Disclaimer: I own nothing, not the books, not the movies, not even the wolf pack. Bummer. Please read on, WARNING: Some light smut ahead. Yum, yum, yum! And as a bonus…SAM POV! And Pack mind! This is Paul, this is NEWWOLF and this is Sam. Have fun, y'all!

Saturday, September 21 1:58 P.M. Forks, WA BPOV

That I was warm was the first thought that crossed my mind. The second was that sleep with Sam was way better than sleep by myself. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking as the russet curtain in front of me came into focus. My eyes began to study Sam's upper body with a scrutiny I hadn't been able to afford before; roaming over his bull-thick shoulders, rock-hard pecs, the eight pack abs that made me want to lick their definition, and lower. He had these muscles on his hips that jutted out just above his low-riding shorts, leading downwards to a place that I was starting to think I really wanted to see.

I trailed my fingers lightly over the planes of his hot chest, knowing that my face held an expression of awe. And want. I'd never really noticed boys for being attractive or anything before, but Sam wasn't a boy, and he wasn't just attractive. Sam was…hot, in more ways than one. I blushed and tried to stop my fingers from journeying any lower than his stomach, my fingers grazing the hard muscles in reverence.

I'd never been this forward with anyone before, but with Sam… I felt heat rush to places of my body that had yet to be explored as my mind, my dirty, filthy mind, conjured up images of Sam that I hadn't seen yet, but really, really wanted to. Sam's head thrown back not in laughter, but ecstasy. Sam's huge hands and long fingers digging into the flesh of my hips, caressing my face, cupping my breasts, kneading my ass.

I bit my lower lip, trying to shake myself from those thoughts. Jesus, Bella, he's sleeping. You're acting like a total creep. My eyes traveled up to Sam's jaw, the highest point I could see of him, given how close we were. My fingers edged around him and gripped his back, and I snuggled closer to him, burying my nose into his chest. Breathing in his scent.

He rumbled sleepily, startling me, "I could really get used to sleeping like this." His hands squeezed me tighter to his body before he readjusted his arms for more comfort.

I smiled. "Me too." One of his hands began to rub slow circles on the small of my back, and I figured that we had better sort out the situation in front of us before I gave into the urge to yank his handsome head down and kiss him. So I asked him quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He froze, and I could almost feel his own hesitation and discomfort. I felt embarrassment and rejection rise within me as his silence continued and he pulled away from me. He sighed heavily before saying, "Bella, you have to understand. There are things that I…can't…tell you."

I nodded my head quickly, not meeting his eyes. I sat up, knowing that if he answered me the same way he had again, then I would have to leave. "Do you want to talk about it later?"

His response was, at least, quick and short. "No." At that single word, I felt hurt soar through me. He doesn't…want me? I should have known, Sam was probably just being so nice to me because I was friends with his little sister and I was injured. He was probably just doing his job by protecting me. At the end of the day, I was a pale faced outsider who needed to be rescued all the goddamn time.

The divide reappeared suddenly, confusion the only thing visible. I crawled over Sam to the edge of the bed, willing myself not to collapse on top of him and beg him to trust me enough, to want to tell me, to… I shook my head. He doesn't want you, Bella. The words hurt like something I had never experienced before. I knew that without Sam, my life would be just as lonely and frightening as it had been in the hospital. I shuddered at the thought. I reached the end of the bed and stood, facing away from him. My voice was still quiet, but pain laced through it when I said, "I guess I'll be going, then."

I started for the bedroom door, trying to escape the place I wanted to stay before I broke down in tears. A burning hand shot out, and the next thing I knew I was lying on my back on the bed, Sam's face hovering above my own. He wore that blank mask I hated again. Through the divide, which I was strongly and really confusingly starting to believe had something to do with the man in front of me, I felt hurt and rejection echoing my own joining the confusion from before.

Sam spoke, even his words were guarded, like he was expecting me to hurt him. "Why are you leaving?" Isn't it obvious? You don't want me here, so I'm leaving.

Instead of saying that, I lowered my eyes from his gaze and stared at the old t-shirt I wore. "I'm leaving because…Sam, if you don't want me to tell me, that's fine, I get it. If you don't want me here then I'll go." The confusion evaporated from the divide. Anger replaced it. Sam's chest rumbled and a low, animalistic growl rose from inside its depths.

