Chapter Twelve: Willow Tree March

"Success is a song of the heart, not a song of your bed.

And we all still die."

-The Paper Kites

Author's Notes: After many PMs and reviews, a G!P version will be done. It will be a while as it has not been started and many chapters would have to be modified in order to complete this. So, please do not ask when it will be released.

Beca had healed within a week and hadn't heard anything from Sheila's pack for a week after that. In that time, she had been keeping a close eye on her mate, avoiding leaving her side for too long. Knowing that Chloe was safe had calmed Beca down tremendously and now they were laying in her bed, the brunette tracing patterns on Chloe's shoulder absentmindedly.

The younger woman still was concerned about her pack and whether Sheila would honor their dual. She had won and hopefully her stepmother had a sense of pride and honor, but Beca had her doubts. Wishing that she knew what her stepmother was planning, the brunette remained silent while she lay there with her mate.

She sighed softly as she thought about all the things that could go wrong if she didn't go back to defending her pack. Not only would Chloe be in danger, but the whole pack was at risk. It bothered her that she had no clue what was being planned and that it was silent from Sheila's pack. Beca knew that, with the silence, it would eventually lead to a terrible storm.

"Becs," Chloe called to her.

"Hm," she replied, looking down at her mate who was cuddled against her chest.

"You okay?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah. I'm okay," Beca stated. "Just thinking."

"About what?" her mate questioned.

"Just about Sheila and what she might be planning," the brunette sighed.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked, her head lifting from Beca's chest.

"The fact that she has been silent for two weeks now and that I beat her in the dual," the younger woman claimed, "it worries me. That's all."

"Do you think she's not going to honor the dual?" the redhead replied, clearly worried now as well.

"I'm not sure," Beca sighed, rubbing her mate's back gently. "But don't worry, Chlo. Okay? I promise everything will be okay."

She wasn't sure of her own words. How could she know if everything would be okay? This wasn't like normal human life that she had grown up with, but a hostile environment that she had been forced into it. This wasn't something she had grown up preparing for. The brunette barely knew what her stepmother and her pack was capable of. The young wolf felt like there was something that she was missing.

"How are you feeling," the redhead asked, tracing her fingers along a few of the scars that her fight had given her.

"I'm fine," Beca responded. "Getting used to having scars that make me look badass as fuck. Luke asked me if I had been mauled by a bear."

"You look good for someone who was mauled by a bear if I can say so myself," the older woman laughed.

"Thanks," she huffed, feigning hurt. "Anyways, I look badass. So, now people can't say I look cute or adorable."

"You still are adorable," Chloe stated. "Always. At least, to me."

"I'm badass," the petite brunette groaned.

"You're my adorable badass," the redhead stated, kissing her gently on the nose. "Now, stop worrying about what Sheila might be up to. If anything, she is probably still healing. She can't do anything while she's still healing."

"I have a feeling that she's already healed," Beca claimed. "I don't know. I just think that she's going to try to battle it out and we're not prepared for a battle. I wouldn't know how to lead us into battle. You wouldn't be there. You'd be back with Reina if I had anything to say about it. I want you safe. I can't lose you."

"We're better together and that includes fighting," Chloe growled, showing her frustration as she bared her canines at Beca. "I almost lost you to Sheila once. I want to fight with you. We need to fight together. So, don't make me sit out of this battle when you are still healing. I won't forgive you if you do."

"I hate when you guilt me," the brunette snarled. "Fine, but you will be right by my side where I can keep an eye on you."

"Okay," she agreed. "That's fair. But we don't even know if there will be a battle."

"We'll find out one of these days," Beca stated.

蜉

Another two weeks had passed and there had been no word from Sheila or her pack. The brunette was getting more worried with each passing day. She wasn't sure what was being planned, but she hadn't heard from her father either. It seemed that her stepmother might have said something to him to make him upset with her. Perhaps it was the time to visit her dad and stepmother.

Grabbing her bag, she started off towards her dad's house. She felt a hand grab her arm and turned to face Chloe. Nodding, Beca agreed to her mate coming with her to her step-mother's and father's home. As they walked, the brunette was silent and wrapped up in her own thoughts. What had her stepmother told her father? It seemed that he was ignoring her. Did she turn him and tell him everything? Beca wasn't sure what to expect when she walked into the home.

Knocking on her father's door, she stood there with her mate. She felt herself getting more nervous with each passing second. Finally, after twenty seconds, her father opened the door. To her, he looked the same. Beca felt herself relax a bit. She and Chloe were welcomed into the home and she could smell Sheila's scent. It was radiating nearby, but held something different to it.

"Beca's here," Dr. Mitchell called out. "Sheila's in the living room. She got mobbed a couple of weeks ago and hasn't healed all that well. She refuses to go to the hospital."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the brunette lied, trying to keep from telling her father the truth.

"Warren," the blonde stated from the couch. "Can you go to the store and get some of my favorite drink?"

"Sure," he replied. "I'll be back Beca. Do you mind watching Sheila for me?"

"Of course," the brunette replied, shakily. "I'll watch her for you."

"Thanks, Beca," the brunet stated, heading out with keys in hand. "I'll be back."

"Yup," Beca claimed, watching her father leave.

Once the door closed, the petite woman started walking towards her stepmother on the couch. Her stance was cautious as she approached Sheila. She saw the massive cut on her throat was still not healed, but it was healing at a slow rate. Beca felt Chloe put her hand into hers, wrapping their fingers together.

"Hello Sheila," the brunette greeted. "You look like hell. I'm glad that you look like it. Shows you that I'm not to be messed with."

"Thanks," the blonde growled. "All thanks to you and that dual. I shouldn't have underestimated you."

