Word Count: 6,262
A/N: I have a tendency to get in to background characters and/or characters that aren't always in the spotlight. Case and point, Sue Clearwater; I fangirl this woman like nobody's business. She's one of my fav Twilight characters and when I started writing her part in Leah's leaving Forks my muse got a bit heavy handed and some things kind of happened.
I honestly meant to have our lovely Rose Water duet find each other in this chapter but I needed to set the background and side characters properly in their places. So, please forgive the angstiness; our ladies will be coming together soon.
There are things going on with different characters all at the same time. A scene change doesn't always mean a time change; please watch for backtracking.
Currently unbetaed; please excuse my mistakes.
Disclaimer: I own only the story itself. Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Please read & review
Chapter 4
Kim and Rachel sit nervously at Emily's dining room table. After seeing the damage that the explosion has caused, it's obvious to Emily that her husband's plan will soon be known to the entire tribe. There's no keeping it secret anymore; people will want to know why Sue Clearwater's house was obliterated by the pack. She herself feels like she can't hold it in any longer; she has to tell her fellow imprints what's been happening.
"Let me get this straight," Rachel starts, "One of the elders told Sam about a vision having to do with Leah, and because of that, he thinks the best course of action is for the whole pack to sleep with her until she's pregnant?" Rachel can't believe what she's just heard.
"It's not that we don't believe you Emily, but, are you really talking about Leah? Leah Clearwater?" Kim can't help but chuckle for a moment. "She would never in a million years go for that; they would literally have to hold her down and..."
Kim can't finish the sentence when she notices the quiver of Emily's lips and the tears in her eyes.
Rachel shakes her head not wanting to believe. "That couldn't happen, I mean she's my brother's beta, Jacob isn't going to stand for that; and even putting that aside, Sue would kick Sam's ass, and … how could he even think of that when he's with his imprint?"
"So Sam is going to order Jared and Paul to do this too?" Kim asks.
"He won't have to order them; at least not Jared. Sam and Jared have been meeting by themselves for some time now and Jared seems to be all for it. And don't give me that look Kim, I'm only telling you what I've seen and heard. Never once did Jared oppose Sam on anything; he even came up with some of their strategies. I don't know how much Paul or the other boys know yet, but judging from the state of Sue's house, they probably at least have an idea as to what Sam is thinking." Emily explains.
"And we're all just supposed to be okay with this? How long have you known?" Rachel asks.
"I've known since Sam was told about the vision. He's been formulating this huge coo of Jacob's pack since then."
"And yet you seem so calm. Why aren't you angrier?" Kim asks the question like she's accusing Emily of something.
"Why?" Emily chuckles humorlessly and wipes the stray tears that fall from her eyes. "That's my family he wants to violate. Leah isn't just my cousin okay. She was my best friend practically from birth. Don't think for even a second that losing that connection with her didn't kill me when Sam imprinted on me. Amicable, is probably the closest word I can think of to describe my interactions with Leah nowadays; especially when I've hardly seen her since she joined Jacob's pack. And thank goodness that she did because she was miserable and I hated seeing her like that. You really think I didn't get angry when I heard what he was planning?"
Something in Emily's tone isn't sitting well in Rachel's mind.
"Emily, what happened when you spoke to him about it?" Rachel asks.
"Do you remember about three months back when I couldn't talk for a week and a half because of my jaw?"
"No way; is that even possible for him to do? I thought it was against tribal law," Kim nearly shouts.
"Against tribal law yes, but Sam's alpha of the pack which essentially means he's the Chief; he pretty much makes the tribal law." Rachel said.
"Exactly," Emily agrees. "I had to act like I was all for it, or imprint or not, I'm pretty sure I would've had a very nasty accident or maybe even ended up dead. Why on earth would I ever make up something like this?"
Rachel and Kim don't need to hear anymore, they rush to Emily's side.
"So you've been lying to me this whole time?"
The women all jump as Sam and the pack comes through the back door.
"You said you had my back on this," Sam scowls at Emily as her grabs her arm and pulls her forward.
