As the weeks went by, Meadow finally got used to her new lifestyle. She ran in her wolf form more confidently and she memorized the patrol routes so she wasn't constantly asking about them. She was still uncomfortable with getting naked every time she wanted to shift, but luckily, the boys gave her privacy. The only thing she was still unsure about was ripping apart vampires. She couldn't separate the creature from the appearance. She was forced, once, by Sam to rip a piece off a vampire a while ago. She was scared to do it, but Sam said it was something she needed to get over.

She was quiet for days after that incident and refused to speak to anyone. They didn't understand why she felt that way she did, so she didn't see the need to talk to them about it. She knew that to be a successful shifter, she needed to get over her fear, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Other than that, everything was quiet. Well, except for the sneaky red-headed vampire that kept creeping onto the Reservation. It was the same red-head who Meadow had encountered on her first day as a shifter. Anytime the vampire caught sight of Meadow, she'd smirk and taunt her with her facial expressions. It absolutely pissed Meadow off, but she couldn't do anything about it. The woman was fast and was somehow able to escape even the trickiest situations.

How did you catch and kill someone who could wriggle their way out of anything? Meadow felt like they needed to ambush her somehow. Obviously, the vampire would be able to smell them before they got a chance to pounce, but they could get her if they tricked her instead of vice-versa. They could confuse her and make her think there was only one or two of them when in actuality, all of them were on her tail.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her short, black tendrils. She'd just gotten a much-needed haircut. Her hair had grown past her shoulders without her realizing it, so she'd gotten it shortened to a chin-length bob. Her face was free of bangs and she felt the haircut suited her much more than longer waves. She looked out the window and saw morning take over the night.

She stood from her bed and stretched. She frowned when she heard a knock on the front door. She heard her dad tell the person to come in. Light flooded the hallway and her dad said, "Well, good morning, Bella. What are you doing up so early?"

Bella Swan. Another problem. She's been hounding Jake, Meadow, and Billy almost every day for updates on Jake. For a straight week after Jake's transformation, the phone rang every hour. It was annoying and got on Meadow's nerves. The worst was when she showed up and waited outside the house for Jake to return. She argued with him for about ten minutes in the rain until she took the hint and left. Meadow thought she'd given up, but here she was.

"Hey, Billy. I need to talk to Jake. Where is he?" Bella asked.

"Um... I don't really know," Billy said. Meadow rolled her eyes at her father's terrible lying skills.

"Do you know what Charlie is doing this morning?" Bella asked in a demanding tone. Meadow was starting to get upset at the way she was talking to him.

"Should I?" Bolly questioned.

"He and half the other men in town are all out in the woods with guns, hunting giant wolves."

Meadow froze and listened intently to their conversation. Hunters would complicate things and there was a bigger chance of another human dying at the hands of the vampires lurking in the woods.

"I'd like to talk to Jake about that, if you don't mind," Bella continued. There was a pause before Billy spoke again.

"I'd bet he's still asleep. He's out late a lot these days. The kid needs his rest, so you probably shouldn't wake him."

"It's my turn," Bella muttered before walking through the small house. Meadow quickly opened the door and protectively stood in front of Jake's door with her arms crossed. She stared down Bella when she rounded the corner. The young Swan froze up and lost some of her confidence before she approached Meadow.

"I need to talk to him," Bella said stubbornly.

"He needs his sleep," Meadow said as she glared at the girl. Jake was one of the favorites to run patrols. She didn't know why, but Sam apparently thought he was good at it. So, he'd been spending a lot of time running around and a lot less time sleeping. When he trudged through the front door a few hours before sunrise, he looked dead. She wasn't going to let Bella interrupt his sleep.

"I'm not asking," Bella said. Meadow's fists clenched and she leaned forward in Bella's face. Her frame started lightly shaking and her vision was as if she were staring through a red lens.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Meadow grounded out.

"Meadow, let her through so she can leave," Billy said. Meadow looked at him in disbelief before she fully registered his words. She nodded sharply and moved off to the side. Bella would be allowed to peak into his room and then she'd leave.

Bella slammed open the door, causing it to bang against the wall. Meadow clenched her teeth in annoyance but made no move to stop her. Jake was wearing the same cut-offs he'd worn last night. He was stretched out diagonally across his bed; his legs were hanging off the edge and the top of his head was close to hanging off the other. He was lightly snoring with his mouth hanging wide open and looked to be in a deep sleep.

"Happy?" Meadow asked as she grabbed the doorknob and quietly closed the door in Bella's face. Bella smiled sheepishly and exited the house. Meadow followed her to make sure she actually left. She stood in the open doorway and watched as Bella got in her truck. She was half-way in her truck when there was a holler. Meadow's head swiveled in the direction of the noise and groaned. Bad timing.

Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared emerged from the treeline and were making their way to the house. Bella slammed her door shut and walked in their direction. Meadow informed her dad what was going on and he told her to wake him up. Knowing there was no other choice, Meadow ran to his room and shook him awake. He groaned and tried throwing a pillow over his head, but she grabbed the fluffy object before he could.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"Bella's confronting the guys," Meadow said. Jacob popped out of bed and ran a hand down his face before he looked outside the window. He cursed and threw the window open. He jumped out and yelled, "Bella!"

