But I couldn't see Leah doing that.

Of course. But none of that applies tome. / was on my way out anyway. I'll get a job somewhere
away from La Push. Maybe take some courses at a community college. Get into yoga and
meditation to work on my temper issues.... And stay a part of this pack for the sake of my mental
well-being. Jacob— you can see how that makes sense, right? I won't bother you, you won't
bother me, everyone is happy.

I turned back and started loping slowly toward the west.

This is a bit much to deal with, Leah. Let me think about it, 'kay?

Sure. Take your time.

It took us longer to make the run back. I wasn't trying for speed. I was just trying to concentrate enough
that I wouldn't plow headfirst into a tree. Seth was grumbling a little bit in the back of my head, but I was
able to ignore him. He knew I was right. He wasn't going to abandon his mom. He would go back to La
Push and protect the tribe like he should.

But I couldn't see Leah doing that. And that was just plain scary.

A pack of the two of us? No matter the physical distance, I couldn't imagine the... the intimacy of that
situation. I wondered if she'd really thought it through, or if she was just desperate to stay free.

Leah didn't say anything as I chewed it over. It was like she was trying to prove how easy it would be if
it was just us.

We ran into a herd of black-tailed deer just as the sun was coming up, brightening the clouds a little bit
behind us. Leah sighed internally but didn't hesitate. Her lunge was clean and efficient—graceful, even.
She took down the largest one, the buck, before the startled animal fully understood the danger.
Not to be outdone, I swooped down on the next largest deer, snapping her neck between my jaws
quickly, so she wouldn't feel unnecessary pain. I could feel Leah's disgust warring with her hunger, and I
tried to make it easier for her by letting the wolf in me have my head. I'd lived all-wolf for long enough
that I knew how to be the animal completely, to see his way and think his way. I let the practical instincts
take over, letting her feel that, too. She hesitated for a second, but then, tentatively, she seemed to reach
out with her mind and try to see my way. It felt very strange—our minds were more closely linked than
they had ever been before, because we both were trying to think together.