Meadow walked through the trees with a peaceful smile on her face. Even though the situation she had found her in was stressing her out, being able to hear the waves crashing against the sand from so far away helped her to take a deep breath and relax. Honestly, if she could she would live on the ocean. There was something about the motion and the sound of the water. She could imagine going to sleep on a boat, letting the swaying and the soft whispers lull her to sleep. And just as she'd succumb to it, the smell of sweet, burning candy would infiltrate her nose.

She scrunched up her face and opened her eyes as a burning sensation filled her nostrils. It was like she was breathing in a furnace. She came to a halt and gaped at what she saw. A woman was standing in front of her with fiery red hair and red eyes to match. She was smirking at Meadow ferally and when Meadow took a tentative step back, she moved so she was standing closer.

The new shifter's body started convulsing on its own, causing Meadow to panic. She had an inkling of what the person in front of her was. After all, she was the overly superstitious chief's daughter. It would be disappointing if she didn't know what the woman was. The red eyes, the pale skin, and the quickness with which the lady moved were dead giveaways.

Vampire.

She was on edge and had no idea on what to do. This was too new for her. She briefly wondered if the vampire was the reason why Jake ran off earlier. However, her thoughts were interrupted when the red-head grabbed her by her throat and squeezed so tight that Meadow felt like her windpipe was being crushed.

"You smell just like one of those mutts," she said and squeezed impossibly tighter. Instincts overtook Meadow and she burst from the grasp she was in. She was now a huge ball of silver and copper fur. She growled at her assailant, baring her long and sharp canines. She was now pissed that the vampire got her to do the one thing she didn't want to do at the moment.

Meadow?! Jake yelled in her head.

MeMe! Embry shouted.

Nothing but trouble, Jared grumbled.

Meadow, don't engage, Sam said.

Are you okay? Paul asked.

Meadow ignored their questioning and focused entirely on the creature before her. It was okay, though, because unbeknownst to her, the rest of the pack could see her surroundings through her thoughts and were already on their way to her. She must have been unconsciously sending them her location.

She growled in warning again when the woman took a step towards her. The woman paid no heed and lunged at her. Meadow dodged in the nick of time, but because she wasn't used to her new form, she tripped over her paws and tumbled to the ground. She groaned, though it came out as a raspy whine. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso and whined when she felt pressure try to cave her body in. When it became almost unbearable, something big ran into her and effectively helped her escape the bony cage.

She breathed hard as she stood up on shaky legs. Her head swivelled around and caught sight of a dark-silver furred wolf wrestling with the vampire. The woman got the upper hand and pushed the wolf away before sprinting off. The wolf followed. All Meadow could do was watch it all unfold in mere seconds. Just as she lost sight of the two, three more wolves showed up. One was a russet color and when it stood beside her, it stood a handful of inches taller than her. The next one was a solid black color and stood at about the same height as the first one.

Jacob, go ahead and help Paul out, Sam ordered.

The russet one looked at Meadow and said, Don't do anything stupid, before running off. The black one stayed behind, so she guessed it was Sam. He looked at her and tilted his head towards the direction of his house.

Go back. Emily will get you some clothes to change into. Wait there until we get back, he ordered.

She didn't like being ordered around by him, but she would rather be out of their mind-chat and at Emily's than allowing them all to hear her thoughts and possibly die by the hands of a vampire. She nodded her head and ran off. It was weird running in a body that was almost four times as big as her original one. And to top it off, she was running on four legs instead of two. Her form was awkward and shifty. She wondered if it would be easier to imagine her front two legs as arms instead and imagine how she ran in human form. She heard a snicker in her head, but ignored it. She'd leave the group chat soon anyway, so there was no reason for her to say anything.

Honestly, it was almost the same thing. Her right arm moved when her left foot stepped and her left arm moved when her right foot stepped. In wolf form, her front right paw stepped when her back left paw stepped, and vice versa. Comparing the two helped polish her run, but it was still difficult. She assumed experience would help her in the long run and left the topic alone.

When she got to the house, she wasn't sure what to do at first. So, hesitantly, she scratched at the back door. She waited and her ear twitched when she caught the sound of movement. Emily appeared in the doorway and took one look at her before retreating back into the house. She reappeared with clothes and silently handed them to Meadow before giving the girl some privacy. Meadow shifted back into her human form, not without some pain, and changed into the given clothes.

