Leah stared out at the forest. The full moon hung low in the sky, barely visible over the tree line. Its brilliance was dulled by the early morning light.
The Cullens and their so-called cousins from Denali were scouring the woods for any sign of the alleged Child of the Moon. Their search was monitored by a representative sent by the Volturi.
Both she and Jacob had spent the night at the Cullens' house outside of town. She refused to let Jacob be alone around so many bloodsuckers—especially while they were actively looking for a werewolf to slaughter. She'd stayed awake all night, keeping guard while Jacob sulked nearby.
Seth was so confident that the bloodsuckers wouldn't find anything, he'd gone home to La Push and taken Kat with him.
Collin's apprehension towards condemning the Child of the Moon had intensified. When Jacob called to remind Collin of the full moon, the young alpha insisted that his pack was not to be an enemy of the Child of the Moon.
Personally, Leah thought their rez was the most dangerous place for Kat to be tonight. The wolves' territory was the one place where the monster could run unrestrained without the vampires ever catching it. Of course, the mystery monster had no way of knowing it was being hunted by vampires nor that a safe zone existed hundreds of miles north of its usual hunting grounds.
Leah had given up trying to make sense of Seth's increasingly odd behaviors. In the past couple of weeks, he'd become obsessed with Quileute history. He seemed determined to figure out if any other stories could be interpreted literally.
Leah thought it was a pointless endeavor. To the old people, there was no distinction between spirituality and the supernatural. There was no simple answer.
As the moon set, Leah wondered if she was the one losing her mind. Seth was finally keeping his distance from the Cullens while she was here, trusting leeches with the lives of countless people.
The yellow-eyed bloodsuckers returned to the abode as night turned to day.
Adrenaline coursed through Leah's veins as her eyes darted from one pair of golden eyes to the next as the bloodsuckers congregated in the yard. It took all her willpower to keep herself together. Jacob seemed unbothered—as if they weren't even there.
The redhead looked at her sympathetically. "If you'd be more comfortable, you're welcome to phase, Leah."
Hearing the leech address her directly was enough to push her over the edge. At the sound of her name on his lips, she exploded into a wolf.
Several of the vampires hissed in surprise and slipped into defensive crouches.
Leah, are you alright? Embry's thoughts joined hers. He paced in the woods outside the Makah reservation. Leah didn't respond directly. She knew Embry would see what she could see.
"It's alright," the leader assured them.
A low growl escaped Leah's maw. Thirteen pairs of yellow eyes followed her as she paced along the forest's edge.
She looked at Jacob. Both he and Bella watched with glazed expressions, neither present in the conversation happening right in front of them.
The bloodsuckers began their report.
"We found no trace of the Child of the Moon within a hundred miles of here," Jasper reported. "Felix has left to return to Volterra."
Doubt crept into Leah's mind. Maybe she'd been wrong to doubt Seth. Maybe the creature didn't exist after all. The mind reader frowned at the direction of Leah's thoughts.
"Everything we saw last month indicated that a Child of the Moon was in the area," Edward defended.
"Your description matched what I encountered during my time with the Volturi," Eleazar agreed.
"What is the likelihood that this Child of the Moon will return in subsequent months?" Carlisle asked.
Eleazar shrugged, "Very unlikely. The Volturi have hunted them to near extinction. The few that survived have done so by living nomadic lives. I suspect it has moved on for good."
Carlisle nodded thoughtfully.
The conversation drug on, but Leah had heard all she needed to. The Child of the Moon was gone. The bloodsuckers were leaving. In a few hours, her life would be as normal as it possibly could be. She was fantasizing about normalcy when the bloodsuckers threw another curveball at her.
"You found a witch?" Edward asked Eleazar.
"Yes, sorry, I can't stop thinking about her! I've never found one so powerful," Eleazar said in awe.
You've got to be kidding me! Leah thought. She wanted to scream! The threat of the Child of the Moon had only just been resolved and now she had freaking witches to worry about.
No way, witches are real too? Embry thought. An image of a haggard old woman with green skin came to the forefront of his thoughts.
"Witches?" Garrett's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"They're not what you think," Edward answered the question on everyone's mind. "Their abilities are much more limited. They can't cast spells or fly on brooms."
