The Great Alpha - Chapter Nine.
After a pretty hectic night and, in the end, very little sleep, Jacob was the first to open his eyes. He smiled as he caught a glimpse of Leah peacefully asleep on his chest and couldn't help but stroking her beautiful face.
Leah moaned and snuggled more against him, without opening her eyes.
"We gotta go, right?" she mumbled, half asleep.
"Yes, unfortunately it's already morning."
Leah sighed heavily and reluctantly pulled away from him to get up and stretch her legs.
"Remind me to never sleep in a bed! It's much easier to be operational when sleeping on the floor!"
Jacob said nothing, too busy gazing at her naked body.
"I mean comfort makes people become lazy!" she went on her rant without realizing how badly she was affecting the Quileute.
"I was thinking we could start our little trip tomorrow" he interrupted suddenly.
"Tomorrow? Why?" She frowned. "I thought you wanted to go there as soon as possible..."
"That's right, but I have other things in mind, right here, right now," he confessed and Leah could clearly distinguish the huge bulge growing from desire under the sheet.
She bit her lower lip while her eyes darkened with a bestial glow. Without a word, she jumped on the bed and pulled the sheet off her prey. Jacob laughed whole-heartedly but soon reversed their position and grabbed her wrists as he smelled her arousal.
"What were you planning to do exactly, Miss Sassy?"
"I just wanted to relieve you, Oh my so Sexy Alpha!" she teased him innocently.
"Oh, well, that's very noble of you!" he whispered while he bent down to kiss her neck.
They were interrupted by small knocks on the door and the voice of Seth startled them both.
"No more hanky-panky, guys! Mr. Black wants me to –"
"I told you to call me Billy, Seth!" the latter scold.
"Sorry! Billy wants me to tell you that the tribal council will reunite in less than 30 minutes and if you want to eat before, you'd better hurry!"
Leah's stomach gurgled.
"I don't want to leave without eating," she growled in frustration.
Jacob made a little disappointed pout but finally got up.
"Go ahead; I'll go take a shower while you eat."
"A shower!" she whined, covering her face with a pillow to let out a cry. "You are the king of mental torture, Jacob Black!
"Why? I have to wash myself, right?"
Leah walked toward him and pressed her body against him, pinning him against the wall in the process.
"Imagine me naked with water dripping all over my body as I massage it up and down with soap..." she whispered in his ear.
Jacob shuddered but quickly regained his composure. In a quick movement, he reversed the situation and Leah found herself caught between the cold wall and his warm body molded to hers.
"Come with me, then," he whispered back hoarsely in her ear.
"No humping in the shower!" Seth intervened. "I hear everything, remember!"
"Can't you go away for a minute or two?" Jacob grumbled.
"I'm leaving!" Seth obeyed.
Leah shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"We should go before breakfast gets cold," she suggested. "We'll resume our discussion later."
"Sure, sure. I really need to take a cold shower, so -"
"Uh... Can I... Borrow on of your T-Shirt?" she asked, blushing slightly.
"Of course, wait" he said while fumbling in his drawers. He pulled a shirt for Leah, one for him, a short and two towels. "I leave yours on the bed. I'll be right back!"
Leah put the shirt on and went straight into the kitchen, where Billy stared at her, amused by the wolves' antics. She apologized for her behavior and hastened to eat before going to shower as soon as the bathroom was free. She came back into the main room dressed with clothes belonging to Emily, whom Billy had called previously to help the she-wolf and prevent her from walking around in Jacob's clothes.
The alpha scowled when he saw her.
"Is there something wrong with my outfit?" she frowned, suddenly aware of his hard gaze on her.
"I like you better with my clothes."
"I prefer your clothes too, but it's nice to wear something feminine, sometimes..."
Jacob replied with a mischievous smile and a meaningful glance before attacking his meal.
Leah, turned on by his attitude, went outside to get some fresh air, hoping to cool off enough to stop her from molesting him. She saw some members of the Quileute Pack heading to the meeting room and a ball of anxiety clogged her throat as she caught the hateful glances they were all throwing at her. She was used to not being loved by his pack brothers since she became Omega, and given the situation, she could totally understand why the Quileute wolves didn't hold her dear in their heart, but she couldn't help but feel bad knowing that she had a sort of affair going on with their Alpha.
"Penny for your thoughts," Jacob said as he walked near her.
Leah gasped, startled, and smiled sadly at the young man.
"I was just thinking about the difficulties we're going to face, here and elsewhere."
Jacob wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her cheek.
"Here and elsewhere, we'll face them together, no matter what."
Leah closed her eyes, savoring the warm cocoon offered by her Alpha's arms.
"You can count on me. Anywhere and everywhere, I will follow you," she murmured, offering her neck to him and revealing the mark he'd made.
