Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. I am only putting my own spin on Stephenie Meyer's already created world of the supernatural.

Warning: Violence/Gore, mentions/attempt of suicide, and character deaths

"Something is wrong," Jasper's voice warned from a distance.

They all heard us approaching, of course, and went still at Jasper's words. Edward didn't correct him and neither did I. Something was wrong, wasn't it? We burst through the front door where Carlisle was already waiting to meet us.

Edward passed him entirely, going for their impressive computer setup. I was left to explain things.

Looking at Carlisle and his pristine outfit made me aware of my dirty, dripping wet appearance. Esme would have to clean up the mess Edward and I were making later.

"We might've found out why I'm so weird."

"What happened?" Carlisle asked straight away, darkened eyes intensely focused on mine. Then, he said in his next breath, "Esme, please, get them towels and fresh clothes."

"On it."

Edward answered Carlisle as he was waiting for one of the computers to boot up. As fast as it was getting, technology hadn't quite caught up to vampire speeds yet. "We've come for a bit of fact-checking before we get too ahead of ourselves."

"What have you found?" Alice's tinkling voice came from the second floor. "My visions are…strange."

"I know," Edward said as he typed away on the keyboard.

Before I could worry too much about what Alice said, Esme approached me, holding a fluffy white towel. She draped it over my shoulders for me and backed away with her hands clasped together. No hug. Probably only because she thought I'd push her away.

I just said a quick, "Thanks." And then I watched Edward, waiting with him.

He typed so quickly that I wondered how the keyboard could keep up with the rate of input. Before too long, he spoke up from the computer, "Mary Leloup lives in a cottage in Brest, France. I'm printing out her address now."

"No idea what the hell they're talking about," Emmett muttered under his breath from the garage.

Like a reflex, I asked in his direction, "Where's Rose?"

"Picking up a part for my jeep from storage. She'll be back any second. Is this important? I mean, like, in a bad way? If it is, you should tell all of us. In person."

I went for the landline by the kitchen, dialing the number I knew I had to. Even though I really, really didn't want to. "Can't stay."

Sam picked up my call after a single ring. "Yeah?"

"Get the pack together at mine. I've got news." I hung up immediately afterward and started for the door. Edward would catch up.

"Wait."

Alice.

When I turned around, she was standing on the stairs, frowning at me in a new designer dress. "I have to go, Alice," I said with a little more force than necessary.

She breezed past it. "Promise to be careful. I don't like this."

"Seriously, what's going on?" Emmett had come in from the garage and was looking around expectantly. "Do I need to kick some ass?"

"No, and it's complicated. Family stuff." Esme's face fell. Carlisle's, too. "Wolf stuff. Look, I'll be careful. Nothing'll happen to Edward."

"Or yourself," Alice added, delicate face pinched into a resolute expression. "Say it."

I would've said I believed in fairies if it got me back to the res faster. "Sure. Yeah. I promise."

She shot a fleeting glance at Jasper. He gave a minute shake of his head. "It'd be nice if you could mean it, too."

"It'd be nice if you could stay out of my business."

"Please, don't fight," Esme pleaded while she still had the chance to.

"We won't," I reassured her, still staring Alice square in the golden eye. "It wouldn't be worth the trouble."

Edward came to my side, taking my towel for me before ushering me out of the house. "We'll keep you updated," he said to Carlisle on our way out. It was a lucky break that the rain had stopped.

"Bye," I called over my shoulder. The Cullens gave a chorus of parting wishes in return.

I had to run as Edward sped up, the arm he had around my back forcing me to stay his pace. Neither of us acknowledged the tense encounter. I thought neither of us would.

But it turned out he was just waiting until we had enough distance. "Will you ever forgive them?"

"You know, Edward, if I could go one day without being reminded about how much pain they're all in, I'd probably already have," I said in a spur of anger. I almost immediately felt that familiar bite of guilt. Worse, I felt concerned. "But Alice will be ok, though, right? What's going on in her head?"

"It's nothing painful but it is disconcerting. Some massive interference is afflicting her sight, disrupting every vision." It could've been my relative messing with Alice's head. "It's possible."

"Possible?" I scoffed.

Begrudgingly, he amended, "Likely."

"If it makes any difference, I'm sorry. My mess is becoming theirs and it's not fair." I put my arm around his waist, holding him back as we ran.

He dipped his head, kissing the top of mine. "It's not your fault." I believed that he believed that. "I believe it because it's true. I'll also tell you they're more worried about you than themselves. As am I."

"All the more reason to get this sorted out as fast as we can."

"I agree."

It wasn't long after our conversation when we breached Quileute lands. We assumed a mutually tense silence thereafter.

Everyone was already waiting for us at my mom's, still wearing their pajamas, sleep in their eyes. Seth watched me harder than anyone. It was like trying to decode the whole situation from any twitch or shift in my expression. Given enough time, I had no doubt that he could.

In hindsight, I should've told him first, privately. Hell, I hadn't even read all the material yet myself. But it was too little too late to think of all that.

"Here." I tossed the folder to Seth first, trying to make up for my mistake.

"No, no, the cold one can't be here." Collin looked heatedly at Sam.

Sam looked at me.

"He's my imprint and he has important information. He has every right to be here."

"Just this once," Sam agreed, ticking off Collin so badly he was already sulking one minute into the meeting. "Edward?"

Edward explained for everyone's benefit, "Peter left clues behind and they led to this folder. Inside of it is evidence of a woman we believe to be Leah and Seth's twenty-first great grandaunt. There is also evidence that she's still alive."

"Then, she has no interest in coming back to the tribe," Sam concluded, taking the old records offered to him by Seth.

Soon enough, everyone'd get a peek. We were all fast readers—fast processors of anything really. It was just another hallmark of being a shapeshifter.

"Doesn't matter." I grabbed a seat on the couch, pulling Edward down with me. "She could answer a lot of questions about me and maybe even the pack."

"Could be," Sam agreed with me, throwing a glance around the pack as they got ahold of the folder's contents. "Could also be that she's dangerous and was banished by our ancestors to keep everyone safe."

Embry reasoned, "It's a good idea to be cautious of anything Peter's leading you to."

"Two good points. Here's mine: I have to talk to her or we'll never know." I looked back at Sam's face already shadowed with concern.

"Even if you went, you couldn't do this alone. It's too big a risk."

"What's your plan then, alpha?" Jared asked from where he'd perched by the front door. "To pull us out of school for a pack trip? I'm sure our parents'll take that super well."

I talked through the harsh looks exchanged between the two. "Edward found her address so I'll leave with him right after this. He's a better fighter than all of you anyway and if he hears any off-color thoughts, we can make a quick getaway. Everyone else can go on like usual and, hopefully, we'll come back with good news."

"I could come, too."

"You shouldn't," I said before Sam got too gung-ho about his idea. "You have to support Paul right now and keep an eye out for Irina. And, yeah, yeah, she shouldn't be back but you can't be too prepared."

