Disclaimer: Any character that is not an original creation is owned by Stephanie Meyer and Summit Entertainment. I own nothing.

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Chapter XIV: Alpha

Alice and I continued to lay there in the clearing watching the night sky for the next two hours. We stayed in comfortable silence as the autumn breeze wrapped around the colorful trees. The calls of animals in the brisk night, mixed with the running creek, created a symphony of natural sounds that had a calming effect on us. We laid there in each others arms, basking in the simplistic wonderfulness of our impromptu date. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could have made this more perfect to me.

I hummed quietly, pulling Alice closer to me as we relaxed on the blanket, "This is wonderful."

Alice turned her head to kiss my shoulder, "I'm glad you like it. At first, I wasn't sure if this would be to plain for you."

"I'm certainly not the kind of girl who wants a grand ball or a table at a fancy restaurant, Alice. Laying here with you is far more intimate and meaningful to me. I like the simple things," I quietly reassured my little vampire.

I looked down at her to see her grin, "That's why I'm so glad you're my mate, Bells. We compliment each other so well. We're opposites in the way we dress and the way we look, but once you look at our personalities, we share the same ideals. It's perfect."

"The Goth and the fashionista; quite the odd couple," I chuckled.

Alice pushed herself up enough to rest on top of me. She folded her hands across my collarbone and rested her hand on them. Her eyes twinkled wildly as she gazed down at me, "We may seem like an odd match to the outside world, but we're perfect for each other."

I held her tighter to me and smiled up at her, "I couldn't agree more, Tink." I raised my head to kiss her.

Her cool lips molded with mine perfectly as we enjoyed every moment of the contact. I relished the way her flavor exploded on my tongue each time I tasted her lips. It was nothing short of magnificent! The more I kissed her, the more I wanted from her. And there was no need for me to fear that. I felt completely safe with her. God, I loved this woman.

Alice swept her tongue across my bottom lip, asking for permission to enter my mouth. I granted it to her without a second thought. I ran my hands through her short raven locks as we kissed passionately, but not in a heated or needy way. Alice's hands began to wander mischievously over my body. A tingling sensation crept up my spine as her cold skin caressed my overheated flesh. I felt high.

Alice and I parted before things grew heated, but stayed close. She rubbed her nose across my face and neck. I smiled, mimicking her actions and breathing in her scent. It felt almost instinctual in nature. I held her as my high began to calm.

"I could do this forever," Alice's voice danced against my neck, causing me to shiver.

I grinned lazily, running my hands up and down her back, "Hmm, forever. I agree. I have you, my family, and my pack. I'm complete."

I felt Alice smile against my neck, "I like how you make the distinction between your family and your pack."

I shrugged lightly, careful not to bump Alice, "Well, even though Lauren's my sister, I still have Stacy in my pack. I may think of my pack as family, but the difference is that I alone am responsible for my pack. Papa G and D run the household, I run my pack. It's all part of Lycan psychology."

I could never figure out how my Lycan subconscious held my pack and my family in slightly different lights. I honored my fathers' place as the heads of the household, and I'd never challenge that. However, when it came to the pack, I was the head. I always felt that I led Lauren in a way that was fair and loving. I never saw myself as a ruler or dictator in any way. Lauren was allowed and encouraged to make her views and opinions known. I always honored that, and I certainly would offer Stacy the same respect.

Where I differed from my parents was that I felt solely responsible for my pack. Any decision I made was done with great regard to my pack-mates safety. It was everything to me; it was my most important goal. I'd do everything in my power to keep my pack safe, regardless of the consequences.

I looked down at Alice, meeting her eyes with a loving gaze, "I'd do whatever it takes to keep them safe, as I would for you. That's my solemn promise to you."

Her eyes twinkled with love and appreciation. She gave me a swift kiss, before meeting my eyes with a look of determination, "Bella, you'll never have to make that sacrifice for me. Thank you, baby, but I never want to see you in harms way."

