CHAPTER SEVEN:
WOLF'S DEN

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THE EAR-PIERCING SHRIEK OF Mae's alarm was a rare but pleasant sound bright and early the next morning. For six days of the week, Mae woke in a fit of dread whenever her alarm rang, but Saturday's were different. They were her day to shine, to sleep in if she wanted or to wake up on her terms but cease the day rather than waste it bored in a classroom. For the first few weeks the Cooper-Song's spent in Forks, Mae chose not to go on her hikes. They had a lot to unpack and she wanted to get a feel of the area before she disappeared into its forest. Knowing her luck, she would've gotten eaten by a bear not even ten minutes into her first expedition. But this Saturday was a special one. After five weeks in La Push, Mae believed she finally knew her way around well enough. So she set her alarm for 6am, went to bed early the night before and eagerly woke with the sunrise, adventure flowing in her veins like ichor.

She didn't waste much time getting ready, changing into a pair of thick winter leggings and an old Nirvana t-shirt she was sure she'd stolen from her dad's wardrobe at some point. After brushing her teeth and fighting her hair up into a ponytail, she left the warmth of her bedroom to grab an apple to eat on the way. Much to her surprise, however, the kitchen wasn't empty like she thought it would be. James sat at the dining table with the newspaper spread out in front of him, the radio playing low as background noise. He glanced up as she stepped into the room, a frown on her face as she dropped her joggers onto the ground and padded her way over to the fruit bowl beside him.

"Dad? What are you doing up?" she asked as she snagged the last pink lady apple. She bit into it with great satisfaction, knowing Lina would be pissed when she woke up and found all that was left were the green ones.

"You heading out soon?" he returned her question with his own, looking out at the slowly rising sun that loomed above the treetop. Mae nodded at his back, sitting absentmindedly to put on her shoes, before realising that he couldn't see her and was waiting on an answer.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to explore and I finally have my chance," she told him with an excited tinge to her voice. "I'm actually about to leave. Can you tell Kira to put aside some breakfast for me? I won't be too long."

"We can leave her a note," he said as he stood.

Mae frowned at him. "Why?"

James just grinned sheepishly, and for the first time Mae paid attention to what he was wearing. Unlike his usual attire of casual formal, her dad was dressed in his favourite pair of grey sweatpants and a band tee similar to her own. He had joggers on his feet — the same ones he used to wear whenever they'd go hiking together — and his old polaroid camera was hanging around his neck. An eager glint of adventure shone in his eyes that Mae knew she'd inherited from him. It filled her with warmth, a sensation of returning home.

"I know our routine changed for a while but I was hoping you might like a hiking buddy?" he said, searching her face for some kind of reaction. "Lina tries her best but we both know she'd rather eat dirt than hike for another weekend."

Mae chuckled, nodding. "She just can't keep up with me," she sighed in mock disappointment before adding in all seriousness, "Are you sure you're not too busy?"

James smiled softly in reassurance. He missed the thrill of climbing mountains, seeing the world with his daughter by his side. His workload in La Push had lessened considerably and the opportunity allowed him to take back what used to be one of his favourite times of the week. Mae clapped her hands together, eagerly bouncing on the heels of her feet as he wrote out the note for Kira. Then the two of them were racing over to the door, the forest beckoning them home.

They were gone for just over two hours. Kira and Lina were awake by the time they returned, both were sitting in the kitchen eating the breakfast Kira had made. James and Mae came bounding in with their hair windswept and sweat sticking to their skin from running the last mile home. Mae was carrying his camera and peering over his shoulder at the pictures he'd taken, 'ooing' and 'aahing' at the ones she liked. Kira smiled up at the sight; they were so alike, it was uncanny.

"And what time do you call this?" she asked teasingly.

"Breakfast time," Mae crooned as she eyed the food Kira had set aside for them.

This weekend, it was soybean milk with deep-fried dough sticks, a more traditional meal from Kira's heritage. Kira was born in America but her parents were Chinese immigrants who moved to give their daughter a better life. With opportunity at their feet, they still ensured that their culture was passed down, especially when it came to food. Kira's mother always longed to be a chef in her own restaurant. While she never pursued her dream beyond finding employment in the local market, she'd cook up various meals that Kira would test and judge for her. Now that her mother was no longer with them, Lina would do the same for Kira whenever Kira particularly missed her.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" James asked everyone as he and Mae sat down.

"Work," Kira sighed sadly into her tea, but her eyes lit up when James reached out to hold her hand. "But I'll make sure I'm home in time for dinner, my love."

"That reminds me. Can you drop me off in town, James?" Lina asked through a mouthful of food, unintentionally interrupting Mae's groan of disgust at the affection before her. "I have another book report due."

"Book report? Since when?" Mae frowned at her, and this time she actually meant it. She had no memory of Mrs Watkins assigning a book report, and even with her avoidance of all things educational, she would've at least remembered her mentioning something about it.

Lina faltered under Mae's inquisitive stare, her cheeks flooding with warmth as she stuttered, "It's only for my class, as extra credit."