Emily's too scared to say anything.
"Sam you're hurting her," Rachel says as she tries to pull Emily away.
Paul grabs Rachel by her hair and pushes her in to Kim, knocking both women to the floor.
"Know your place woman," Paul sneers.
"Stay there," Jared commands when Rachel and Kim try to stand up.
"Sam, please let me go," Emily pleads.
"Go? Where exactly do you think you're going to go?" Sam asks.
"I'm not going anywhere, but you're hurting my arm," Emily cries.
"Damn right you're not going anywhere," Sam says and pushes her down with Rachel and Kim.
"What's the plan Sam?" Jared asks.
"Yeah how are we getting Leah back here?" Paul questions.
"I'm not sure yet but we'll figure something out," Sam answers. "Where's Brady and Colin?" he asks next.
All the shifters look towards the back door that is hanging open. Kim hides her smile by dropping her head and allowing her long hair to cover her face. She had witnessed Brady and Colin sneaking out. Colin had briefly caught her eye and she silently signaled for him and Brady to run. Several minutes have already gone by; she's sure they at least made it to the treaty line by now. She honestly isn't worried too much about them bringing back help; she just wants them safe. They're just kids.
Sam gets a feeling in his gut that stops his movement. It's familiar; it's close to the same feeling he got when Seth and Leah had left his pack. He picks up a chair and throws it across the room.
"Let's go!" Sam yells as he runs out the back door and phases.
The pack doesn't question Sam's actions, they immediately follow. Once in wolf form they hear his thoughts and are equally upset.
"Little piece of shit traitors!" Jared yells.
"Get your tiny asses back here!" Paul adds.
Sam says nothing. He doesn't know how long the boys have been gone and his only thought is stopping them before they get to the treaty line. They aren't a great loss really, not like Jacob, Leah, and Seth had been. By the time they get to the ravine separating their lands from Cullen territory, Sam knows he's too late. It isn't a big loss, he reminds himself, but it's a loss just the same.
He releases a howl in to the air and is followed up by the rest of the pack. Its fine, Sam thinks. Jacob can have those two lackeys; they weren't much good to him anyway.
"Let's move; this changes nothing. We need to gather the people to meet with the Council." Sam commands.
Rachel is the first to get off the floor when the pack leaves. She rushes to the back door to make sure all of them have gone. Once she confirms the coast is clear she helps Emily up and grabs her car keys.
"Let's go, we are not staying here," she says.
"Where can we go that they can't just drag us back, are you crazy?" Kim asks.
"I know exactly where to go," Rachel answers once they are all in the car.
Several minutes go by before anyone speaks. They're all scared and very unsure of what their immediate future holds.
"Do you guys feel it?" Emily whispers sadly.
"I feel something, but I don't really know how to describe it," Rachel says as she pulls into her father's drive way. "I'll be right back."
Only a few minutes go by before Rachel is exiting the house pushing Billy in front of her. Once Billy is situated and his wheel chair is secure in the trunk Rachel drives as quickly as she can towards the only place she thinks they might be safe.
"Emily what happened to your arm?" Billy asks.
Emily's looks down at her forearm to find it swollen and discolored.
"Sam is what happened Dad. I told you, him and his whole pack have gone nuts," Rachel answers before Emily can say anything.
Kim looks back at Emily when she notices the woman still hasn't spoken.
"Emily?" Kim tries to get her attention.
"It's getting worse," Emily says as she tenderly holds her swollen arm against her body.
"What's getting worse?" Billy asks.
"What we've been feeling since we left Sam's," Rachel answers.
"It feels like … like … separation?" Kim struggles to find the right word.
"Is that possible Dad? Can an imprint connection be broken?" Rachel asks as she takes a deep breath. The hollowing feeling in her gut is not pleasant; but she pushes through it and speeds up to try and get to the Cullens' house faster.