"I'll go with you," Seth said, nodding. "It makes sense. It's my blood, too."

Paul clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, there's no way in hell you're going."

"But I could help!"

I couldn't think of anything worse than Seth getting caught in a trap with me. "You'll help by staying here and explaining things to Mom."

"That's so—that's not even—I could actually help!"

Quil cackled. "You're just scared to face your mom after letting Leah fly away again."

"That's not true! And I'm not letting her."

Edward tentatively reminded my brother, "She's not going alone."

"Now, he's speaking out of turn?"

"Shut up, Collin." Paul scared him enough for him to listen.

Edward bore the uncomfortable situation gracefully with a remorseful smile. "I don't plan on making my attendance a habit. I apologize for intruding. However, other than Leah's blood, I care the most for her. I'll make sure nothing happens."

"But, Eddie—"

"Leah never calls you but I'm not like that. We'll be in constant contact. You'll always be able to reach me and I will always be with her." Edward's hand slid into mine, steadying as always.

"And if you're both in trouble?"

"Please," I scoffed at my brother. "I pity anyone fighting the two of us. We could take the entire pack."

"Fat chance," Paul muttered under his breath.

I ignored him. "Anyone else got a problem with this plan?"

I stared at Sam, waiting for him to give me the official go-ahead so I could clear out the place and start packing. Unfortunately, he took just a little too long.

"Since that's all done, I've got something I need to say before the meeting's over." Jared uncrossed his arms and rolled his shoulders like he was warming up for something. "I'll just come out with it: I've been thinking about a lot of stuff since Irina attacked."

Edward's hand squeezed mine. My eyes shot to his, catching the warning in them before he focused again on Jared, impassive.

Oh boy.

Jared left his spot by the door, walking to stand in the middle of the living room and everyone. "I can't stand by and watch the pack crumble. I have to say something."

"Jared, seriously? Shut up," Embry said, rubbing his eyes.

Everyone had already reached their limit with him after Rachel's surprise party. For once, I wasn't the least popular or the most infamous member of the pack. It was a crazy thing to wish that I was.

"With every generation, the defining factor is the alpha. So, is it really some big coincidence that this generation's typically hanging by a thread? If it wasn't for Leah, things would be so bad right now I doubt we'd even all be here."

Quil guffawed, holding his stomach. "Sorry, what?"

Jared didn't miss a beat, insisting, "It's true. Credit where credit is due. She's picked up a lot of the slack around here and has been an adequate second, despite it all. "

I didn't find it as amusing as Quil. Or amusing at all. "Jared, you can do whatever this is at the next meeting. I have to go."

"It can't wait, Leah. All of us have already put up with too much from Sam. You understand that more than anyone. What he did to you—"

"No!" Sam's sudden shout made a few of the guys jump. Despite the rage on his face, he didn't shake. It was always more frightening when he didn't. "Enough on Leah. Make your point yourself."

Jared gritted his teeth, his fingers trembling before they curled into tight, white-knuckle fists. "I've supported you, Sam."

"That's your job."

"I gave you my loyalty before you won a war. I gave you my loyalty before Old Quil ever approved of you as alpha. Even when you demoted me, I still followed you! I didn't do that because it's my job, I did it because I believed in you! I believed you were the guy who had what it took to step up and lead!"

Sam bit out, "I did step up."

"And now it's time to step down! It's time to go home to your wife and admit that what you have to offer just doesn't cut it! You don't have what it takes to lead us. Not anymore."

I waited for Sam to fight back, to do something destructive and loud. It didn't happen. Sam's rage evaporated. Sam damn near evaporated himself. Like a magic trick—ever seen a man disappear before your very eyes?—he shrank in size, slumping, and silent.

Someone had to say something, though, and I was next in line.

I stood up, Edward's hand leaving mine to glue to the small of my back in silent support. It helped keep me cool. "I won't criticize you for airing your issues with Sam but you can't speak for the rest of the pack."

"Why not?"

"You don't have the rank, for one. You don't have the authority or even the permission of the pack members. And they're not idiots—well, not all of them. They know that you're just using them to try and get what you want."

"Or maybe I'm sick of seeing them get neglected by the great and mighty alpha." Jared jutted his thumb at Sam who sat idly, now leaned over, forearms braced on his thighs.

I couldn't keep the incredulity out of my voice as I asked, "Neglected how?"

"Embry can't take the way Sam's scheduling patrols and practice. His mom's been threatening to send him to boarding school. Speaking of boarding school, Jake's still in the wind. What's Sam done about that?"

I countered, "No one can make Jake do something he doesn't want to. That's a fact of the universe. Changing schedules is easy enough, though. Ever tried this wonderful thing called 'asking'?"

"He'd already know how to schedule patrols if he actually paid any attention to the members. We literally share a brain, Leah. Not to mention how he's been handling Paul's imprinting. Or should I say not handling it? You know what Sam's done instead of improving anything? Plan two weddings."

This was too polished. He didn't talk like this when he was just venting or speaking his piece. Something I'd overlooked was that while Jared was healing from his bite, he hadn't been able to phase with the rest of us. He got a short few days of leave which seemed insignificant. Jared, though? Jared had been waiting for an opportunity like that for months. I just never thought he'd be willing to ruin his friendship with Sam to take it.

"Who, then?" Paul challenged, teeth bared. "Who in the pack can do better than Sam? Who's got what it takes? You, Jared?"

"Leah."

And there it was. There I was, caught in the middle, as always.

The pack shot each other uneasy looks, searching each other's faces. No one was saying anything, not for me and...not against me. Of course, the person who should've been objecting the loudest was staring at the floor, blank-faced.

In a flare of bad temper, I snapped, "In case it's not clear enough for you morons by now, I'm not an option for alpha. Ever. I stand behind the one we already have."

"You'd be a temporary alpha. You'd train up one of us for a few years to take on the job and then move wherever with the Cullens. You could even teach the new alpha how to access their spirit selves."

"I don't know how to access my spirit self!"

"My sister has done enough for the pack. This is too much," Seth said, surprising me. "I stand behind Sam, too."

"Well, I can't!" Jared cried, his voice cutting through the room. "I won't. And I'm not phasing until we get the leader we all deserve."

Jared's words hung in the air, over everyone.

Before anyone could respond, Collin stood up, rubbing his sweaty palms off on his baggy basketball shorts. "I'm also not phasing." He had even less control over phasing than Jared. In other words, he'd last two days without the pack. "I have another reason, though."

The muscle in Jared's jaw jumped despite the taut smile he had pasted on. This obviously wasn't part of their planned strike.

Collin said, "Bringing vampires onto the reservation's reckless. It puts people at risk for phasing. I won't rejoin pack activities until the treaty's rewrite gets dropped and the cold ones are banished again from our lands."

