Shauna Black's POV

Our community was called to a meeting in the communal longhouse, the same longhouse that Theo and I had marked each other in. Everyone gathered, sitting in the long wooden rows.

People gasped when they saw me. Rebecca, Quil, Liam, Marc, and Nadine raced up to me together.

Quil barreled into me first, hugging me tightly.

"Quil!" I exclaimed, hugging him back. "Are you all right? I heard you got hurt!"

"Yeah, but I didn't have to come back from the dead, did I?" Quil replied wryly. He looked down at me, shaking his head. "I always thought you were reckless, but this is next level."

"Stop hogging her." Marc shoved Quil away to embrace me. I smiled and put my arms around him, too. Over his shoulder, I saw Liam wiping his eyes.

"Liam? Are you crying?" I asked him, laughing a little.

"Of course I am! We thought you were dead, Billie," Liam blurted out. Besides him, Nadine offered him a hug, putting out both her arms. Liam couldn't help but laugh at this, but he accepted it all the same.

When Marc stepped back, I looked up at Rebecca, who was standing just behind everyone else.

"Hi, Chief," I greeted her.

"Quit it," she told me immediately. "What were you thinking, going off and dying by yourself? Were you going to force me to be Alpha forever?"

Grinning, I replied playfully, "I came back specifically to relieve you from this massive cruelty."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. But then, she reached out and touched my shoulder. In a gentle voice that I had never heard from her before, she murmured, "Welcome home."

Just then, Dad stood up. Everyone hastened to their seats. However, Brady and Alison Fuller had only just arrived. They were carrying their nine-year-old, Lucy, and eight-year-old, Noam. Upon seeing me, Lucy cried out, "Billie!" Escaping her mother's arms, she raced the entire length of the longhouse down to me.

"Lucy!" Alison called out, embarrassed.

But I held my arms open expectantly for Lucy. She raced straight into them, as she had many times before.

"I thought you were gone forever," Lucy told me, putting her hands on my cheeks and pressing her fingers against my face, as if to make sure I was real.

"You came back?" she asked me brightly, looking up at me.

"Yeah," I said, sitting back down with her still in my arms. "That's exactly right. I was gone, and then I came back."

Lucy sat in my lap and she settled against me happily.

Meanwhile, everyone had now taken their seats and were all looking at me, waiting for me to begin to speak.

I closed my eyes for a long moment. Then, I began to share my experiences and the truths that I had discovered about our tribe's spirit. "There is a place, in the spirit land of the Quileutes, where the wind reigns supreme. There, our ancestors watch over us, guiding us in the Quileutes' purest form – as wind spirits."

I took my eyes off of Lucy and looked up at the faces of my family and friends all around me. "The Quileutes have the ability to transform into wolves, and that ability has kept us safe from many enemies and rivals throughout our long history."

"However," I said, "that ability is simply the derivative of a more fundamental power – that of shape-shifting. Our power, as a spiritual power, is not defined by form, but precedes any specific earthly form. Thus, if we go back far enough, we find that the first Quileute protectors were not wolves, but wind warriors. That was because our first enemies were not the Cold Ones, but other tribes and foreigners who threatened the peace and existence of our people, our culture, and our way of life."

"The Cold Ones have taken center stage of our history for a very long time," I acknowledged. "Thus, our identity is strongly tied to the embodiment of the wolf. I would never attempt or wish to deny it. I think our long legacy with wolves is one of our tribe's strengths, for we are able to pass down specific knowledge about how to utilize our wolf forms. But it is important to remember that who we are is not limited by our transformation. There is true freedom in the ability to phase. I believe that we should take advantage of that freedom. Our decision to shapeshift should not simply spring up out of fear, but out of a genuine desire to understand who we are, and our daringness in following the winds wherever they go…"

"I offer this up as a suggestion, but perhaps we should re-think what it means to be protectors. If we seek not only to protect our tribe, but the lives of our family and friends that are so dear to us, then we will find the origin of our power. If we remain dogmatic in our belief that the Cold Ones are our enemies, or our only enemies, then we will forever stay wolves. There's nothing wrong with that. Again, this is a decision we must all make together. But I believe that if it's about peace, if it's about protecting peace, then we become the wind, and we find the true nature of shape-shifting."

