Leah woke up feeling good about life, love, everything. Bella's hair had migrated up to her chin while Bella slept so Leah woke to the alluring smell of her lover just below her nose.
"Mmmmm." Leah hummed contentedly.
"Mmmmhmmmm." Bella answered, not fully awake yet.
"You up, baby?"
Bella was starting to wake up. She palmed Leah's tit, then turned her head up to look at Leah, but she couldn't see her through the hair.
Leah giggled and slid the hair out of the way. "Hi." She smiled at Bella.
"Hi yourself." Bella reached her chin up and gave Leah a good morning kiss. "I get to keep you today."
"Yes, you do." Leah kissed her again. Today she wouldn't have to go to work in Forks.
"Let's celebrate!" Bella said with a spark of mischief in her eyes. Leah raised one eyebrow curiously. Bella scooted between Leah's thighs. She placed one of Leah's calves behind Leah's shoulder. Then she tucked the other one up under the other shoulder. She was so turned on seeing Leah on display like that. Bella brought her lips to the clitoris first, lapping her tongue around, then moved south. She replaced her tongue with her thumb while she licked into Leah's opening. She continued moving south, now with her thumb on her clit and her fingers in Leah's cunt.
Leah was panting like a dog as Bella licked around her anus, again and again.
"Ohmigod Bella!" she screamed out when Bella flicked her tongue forcefully into Leah's backdoor. She clenched down at the shock and that clenching was just the extra sensation she needed to come. Bella was mesmerized watching Leah's clit twitch under her thumb.
Bella started moving back up toward Leah's face but got stuck on the breasts. She drew one into her mouth while massaging and squeezing the other.
"Bella. I want you up here." Bella kept moving up. Leah captured her lips with her own and probed her tongue into Bella's mouth. "Hmmm. I never thought I'd be ok with tasting my own butthole. Let's go brush our teeth, then I'll try yours."
o.~*~.o
When Bella and Leah got downstairs, the library was empty. Bella went to the door and the whole pack and all the imprints were waiting outside.
Quil came forward to explain to Bella. "Gramps had a doctor's appointment. Nothing to worry about. He was going to tell you yesterday but Leah kidnapped you." He was blushing remembering the sounds that came down the stairs from their apartment.
"Oh, sorry about that." Bella was blushing too and most of the pack was snickering softly.
Leah addressed the room to put an end to that, sensing Bella's embarrassment. "Bella went to the cliffs last night. She sent her first telepathic message to the Cullens. After lunch, I'd like some of us to go to the Cullen house to see if there is any activity. For now, let's break apart and work on translations."
Leah was beginning to truly enjoy Kim's company. She knew that Bella was close to the girl, and that was a huge endorsement to Leah. But she found herself appreciating Jared more as she got to know Kim. Leah had always thought of Jared as the blandest of the pack, a guy with the personality of unsalted crackers. But Kim was not like that at all. She was constantly making sarcastic remarks in response to something in the translation and she ramped up her efforts when she saw Leah stifle a giggle at one of her kinkier comments. It made her think that maybe Jared is a reserved person, but a person of depth and probably humor, not just a boring person.
During lunch, Bella had slight anxiety about the Cullen visit, but she didn't want Leah to worry.
"It's going to be fine, Bella. I don't even think anyone will be there."
"How did you know I was worried? Could you feel it through the mark?"
"Naw, baby, it was written all over your face."
"Oh."
"How can I help to make you feel safe?" Leah asked seductively, wrapping her hands around Bella's waist.
"Let me come to the Cullen's." Bella whispered.
"What?! How will that make you feel safe?"
"I don't feel unsafe, Leah. I'm worried about you and the pack. I'm worried about misunderstandings. I just think if I was there, there wouldn't be misunderstandings and the whole thing would go smoother."
"Ehhh," Leah did not like that plan.
"You said they probably won't even be there. What's the danger?"
"Bella. Bella. Bella." Leah spoke her name like a prayer. Then she thought of the perfect excuse. "What about work? You can't miss work? If you get fired, we would lose our home."
