Emily didn't like the way Sam Uley was looking at her. She whispered to her cousin, "What's the matter with Sam, Leah? I just met him, and he seems to be staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"

Leah sighed. "No, it's not you, Em. He's had a lot on his mind lately." She laughed, but it was not a happy sound. "At least that's what he tells me, but he's not sharing. I don't know whether he's trying to protect me or just keeping secrets."

Sam had become distant, and he disappeared for long periods of time with no explanation. Leah had no way of knowing that he could hear every word she whispered now. All his senses were heightened, and it was killing him that he couldn't tell her. And now this. He couldn't take his eyes off Leah's cousin, and as he focused on her face the entire world blurred around her. What the hell was going on?

He escaped as soon as he could, making up some weak excuse for bailing on the party. He stripped down in the woodshed behind his house, folding his clothes neatly before he morphed into an enormous black wolf. He headed into the woods, sniffing the air for Jared's scent.

"Jared - where are you?" He still marveled at the telepathy. When they were both phased into wolf form, he and Jared could hear each other's thoughts from miles apart.

"Headed your way, Sam. Is something wrong?" The answer came straight to his brain, and he growled softly.

"I don't know yet. And this is gonna take some getting used to," he muttered mentally. He immediately heard Jared's chuckle before he came crashing through the underbrush.

Sam lay down, his chin resting on his paws. Jared paced in front of him. "What's going on?"

"Well, there's this girl..." Sam began, the image of Emily, as he had seen her, immediately visible to Jared.

"Whoa!" Jared barked. He stopped walking and stared at Sam. "Didn't Billy tell you about imprinting, Sam? Holy crap! You imprinted on Leah's cousin!"

The ferocious black wolf whined pitifully. "No. Please, no. What does that even mean, Jared? Billy told me about it, but..." he lifted a paw, a reflex that, in human form, would have allowed him to run his hand through his hair. He looked at the paw and lowered it to the ground again. "Shit! I don't need this, Jared!"

Jared's eyes were wide. "What are you going to do, Sam? Leah's gonna kill you!"

"Leah doesn't even know I'm a wolf. You know I'm not allowed to tell her. How the hell can I tell her I'm being forced to mate with her cousin? Jesus, Jared, what am I gonna do?"

"Hold on, Sam! Back up a few steps! You don't have to mate with her - what was it Billy said? You have to be whatever she needs you to be. Maybe a big brother?"

Sam sighed heavily, and his attitude was glum. "Yeah, a big brother who can't take his eyes off her if we're in the same room. You were right. Leah's gonna kill me."

Sam arrived a few minutes early to pick up Leah for their regular Friday night date. Their dates usually started with dinner and often ended in Sam's bedroom. He groaned inwardly when Emily answered the door. Her greeting was cool.

"Sorry, Sam, but Leah's in the shower. You can come in and wait if you want." She was hoping he'd opt to wait on the porch. The guy was giving her the creeps. He looked at her like she was a juicy T-bone steak.

"Thanks, Emily," Sam replied. He found himself following her into the living room, even though his conscience was screaming "Stay on the porch, you idiot!" It was as if a cosmic rubber band bound him to her, and he would have followed her anywhere - over a mountain, through a raging river, across burning coals.

Emily was relieved to see Leah walk in the room five minutes later, but Sam didn't seem to notice. He was leaning forward, arms resting on his legs, hanging on Emily's every word. Leah cleared her throat loudly, and he turned. He looked guilty - hell, he even felt guilty, and he hadn't done anything wrong.

He forced a smile. "Ready?"

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Are you?"

He turned once again to Emily. "Thanks for keeping me company, Emily," he muttered, then took Leah's arm and forced his feet out the door.

When they got to the restaurant, the parking lot was nearly empty. As Sam started to open his door, Leah grabbed his arm. "We need to talk, Sam. It's time you told me what's wrong. You're acting distant and weird, and we haven't made love in weeks. Obviously, there's some kind of problem. Won't you please tell me what it is?"

"I've told you, Leah, I can't talk about it!" he snapped. "Look, you know I love you. It's just...complicated," he finished lamely.

"It's complicated." she repeated. "That's what people say when they want to break up with someone and don't want to tell them why." Her voice was rising, and she was blinking back tears.

Sam looked around, hoping for any excuse to avoid this argument. Not here. Not now. He simply didn't know what to say.