"Run! Jake run!" Bella screamed. Meadow popped her head through the window to see what was going on. Paul had transformed into his wolf form and was menacingly stalking towards Bella. Bella was running in Jake's direction, who jumped over her and shifted mid-air. Meadow as highly impressed with his shifting abilities, but she was very annoyed at Paul's and Bella's actions.

Jake growled at Paul before the two of them started fighting. No doubt, she'd have to hear about it for weeks to come. She jumped out the window, landing softly on the balls of her feet. She walked over to Bella and said, "Should've just left."

"Take Bella back to Emily's place," Sam ordered before he shifted and ran after the two fighting boys. Embry and Jared walked up to the two girls.

"Guess the wolf's out of the bag," Embry said. "Way to go, Jake"

"Aren't you worried about them at all?" Bella asked incredulously.

"Worried? Why?" he asked.

"They could hurt each other!" Bella exclaimed. Meadow snorted and went to pick up the discarded clothing and shoes.

"You don't know anything," Meadow said, "and you shouldn't."

"Lighten up, MeMe," Embry said as he bumped shoulders with her. "Now we don't have to listen to Jake's inner monologue."

"I'll bet you ten bucks Paul leaves a mark on Jake," Jared said.

"You're on," Embry accepted the bet. "Jake's a natural."

"You want in on the bet?" Jared asked Meadow as she inspected a torn-up shoe.

"She'll probably just bet in favor of her boyfriend," Embry muttered, making sure not to use that word in front of Bella.

"Ten against Paul," she surprisingly said. Embry's and Jared's eyes widened before Jared laughed and smirked.

"I knew I liked you for a reason," Embry said as he threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't push it," Meadow said. She shrugged his arm off and turned her attention to Bella.

"We're gonna need a ride," she said while pointing at the red, rusty Ford.

"S-sure," Bella stuttered. She walked to her truck with wobbly knees and barely made it before her body folded in on itself. Jared groaned and asked her if she was going to throw up.

"I'll drive," Meadow said. She took the keys out of Bella's hands and situated herself in the driver's seat. "Embry, Jared, sit in the back."

When they got to Emily's Jared and Embry hopped out of the back and ran inside after signaling their arrival with a holler. Meadow turned off the engine and jumped out of the cab. She waited for Bella to get out before she made her way to the house. A thought crossed her mind, so she stopped and turned to look at Bella.

"Don't stare at Emily," Meadow warned the pale girl. The smell of blueberry and banana nut muffins infiltrated her nostrils and carried her to the kitchen. Jared and Embry were already wolfing down softball-sized muffins when she entered.

"Meadow, how are you?" Emily asked.

"Just dandy," she said before plopping down in one of the available kitchen chairs and grabbing a banana nut muffin.

"Oh, who's this?" Emily asked. Bella was standing in the doorway with an unsure look on her face.

"Bella Swan. Who else?" Jared said with a shrug. Emily, the ever welcoming woman, motioned for Bella to sit at the table with the rest of them. Bella declined and remained standing.

"Leave it to Jacob to find a way around it," Emily said with a shake of her head. "So, you're the vampire girl."

"Yes," Bella said uncomfortably. "And you are the wolf girl?"

Everyone except Meadow laughed at Bella's question, causing the girl to blush.

"I guess I am. Well, Meadow, too," Emily amusedly said.

"Embry mentioned you were dating one of them," Bella said.

"Where's Sam?" Emily asked worriedly.

"Ah, Bella, er, surprised Paul this morning," Jared said sheepishly.

"Of course it's Paul," Emily said with a roll of her eyes. "Do you think they'll be long? I was about to start the eggs."

"Don't worry," Embry said. "We won't let anything go to waste."

"No doubt. Bella are you hungry? Help yourself," Emily said. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a big carton of eggs. Bella thanked Emily and grabbed a blueberry muffin. Meadow grabbed another banana nut muffin and watched Bella nibble on hers. Meadow wasn't sure how to feel about the events that took place. On the one hand, she wanted to scream at Bella and tell her to go home. However, she knew she had to be shaken up from Paul's actions and shouldn't be alone.

The back door opened and Sam walked in. He greeted Emily by capturing her face in his hands and peppering her scars with kisses before kissing her on the lips. Meadow grimaced at the affection, but she secretly imagined Paul being so loving with her. She scowled and aggressively bit into her muffin.

"Hey, none of that!" Jared complained. "I'm eating!"

"Then shut up and eat," Sam said before kissing Emily. Embry groaned. The door opened again. This time, it was Jacob and Paul. They were laughing and goofing off with each other. No surprise there, Meadow thought. Jake scanned the room and landed on Bella.

"Hey, Bella," he greeted her cheerfully. He grabbed a muffin and bit into it on his way over to her. "Sorry about before. How are you holding up?"