His voice was deeper, rougher when he said, "Look at me." When I looked up, his coal black eyes shifted imperceptibly, they glowed and it seemed to move as if hot lava flowed beneath their surface. I felt as if his searching, hard, lava hot eyes saw straight through me and into my soul, as if with one look he suddenly knew everything about me.

In a movement so fast I didn't see it; one burning hand grabbed both of my wrists and restrained them over my head, the other bunching my shirt up under my breasts. I still wasn't afraid. The large digits of his hand clamped suddenly on my bared waist. I let my eyes roll back into my head and a small, low moan escape my lips. Heat pooled low in my belly. His hand, his heat, felt so good, so right, on my body; the rough calluses grating against my smooth skin. I bit my lower lip to restrain myself from begging him to touch me elsewhere, anywhere, everywhere.

His voice was low, rough, and dark when he said very evenly, "Let's get something crystal clear, right now. I do want you to know. Fuck, my wolf wants you to know. But unless you are inducted into the pack as a member; meaning that you renounce all ties to others outside of the pack and accept the pack as yours," He leaned closer, his hand clenching my waist tighter, his eyes feral as he said, "Unless you become one of us, there are things I can't tell you, Isabella."

I shivered at the way my name sounded as it dropped from his mouth. Like I was the most desirable thing in the world, like he wanted me with a fervor that was unmatched. Like I was something to be worshipped. His eyes burned a path over my body, and he growled again, very lightly. "I want you in my pack."

He leaned so close to me that I could see his eyes had a growing golden rim at their edges. He bared his teeth, and I felt the pool of heat expand rapidly and my breathing get shorter at his possessive, protective, and demanding visage. I wasn't ashamed that I was so completely…turned on by this. Turned on by him.

He inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring and the golden rim in his eyes brightened. His voice was different when he spoke, it held undercurrents of pure power and authority, and his words were short and harsh. "We want you with us." A constant low growl seethed from his chest, and I instinctively knew that this was his other side coming out. I had dealt with Sam Uley the man before, but now I was dealing with Sam the wolf.

Now on the other side of the divide was anger, but it paled in comparison to the desire there too. I lifted my hips up off the bed to press against his body. He growled almost viciously, but the sound didn't scare me, it only served to help a slow grin curl on my face. I moved my hips in an agonizingly slow circle, letting a moan escape me as a growl, louder this time, harsher, erupted from Sam. His hardened length pressed into my lower belly through his shorts. My hips circled again, and my head dropped backwards, gasping at the pleasure the action caused.

I lifted my head to study the huge Quileute above me. His muscles were clenched tight, his breath came heavily, and he looked like he was using all of his control. I lowered my hips, watching him intently. His hand spasmed on my waist, and I glared at him challengingly. "Is that the only way you want me?"

His eyes were burning me, the usually coal black irises were almost consumed by gold, and his pupils switched to vertical as I watched. His teeth bared. He removed his hand from my waist and shoved it underneath the back of my jeans, grabbing my ass and yanking my lower body off of the bed and tilting my hips so that my center pressed against his length. My back arched up off of the bed, and my hips ground against his. He roared, the sound was wild and deliciously dangerous.

I knew Sam would never hurt me. So when he lowered his head and his teeth clamped on a muscle where my shoulder met my neck, my head fell to the side in submission. My hands, still clamped in one of his, clenched as he thrusted his hips against me, his hand on my ass holding me to him. I moaned, and he growled as he raised his head from my neck, "I want you in every way." I opened my eyes to see his, needing to see the desire swelling in the golden and black depths, knowing now that the person on the other side of the divide definitely was Sam.

I didn't know how I could feel everything he felt, and I didn't know why, but right now, with my body pressed so tightly and wantonly to his, I really didn't care. His eyes snapped to the place where he'd bitten me, I watched an emotion similar to pride flash inside the deep pools.

I grinned. "Do you want to explore that want?" His ran his nose along my jaw, and shuddered.

"Yes. But not now." I pouted, and he laughed lowly. "I know how you feel, but we need to discuss the wolf thing. And if we go exploring, I'll want to take you." His hand crushed me to him again, and I yelled as my vision swam before me in pleasure. He said very softly, "I'll want to take all of you. And you are not ready for that yet."

I glared as he released my bottom, pulling his hand out of my jeans to trace my stomach. "What will it take to be ready?"

