He had already been to the hospital once this morning and then back to campus for his brief conversation with the headmaster before coming back to the hospital. He was worried this time that more people would be awake, that he would have to finally face Mack. They had just started hanging out, she was the only one who knew his secret beside family and the headmaster. He hated to loose their friendship before they really even had a chance to enjoy it but he was sure she would never forgive him for this.

"That was not such a bad ride as you said it would be," Ichirou said contentedly as he hopped out of Sam's old truck with a box full of breakfast pastries and a few coffees. He figured it would be a small comfort to those still in the waiting room.

Sam grinned at the headmaster and headed toward the hospital with him silently. An eerie quiet had spread over the entire place like the city itself was still in a sleepy daze. As they got closer, Sam spotted the familiar blonde locks. His chest felt cold but he forced himself to keep walking forward. "I'll see you inside headmaster," he said to Ichirou.

Ichirou nodded and skipped along, humming to himself while Sam meandered quietly toward Mack. He didn't even know what to say, sorry would never be enough, it didn't even cover how he felt. So he just stood there; devastated, lost, angry with himself, and scared.

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When Mack saw Sam pull up, she glared daggers at the boy. This was all his fault. He had as good as betrayed her, and she wasn't about to let it slide. She blew out a plume of smoke and stared at him as he stood in front of her.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here," she snapped, her glare narrowing. "What the fuck do you want, murderer?"

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It stung like hell. "I aint a murderer," he mumbled. Though she seemed to be the only one willing to admit it was his fault aside from him. "I needed to know that she was okay," he wanted to tell her that he had already been there but he was sure that would only get him hit faster... fuck it... maybe that's what he wanted.

"I had to be the one to tell her... so I came early when everyone was asleep. An'... an' you might not want me around her anymore but I gotta get her through this. I aint gonna let her go through this alone."

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"She shouldn't have to go through this at all!" She yelled at him. She hadn't had a chance to really unload her anger on Hunter earlier, it had really only made it worse. Out here though, there was no one to stop her. She hit Sam square across the jaw, feeling a slight stinging in her knuckles.

She shook her hand a little, pumping herself up to do it all again. "Don't you go near her you fucking monster!" She screamed hysterically, giving him a rough shove. She placed herself between him and the hospital doors. "I fucking trusted you Sam! I fucking trusted you to keep her safe!"

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He didn't even have a chance before she punched him across the jaw. It hurt, he felt his whole head move with the blow. "I know she shouldn't have to go through it. I never wanted this for anyone," and despite it all there was still a low growl in his voice, like he couldn't quite shake the wolf yet.

He cringed when she called him a monster and stumbled backward. He knew if he tried to speak he would just loose it. He knew he was a monster and Mack was the only one willing to confront him about it. He just took another step forward, his hands hanging uselessly at his sides. He wouldn't fight her back but he wasn't going to walk away from Tatum.

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She slugged him again, not as hard as the time before, but still enough to make her knuckles hurt. Mack hadn't realized it, but tears were streaming down her face. Even though the low growl in Sam's voice kind of scared her, she gave him another rough shove. She wouldn't back down.

"Fucking fight back!" She screamed at him hysterically. She punched him again, feeling more and more desperate by the second. "Doesn't this make you mad? C'mon, change! Rip me up like you did to her!"

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He took the hit just as he had taken the first one. Sam shook his head. He wasn't mad, he deserved it, he could feel blood running down his face, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for what he had done.

His fists tightened into balls at his sides, not in anger or frustration, not even in pain. He just needed to control every little thing. He had to maintain control, especially so close to the full moon cycle. He hadn't changed in the daylight yet but he knew it was possible when all the elements were right. "I won't," he said through clenched teeth. He stepped forward again.

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She grabbed the front of his shirt roughly, and shook him. She was sobbing now and she gasped for breath as she yanked him around. It wasn't fair, why couldn't she be the one who had been attacked? Tatum didn't deserve this kind of life, and neither did Sam. At least she had karma against her. She should have been the one tho have to live this horrendous double life.

