whirled round and faced him down "I know I'm a bitch. I know you can hear every stinking thought just as I can hear every single thought that Sam has about Emily. I have to sit there and watch, I have to do as he commands and I have to listen to you lot cursing me for the slightest deviation from the norm! I'm watching Seth turn into someone I don't know and I have to constantly keep with the pack and turn into that…that thing whenever Sam decrees it! And then theres this amazing woman who comes in with the perfect husband and pregnant and uses the alpha voice on him! And I cant do anything! I'm stuck here following orders. With this pack."
"With me." Jacob says quietly. Leah frowned slightly, and her voice softened ever so slightly
"I've got nothing against you Jacob, its everything else."
"Swarhi could help you, I want to help you Lee." He looked at her, his dark eyes deep "I know it hurts, and I know it's a lot on top of loosing your dad. But, just think about it, alright? Its cant all be bad." Leah scoffed, and let her shoulders drop.
"Thanks for trying Jake, but I need to be in my own head for a bit." She turned away from him, and continued down the street, her shoulders hunched, kicking any stone that was in her path. Jacob watched her go, inwardly cursing his own mouth until she was swallowed up by the darkness and he headed home.
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