(Mike)
By the time I got back to the car, Leah was already inside waiting impatiently, arms folded tight across her chest. The minute I opened the door, she fixed me with that worried glare she pretended wasn't worry.
"Well?" she said.
I slid into the seat and shut the door. "Hey, relax. It went way better than I expected."
She didn't relax. Her eyebrows just got more suspicious.
So I told her everything. The elders. The pack. Their reactions. Sam trying to be all stoic and heroic. Billy going full Chief mode. Harry almost having a heart attack at some point… wait, now that I think about it, I should get him to see a doctor soon, or better yet, make Sue do it so he can't refuse.
Leah stayed quiet as she listened, her expression shifting every few seconds, softening at her dad, sharpening at Sam, softening again, sharpening twice as hard.
When I finished, she exhaled like she'd been holding her breath the whole time. I reached over and squeezed her hand.
"Oh, right," I added casually, watching her from the corner of my eye. "Do you remember when you said you wished you were also a wolf so we could run together?"
She frowned. "Yeah. Why?"
"Well… you kinda got your wish. You've got all the signs. You're gonna become a wolf soon."
Her mouth fell open.
"What? Really? But I thought only guys could… You're not messing with me, are you?"
The last part came out as a low-growl threat.
I grinned at her. "See? That short temper is pretty common in wolves."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who did you say has a short temper?"
For a second, I honestly thought she was about to punch me and my smile faltered a little.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Okay," she said, the last of her laughter fading. "I believe you."
I let out a long breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Good."
She leaned back in her seat. "So when do I… you know… get all furry?"
A teasing glint sparked in my eyes before I could stop it.
"Well… you could try not shaving for a few days and see what…"
"Mike."
Her voice dropped into that calm, dangerous tone that meant I was in trouble.
"W-wait, not the face! I didn't mean…!"
Leah launched herself across the middle console, tackling me into the seat. Her palms landed on my cheeks and forehead in rapid-fire playful slaps.
"Take it back!"
"I'm sorry! I was joking!"
She leaned in and bit my ear, not hard, but definitely enough to make my entire brain short-circuit.
I grabbed her hands before she could slap me again, and somewhere in the middle of the wrestling match she ended up straddling me in the driver's seat. We were both laughing, breathing hard, faces close.
And then she kissed me.
I kissed her back, because at that point there was no universe where I wouldn't. Her fingers slid into my hair, and my hands settled on her hips, and the whole world outside the fogged-up car windows basically stopped existing.
Things… very quickly stopped looking like a playful fight and turned into a make-out session that absolutely would've killed her father if he happened to walk by.
Not that either of us had the mind to think of anything else at the moment.
…
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
It's been a whole month since the bonfire, and honestly? Things have been… wild.
First off, Leah.
She went through her growth spurt exactly like I expected, though "growth spurt" really doesn't cover it. She shot up from 5'6" to 5'11" like somebody fast-forwarded her life. And her body? She went from "athletic and toned" to "full fitness model who could crush me between her thighs if she felt like it."
Not that you'll ever hear me complaining, instead I'd say, what a way to go.
I mean, sure, I may or may not have tripped over a tree root the other day because she was walking in front of me and I got… distracted. But honestly? Definitely worth the scraped knee. I'd do it again. Probably tomorrow. And fortunately I have super healing to cover the insurance.
On the human side of my life, Tyler finally got the cast off his leg, which means I'm no longer his personal chauffeur.
Not that it's stopped me from swinging by his house every now and then, somebody has to enjoy Beth's magnificent cooking and shower her with the praise she absolutely deserves.
She pretends she's embarrassed by it, but I swear she plates my meals with extra care now. Tyler says I'm sucking up way too hard. I say he's just jealous his mom likes me more.
…
I dropped my tray on our usual lunch table and looked around at the familiar chaos, Eric already talking too fast, Tyler flicking a grape at someone, Lauren absorbed in her nails like they were a portal to another dimension, Jessica judging the world, Angela smiling softly like an angel among gremlins, and Bella reading even though the cafeteria was way too loud for that.
So, basically, a normal Tuesday.
I sat down and clapped my hands once. "Alright, people, who's ready for Prom next week? Everybody got their dates already?"
Eric practically exploded.
"I finally got Jessica to say yes! Yesterday! After school!" He puffed out his chest like he'd slain a dragon or something.
Jessica rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might launch out of her skull. Under her breath, she muttered, "It's not like there was anyone else to go with…"
I heard it, but Eric thankfully did not.
Poor guy. I liked him, no homo. Nerdy, clueless, enthusiastic, kind of like a husky with glasses.
