Chapter 4

Sam

My head was pounding and the pressure pushing down on my shoulders was so immense that I could feel my energy crumbling. My body matched my mind at the moment. I was covered in blood, sweat, and grime. Jacob Black's first phase was horrific. He hadn't taken it very well at all, hell I couldn't blame him. He was seventeen fucking years old and now he had the mind and body of an adult man with more responsibilities and burdens thrust upon him than most men ever had to bear. He had no idea it was coming and now he just had to swallow this massive pill and there were no other options.

I walked into my house, I'd left my front door unlocked knowing I could handle anything that could break in. I immediately went up the stairs two at a time and turned the shower on as soon as I was in the bathroom. I wish it was warm enough to relax me. But at a body temperature of 108.9 nothing felt warm to the touch anymore. I washed off the remnants of my day and let my mind drift back to Jacob and the mess that all of us wolves have found ourselves in.

When the water ran completely cold I got out, dried off, and went to see what I could find in the fridge. Being a wolf, I am always hungry, and being a bachelor, my fridge was always empty. The fact that I had a rotten banana, a can of pickles, and one frozen dinner left was case in point. I did the only thing that any sensible man would do and I chose to heat up the frozen dinner. As soon as it was done, I ate it quickly. It sucked.

I now laid in bed and thought about my own first phase. I had been twenty two years old when I first became a wolf. I had been working construction trying to save up to finally go off to college. I planned to start at community college in Port Angeles to get my general education classes out of the way and then go to a university and get a degree in something that had yet to be determined. That said, I didn't end up going. I turned into a giant dog instead. I was stuck in this body for the time being and I was stuck in La Push for the rest of my life.

After the first phase I was trapped in wolf-form for nearly a month, completely confused as to what was happening to me for the first week. After the first week had gone by I had smelled a vampire for the first time and when the sickly sweet, burning bleach smell hit my nose, I knew that the legends had been true. There were real cold ones, I was a real wolf, and there were real supernatural threats to my tribe and it was my duty to protect them from it.

Eventually I was able to phase back to human. Adjusting back to being on two legs and living a life was difficult. I was lucky for once that I didn't have parents or siblings because there was no one like that explain why I had been gone. Then there was Leah. It was not secret that things had not been working between us for awhile, but after my disappearance there was not going back to the functional couple we once were. Leah and I started dating in high school and things were good, but over time we had faded into comfortable friends. When I finally came back from being a wolf she was relieved to know that I wasn't in harm's way, but it was definitely the push she needed to end things between us. She left for college and I felt utterly alone. I was the only wolf for nearly a year. I ran circles around the rez and I started doing odd jobs around La Push and Forks since my former boss wasn't too understanding of my month-long absence.

Billy Black, Old Quil Ateara, and Harry Clearwater, Leah's father, were the elders, and they were the only people who were aware of my hairy little quirk. I was glad that at least there was someone out there who knew what was going on, but it was still lonely not having anyone alive who had actually experienced it for themselves.

It was during this year long stint that I studied all of the old legends and prepared myself for what I knew would eventually come. I would someday have my own pack, and being the first to phase, I was destined to become the alpha. I was shocked by that when I came across it in the journals. I had assumed that Jacob would one day phase and become alpha because his Grandfather Ephraim Black was the alpha of the last pack. Bue apparently it didn't work that way. The spirits chose the first to phase because that would be the leader of that generation of wolves. I don't know why the hell the spirits chose me, I've never lead anything or person in my life, much less an entire group of men who turned into wolves to fight evil cold ones and protect the entire tribe. No pressure right…

Finally, a year later Paul Lahote phased. He was not much younger than me, in fact we had been in the same graduating class together, but we ran in much different circles. I knew I would have my hands full with him. We were nothing alike. He was a real hot head and always ready for a fight, I've always been more even tempered and even a bit aloof. But as I got to know him, now that we were in each other's heads all the time, I realized that we had a lot more in common than I had always thought.

We both came from broken homes. Paul's dad was an abusive piece of shit that fucked him up more times than I could count and his mom kept bringing him back in. She was a sweet woman, but I couldn't help but think that she couldn't be too sweet if she let her asshole husband beat on her child. She was dead now anyways, so there wasn't much wasted thought on her from me. Her death was however the cause of Paul's phase. He had become so wrought with emotion that he just grew a tail and some pointy ears and suddenly I had another person's voice in my head.

