WARNING: Graphic depictions of violent imagery ahead, including gun violence.

After we heard the howl in the woods, we all quickly stripped and phased. In the pack mind, I could see Paul's living room floor with Harry Clearwater lifeless on the ground. My mind was filled with sorrow, overwhelmed with sorrow.

LEAH, IS THAT YOU? I took off, running toward Paul's house. LEAH, WHAT HAPPENED?

HE'S DEAD, EMBRY. NO PULSE. HIS BODY IS COLD.

WAS THAT FROM THE GUNSHOT? I asked, nearing Paul's

NO, HE WASN'T SHOT. I CAME AFTER HEARING THE GUNSHOT. I CAME WITH PAUL. In her mind, I could see her looking down the hallway of Paul's house and he was walking toward her, in human form, face distraught.

I'M ALMOST THERE BABY, I'VE GOT TO PHASE TO HUMAN TO GET IN. I'LL BE RIGHT THERE. I phased to human, pulled on my shorts and opened the door. I smelled blood down the hall but I ran to Leah and Harry in the living room first. Harry was cold. It was impossible to tell how long he'd been dead since the whole house was also cold. Did Sam never turn on the heat?

Paul stood next to me. "I think Sam shot himself. He's in my dad's room. He must have found a gun in there."

"Is he alive?" I asked.

Paul shook his head. "We need to get Leah to phase back." He nodded to Leah, still in wolf form in the living room. "Then we can call the cops."

"I'm going to try to get her to the woods." I said to Paul. "Who do you need with you here?"

"Jake and Billy would be best, especially if we're dealing with Charlie."

I nodded. "I'm phasing in. I'm going to have everyone else phase out except Seth but I'll tell Jake to work with you here."

I pulled down my shorts and tied them to my ankle.

JAKE, SETH, I NEED YOU AT PAUL'S. EVERYONE ELSE PHASE OUT. When Jake arrived, I told him to phase out to work with Paul.

SETH, WE'VE GOT TO HELP LEAH.

Seth howled. OH MY GOD! IT'S REAL. DAD!

SHIT, I NEED BOTH OF YOU TO PHASE OUT. SETH, I BROUGHT YOU HERE TO HELP LEAH.

Leah seemed to snap to attention. SETH, FOLLOW ME INTO THE WOODS. She said it in the alpha timber and they both walked out together.

I phased to human. "I'll leave this to you two." I said to Paul and Jake. "I'll stick with the Clearwaters."

Paul sighed. "Someone's going to have to tell Emily."

I nodded and headed out the door. I followed their scent trail to the woods and found them not too far into the forest. Both were still in wolf form. I phased to join them in the pack mind. I phased into silence.

There was no thought from either of them. Both were intensely staring at leaves.

ARE YOU HIDING YOUR THOUGHTS FROM ME? I asked.

WE'RE HIDING OUR THOUGHTS FROM EACH OTHER, EMBRY, Leah said. WE'RE BOTH OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW.

IS BEING IN WOLF FORM HELPING? CAN YOU PHASE BACK?

Seth phased back. "You're right. It wasn't helping. It was a gut reaction to the emotion. Can you help Leah? I'm going to go check on Emily."

I nodded. LEAH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE YOUR THOUGHTS FROM ME.

I THINK I DO.

DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?

NO, EMBRY, THIS IS MY FAULT. She showed me the memory of her ordering Sam to visit with the elders. I DIDN'T PUT A PROTECTIVE ORDER ON THEM. I COULD HAVE TOLD HIM NOT TO HURT THEM BUT I DIDN'T!

LEAH, THIS ISN'T YOUR FAULT. YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM. SAM DID, AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT. HE MIGHT HAVE HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY THAT SAM DIDN'T HANDLE PROPERLY. WE JUST DON'T KNOW.

WE KIND OF DO KNOW. I KNOW IT WAS SAM IN MY GUT. DID YOU SEE SAM?

NO, I WAS TOO FOCUSED ON YOU AND HARRY.

Leah flashed an image of Sam's body on the floor. His face was not recognizable. There was blood everywhere. There was a rifle or shotgun or some kind of long gun on his chest, pointing toward his face.

DID YOU SEE HIM BEFORE YOU SAW HARRY?

YEAH, WE COULD SMELL THE BLOOD. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW DAD WAS THERE UNTIL I WANDERED OUT INTO THE LIVING ROOM, DAZED.