"When my mother's life was threatened, not simply by a Cold One, but by death itself, I heard my grandfather's voice in the wind…" I hugged Lucy a little tighter as I remembered the total heartbreak and desperation I had felt when I thought my mother was gone. "That voice led me to a beautiful tree…"

At that moment, I spotted Theo, sitting in the very back. He was watching me with such a tender gaze, and I knew that he understood where I was going with this already. The tightness in my heart loosened, as I finished, "...A willow tree."

A warm smile spread over Theo's face, and I found myself responding to it.

The entire longhouse was silent for a long time. I knew that what I had posed was a complicated question. Doubtless, many members of our tribe wished to forget about what had happened entirely and move on as humans only. Others would prefer we remain werewolves when required, but they did not wish to explore the spirit world any further, at least, not as warriors. Yet others agreed with me, and they believed that exploring the spirit world and tracing back our shape-shifting powers to our origin was what it meant to further and strengthen our legacy.

Finally, Sue Clearwater stood up. "As Shauna said, the old scrolls mention the first wind spirit warriors. I remember that there were warnings that they left behind – such as being cut loose from time."

I listened closely, remembering that I had felt that I was gone for mere hours, when in fact, I had been in the spirit realm for over three months.

"We would never allow our children to explore a power that could take them away from us for months!" someone called out worriedly.

"It's the only way forward! We must understand our tribe's special power. It is our duty as Quileutes," another replied.

"Why can't we just stay as we are?" still another suggested. "Try to remain humans, but know that we can rely on our wolf forms should trouble arise. Isn't that what've been doing all this time?"

"Hush! This is not an easy decision," Sue said, holding up her hands as people began to protest and comment. "We should look into the old scrolls and discuss every possibility, so that we can understand the decision that lies in front of us."

People's remarks faded away, some because they agreed with Sue and others because they respected her no matter what.

Sam stood up. "Shauna, thank you for sharing your story. You've given us a lot to think about."

I nodded. I rose from my seat, still holding Lucy, who now saw fit to play with my hair.

Everyone else rose, too, and discussion began to break out.

Alison came to take her daughter back from me. "Sorry about that," she said.

"Not at all. I've missed Lucy," I replied honestly. "Holding her gives me such comfort."

"You remind me of Billy, your grandfather," Alison told me, smiling. "He used to hold Noam and tell him all of the tribe stories, too." She patted my shoulder and turned away to go find Brady and Noam.

Alison had said that remark so casually, but her words struck me to my core. I wanted to see my grandfather so badly. I wanted to know if he would be proud of me, especially because I still carried his name: Billie. I wanted to know what he would say, how he saw my stories and how he interpreted him. I wanted to hear him tell the old stories, to give me a sense of home to ground my strange experiences in… But I remembered what the truth I'd discovered when I was in the spirit realm: My grandfather exists within me. His voice is my voice, and my voice is his – though, my voice is a lot less practiced than his. But that will come with time, I told myself. Be patient with yourself, Shauna. Be patient – like Theo.

Theo had made his way to the front of the room. He stood before me now.

"Chief," he said. He smiled a little, but it faded away quickly as a more intense wave of emotion rose between us.

He swallowed, holding back. We both were. As we were in a longhouse full of people, we couldn't say the things we wanted to say.

But there was one thing I could say to him. My eyes met his and I said warmly, "Call me Willow."

That night, when I was in bed, I checked my phone messages again. Benjamin still hadn't replied. I'd seen his name in the email newsletter that our college sent out every month. He'd gotten his paper published. Had I seen that newsletter a month ago, I think I would have felt all kinds of emotions – pride for him, but it also would have wrecked me, knowing that he was doing all of these things without me, and without wanting to tell me.

