Hours later, there was a scratching at the back door. Harry looked at Sue and smiled. "Got it," he said simply. He picked up some clothes that Sue had laid out for Seth and carefully closed the door behind him. The wolf that greeted him on the porch, tail wagging happily, had a suspicious-looking soft taupe fur mustache on his muzzle. He barked once, and Harry got the message.

"Just relax, son. It'll get easier eventually, but all you have to do is calm down. Here, lie down and close your eyes." He continued to speak calmly as Seth lay down at his feet, chin resting on his paws, and closed his eyes. His bushy tail, as if independent of his body, continued to thump rhythmically on the porch floor.

"You have to calm way down, Seth. I know you're excited about everything that's happened today, but try thinking of something else. Something soothing...relaxing, like lying on the beach, just listening to the waves." Harry made his voice a monotone, and soon Seth was surprised to find himself again a 15-year-old boy, lying naked on the porch. He scrambled up and quickly pulled on the clothes.

"Dad! It was so amazing! You wouldn't believe how fast I can run - I caught a rabbit!" He looked a little guilty and added, "I have to work on letting them go though. The wolf seems to have other ideas." His eyes sparkled. "Why didn't you tell me about this? It's AWESOME!"

Harry chuckled. "First of all, we're not allowed to tell anyone. No exceptions. It hasn't happened in many years, and Sam was the first in our lifetime. As far as I know, Leah's the first female - that took us by surprise, even though she had all the signs. And secondly, you're very young. If it happened at all, I figured it would still be a few years in the future. All the others are older."

"Others? Like who?" Seth's eyes were wide.

"Well, there's Jacob, Embry, Paul, and Quil. And of course Sam, the Alpha wolf. He's sort of the boss, for lack of a better word. We knew that was why he broke up with Leah. He imprinted on Emily, and there was nothing he could do about it." Harry shrugged, and then he explained the concept of imprinting to Seth as he had just finished explaining it to Leah.

Seth sobered. "I don't suppose that makes Leah feel any better," he observed.

"Probably not," agreed his father. "But at least she knows it was out of his control, for whatever that's worth."

"Dad, I have about a million questions, but right now I'm starving!"

Harry chuckled. "Get used to that. You and Leah will be burning up calories at an amazing rate, so your appetites will be huge. God help your mother! Come on - I think dinner's almost ready."

Leah was obviously not as thrilled as Seth was. She was quiet during dinner, though she managed to put away a hearty meal. Seth only stopped talking to shovel more food into his mouth. He left right after dinner to go and talk to Sam, while Leah helped Sue clean up the kitchen.

"You okay, Honey? I'm sorry I couldn't warn you, but the rules are very strict. And it surprised your father and me almost as much as it did you."

"It's not that, Mom. It's just - I feel like a freak. Why me? Why not the Black twins...or any other Quileute teenager?" She sighed. "And Sam's the Alpha wolf of the pack? What does that mean? I have to take orders from him? I'm just not sure I can handle that. Sometimes I just want to be five again - and go curl up on Daddy's lap so he can make all the bad stuff go away."

Sue kissed her daughter's forehead. "Being a grownup isn't always a bad thing," she said softly.

Leah would not be mollified. "So far it pretty much sucks," she replied with another sigh. "And why now? Dad says there haven't been any shape shifters for generations…"

"That one I can answer," Sue replied gently. "The Cullens are back in town."

Leah looked at her blankly.

"Vampires," Sue explained as she dried a huge platter and handed it to Leah, pointing to the top of the refrigerator. "They have a treaty with the pack, since they don't drink human blood, but they are vampires. And the wolves were created to protect the tribe from them. Sam said if any others show up he'll have to arrange a patrol schedule, but nobody thinks the Cullens pose any threat."

Leah made a T with her hands. "Wait - hold on a minute. Dr. Cullen? And his kids? They're all...oh, come on, Mom! You can't be serious!"

"Serious as a heart attack, baby. Which, by the way, can't happen to you. Legend says that shifters don't get sick, and if injured they heal very quickly." Leah remembered the puncture wound in her paw and examined her left hand carefully. There was a slight indentation just below the first knuckle, but the wound had completely healed over leaving only a tiny scar.

She spoke quietly. "Can we be killed?"

Sue nodded. "Vampire venom is deadly to a wolf. And yes, a really severe injury, like decapitation, can kill. But you'll be amazed at how strong you've become - even in your human form."

Leah just grunted in reply. She picked up a cast iron frying pan from the stove and Sue yelled, "Not my best frying pan, Leah!" She took it from Leah's hand and suggested, "Why don't you test it on this old hammer?" She opened the back door and reached out onto the porch, handing Leah a sturdy looking claw hammer. Leah snapped the handle in half as if it were a toothpick. She finally smiled.

"I guess that could come in handy someday," she agreed reluctantly.