Grace

Being a wolf was almost as if I was letting go of who I really was. I felt free like so many weights had been lifted off my chest. I started to let go and give up fighting to remember who I was and most importantly him. Would I ever see him again? Would I remember him? I questioned this as I completed my shift from Grace the girl I always had been to wolf which was new and exciting.

Sam

It's been weeks since I've last seen her. It feels like it's been years though. I miss the smell of her hair and the scent of her perfume. As I lay in bed I can still smell her scent on my pillow and I had to reassure myself that she would come back to me. I got no sleep ever since she had shifted, I couldn't bear to close my eyes because I was filled with so much worry. Isabel keeps reminding me that her father has gotten the okay to get rid of the entire wolf pack. I made a pact with Cole that we would go find Grace tomorrow morning bright and early because she was my number one priority. I wouldn't let her die.

Grace

Running while you are a wolf felt extraordinary; feeling the dirt underneath my paws was thrilling and it was nice to not have any sense of what time it was. I never got tired and felt like I could go on forever. All of a sudden I started to shake and I realized I was starting to shift back into my human form. This had already happened a bit before, but I could barely remember how much time has passed since each shift. I laid undressed on the cold ground; my mind was cloudy as I said aloud "Grace" I was happy that I remembered my name I also, remembered Sam. I let my eyes adjust to my surroundings and tried to get a sense of where I was. I noticed the familiarity of the forest and realized that I was close by Beck's house. I could almost make it there if I was fast enough. All of a sudden stopping me in my tracks were heavy raindrops as I noticed that a huge storm was starting. The thunder was so loud that I immediately covered my ears. I wasn't alone though I could sense that there was another wolf near by. I caught a glance of a white coat of fur and immediately realized that it was Shelby. She darted towards me and I ran for my life fearful that I was going to die. She had a bigger advantage since she was wolf and I was just a mere human. I tried to outrun her, but I knew it wasn't possible. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I lost my balance on a bump on the ground and fell sinking underwater. The water was ice cold and I lifted my head from underneath gasping for air. I couldn't reach the bottom and tried to hold on to the edge, but the dirt had turned to mud and was too slippery. I dug my nails into the sides of the mud, but my hands kept falling. My arms grew numb and I was beginning to drown. Just then I started to shake and I realized that the ice cold water was causing me to turn back into my wolf form. I couldn't swim for much longer and there was no way I would make it out alive if I was a wolf, but there was no way I could stop the transformation as I was no longer human...

Sam

After getting no sleep I rushed downstairs to find Cole drinking a cup of coffee. He knew that I was determined to head outside to find Grace and without saying a word he got out of his chair and took one last sip of his coffee before heading out the door. We made our way through the forest noticing how warm it was outside today. The ground was still a little soggy from the storm that had occurred last night and anyone could tell that it was going to be an early spring. It was relatively quiet with the occasional sound of birds out in the distance. As we got farther into the woods I thought I heard something. I signed to Cole to be quiet and we both listened as we heard a whimpering noise that sounded like an injured wolf. I had no clue who it was, but I knew that we had to help. I heard the sound again and followed it to a sunken cave that collapsed due to the amount of water piled on it. I looked down and saw that there was a mini river that looked pretty deep. The whimpering started again and I heard the pain and sadness in the cries. I had a feeling that I would never forget this moment. I decided to jump into the water since it would be the only way I would be able to remove the wolf from the water. I felt the clay at the very bottom and realized that the wolf was definitely stuck. The first thing I noticed though was how cold it was. I started to shiver and began to think that the longer someone was down here the more weak they would become. I made my way towards the wolf and as we locked eyes; I froze. Grace. The wolf was Grace. Her brown eyes looked restless. I could tell she was emotionally and physically drained from being in the cold and that she had given up trying to escape. I also noticed the claw marks on the mud telling me that she had tried to escape. She must've been in human form when she fell in which pained me the most. "Hang in there Grace. Don't give up." I didn't know if she even knew who I was, but I knew I was going to make sure she made it through this. "How's it going down there. The wolf doesn't quite look like it's going to make it." I heard Cole yell down to me. I felt dead inside as I replied, "The wolf is Grace." I looked her in the eyes "Fight for me Grace. I'm gonna get you out of here." With that she jumped up trying to hold onto the sides of the sunken cave, but she fell underneath the water and was struggling to make her way back to the top. I realized she was drowning and probably breathing in the mud. I held my breath and made my way underwater. It was dirty and disgusting, I couldn't see but I felt her lifeless fur coat and I grabbed onto her and lifted her out of the water. I could barely contain the chill my body was undergoing there was no way I could lift her out of the water we were too far down. I would never let her go though. I noticed Cole had disappeared.

