Howl.

It took me two days to change back. Embry had found me not long after I ran away from them, and talked me into going to Sam's, which I was thankful for, because it had started to rain. I stared at Sam as he tried to figure me out. But goddamn, I wasn't a fucking puzzle.

The dress Emily, Sam's fiancee, had provided was a little too big, but it still covered enough. It was a pretty, ivory white dress that hit just below my knees. I hadn't bathed in two days, and my hair was starting to get oily. Normally it wouldn't have bothered so much. Except, now I felt completely exposed and up for judgment.

"We haven't exactly had that many female werewolves," Sam said, leaning back against the couch in front of me. Embry sat beside me, staring at his hands. "Leah Clearwater is the only one that I've met, and I've been a werewolf for a few years already."

I chewed on my lip as he spoke.

"What is your father's name, Lilly?" He asked. Sam was young, but he was very serious. The tone of his voice hinted towards extreme maturity, and I could tell that he was the one who kept the other boys in line.

"John Day," I replied, my voice raising like I were asking a question.

"Hmm." Sam thought for a moment. "The name sounds familiar but I've never met anyone called that. Maybe Quil Sr. knows him."

I shrugged, and began picking at my fingernails. I had been too freaked out lately to get any sleep, so I was exhausted. My eyelids drooped, and I caught myself before I started to nod off. Sam paced around the living room, a cell phone held to his ear. He spoke quietly.

"You're a pretty wolf, you know," Embry said. "Although, with all that hair you have, it'd be harder to keep up with all of us. It'll weigh you down."

I looked at him, my eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I need to cut my hair?"

He blushed, a small smirk on his face. "Yeah, sort of."

"Don't even talk to me about that." I crossed my arms and let out a sigh. "Besides, I didn't want to become a werewolf."

"You can't help that, Lil. This is what you are."

"You like it?" I asked, my voice cracking. "You actually enjoy morphing into a giant dog?"

Embry glared at me, his face suddenly becoming very angry. "You never had a problem with it until you turned, Lilliana."

I clenched my jaw, and got up off of the couch. The ivory dress that I wore stuck to the back of my thighs, and I pulled it away as I walked towards the front door. "Lilly," I heard Embry call, chasing after me. It was raining when I stepped out onto the front porch. "Listen to me."

"God, Embry," I pushed him away when he tried to hug me. "I hate this! I hate feeling like a monster." My vision blurred, and for a moment I couldn't see anything. "I was ok with you being this because you were! You never let it bother you, or.. at least you didn't show it."

"I look at it as.. protecting people. That's why it doesn't bother me. And besides," Embry said, and I finally let him wrap his arms around me, "I like running fast."

I laughed softly, and closed my eyes. This boy, my best friend in the whole world, had imprinted on me. He was a werewolf, and now I was, too. I had always believed in fate, but this was not what I had expected. I hadn't lied when I said that Embry was the only person that I could ever imagine myself being with, but the idea of mythical creatures actually being real was hard to wrap my head around.

I lifted my head to see him, and chewed on my lips for a moment while thinking. Embry stared at me, a small smile on his face. Neither one of us moved, and as I stared at him, I realized the thing that he'd been wanting to do for a while now. The space between us closed slowly, until I could feel his breath on my face. I watched his eyes, flickering back and forth while he looked at me, searching for approval. His lips brushed mine softly, almost a kiss but not. My heart pounded, and it felt like it was going to beat all the way up to my throat and out my mouth.

Closing my eyes, I let him kiss me, the soft skin of his lips making me shiver. It took me a moment before I kissed him back, but my stomach flipped and twisted, and it felt completely right.

Embry and I kissed for a few more moments, before I heard someone open the front door. I quickly pulled away, and pushed my hair over my shoulders. Emily stepped outside, smiling at us. "I've got some lunch waiting for you if you want it," she said.

After Emily had gone back inside, Embry kissed me again, taking me by surprise. He cupped my chin, and when I went to kiss him back, he broke it off and was through the front door before I could even process what had happened.

"So, I called Quil Sr," I heard Sam say as I followed Embry's lead into the house. I found them in the kitchen, where lunch meat and bread had been laid out on the breakfast bar. I hadn't noticed Jared or Quil arrive, and was sort of surprised when I saw them sitting at the table.

"Hey wolf lady," Jared said, smiling. I wrinkled my nose at him, and leaned against the door frame.

Sam looked at me. "It seems that your father was somewhat of a nuisance to the Elders back when he was younger," he said. I stared at him, surprised. "Do you have any other siblings?"

I shrugged. "I have an older sister and brother, but I haven't seen either of them in a really long time."

Sam sighed, and scratched his head. "Alright. I really don't know why this is such a big deal. It's not that uncommon to have a female shape-shifter. We have Leah, after all..." He rambled on for a few more minutes before he couldn't anymore, because he was shoving a sandwich into his mouth. I stopped listening after he said it wasn't a big deal, because I agreed with him.

"Sam?" I interrupted. The room quieted. "I don't know which one of my parents had the gene. My father left. I have no idea where he is, but I want to find him."

"We can help you with that." A smile crept onto Sam's face.