"Yes," Eleazar agreed. "While I was with the Volturi, 'witch' was the term we used to refer to a human with remarkable psychic abilities—not just potential. Aro sent me looking for these individuals because they always produced exceptionally talented vampires. In my time, I only found a few and their gifts were infinitesimal compared to this girl."
"Edward couldn't read my mind when I was human. Was I a witch?" Bella asked.
Eleazar shook his head. "No, you didn't have control over your abilities. Witches' abilities are more… temperamental."
"What do you mean by temperamental?" Jasper asked uneasily. "Is it a threat?"
"Physically? Doubtful. They're still human," Eleazar explained. "They can cause damage to other humans, but most know how to contain their abilities. Even without my gift, I could feel a slight shift in the air around her."
"Fascinating," Carmen said.
"Very much. Imagine her as an immortal! She would be as powerful as Benjamin, maybe even more so!" Eleazar sighed.
"And give the Volturi more reason to believe we're a threat?" Jasper hissed. "If we transform anyone for their power, they will see it as a challenge."
Eleazar's eyes widened in horror as he saw the direction of Jasper's thoughts. "I wasn't suggesting—"
"We should get rid of her," Rosalie said. "We can't let them find her either."
Hell no! Leah barked in anger. She didn't know who this witch was, but she wasn't going to stand by idly while another human was killed.
The Denalis slipped into crouches and backed away from her—as if she were a mindless monster who was turning on them rather than a participant in the conversation.
"No," Carlisle said firmly. "There have been enough innocent lives lost recently. There is no need to take anymore."
Rosalie scowled.
Four of the five Denalis—the blondes and the Spanish vampires—continued to glare at Leah. She realized that their previous animosity had never faded.
Before Leah had become a werewolf, the pack destroyed a bloodsucker who was about to make a meal of Bella. The Denalis took offense. Their hatred of the wolves had been so intense, they'd refused to help when the Cullens were under the threat of the newborn army. It had been the pack that stood beside the Cullens and saved the day.
They'd set aside their grudge long enough to stand alongside the Cullens as witness to Nessie's growth, but it had been the wolves' arrival that caused the Volturi to hesitate long enough to listen.
After the threat had passed, all of the allying vampires seemed grateful to the wolves—with one exception: the Denalis.
At the time, Leah didn't pay them any mind as they were morning their sister. Now, it was clear the animosity still existed and was stronger than ever.
They blame us for the snitch's death! Embry realized with a jolt. If the pack hadn't killed their sister's mate, then their sister never would've gone to reconcile with the Cullens. And if she hadn't been in the area, she wouldn't have seen Nessie. She wouldn't have had a reason to go to the Volturi and they wouldn't have destroyed her.
You're right, Leah saw the truth to his realization. Her blood boiled as she realized they blamed the wolves for the entire confrontation. She looked at the mind reader. He refused to meet her eye, which Leah took as confirmation.
Ungrateful bloodsuckers, Embry growled in disgust.
"Speaking of Benjamin, have you been in contact with Amun recently?" Garrett asked, trying to diffuse the tension amongst his coven.
Carlisle grimaced, "Yes, he's on the run. The Volturi has been pursuing Benjamin since his discovery."
"I've been trying to keep an eye on them," Alice said. "I've helped them evade the Volturi where I can. They're currently hiding in forests in Congo."
After what felt like an eternity, the bloodsuckers finally left. Leah made her way home and collapsed on her bed. She fell into a deep sleep. Her dreams were haunted by Children of the Moon and witches calling to her from afar. Her heart ached as she ran through the woods, desperate to find them before the vampires did.
When she woke, she was surprised to find that she'd slept through most of the day. Seth and Kat had returned. Kat was fast asleep in his bed. Seth was downstairs on the couch.
She would've thought he was asleep if it weren't for the intense expression of concentration on his face. He looked like he was thinking so hard that Leah almost expected to see smoke coming out of his ears.
"Hey," Leah said.
Seth jumped in surprise. "Hey."
"No sign of the Child of the Moon," Leah said.
Seth nodded, "Like I said."
Leah relayed everything from the past night. Seth nodded along. She could tell his mind was still a million miles away. He didn't even react as Leah told him about the witch.
"Hey!" Leah demanded his full attention.
Seth jumped.
"What's up with you?" Leah asked.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking," he answered.
"Yeah, I can see that," Leah said matter-of-factly. "What happened in La Push? Did you find the answers you were looking for?"
