"Leah, please call me back. If you really want to break up, of course I'll honor your wishes - but I need to know WHY! It's killing me, Lee. I love you, but of course you know that. Please…" His voice broke and his hands started to shake. Jonah had no way of knowing Leah would delete his message without listening to it. All he knew was that he had never been so miserable. He had no idea what was wrong with him.
Someone was pounding on the door. In no mood for company, Jonah shouted "Go away!" Oh shit. What if it was Leah? He flung the door open.
Aiyanna looked worried. "I came as soon as I heard, Jonah." She pushed past him, not waiting for an invitation she was unsure of getting. "I'm sorry," she said softly, placing a hand on his cheek. She frowned. "Are you sick?"
"Heartsick," he mumbled, falling into a chair and clasping his hands in front of him. "I don't know what I did wrong, Sis. We never even had a fight."
"Do you want me to try talking to Leah?" She had a feeling she knew what the problem was, but she couldn't tell her brother. She sighed, recognizing the irony. Aiyanna knew it was killing Leah that she couldn't reveal her secret life to Jonah because he was neither her imprint nor a shape shifter.
Jonah shook his head. "Can we talk about something else? How are you and Seth?"
"We're fine." She smiled wistfully. "I get a lot of teasing because he's six years younger than I am, but he's very mature. And he loves me, Jonah. It's nice." Blinking quickly, she looked at her feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't come over to brag about my boyfriend. What can I do for you? Are you eating?"
He emitted a short bark of a laugh. "It's all I do these days. I should weigh 300 pounds by Christmas."
She shook her head. "You don't look fat...yet. In fact, you look a bit taller than I remember."
He yanked at the hem of his jeans. "Nah, this cheap denim shrinks in the dryer. I'll be okay, Anna. I guess these things just take time." Swiping a sleeve across his eyes, he murmured "I really thought Leah was the ONE, Sis. Trouble is, I still do. You wanna hear something weird?"
His sister smiled her encouragement.
"Sue Clearwater called to see how I am. Isn't that strange? I understand she's some kind of dignitary in the tribe, but if she's taking sides I'd think she'd be on Leah's!"
Aiyanna nodded. "She's good people, Jo. She was appointed to the tribal council when her husband died. You've been away for some years, so I guess you're a bit out of touch with tribal goings-on. When you left for college, all the other guys stuck around." She looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm glad you came back."
"Sometimes I think it's true, what they say," Jonah said softly. "You can't go home again. I have nothing in common with my friends from high school. I ran into Sam in Forks and he had nothing to say."
"You know he and Leah were...an item, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she told me that. But it was a while ago. It shouldn't have anything to do with Sam and me! I mean, he used to hang out at our house after school. Maybe we've changed more than I know."
Aiyanna looked uncomfortable. "Well, Seth is meeting me here. We're taking you out for dinner."
Jonah rose and placed his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Thank you, Anna. I really do appreciate your generous gesture, but no. I'm in no mood - and I won't ruin your evening with Seth. And besides...shit!" The doorbell chimed, and it had to be Seth. He stepped back and Anna opened the door.
Seth kissed her lightly on the lips. "Hey, Jonah. You guys ready to go?" He suddenly looked unsure as he took in Jonah's unkempt appearance. Like most Natives, he didn't have a heavy beard, but it was obvious he hadn't shaved in a few days. It was a Friday, and Seth knew Jonah usually went to work groomed and dressed immaculately. He worked for a small but successful architectural firm in Forks. "Have you been working?"
Jonah glared at Seth, looking suddenly combative. "How the hell do you expect me to work, Seth? Your sister rips out my heart and stomps on it, and I'm supposed to keep smiling?"
"Sorry, Jonah. I didn't mean it that way. It's just…"
"It's just nobody gives a shit!" Jonah interrupted Seth in mid-sentence.
Aiyanna took Jonah's hand and realized it was trembling. "That's not true," she said quietly as she shot a pleading glance at Seth.
Seth placed himself between the siblings, which seemed to further anger Jonah. "What the FUCK is going on here?" he shouted, taking a step toward Seth. Aiyanna retreated to the hallway and watched, aghast, as her brother's trembling increased. His face was crimson, and an inhuman snarl erupted from his throat. He froze, confused by the sound, and Seth stepped back into the hall, keeping himself in front of the obviously terrified woman.
With a soft ripping sound and some loud cracking and popping, the air around Jonah shimmered. Seth turned to Aiyanna and wrapped his arms around her, his body shielding her from the monstrous wolf that erupted from her brother's body with a roar and suddenly filled the small space. "Shit!" Seth muttered ineffectually as all hell broke loose.
The wolf bucked, trying in his panic to turn around in the cramped room. An enormous paw crushed the coffee table and a swinging tail crashed through the flat screen TV. "Jonah! Stop!" Seth's voice rose over the cacophony of shattering wood and glass with a timbre of authority. The animal's eyes were wild. When he opened his mouth, displaying an array of fearsome teeth, an eerie howl split the air, freezing all three. Seth took a step toward the panic-stricken wolf and spoke softly now. "Jonah. You're okay. I can explain what's happening, but you have to calm down."
Jonah tried to answer, but when he tried to speak all he could manage was a low growl. "What's wrong with me, Seth?" He screamed in his head, but the words somehow twisted into another howl.
Seth held out his hands. "You have to calm down, Jonah. Try to relax." Seth's voice was mellow, soothing.
"Jonah? I'm still here." Aiyanna spoke from behind Seth, peering over his shoulder. "You're okay, really. You know the stories, Jo. About the shapeshifters. That's what happened to you. You'll be okay. Just let Seth explain it to you, okay?"
Panting, the wolf dropped into a crouch and Seth took another step forward. "You're a wolf, Jonah, but it's okay. You'll be able to phase back to human form when you're calm. The legends are true, my friend. I'm a shifter too, but if I shift here we'll blow out the walls and ruin the rest of your furniture." He looked around at the devastation. "Let's hope none of your neighbors heard the commotion and called the police."
Aiyanna drew in a sharp breath. "Seth! Honey, you're bleeding!"
Seth looked at his arm. He hadn't noticed a ragged gash that ran from his left elbow down to his wrist. "It's okay, guys. Don't worry about it. I heal really fast." As they watched in fascination, the wound closed of its own accord and the angry crimson scar narrowed and faded to a fine line.
It took thirty endless minutes for Jonah to calm down enough to phase back. During that time, Seth talked calmly and explained what was happening. He talked about the physical changes Jonah could expect as well as the necessary secrecy. He was careful not to allude to Leah's intentions; that was her story to tell in her own time. When Jonah finally reverted to his human form, naked and trembling, Seth tossed him an afghan from the back of the couch. He wrapped it around his waist and collapsed into the only chair in the room that was intact.
Stepping into the kitchen, Seth pulled out his phone and punched in a speed dial number. He was out of earshot, but Jonah's sharp wolf hearing picked up every word. "Leah? It's me. I have good news and bad news. Well actually, they're both the same."