❝ Someone like me can be a real nightmare

Completely aware

But I'd rather be a real nightmare

Than die unaware ❞

𓆩⛥𓆪

"I think Jo should come to the bonfire."

The proposal was met with uproar.

"What?!"

"No way."

"Bonfires are for the pack and council members only," Sam stated, his voice cutting through all the ruckus.

"But she already knows about us!" Jacob insisted, "She's heard all the legends before and she's my sister."

"Jacob," Paul spoke up from where he sat at Sam and Emily's kitchen table, shovelling food into his mouth, "Even if we did invite her, what exactly makes you think she'll want to come?"

Jacob opened his mouth to reply but had nothing.

"Yeah!" Jared added, "I mean, so far she's shown no interest in us whatsoever."

"Yeah, it's really weird," Quil agreed through mouthfuls of blueberry muffins, "What kind of person finds out about the existence of werewolves and just... doesn't care?!"

"It's downright disturbing," Jared nodded, cheeks similarly stuffed with muffin, "There are people that would kill to know something like this."

There was a chorus of grunts of agreement as the pack continued to stuff their faces, all the while Embry remained silent, cheeks filled to the brim with food. He was already no stranger to the way that Johara Black tended to vex people — seriously how could one person evoke such strong emotions in others but remain so care free herself — but the new... additional feelings that the mere thought of her stirred within him were something entirely new and entirely concerning. So, instead of thinking about it, he chose to stuff his face with food but secretly hoped for the pack to give him any reason to see her again.

Just the thought gave him butterflies and made his cheeks burn.

"She's my sister," Jacob insisted, "You saw her in that meadow with that leech! He could've killed her! Every day she stays on the outside of this secret is another day she is in danger."

If Jo were there she would've laughed hysterically at how ignorant these boys were. They just assumed that she'd been the vulnerable one in the meadow. Clearly their brains had chosen to forget the fact that Laurent had been the one bound to a tree with no means of escaping while she stood free as a bird.

It was truly a wonder these muttonheads had managed to keep themselves alive for this long, Jo would've thought.

Sam was quiet, looking away from Jacob to his fiancé for guidance. Emily simply shrugged in return. It was his call.

"Fine," he caved, "In the interest of ensuring your family's safety, Johara may join us."

The announcement nearly made Embry's heart leap out of his chest with an uncalled for excitement that made him loathe Johara Black just a little more. Or so he thought...

𓆩⛥𓆪

Anxiety is a real bitch. You never know which version of it you're going to get. It can be like a tight knot in your chest, constricting your breathing, making each inhale feel shallow and each exhale strained; it can be your heart racing, pounding against your ribcage as if it's trying to escape; or it can be when your palms become clammy and your muscles tense, ready for a threat that may never materialise. Sometimes it's neither of those and all three at the same time but it's always the sensation of being on edge with a lingering unease that permeates your body, leaving you permanently restless and exhausted all at once.

Jo felt it all that week. With no more nicotine and an impending reveal of her identity to the rest of the tribe on the horizon, Jo was naturally on edge. But more than that, there was something, something deep within her bones, that made her feel deeply unsettled. Call it Thunderbird instincts or whatever you want but something was trying to warn her, trying to keep her on her toes. She just didn't know why.

Of course, she couldn't go to Paul for her regular fix of cigarettes, not unless she wanted to incite a flood of uncomfortable (and not to mention frustrating) questions that she was neither ready nor prepared to answer. And that also meant that, due to her irritable, unstable mood, her eyes still hadn't gone back to normal and now Grams had forced her to resort to the Cullens' method of covering up supernatural eyes: colour contact lenses. And they were annoying as hell.

"Okay, what gives?" Leah snapped, slamming her locker door shut and slapping Jo's hand away from her face as the girl anxiously bit her nails and tapped her foot against the ground.

"Hey!" Jo exclaimed in surprise and annoyance.

"Are you just having insane withdrawals or something 'cause it's getting on my nerves!"

Jo's face scrunched up as she grew defensive.

