Steve could hear the footsteps following him. He turned to come face to face with the girl from the diner. She looked angry. Steve thought of drawing her like a vengeful goddess. He thought of Botticelli's Aphrodite and immediately turned red.

She hesitated before she spoke, asking him gruffly, "You okay?"

Steve smiled, "I'm fine. Confused, sure. Why did that man- Sam? Why was he so angry?"

Leah gave a small shrug, "Wish I knew. Sam's supposed to be the level headed one."

It wasn't a complete lie. She knew Steve being her imprint had something to do with Sam acting so out of character, but imprinting isn't something you tell someone whose name you don't even know.

"Steve," he said suddenly. At Leah's frown, he elaborated.

"My name is Steve Phillips," a hint of a flush crept up from his shirt collar. Leah simultaneously wanted to smile at the adorable look on his face, and hit herself for even thinking it. She knew from their previous conversation that he was slightly broken. What a pair.

When she didn't reply, he nodded, looking disappointed.

"Well, thanks for interrupting when you did. It was about to get ugly," he said, surprisingly cheerful for a guy who was nearly beaten up by a gang of super muscular men.

They had reached the edge of the forest, which opened up onto a basic car park. Amid the old rusting trucks was a vintage motorcycle, which had been lovingly restored. Steve walked toward it, giving Leah a friendly wave. Leah nodded in reply, turning back into the forest when she paused, rolling her eyes at herself.

"Leah," she said.

"Pardon?" Steve looked up from his bike.

"My name. Leah," she crossed her arms across her chest and waited.

"It was very nice to meet you Leah," Steve smiled, "Lucky, too. I hate to think what would have happened to those guys if you hadn't stepped in."

"'Those guys?'" Leah quoted with a snort, "guess we can add modest to your resume as well as 'easy blusher'."

Steve winced, biting his lip, "That obvious?"

"Oh yeah," Leah laughed, watching as he began turning red again. It then hit her that he was blushing because she was flirting back.

"Where did you get the bike," she asked, changing the for her sake or his, she wasn't entirely sure.

"It's been in storage for years," Steve said, staring down at his motorcycle, "A friend fixed it up and gave it to me as a... a coming home present."

From the slight pause, Leah knew there was more to the story. A story that hurt him.

"It's nice," she said flatly, crossing then uncrossing her arms.

"Yeah. You like bikes?" Steve asked, tilting his head.

Leah gave a non-committal shrug.

"Well, if you ever want a ride, I'm staying at the motel in Forks."

Leah nodded, then frowned when the double entendre hit her. She looked at him, and he stared directly into her eyes, despite blushing furiously. Instead of turning him down completely, she stopped. Maybe it was the blue eyes. Or the great physique. Or the slight flush to his face. Or-who was she kidding, it was all the imprint.

"Hmm," she said. And she turned around and walked back into the forest, leaving Steve to stare confused and unsure after her.


The pack went quiet as Leah entered Emily's house. She paused to glare at each of them, then offered Seth a small quirk of her lips, in thanks for calling her from the radio in the car before Sam separated Steve from his head. Sam was nowhere to be seen.

In the kitchen, Emily had paused in her baking.

"Why did they go so quiet?" she asked Leah.

"Where's Sam?" Leah ignored her question.

Emily threw her oven mitt onto the kitchen bench.

"I'm not going to tell you until you explain what exactly has been going on, Leah. Sam has been unusually bad tempered, the rest of the boys look nervous, and no one is telling me anything," Emily placed her hands on her hips, "I'm not some crystal figurine that's easily broken. You need to let me know."

Emily stared at Leah defiantly, her stance demanding respect.

"Sam's an idiot," Leah snapped, pushing past Emily to the back door. But Emily suprised her.

"Tell me something I don't know," Emily rolled her eyes. Leah sighed, screwed up her eyes, and banged her head on the door.

"The pack went cliff diving today, and at the usually spot, my- Steve, was there," Leah grunted.

Emily either didn't notice her slip, or ignored it.

"Your imprint? What has this got to do with him?" Emily asked, jumping up to sit on the kitchen bench. She didn't seem to mind she was getting flour all over her pants.

"It-how did you know he was my imprint?" Leah demanded, looking up.

Emily groaned, "at this rate, my eyes are going to fall out of my sockets. You're forgetting that I know you, Leah."

Leah scowled. She wished they could both forget.

"Seth said Steve was polite, then Sam went alpha on him. He said Steve thought Sam was a jerk, then decided to piss him off even more. By the time I got there, Sam was this close to phasing."

Emily blinked, and raked a hand through her messy hair.

"You're saying Steve didn't back down?" she asked.

"That's what you got from my little speech? That my imprint is a cocky idiot?" Leah snapped.

"I was thinking more along the lines of impressive," Emily snarked back, "Most wolves can't stand up against Sam's alpha tone, let alone a human. But you're right. Idiot," Emily smiled sweetly.

Leah twitched slightly at the insult directed at her imprint, and took a deep breath, "What's wrong with Sam?"

Emily was part way through a shrug when she paused. She frowned and clenched her jaw, expression stony.

