𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. sam uley

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

Sam leaves Leah's after giving her a hug that feels warm and so unlike how it used to. Sam is glad that any underlying feelings he's had for her have gone away. Finally letting her go has felt like releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. A weight has been lifted. He feels better.

The next day, they all go on a run together. Sam gets up early in the morning and kisses his mother on the cheek before heading into the woods and phasing. Everyone is already there, shifted into their wolf forms.

Something swells in Sam at seeing them all there. Embry's spotted fur and dark gray nose glares at Sam along with Quil's light brown muzzle. Jacob's own coat is sleek and auburn as usual and Seth's sandy coat is rustling in the wind as Seth gallops around, excited for the run.

Little late there, Uley, Jacob comments in his head, sounding smug. Gotten slow on us, huh?

Sam snorts, rushing into him playfully, and then they're off, running through the forest with howls that can be heard for miles. His feet carry him through the woods, paws damp and muddy, and Seth wants to race Jared, and Paul is getting along with Leah for once. Brady and Collin are trying to keep up with Quil, and it feels good even though they aren't connected as they used to be.

For hours, they run. Sam can't count how many county lines they've crossed, and he doesn't really care, but he tells Jacob they should probably head back soon. Jacob relays it to his own pack, and together, they all turn around, still barking and howling and overall loving the feeling of being together again. Of being one pack instead of two.

❧

Sam's mother is making something special for them. He knows this because she told him to tell everyone to come back to his house. There used to be a time where she would always cook for the pack, where the meetings would be held at Sam's house with tons of food to keep up with the metabolism that they all had, but that time has passed. Hearing his mother say that she wanted them to come over-it felt like everything was finally falling into place.

Footsteps clatter against the floor as they all shove themselves into his tiny house like they belong there. Sam watches Leah and Seth head over to the couches with a comforting stone placing itself down in his stomach. Sam walks over to his mother, who is sitting on a chair at the island. He gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Food smells great, Ma," he says, chortling when Paul shoves him. He pushes back at Paul with a smile, hoping that everything between them is okay.

Paul says, "Yeah, Mrs. Uley. You always have the best snacks after a run."

"Can we eat? Can we eat?" Seth, who is always ready to inhale food, asks.

Sam laughs lightly, heading towards the fridge. "In a minute. Let everyone get settled, why don't you?"

"I'm hungry!" Seth bemoans from the couch, clutching his stomach as though starved. "I haven't eaten since breakfast!"

"That was three hours ago, dummy." Leah slaps the back of Seth's head, and Paul and Jared laugh.

Sam reaches into the fridge to grab something, warmth fluttering into him like a dragonfly buzzing overtop of a lake. Hearing everyone crowd in his house again, knowing that things were better-not perfect, but better; healing-is the only thing he had hoped for since Jacob left his pack.

Leah's words of snark towards Paul and her words of comfort towards Jared made him feel even better. When they were in the pack together, she was a comforting presence, no matter how bad her temper got. She was everyone's best friend even if they all fought most of the time, and Sam loves seeing the way she interacts with the old members as though it's second nature to her.