(Thomas POV)
I put my truck in park and pulled the keys from the ignition in front of Leah's house. My mind still going over what Edythe had told me just before I left the house.
"Enjoy your date with Leah, Thomas. But I think you should bring her here after it's over so the three of us can talk. Leah and I have had several discussions without you, and we both think we should stop doing that now. Tell Leah that it is time all three of us got everything out into the open."
What did she mean by that? Why would they have been meeting specifically without me being there?
I can't say I don't have my suspicions, but…damn, that could get very complicated. Potentially great, but also just as potentially very bad.
I shook my head and exhaled the breath I had been unconsciously holding. "Let's just leave that for later tonight. This is about Leah right now." As if saying that out loud would grant me the ability to stop my mind from wandering.
I grabbed the bag that held copies of Elaraim Black's journals Edythe had recently made. She suggested that they be a gift to the Tribe since they were sharing stories with me tonight, and I agreed with her.
By the time I got out of my truck, Leah was standing on her porch waiting for me. I paused for just a moment and once again thought about just how naturally beautiful she was. If Edythe was a cut crystal, beautiful and sharp, Leah was ocean-polished wood, smooth and warm.
She was wearing dark jeans and a fitted sweater that looked soft enough to be stolen from the storm clouds above us, the color somewhere between charcoal and forest-shadow. Nothing flashy. Nothing that screamed date. But the way it hugged her shoulders, the way her short hair had been tamed into something that looked like effort without looking like she'd tried… it hit me harder than the skirt had.
Like she'd decided she wasn't going to armor herself in sarcasm tonight. For probably the first time since I had met her, she looked genuinely warm and happy.
I walked up the steps and kept my hands in my jacket pockets, so I didn't do something stupid like reach out and touch her cheek again like I had in the woods while shifted.
"Hey," I said, trying for normal.
"Hey." Her voice was steady. Her eyes were not. She looked past me, toward the truck, then back to my face like she was checking to make sure I was real and here.
"You ready?" I asked.
She nodded once. "Yeah."
I took that as permission and stepped back off the porch first, giving her room. When she came down the steps, she didn't brush against me, but she walked close enough that the warmth of her was there in my peripheral awareness.
We started down the drive toward the road and then cut onto the trail that she said would take us the short way toward Billy's.
For a few minutes, the only sound was the damp hush of the trees and our footsteps on soft earth. The rez at night had a different kind of quiet than Forks. Not empty. Just…watching. Like the forest knew the stories and didn't feel the need to repeat them out loud.
Leah cleared her throat once, like she wanted to say something but changed her mind at the last minute. Just like the other day, as she was leaving.
"So," I offered, because I was not going to let her carry all the weight. "Jeans. Respectable guest. I'm already nailing this."
She huffed a laugh that sounded like it escaped before she could stop it. "Don't wrench your shoulder trying to pat yourself on the back."
"Me?" I glanced at her. "Never."
She rolled her eyes, but it didn't have venom in it. It felt…almost comfortable.
We passed between two stands of firs, and up ahead I could see the orange flicker of firelight through the trees. Voices, low and layered, carried on the wind. Not loud enough to make out words, but enough to tell me this wasn't just a handful of people sitting around a single flame.
Leah slowed. Not much. But enough that I matched her without thinking.
"You okay?" I asked quietly.
Her jaw tightened, then she nodded like she was refusing to admit anything else. "Fine."
That was the most Leah answer possible.
As we got closer, the path widened, and the trees opened into a clearing that had been used for gatherings long before I ever showed up in Forks. A large fire pit ringed with stones. People standing in small clusters, talking in low voices. I recognized the Elders and The Pack, but there were faces here and there that I did not recognize. All of the new faces were female, so they must be girlfriends, I decided.
When we entered the firelight, eyes turned our way.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. Just…one here, another there, the subtle shift of attention that made it impossible to pretend we hadn't just walked in together.
Leah didn't glance around or even acknowledge the looks. She just walked forward like she belonged, and she did.
I kept walking beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Leaving no doubt that I was there for her tonight.
Billy's house looked warm, its square windows were lit against the night. A bit away from the large fire, I saw Billy himself in his chair, talking with a couple of elders. Jacob was off to one side, hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't know what to do with himself.
Bella was there also. Standing a little apart from Jacob, like she hadn't decided if she belonged close to him or not. When she saw me, relief flickered across her face, small, quick, like she was glad at least one thing tonight made sense.
Jacob's eyes snapped to Leah first, then to me. His expression was unreadable for a beat, and then something like acceptance settled into place. Not happiness. Not disapproval. Just the calm of someone watching a piece click into a bigger picture.
Leah didn't look at him.
She walked straight toward Billy.
I followed.
Billy's gaze lifted when we approached. He looked at Leah, then at me, then back at Leah. The pause was short, but heavy.
"Leah," he said, voice even.
"Chief Black." Leah's tone and words were respectful, and that alone told me how serious this was. "I bring Thomas Raizel with me for this gathering."
Sue, who had been talking with Billy, took a quick breath, but didn't say anything. Billy himself also drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose as he studied Leah's face. Then he looked at me for a moment, his lips pressed into a straight line.
Then he nodded once, slowly.
"You're welcome here this night," he said.
The gravity I heard in his tone made it clear that this wasn't a simple greeting, but permission granted by the Chief of the tribe.
"Thank you," I replied automatically. "Chief Black. I have also brought with me the journals of Elaraim Black, your great Aunt I believe. In it, are stories of her time and travels.
Billy's eyes went wide as I handed him the satchel that held the books. He looked at them and was lost for words as his mind raced. Even Sue looked shocked at my gift.
