A.N. I really need to hear what you guys think! I got really discouraged since I hadn't gotten any reviews on the last few chapters but thanks to one person who reviewed I decided to update. Even though all it said was please update at least I know someone is still interested! I need to get at least one review for me to post the next chapter.

The fact that I hadn't woke up when the flock went to bed surprised me a little. Even with how comfortable I was getting here, it wasn't like me to sleep that soundly. I brushed it off and blamed it on being exhausted as I got dressed.

I had been woken by Angel enthusiastically reminding me that I promised we could go to the reservation today. Of course we still had a while before we needed to be there, but apparently that didn't mean I could sleep in. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to see Angel so excited, but couldn't she be excited while I slept?

I heard the door creak slightly and turned to see Fang coming in. I couldn't help the small grin that forced its way onto my face. Luckily I was fully dressed when he walked in or else things could have gotten pretty awkward.

He gracefully floated over to the bed and sat down, watching as I struggled to pull my jacket over my wings. Usually I loved my wings and wouldn't trade them for the world, but right now they were driving me nuts. No matter which way I folded them they wouldn't lay comfortably concealed.

I finally turned and looked pleadingly at Fang who looked relatively amused by the whole thing. "Are you just gonna stare or are you gonna help me." I grumbled, despising having to ask for help. With a smirk at my defeat he stood and walked over to me, motioning me to turn around.

He was one of the very few people I would willingly let stand behind me and mess with my wings. Not many individuals had touched my wings and lived to tell the tale. Fang's touch was feather light and he maneuvered my wings with ease. After finishing, he lingered a moment longer than necessary before stepping away.

I turned to face him and mumbled a thank you, secretly wishing the contact had lasted just a little longer. He nodded in response before lowering himself back onto the bed while I got my shoes on. I also went ahead and threw together a bag of things to bring to the beach, including a change of clothes just in case.

When I had finished I slipped onto the bed beside Fang. Neither of us made a sound but the great thing was we didn't need to. We could have gone downstairs with everyone else but with all the chaos that is our life, it felt nice to just sit in silence.

Fang's hand inched over until it brushed against mine, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I nudged his hand back and he took that as an invitation to rest his hand on top of mine. I rotated my wrist slightly to our fingers could interlock comfortably.

The moment was surreal and perfect at the same time. I didn't need to look at Fang to know his face looked just as content as mine. I wasn't big on PDA and I wasn't a fan of hugs but I needed human contact just as much as everyone else.

We didn't pull apart until we heard the flocks' quiet footsteps heading towards the room. We also reluctantly scooted a few inches further apart. The last thing we needed was the flock making inappropriate jokes. As expected the flock burst in without a knock with Nudge in the lead.

"Hey Max! Hey Fang! Esme said we should come pack a change of clothes to bring with us to the beach!" Nudge exclaimed, dancing over to the dresser.

I glanced over at the clock trying to understand the hurry when I realized it was almost 10. Fang and I must have been sitting here longer than I thought. I felt my cheeks blush slightly but luckily it went unnoticed by everyone else.

I rose from my seat and swung my drawstring bag over my shoulder. It felt a bit cramped in here with everyone bustling around so I slipped out and down the stairs with Fang on my heels. I realized he must have packed his bag earlier as well.

We found Esme in the kitchen making coffee which we accepted as we sat down at the counter. I didn't particularly like coffee but I figured I could use the caffeine if I had any chance of surviving today.

"Edward has offered to drive you today if that's alright." Esme stated, continuing her work in the kitchen. "Bella wanted to go spend some time with Jacob and Edward doesn't think she can drive herself" She chuckled.

"We could just fly there." I objected, not liking the idea of being in a cramped vehicle with my family plus a vampire and a human.

"Don't be silly, Edward will be going that way anyway so it doesn't make sense for you all to have to fly." She explained, still not settling my doubts. Sure it would take less energy to drive, but was it worth that?

"Is there even a vehicle we all fit in?" I questioned, looking for any excuse to fly that didn't sound ridiculous.

"Of course! We have a truck that will fit you all. Edward and Bella can ride in the cab and the rest of you can ride in the bed. Plus, you'll probably feel less cramped that way." Esme clarified, looking at me knowingly.

I'll admit I did feel a bit better so I chose not to respond since I was afraid I would say something that would hurt her feelings. She was trying to look out for us and obviously cared so I bit my lip for once.

When the flock came bounding down the stairs and headed for the door I was ready to go. Esme had fed Fang and me more than enough while we waited and I was starting to get anxious. I just wanted to go and get it all over with.

By the look on Fangs face he felt the same way. He hadn't exactly had the best experience on beaches in the past. I shuddered thinking about the day Fang had almost died. I worked hard to push those thoughts away and put on a good attitude for Angel who seemed in high spirits still.