LEAH, I'M SO SORRY.

I KNOW. She rubbed our muzzles together, then phased to human. I followed her and she held me in a tight hug. "I need to be with my mom and Seth right now."

"Do you need clothes?" She nodded against my shoulder. We went to our house first for clothes, then to the Clearwaters.

Seth and Sue were hugging in the kitchen. Quil was cradling Emily on the couch. Leah ran up to her mom and joined their hug. I approached Emily. "Did you feel it? When he died?" I asked gently.

She nodded.

"You're still pack, Emily. Don't doubt that, ok? We are stronger with you. I don't know how, I just know it is true, ok?" She nodded again, then continued sobbing into Quil's chest.

I awkwardly approached my wife, not sure what I should be doing. She opened the hug to let me in and I embraced them all. Everyone was crying and I could feel Leah's grief. We stood like that for several minutes.

A knock sounded at the door. "I'll get it." I jogged over and opened the door to Charlie Swan.

He saw the family huddled together in the kitchen, and Emily sobbing on Quil in the living room. "News travels fast on the rez," Charlie commented.

"Yes, sir," I agreed

"Sue," he strode into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry."

Sue saw him for the first time then. She pulled him into a hug away from her children. "Charlie! It's Harry! What happened to him? Seth just told me that he was dead but they don't know what happened."

When she let go of him, Charlie said, "Well, it's an active investigation, Sue. Can you tell me who was here, in your house, today?"

"Ask Emily. Most of us just got here now."

Charlie approached Emily. "Can you tell me who has come and gone from the house today, Emily?"

"Paul came before Seth went to school, then Seth left. Leah showed up around nine. Paul went for a run around ten but he was back before eleven. Paul and Leah were here until they heard a gunshot and went to check it out."

"So Leah, you were on the scene?"

She nodded. I hugged her from behind for support.

"But you left?"

She nodded again.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Paul and I went in and we smelled something from his dad's room and Sam was there, shot. I wandered back into the living room, stunned, and saw Daddy and kind of flipped out."

"Flipped out, how?"

"I was just sobbing, not moving. Paul called Embry" she gestured to me, "who brought Jake and Seth. They helped get me out of there so we could tell mom."

"Ok, Sue, I'll tell you this because we're friends," Charlie said quietly, "And because I loved Harry. This looks like a murder suicide. We still need to do some forensics to rule out the Lahote boy, but Leah, your testimony should be sufficient to clear his name. Unless forensics comes back with something truly surprising, this should be an open and shut case. I'm so sorry for your loss. Justice is never served in a murder suicide."

"Clear the Lahote boy? Why is he even a suspect?" Leah asked angrily.

"Well, it was his house, he was there when we arrived, and there is a gap in his alibi. Emily said he went for a run. So it's possible that he killed Harry at ten, then in an unrelated incident, Sam killed himself around noon. Or that someone else killed Sam at noon. It's not likely, and I think forensics will be able to rule it out. Do you know why Sam and Harry were at Paul's house when Paul was here?"

"Paul has been living with my family for a while," I explained. "When Sam needed a place to stay, Paul offered his own home to him. I don't know why Harry was there this morning."

"No good deed goes unpunished. So the Lahote kid offered up his home and this is what Sam did with it. That bedroom is going to need specialists to clean it thoroughly."

"How did Daddy die?" Leah asked.

"It looks like strangulation but there's other bruising. He'll need an autopsy."

"Talk to Billy," Sue instructed. "He'll sign off on the autopsy."

"Understood. Sue, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know. And I'm saying that as a friend, not the police chief. Of course, if you need anything from me in that regard, just let me know. And if any of you can think of any other information we should know, don't hesitate to call." He looked around at all of us then left.

When Charlie pulled the door shut, Sue asked me, "Is that a Ring of Scars?"

I put my hand to my chest. "I forgot to bring a shirt."

"Yes mom, I gave it to him a week ago."

"Did Harry know?"

I shook my head.

"He would have been so proud. Do you have one too, Leah?"

Leah nodded sadly, then moved her hair to show her mom. "We were going to tell eventually. We just wanted it to be our own private thing for a while. I'm sorry we didn't tell, mom!" Leah embraced her mom again.

"Shhh. Shhh." Sue cooed. "He was already so proud of you, and you too Seth, and you too Embry. He already viewed you as a beloved son-in-law, which he previously thought was an oxymoron, beloved son-in-law."