"Emily's not here, Sam," Leah growled. "You'll have to speak for yourself this time." She was getting agitated, and Sam tried to calm her. "Look, let's have our dinner and we can talk at my house later."

"NO!" she shouted. She held up a hand and stared at it. She was trembling, and it was getting worse by the second. "Sam?" she whispered fearfully. "Something's wrong..."

"Shit," he bellowed, yanking his door open and jumping over the hood of the car. He pulled her door open and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out of the car. Before she could react to his strange behavior, her limbs began to twitch. It felt like someone was pulling all her bones out of their sockets, and she opened her mouth to scream.

Instead of a scream, an ululating howl erupted from her throat. It surprised her so much that it cut off in mid-howl and she started to run.

"Leah! Stop!" There was no sound, but the voice seemed to originate in her head. She lifted her hand to her ear and tripped. Wait! Something was wrong with her hands! She looked down and stopped short, her legs - all four of them! - suddenly failing to support her.

An impossibly large black animal, some kind of wolf, appeared in front of her, and she cowered, her ears flattening to her head and her tail swishing - WAIT A MINUTE! Since when did she have a tail? Sam's voice intruded on her terror.

"Leah, it's me, Sam. You're okay. It's the legends, the ones they tell by the campfire. They're all true, Leah. You're a wolf, and so am I. You just need to calm down, and I'll explain everything."

He winced as her voice shrieked in his head. "CALM DOWN? You're kidding me, right?" She found her footing and took off into the woods. He followed her, but she was fast. His longer legs allowed him to keep up as she dodged trees and rocks. After several miles, she began to slow down. She looked to her right, and the beast was still beside her. "Sam? Is that really you?"

He looked down at her, his brown eyes full of compassion. "Yes, Leah, it's me. This is the secret I wasn't allowed to tell you."

"Crap." She stopped, her legs wobbling slightly. "Okay, here's the thing. I'm a wolf. You're a wolf. Is Emily a wolf too?"

He hesitated, and she looked like she might take off again. "Wait. No. She's not a wolf, but...shit, Leah, I don't know where to start with that one."

She shook her head. "Look, Sam, I can't talk like this. How do I get my body back?" Her eyes widened in panic. "Or am I stuck this way? Oh god, don't say I'm stuck..."

He interrupted her thought process. "No, it's temporary. I promise, Leah. You just need to calm down. But...um...you should be aware that you're gonna be naked when you phase back."

The smaller wolf huffed softly. "That's just terrific, Sam. What the hell am I supposed to do about that?"

"Follow me to my house, Leah. We'll find something to wear there."

She nodded. "You know how surreal this is, right? I'm a wolf, and I'm following another wolf to Sam's...I mean your house to get some clothes so we can talk about this. I wish somebody would wake me up!"

Sam phased back first, and he went in the house. He came out a few minutes later in jeans and a tee shirt, and he laid a pair of her shorts and one of her shirts on the steps. "I'll go inside and wait, but you need to calm down. Just lie down and think about something calming...the beach, a vacation. Anything but wolves. I found these in my closet." He indicated the clothes.

Ten minutes later, Leah opened the back door and peeked into the kitchen. "Do you have anything to eat here? I'm starved, and I hate to fight on an empty stomach. Maybe I should have grabbed a deer or a rabbit on the way," she added sarcastically, "but I was too distracted."

He fought off the urge to smile and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Leah. We've got some stuff to work out, but we'll do that. Together. I'll rustle us up something to eat."

She sat at the table while he made bacon, eggs, and toast. "So let me get this straight," she began. "Some of us Quileutes turn into wolves to protect the tribe. Where does Emily fit in to all this?"

Sam set two plates on the table and sat down beside her. He stirred his food around on the plate while he tried to find the right words. The last thing Leah needed today was more bad news.

"There's this thing called imprinting, Leah. I'm told it's rare, but it does happen. It's a wolf thing. And it appears that I've imprinted on Emily."

Leah put down her fork and reached for Sam's hand. "Does that mean you belong to her, Sam?" Her eyes filled with tears. "What exactly does it mean?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure what it means, Leah, but I do know this. I love you, and only you. And there's no voodoo that can change that. According to the legend, I have to be whatever Emily wants me to be. It's pretty obvious that she has no romantic interest in me, so I can be her big brother or a friend. But my heart belongs to you."

She stood up and went to him then, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and finally letting the tears flow. It had been quite a day.