"Collin," Seth gasped. He, for some reason, had always thought Collin was better than that. No one else moved a muscle.

Except for our youngest and jumpiest member. "Come on, guys. You can't be serious about this. It's crazy," Brady said, his voice cracking twice.

"Jake wasn't forced to claim his birthright when he didn't want it," Embry recalled then, very measured. "Is it right to continue to back Sam when he's not even saying he wants the job anymore? Doesn't that force us to consider change, regardless of Jared's motives?"

This had to be the worst pack meeting we'd ever had. And that was saying something since we'd once had an entire meeting devoted to whether Brady was allowed to be a vegetarian. I set to wrap it up before it could get even worse.

"What Sam wants or what Jared wants is besides the point. Sam is alpha. End of story. This meeting's over."

Jared couldn't help himself. "I thought only Sam ended meetings."

Sam finally looked up.

All the veins stood out in his neck, his nostrils were flared, his eyes wide open and feral. "Get out," he whispered jaggedly through his teeth, a spray of spittle punctuating each word.

He was staring straight through Jared. If I'd been him, I would've already been running out of the house. But he had the balls to open his mouth to try and say something.

"Get! Out!" Sam roared, face and neck blotching red.

Jared beelined for the door and grabbed Collin by the back of his shirt on his way out.

Despite how he looked, Sam managed an even voice when he addressed the rest of the pack. "As for the rest of you, I'll still hold the nighttime drills for anyone who's still struggling with control. Patrols are on hold until further notice. Meeting's over, go home."

Everyone else shuffled out after the two of them, looking like everything from disoriented to disturbed. None of them spoke to each other. None of them even looked at each other. I quietly watched them go with their tails between their legs, heavy where I stood.

It didn't matter if Sam remained alpha. It wouldn't matter later when Jared and Collin inevitably came crying back. The effects of Jared's words today were permanent. The pack would never be the same, it just couldn't be. The friendship that had started it all had shattered beyond repair and it would alter the fabric of us forever.

Sam lingered behind everybody, his eyes trained on the floor as he took deep breaths. I was thinking about how to approach him when he abruptly rose to his feet.

"Leah." He crossed to where I was standing, gripping me by my forearm with a strong, hot hand. I instinctively held his arm back. "Go to France."

"Oh, I see. I've had a stoke."

"Leah, I'm serious. Go to France. Don't come back without answers."

No way. "Seriously? In the middle of all this? The woman's been alive for centuries, she can wai—"

"I need you to do what I say." His hand tightened, my bones creaking in painful protest.

A few months ago, I would've given him a shot across the jaw for that. Now, I just looked at him and said, "I'm not the one you're angry at, Sam."

It had a stronger effect than I could've imagined. He let go of me in an instant, shame flashing across his face. "You're right. I'm sorry." His fingers flexed on the offending hand before he dropped it by his side. "But you're still going to France." His eyes snuck over to Edward before he moved like he was leaving.

There was no way he could be leaving. "Sam!"

He slammed the front door behind himself, the last to go. It gave me a terrible feeling. Not like when I'd feel shut out and shut down before. This was different. This was final.

I had to know— "What's he thinking?" I whispered when he was gone, looking up at Edward.

He was slow to answer, "All things he doesn't mean. He's not at his most rational."

"But what—"

He grabbed my arm, examining it. The throbbing had already stopped but he checked it anyway. "You're ok?"

I was the exact opposite of ok but my arm was zero percent of the reason why. "Fine."

"Has he ever grabbed you like that before?"

"Yes," Seth said darkly from across the room.

Very displeased, Edward replied, "I see."

"Stop it, you two. We're all guilty of doing stupid crap when we're angry. Focus on what matters. Like if I'm actually gonna leave the country after a bomb just went off in the pack."

After Edward shot Seth a blink-and-you-miss-it glance, my brother cleared his throat and shrugged. "Staying probably isn't the best idea. You'd be going against Sam's direct orders and that could strengthen Jared's position."

"That's an annoyingly sound argument. Fangs?"

"I'm also of the mind you should go. You have to focus on your biggest issue, which is your own wellbeing. If your relative can help you somehow, it takes priority. Even Mr. Ateara would agree. It's also the path of least resistance, as Seth has pointed out."

"And the pack?"

"You find out what's going on with you in France and I'll hold down the fort here. Blood before pack." Seth's face was so serious, so much older than it had any right to be.

I wished I could stop it, that I could undo this to him. Every day, I saw the innocence leaving his eyes. Maybe he was just growing up but it was too fast. It wasn't right. None of this was right.

"Leah."

I looked at Edward, startled. He brushed his knuckles over the curve of my cheek, his touch a salve to my wounded soul. Then, I turned back to my brother. I had to say something, anything. He waited, tense like wound-up strings seconds from snapping.

"It's gonna be ok, buddy. I promise."

"I keep hoping so but then it gets worse. I mean, we were already the most historically significant pack since Taha Aki himself was alpha but... I guess what I'm wondering is what's the protocol for something like this? Technically, Sam should have already kill Jared for this and the elders wouldn't be able to say a thing. It's, like, treason to try and remove a sitting alpha since Utlapa days. Right?"

"If we're being technical, it's treason to try and defy a true alpha. Jake could murder Sam, Sam can't kill Jared." Seth finally relaxed a little, thank God. "Look, Jared can barely control his phasing and Collin straight up can't. And everyone knows Jared's not a good enough teacher to help him, so his one ally'll be back in the pack in a flash. Jared'll hold out maybe a month by himself before coming back, too."

"You think so?" His face told me he didn't, despite my most earnest lies to comfort him.

"Yeah, I do."

He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Still, it's good to a have a backup plan in case that doesn't happen. I was thinking I could try and get in contact with Jake while you're gone, tell him what's going on."

My mind, body, and soul resisted the idea. "Why? So he can grow a sense of responsibility and come back to be the next ill-qualified alpha? Don't count on it."

"At least, he'd be the rightful one. But I was thinking more that Jared would have to shut up if Jake comes home to back Sam."

It sounded more like a wild, harebrained plan Z to me. I could only imagine Jacob Black making everything ten times worse. "No." Seth looked like he'd argue so I reasserted, doubly stern, "No, Seth."

"Fine." He stormed up off to his room, skipping three steps at a time.

When his door slammed, I scrubbed my face and eyes with my hands. It was to get some frustration out as well as an attempt to get rid of any drowsiness. A lazy amber sun was already drifting back up into the grey outside. Night was over and so was any chance at sleep. But I would've bet money on another catastrophe happening before it was night again. Night in Washington or Brest? Either way, it was a pretty safe bet.

"My family could keep tabs on the reservation while we're away. From a safe distance, of course."

I doubted Irina would be back so soon, if ever. The pack's integrity was more concerning than its safety. We were at our weakest when at odds with each other. What if the Volturi chose this exact moment to pounce? Alice wouldn't even be able to see Aro's mind change with her sight all screwed up. That decided things.