He stared at her smooth skin for a second before putting tenderly his mouth over it. An intense electric shock ran through Leah from the moment she felt Jacob's lips on his mark and she could have sworn that she could feel his emotions creeping into her.
"I know you're afraid of not being up to fulfill the legend, but if anyone has the power to unite all the tribes, it's you, Jacob," she affirmed, feeling the need to reassure him.
"Do you really believe what you just said or are you saying that just to stroke my ego?"
"I always say what I think. You have already realizing it, haven't you?"
"Right..." he smiled.
"Jake, it's time to go!" Billy called as he left the house with Seth in tow.
They arrived quickly at the community center. The whole pack and the Elders were already present and in a heated conversation. Silence fell immediately when Jacob and his father came and of course all eyes were set on Leah and her brother. Even if Jacob hadn't yet formally spoken, everyone already knew the broad outlines of the story.
Leah and Seth walked in a corner of the room, both feeling uncomfortable even if Billy Black's encouraging smiles lifted their spirits. They knew they would have a lot to prove to their new pack, including Jacob and their loyalty to them, and that the following days wouldn't be easy, but they were relieved to be together to face all this, with their new Alpha's help.
"Well... First of all, we are happy to see you, dear Jacob!" Quil Ateara Senior, the oldest member of the Quileute Council, began. "Your brothers were all very worried about your disappearance. We heard what happened with the Lakotas and we would like more details, if possible."
"Of course. As you all know, I refused Sam's offer about joining them to fight the Cold Ones and it turns out that I made the right choice, because he lied to us all along the line. During my captivity, I discovered that vampires had nothing to do with the attack of Sugar Point, but it was actually Sam and his pack who slaughtered the other one."
Gasps of horror and offended murmurs arose while all hateful glares set again on Leah and Seth. The young woman, angry, stood proudly and glared back at them.
"Stop judging us a little!" she roared. "OK, our former pack had killed innocent people and we had to take part in this horror, but you have no right to condemn us without knowing all the facts!"
"The facts are that you have killed humans and Protectors!" Embry replied, infuriated.
"We were ordered to do so!" Leah defended herself.
"That doesn't make you less of murderers!" Jared countered.
Leah stepped back, hurt by the words of the latter.
"You know nothing about me or my Lakota brothers. You have a good life here, a wonderful Alpha who lets you free to do whatever you want. You have no idea what it's like to go against your beliefs for fear of losing your family!"
"What you're saying is akin to cowardice! Nothing more!" Embry spat angrily.
Leah and Seth began to tremble with rage.
"ENOUGH!" Jacob's voice echoed into the room, shaking the walls.
Silence fell instantly and the Clearwater siblings calmed down.
"Jake," Embry started cautiously. "I know that you're grateful toward them for having rescued you, but –"
"It is not just about being grateful, Embry. I'm aware of what they did; I even heard a girl getting killed by the Lakota pack!" Jacob admitted hardly, thinking about what he had experienced. "I thought like you at first. I couldn't understand how they could harm human beings while our primary role is to protect them. But when I saw how Sam acted with his pack, I realized that they simply had no choice. With him you either have to obey or die, and even if you prefer death, he manages to make you change your mind by attacking someone you love. So instead of judging them, ask yourself what you would do if you were seeing your brother, your mother or sister being tortured under your eyes? Who among you can swear that he wouldn't have surrendered?" he questioned as he stared into each of his brothers' eyes.
Ashamed, all pack members bowed their heads one by one while Leah gave Jacob a look full of gratitude.
"If I understand correctly," Old Quil resumed talking. "These young people have risked their lives to get you out of your prison? They have betrayed their pack and joined yours. Is that correct?"
"They haven't betrayed their pack; they just left it for the time being, until we found a way to defeat Sam. Leah is the legitimate Alpha of the Lakota pack and she won't succeed to take her rightful place without our help and the remaining tribes' one."
"Are you saying that she is an Alpha female?" Quil gasped, shocked.
"Why does everyone react strangely when they know what I am?" Leah growled, exasperated.
"What is exactly your relationship with her? Does she belong to another Alpha – that… Sam guy? Or did she submit to you?"
"I'm not a piece of meat!" she exclaimed, really offended.
"I'm sorry, Leah. Quil didn't mean it like that," Billy apologized. "But it's important to know where your loyalty lays for the upcoming events."
Jacob looked a little embarrassed before answering.
"She submitted to me."
The murmurs began again and Leah, unable to stand the tension and the accusatory eyes on her, left the room hastily after ordering his brother not to follow her.
"I wasn't expecting that!" Senior Quil chuckled. "I knew that the legend was true, but I never thought that your son would be one that would unite our people, Billy!"