But now, even though it still hurt like hell to think about how things had ended between us, in such colossal misunderstanding, I felt a sense of peace when I saw that Benjamin had still moved forward towards his dreams. He was so smart and kind. He deserved everything in the world. What hadn't changed was that I still wanted him to be as happy as possible. What had changed was that it no longer hurt as much to think that he could find that happiness without me. And that's because… I shut my eyes tightly.

But an hour later, I still couldn't sleep. Intending to get a glass of water, I got out of bed and walked out to the living room. To my surprise, Mom was still up. She was sitting on the couch, staring at something in her hand.

"Mom?"

She quickly put whatever was in her hand away into her jacket pocket. She looked up at me. "Shauna? What are you doing still up?"

I sat next to her on the couch and leaned against her, resting my head on her shoulder. "Just not sleepy yet," I murmured.

"It's two in the morning," she replied, frowning.

"You're up," I responded.

"Yes, your father just called me."

"Called? Where is he?"

"He and Gabe are over at Sue and Charlie's with Sam and Emily. The six of them are going over the old scrolls. They've got quite some work ahead of them, since most of our tribe's tales are passed down orally. That's how we've always keep our history secret, after all."

"Gabe wanted to be a part of it?" I said, surprised.

"Yes, he wanted to help. And he's someone we need right now," Mom answered. "Gabe's got a good memory, and he remembers a lot of what Grandpa told him. A lot of his songs are centered on old tribe tales, too. He used to write songs after hearing Grandpa after their talks, I remember."

"Grandpa told Gabe a lot, since he was supposed to be Alpha," I realized. "Although I guess Grandma Sue might still know more."

Mom nodded. "Your grandmother is one of our sharpest minds and she's the eldest Elder. She'll be the one who guides everyone through the old stories."

"Grandma has a quiet strength, but it's powerful," I told Mom. "I guess because Grandpa Harry was the elder who sat beside Grandpa Billy and Sam, Grandma was less inclined to speak. But she must know just as much as Grandpa Harry used to. Rebecca told me that Sue was the one who helped them figure out what to do," I said.

Mom nodded. "Yes, I heard that, too."

"And people really respect her," I said, remembering what I had seen today at the council meeting. "Today, I think Grandma was the only one who could have quieted everyone after I spoke. People fell silent and agreed to think over this because she asked them too. Otherwise, it could have erupted into an uproar."

"Yes, Mom has always commanded respect and so naturally, too," Mom agreed. "I've wanted to be like her my whole life... And she was the best mother anyone could have ever asked for. I didn't always let her into my life, but she was always there for me."

Mom's voice wavered as she confessed quietly to me, "I don't think… I don't think I've been nearly as good a mother to you, Shauna." Her arm slid around me, and she hugged me tightly. "Grandma would never have lost you the way I did."

"Mom," I said, lifting my head to look at her, "it was my decision to protect you."

"Parents aren't supposed to be protected by their children, no matter the situation," Mom replied. Her eyes were wet. "I should have found a way to stop you. I should have died that day."

I shook my head fervently. "No, Mom. You don't understand," I told her. "I've always felt the wind calling to me. I didn't realize it until I needed the power to save you, but I was always going down that path. You didn't force me to do or change anything about myself."

Mom let out a deep breath, and tears slipped down her cheeks. "These past three months when you were gone..."

"Mom, please don't cry," I whispered.

She embraced me tightly, crying as she did. "Shauna, I love you so much. You're my heart. You and Gabe are everything to me."

My throat was tight. I found it hard to speak, but I had to let her know. I whispered, "Mom, all the good things about me came from you. I'm the fastest wolf because you were. I can hold my own as a female because you could. I can also love and forgive because that's what you do."

Mom drew back from me. She seemed unwilling to accept my words, but she knew that I meant them. So, she sighed and wiping her tears, she asked me jokingly, "Well, then, what does that make your father?"

"A muppet," I replied, grinning. "A big red wolf muppet."

We both laughed.

We settled back against the couch again. I was still curled up against Mom, with my head at her chest, and she kept her arms around me.

As we both calmed down, my mind wandered back to the thoughts I'd had that had kept me awake tonight.