"Fucking change me," she sobbed. At least then she wouldn't be alone, they could deal with it together. She gave Sam another weak shake before collapsing against him. "I can't let her go through this alone, please," she begged, her face tucked into his neck. She would never admit this moment of weakness to anyone else.

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Sam thought he couldn't take much more until she collapsed against him. He finally gasped and let it all out, crying as he wrapped his arms around Mack and pulled her tight to his chest. "I can't... I'm sorry but I can't do this to you. I've already destroyed so much, I can't..." He had never wanted to turn anyone, he had never wanted this to happen to anyone he knew but that was something he would have to deal with for the rest of his life. Voluntarily turning someone though? He couldn't even fathom it. "It's too dangerous..."

"You won't be alone though," he tried to reassure her but he wasn't sure exactly how reassuring another crying person sounded.

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"I don't care about myself," she insisted, still gripping the front of his shirt. "You know Tatum is going to feel alone, your her best friend. Please, she's lost so much this year already. I can't let her feel like she's been abandoned."

Perhaps she wasn't giving her girlfriend enough credit, she knew that Tatum was one of the strongest people she'd ever met. It worried her though, the poor girl had been through so much already this year. Her life had already been turned on it's head. Tatum had barely gotten comfortable with being out, how was this going to effect her now? Neither of them were a life choice.

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He only held her tighter, attempting to control the sobs that were trying to escape from his chest. "But I do Mackenzie," he said lightly. "I can't risk taking you away from her too."

Tatum had already been having one a shitty year, surely one to go down in the history books and here he was, just making it even harder for her. Would changing Mack really help though? Or would it make things worse? And what if he lost control? He didn't know what had stopped him from ripping Tatum apart but something had done it. He couldn't be sure the same thing would happen again.

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Mackenzie wanted to hit Sam again. It tugged at her heart that he cared about her that much and she wasn't used to the feeling. It made her incredibly uncomfortable. She was able to keep herself from pulling away angrily however, and instead, let go of Sam's shirt.

"You're an ass Sam Ruiz," she said, her voice watery from crying. She snaked her arms around his torso and hugged him back tightly. It wasn't something she had ever done for anyone but her sister and Tatum, but it felt good. It was nice to have someone else on her side now, someone who understood. "You're going to take care of her, right? Don't let her slip away."

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"I know," he said with a sad, little laugh. "A terrible, horrible ass," he just held her for a while before forcing himself to look at her. He needed her to know how sincere he was when he said it.

"I promise," he nodded. "I won't let anything else bad happen to her," he knew he had already fucked up. "We'll all get through this together. I'm gonna be better and I'll be there with her the whole time," he nodded. He might have been a monster but there something about being in the pack that made them all softer, gentler.

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"You better fuckin' promise," she warned, giving him a stern look. "I'll come shoot you with a silver bullet myself if anything happens to Tatum."

She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. She felt embarrassed now for breaking down on Sam. It wasn't something she had ever let anyone see, save for Hunter and Kia. Mackenzie pulled her crumpled cigarette pack out of her jacket pocket and put one in her mouth. She lit the small white stick and gave it a few puffs before feeling calm enough to talk.

"Y'all better not tell anyone I cried," she informed him, scowling a bit. "Or that I hugged ya, or...I'll beat you up again!"

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He nodded solemnly. He had gotten them both into this mess, he wasn't about to let her go it on her own. He stepped back once she let go of him and wiped his own eyes on his sleeve. He then wiped the blood from his face, covering a bit of his sleeve in bright red.

"Secret's safe with me," he said patting his chest. "I wouldn't dream 'a rattin' you out to no one," he wiped his face again. It was a kind of relief that the fighting was over, that they had come to some sort of understanding.

He wiped his hands on his jeans, smearing blood on his shorts. He would probably have to fix that up eventually. "Y'all can't tell no one I cried either," he grinned.

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