Out front Edward already had the truck running with Bella inside. My mom had also opted to sit in the cab while Ella wanted to sit with Iggy. One at a time the flock hopped up into the bed of the truck and got comfy. I jumped in last, sitting on the tail gate with my legs dangling.

As we began to move I blocked out the conversations going on and let my thoughts drift. With Fang beside me I felt safe enough to check out of reality for a little while. I found myself checking out whenever I got the chance and I was sure if I didn't I would probably lose my mind. I needed some time alone in my head occasionally. I said a silent thank you to the Voice for remaining quiet.

My mind wandered to everything that has happened as well as to all of the things that could happen. The time we have spent with the Cullens thus far has been the safest we've felt since our time with Ann. Just thinking about the betrayals we have experienced makes my blood boil and causes my trust to waiver.

Instead of making myself more miserable thinking about all the ways people suck, I decided to focus on the good things that have happened. The flock is safe and happy which I never take for granted. Iggy and Ella are official which, as much as I hated to admit it, they were really cute together. I get to live with my mom and sister and make up for some lost time. Then best of all, I have Fang. Of course we had always had each other, but now it's different and I love it.

As if he knew I was thinking about him, Fang brushed his leg against mine with a sly grin. I returned the look and nudged back with more force. We spent the rest of the drive subtly bumping against each other and effectively distracting ourselves from our nerves.

When our truck came to a semi sudden halt I was quick to look around for the danger. It took me a second to realize that we were just at the border between territories and would be switching vehicles. We all clambered out of the back and stretched our legs in content.

Jacob was waiting several yards away leaning against his truck shirtless. While Edward and Bella said their lovey-dovey goodbyes, I lead the flock over the border. Jacob greeted us all and I quickly introduced everyone he hadn't met. I was surprised Seth wasn't with him but when Angel asked Jacob explained that he would be meeting us at the beach.

Jacobs' truck was smaller than the one Edward had driven so it was a tighter squeeze to all fit. I took comfort in the fact that if there was an emergency we could just U&A.

The drive to the beach from the border was much shorter than the drive with Edward; even with how much Edward had sped. With the cramped space and my anxiety, by the time we got to the beach I was itching to have my own space.

The truck hadn't even come to a complete stop when I hopped out. The rest of the flock followed suit as I took in our surroundings. I didn't need to look to know Fang would be doing the same thing. There was never a moment where we weren't looking for danger. Then again, there were few moments when there wasn't danger to look out for.

The first thing I took note of was all escape routes which didn't take long since the space was all open and a U&A would be easy. I didn't see any threats which helped put me at ease slightly but not off guard.

The beach was relatively empty except for a group of tan guys I took to be the pack. I quickly spotted Seth as he made his way towards us with his big goofy grin. He stopped right in front of Angel and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her feet of the ground slightly.

Fangs presence next to me was the only thing that kept me from saying or doing something I would regret. When Seth let Angel go he stepped back and greeted the rest of us as if we were an afterthought. Seth seemed unsure of what to say next so Jacob spoke up.

"You guys wanna come down the beach and meet the rest of the pack? They're almost all here and I know they're dying to meet you." He gestured towards the tan guys who had now stopped what they were doing and were just staring at us.

I glanced around at my flock for approval before agreeing and following Jacobs lead down the beach. There were 5 guys total along with one girl I hadn't noticed earlier. I was pretty she was the same one that we had met briefly when we were tied up last. The rest didn't look familiar. I was slightly surprised not to see Sam there.

When we came to a stop in front of the awaiting group Jacob stepped forward to make introductions while Seth remained glued beside Angel.

"Welcome to the reservation! I'll make introductions brief I promise." Jacob announced. "You already know Seth and I. Then there's Leah, Jared, Brady, Collin, Quil, and Embry. Sam and Paul are off running the perimeter and probably won't be done for a while."

I can't say I was disappointed that Sam wouldn't be joining us for a while. I also really hope I wasn't expected to remember names. Now it was my turn to introduce the flock.

"I suppose now it's my turn. I'm Max and this is my mom Valencia, my sister Ella, and my flock Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel." I motioned to each member as I named them.

Now that introductions were over we were all at a slight stand still not sure what to do. After several moments in uncomfortable silence and slight fidgeting Quil spoke up.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm going swimming while the sun is still out." He announced, turning and bounding towards the water. The rest of the pack was quick to follow and the flock followed at a distance. I planned to wait and observe a bit before getting wet.

Gazzy and Iggy, being show offs, slipped out of their jackets and took to the sky as soon as we got close to the water. Of course all eyes turned to them as they did some fancy flips before diving into the murky water. After the shock wore off, several of the pack members took off their shirts and jumped in as well.