Tyler leaned back in his chair. "As you all know, I'm going with Lauren."
Lauren didn't even bother looking up. She was painting her nails this aggressive, blinding shade of pink that looked like it could signal aircraft.
"Obviously," she said. "I had to go to Seattle to get a new dress. The one from Port Angeles didn't match the shoes my dad bought me. It was tragic."
Tyler nodded like he completely understood the emotional devastation of mismatched accessories. I was pretty sure he didn't.
Jessica cut in. "Angela and Ben are going together."
I turned to look at the pair sitting side by side, like they'd been velcroed together since birth. I grinned.
"Finally! Congrats, dude. You actually worked up the courage."
Ben's cheeks immediately turned red. "Uh… actually… Angela asked me."
Angela smiled, bright and proud, and Ben basically melted into his seat. Cute couple. Genuinely cute. Not… whatever Lauren and Tyler were.
Then Jessica glanced between me and Bella. "And you two are still going together, right?"
We both nodded.
"Yup," I said. "We promised before all the… relationship changes."
(To put it lightly.)
Jessica raised an eyebrow with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "So what about Edward?"
Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Edward doesn't mind. He knows I agreed to go with Mike before we started dating, and he wants me to have fun with my friends."
Her smile was small but sincere, and I felt a flicker of warmth in my chest. Not romantic warmth, obviously, imprint-weirdness aside. Just… glad we were still friends. Glad Edward wasn't being a controlling jerk about it.
"Well," I said, smirking, "as your designated human prom date, I promise to only step on your feet a little."
She laughed. "Aren't those my lines?"
And we all burst out laughing, knowing just how clumsy Bella could be.
…
(Leah)
"There's your change, asshole, and please don't come back."
I handed the guy his receipt with the fakest smile I'd ever smiled in my life. My cheeks hurt from how forced it was. The idiot barely noticed; he was too busy staring at my chest like it held the secrets of the universe.
"C'mon, sweetheart," he said, leaning over the counter like he owned the place. "What time do you get off work? I can pick you up, maybe take you back to my place…"
"Goodbye," I cut in flatly. "Forever. Now leave."
He finally took the hint and walked off, still smirking like he'd accomplished something other than embarrassing himself. The bell over the door jingled behind him.
I exhaled slowly. Very slowly. Very, very slowly.
Because a few weeks ago?
I would've definitely snapped and punched him in the face.
Nora, who'd been stocking jerky behind me, walked over with her arms crossed and a grin on her face.
"You handled that pretty well," she said. "Looks like you're learning to control that wolf temper better. Considering the last guy who tried to flirt with you got the change thrown in his face."
I groaned. "Yeah, yeah. It's hard to hold back, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of…"
Then my brain caught up.
Wait, did she really say wolf temper?
I whipped around. "Hold on, how do you know about the wolf thing?!"
My eyes went wide. My heart jumped. My temperature spiked. Great. Very wolf of me.
Nora just rolled her eyes like I'd asked her if the sky was blue.
"Leah, sweetheart. I'm the Chief's older sister. Of course I know." She snorted. "Billy tries to act all wise and sneaky, like he can hide things from me. He forgets I'm the one who cleaned his butt and changed his diapers."
I choked. "What?"
"Oh yeah," she said proudly. "I had him figured out before he could even walk straight, well, back when he still could walk."
What the hell did that even mean?
"And before you ask," Nora added, pointing at me with a jerky stick, "I also figured out Sam was going to shift way before anyone else did."
My stomach twisted a little at that piece of information, but curiosity still won out.
"If you knew," I said slowly, "why didn't you tell me? Sam was my boyfriend at the time."
Nora's expression softened. Just a little. The smile faded into something gentler, older.
"Because it wasn't my place," she said. "I might not care much about the stupid rules, never have and never will, but some things? Some things are better left alone. Especially when they're going to blow up someone's life."
I swallowed hard. The store suddenly felt quieter.
She patted my shoulder. "Besides… you're handling it better than most guys ever did. You're not breaking shelves or yelling at customers, so I'd say you're doing great."
I gave a weak laugh. "I threatened to throw a shopping cart at a teenage boy last week."
"He deserved it," she said without hesitation.
...He really did.
I sighed, leaning against the counter. "It's just… everything's changing so fast. My height, my strength, my temper… hell, my entire life. And it's like I'm trying to balance being normal with wanting to rip people's faces off."
Nora chuckled. "Welcome to being part of the family, kid."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the smile creeping onto my lips.
Maybe I really was getting the hang of this.
…
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