Something wolfy this way comes!

Chapter Six

When Leah woke up the next morning it was really hot.

She remembered what had happened last night and couldn't help but smiling.

God, it really was hot in here, Leah couldn't help but thinking.

But no, she realized, it wasn't the room that was hot, it was Sam. And he was burning. His arm was slung over her, and he was snoring lightly.

"Hey." She whispered. "Sam, hey Sam, wake up." She nudged him awake.

He jumped. "Hi." He sounded groggy and his voice was really hoarse. He looked confused.

"Are you feeling alright?" Leah asked, he noticed the worry in her tone. "You're really warm."

And no, he didn't feel alright. His muscles were aching, he guessed it could have been from last night, but they really hurt. And his throat hurt, and his head. And he felt like he had a high fever.

"I don't know. I feel…strange. I think I should go." He stood up and began putting his clothes on, but then looked at Leah on the bed, with the cover pulled up to her chin. She looked…so young.

"Hey." He said, touching her chin. "I'm sorry, but I don't want you to get sick, okay? Lee-lee, I will call you tomorrow I promise. Okay?"

She smiled at him. "Alright. Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Nah, I can manage, I'll call you though. Because you're not…you feel okay about last night still?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "I would feel better if it was happening tonight." She smiled.

"Call me when you get home, okay? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine. Love you Lee-lee."

"Love you, Sam."

Sam never called Leah that night, or the next one, or the next one.

Leah finally gave up and called him.

The phone rang twice before Sam's mother answered it. "Hello?" She sounded a little anxious.

"Hey, Mrs. Uley." Leah said, twining the necklace around her fingers. "Is um, is Sam feeling better? He never called and I was worried…"

"You mean he isn't there?" Mrs. Uley said, sounding even more worried. "I thought he was with you."

"No." Leah grabbed on to the table next to her. Seth looked up at her funny from where he was watching television. She felt the blood draining from her face. "He left my house two days ago, he said he was feeling sick and was going home…I thought…I thought he was too sick to call…"

It took twenty minutes before Leah and Sam's mother were at the Rez's police department.

Leah was talking to one of the officers about when she had last seen him, what was he wearing, what was he driving and so on. His mother had brought along a photo and copies of it were already being ran.

"Morris here," One of the officers radio in. "Yes sir, yes Chief Swan, it looks like there's a missing person, twenty year old male, maybe the people on your end…"

Search groups were being assembled, and told to look for a dark green ford truck. Leah's head was spinning and she thought she was going to be sick.

Little did anyone know that Sam Uley was about twenty miles away in the woods, his whole body was shuddering, and he felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out, his muscles were being pulled apart he couldn't control his body.

Some howl noise escaped through his mouth and he exploded, he thought he was dying.

Then he was up, standing taller then he normally did. Sam looked around, seeing fur, and a tail and paws. He howled a cry and began to run.

He didn't stop running until he heard voices. His head snapped around, he didn't see anybody, but he did hear someone. Leah?

"He was wearing jeans, yeah kind of faded I guess, and a gray sweatshirt. Yeah he has long hair, pulled back at his neck. I don't know, a little over 5'10" I think…"

He could hear her through the building. Sam cried again and turned around to run.

He was a monster. He couldn't, no shouldn't, be around people, especially Leah. He would hurt someone, he was sure. Sam ran until his muscles gave out.

He collapsed on the ground, and his body began to shudder again.

This time was to opposite of last, it was like his…his fur…was trying to turn in, all of his muscle, bone, tendon, was contracting, his wolf form was howling, until the howl turned into a scream, and he was man again. Sam stood up, touching his own chest.

What's happening to me? He thought desperately.

Sam spent the next twelve days, turning from one form to another, alone in to woods, sure, that this time, was it, this time he wasn't going to turn, this time he was going to die.

Leah spent the next twelve days, with Mrs. Uley and the rest of the police force looking for Sam. Only after about a week the police stopped looking, they found his truck, they said it looked like a runaway. But Leah knew better, he wouldn't leave her, not if he had a choice. She kept putting up posters. Every time the phone rang Leah was sure, that this was it, this was the time, it was someone calling to say they found him, and he was…dead.

But by the end of the two weeks Sam could control his transformations, for the most part. He ran closer to his house on the thirteenth day, and then turned back to man. He waited it out, and was able to stay in that form for a whole day, and he made a plan.

He didn't know exactly what to do, but he was going to break into his house for some clothes, then go from there. His mother shouldn't be home, she should be working.

Sam found the spare key under the mat, and opened the door, he had put on some clothes and almost made it out his room door, which adjoined off the front room, before someone went "Sam?" He turned to the left and saw his mother looking shocked.

"Where have you been, we have been so worried, me and Leah…" Sam winced when he heard her name. He had left after they had…for the first time…then disappeared for the next two weeks. He felt like shit.

"I'm sorry." He said lamely. But he had to get out of there before he changed.

"Sorry? Where have you been?" Her voice was getting higher and louder.

"Mom, I can't…"

"Can't tell me?" She finished for him, he nodded his head. Swearing at himself for not getting a place of his own. "Try again. You tell me just exactly where the hell you have been…and why you are so much bigger." She noticed for the first time.

But then they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Mrs. Uley glared at Sam, a look that said we are not near finished and went to the door.

It was Old Quil and Billy Black on the other side, Old Quil was standing behind Billy, pushing his chair.

"Hello." Quil said, with his calm voice. "We came to see how you were doing and if…Sam well I guess you are back then."

Quil extended his hand to shake Sam's, Sam put out his own reluctantly, he was still hot he knew. But it would have been disrespectful to the highest degree to not shake an elders hand.

Quil's eyes bulged when his skin made contact with Sam. Sam saw that Quil had tapped Billy on the shoulder. And Billy took a closer look at Sam.

"Sir." Sam said, nodding at Billy. Then withdrew his hand from Quil, who was still looking at Sam.

"I think Sam, it would be best for you to come with us. Maybe we can shed some…light on where you have been."

"I have to see Leah first." Sam said, automatically. And once he said it he realized it was true, he knew she was probably a mess, and he had to fix that.

"I don't think…" Billy chimed in.

"No." Sam said, not meaning to growl.

"Samuel Uley!" His mother said, sounding shocked that he was talking back to an elder.

Then Sam started shaking. "I…I have to see Leah…" He got out through his clattering teeth.

"It's alright." Quil said, talking quietly, he put up a hand to keep Mrs. Uley from coming closer to Sam, and pulled Billy back a little. "That's alright, he can go see Leah. See how he feels…around her. Then come down to the center for a meeting. Does that sound reasonable to you Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Okay." He was confused, the elders were acting weird. His mother looked…afraid of him. All he could think about was seeing Leah.

He ran past Quil and Billy before anyone changed their minds.

Sam was running the long way to Leah's even in this state he knew he needed to cool down before he saw her.