"Can you at least tell me if Sam's planning to involve Old Quil?"

"He doesn't intend to speak with the elders about this at all. He'll put it off as long as possible to give Jared every chance to recant." What about the others? Were any of them thinking of going on strike, too? "Not exactly."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Brady?"

"He's scared. It wouldn't be about joining the other two. It would be about opting out of shapeshifting altogether."

"He doesn't have the control for that. He needs the pack."

"Then, don't let it concern you."

Things just had to hold here for a couple of days. Was that so impossible? "I'll go change. You change, too. The clothes you brought aren't too wet, are they?"

"They're dry enough."

As I went for the stairs, I told him, "I'll clear a drawer for you when we get back. It'll be more convenient if you have some of your stuff here."

I'd never packed and changed clothes so fast in my life. I barely remembered to pull out the laminated instructions for Seth on how to water my plants while I was gone. I'd still have to text him about the garden and pond later but I put a pin in the thought for the time being. I just couldn't stand being in my room anymore. It felt like my recent nightmares lingered there even after I woke up.

I darted back out, taking my usual leap to bypass the stairs. Edward was waiting by the front door. He smiled when he saw me, as he always did these days. When I walked over, our hands sought each other out so exactly that it was impossible to say who'd reached first.

"Let's go before my mom gets back. I can't remember her schedule."

We left together to the sounds of Seth getting ready for school. I'd never liked leaving him behind but there was an added sting to it after Italy. I kept looking back out of the rear windshield as Edward drove my van away.

"If anything should get worse with the pack, your family is free to stay at my house. In fact, they should consider it their house, too. My home will always be yours."

"I just wish I wasn't going." He grabbed my hand, holding it as a blur obscured my view of the house slowly disappearing. I blinked a few times to clear it away. "Thanks for coming."

"You couldn't stop me from going with you."

I laughed, twisting back to sit properly in my seat. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, anyway."

"You're welcome." His voice was gentle, turning the common phrase tender and intimate on his lips.

At least I could always be happy about one thing: Even if everything else was wrong, he was always the right man.

"I adore you." The sudden declaration sent a swell through my chest and I could smile again for the first time in what felt like years. "I know you're tired and that this entire situation is stressful and unfair. I'll make you an offer."

"Hm?"

"Say the word and we'll run away together."

I couldn't do that. He knew I couldn't. But he also knew me well enough to know how much I'd appreciate the offer. "Let's just try to face our problems first. If they're too scary then we'll run. We'll take your family and mine and get the hell outta dodge."

"Deal."

I chuckled, gazing at his handsome side profile for a little while longer. My mind wandered as soon as I started staring out of my window.

My mom would be pissed when she found out I left. Emily would worry. Rachel was gonna be so confused when she woke up. They'd use San Bernardino and make up some family emergency. It was the easiest lie. I dreaded the day no one would have to think up a lie to tell her anymore. Soon disastrous pack meetings would be her problem, too. It was already bad enough that they were Seth's.

By the time we got to the airport, I was sick to my stomach.

Edward took care of everything for me, whether I liked it or not. Tickets, food, arranging a rental car, it was all done before I could blink. He even bought me a neck pillow for the plane ride while I used the restroom.

"Thanks," I said when he put it on me without a word. I messed my way-too-long bangs around, getting them out of my eyes before I crossed my arms. "Anything else you'd like to buy or do without me asking?"

"Everything, if that lets you rest," he responded instantly and then handed me a banana he'd already half-peeled for me.

"I'll rest when I'm dead."

When we got to our gate and sat down, an announcement came over the intercom not a minute later. It was time to start boarding in groups.

Edward and I were in the first group. In fact, we were the first people in the first group to board. I'd never been a "priority" passenger before. He and Rosalie were gonna slowly spoil me rotten in the middle of all this madness.

I took the aisle seat since he let me have my pick. He could stay by our closed window and farther from the open window across from us. Not that he didn't already stand out. Everyone stared at him as they passed us to board, doing the awkward shuffle down the aisle. They'd only look away when they spotted me right next to him, glaring.

Once boarding and takeoff ended, I leaned my seat back to settle in. All the crowded scents of the plane were already threatening a headache. That was the thing I hated most about flying.

I rattled off under my breath, "If Sam stupidly gives up his role, I'll reject it. Embry's third but he could never be alpha as long as Old Quil's alive. Paul's not an option, no explanation needed. Quil would get overwhelmed and run from the job. So, guess who that leaves left of alpha-potentials? Jared."

Edward sighed, giving me a nice break in the recycled air of the plane. "His goal isn't to be alpha. Not currently."

"No, I know. That's just a bonus. This is about revenge, hurting back someone who hurt you. I get it. But we can't get caught like this, in this state. We'd get massacred by the Volturi."

"They won't move against you as long as you're my mate."

I squirmed even still. Our relationship wasn't a permanent solution. What about when I was gone? There'd come a time when I would stop phasing and I'd get an expiration date again like everyone else.

"I will watch over your land and your people."

"Is that enough, though? I mean, really, Edward, is it?"

Edward leaned over on the armrest separating us, handsome even in the unflattering airplane lighting. "Yes. Now, please, try to sleep. You're so exhausted that hearing you makes me tired."

"I can't sleep."

"Try before being so sure."

I huffed at his command but I closed my eyes. His lips pecked my cheek, my heart jumping an extra beat before he leaned back into his seat. In a way, there wasn't a better time to catch some shuteye than the present. Nothing better to do on a plane, right? It was just harder to quiet my mind than usual.

But, hey, I could sleep through a blizzard, I could sleep through a little stre—

"Leah, please, wake up. I can't carry you off."

I opened my eyes. They stung and watered, full of crust. Gross. I rubbed them, groaning, "What?"

"The air marshal is staring us down. He thinks I drugged you."

Maybe I was just tired but he wasn't making any sense. "Why in the world would he think that?"

"Because you slept for the entire flight."

I jolted in my seat, turning to look at Edward. I found him standing, leaning against the backs of the empty seats in front of ours. "No way."

He leaned down and unbuckled my seatbelt for me as he said, "Way. There was some concern when you didn't move a muscle even while we were landing."

I slept for nineteen hours?

"You were very tired." Edward helped me up by my arms, guiding me out of our row.

"Nineteen hours?"

He leaned in close as we got distance from the lone man sitting with us a few rows away from us. Quietly, he said into my ear, "They thought I might be trafficking you. I had to speak to a very suspicious flight attendant. You slept through the whole thing. It didn't make my job of convincing them I hadn't drugged and kidnapped you any easier."

"Nineteen hours?"

