This is Sam's version of chapter 5 & 6 in my other story 'Wishes of A Werewolf.' I'd like to thank laughingchicklol for suggesting this to me. Anyway I don't know if this should be anything more than a one-shot. Anyway hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the twilight saga or any of it's characters, Stephanie Meyer does.
Warning: Do not read this if you haven't read my first fanfic 'Wishes of A Werewolf'
AN: If you've read this before, you may realise that I've made a few changes. Yeah, my grammar and vocab isn't that great.
Traffic. The single, most annoying thing in everyday life. It had just turned six and as usual the rush hour traffic was at it's peak. Outside the rain was pouring down heavily, and among the many cars that were slowly trailing up along the freeway, I too am sat in my own car waiting patiently for the car in front to move forwards.
I sighed. It was times like these that I wish I could phase into my old wolf-self. I missed the adrenaline rush came whenever I ran through the forests; not to mention the heightened senses, the speed and strength. The speed would certainly prove useful right now.
But I am no longer apart of that world. The price is too much to pay in my opinion. First, there is sacrificing my own life and those of the people I love to to protect the people of La Push. Then there is the huge responsibility of maintaining the pack's secrecy, this involves hiding secrets and keeping a low profile, which is extremely difficult when savaged corpses start appearing out of nowhere. However I had it much harder than that. I was the alpha of the pack, meaning that I had to make all the decisions that would determine the others' fate. It was a job I once had fulfill and I certainly don't want to again. The stress was too much for me to handle. But I'd quit the pack over 14 years ago so it was up to Jacob Black—the true alpha of the pack—to lead now.
The blaring cry of a car horn snapped me out of the haunting thoughts of my past and made me focus on reality. I shove my foot down on the pedal, causing the car to lurch slightly further up the road. My impatience soon gets the better of me and I start drumming my hands on the steering wheel in a pitiful attempt to make time move faster. A soft yawn sounds behind me and I glance in the rear-view mirror to see my three kids sitting quietly in the back.
They remain absolutely silent as I drive down the familiar route back home. My two eldest, Leah and Samuel, stare vacantly through the windows, watching the rainfall ricochet off the ground while their little sister Lydia snores quietly in her booster seat. I had just picked them up from their grandma's—they had spent the whole afternoon at her house down in the Makah reservation—and like me, they were eager to get home. I smile, remembering what it was like to be their age.
The car had finally reached the turnoff towards La Push and I quickly manoeuvre the car down the one long narrow road that twists through the whole of the Quileute res. As we pass by, I couldn't help noticing a flash of tan to my left. I know almost immediately that it's Seth heading home from patrol.
The pack are keeping their guard up, something that both comforts and alarms me. It's good that the people are still being protected but I can't help feeling slightly unnerved by this, as it meant that a possible danger is lurking around in the forest. No Sam. You're getting ahead of yourself. The pack has nothing to do with you, not anymore.
Desperate to shift the thoughts of my past out of my head, I start thinking about my happier, more tranquil life. I have everything I could have ever wanted in life; a loving family that I'd do anything for, a steady job as a salesman up in Seattle and a warm, comfortable house for my family. The best part for me was knowing that I now had my life back. It was nice to socialise with others as opposed to running after vampires in the dark.
As I turn off the main road and onto the much smaller, more hazardous roads, I catch a glimpse of my son in the mirror, enjoying the ride home. I sigh again but this time in worry and concern. In about ten years the "wolf-gene" will be triggered and he'll phase. Hopefully his time in the pack won't be as hectic as mine once was. That is my only fear now, the fact that my children could be affected in the future because of what I did in the past.
My concern vanished when the car approached our moderately large house and I cut the engine as we halted to a stop on the driveway. I pull the car door open, allowing exhaustion to take over my body now that I am back home. As I draw closer to the house, I can faintly hear a heated conversation taking place inside. Unsure of what was happening, I head back towards to the car. Leah, seeing my concern, hopped out of the car, her eyes eyes wide and wary.
"Dad, what's wrong. Is it mom? Is she ok?" She asks, panic spreading across her face.
"Leah, I want to you to stay in the car. Watch your brother and sister and don't come out unless I say so." I instruct sternly, handing the car keys over to her.
She nods before scrambling back into the car to prevent her younger brother from escaping.
A loud but familiar voice shouts in a sudden surge of fury and I rush back towards the house. "Dream? It's not a dream Emily, it's a nightmare! A burden!"
I don't waste time by trying to figure out who is yelling at my wife as I hear Emily's reply.
"Only you find it a burden. I would cope. I see it more as an escape, like a fairytale."
