Chapter One

Seventeen Years Later

Sammeth

"When will they realize that I'm not a little girl anymore!" I raged as my best friend and best boyfriend in the entire world waited patiently, unfortunately he was in South America.

"I don't know Somi, you have been leading your own pack for two years now."

"Tell that to them." I said to him in reply.

"I don't think that they would listen to me, considering how much they hate me. Alex replied and I sighed.

"It wasn't such a big deal I just told them that you were my long distance boyfriend and they went off on me." I told him.

"You did what Somi? Your imprint is Collin, no matter how much I wish it was me." Alex said.

"You're the first person I saw when I transformed, its you I can't get out of my head. However I feel the same way about Collin which is way too weird."

"You just want it to be true, but I've seen Embry and my sister."

"What about Leah then? How do you feel about her?"

"I don't know Somi, I just don't know. She's really important to me and I never want to hurt her, but at the same time I feel as though everyone is forcing me into a relationship with her and trying to break us apart."

"I feel the same way, maybe we should run away together and get married." I thought only half jokingly.

"Yeah, where to? What place could call to you like La Push does? I hear the longing in Leah's voice sometimes when she talks about it. The jungle is every bit my home as La Push is yours and I couldn't imagine life without it."

"I feel as though it would be hard to be just friends with you Alex, you're so much more then that to me. To have you in my mind reading my thoughts whenever we want, well no one could have that connection with me.

"Have you thought that the reason you can't hear the others is that you're part of the next generation of shapeshifters?"

"I have thought that, but if that was true we would hear the terrible twosome as well."

"Well I wouldn't and you're seldom in wolf form."

"I can't see the point, Dad won't let me go on patrols. Get this he says that its too dangerous."

"What a hypocrite, I've heard some of the stories about when he was our age, actually a bit older. Anyway he took on like twenty vampires with the rest of the pack. Its actually what brought my family and the pack closer together. So tell me any good cat fights recently?"

"Not that I know of, Amaya and Elizabeth got a little hissy last time they were in heat."

"I do not want to have that ever happen to Leah!" He said and I laughed.

"Its not that bad, anyway what makes you think that wolves can go into heat?"

"Well I hope they do, you would be a great mother Somi, but Leah... It doesn't bare thinking about."

"Just don't do her then." I replied and then instantly blushed.

"Little Sammy all grown up and messing around with other people's love lives. You have nothing to worry about on that front so far, I care about her but not like that!"

"S-up bloodsucker." I thought playfully to get the attention off my embarrassment, when we had a conversation through our minds it was impossible not to be imarsed once in a while.

"I will if you will female dog." Alex replied and I felt his mirth at the same time as my own, we both burst out laughing. It was fun throwing playful insults back and forth between the two of us.

"So go on any good hunting trips recently, what's new in the Casa de la Cullen?"

"Nothing much, Alice went on a online shopping spree, Emmett wrestled with Jasper and the twins. Basically the usual family stuff.

"Same here, apart from Claire's baby being born, you should have seen Quil he was frantic! It was hilarious but no one imprinted on her so far."

"So far?"

"Well there is the second generation, I really hope I'm not their Alfa, the cat side is all independent and they have claws."

"Maybe you won't be, you're full wolf after all, the cat's don't need vampire influence to change."

"We aren't sure about the crosses though, Freddy wants to change so badly that he's been hounding his Dad about going on a vampire hunting expedition." I felt his amusement at that.

"I would be too glad to help out, give me a chance to see you."

"No that's way too dangerous, even if you're a Cullen. Freddy's like his father, not a think with the head type."

"Yeah they had him really young didn't they? Like seventeen right?"

"Yes, they had him just before Kim and Jared's first born, and just after Rachel and Paul's two boys." I replied. "Full wolves and they both take after their parents, neither one of which are exactly light weights when it comes to keeping in temper. I'm surprised that Rachel didn't transform, I suppose it was too late or something. I shudder to think of me trying to control them if they transform."

"You would whip them into shape, I'm sure. They already look up to you from what I can tell so that half is made that much easier."

"I know." I replied before someone knocked loudly at my door. "Want to stick around for the drama, more of my Dad yelling at me to act like the scion of a proud line of wolves, yada yada yada."

"No thanks, I've heard enough of that to last a lifetime, speak with you soon, until then keep the inside jokes to yourself."

"You too, no sharing my material." I replied and my thoughts were mine alone once more. I smiled and went to the door opening it, surprised when I saw Alise standing outside of it.

"Can I talk to you Sammy?" Alise asked hanging back and I nodded, I liked Astaria's and Brady's daughter. She was fourteen and fun to be around.

"Sure kiddo." I replied and went over to my bed. "Pop a squat." I patted the mattress and she sat down next to me.

"Well everyone is worried about transforming." Alise admitted. "I know even the adults are."

"Hey don't sweat it, if it happens it happens, and if it doesn't then it doesn't. Transforming isn't as great as our parents talk it up to be, for one thing you have to have a temper tantrum beforehand its not just I want to be a doggy or a kitty." She laughed but I could tell that I wasn't helping her worries. "Look Mom never transformed and could you imagine the clan without her?"