"Dude, chill out! It's not that bad. The hell are you getting so pissy for?" She clapped back.

"Dude," she repeated with an almost growl in her voice that made Jo want to take a step back, "The foot-tapping, nail-biting and constant fucking eye-rubbing and not to mention how you keep looking around like a paranoid lunatic— it's annoying as hell."

Jo held up her hands in surrender, not prepared to let her temper get the best of her as she watched Leah's face contort with rage.

"Yeah, okay," she conceded upon seeing how Leah's shoulders shook as she huffed with anger, "Sorry 'bout that. That's my bad. I'll try stop."

Leah looked at her for a moment as though something in her was looking for something else to be pissed off about. Eventually, she sighed with relief and relaxed her tense stance. She nodded in thanks and Jo cautiously lowered her hands, studying her friend suspiciously. She'd been extra snappy lately. Probably just PMS, right?

"Seriously, what's going on with you? Why do you keep rubbing your eyes?" Leah asked curiously, leaning back against the locker.

"Uh... it's that infection," Jo lied, "Doctor's got me wearing some protective contact lenses. They're meant to keep germs and harmful sunlight out or something."

Jo glanced at her friend, hoping she was buying this. Apparently, she was.

Nice work, Jo. She internally praised herself.

"Screw that," Leah grunted with an eye roll, "If they're that bad then just go back to the douchey sunglasses."

"Fuck it, you're right," Jo cursed, throwing her locker open — the locker she'd bullied some senior into giving her so she and Leah didn't have to walk across the school if they wanted to see each other between classes — and rummaged around, looking for her contacts' case.

"Oh great," Leah grumbled, spotting a group of the preppy, likely roided-up, football jocks passing by them and giving girls wolf-whistles as they strolled down the hall, "I think sharing the same air as them just lowered my IQ."

Jo snickered, swiftly slipping her contacts off and replacing them with her sunglasses, "You're telling me."

The group of boys must've heard their snide remarks because they slowed their strides and exchanged words while glancing in their direction.

"You two have something to say?" One of them, whose name may be Ryan, said.

Ryan? Or was it Ryder? Riley? Roland? Ronald? Either way his surname was Colbert, according to his letterman jacket.

"Oh, nothing... that you'd understand," Jo quipped, making Leah snort. 

Some passerbys made approving "ohhhh" sounds as they stopped to see how he (maybe the name was Ryle...?) would react.

Something-With-An-'R' Colbert glanced to his teammates, looking like a defensive animal that had been backed into a corner. So, he straightened up, broadening his shoulders and stepped toward Jo.

"Whatever," he said casually, his voice low and threatening, "You think I care what you of all people think? You're probably just like that friend of yours: a good-for-nothing, disgusting dyke."

His friends laughed with him but Jo froze, her smirk dropping into a scowl.

What did he say about Harper?

Time slowed. She clenched her fist and suddenly their raucous laughter grew distant and muffled in her ears. She could faintly recall Leah taking a threatening step toward them but Jo's other hand found it's way around her forearm, holding her back.

Then, everything started to speed up again. Jo's blood boiled, anger simmering beneath her skin. It all happened within the blink of an eye. As she whirled around on her heel, she threw herself forward and smashed her clenched fist into the nose of maybe-Ryan.

The boy flew back, slamming into the floor with a force that sent a loud smack echoing down the halls.

For a second, just a split second, there was nothing but stunned silence. Everyone looking to the fallen boy in horror and surprise as blood dripped from his nose onto the white floor.

By the time the pack had rounded the corner of the hallway — hoping to find Johara standing by her locker so they could invite her to the bonfire — they found a full-blown fist fight that had broken out.

As the only one that Jo was least likely to laugh or lash out at, Paul Lahote had been elected to talk to her on behalf of the rest of the pack; with Jacob's assistance, of course. Because even Paul was still a little afraid of Johara Black. (In his defence she had a lot of anger for such a small person). The rest of the pack — meaning Jared, Quil and Embry — had elected to keep their distance and watch from the sidelines as moral support.