He sighed, and the gold receded from his irises. He released my wrists and slid a hand under my back and another under my knees. He lifted the both of us to sit on the side of the bed, and settled me in his lap. "Bella, we; meaning Jared, Paul, and I, are wolves. We're shape shifters, a pack. But, more than that, we're brothers. From our first time that we phase, or turn into the wolf, we're stronger, faster, our senses are elevated to way beyond human capacities, and our wolves become a part of us, a part of our daily lives."

I nodded in encouragement for him to continue. His thumb edged under my shirt and began to rub circles on my hip. "We are the mortal enemies of vampires; everything about them sets our teeth on edge. We had a treaty with the Cullen's when they lived here, or at least the council did, because up until I phased, there wasn't a pack. Last year, right after Leah and I broke up, I phased. I didn't know what was going on; I thought that I'd gone insane."

His eyes grew a little distant. "I couldn't phase back for three days. Harry Clearwater found me, in wolf form, and just sat down on a tree stump and explained everything. Told me what I was, how it worked, and who I was now. A protector of the tribe. Told me the reason that I phased, told me it was because of the leeches playing human next door. The only thing he didn't tell me was what I'd have to give up, because of this."

I ran my hand up and down his arm, not liking the sadness I saw in his eyes. He continued, "Anyway, the wolf thing. We also have elevated body temps; it's also one of the signs that someone's going to phase for the first time. Our injuries heal really fast, too."

I traced his bicep with one finger, and asked, "How fast?" He grinned. "Well, for example, last night Paul gave Jared three broken ribs when he punched him. He was fully healed by the time he had to run patrol."

I felt my mouth gape. "Holy shit. Wait, what's patrol?" Sam hiked me up higher on his lap, and said, "We run the border of our lands to check for any vamps that might have wandered onto them. We've been running by your house ever since that son of a bitch Edward attacked you that first night. We damn near had him one night, but it's like he knows what we're gonna do before we do it!"

I frowned. "He told me that he can read minds." Sam growled shortly and his arms tightened around me.

I looked up at him in surprise and confusion. He looked pissed. He said angrily, "Neither my wolf or I like that he even came near you." I started to smile, but I asked him, "Sam, I'm confused."

He cocked his head to one side. "About what, Isabella?" I shivered at my name. I'd always considered it to be too formal for everyday use, Isabella just wasn't me. But when Sam said it, it sounded perfect.

I shook myself from my thoughts and said, "I'm confused about what's happening between us. I've never been this comfortable with anyone before. I feel safe around you, and when you weren't…there, while I was in the hospital…" I gulped and shut my eyes tight, deciding that honesty was the best option with Sam. "I can feel this, divide, inside of me. I can feel someone else's emotions. And…I think that they're yours. But it's not just that, it's that I have this feeling. When I was in the hospital and I didn't think you were coming back, I was…I was…" His hand rose under my shirt and rubbed circles on my back. I gasped through the growing hysteria at remembering how fucked up I'd been, and would be again if he made me leave, and I just said it. "I was in agony, Sam. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I don't care. I want you, I need you."

He said softly, "Hey. Hey, it's ok. You're ok. I'm here, Isabella. I'm not going anywhere. Just calm down, Isabella, ok? Can you calm down for me?" I nodded and turned to face him directly, taking deep breaths, resting my forehead against his.

He spoke suddenly. "Isabella, I'm the Alpha of the pack. My wolf, actually, all of our wolves, is almost a sort of different personality for us. Based more on instinct. They're animals, in short." He rubbed a hand over his face before returning it to my back. "And the first time I saw you, Isabella, the first time your eyes met mine, I felt gravity shift. I didn't know until I asked the Council, but there's something that happened when I first laid eyes on you. It's called imprinting."

I felt my face screw up, and I tried the word out. "Imprinting? Like with the baby geese and stuff?" That really didn't explain anything.

Sam shook his head, frowning. "No, not really. With us wolves, imprinting is when we look at one girl and…we're connected. Instantly. It's believed that a wolf's imprint has special abilities, but since there hasn't been one in forever, we're kinda just going off of legends. It's really rare that an imprint happens, but for wolves with really strong bloodlines, it seems to happen more often."

I felt something snap into place. "I'm your imprint?" He nodded and I smiled in excitement. "So that means that I'm yours anyway, right?"

He nodded; a slight smile on his face. "Isabella, just because you are my imprint doesn't mean you're a part of the pack just yet." I huffed, and he started laughing.

