A/N: This chapter kinda got away from me and turned out to be pretty long. Next chapter should be up on Sunday. Thank you for reading, and for the follows and favorites! An extra thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave feedback:)

Hunting

Once Leah got the sentimental mush out of her system, she looked around again in a little bit of wonder. It was wild that relative strangers had done something so thoughtful for her, but she was really grateful. She was also curious if it was something she could replicate at her own house.

When she knew she was just going on patrol and wouldn't need to phase back to human while out, she stashed some clothes behind her house. But with their climate, especially being on the coast, they were always at least a little damp when she pulled them back on, if not completely rain-soaked. Her house also wasn't as isolated as the Cullen's, so there was no guarantee of complete privacy.

Jasper smiled at his mate and her emotions. "You thinking you might like something similar at your house?" he asked.

Leah nodded. "It would be really convenient. And my brother and my mom would probably be thrilled to never accidentally see me naked again. I'm pretty sure Seth is scarred for life by now," she laughed.

Alice wrung her hands together a little nervously. "So remember I said we sometimes overstep?"

Leah nodded again. "It was only a few minutes ago, so yes, I do remember," she said with an amused smile.

"Well… we might have accidentally gotten more supplies than we needed for this project. Like exactly the amount that you'd need to build one at your house."

Leah looked at her in surprise and then started laughing. "Accidentally, huh?"

Alice shrugged with a slightly sheepish smile, but her eyes were twinkling with happiness.

"You're not obligated to take it all back to La Push, it's completely your choice, but it was one of the reasons we asked Seth and Paul to come give us a hand," Jasper added with a smile. "Since none of us can cross the treaty line, we wanted them to know how to build it. I already loaded everything in my truck in the garage so it would be ready to go if you wanted it, and Seth and Paul can show you what we did."

"And while I'm already confessing all the ways we've overstepped, I'll just go ahead and tell you I bought Jasper a new bag so if you want to meet him somewhere else as a wolf, he can carry a backpack with him that has a change of clothes," Alice said.

Leah laughed and took Jasper's hand and leaned against his side. "Thank you. This is all seriously amazing."

"I took some pictures already to show Mom," Seth told her. "If she didn't already love Jasper for making you smile, she sure will after this. She'll be even more determined to get him across the treaty line now."

Leah nodded her agreement. Her mom was a softie when it came to her kids, including Paul, so she'd be thrilled that the Cullens did something like this for the three wolves. Knowing Sue, she'd probably try to petition to get all the Cullens - with the exception of Edward obviously - permission to come to their house.

She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with everyone watching her, so she looked up at Jasper. "What do you feel like doing today?"

"I kinda thought maybe we could go for a run and I could show you the boundary of our territory. You guys know the length of it that abuts your land, but it stretches north and east a good ways. It was fun running with you as a wolf yesterday," Jasper said with a little shrug.

"She's the fastest in the pack," Seth said with a proud smile.

Leah heard a car pulling up the driveway and, glancing at her watch, she realized it was probably Edward coming home from school. She looked at Alice curiously. "I thought you had to drive him to and from school."

"Just like Seth and Paul, I got permission from my elders to skip a day so I could do this," Alice laughed. "Esme let him take his phone but told him he had to keep it on airplane mode. That way she can still track the GPS to make sure he didn't go to Bella's and only went straight to school and back."

"She warned him that she'd be calling randomly throughout the day to make sure calls weren't going through," Rosalie added with a smile that gave away how much enjoyment she was getting out of Edward being in trouble.

Leah's thoughts got snagged on something Alice said. "How old are all of you? I know how old Jasper is, but I don't know anyone else's age. All I know is that Alice was already a vamp in 1948 when she met Jasper, and that the rest of you were around in the '30s when you met Ephraim Black and made the treaty."

"Oldest to youngest in human age, which is the age when we were changed, is Esme at twenty-six, Carlisle at twenty-three, Emmett at twenty, me and Alice at nineteen, Rosalie at eighteen, and Edward at seventeen," Jasper answered.

"And vamp ages? Like overall time on this earth?" Paul asked curiously.

Emmett answered that one. "Carlisle was born around 1640, Jasper in 1844, Esme in 1895, Alice and Edward in 1901, and Rose and I were both born in 1915."

