The Cullens called the wolves to a meeting to discuss the new information they'd learned. Leah was still reeling from Bella's presence during her Ethics lecture, trampling the boundary that she had established. Leah had had enough of the vampires' presence. She ran through the night, staying in her wolf form to communicate with her pack. Seth was outside the Cullen house in his wolf form while Jacob was inside on two legs. Embry joined the conversation from afar, running through the forest near La Push.

Leah paced nervously. Her fear was becoming a reality. The Volturi was here, snooping around, probably looking for a reason to hunt them.

"The hybrids are Aro's biological children," the mind reader explained. "They're both incredibly powerful. The oldest is able to shield certain things from thought. He makes it very difficult to recall specific events in his presence. That's why I didn't notice them on the roof. It's powerful, but he has a limited radius. The closer you are to him, the harder it is to think about whatever he's shielding. The Volturi are using him to prevent the student body from speculating about Kevin's attack."

"And the younger son?" the leader asked.

"He can look into a person or a place's past," the mind reader explained. "Unlike Aro's gift, he's looking at events, not the mind. Bella's shield can't stop him. He can only look back on the past few days, though."

"That's how they knew about the Child of the Moon," Alice realized.

Edward nodded grimly. "We mentioned it during our family meeting yesterday. I got a look at Felix's mind. The Volturi didn't know we were responsible for Kevin's attack until they arrived. They knew we were in the area so when they heard there was a disturbance, they took it as an opportunity to check in."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of scare tactic?" Emmett gruffed.

"He could be testing Alice's limitations," Jasper pondered. "The child will know what she said yesterday and pass the information along to Aro."

"Now that I know about them, I'm prepared," Alice asserted. "They won't slip past me again."

Yeah, right, Leah rolled her eyes.

"Technically, we haven't broken any laws just yet," Edward said. "It was the wolves' interference that caused this… misunderstanding."

A chill ran down Leah's spine. Were the Cullens willing to throw them under the bus to save their own necks?

"They see Kevin as a threat," Edward continued. "They're unwilling to allow him any opportunity to say something."

"I'm assuming they're expecting us to… take care of the situation?" Jasper asked.

"We won't have to," Edward responded. "The older child is eager to prove himself to his father. He will take care of it."

We can't let them touch him, Seth protested. Losing Kevin would crush Kat. Seth couldn't let that happen.

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice," Edward frowned. "If we stand in their way, they'll attack us."

No, Seth whined. His thoughts went back to earlier that day. Nessie's visit to the sorority house had the opposite effect he intended. Kat called him in a panic, begging him to take her back to the hospital. Seth obliged. When they arrived, she was prepared to pitch a fit, but it was unnecessary. The nurse had informed them that Kevin had woken and was asking for her. She screeched with joy when she saw him on the hospital bed. Seth had to hold her back to prevent her from tackling him in a hug. She didn't seem to notice how fragile of a state he was in, nor how he glared up at Seth from the bed. Kevin was too weak to be particularly conversational. They stayed until visiting hours ended and the nurse kicked them out. The moment Kat walked out of the hospital, she seemed to put Kevin behind her. There was a new light in her voice as she chatted during the car ride, only mentioning Kevin when requesting another ride on Friday.

Seth struggled to make sense of their relationship. He didn't think she cared about Kevin, not really, but she needed him to be okay.

Leah's pacing brought her closer to the university. She growled. This was all the Cullen's fault. If it weren't for Renesmee, none of them would be here. If Nessie hadn't… if she hadn't… What did she do?

The mind reader's head snapped up. His eyes locked on Seth. "I think Leah is within AJ's radius."

What!? Leah exclaimed. She immediately started heading away from the school.

Leah, are you okay? Embry asked.

I'm fine, I just can't remember why I'm mad at Nessie, Leah thought back to Monday morning and walked through the event.

She'd been with Ian when she heard Seth's howl. She ran to his aid. She found him with Renesmee… Then what? What was he doing with Nessie?

Seth filled in the blanks. Walking her through the next part of the memory. Leah couldn't process the events he was showing her. It was like watching a movie in another language. She could hear, but the words had no meaning.