"Until now, I would have said no. But, until Leah I would have said that females never shift. Until Jacob, I would have said there is only ever one alpha and one pack. Until I met the Cullens, I would have said that all cold ones are evil and murderous monsters." Billy pauses and can't stop himself from chuckling. "I suppose this generation is quite fixed on making changes to old and proven facts. A shifter is never supposed to be able to willingly hurt their imprint." Billy reaches across the seat and gingerly inspects Emily's arm. "It looks like it may be fractured, but if we're going where I think we're going then Carlisle will be able to fix you right up. The bond between a shifter and its imprint in the past has never been broken; but as I said, this is a new generation and the rules of engagement are different than in the old times."
"That must be it then," Kim whispers sadly; her silent tears match Emily's.
Rachel keeps it together but just barely; she breathes a heavy sigh of relief when the Cullen house comes in to her line of vision. Angry howls echo through the air as she parks the car in front of the house just as Charlie pulls up in Jacob's truck with Sue.
"He already knows we're gone?" Emily begins to panic.
"No, it's not us; not just yet anyway. I think that's Colin and Brady. Look," Kim says as she points to the trees.
The house occupants all come outside just as Colin and Brady step across the tree line. Alice had already known the boys were outside, but she also knew they were scared; so she shielded them from Edward's power to keep her brother from giving away their location. When she sees the boys were ready to reveal themselves, she removes the shield. The boys quickly shift to human form and fall to their knees trying to calm themselves as Jacob and Seth approach them.
"Boys?" Jacob is suspicious.
"Please … don't make us go back," Colin pleads.
"He'll kill us if he finds out," Brady adds.
"What are you two doing here?" Jacob asks.
"Who will find out what?" Seth asks.
"They've imprinted," Edward answers.
Esme delivers a swift smack to the back of Edward's head.
"What was that for, Seth asked a question," Edward states.
"Well he didn't ask you though did he." Esme replies.
"We saw Sam's thoughts, all of their thoughts, about Embry and Emmett. We couldn't stay with him; if he found out…" Colin's throat closes up before he can finish the sentence.
"Finds out what?" Seth repeats ignoring Edward's interruption as Emmett tosses two pairs of shorts at the young boys.
The young shifters mumble thank yous to Emmett as they put the clothes on. Brady takes the time to comfort Colin by wiping away the shorter boy's tears and giving him a quick kiss on his temple.
"We've been keeping it hidden for so long because we didn't know how the pack would react, and now that we do know … we knew we had to get out of there," Brady finishes as he wraps his arms around his now silently crying mate.
"You were right to leave," Embry says from the porch.
"Only our parents know," Brady explains.
"When did it happen?" Seth inquires.
"Just after we first started shifting," Colin says.
"Like I said, when we finally saw Sam's thoughts after he found out about Embry and Emmett we knew we wouldn't have a place in his pack anymore. Never mind the other level of crazy he's slipped in to," Brady adds.
Jacob contemplates everything as the boys stare at him with wide pleading eyes. He doesn't know if he can really trust them yet.
"They can't go back Jacob. Look what Sam did to Emily when he heard me and the girls saying how horrible his plans about Leah are," Kim states.
Carlisle is off the porch and inspecting Emily's arm in the blink of an eye.
"I apologize for the low temperature," the doctor says.
"It's okay; it actually feels kind of nice against the injury," Emily states as Carlisle leads her inside.
"And that explains why you guys are here," Jacob states. "Did Paul?" he asks his sister.
"No. Well, he pushed me but that was only today; nothing else ever happened," Rachel replies.
"What about us?" Brady asks; he knows that he and his mate will have limited, at best, contact with their families from now on.
"They can't go back Jake," Seth states; fully stepping back in to the beta roll in his sister's absence. "It'll be a death sentence for them."
"I can understand you questioning their intentions where your pack is involved Jacob, but this is my house," Esme states to the alpha. "Boys," she addresses Brady and Colin, "you have a place here for as long as you need."
"If necessary, Esme and I will take responsibility for them Jacob," Sue states as she stands with the boys.
Jacob looks to Esme and the woman nods her agreement. The alpha knows it'd be pointless to even try to argue with either mother, so he quickly agrees.
