Empty

Sam Uley realized the decision almost as soon as Leah made it. He was leaning against a boulder, muzzle pointed to the forest floor when the thread that bound him to his pack flared to life.

Go, Leah was telling herself, not three miles away, it's the only way you can fix this.

Paws’ grinding to a halt, Sam’s first instinct was to turn - to run to Leah and tell her that she didn't have to, that it wasn't going to be as bad as it was right now. The part of him that cared for her, that perhaps always would, wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. But the logical part, the selfish part, held him back.

So what if she ran? he asked himself, What if some time away from the rest of the guys was what she really needed?

Sam knew that Leah was still smarting from losing Harry, from losing him. He knew that being linked to him - and everyone else - was a catalyst that threatened to blow Leah's sense of self from here to high heaven. Grunting low, the large wolf felt these two parts fight for control. What was he to do? Everything that he'd been raised to understand as Alpha told him to catch her before she went too far. Everything that was him told him to let her go.

The internal debate lasted only a few seconds more before Sam grudgingly took a step towards Leah's monologue. Before he could take another step though, a blur rushed past him, offsetting his sense of balance. The dark wolf stumbled a few steps before he looked up and caught sight of Jared's swishing tail.

Leah's approaching the border! He yelled at his Alpha, although he didn't slow down. Sam, deciding that this was all the push he needed, ran forward. In the space of a few seconds, he and Jared were running side by side.

We have to catch her before she gets onto Cullen land. Sam told him, growling in frustration.

Jared agreed, If she crosses, we can't get her back. And who's to say the bloodsuckers won't harm her?

Sam hissed, If they did, there would be no more treaty to uphold...

The unspoken promise of a looming battle made Jared turn to his Alpha. It won't come to that, he told Sam.

Sam didn't reply. Instead, with all the focus that he could master, he reached to the link that connected his mind to Leah's and pulled.

Stop, Clearwater! There was no mistaking the Alpha's command reverberate through the pack links. Instinctively, Jared felt the urge to obey, to protect and to destroy, multiply by a thousand within him.

Leah didn't listen. In their mind's eye, Jared and Sam could see what she saw with her own. There was a clearing approaching, and - was that firewood burning? - the smell of freshly baked bread, melted butter and jam filled their nostrils. Underneath that, they could barely make out the unmistakeable scent of a human.

She was approaching the suburban outskirts of Folks town. Desperately, Sam tried to remember if he knew anyone who lived this far out from the town. With Leah on the run, her emotions as loose as the leaves that the winds pulled from the trees around them, there was no telling what she would do when she came upon a human. Would her wolf take over and have her attack? Or would she be stable enough to run the other direction?

Another pull at the thread. Leah! STOP! You're getting too close! Pay attention! Listen!

Jared was the first to spot the gray wolf, just up ahead. He pushed himself further. Leah! He yelled, you need to stop!

Leah's frustration; bitterness, anger and pain began to flood through his mind. She was still running.

Sam growled once, then pounced. The she-wolf yelped when her Alpha rammed into her side. Together the two wolves toppled, a trail of broken and fallen spruces behind them. Jared slowed down and changed course.

Let me go! Leah screamed, her voice breaking.

Sam nipped her muzzle. Blood began to flow. Leah's instincts of self preservation made her hit out. With one swift move, the smaller wolf ducked out from beneath her Alpha and onto his back. Her canines, long and sharp, fastened on his neck. Viciously, her paws dug into his underbelly then pulled. Flesh and muscle gave way. Sam howled in pain.

Jared bared his teeth and clamped them around Leah's hind legs. Pulling, he successfully dragged her off the writhing Alpha and onto the ground.

Leah, stop! He barked at her, front paws holding her down.

She bit at him; shoved and pushed, but to no avail. Jared was too large, and much too strong.

Please, just let me go... Tears welled from the corners of her eyes now. She was crying.

Jared glared down at her. You just attacked Sam. Why didn't you stop when he ordered you to?

She looked away and struggled again. I didn't mean to. I wasn't thinking... he hurt me and...

It's okay, Jared, Sam murmured. Turning, Jared saw him getting slowly to his feet. It wasn't until he was fully upright - or as upright as he could be - that the injuries Leah caused could be fully appreciated. The gash on his neck, while healing, was still pouring blood. The wound on his belly was just scabbing over. There were claw marks across his muzzle and chest, too.

The two wolves separated.

Sam, she said, I'm sorry.

The black wolf didn't react. Instead, he limped forward until he was standing directly before her. His jaws snapped once, and Leah stumbled back a few steps.

I gave you an order, Clearwater, his voice was low and threatening, an order that you specifically ignored.

Leah's front legs gave way and she fell forward, everything about her wolf telling her to be as small as possible. The Alpha kept advancing.

What part of 'stop' did you not understand?!

Leah was on the ground now, muzzle to the grass. She was sorry, yes she was, but she hadn't meant to hurt him like she had. It had been instinctive, primal. She honestly hadn't been thinking at all. Sucking a deep breath, she readied herself for the blow that she was sure would come.

It didn't.

From up ahead, Sam turned to Jared and motioned him back to Hoh forest.

Go back to your patrolling. Leah and I have a few things to discuss.

If Jared had been in his human form, he'd have raised an eyebrow. Had Sam forgotten that distance didn't give them any more privacy?

He nodded anyway, and had just about turned to trot back into the trees when he realized the smell that filled the air around them. Laced with the faint smell of Sam and Leah's blood; was the undeniable scent of a human. Slowly, he dragged his gaze across the small clearing they had crashed into until they came to rest on the shocked face of a teenage girl.