Howl.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to win. Just so you know. I let my tongue hang from my mouth as I ran, jumping over boulders and dodging trees. The cool temperatures of the mud felt good against my paws, and as Embry caught up with me, I kicked dirt into his face.

Not if you keep trying to throw me off, you won't! He called as I took off.

Sorry, babe, I'm pretty much already winning. I could hear the water already, rushing against the cliffs frantically, like little hands that were trying to drag us down. The woods thinned out as I ran, and almost immediately, I saw the water. I skidded to a halt, and caught my breath before phasing back and racing to put on the swim suit I had tied around my leg.

It must be something in the air, but I have never been happier. I had the pack, and Embry to keep my occupied, and even though the summer was coming to a close, I knew that nothing was going to get in my way. I had spent most of this summer moping, whether about my father, Embry, or the changes my body was going through. I never saw my change coming, despite the hints my father gave me when I was younger. And I hated it still, but the speed that I could run at was incredible.

I stared down at the water, feeling the ocean breeze wrap around my bare legs and arms. Now that I thought about it, bringing clothes was pretty pointless, especially if all I was going to do was get them wet. I ran my fingers through my hair, laughing quietly to myself as I thought about what I must look like as a wolf.

The bushes rustled behind me, and I peeked over my shoulder. Embry was still a wolf, and there was a mischievous glimmer in his eye. His tongue lolled out, and I stepped out of the way in fear that he would tackle me over the edge of the cliff. Instead, he just backed into the bushes, disappearing from my sight.

"Head's up!"

Embry came charging at me, and before I could protest, he wrapped his arm around my waist and took me with him off of the cliff. I screamed, and squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't watch myself fall. The water hit me hard, and I let the cold wrap around me before reacting. I blew bubbles from my nose, and opened my eyes. The murky water stung a little, but I could see Embry still, making his way up to the surface.

I kicked at the water and swam for what felt like ages until I broke the surface. "Again?" I heard Embry ask, and I wiped my eyes of water before staring at him in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just did that, you jerk." My lungs hurt and it felt like my swim suit top rode up my chest when I hit the water. I swam over to shallower water and the silky sand squished between my toes. "Don't touch me, Embry," I said. He inched towards me, a silly smile on his face.

"Why not?"

"Because I'll scream." I scowled, moving away from him. "Because you just threw me off of a cliff."

"You were going to do it anyway," he countered. "It was just going to be after a lot of convincing that you'll be ok. I thought I'd save us both from that."

I got out of the water, my hair dripping down my back and waist. Embry followed, and I stared at him. "I would've done it eventually, you know." There was a whine in my voice. He made a face.

"Yeah, after about two hours of 'I don't know if I can do it! It's so high!'" He laughed, and hugged me, the warmth from our skin making the chill a little bit more tolerable. "Kim did it, too, and so did Jill. But neither one of them reacted the way you did."

I frowned. "And how exactly did I react?"

Embry grinned, "well, you screamed like a little girl and made the weirdest face I've ever seen. I wouldn't even be able to imitate it." I groaned, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He kissed my temple. "But at least you won the race."

*

"You should've seen her," Embry said to Quil, who high-fived him. "She was hilarious." After we had dried off, we ran back to Sam's house, where the other pack members were. The Elders sat around a bonfire while the rest of us ate food. Quil had used up all of his jokes by now and I was thankful for that.

"Stop making fun of me," I whined, slapping Embry's arm. He grabbed my waist, and held me in front of him, digging his face into my neck. Quil made a funny face. The poor kid had imprinted on a two-year-old. Embry wiggled his fingers against my belly and I squirmed. "Don't do that," I muttered, grasping his hands.

"Why not?" He kissed my cheek.

"You're being annoying."

"You like it."

I sighed. A yell distracted me, and before I could do or say anything, Embry picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He started carrying me towards the house, and I pounded against his back. "God, put me down! Right now! I mean it, Embry!"

He took me into the kitchen, and I hit his shoulder with my fist. "Stop fighting, Lilly," he said. Emily grinned at me, and I could feel the mischief looming over the room.

"Oh, God," I whined when he set me into a chair. Squeezing my eyes shut, I heard the faint sound of scissors snipping the air. Of course, this was the only way that they were going to get me to cut my hair. By force. I sighed heavily, crossing my arms in a pout. "I was going to do it eventually!"

"Yeah," Sam said, grinning at me, "because eventually means never in your book." He stepped behind me, and pulled my hair over my shoulders. "You're the only one here with hair this long. It's gotta go."

I groaned. "I'm going to hate you guys for ever." I hardly had any notice before Sam cut the first piece of my hair off. He tossed it into my lap and I made a face. "Ugh."

"You'll survive," Embry said.