Bella laughed. "I'm not getting fired. Quil always says that the library serves the pack, not the other way around."
Leah groaned. "I don't want to."
"Think of it this way. Today is the best day for me to go because they probably won't be there. I obviously can't go every day until they come, but if I come today, it will ease my anxiety and I won't ask to come again for a while."
"Or ever." Leah suggested.
"Don't push it, alpha." Bella pulled Leah's face to hers for a kiss.
"Fine. You can come today. But it will change the shape of the group. I was just going to have me and one other go, but now we'll need a whole guard for you."
"Thank you, baby," Bella pulled Leah close again, showing her gratitude.
o.~*~.o
Leah pulled Paul into the pack room after lunch. "Bella wants to come to the Cullen's."
"Absolutely not."
"I already said yes. Today's safer than any other day. No one will be there yet, if they even got her message or whatever."
"Leah. No."
"Who should we bring?"
"You, me, Embry, Jared and Jake."
"Jacob?"
"He's a good fighter and has shown excellent control in the pack mind. He's also a Black, so he could be beneficial in explaining the new alpha, since Sam can't come."
"So Seth, and Quil will stay, and Sam. Ok."
"Yeah, Seth and Quil are the dream team for imprint protection. Seth is calm and understanding. Quil is fun and boisterous, a good distraction. But Leah, you can say no to Bella."
"Do you say no to Rachel?"
"That's not the point."
"Mmmkay, let's get going."
o.~*~.o
Bella rode Leah's wolf. It was the first time and Leah was nervous but Bella was thrilled. It was nothing like Vampire rides. The way Leah's wolf got up to speed was much more natural and not unsettling like it had been with Edward. Or maybe Leah was going slower to protect her, but it didn't feel slow at all. Either way, she enjoyed this mode of transportation.
LEAH, I CAN SMELL - Embry was cut off in the pack mind
TAKE BELLA BACK, EMBRY, RUN AS SOON AS SHE'S ON YOUR BACK. Leah ordered. Then she phased to human with Bella still on her. "Bella, someone is here, you need to go back with Embry."
"No. I'm here to help, Leah."
"Bella, get on him or I will order it."
They were all distracted by a white blur overhead that landed behind them, sandwiching them between it and the house.
"She is not going anywhere with you dogs." Edward declared. "And what is this?" He waved his arm indicating the wolves. "A treaty violation? Well that makes things simpler for me." He cracked his neck maniacally and stepped toward Bella. The wolves all growled, hackles raised.
"Do not take another step forward or they will attack." Leah asserted. "We are here to nullify the treaty. Bella is under our protection now." Bella could see that Edward's eyes were black and it frightened her. Bella backed up, leaning against Leah's chest. Leah wrapped her arm around Bella's stomach protectively. Leah continued to use the mind block techniques from Ephraim Black's book.
"Oh interesting." Edward taunted. "Love, these wolves are not safe. They are temperamental, as you just witnessed with their aggressive behavior. I cannot read their minds, probably because they are animals, but they are behaving ferally. However, the one behind you is delusional. She thinks you are in love with her."
"It's none of your business, Edward, but I am in love with her." Leah purred a little at that. "She is the alpha of this pack and she is here to nullify the treaty. Is Carlisle here?"
"No, just me, and I do not recognize the nullification of the treaty." He scoffed and took another step forward. Leah held out her hand in a 'halt' gesture when the wolves crouched to spring.
"Love," He spoke to Bella, "Come with me. They are not safe. I can turn you for your protection. Then they can not ever frighten you again. Together we will overpower them."
He reached his arm out for her and Leah stepped back, pulling Bella out of his reach. Edward's eyes went even blacker with rage. "She is mine!"
"No." Leah stated calmly. "She is her own. She can make her own decisions. I'm not going to let anyone take that from her."
"Of course." Edward said with a soothing tone, seemingly calm. "Isabella, my love, I know you will do the right thing and choose me, choose our life together, our forever. It is the only way to keep you safe. It is fate, my Bella, my love." His eyes were still black with passion but his voice was relaxed.