I hesitated, and then I said softly, "Mom? Are you still awake?"

"Mmhm."

"Then, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You said before not to have a relationship with anyone in the tribe. I was just wondering… Why did you say that?"

"Oh," Mom paused, surprised. Then, she said uncertainly, "I didn't – It was a… a general warning. You know, things can get very intense and then everyone knows about it and has to share that with you when you're in your wolf form and… I don't know, Shauna. It just gets unnecessarily complicated."

Her reply made me curious. I'd never seen her struggle to explain something in this way. Mom always knew exactly what was on her mind, and how to say it. It made me wonder if this was something that she had had to deal with herself.

"Mom, were you ever scared to love Dad?" I wondered.

Again, Mom was silent for a moment. Then, I felt her shrug slightly underneath me as she responded in a careful voice, "No, in the sense that I knew if he ever made me mad, I'd plant him into a trash can."

I laughed. "You are pretty scary, Mom. I'd put my money on you if you ever got in a fight with Dad – human or werewolf."

Mom smiled at my laugh and at my comment, but as she became more thoughtful, she sighed and said softly, "Yes. It terrified me to love your father. We were both head-strong, and besides, everyone already knew about my history…"

"History?"

"I didn't want the others to judge me," Mom said quietly.

"But you got past it," I said knowingly. "At some point, you must have decided it didn't matter."

Mom nodded. "Yes." Her voice became much warmer as she agreed, "Yes, at the end of the day, nothing mattered to me as much as your father."

"But it took me a while to learn that," Mom acknowledged. "I was very prideful. I didn't like being vulnerable, and to your father, of all people…"

"I regret the time I wasted," Mom said softly. "I spent so much time justifying why I shouldn't be with your father. As you can see, it all came to nothing."

Mom's voice dropped to a whisper. "And now, I'm afraid… I'm afraid I won't have enough time to love your father the way I want to, the way I mean to."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm thinking of what you offered us today, of re-discovering our original magic," Mom replied. "Don't get me wrong. I'm so proud of you, Shauna. I do think that you were born to an Alpha. I understand now what your father said about you being meant to go on this journey. Clearly, he was right, and that's why you were able to find your way to the origin of our spirit connection when others couldn't even imagine that there is such a thing. But I've been thinking about what you said today, about going forward as a tribe by strengthening our knowledge and connection with the spirit world, and... quite frankly, it scares me. You were gone for three months, Shauna."

"Phasing stops our biological clocks. You know that. Then, imagine what the consequences for phasing into the wind could be." Mom bit her lower lip. "The supernatural world, it's never easy. People think it makes us powerful, and yes, it does in some sense, but it exposes our fragility, too. I know you're braver than me, Shauna, but I hope you remember that the supernatural comes at a cost. Greater power requires greater control, and that often requires sacrifice. Too often, we don't know what the sacrifice is until we're forced to make it, and I fear for that."

I reached over and clasped Mom's hands between my own. "I will. I'll remember that," I promised her sincerely. "And no matter how we go forward, we'll do it together. Just like when everyone had to support each other to stop phasing. It was a decision everyone in the tribe made together, and everyone helped each other through. Likewise, no matter our decision from today's meeting, we'll decide together and do it together."

Mom looked down at me, surprised. But then, she slowly smiled at me. I saw the pride in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but she hugged me tighter and kissed my forehead, and that was all of the affirmation I needed.

Mom and I decided to go to our rooms sometime around five in the morning. But I still couldn't sleep. Hearing Mom break down like that and reveal to me things that she had forced herself to be strong about for so long unlocked something in me, both psychologically and emotionally. I couldn't believe that Mom had been afraid to love Dad, that she had been scared that others would judge her, and because she had a history. I didn't quite understand what she meant by history, but in my own mind, it reminded me of my insecurities with Benjamin. However, as I'd realized tonight before I talked to Mom, I was slowly but surely moving past Benjamin. Again, there was some part of me that still hurt, and I also still held out hope that he would let me apologize to him when I went back to school in a week, but that was a different hope than I'd had of reconciling with him a month or so again.