Paul let out a low whistle. "Whoa. You're all over a century old, and Carlisle is… what, like just under four centuries?"

Alice nodded. "He's about three-hundred and eighty."

"Holy shit, that is fucking wild!" Leah laughed. "All the things you've seen, all the changes in the world. Don't be surprised if I show up one day with a list of questions," she warned the vamps.

"Don't be surprised if I show up with a list of questions. I'm going to take full advantage of knowing you guys when I have history homework," Seth added with a dimpled grin.

"Alright, everyone clear out," Leah laughed. "I have a new room to use and an imprint to run around the forest with."

"We're gonna head back," Seth said before leaving. "Do you maybe want to leave your car here and drive Jasper's truck home instead with the building supplies?" he asked Leah. "I offered to drive Paul's car back while he drove the truck but he refused because I don't have a license. Said it was one thing to drive on the Res, but he wouldn't let me drive up here where I run the risk of Charlie seeing."

Leah looked at Jasper to see if he was okay with her driving his truck. "That's fine by me," he nodded. "If you'd rather not leave your car here, I can drive the truck and follow you as far as the treaty line if you want, and you can have someone meet you to drive it the rest of the way home."

"That would actually work great. I can ask my mom so she can finally meet you," Leah said with a smile. Sue had been clamoring to meet her imprint, so this was perfect.

Plans made, everyone else left the wolf changing room so Leah could phase in private. It was strange but absolutely wonderful to be able to strip down without worrying about wandering eyes. And it was big enough that she had plenty of room once she was a wolf, she didn't feel crowded or claustrophobic at all.

As the vamps walked with Paul and Seth to Paul's car, Rosalie looked at him curiously. "Is it painful?" she asked him. "Phasing, I mean. It happens so fast, and you're basically rebuilding your entire body."

Paul tipped his head as he thought about it. "Not really, although it was at the beginning. The very first time I shifted was the most painful thing I'd ever felt in all my life," he answered. "It's definitely a strange feeling with a small amount of discomfort, but after the first week or so it wasn't painful."

Rosalie nodded. "I was with the family in 1936 when we came across Ephraim's pack and I was terrified," she admitted quietly. "I'd only been a vampire for three years, and the wolves were the first thing that scared me in this second life."

Jasper, Emmett, and Alice kept their shock from showing on their faces, but all three of them were completely blown away that Rosalie had admitted a perceived 'weakness' to someone, particularly someone outside the family, and even more particularly to a shapeshifting wolf who was technically their mortal enemy.

Paul nodded his understanding. "As a being who is virtually indestructible, I imagine it's a little scary to come face to face with another being that's an actual threat. As humans, we're vulnerable to so many things - the weather, all manner of sickness, other humans, supernaturals - but as wolves and vamps, there's not a whole lot that can harm us. As a wolf, I feel pretty invincible, but spending time with all of you - especially watching you fight - is a good reminder that I'm not."

All the vamps smiled at Paul for the way he responded to Rosalie laying bare a vulnerability. He didn't make fun of her for her fear, or use it as a way to gloat about a shapeshifter's strength, he just validated her feelings and showed how he related to her.

Jasper was really pleased for Leah that she'd found a best friend in him.

Leah walked out of the trees just as Paul and Seth drove away, and she walked over to Jasper slowly, not wanting to spook any of the vamps. When she saw that none of them looked wary, she bumped her head against Jasper's leg, making him laugh.

"Ready?" he asked with a grin as he put his hand on top of her head. Her fur was a lot softer than it looked.

Leah nodded, but before they could take off, Alice asked them to wait a second and then flashed around the corner of the house. She came back with the backpack she'd bought for Jasper, which was made for hiking so it was durable and rainproof.

She tossed it to him with a smile. "Just in case."

He smiled in thanks and sent her his gratitude, and then he and Leah took off into the trees. They headed northwest first so Jasper could start at the far edge of the Cullen's territory, and he breathed a little sigh of relief once they were far enough away that he could only feel Leah's emotions and his own. He'd been living with his gift for over a century and a half, so he was used to the onslaught of emotions when he was around other people, but it was still nice to have a break every now and then. It's why he and Alice went into the mountains for some peace and quiet, rather than somewhere closer to town.