Suddenly, he froze, his laughter stopping just as abruptly as it had begun. He moved me off of his lap and raced to the chest of drawers in the bedroom. I felt panic and sorrow sweep into the divide, as well as a slight edge of irritation. Before I could ask what was wrong, he was already saying, "Someone new just phased. I need to go out there and-"

I flapped my hand at him in a move reminiscent of Jessica. "Say no more, Sam."

He pulled out a pair of scissors and a pair of cutoffs similar to the ones he wore. He headed for the door, but I stopped him and motioned him to come towards me. He kneeled in front of me without complaint, although his eyes were quizzical. I gathered my courage and kissed his lips lightly. They were warm, firm, and felt so damn good against mine, but I made myself stop before I could beg him to stay, knowing he was needed by his pack. "Go. Good luck."

And he was gone. I sighed as Sam's emotions disappeared, and stood. I stretched my muscles, and my stomach grumbled. I spotted a phone on the bedside table and decided to call my father and let him know if he wanted to find me, until further notice I was at Sam's.

I dialed the station, breathing a sigh of relief when Charlie answered. "Sheriff's office, Chief Swan speaking."

I smiled and said, "Hey, Dad, it's me Bella. I just wanted you to know that I'm still going to the Clearwater's tonight, but I, uh-"

He interrupted me with confusion evident in his voice. "Bella, why are you calling from Sam Uley's?"

Shit. He had Caller ID at the station. "Uh, well, I came over here to tell him thank you for all of his help while I was in the hospital, and to tell his friends thank you for saving me after I got attacked by the, uh, wild animal." I rolled my eyes at myself; I was such a bad liar. I didn't know how long I could keep the truth about the matter from Charlie; he'd surely know something was up.

He said very cautiously, "Well, as long as you're at the Clearwater's by ten thirty, I think you can stay awhile."

I grinned broadly. "Thanks, Dad! I gotta go, talk to you later!" I hung up before I could hear him say anything else, and walked out the bedroom door, stumbling down the stairs toward the kitchen. I think that with the guys being, well, guys; they might respond well to a thank-you of food.

I remembered how well they seemed to like it the last time that I had cooked for them, and smiled. Maybe spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and a salad if Sam has the stuff for it. He did the last time I was here… And so I set about to getting some food together for my favorite boys. My protectors. And soon to be, though I didn't know it yet, my pack.

Saturday, September 21 3:17 P.M. Forks, WA SPOV

Sometimes I really hated being a werewolf. All I could think about as I ran out into the woods was Bella. Waking up with her body wrapped around mine, her tiny hands running all over my chest, her face looking happier and more content than I had ever seen her, and her scent. Holy god, her scent. Sweet, florally, and so fucking addictive.

But her body, dear gods help me. She'd surprised the hell out of me this morning when she basically started grinding on me in bed. Isabella. In my bed. Isabella. Her head thrown back, that lust I'd seen this morning filling her eyes, and that fucking smell that I knew, I just fucking knew, was her getting wet. That was something my wolf really seemed to like, as I heard him growl in appreciation. Mine.

I rolled my eyes at his common, possessive thought. He always said stuff like that around Bella. Earlier this morning, his urges had been to; Take. Take. Take. Take. TAKE. Just thinking about her tiny, warm body pressed against mine had me hard already.

I growled in irritation at the memories from this morning running through my head. That was not like me. I didn't just throw myself at women like that, like I did this morning. I didn't do things like that, practically attack a woman and roar in her face. But Bella was different, too.

This morning, she hadn't turned tail and run when I'd phased. Or when I'd been roaring and growling and acting like a goddamn animal in bed. She'd just handed my possessive attitude right back to me, and the fire in her eyes when she'd said, "Is that the only way you want me?" had just about made me wolf out, right on top of her. I really, really liked it when she looked like that.

I liked her anyway she looked. And goddamn, if I hadn't wanted to stay when she'd pulled me close to her and kissed me just now. I shook my head. I couldn't have stayed, and for some weird reason she was ok with what I was and the requirements, even if she didn't know their full extent or how this whole thing really worked. I decided, as I stripped naked in the forest and tied my cutoffs to my leg that that was something that needed to change.

When I phased, I immediately noticed Paul was already with the new wolf.

'Calm down, Embry. You're going to be ok.'

"Ok. OK? OK?! How the FUCK am I going to be FUCKING OK?! What the fuck is going on here, where the fuck AM I, how the fuck can you read my thoughts, how the fuck can I read yours, how the fuck is this going to be OK?!"