"Don't worry, I'm okay. Good muffins," she said as she held up her muffin. Meadow watched the two of them interact with a frown on her face. She was not happy with Jake's decision. Bella wasn't his imprint or anything to Jake and since the Cullens left, she has no right to know anything about the wolves. She was conflicted. A wail broke her train of thoughts. She looked up to see Embry smirking and Jared inspecting the fading pink line on Paul's forearm with a fervor.

"Pay up!" Embry said. Jared grumbled before pulling out a ten-dollar bill. He made eye contact with Meadow and she held a hand out. Jared whined and pulled out another ten-dollar bill. He placed it in her hands and she grinned.

"Not a scratch on me," Jake declared. Paul rolled his eyes and made his way over to Meadow. He pecked her on the cheek and sat down in the chair next to her.

"You bet against me?" he pouted slightly.

"Jared's always wrong," Meadow said with a shrug. Paul pulled his chair closer to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her body close to his and kissed her on the cheek again. Meadow protested in embarrassment and pushed his face away.

"There's too much love in here," Jared said.

"Hey guys," Sam said in a loud voice. "Jake said Bella has some information for us."

All heads turned to stare at her and she shied away from the attention. She cleared her throat and said, "I mentioned Victoria to Jake on accident."

"Victoria?" Jared asked.

"Um, the red-headed vampire. She's after me," Bella confessed.

"Why?" Meadow asked.

"Edward killed her mate last year and now she wants to kill me."

"An eye for an eye," Embry muttered.

"So that's why she's been trying to get past us. She must be heading for Forks," Sam concluded.

"Excellent!" Jared exclaimed. "We've got bait!"

Meadow thought it would be a good plan. It would definitely help ambush her. But there were risks and Bella's life would be put at risk. It was a shifter's duty to protect humans and using Bella as bait was not protecting her. Jake yanked a can opener from the counter and chucked it at Jared's head. Jared evaded a hit by catching the metal object.

"Bella is not bait," Jacob protested.

"You know what I mean," Jared said unashamedly.

"We'll be changing our patterns," Sam informed everyone. "We'll try leaving a few holes and see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that. But if she's really after Bella, she probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers."

"Quil will be joining us soon," Embry muttered. Meadow didn't know if she should be happy or upset. She wanted him to join them so he could be in the know, but she didn't want him fated to their life. It was inevitable, though. It was just a matter of when.

"Well, we won't count on that," Sam said. "We'll be running around the land instead of through it. Paul, Embry, and Meadow will be taking the outer perimeter. Jacob, Jared, and I will be taking the inner perimeter. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped."

"You should spend as much time as possible in La Push, Bella," Meadow commented. "She won't be able to find you as easily and you'll have closer protection."

"I agree with Meadow," Jake said.

"What about Charlie?" Bella asked.

"March Madness is still going," Jake said. "I think dad and Harry can manage to bring him down here."

"You'll be careful right?" Bella asked timidly. Everyone burst into laughter except Emily and Meadow. Meadow knew the risks they took by being shifters, but because none of them have actually gotten hurt, they take it as a joke most of the time. Meadow hit Paul in the side and he jolted from the pain. He took one look at her and sobered up. He sighed and placed his hand over hers.

"I know," he said.


"Do you think we'll always have to shift?" Meadow asked Paul. They were walking outside while everyone else was having dinner together. Charlie was invited to introduce him to the people Bella will be spending her time with.

"Maybe. Who knows," Paul said with a shrug.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

"If I have to."

"I don't want to be young forever," she commented as she looked up at the stars. "I want to grow old. With you."

Paul wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on the top of hers.

"Finally admitting I'm awesome" he joked. She jabbed him in his stomach and pushed him away from her with a smile.

"You're alright."

"Just alright?" he asked. He raised an eyebrow and bit his lip. She giggled and turned away from him.

"I'm worried," she admitted.

"We'll be fine. We always are."

"This one is much trickier. Besides, I freeze up whenever I have to kill any of them. What I indirectly hurt someone?"

"Hey," he said. He nudged her with his hip and motioned for her to sit down on a log with him. "I believe in you. And I'll keep believing in you until the day I die."

"Don't say such things."

The thought of Paul dying made her chest hurt. She couldn't imagine his smirking face filled with pain or emptiness.

"Meadow!"

She turned around and saw her dad looking at her. People were coming out of the house, causing her to conclude that dinner was over.

"Come say goodbye to everyone," he continued. Meadow sighed and grumbled.

"Are you still not on good terms with him?" Paul asked quietly. Meadow stood up and dusted off her pants.

"You should talk to him," Paul said firmly.

"He won't understand," she said.

"You thought that way about me," he reminded her.

"...fine."

Paul grabbed her hand and walked with her back to the house.

"Just remember to listen and don't hold back."

A.N.

A little introduction to what the pack and Meadow will be dealing with. Are you getting enough romance with the story? I want to focus on Meadow's development, but at the same time, I want to focus on her relationship with Paul. Also, do you think I could describe the romance better? I've never experienced it myself so I'm kinda going off on a limb here.