Lunar Ascension

Chapter 10: Bad Day!

Disclaimer: All things in the Twilight universe belong to Stephenie Meyer and her publishers. The song and lyrics belong to the band and their representatives. Any other copyrighted material included in this story belongs to their rightful owners. Cheers ma dears! Rated M.

Who are you to make me feel so good?
Who are we to tell ourselves that we're misunderstood?
Oh, who am I to say I'm always yours?
This Love (Will Be Your Downfall) by Ellie Goulding

The wolf was out but my head was still back in the gravel lot with Travis. It was harder than I could have imagined to walk away from him when I knew there was danger around. The howl had been a warning howl, and the moment I phased the voices of my brothers filled my head.

'Leah, what are you doing here?' Jacob asked as he followed the saccharine sweet trail of a leech. I could smell it through his thoughts and I almost gagged.

I could sense the Cullen's close to him in the forest, they were running together. I tried to get a feel for where they were through what Jacob was seeing. I'd run that route a lot and knew the markers, but I also worked in a lot of the parks as well.

'I was at work, when I heard your call.' I couldn't help my mind from flickering back to the cruiser and who was in it.

'You imprinted? Leah, get back to the car your mind is not in the game. Stay in wolf form and close to where you parked, the leech is headed in your direction. Edward is going to circle around and meet you there.'

'I can do this, Jake.'

'I'm not doubting that, but with your imprint this close to the action you need to protect him. I need your head straight, this one is tricky, he likes to play games. He wandered straight onto the Cullen's land.'

The images played in Jacob's head and I saw the way that the vampire had tried to gain access to Nessie. It was so clear and so fresh in Jacob's mind, his anger became my anger. Knowing how vital imprints were to us gave me a deeper understanding of what could happen if the vampire had succeeded.

'You get him first you hold him for us. The Cullen's and I have a score to settle.'

'Fine, I'm heading back to the trees near the cruiser, but you keep your head in the game, Jacob.'

He mentally acknowledged me as the other voices of the pack tried not to think about the fact that I'd imprinted. I knew it was a surprise to most of them. Sam had agreed to keep it quiet until I figured things out, and his mental voice was the loudest in urging me back toward the small lot where I'd parked.

Without hesitating, I changed directions and backtracked through the forest to where my uniform was scattered over the forest floor. The radio was a flurry of activity as the dispatcher reported the emergency call from a couple of campers. They'd seen and heard something, but they had no idea what, so I was supposed to be on the lookout for a bear.

I moved to where I could see the cruiser through the trees, and was mindful to stay out of view. Jacob had been right about me feeling better this close to Travis. I felt more in control, more useful, like I could protect him here. Even his quiet singing along with the radio seemed to put me at ease.

Unable to sit, I paced the edge of the trees and watched the action through Jacob's eyes. Emmett and Jasper were now either side of him, and I could only assume Edward was on his way to meet me. This was personal for all of them. Nessie was their own little miracle, she was born when no one had even thought it was possible. She meant a lot to all of them, and for me, I was finally starting to understand it all.

Rustling in the trees and the familiar, yet nauseating, scent of Edward Cullen filled the air around me. I actually felt relief at having the backup.

'Hey, Edward.'

"Leah," he whispered, giving the fur on the back of my neck a ruffle. It used to annoy the hell out of me but oddly it didn't so much anymore. "You see anything yet?"

'Nothing, Well except Travis singing along to the radio.'

Edward nudged me with his shoulder and gave me a flash of a smile. "I'm happy for you, Leah, but what the hell possessed you to bring him on patrol with you?"

'Not patrolling. Working. He signed a waiver for a ride-a-long. He . . . I . . .'

I tried not to think about the mess I'd made, but it was impossible.

"I understand. It'll all work itself out with time."

I mentally thanked him and threw my senses back out across the forest. I checked in with Jacob, and they were still hot on his trail and heading straight for us. I hated being idle like this. Travis was a sitting duck in the middle of a gravel lot which made the low music he was playing echo through the trees. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was bait.

'Leah,' Jacob mentally nudged me. 'We're only a mile from your location, we'll be on you in seconds. Head in the game.'

'You got it, Jake.' I turned to Edward and he nodded to let me know there was no need to repeat what was being said.

The two of us ran the crescent around the small lot, our eyes vigilant as we listened to the noise from the west. I was agitated and terrified that he'd get through me, but I tried not to think about it. He was one, we were many. Five of us were directly on him and there were six backups on the way from La Push. We had this.

As the rustling from the trees grew louder and louder I found myself distracted by an approaching engine, the scent of it was as familiar as my own.