I caressed her cheeks, stroking them with my thumbs as I stared into her deep golden eyes. I saw tears of pride and love fill her eyes, tears that would never fall. I could feel everything she felt in that moment. After all the time that she's waited for me, I knew that my safety was paramount to her. I'd never want to put her in a position where she was hurt by an action of mine. I knew that would kill her.

I took a deep breath, "I'll never be foolish enough to fight the world because they look at you funny, but I can guarantee that if anyone ever hurt you, I'd kill them. I'd do the same for my family and my pack, Alice. You're the love of my life, and I'll do what I have to do to protect you."

She placed her hands on mine and smiled down at me, "I know. You can bet that I'd do the same for you, my love."

I reached up to kiss her with all the love I could muster. Alice smiled as our lips merged, an act that brought tears to my eyes. Our love reverberated around and off of us like sound waves, creating our own little bubble within the world. It was full of love, affection, and understanding, something I only felt within my family and pack. Everything in the world became clear to me now. My duties were focused on protecting my Alice, my family, and my pack. Nothing on this earth would ever challenge that.

Alice and I broke away and continued to gaze up at the star-filled sky for the next hour. When I began to grow tired, Alice helped me up and out of the clearing to the car. I kissed her goodnight after she dropped me off before heading into the house. Papa G was sitting in the living room reading a book when I walked in. He looked up and smiled at me, "Ah, hello there, dear! How was your date?"

I grinned back at him, "It was perfect, Papa G! I love her so much!"

His eyes sparkled as he stood up to walk over to me, "I'm so happy for you, Bells!" His voice was full of love and pride as he reached out to hug me.

I welcomed his hug without a second thought, holding onto him tightly, "Thank you for your support, Papa G." My voice was slightly muffled by his shoulder.

I felt him chuckle lightly, "You'll always have that."

We stayed like that for a while until I decided it'd be best to catch some sleep. I knew tomorrow was going to be a big day, one that could have the potential of trying my pack's control since we didn't know if Stacy's drunken step-father was going to be present when we grabbed her stuff. Because of that unknown, I needed to be both on guard and in control, for everyone's sake. I just prayed that the day went on without incident.

…

I was awakened by something bouncing on my bed. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctually pounced off of my bed and took a defensive stance by my window. My blurry vision focused on the mischievously giggling form of my sister. I glared at her as my senses slowly began to relax.

"Are you insane? Why would you scare the fuck out of me like that, you bitch!?" I growled at her, not really as pissed at her as I made it seem.

Lauren simply shook off my glare and rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, B. Like you never did that shit to me before, ha! I just couldn't help myself. Besides, you need to get ready for our little excursion today," She finished with a smirk and a wink.

I sighed, standing out of my crouch, "Yeah, you're right. Is Stacy all ready?" I asked.

"She's all ready to go when you are. She's got a list of what she really needs to grab. It should only take a half-hour or so." Lauren shrugged

I nodded and walked into my closet to grab clothes for the day. I grabbed my black boot-cut pants, a leather studded belt, a stripped long-sleeved thermal, and a set of dark underwear before heading toward the bathroom. I looked at my groggy appearance in the mirror briefly before running the warm water and jumping into the shower. I didn't see what time it was before I got in here, but judging by how sluggish I felt, I'd say I only got a few hours of sleep. It was going to be a long day.

I took my time in the shower, slightly surprised by the fact that no one tried to rush me out of the bathroom. Lauren was probably pulling my leg when she woke me up. Ugh, I'd have to strangle her later. Maybe it was best that I was up earlier than I needed to be anyway. I suppose we could run through what Stacy needed before heading to her former home.

After I did my bathroom duties, I got dressed and wandered into my room to grab my cell phone. Out of curiosity, I checked the time. Yep, it's late morning. Only five hours of sleep! YAY! I didn't need to be awake for another three hours. I most certainly will strangle my sister before the day is done.