Mae didn't quite believe her but chose not to dwell on it. Lina was like a locked vault when it came to her secrets, but she was incredibly easy to read. "Well, I'm gonna need the car to get to a friend's house," she said, wanting to test just how important this so-called book report was to her. "And unlike your extra credit, this is for Math, an actual project I don't want to fail."

James intervened before Lina could protest and Mae could argue anything else in her state of suspicion. "How about I drop the both of you off?" When they just looked at him, realisation dawning in their eyes, he laughed and shook his head. "We'll take Mae first because she's closer, and then you and I can go into town, Lina. I need a new detention journal anyways."

"Another one?" Mae questioned incredulously. "How wild can middle schoolers around here be?"

"You'd be surprised."

Lina's relieved sigh didn't go unnoticed by Mae but she was too caught up in listening to James to quiz her further. She would just have to save it for another day.

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MAE WASN'T SURE WHAT to expect when she pulled up at the address Paul had given her. It led to a simplistic one-storey cottage located in a clearing, made of dark oak wood that reminded Mae of the forest around them. James parked in the driveway behind a black truck, raising an inquisitive brow at the sight before them. From a distance, all seemed calm — a light breeze brushed through the trees, a flurry of leaves circled through the air. Mae would've assumed no one was home had it not been for the windows opened wide and the pile of shoes stacked on the porch.

"Whose house is this again?" James asked, fingers tapping anxiously on the steering wheel.

Mae shrugged, not even sure of the answer herself. Paul hadn't specifically said it was his house she was going to, and Mae hadn't cared enough to check until James started playing protective father on the drive there. You'd think she'd never left the house before. "A friend's."

James pursed his lips at the vague answer, eventually gesturing for her to exit the vehicle so he could head back to an impatiently waiting Lina. "Remember to call me if you need anything. I won't be out for long."

"I know," she chuckled, leaning over to kiss his cheek before heading up to the front door.

Leaves crunched beneath her sneakers as she made her way down the relatively steep driveway. With each step, the calmness she'd associated with the place slowly fizzled away, replaced by the sound of chaotic laughter and chatter. The voices were familiar to Mae as she climbed the porch steps two at a time, eventually coming to a stop right outside the door.

In an instant, the discussion went quiet; before Mae could so much as knock, the door opened and a woman beamed back at her. She couldn't have been older than thirty but she was a fair few years older than Mae herself. Her dark hair sat pin straight around her shoulders, the fly-aways held back by a soft-hued bandana that matched the shirt she wore. Her eyes were dark like coffee, warm and inviting, and Mae found that the scars running down her face squinted as she grinned.

"Hi," Mae smiled bashfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she glanced back at her dad's waiting car. With her gaze now on him, James faltered from where he was watching them interact and he reluctantly began to reverse out of the driveway. Mae shook her head then swung back to face the woman before her whose eyes were bright with recognition. "I'm Mae, I'm here for Paul?"

"Oh yeah, Paul mentioned someone was coming over," she said, though it wasn't actually Paul who'd said something. "It's nice to meet you, Mae. I'm Emily Young."

With a shake of Emily's outstretched hand, Mae was beckoned into the cottage eagerly. Emily left the door open behind her as Mae took in the group of people scattered around the open kitchen and living space. Paul was sitting at the circular dining table with his arm around Maggie's shoulders, a muffin raised to his lips mid-bite that Maggie was trying and failing to swipe from his grasp. Jared was opposite them with his feet up on an empty chair, chatting to Quil and Embry who were sprawled out on the couch behind him.

Standing by the kitchen counter was a man around Emily's age. Mae didn't recognise him either but she assumed he was Emily's fiancé when the woman in question crossed the room to hug him close, a ringed hand pressed against his bare chest. Last was an older girl who sat alone in the corner, eyes narrowed in on Emily and the unknown man. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there, surrounded by people who pretended like she didn't exist.

"Hi, Mae," Maggie smiled shyly at her. She stood from her chair to greet her, arms circling Mae's shoulders in an awkward side-hug as she drew her over to everyone. "You know pretty much everyone here but this is Sam and Leah. Sam is Emily's fiancé and Leah is Emily's cousin."

Sam nodded in Mae's direction, arms locked around Emily's waist, while Leah simply scowled and stared at her feet. Mae tried not to let the silence get to her as she clung to Maggie's arm, smiling and offering them a wave with her other hand. Paul watched the interaction with an amused smirk, a light laugh passing his lips that met him with a smack on the arm from Maggie.

"They don't talk much," Embry commented jokingly as he left Quil on the couch.

"Yeah, don't take it to heart," Jared added. "Sam's just naturally bland and Leah is grouchy on a good day."

"Yeah alright," Sam rolled his eyes as the boys laughed at him. With a nudge on the waist from Emily, he smiled awkwardly at Mae, who had brightened considerably as Embry drew closer. "It's good to meet you, Mae. Embry has told us a lot about you."

"It's good to meet you too," she chuckled, choosing not to mention the outraged glare Embry shot at the older man or the knowing laughter that followed from the others, simply storing that information away for a later day as her heart skipped a beat.

