(Edythe POV)
The forest felt calm and quiet after my thirst had been satiated. While my hunger wasn't gone, it was now at least manageable. I was able to think again without my need for blood coloring every thought.
For a moment I wished I could project my thoughts as well as read others. It would be a way to show people like Bella who wanted to become a Vampire. We can explain the thirst and warn people about it but feeling it is something entirely different.
I shook the thought from my head as I continued waiting. No more meddling in that, it's between Edward and Bella now. Though I think Edwards leverage over her waiting until they are married took a hit when she watched me and Thomas go through the ceremony.
Her return deal of sex before the change was also something I didn't see coming. Though listening to her fears about wanting blood more than Edward for the first few years was a valid concern.
I took a moment to wonder at the idea that mine and Thomas's relationship had been easier on us than the one between Edward and Bella. How he resisted from feeding on her the first day was still a mystery to me.
The wind shifted and blew my hair around a bit, and I lost the little bit of scent that still clung to the rock Thomas used to sit on. I wonder if I could talk Emmett into carrying it to my new back yard. But in the end decided against it, it was the place as much as the rock that meant so much to her.
I will just have to bring him out here one day soon to renew his scent on the rock. My imagination went into a bit of overdrive imagining the new ways we could get a good scent on the rock when I heard a rustling from the forest. Soon I was able to hear the pad of feet coming my way, Leah.
I perched on the highest point, hands folded in my lap, posture deliberately human, because I felt this meeting would require a certain kind of gentleness.
The trees shifted.
A gray shape moved between trunks with the quiet competence of a predator who wasn't trying to hide but wasn't advertising their presence either.
Leah stepped into the clearing in her wolf form and stopped just shy of the open space, half in shadow, half in the watery spill of late afternoon light trying to burn through the clouds. Her ears were up. Her tail was still. Her gaze fixed on me like I was a line on the ground she hadn't decided to cross.
I did not move to invite her closer.
I waited.
She took two steps forward, anyway, placing herself in the open like it was an act of stubbornness rather than trust. Her mind hit me the way it always did…sharp, layered, loud with reflex.
{Don't flinch. Don't give her a reason to pity you. Don't give her a reason to think you're weak.}
I let a small smile touch my mouth and pulled out of her mind.
"Would you prefer to stay in your Wolf form, and I read your replies to me with my abilities? Or you could shift and we could talk normally. Though I hope you brought some clothes if you prefer that option. I find you very attractive and the last few days have ignited a new hunger in me that I have barely scratched the surface of until now."
I laughed a bit self depreciatingly, "It took days to get myself under control enough to leave Thomas to hunt. A large portion of my self-control is at this moment holding me back from finding him and continuing our…activities."
The smile on Leah's wolf face was obvious at my words. Trying to hold on to some of my dignity, I pushed on. "Just nod yes if you are okay with me in your mind. I promise not to snoop around in there and listen to only your surface thoughts."
Leah's ears twitched at my words, and her gaze sharpened, half scandalized, half amused, entirely wary of me on principle.
Then she did something I didn't expect from her.
She dipped her head once, slow and deliberate.
Yes.
I let out a quiet breath I didn't need, more habit than necessity, and kept my eyes on her face instead of slipping back into the deeper currents of her mind.
"Thank you," I said simply. "And for the record, if you ever want me out of your head, you only have to think it. The more you want me out, the harder it is for me to stay."
{"Thank you for telling me that. Does it work that way with your brother too?"}
"No, he can't control his ability. It is always on, though he does try his best not to listen. I have felt it through him, it is…hard… to have every thought around you forced into your mind." I shuddered.
{"You have to admit that it isn't really fair that you can read my thoughts whenever you want to. It's not like I can constantly think about keeping you out when I don't know if you are in there or not."}
"You're right," I said. "It isn't fair." I paused, then added, because truth mattered more than pride, "I won't pretend it's not an advantage. I can promise you I won't use it to hurt you."
That earned me a long look. Assessing. Measuring.
Then her mind offered, grudgingly:
{"I don't think you want to hurt me."}
"No," I said simply. "I don't."
Leah's gaze slid past me, to the trees beyond, as if looking anywhere else would make the next part easier.
Her thoughts were a storm trying to organize itself.
{"I don't know how to do this. Talking. About… this."}
I waited again. Let her set the pace. Let her decide how much she could bear admitting.
Finally, her eyes returned to mine.
{"You want me to be part of your life, your relationship."}
"Yes."
{"I need to understand why. You have Thomas, and I could tell there was something between you and that new vampire female you danced with at the wedding. Why not share with her if you just want a threesome?"}
I was a bit surprised at how observant Leah was to have noticed that.
"Yes, Kate and I explored a relationship for a few years. But it never advanced beyond that and now she is just a good friend. As for why you… There is something about your mind that draws me in and makes me feel…Warm. Safe."}
I paused for a moment; this time it was my eyes that drifted off into the trees. "A part of it started one time when I was in Thomas's mind while he was shifted. That's the only time I can get into his mind by the way. But he was thinking about you, and I could tell that if he and I had not met when we did… Then he would have only had an interest in you. Unless I really pushed myself on him."