Cole

Knowing Grace was down there and the fear that she might die gave me so much adrenaline to run as fast as I could to the sheds and find something; anything to help get Grace and Sam safe out of the water. I looked around and found two buckets that I thought would be useful I grabbed them and without hesitation made my way back to them as fast as I could.

Sam

I noticed that Cole had returned with two buckets he threw them down into the water and screamed for me to use them to stand on. I pushed the bucket underneath the water and flipped it over, I tried lifting up Grace, but I was having trouble. Cole jumped in. We both knew he didn't have much time before he shifted, but he climbed onto the buckets and grabbed Grace. He helped me up and I knew what I had to do. I threw Grace's almost lifeless body onto the ground. Cole could see the pain in my eyes as I did that. I noticed that Cole was rapidly shaking and I told him to go up to the ground first. As Cole was safe he told me that the buckets were about to topple over. I quickly stood and they fell from underneath me, but Cole just in time grabbed me and saved my life. "You didn't have to go down there. Thank you." He smiled a knowingly smile and surprisingly remained human. I made my way over to Grace who was unconscious and rubbed her neck "It will be alright my love. I've got you now." I picked her up and carried her back to Beck's house. As we reached the house I decided that even though this seemed cruel I had to lock her in the upstairs bathroom to make sure she didn't escape. I left her some neatly folded clothes and a note so that when she was back in her human form and awake that I was waiting for her. I went downstairs unable to sleep after all the events that had just taken place. I sent a text to Isabel letting her know what happened. "Found Grace she's in pretty bad shape, but she's safe now with me and Cole. Cole pulled her out of the water he's a hero." I waited for her to reply. Finally my phone buzzed and she had responded "At dinner, glad to hear Grace is with you guys I will come over when I get home." I texted back being a little too honest because I was so over emotional. "I was afraid she was going to die, I've never been that worried before; it pains me."

Grace

I woke up back in my human form, my memory was cloudy and I ached all over I wasn't quite sure why. I looked around and noticed how familiar everything looked. I was in Beck's house in the upstairs bathroom which meant I was with Sam. I found a note next to me that said:

Dear Grace,

If you are reading this I'm so sorry that I've done pretty much the worst thing I've ever done which is lock my girlfriend in my bathroom. I laid out some clothes for you and the door is unlocked because I didn't really want you to feel trapped. Once you are dressed and you are you again come downstairs. I can't wait to see you.

Love Sam

I recognized the clothes as the ones I had packed in my backpack when I had escaped from my house to live with Sam. I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look like me. Just as I began to let some thoughts cloud my mind I began to cough even though the water and mud were gone I felt like I was choking. Barely able to breath I tried to feel for the doorknob. Luckily the coughing fit wore down as I quietly made my way downstairs. I noticed Sam leaning against the railing outside looking frustrated and restless. He was the only person I knew who had so much emotion just in the way he stood. I crept up on him, but my knees gave way and I fell not able to breath once again as the coughing fit started back up. I noticed him turn around fast as he sprinted towards me with a scared look on his face. "Grace, I'm here just breathe for me please." I gasped for air and my eyes started to close. I felt his tears drip onto my face as he tried to do anything he could to save me. I tried to calm down and as I did the coughing stopped as I tried to catch my breath. My breathing was raspy and a little caught in my throat but I was better. I opened my eyes to see Sam stroking my face. I tried to talk but I wasn't quite able to yet. He carried me upstairs to his room and tucked me in and laid beside me. I rested my head on his chest and looked at him and he kissed my forehead. "I've missed you so much my sweet angel. I'm so worried about you." I was finally able to talk quietly, but it was better than nothing. "Sam... I was so scared.. I need you." His yellow eyes were so pained as he pulled me closer to him. "I'm here, I'll always be here." I needed to tell him that I love him because it's been so long. 'I love you." He smiled and replied "I love you too, forever." I kissed him and it felt magical like no time had passed between us at all. I closed my eyes and fell asleep wrapped in the arms of the one I loved. I felt in that moment safe and protected, but deep down I knew that something wasn't right and I wasn't sure what that was.