'Embry Call.'

"WHAT THE FUCK WHO ARE YOU?!"

'Sam Uley. Calm down, son, you're going to be alright. No. Don't speak. Calm your mind, Embry.'

I felt his mind immediately begin to calm with the Alpha order, though he was still completely wigged out.

"What's going on, seriously I don't know what happened, one minute I was talking to Leah, and the next I'm, I'm, I'm…"

He looked down, and through the pack mind I saw him looking at his own front paws. He was phased, and he wasn't angry, but he was shaking. Not as badly as Paul or Jared had been, and from what I knew of Embry he'd always been rather calm, so I hoped that this one wouldn't be as bad as Jared's first phase, or worse; Paul's.

'Embry, look back on the bonfires that you have attended since you can remember. Remember the stories that are told of Taka Ahi and his spirit warriors. The shape shifters. They are the protectors of the tribe. They are the leaders. They are the warriors.'

"You can't seriously think that those stories are real."

Even though he said that he still doubted us, I knew from his mind that he knew that we were speaking the truth. But being told that you turn into a giant wolf wasn't exactly the most fun conversation to have.

'Paul, phase out, will you? You and Jared should go get something to eat before patrol. You have three hours, you hear?'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Too-da-loo, Alpha dearest!'

A shiver ran down my back when he phased, just as I reached the clearing in which Embry was pacing nervously.

'Embry, did Leah see your change?'

'I don't know, dude, I was too busy worrying about the fact that I just turning into a FUCKING WOLF FOR FUCKS SAKE! TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!'

I decided that no, this wasn't like Paul or Jared's first phases at all. Embry didn't care about anything other than knowing what was going on with his body. He was focused on the moment, and for now, that was good. I could work with that. I sat down on my hind legs in the grass, facing the chocolate brown wolf. He was much smaller than me, but still huge when compared to the trees next to the both of us. I wuffed through my muzzle, the closest thing to sighing, and launched into the same explanation that Harry Clearwater had given me.

Saturday, September 21 6:17 P.M. Forks, WA SPOV

'Embry, can you run the border until Paul and Jared phase in? Then stop by my house, it's-"

I showed him a series of mental images of the forest from the clearing we were at to my house. Embry had taken the whole 'giant wolf' thing well. When he'd finally phased back for the first time he'd started to cry while I cut his hair and had him recite the preliminary vows of the Spirit Warriors. I honestly hadn't known what to do other than let him run for awhile, he needed to run off his energy so he could get some sleep tonight.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

I threw a guard up on my thoughts as I raced back to my house, wishing beyond anything that I could see Bella again. I hated seeing how broken up he was about this, not being able to tell his best friends about something this fucking life changing, and having to share a common mental link with three guys he barely even knew. Bella. Bella. Bella. Bella. I growled in irritation at my wolf. Jesus, Harry had said my wolf might be a little over-eager to spend time with her, but this was just fucking ridiculous.

With my house in sight, I could already hear Jared and Paul bickering and nit-picking at each other, and with a doggy smile on my face, I phased back and shoved my shorts on. Fucking weirdoes. We were still brothers, but if they weren't the craziest boys I knew. The front door opened, and I halted when the smell of a freshly cooked meal hit my nose, along with a sweet, floral scent that sent my heart pounding.

Isabella.

There was no way, no way that she had stayed. And there was no way, absolutely no fucking way, that she was standing in my doorway, looking even more beautiful than when I'd last seen her three hours ago.

"Sam?" Her voice was like heaven to my ears, and I found myself running faster than necessary to her. My arms, seemingly of their own accord, wrapped around her and pulled her up to my chest, her legs locking around my waist. I buried my face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent like I was a fucking drug addict. Her voice was calmer than I'd thought it would be, given my actions, and had a touch of humor to it when she said, "Hey."

I grinned into her neck. "Hey back." We were silent for a bit, and I asked her, "You stayed?" She threaded her tiny hands into my short cropped hair and murmured an affirmation.

I squeezed her tighter to me and she said very quietly, "Your brothers are waiting for you in the kitchen, they helped me make some dinner. And Jared helped me change the bandages on my arm. Paul just kinda sat on the counter and bitched about his homework." I turned my head to her arm and sniffed it. I relaxed when it didn't smell any worse than before, if anything it smelled like it was healing. I lifted my head to face the beautiful girl in my arms.