Of all the times to be a defiant, hardheaded prick, now was not convenient. I couldn't smell the female he was with, which could only meant he'd dumped her in a diner and "borrowed" her car. The gravel cracked and popped as the wheels drove over them, it was like gunfire in the dead of night and I could almost feel the excitement of the oncoming vampire. If we all got out of this alive, I was going to kill Zach myself.

"He's going to get himself killed," Edward growled, as he tensed for battle.

Zach was already climbing out of the car, and I knew Travis wouldn't be far behind. There was no way he'd sit in the car and let his brother be the hero. I damned them both and their foolish pride. We were running out of time, each footstep from the oncoming vampire was like a tick of a clock.

"Damn it," Edward growled again and sprang through the trees. "Get in the car NOW!"

He made it to Zach in a blink and pushed him into the back seat of the cruiser and told Travis to lock the door. They had no idea who or what he was and I was banking on them being stunned long enough to take care of the leech that was . . .

'Edward . . .'

He was by my side in a blink, the two of us creating an impenetrable wall as the bloodsucker ran headlong into us. There was no breath, no dance to size one another up, just limbs and growls filling the air as Edward and I teamed up against him. The metallic rip of his flesh filled the darkness as I bit down on an arm and pulled. When Jacob and the others arrived there was no hesitation in joining in.

The noise was so immense, I knew that the two men in my cruiser would be torn on how to handle the situation. I backed out of the fight, they didn't need me anymore, and I needed to check on Travis . . . and Zach. I couldn't let them wander into the woods and see this, there would be more questions than I could answer, and as far as Zach was concerned, limited answers.

I loped through the trees and froze as I realized my mistake. I was still a wolf.

Zach and Travis were shoulder to shoulder frozen in fear and staring at me with wide eyes of awe. The moment between us dragged as though in slow motion. I could smell their fear, it tickled my senses, and I knew I was in trouble. The problem was they had the shotgun, and it wasn't Travis holding the weapon, it was Zach. Before I could retreat into the cover of the trees, he let off a shot that rang out in the night with a startling clarity.

At first I'd though he'd missed. Everything happened so fast but my mind seemed to slow it all down. Then I felt the pressure. It hit me in the back leg, and for a second I was thankful that it had missed the bone, but then the pain started.

"Leah, shift," Edward called from behind me as the acrid smell of the smoke plume filled the air from the forest. I didn't even question his command. I did as I was told and collapsed to the floor because I only had one leg to take my weight.

I was barely aware of what was going on as the pain in my leg seemed to pound out it's own rhythm all the way through my body. Surely being shot shouldn't hurt this much.

"It's a shotgun, close range," Edward murmured from above me. "That's why it hurts so much, if it was a bullet it would start healing but there's too much crap in the wound from the spatter."

"Yay," I mumbled sarcastically.

Edward chuckled from above me, which gave me some hope that it wasn't life threatening.

"Leah, Leah!" Travis was shouting from behind the line of wolf and vampire, and when Edward draped his coat over my very naked body, the line parted and Travis was on his knees beside me.

"Hey."

"Don't hey me," he growled, his hands fluttering nervously over the wound. "I'm guessing this is your secret?"

"However did you deduce that?"

"Just stop with the sarcasm for a damn minute would you."

"Don't talk to her like that," Edward growled protectively. "You may be her imprint, but she still deserves your respect."

"Imprint?"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second before letting them flicker open and meet the blue of Travis'. There were so many questions there, his curiosity was evident. What surprised me more than that was the lack of fear.

"Holy crap, did you explain anything?" Edward asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I was getting to it," I groaned. "Why the hell did Zach have the shotgun anyway?"

Travis sat back on his feet and shook his head. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him everything but the pain was making it hard to think clearly. I could feel my skin trying to fuse together over the crap that was currently littering my leg and it hurt like a bitch.

"Hang on, Leah. We're going to get you to Carlisle."

"I have to clock out, they'll ask too many questions, and that idiot," I said nodding to Zach. "Needs to get the car back to the girl he stole it from."

I tried to keep my head in the game but the pain was making the darkness close in around the edges of my mind. I was so tired to begin with, but now the adrenaline was burning off it was almost impossible to function. I was done, out for the count. The last thing I saw was Jacob in his cutoffs shaking his head with concern.

I woke up slowly, my mind was foggy and discombobulated. I could only imagine what the doctor had given me, whatever it was seemed to have worked enough to dig out whatever was impeding the healing of my leg, because it felt almost completely normal aside from some aches here and there.

"Are you awake?"

"Getting there," I groaned, as my eyes fluttered open to meet Travis'.

He was on the bed next to me laying on his side with his head propped up on his hand. The freaked out quizzical look was gone and was replaced by concern. Now I was the one with questions.

"What the hell did the doc give me?"

"Morphine. It was only an hour ago, but he said your body burns it off quickly. He wanted you to stay knocked out because you were exhausted."