I pulled my eyes back to look into Leah's eyes. "I had seen you around before, and though I found you very attractive, I didn't enter your thoughts because there was no need to. I was perfectly content with my life as it was before Thomas came barging into it. But later on…when I accidently entered your mind, I was enthralled by how it felt. Even though you were so miserable with everything going on, there was a warm safe spot in the middle that drew me in and made me feel like I do with Thomas."
{"Just knowing I am wanted makes me despera… Wait that's… No this isn't fair. You are able to hear my thoughts before I get them sorted."}
I quickly held up my hands in a placating gesture, "It's okay Leah. I understand. Our first thoughts are rarely what decide anything. I get that. I know the difference in a random thought and a firm thought out one."
Leah stopped pushing me out of her mind. {"It's still embarrassing as fuck. I feel naked, like you see everything I hide even from myself."}
"I will always give you time to collect yourself Leah. Like I said, I know which thoughts are random and what ones are directed at me, so I am concentrating only on the ones you send to me."
It took Leah a few moments to calm down, and I stood there waiting for her patiently.
{"So, as you could tell. I am open to the idea. What does Thomas think?"}
"Um… Well, I haven't exactly told him yet."
I didn't need to be in Leah's mind to see the questions there.
"Well, we have talked about the possibility of adding someone to our relationship. But it hasn't gotten to the point I have given names. More of a theoretical idea when we talked about it."
{"And how did that conversation come up, was he talking about someone else?"}
"Well, even before he went to Nepal, he had spoken of you more than a few times. And like I said if it hadn't been for me, then he would have shown his interest in you eventually. But the main reason I brought it up at the time I did, is because I was thinking about Thomas's legacy."
Again, Leah's mind was full of question marks.
"We were flying back from Italy after rescuing my brother and it occurred to me that if we continued our relationship then Thomas's line would end with him. Obviously, vampires cannot have children, so I wanted to plan ahead a bit."
{"So, I am to be what… His broodmare?"} Leah thought with a little heat.
Ready for this reaction, I was quick to calm her down. "No. Thomas would never look at anyone like that. And I would never let him sleep with another woman he didn't love just to have children. If that was all I wanted, then I would have pushed for the fox Shifter who wanted him back in Nepal. Granted this was all before I entered your mind."
{"And if I do not want children?"}
"Then we don't have any. I will never die of natural causes, and theoretically if you and Thomas continue to shift regularly then neither will you."
Leah's ears angled forward, like she was trying to catch the loophole in that sentence.
{"Theoretically."}
"Yes, everything we are discussing right now it only theoretical" I admitted. "There are no guarantees in our world. But the point is, this isn't a contract. It isn't a bargain. It's not you giving us something and us taking it."
Her thoughts tightened around the next fear, the one she was trying not to hand me.
{"Then what is it?"}
I let my hands rest lightly on my knees, posture still human, still gentle.
"It's you choosing," I said. "And us choosing you back. Everything else…children, logistics, whatever comes after, we know it's real."
Leah held my gaze, wolf eyes unnervingly expressive when she stopped trying to hide behind teeth.
{"And you think it could be real?"}
"Yes," I said, simply.
Her mind flared, heat… and anger at herself for the heat.
{"I'm not… I'm not like you."}
"I don't want you to be," I answered. "I want you to be you."
Leah's thoughts came quicker now, less guarded, like the dam had cracked.
{"I don't know how to be in a relationship. Not anymore. Not after…"}
Sam. The pack. The way her life had become one long duty with no room left for softness.
I didn't finish it for her.
I just nodded once, a quiet I know without stealing her words.
"You don't have to know how," I said. "You only have to be honest. We can learn the rest together, the three of us."
Leah's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment, then lifted again.
{"I am afraid Thomas is going to look at me like I'm a problem, like all the rest do already."}
"No," I said, firm enough that it surprised even me. "He won't."
{"You can't promise that."}
I let a faint smile touch my mouth. "I can promise you he's worse at pretending than you are. If he thinks you're a problem, you'll know in five seconds."
Leah's mind snorted.
{"That's not reassuring."}
"It should be," I said. "It means you won't be trapped guessing."
Her thoughts shifted again, quieter now.
{"He danced with me."}
"Yes."
{"He's never acted disgusted with me."}
"No."
{"He's never acted scared to be around me."}
"No, because he never has been any of that with you." I agreed.
Leah's ears twitched, annoyed by how much that mattered.
{"That's rare for me lately."}
"I know," I said softly.
For a moment, neither of us filled the silence. The forest did it instead, wind, distant water, the slow breathing of a world that didn't care about our complicated little lives.
Then Leah thought, almost like she was testing the words in her mouth before she ever spoke them aloud.
{"I'm attracted to him."}
I bet it was the first time she had fully said that even to herself. I didn't react. Didn't tease. Didn't pounce on it.
I just nodded once.
"And?" I prompted gently.
Leah's thoughts spiked, embarrassed and furious about the embarrassment.
{"And I'm attracted to you too."}
That one landed in my chest like warmth, unexpected, and very welcome.
