Lunar Ascention

Prologue

Disclaimer: All things in the Twilight universe belong to Stephenie Meyer and her publishers. The song and lyrics belong to the band and their representatives. Any other copyrighted material included in this story belongs to their rightful owners. Cheers ma dears! Rated M.

Be careful who you're thinking will save you in the end
Maybe we're all just waiting for one beautiful friend

Numbers by Great Northern

"Oh, yes. There. There!" My breath was more of a pant as his hands gripped my hips and pulled me down harder on top of him. My fingers clawed into his naked chest as my growing hair fell down over my shoulders. Two years did a lot for correcting mistakes.

And apparently gave me plenty of time to make new ones as well.

"Cramp, cramp," he groaned, stilling us both as he rearranged himself on the dilapidated couch that had been abandoned, along with the dwelling.

There was a blessing in the empty house at the very edge of the reservation that was hidden by the trees at the edge of the beach; it kept meetings like this one private. He and I had been at it for almost two hours, stopping when we got close to climax so we could make the most of our afternoon off, by getting off.

We'd been having secret meetings like this for a while and we were damn good at it. With everyone in the pack imprinting, the pickings were slim, unless we were willing to venture outside of the familiar. We didn't carry diseases; our temperatures seemed to kill them off, and I couldn't conceive, so I was mainly happy where I was.

"You need more potassium in your diet." I laughed breathily, letting my lips brush over his broad shoulders as I rolled my hips against him. Being as familiar as I was with him, I'd left my inhibitions behind a long time ago.

"Well, we wouldn't have this problem if we were on something more stable," he grunted, bucking his hips under me and sending a shiver up my spine. I started picking up my tempo again, pushing myself down on him roughly as my body bowed backwards with pleasure. "Like my bed."

"We've. Talked. About. This," I mewed, my words spilling from me as I accepted him further inside of me. "It's easier this way."

"For you, Leah. It's easier for you," he growled, moving us nimbly so he was kneeling between my thighs. We didn't lose contact at all in the movement. My fingers curled into the sheet-covered cushion below us as he hit the spot. "I just feel like you're . . . Ashamed of this."

I gave a rough push on his chest, using both my hands as his words settled into my bliss-filled skull. I'd always hated conversations during sex, and this proved my point.

Rolling away from him in a display of bare limbs and ass, I pushed to my feet and paced the floor, naked as the day I was born. I wasn't bashful about my body; these boys had seen me naked more times than I could count and shifting to my wolf-self often had kept me in shape. It was all part of the wolf genetics I'd inherited.

This was just typical of my life. Embry and I had been doing this for almost two years now, and he'd always been fine with the secretive arrangement we'd implemented. After the vampires had decided to move a state down and all of the threats had thinned out, almost everyone in the pack had slowed on phasing. They were living their cookie-cutter lives with their mates, procreating, and trading in shitty trucks for shittier mini-vans.

I'd always thought that there would be some of them who would resist the change, that would fight the way nature had predetermined their lives, but apparently I had been very wrong.

Paul had surprised us all by knocking up Rachel in record time. No one had thought he'd be the first to succumb to fatherhood, but there he was, parading around with a babe in arms, rolling around the floor at pack barbecues with all the kids. He had assimilated - become one of them. It was like a line of dominoes after that. Soon the women were all mulling around together with rounded bellies and glowing happiness.

Even Quil was happy as a full time babysitter to his imprint, which only left Embry and I out of the gene pool. We'd first started this little tryst after life had returned to normal. I'd tried living with the Cullens for a while, but as bitter as I was, it hadn't lasted more than a couple of months, which only left me one other option, to live here in La Push with the other pack. Being in the same pack and being unattached made it easier for the two of us to run together. Jacob was always with the Cullens with his imprint, Nessie, so it wasn't as though he'd argued.

Embry and I had got into a pissing contest in the forest as we ran the mountains patrolling. It was something Jacob and I had done while attempting to protect the leeches, but after his imprint on Nessie, Embry had taken it upon himself to be the dick that thought he was better than the lone female wolf. Of course I wasn't one to let a challenge go.

We'd found a lake high up in the mountains and phased into human form, mid-spring into the water. After weeks of spending time together, we'd actually formed a friendship of sorts. But he was a man, and when his eyes lingered on my chest and the hungry look crossed behind his brown eyes, I took a chance and kissed him. Of course, one thing led to another and we ended up screwing on the shore of the lake like rabbits.

It became the perfect arrangement. We were good together when it came to sex, but we both understood it would stop at that. With the possibility of him imprinting, I kept my emotions out of it. I'd always assumed he had, too, but it seemed Embry had changed his mind.

"Way to fuck up a perfectly good thing, Embry," I snapped, ignoring the splinter I managed to get from the old abandoned wood floors. "Why did you have to push this?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Embry shouted, standing up still half stiff. He really did have a magnificent body, and stood there like that, he made my body react. Unfortunately, my brain had taken over. It had been fun while it lasted and I'd been enjoying these times together without the strings attached. "'Gitcha ass back over here, Clearwater."

"Fuck you, Call. I'm too pissed off. Why now? What's changed?"

He dropped back onto the couch, making it groan in protest. His elbows settled on his knees as he dropped his head in his hands. Every one of his muscles was tense. Apparently, I'd upset him.

"Why not?" he whispered between breaths as he looked up at me from behind his hands. "It's evident that neither of us are going to meet our mates. Why shouldn't we be together? No one would begrudge us some happiness."

I paced a couple of times, trying to get my head straight before dropping onto the couch next to him and letting my head rest on his warm shoulder. I wasn't completely devoid of emotion; I never really had been. It was a defense mechanism. After two years in this situation with him, I really did respect the shit out of the guy.