Kevin is in the hospital, Embry said. Yes, Leah knew that. Seth had carried Kevin to Carlisle so he could take him to the hospital. Kevin was recovering at the hospital from severe blood loss. Leah was mad at Nessie because Kevin was in the hospital, but why? Why did Kevin's hospitalization make Leah mad at Nessie? Something was missing. Some critical connection between the two dots was forced from her memory.

Attacked, Seth supplied. Attempted Murder.

Leah tried to connect the dots. Nessie was a bloodsucker. Nessie was a killer…

Kevin nearly died of blood loss.

"Fascinating," the mind reader was intrigued by her struggle. He explained to his coven what she was experiencing.

Leah ran away from the school, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the creature clouding her memory. The pieces started coming together.

Once she was far enough away, she was able to force herself to think about the thoughts that had previously eluded her. Renesmee tried to kill Kevin. The thought was hard to hold, even with her pack whispering in her ear. It grew easier the farther she ran.

That's weird, Embry shuddered.

Tell me about it, Leah said. She joined Seth in the woods behind the Cullen's house. She hated being this close, but she knew it was the safest place to be given Bella's ability to block the haze in her memory.

"Leah, would you mind going back?" the leader audaciously asked. "This is a good opportunity to learn the extent of his abilities."

Leah pressed her ears flat again her head and snarled at him.

"I'll do it," Jacob volunteered. When he phased, Leah could feel the strength of his guilt. Over the past two days, he'd done nothing but dwell on what happened. He was racked with guilt and horror over his own actions.

But only his own actions. There was no anger in his thoughts, no animosity towards Renesmee, and no concern for Kevin.

Seth snarled and scratched at the ground. He threw his own memories at Jacob. He remembered Kat's anguish in response to her conversation with Nessie. He recalled Kevin's broken body lying on the hospital bed. Seth's anger was directed at Renesmee. Jacob responded defensively.

She did it for Kat. Nessie was trying to protect her. How can you be mad about that? Jacob defended. Don't tell me you wouldn't be willing to do the same.

I can protect her, Seth said. She didn't want this. She never wanted this.

Can you? Jacob antagonized. He pulled up the images Renesmee had shared: Kevin confronting Kat outside of the sorority house.

Seth threw his head back and howled in anger. Leah was grateful Jacob was out of Seth's reach.

"Stop," Edward called. "I understand you're upset, but Jacob is getting close enough to be within AJ's reach. He might not be able to think clearly."

Seth gruffed. I'm not listening to this. I can't deal with this right now. Seth slunk deeper into the woods to phase back. Leah, now alone with the bloodsuckers, watched the Cullens anxiously. She braced to run.

Jacob and Embry tested the limits of their thoughts, exploring what they could think about and what was off-limits. She didn't pay any attention to the conversation occurring in her head. Her eyes darted from one vampire to another, waiting for someone to make a move. The mind reader used her as a radio and explained to his family what they observed.

Jacob struggled to even remember that Nessie was half vampire. Embry and Jacob figured out how to think around it, censoring their thoughts just enough to still understand what they were missing. It's like their thoughts were a puzzle. Unsolved, you'd never know a piece was missing, but with the rest of the puzzle put together, it was glaringly, infuriatingly obvious what wasn't there. They were able to infer what was missing.

Out of nowhere, the missing piece seemed to reappear. Jacob's memory came flooding back. The full force of the events hit him like a train. He shuddered under the weight of the horror.

What happened? Embry asked.

"He's half human," Esme pointed out. "He may have gone to sleep."

"Or he could be on his way to Portland," Alice added.

"What's our next action?" Jasper asked.

Carlisle thought carefully for a moment before responding. "We have no reason to believe the Volturi are conspiring against us. We'll stay out of their way and let them do their job. They should be gone in a few days."

"What about the children?" Rosalie asked. "We'll be vulnerable to their gifts as well."

"Skip class if you must," Carlisle advised. "They're cleaning up our mess, we can't get in their way."

Rosalie nodded.

Leah's stomach rolled. Of course, college was nothing more than a façade for them. She didn't have the leisure of skipping. She couldn't afford to fall behind.

