Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to Stephanie Meyer and I have just borrowed all recognizable characters and content.

Prologue

Sam

Blake and Chad were laughing their asses off at something stupid on Blake's phone as I came out of the shower, towel wrapped around my waist while I ran another through my wet hair. "Fuck man, you been shooting up the 'roids without us I see!" Chad mumbled, poking my bicep. Blake snorted and made to say something when I flung the now-wet towel at his head.

I knew that I'd grown in the last couple of months. I'd always been tall but now I stood at 6'5" and was completely muscle. Playing football in school meant that I was always training but I could only attribute my recent muscle and height gain to a late growth spurt.

"Shut up, idiot. I'm just filling out not taking drugs!" I groaned, walking to my wardrobe in search of something to wear. Chad and Blake had been my best friends since primary school and I'd always been able to laugh off their stupidity but lately I'd been getting a little more than irritated by their antics.

Shrugging into a black t-shirt, I decided against boxers and pulled my jeans straight on instead. We were going to a party at Leah Clearwater's house and I was only half excited about it. Blake had a crush on Leah from the moment that she'd thrown a mud pie at him in grade three and he'd been pining after her ever since. I had to admit, she'd grown up quite a lot in the last year and she was pretty but not someone I'd be interested in.

"I wonder what Leah will be wearing tonight. I hope it's that little red dress she wore to Chris' party last month. Her legs looked amazing!" Blake fantasized, sounding every bit like a lovesick idiot.
"Seriously dude, you need to relax. She can practically smell your desperation; you reek of it!" Chad looked bored, laying back on my bed and crossing his arms behind his head. "Fuck you man, I do not. Leah's into me, I know it. I'm just biding my time before I make a move." Yeah, Blake was desperate. Chad laughed, "Seriously, I heard about it on this docu-series last week. When a man is desperate for attention, he gives of this scent that repels females. Give it a rest!"

I let them continue their back and forth as I hunted through my closet for some shoes and pulled them on, shoving Brad's leg out of my way so that I could sit at the foot of my bed. My room in my mother's house seemed to be getting smaller and smaller each day and I was really looking forward to going off to college in three months' time.

I'd been accepted into UCLA on a football scholarship and was going to study engineering. I was moving in two months into my apartment near campus and was using the last two months in La Push to spend time with my mother. As I thought about my mother I cringed; she'd been with my father for 10 years when I was a kid before he left, and was still seeing him on and off when he came into town until six months ago. The bastard was a drunk and an abuser and I hadn't seen him since I was 14 and we had come to blows when I found him sneaking out of the house.

Mum had been deaf since birth and my father had used that against her, always calling her stupid and making her feel useless. He would refuse to sign to her and make her read his lips so that she would have to look at him as he insulted her. If I ever saw that bastard again, I swore that I would break his legs before he got a chance to come near my mother again.

I was pulled from my reverie by Blake and Chad shoving each other and shouting about something stupid. "Will you two just shut up already? Blake, stop pining after her and do something about it. I'm seriously so sick of hearing you talk about her but never making a move. Come on, dude." I turned to him and glared only half-seriously, shocked at how deep and strong my voice had been. Brad looked shocked but nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, I will. Tonight, I'm going just to ask her out. It'll be fine." I clapped my hand onto his shoulder and stood up. "Good. Now let's go – party started two hours ago."

We'd walked to the Clearwater's house, which was five minutes from my own and made our way out the back, arms laden with beer and spirits. School friends and people from previously graduating years greeted me as I dumped my alcohol contribution into the coolers.
"Sam, what's up? How's things been since graduation?" Leah's friend Mary came out of nowhere and wrapped a hand around my bicep.
"Hi Mary," I said in a bored voice as I grabbed a couple of beers for myself, Blake and Chad, "Seeing as we only graduated two weeks ago, there hasn't been a lot of opportunity for major change." Chad chuckled and chimed in, "We live in La Push; nothing life-changing happens overnight!"

Mary looked at me expectantly, like she wanted me to continue the conversation so I smiled and gestured to some seats off to the side. Chad and Blake dispersed between the other guests, leaving me stranded and too nice to think of an excuse to leave.

The party was in full swing; people were drinking and laughing and dancing to the music that was so loud it caused a slight pain in my ears. People I'd graduated from High School with lined the yard sitting in seats and beanbags or laid out on blankets that had been strategically splayed all around. People I'd probably never see again once I left because I didn't have any plans to come back. I was going to establish myself and then bring my mother to join me.