Now inside, she sat down in the living room. Emily sat with her and tried to spark a conversation with her. Meadow wasn't in the mood for talking. Or, rather, she was distracted by what happened. She rubbed the spot where she swore she could feel a hand imprint and put her hand down when she felt no pain from the action. Quizzically, she stared at the palm of her hand.

"Did you get hurt?" Emily asked her politely with a hint of worry lace din her voice. Meadow looked at her for a moment before nodding her head. Emily's eyes raked over the area she was rubbing earlier and was satisfied with her assessment.

"The boys usually heal very quickly, so whatever injury you had is gone now. It's a perk to being a shifter, I suppose," Emily said. Meadow was happy with the information Emily gave her. She was nervous that she'd have to walk around with a bruised hand print etched into her neck. That would be hard to explain. They sat in silence for a while before the back doors swung open, announcing the arrival of the boys. Emily immediately stood up and caressed Sam's face when he entered the room. They shared an intimate moment that made Meadow subtly blush and look away.

As she turned her gaze away her eyes caught Paul's. She felt like she was pulled from her body and put in front of a projection, and on the screen was her life, or what it would be. She saw Paul hugging her, kissing her, making her laugh and smile. She saw how comfortable she was in his presence; how carefree and happy she was, how loved and cared for she was. She felt so much love project from the images flashing across her eyes that in that moment, she, too, felt as if she were loved. A warm tingly feeling crept up her spine and covered her in delightful shivers. It was almost as if she was wrapped in the sun after being cloaked by cold and nipping snow. She marvelled at the sights, almost as if she had just seen for the first time, like she'd been deprived of something she thought she'd never have.

Slowly, she came back. Her eyes, wide with wonder and amazement, blinked repeatedly. Jake was rolling his eyes and had his arms crossed, Jared, Sam and Emily were looking at her with goofy and knowing smiles, Embry was frowning, and Paul was staring at her with the most tender look she had ever seen on someone's face.

"W-what was that?" she asked, stuttering uncharacteristically.

"You just imprinted on Paul," Jared snickered.

"I was hoping you'd imprint on someone else so this idiot wouldn't be a part of the family," Jake muttered under his breath.

"Aw, c'mon little brother," Paul said joking. He wrapped his arms around Jake's head and put him in a headlock so he could tousle his hair. Jake pushed him away and fixed his moussed up hair. He glared at Paul, who continued to smirk at him.

"It's not like you deserve her anyway," Embry said. The room was silent before a rumbling was heard. Everyone glanced at Paul, so Meadow followed suit. His fists were clenched and he was glaring at Embry.

"Embry, I told you to drop it," Sam said sternly.

"Why should I? He doesn't know MeMe like I do," Embry continued complaining.

"Seriously, dude," Jake said.

"Meadow is my imprint," Paul said hotly, "Mine."

"Yeah, well she would have beenmy girlfriend if-"

"Enough!" Sam ordered. Meadow took a step back from the authority that one word had. Her head dropped and her back slouched on their own. Why did it feel like a million bricks were suddenly dropped on her? When the feeling subsided, she shook her head and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Paul asked. Worry was evident in his eyes and his tone of voice, usually riddled with confidence, was unsure.

"I'm not anyone's property," she said. She was angry they were talking about her like she was a toy; like she wasn't in the room with them.

"Of course not! That's not what I meant!" Paul exclaimed.

"I'm leaving," she said, announcing her departure. She would never be ready for the shifter life if it meant she had to be around the boys so much. It seemed like Emily's was the go-to place for meetings and hanging out. She was too much of a recluse to leave her own room. And she didn't think she'd ever have the mental energy to hang out with all of them for long periods of time.

"You're not leaving," Sam said. Meadow turned and raised an eyebrow. She challenged him in her mind, telling him that he'd have to use force to keep her any longer in the small room.

"You will not leave this room," Sam ordered. Again, Meadow felt the urge to hang her head and slouch. To submit. When Meadow realized what he was doing, rage overtook her. Sweat dripped down her face as she tried hard not to shift. A hand gripped her shoulder and slightly shook her. She opened her eyes and drowned in a pool of chocolate.

