Present time

"Good morning Miss Young, how are you feeling today?" The doctor seemed perky compared to all my other visitors. Sam was sitting in the chair by my bed again, despite my protests, and his expression was down right depressed.

"I'm alright." I answered the doctor's question with no more feeling than I answered anyone elses. He seemed worried for a moment, but seemed to sense that there was some under lying tension between myself and Sam. Thankfully, he didn't comment on it and proceeded to examine my wounds. He lightly brushed my face a few times, which made the wounds flare uncomfortably. I gasped when he poked at one of the long lines. Sam responded by jumping out of his seat. The doctor and I stared at him, not sure what to expect. He seemed to tremble for a moment before he took a seat. His unnatural shaking made me remember particularly painful memories, so I forced myself to think of other things.

"Well, everything seems to be healing nicely. Just try not to put any pressure on the right side of your face." He looked prepared to put fresh bandages on, so I stopped him.

"Can I see them?" He seemed taken aback by my request, but I was persistant. Sam looked like he might protest, but I glared at him. He had no space to tell me what to do, not when this entire situation was his fault.

"Are you sure you want to see this, Miss Young? The wounds are quite fresh and I don't want you to be frightened." I shook my head almost violently.

"Give me a mirror." The doctor retrieved a hand held mirror for me and handed it to me carefully. As I lifted the mirror to see my face, Sam spoke.

"Emily." It was not denial of a request, it was a warning. That Sam was warning me that the wounds were a horror to see did not deter me in the slightest, but that traitorous part of me that ached to love Sam delighted in his devotion. I glared at him quickly before looking in the mirror.

What I saw scared me.

Three livid scars ran down the right side of my face from hair line to chin. One of those lines curved the tip of my almond shaped right eye down while another curled my mouth into a permanent grimace. The scars stood out so vividly against my copper skin. I blinked at the sight and could hardly believe that the creature in the mirror was me. I slowly set the mirror down before I dropped it. The doctor was talking to me, but I couldn't hear him. I was in a state of shock and I didn't want to hear anyone tell me that everything would be okay, that the wounds would heal and everything would be just dandy. I knew the lines would scar. I knew that I would be permanently marred by these living reminders that my world was forever changed, that Leah would never forgive me, that there were monsters that went bump in the night, and that I could never turn a blind eye to Sam again.

Someone took my hand and I pulled away. I grabbed the mirror from my lap and threw it at the wall, where it shattered in many pieces. I grabbed anything and everything I could before someone grabbed my arms and pinned me down. In my fury, I hit and scratched this person. It was only when I tried to bite them that I reeled back. I had bumped one of those wounds and the pain brought about clarity.

"Please Emily, please stop. I don't want to hurt you. I can't hurt you. Please stop. Please please, please love." Sam was whispering these words against my neck as he held me against the bed. I cried; great heaving sobs made me want to curl up into a ball. Sam held me though, at first to stop me from hurting myself, but now to comfort me.

That traitorous part of me that craved him, craved his love, craved his comfort, craved his very presence, thrived in his grasp. It was with little shock that I realized that the traitorous part of me that started this whole mess, was no longer a tiny flame, but now a roaring bonfire that scorched my heart and called to the man on top of me. It was the final betrayal to my cousin.

I was in love with Sam.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

One month ago

The front door slammed as Leah entered the house. I stared at her in silence, my eyes wide and my expression unsure. Her black hair swung behind her as she turned to look at me. The pain in her eyes made me hurt too. I couldn't help but wonder what Sam had done now. She stood stoically in front of the door and watched me for a change in expression. Her blunt side prevailed however, and her next sentence made me gasp.

"Sam and I are no longer getting married." The words were detached and her tone was blank, but her hurt was very real.

Her strength seemed to give out as she crumbled to the floor. I immediately raced to her side and pulled her into my arms. She put up little protest to my comfort, just accepted it as blandly as I knew she had taken Sam's refusal of marriage. I began to cry for her. My tears welled up in my eyes and raced down my smooth skin to drip into Leah's black hair. She tossed me off of her then, a refusal of pity. I landed on my rear end in a disgusting mimickry of the first time I met Sam.

"This is all your fault." Her tone was caustic and burned away at my heart. I denied the accusation by shaking my head, but neither of us were convinced. Somehow, my presence had dissuaded Sam from his original intentions of matrimony with Leah.