In the airport, Edward insisted on me sitting and eating while he went and got our luggage. I was too out of it to fight him. I inhaled three breakfast sandwiches and two cups of coffee before he came back to collect me. He'd bought a hoodie with a matching ball cap for himself since I'd last seen him and, along with the light luggage, had the keys for our rental. It was a no-frills, regular Toyota Corolla that we stopped at in the parking garage. I knew it had to kill him to drive it.

"It's not so bad," he lied as he was turning on the engine in the parking garage. "It's not worse than your van, at least."

I chuckled. "Ouch, fangs."

We drove to a rural countryside full of charm and old stone roads. The buildings all looked like they were from another time, covered with emerald overgrowth and brine from the sea. I hung out of my window to take in all the new smells and sights. I wanted to know the scent of French flowers, to memorize the shade of blue the sky was.

When I sat back down in my seat, Edward laughed and ran a hand through my hair, fixing it for me. I grinned at him, the prettiest sight of all. "I think I like France!"

"I'd love to show you more of it someday."

"This couple's trip not good enough?"

"This is not our first couple's trip. Don't you dare count it."

I snickered at him before popping back out of the window, hanging onto the door.

Tall and green grass gleamed dully under a cloudy sky, swaying in the salty breeze we created as we drove by. The sun hid away behind a large cloud and Edward got to take off his hat and throw it in the back.

Nature took over the farther we went, less and less civilization around to try and cull it. On a dirt road with nothing around for miles but open fields and cliffside, I smiled. It was kinda funny. This was the right weather, the right country, and the right guy. And it was still nothing like how I imagined our first couple's trip would be.

"This absolutely does not count!" His predictable outrage was extremely gratifying. "I'll have you know that I've already planned our first trip together. It's nothing like this!"

I sat up a little straighter. "You actually have something planned?"

"I do. It's ready the moment we have the time."

The exciting thought got less exciting the more I thought about it. "Yeah. Maybe someday. When the timing's right and all."

"It will happen." He looked at me, a determined gleam in his eyes. "Believe me."

I just smiled and wished that I could. A moment later, the car started slowing down. Edward parked us by a white picket fence at the end of the long road, shrouded by trumpet vines.

He turned off the engine and sat there, deadly still, not even breathing. It put me on instant alert. I almost jumped when he whispered, "Do you hear that?"

"What?" I closed my eyes, trying to tune into whatever he was picking up.

"Exactly. The cottage is silent."

I focused in on the cottage, pushing everything else out, and heard...still, nothing. The thing was, you could hear the pipes working or the currents of electricity throughout any home. There was always some noise in some shape or form. True silence was impossible but the cottage peeking over a white, wooden gate achieved it.

Humans wouldn't have even noticed with all the noise of outside. This was a special effort against supernatural beings. It had to be. "Thoughts?"

"None but yours. I don't like this."

I didn't either but we'd come a long way to turn back, hands empty. "Let's scout it out."

"I'll go. You, stay."

"But—" He silenced me with just a look. I knew if I got out of the car, if I even said another word, I'd be in for it. So, I shut up and sat still.

He flashed out of the car, checking around the house as fast as I'd ever seen him. All the foliage trembles and shivered from the wake of his presence, wind sweeping the cottage wherever he checked it. I itched to get out, to be there with him, closer, to watch his back. I was damn near close to joining him when he came back to the car, nodding. It was clear.

Edward beat me to opening my door and helped me out of my seat. I gave him a peck on the cheek as a reward for his dogged consistency and then steeled myself. I had to be prepared for anything to be behind that door.

We approached the cliffside cottage together, Edward's head on a constant swivel. At the gate, I was the one to lift the rusted hook keeping it closed, and push the weathered white door open. He was too busy searching for any sign of something dangerous. I was more interested in the cottage itself.

Facing us was what anyone would say was an unassuming house. Its siding was a veneer of flat river rocks, colored by green, climbing vines. The red front door didn't have a sound spilling from its cracks. The matching red panel doors were tightly shut over their windows, offering no peek inside. We didn't have a single hint of what could be waiting inside.

"Well," I said, eyeing the building. "I guess we should knock."

He stepped in front of me, holding out a protective arm. "I'll knock."

So dramatic. "Just as long as it happens."

We charged forward, following the short stone pathway to a decorated porch. It was crowded with potted plants and strewn with colorful wind chimes. Clappers bumped softly into singing aluminum, a few of them hanging dreamcatchers. I realized with a jolt that I recognized one of them.

"I made this." I touched it, smelled it. No way it wasn't mine. "In fourth grade. It went missing one day after a storm and I looked for it everywhere in the woods. She must've been the wind that took it away."

After a glance around to catch any last-second sign to run for our lives, Edward knocked softly on the door. It'd looked feeble but it sounded like metal under his fist.

No one came to the door. I didn't hear any footsteps—not that I thought I would've been able to—and Edward would've said something if he'd heard a peep. Somehow, though, I wasn't convinced the house was empty.

"It's Leah," I announced, ignoring Edward's scowl.

Waiting on the small porch with no sign of any incoming answer, doubts finally got their way with me. What was I doing in France? I needed to be home. Hell, I needed to go to Europe and drag Jacob's butt home kicking and screaming. The point stood that this cozy little French porch was the absolute last place I needed to be.

"Waste of time."

I turned on my heel, storming back toward the car with Edward. We got as far as the gate before something finally happened.

Two clicks. Two locks releasing. And then the door opened, sound pouring out of it. "Wait."

I whipped back around, pushing Edward behind me out of instinct. But there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Aɫila-chid? Aunt El, are you crazy?"

"I'm not her."

A woman who looked identical to my Aunt Elizabeth stood in the door of the cottage, wearing a cozy knit sweater and blue jeans. The only difference was that her hair was very long and the last picture I'd seen of my aunt had shown off her new pixie cut. Aunt El also lived in New York, so that was another reason why it couldn't be her. The resemblance was just so uncanny that it had short-circuited my brain.

"Uh, wow. Of course. Sorry." I gave my head a little shake, reorganizing my thoughts. "Hi."

"Hello."

I gestured to her and myself in a self-explanatory action. Still, I said aloud, "You must be my relative."

"Your other, much older aunt. But not Mirabelle, either."

"Well, I wouldn't mistake you for Miri." I eyed her up and down, astonished. "What's your real name?"

"Sibilla is the name I chose for myself after I left the tribe." I stared at her a little longer and she stared right back.

Her skin wasn't right for a human, too perfect and smooth. Her hair was healthier than anything I'd ever seen, not a single broken strand sticking out on her head. The longer I looked at her, the prettier she seemed to get, becoming luminous before my very eyes. It took me a moment but I caught onto what was happening. I was seeing beyond her body, spying her spirit. It was like the sun.

"You should come inside. I can explain." She looked away first, blinking. "You may bring the vampire'." Then, she disappeared inside the house.

With her gone, I checked on Edward. He told me immediately, "I still can't hear her thoughts."

"Then, we'll just be old-fashioned and not trust anything she can't prove."

