(Thomas POV)
The cooking side of the fire was its own little pocket of chaos, smoke curling into the wet night, voices overlapping, someone arguing about whether hotdogs counted as "real food," and the constant clink of tongs against the grill grate.
Jared was stationed at the makeshift grill like a guard on duty, flipping patties with a seriousness that didn't match the fact that half the hotdogs looked like they'd survived a small house fire, and the hamburger patties didn't survive at all.
Looking at this display, I was happy I ate with Edythe before coming.
Leah walked up, took one look at the situation, and didn't even bother with a greeting.
"Give me the spatula."
Jared glanced over, brows lifting. "What?"
"I'm cooking mine," she said, like that should've been the end of it. Then she added, without looking at me, "And his."
Jared's mouth twitched. "I can cook…"
Leah cut him off with a flat look. "Jared, what you are doing is an affront to the ingredients. Now move over. You can continue your… 'cooking' while I do mine."
Seth, hovering nearby with a bag of chips tucked under one arm like contraband, made a choking sound that might've been laughter. "Cook some for me too sis, I have had enough shoe leather from Jared to run a marathon."
Jared shot him a glare. "Kim loves my cooking, and everyone else ate just fine so far."
A girl's voice called out, "I love you, and everyone else was too lazy to cook themselves."
This drew a few chuckles and even got a smile from Leah.
I glanced toward the voice and caught a glimpse of a girl near the edge of the firelight, small, dark-haired, watching Jared like he hung the moon.
Kim. Jared's recently found imprint.
Leah shook her head once, like she couldn't decide whether that was sweet or tragic. "Congratulations," she muttered, still deadpan. "You found the one person on Earth with no taste buds."
"Hey!" Jared protested, but there was no heat in it. Not with Kim laughing.
More laughter followed as Leah started cooking what Seth had saved for us.
Jared hovered for about three seconds before he drifted a step back, muttering something about "taking over again later," like this was a shift change and not Leah rescuing dinner from his personal war crimes.
Leah didn't dignify him with a response.
Seth plopped down on an overturned log near the grill, swinging his legs like he was twelve instead of almost grown. "See? This is why we should just let Leah do all the cooking forever."
Leah made a sharp sound that might've been a laugh if she ever allowed herself to admit to one in public. "If I cook for you forever, you'll die of happiness, and I refuse to be responsible for that."
"I'd haunt you," Seth promised cheerfully.
"You'd haunt the fridge," Leah corrected, and flipped a patty.
I leaned on the edge of the makeshift table, letting the heat from the fire soak into my hands. The easy camaraderie of the pack was familiar, it reminded me very much of the Cullens.
Then a voice cut through the noise like a thrown rock.
"Hey!" Paul called, loud enough to carry across half the clearing. "I knew we had more of those chips. I looked everywhere for those."
He was pointing at the chip bag in Seth's hands.
Seth's head snapped up, eyes bright with trouble. He didn't even look guilty. If anything, he looked proud.
"Guess you didn't pray hard enough to find them," He shot back.
For half a second there was silence, like the entire immediate area had to process that sentence.
Then laughter burst out in pockets. Embarrassed snorts. A couple of outright cackles.
And Leah…
Leah laughed.
Not her usual sharp huff. Not bitterness.
An actual laugh, short and surprised, like it slipped out before she could slam the door on it.
It hit the clearing like a spark.
Heads turned. Conversations paused. Even Paul stopped mid-stride, staring at her like he'd just seen a ghost.
Leah's smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, like she realized what she'd done, but the warmth lingered in her eyes for a beat too long to take back.
Seth grinned like he'd won something.
Leah flicked the spatula at him without looking. "You're insufferable."
"I know," Seth said happily. "It's my gift."
I couldn't help it, I smiled, too. Not because the joke was that good, because it wasn't, but because of what it meant to hear Leah laugh like that. To see the tribe notice. To see the pack notice.
Leah focused harder on the grill, as if concentration could erase the moment.
When the food looked ready, I handed her a plate to put it on and her hand brushed mine. At first, I figured it was a simple accident, but her hand lingered on mine. I didn't move mine, letting her decide where to go from there.
She just paused for a moment and then took the plate as if nothing happened. Once it was loaded down, she moved to the table with all the condiments and indicated the food, "Eat, anything left after we walk away is gone for good."
Seth was first to reach, he made three hotdogs, one to eat as he made the other two. Then he walked away with a bag of chips and a hotdog in one hand and just a hotdog in the other. "Finally. Food that doesn't crunch when it's not supposed to."
Jared made a rude noise from somewhere behind us. Kim's laugh followed it, sweet and unbothered.
Leah and I both made three hamburgers, I smiled when I noticed Leah's were doubles, then we went and sat down next to Seth, Jacob and Bella, at the fire.
Maybe twenty minutes later, a hush went over the group as Billy took his place at the fire alongside the Elders.
When the stories started, I was first amazed by Billy's voice. This wasn't his normal tone, no, it was a man talking about his beliefs and his whole being was part of the story. He spoke like his words came from his bones just as much as his voice box.