"You want to escape from this? This is a fairytale! You have everything I want, everything I can't have. You have Sam, your children and your perfectly normal life! Each day I wake up knowing that nothing will be the same! You want to trade? I'd be happy too!"
I realise that it's Leah who is arguing with Emily. Had she returned? I don't know but I'm certainly not going to let this argument continue any further.
"I never said it like that!" Emily cries back, hurt.
That is it. I thrust the front door open and slam it behind me. The house abruptly falls silent and I call out Emily's name tentatively, concerned for her safety. I practically burst into the living room to find an aggravated Emily glaring at a very livid Leah. It took me half a second to assess the situation and the instinct to protect my imprint overwhelms me.
"What are you doing here Leah?" I ask flatly.
She doesn't answer me but continue to glare at Emily. "See Emily, you have a devoted husband who is standing up for you this very moment. But you don't even deserve him, not after what you've said." She spits vehemently, her eyes glowering accusingly at her former best friend.
Confusion spreads across my face as I continue to glance frantically between them.
Emily flushes bright red as her eyes begin to water. "GET OUT!" She screams, her finger pointing in the direction of the door.
I flinch. If there anything was I hated it was seeing Emily distressed like this. My teeth clench together reflexively.
Despite being told to leave Leah remains still, "No." She snarls.
"Get out Leah or I'll drag you out myself." I intervene, taking a step forward in order to support my threat.
"No."
I move in front of Emily so that she is now stood behind me. "Get out now." A few slight tremors ripple through my body; up my spine and down through my arms. I don't want to phase but I will if means protecting my family.
Leah's upper lip curls back as a low feral growl sounds deep in her chest. The shudders taking place in her own body increasing. She knows that she has the advantage should it come to a fight; I haven't morphed into my wolf-self for nearly fifteen years, meaning I would be slow and disorientated. However she is used to the transformation and would remain unaffected by it's effects.
We watch each other warily as we brace ourselves for a fight.
"No." Leah repeats again, squaring up to me.
I take another step forward as well, nudging Emily further back with my hand. My face is just inches away from hers now and I can feel the heat radiating off of her, see the angst that swirls around in her eyes.
"Leave." I urge, pushing her lightly on the shoulders.
Leah stumbles back one or two steps and I realise that I've gone too far.
It all happens so quickly then; one minute Leah is facing me, her eyes blazing like the fiery depths of hell, and the next a gigantic grey wolf stands in her place, surrounded by smashed pieces of furniture and scraps of clothing.
I stagger back a few steps, my eyes wide with fear. In my peripheral vision I can see Emily trembling with fright behind me.
I hesitantly take a step forward, raising my hands up in the air to show that I mean no harm.
"Leah?"
The wolf growls while it's muzzle pulls back over it's teeth.
I cautiously make my way over to her and push lightly against her left shoulder in a bid to get her out of the house before anyone could come over to investigate.
Leah snarls in annoyance and turns on me unexpectedly.
I raise my arms in an attempt to protect myself, though it's a wasted effort.
She makes a clean swipe for me, her claws rake across my chest.
I cry in pain as the blood pulses from my aching wounds and stain the brown carpet.
Emily screams behind me.
I clutch my chest fiercely as I collapse on the ground, the pain thriving through my entire body.
Emily falls by my side, a white towel in her quivering hands and she desperately tries to slow the flow of red which now covers her hands too.
I writhe in agony at the towel's touch and Emily's pleading sobs fill the room along with my agonised gasps. As my consciousness begins to falter, I notice Leah out the corner of my eye fleeing from the room and out of the house. A soft whimper escapes her muzzle, echoing into the night. I slip into the darkness soon afterwards.
When I finally come round, I find myself sprawled across mine and Emily's bed with numerous bandages taped over my chest. I'm only vaguely aware of the events that have happened prior to this very moment and my memory of them are extremely hazy. There is, however, one exception. The memory of the excruciating pain that had once reigned throughout my entire body is by far the sharpest and I wince in remembrance.
Moving my head a fraction to the side, I realise that there is no way to tell if it is night or day outside. Someone had shut the curtains so that no light is capable of entering and there is no clock in sight either. The door had been left slightly ajar—which is odd, considering that it was always shut—a dim light from down the hallway seeping through. I can also hear a small group of people shuffling about downstairs; one of them is muttering under their breath.
I frown. Why is there so many people in the house?
In the instant that I think of the question a horrific image flashes in my mind; the living room is decorated with broken furniture and millions of shards of glass are scattered across the floor along with several scraps of ruined clothing.
