When Sam picked her up from her house the next day he kept looking over at her but never said anything. Kate leaned her head against the window and quietly hummed along to whatever was on the radio. It took almost the whole ride to La Push for him to finally say something.
"What's with you?" he said with a small smile.
Kate snapped her head up, "Huh?"
Sam chuckled, "You're not pissed for once."
"I told Bella."
The car jolted forward as Sam stepped on the breaks a little bit causing Kate to strain against her seatbelt. Sam recovered quickly but began to shake a little bit. Kate knew this to be a danger sign and she was ready to jump out of the moving car just in case.
"What?"
Kate shrugged her shoulders, "It was killing me not telling her. I had to. She swore she wouldn't tell anyone. Besides, if she can keep the Cullen's damn secret, she can sure keep her sister's."
"Did you tell her about the pack," he asked her sharply.
She was somewhat offended by this question.
"No. Why would I? It's not my secret to tell. You'd kill me if I did anyways. But honestly, Sam, I feel better. Really!"
Sam drummed his fingers on the steering wheal as he turned off the normal road and started to drive down a dirt road into the forest. Kate opened her mouth to ask him where they were going but thought better it seeing as how he was still mad.
After a while Sam sighed, "Well at least you're happy. I was worried you were going to become like Paul with the way you were acting."
Kate laughed, "The world can't handle another Paul."
He slowed down the truck when they came in front of a house that seemed to be secluded right in the middle of nowhere. The house was a beautiful two-story house with wooden sides and flowerboxes in the windows. When the car stopped Sam got out with a small smile. Kate watched him as she got out too and noticed how the years and stress seemed to fade away. She watched as he changed from a big, bad alpha to a normal boy. This made her smile too.
Kate followed Sam up the stairs but stopped when he suddenly turned to look at her.
"Listen, Kate. There's someone I want you to meet. She's been bugging me about it for weeks now. Just do me a favor and don't stare," Sam halfway ordered.
She screwed her face up in confusion, "Stare at what?"
A look of true pain crossed his face and Kate had to resist the urge to hug him.
"My mistake."
With that, he turned and walked right through the front door. Kate paused for a second not knowing what to expect. She steeled herself and walked in after him. The inside of the house was just as lovely as the outside. It was open and warm. There was a large kitchen that had wonderful smells drifting from it. If possible, the smells were better than the smells of Esme's cooking. There was a large table right in the middle of the room where Paul and Jared sat.
"Princess, glad you could finally make it," Paul smiled at her.
Kate sheepishly smiled back not really knowing what to do. Jared waved her over to sit next to him at the table and she gingerly sat in the chair. She just looked around. Just then, a woman walked into the room followed closely by Sam. This woman was stunning. She had beautiful, dark features and silky hair that was tied in a lose knot at the base of her neck. Kate understood what Sam had said when he had made a mistake. On the right side of Emily's face, were three long claw marks that went from her temple to her jaw. With a sickening feeling she knew that it was Sam who had done that to her. Kate instantly pitied her friend who what he did to the woman he loved.
Sam came up behind the woman and placed his hand on her lower back, "Kate this is my girlfriend Emily."
The woman named Emily gave Kate a huge smile and made to hug her. Kate stood and almost flinched back at the sudden affection but quickly accepted the hug.
"Kate, it's so nice to meet you! Sam has been keeping you away from me. Jared and Paul have just been telling me all about you."
Kate pulled back and gave the boys a little glare.
"All good things I hope," she told them.
Paul and Jared exchanged smirks and laughed at Kate.
Emily let out a melodic laugh, "I never really listen to them anyway. Are you hungry? With this lot I have to cook all the time."
"That'd be great. Thanks!"
Emily took her by the hand and led her further into the kitchen, "So Sam tells me you're a siren."
Kate nodded as Emily handed her a plate of food, "Not a very good one though."
Emily gave her a sweet, sad smile, "You're just starting. Besides, Sam says your progressing quickly."
"He's giving me too much credit."
Emily gave her a serious look, "Trust me. He couldn't lie to me if he tried."
Kate was confused about the way that she said that but couldn't find anyway to comment on it. Instead, she just took a bite of the pasta that Emily handed her. Kate almost shuddered at the food she was eating. It was a thousand times better than Esme's cooking.