"I didn't mean to, I never ever would want this!" I responded to her as I stood up. She rose as well and glared at me.

"You liar! You just want him for yourself! How could you do this to me? How could you steal Sam from me?!" I sobbed harder and shook my head. Words were beyond me at this point. She reached behind her and pulled the door open.

"Just go! Get out of here!" She grabbed my arm and nearly threw me out of the house. I put up no defense; I just ran.

Nature's features blurred as my tears flowed from eyes and down my face. I ran through the thick woods by the Clearwater's home. Branches slapped at my body and bushes made me trip. I fell many times, but I continued to push myself foward. I deserved this pain, I deserved to hurt for making Sam betray Leah. It was my fault, whether I wanted it or not.

I collapsed at last, no more energy to run. I crawled for a few moments before curling up under a tree. The trees were so thick that no sun could reach me in this dark place. The soil was damp from recent rain and the mud soaked into my jeans and t-shirt.

"Emily?" It was Sam. Leah's Sam.

"My Sam." A very traitorous part of me whispered. I curled up into a ball and tried to pretend that he wasn't here. It was pointless however, because he scooped me up into his arms and cradled me against his chest.

"Emily, sweet Emily, what's wrong?" I ignored his questions and tried to pull away. I had no strength left to truly fight him, but I did slap at his chest a few times. He took my fight in stride and lightly kissed my forehead.

"Stop crying love, please stop." He whispered the words against my ear and this time I didn't shiver from the cold. He seemed to realize the difference and let his lips trail from my ear, across my jaw, to my lips. He placed a delicate kiss on my lips that made me gasp. He deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue into my mouth. We clung to eachother and kissed ardently. We were absorbed in eachother until he moaned into my mouth.

"Traitor." My mind whispered in defiance to my heart. I pulled away from Sam and his lips descended to my neck. The new contact made me cry out in pleasure. I was betraying Leah, I shouldn't let him kiss me. But his touch made me feel alive and his kisses were so perfect.

"I love you Emily." He said against my neck. I froze.

"What?" I asked, completely floored by his words. I wondered if I misheard him. He lifted his heads and kissed me lightly on the lips again. I was almost lost in his warmth, but I pulled away and questioned him with my eyes.

"I love you." He said it as though it was as natural as saying the sky is blue or something. I crawled out of his grasp and began to shake my head.

"No, no, no!" He tried to pull me back into his arms, but I resisted, so he came to me. I collapsed on my side and he curled against my back. "You can't love me, you're supposed to love Leah. Don't do this, don't do this Sam, please."

"Don't love Leah, not anymore. All I want is you." I sobbed and he kissed me. He kissed away my tears and stroked my lips softly with his thumbs like it was the most natural thing in the world. I was a traitor to my cousin. If anyone deserved to suffer for this situation, it was me. I should fight harder, should make him stop, should do anything but kiss him back and pull him into my arms and silently ask him to kiss me again and again and again...

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Present time

I was sitting up in bed talking to Seth when Leah entered the room. She gave her brother a pointed stare and he left so she could take his seat. I watched her and once again admired her. She was the one who was betrayed by both cousin and fiancee, yet her face was streak free whereas mine looked red and splotchy from the tears I cried almost every night. We sat in silence, myself gazing at her smooth, blemishless face and her watching my bandages as though they might peel up and reveal the three livid wounds.

"Do they still hurt?" She asked, obviously referring to my face. I frowned and felt the pull of one of the cuts.

"Do you still hurt?" I responded in turn, referring to our betrayal.

"Of course." Her answer was enough for both of us. It was awkward to be sitting there with her and not being able to talk with her as we always used to. It was hard enough for me to come to terms with the knowledge that Sam loved me and sometimes transformed into a wolf, but dealing with Leah's unspoken pain was almost worse.

"Where's your watch dog?" She questioned. She watched for a change in my expression, but I was used to Leah's games by now. She had turned from a sweet, fun loving girl to a cold, cut off woman over night. I knew heart ache could transform a person, but I never thought it would make Leah hate me.

"He's getting something to eat," I didn't mention that I had had to force him to leave the room because he didn't want to abandon my side even for a few moments. Leah nodded and turned to look out the window. I followed her gaze and admired the emerald shrubbery that characterized La Push.