"Smart man. How long have I been out?"

"Three days."

"Three days?" I said sitting up quickly. "Have you been here the whole time?"

He nodded, and used his free hand to push me back onto the bed. I didn't fight it, I still felt like I had some of the morphine in my system.

"What about Greg and Steve?"

"Zach's looking after them, he also told the college you had a minor accident and needed a couple of days off. Jacob spoke to his friend at the Rangers station and they gave you a vacation. The doc, Jacob and Sam said you would rest better with me here."

"What else did they tell you?"

"Everything. For a while I thought I would need some morphine. It was a lot to absorb."

I gave off a humorless laugh. I was torn, I wasn't sure whether to feel pissed or relieved that I'd missed out on most of the conversation. Travis was my mate and I felt like I had the right to tell him what was going on, but at the same time, it saved him three days of grief waiting for me to explain.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner. I never meant it to happen like that."

"I know you didn't," he said gently. "Sam said you would kick his ass for this, but he explained why you were so resistant against it. He also explained it to Zach, who feels like shit for shooting you."

"So he should, how the hell did he get the gun?"

Travis rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. I could imagine it wasn't the greatest memory for him, but I was trying to put the pieces together. I needed answers.

"We heard the fight from the cruiser. We didn't know what it was at the time, but I knew you were out there. Zach went all gung ho and decided we should investigate. I tried to explain your request to him, but he grabbed the gun and got out of the car anyway. I followed to try and stop him and that's when you stepped through the trees."

"I needed to make sure you were all right, I completely blanked on what form I was in."

"I know. You're a beautiful wolf, Leah, and the moment I saw your eyes I knew, but I was too late to stop Zach."

"No harm no foul," I sighed. "So you know all about imprinting now right? Why you were drawn to me, why I was drawn to Zach? Why I change into a wolf and who the Cullen's really are?"

"I know most of it, but there were a couple of observations that the doc wanted to talk to you about, he's super polite but still refused to tell me."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. Seeing the doctor from a humans perspective was definitely new to me. In all accounts I should be edgy as hell sitting here with my imprint in a coven full of vampires, but somewhere inside of me I think I knew I could trust them. They were tied to Jacob, which meant they were family, they'd done nothing but try to protect me since, and I'd been too damn stubborn to see it.

"What?"

"I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the Cullen's."

"Really, I thought you'd be more interested in what I think about everything else."

"Oh, I am. I'm surprised you didn't run screaming."

I think I actually still expected him to, but when his bright smile appeared, I knew that he'd already accepted what all this meant. It was hard to be pissed at anyone when they let me sleep through the complicated parts of the revelation.

"I think it's all kind of poetic, and this definitely explains why Greg and Steve react to you the way they do. I also know that you need time and I am all for just being friends until you figure stuff out. Only there's one condition to that."

"A condition?" I asked intrigued.

"Yes. You have trouble sleeping you call me. I have a kick ass king sized bed that you can sleep at the polar opposite side of. I don't want you to get that tired again. I'm not going anywhere, Leah, and I can be patient, but I don't want you hurting yourself because of it. Now I know the truth, we can work around it and make the pieces fit."

I hated and loved how rational he was all at the same time. It should have been so much easier now he knew what I was, but I still felt apprehensive about the whole thing. If he was willing to wait, I would take the time to figure things out on my own. There was also something else he needed to know about me.

"Travis?"

"Yeah?"

"There's probably something else you need to know about me, it's not really relevant to the here and now but I think you need to know so you can make a decision on whether you want to wait or just be friends."

"Leah . . ."

"No, please let me finish."

"No," he laughed, brushing some strands of hair from my forehead. "I don't need to hear it. I've already made my mind up, all I have to do is wait for you to do the same."

I appreciated what he was saying, and his dedication to me made me feel guilty about how I still felt about Zach. I wanted to make sure he was happy before I moved on. It was a ridiculous notion, but having been where he was now, I knew it was the only way I could live with any decision I made. I didn't blame Sam for making the choices he made, because had I not gone through the heartbreak, I wasn't sure I would have any qualms about being with my imprint. The truth was however, I had been there and I knew how it felt to be discarded.

Travis was amazing, there was no doubt in my mind about that, but I had to do things the right way for my own piece of mind. I could deal with being his friend, and I knew that I needed him in my life. That would have to do for a little while.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

"The future," I said candidly, turning my head on the pillow to look at him. "I want to spend more time with you, get to know you better, but . . ."

"You still love, Zach."

I sighed and reached out for his hand. He willingly gave it to me, and the moment we touched I saw the serenity create a calm mask over his face, eradicating his furrowed brow. He was trying to be understanding. His bond with me was already so strong, yet I continued to fight it.

