Warning: This chapter has lemons.

Sam's POV

I watched from the woods as Leah sat at her picnic table and cried, again. I just wanted to go to her. To be with her. But I was stuck in this giant wolf body.

The elders had all met me in the woods and talked to me, one-on-one. They had tried to talk me into reverting to my human form.

There was nothing I wanted more than to be human again and explain to Leah why I hadn't been there to walk her to school. I had been walking her to school since she started kindergarten. It felt sacred. I planned to do it until she graduated, and then we'd leave for college together.

Now… I couldn't even go to college, they explained. I could never leave. The elders, her dad specifically, told me to break up with Leah, that I wasn't safe to be around. I snarled so viciously at the suggestion, he never brought it up again.

Each night, I slept under her window. It was the only way I could live with myself. I heard her cry herself to sleep. She thought I was dead, I was sure of it. I needed to be near her.

Leah's POV

When I walked out of my house that morning, I found the most wonderful but also terrifying sight awaiting me. Sam was curled in a ball, butt naked in the bushes by my front door. Was he okay?

"Sam! Sam!" I called frantically as I crouched before him.

He turned to me and opened his eyes. "Lee-lee." His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't used it in ages.

He scrambled to stand and I stood with him. He didn't even seem to realize he was nude. He just pulled me closer into a fierce hug. "Leah, I missed you. I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you, that I made you worry. I love you baby. I'm so sorry."

I clung to him so tight. This was everything I had hoped for. He was alive. He was not injured. He was not insane. But then, "What happened? Where were you?" I pulled away a little to look up at his face.

He was looking toward the front door where my dad now stood, glaring at him.

"I'm not allowed to say." He turned back to me. "I'm sorry. I would tell you if I could. I'm sorry Leah."

"What? You're not allowed to say? Says who?" That didn't make any sense. We never had secrets from each other.

"The council." He whispered.

I turned to my dad. He was at the heart of the council. He was still glaring at Sam. I could tell that he was furious. I could tell that Sam was telling the truth.

"Leah, come inside. Sam is not safe to be around right now."

Sam growled behind me, squeezing me closer. It was so hot. "I'm not leaving him! I don't know what you did to him, but I'm always safe with him. He'll never hurt me!" I turned back to Sam. "Can we go for a walk? Do you want to grab some shorts or something."

He laughed and blushed a little. "I'm afraid if I go in that house," he pointed with his head to his mom's, "she won't let me out without a full interrogation. Do you want me to walk you to school? Maybe Seth or your dad can lend me some shorts for that?"

"I don't want you to walk me to school." I put my hand on his stubbly cheek and kissed him deeply. He tasted different. He didn't taste like toothpaste and mouthwash at all but he didn't taste unclean like morning breath either. He tasted like raw man, but it was still good, so good. Our tongues were hungry for each other. I could feel his hands on my ass and I was tempted to do the same except I knew my dad was still standing right there, in the doorway.

I pulled away enough to say, "let's take a walk in the woods." He scooped me up into his arms and ran before my dad could protest further. He ran around the house into my backyard and took me deep into the woods. We were going fast, too fast, but he was in control.

He slowed when we got to a mossy clearing. He laid me down on a thick bed of moss then crawled over me, kissing me again. He reached up my shirt, then peeled it over my head, carefully tossing it on a nearby log. Still kissing me, he reached around my back and unclasped my bra, freeing the girls.

"Is this ok?" He asked while inching my pants down. "I missed you so much Lee-lee."

I nodded. "Of course it's ok, Sam. I missed you too. But we'll talk after, right?" I still had so many questions.

"Yeah, we'll definitely talk after." Sam said. I was completely naked now and his face was between my legs. He was sniffing me.

"I took a shower." I said, coyly.

"I know. I wish you hadn't. It weakens the aroma." Why did that turn me on so much? It was such a weird thing to say.

He bent my legs, forcing my hips to point up. He started licking my clit, over and over, rapidly licking, building an intense sensation until I was coming.

Then he replaced his tongue with his thumb and slid his tongue inside me.

"Sam, this is great, but fuck me already!"

I didn't have to ask him twice. He buried his cock into me as he brought his face to mine.

"I missed you so much." He looked on the verge of tears.

"Sh. Sh. We'll talk after." I kissed his eyes. "For now, we fuck."

He growled. So fucking hot. He had me moaning in pleasure. His arms were around my back and he lifted me onto his thighs. He was kneeling now and I was in his lap facing him. He pummeled into me, grunting as he moved. It was so good. It felt like home. I was sucking on his neck, breathing in his scent. I had missed this, being in his arms, connected like this.

Then he was standing, holding me by the ass, never losing our connection. He lifted me a little, then slammed our bodies together, over and over and over. I was grunting with each thrust now and he was growling, almost purring. It felt amazing. I knew he was strong, but he had never done this with me before.

"Gah!" I screamed. "I'm coming, Sam!"

He picked up his pace, Jack rabbiting into me so that we could come together. I squeezed him inside and I could feel his hot load shoot into me with force.

He lay down on the moss bed, still inside me. I was on top of him, chest to chest. I didn't want to move. I wanted to keep him inside of me for as long as possible. It was one of the best parts, the intimacy off the charts for me and he knew this, so he never slid right out.