Leah's emotions as they ran were right in line with Jasper's. Being supernatural beings who had to temper their strength and speed in their everyday lives, it was nice whenever they got a chance to really stretch their legs. She was alert to everything around her, but she was also feeling exhilaration and happiness.

As they started veering east, Jasper caught the scent of a mountain lion. He was a little bit thirsty, as it had been just over two weeks since he hunted - not being in school every day with four other veggie vamps surrounded by a few hundred humans meant his thirst never got too bad unless he was around Edward and Bella - but he put it out of his mind. He had plenty of time to hunt later that night after Leah went home.

When he felt a little bit of interest from Leah a moment later, he looked at her in surprise. "Do y'all hunt as wolves?" he asked. He wasn't sure why that thought had never occurred to him before.

Leah nodded her head a little but her interest immediately turned to wariness. Jasper smiled at her to reassure her that he didn't think it was weird or gross or whatever else she was worried he'd think. In Jasper's eyes, Leah hunting as a wolf was just as natural as him hunting as a vamp.

He thought it over for a minute before asking Leah to stop with him. When she looked at him with curiosity, he hesitated a second. Now it was his turn to worry she'd think he was weird or gross.

"Wanna hunt together?" he asked. There was something satisfying to him about the idea. Like that primal part of him liked the possibility of providing a meal for his mate.

Leah tipped her head a little as she thought about it, then let Jasper feel her curiosity.

"How?" he clarified, and Leah nodded. "It can work either way when it comes to who catches it, but I'd have to drink before you eat."

Leah thought on it for a moment and then nodded again.

"Do you want to catch it or do you want me to?" he asked. Leah didn't answer with her emotions, she just took off running in the direction of the lion.

Jasper smiled and followed behind her, keeping back a little ways to give her some room. He was close enough to watch her, though, and there was something thrilling about seeing her hunt. She was fast and powerful, and she killed the mountain lion quickly and humanely. When she picked it up in her strong jaws and brought it to Jasper, carefully laying it at his feet, he laughed a little.

Turns out that primal part of him liked his mate providing a meal for him just as much as the idea appealed to him the other way around. As he drank, he felt pleasure from Leah and he wondered if she felt the same satisfaction.

Once Jasper drank his fill, he stepped back and gestured for Leah to go ahead. As she walked past him, he ran his fingers through the fur on her head and let her feel his gratitude.

As he watched her eat, a quiet purr rumbled out of him. He may not have been the one to catch the lion for his mate, but it was just as satisfying that they could share a meal.

Jasper had left some of the blood in the animal, worried it wouldn't taste as good to Leah's wolf without it, so there was no need to bury the carcass in the ground. Smaller animals and birds of prey could nibble on what was left, so there was no waste. Aside from the obvious delight of being able to share a meal with his mate, Jasper could see there were definitely plenty of other benefits from hunting with the wolves. Maybe it could be something to consider with Paul and Seth when they were all a little more comfortable with each other.

"Ready?" he asked with a laugh when Leah gently bumped her head against his leg again.

When she nodded, they headed off again, running east to follow the boundary of the Cullen's territory. As they looped around and started south, he deviated a little and took her to the area of the mountains he and Alice like to escape to. It was inside their territory, but not by a huge amount so it didn't set them too off-course.

He came to a stop at the base of a huge tree and pulled the backpack off, setting it on the ground under the branches. "Feel like going human for a while?" he asked. When Leah nodded, he ran off a little ways and kept his back turned to give her some privacy.

"Okay, I'm decent," she called a minute or two later.

Jasper turned and ran back to her. She looked awfully adorable in the clothes Alice packed her - a pair of capri leggings and a light grey hoodie. He could see some sneakers peeking out of the bag, but Leah opted to stay barefoot.

"You come here a lot?" Leah asked curiously. She could smell traces of his scent on the tree, along with Alice's.

"I do," he nodded. "You up for a climb?"

"Absolutely," she said with a smile. When he glanced at her feet, she wiggled her toes a little. "I'll be fine. My skin is thicker and more resilient than a regular human's."

