A/N: I know I said this was going to be late, but I was able to carve out some unexpected time to write, hooray! It is however significantly shorter than other chapters, but I had to stop where I did, so sorry about that!

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Chapter 11: The True Alpha

Jacob POV

Edward was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, watching me make us some sandwiches. He was practically salivating as he watched me slap on a few slices of cheese, several different meats, a layer of lettuce, a layer of tomato and a generous glob of mayo mixed with mustard. Edward looked on in awe as I struggled to keep the contents of the sandwiches between the two halves of the sub rolls.

"Those have got to be the biggest sandwiches in history."

I shrugged, carrying the tray over to the island and taking a seat on the stool across from him. I picked up the sandwich and lifted it to my mouth.

"Nah, I've made bigger," I said, taking a huge bite. Edward eyed his for a minute. Obviously, he wanted to eat it, but I think he was trying to figure out how to hold it so it wouldn't fall apart. Finally, he decided just to mirror me, and we sat in silence, devouring our sandwiches. Just as we were finishing up, my dad wheeled in.

"Hey, Billy."

"Hi, Dad."

"Edward. Jacob." Dad nodded to both of us in greeting as he rolled up to the island. We both turned to face him, and his gaze met mine. "Jacob, we need to discuss something." Edward started to get up from his seat to leave, but my father stopped him. "No, Edward. I think you should hear this too."

Without a word, Edward sat back down, and shot me a curious glance. I shrugged in response, and looked back at my father. "So, what's up?"

"You know that the Black lineage is one of leadership—the Blacks are the true Chiefs of the tribe. Your grandfather Ephraim was, your great-grandfather was as well. Now, you must follow in their footsteps. You must stand against Sam—he is only Alpha by default."

I sucked in a deep breath. I knew all of this of course, but there was a reason I hadn't stepped up to the alpha position when I first phased—I didn't want to be responsible for the entire pack. But my father had a point. Perhaps if I claimed my birthright, I could make the others see reason.

"It's worth a shot," Edward responded to my thoughts.

"It certainly is," my dad agreed. "You can stake your claim at any time, and Sam will have to accept that. It won't change his status, however, and the other wolves could choose to remain at his side. But, if you start your own pack, you might be surprised by who will join you and support your claim."

"But what if no one does?"

"If no one does, so be it. You will still have Seth and Leah by your side." My dad paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. When he spoke again, his tone was passionate. "What you are was born into you, Jacob. It's a part of who you are, who your family is, who your tribe is. You must take what is rightfully yours if you want any hope of coming out of this alive!"

I looked over at my mate, who nodded solemnly his support for my father's words.

"You are the true Alpha, Jacob," Dad insisted. "Go forth and claim your birthright."

"But Dad, I can't leave. Edward needs protection."

My pregnant vampire reached across the counter and squeezed my hand gently, giving me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Jake. I'll be well protected here."

I squeezed his hand back, but I couldn't hide the worry in my face. "No, if something happened to you while I was gone, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"Nothing will happen," he insisted. "They're going to know you are coming as soon as you phase. I'm sure they'll be more interested in what you're doing back on the Rez."

I looked back at my dad, and he nodded in agreement. I wasn't convinced though. Sure, sure, most of the wolves would probably hang back to confront me, but I could see Sam sending a few scouts over to the Cullen's house to scope out the scene, at the very least. No, I had to stay.

"I'll send Seth with a document declaring my Alpha status. Signed, sealed and delivered. That'll be enough," I said firmly.

My dad would not hear of it though. "You must go, Jacob. An alpha can't send someone else in his stead."

As I ran toward La Push, I decided that I would try to reason with Sam first, to see if he might stand down without a fight. I seriously doubted that he would, but it was worth a try. I really didn't want to fight against my former brothers.

I heard the tenor of their minds as I rapidly approached the borderline. I should have figured that whoever was patrolling would have alerted the others that I was coming. I also should have expected that they wouldn't let me cross onto the Rez without first knowing what I wanted.

Their minds were all talking at once—it was impossible to make out any clear thoughts, but I could hear the tone of each wolf's mind present. They were all there to see what I was going to do. As I broke through the tree line, I was faced with the entire pack, lined up along the invisible boundary line that we all knew so well, Sam centered in the middle. Sam's hackles were raised, along with Jared and Paul's, but the others seemed to be wary of showing their allegiance in such an outright manner. Maybe I would be able to get some of them on my side after all.

Do you come to concede? Sam questioned me, his tone that of a commander.

I shook my head. Not a chance. I've come to try and make peace.

Peace? How can there be peace when you are protecting that which threatens our tribe?

How can you be so sure it's a threat? I challenged. Let's try to be reasonable about this. Maybe this is meant to bring our two species together—to bridge the gap...

Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, Jake, Jared sneered.

My hackles bristled with the desire to attack him, when Sam's authoritative thoughts broke through.

I am the alpha of this pack. You will do as I say, Jacob Black. I know what's best for the tribe, and what's best is eliminating the threat of this hybrid demon!

This was it. There would be no reasoning with them. It both saddened and enraged me, but I ran with the rage, tamping down the feelings of betrayal.

