𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 ⸻ 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋

→ chapter sixteen.

November swiftly bled into December, bringing with it cold wind and a shocking revelation—not only was Bella a full-fledged vampire but she'd reproduced with the mind-reader, birthing a half-human child. Not only that but the vampire heads of their society would be showing up soon thanks to their lack of discretion. One of their kind had seen the child and ran to snitch. Turning children was strictly forbidden apparently. Yet again, thanks to Bella's hare-brained antics, the Pack and the humans of Forks and La Push were in danger.

Jake had called a Meet.

Embry voiced the question they were all thinking. "So what are we doing?"

"They're gathering friends. Witnesses, if you will, for the child. And I want to stand with them."

The resolve in his words made Leah's temper flare.

"Why should we help them? They knew the risks of turning Bella, of her having a half-human child, but somehow you expect us to put our lives on the line for them?" she demanded. Her blood boiled at how Jake expected them to stand in solidarity for the very monsters that had ruined everyone's lives. "It's their problem, not ours." Was it because of Bella? Did he, somewhere in there, still love her? Was he willing to risk the Pack for her foolish decisions?

"Because the child is innocent, and if the Volturi bring down the anvil upon the Cullens, who's to say they won't turn their attention to the humans?" Jake said.

That brought her up short, and in response, she fell silent the rest of the meeting.

➽───────────────❥

Seeing Bella as a vampire was unsettling. Her face was equal parts Eurocentric beauty and ungodly symmetrical, and against her chalky skin, her blood-red eyes were almost black. She seamlessly assimilated within the Cullen clan, and it was bizarre seeing her in a luxurious blue dress that bore no resemblance to anything Bella Swan would've worn. All traces of her human self had vanished, leaving behind a vessel that only vaguely looked like her. It was shocking and frightening, putting Leah on edge.

Carlisle spoke as head, his calm voice a grating noise to Leah's ears. "So you want our friends to abstain from humans while they're here?" he repeated. He didn't particularly sound surprised, simply confirming what he'd been told.

Jake stood straighter. His voice rang loud and clear in the sterile foyer that resembled a padded cell as opposed to a lived-in house. "Yes. If we find they've drank from any humans, I'll do what I have to to protect the people of Forks and La Push."

"But they're our friends!" Alice, the littlest one, chirped. She looked more than a bit miffed at their request.

"You want us to stand with you in the consequences of your decisions. This is our only request," Leah replied in a tone that brooked no room for arguing. "If you deny this, we won't help you. In fact, if we discover any loose vampires roaming the land, we won't hesitate to strike them down, regardless of if they're your friends." As she waited for a reply, she crossed her arms and gave a tight-lipped smile.

Despite all their insistence that they loved humans, they certainly had no issue when it was their friends doing the killing. It was reasonable to them, meanwhile the Pack mourned every life lost and memorized each name.

"I agree with Leah. If you want to gather them here, they will not drink from humans. My job is to protect." Jake's voice hardened as he spoke. "Not stand by idly while they're attacked. If you can't accept that stipulation, this is goodbye."

After a moment in which Carlisle and the redheaded Edward looked back and forth, communicating amongst each other, Carlisle said, "Of course. We welcome your assistance, Jacob." He extended a hand first to Jake. Then he noticed Leah as if for the first time. "Oh. You—I wasn't aware you had a female within your ranks." He looked at her closely, with an assessing, critical eye that made her feel not unlike a bug beneath a microscope. "Fascinating. I wonder—"

"I'm right here," Leah said loudly. "And I can most definitely hear you."

Bella frowned at her, her strange, perfect face creasing. She flicked a lock of long, pin-straight hair over her shoulder. "That was uncalled for," she admonished. "Carlisle is simply curious. That's all." 

"I've never heard of a female shapeshifter," he remarked, not quite callously but not quite gently, simply stating a fact.

Leah crossed her arms tight over her chest. "And I've never heard of philanthropist, compassionate leech. What's your point?"

The one that most resembled a bear what with his tremendous muscles and his head of curly, wild black hair laughed loudly. She remembered him from their training—Emmett. Too much he reminded her of Harry. His grin was boyish and genuinely amused, his eyes crinkled at the corners. "You're funny." He looked over at the elegant blonde vampire woman beside him, her expression both impassive and neutral. "Isn't she a hoot, babe?" He wrapped a steel band of an arm around her waist. The blonde rolled her eyes, but Leah thought she a flash of humor cross her tightly pinched face.

"He just finds you interesting, Leah." That was Alice's smug voice. "You should be flattered someone does. It's a simple matter of scientific curiosity. What made you so special that you shifted like one of the boys?" Her gaze was hard and unflinching, judging her. Eyeing her. No doubt taking in the baggy jeans, the equally oversized T-shirt, her sneakers—the only clothes that fit her new form.

Leah swallowed down whatever acrid retort that had begun to crawl its way to her mouth and settled on something that far less fight inducing. "I don't know if being a vampire has altered your brain or sense of empathy but I don't think anyone would be fucking flattered to be seen as a science fucking experiment. But hey, whatever lets you pretend to be oh so selfless and bettering the world instead of a bunch pretentious, holier-than-thou shits who flaunt their wealth." She ignored the roar that filled the room.

"I think we should all calm down." Carlisle's meek wife, Esme, gave Leah a reproachful look. She'd been all too happy to sit back with Alice sneered at Leah's clothes but God forbid Leah call them out. Typical fucking white Cullen. Not shocking considering Jasper, the Confederate soldier who didn't appear remorseful of his stance in the Civil War. He'd been proud of it, in fact, and that alone had turned her stomach.

Leah gave Esme a raised brow look that screamed 'try me.' She was already regretting accepting the beta position if it meant she had to interact with these jackasses. Edward shot her what she assumed was supposed to be a murderous glare but in actuality made him look he was strained while taking a shit. She was more than certain Bella had found that look frightening. To her, it was comedic, a tween boy trying to appear badder and bigger than he really was.

Growing tired of their faux outrage and entitlement, she made up her mind. "I think we're done here." A pause. "Or, at least, I am. I'll be in the Rabbit." Without waiting for a reply, she briskly walked out of the living room, ignoring the whispers behind her, and yanked open the front door without ceremony. Head held high, she marched to the Rabbit and opened the passenger-side door, slid into the seat. The scent of the freshly minted upholstery flooded her head, more intense by her body heat, mixed with the heady, comforting aroma of Jake, that tobacco-and-spearmint beneath his body wash.

She picked at the accumulated dirt crusted beneath her nails as she impatiently waited for Jake. As the seconds stretched to minutes, she began to think about what food was in the fridge and what she could make with it. She and Paul alternated who made dinner and tonight was hers.

After what felt like an eternity, Jake ducked out of the house and stalked to the drive side. Yanked it open and slid in. He sat silent for a moment before he quietly apologized.

As he backed the Rabbit out of the long drive, she said, "I'm doing this for the humans, Jake. Not because I like the Cullens, not because you're my Alpha but because you're my Alpha but for the humans who can't protect themselves. The Cullens might be content to let their friends hurt the humans but I'm not." She blew out a long breath and stared out the window, waiting for the pulse in her temples to die down. Her heartbeat slowed the longer she watched the forest blur by. "Plus," she added, "that kid...she didn't ask for shitty parents." Something many of the Pack was well-versed in.

He rested a hand on her bare knee which made her glance down but she didn't move away. The warmth and heaviness of his palm on her skin felt nice. Comforting, almost.

"I know, Leah."