"I may not have been born a werewolf, but I'm stubborn and determined," the petite woman stated. "You should know that better than anyone. I could have killed you, but I refused to do so. My dad is important to me. If he lost you, it would break him. You're lucky I didn't kill you."

"Now it is my turn to challenge you," the blonde said. "You and your pack are in danger. Once I am healed, your pack will be destroyed. A battle is coming and I will not rest until you all are gone. I won't kill you, but Chloe doesn't share the same fate as you."

"If you ever try to kill Chloe," Beca snarled. "I will not hesitate to kill you. Even my father's love for you will not stop me from ripping your throat open. She is my everything. Or...I know what will hurt you more than killing you. I will turn my father into a wolf."

"No," she growled.

"Yes," the brunette replied, snarling. "I will turn him and make sure that he knows why I did so. He'll blame you for it. He'll forgive me because I am his daughter, but you? You won't be forgiven. You turned his daughter into a beast and forced her to fight for someone that she loves dearly to the end."

"You think he'll forgive you for knowingly turning him into a werewolf," the older woman asked, laughing.

"He will," Beca stated. "It might take him years to understand what I've done and why I did it, but he will. Just like I've forgiven him for tearing apart our family, leaving my mom and me when he met you."

"Just kill me," Sheila replied.

"No," the brunette claimed. "See, if I kill you, I'll hurt him. If I change him, you'll hurt more than he does. I'll coach him through all of the changes and help him understand this life. He will be welcomed into my pack with open arms. So, make your choice. Either you stop this foolish feud or I turn my own dad into a werewolf. I'll be back in two days for your answer."

Turning on her heels, Beca grabbed Chloe and made her way out of her father's home. She knew that Sheila would make the wrong decision. She knew that her stepmother cared for Dr. Mitchell tremendously, but revenge was more important to the blonde. It was just a matter of time and she was giving Sheila two days for her to prepare. Beca knew that it was going to end in a battle of the packs. Hopefully, the brunette would be able to lead her pack to victory. Killing others wasn't something she had ever wanted to do, but to protect her loved ones, she would do anything.

蜉

Two days passed and Beca, with Chloe by her side, returned to get Sheila's answer. However, what she was greeted with wasn't what she had expected. There was a scent in the air that she hadn't picked up before. Bracing herself, she knocked on the door and was greeted by her father. It was his scent that she was picking up. Sheila had turned him and, to her surprise, he was an Omega.

"So, Sheila did what I never thought she would do," the brunette sighed, shaking her head as she stepped into his home. "She finally turned you much like she did me."

"Becs," Chloe whispered, "be nice to your dad."

"She told me that you were coming back to change me because she was fighting for her pack against yours," Dr. Mitchell replied. "Is that true?"

"Yes, but let me explain," Beca sighed. "Sheila changed me into a werewolf, much like you. I was left to chart unknown waters by myself. My shifts were painful and lonely. Chloe found me in my wolf form during my first shift. She told me after the second shift what was happening to me. I found out that Sheila had turned me and was mistreating Chloe, who was also an Omega. Judging by your scent, you are an Omega as well.

"Now, I challenged Sheila to a Hircine's Dual to protect not only my mate, but my pack. When a Hircine's Dual is done, packs are supposed to live in peace with each other with the deal made by two Alphas. I made the deal that if she beat me that she would gain my pack and become Alpha of my pack as well. If I won, which I did, that she would leave us be to live in peace. However, she threatened battle and threatened my mate. Neither of which I will condone."

"What do you mean by mate," her father asked.

"Chloe is my mate," she stated, grasping the redhead's hand harder. "I know it is difficult to understand, but each wolf has a mate or a connection with another. Chloe is my mate, that connection. I will live for her, die for her, or whatever she wants. She is the one I was destined to be with. Just like you were destined to be with Sheila. I might not be married to her, but I completed the ritual that all werewolves must to do claim their mates."

"But you are my little girl," he whimpered.

"Yeah," the brunette replied, chuckling softly, "but that won't stop me from having a mate, getting married, or anything that may happen in my future."

"Beca," her stepmother said, interrupting their conversation. "I give you my answer. I shall meet your pack tomorrow on the field where we had our dual. Our Omegas are not allowed to fight. I will not risk my mate's life."

"Very well," Beca agreed to the terms and conditions. "I will see you tomorrow on the battlefield at moonrise. Chloe and my father will not be allowed to fight. I'm sorry it had to be this way dad. I didn't want you to be turned, but I thought it would protect Chloe from getting hurt."

"It's okay Beca," he sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Sheila, you don't have to do this. Please don't do this."

"I have to, Warren," Sheila replied. "This is between her and me. Pack nature. It must be done."

"I don't accept that as an answer Sheila," Dr. Mitchell stated, turning away from Beca and towards his wife. "There is no reason why you need to do this. You want to do this because you see Beca as competition. But you don't have to do this. So, stop this foolish quest for power. Beca is my daughter and you are my wife. I love you both. I will not chose one over the other."

"Warren, I will not let you stop me from doing what I believe is right," his wife declared.

"Dad," Beca responded. "Don't try to reason with her over this. She has it set in her mind. I had a feeling this would happen. I want you to understand that I didn't want this for you. I wanted you to be free of this curse, but there was no way that I was going to let Chloe be killed."

"I know," he stated. "Now, I think you two should go and warn your pack. I love you, Beca."

"Love you too dad," the petite brunette whispered, hugging her dad. "You've been an amazing father. Now, let's go Chloe."

"Alright, Becs," the redhead agreed, following her mate out the door.

Tomorrow was going to be a death toll that the brunette was not prepared for. The young Bella captain walked off towards the Bella house where she would try to get some sleep, but would fail miserably. If anything, it would be a sleepless night. She was not prepared to fight an intense battle alongside her comrades. She knew that they would fight alongside her, but she hated risking others' lives.