The first stories were from a time when the village people had to live in their boats that they tied together during a rainstorm like no other. Only by anchoring to the highest treetops were they not swept from their ancestral lands when the waters finally abated.
Then he told of the first people, before they were named the Quileute's, who were able to Spirit Walk, and how they were the protectors of the small tribe. Many other tribes had come to try and swallow their people to gain the powers they held, but their tribe stayed strong and clever.
Next was the story of betrayal from within the tribe. One mans greed that nearly destroyed the tribe. The story of Taha Aki and how his spirit was shared in the body of a wolf. This power that the tribe still possessed, the responsibility of the sons of the tribe to protect the tribe from all who seek to harm them.
I saw Leah's hand clench at the constant use of the word 'sons' and placed my hand over her fist. Startled, she looked at me, and her hand relaxed in my grip, so I intertwined our fingers and gave her a comforting squeeze.
Billy then paused, and Old Quil took over speaking. His story was of the third wife of Taha Aki and how she was unable to stand by quietly as her tribe was nearly destroyed by a Cold One who was there for revenge. Revenge for the tribe killing a male Cold One years before who had been feeding on the tribe.
Not willing to see her husband Taha Aki die at the hands of the blood drinker, she stabbed herself in the heart releasing all her blood to distract the Cold One. This allowed Taha Aki to overwhelm the distracted Cold One and save the tribe.
Refusing to return to the shape of a man and face the heartache waiting for him, Taha Aki stayed with the tribe in wolf shape until the funeral rites were done, and then he disappeared into the forest to never be seen again. Leaving his sons to pass down the gift he had brought to the tribe.
More stories followed, about keeping the tribe safe from threats of the outsiders as well as some within the tribe. All of the stories had lessons that they conveyed and represented the best of their people's past.
When Billy spoke again, after the other Elders had shared their stories, he began talking about Ephraim Black. And how the Tribe made a treaty in the early 1900's with a Coven of Cold Ones, the Cullen's. The deal was that the Tribe would not reveal what the Cullens were to the white people in the area. But only so long as the Cullens agreed not to bite any humans or trespass on Quileute land.
"Ephraim's pack was the last known Wolf warriors until now." Billy continued, his voice still strong. "The Cullens have returned, and the magic of our ancestors woke like never before. Our Wolf warriors are now triple the size of those known in our stories. Though I am happy the gift survives to this day, for it to awaken with such power… It makes me worry for the dangers yet to come."
When his words washed over everyone, I saw many who shivered. Even I took a moment to wonder if his words had any meaning and decided to bring it up with Alice.
Conversations started around me, people discussing different aspects of the stories. They started low and cautious and then as more conversations started everyone began to grow louder. Leah stayed still looking into the fire, our hands still clasped but between our knees. Someone would have to be right on us to see it.
I gave her another squeeze to her hand, hoping it was comforting. "I wonder if the next one of these will include stories from Elaraim." I let out a deep sigh. "Maybe I should have gotten those books to him earlier."
She shook her head, "I wouldn't doubt that the stories in them will be considered unreliable because she was banished from the tribe."
We sat there for a bit longer, just the two of us. Seth had left earlier, something about teasing Paul with a empty box of Girl Scout cookies.
Not much later Bella came by to tell us goodnight. Jacob stood nearby waiting to take her home.
Once the clearing was just down to stragglers, Leah began to spread the fire out so it would burn itself out quickly. "What did you think?"
I gave her a crooked smile, "Well… A few of the stories came across like old cartoon lessons. You know the ones, the last couple of minutes of He-Man or She-Ra."
Leah stabbed her poker into a group of coal's, "Remember kids… Knowing, is half the battle." Then she let out a barking laugh that I joined in on.
"Though I do have to say that I was partial to the Third Wife's story. Making use of an enemy's nature to provide a winning distraction. It showed that even people without our powers can prove the difference."
She looked at the dying fire, "We should go. Edythe is waiting for us."
We started to walk out of the clearing, and I noticed Sam and Emily watching us leave. I idly wondered if Sam and I would have continued to be friends if he didn't think that his duty as pack leader conflicted with my connection to the Cullen's.
I was drawn from my thoughts by Leah.
"Is it okay if I hold your hand some more?" She asked in a soft voice.
Not caring who was watching, I didn't hesitate to grasp her right hand with my left. "You never have to ask that, Leah."
We continued back the way we came earlier that night, though our pace was slower. I found myself just enjoying the walk and she didn't seem to want to hurry.
When my truck came into sight Leah began to walk faster, "I will just need a minute to tell my mom I'm going out for the night."
When she let go of my hand and started to walk away, I called out, "Let her know that I will bring you home when you are ready."
She just gave a sharp nod and then I walked to my truck. Climbing in, I started it and made sure the doors were unlocked. Part of me wanted to wait for her at the passenger door to let her in but a bigger part thought that would be serious overkill.
Surprisingly fast, Leah came back out and jumped into the passenger seat, "Lets go."