"No." Alise admitted.

"My brother is unable to transform as well, but he doesn't let it get him down, you shouldn't let it either."

"But it does, he just doesn't want to show it to you." Alise said.

"He doesn't?"

"He's ashamed we all are, that we can't do it. Its a part of us, of our linage and families. Its like saying I don't need to breathe and I can tell how worried everyone is." I silently cursed the clan, who were talking about their children instead of to their children.

"They aren't worried, they just want you to be happy Alise, we all do." I told her.

"You were bitten by a quarter vampire, that's how you started transforming right? Maybe if he bit me.."

"No absolutely not, you're parents would have my head if I allowed that, what influenced my change might have been just a fluke and we aren't experimenting. Alex is extremely guilty about that and the bond I share with him is pretty strange."

"You just don't want me to be able to shift."

"How would you like it if you're constantly confused about the one that is chosen for you? You've heard me my dad and Collin arguing, do you want that?"

"No, maybe you could bite me though, it might work and I'll try anything." Alise said and I stared at her in shock.

"Alise have you seen my Mom's face? We aren't in control of ourselves when the wolf takes over, not completely. It makes us ruled by our instincts first and our humanity second, I wouldn't forgive myself if I hurt you."

"If you bit me in human form..."

"I'm not a vampire Alise! I'm not going to bite anyone!"

"But it might transform me." She protested and I sighed why did Alise have to be smart enough to think she knew everything and naive enough to believe that there was no consequences for her actions.

"It might kill you too, you don't play around with venom or vampires."

"Yet you play around with a quarter vampire and think of him before the clan." She demanded and I saw her tremble slightly, she didn't even notice it but I did. Everybody was resentful of that relationship, why couldn't they understand? Would it kill them if I got together with Alex? What business was it of their anyway? I felt myself loosing control and come into my wolf form. "Bite me Sammy you know you want to, please bite me."

I had been angry but now that I was in wolf form my anger had dissipated and I realized how frantic Alise was. I shook my head in reply and howled, at once six people ran into the room and Alise's shoulder's slumped in defeat. "What happened? What's wrong Sammy, why did you howl?" Collin asked frantic, my brother standing next to him.

"Yeah Sammy, what happened?" He asked me, lately he had been trying to drive up my temper so he could get angry at me in return and possibly change. I glared at him in reply and shrugged.

"Arg, we can't get an answer until she transforms." Brady said grimacing and I nodded, they would have to wait for a long time for me to reply.

"Sammy, I know that you don't have to obey my orders but please transform back." I whined looking pointedly at the guys in the room.

"You heard your father." Emily said and I nodded, grabbing the blanket in the corner and tugging it over me before starting my transformation back into human form. A moment later I returned to my human form, it was funny but to my mind it was Emily not Sam who was law.

I wrapped the blanket around me and glared at everyone around me. "What happened was is that I realized how obviously you resent me for having a life other then the one you dictate to me." I replied.

"We don't dictate anything to you." My dad replied.

"Really Dad? You don't let me go on patrol. You don't let me call Alex. You don't let me share about half of my life with my friends. You don't let me see anyone else, other people my age are dating why can't I?"

"You want to date?" Collin asked me and I shrugged.

"It would be nice to be given options. I can't get close to anyone apart from Alex who isn't family and you don't even want to allow me that!" I exclaimed, glad that they didn't know that I could talk to Alex wherever he was, whenever we wanted.

"Sammy you know full well that we can't risk being discovered by the humans, their first response to something strange is fear." My Dad said gently.

"You had normal friends in school why can't I?"

"Are you saying that we aren't normal?" Brady asked.

"Well Brady, you turn into a dog whenever you feel upset about something, does that sound normal to you? Because it defiantly doesn't sound normal to me."

"I hate being normal." My brother said. "Everyone else can change apart from me."

"Other then me, who can change in our generation? Name one person, maybe it will skip a generation if you are lucky."

"Lucky? Lucky?" He demanded. "How is that lucky when I'm left behind? Tell me that sister."

"Listen Emile and listen carefully, you wouldn't want this if you had it. You think its freedom but you're wrong transforming is a prison that you can't escape even when you stop doing it. It's ruined people's lives, it ruined Leah's life, its ruining my life."

"Leah is happy." Sam protested. "She told me that in her letters."

"Because it forces us to be happy, don't you see how imprisoned we all are? That's why I'm going to fight it with everything I have, I'm not going to have my life dictated to me by something that I should control, not the other way around." I said. "Now would you leave my room?" I asked them and I was shocked when both my brother and Alise did so, the rest staying behind.

"This isn't over Sammy, you obviously need a reality check, but you're my daughter and I know you won't listen to reason right now."

"Dam right Daddy dearest."I replied glaring at him.

"Come on, lets give her some space." My Dad said and I felt myself growling inside, imprint hah like he understood me. I groaned and threw myself down onto my bed, punching my pillow and imagining that it was all my problems. If only that it were so easy.