His cool hand wrapped around mine. "Are you sure you want to go in?"

"It's not a trap."

"That remains to be seen."

I took a deep breath, squeezing his hand. "I have to do this. Are you coming?"

He gave me his terms. "I'll watch her closely. If something is off-color, we leave."

"Agreed," I said before leading him forward.

The red door immediately slammed shut behind us once we'd passed through it. It was a resounding sound, especially since it punctuated the end of any outside noises. I couldn't even hear the sea, I couldn't feel its consistent lap at the cliffside vibrating in the ground.

It was insane. "How are you doing this?"

"Which part?" She asked.

Even though it seemed obvious, I clarified, "The noise."

"It's not that hard when you're as old as I am."

It was a homey place. Small. As soon as you entered, you were in her living room, her small kitchen separated from it by a tiny island. She was busy rifling through her wooden cupboards, also painted red.

"Nice place," I said, eyeing her small sofa and the little chaise lounge in the corner. No TV anywhere in sight. Just another sofa to face the one I'd seen first while coming in.

"Thank you. The master bedroom's through the door by the stairs. It has an excellent view of the seaside through the trees. I stay in the attic. There's a bigger window up there." She popped back up, a kettle in hand. "Do you even want tea? I'm sorry. I didn't even ask."

"No." The last thing I'd do is ingest any strange tea from my stranger relative.

"Oh. Right. Well, let's just sit then."

I went to the eye-drawing red couch in the cream and fawn-brown living room. She had a very consistent color scheme and everything was neat. No pictures, though. Of anything or anyone. It was strangely impersonal for how cozy it all was.

She sat down across from us, on the opposing sofa. She crossed her legs and then uncrossed them, clasped her hands together, and then unclasped them. Despite the calm on her face, I heard the frenzy pattering away in her chest. It was interesting that she didn't mute her heartbeat, too. I was positive she could've.

"I don't even know where to start," she blurted.

"I do. Are you a shapeshifter?"

"No," she said, smiling like she'd laugh any second. "No, I'm not a shapeshifter of any kind. I actually predate Taha Aki and his rule. But I could shapeshift if I wanted to, through different means."

I nodded, believing her. She didn't smell right for a shapeshifter. She didn't smell right for a human, either. Too bright and sharp. "What are you exactly?"

"I used to be human but now I'm just humanoid, a lot like you or vampires. My body has been rebuilt to better withstand what I do."

"Which is?"

"Magic. Every aspect of it and all of its wild, untamable ways. I don't even have to leave my body to be capable of so much more than spirit warriors ever were. I'm not even inherently immortal, Leah, I actively use magic to sustain myself."

I glanced at Edward. His expression was blank but his eyes were hard as he stared at Sybil. Even though she smelled and looked human, it was obvious she wasn't; she messed with Alice's visions and Edward couldn't hear her thoughts. On top of that, what she'd said actually sounded similar to some of the old stories of my people. It was adding up. For now.

"Basically, you're a witch."

"I prefer the term 'caster'. But, yes."

Next, I asked, "Do you know why I phased?"

She folded her hands in her lap, leaning back into the couch. "It was Taha Aki's magic, accidentally passed through his blood, that made Quileute shapeshifters. Since he had all sons, when the spell came to be, it adhered to male biology more than female. This is why we've seen active male shapeshifters and only female carriers."

"Ok, I obviously know all that, but what made it activate in me?"

"I can't say. I could guess that it's the amount genetic markers you have aided by the sudden spike in your emotions. Although, maybe none of it would have mattered without a vampire's scent to trigger it all."

I asked through the knot in my throat, "There was no way I could've avoided it?"

"Magic, in its purest form, is drawn to itself. Your dormant power as my heir may have triggered the gene's activation by itself. If that's what did it, then yes, your phasing was unavoidable. It's just impossible to know for sure with only one example in history. There's no way to even replicate your experience."

She'd studied me my whole life and that was her best educated guess. If I combined it with Carlisle's findings, it painted a pretty clear picture. It was unlikely that I avoided phasing my whole life. Maybe if I'd moved as a kid, gone somewhere less eventful, but I couldn't have known.

Her, on other hand… "You suspected I'd phase?"

"Not until your mood swings started."

I asked in tandem with the ache that swept through me, "Why didn't you warn me?"

She started wringing her hands, her square face still a tranquil picture. "If it was in my power, I would have."

"Sure it was in your power. You took pictures of me, you logged my life in your little journal. That proves you knew my address and knew how to write. You could've sent a damn letter!" Edward put his hand on my leg, cooling me off. "What's your excuse?"

"I should have never done those things. It was wanting to know you, wanting to see you that opened the door for Peter. And it's people like Peter that made it impossible for me to involve myself with you."

I sat forward, gripping onto the sofa cushions. "What do you mean people like Peter? What people?"

"There are other casters, less than twenty now—"

"So few?"

"When you fight a massive, centuries-spanning war, you lose a lot of people. Everyone." Sibilla cleared her throat, her eyes catching a faraway look in them for a second. I recognized it, I saw it often in the pack members' faces since the newborn battle. "With so few of us left, some are desperate to recuperate our numbers by any means necessary. They'd do anything for you to become one of us."

I took a moment, reconsidering my line of questioning. Suddenly, me and my despair meant squat. "Is my family in danger, Sibilla?"

"Seth will be watched, in case he produces an heir. But the reality is that you're the first heir of my line in centuries and centuries. No one's expecting another one anytime soon. It takes time for the right spirit to be born, one that can handle all they'd inherit."

"How do you even know I'm your heir? How can you be so sure?"

"Your aura is very revealing. I can feel the strength of your spirit just sitting across from you. It wouldn't surprise me if you were even already exhibiting abilities typical of a caster. You have exceptional physical endurance, thanks to shapeshifting. Already, there's talk you may turn out even stronger than me. Heirs often can be."

"How strong are you?"

"Strong enough to have ended the war that I spoke of earlier. I'm sort of a savant. They suspect you're one, too. The potential power of your future heirs is unimaginable to us. That makes you all the more irresistible to them."

As she sat there, staring at me, the reality of everything she'd said began to set in. I knew there was a chance she could be lying. God, I hoped she was. But I had to at least consider that she wasn't. "I won't have any heirs."

"It will take time for another heir—"

"I can't have kids. I won't have any heirs."

Sybil blinked at me. "Since when?"

"Since I started phasing. I thought you would've known that since you stalked me so hard."

"Well, have you tried?"

"Did you seriously just ask me that?"

She hesitated, telling me, "I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to. If I could confirm your infertility, that would quell some of the enthusiasm."

"I am infertile. I don't have a cycle, I don't age." I let myself think about it all again for the first time in a while. It hurt just the same. "Hell, I'm not even sure any of that stuff'll start working again even once I stop phasing. Took a bunch of chemical therapies and I'm not sure about the longterm effects of that."