"Believe me, Quil, I didn't it would be possible either!" Jacob's dad laughed.
"Can someone tell us what all this is about?" Jared grew impatient.
"We're talking about the legend saying that the Alpha who successfully submits the other tribes and possesses the only Alpha female in the spirit warriors' world will unify all the tribes and bring peace between them."
"Wait, what? What's this thing about the Alpha female?" Jacob intervened, completely lost.
"The legend says that obtaining the submission of all the tribes is not good enough to unify them. Only the fruit of the union of the Grand Alpha and the Alpha female, the only female who is Alpha by her birthright, will be allow to be the leaders worthy of our tribes. Each of their children will lead a tribe, and harmony will prevail within the family until the end of time."
"Well, I hope you're not talking about my sister," Seth groaned.
"I believe she is the one," said Billy. "We never heard of an Alpha female before her."
"We've never head of a female Protector either!" Quil Senior pinpointed.
Jacob was speechless. It was a lot of information to register for his brain. He had a hard time to believe that he was the Alpha of the legend as Leah seemed to think, so to add the fact that they were both destined to accomplish great things together seemed literally surreal!
"However, you need to be careful, because the Alpha female is very volatile."
"Oh man! They are really speaking about my sister!" Seth whined.
"You won't just have to satisfy her physical needs. As long as you haven't won her heart, she could give herself to any other Alpha, and they definitely won't hesitate to try to seduce her. After all, who wouldn't want to have a woman as much beautiful and powerful as this young lady at his side?"
Jacob stiffened and unwittingly uttered a grunt expressing what he thought of others treading on his toes. However, concern began to increase when he realized that he couldn't win Leah's in such a short time, especially with other Alpha on the roll.
"I suppose that you'll go and meet the other packs to help your… Mate?" Old Quil deduced.
"Yes, and unfortunately, she wants to come with me."
"As strange as it seems, I think it would best the best for both of you," Billy said. "It would not only allow you to strengthen your relationship, but her presence at your side can save you days of tough negotiations. All the tribes know this legend. They'll probably yield easily if the see the couple supposed to lead them."
"What if I lose? What if another Alpha is more to her liking?"
"Then it'll mean that you two aren't meant to be," Billy replied sadly. "But I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Given the way she talks and admires you, there is very little chance it will happen."
Jacob nodded, but his father's words didn't really reassure him at all.
"So I guess you agree that I should meet the other tribes?"
"The sooner the better" Old Quil agreed. "Take some of your brothers with you, and of course, the female –"
"Her name is Leah and I prefer that you call her by her name," Jacob remarked.
"Yes, of course. Leah, then. My apologies."
"No harm done. Embry, Quil and Seth, you're coming with us," the Alpha decided.
The three guys involved nodded and Embry and Quil left to get ready for their trip.
"Good luck, Jacob. Come back quickly, and victorious!" Quil Senior exclaimed.
Jacob gave him a nod before heading outside to find Leah.
Like the first time they met, he found her on the beach, grumbling incoherent things against the Quileutes and men in general.
"Are you okay?" Jacob asked as he sat near her.
"All these judgments, all these looks... And this obsession about my submission! Why is what's going on between us their business, by the way?" she snapped.
"They mean no harm; they're just curious because of the legends –"
"To hell with them and their freaking legends! Yes, I have given myself to you and if I had do it again, I would with no hesitation, but that doesn't mean that I belong to you! We live in the 21st century, dammit!"
"You're right," Jacob muttered before turning his head towards the sea while his fear of losing her to another grew.
"What's wrong, Jacob?" Leah frowned, sensing a change in her new Alpha's attitude.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking about what awaits us. We'd better go, by the way."
"Have they at least told you something useful with their legends crap?" she questioned as she got up before reaching out to help Jacob.
"Not really," he lied, not wanting to talk about what he'd learned on her role in their future.
"Great! Well, the three of us will manage to make it without their help!"
"The three of us?"
"Seth, you and I, duh!" she exclaimed.
"Embry and Quil are also coming with us," Jacob informed.
"Embry? The one who called me a murderer?" she growled, clenching her fists.
"Uh... Yeah, himself..." he grimaced.
Leah glared at him.
"Make sure that he doesn't speak to me. It may end badly for him."
"Leah... They are really nice when you know them –"
"Yeah, well, I don't like your Embry and I absolutely don't want to know the rest of your pack right now."
"You'll end up appreciating them, I'm sure," Jacob smiled, taking her hand.
The woman let him lead her towards his home without hesitation and shuddered when she realized that they were alone when they arrived. Thousands of images came to her mind but she preferred to stay reasonable and not to jump on the Quileute. Jacob watched with amusement as she tensed nervously and decided to tease her a little.
"Do you have some naughty thoughts, Miss Sassy?" he whispered in her ear before going to the kitchen.