Seth was silent for a moment before responding. "You have no idea."
"What did you find?" Leah stifled a groan. She suspected he'd found even more traditions to obsess over while talking to the elders. They'd grown up on the rez, hearing stories that had been passed down for millennia. If he was finding new information now, Leah figured there may be good reason why the elders might have never mentioned it before. Leah had nothing against him trying to be more tradish, but some taboos had been left in the past for a reason. The world was a different place nowadays and there was simply no way to know the ancestors' stance on processed meats.
Seth didn't answer immediately. Just when she'd given up on getting a response, he spoke.
"Why doesn't anyone stay?" Seth said. Leah wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or himself.
"What do you mean?" Leah asked. She was caught off guard. She had no idea what he was talking about.
"We're supposed to be immortal," Seth furrowed his brow. "Why doesn't anyone stay to protect the tribe?"
"I don't know, they probably thought the tribe wasn't in danger once they caught whatever vampire triggered the transformation in the first place," Leah answered. She'd wondered the same thing but didn't put much thought into it. She knew she'd inevitably be one of many who'd give up her wolf self to live a normal life.
"There are more than just vampires," Seth muttered aloud.
"Maybe they all imprinted," Leah shrugged. Jared and Paul couldn't leave fast enough after they had imprinted. Sam would've quit too, if it weren't for the remaining threat of the Volturi.
Considering how many wolves had already imprinted, she'd come to accept that it wasn't as rare as they previously thought. Given enough time, she suspected that everyone imprinted eventually—at least the guys did. She still thought there was a good chance she was a genetic dead end.
"What if…" Seth hesitated. "What if… someone from a prior pack did keep immortality?"
"They didn't," Leah answered immediately.
Seth looked up at her in surprise. "How can you be so sure?"
"Let's see, the previous pack was eighty years ago," Leah said. "They were punished for even speaking our language at school. They couldn't quit fast enough."
They both knew the story of the previous pack. They were ashamed and afraid of their wolf selves. They tried to bottle it up and deny their truth. It ended catastrophically. Many people were hurt. The Cullens had been in the area to witness the massacre. The incident caused the bloodsuckers to develop a prejudice against the wolves that carried over into the next century, though the Cullens now understood that the incident was an outlier.
"That's true, but what about someone from a long, long time ago?" Seth asked.
"Like closer to Taha-Aki's time?" Leah asked. Taha-Aki had been the last great spirit chief and the first werewolf. Many of his descendants inherited his ability, including them.
"Something like that," Seth shifted uneasily. "Do you think we could trust him?"
"No," Leah answered in a heartbeat.
"But he's our ancestor," Seth gasped.
"He abandoned us," Leah's blood began to boil as she realized Seth wasn't speaking of a hypothetical. "He could've returned 240 years ago while our people were dying of disease. Where was he?"
"I mean, it's not like he could've done anything about smallpox," Seth gave a weak defense.
"Yeah? How about a century later, when settlers started making claims to the land beneath our villages?" Leah ranted.
"I'm sure he had his reasons," Seth muttered. "We could learn a lot from an elder who's seen so much."
"Like our rez burning to the ground?" Leah retorted.
Seth had no response.
"We lost everything," Leah's voice shook in anger.
Seth knew their history as well as she did. After a decade of being slowly displaced as their homes were illegally taken at the justification of a BS treaty, their people finally secured a reservation, only for their village to be burnt to the ground while the tribe was away.
"If a tribal protector was here, watching idly while a colonizer burned our homes and set up barbed wire fence to keep us off our own reservation, then he's lost the right to call himself our elder. He can stay in whatever hole he's been hiding in for the past two hundred years." Leah declared. She turned her back on her brother and walked off.
Seth knew better than to follow.
Life at the university returned to normal—or as normal as it could be. Jacob spent most of his time moping about as a wolf, making phasing very unpleasant for the rest of the pack.
Seth's weird behavior only intensified. When he wasn't in class or with Kat, Leah knew exactly where he would be: in the shower—as if the ancestors were offended by dirt. Leah was too busy to care.
Leah worked her butt off trying to balance her life. Between work, school, and the sorority, she didn't have time for much else. Despite being nearly as busy as she was, Ian managed to squeeze himself into the limited time she was able to free up.
