𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 ⸻ 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋

→ chapter twenty.

After the Volturi departed back to whatever cave they crawled out of, Leah's life returned to a semi-normal status. All the "guests" of the Cullens returned to whatever hellhole they had crawled from to be of service to Carlisle, and at the tail-end of it all were Alice and Jasper towing the only other half-vampire in existence, Nahuel. 

Nahuel was Mapuche and roughly one hundred and fifty-years-old, having been born to a Mapuche woman who had fallen victim to a vampire, his father, Joham. With his dark-brown skin, black hair, and equally black eyes, he would've fit in with the Pack in looks alone but it was his unnatural stillness, the distinct double beat of his frantic heart, that marked him as not entirely human. 

Nahuel could be seen staring at Nessie, not in a lecherous manner or with that bald-faced blood hunger, but with fascination, with wide-eyed awe. According to Carlisle, this was Nahuel's first interaction with any vampires that he hadn't sired and he was very much overwhelmed much like a starved man at a buffet. 

In large, the Cullens ignored Nessie's quiet discomfort, which she displayed by shying away from Nahuel's intense staring and taking every opportunity to hide behind Leah, Rosalie, or Jake—never any of the others. The others, no matter how well-intentioned, put the science first and her second, something that broke Leah's heart to see. Her own family life was tumultuous and she no longer spoke with Sue, but she couldn't imagine Seth or Harry allowing their own curiosity to take precedent over her feelings. 

Nahuel's behavior—harmless enough but far too intense for a girl of Renesmee's age—especially rankled Jake's protective streak. In the short span of time, it seemed Nessie had accomplished what Bella never did: making everyone love her. Even Jake.

"I don't like the way he looks at Nessie," Jake growled during a small, intimate dinner that the Cullens had prepared as he and Leah watched Nahuel and Nessie from afar. Not unlike Nahuel, he kept a close eye on Nessie but not out of any fascination or curiosity but the fierce gleam of a protective sibling. If no one would protect her, he would; he had shouldered that responsibility without any second thoughts, without hesitation. That was who he was now, as Alpha. It didn't shock her since Alphas were known to protect the weaker and more defenseless. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off the pair, tense and his muscles rock-haired with strain as Leah leaned against his side. "I know it's not—it's not like that but she's uncomfortable and no one seems to give a shit." He scowled deeply.

"I don't care for it either," Leah said and slid her hand over Jake's, "but unless he does something, we can't react." She squeezed his fingers and watched, heart beating in her ears, as he flipped his palm upright so their fingers laced together. The heat of his hand was comforting. 

After the confrontation that hadn't been a confrontation, the Alpha and beta positions had shifted into something much more soft and romantic. It had been unexpected, Jake pulling her into his arms when they Phased back, and she'd been shocked to realize she didn't hate it. Or the idea of them together. It was tentative and sweet, and even Embry, notorious hard-ass when it came to Jake's short comings, approved. Not that she needed or wanted said approval but it still made her a little bit happy to know her friends didn't hate her new boyfriend.

He sighed heavily, though she could tell he hadn't entirely let it go. "You're right." Jake leaned back in his seat, watching them with narrow eyes still, even as his stance relaxed. His calm composition was belied by the tight grip of his hand on hers and the crinkling at the corners of his eyes. 

"Which do you enjoy more: animal or human blood?" Nahuel could be heard asking Nessie. 

Nessie's response was small and quiet. "Either. It all tastes the same to me." She didn't speak often but the entire time Nahuel was around, she had become even more withdrawn and quiet. Leah could only assume it was due to her discomfort at the attention she was receiving. She couldn't blame her; if she had some vampire freak watching her like she hung the moon, she'd be more than a little uncomfortable too.