I am the true Alpha—you're just an alpha by abdication!

Sam shifted on his paws as I continued my tirade.

You abuse your role as Alpha, Sam! The others follow you like slaves!

The wolves snarled viciously at my accusation, pawing at the ground in rage.

Paul was so angry, he started foaming at the mouth. Fuck you, Jacob! I'm no slave! I WANT that creature dead!

Stand down, Paul! Sam snapped his jaws in Paul's direction, and Paul bowed his head submissively.

So much for not being a slave... I taunted him.

Black, I can't dissuade you from your rightful claim. Anyone who wishes to join Jacob, go now or forever hold your peace.

No one moved for several long moments. I was about to give up hope, when I saw Quil and Embry exchange a glance before loping over the border to stand on either side of me. I whined with appreciation, and they each nudged my fur in a show of solidarity. I should have known I could count on them.

When it was clear that no one else would be joining me, I stood as tall as I could and announced:

I will not allow you to harm my imprint and murder my baby! I will do everything in my power to stop you, even if it ends in death. I am the grandson of Ephraim Black, Chief of this tribe! I refuse to follow you anymore, Sam Uley! I AM THE TRUE ALPHA!

With that, Sam's voice was gone from my head. In fact, the only mental voices I could hear were those of Quil and Embry. All of the other minds were closed to me now. My eyes met Sam's, and he looked just as surprised as I was. Embry and Quil shifted uncomfortably on their paws beside me.

What's going on?

What's happened, Jake?

Looks like we are completely separate packs now. Let's get out of here.

The three of us swiftly turned tail and ran off through the trees, back toward the

Cullen house. This was a kink that I hadn't planned on. Without being able to hear their minds, how would we know when they intended to attack? Surely Seth and Leah wouldn't hear them now either. We were really up shit's creek. How was I going to protect Edward and the baby now?

Don't worry, Jake. We know what their plan is...

Marcus POV

"But how can this be, Aro?" Caius demanded, slamming his fist on the table and causing splinters to form with the impact. I sighed deeply at his ridiculous display of rage. He sneered at me before turning his gaze back to Aro. "It simply cannot be true."

Aro tented his fingers together in his usual arrogant manner. "You know it is, dear Caius. I've seen it."

Caius slammed back into his chair, making a loud 'thump' reverberate through the room. Aro continued.

"I could hear every word as Ubaldo heard it when I saw his memory. They were discussing the results of an ultrasound—I could recognize Carlisle's voice right away—and they kept saying 'he' when they referred to the mother. It sounds like the father is also male, so it appears to be a homosexual relationship, and not a male/female role reversal situation."

"Yes, yes, we know all that. But a vampire's body cannot change! We three have lived for ages and after all that we've been through, our bodies have not changed one bit. There is no way a vampire's body can sustain life."

While I agreed with Caius' point, Aro's story completely contradicted it. I knew that Aro was never wrong. His gift was extremely powerful and reliable. There was, however, a possible explanation.

"Perhaps this is an experiment performed by the good doctor," I interjected. They both turned to stare at me, shocked that I was speaking. I couldn't blame them for their shock; it was rare that I felt the need to speak. Certain that I had their full attention, I continued, "An experiment gone terribly awry."

Aro and Caius were silent for a long time as they considered this idea. Caius wore a look of consternation, and Aro appeared lost in thought. Suddenly, Aro's eyes lit up and he smiled, snapping his fingers in delight.

"You know what we must do? We must acquire the boy and study him for ourselves."

Caius' eyes glinted and he smiled wryly. He was probably devising ways to torture the poor boy when he arrived.

"And how shall we acquire him, dear brother?" I asked.

"We'll send two Guards to go and see what's happening in Forks. Then, when the Guards return and brief us about the situation, we swoop in and confront Carlisle, taking his boy with us."

Caius scoffed, "Carlisle would not make it easy for us. He loves his coven, as though they were his own flesh and blood."

Aro nodded. "Yes, Carlisle is a strong opponent. But we don't know which boy is the pregnant one. There's the burly one and the empath, but wouldn't it just be delightful if it were the telepath? I've always wanted to acquire him."

I considered the options. The other two had female mates. The empath's mate was the seer, and I knew her to be female. I knew little about the burly one, but was pretty sure he was mated to a female as well. The last I knew, the telepath had no mate, only a singer. It was entirely possible that he was mated to a male. Carlisle was definitely not his mate either, as he was married to a female as well.

"It is the telepath," I said, holding my hand out to Aro. "I am sure of it."

Aro grasped my hand and bowed his head, listening. He let it go after a moment, having heard my thought process. He grinned broadly. "I do believe you are right, dear Marcus. How exciting!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "But what of his mate? He is an unknown vampire. And he won't just let the telepath go—he will surely do anything in his power to protect his mate and his progeny."

Aro waved a hand dismissively. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, which two shall we send to America?"

A/N: So, which two Guards do you think the Volturi will send? I've not going to tell you, but I'm curious who you think the scouts will be? We won't see them for a few more chapters though...

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