Appeased that his mate wouldn't be hurt, he leaped up to grab a branch and started climbing. Leah followed right behind him, a grateful smile on her face the whole time. Once they were settled beside each other on the wide branch, Leah rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why the gratitude?" he asked quietly as he took her hand.

"You treated me like your equal," she answered, her smile firmly in place.

Jasper frowned a little at that. "You are my equal, Leah."

"I just mean you didn't doubt that I could climb way too high in a tree than would ever be safe for a human," she laughed. "Aside from making sure my feet would be fine on the bark, you just let me climb. You didn't constantly check I was okay."

Jasper nodded his understanding. "I figured if you didn't want to climb this high or you couldn't for some reason, you'd tell me. I won't ever assume that it's my right to make decisions for you. I've seen you speak out on your own behalf and on behalf of Paul and Seth, and I've seen you stand up for yourself. If you don't like something or don't want to do something, I'm pretty confident you'll let me know."

Leah's smile grew as she listened to him. She was used to the rest of the pack treating her differently because she was a girl, like that made her less capable than her male counterparts. Which was bullshit, obviously. "I definitely will," Leah agreed. "It's not really in my nature to keep quiet if I'm unhappy about something."

"Good," Jasper laughed. "Our bond is obviously established already, that's the weird nature of mates and imprints, and our relationship will develop around it. Trust is key, which means so is honesty. I have to trust that you'll tell me the truth about things, just like you have to be able to trust my word. That doesn't mean you have to make your life an open book to me," he added. "You're just as entitled to privacy as anyone else, but honesty about the important things is crucial."

"I agree," Leah nodded.

"So aside from more resilient skin, what else comes along with being a wolf? The strength and speed, obviously, but how else does it affect your human body?" Jasper asked curiously. They'd talked about their lives, and they'd started some training exercises, but Jasper still didn't know what characteristics of wolf-Leah carried over to human-Leah.

Leah thought on it a moment before answering. "The strength and speed stay with me when I'm human to an extent. I'm not as strong in this body as I am when I'm a wolf, but I'm still much faster and much stronger than a typical human. Balance and reflexes are heightened, skin's thicker, and I heal remarkably fast. That's the same human and wolf. I assume it's connected to my body's ability to transform. Bones have to change shape when I phase, so they basically need to be able to rebuild or repair themselves quickly. That's my guess, anyway," she shrugged. "There aren't any scientific studies on shapeshifters as far as I know."

Jasper looked down at the ground, which was a good seventy-five feet below them. "And if I wanted to shove you off this branch?"

Leah laughed and nudged his shoulder. "I'd probably say don't. I can drop from pretty high up, but I've never tested anything more than a second story window. This is more like seven or eight stories, so I don't know how I'd do. I could probably land on a lower branch and then hop down to the ground branch to branch, but a straight fall? I'm not sure."

"Good to know," he smiled.

"So this is your little refuge?" Leah asked. "And Alice's?"

"It is. Most everyone in the family has somewhere they like to go when they're looking for some peace and quiet. For me, I always find somewhere that's not too far of a run but is far enough from any towns that I have some emotional peace. Constantly feeling everyone's emotions can wear on me, so it's nice to get a break where I can only feel my own emotions. Alice's, too, when she comes along. Her emotions are nearly always on the positive end of the spectrum, and when we're up here, she's pretty calm and serene so it never feels… heavy, I guess is the best way to describe it."

"I can see why you like it up here. Even without wanting the emotional distance, it's really beautiful," Leah said as she looked around. They were facing west so they had a beautiful view of the sun beginning to set. "Are people unique?" she asked curiously after a few minutes of silence. "Like if you couldn't see or smell someone but felt their emotions, would you know who they were?"

"If I know the person well, yes. Everyone's got an emotional signature, so if I'm very familiar with someone, I recognize that signature. I know all of the Cullens and Peter and Charlotte as well as anyone. I recognize them easily and can feel their emotions from a greater distance. The same holds true with Maria. I haven't seen her in a very long time, but I spent seventy-five years in the south with her so I know her as well as I know the others. I can probably already pick you out of a crowd, and I have a feeling I'll be able to feel you at a greater distance also. Seth might be pretty easy to recognize, but I'm not sure about Paul. He's got a shifting baseline, which makes it slightly more difficult for me to decipher it quickly."