"No. Edward, it is not fate. It is not what I want. I want to be with Leah. But we need to talk about the treaty, not this. I came to help negotiate the treaty."
While Bella was talking, Edward could see that Leah was engrossed in what Bella was saying, distracted even. She really did believe that Isabella Swan should be making her own choices. She really did want Bella to help negotiate the treaty and wanted to negotiate today, nullify it today. As if Edward could focus on something so menial as the treaty when the sweet, sweet aroma of Bella Swan was only feet away from him.
He considered his plan. He would step forward, pull Bella out of the dog's arms and launch into the trees. From there, he would be able to get away easily. He'd have his way with Bella in whatever way he saw fit.
Edward hurled himself at Bella.
Leah swung Bella around behind her and started to phase but it was too late. Paul had slammed Edward to the ground. Embry tore off his head.
"Do you have a lighter, Bella?" Leah asked.
"No! You can't! We can still save him!" Bella cried.
Leah couldn't say anything in response to that. She just felt heartbroken at Bella's words. Jake phased to human. "I'll find something in the house." He jogged into the house and came out with some matches. By then, Paul and Embry had torn Edward into smaller pieces.
"I'll do it." Leah said, She grabbed the matches from Jacob. She avoided making eye contact with Bella as she lit the pile on fire. "Do you want to ride with me or someone else, Bella?" She asked when Edward was nothing but a pile of ash.
Bella had tears streaming down her face. "I want to be with you, Leah."
Leah silently phased, then crouched low so that Bella could get onto her back. When they returned to the library, they were showing a wide range of emotions. "Paul, can you debrief everyone?" Leah requested, not sure she could control her emotions while telling everyone how her mate was, once again, being threatened by a vampire.
"In short, Edward was there, alone. He lunged at Bella, claiming she was his and promising to turn her for her protection." He rolled his eyes and a murmur arose from the pack. Paul continued, "We had to tear him apart. He is destroyed, burnt, which could put a damper on further negotiations."
"Paul, Embry, Jacob, great work today. If you want to go home and take a shower, I understand. You can have the day off."
"I'll take you up on that shower, boss, then I'll be back." Paul said, then he whispered to Rachel, "I'll need your help washing my back." Rachel giggled like a girl half her age and went with him. Embry and Jake gave Leah a quick nod in thanks, then walked out too.
Bella ducked her head and went to the office to work on the software inventory. Leah sat down and started translating. Kim sat next to her, abandoning Quil to work alone for now. "You ok, Leah?" Kim asked.
Leah nodded and kept translating without missing a beat. Kim transcribed but kept studying Leah's face, trying to decipher what had the alpha so upset.
Leah probed the mark connection but all she could feel from Bella was grief and fear, which only furthered her own heartbreak. Bella wanted Edward alive, whether as a lover or something else, Bella was grief stricken that he was gone. It felt like the ultimate betrayal. She trudged on with the translation.
When Bella came out of the office, Paul, Embry and Jake had all returned but Quil was still working alone. Bella sat down next to him to help with his translation. "Everything ok, Bells?" Quil asked, rubbing her back gently. Bella nodded, trying to suppress a sniffle. The whole pack had been hearing her crying intermittently since she got back. No one knew what to say.
Jake sat down across from Quil, still three feet from Bella. No one objected. "You gonna miss him, Bells?" Jake asked sympathetically. Jake hated Edward but he knew that Bella did not.
Bella shook her head.
"Then what's wrong?" Jake asked.
Bella shook her head again. "I'm sorry," was all she said.
At five, Leah dismissed that pack, reminding them that tomorrow was not mandatory, but she always appreciated how many came to help. She did request the full pack come around one so that another scouting party could go to the Cullens.
She turned to walk up the stairs and Bella followed, still hanging her head.
Neither spoke as they wandered around the kitchen, preparing supper disjointedly. They set out to eat, not saying a word, not even looking at each other. "I'm sorry." Bella finally whispered.
"It's ok. I understand. He was your first love."
"What?"
"I understand. I would be pretty upset if someone killed Sam, even if we weren't pack."