I'm going to sleep. Leah thought. She made it clear to Jacob that she'd be finding a nice spot far away from campus to ensure no leeches were playing tricks with her mind.

I owe you an apology. Jacob said. She saw the sincerity behind his thoughts as he recalled how he'd used the binding voice of the alpha to force her to stand down when she growled at Renesmee.

All I could think about was protecting her, Jacob said. The statement was not a defense, Jacob was truly horrified by his actions. I didn't even consider trying to save the man. I'm sorry.

Leah bristled at the apology. His horror was only at himself. He still couldn't think ill of Nessie. Of course, he couldn't. Jacob ignored the jab.

How were you able to remember that Nessie is part vampire, but not me? Jacob asked.

I wasn't thinking about Kevin's attack, Leah pointed out. As far as I'm concerned, she's always been a monster.

That killed the conversation. Jacob went back to the house for the night. Leah didn't know where Seth was. She didn't particularly care, he could take care of himself.

She curled up under a tree and drifted to sleep. She woke several hours later from something vibrating against her leg. She looked up and realized her phone, wrapped tight in her clothes, was going off. She phased back to answer it.

"Hello?" Leah asked.

"Hey Leah, it's Ian," he said.

"You're free!" Leah celebrated.

"Yeah, about time," Ian grumbled. "Would you mind if I borrowed your notes? I already emailed my professors, but most of them weren't much help."

"Yeah, of course," Leah responded. "That'll be no problem."

"Awesome. Let's meet at the library before class," Ian said.

"The library?" Leah's heart raced. She wanted to spend as little time as possible on campus while the baby leech was screwing with everyone's heads.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Ian asked.

"Why don't we meet at my house instead?" Leah suggested. The house was close enough to campus for her to still feel some influence of the baby bloodsucker, but it was far enough that she could still force herself to remember the truth if she wanted to.

"We can if you want," Ian said.

"Perfect, see you soon," Leah hung up the phone. She raced back to campus. It took her much longer during the day since she had to worry about being spotted. Ian was at her doorstep minutes after she arrived. He was using a pair of crutches to get around to avoid putting weight on his injured foot. They spread their notebooks across the dining table and he read through her notes meticulously. He copied every word into his own notebook.

"You take good notes," he complimented.

"Thanks, how was jail?" Leah asked.

Ian rolled his eyes and began a long-winded rant about how he was completely innocent and the police had no idea what they were doing.

"They had footage of me running down the street in my boxers and that's it!" Ian said. "They didn't even know about the bar fight."

"That's crazy," Leah said.

"How's Kat handling it?" Ian asked.

"I haven't seen her since Monday," Leah deliberately dodged the question. Kat wouldn't be okay for much longer. "Seth's been driving her to the hospital to visit him."

Ian stifled a groan. "That will just freak her out more."

Leah shrugged. "Try stopping them." She couldn't meet Ian's eye. She knew there wouldn't be any more hospital visits. Kevin wouldn't be there to visit.

Ian shook his head and sighed as he went back to the notes.

Seth walked past them carrying a basket on his way to the laundry room behind the kitchen, desperately trying to pretend everything was normal. Leah looked up at him, but he didn't meet her eye. The plastic handles contorted under his tight grip.

"I texted her and Sabrina when I got out, but neither of them have responded. I'm starting to get worried," Ian frowned as he glanced at his phone. "I'm texting Holly now. She was interrogated too, but she was released before me."

Ian sent a quick message then set his phone aside and went back to copying Leah's notes.

"Your roommate? Why?" Leah asked.

Ian's lip twitched into a smirk. "She chased him down the block with a baseball bat. I need to get ahold of that footage."

Leah couldn't share his enthusiasm. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.

Ian glanced at the message and froze in alarm. "I gotta make a call," he said, not looking away from the screen. He grabbed one of his crutches and hobbled out of the room with the phone pressed to his ear.

"What's wrong?" asked Leah.

"Holly. Is she okay?" Ian asked. Leah tried to fill in the gaps in the conversation, but she wasn't having much luck. "Where is she now?... What did she do?" Ian listened intently to Holly's answer. "Okay, I'm going over to the house now. I'll let you know if I'm able to talk some sense into her."

