Date

His eyes fluttered open as he felt the tree he was leaning on vibrate from an impact not too far away.

The first thing Paul registered was the unmistakable soreness of pain—his entire back felt like it had been crushed under a boulder. Pain wasn't new to him, but this was shocking because he knew just how much force it took to hurt this badly.

As his vision began to focus, Paul spotted three large wolves trying to subdue a lone figure that was moving so fast, he seemed to leave afterimages in his wake.

Paul couldn't believe it.

Sam, Jared, and Embry—his packmates—were all trying to catch the blurring form of Nate. But Nate was too fast. One moment, he was standing on Jared's back; the next, he was sliding under Sam, kicking one of the wolf's legs out from beneath him.

It was both intriguing and concerning. Nate was so much stronger than them, and as much as Paul hated to admit it, he couldn't deny it any longer.

"Augh!" Nate grunted, tackling Jared's wolf form to the ground. Quickly, he shifted to where he'd just knocked down Embry, who was getting back up, only for Nate to slide under him like he had with Sam, grabbing one of his legs and using the momentum to flip Embry into the air, sending him crashing into a tree. Thankfully, Nate had used far less force than when he'd flung Paul, not wanting to seriously injure the younger wolf.

The ground and trees shook as Embry hit the tree with a loud crash, scaring away every animal in the vicinity.

Nate, now focused on ensuring Embry wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, didn't notice Sam closing in on him—at least not visually. But hearing him was another matter entirely.

As he heard the unmistakable sound of a wolf charging, Nate leaped into the air, flipping as he landed on Sam's back. With swift precision, he wrapped his arm around the wolf's neck, squeezing just enough to choke him out.

Sam tried to shake him off, struggling and thrashing, but Nate's grip was like a vice. Though not squeezing too hard, it was enough to restrict airflow, and after a moment, Sam slumped to the ground, slowly shifting back to his human form.

Nate glanced at the unconscious Sam, questioning whether he had gone a bit overboard with the choking.

"Is he good?" Jared asked, limping toward him, his leg clearly injured from their sparring.

"Yeah, he's fine. Just knocked him out for a bit," Nate replied, helping Sam, who was now starting to regain consciousness.

"When I said 'don't hold back,' I didn't mean you should choke me out," Sam groaned, rubbing his neck.

Nate scratched his head, looking apologetic. "Sorry, man. Didn't mean to be that rough. I just figured you guys would be stronger together."

Jared, noticing the awkwardness of Nate holding a naked Sam upright, handed over Sam's pants. Nate was more than a little relieved.

"You really flung me like a rag doll," Embry said, walking over, thankfully already wearing his pants.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Might've gone a bit overboard," Nate admitted as Sam finally dressed.

"No need to apologize," Sam said, stretching his neck. "Now we know just how strong you are compared to... them."

Nate, confused, looked between Sam, Jared, and Embry. "Compared to who?"

"The Cold Ones," Sam replied, his tone serious. Nate was taken aback. He hadn't realized Sam was comparing him to the vampires.

"What do you think? How would I fare against one of them?" Nate asked, feeling a sudden nervousness creeping in.

In the tapes his father had left him, one thing had stood out more than anything else—his father's warnings about the other vampires, the Cold Ones. He had emphasized more than once how dangerous and unpredictable they could be. Nate felt a knot form in his stomach at the thought.

Sam made a thoughtful expression, locking eyes with Nate. Then, with a strange intensity, he said one word that confused Nate but made Jared and Embry smile.

"Dominance."

"Dominance?" Nate echoed, unsure what Sam meant by it.

"You would absolutely dominate any Cold One that came at you alone. Hell, you might even be able to take on a whole coven of them," Sam said, his voice laced with awe.

Nate couldn't wrap his head around it. Was he really that much stronger than the vampires? Could he believe that?

Instead of letting his mind spiral with 'what ifs,' Nate asked a question that had been bugging him for a while.

"Have you guys met any Cold Ones?" He looked around at them, including Paul, who had just joined the group.

"We have," Sam said, surprising Nate. "There's a redhead who's been running around the forest lately."

Nate was shocked. There was another vampire so close? He hadn't even sensed her.

"And then, of course, the Cullens," Embry spat, literally, as he mentioned their name, which took Nate by surprise.

"The Cullens? You mean the family that moved away a little over five months ago?" Nate recalled his uncle mentioning them.

"Yeah, why?" Sam asked, then his eyes widened in realization. "Your cousin?" Nate nodded, still in shock.

His mind raced. Did Bella know? Did she know she had been dating a vampire?

But Nate pushed those thoughts aside for now. There were more pressing matters, like the redhead running around.

"What about the redhead? Is she a problem?" he asked, concerned for his uncle and Bella.

"She hasn't been a huge problem yet. She steps onto Quileute land, we chase her off. It's like a game of cat and mouse," Sam explained.

"If you need help with her, let me know. I'll gladly step in if it means keeping that vampire away from my family," Nate said, his eyes locking with Sam's.

Sam grinned and extended his hand, which Nate shook firmly.

Suddenly, Jared and Embry burst into laughter, causing Sam and Nate to look at them, confused.

"He beat us like we were children! I still can't believe how powerless I felt," Embry laughed, Jared joining in. Nate shook his head, relieved that they were taking it so lightly. A lot of people would have let their egos get in the way.

"This just means we'll have to train harder," Sam said, making Jared and Embry groan in protest.

