Love or War?

Chapter 16

Joanna's POV
After burying Mikey I could barely get Leila out of her room. She didn't even speak to Luke.
I knocked on Luke's door.
"Come on in, Jo."
I entered and shut the door behind me. "I'm worried about her, Lukey." I said softly.
He turned around in his chair and met my gaze. "I know little sis. I am too, but you know Lei. She's tough and relentless. She'll get through it."
"But what if she doesn't? She won't eat, she's failing classes, Luke, she's falling apart."
He sighed. I knew he wanted to drop the subject. There was nothing we could do.
"So?" He began. "Have you talked with Harry yet?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. He said he needed a couple of days away. He said Niall is pretty torn up too."
"Um" Luke scratched the back of his neck, "so I was thinking about letting Harry and Niall join our pack now that things are okay. What do you think?"
My eyes went wide at his confession. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, Harry basically confessed his love for you and then ran away and Lei won't even leave her room. I mean, I'm at a complete standstill right now. I have no idea what to do next."
I took a deep breath. "Okay, well here's what I suggest; pull the guys out of school. They've all graduated already and I'm sure classes are the last things on their minds. Second, you should meet with the whole pack and make sure that everyone is okay. We've all been through a lot in the last week. Then I'd focus on Leila before bringing Harry and Niall in permanently, at least Niall; trust me, they'll be fine in the sheds for another week or so."
"Hmm. Ya know, that isn't bad. I told you you were smart little sis."
I smiled and shrugged, "Thanks Luke. I'm gonna go for a run."
"Alright. Be safe."
"Always."
I left his room and walked down the hallway, pausing in front of Leila's door. Her music was blaring but I knocked on the door anyway.
'Lei. I'm going for a run. Do you want to go?'
I waited about a minute but there was no reply.
I sighed in defeat and headed down the stairs. Calum and Ashton were sprawled out on the couches playing a video game. I stopped behind the couch Cal was on.
"Hey guys."
One of them paused the game and they both looked up.
"Hey Jo." Cal said softly. "How are ya?"
I nodded. "Good. How are you two?"
"We're okay." Ashton answered.
"That's good. I just wanted to let you guys know I'm going for a run. I'll be back later."
"Okay."
"Be safe!" Cal called as I closed the front door.
I didn't get far down the gravel path to the woods before I felt him near me. My breath hitched.
"Y-you're back." I said quietly.
He came out from behind a tree near the sheds he and Niall were staying in. "Yeah."
"Harry!" I ran over to him and he picked me up, spinning me around.
"Hi, babe."
"I missed having you around." I mumbled into his neck.
"Did you?!"
"Mmhmm. Leila hasn't really been around." He set my feet on the ground but I kept my arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, love. Niall is the same. They'll snap out of it soon though."
I looked around us, "Did he come back with you?"
Harry shook his head. "No. He went back to his mum's house for a few extra days."
"His mum?" I asked curiously. "I figured neither of his parents were around, like yours."
"Well, his adoptive parents aren't around. He's with his biological mum. She lives a couple towns over."
"Oh."
I met his eyes with mine. I got lost in them having them so close. "I really have missed you."
"I've missed you too, Jo."
He leaned down and his lips met mine. His tongue slipped along my lip wanting to deepen the kiss. I took a breath giving him the entrance he wanted. I let out a soft moan and my fingers raked through his brown curls. Harry pulled back but attached his lips to my neck, leaving small kisses up my jaw on both sides.
"Harry-" I gasped as he left a hicky just below the collar of my shirt.
"Hmm?"
"We can't do this right here."
"Why not?"
I pushed him back, "Because we're in the middle of the road outside my house where my sister, brother and best friends are inside."
He sighed, "I guess you're right. So, are you going to tell me what you're doing alone out in the dark?"
I chuckled, "I was going to go for a run."
"Alone?"
I nodded, "Uh, yeah. I usually do."
"Can I go with you? I'd feel better about it."
"Sure, but you have to keep up. I've been running more, getting faster." I winked.
"Oh, really?" Harry smirked. "Alright Hemmings, let's see what you've got."
I laughed and sprinted off down the trail, "It's on Styles!"
***************
The following day, Harry and I returned to school. It still felt weird not having Leila there. Harry was in most of my classes but the ones we had separate he walked with me.
"Thanks, Harry." I said as we made it to my last class. I leaned up to kiss his cheek but he turned his face and kissed my lips.
I pulled back quickly.
"I wish you would quit doing that." He mumbled and then pecked my lips. "I want people to know you're mine."
"I know you do Harry. Just give me a few more days okay? A lot has happened and I was just with Ashton a week ago."
"Okay, babe." He kissed my cheek before heading down the hall to his last class.