"Wait, you made dinner?" At her nod, I continued, "Why are you so ok with all of this?" It was just that none of us, not me, not Jared, not Embry, and certainly not Paul, had been as ok with the werewolf stuff as Bella seemed to be. But then again, Bella didn't know everything about it. Yet. Yet, I amended. As much as my wolf wanted Bella, I was sure that I wanted her more.

Bella shrugged. "Well, like I said, I knew that there had to be something different about you guys. You turn into a giant wolf. I have a vampire out to kill me. We all have our dirty little secrets." I grinned and heard a stifled guffaw from the kitchen, and rolled my eyes, knowing that the boys were in there, eavesdropping.

"Come on, Bells, let's go inside, shall we?" I didn't put her down, though she wasn't complaining, and when I shut the door behind us I called out, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that eavesdropping was impolite?"

Jared and Paul groaned in disappointment as Bella and I entered the kitchen. The food, which was about half gone due to, in no small part I'm sure, the two large and hungry werewolves currently pouting at the kitchen island. Jared spoke up. "How do you always know everything we do?"

I grinned arrogantly. "I'm the Alpha. It's my job." Paul rolled his eyes and stood. "Oh Jesus Christ. Come on, idiot, time to patrol."

Jared stuck his tongue out at Paul, but rose anyway. "Dick. Ruining my fun. Thanks for the food, Bells, it was amazing."

Paul surprised the hell out of me when he said lazily, "Yeah, it wasn't too fucking bad. See ya around, alright?" Bella nodded and waved goodbye to the both of them. I called out, "Hey, make sure and send Embry back here, ok?" Both of them just made vague affirmation sounds but I turned back to the island anyway, knowing my request would be carried out.

Bella asked me curiously, "Embry Call? He's the new phase?" I nodded and sat down at the island, settling my imprint more comfortably on one thigh. Bella ran a thumb over my forehead, which was creased with worry. I turned to look at her, and was immediately lost in her beautiful brown eyes. She whispered, "You know that I believe in you, right? You can take care of it, whatever the problem is."

I wrapped one arm around her small waist and gripped her tightly. When she winced I immediately drew back. "Bella?" She blushed and lifted her t-shirt to reveal a large bruise that perfectly matched my hand. I gulped. "I did that?" She nodded, and I gingerly lifted her hands into the light. Sure enough, bruises lay on the delicate skin of her wrists, too. I felt my breathing get a little shallow. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful-"

She shook her head firmly, cutting me off. "No. I liked it, Sam. You know I did." I sure as hell did, she wasn't the only one who could feel the 'divide' as she called it. She was about as lost in lust this morning as I had been. But if I had listened to my wolf and just fucked her senseless on my bed, I would have laid the claiming mark on her neck. And fuck my life; she deserved at least a decision about this. That's why I had tortured the both of us with that week from hell by staying away from her, because I needed to be able to convince myself to let her make a fucking choice about this. Even if I didn't want to give her one. Even if my wolf didn't want to give her one. She should still know what the fuck she was getting into if she chose to be part of the pack.

Bella placed a gentle, lingering kiss on my cheek, and I felt my arm tighten around her. She grinned against my skin. "You should probably eat something; I bet they can hear your stomach growling all the way up to Port Angeles." I grunted, but complied. I would be a liar if I said that I wouldn't do anything for my girl. And who was I, to deny her something she wanted?

I ate in silence as she traced her fingers over the muscles of my chest, my arms, even my back. She had this adorable look of concentration on her face, like she was memorizing every single detail of my body. She caught me staring at her staring at me, and blushed. "Sorry, I just, um-"

I swallowed my mouthful of food and said quietly, "Don't be." She blushed again and lowered her eyes. I set my fork down and turned to her more directly. "Bella, you know about us now. You know the risks we take, the duties we have. And it might not be easy, but I wanted to ask you if…" She was staring at me, wide-eyed, as I finished lamely, "If you wanted to date me?"

I mean, fuck. I only ever just thought about her. And from what Harry had told me, imprints were forever. Unchangeable. Unbreakable. And I really couldn't see myself with anyone other than Bella. She was mine, if she wanted to be.

She searched my face seriously. "Sam, are you asking this as a human, or is this part of becoming part of the pack?"

