Chapter Fourteen - Revelations

"You see," began Sam, but Seth elbowed him in the ribs and raised his eyebrows at him. Sam cleared his throat and said, "Right, that's right," before turning back to me where I sat perched on a wicker chair. "Willow, have you been reading that book we gave you for your birthday? Because if so, it'll make explaining this a lot easier."

"Yes, I have. I finished it, actually."

"Okay, that's good. Well, you know about the wolves and everything?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, they…um…" Sam was clearly having a hard time getting his words out. This surprised me, since he was usually so leader-like. Then he just blurted it out: "All of those people you read about, the spirit warriors and all that, are our ancestors. And everything you read is true. What the situation is--"

"Ha, ha, ha. That's so funny I forgot to laugh," I said flatly. "But honestly, Sam, what's going on?"

"He just told you," said Seth. "We're werewolves. He wasn't joking."

"But there's no way," I replied easily. "Werewolves don't exist."

"Willow," Sam said gently, "I know you think that we're lying, and that's perfectly understandable, but I promise you that we're not."

"Right." I snorted. "And I'm Madonna." Usually I wouldn't be so disrespectful, but they were starting to annoy me with the joking around. I just wanted to know why the heck Jared and Paul had vanished and what was up with the wolves. Maybe they were playing a prank on me or something. If so, it was pretty lame.

"How can we prove it to you?" Seth asked.

"Well, I don't know. Turn into a wolf during the full moon," I replied sarcastically.

"Actually, we don't need to wait for the full moon," Seth said.

"Really."

"Yep. I could show it to you, if you want," Seth offered.

"Go ahead." I crossed my arms and looked at him. I had to see this. And I also had to laugh when nothing happened.

Suddenly, Seth…exploded. There was no other way to describe the way he leaped up and transformed into a huge animal or another. I think I screamed.

"Ho-ly shit," I breathed, looking down at the enormous wolf that was resting his head in my lap. I could have sworn he was smiling. "Sam?" I asked, and realized that there was a bit of a whimper in my voice. "What's going on?"

"Just what it looks like," Sam replied.

"But - but - there's no way…this isn't…oh, my God…" I stuttered.

The wolf's fur was the exact same sandy blonde of the hair on Seth's head. And, perhaps creepiest of all, his eyes were the same shade of his own. It was really weird, and I couldn't help but stare down at the wolf.

"Seth," I whispered, "that's you?"

The wolf gave a soft barking noise and buried his face in the crook of my arm. I took that as a yes. Wait, what was a saying? There was no way Seth could be this wolf, but--

"Well, do you believe us now?" asked Sam, breaking into my thoughts. I looked up at him, startled, to see him smiling, like he'd won.

"No," I replied. "This goes against the laws of…everything. It's not possible."

Sam continued on as though he hadn't heard me: "See, the reason we eat so much is because, you know, wolves in the wild, that's just what they do. And the reason we're so…well, not to brag, but strong, is because wolves have to be to catch their prey and all. Doesn't it all fit?"

"No," I repeated, but his words were starting to make sense. Everyone around here seemed to run really fast, and I knew how important that could be if they really were werewolves. Plus, the strength, the constant eating, the practically supersonic hearing, they added up. I'd always suspected that something fishy was going on in La Push, and now I had my answer. If this was real. And of course it wasn't at all--

God, who was I kidding? I knew that they were telling the truth; there was no other way to explain the way Seth turned into a wolf. I hesitantly stroked the wolf's - no, his - head and he looked up at me, curiosity in his familiar eyes.

This was so weird.

"Well, I don't know…" I said. "I think I might believe you, but…it's kind of…err…tough…How does this work…exactly?"

Seth wandered out of the room, his steps making miniature earthquake-like sounds. Sam answered, "It's not too complicated, really. Basically, we turn into wolves when we're mad…unless, of course, the situation permits otherwise, which it always does. And it can be at any time, like Seth was saying; we don't need the full moon or anything."

"Wow." This was incredible, really. I didn't know how in the world, of all people, I'd gotten into the middle of this, but I was fascinated. Then another thought came to me when I thought of the book. "Wait…in that book, it was talking about the cold ones…well, vampires…is that…do they…?" I trailed off, but Sam knew what I was talking about.

Sam nodded. "Yes, they do exist."

A chill ran down my spine. "Oh, my God. Are there any…around here?"

"No." There was something funny in Sam's icy voice, but I couldn't name what it was. Just then, Seth came back in the room, in human form. His clothes and hair were as neat as though nothing had ever happened. He sat next to Sam and whispered something in his ear. Sam nodded and whispered something back, then got up and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

All of a sudden, there was dead silence. I didn't know why.

"That's really amazing, Seth," I said after a moment. "I would have never believed you, but…now…I do." Saying it aloud made it official. Yes, I did believe them. Getting used to it, however, would take a bit of work.

"I don't blame you. I mean, if you would have called us crazy and ran down the street screaming, I wouldn't have blamed you either. It's not everyday that someone tells you they're a werewolf." Seth smiled a thin smile.

"Ain't that the truth," I muttered.

There was another round of silence.

"There's this other thing werewolves do…" Seth began. Maybe it was just me, but I thought he was nervous. Once, when we'd been talking about the subject, he said that he always ripped up paper when he was nervous. And now he was shredding the corner of a National Geographic magazine that was on the table in front of him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's called imprinting." He said it slowly, sounding out every syllable, as if to make sure I heard. Which I did. But I didn't understand what in the world he was talking about. "It's kind of like…I don't know how to explain it, but it's when a werewolf finds their other half. And then they're crazy about he or she, and they'd do anything for them. Love at first sight wouldn't do it justice, because it's a lot, lot stronger. Jacob once said it was like gravity…and I agree with that."

"Imprinting." I was still trying to get all of this down. "So basically, they just fall in love with the person? Just like that? And don't ever really fall in love with anyone else?"

"Yeah. You've got it. And they love that person forever, even if they don't love them back."

"Wow," I said for the second time. "That's fascinating. Really, it is. God, I didn't know you guys did so much…"

"Yeah," Seth repeated, and nodded. "It's also what happened with…um…Leah and Sam…They were dating and in love and all that crap, but then Sam met Emily and imprinted on her…Leah was just left behind, kind of. It really hurt her."

"Oh, no," I breathed. "That's horrible. Poor Leah…" I couldn't imagine how it felt. I'd never really wanted to hug her, mainly because she wasn't a huggy person, but right now, I wished more than anything that Leah would come over here from wherever she was and I could hold her close, to comfort her, say that everything would be okay. But of course, this didn't happen.

"And the thing with imprinting is that…some people never find their imprint, but others…well, they do. And…I've found mine." Seth coughed.

I immediately felt a surge of jealously. "You have? Who is she?" I demanded, and realized how petty I sounded. But still.

"Well…" Sam stood up and paced around the room, stealing glances at me every now and then.

The suspense was driving me insane.

"Go ahead and say it," I told him.

"I know, I know, but I'm trying to think up my response." Eventually, Seth took a seat next to me and breathed in a deep breath. He took my hand in his and stared deeply into my eyes as he replied with…

"It's you."

Author's Notes: Awww, how insanely adorable is that? I think all of you are going to gush over that for the next half hour. You might hate me for a cliffhanger, but really, it's not. I think we all know Willow's response, since it's obvious she really cares about him…

(:

This chapter was dedicated to my friend Traci. Who deserves a sweet Seth Clearwater of her own.