They heard the front door swing open, and Sam yelled out, "I've got the steaks, Em!" They could here him walking to the back of the house, towards the kitchen.

"Leah, you might want to go. I don't think you'll want to hear this," Emily slid off the bench, marching towards the kitchen door.

"You gonna be yelling at Sam?" Leah asked. Emily paused at the door, and nodded.

"I'm staying."

Emily nodded, smiling tightly, and flung the door open. Sam stood on the other side, holding groceries.

"Everybody out," she snapped to the pack, who had doubtlessly heard every word between the two women. They stood up, filing out the front door. Even Paul looked slightly scared.

"Em, what's going on?" Sam frowned, noticing Leah leaning on the kitchen door frame.

"You tell me, honey," Emily said coolly.

Sam was looking wildly between the two woman. He had enough common sense to look scared, clenching the groceries bag tightly in his fist.

"Why do you hate Steve so much?" Emily asked.

"I-I don't," Sam said, looking bewildered. Leah scoffed. Seth had told exactly what had happened. But of course Sam would be believed over her. The Alpha versus the little troublemaking girl. It didn't take a genius.

"Then why the hell did you try to goad him into a fight you knew he couldn't win?" Emily had looked calm before, but now she was positively spitting.

"I didn't-"

"Don't you lie to me Sam. According to everyone else, you nearly lost it. Sam, you can't afford to lose it. Not people like you. Do I have to remind you what happened last time?"

Sam flinched, taking a step back, guilt etched into the folds of his face. Leah was stunned. She'd never seen Emily so angry. And she was glad Emily hadn't outed her for telling on Sam, but she figured it was pretty obvious.

But Emily believed her. She couldn't wrap her head around it. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"No. I just, I got angry, and I don't know why. I guess I was in a bad mood," Sam said. He was sounding less ashamed and more defensive.

"So you just saw a random guy on the cliff and decided to take your anger out on him?" Emily asked.

"... Yes?" Sam said cautiously.

"And that's it? There's no other reason you nearly shifted in front of the guy?" Emily asked, an odd glint in her eye that Leah couldn't place.

"No, of course not! I was in a bad mood and I-I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Emily tossed her long plaited her over her shoulder, "Honey, don't say 'sorry' to me."

At Sam's look of bewilderment, Emily nodded her head back at Leah, "Sam, he wasn't my imprint," Emily said.

Sam's face twitched as he looked at Leah.

Leah didn't dare blink despite her watering eyes, in case it was all a dream.

"My apologies for how I treated your imprint. Leah," he ground out.

Biting her lip to keep from grinning, Leah gave a nod of thanks. The others might think she's immature and selfish, but she didn't let the feelings of euphoria Sam's apology had created from overriding her maturity. Sam wasn't going to get any gloating from her.

No one would roll their eyes and sigh over selfish little Leah.

"Good," Emily beamed, "then I have to do some shopping for tomorrow night."

She bustled past Leah into the kitchen.

"I just got the groceries," Sam said, scratching his head at her change in tone.

"Yes, but now Leah knows who her imprint is, it's time for a bonfire on the beach tomorrow! Leah can introduce Steve to everyone, and you can apologise for your behavior," she walked out of the kitchen with her purse, "to his face," she finished sternly, closing the front door behind her.

Sam stood staring at Leah.

"If he disturbs the pack, and the tribe, then he's a problem. Don't think just because I apologised for today doesn't mean I won't do what's necessary," he said.

The warm happiness Leah had felt was drowned out by Sam's cold words.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The words did not come out with the snarl she intended, sounding strangely distant.

"He's not one of us, Leah. And you know that white folk, if they don't understand something, they fear it. Fear turns to hate, and that 'something' gets destroyed. Just look at history. I'm not willing to risk the safety of my pack's secret for one man. I'll be keeping a very close eye on him - so will the elders."

With those words, Sam left. The front door banged closed.

Leah burned with anger, but the fire was numbed with disbelief.

"Fucking bullshit," Leah hissed. Sure, Steve might be treated with more suspicion than the other imprints received because of his colour, but all that talk about fear and hate was complete crap. Sam knew how imprinting worked. There was no room left for hate. Your whole world moved, and it effected the imprint too. Maybe it wasn't as obvious to them, as sudden, but it crept up on them.

Leah began to wonder if Sam had been lying to Emily when he swore there was no other reason he nearly shifted in front of Steve. Did they know each other? Did Sam know something she didn't? Doubtful.

The anger forced her into action, and she yanked the door open, almost ripping it off it's hinges.

Sam was walking don the driveway to where Emily waited in the car.

"If you're ever in a 'bad mood' around my imprint again, I will rip your eyeballs out of their sockets. Pretty sure you're not gonna grow them back," Leah said softly, knowing Sam, with his heightened hearing, would easily hear.

Turning he stared up at where she stood, framed with light from inside the house. Expression blank, he opened the car door and slipped inside next to Emily, who smiled happily at her husband, reversing the car down the driveway.

Leah was half way down the steps when she realised what the bonfire meant. Dragging a guy she barely knows, and isn't entirely sure she likes, to meet all her friends and family (plus a guy who hated his guts for no apparent reason), all in on the secret he didn't know.

Shit.