Nate couldn't help but smile. For the first time in a while, he felt good—like he was finally starting to feel normal again. It almost made him forget the constant buzz in his head reminding him of his mother's death.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Leah, asking if today was a good time to meet up for his "tour." He replied yes, and she followed up by asking if he could pick her up from work in an hour.

He checked the time. Ten past ten. They had been sparring for nearly four hours.

"Anyway, I've got to head out," Nate said, getting their attention.

"You got somewhere to be?" Sam asked.

Nate glanced at his phone. "Yeah, meeting up with a friend."

"Ooh, does this friend happen to be a girl?" Jared teased, slinging an arm around Nate.

Nate chuckled. "Yeah, it's a girl."

"My man!" Jared said, making Nate laugh.

Paul, who had been standing nearby with a frown, approached Nate. Jared let go of Nate, sensing a confrontation.

But instead of a clash, Paul extended his hand.

"I'm sorry, man," Paul said, leaving Jared and Embry dumbfounded.

"I've been a jerk, and I was just trying to be careful. But that's no excuse to treat you the way I did."

Nate took Paul's hand and shook it. "We're cool," Nate said, surprised by the sincerity.

Paul grinned. "Next time we go at it, I'm putting you on your ass."

Nate laughed. "If that 'next time' is in a thousand years, I've got time."

"We'll see about that," Paul replied as Jared and Embry playfully ambushed him.

Nate checked his phone again before turning to Sam. "I'll talk to you later."

"Take care, Nate," Sam said, waving him off as Nate disappeared into the woods to prepare for his date.

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Pulling up to the familiar music store, the first thing Nate noticed was Leah standing in front, wearing her usual outfit: blue jeans, a light green shirt, and a flannel jacket.

She looked pretty, he thought.

Glancing down at himself, Nate realized he might have overdressed. He wore dress pants, a fitted black t-shirt that showed off his athletic physique, and a long black jacket. But it didn't really bother him much.

Leah, who was looking at her phone when Nate pulled up, didn't notice him at first. He stepped out of the car and called out, "Did I make you wait?"

Leah looked up, surprised, a small smile blooming on her face. She turned her phone toward him, showing the time: 11 a.m. on the dot.

"You made it just in time," she said, getting into the car. Nate did the same.

"Well, punctuality is my middle name," he said with as much seriousness as he could muster. His face, usually expressionless, made the joke all the more believable.

Leah narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious. "You're... serious?" she asked, trying to figure out if he was joking.

Nate's lips curled into a small smile.

"Ugh, just shut up and drive," she said playfully, realizing he was teasing her.

Nate chuckled and started driving. "So, where to?" he asked, glancing at Leah, who seemed surprisingly comfortable in the passenger seat.

"Head downtown first. Do you know where it is?" she asked, locking eyes with him.

Nate, still looking at her, gave a mischievous grin. Leah's eyes widened in alarm. "Eyes on the road!" she exclaimed, grabbing his chin and gently pushing his face forward, making him laugh.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "But yeah, I know where it is. Do you want to start there?"

"Yeah, there's a store I want to show you," she said, as the conversation trailed off into a brief silence. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and passing cars.

Nate started to feel the awkwardness of the quiet, so he fiddled with the radio until a familiar tune filled the car. A smile crept onto his face as Sean Paul's "Temperature" came on.

Leah looked at him, amused. "Really? Out of all the songs you skipped, you stopped on this one?"

"What? Sean Paul is good! Especially this song—it's a jam," he said, tapping the steering wheel to the beat, getting into the groove before singing, "Well woman the way the time cold, I wanna be keepin' you warm..."

Leah burst out laughing at Nate's exaggerated accent. "Okay, okay, stop! That's enough!" she said, still giggling as she reached over to shut off the music. Nate grinned, glad he had broken the awkward tension.

"Why? I thought you said you liked reggae?" Nate teased, knowing full well that Sean Paul wasn't exactly traditional reggae.

"Oh, I do, but that ear murder wasn't reggae. Trust me," she said, shaking her head and giving him a playful, judgmental look.

"I'll have you know, Sean Paul is a great artist. Calling his hit song 'ear murder' is blasphemous," Nate said, pulling up to downtown.

Leah smirked. "What do you even consider good music, if you're defending that?" she asked, giving him directions to take a left.

"Spice Girls?" Nate teased, watching her expression.

Leah shot him an offended look. "What do you take me for, an emotionally unstable teenage girl?"

"Well, aren't you?" Nate said with a grin.

Leah turned her head so fast Nate thought she might get whiplash. He quickly added, "...a teenager, I mean."

"Ha ha. Very funny," she said, dripping with sarcasm as they finally arrived at the store she had been talking about.

Nate parked the car and glanced at the storefront. "A music disc store?" he asked, noticing the gleam in Leah's eyes—a gleam of excitement he immediately recognized.

"Come on, let's go inside!" she said, quickly getting out of the car.

Nate followed her with curiosity.

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Hey everyone!

Author here again! I'd love to know what you think about this chapter. Honestly, this one was a bit challenging to write because I'm trying to develop Nate's emotional side a little more.

Up until now, we've seen him as a moody young man, but I wanted to show a different side of him—one that's fun and can throw around some good banter.

As always, I appreciate constructive feedback, so let me know your thoughts! And I love interacting with you guys, so if you have any ideas or suggestions for the story, don't hesitate to drop them in the comments.

Also if you have any pennies to spare for little Olle me, PayPal me on.

DONATE:paypal.me/Helpauthor03

I'll write 2 additional chapters if we can get 5€ this week.