"What?"
"It's ok. We don't have to talk about it. I'm not mad. I understand why you're sad."
"You think I'm sad because I still care for Edward? Am I understanding that right?"
"Yep." Leah helped herself to her third plate.
Bella closed her eyes. "No, baby, I'm sad because I ruined this for you. I insisted that I come. Over and over I said that they wouldn't be violent. That's what got Edward killed. Now negotiations are ruined and you guys will probably have to fight the Cullens." She took a deep breath. "And I'm so scared." Leah was looking at her now. "I'm so scared one of you will get hurt, Leah. I have so much faith in you and your wolf but I'm so scared for you. And then you were sad too and I was just stuck in this sad, guilt, fear spiral and I'm still stuck Leah. How can I fix this?"
Leah swallowed all of the food in her mouth. She looked into Bella's eyes. Bella saw the telltale gold flecks in Leah's passion-filled eyes and Bella's panties were instantly wet.
Leah stalked around the table and peered down at Bella. "We can fix this." She held out her hand. When Bella stood, Leah lifted her into an embrace. Bella was wrapped around her lover, mouths entwined. Bella didn't even notice that they were moving until Leah lowered her to the bed.
Leah peeled off Bella's pants and underwear. She kneeled on the floor and put Bella's feet on her shoulders. She nuzzled her cheek against Bella's thigh mark, sending shivers down Bella's body. She kissed, then licked Bella's clit, then thrust her tongue inside of her, indulging in Bella's moans while nudging her clit with her nose as she sought out the spongy walls of the g-spot.
Bella kicked her, involuntarily. Leah giggled in response. "Leah!" Bella cried. Leah plugged her tongue back in, stroking the spot passionately. Bella was breathing heavily, clutching Leah's hair, pulling her face deeper into her. She released Leah when she climaxed, then scooched onto the bed so that Leah would have to follow.
"Feeling better?" Leah asked, peering into Bella's face on the pillow beside her.
Bella nodded. "God, yes, Leah. I love you so much." Bella spoke into Leah's mouth then kissed her.
"We couldn't have saved Edward, baby. He was too much of a threat, wanting to turn you, lunging at you like that."
"Maybe we could have saved him for a little while? Kept his parts in boxes as a show of good faith?"
Leah smiled at that idea. "No, they would have put him back together and then we'd have to kill him again and that could get dangerous."
"Hmmm. Yeah, I'm sorry, Leah. I won't ask to come again."
"Don't be so hasty. I mean, you're obviously not coming again but I honestly think this will be fine. You don't have anything to apologize about. The Cullens won't like it, but they will know that we are serious. And they're smaller now. Edward was the one most of us were worried about. He's been taken out. If they are violent, we can destroy the rest pretty easily."
"But Paul said-"
"I know baby, but Paul's the strategist. He said that to get everyone's mind thinking. He wants them to think about how to turn this into an advantage, how to overcome any rage they may have. Today was a huge victory, apart from the heartbreak we both suffered for a few hours. Victory can cause momentum but it can also cause complacency. We can't have that."
"I'm sorry about the heartache today, too."
"That was my fault, baby. You're so wonderful that sometimes I am in awe that you are with me. It just made sense to me that you would grieve him like that. But it hurt."
"Oh! Leah, baby," Bella started sprinkling kisses on Leah's face. "I'm yours. Only yours. Please believe that. Please."
Leah caught Bella's lips when they passed over hers, then rolled her over.
"I need… I need…" Leah was hesitating.
"What, baby? What do you need?"
"I need you to spend some time with the wolf. Not all night! Maybe like, half an hour. Is that ok? She's just so anxious and I haven't been able to calm her."
"Yes, baby, of course." Bella cupped Leah's cheeks and kissed her before climbing off the bed. Leah undressed, transformed and then got into bed. Bella climbed up and nestled herself into the curled up wolf. She was asleep only a minute later. Leah decided they'd stay like that unless Bella woke up in the night, which she didn't. Her wolf was thrilled with how the evening unfolded, and Leah, the human, was pleased too.