Chapter 13

Sam stood from his kneeling position and lifted the woman easily in his arms. He looked down at her once, and saw that Embry's shirt had slid from her body exposing her small breasts to everyone's view. "Embry," He called the younger man forward and Embry nodded. Embry tucked his shirt around the woman's body, pushing it between her body and Sam's chest and beneath her body and his arms. Once finished he stepped to the side and let Sam pass.

Sam resettled the woman against his body, thankful for the cloth separating his body from the scars that decorated her back. "Jared, Paul I need you to change," Sam moved his weight from one foot to the other, "I need Paul to go and scout and I need you Jared to stay with me and let me know what Paul sees. Embry I need someone to help me with her." Although Sam wasn't the Alpha anymore his voice carried the tone and the others followed without thinking.

"How are we going to explain this to the Elders?" Embry asked as they made their way through the woods.

Sam looked at Embry and sighed. He took in their group, an oversized dog, and two men walking without shirts while one carried an unconscious woman. He shook his head, if they had been anywhere else but the reservation they would be stopped the instant they stepped out of the woods, "I have no idea Embry. The truth is all I can come up with," Sam stated his voice suddenly sounded tired.

Jared whined and looked at Sam, "Exactly," Embry nodded toward the deep brown wolf walking on the other side of Sam, "What is the truth?"

"I don't know that either. Just a rouge wolf." Sam shrugged against the woman's weight and they all stopped walking as a faint moan whispered through her lips.

Jared pulled up to his full height and looked at the girl in Sam's arms, he whined again and looked at Embry then back at Sam, "No, I don't think she's waking up. Her heart rate is too calm." Sam replied to Jared's unspoken question. Jared nodded and started moving again.

The rest of the trip was quiet, all of the men in their own mind's about what had happened during the day.

Jared stopped as they cleared the woods outside Billy's house. He seemed to know what Sam was thinking as Sam turned and looked at him, "Go to Paul, patrol and then come back here in one hour. Let us know what you have found. Find where the other wolf jumped and make sure that it hasn't crossed back into the territory. This won't be like with a vamp, we will not be able to sense him when he crosses the line. In two hours someone will replace you and until Jacob comes back we will continue to switch shifts." As Sam finished he turned toward Embry, as if to ask if Embry was clear on the plan, and was agreeing to it as well. When both Jared and Embry nodded Sam continued his walk toward Billy's. Embry followed beside Sam and they both watched as Billy rolled to the front door.

"What in the hell?" He asked as he saw what Sam was carrying.

"We don't know what she is." Sam spoke clearly the thought flashes through his mind that what he was saying probably didn't sound very intelligent.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked his head turned a little to the side.

"There was a rogue wolf. She was with him, and she changed. She is has been unconscious for about 10 minutes." Billy looked from Sam to Embry and Embry nodded.

Billy turned without another word and wheeled back into the house, "Put her on Jacob's bed for the time being and cover her up." Billy said without looking over his shoulder knowing the boys could hear him anyway.

Sam and Embry did what Billy had asked and stood at the foot of the bed as they listened to Billy speak with the rest of the Elders. The boys turned as Billy wheeled to the bedroom door. "I will need you both to stay here until the others arrive, they will have questions for you. Where is Jacob?"

Both Sam and Embry looked at each other, they didn't know the answer to that question but knew that he was okay. "I don't know exactly where he is. I know that there was something with Madison, but I don't know where he is."

"What do you mean something with Madison?" Billy asked, his head turned to the side.

Sam looked at Embry as he answered, knowing that the younger man knew more than he did, "I know that the rogue wolf went after Madison, and I saw Jake with her, and she was unconscious that is all I know, that's all I could see before Jake changed back and Quil didn't know much more than that." Embry held his head high as he spoke, he always felt comfortable in front of Billy. He knew he didn't have anything to prove to his best friend's father.

"Very good. As long as he is okay." He wheeled closer to the woman on the bed. He spoke without turning toward them, "Are these bite marks?"

"We believe so." Sam replied.

"They aren't human." Billy didn't ask.

"No, they aren't. They look like dog bites," Sam's voice thinned out, and it was the only indication that he wasn't comfortable with the idea, "Could it be as Embry said? That this could be a wolf showing their dominance over others?"

Billy looked up at Sam then at Embry and nodded, "It sounds possible. But maybe Old Quil or John will know for sure."

It always seems that when you are waiting for something, it takes forever for it to happen and this was no different for Sam and Embry as they awaited the Elders to arrive. It seemed as if they were already in mid-conversation about what had happened as they filed through Billy's front door. Only Sue Clearwater looked at at Sam or Embry as they passed through the living room and into Jacob's room. This nonstop chatter stopped as they stared down at the frail looking woman in the bed.

"I don't know why you called us here. This is simply a white woman. We should be lucky if she doesn't wake before you are through taking her back to the woods." John Whitefeather said turning slowly to look at Sam and Embry finally.

"What?" Sam asked, shocked and a little appalled by his suggestion.

"This is no wolf, this is simply a white woman. She needs to be taken back into the woods and left before she causes us more trouble."

Everyone knew that could John could be a little cruel at times, but this was way beyond anything that Sam had prepared for. He knew what he was about to do would make John angry but he just couldn't take this woman and leave her in the middle of the woods, naked and alone. He inhaled deeply and went to take a step forward when Sue placed her hand on John's arm and turned him to face her.

"Now John, you are jumping to conclusions again, it is possible that this is a wolf. Perhaps if we asked the boys what they saw, they could shed a little more light on the subject?" She turned her attention to the boys, "Sam, Embry what did you see? Tell us the whole story."

Sam looked at Embry knowing that he had a fuller account of what had occurred and Embry stepped forward and told the events of the day.

As Embry finished with the story, leaving no details out, John look at him harshly then turned his attention to Sam, "Do you believe the words of this boy?"

"Yes, John I do. I was present for most of the events, I was only a few minutes later than Embry."

John started to say something else but Old Quil stepped forward his stern eyes on Embry's face, "My Grandson was there?"

Embry nodded, "We would not know what we know now if it wasn't for Quil. He ran the rogue wolf off and stopped her."

Quil nodded as if he had heard enough and turned to John, "This one does not lie, we all know this. John I know that you have reservations about his lineage, but you know that I also speak the truth. We will not be taking this woman to the woods and leaving her body, that I demand now." He turned from John to Sue, "Sue would you be willing to take her into your home? Without a woman in this household it might be a shock for her to awaken in this location."

"That is fine. I agree with you." Sue spoke softly but nodded her assent.

"Good," Billy sighed and turned to look at the boys, "You can go now. Go check on Jacob and do any other things that need to be done." Billy turned his attention to the other members of the Elders and the boys made their way out of the house.

Embry turned toward Sam as they crossed the yard toward the woods, "I will go and relieve Jared, and then go check on Jacob. I will contact Billy or have Jacob call him."

"Good. I will find out what I can about this girl and the wolf we saw today." Sam nodded and watched as Embry jogged into the woods, he heard him change form as he walked toward his house.