Meadow sat quietly and took in the environment around her. She was sitting on a brick red couch, her hands grasping at the rough material underneath her fingertips. Her eyes glance left and landed on Sam, who was staring at her with a contemplative gaze. She could hear someone, Emily, in the kitchen rummaging around. Pots and pans clattered together and cupboards slammed shut and softly opened. There was a lingering smell in the air. It smelled like fruit, blueberries, and sugar. Muffins, Meadow concluded. She clenched her eyes shut as the barrage of stimulation entered her newly sensitive senses. It was overwhelming and she didn't know what to do about it.

The sound of feet slapping against the wooden floor pounded against her head until a soft thunk of glass hitting wooden laminate disrupted it. A hand was placed on her shoulders, causing her to flinch back and sit flush against the back of the couch. Emily stood in front of her with an apologetic smile and a guarded look in her eyes. She gestured towards a glass of water sitting idly on the small coffee table in front of Meadow and said, "I thought you might want something to cool your nerves. A lot of the boys, when they first phase, are on edge and the water seems to help. If only a little."

Meadow nodded her head in acknowledgement and accepted the offered drink. She gulped the cool liquid, refusing to take a moment to catch her breath. Her mind was still scrambled from earlier and she wasn't ready to converse with Sam, one of her least favorite persons in the world at the moment. She'd rather be in her room reading a book or at the beach watching the water sway back and forth than be in the same room as him. Emily grabbed the now empty cup and returned to the kitchen, only to come back out with a full glass. Emily Young was a tall reservation woman, though she wasn't from the Quileute tribe. She was from one of the neighboring tribes, the Makah tribe.

She had pin straight black hair that traveled down her back and ended above her waist. Her eyes were a dark-brown and full of mirth and care. She had a protective aura that surrounded her at every moment and a smile adorned her face as much as the sun shined through the open blinds covering the windows. The most prominent feature was the scar on the left side of her face. It started right under her left eye, making it droop just the slightest bit, and ended on the bottom of her cheek. It didn't take from her beauty, though. If anything, it added to it. She was Sam's fiance; his imprint.

Meadow made sure not to stare at Emily's scar for too long. Not only was it rude, but Sam had a huge problem with it. The first time she'd seen the woman, she had blatantly stared at it, mainly due to shock. After a few seconds had gone by, a rumble started in Sam's throat and came out as a snarl when she refused to move her gaze. Hearing the threat in the noise, she had avoided eye contact with the woman and had meekly entered the residence. She was sure to never do that again.

Emily left the room shortly after setting the water on the table, leaving Meadow to face her fears. They sat in silence. Maybe he wanted her start, she surmised. However, he was in for a rude awakening; she wasn't going to. It wasn't in her nature to be so confrontational unless she was emotional. And she wasn't emotional at the time. She was pocketing her emotions so as not to combust into a hairy wolf again.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Sam asked out of the blue. His gave failed to waver when her eyes met his. She shook her head and moved her gaze to her hands. She fiddled with them unconsciously, but when she realized what she was doing, she stopped. She wasn't going to let him know how nervous she was about it all.

"Usually newer ones are jumping all over the place. Jared, Paul, Jacob, and Embry all did. Paul was the worst," he joked with her. She didn't know if it was his way of trying to get her to open up by getting on her good side, but it wasn't going to work. Meadow was making sure of it. Still, the image of Paul moving about in frustration and getting all worked up because he was confused. A small smile slipped onto her face before it melted away. She was still angry with him. With everyone who had kept her in the dark for so long.

"I've heard all about you," he said. "Mainly through their thoughts, but I know more about you than you think."

She stilled and waited with bated breath for him to continue.

"You're quiet and reserved yet you lash out at anything that doesn't fit your standards, that doesn't go your way or meet your needs. Like when you confronted us about the diner or when you yelled at your dad for keeping things from you," he recited. Meadow clenched her hands at her sides and her face twisted into a scowl. She didn't need him to analyze her personality.

"You keep everything inside until you can't take it anymore. No one knows why you do it, but you pin all the blame on everyone else except yourself," he continued. "Why is that?"

Her teeth grinded together and her hands undid themselves so her nails could embed into her palms. She didn't want to talk about her. She didn't want to even talk to him. She didn't want to talk about being a wolf, and she didn't want to talk about how she dealt with things. She wanted to be left alone. Was it too much to ask for? Her heartbeat sped up and she felt like her body was overheating. Tremors rolled under her skin and traveled throughout her whole body. Her eyes widened as the familiar events took place.

She knew she was close to turning back into a wolf, and she wasn't ready for that again. The pain was excruciating when she went through it the first time and the awkwardness of being bare in front of someone else was too much to handle. She focused on her breathing first. She took deep calming breaths in, collecting the anger surrounding her and caging it in her body, and exhaled. She needed to capture all of it emanating from her form. She needed to bottle it up. So she did. And eventually, all of it stored inside of her heart once again.

"Impressive," Sam said. "I've never seen someone control it so early on."

She refused to look at him, else the anger boil up and overflow once again. She didn't even want to hear his stupid voice, but she couldn't exactly tell her ears to stop listening. Sam stood up from his spot on the couch and stretched his hands above his head.