Between classes, she spent her time at the sorority house since it was closer to campus than her house. As she got to know the girls in the chapter, she realized they had a lot more depth than she'd initially given them credit for. Janet was from Puerto Rico, attending Western Washington University with a student visa. Charlotte had had a summer internship with Epic Gaming and was still working there remotely through the school year. Cynthia had helped found the Black Student Alliance, though she'd taken a backseat in leading the organization due to her commitments as sorority president. Amy had spent the summer volunteering in Laos. Leah had grown especially close to Dani, who was a member of the Lummi tribe.
Everything was going alright until Kat decided to drop a major bombshell.
"We need to talk," Kat said. "I know what I'm about to say will upset you, but I need you to hear me out."
Leah looked up from her homework apprehensively. "What is it?"
"I just want to start by saying how grateful I am to have you as a sorority sister. I know you're super busy and it really means a lot to me that you've managed to stick with it."
"Yeah…" Leah listened suspiciously. The two of them were in the dining room of the sorority house. She glanced at her surroundings to verify they were still alone.
"So… Chapter elections are coming up," Kat began.
"I'm not running," Leah said. She relaxed slightly when she realized Kat was thinking about sorority stuff. Though it shouldn't have been a surprise; Kat rarely thought about much else.
"I know you don't want to run, but–"
"Kat, there's no but. I don't have time for any more commitments," Leah insisted.
"I know, I know," Kat said. "I don't think you're going to have a choice."
Leah froze. "What do you mean?"
"Half of our chapter are seniors, which means they can't be elected. We aren't going to have enough members to fill all of the positions, so everyone is going to be required to do something."
"I'm dropping," said Leah.
"No!" Kat said. "It doesn't have to be that bad. Hear me out."
Leah's mind was already made up, but she knew Kat wasn't going to accept her decision unless she pretended to consider her view.
"Amy is obviously going to be elected president. You would be the perfect person to be her VP," Kat said.
"That's too much responsibility," Leah insisted.
"It's literally nothing! I promise, as long as Amy is here, you won't have to do a thing," Kat vowed.
"And what if Amy is out?" Leah challenged.
"I'll help you cover for her," Kat promised.
"I don't know, Kat," Leah wasn't convinced.
"Between you and me," Kat's voice dropped lower. "Presidency is a thankless position. Nothing you do is ever good enough and you end up taking the fall for everything that goes wrong. Amy is a sweetheart. She'll be a good president, but I can't see her not taking it personally when other girls get mad at her. What she needs is someone who has her back. When the other girls start being unfair, glare at them and tell them Amy is doing her best."
Leah furrowed her brow.
"That," Kat said as she pointed out Leah's annoyed expression, "is exactly what Amy needs."
"Why don't you run for president?" Leah suggested. She didn't know Amy very well. If she was going to be stuck working with someone, she'd rather it be Kat.
Kat rolled her eyes. "I wish. That would be a disaster. Janet would try to turn the entire chapter against me again. I'm running for Recruitment Chair."
In the end, Leah decided to trust Kat. Elections went exactly as Kat planned. Amy was elected President, Leah was VP, and Kat was the recruitment chair. Leah supposed it wasn't all bad. The current VP was Dani so the two spent some time together as Leah learned her role.
Keeping up with everything was a struggle. Fortunately, Ian helped remind her of upcoming homework assignments and Kat kept track of upcoming sorority events. Jacob vanished altogether in the middle of October, but Leah couldn't be bothered to investigate.
"Formal is this Saturday," Kat reminded Leah of the upcoming sorority dance one day. "Do you have a dress?"
"Shoot," Leah exclaimed. "I forgot to sign up!"
"Don't worry, I took care of it. Ian's your date," Kat said.
"Oh, that's good," Leah sighed. She wasn't big on dances, but she knew Ian wouldn't want to miss it.
Rather than purchase something new, she opted to wear her old bride's maid's dress from Sam and Emily's wedding. She fashioned it with a beaded necklace she'd purchased at a powwow in Tacoma.
Ian arrived at the sorority house with a single yellow rose, he was speechless at the sight of her.
"Wow," he breathed.
Leah smiled. "You don't look half bad yourself."
Leah complimented Ian's suit. She'd never seen him this dressed up. It was a good look.