They had been expecting a simple conversation in a quiet hall by a girl's locker. Maybe Jo would get angry and glare at them, maybe give them a grunt of agreement and mild irritation as she accepted their offer. But they certainly hadn't been prepared for this.

"What the hell?" Paul remarked at the sight of what was before them.

As the crowd that gathered by Jo's locker chanted "fight! fight! fight!", some of the football team stood against the lockers opposite from hers clutching their faces in agony with two of their teammates laying on the floor crying out in pain and their captain presumably still in the thick of the fight.

"Should we do something?" Jacob asked although still highly confused.

"To hell with that, I want to see who's winning," Quil said, elbowing his way through the crowd, "My money's on the football dude."

Paul and Embry shared a glance before looking to Jared for guidance. The boy shrugged and gestured to follow Quil to the front of the crowd.

"Holy shit!" Jacob exclaimed upon finding his sister atop the captain of the football team, beating the shit out of him.

"Is that Ryan Colbert?" Quil asked in shock.

But that's not at all what Embry cared about.

"Is that your sister?" He asked Jacob incredulously.

Paul and Jared immediately sprung into action, dropping their stuff and moving to pull Jo off of the boy whose face was turning an ugly shade of purple.

"Jo!" Jacob yelled over the crowds, grabbing her around the middle of her torso and trying to yank her away, "Get off of him."

Jo's elbow knocked back into Jacob's ribs with a surprising amount of force that made him stumble back, shocked and slightly winded.

What the hell? Trying to hit a werewolf like that... any other human being would have shattered their elbow. So, how the hell was she able to do that?

"You think homophobia is funny now, Ryland?"

"I thought his name was Ryan?" Quil piped up.

Embry rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Seriously? That's what's concerning you about this situation?"

Paul and Jared stepped forward, each grabbing an arm and trying to pull Jo back. The girl, blinded by a flood of anger, fought against their hold and even with the two shifters trying to restrain her, she managed to get free and throw herself back at Ryan.

What the hell was happening? Why could no one stop her?

"Quil! Help them!" Embry urged, not eager to get in the middle of this due to the complicated things he'd been feeling lately.

But Quil was too busy joining the crowd in chanting "fight! fight! fight!". Embry groaned, dropping what he was carrying and preparing to intervene.

Just as Jo's fist was rearing back, about to collide with Ryan's face, Embry caught her arm.

"Johara!" He called, dropping down onto his knee from the force of her swing.

That voice. In Jo's head, that voice made all the others fade away; all the rowdy students both begging her to stop and all the ones cheering for her to fight, everything seemed to pale in comparison... including the sound of her anger.

She paused and looked up for the first time and if it weren't for the flickering hallway lights, Embry could've sworn that he'd seen a flash of gold behind her sunglasses. But it was probably just a trick of the light.

Boy, what wouldn't he give to see those eyes right now? Even just a glimpse. He couldn't really quite recall what they looked like anymore but he was dying for a reminder.

"Stop," he pleaded, keeping his voice even and calm, "He's had enough."

Jo swallowed and glanced back down at Ryan's beaten and bloodied face before looking back at her own blood-coated fist. Had she really done that?

Embry released his hold on her wrist.

Breathing heavily, Jo nodded and let Paul and Jacob pull her back as the crowd dispersed with murmurs of disappointment.

"I'm fine," Jo insisted with a sharp edge to her tone, shrugging off their hold, "You can step off."

"Jo—" Paul started.

"Back off, Lahote," Leah butted in, emerging from the crowd, "She said she's fine."

Everything about the air around Leah was electric and hostile. It was like just the sight of the pack members with their matching haircuts and tattoos brought back the painful memory of Sam and it made her pissed.

"This doesn't concern you, Leah," Jared stated with an authority that Leah certainly did not care for.

"Like hell it doesn't!" She growled, like actually growled, "This is none of your business, Cameron!"

"Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be, Leah."