"I'll have you meet everyone later on and explain some things you'll need to know to integrate into the pack schedule. For now, why don't you grab something to eat before Jake gets here," he suggested before entering the kitchen. Meadow sat there for some time before a grumble left her stomach. She winced at the sound and wondered when she had gotten so hungry. It wasn't like she watched what she ate, but she usually wasn't much of a big eater and could last hours before eating again.

She stood up and followed the delicious smell. A full plate of blueberry muffins sat atop the kitchen table. They were enticing to look at and she automatically reached for one. She took a bite, ripping a huge chunk out of it and chewed. She never knew something could taste so wonderful. She finished the first muffin off within seconds and reached for another one. She paused when she felt eyes on her. Emily caught her eye and stared at her with amusement. Meadow frowned and withdrew her hand.

"You can keep eating," Emily reassured her. "I'm used to big appetites and cooking a lot."

"...I don't want to be rude," Meadow said out of politeness.

"You're fine, Meadow."

With that, she took ahold of another one and plowed through it. The whole plate was finished off within ten minutes and all Meadow could do was sit in her chair with a slightly uncomfortable tightness in her abdomen. She laid a hand on her stomach and embarrassingly belched. A blush crept up her face, but Emily waved her off.

"The boys always eat too much," she said fondly. "Just remember to pace yourself. I know it's hard with your fast metabolism, but it'll help curb your appetite at least a little."

The back door to the pale yellow room opened and in walked Jacob. He stepped through the doorway and greeted Emily before turning his attention to Meadow. He scanned her over. She didn't know what he was searching for, but whatever it was he found satisfactory.

"Hey, MeMe," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she answered plainly. He sighed and ran a hand through his short locks.

"Sure, sure," he answered with, though she could tell he wanted to say more. "Wanna take a walk?"

She nodded and stood up from her seat. She followed him out of the house and through the thick foliage. She stayed a step behind him, allowing him to lead her to whatever destination he wanted. He walked faster than normal but she was able to keep up. As she walked, she understood how sharp her senses had become. The colors of the forest were more vibrant than before and small differences between hues were detected. Details were easier to catch, almost as if she was just standing in place and observing her surroundings instead of walking at a brisk pace. She could hear so many more sounds and she swore she could hear cars riding on the main road, which was miles away from her.

Jacob stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. She recognized the spot from the time she'd watched the boys cliff dive. He sat at the edge and patted the spot next to her. She vaguely wondered when he had matured enough to do such gestures. Together, they looked out at the horizon and basked in the sounds of nature.

"You know I wanted to tell you, right?" he told her. She understood what he was talking about.

"It doesn't matter, Jake," she said.

"It matters to you, though, right?" he asked. "I swear, MeMe, I wanted you to be the first person to know. I was scared when I phased the first time and all I wanted to do was run to you for comfort."

She turned to him and asked, "Why me?"

"You always know how to calm me down and get me to think rationally. You take care of me, so you're like," he took a breath in and then continued on the exhale, "someone I can go to for anything."

"But as soon as the thought of running to you popped in my head, Sam knew what I was planning and stopped me."

Meadow scoffed when he told her that and bit her lip to keep her comments to herself. Her chest puffed out and her fingers dug into the rock beneath her.

"Doesn't mean he's a bad guy. He's alright," Jake admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "It was better that I didn't run off. Someone could have seen me or I could have hurt you on accident."

She deflated and deliberated his words.

"So, I'm sorry but I'm not sorry for keeping it from you," he said confidently. His words registered in his head and a look of panic overtook his features. "I mean, um, that didn't come out right. I meant that I'm sorry for not saying anything but I'm not sorry for obeying Sam's orders and not telling you. Wait, that's the same thing..."

Meadow chuckled at her younger brother's antics and playfully shoved him. He swayed to the right before righting himself. She threw an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her side before letting him go and saying, "I understand. It's okay."

He let out a breath and said, "Good, good. Now, maybe you can forgive Paul? I'm tired of hearing him complain about it every time I' on patrol with him."

"Patrol?" she asked.

"Something Sam'll explain. Anyway, seriously, talk to him. Cause if he whines about dying alone one more time, I'm going to kill him and then he'll really die alone."

Meadow let out a soft laugh and a fond smile lit up her face.

"I'll think about it."

Just then, a howl echoed throughout the area, making the two of them tense up. Jake stood up quickly and she mirrored his motions.

"I gotta go. Head back to Sam's house. I don't think he'll want you participating yet," he ordered.

"What?"

"I'll explain - well Sam will explain - when we get back. It shouldn't take too long," he said. He gave her a push on the back in the direction they came from before he ran off and disappeared. She licked her lips and wondered what was going on. However, she heeded his words and made her way back to the house. Whatever it was, she was sure she wasn't ready for it. She wasn't even comfortable with the idea of being a wolf yet, so participating in any wolfy activities was off the table.

A.N.

A little sibling reconciliation! I started a new semester of college and honestly, I've never been more productive in my life! Let's hope this keeps up so I can get all of you some regular updates!

Don't forget to the chapter and commentwhat you think!

Stay Awesome ^u^