Mary was a pretty girl – long, bottle blonde hair and big brown eyes, a little plump in the middle but had a great rack – and she was smiling with such enthusiasm that I decided to keep her company for a while before I moved along to catch up with some other friends. "So what are your plans for college?" I probed, appreciating the way she was giving me her full attention. "I haven't decided a lot yet, I barely graduated so there's not a lot of options. Maybe I'll do something at community college and stay close to home. Maybe I'll travel – who really knows what they want to do right now?"

She was twirling her hair in one of her fingers as she babbled, making it blissfully aware to me how little she had been planning for the future. "I know what I want to do. I've known since I was a Junior, actually. And it's certainly not sticking around on this reservation for much longer than I have to." If she was flustered by my bluntness she didn't show it, instead leaning in closer and batting her eyelashes. "I'm much more of a live in the moment kind of chick. If I see something I like, I'll do them. Or it." Her innuendo was clear as she put her hand on my arm again, running her fingers along my skin.

I stood quickly, "I need to find Blake, nice talking to you Mary." Walking away without giving her a chance to respond, I made a beeline to where Blake was sitting with Leah, Michelle and Taryn all with beers in their hands. I snagged another on my way and plonked down next to Blake with a grunt.
"What's up, man?" Blake smiled, looking away from Leah for a few seconds to acknowledge that I was there. "Hussies," was all I offered, taking a big gulp of my drink. Blake only nodded and then turned back to Leah, who was looking at Blake with dreamy eyes that made me want to tell them both they were idiots.

The rest of the party went on in the same way most High School parties normally did; girls were or were pretending to be a little too drunk, swinging hips a little too much as they danced around in front of the men they were eyeing off. Blake and Leah were dancing a little too close to each other to be just 'friends' and when I saw him whisper something in her ear and Leah's responding giggle, I knew Blake had finally grown a set and made a move. I was happy for the guy; Leah had big, dark eyes and black hair that came down to her shoulders and hung straight. She was tall and lean and looked good on Blake's arm, who stood a few inches taller than her while she was in heels.

I moved from group to group, chatting with people I hadn't spent too much time around but who knew me as the star quarterback who'd scored a scholarship and was leaving the Res. Football was like second nature to me; I could read a play in seconds, adjust my own accordingly and pop one out to a running back to score the winning touchdown in just as many breaths. I wasn't overly proud but I knew I played well. If nothing else, I'd been given at least one good trait from my father and that was his athletic ability. Only I didn't plan to waste mine by turning to the drink and never making anything of myself like Joshua Uley had done.

As I grabbed another beer, I felt someone rub up against my thigh and turned to find Mary standing there again. She was wearing a tight pink dress and her cleavage seemed to have lowered considerably since we'd spoken at the top of the evening. "Hey Mary, what's up?" I grunted, popping the top off my bottle.
"SAM!" She giggled and somehow I could just sense that the tipsiness she was exhibiting was exaggerated. "Let's dance!" Her voice got louder, more high pitched as she slipped her hand into mine and proceeded to try and tug me out onto the dance floor. I stayed rooted to my spot and took a swig of beer. "No, thanks." I responded, pulling my hand from hers. "Pleaseeeeeeeeeee. Just one dance? You know you want to…" She left the sentence dangling before me as she ran her now-free hand along her chest. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath to keep myself from laughing.

"No, I know I most certainly don't want to. Thanks for the offer but it looks like Jared over there might be free." I pointed to Jared Cameron, who was standing talking to a couple of younger guys who had made their way into the gathering. Mary's eyes lit up with fire and she stomped off in his direction. I felt my temper spike – why was I getting so annoyed at her persistence? It wasn't unusual for girls on the Res to throw themselves at the football team and it certainly wasn't the first time that Mary had tried to take a ride on my bike but it had never bothered me so much before.

I took another gulp of beer and shrugged, trying to alleviate some of the tension in my shoulders as Chad made his way over to me. "Dude! Did you see Leah and Blake? They snuck off into her room just before – Blakey is going to get some ACTION!" I laughed with him as we shared a high five. About friggen time. "I'm so over this shindig, man. It's only just gone one and I'm ready to leave." Chad looked at me with understanding. "I know; it's seriously so boring. I don't know how we managed to grow up with these people and do this all the time! Now that I know I'm getting out, I can't imagine anything I wouldn't rather do than come to a piss up like this."

Chad was heading inter-state as well; he was going to Harvard to study Law and was leaving in the next month. Of all of my friends, he was one of the only guys who truly understood how stifling La Push could be and was almost as excited to get out as I was. We both finished out beers before making the decision to head out; Blake would find his way home if he left Leah's room any time tonight.