"Okay, you two can stay," Jacob states as he looks at the young shifters. "Now, I've never forced anyone to join my pack, so I'll leave the choice to you. Will you follow me?"
The boys look at each other and have a silent conversation; but it doesn't take them long.
"We'll follow them," Brady points to Esme and Sue. "If they're behind you, then we're with you."
"Fair enough; welcome to the pack," Jacob says with a smile then holds his hand out for Brady to shake.
Some of the group, mostly Emmett and Embry, make whooping noises but Jacob quiets them quickly.
"No time for cheering yet; we still need to go get the rest of the pack," the alpha states.
"They're already on the way," Billy says while shoeing Charlie away from helping him in to his wheelchair. "I knew Quil was still on the res so I sent out a call to him when Rachel came to get me. I figured with the little bit she told me before we rushed out the door and your phone call either, then Sue's house, you may not have had time to think of the cubs yet. I told him to call Rachel's phone if anything slowed him down."
"Speak of the devil," Embry says with a smile.
"Awesome," Seth says when he spies Quil's car approaching them.
"Thanks Dad," Jake says before he turns to check on the rest of his pack.
"Sorry I took so long," Quil says as he takes Claire out of the car. "I had to make sure Little Bit here knew I wasn't going to be around for awhile. But she didn't like that idea too much so her parents said it'd probably be best to keep her near me under the circumstances. I figured Sue might be here and be able to help with that."
Claire says hello to Jacob then runs to Sue. Quil has questions but he doesn't get the chance to ask. Laughter and applause fills the air but no one can see where it's coming from. Before things get tense two young looking vampires appear, seemingly out of thin air; Marcus and Vladimir
"What a touching family scene," Vladimir says with a smirk.
"Please forgive our intrusion and Vladimir's teasing," Marcus says with a look to his companion.
"Vladimir. Marcus," Carlisle says as he steps back outside followed by Emily, "since when are you two so chummy?"
"And why are you here?" Jacob asks.
"We've always been … chummy, as you say Carlisle. Save for the centuries that my mate was under Aro's control. Now that he is liberated, we seek a new path."
"And that is why we are here. Aro has plans to come back and collect the prizes that your family kept him from months ago. After I finally escaped from Chelsea's influence I was able to gather some information before I was able to slip away," Marcus declares.
"And just what information would that be?" Carlisle asks.
"A specific list of who Aro wants; vampire and shape-shifter alike," Marcus answers. "The main person though," Marcus and Vladimir look through the group, "I do not see."
"I do not understand; I thought for sure she would be here." Vladimir states. "We must take our leave Marcus it's pointless without her."
Vladimir genuinely looks distressed and slightly scared, which is not a thing Carlisle is used to seeing in his old friend.
"Are you talking about my sister?" Seth asks.
Seth knows Leah's child will be special to the tribe, but what could the Volturi want with his sister's offspring?
"How about we all go inside and…?" Esme starts to suggest.
A loud gasp from Alice cuts her off. Seth and Jasper are at their mate's side in seconds.
"Get inside! You three especially; they're coming for you," Alice looks at Rachel, Emily, and Kim.
The girls run on to the porch with Claire in tow and are flanked by Colin, Brady, and Quil. Jacob suggests they stay visible instead of locking themselves in a room, just in case things go bad they won't have to split up the group to protect the girls. Billy gets moved near the girls by Jasper. Charlie stands near his old friend, who he wishes would stop giving him the lukewarm shoulder; and Esme with his gun in hand. He had tried to pull Sue along with him but she had refused. The woman stands bravely on the front line with Carlisle and Jacob. Charlie is beginning to worry about her. Even with all the events of today she's been mostly okay, but he can see below the surface; underneath the mask she seems to be wearing for everyone else's benefit. Something is off, he just doesn't know what.
Jasper and Seth stay close to Alice. Their mate looks drained and it worries them. Their not sure if it was the force of the vision she just had or if it is something else; what that something else could be they can't guess.