"I'm so sorry I was gone, Lee-lee." He started.

"What can you tell me?"

"It's so stupid, really, the secret. I mean you know the legends. What's the harm in knowing that they're true?"

"What legends? The tricky raven and the bear?" That was our most famous legend.

"No, the other big one, the one about our ancestry."

"The wolves? How we're descended from wolves?"

"That's the one, baby."

"And it's true? We did descend from wolves?" I asked. What the fuck was he talking about?

He nodded. "Yeah, we did."

"And what does that have to do with your disappearing? Were you kidnapped by wolves or something?"

"Great guess! And sort of close." He smiled widely. I loved that smile.

"Ok, I don't get it. What happened?"

"Well, I can't tell you, but we can discuss the legends. They didn't forbid that."

"Who didn't?"

"Your dad, the elders." he kissed the top of my head and that movement jostled the last of his length out of me. "Sorry." He whispered.

I shook my head. "It's fine." I reached up to kiss his chin. "What do I need to know about the legends?"

"Are you warm enough, Lee-lee? I didn't think to bring a blanket or anything."

"No, your body is so hot, in more ways than one." I rubbed my hands on his abs and pecs.

"Do you remember the legend saying anything about men with hot bodies?"

I thought for a minute. "In contrast with the cold ones, the shape shifters had hot bodies."

"Mmmhmm. And I have a hot body?"

SPOV

Leah's naked body lay on top of mine. We had made love for the first time in almost a month. I had brought her to my favorite spot in the woods, the moss carpet. That's what I called it. It was as comfortable as any bed. I was trying to tell her the truth without disrespecting the elders.

"You sure do have a hot body." She said, fingering the lines of my abs. "But it's different, Sam. Harder, leaner somehow, but also bulkier. More muscles and almost no fat. Have you not been eating?"

There was concern in her voice.

"I've eaten plenty, sweetheart." I ate constantly. Even as a wolf, I was eating an elk a day, which was way more than was normal for wolves, I'm pretty sure. "So back to that hot body." She giggled. It was wonderful. Her giggle was my favorite sound in the world, next to her screaming my name in pleasure. But I needed to focus. "The shape shifters had hot bodies, you said. What shape did they shift into?"

"Wolves."

"So if I have a hot body like them…"

"Are you saying you shift into a wolf?"

I nodded.

"Sam, you can't expect me to believe that."

"I was stuck, Leah. I didn't know how to shift back. I still don't. I could shift back into a wolf at any time and be lost again. I don't know how to control it."

"You're telling me that you shifted into a wolf three weeks ago, and have been stuck in that form and didn't know how to shift back?"

"Yeah."

"And the elders knew about it and told you not to tell me?"

"When I went missing, your dad came into the woods and called for me, saying he knew I was a wolf. My hearing is very good. I came toward him, not too close for fear he would shoot me. He told me everything, about the wolves and the cold ones. He told me that it wasn't safe to be near you and that I should dump you."

"He didn't!"

"I got pretty mad and scared him really badly so he only said that once. My wolf is huge, Lee-lee, as tall as me, so I imagine it was very scary."

"What have you been eating?"

"Elk from the national forest. I can run really fast, faster than any car I've ever been in."

"That'll be great for your college scholarship."

I sighed. "Baby, I can't go to college."

"What are you talking about?" she looked up at me, truly confused. We had both been working towards going to college our whole lives. I think she was more shocked by this than the wolf shit.

"There are cold ones in Forks."

"Cold ones?" She got that cute pensive look on her face. "You mean vampires?"

"Yeah, baby, I'm the only protector for the reservation."

"Oh." My heart sank at the realization that came with that one syllable from her lips. She would have to dump me when she went off to college. She'd resist at first. She really did love me. But these kind of long distance relationships never lasted. I'd enjoy her while I could, then enjoy her memory for the rest of my life. I knew I'd never love anyone as much as I loved Leah Clearwater.

"We'll make it work, baby." I said, sure that I was lying. Maybe it was selfish of me to hold onto her, knowing that we wouldn't be together in the end. But I had to. She was my only comfort.

"Make what work?"

"Us, baby, when you go to college."

"No. No. I'll stay."

"What?!" I was getting a little mad. "You have to go. You have dreams."

"All of my best dreams are with you, Sam Uley. You know that. You have to know that. I know we're young. I just…" her voice hitched and she stopped talking abruptly.

"Just what, Lee-lee?"

She took in a deep breath. "When you were gone… I thought you were dead. It was the hardest couple weeks of my life. I mean, the only time I ever walked to school without you was when you had mono, and even then, you started walking me to school again days before you were ready to come back to school yourself. I realized I can't live this life without you. We're too entwined. I'm staying with you, wherever you are. And you can't stop me."

I laughed. "Like I'd want to stop you. I love you. I don't want you to give up anything for me though."

"Then don't make me give you up."

"I'll let you decide, ok? I won't resent you if you decide to leave. Please don't resent me if you decide to stay."

She laughed like the idea was ludicrous. "Deal."

That day on the moss carpet was bliss. We made love again and talked about all the little things I missed. I told her about life as a wolf, how I always slept outside of her bedroom window, how I hunted, and where to find water.