And why had my feelings shifted? I'd been ignoring and denying this change within myself for a while now. But hearing Mom say that she regretted holding back made me face the truth. My feelings had changed because... well, because someone stubborn, honest, and patient had kept challenging me in his soft but steadfast way, throughout everything, always believing in the best of me. Benjamin had been someone who never made me feel vulnerable because he was so kind and quick to catch my thoughts and feelings. Theo was different. He pointed out my vulnerabilities in a way that made me feel nervous, but then he kept reminding me that I wasn't lesser because of them. He acknowledged, without even a speck of pretense, that I could be reckless and headstrong, but he still thought that I could be a worthy Alpha when others were skeptical. What was more, he thought that I could be Alpha and still be honest about my feelings when I didn't even trust myself.

I thought about that feeling of warmth I felt whenever I was near Theo. It made me feel braver. Use it. Use that bravery. I exhaled. My eyes flashed open. For a moment, I stared up at my ceiling. Then, I suddenly threw back the covers and got up out of bed. I pulled on a dark hoodie and my sneakers. I climbed out my window and snuck out. I made my way down to the Uleys' house.

By now, every member of the pack knew where the other members lived in their houses, just though random thoughts we had when we were leaving the house. Theo lived in the left-most room of the second story. I paused outside of the back of the Uleys' house, wondering what I should do. I finally picked up a handful of rocks and put them in my jacket pocket. I climbed the tree up to until I was level with the second floor. I chucked rocks at Theo's window, hoping he would hear it and wake up.

For a few minutes, there was no response. But then, the window suddenly opened. I'd just been about to throw another rock. Startled, I jerked my arm back, but in doing so, I nearly fell out of the tree. I hugged the tree trunk tightly and winced when I slid down it a little bit. The bark was not kind to my skin.

"What is going -? Billie? What the hell are you doing?" Theo tiredly pushed back his hair from his face as he stared out of his window and saw me clinging onto and slowly sliding down the trunk of the tree outside his house, like some uncertain monkey who'd forgotten how to hang onto a tree.

"Erm…" I said uncertainly. I reached out with my foot and found a branch that I could rest my weight on. I stopped sliding. "Whew," I breathed out. I had some scrapes on my palms, but they were already healing.

I looked up at Theo and whispered, "Any chance you could come out?"

"Billie, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, actually. It's about five thirty in the morning," I told him, still whispering.

Theo pressed his hands against his eyes, both to wake up and out of disbelief at what was going on.

I heard him grumble to himself. But finally, he said, starting to turn away from the window, "All right. Fine. Just- Just wait there. Don't do anything stupid."

"No, wait." He came back and poked his head back out the window. "Get out of my tree. Either it's going to break you or you're going to break it."

"Wait, what?" I said.

"Wait for me on the ground." He disappeared.

I climbed down as he said. But as I waited, my sense of bravery began to fade away. This was a bad idea, I thought. What am I doing here? Why did I have to make such a big deal of this and come knocking at his window at this hour like a madman? I come have come at a reasonable hour. Damn it.

A moment later, Theo leapt lightly out of his window, dropping to the ground where I waited for him.

I started to tell him that this was stupid and apologize for bothering him, but he put his hand on my shoulder and then brought his finger up to his lips. "Sh, my parents just got back. They might hear us…"

We were both silent for a beat.

"Wait, did you just say your parents got back?" I whispered urgently. Did that mean that Dad and Gabe had returned home too? Uh oh…

Theo, realizing my concern, shook his head. "Your dad and Gabe are still at the Clearwaters'. I think Bella and Renesmee Cullen came over to help your dad, and my parents offered to leave so that they could have more space…"

"Oh."

"Come on." Theo jerked his head over his shoulder. "Let's get out of here before they catch us."

