Chapitre 13: Asessment
The crisp morning air felt good in Nate's lungs as he lay on the roof of the house, listening to the song he had used in his newest release.
After dropping his latest track the previous night, Mathew had called in excitement, telling Nate how he had outdone himself. But as usual, Nate couldn't handle Mathew's loud enthusiasm and promised to call him back later.
Leaving the temporary studio, Nate had caught a familiar smell in the air. It was the same scent that Sam and the pack carried, which confused him. However, he didn't dwell on it for long.
Lying on the roof, Nate glanced at his phone and read the text Sam had sent the previous night. It said they would meet at 6 a.m., but no location was given.
It was 5:30.
Nate figured they assumed he'd be able to find them. Closing his eyes and focusing, the world around him exploded into a kaleidoscope of sounds and colors. He could see as far as the beach in La Push.
They were right—he could find them.
Nate extended his senses across almost every corner of the Olympic Peninsula and picked up the sound of movement inside the house. Retracting his heightened senses, he heard his uncle's breathing change, from steady to yawning, which meant Charlie was waking up.
Standing from his position on the roof, Nate walked to the edge and stepped off gracefully, landing as if he had floated down. He headed towards the door, hearing his uncle descending from the second floor.
Inside, he found his uncle in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee Nate had brewed earlier, knowing Charlie liked it in the mornings.
Charlie turned around as he heard the front door open. He found Nate, dressed in jogging pants and a jacket.
"Morning," Nate greeted, closing the door behind him and noting Charlie's tired expression.
"Morning?" Charlie echoed, unsure what to make of Nate being up so early. Nate caught his uncle's puzzled look and pointed towards the door.
"I went for a run," Nate explained. Charlie nodded in understanding, taking a seat at the table and picking up the newspaper.
"So… did you find what you were looking for?" Charlie suddenly asked as Nate sat down and poured himself some coffee. It didn't do anything for him, but he enjoyed the taste and smell.
"I met Steven's wife," Nate said, nodding as he held his cup. "She… told me Steven passed away a decade ago."
Charlie, who had set the paper down to listen to his nephew, closed his eyes at the news. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly, causing Nate to look at him in confusion.
"I tried calling you yesterday to tell you, but you were..." Charlie trailed off, unsure what Nate had been doing.
Nate remembered then—his uncle had called while he was dealing with the pack. He had forgotten to return the call.
"Sorry about that. I was hanging out with some new friends and forgot to call back," Nate apologized, looking at his uncle, who made a funny face.
"What?" Nate asked with humor in his voice. "You think I can't make friends?"
Charlie coughed into his hand and cleared his throat. "No, nothing like that," he said, though clearly not meaning it. Nate laughed, and Charlie joined in.
"So, who are these new friends?" Charlie asked, curious to make sure Nate wasn't falling in with the wrong crowd.
Nate glanced at his phone to check the time—only 10 minutes until 6 a.m.—then turned back to his uncle. "Just some guys from the Rez. You know Sam?" he asked.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Sam Uley—good kid," he said, sipping his coffee. "Are you meeting them now?"
"Yeah, Sam suggested we… work out together," Nate explained, cringing at the half-truth, but Charlie only smiled.
"Well, I won't keep you, then," Charlie said, standing up. Nate followed suit. "I have to head into the station early too. There was an animal attack I need to look into."
"Animal attack?" Nate asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, some bear mauled a couple hiking near Forks," Charlie said. Something about that set off alarm bells in Nate's mind. "But nothing new here—we get a few cases like this every now and then. Nothing to worry about."
Charlie patted Nate on the shoulder, but Nate's thoughts were elsewhere. When he'd extended his senses earlier, there hadn't been any bears near Forks. They stayed deep in the national forest. If there was a mauling nearby, either the couple was really unlucky—or another kind of predator was involved.
A supernatural one.
Nate's phone buzzed, and he saw a message from Sam: We're here.
"Alright, stay safe, Uncle. I'll see you later," Nate said, heading for the door.
"Always am," Charlie replied with a nod. "By the way, I heard your new song."
Nate stopped halfway out the door, surprised. "What did you think?" he asked, nervous for his uncle's opinion.
"It was amazing. Might be my favorite yet," Charlie said, giving him a thumbs up.
Nate laughed, waved, and closed the door behind him. On the porch, he texted Sam, saying he was on his way. Sam replied, asking if Nate needed directions.
Nate smirked at the message before closing his eyes and extending his senses. His echolocation worked wonders, pinpointing the forms of Sam and the guys standing in a clearing in the woods.
"Gotcha," he whispered, jogging towards the forest entrance to keep up appearances. He didn't notice his cousin Bella watching from her second-floor window.
The moment Nate felt he was out of sight, he let loose. One second, he was jogging, the next, he was running so fast that afterimages blurred behind him. In no time, he arrived in front of Sam and the others, startling Jared and Embry when the wind pressure from his stop hit them.