"Sam told you what I went through with him and Emily, right?"

He nodded in response.

"I know what it's like to be the rejected person, the victim of nature's folly. It's not fun, when you love someone and it's all taken away so suddenly, it does something to you. I don't want Zach to be the bitter, hateful person I was. He deserves to be happy too. Not jumping into a relationship with you is the only way he can ease out of this pain and move on."

Travis nodded. I could see the sadness circling his blue eyes and delving into his soul, and I hated knowing I'd put that there.

"I want everyone to have a happy ending," I tacked on.

"I understand, I just wish it was sooner rather than later. You're like nobody I ever met before. I think I would have liked you without the whole imprint deal."

"We'll never know," I teased. "Hey would you mind grabbing Edward and Jacob real quick. I have some questions for them."

Before he could even roll off the bed I heard Edward's response from downstairs. I forgot what it was like to live with vampires and their supersonic hearing.

"Nevermind, they heard me."

"Really?"

I grinned, explaining some of the more fun aspects of being a shifter was going to be fun. maybe one day, Edward would let me grill him about Travis' thoughts too.

"That would be unethical," Edward mused. stepping into the room with Jacob.

'But it would answer some questions,' I thought.

Edward shook his head and sat in the overstuffed chair at the other end of the room. While Jacob planted himself on the other side of the bed with his usual bright smile.

"What's going on?" I asked, skipping the pleasantries and getting right down to business. "This is the fourth vampire in two months. It's been quiet for two years, what's changed?"

Edward and Jacob looked at one another and then at Travis.

"He's my imprint. You know he's more than entitled to listen to this."

Edward sighed and leaned forward in the chair, templing his fingers. I figured he was going to be the one to initiate this conversation.

"We wondered the same thing. Jasper has some contacts in the south and has been trying to get in contact with them. From what we understand, the Volturi are doing some spring cleaning. It's nothing on the scale of the southern wars, but there is a couple of shifts in power, and the Italians don't seem to like being left out of the decision making. This rush of nomads seems to indicate that some of them are heading north. There's less people, but more cover."

"How long is this going to go on for?"

"No one knows. It could be months, days, maybe even years. The Volturi guard are moving East to West in sweeps looking for trouble makers. Most of the civilized vampires have nothing to worry about, but the instigators are running North for impunity."

"Does this mean that we may end up getting a visit again?"

"We're hoping not," Edward sighed. "For the sake of cooperation, Carlisle has called them, and explained that we've been acting like a net, they've asked us to report all vampires in the area. He's working under the assumption that all those who run need punishing."

"You don't agree?" I asked as Travis squeezed my hand. I could only imagine how new all of this was for him.

"I don't know what to think. Every vampire we've encountered so far has been volatile, they are more than happy to come face to face with us because they enjoy the challenge. Maybe the Volturi are right with this one, I can't be sure. Carlisle doesn't like it though. He may not agree with their lifestyle, but he thinks they should be given the choice to pass through."

"He does realize that if they don't kill here they'll kill somewhere else right?"

"You know how Carlisle hates waste of life," Edward replied thoughtfully. It was easy to see how much he respected his father figure, and I couldn't blame him. Carlisle was an compassionate guy who always wanted to do the right thing. I knew I respected the hell out of him.

"So where does that leave us?" I asked.

"For now, I would say regular patrols, and it might be worth you staying here, at least that way you'll know that you're both protected."

"Dude, I have a job and two dogs to look after. I can't just dump my life," Travis said, sitting up.

"How's your family with dogs, Edward?" I asked over him. If it meant he would be safe I would do what I had to do. I couldn't protect the whole world all the time, but I would breathe better knowing that Travis was safe.

"We'll manage. Emmett with have a ball."

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," I answered sweetly. "But I hate using emotional bribery and I would much prefer to you agreeing to this on your own terms."

"You're serious?"

"Just until we figure it all out. It's here or La Push. I need to know you're safe."

"Where will you be?"

"Here, with my alpha."

He sighed and fell onto his back. Staring at the ceiling.

"Here it is then."

A/N: Poor Leah! First she takes a buckshot to the leg and then has to deal with a conversation after the fact. It has to be hard knowing that Sam and Jacob were the ones to do the talking. But seeing as they're both Alpha's they had the freedom to tell Zach as well. Thank you to all of you that read, alert, favorite and review. Your comments always keep me smiling and I think you guys are amazing! Thank you so much for reading! To my beta, Hev99, I would like to say a huge thank you and not just for this! To Sabi'sSookie, for being an amazing BFF and Twinnifer, if not in actuality, mentally, she may as well be my sister. To Pinkindeed, for being a great listener and an inspiration! I hope this week is better for you hun! Mwah! love you guys!