Sam and his pack surprisingly step out of the woods in human form. But it's clear that they could shift at any moment; their anger clearly showing on their disgusted looking faces and slightly trembling clenched fists.
"Give us back what belongs to us?" Sam grunts.
"They came here to get away from you. They want no parts of any of you. You are beyond your jurisdiction here Samuel. Turn your dogs around and leave," Sue all but orders before either Jacob or Carlisle can speak.
"You dare presume to give me orders?" Sam growls.
"Your former seat on the Council no longer holds any weight bitch," Paul sneers.
Alice is quick to hold on to Seth and stop him from approaching the opposing shifter for his insult.
"She'll be offended if you step in," she speaks through their link, "she'll be fine; trust me. I've just seen how this will end."
Seth looks at Alice like she's grown a third head, but he trusts her word. And he knows Jacob and Carlisle wouldn't let anything happen to his mother. Jasper grips Alice a little tighter on her left while Seth stays on her right as she seems to falter in her stance. The glare that Alice sends at Edward isn't missed by Jasper and Seth. Jasper correctly guesses that their lady must be blocking Edward from seeing something of importance; and Edward is trying to fight against the block. He uses his power to distract his brother; but he's only successful for a very short time. Edward can be incredibly focused when he wants to be.
"Sam?" Emily calls from the porch, "why don't you guys go home. Maybe we can talk in a few days when you've calmed down."
Emily knows she has no intention of going back to the alpha; the constant need, want, and love she once held for him is all but spent. She's just hoping that Sam will possibly listen to reason and leave peacefully.
"You always have to be so damn dramatic," Jared directs at Emily.
"Look, it was an accident okay," Sam says with a roll of his eyes. "You know I didn't mean to hurt you, any of you, so cut the crap and let's go. We're not leaving you in this den of murderers."
"No, because it'd be so much better for them to go home with a pack of future rapists," Jacob retorts.
"Sam you came dangerously close to breaking Emily's arm. That doesn't happen by accident," Carlisle tries to reason with Sam.
"No one asked for your opinion Doctor Death," Jared states.
"I've had enough of this," Sam says as he takes a step forward.
It's the start of a chain reaction that no one but Alice sees coming. The tiny vampire smirks as she's held upright by her mates.
Carlisle moves to stand in front of Sue just as Jacob reaches for the woman to pull her out of the way. But Sue's not having it, she swats Jacob's hand away and uses her other arm to push Carlisle away from her. Paul is the first in the crowd to truly take notice of what Sue just did. He looks around at his pack to see if anyone else is paying attention and he even tries to silently clue his beta and alpha in; but he is unsuccessful. Carlisle is the second to notice, and he stares at the woman with confused and curious eyes. Jacob flexes his hand slowly several times; trying not to show how much Sue's slap has hurt him.
"Either they come down here and leave willingly or we will go get them and drag them back to the res. I don't care how many of you we have to cut down along the way. And I know you're hiding Leah, so you best give her up too." Sam declares as he takes another step forward.
Sue takes a step forward and pokes Sam in the chest, "You disgust me; like father like son. I'm not going to let any of you hurt those girls. And you are certainly not getting anywhere near my daughter. I've been praying and hoping for the day to come that she finds her imprint; that she would find where her heart truly belonged so she didn't have to suffer with the memory of you. Now that she has, I'll be damned if I let you ruin her happiness. Now, turn the fuck around and leave."
Jacob's jaw drops and he openly gawks at Sue's back; he's never heard her use such language. Even when he, Seth, and Leah used to cause all kinds of havoc when they were younger, Sue had never had to do more than give them a look to let them know when she was near her wits end; harsh language was never needed. But it's not really the use of the f-word it's the deepened echo-like reverberation in her voice. He locks eyes with Carlisle; both coming to the same conclusion at the same time. Instinctively they both look back to Alice, both silently questioning if the woman has seen this happening or not; the devious smirk on the raven-haired vampire's face speaks volumes.