My old man was just absentee, as Paul's had been for years now as well. My mom left me with him when I was about five years old and really I couldn't blame her. He couldn't keep it in his pants and had broken her heart over and over and I guess I just wasn't important enough for her to take with her. Joshua Uley, my father bolted as soon as I was sixteen and he sent some money every week or so for about two years after that and I haven't heard from him since. Like I said, Paul and I had more in common than I ever thought we could, and after just a short time of being in each other's thoughts, we had come to an understanding.

Just about two months after Paul phased for the first time, Jared joined us. Jared was also in our graduating class, and while we hadn't been close, we'd been friendly, so had he and Paul, so that was a much smoother integration process. Jared was a good guy, funny, easy to get along with. His parents were good people, they'd had Paul over for dinner every once in awhile growing up, but they were struggling to understand the changes Jared was going through so suddenly. We started to hear rumors about the "La Push Gang," apparently because of our growth spurts people thought we were on roids. We weren't obviously, but with Jared disappearing in the middle of the night, and suddenly keeping secrets, his parents were beginning to suspect that there was some truth to the rumors that were spreading like wildfire.

It wasn't long after that when Jared imprinted on Kim, adding a new member to my pack. She was spunky. I loved her like a sister immediately, so did Paul, it was in our DNA now the we were wolves. It was a little awkward for both of us, since neither of us had ever had a family. It was a lot of responsibility, becoming in charge of others' well being overnight, but I was willing to take it on if it brought me this sense of belonging I had never felt before.

Next came Embry. I immediately felt a bond to him. He was like the little brother that I'd never had. He was only seventeen, so he was a whole six years younger than Paul, Jared, and I. Kim was twenty, so she sort of split the difference.

Now, it was Jakes turn, and I knew that Quil was not far behind. My pack, my family, was growing, but so was my responsibility to keep them safe, and my duty to protect my people, and I could feel the weight heavy on my mind and on my shoulders.

Four Years Later

Sam

I'd been a wolf for exactly five years now. I was twenty seven and practically a father of six wolves, and two imprints. There was Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil, Jacob, and the youngest was Seth. I was the alpha, not their father obviously, but some days it really felt like it. Especially days like today.

"Bella is coming home from college, finally. I am so excited to see her again!" Angela said. Angela had joined the pack when Jacob imprinted on her. She had come back from college heartbroken over some guy about a year ago and they'd run into each other at the store and BAM that was it, she was one of us. She was best friends with Bella, Chief Swan's daughter, a title that Jacob had once held, but due to the tribal secret, he count uphold. "I'm worried about how she is going to react about us though." She said turning to Jacob, a slight pout on her face.

"Who cares about the leech lover anyways?" Paul interjected. "I can't like anyone who keeps company with the enemy."

"It's not like that, I think you guys would really like her actually." Angela looked at me. "I really think you guys would get along Sam." She added.

"Fuck that! I don't want anything to do with her!" Paul said. He shook his head and went to my kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge.

"I'd have to agree with Paul for once." Kim spoke up from where she was sat on Jared's lap on the couch in the living room. "I know. Crazy. But he's got a point. She's friends with cold ones, how cool could she really be?"

"No, she's really a sweet person, she used to be my best friend, I wished I would have handled things differently back then." Jake took the opportunity to speak up. "I don't know how she's going to take it, but we've been together for a year now babe and you still haven't told her. I don't see how she would react very well." He told her and then kissed her pouting lips. I had to look away. Watching the imprinted couples could make anyone jealous, even just a peck on the cheek, of hell, just a moment's glance at each other seemed intimate and private.

"I say fuck her and move on." Paul said, looking at me for back up. I just shrugged and took a drink of my beer, finishing off the last of it. I didn't add to the conversation. Talking wasn't always my thing. I'd never even met the girl anyways, so what did I know.

"You ready?" I asked looking a Jared who just groaned and nodded because few things were worse to him than leaving his imprint. As we walked out the door we passed by Embry, Quil, and Seth since we were changing patrol shifts.

I tied my shorts to my ankle and phased. I let my mind roam as I started to run the perimeter. Four years ago the Cullens left, and I haven't had anyone phase since Seth whose first phase was about a month after their departure, so I assume that he only shifted because the change had begun before they had gone. If Bella was coming back, did that mean the family of "vegetarian" vamps were coming back too? We needed to prepare. I needed to prepare to have more wolves on my hands if they did.

Do you really think that they are coming back? Jared's voice filled my head. I'd almost forgotten that he was here. I could only answer his question truthfully though.

I honestly don't know.

The rest of patrol flew by quickly and quietly. Before I knew it, it was three am and Jake and Paul were here to relieve Jared and I of our posts.

Author's note:

As always, I'd love to hear from you guys, your ideas and opinions, I particularly appreciate constructive criticism :) Thanks for reading!