"I'm sorry." I turned to face Leah, surprised to hear those words coming from her mouth.

"Why?" I questioned, feeling as though it was me who should be apologizing. But then again, I had already done enough of that.

"For blaming you." She lowered her dark gaze to meet mine and I valued the moment. "It was not your fault that Sam decided to cancel the wedding, that he decided that he no longer loved me," She choked up and seemed unable to continue speaking.

"I forgive you," I told her, taking her dark hand in my own. "I never blamed you either."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

One month ago

Sam took every opportunity after the night he saved me from myself to meet me. The places and times varied, but his attentions were consistant. Leah refused to share her room with me, so I ended up sleeping on the couch. I was thankful for the couch though, it would have been much worse to not be accepted in the house at all. Leah's behavior was getting more vicious and less cautious; she took every opportunity to tell me that everything was my fault and that she hated me for what I had done. It seemed unfair to me that I should suffer for Sam's unusual change of heart, but when my heart began to call for his attention to escape Leah, I knew that I deserved every word.

I was sitting on the porch, staring into the woods when Sam showed up. He stepped out of the woods in a pair of jeans and nothing else. Even from the distance I could easily admire his broad, russet colored chest and crave him. His smoldering brown eyes met mine and I longed to be in his arms. I rose to meet him as he approached when the front door opened behind me.

"Well aren't you two the perfect picture of illicit lovers." Leah's furious words cut my heart deep. I turned to meet her gaze with sad black eyes, but she was glaring at Sam as though her life depended on it.

"Lee Lee." He whispered her name and his voice carried on the wind. She reeled backwards and snarled inhumanly.

"Don't call me that!" She stormed down the porch, passing by me without a glance. She slapped him hard across the face and whispered her next words, "You lost all rights to call me that long ago."

Nobody did or said anything for a very long moment. I was too stunned by their interaction to really know what to do and Sam seemed to be waiting for something. It became apparent when Leah cried out and grasped her hand. It was swollen and red. She looked at him as though she couldn't believe that she had really just broken her hand against his face. Sam tried to take her back into the house, but she refused his help and walked back to the house herself. He followed behind her, but stopped at the bottom of the porch. Leah turned back to us and saw us standing next to eachother, waiting for her next move.

"Go away Sam, and take your little slut with you."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Present time

Sam stayed with me for the remainder of my stay in the hospital. When I signed my release forms to get out of the place, he drove me back to his house, because neither of us was sure if back to the Clearwater's was a good decision. Though Leah and I had finally apologized for everything, things were still tense between her and Sam. I suspected that things would remain tense for quite some time. I just hoped that time could heal their wounds as well.

As much as I hated that Sam had turned away from Leah and broken her heart, I was undeniably thankful that he was with me now. His warm embrace was the most comfort I was allowing myself nowadays. When we reached his house, he helped me out of his truck and pulled me into his arms. I lingered in his embrace, breathing deeply of his familiar scent and treasuring every moment with him. I knew that we needed to have a talk. A person doesn't just get attacked by a giant wolf that used to be your boyfriend and not require an explaination. He led me into the house and sat me down on his couch. I sat beside him and waited; I knew without words that he was searching for the right thing to say.

"You know the stories of the Quileute." It was a statement, not a question, but I nodded anyways. "The stories of the spirit warriors," Again, I nodded, "They're true."

"What?" It was a stupid question, but I seemed baffled nonetheless. Sam smiled at my expression and gently kissed the space between my eyebrows.

"The spirit warriors live today. The ability has been passed down through the generations and now I'm living proof." I stared at him; he was speaking, but I wasn't sure his words were really making sense.

"I don't understand." He frowned; his frustration evident.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I can prove it." He took my hand and led me into the woods behind his house. When we were sufficiently far enough away from the house, he began to strip down.

"Sam! What are you doing!" He offered no explaination, but continued to remove his clothes. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the side before kicking his shoes off with ease and then shrugging out of his jeans. I blushed when I realized he wasn't wearing any underwear. I turned away to avoid looking at his nude figure.

"Emily, you need to watch." I blushed further and refused to look at him. "Emily." The way he said my name commanded my attention, so I turned back to him. I had admired his body before, but now I found acute appreciation for it.

"My God, you're beautiful." I didn't realize I said the words out loud until he laughed lightly and took me into his arms. He caressed my lips with his own and held me close.