"They'll just argue that if you became a caster, it would wipe the slate clean."

"Could it?" Edward asked, surprising the both of us.

Sibilla hesitated, looking at him as she explained, "She would be rewritten on a cellular level. I don't believe her shapeshifting gene would survive that."

A chill went through my heart. "I'd lose the imprinting bond."

"Yes. You would lose more than you could possibly imagine. I don't want you to do it," she vowed to me, holding a hand over her heart. "I'm doing everything in my power to keep it all away from you. Peter's been imprisoned for life for his actions. I expect it to deter the others."

"There's a witch jail?"

"There are laws for casters and there is punishment. Heirs are a protected people. Those who haven't accepted their inheritance are supposed to be treated like any other human. Even Peter couldn't skirt the consequences of what he's done. Not to mention the m—"

"Wait, wait, I have laws protecting me? Then, what's so dangerous about the other witches knowing about me?"

"People like Peter. People who don't follow the rules."

The more she talked, the more upset I got. It wasn't adding up, not any of it. "Would he have even tried anything if you'd just told them I existed? If everybody already knew about me, he could've never used sneaky tactics, and we'd still be where we are now. Except, maybe my dad would be alive."

"Harry's death was unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" I stood up in my incredulity, harsh laughter boiling out of the pit of my burning stomach.

"Tragic," she corrected herself, fidgeting. "I wish I could have done something."

"Like cast some sort of spell to save his life? You could've done that, right? With all your power and your magic, you could've saved my dad."

"We can't use our power like that. Playing god is what brought caster kind to the brink of extinction. None of us get to decide who lives or dies. When I saw the blockage, I was inconsolable for weeks."

A pin could've dropped and ruptured our eardrums for how silent the room became.

"You knew my dad was going to have a widow-maker heart attack and you chose not to say anything?"

Everything hinged on her next answer. Everything. If she lied, I would know. I didn't know how or why, I just knew in my soul that if she lied, I'd be able to tell.

"Leah," she said carefully, like she was speaking to a wild animal on the cusp of lunging. I guessed she kind of was. "Everything I've done and even everything I haven't done is for the sake of protecting you."

"What have you ever protected me from?"

"I—"

"Did you protect me by telling me about my potential to phase? Did you protect me by saving me at the newborn battle? Or maybe you protected me when I almost died from taking the therapies! Or—ooh, ooh!—maybe you protected me when Aro was planning on forcing me to be his pet wolf back in Italy! Because I know for sure that you didn't protect me from Peter finding me. You led him straight to me!"

Her face turned red before my eyes, the darkening shade spreading down her neck. "There are fates worse than death!"

"I've lived it! Every day since my dad died, I have suffered! My family has suffered! And I blamed myself for it! I told myself I should've known something nobody could've known! But it turns out someone did know! You knew! And you stood by and you watched it happen!"

"I—!"

"Shut up!"

Edward took my burning hand into both of his. "Leah, you have to calm down." His voice helped me come down a little but I could feel myself getting hotter every second I looked at her face.

"We're leaving. Or I'll kill you."

"Please, wait. Please. Let me explain—"

"No."

"That's it then? You came all this way and you're just leaving? You won't even hear my side of the story? Why did you even come here?"

"We need help." Edward, who hadn't even stood up yet, had decided to up and betray me. "You're right. Leah does have a capacity for magic but she can't control it and it's hurting her. Also, I believe you might be disturbing my sister, Alice."

"I had to conceal myself from your sister when her view turned my way. When you return home, she'll be back to normal. As for Leah, she would likely benefit from having a mentor."

"Then, I'll ask someone else," I injected, my voice as venomous as I could make it. "Some other witch."

Sibilla made a face I liked, like it hurt her. "It's taboo to mentor someone else's heir. Even if someone was willing to take that risk, they'd expect a great deal in return. They'd expect you to take the leap."

I tugged on Edward's hand but he stayed glued to the sofa. The inquisitive bastard asked, "Leap?"

"Others, if they agreed, would be training her to become a caster, is what I mean to say. I'll only train Leah to control herself as she is now, that's all. Uh, here, I'll give her some things she can study and learn by herself in the meantime." Sibilla went running off upstairs.

"I'm not doing this."

"Leah—"

"I said no!" I yanked away from him, storming out of the house.

Seconds lasted like little eternities until he finally followed me out. I decided I wouldn't look at him. I was so angry and I wanted to stay that way, so I'd ignore him. I'd even plug my fingers in my ears if he insisted on talking in the car and drown him out by shouting.

We got back into the rental in silence. I wanted to go straight to the airport, straight home.

He tossed something in the back. "What was that?"

"Books."

"What for?" When he didn't respond, instead, speeding off like a maniac, I demanded, "What for, Edward?"

I glared at him, waiting. His jaw was clenched tight, a tension wrinkle between his eyebrows. I was about to ask him again and much less nice when he said, "For you, Leah. So you can get better control of yourself."

"Stop the car." He floored it. "I'll jump out even while it's moving! Stop the car!"

He slowed down, parking by the cliffside. I hadn't noticed before but he hadn't been driving us back towards civilization. It turned out to be a good call since I felt a phase coming on.

I tore out of the car, breaking its handle. The fire in me raged on, stoked by every thought I dared to have. How could he try to force this on me? How could she have left me to fend for myself all my life? How could my dad be dead? How could I deal with any of it? I'd never asked for any of it. I didn't want it!

"I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry!" I yelled, turning around.

He'd climbed out of his seat and was standing behind his open door, watching me furiously stomp and pace around. "I am sorry. I'm very sorry but I don't know how else to help you, Leah. This might be your only option."

"Screw that! I'll figure it out myself, ok? I always figure it out myself! She's never helped before and I freaking made it this far!"

"That's true but it doesn't hurt to have another option, for once. A last resort. I want that safety net for you. Seth and Sue would want that for you. Harry—"

"Don't you dare talk about him when you're siding with her!" I started stripping down to my underwear.

He asserted calmly, evenly, "I understand you. I share your anger and your sorrow. But I cannot agree with you this time, Leah. I simply can't."

I shrieked at him, "How could you betray me?"

Finally, he yelled back. "For your family to stay on your land, and for you to be able to protect them and the pack as you desire, you need control over yourself! You must see that that's true! And you very well may find some other way to achieve it but if you don't, then you'll need an alternative! That is why I accepted the books!"

I screamed out my frustration, the gritty, painful sound transforming into a howl halfway through. With my paws, I attacked a nearby rock that was big and embedded in the ground. I hit it and bit until the red started to leave my vision and spill out on its grey surface. But even once the anger was gone and all that was left was the pain, I couldn't make my shape obey me. I imagined my fingers, my legs, and it almost felt like my fur grew even longer out of spite. Maybe I'd be a wolf forever.

I howled in my heartache, tears running down my fur.