Ian hung up the phone.

"What happened?" asked Leah.

"Janis overheard Kat saying she wasn't going to live without Kevin… so she reported her," Ian said. "Kat spent the night in a mental hospital. She checked herself out this morning but she's not being rational. She locked herself in her room and she won't let anyone in."

Seth bolted out of the laundry room. "Let's go check on her."

"We can try," Ian said, "but knowing Kat, she won't listen. Regardless, I'd rather get Sabrina's meds out of reach just in case."

Leah drove the three of them to the sorority house. She parked in front of the house and the boys ran to the door. Leah followed close behind. They banged on the door until someone answered.

"Sorry, Ashley," Ian said as he and Seth pushed past the girl holding open the door.

In the living room, Sabrina was in a screaming match with another girl. "Why are you mad at me?" the girl screamed. "I am literally a mandated reporter."

"You have to butt in everyone's business, why can't you leave us alone?" Sabrina cried.

The voices faded into the background as they bounded up the stairs. Several girls were huddled around one of the doors. Seth reached for the doorknob, but the door wouldn't budge.

"She barricaded herself in her room," said a brunette girl.

"Kat, are you okay? Can you open the door?" Ian asked.

"Go away!" Kat yelled. Seth let out a breath that Leah suspected he'd been holding since he stepped inside the house.

"I have an idea," said Seth. He counted the number of doors in the hallway before going back down the stairs. Leah followed him outside.

He eyed the pillar on the front of the house. Before Leah could ask him what he was planning, he launched himself into the air. He scaled the pillar and twisted himself up onto the roof. The sorority's house manager, Ashley, watched in horror. Seth walked to Kat's window and knocked on it. He sat outside for several minutes before she opened the window wide enough to let him in. He crammed his body into the tiny space. Leah was worried he'd get stuck but he somehow managed to make it inside.

Leah went back into the house. In the time Leah had been outside, the atmosphere in the house had completely changed. Sabrina and the girls who had been outside Kat's door were now huddled around a laptop. Sabrina had her hands covering her face.

"I thought she knew," Janis said. "Dylan told Amy last night."

It was official. The university had sent out an email confirming what Leah already knew. Kevin was dead.

Leah made her way upstairs. The empty stairwell felt like a mountain. Each step echoed against the walls. When she got to the door, she could hear the shuffling of furniture as Seth unbarricaded the door from within. Ian had his hand on the doorknob, waiting to be able to open it.

Leah placed a hand on Ian's back. "Check your email."

He looked at her in confusion, but when he saw her expression, he immediately let go of the doorknob and pulled out his phone.

He pushed a few buttons on the screen. His jaw dropped and his eyebrows rose towards his dark hairline. He looked up at Leah for confirmation. He cursed and looked down at his phone, meticulously reading every word.

The doorknob jiggled and Kat's door swung open. The look of relief on Seth's face melted away as he took in Leah and Ian's expressions. Neither of them said a word. Ian glanced down the hall and saw multiple pairs of prying eyes peeking out of the other rooms, watching them closely.

He placed his hand on Leah's back and gestured for her to go into the room. Seth stepped aside numbly. Kat was sitting on the bottom bunk.

"How are you feeling?" Ian asked cautiously.

Kat rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Some people just don't know how to mind their own business."

"What happened?" Ian asked.

"I might have said I wasn't planning on living without Kevin and Janis totally blew it out of proportion. He's doing fine so there's literally no reason for her to freak."

Leah and Ian exchanged a helpless look. Suspicion crept into Kat's eyes as she took in the atmosphere in the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

There was a long silence before Seth finally spoke.

"The university just sent out an email to everyone," Seth said. Leah knew how hard this was for him, knowing he was about to break her heart. "Kevin didn't make it."

Kat looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "What are you talking about? We saw him yesterday at the hospital. He was stable. The doctors said he was going to make a full recovery."

"I don't know," Seth looked straight ahead at the locket around her neck, unable to raise his eyes any higher as he lied. "Something must have happened after we left."