We quickly made our way to the beach. Without speaking, we both kept walking until we found the old log washed up on the shore. I thought back to that first conversation we'd had here. I'd dragged him out here in the early hours then, too, and demanded to know whether he'd told his parents about our phasing. Well, that wolf's definitely out of the bag now, I thought dryly. As of today, our entire community is faced with a far more dangerous decision than I could have ever imagined. I can't believe I used to worry about Mom and Dad finding out I was a werewolf. I fought with Theo about that, didn't I? It seems like such a long time ago, but it wasn't.

"Billie." Theo's voice stopped me. "What's going on? Are you all right?"

I took a deep breath. I really wasn't feeling up to this task anymore. But I knew I had to tell him. I'd already been holding onto this for too long, and besides, I'd forced him to wake up and come out here with me.

Letting out my breath in one, sharp exhale, I turned around and faced Theo. "You were right," I said, almost sternly.

"About…?"As Theo watched my emotions play out in my scowling face, he realized what was going on. "You're confessing to me?"

In what had to be the most anticlimactic and graceless confession ever, I blurted out, "Yes, thank you. You get it. And that's all I meant to say."

I started to walked past him, pulling my hoodie lower to hide my flushed face.

"No, wait a second now," Theo said. He grasped my arm and gently pulled me back. "Don't just walk off like that. Tell me what you really mean."

He carefully pushed me back until the back of my legs were against the log, which was tall enough to be waist-high to me. Theo put his hands on my shoulders and ducking his head down slightly to look into my face, he asked me, "You like me?"

I nodded.

Theo reached up and pushed my hood back from my face. "Tell me."

"All right, yes, I like you," I said very quickly and in a low voice. My expression fast became a grimace, and then a scowl as I muttered, "I have a- a thing for you, as Quil put it. That motherfucker."

Theo seemed to be struggling not to laugh. "Okay, I appreciate your sentiment, but you're saying it like you're about to punch me."

"Because, Theo, it's not easy to like you."

Theo thought about that for a minute. A long minute. I wanted to throw my hands up and walk away. But finally, Theo admitted, "All right, yeah, I'll give you that."

"Even so," he said, still amused, "you can't confess like that. I admit I'm not the shyest guy, but even I start having doubts when you say it like that."

"Okay," I replied sarcastically, "then how should I do it, oh, wise one?"

Theo paused. Then, he answered, "Like this." He slowly grasped my face. His fingers brushed against my cheekbones as his hands slid onto my face, and a moment later, his broad palms were quite warm against my already flushed cheeks.

He leaned closer and grazed my forehead with his lips before murmuring softly, "I want you, Willow, and I'm yours if you'll have me."

Theo and I walked along the beach. We were both silent, not needing words between us. We weren't holding hands or anything, either. It was enough just to be with each other, at least for now.

As the darkness began to turn into lighter, washed colors on the thin horizon, we turned away from the ocean together and made our way back to Theo's house.

My hoodie was damp from the morning ocean mist, so I came up along with Theo to his room, as he'd offered to give me a dry shirt and hoodie.

As he rummaged through his closet, I looked with curiosity at his bedroom. There were some stray things lying here or there, but he was definitely more organized than I was. I found myself looking at his desk, where textbooks were stacked up. My eyes ran over the book titles: Spacetime, Quanta, and Entropy; Introductory Classical Mechanics; Introductory Electricity and Magnetism… It looked as though Theo was a Physics major. I suddenly realized how much I didn't know about him. It made me happy to think that I was going to be able to ask him questions about himself and learn more about him.

On his desk, there was also a picture framed of Theo and his parents. Just behind that, there was a photo of him standing with a group of boys. They were all wearing college jerseys.

"Here." Theo handed me a clean shirt and hoodie.

"Volleyball?" I asked quietly, as I took the clothing from him.

"Hm?" Theo said, confused.

I nodded at the photo on his desk.

"Oh. Yeah, I was on the volleyball team last semester. Grew up playing beach volleyball here, so it was a natural thing to get into in college," Theo explained. "But I'll probably resign when I get back. It's not fair to compete when I've got… you know, werewolf genes."

"Right."

Theo turned around so that I could change. Once I had, I started to head for the window.

"Wait," Theo said.

I looked up at him, one leg already out the window.