I kept my voice even anyway. "Thank you for saying it."
Leah's tail flicked, irritated.
{"Don't thank me like I just donated blood."}
I smiled, and this time I didn't hide it. "Then how should I thank you?"
Her mind flashed me something ridiculous and vivid, me trying to pet her like a dog.
{"Absolutely not."}
I laughed, quick and quiet. "Understood."
Leah's ears went back, but her thoughts softened around the edges.
{"So, what now?"}
"Now," I said, "we decide what you want this to look like, before we bring it to Thomas."
Her mind snapped to that, sharp.
{"You're really going to tell him."}
"Yes," I said. "But not like a trap. Not like a surprise. And not without your boundaries in place first."
Leah paced a small circle, claws whispering on damp earth, then stopped again and faced me.
{"What boundaries?"}
"Start with simple ones," I said. "Do you want to keep this private for now? Do you want it discussed only in person? Do you want him to approach you, or do you want me there? Do you want distance at first, just time, just talking, before anything else changes?"
Leah's mind churned.
{"Talking first, all three of us."}
I nodded. "Talking first."
{"And… I don't want the pack to know. For as long as I can keep it away from them."}
"That's reasonable," I said. "And it's not a betrayal to want privacy."
Her thoughts flashed bitter.
{"Sam will think it is once this comes out."}
I didn't argue with that. I had heard enough of Sam's mind to know he would worry first, and call it duty.
"Then we do it carefully," I said. "And we don't let anyone else's opinion decide your life."
Leah's gaze held mine.
{"And you really think Thomas won't run?"}
I let my smile return, smaller, more knowing.
"Leah," I said, "my husband is many things. A runner isn't one of them."
Her thoughts caught on the word husband with a quick sting.
Not jealousy. Not exactly.
Want.
I didn't rub it in. I only tilted my head, amused despite myself.
"And…just so you know," I added lightly, because she needed the pressure eased again, "he's also… persistent."
Leah's ears twitched.
{"That's your polite way of saying stubborn."}
"Yes," I admitted. "And attentive." I smiled suggestively.
Her mind flashed me an image of Thomas's hands…safe, warm, steady, and then her mind took my words in a more intimate way… She immediately tried to slam a door on those thoughts.
{Stop. Stop. Stop.}
I didn't push. I only said, softer:
"He's good at making a woman feel chosen."
Leah's thoughts flared again, half mortified, half angry.
{"You're doing this on purpose."}
"I'm doing it because you keep pretending you don't want anything," I said. "And it's exhausting to watch."
Leah's tail flicked hard.
{"I hate you."}
"No," I corrected gently, "you're just terrified."
She went still. And her thoughts…finally, honestly, answered without hiding:
{"Yes."}
I let that sit between us like truth deserves to sit.
Then I said, quiet and steady:
"Okay. Then we take it slow. We build something that doesn't require you to be fearless. Only honest."
Leah held my gaze.
{"If he says yes… you're going to be okay sharing him?"}
The question was barbed on purpose. A test.
I didn't flinch.
"I already share him," I said simply. "With his responsibilities. With his memories. With the pieces of his past that still wake him up some nights terrified and broken."
Leah's thoughts stilled, listening.
"This," I continued, "would be different. This would be intentional. Chosen. And yes, I'm okay with it, if it's you."
Leah's mind flickered, quieter.
{"Why?"}
I didn't dress it up.
"Because I trust you," I said. "Even when you're trying to be untrustworthy."
Leah's ears went back, offended.
{"I'm not trying to be untrustworthy."}
I smiled. "Yes you are."
That got another huff, wolf laughter, brief and unwilling.
And for one fragile second, it felt like we were two women talking instead of two predators negotiating a truce.
Then…
A sudden tightening snapped through the air like a wire pulled taut.
Leah's entire body locked, every muscle primed.
And through the packmind, Sam's command slammed into place:
{"Border. Now. Everyone. Thomas smelled a new vampire in his sister's room"}
Leah's thoughts flared with immediate, furious frustration and then concern.
{"Go to him."} And then she bolted away towards the reservation to meet up with the pack.
Leah's mind shoved one last thought at me, fierce as a promise.
{We're not done.}
"No," I agreed. "We're not." Though I was sure she was to far gone to hear me.
Then I was moving, fast through trees, then faster, then forcing myself into human speed as houses appeared. I did not blur. I did not draw eyes. I did not give anyone an excuse to notice what I was.
Charlie's house came into view.
Alice was already there on the porch, too bright to be casual, her gaze snapping to mine the moment I arrived.
Whatever she saw in my face made her expression sharpen.
"Edythe," she breathed, voice light and wrong. "Did Edward or Thomas call you?"
"No, I heard about it from someone else." I said quietly.
Alice nodded once. "Edward called me to see if I knew who it was. I didn't see anyone in my visions."
We didn't waste more time talking between just us.
Alice lifted her hand and knocked, cheerful timing, forced smile.
Charlie opened the door a smile covering his face as he saw us, warm and unsuspecting.
"Hey Charlie, is Bella home?"
I gave my best human smile, "I am looking for my wayward husband as well."