The boys may have thought it was a simple argument, that Leah was just getting pissy and simply looking for a reason to pick a fight with them because they were Sam's friends but Jo could see it for what it was. She could see the pure, unfiltered rage on Leah's face. She could see it radiating off of her in waves so strong that Jo felt like she could feel Leah's anger. She noticed the slight shake of her shoulders, the vibration of her fists and then like a punch to the gut, Jo realised what was happening.

Eyes widening, Jo pushed the boys aside and grabbed Leah roughly by the shoulders as the older girl continued to yell at the pack of shifters.

"Call Sam," was all she told them before pulling Leah away.

Leah fought against her hold but it didn't matter because all Jo was focused on was getting Leah as far away from the school as possible.

The boys shouted in confusion, running after the girls in search of answers. Leah pushed and shoved and kicked and screamed but Jo just kept dragging her out, further and further into the forest.

"Johara?!"

"What are you doing?"

"What's happening?"

"Where are you going?"

"What the fuck, Jo?"

The pack questioned relentlessly as they tried to keep up with Johara.

She could feel Leah's shaking grow violent and figured they were far enough into the forest to be safe.

"LET ME GO!" Leah screamed and Jo obliged, tossing her forwards just as Leah's shaking form exploded into a gigantic white wolf.

The boys stopped in their tracks as they watched the scene unfold. They stood, slack-jawed and stunned as the white wolf snapped and growled from the spot where Leah had just been standing.

"What the actual fuck?" Paul breathed with surprise.

"There's no way," Quil spoke in awe.

"It's impossible," Jared said, hands clutching his head.

No one could believe what they were seeing. But it had happened. Right in front of them. And they'd seen it with their own eyes. But all Embry could think about was that there was an angry, potentially violent, werewolf here and Jo was standing way too close for comfort. 

"Johara," Embry warned, taking a step closer to her but the sound of his voice just seemed to further aggravate Leah, "You need to leave."

"Like hell," Jo retorted, making Embry clench his fists.

"Now is not the time for this, Johara," he said through gritted teeth, his pulse rising with his temper, "She's dangerous."

"Well, I'm not leaving her," she stated firmly.

Leah's wolf let out a distressed whine as she frantically glanced between her paws and Jo, desperate for answers.

"I'll get Sam," Jacob suggested.

Leah growled, anger flashing in her eyes and the ground seemed to tremor, making all of Jo's internal organs shake with it.

"No! Don't!" Johara insisted, holding up a hand to stop him, "It'll only make her more mad."

Leah lunged forwards and snapped her jaws, getting dangerously close to Jo.

Embry groaned, "Screw this."

The next thing Jo knew, a strong warm hand was pulling her back, away from Leah. She turned her head, sneaking a glance at the culprit and finding that it was Embry. But all she got was a glance because in the blink of an eye, the boy had been replaced by his own silver-coated, horse-sized wolf.

"Shit," Jacob cursed, yanking his sister back by the hood of her jacket in hopes to keep her out of harm's way, "Well then what do you suggest we do?" Jacob growled in frustration.

"Just... let me talk to her..."

Jacob looked to his pack brothers. Paul simply shrugged but Jared took a moment to think.

"Let her try," he decided, "I'll go to the house and warn..." he hesitated on his alpha's name as he looked to Leah, "you-know-who in the meantime."

On the outside, it seemed that through whatever telepathic link they had, Embry had been trying (and failing) to calm Leah down. But as she only grew more angry and disoriented by the overwhelming flood of new thoughts and feelings invading her headspace, the wolf lashed out. She slammed her body into his side, throwing him to the ground before a snarling and snapping violently at him.

Shit. She was gonna kill him.

Jo, not caring about who was there to see, didn't waste any time. She dropped to the floor, placing a hand in the dirt beneath her and closed her eyes, focusing her mind.

Paul and Jacob weren't even able to register what was happening. Perhaps, they just assumed that Leah was the one that tossed Embry to the side and that's why they phased; to protect their packmate. They hadn't noticed what actually happened but Embry did. He had seen how the floor itself seemed to move around his wolf, gliding beneath him and pulling him further and further away from Leah before she could sink her teeth into