"Your mom won't be up yet, will she?" Theo asked me.

"Probably not," I replied. "She had a late night, too."

"Then, stay here."

"I have to go back," I told him, though I wanted nothing more than to stay with him.

"Just for a little while. Half an hour," Theo replied. "I'll walk you back."

It really didn't take much more than that to convince me. "Fine, just for a little while."

Theo walked over to me, taking my shirt and hoodie, which I had been holding, from my hands. He started to put them down on his chair when he frowned. He reached into my hoodie pocket and said, "What's this?" He pulled out the two remaining rocks that were still stuffed in there.

"Oh, those are the rocks I was going to chuck at your window," I informed him shamelessly.

He snorted. He guided me away from the window before tossing the rocks out the window.

Yawning, he fell back in his bed.

"C'mon," he said to me, and pulled me down besides him. He wrapped his arms around me and closed his eyes.

"You're sleepy?" I asked him. "Even though I just confessed to you?"

"Yes," Theo mumbled, not at all abashed.

"My heart's still racing, and you're completely ready to fall asleep," I mumbled, a bit disgruntled. "Great."

"Can't help it. You're so warm…" he muttered. I felt his chest rise and fall slowly as he started to fall asleep. Though our clothing hid our markings, I knew that our tribal tattoos - mine on my back, and his on his chest - aligned in this position. It had surprised me from the very beginning how intimate this connection of our tattoos felt to me. It made me aware of how well Theo and I fit each other. See, I'd never been the most delicate girl physically. I'd always been more the athletic type. But against Theo, I fit perfectly. And I honestly didn't think it was just a physical thing – it was the way he held me so comfortably and the way I melted against him that made our bodies fit together like matching puzzle pieces.

Slowly, his arm slipped off of me as he really began to fall asleep. I protested a little, reaching over to carefully drag his arm back over me. However, Theo wasn't deeply asleep yet, and he felt me pulling his arm around me. And apparently, he was still awake enough to tease me. "Thought you didn't like being held by me," he murmured sleepily.

I told him what he had told me before. "That was then," I said, snuggling against him and feeling so happy that his arms were around me, "and this is now."

Theo smiled at my words.

I waited until he was genuinely asleep – breathing softly and slowly, to slip out of his arms and out of his window. I made my way back to my house and snuck back into my room through my open window. I, too, finally slept soundly.

When I woke up to the sound of Mom calling for me to come eat breakfast, I yawned and got out of bed. Rubbing my eyes and stretching, I made my way to the dining table where Mom, Dad, and Gabe were sitting. I went to the cupboard and turning my back to my family, I reached up and grabbed a glass. I went to the sink and filled it with water before joining my family at the table.

"Morning," I mumbled, as I fell into the chair besides Dad. "Did you manage to get some sleep, Dad, Gabe?"

There was total silence.

I paused and looked up at them. "What?" I said.

Mom was standing there wordlessly, holding a plate of bacon that she'd been about to put down.

Dad was looking at me, with his eyebrow lifted so high it looked as though it had a life of its own.

Then, Gabe chirped casually, "Nice sweater."

I looked down to find that I was still wearing Theo's sweater. Oh, shit. Forgot that I changed clothes...

"Where'd you get it?" Gabe asked me.

"It was yours," I returned, thinking quickly.

"Nope," Gabe tossed back, equally quick.

I just shook my head.

We all ate breakfast together.

"Thanks, Mom," I said. Then, I yawned again. "I think I'm going to go get some more sleep."

With that, I got up from the table and turned away, walking back to my room. I fell back onto my bed and was asleep within minutes.

Back at the breakfast table, Gabe leaned forward and whispered, "When should we tell her the sweatshirt says "Uley - #42" on the back?"

Dad snorted into his orange juice, spraying it everywhere.

"Jake!" Mom whisper-shouted. But she started laughing despite herself.

The three of them giggled away at my expense as I snored away in the comforts of my own bed.

Wind spirit warrior and werewolf Alpha, I might be, but in this moment, I was just a girl who was lucky enough to be loved.