I stifled a chuckle. "Thank you, Sue. I loved him too."

When the clock struck two, Leah declared, "I've got to patrol."

"No, Leah, one of us can do that for you. Do you want me to go or Quil?" I offered.

"I need to do it. I need to clear my head." She kissed my cheek on her way out.

Paul came in the door a few minutes later. "They suspect me! They were going to take me in for questioning. They were cuffing me when Charlie told them it wouldn't be necessary, my alibi was strong."

"He came here asking questions. I'm glad Emily and Leah were able to clear your name." I said.

"Emily!" He ran to her and pulled her off of Quil and into his own arms, bridal style. He was rubbing his cheek against hers in an intimate gesture. "Thank you, Emily."

"Of course, Paul. I didn't even know I was clearing your name at the time. Charlie just wanted to know who had been in and out of the house this morning."

"You told him about my run?"

She nodded. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah, Charlie doesn't think I was involved. It's going to be fine." Paul still looked nervous. "How are you, Emily? Did you feel the imprint break? Did it hurt you at all?"

"I felt it, yeah, but it didn't hurt. It was like a weighted vest was being removed after having worn it for a year. I didn't realize how light I'd feel without it."

Paul closed his eyes and sighed. "I was so worried you'd be hurt." I grew concerned watching them. It was obvious that Paul cared deeply for Emily, but not that Emily was available at all. She had just left an abusive relationship and her ex had died only hours ago, probably by suicide.

I waited on the couch for Leah's return. We all sat around in front of the TV. It was on but we were all too numb to pay attention. I felt a headache growing.

Leah came in and she looked better, but not well. She came over to me and reached her hand out. I reached for her and she pulled me up. She said, "I want to go home."

"Ok."

Even though we had furnished the downstairs, she walked us right up to bed. We both got naked and climbed into bed, holding each other. Neither of us said anything. We just looked into each other's eyes, sorrow to sorrow.

"It makes sense that I'd outlive my parents. It's just too soon."

"I know."

"And now everything will be different and I'll miss him forever."

"I'll miss him too."

"He loved you so much, Embry. I always thought that would be a deal breaker for me, dating someone that my parents liked."

"Yeah?" I smiled weakly.

"And I wanted him to see us get married, traditionally married, and have kids someday. That would have made him so happy. And he didn't even get to see the Ring of Scars, either yours or mine. That would have made him so happy."

"It would have, yeah. But we didn't know he was going to die."

"I feel like I killed him and I don't know what to do about that."

"Leah, I didn't put a protection order on them and neither did Paul. Should I feel guilty about that? Should Paul?"

"No, you didn't do this. Sam did."

"The same is true for you, Leah."

"But it doesn't feel true," she said sadly.

"Honey, it is."

"Can I suck your dick?"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. It always makes me feel better."

"Do you think it will?"

"Maybe," she said with a small smile.

"Leah, I can't even get it up right now."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry baby. I know it makes you feel better. Do you want me to try?"

"Can you?"

I started palming it but nothing was happening. "Can I eat you out? That always makes me hard."

"Yeah, if it will help."

I kneeled between her knees and lifted her thighs onto my shoulders. I inhaled deeply and started licking everywhere. I realized I was licking like a wolf licked a wound. I tried to focus on what would give her pleasure but went back to broad licks, like I was cleaning and comforting her. My dick was not hard, no matter how long I worked at it.

"I'm sorry, it's not working."

"Can I try to get you hard?"

"You can try but I'm not confident it will work. I think this is some sort of stress and grieving response."

Leah started licking my flaccid shaft and balls. I watched as she used broad strokes, like she was cleaning me. She didn't go to the usual spots that got me hard quickly. She was comforting me with her tongue, just as I was doing to her.

"Baby, this isn't going to work, not right now at least. We're both licking each other like a mama wolf licks her cubs."

Leah looked up at me and laughed. I smiled and opened my arms. She let me hold her for a while until the doorbell rang.

"We have a doorbell?" I asked.

"I guess so. Do you want to get it? I'll get dressed and be right down."

"Ok." I kissed her cheek and went down the stairs, pulling up my shorts as I went.

Jake and Billy were at the door.

When I opened the door shirtless, Billy spoke in awe, "Ring of Scars."

Jake stormed in. "They took Paul into custody."