"No way," Paul whispers mostly to himself. He doesn't notice until he bumps in to one of his pack brothers that he's already moved three steps back in an effort to get out of Sue's reach. He recognizes the look in her eyes. It's how he always knew when he needed to leave Leah alone. It was never the threats or insults that the she-wolf would throw back at him; he actually thought she was pretty hot when she got angry. It was when she got fed up, when she decided she was tired of talking. Leah would simply settle herself, and just stare off in to space. And because Paul always takes things too far he would keep going and utter one insult too many; and that's when she would slowly turn and look at him. He would always shrug or laugh it off; but he always did both actions while walking away from Leah. The phrase 'if looks could kill' never quite measured up to the look of absolute destruction he used to see in Leah's eyes.
"I would do as she says Sam," Alice speaks to the alpha. "But I'm really hoping he doesn't listen to me," she speaks to her mates.
She decides to stop fighting her brother and she removes the shields she's had on her mind as well as the shields on her parents' and mates' minds. A chuckle slips out of her mouth when the sudden flood of thoughts slams in to Edward's mind all at once; making him momentarily lose his balance.
Jacob and Carlisle both signal to the pack and coven standing behind them to stay put when Sam does as Alice saw he would do. The misguided alpha commands his second and third to move Sue out of his way. Paul hesitates at first but he recovers quickly.
"Alice, this is getting dangerous," Jasper comments.
"Have a little faith loves," the brunette responds.
Neither Jacob nor Carlisle know what's about to happen, but they both feel like no one should interfere. Jared and Paul both reach for Sue, but they don't realize that she's faster than them. The woman grabs a wrist of each of the men coming towards her and in one fluid movement swiftly jerks their hands downward and then tosses them both back; simultaneously lifting them both a few feet off the ground.
"Alice?" Seth is barely containing himself.
"Trust me!" Alice nearly yells. "Leah wasn't the first female to shift in your tribe."
Before Sam or any other members of his pack can react she jumps high in to the air; shifting as she lifts her body. The razor sharp claws that form in place of her hands leave a bloody trail from the middle of Sam's abdomen to his clavicle. Her hind leg delivers a solid kick to the injured alpha's jaw, making him stumble backwards and fall to the ground.
Those standing closest to Sue spread out in to a semicircle, giving the wolf room to land. She stands tall on four strong legs and growls a loud warning in Sam's face. Her wolf eyes are a vibrant stormy purple hue. Her shaggy fur is all white with a solid streak of grey that runs from her nose to the tip of her tail.
Both Carlisle and Jacob maintain their standing order for no one else to interfere. Sue shifts back to human form only moments later. She takes a second to catch her breath and to let her bones resettle. She rises slowly from bended knee with her jaws and fists tightly clenched as she glares pure fire at Sam.
Sam jumps to his feet in a rage; mere seconds from shifting. Jared and Paul are smart enough to hold him back.
"We need to leave Sam, that's enough for today," Jared says close to Sam's ear.
"We're outnumbered Sam. Who will protect the people if we fall?" Paul asks.
That seems to do the trick. Sam still struggles, but he allows his second and third to move him towards the trees.
"Run home little princess, your days are numbered." Sue sends a final jab and warning to the retreating alpha.
Esme is the first to move once Sam's pack is out of sight. She quickly grabs a sheet from the house and wraps it around Sue.
"Thank you," Sue says quietly as she situates the covering over her body.
"Well," Jacob snaps out of his shock, "you Clearwaters don't know how to do shit small do you?"
It breaks the tension. A round of giggles erupts and Charlie makes his way to Sue and holds her for a few moments.
"I thought I was going to have to shoot one of those boys; you had me scared woman," Charlie states with a smile.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't expect that. I haven't shifted in over a decade," Sue explains between kisses.
"Over a decade?"
Sue turns in Charlie's arms and faces her youngest child and the rest of the shifters that are now all standing behind Seth and Jacob.
