Leah (English Version)

Meeting

The bonfire was already lit when the members of the Quileute council settled around it, anxious, as another meeting was about to begin. A few years had passed since Bella's transformation. Vampires and werewolves maintained a powerful alliance due to Jacob and Renesmee's imprinting, with each respecting the other's territory. Nessie had already reached the peak of her growth, as predicted by Carlisle, and reciprocated Jacob's feelings, just as the Quileute had dreamed.

The Cullens lived in the same house as always, happy, peaceful, and trying to maintain appearances for the inhabitants of Forks. Meanwhile, the Quileutes experienced considerable changes in their lives: the wolves' age increased, although their physical changes were null due to the vampires' presence in the city; Jacob and Sam were alphas, but even though each had their own pack, Jake left everything under his friend's command to have more time with his girlfriend; a few more Quileute boys joined the pack; Emily had a child with her beloved; and Leah... Well, she continued her bitter life, witnessing the romance of others without any hint of hope for herself.

Some side conversations took place around the bonfire, a bit of food started to be passed from hand to hand, Sam raised his right arm, calling everyone's attention, silence fell, and finally, the important topic of the night could begin.

"The matter I need to discuss with you is very serious," Sam began. "Where's Jacob?"

"Probably with his little monster."

"Leah, don't start!"

"It's okay, Sam," said Jacob, approaching and taking his place beside his friend, "I was with Nessie," he explained, emphasizing the girl's nickname and staring at Leah. "You better be careful what you say about her."

Leah rolled her eyes, hating to see the boy's sweetness with his imprinting target, or rather, hating to see any of the wolves' behavior with their imprinting targets because it brought back bad memories.
Sam and Jacob whispered for a few minutes, both needing to be in sync so that the entire pack could work together, and after making his friend aware of the situation, Sam resumed his speech:

"Very well, let's continue," Sam announced, looking worried. "I received a telepathic message this morning and went to the border to respond to the call..."

"Telepathic?" Embry interrupted. "You mean it was a werewolf?"

"And you went alone? It could have been dangerous," said Emily, hugging her child with one arm and her husband's bicep with the other, causing Leah to look away from the loving couple as if the image burned her retinas.

"Don't worry, I was completely safe in what I was doing, especially since the message was a request for refuge from an alpha." There were some murmurs. "Silence, please, let me finish." A sudden silence fell around the bonfire. "The call was indeed from a werewolf, specifically an alpha, and he is asking for refuge for his pack here on the reservation."

"Awesome, we'll have new pack brothers."

"Calm down, Seth, they won't be our pack brothers because they're not like us. That's why I brought this matter to today's meeting because our loved ones will be in contact with this new pack."

"What exactly do you mean, Sam?" Billy asked, trying to grasp the true message behind the young man's words. "Be clearer, so we know exactly what situation we're in."

"Lucian is the name of the alpha, and his pack includes two more girls." Leah laughed, receiving reproachful looks from most of the group. "The pack is small but very dangerous." He took a deep breath, measuring the impact of the words to come. "They are Children of the Moon!"

Old Billy covered his mouth in shock. He had heard terrible stories about the Children of the Moon but never imagined he would be about to meet them. Whispers quickly spread around the circle, speculating, condemning, doubting, but no one wanted to speak up to ask something clearly.

"What the hell is a Child of the Moon?" Leah retorted, realizing no one would ask that question.

"The Children of the Moon," Billy explained, "are werewolves who transform under the influence of the full moon, lose their reason, and can annihilate their own family members if they dare cross their path."

The shock was immediate! Leah had never believed that such werewolves truly existed and would not have believed this story if it had been told before that night. But now, with the confirmation from an elder, she couldn't help but wonder what they were really like. What would they look like in their human form? Ugly, beautiful, maybe hairy?

"Just to conclude the surprises, I want to make it clear that I met the entire pack and they will be here to know our verdict as soon as the full moon passes. If we agree to give them shelter, Lucian will introduce the pack to you and the three will obey any rules we deem fit to create."

Silence remained strong for almost two minutes, soon replaced by murmurs. No one dared to be the first to vote, so they limited themselves to whispering to each other, discussing the pros and cons of having them on the reservation.

"My vote is no!" Billy began, finally starting the vote. "I don't want our children and friends in danger because of these monsters."

"I believe we can handle it," Jacob voted. "We are a big and strong pack; if they push their luck or don't dance to our tune, we can take them down, but I don't think it's fair to deny refuge to someone so similar to us."

Embry, Seth, and a few other boys nodded in agreement, taking Jacob's opinion as their own and voting "yes" for the new pack's refuge, unlike Emily, Jared, Sue, and other boys, who shared Billy's argument. Sam quickly spoke in favor, presenting a pleasant image of a kind and confident leader but leaving the case in a terrible tie and placing the responsibility for the tiebreaking decision on Leah.

The circle looked at her intently, anxious, awaiting, guessing her answer, but the she-wolf seemed unwilling to collaborate with that decision-making.

"Leah, your vote is very important to us, think about it and give us a concrete answer," Sue requested.

Pressed, Leah stared at the crackling bonfire intensely, finally thinking about it.

"I vote in favor. If they cause problems, we'll deal with them as if they were our worst enemies. As Jacob said, we are many and strong; this pack of three won't be a match for us."

"Then it's decided, I want everyone on alert for the arrival of our refugees as soon as the full moon passes. The first one to see them on our borders, call the others! I will pass the rules to them before bringing them to the reservation."

Two different reactions spread around the fire. Those who voted in favor of the refuge seemed eager for the guests' arrival and, at the same time, confident in their own strength. Those who voted negatively, however, seemed ready to blame Leah if something went wrong, except for Sue, who was proud of the girl's warrior spirit while also worrying about the safety of both her children.

The storytelling period around the campfire began, even though some members could no longer get involved or have fun. And after a while, the meeting ended. There were still three weeks left until the arrival of the new pack, but the Quileutes already felt apprehensive and anxious. Many of them probably wouldn't sleep that night.

It took some time for Leah to reach her home, accompanied by her mother and brother. The she-wolf soon locked herself in her room, not wanting conversations, discussions, or displays of affection she deemed false. She just wanted to rest her head on her pillow and forget forever that she was a Quileute wolf. And thinking like this, she lay down and soon disconnected from that world without beauty, enjoying a dreamless sleep and not caring at all about the pack, the reservation, or the new visitors.