"Emily this is amazing!" she told the woman.
Emily's smile made Kate happy, "I'm so glad you like it."
"You really have a gift, Emily."
Emily laughed, "If you keep compliment me anymore you're going to sound like Sam."
The girls laughed as they began to talk about the boys that caused them so many headaches. When it was time for Kate to practice, she was almost sad to leave Emily. The two had gotten along great. Emily told her it was nice to have another woman around because there was too much testosterone in the house. Kate explained to Emily what Sam was working on with her and Emily listened with interest.
"Sam, you've been holding out on me," Kate told him as Sam, Kate, Paul, and Jared all walked to a clearing in the woods.
Jared came up beside Kate and slung his arm around her shoulder, "He just doesn't want you to steal her away."
Sam ignored the pair as their laughed echoes through the trees.
"Alright let's get started," Sam barked out.
Sam had Kate run for what seemed like hours and hours. She was almost sick by the time that he told her to stop. He walked up to her with a small smile.
"You're fast," he told her, "For a human. You can do better. We'll keep working on it. Get ready."
Kate rolled her eyes as she went to the other end of the clearing. She and Paul looked at each other from across the field before she nodded at him. Paul began to walk at a slow pace toward her. Concentrating hard, she brought her hands in front of her. She waited for the usual pounding in her head that preceded the fatigue but it never came. This time she felt almost at ease. She watched as the fiery, blue energy snaked around her hands. Looking past her hands she saw that Paul was being circled around the waist by the energy too and that he was hovering two feet off of the ground.
Jared let out a loud, happy howl while Sam barked in his usual laughter in the distance. She watched as she moved Paul several feet to the left then did the same to the right. This was the first time that she'd ever done something like this. Kate began to laugh growing ever more confidant. She moved Paul all across the clearing for a minute before Sam called out to her.
"Kate, throw him."
She looked back at Sam, "What?"
Sam pointed at Paul, "Throw him as hard as you can. He can heal fast. Just do it."
Kate concentrated hard on Paul's form before slinging her arms far to the left. Paul's body mirrored her action and his body flew through the air. He crash-landed against a tree at the edge of the clearing. Sam and Jared's laugher rung throughout the clearing and they couldn't stop. Even Paul was laughing.
"Took you long enough," he called out to her.
Kate laughed and once more slung him against the tree. This time it was a lot harder than the last. She hadn't meant to do it that hard but Paul cracked the tree. She watched as Paul suddenly began to shake. Kate was used to watching Paul phase but this is the first time that she had actually seen him phase out of anger.
"Jared, get her out of here," Sam ordered him.
Kate ran to Jared as she watched Sam phase before her. The two wolves before her, growled at each other.
"Well, looks like class is over," Jared said next to her.
The two wolves charged each other and began to fight. Their jaws clashed against each other as they tried to bite one another. Jared put his arm on her shoulder as he dragged her out of the clearing back toward Emily's house. Kate didn't say anything. Once they got there she slumped on the front porch steps and said nothing. Jared looked at her with pity but left her be on the stairs.
Kate stared out over the leaves and trees. She didn't know how long it was when she saw Sam coming out of the trees. He had on a new pair of cutoffs and slowly walked over to her. She didn't move when he sat down next to her and stared at the spot she was looking at. It was a good, long while before she spoke.
"I'm a monster," she whispered.
Sam sighed, "No you're not."
Kate finally looked at him, "Yes I am. All I do is hurt people. You say that I can protect people but I can't. I have the body of a killer. I'm designed to kill people. How long before I snap and kill Bella, or you, or Emily, Jared, or Paul? What happens then? My mind control isn't any better. I take away people's free will. What kind of monster does that? I understand now why people like me get killed. We deserve it. We're abominations."
"You're right," Sam said simply, "You are a monster. But, I'm a monster too. Kate, I turn into a fucking wolf. We're all monsters. What sets us apart from just being monsters to abominations is how we choose to act. I'm a monster for hurting Emily but that doesn't mean I can't be good. Now I don't know about you, but I'll fight until my dying breath to save humans. Not everything is black and white in this world."
She had no response for him. She simply leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. Kate was sure that he could smell the salt now tainting the air but Sam said nothing. He simply put his arm around her and sat there with her.