***************
"How was school?" Luke asked as soon as I walked through the door. He was leaning against the door frame into the kitchen with a smirk on his face.
My face scrunched up, "Uh, fine."
"That's good."
"Why are you looking at me like that, Luke?"
He shrugged, "Like what?"
"With that smirk on your face. Its creepy."
"Seems like you've finally learned how to keep your thoughts to yourself."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"I barely heard any of your thoughts today, Jo."
"I second that!" Ashton called from the living room.
I rolled my eyes. "Actually, it's not that." I walked around him and into the kitchen. "I wish I could shut my thoughts up but I still can't."
"So then why couldn't I hear them?"
I grabbed two bananas from the bowl on the counter. "I was with Harry a lot today."
"Ha!" Luke exclaimed loudly. "I knew it! Cal you owe me fifty bucks!"
"Damn it." He mumbled.
"Uh, excuse me. Did you bet on this?"
Luke shrugged, "Maybe." He ran into the living room begging Cal to pay him.
I rolled my eyes. For being the Alpha, Luke can be such a kid sometimes. I left the house again and skipped across the path to the shed.
Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open and Harry pulled me in. His lips immediately attached to mine.
"Mmm." I pushed him back, "Slow down there Styles."
"Sorry, I just missed you."
"I was gone for five minutes." I giggled.
"I know, but that's a long time for me when I went almost eighteen years without kissing my mate."
"True I suppose."
I handed him a banana and plopped down on the cot he slept on. "So? Did you hear from Niall today?"
Harry shook his head, chewing a bite of banana. "Not yet. I hope he's back soon."
"Me too honestly. I'm hoping he can talk to Lei."
"What makes you think he can help her? The last thing she said to him was pretty harsh."
"I know it was, but he's her mate. She's got to listen to him one of these days. Right?"
Harry shrugged, "I mean, technically, yeah. When do you two turn 18?"
"Next week."
His eyes went wide, "Next week? Already?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, so then it's like, expected that you be with your mate. Like, you're finally an adult but your mate has a weird holding over you."
I pondered this, "I've felt that way with you for weeks now. Why is that?"
"I think it's because I confessed my love for you already."
I smiled. Harry laid down on the bed beside me and wrapped his arms around me.
"Harry?"
"Yes, love?"
"Did you know that when I'm around you or you're touching me in some way, my pack can't hear my thoughts?"
He shook his head, "No, I didn't know that actually. How'd you find that out?"
"Well the first time was that day you held me against the school building by my waist. Leila and Ashton couldn't hear my thoughts as soon as you put your hand on me. Then today, Luke couldn't hear anything from me because I was with you for most of it."
"Wow, that's kind of cool I guess."
I giggled, "Yeah, it is, isn't it."
He kissed my forehead. "You should probably get going, babe. I don't want Luke to hate me more."
"I guess you're right." I got up and grabbed my backpack. "I'll see you in the morning, Harry."
"See ya, Jo."
*************
I was woken up early in the morning by voices out in the hallway. They were too low to make out who it was.
I got up and quietly opened my door.
Three heads turned to look at me.
"Sorry we woke you, Jo." I heard a voice I hadn't heard in days.
"Niall? What are you doing here?"
"He finally responded to me." Harry said with a small smile.
"I heard Leila wasn't doing well. I had to come see for myself. But her door is locked."
Luke huffed, "As long as you guys keep your hands to yourself I don't care what you do. I'm going back to sleep." He padded down the hall and closed his door behind him.
"Um, give me a second." I reached around the back of my door knob and took off the string with Leila's spare door key on it. I stepped up to her door and jimmied it in. It clicked open and I turned the knob. I faced Niall. "Let me go in first. Then I'll tell her you're here."
He nodded. "Okay."
I pushed the door open and walked in. It smelled like rotten food and dirty socks. "Lei?"
She grunted. I laughed. "Jesus, Leila, it stinks in here."
"So sorry I'm grieving, Jo." She choked out.
"I know you are, sis." I crawled onto her bed and sat down beside her.
"I miss him."
"I know."
We sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Um, Lei? Someone is here to see you and he kind of has a lot to say."
She sat up and leaned on her arms. "I don't want to see him, Jo."
"Please just hear him out, Lei. He's sorry things turned out the way they did. And he's sorry for what happened to Mikey. He wants to see you."
"Can you stay in here with me?"
I shook my head, "No. You need to do this on your own, Lei."
She sighed. "Okay."
I got up and left the room. "Okay, you can go in." Niall's face lit up. "It stinks and she's grumpy but she's willing to listen to you."
"Thank you, Jo."
"Yeah. Just don't fuck it up."
"Got it."
As soon as Niall had closed the door, I took Harry's hand and dragged him into my room. "Cuddle with me."