"Who's to say that it won't still happen? It's a big fucking world, Embry, and I don't think I could stand those looks from everyone if you found the person out there that was meant for you. I mean, even Seth has imprinted. Your time will come."

"Why do you do that?" he snorted without humor.

"Do what?" I asked, lifting my head and looking at him.

"Talk as though it's never going to happen for you. You act as though you're some kind of defect."

I winced at his words and tried not to let him see it. Being the only female wolf in the pack, I'd had to face some cold hard truths about myself. My body didn't work like most other females; there would be no procreating for me. I'd become a wolf because I had the genes for it. I was strong, but I was the one thing that didn't fit into Sam's theory of creating a stronger generation of wolves. Why would I imprint if I couldn't contribute to that?

"Because it can't," I finally admitted, running my hands through my hair. "How many times have we screwed over the last two years, Em?"

"Math is not my strong point," he said dryly, looking over his arm at me.

"Mine either, but the point is we've never used protection. Do you see little Lembry's running around? Do you see my belly rounding with our child? It's not going to happen for me. It's better to face that now than getting my hopes up and be disappointed."

"I don't care about that," he said gently, moving so he could cup my cheek and hold my gaze. "We have fun together, Lee, and you're actually not as bad as you try to be. We have fucking amazing sex, and on occasion, a semi-decent conversation. I'm not saying we get married or some shit, just that we should stop hiding what we're doing and if people notice, so be it."

He made it sound so easy. Like we had a shot at being a couple and growing old or immortal together, but nothing was that easy. I'd already been there once, and I wasn't interested in doing it again. I'd put the bitch in me on hiatus to some extent; there was no way I was going to spring her out again because I'd made the same mistake twice. I didn't like being bitter, and another hit to my ego like that would have irreversible consequences.

"I know you don't care, Embry, but what if you imprint? Where does that leave me? I can't do that again. I can't allow myself to be that vulnerable. Can't you see that? I think maybe we should go our separate ways. I'll miss the shit out of this, but it's for the best."

He looked at me for a long moment and I could see that he didn't want it to end. The emotions behind his chocolate brown eyes told me as much. Two years was a long time to be screwing someone without any attachment, but it had worked out just fine in the past. Unfortunately, this was the second time in six months that he'd brought this up.

"Leah, it's not like I'm going to imprint any time soon. We don't go anywhere and I know everyone on the res. The likelihood of that happening is a million to one."

"And I'm sure Jacob and Quil thought the same thing. Jacob imprinted on a hybrid for fuck's sake, and Quil . . . Well, you know. All it would take is for someone to visit, then I'm left alone, in love with another guy I can't have."

The thought of that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, solidifying my resolve. This was the only thing I could do. This was the only way I could protect us from years of heartache and resentment.

"You love me?" Embry asked, reaching to cup my cheek, all the while smirking at me.

"You're an ass." I laughed, slapping his hand away. "I'm saying that if we decided to pursue a relationship, it's the inevitable outcome. You're a funny guy, sweet and kind too and you're not bad at the whole sex thing either. If there wasn't the whole soul mate risk out there I wouldn't hesitate."

Embry laughed as he leaned to the side to kiss my shoulder. He was probably one of the few people to see me with my guard down even an inkling, which was yet another reason to end this. I was content to be alone. I was happy keeping people at arm's length with my sarcasm, I may have dropped the bitch act, but that didn't mean I was going to let people get too close.

"Can we at least go out with a bang?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me as his hand ran up my thigh.

Man, I wanted to say yes. I wanted to finish what we started and get off with another warm body before I forced myself into a life of celibacy. But I knew if I let it happen, I would let it happen again and again. I had to be firm for him, for both of us. It was only a matter of time until he met the one. Imprinting wasn't as rare as they'd first thought, and heartbreak was an inevitability.

I shook my head and got up, ignoring my clothes that lay discarded on the floor. Pulling open the rickety front door, I phased, mid-jump off the porch and took off into the trees, hiding the stupid pain that seemed to consume me.

It felt good being in wolf form where my emotions weren't as strong. It was nice to focus on the forest ahead of me as I took in the sounds and smells rolling through the forest. This was true freedom, but it wasn't complete peace. It would only be a matter of time until someone phased, ruining the illusion.

When my mind moved to Embry, I had to repeat that it was for the best as I ran. My claws were digging into the bracken as I pushed myself forward and into the mountains.

Embry would report to Jacob that I phased; if he needed me he could phase and find me. Jacob was the only one of us, other than Embry and I, that maintained phasing with any sort of regularity. His imprint would be immortal, which meant he was required to phase to keep himself at that age.

Jacob could be annoyingly perceptive at times and he would know something went down, but he was discreet enough not to ask questions. I just hoped he'd be willing to work with me on my one request.

College had always seemed out of reach, but maybe, with everyone settling down, he'd be more willing to let me go. I needed to get out of La Push and start living, and I hoped he would see that.

I guess I wouldn't know until I asked.

Authors Note: Thanks for reading guys. I just want to let you know that even though I started with a lemon it's not going to be the main focus of the story. I know a lot of people harbor hatred for Leah from the series. Even most of my prereaders admitted that she wasn't exactly their first choice to read about, but I hope that this will shed some light on the person she is in my head.

Thank you to my wonderful beta Hev99; she's an amazing writer and a fantastic friend. We have a collaboration profile that I need to link to on my profile! I would also like to thank the wonderful Sabi'Sookie, for being my BFF and pre reading for me and for also collaborating with me. You're awesome girl! I would also like to thank Pinkindeed for all her pre reading skills, and for letting me pre read her amazing stories and for being my knitter extraordiare. Big smooshes to the three of you for being my rocks!

Thanks for reading guys! Mad love to you all ;)