"That's not funny Seth," Kat looked back in forth between every face in the room.

"He's telling you the truth," Ian said.

Kat was starting to get mad. "Is this a part of your prank war? Was this Kyle's idea?"

"I would never do that to you," Seth said.

Kat jumped from her bed, shaking her head rapidly. "No. Take me to the hospital. There had to have been a mistake. Some kind of mix-up. He was doing fine. He was awake. He was getting better. He needs to get better," She grabbed her clutch and headed towards the door.

Seth reached out and grabbed her hand, finally raising his eyes to hers. "Kat, he's gone."

"But he was getting better," Kat said, reality slowly starting to sink in. "He was supposed to get better."

"I'm sorry." Leah could hear everything Seth couldn't say. Sorry he was too late to stop Renesmee. Sorry he couldn't stop the Volturi.

Kat seemed to hear, too. It was those two little words that finally convinced her that Seth wasn't pranking her. "No," she said. "You don't understand, I need him. He can't be dead. He can't."

A surreal silence fell across the room as Kat looked back and forth between Leah and Seth, waiting for someone to contradict the suffocating truth settling about the room. After what felt like an eternity, Kat broke the quiet with an unearthly scream. Her legs buckled beneath her. Seth lurched forward to catch her. He didn't try and stop her from falling, but he slowed her descent with his embrace. They sat together, entangled on the hardwood floor. Kat buried her head in Seth's chest. Even muffled, her howls of grief pierced the room. Seth's tears flowed silently into her hair. Leah could see his lips forming the words "I'm sorry" over and over again, but not a single sound came out.

Ian took Leah's hand and pulled her into the hallway to give them some privacy. He shut the door behind them. Leah leaned into Ian's chest as he wrapped her into a hug. The tears that escaped from her eyes weren't really for Kevin, no. It was the situation as a whole. They'd failed. They were supposed to be the protectors, defenders of human life, but there was nothing they could do.

Kat's screams reverberated down the hall. The other girls living in the house slowly made their way out of their rooms and went downstairs, uncomfortable being an audience to the moment. Ian and Leah followed slowly. Leah noticed Ian had abandoned his crutches as he hopped down the stairs.

Downstairs, the girls were talking about the situation, sharing speculation and rumors. Holly had arrived as well.

"I found these outside," Holly said as she handed Ian his crutches.

"Thanks," Ian replied.

Sabrina snuck upstairs for a minute and reemerged with a gallon-sized bag full of small boxes and pill bottles.

"How is she?" asked Ian.

"She screamed at me to leave," Sabrina said. She handed the bag to Holly. "Can you keep these at your place?"

Holly nodded. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Sabrina said.

"You need to take care of your own mental health, too," Ian said. Leah could practically see the gears turning in his head. He was escaping the moment by working several steps ahead.

"I can't let her be by herself," Sabrina said.

"You're not alone," Holly said. "The other girls in the house will help you look out for her."

"And us," Leah added. She hated this. It was clear from their tones that this was more than supporting Kat through her grief. They spoke about her like she was a grenade without a pin. They needed to take turns holding down the lever or risk her exploding.

"I'm surprised she hasn't kicked Seth out, yet," Ian said.

"There has to be something more we can do," Leah said. She was struck by just how hopeless the situation was. She hated how there was nothing to do. No enemy to tear apart and defeat. The only threat left to Kat was herself.

Ian shrugged. "We can probably talk her into going to the grief counselors, but if we try to force her into anything, she'll put up a fight."

"The mental hospital?" Leah asked.

"She'll check herself out again," Holly said. "Or escape. She's scarily good at that."

The house mom emerged for the first time, having been updated on the situation by Ashley. She was young too, probably close to Leah or Ian's age, but the sorority girls instantly reverted to children in her presence, looking to her for the answers they were unable to find. She urged them to go to class and focus on the events they had planned for the upcoming week. Leah was reminded just how young the students all were.

Leah and Ian took the advice as well, leaving periodically to attend class. Leah walked together with Ian. She was grateful to have him by her side. The weight of adulthood wasn't quite the maze it was to the sorority girls. He had a focus that could only be gained through life. She suspected he'd endured more than she knew.