"I can see that," she nodded. "His mood can shift really quickly and he's almost like two different people depending on who he's around. I'm sure that there are a lot of people who'd be surprised by how loving and thoughtful he can be. Particularly with me, Seth, and my mom. He's honestly mostly known for having a temper and a short fuse," she laughed.

Jasper smiled at her. "Rosalie is similar in some ways. She can appear cold and uncaring but she's not at all. She's got a huge heart and she's really thoughtful about other people's feelings. Well, some people's," he amended. "There are definitely people she doesn't care for, so she's not quite so careful with their feelings. But me, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, even Peter and Charlotte. She notices a lot and sees more than most. She was the first one in the family to realize that their thirst affected me and has always made sure she and Emmett hunt regularly to alleviate any additional strain," he explained with a smile. "She did it with you also - she noticed the clothes you and Seth had in your bag when you ran back to the house with us were kinda muddy and wet, so she brought you out something clean and dry to put on."

"And she noticed the scent thing and specifically picked stuff that was fresh from the dryer," Leah nodded. "You two are close?"

"We are. Rose and I are definitely the most similar in temperament of everyone in the family. A little less trusting, a little less impulsive and more methodical and careful. Very focused on the safety and security of the coven as a whole. And once someone has our loyalty, we'll fight to the death to protect them."

Leah knew Jasper's past already so it was easy to see why he had all those traits, and she wondered again if there was something in Rosalie's past that made her so similar. She didn't ask about it, though. Rosalie's story was her story. If she wanted to share it, she would. Because Leah cherished her own privacy, she tried really hard to be respectful of other people's right to privacy. "I noticed that the two of you go by a different name than everyone else rather than using Cullen. You both are Hales, right?" she asked instead.

Jasper broke out in a grin. "Yeah. Hale is Rose's human last name and a few years after Alice and I joined the family she proposed the two of us posing as siblings. Said I was the only one hot enough to pass as her twin," he laughed.

Leah laughed and silently agreed. They sat in a peaceful silence for a few minutes before Leah asked a question she'd been curious about since the day she'd met Jasper. "What do the wolves smell like to you guys?"

"Wolves in general or you specifically?" he asked with a smile.

"Both," she laughed.

"Generally speaking, not great," Jasper admitted. "It's definitely a more 'animal' smell, rather than a typical human scent. And that's true in either form - human or wolf. But you don't smell that way to me. Your scent reminds me of a forest during a rain storm, like petrichor and wet moss. I don't know if that's a mate thing or if you smell like that to the whole family. We haven't actually talked about it."

Leah breathed a little sigh of relief at that. She'd been worried she smelled awful to her imprint and was afraid to ask because she really didn't want to know if she repulsed him. "It's sorta the same for me," she said. "Vamps in general don't smell the best. It's a strange smell, kind of like the overpowering sweetness of burnt sugar with a little bit of bleach mixed in. It actually burns our noses a little."

Jasper cut in with a laugh. "That's awful."

"Yeah. Like I said, not the best," she laughed. "But you smell different to me, so I'm thinking it is a mate or imprint thing. My mom makes this homemade cold medicine - it has a name but I can never remember it - with warm whiskey, honey, and lemon juice. I've always associated it with warmth and comfort, and that's what you smell like to me."

Jasper grinned at that, feeling his own relief that his scent didn't bother his mate. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, his phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw Peter's name and smiled.

"Hey—"

Peter cut him off, speaking quickly. "Seventeen miles northwest."

"Victoria?" Jasper asked as he stood up.

"Yep and be quick about it. If you head northwest you'll catch her scent and you can follow her trail. She's headed for Forks."

Without needing to know any more, and not wanting to waste time, Leah started jumping down branch to branch, pulling her clothes off as she went. To hell with privacy, her imprint had already seen her naked. As soon as she hit the ground, she shoved the clothes in the backpack and started running, phasing as she went.

Jasper dropped straight to the ground and scooped up the bag, putting it on his back as he ran. He called Alice quickly to tell her where they were and where they thought Victoria was, and as he hung up, he heard her mobilizing the rest of the family to try and catch Victoria on her way into town. With Alice and the others coming at her from the front, and Jasper and Leah coming from behind, maybe they could sandwich her between them.