I knew lying to her would only hurt both of us in the end, so I said, "Bella, I do want you in the pack. But I think that you deserve a choice. So I want you to give it a trial-run, of sorts. The whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing with the late night phone calls and the throwing rocks at your windows, but if we could just skip all the other drama and shit, that'd be great. Being a wolf is hard enough." Are you fucking kidding me with that? She's gonna get up and leave, you idiot!

She giggled, the sound music to my ears. "Yeah. I think that we can skip all the other drama and shit." I felt my eyes bug out of my head. She really did not just react to my statement like that.

I cleared my throat and asked my imprint, "Is that a yes, Isabella?" She shivered, and through the window in my emotions, I saw contentment and pleasure run through her. Huh. So she liked it when I called her by her full name. Who knew?

She grinned very widely and said softly, "That's a big yes, Samuel." My eyes snapped into slits and I growled. Fuck, what my name sounded like when she said it like that. All low and sexy. Like she thought that I was the most perfect man in the universe, like she was promising all sorts of devotion and…other things…to me.

Instead of her being scared out of her fucking mind at the in-human sounds I was making, she just shook her beautiful head in amusement. "Fuck, Sam, but if I don't love it when you do that."

I was about to answer her when a knock sounded on my front door and it opened. I inhaled, and knew it was Embry. He called out, "Sam?"

"In here, Embry." He looked like hell when he got to us. Leaves and twigs in his hair, burrs on his body, and a few cuts on his skin. Bella gasped and got up. "Oh my God, Embry, come here."

He obliged without question, and I watched in fascination as she began to clean him up, removing the debris and vegetation from his body and cleaning off the drying blood with a damp cloth, neither of them seeming at all thrown off by the interaction.

She scolded him lightly, "I'm Bella, but we can get to that later, did you get into a fight with one of your brothers?" It was the only explanation I could think of, but he shook his head, and said blushingly, "No. With a bear." When he glanced at the look on my face he held his hands out to either side of his body in a gesture of innocence and said, "What, he started it!"

I chortled in amusement and Bella glared at me before turning back to the young wolf and saying, "Well, did you win?" He nodded, grinning, and Bella allowed herself a smile. "Good." She pointed to the food on the table. "Now, eat up, and then straight to bed, do you hear? You've got to be exhausted."

I cocked my head at her and she asked, "Oh, you do have a guest bedroom, right Sam?" I nodded, smiling. "Who says he's staying with me?"

Embry froze in the middle of eating a slice of garlic bread but Bella just said simply, "Well of course he's staying with you, where else would he go?" Embry gave me a small shrug, but I could see a relieved smile on his face. It was just something that the new pups of the pack did; they just wanted to be near their Alpha after their first phase. It was always a rough night, or day, or week, if you were Paul. But the interaction Embry was having with Bella, that the rest of the pack was having with Bella, was leading me to believe that there was more to our imprinting bond than what the legends said.

Bella patted Embry's shoulder and looked sadly at the clock on the microwave. "I should be going, soon." I frowned, asking, "Why?"

She shrugged, and then an excited look came over her face. "Oh my god, I've got it. I'll go back to the Clearwater's and call my dad, then I'll just convince Leah to cover for me, and I'll come back here." Embry's head had shot up at the mention of the word Clearwater, and now asked hurriedly, "Bella, do you know Leah well?" She nodded, and asked him quizzically, "Why?"

He ran a hand through his newly cropped hair. "Because she and I were walking together in the woods when I phased for the first time." Bella's face immediately cleared of all confusion.

"Oh." Silence fell around the room and she said, a thought crease on her forehead, "Ok, new plan. I go back to the Clearwater's and…talk to Leah about this whole thing." I sighed heavily.

"Normally, I'd say no, you can't tell anyone about this." I motioned between the three of us to indicate the werewolf thing. "But, given that she already knows and that her father already knows, and probably her mother, too…I don't think that it's gonna be a problem."

Bella nodded and huffed. "Now I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to see you." I laughed and Embry gave her a strange look, before shaking his head and continuing to eat. He probably didn't care what the hell went on between Bella and me as long as he got food. And my Isabella was a damn good cook.

Bella motioned to me and began to walk outside. "Bye, Embry. Take care, alright? No fights with bears!" He laughed. I opened the door for her, and she turned to face me. She craned her neck to look up at my face, and smiled prettily. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" I nodded and traced a finger against her cheek.