"You wish, Alpha!" she huffed.
"Well, to be honest ... No!" he lied on purpose to annoy her as he searched into the kitchen cupboard for some more cans. "I have more important things to do, as looking for the food we'll take with us. We also need some money and I think I'll take one or two spare shorts in case, and you should do the same."
"Do I have to point out that I have no personal effects? And seriously, don't bother with this stuff. I'm used to travel and in your animal form, you don't need anything other than your actual clothes. We'll chase animals and if you're uncomfortable with eating it raw, we'll cook it."
"You think so? We won't have a lot of choice, then..." he grimaced, not very fond of raw meat.
"This isn't a road trip!" Leah chuckled. "You thought we would take the car and sleep in motels after having eaten a good hamburger in a dinner? Forget it, dude! If you want to arrive before Sam, we have to be practical."
"OK, OK! I'll leave the cans!" he sighed, closing the cupboard. "I would lend you a pair of my shorts, but you would constantly have to tie it with a belt, so we'll go see if you can borrow something from Emily."
"Just give me a T-Shirt, it will be enough."
"Don't tell me that you're going to walk with a simple T-shirt when we'll meet other clans?"
"So what? It's not like I'm going to let them sniff my butt of something, if that's what you're afraid of!"
Jacob made a grimace of disgust just thinking about it.
"No, no, no! There's no way in hell I'll let you go like this!"
"Stop being so close minded, Alpha!" she growled. "Would you prefer that I go naked or with a T-shirt with your scent?"
"With a T-shirt and shorts with my scent, so let's find this!"
Leah sighed heavily and went into the bathroom to get her outfits in the dirty laundry.
"Are you happy, now?"
"Yes, it's better," he said, a little ashamed for forcing her to dress with dirty clothes.
"Okay, so it's settled! Can we focus on my other problem now?"
"Sure, what is it?"
With a motion too fast for Jacob's eyes, she rose, rushed towards him and tackled him to ground.
"What do you think it is?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes darkened with lust.
Jacob gulped and his heart began to beat faster.
"Uh... Leah… Not that I wouldn't like to solve your problem right here, right now, but anyone could catch us and –"
"I don't care!" she growled.
"I really don't want people to see us going at it on the floor. Even if the idea is super exciting –"
"Exciting but impossible, man!" Embry threw casually as he came into the house. "We are ready to go and we're waiting for you!"
Leah stood up, frustrated at being interrupted and irritated to see Embry's smug smile. Jacob sighed loudly following the movement, not without glaring at his best friend in the process.
"Come on then, the sooner we're done, the sooner we can go home," the Alpha said.
"And the sooner we will get rid of those human eaters!" Embry muttered following them closely.
"This journey looks promising!" Leah sneered, growing annoyed.
"Embry, I can talk to you for a second?" Jacob queried, motioning to Leah to leave them alone.
"Sure. What is it?"
"We'll be together for a few days and I want everything to be alright, so stop what you're trying to do."
"Stop what?" Embry questioned, feigning innocence.
"You know what I mean!" Jacob growled. "Stop antagonizing Leah and her brother!"
"You can't force me to love your booty call just because she messed with your brain!"
"This is not –" Jacob shouted before taking a breath to calm down. "This is not just a booty call, OK? Look, I'm not telling you to become their best friend, but if you could at least give them a chance to prove you that they aren't the monsters you seem to believe they are –"
"Okay," Embry agreed reluctantly. "But if I do it, it's only for you!"
"Thanks bro, you're the best!" Jacob smiled enthusiastically.
"I know, I know!" Embry bragged before looking at Jacob with gravity. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean ... This 'Super Alpha' story –"
"I'm absolutely sure. I have a score to settle with Sam and well, Leah is with me and if you believe the legend, I am the Chosen One, so –"
"Yeah, I get it. Your girlfriend must feel special, now, with all this power laid in her hands," Embry quipped.
"She is not like that. I know that if she could have done without all these legends, she would gladly!"
"We'll see how it goes with other Alphas trying to get in her pants... Okay, can we go now? I need to stretch my legs!"
"Sure, sure... "Jacob whispered, feeling more insecure after having heard his friends' words.
He shook his head and took the lead by being the first to phase, ringing the beginning of their mission.
A/N: Sorry again for the delay. The next chapter's translation is almost finished, but we're still looking for a beta reader.
If you're interested, don't hesitate to PM us!
And thanks a lot to Nnikkipooo, Firefly-class, brankel1 and Lois Ross for your reviews and to all those who favorite our story and put an alert on it. We hope that you still enjoy it and we'd like to know what you think that will happen next! We love reading your guesses!
Lot of love from France and French West Indies!
Leilani & Supergirl.