Panic surges through my body in a wave and I grip the edge of my bed in an attempt to haul myself up. Unfortunately my body is too weak to do anything of the such and so I fall back against the bed with a groan.
Emily rushes into the room then, her eyes wide and anxious. She catches sight of me and sighs in relief, her hand fluttering to her chest.
"He's awake." She yells over her shoulder.
Meanwhile I make a second attempt at getting up only to be thwarted again. But this time my body isn't too blame.
"Sam, you've got to lay down, honey. Carlisle says it's the best way for you to recover." Emily murmurs whilst gently pushing me back down on the bed.
It comes crashing down on me then: the argument, Leah, the wolf, blood spilling onto floor, Emily's sobs. As I remember those past events I realise that I have survived Leah's attack. I lift my hands in front of my face, stunned that I am still alive and breathing.
"What happened? After..." I mumble hoarsely.
Emily frowns, "She left, just like that. And I managed to slow the bleeding enough so that I could phone for help. Carlisle came over along with Jake and Embry. He bandaged you up whilst Jake and Embry dealt with the damage. They've made it look like some wild grizzly broke into the house and broke things up."
"I'll make an educated guess and say that that's the story we're telling everyone."
"Well. They've done a good job and it's the closet thing to..." She trails off.
I shuffle around a bit and wince. Although there is no pain I can feel how deep the wound is. And man it's deep.
"So how bad is it?" I ask nervously, glancing down at my chest.
Emily grimaces, "Pretty bad. Carlisle said that 'there will be permanent scarring but the wound should heal completely within a couple of months.' You just need to rest and try not to make any sudden movements."
My thoughts suddenly go to my kids; I want to see them, tell them that everything is ok. "The kids, where are they? What did you tell them?"
"Don't worry, they're with Paul and Rachel. They think it was a bear attack." She reassures me, placing her hand on my cheek.
I smile. As long as she's here I will be ok. Nothing else matters, just Emily and the kids.
The door creaks open and Jacob enters the room.
"Emily? Can I speak to Sam for a moment?"
She glanced from me to Jake, contemplating the idea for a brief second. "Sure. Can I get you and Embry something? I'm about to make some breakfast."
Jacob shakes his head, smiling. "Sounds good but we're fine thanks. You just get some rest."
"I think I'll go and clean the kitchen first." She thinks out loud, leaving the room briskly.
As soon as she is out of sight, Jacob begins to speak.
"Sam. I'm so sorry. I had no idea that she even came here. Trust me she won't get off lightly. It'll never happen again. I'll..."
"Jacob. Jake. Slow down." I interrupt him mid-sentence, "Look I'm at fault just as much as Leah."
He raises an eyebrow incredulously, "She opened your chest up man."
I shrug despite the protest my body makes. "It was an accident. She didn't mean to..."
"To give you permanent scarring?" He finishes.
"Just go easy on her Jake. You know as much as I do that she doesn't need any more hardships right now."
He bites his lip. "I dunno."
"Please. It's all I ask." I persist. After all Leah doesn't deserve a rough time after something that was only an accident. Heck, I couldn't criticise her; I'd be a hypocrite if I did.
There's a moment of awkward silence. It's been ages since I'd heard anything from the pack so it's a bit weird to have Jacob standing right in front of me now.
"How are they? The pack?" I ask conversationally.
Jacob shrugs, "Fine. Fine. A bit handicapped now there are only six of us. But we'll cope. I'm just not sure how to deal with any possible new arrivals." He frowns, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cut-off jeans.
"I can help. Give some advice, you know." I offer.
"Sure." He nods, "I'd really appreciate it."
"I'm just worried about Emily. I've no idea how much more she can take."
Jacob glances over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen, "Yeah. She only got a couple hours sleep. She refuses to rest she's that worried about you."
"I just wish everyone wouldn't fuss over me." I sigh, closing my eyes.
"Well we're worried about you man. It's not like you're young anymore." Jacob chuckles.
"At least I have wisdom behind my years." I retort, a smug smirk spreading across my face.
"Jake!" Embry shouts from downstairs, "Dude we gotta go! Seth's on patrol and he wants answers now."
Jacob groans, "Great. Well I guess I gotta go Sam. Get well soon man." He pats my shoulder and heads back out of the door.
I suddenly felt sorry for Leah. After all, I know exactly what she is going through.
A loud yawn escapes my mouth as tiredness overwhelms me and all of my thoughts vanish as I drift asleep.
So, what do think? I've made the decision not to continue but any thoughts or opinions will be greatly appreciated ;)
Also check out the sequel to W.O.A.W (Wishes of a Werewolf), it's called 'WOAW: Matters of the Mind & Heart'