"AAAAAH!" they yelled in unison, clinging to each other as Nate looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Sam chuckled on the side.
"You got here fast," Sam said, approaching Nate and offering a handshake. "How'd you find us so quickly?"
Nate, eyeing Paul's usual frown, shrugged. "I can run pretty fast," he replied. "Also, finding you guys was easy with my echolocation."
Jared and Embry gawked. "Wait, what?" they asked in unison, glancing at Sam and Paul to see if they'd heard the same thing. Nate just smiled.
"Yep, you heard right," he confirmed.
"So, how are we doing this?" Nate asked, turning to Sam. Sam calmed Jared and Embry, then nodded towards Paul.
"I thought we'd show you what it looks like when we phase. Paul?" Sam gestured to Paul, who stepped forward. Within moments, Paul began to huff, vibrate, and then—explode into a massive, horse-sized wolf, snarling at Nate.
Nate calmly stepped back, while Sam said, "Calm down, Paul."
The wolf kept his eyes locked on Nate, who remained close to Sam, unbothered by Paul's aggressive display.
"That's impressive," Nate finally admitted, earning a proud smile from Sam.
"Thanks. Paul will be your sparring partner," Sam added.
Nate looked at Sam like he had lost his mind. "He looks like he can barely hold back from attacking me," Nate said, eyeing the huffing wolf.
Jared and Embry laughed. "Paul's got anger management issues, but he listens to Sam," Embry said. "He won't hurt you."
"I'm not worried about him hurting me," Nate said, smirking, which made all the guys chuckle.
They moved off to the side as Sam explained, "This is just an evaluation to see what you can do. So, whenever you're ready."
Nate stood in the clearing opposite Paul, now alone. "Alright," he muttered, "here goes nothing."
Focusing, Nate tapped into his full power. Normally, he was in a kind of "power-saving mode," with only his passive abilities active—heightened senses, agility, and strength. But when he focused, everything grew exponentially stronger. His senses tripled, his strength surged, and his awareness sharpened.
Nate didn't realize it, but his face had morphed into something monstrous—elongated teeth, grayish skin, and eyes that glowed ruby red.
"DUDE!" Jared shouted, breaking the silence. Nate, now fully transformed, looked at them, confused.
"That looks creepy as hell," Jared added, causing Nate to glance at Sam, who pulled out his phone and took a picture.
"Guess you didn't know you looked like this?" Sam asked, showing Nate the image. Nate blinked in surprise, shaking his head.
"Well, I knew something changed, but..." Nate trailed off, but didn't have time to dwell on it. Suddenly, Paul lunged, his teeth snapping where Nate had stood a moment before.
"Paul! Easy!" Sam yelled, reminding Paul that Nate wasn't an enemy. Paul hesitated, shaking his head before refocusing on Nate.
"Alright, Nate, don't be afraid to defend yourself," Sam instructed. But Nate felt no fear, no sense of danger. To him, Paul was slow—too slow.
"Well, no holding back then," Nate thought.
In the blink of an eye, Nate disappeared from sight, grabbing Paul by the scruff and hurling him several feet away into a tree.
Sam, Jared, and Embry stood in shock, watching Nate disappear and seeing Paul suddenly hurled like a ragdoll through a tree. They couldn't believe what had just happened.
Sam snapped out of his daze when he saw Paul transforming back into his human form, unconscious on the ground. Running over to him, Sam quickly assessed that Paul wasn't injured, just knocked out cold.
"Did I overdo it?" Nate asked, drawing Sam's attention.
Glancing between the unconscious Paul and Nate—whose face was gradually returning to normal—Sam let out a chuckle.
"No, this was good. Now we can confirm you're definitely stronger than us," Sam replied, slipping his arms under Paul and lifting him.
"Will he be alright?" Nate asked, concern written on his face. He may not have liked Paul, but he certainly didn't want to hurt—or worse, kill—him.
"This is nothing. He'll be fine after some rest. He can stay here while we continue," Sam said, placing Paul next to a tree. Jared and Embry, still staring at Nate in shock, exchanged glances.
"You want to keep going?" Nate asked, looking at Sam. Sam nodded, then turned to Jared and Embry.
"You guys up for this?" he asked. Jared and Embry exchanged grins.
"Hell yeah!" they both said enthusiastically, excitement buzzing in their voices.
Nate looked at Paul one last time before turning back to the others.
"Well, I guess it's no problem then," Nate said with a grin, the excitement in his own voice growing as well.
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Hey guys, author here!
I had a blast writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. We finally get to see a different side of Nate—his playful and competitive nature! Up until now, we've mostly seen his more serious and downcast moments, but I wanted to bring out his many dimensions as a character. Let me know what you think in the comments and reviews, and feel free to tell me what you'd love to see next.
Thanks for sticking with me, and enjoy the chapter!
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone