Rating: This story is Rated M for Mature audiences. THIS MEANS 18+ ONLY. This story was given the rating for the following content: language, adult themes, violence, and sexual content (later on). If you are against any of the aforementioned content, please STOP READING NOW.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Storylines will resemble TrueBlood's universe, the property of Alan Ball and HBO. I do not make any money (not a single penny) from posting this story.

Beta: I have no 'official' beta, but the fabulously skilled rdt1114 red-inked this chapter. Thanks hun!

A/N: The story starts with some of the season 4's finale. The story's main focus will be on Alcide Herveaux and all things two-natured. I plan to incorporate all main characters, and maybe a few of my own. I AM writing off the top of my head BUT feel free to send me suggestions.

Don't forget to leave a review!

Beauty Is Scarred Deep

By

SupeSympathizer

Chapter One: It Ends Well

It happened in the bat of an eyelash. Alcide took him down. Hard.

Marcus, the local Packmaster, had just fired a gun at Sam. A few more shots rang out, as Alcide struggled to get the gun away. Gaining the advantage quickly, Alcide had Marcus pinned. The only significant thought in his head was -he would not let this piece of shit, this Packmaster, hurt anyone else.

Alcide's wolf took over- for a split second.

"No!" Debbie screamed over the sickening crunch of bones.

Marcus' struggling body fell limp. His head lolled back at an odd angle as Alcide let go of his neck. Two gurgles later, Marcus stopped breathing and his lupine eyes lost their glow.

The Packmaster was dead.

Alcide's blood ran cold and he froze in panic, horrified out of his mind. He stared down at his hands, the same ones that changed everything with a simple squeeze. He never wanted to play a part in the cycle of life and death, never wanted take a life or create one, so he lived a life of careful consideration before action, never acting on impulse or instinct, but tonight he had. Tonight, the Packmaster was dead and the man was remorseful, but his inner wolf celebrated, emitting pride from this kill.

"Oh, God. What did you do?" Debbie whispered. Tears flowed down her face freely, as she took in the sight of her dreams dying before her. Marcus promised her babies and position since he was the Packmaster, but now that he was dead, she couldn't have any of that now.

The terror Alcide felt, and the sorrow of taking a life was quickly replaced by fury as he smelled her tears. Just a moment ago, his woman was whimpering and screaming as Sam and Marcus fought, trying to get around Alcide to defend Marcus from an overdue ass whooping he so rightfully deserved.

And what did she mean by 'what did you do?'

She was the one in nothing but a tank and panties, reeking of sex, and crying over a 'were' that she just fucked in his bed, in his room, in his house. The man in him was dying from this betrayal, but his wolf was pissed. His den had been defiled. His reputation and rank among wolves had been made a mockery. Alcide rounded towards Debbie, his body tense and ready to spring.

Sam watched on in silence, hoping to blend into the background. He was in shock at the turn of events, but he held no sympathy for the whore who did fifty strokes of dirty with Alcide, then shacked up with Tommy's murderer. The audacity of it, and under Alcide's roof to boot. Whatever Alcide doled out would be justifiable under pack code. Debbie practically shat where she ate and Sam wouldn't be surprised if she was killed in the next few minutes. Sam didn't want to watch what was about to go down, but he had no intention of interfering in pack business.

Shifters know better than to stick their noses where they didn't belong. Well, this particular one knew better. Besides, Alcide accidentally killed another 'were' in human form during a rage… no way was Sam gonna be on the receiving end of anything Alcide.

"You!" Alcide growled out, taking a step towards Debbie. He wanted to strangle the cheating bitch and his wolf was ready to rip her apart.

Debbie immediately put her hands up, whimpering and lowering her eyes in a sign of submission. She wasn't driven by respect. No. She was driven by fear and was stalling. She needed to think.

With Marcus' demise, Alcide was now the acting Packmaster and Debbie desperately wanted a huge part of that. Not even considering her previous actions as a deterrent, her only thought was how she could somehow save their relationship, the only way to become the alpha female. As such, Alcide would be expected to have a child with her. Her dreams were salvageable.

"It's okay. It's okay. We can fix this…" Debbie pleaded calmly. She was betting on Alcide's good nature to come through like it always had.

Her drastic change from devastation and terror to a placating demeanor had Alcide stopping in his tracks. He expected cursing, begging, fighting... anything but how she was behaving at the moment. When she breathed in a sigh of relief, Alcide realized what she was doing. He was on to her thinly veiled, line of deceit and knew what he had to do. Killing her would be easy but she wouldn't have learned a thing. He realized it wasn't punishment enough. There was only one way to finally rid himself of Debbie and her poisonous nature while delivering immediate Karma. He was dumping her, and kicking the conniving bitch out of the pack and out of his home.

"Debbie Pelt…" Alcide growled out, suppressing the violent urges of the wolf within.

"Uh-huh…" Debbie quietly responded in her well-practiced, demure voice, though her excitement broke through just a bit. She wasn't dead yet, so she just knew Alcide was going to pronounce her as his mate in front of the shifter, Sam Merlotte. Once that was done, she would finally be in a position of power and respect.

"I abjure you." His voice shook, but he meant it. He was done. She had betrayed him for the very last time.

"No." Debbie was shocked and found it hard to breathe. He wouldn't, not over this. He'd forgiven her so often and for worse. "Please don't…" She begged, but Alcide was undeterred.

"I see you no longer. I'll hunt with you, no longer…" he took a steadying breath to finish the last line, and stared into her eyes.

"Alcide…" she cried, but he continued, speaking over her.

"I share flesh with you, no longer."

"Baby…" but she was too late. He was already walking out and slamming the door behind him, signaling the finality of his words.

Sam strolled over to Marcus' body and plucked the gun from his cold dead hand. He didn't bother looking in Debbie's direction, but he heard her slump to the floor as he also exited the room.

Alcide was in the kitchen downing a beer. He eyed the house phone, hanging on the wall- mocking him- daring him to make the call. With a steady breath all reservations left his body, and he found himself dialing Marcus' garage to let the pack know what transpired.

Thirty minutes later, most of the pack was on his lawn- roughly forty wolves, growling and snarling. The collective noise echoed through the house, causing Luna to hold on to little Emma a bit tighter.

"Ya sure you wanna go out there by yourself? I mean, they look pissed." Sam said after a brief peek through the mini-blinds. He backed away from the windows when the weres noticed his presence. He wasn't a pussy, but he knew an ass whoopin' when it's coming. Either way, Alcide was tried and true so he wasn't going to back out now when Alcide needed him most.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Alcide took the opportunity to also peek out the windows. His responding growl did little to soothe the females in the house. Luna had a healthy respect for Alcide; for ridding her of Marcus, but Emma was terrified.

"Stay in here." Alcide announced. "If it gets ugly, get your family out."

"No." The single word made Alcide turn around to face a very pissed off looking Sam. "First of all, I ain't pack. You don't get to order me around. Second, you just saved my ass upstairs. I now owe you a debt."

Sam then turned to Luna, who was shaking her head with fat tears raining down. "Cher, don't cry. You take Em and get on out of here, as fast as you can. I gotta stay, but if anything happens to me, you'll be taken care of- you and Emma."

"What? No! What do you mean, Sam?" Luna frantically cried, begging to understand. Did Sam expect to die? He did. If the pack decides to attack, he knew Luna and Emma had the grimmest odds for survival, but Sam would make sure they got away, even if he paid with his last breath.

"I give you everything I have, my possessions and my life. I'd die for you and Em. You're my world."

"And I give you all that I have, my possessions and my life. I love you, Sam Merlotte." Luna wanted to rejoice in finally exchanging the shifter equivalent to marriage vows, but she was shipping him off to die to help save Emma from the volatile pack. She had the worst possible luck. She had assholes her whole life and the minute she got a good one, she was losing him.

Before any of them knew what was happening, Debbie bolted out the door straight to the pack. "He killed him! He killed Marcus!" she wailed.

Debbie knew there was a huge possibility that Alcide would be rejected and mauled by the pack. She thought Alcide was too nice; not firm enough to be respected or followed. If Alcide showed any weakness, they would tear him apart right here on his lawn. She expected it and wanted it, as retribution for killing the man willing to give her everything she felt she deserved and then rejecting her on top of that.

The pack grew silent.

Not because they mourned the fallen pack leader, but because Alcide calmly walked out to join them all on the lawn. Alcide growled and they made way, slowing backing away to allow him to pass. Many kept their eyes down and others exposed their necks, already submitting to the new Packmaster.

"Debbie Pelt has been abjured from this pack." Alcide announced. "Get this bitch and all her shit off my property." Two females grabbed Debbie, as several of the pack filed inside to sniff out and collect her belongings. He addressed the ones who remained. "Pack meeting tomorrow at seven for those who want to stay. If you don't show, I'll consider you out with no consequences."

"What the fuck? You think you can just stroll into the pack and take over?" one of the younger wolves yelled. There were several younger wolves grouped together with the outspoken one, twitching like V addicts and all itching for a fight. Alcide rounded his body towards the youngsters, ready to lay down the law, but someone else beat him to it.

In mid-air, Sam shifted into a large golden lion, all teeth and muscle. With a roar, the he pounced on all seven youngsters, knocking them down like bowling pins. When they stilled on the ground in terror, the lion roared in fury.

"Sam?" Alcide inched forward, "Mind tellin' me what all this is about?" With a shimmer, the lion switched, morphing back to his naked human form.

"They smell like my trailer…" Sam whispered with the oddest faraway look in his eyes, then his features hardened and his body tensed again, "and they smell like Luna's house!"

Alcide heard Luna's gasp then her low growl inside the house. When he heard her padded footsteps, he began to laugh, chuckling away like a crazy person. Moments ago, Luna was afraid for her and her child's life, but the newly mated shifter turned lion against her will, the exact moment Sam did. Animal mimicry. It's one of the perks of being a mated shifter pair and if her lion was as large and magnificent as Sam's, Luna lost every ounce of fear in the process. Alcide's laughter was dying off, until he looked around. The remaining pack and Sam- all stared at Alcide with opened mouths and incredulous looks on their faces, which only started him back up and made him laugh harder. None of them knew what was going on in his house. But they were about to find out. Alcide casually approached the seven youngsters, still prone and unmoving, unwilling to provoke another attack from the lion.

"You little shits still don't see your mistake, do you?" He shook his head. "You saw the lion, right?" he didn't wait for a response. "Marcus murdered his brother, so Sam here is owed for a Blood Offense, which puts him above all of you at the moment…" Alcide circled slowly, staring each one down until they looked away. "Hasn't anyone ever told you about mated pairs? Shifters mimic their mate's best animal to ensure survival of their bloodline… and I know you can smell their scared cub in my house. Yet, you showed up here, reekin' of their dens? Big fuckin' mistake." Alcide paused to snicker. "Mated females don't take kindly to invasion of their dens." Alcide took two steps backwards. "Luna? You got something to say to these ingrates?" The young men looked terrified, their eyes widening in fear at what their Packmaster was allowing.

Luna chose that moment to approach. Her giant golden paw came down with a vicious swipe, clawing all the youngsters in a single swoop. The young men screamed at feeling their flesh being torn. Luna switched, morphing into her human form- all legs and black flowing hair. "Like your Packmaster said, big fucking mistake! Next time, you won't be so lucky."

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know!