"Come here." His voice, soft as it was, cut me off efficiently.

Edward walked to the cliffside and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. Huffing and crying, I shambled over on four legs, plopping down beside him. It was no use. His girlfriend was a wolf. I'd have to live in the woods forever. Was he thinking of leaving me? I'd leave me.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, running a cool hand through my fur. It felt so nice. I hoped I wasn't too warm. "You're not. You also won't be a wolf forever."

Maybe not... I'm just so tired.

"I know, petal."

And I can't read those books. I can't until I'm positive that there isn't another option out there for me.

"I want you to know that even if you did read them and they did help, it wouldn't mean anything except that you have better control. No one would think any less of you and you wouldn't owe her so much as a thank-you." He scratched the spot I liked by my ear. "I am on your side, Leah. Always."

Of course, you are. I'm sorry I said all that stuff.

"I'm sorry, as well... For so many things that I don't dare count."

I nudged his side with my muzzle. You don't have to keep apologizing for everything.

"Why not?" He asked, a sardonic bite to his smile.

Because I forgave you. He turned his head in a fluid action, staring at me. His eyes were too dark. He needed to hunt and he hadn't because of me. I focused on the feeling of his hand in my fur instead of the guilt. I'm still a little pissed about Irina but whatever. I rolled my eyes at myself and sighed.

"It won't happen again."

I took in the view of the sea, breathing in that fresh smell. How did you feel when she said our bond could be broken without the Volturi's involvement?

"Relief. I'm so glad I didn't find out beforehand. What if I'd actually lost you?" His hand clenched around a tuft of my shaggy coat. "It's painful to think about."

No second thoughts?

"Not one."

The last bit of tension seeped out of me. I began to shrink back to my real body. Edward scooted away and closed his eyes, always a gentleman. I left him for a second to put back on my clothes before I joined him again at the cliffside. He made a soft, melodic hum in his throat when I laid my head on his shoulder.

"I'm back."

"I knew you would be." I hugged his arm, holding his left hand between both of mine. "Even if you never read the books, at least they're there for you."

"Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

"Precisely."

I toyed with his fingers, curling them into a fist and then stretching them out by their tips. I finally threaded mine between his. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"We'll figure it out, together." I kissed his shoulder before laying on it again. "I'll try and research more about this, see what I can find in private databases. I'll even pull some threads with a few old friends who owe me favors, ask them if they've seen or heard anything. Discretion is key. We can't risk Aro finding out about this."

"He already suspects that I'm something more."

"We won't give him any confirmation."

I sighed, the sound lapped up by the calming tide far below us. Things kept getting more complicated. It was hard not to feel overwhelmed when I thought about telling everyone back home. Old Quil would definitely want me to embrace the magic. I didn't even want to shapeshift. How was I going to tell my family about Sibilla and her silence? I wished I could avoid hurting them but the pack mind would expose it no matter what, eventually.

"I'll help you, as much as I can. Any way I can."

"And we can always just run away, right?"

"Simply say when."

I smiled and lifted my head to look at him. "I love you so much," I told him, stroking the wild locks of bronze hair out of his eyes, displaced by the breeze. In them, I saw both the boy he'd been and the man that he was. I saw everything I'd felt since the moment I imprinted. He was beautiful to his soul—

"But I don't have a soul."

"Yes, you do." I took his hand and pressed his palm over my heart. "As you are me, I am you. You will always have a soul: Mine. "

His breath hitched and then halted completely. I was trying to identify the swirling emotion in his dark eyes. Whatever it was crackled between us, making our proximity too much to bear. My heart slammed in my chest, under his hand.

"I want..." he whispered with his perfect lips, his eyes trailing down from mine.

The longer he waited to say what he wanted, the more tension grew as I waited in awful suspense. Breath was hard to harness, puffing out of me in short, shallow huffs. His hand twitched underneath mine, sliding less than an inch downwards. Asking.

I swallowed through a bone-dry throat.

Tentatively, he leaned in, his other hand bracing against the grass to balance him. I thought he would kiss me. Instead, he inhaled for the first time, deeply, and his eyes shut. A soft sound spilled out of him at what he smelled; a musical, soft, pleading sound. A moan. I felt it buzz in my ears and brush over my suddenly sensitive skin. I felt it settle between my legs with a warm, dizzying pulse.

And then his phone rang.

I jumped a full foot into the air and then scrambled to my feet, my heart still pounding. Edward pulled out his phone and answered with zero hesitation.

He spoke a little too fast, though. "Hello, Seth. Everything is fine but we're busy. Could I return your call another time?"

"Not really and also I really have to talk to Leah! I did something and if I don't tell her first, she'll kill me!"

Edward offered the phone to me, holding it above his head. I grabbed it with a trembling hand and held it to my ear. I tried to speak and all that came out was a weak croak.

Quickly, I cleared my throat. "What'd you do?"

"You know how you told me not to call Jake?"

I'd never heard a more sinister question in all my life. "No way."

"I didn't think he'd pick up, I swear! But I told him everything that's been going on and then I asked if he could help somehow. Like, send an email or something! But then he was quiet for a really, really long time—"

"Seth!"

"Basically, he's coming home!"

I smacked a hand to my forehead, stress scratching through me. "What?"

"And he says he's got a big surprise for everyone! Anyway, I gotta go tell Sam! Get home soon, bye!" He hung up on me. I tried calling him back but he didn't pick up.

"Dammit!"

"So?"

Edward was inches away when I turned back around. That was typical of him but it made my heart flutter now. "So, here's your phone." I handed it to him, careful not to touch him. "We have to go. Right now."

"Ok."

It was going to be such a long flight back. I prayed to anything and everything that we made it to the reservation before Jacob. And also that the elders stayed out of the loop. And also that all of Sibilla's evil witch buddies stayed away from me. And also that the Volturi never caught wind of any of this. And also that Sam had stayed on top of keeping Paul away from Rachel. And also that I could resist random temptation from my boyfriend. And also—wait, no. No, that was it.

As Edward drove us away from the cliff, I stared bitterly at the sky through the windshield. The sun had yet to set in Brest.

A/N: Leah is in distant territory! Magic has always been part of her life but now it's threatening to take over and potentially ruin it! Will she ever get a break? Not anytime soon if Jacob Black is really back in town! Let's just hope his big surprise doesn't blow apart the already fragile pack.

Hey, everyone. I want so badly to tell you of all that's happened while I've been away. I'm different now, so different I wondered if I should even continue to write this. If I could even capture the tone necessary. A lot of painful things have happened to me. I thought it would kill me sometimes. But I thought of all of you all the while, how I didn't want to abandon this. Are any of you still here? I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint the few that still are. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out. I won't make a grand declaration of being back and things being consistent again. But I want you to know I haven't given up. I will do my best to finish this. And I missed you lovely individuals. I hope you've all been very well. Till next time!