Her eyes slipped closed and her hands fluttered up to mine. I captured her wrists and kissed the bruises I'd left, silently asking for an apology. I kneeled in front of her and lifted her shirt to unveil the ugly bruise there, too. I pressed my lips to it, and her hands fell to my hair. I would never admit it to her, but my wolf took a selfish delight in seeing my marks on her. He felt like she was his, anyway. Bella whispered so quietly even my own enhanced hearing was damn near unable to detect it, "You're forgiven." I stood, and she cupped my face in both hands before cautiously dragging my face down to hers. She kissed my cheek, instead of my mouth like I'd thought she would, and began to turn away.

I caught her shoulders and spun her to me, before planting my lips on hers. She gasped but hooked her arms around my neck and pulled me closer to her. I gripped her hips tightly with my hands, being careful not to bruise her this time. My mouth plundered hers; forcing hers to open so my tongue could explore the sweet, warm depths. She gave as good as she got, clutching me closer to her every time I tried to pull away. I did manage to free myself, and trailed kisses, scraping my teeth, and pausing briefly to gently suck at the on the column of her pale, beautiful neck down to the place I already knew had been bruised: the juncture of her neck and shoulder, where a perfect impression of my teeth lay.

I kissed the area again, and she moaned softly. I growled as I fastened my teeth on the mark again, exactly where they'd been hours ago. Bella's grip on my hair turned almost painful, and she said, gasping, "Fuck. Yes." My chest rumbled again, but I released her.

Her eyes were lidded again, and I knew if I inhaled deeply, I'd smell her arousal. The thought made me harder. She reached for me again, but I held up one hand. "Hold up there, Isabella." Shiver. "You and I both know where anything like that's gonna take us if we keep going."

She nodded, her eyes holding that same fiery challenge as this morning. "And if I want to go there?"

I yanked her into my arms, hauling her up so she could look me in the eye when I said this. "Isabella, being wolves, there are certain…things that happen. If we have sex, I'll want to claim you as mine. It's one of those things. Mating season is one of those things." Well fuck you, asshole, what a way to tell her. Why don't you make some clever analogy about how you are basically a bitch in heat for her right now?

Bella's eyes widened, and she breathed, "You want me to be your mate?" I froze. I hadn't really expected her to make the connection, but I knew she was smart, I should've known she would.

I nodded. She said blandly, "Wolves…they mate for life in the wild. Do you guys?" Nod. "So when you say join the pack, do I have to like, lose my virginity to you in front of everyone, or-"

I felt my face twist into a horrible expression. "NO. I don't want anyone to see you naked and wanton but me." She shivered again, and that smell hit my nose. I pushed on. "There's a ceremony, a ritual of sorts that you have to go through. You will renounce all claims to anyone not of your own flesh and blood outside of the pack, and accept the pack as part of your family, as part of yourself. You're my imprint, but even so, as a member of the pack you would have the right to any one of the available male wolves." My wolf roared, MINE!, and I couldn't help but agree with him. But Bella needed, deserved, to know.

She nodded slowly. "So basically, I'd still be Charlie and Renee's daughter, but I can't have like, romantic feelings about anyone outside of the pack?" I frowned heavily. "Well, yeah. And it's even more complicated. Jared used to hang out with the partying crowd before he joined the pack, but after he phased, he couldn't stand to be around the people he'd grown up best friends with anymore. He's only friends with a few other people outside of the pack, and those people all have the werewolf gene."

She had that look on her face like she was thinking way too hard. "So the only people he's friends with are the people who have the possibility of entering the pack? Is it that way for all of you?" I nodded, wondering how in the hell she was going to react to this bombshell. She looked at me hard, and said, "I know that that's not one of your Alpha orders."

I was quick to reassure her. "No, no. It's just something that happened." She sighed and rested her forehead against mine. "This is a lot to take in. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" I nodded.

I set her down, and she gave me a small smile. "I'll have to think on it. But I will see you tomorrow." She pulled me down and quickly pressed those soft, lusciously full lips to mine again before whispering, "Good night." I watched her make her way to her truck, get in, and drive away.

"Good night, Isabella."

A/N: So, what do you think? This is the longest chapter yet, and I've worked the hardest on it, and as such, so far I am the most proud of it. Please, please, PLEASE! REVIEW! I will love you if you do, it's amazing and wonderful and I adore it. Wish me luck on my big goddamn final things next week! I love you guys! (Even though I love possessive Sam and possessive Paul more! Hell, possessive ANYPACKMEMBER!)