The attendees rode in a bus to the venue. The sorority had rented space in a nearby VFW. It would've been close enough to walk, but nobody wanted to travel on foot while wearing heels. It was nothing fancy, but it was decorated for the event. The first several minutes were dominated by pictures.
Leah claimed a table with her line and their dates. Kat and Seth hit the dance floor while Sabrina and her partner went to the bar to grab drinks. Left at the table with only Holly and her girlfriend, Megan, the tension was palpable. Megan seemed to be doing her best to act like Leah and Ian weren't there. Ian was too willing to ignore Megan as well.
Holly seemed oblivious to the tension, conversing casually with everyone at the table. Shortly after Sabrina returned to the table, Megan and Holly hit the dance floor.
"I'm going to grab a drink," Ian said. "Do you want anything?"
Leah shook her head. "I'm a sober monitor," she reminded him. Leah had committed to being the designated voice of reason for the night since her werewolf metabolism was already a damper on casual drinking.
"Right," Ian remembered. He went to grab himself a drink.
"What's Megan's problem?" Leah asked Sabrina as Kat returned to try and pull them onto the dance floor.
Sabrina grimaced. "She's Ian's ex. Their relationship didn't end on great terms."
Kat snorted. "Understatement of the year. She cheated on him and he's still not over her."
"Yikes," Leah grimaced. She remembered Ian once referencing an ex who was better off without him. She wondered if he'd been referring to Megan.
Kat gasped as a new song began. "Let's dance!"
Leah followed Kat and Sabrina onto the dancefloor. Ian found her and took her hand in his free hand. They danced to the music. Leah was transported back to their first failed date at the club. This time, Kat was all too content to stay glued to Seth's side.
The music slowed down. Ian set his drink aside and placed both hands on Leah's hips. She placed her hands on his shoulders. They gazed into each other's eyes as they swayed from side to side. For one fleeting moment, his cobalt eyes broke from hers as Megan and Holly joined the dance floor. Leah spun them around so she was out of his line of sight.
"Are you alright?" Leah asked
"I'm fine," Ian's eyes were back on hers.
Leah could see the ghost of his pain in their depths. She didn't think she agreed with Kat. Ian had moved on from Megan, but she'd left him broken. There were walls that he'd put up to protect his heart. Leah didn't press further.
The song ended. The music changed to a more upbeat song. Leah and Ian didn't move away from each other. She wasn't ready for the song to be over.
"Why don't we find somewhere more private," Ian suggested.
Leah agreed. They snuck out the side door and made their way out into the parking lot.
"I made a playlist for us," Ian pulled a little MP3 player out of his pocket. He unwrapped a pair of earbuds and placed one bud in her ear and the other in his.
The first song began. Chasing Cars, by Snow Patrol. He couldn't have picked a more perfect song for the moment. Leah placed her head on his shoulder and moved to the music only they could hear.
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
The moon shined down at them through the clouds. Only a small sliver kept it from being full.
The approaching full moon didn't scare her. It was rather ironic since Ian was the one person who could do nothing against a Child of the Moon, but dancing in his arms, it was easier than ever to believe the monster didn't exist.
He leaned forward slowly, moving in for a kiss. She tilted her head to the side as his lips pressed against hers. Their lips moved together. She moved her hand to his face and caressed his cheeks.
The kiss was like molten lava moving through her veins. It burned a path of desire, scorching her heart. With their lips together, all their walls crumbled.
Two years. That was their unspoken agreement.
Leah hadn't understood why Ian was willing to invest so much time in a doomed relationship, but now, she understood. He was afraid of watching his Forever get ripped away again. With her, there was no promises of forever. Only now.
But… What if there could be something more?
Every single time she tried to quit the pack, something pulled her back in. The threat of the Volturi hung over her cloud.
Ian's world didn't have werewolves or witches. It'd been nearly a month since she'd last phased and the concept was so unappealing. She wanted desperately to have a place in Ian's world.
In Ian's world, she wouldn't have to worry about monsters or imprinting or immortality. She was ready to sever every string she'd attached to their relationship. She didn't care if this decision would break her heart. She wanted him. No matter the cost. Till death would they part.
Chapter Playlist:
Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace - Kat
Running with the Wolves - AURORA - Seth
Can't Help Falling in Love - Haley Reinhart - Ian
Can't Help Falling in Love LIGHT - Tommee Profitt - Leah