"I guess now is as good a time as any to explain," Sue decides. "Shape-shifters in the tribe are kept completely secret from everyone with the exception of the Council. The Order of The She-wolf even moreso. Before Leah, only one member of the Council ever knew. It was usually only one woman per generation. The pack took care of protecting the people from cold ones; the she-wolves protected the people from themselves. The few bad domestic elements that would happen to come around every now and then, so to speak, would be dealt with in as much secrecy as possible. Ironically enough, the last problem I had to deal with was my brother Joshua. My aunt and I pretty much ran him out of town the last time he couldn't hold his drink. Sam and his mom ended up spending some time in recluse after to hide the bruises that Joshua had inflicted."
"You guys got some strong genes," Emmett jokes.
Sue smiles and turns her eyes to Embry. The boy looks back at her with pensive questioning eyes. Sue can tell he's putting things together in his mind. Embry has no real memory of his father, save one. One night when he was five he awoke to his mother screaming for help. He heard loud cursing and things being broken and the voice of a man demanding to see his son. He heard the loud thud of footsteps coming towards his room from the hallway. He saw the shadow of a figure looming in his doorway and just before he could release the fearful scream that had built up in his chest. His eyes were burned by his bedroom light suddenly turning on. His vision was blurry, but in the scurry of movement that flashed before him, he was sure of the two faces he'd seen. One was simply a bloodied angry scowl and the other was a beautiful warrior with purple eyes.
Embry knows now. Sue Clearwater was the warrior who has quietly been watching over him and his mother all these years. A stray tear trails down his face as Emmett wraps his arms around him.
"What's wrong?" Emmett whispers.
"I'll tell you later, there's something the pack has to do first," Embry answers cryptically.
He moves away from Emmett and stands closer to the boys gathered behind Jacob and Seth. The alpha and beta seem to be locked in a silent discussion as they stare at each other. Soon they both turn their gazes to Sue. Charlie senses something is about to happen so he steps away to give the pack some sense of aloneness in the moment.
Jacob drops to one knee, and then the rest of the pack quickly follows. Sue quirks a questioning eyebrow at the boys.
"Jacob?" she questions.
"Here's the thing. I never wanted to be Chief, or a part of the pack, and definitely not its leader. But I had to step up because people that I've come to care very much for were in danger. My dad always said you had a strong heart; I guess that ran far deeper than any of us ever knew. It may be considered selfish, or even lazy, but I know there isn't a better leader for the pack or our people; especially for what may be coming. So we pledge ourselves to the mother wolf, our alpha; if she'll have us."
Sue is pensive; having the alpha title is something she had never sought to claim. But in lieu of recent events, and the loom of things to come in the future, her blood is practically screaming for her to step up and claim the lead role. Like the old history of their tribe states, Quileutes feel the threat in their blood; urging them to join the pack and fight. Her wolf has long lay dormant but chose today to assert itself again.
A small nod to the pack places the invisible reigns of leadership in Sue's hands. Seth runs to his mother and hugs her tightly. She smiles as she squeezes him back while the rest of the pack shifts and howls in to the air.
"Don't think you get to skip all your duties young man," Sue calls to Jacob. "I have high expectations for my second in command."
Jacob bent down, still in wolf form, until his head was under Sue's hand. She scratched behind his ear then moved his head so she could look him in the eyes.
"Yes ma'am," he speaks the words proudly into his alpha's mind.
Things are shifting; a new era is beginning; and Jacob, for one, can't wait to see what will happen upon Leah's return.
To be continued…
Please review
A/N: Again, I didn't forget about Leah and Rosalie; we'll see what happened during Sue and Charlie's drive in the next chapter (I'm about halfway done with it). I needed to get most of the Forks activities out so I didn't have to switch back too many times once Leah and Rosalie find each other.
Most of the alliances have now been formed; I hope everyone is still clear on everything that's been simultaneously happening. If you have any questions please leave those in a review (I will reply) or feel free to pm me. Everything will all make a bit more sense later, promise.
Also, in case anyone is wondering about Marcus' brief description, he is described as a much younger looking man in the book than he is portrayed as in the movie; so for his character I took his look from the bookverse.