After a few minutes of mindless chatter, Maggie finally reminded everyone of why Mae was there. "You two should get started," she remarked, ruffling her boyfriend's hair when he just groaned and pouted at her.

"Five more minutes?" Paul's arms curled around her waist with hope that Maggie was quick to shoot down in flames.

"Mae's waiting on you, dumbass."

With another sigh, he lowered his feet from the table and gestured for Mae to set up the books she'd brought with her. She heaved her bag onto the benchtop and sat down in the seat Jared was previously inhabiting as Emily forced everyone into the backyard, leaving Mae and Paul in peace and quiet to try and hash out their project.

"Right. Where do we start?" Paul asked boredly, leaning back on the legs of his chair in a way Mae had seen him do when he wasn't paying attention.

This was going to be a lot more trouble than it was worth.

An hour went by and they were only a quarter of the way in. Paul had stopped several times to make himself a snack or poke his head out the back door to say hi to the others, to which Emily or Maggie would usher him away with disapproving scowls and threats to take away the muffins Emily had left on the counter. Eventually, Mae gave up and pushed the books aside, finding a stray tennis ball on the ground and rolling it back and forth between her and Paul. They weren't at it for long before they heard the sound of a motorbike outside and everyone came rushing through the door to head out front.

"What's going on?" Mae asked Maggie. "Who's here?"

"Just Jacob and a friend of his," Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Glad you're here, Bella," Mae heard Embry comment as she stepped out onto the front porch. "Maybe we can finally get a break from Jake's obsessive inner monologue."

"You're one to talk," Jacob grumbled but he went unheard as the boys spoke over him.

"I wish Bella would call." Paul.

"I wish Bella wouldn't call." Jared.

"Maybe I should call Bella." Embry.

"Maybe I should call Bella and hang up." Quil.

They all burst into loud laughter. Maggie had left Mae's side to join Paul, forcing Mae to linger beside Embry awkwardly. She didn't know the dark-haired girl with Jacob; save for Embry —who made an effort to learn everything there was to learn about her — she didn't really know anyone there, but Embry made her doubts fade away as he smiled and nudged her further into the circle.

"Bella, this is Mae," he introduced her. "Mae, meet Bella Swan."

"Mae Cooper?" Bella's eyes brightened in recognition. "Lina's sister, right?"

"How do you know my sister?"

Bella faltered at the question, exchanging a brief glance with Jacob before she shrugged. "I've seen her around town before. She mentioned you."

"Oh."

Before either girl could say anything else, tense silence fell. Leah had stormed out of the cottage with a scowl on her face, instantly dampening the mood without even saying anything. Unlike the others, Mae didn't know what to think of Leah, but she had a feeling Leah didn't give two shits about her.

"Bella, this is Leah," Jacob huffed. "Harry's daughter."

"Hey," Bella mumbled. "I'm really sorry about your father."

Mae frowned. What happened to Leah's dad? She had the sense not to ask, though, as the others looked down and Leah scowled. "If you're here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave."

And with that, she stormed away. Emily came outside to greet Bella with a warm hug while Sam approached where the boys, Maggie and Mae were standing and talking. "Paul, Jared, you should get ready for patrol."

"On it," both boys nodded.

"What's patrol?" Mae asked with a frown. Ever since Bella arrived, an uneasy feeling had settled in her stomach that she just couldn't shake. Little things were starting to confuse her; Lina's secrecy, Bella knowing Lina, the boys' strange behaviour, now patrol. The others seemed to sense this too. They exchanged uneasy glances before leaving it up to Embry. The boy in question heaved a sigh, arm guiding Mae's waist as they began to make their way inside. "Embry?"

He hesitated again. Mae was noticing it more and more lately. Eventually, he just said, "The boys like to patrol La Push for the council, keep an eye out for the trouble-makers, maintain the peace."

"Oh," she said, and that was that.

Seeing as Paul had to patrol with Jared, Embry volunteered to drive Mae home. She accepted, pushing aside the strange feeling in her stomach as Embry smiled at her. That damn smile...

After saying goodbye to the others and packing up her things, she followed him out to the truck parked in the driveway and off they went. Mae gave directions every so often even though the way to her house was relatively straight-forward. Bella and patrol were the furthest things from Mae's mind as she watched Embry roll down the windows, a small grin on his lips, the music on full blast, her laughter like a weight in her chest. She found herself feeling disappointed when they pulled into her driveway, wishing naively for more time as Embry escorted her up to her door.

"Can you tell Paul we need to get this project done by Friday? I don't wanna be doing it last minute," she said as they lingered on her porch.

"Sure thing," he said. "I've gotta go."

With a quick smile and a hug that Mae didn't even fully register until he was gone, Embry was bounding back down the porch steps and rushing over to his car, reversing out of sight but not out of mind.

No, Mae was noticing with every passing day that Embry Call was the first and last thing on her mind, and she didn't know what to think of it. Maeve Cooper didn't know what to think of a lot of things anymore.