Chad and I both said a quick goodbye to everyone, leaving me with a tearful Mary to ward off. With a hushed "Get the fuck off my leg," and her sulky wine, Chad jogged off in the direction of his place as I made my way back to my own. I'd had a good night – as good as nights can really get in La Push – but was looking forward to a lie in and some College prep tomorrow by way of shopping in Port Angeles. I closed my eyes as I walked down the road towards the turn off to my mum's driveway, feeling that agitation that had lingered with me all evening start to dissipate.

My mum lived in the house that we used to share with my father before he left. It's driveway ran off one of the main residential lanes but was a spanned a good mile before reaching the house, which was in an open field. My mother – Anna – had taken to gardening after my father left. She'd planted all kinds of flowers that seemed to blossom constantly, despite the near-constant rainfall on the Res. It was a way for her to find beauty in an otherwise dreary and sad place.

I made my way down the drive, my pace leisurely, as I listened to the sounds of the night. An owl hooted in the distance as the wind rustled the trees, a pleasant and peaceful sound. I'd always liked that peaceful quiet that enveloped our small little part of the world once the lights went out. And then, as I took a deep breath in appreciate of the night, a piercing scream shattered the calmness around me.

My eyes flew open as I searched around me for the source of the sound but saw nothing but darkness. When I heard the noise again, I registered what was the unmistakable sound of my mother and took off at a dead sprint for the house. All of the lights were out except for the kitchen and I heard the sound of things flying around as I pushed myself faster and faster. What would cause my mother to scream that way? Who was it?

My heart was racing in my chest as I picked up speed, running faster than I'd ever run before. My senses suddenly became hyper-aware, my eyes seeing with more detail and clarity than I had ever thought possible. Mom. That was all I could think, the word repeating in my head like a chant as I burst through the front door and into the kitchen. I heard a new sound, the sound of a strangled cry as I took in the scene before me. My mother lay on the tiles, a kitchen knife piercing her chest and blood pooled all around her torso.

Her long, black hair was splayed about her head and chunks were laying in bloodied clumps on the floor bedside her. Her face was darkened with bruises, one eye swollen shut and her lips split many times and leaking crimson. As I registered the blank look in her only open eye, I realised that the strangled sound was coming from me as my mind registered that my mother was lying dead before me.

I sank to my knees, the full weight of what I was seeing crashing down on me in huge waves of shock, disbelief and unbearable pain. I started to reach out to her hand, laying unnaturally beside her, when I heard a grunt. My eyes snapped up, registering the form of Joshua Uley, slumped over the doorframe with a bottle of rum in his left hand. My mind suddenly cleared completely, red colouring my vision. Him. Murderer. Drunk. Revenge.

"The bitch had it com-" he slurred, before my hand around his throat cut him off mid-sentence. I'd moved so quickly, reaching the other side of the kitchen in less than a second. Coherent thought was lost; I was acting on pure instinct. I felt my eyes burn with a new clarity as I registered the look of panic, of fear, as it grew in the man's eyes. He was familiar to me in a way that I did not care to try and understand. He had killed the woman lying on the floor, he was the cause of this pain in my heart. I revelled in the feeling of power, of strength as I lifted him by his throat, a growl erupting from my throat and felt my body start to vibrate with pure energy.

Fury so deeply buried rose in from the pit of my stomach and my growl turned to a snarl as I threw the man through the doorway and out into the openness of the backyard. Before he hit the ground, I leapt from a standstill and was on top of him, my fist connecting with his jaw and relishing the crunch as his jaw broke, crushed under the strength of my blow. I landed another to the other side of his face, the feel of his blood coating my hands and the copper scent spurring me further into my frenzy.

He was frozen in shock and soon his wordless grunts died down until the only sound was that of my exertion as I landed fist after fist into his broken face. Revenge. Kill. Monster. Destroy. The mantra repeated in my mind as the snarls continued. My frame shook with fury and devastation and my newly attuned ears registered his heartbeat slow until it's final beat echoed with a whoosh. The animal within couldn't stop; the fury was too great. My bones began to ache with tremors in my body until I suddenly felt a searing pain down my spine and I exploded.

I stood above the bloodied and tattered form of the man who had killed the woman who meant so much to my human. His human mind had receded, unable to process the pain and trauma of what he had seen and I – his spirit wolf – had emerged to strengthen and protect him. I looked down at the man once more, my claws having cut through his torso and mutilated his corpse, before pushing off my hind legs and disappearing into the depths of the woods.