Chapter One

It was late on a Sunday afternoon and the sun was making its slow decent below the horizon. I'd spent majority of my day lying around the house, only going out to have a massive feed at Emily's with the rest of the pack.

I was enjoying the feeling of not having to worry or do anything for once. No school, no patrols, no evil vampires and no Leah. She had gone off on her own after lunch, probably to go sulk at the cliffs about Sam, but I wasn't worried. I'd come to learn she'd come back when she was ready, so this left me with free range over all the appliances, mum the only other person home was in her room nose deep in a novel.

So I was sprawled out on the couch, flicking through channels on the TV, something I'd never get away with Leah around, when I heard the phone ring. I remained where I was not paying it any attention, my big feet hanging over one arm of the chair, my head lolled over the other, too lazy to move from my comfortable position. After about the fifth ring mum came bustling into the room with an annoyed glare, "Oh please don't get up or anything, I'll get it." She said sarcastically as she strode though the living room into the kitchen.

"Okay." I said in a monotone, my gaze unmoving from the TV.

"Hello?...Oh hi Billy," I heard mum say into the receiver. With the word 'Billy' I sat bolt upright suddenly interested, watching mum over the couch. Maybe Billy had news from Jacob or maybe he was home again. It hadn't been the same amongst the pack with Jacobs's disappearance always lingering in the back of our minds.

"No, everything's fine here, why?" I heard my mum say and I was at her side in seconds, trying to hear what Billy was saying, and when I couldn't I stared at my mum, anxiously trying to read her face. Something was wrong. Her brow was narrowed in worry, her brown eyes moving anxiously as she listened, her mouth a tight line. I almost whined, but was silenced before I got the chance when she began to speak again, "Oh no." She said placing her hand over her mouth. My hands began to tremble as I clenched them into fists, my insides twisting with unease.

"No, I-I don't know where Leah is, oh lord. ...Seth? no, he's right here with me" she said reaching a hand out to my arm to somehow make sure I was there. My face turned blank. Something had happened to the pack, someone was hurt I knew it. My insides tightened.

"Yep... okay... yes please do, bye" and with that she hung up the phone, her gaze finally resting on my face. I stared at her in shock and worry, my whole body starting to tremble.

"Apparently a bunch of hunters wandered their way onto Quilete land." She stated. "They spotted a 'monstrous creature' they've never seen before snooping around their camp site." She said as she placed the phone back on the hook.

Who would be so careless to be seen like that? I thought as she continued, she was looking at me intently.

", they shot at them. And it seems they got them pretty bad." She took a deep breath as the blood drained from my face.

"But whoever it was they got away, but their leaving a... trail, so now these, hunters," she said the word with disgust as my trembles worsened with my ignited fury. ", have called on every other hunter in the area, for some expedition to find this 'new creature', with a reward and everything... dead or alive." She almost whispered the last three words.

I stood there frozen in place, my gaze looking way past my mother. Inside my body was raging, anger was screaming at me and pulling at my limbs to go out and find those hunters and tear them apart, make them feel pain, the same pain they inflicted on one of my family members, but on the other hand my insides were like lead, keeping me stationery and knotting painfully with worry at which one of us had been injured. An image of Leah flickered across my mind. It took all my concentration not to phase right then and there and take off.

"Seth, Seth?" my mum bought me out of my thoughts, so I focused my gaze back onto her worried face, trying to control my shaking for just a bit longer.

"Billy said he's not sure if Sam knows yet because he's out on patrol with Quil and Embry, so you must go and tell him," she said in a stronger tone.

I had begun tearing my shirt off before she had even finished the sentence, and started towards the back door, she followed close behind. "Make sure Sam updates Billy when he can... and, find your sister, let me know your both alright okay?" she said, her tone completely changing. As I Slide the back door open I paused to look at her.

"Please, please be careful. Don't go anywhere near those hunters you hear me, we don't need two of you hurt." She said, clearly worried as she placed a hand on my warm arm again. I looked down at her as I was at least a good foot taller than her nowadays, and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Mum, it'll be okay" I said in a calm tone, even though I knew it was far from being fine and she was going to worry like crazy.

I gave her another small smile before I took off at full speed towards the thick brush of the forest, adrenaline pumping in my veins. I stumbled out of my shorts just as I hit the tree line, and slowed briefly to attach them to my ankle. I took off again and in three strides felt the familiar explosion as my body transformed from one of boy, to wolf, as I let my raging emotions take me over.