"Are any of the pack in wolf form right now?" Jasper quickly asked Leah, and her answering emotions indicated they were. "Tell them to tighten their line and if Paul and Seth are wolves, have them head east about five miles and then swing north to come into our territory. If Victoria feels trapped, she might head southeast to stay away from where she knows the wolves patrol. The rest of the pack should patrol the cliffs so they're ready in case she tries to make a dash for the coast instead to escape in the water."

Leah sent him some curiosity and trust, not at all sure how to use emotions to ask 'what would you do?' but knowing he'd probably have a better idea of what the redhead might try.

"What would I do?" he clarified, and Leah nodded a little. "It depends on how quickly the wolves move. We don't know yet if she has a gift that lets her escape danger, but if she does, she'll go wherever there's a weakness. Me personally, if I was confident I could reach the coast, that's where I'd go. If she makes it, there's virtually no way to track her after she hits the water."

It was only a few minutes later when they crossed Victoria's path, and they immediately swung around to follow her trail southwest. Leah kept pace with Jasper as he put on a burst of speed, and they both ran as quietly as they could. If her shifting emotions were anything to go by, Leah was communicating with the rest of the pack. Jasper tried not to read into the anger and frustration she was feeling, but he was pretty sure the other wolves disagreed about what to do.

A few minutes later, Jasper simultaneously heard a wolf howling to the south and caught sight of Victoria through the trees. She was still a good ways in front of them, but she glanced back over her shoulder and veered slightly west.

"Goddamn it," Jasper growled. "Tell them to get to the cliffs."

Leah's emotions fluctuated again as she talked to the pack. This time Jasper had no doubt the wolves either weren't going to act in time, or they weren't going to go along with their plan.

Jasper heard and felt his family approaching from the south, and Victoria changed course to loop north to avoid them and then west. A minute later, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme were running alongside them. He could feel Alice's emotions flicker and knew she was trying to see what Victoria was going to do. As she started to lag the tiniest bit, Jasper wasted no time in scooping her up and she scooted around so she was perched on his bag as he ran.

Leah saw it out of the corner of her eye and had to admit she was impressed by the move. It was a completely fluid motion that didn't slow them down at all, as if they'd done it countless times before.

"Thanks," Alice whispered as she held on and started trying to see what path Victoria was going to take. "West," she said urgently after a few moments as she dropped to the ground and started running. "Straight line west in our territory as far as she can go and then south across the treaty line to the cliffs."

"Fuck," Emmett growled. "Are the wolves ready?"

"I'm not sure," Jasper answered. "Leah's been talking to the pack, and if her emotions are any indication, I'd say no."

As the Cullens and Leah neared the treaty line, Paul came running up and tried to put some pressure on Victoria from the south to try and keep her in vamp territory. He and Leah were the only wolves this far north in their own territory.

Jasper thought he had an opening when he felt a moment of hesitation in the redhead, so he used every bit of speed he had and lunged for her. His fingers almost caught the back of her shirt but she leaped into a tree to evade him. The treaty line was only a matter of yards away, so Jasper and the rest of the Cullens came to a skidding stop.

Leah and Paul never slowed down, never hesitated. They tried to trap Victoria but seeing the wolves closing in on her, she shot back up into the trees, where they couldn't climb.

Jasper and Alice glanced at each other and nodded. After dropping anything they didn't want getting wet, they took off towards the north to reach the coastline that was in their territory. It was a long shot, but they'd try to find her once she was in the water. The ocean was neutral ground, so they could swim parallel to the coast of Quileute land.

Two minutes later, Paul and Leah skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust and debris and watched as Victoria did a swan dive into the Pacific. After a brief glance, they both phased back to human and quickly dove off the cliff to follow her.

It was a fruitless endeavor. It was only about five minutes before Leah and Paul realized they had no hope of finding her. The water was too dark for them to see more than a few yards in front of them, and they needed to keep coming to the surface to breathe while Victoria could stay under indefinitely.

Growling in frustration, they abandoned the hunt and swam back to shore.