"Thank you love." He kissed me again before pulling back. He breathed in deeply before relaxing. His body shook briefly before his body seemed to explode. There was no blood, guts or anything frightening, but one moment my Sam was standing there, then the next a horse sized wolf was in his spot.

I backed away slowly, not sure what was going on. Stories and legends flew across my mind as the big wolf approached me slowly. He lowered himself to the crowd and crawled to my feet. I collapsed to my knees and found myself eye to eye with the great beast. I was surprised to find Sam's brown eyes staring at me from the creature. One word came to mind: werewolf.

"Sam." I said his name before running my hands through his beautiful black fur. The fur was soft and warm; I hugged him close to my body.

I didn't care then that he had betrayed Leah by falling in love with me, because if the stories of the spirit warriors were true, then the stories of Taha Aki and the Third Wife must be true as well. Somehow I knew that just as Taha Aki fell in love with his Third Wife and wished to spend the remainder of his days with her, Sam had done so for me. I was his Third Wife and he was my Taha Aki. If eternity came and went in that moment, I wouldn't care, because all I cared about now was Sam.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Three weeks ago

"Backstabbing bitch." Leah muttered as she passed me by. My shoulders slumped and I fought the urge to cry. It seemed as time passed, Leah grew more bold and more vicious with her insults. All of our former comraderie was abandoned and discarded now, all she wished to do was cause me pain. Unfortunately, she was doing a really great job. Bitterness grew in my heart until I felt overwhelmed.

"He doesn't love you, he just knows you're easy." I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that she wasn't talking to me. When we were alone, she took the opportunity to speak straight to my face instead of whispering secrets when she passed by.

"You're just a whore Emily, go find your errant lover and get out of my sight." I couldn't take the verbal abuse anymore. I opened my black eyes and stared at her with the rage of an insulted Makah Indian woman.

"Blame him and blame yourself Leah Clearwater, but stopping blaming me for your denied love." My words cut her quick and I took the chance to escape the house.

I didn't bother with a car, I knew where Sam would be right now. I knew where to find him. Lately, we had developed a pattern to our meetings. I would be early, but that was okay, I could use the time to find the right words to make him stop meeting me, to make him stop loving me. I was deep within the woods within moments. I arrived in our meeting area even quicker. He was not there yet, so I took a seat on a fallen tree and made myself comfortable. When he finally arrived, he seemed even more gorgeous in my eyes than the last time I saw him. Perhaps it was because this would be our last illicit meeting.

"You're so stupid." I told him, rising from the tree. He seemed surprised at my words but I didn't care. He tried to take me into his arms but I pulled away and continued speaking. "I was just here to visit Leah and help her finish planning your freaking wedding, but oh no! You just had to go and do something stupid like fall in love with me!" I pushed him away when he tried to take my hands. "No, don't you even dare try and disuade me now Sam Ulley! I am very angry with you."

"Emily..."

"No! I want you to leave Sam, I want you to leave me and never come back. I don't want to see your face every again!" I began to sob as I ranted at him. My heart ached at the thought of him truly leaving and never coming back to me. I loved him, I couldn't live without him, but I needed him to leave so Leah wouldn't hate me anymore.

"Emily, what has Leah been telling you? What has she said to you?" I continued to crying and let him pull me into his arms. I couldn't do it, I couldn't make him go away.

"She hates me, says I'm a traitor, a backstabbing bitch." He started to shake and I didn't know why, but I continued to speak. "She says I'm a whore and the only reason you want me is because you think I'm easy." He threw himself away from me and gave a frightening roar.

"How dare she!" He screamed. His body shook violently as he took a step closer to me. Something flashed behind his eyes in a brief second, then he exploded as his hand came down to rest at his side. His broad hand transformed into a frighteningly large paw and then his claws ripped across my face and tore me open.

I stumbled backwards; blood dripped into my right eye, blurring my vision. I was confused, where had Sam gone? A large wolf was now standing in front of me. It was impossibly huge and looked, if possible, afraid. I stumbled again before collapsing backwards. I could taste blood in my mouth and I was dizzy. Colors were running together and my thoughts were jumbled.

"Sam?" I asked for him, but he wasn't there. All I could think as darkness crept into my vision, was that I wanted Sam and he wasn't there.