Leah and Embry remained dry and sat down on a fallen tree. While Nudge and Angel headed down to swim, Fang and I went to sit on the log. I was worried things would be awkward since I'm not the best at making conversation, but Embry made things easy.

"I was expecting all of you wolves to be as bad as Sam so I'm pleasantly surprised!" I exclaimed after we had been talking for a while.

"Yeah," Embry agreed. "It's good to talk to you on better terms than last time." His statement caused me to pause in confusion.

"Last time? Have we met before this?" I questioned in puzzlement. He mocked being offended before responding.

"You mean to tell me I carried you on my back for what felt like hours and you don't even remember me!" He grumbled jokingly. Things finally clicked in my head.

"You were the wolf that carried me." I reasoned, shocked I hadn't figured that out sooner. He nodded in a 'no duh' way.

"I would apologize for weighing you down, but I was a little tied up at the time and didn't really have a choice in the matter." I snarked, causing his stern expression to break and his smile to return.

"I suppose you have a good point." He chuckled. "Can we call it even then?" He nudged my shoulder playfully.

I continued to glare for a moment before grinning and nodding in agreement. Before I could say anything more in response I heard a commotion down by the water and turned my attention there. I could see Seth frantically diving under the water repeatedly as if searching for something while the pack stood frozen. After a moment they seemed to catch on and joined in with the search.

Becoming increasingly worried I stood and rushed down to the water's edge where the rest of the flock were standing. I immediately asked what was going on and Iggy responded first.

"Angel went under the water and hasn't come up in a while" He stated nonchalantly. I stood there confused for a moment before I realized the wolves didn't know about Angels other gifts.

"And just how long were you guys planning on letting them search?" I questioned, slightly annoyed but also a bit amused.

"Not that long," Gazzy snickered. "Just enough to get a good laugh." He chuckled, winking up at me.

"I'm really confused…" Embry spoke up. "Shouldn't you guys be helping to search for your sister?" Leah looked just as confused as him but not as concerned.

"Some of us have additional abilities. One of Angels include being able to breathe under water. So basically your friends are out there freaking out for no reason because Angel is somewhere out there talking to the fish" I explained, glancing out at the pack bobbing up and down. It was slightly comical.

Both Embry and Leah were slack jawed as they stared at me. I guess it was time to explain to everyone else. I turned and walked into the water, trying to draw the attention of the wolves. It took a second but I was finally able to grab a hold of Seth when he came up for air.

"Breathe wolf boy, Angel is fine" I raised my voice so he could hear me over his protests at being held. He froze then looked around as if she was just gonna appear.

"What do you mean she's fine?! Where is she?" He exclaimed, obviously exasperated and terrified from the search.

"Angel can breathe under water, she's fine I promise. If you'll calm down I can go find her for you." I offered, almost feeling bad for him.

He seemed to still be processing but he nodded slowly so I released my grip on his shoulder. The rest of the pack had paused in their search, curious of our odd exchange. Leaving Seth and the rest of the flock to explain I dove deeper into the water to retrieve Angel since she was probably the one person that could really calm them down.

I attempted to call out to her in my mind but I had a feeling she was treating this like a game and was purposefully not responding. I followed my gut feelings and had to go pretty far out before finding her swimming along with a school of fish. She flashed me her innocent smile as if that made her shenanigans all better.

Although I'll admit it was slightly amusing to see the pack so worried, I wasn't happy I had been left up top to deal with the scared puppies. We are going to have a long talk about this later. I sent to her. She pouted but nodded before swimming past me towards the shore.

When we re-surfaced we found everyone eagerly gathered on the shore out of the waters reach. The walk over to meet them was extremely uncomfortable with all eyes on us and it was one of the moments I wished I could be anywhere else.

Seth somehow refrained from running to meet us which I was impressed by. When we reached the shore questions were fired at us one after the other. Luckily it seemed like the flock had already answered a lot of the basic questions so it saved me from that.

"Please don't ever do that to me again" Seth concluded when they had finished interrogating Angel. I saw a tiny bit of guilt creep across her face as she nodded.

Seeing as Angel rarely felt bad for anything she did, I was extremely surprised. I grinned when Angel shot me her signature pout in disagreement with my thought.

"Well now that all of that has been settled," Jared began. "I propose we go start a fire and dry off some." He suggested, despite the fact it was still only about 1 in the afternoon.

"As long as food will be involved I'm game!" Jacob exclaimed, causing everyone else to chime in in agreement.

I could definitely go for some food right now and made no protest as we all headed up the beach to where wood was already piled waiting to be lit. So far the day was going well by my book and I could only hope it stayed that way. If we survived today with no injuries I would be over the moon.

A.N. I hope you all liked the introduction to the Pack! There will be more to come if I get at least one review!