Leah stood with her head still held proudly, waiting to be released by her chief.
Eventually, Billy gathered himself and gestured toward the fire. "We will start before too long. Go see if this pack of wolves left you anything to eat before then."
Leah nodded and turned to leave, so I followed her, making sure to stay at her side. She found a place close to the fire, a place where we would be seen without being on display.
A youthful voice called out, "Ha, sis. I knew you were going to bring him. Hello Thomas."
I grinned with genuine happiness, "Hey Seth, how are you doing? Keeping up with your practice and running?"
"Sure am, getting faster every day." Came his happy reply.
Leah was caught between looking fondly at her younger brother and being somewhat irritated that he was making a pest of himself while she was with Thomas.
Seth just smiled at her, "I saw the food going fast, so I hid some for you guys. Come on, I will show you where so you can eat before this starts off."
Not waiting for a reply, Seth grabbed his sister's hand and, laughing, pulled her toward the house.
I laughed out loud and shook my head at the sight. Seth was a rare person, always happy and ready for some fun. He reminded me a bit of Emmett, just not as sarcastic in his humor.
I wasn't alone for long before someone stepped up beside me.
Emily.
She didn't look at me right away, her eyes were on the fire, on the circle, on everything except the man standing next to her. The kind of posture that said she hadn't come over to make small talk.
Finally, she spoke, just loud enough for me to hear. "Leah looks… different tonight. More like herself than I've seen since…" Her voice trailed off as her gaze slid toward Sam, who was watching the clearing with that steady, guarded stillness.
"A lot's been different lately," I said, keeping it neutral.
Emily's eyes cut back to me like she'd heard what I hadn't said.
"She's doing this on purpose," she murmured, more to herself than to me.
"Inviting me?" I asked, because I honestly still didn't know what kind of ground I'd stepped onto.
Emily's gaze locked onto mine. "Standing by you. In front of everyone." Her voice stayed low, but it carried weight. "Leah doesn't do anything in front of the tribe unless she means it."
My throat went dry.
Emily leaned in just a fraction, lowering her voice further. "Tell me something, Thomas. Are you going to hurt her?"
It didn't land like an accusation. It landed like a warning wrapped in old affection.
I swallowed once. "No."
Emily studied my face, searching, like she was deciding whether my no was solid… or convenient.
"And Edythe," she added, and the name sounded like it cost her something. "She's part of this too?"
I hesitated, just a beat. "I just found out today that they've been talking."
Emily's mouth tightened, but she didn't push for more. Maybe because she could tell I didn't have the right to say it. Maybe because she already knew what that meant and didn't like it.
Before she could ask anything else, movement caught my peripheral vision.
Sue Clearwater.
She didn't rush, but she walked with purpose, the kind that made you straighten without meaning to. Her eyes took me in quick and sharp, and then she offered a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Thomas," she said, calm as a knife. "Can I have a word?"
Emily's attention flicked to Sue, and something like relief crossed her face, like she was glad she wasn't the only one carrying the worry.
Sue angled her head toward the edge of the clearing, away from the firelight and the listening ears. Not far, just enough to make the conversation private without making it secret.
"What are your intentions with Leah?" she asked.
For half a second, I reached for the best answer.
Then I realized I didn't have one yet. Not an honest one. Not until Leah, Edythe, and I had done what Edythe implied needed doing.
So I didn't pretend.
"I'm here because Leah asked," I said simply. "That's all I can give you tonight."
Sue's eyes narrowed a fraction, like she didn't love the lack of clarity but respected the lack of bullshit.
Emily, still watching the fire, murmured, "And because you said yes."
Sue's gaze flicked to Emily and back to me. "Leah doesn't ask for much," she said quietly. "When she does… it matters."
"I know," I replied.
Sue tilted her head, just slightly. "Do you?"
Before I could say anything more, the front door of Billy's house opened.
Leah stepped out with Seth on her heels, and the tension in my chest shifted, because Leah's presence always did that, even when she wasn't trying.
They were carrying raw ingredients like they'd raided a fridge. Leah had a package of hamburger patties in one hand and a bag of buns in the other. Seth had hotdogs dangling from his fingers and a bag of chips clutched to his chest like a prize.
Leah's eyes found me immediately and then caught Emily and Sue beside me.
Her expression went flat in an instant. Annoyance first. Then suspicion. Not because she didn't trust me, but because she knew exactly what kind of questions women like this asked when they thought they were protecting her.
Seth, blessedly, either didn't notice the tension or decided to bulldoze through it on purpose.
"Come on," he said, already heading for the cooking side of the fire. "I hid this stuff behind the counter because Jared's too tall to see it unless he bends down, and if he bends down he looks like he's praying, which is hilarious."
Leah's jaw set like she was bracing for a fight.
But Sue and Emily didn't give her one.
Sue gave Leah a simple nod, one that said not tonight, then another toward me that felt like a promise of future interrogation. Emily did the same, softer, and then they peeled away: Emily toward Sam, Sue toward Billy.
Leah watched them go, still tight through the shoulders, then looked back at me. I moved to her side and offered to carry the food but she shook her head and moved to follow Seth. I stayed at her side.
"What did they say to you?"
"I'm fine." I answered
"That's not what I asked." Leah shot back, low.
I looked her in the eyes and smiled, "It's okay, Leah." I kept my voice low, so it didn't carry. "They asked questions. I didn't give answers that weren't mine to give."
Leah's shoulders eased a fraction, like she didn't want to admit how much that mattered.
I held her gaze for a beat longer than necessary. "And… Edythe's right," I added, careful with the words. "After tonight, the three of us need to sit down and talk. Because I'm starting to realize me being here means something I don't fully understand."