"I take back what I said the first time we met. I never could have been more wrong."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"Every thing about you - every thing you do, or say, or even when you scrunch your nose when you don't really like something - just ma...
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"THANKS AGAIN FOR THIS WEEKEND, Josie," Leah smiles, sending me a grateful look from the passenger seat of my car. It warmed my heart, not only to see so many glimpses of the old Leah during these past few days but also to hear her call me Josie. After all the shit she had been through, especially recently after finding out that Sam and Emily had gotten together, Leah and I had gotten undeniably close. And to hear her call me Josie, something that only people I considered family could call me, it validated what I felt. Leah was my sister; maybe not by blood, but when had I ever cared about blood.
"Any time, Leah," I smirk back. "It was amazing to have you there with me... I don't know if I could have handled Maggie, Rose, and Casey all by myself."
"I don't know," Leah teases. "You seemed to have plenty of distractions."
"Oh fuck off," I giggle as Leah laughs. "I'll see you around, Jawline."
"Whatever you say, Pale Face," Leah returns, exiting the car and sending me one last wave and grin before she goes inside her house. Letting out a heavy breath I didn't know I was holding, I backed out of her driveway and drove my way back down the uneven roads for the reservation. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I was unsurprised at what I saw. Bella's truck stood in the same spot that it had for the past two months, and Dad's cruiser was gone. I let out a little breath, not quite ready to re-enter the somber climate of the house. Biting the bullet, I shut off my engine and rushed inside, hoping to avoid anything and everything. Of course, it didn't prove to be all too difficult, making it up to my room in the blink of an eye and beginning to unpack. I spent the rest of the night in my own little world, trying to get closer to finishing my wall.
<>
I had two bags full of food and produce, and a wide grin on my face as I approached Billy and Jake's door. Swinging it open, I called out happily. "Hi boys!"
"Josie?" Billy asks, wheeling in with a confused look on his face. "What are you doing here?" His words were laced with a little more anticipation this time, eyes darting around me to try and figure something out.
"It's Monday?" I tell him, the statement sounding more like a question. It had been a habit to come over every Monday and Wednesday and make dinner for the Black boys. It was always a happy occasion, a welcome way to leave my house for a night and spend time with my other family, no tension or ill will closing in around me from the walls.
"Oh, Monday, right," Billy acknowledges awkwardly. I could see the tension begin to rise in his shoulders. "Jake should be back in the next hour or two. He's with Quil and Embry."
"If it's easier for you, Billy, we can always raincheck if you're busy tonight." Billy waves dismissively.
"I'd never turn down your cooking, Josie," he chuckles. "Especially when you bring all your fresh veggies with you." Billy sends me a little wink, causing my cheeks to flush a bright red. His eyes wander down to my neck, seeing the tops of a few reminders from my weekend activities, and chuckles more. "I take it you had some fun in Seattle?" If possible, my cheeks get brighter, and I pull the hood of my sweatshirt closer to my neck.
"Billy!" I exclaim, embarrassed yet amused.
"What?" Billy continues. "I'm just assuming-"
"Billy? Whose out there?" The sound of Old Quil's voice rings out, and tension comes into the room with a swift strike.
"Shit, Billy, I'm sorry. I didn't know the council was meeting. I can come back-"
"Nonsense," he chuckles. "It should be over soon anyway."
"Good thing I brought extra food, in case anyone wants some."
"Always so prepared," Billy notes with a smile.
"Go, do your thing. I won't be going anywhere for the next little while." Billy just smirks before waving me off, and he rolls back into the back room. I get to cooking, losing track of time. Their timing couldn't be more perfect, as I'm pulling the tilapia out of the oven as everyone begins to trickle out of the house.
"Whatever that is, it smells amazing," a shockingly young voice says, shaking me out of my thoughts and turning to him. He was tall and broad, with cropped hair. Another one of Sam's boys, I mused to myself before smiling brightly at him.
"Hi, I'm Josephine," I greet with a grin, waving at him through an oven mitt.
"Jared," he greets equally as happy, though I can see the smirk through his smile. "You're the girl who is basically another of Billy's daughters, right?" he offers.
"That's me," I agree with a giggle. Sam walks in moments later, before the man I had spent the past three days trying to forget walks in. "Sam," I acknowledge with a nod before my gaze unintentionally falls on Paul. He's already staring back at me, his brown eyes almost beady with concentration. His gaze follows the curves on my body, finally landing on the marks that trail my neck like a piece of artwork. "Nice to see you, La-"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" he growls, taking calculated steps toward me before pulling at the collar of my sweatshirt. I gasp, peeling his hand off of me and taking a few steps away.
"Paul," Sam states, his voice authoritative. It seems as if Sam's demands are already falling on deaf ear, though, as Paul is already shaking uncontrollably. I hasten to fix my shirt before any of the elders can walk into the room, but as soon as they do, panic ensues.
"Get him outside. NOW!" Billy demands. No matter how much Sam and Jared try, Paul remains unmoved, me being his sole focus. Making the choice for myself, I make my way out of the house, no matter how many times Billy begs me not to.
"I can handle it!" I snap, watching Paul shift before my very eyes. I rapidly scale a tree, paying no mind to Paul as he tries to jump up after me. I roll my eyes before closing them, willing the roots of the tree to grow and bind to the limbs of Paul's wolf form. When he's restrained enough, I jump from the tree, rolling out of it to soften the landing. Ignoring the shocked expressions of everyone around me, I keep my head up and canter back into the house. With one foot through the threshold, I turn back to them with a final glance. "Now who wants tilapia?"
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Hi guys, sorry it's late (again). I've had wicked bad writer's block and it took me a few days to work through it, so I know the chapter is probably really shit, and when I edit it, I'll fix everything up a bit to make it less weird/confusing.
Updates are probably gonna get pretty inconsistent, but I'm gonna try not to let that happen as much as I can. I'm working five days a week, and for the next five weeks I'm gonna be taking summer classes. I'm gonna try and keep it as consistent as I can, but I can't promise it since most days I'm gonna be a sleepy machine.