"Calm down," Paul said gently. Her body unconsciously relaxed and leaned into his touch. She scowled at her body's betrayal and huffed out a breath. She crossed her arms and sat down on the couch.

"I don't think I've ever seen you pout before, MeMe" Jake joked. She glared at him and then continued to ignore him and everyone else in the room. Paul chuckled and sat next to her. She frowned when she felt a jolt rock through her when his knee bumped hers.

"I'm gonna get a start on dinner," Emily said after patting Sam on the chest.

"Can you make chicken again?" Jared suggested.

"We had chicken three days ago," Paul complained.

"Yeah, whatever," Jared said. "I'm heading to Kim's house."

"Go patrol," Sam said, "Embry, Jake, go with him."

"Why do I gotta do it?" Jared whined.

"Quit being a baby and let's get this over with," Jake said. He pushed him and Embry out of the house. With that out of the way, Sam sat on the couch opposite them.

"There are some things you need to know about your new...lifestyle," he said. He was all business. Whatever funny bone in his body that had been out was now hidden.

"There is one thing that triggers the gene in our body: vampires. A few years ago, the Cullens moved to Forks and attracted vampires to the area. Because of this, more of us are shifting," he started. He stopped to allow her room to question, but she did not take the opportunity.

"Even though we can shift at will, there are a few triggers, mainly anger and the presence of a vampire. Which is why it's important you get a hold of your emotions," he said with a pointed look. Meadow ignored it, knowing what he was getting at but refusing to acknowledge it.

"You've been pretty good so far at handling your urges, but it's sort of protocol to keep the newer wolves away from school for a few days until they have a semblance of control."

"I'm not missing school," Meadow said firmly. Sam narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's not a request," he said.

"Neither was my statement," she talked back.

"There are a few positions within a pack, Meadow," Sam said with an undertone of warning, "The important ones are the Alpha and the Beta. The Alpha is the leader of the pack, and as a leader, makes decisions that benefit the pack. The Beta is like a second leader. He is in charge when the Alpha cannot be. Do you know what position I am in?"

"Judging by your shitty attitude, I'd guess Alpha," Meadow sneered. She was getting too annoyed too quickly. This is why she wanted to leave earlier.

"Correct," Sam gritted out. "Which is why I won't stand for insubordination. The pack needs to run smoothly to effectively protect people, humans, and it can't if there is opposition. Do I make myself clear?"

Meadow tried to keep eye contact with him, but the pressure was too much, She averted her eyes and nodded sharply.

"Good. Now, to protect the reservation, we run patrols. Usually we circle the reservation, but since the Cullens left, we're able to include Forks, as well."

"Why did you wait until the Cullens left?" she asked. She thought it was weird to leave out a huge group of people, or humans as he so put.

"We have a treaty with them. I'm sure your dad's told you about it before."

She vaguely recalled the legends her dad used to tell her and her siblings.

"Someone has to patrol at all times, so we rotate with each other. Since I'm the only one who's out of school, a lot of times you'll have to sacrifice your schooling," he informed her. Her teeth gritted together but she remained silent. Arguing now would be completely pointless. She wanted to tell him exactly how she felt, how important school was to her even if she wasn't planning on doing anything with it anytime soon, but she knew he wouldn't listen to her.

"The Elders coordinate with the school to help keep those who've shifted from failing, but schooling isn't our top priority. Now that you've shifted, your top priority is helping the village and its people. Everything else has to come second. Do you understand, Meadow?" he asked as he leveled her with his gaze. She nodded. She understood, but she wasn't happy with it. Whoever decided these crappy rules and restrictions obviously had no life outside of the pack.

"Good," Sam said. He stood up and walked out of the room. The tense man before them left and was replaced by a more carefree man. Before he disappeared completely, he said, "The two of you should work things out, or at least come to some sort of agreement. We can't you two distracted with your lives on the line."

Meadow looked at Paul and grimaced. She knew she needed to talk to him, but she didn't want to. Many things were just being thrown at her all at once. So, she sighed, stood up, and said, "We'll talk about this later."

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