The only class Leah skipped was the ethics lecture, unable to bring herself to face the murderer. Ian promised to take notes for her.

By evening, Kat began allowing other visitors. Her closest friends crowded into her room. Sabrina left briefly to get dinner for herself and Kat.

Leah stayed at the house until Ashley kicked her and the boys out, insisting visiting hours were over.

"Sorry," Ashley said without a hint of remorse. "Only sorority members are allowed in the house after hours."

Leah dropped Ian off at the fraternity house before she and Seth returned to their own house.

"Nessie didn't get a bid," Seth told Leah.

"Seriously? So much for accepting everyone," Leah said as she unlocked the front door.

"I don't like the idea of not having somebody on the inside checking in on her," Seth said. "Do you think you would be able to join?"

Leah wanted to laugh at the notion. Her? A sorority girl? The notion was ridiculous. Even more crazy than befriending vampires but Seth had no problem with that.

"You're kidding," Leah said.

"Would you mind if we phased? There are things I don't want to say aloud," Seth said.

Leah nodded. She didn't mind at all. Quitting the pack was now the last thing on her mind. They didn't want to risk getting caught in the woods, so they pulled blankets tight over the living room windows and shoved the furniture against a wall. The room was a bit cramped with two large wolves, but they made due.

Hello, Embry greeted them. What's new?

The little kid can see events, but he can't get in our head, so I figure if talked like this, our conversations will be private, Seth explained.

Smart thinking, Leah replied. She was so focused on the older sibling, she'd almost forgotten how dangerous the little one's gift could be. Night had fallen and conversations were now unrestricted.

She saw something Leah, Seth said. He thought about one of the conversations he'd had with Kat today. After the bar, I think she saw me phase. There was uncertainty in Seth's thoughts. He had diverted the conversation as soon as he realized the direction of Kat's thoughts.

Leah recalled how she'd caught Kat staring out the window after they'd returned from the bar. That's a possibility. What's the problem? You imprinted on her. She's allowed to know.

About us, sure, Seth said. But what about the Volturi? I'm worried they're going to come after her next. I asked Alice to keep an eye on her, but she's too involved with me, Alice can't see her.

And she won't be able to see if the child assassins hunt her, Leah shuddered.

As far as the Volturi are concerned, she's just another human. She can't find out about vampires.

A low growl built in Leah's throat. That's absurd. Their rules don't apply to us.

I highly doubt the Volturi will recognize tribal sovereignty, Embry joked dryly. They had no issue declaring war on the other species of werewolves. I talked to Collin; we're actually surprised they haven't tried to come after us, yet.

It's only a matter of time, Leah bristled. She knew Collin wanted to be prepared. He urged his pack to stay close, though it was hard with so many members.

Embry agreed. The entire tribe knows the truth. If they decide to enforce their laws against us…

They'll outlaw our existence and use it to justify a genocide, Leah pulled back her lips into a snarl. There was no doubt in her mind that it could happen: it already had.

Seth shook his head. No, they still have to care about their own secret. Wiping out hundreds of people at once with raise too much attention.

Leah didn't have the same faith. She thought about the Children of the Moon. One by one, the Volturi had hunted them nearly to extinction.

Aro read Edward's mind. He knows enough about us to know hurting Kat would be a declaration of war, Seth said.

We'll watch her, Leah promised. The bloodsuckers can find some other way to pick a fight.

I don't think I can keep our secret from her forever, but I can't let her know about vampires, at least not yet, Seth said. In the meantime… His initial request came to the forefront of his thoughts.

Leah growled. Fine, I'll join the silly sorority.

Seth's tail started wagging energetically. Yes! Thank you, Leah!

He accidentally knocked a candle off the coffee table with his tail. It shattered as it hit the ground.

Oops.

Chapter Playlist:

The Kill (Bury Me) - 30 Seconds To Mars - Kevin

In the End - Linkin Park - Kat

Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood - Kat

Papercut - Linkin Park - Leah

Over My Head (Cable Car) – The Fray - Sabrina