With an annoyed sigh, I dragged myself downstairs. I heard the voices of Lauren and Stacy coming from the kitchen, so I walked on into the room. Lauren and Stacy were standing around the kitchen island eating a mixture of fruits. When Lauren noticed me, I scowled at her, "I didn't need to be up this early, you know."

Lauren just shrugged, a prideful smirk on her lips all the while, "I know, but I figured that a little pack-bonding time would do you some good before we go ransack Stacy's old home."

I smiled at the prospect of pack-bonding, forgiving my sister a little for waking me up. I walked over to them and grabbed an apple off the glass plate that all of the fruit was presented on. I sat down on one of the stools around the island and took a bite of the apple. I sighed, enjoying the acidic flavor that flooded my mouth. Stacy and Lauren continued to talk about the list of things Stacy would be getting. I peered over at Stacy's list as I slowly ate the apple.

Everything seemed to be located in her room. It was mostly clothes and some small furniture, so it looked like everything would fit easily in one car. That was a massive relief! I wasn't sure if we'd be able to do this in one shot, but, thankfully everything looked like it was going to fit.

After everyone finished breakfast, we all sat around the island and came up with a game plan. We decided to take the Impala because of how spacious it was. I'd be driving there and back, so Stacy gave me the directions to her house. Her house was about twenty minutes away from here and bordered a river. There was a large forest that surrounded her house, basically making it invisible to the naked eye. I guess that's the reason why no one's seen her step-father go on one of his drunken rampages.

I looked over the directions on my phone and gathered a plan, "Okay, I don't want to linger too long at the house. So, we have twenty minutes there and back, so I think we should be there only thirty minutes at most. We should make it a quick in and out." I told my pack as I looked up from my phone.

"I think we could keep to that timeline. What about you, Stacy?" Lauren turned to the girl in question.

Stacy nodded her head, "As long as Terry's not there, we'll be fine."

I could see that Stacy was feeling pretty confident, which encouraged me. If she was doubting herself, it meant that this whole excursion might not end as smoothly as I've been hoping.

I gave Stacy a reassuring look, "Hey, even if he is there, he can't hurt you. I won't let that fucker touch you, I guarantee that." I reached across the island and took her hands in mine.

Lauren placed a hand on Stacy's shoulder, "Yeah, remember that we're stronger than him and so are you. If he does so much as touch you, I'll kill the bastard."

When Lauren glanced over at me, I knew what she was thinking. There was a considerable part of us that wanted to see this Terry dead. Part of me wanted to come across the drunk so I could end him. This so called man struck a woman, one that happened to be his own fucking step-daughter! In my opinion, he revoked his right as a human being when he did that. I'd feel no guilt if I was to kill him. However, I knew that I needed to be provoked to go through with it. And I'd keep to that idea.

With a few more finalizing words on the plan, we sat back and waited until noon. Stacy's mother would be well into her shift at work then, and I felt like her step-father would at least be out or asleep at that time. We hung around the living room, getting ready for what was to come. Thankfully, no one seemed nervous. This was going to be a big day for Stacy. Not only was she leaving her old home, but she was also getting a permanent room with the renovations to our house, courtesy of the Cullens and Denalis.

Once 11:50 rolled around, I grabbed the keys to the Impala and followed my pack out of the house. Papa G told me to call him if anything came up, which I agreed to do. However, this was something that our pack needed to do on our own. Before I got into the car, I checked to make sure we had sufficient room in the trunk. Seeing that it was empty, I smiled to myself and hopped into the driver's seat. After a quick roar of the engine, I peeled out of the driveway toward the highway.

The forest flew by us as we made our made down the dissolute highway. I turned down a dirt road. Not long after that, I noticed the thinning of tress, which signaled a waterline. Soon, a ranch-style home came into view. It sat on a slab on a small hill. An old, beat up truck sat in the driveway. When Stacy sighed, I figured that the truck was her step-father's. Well, he was here. No matter, because I wouldn't let him get in our way.

I parked behind the truck and cut the engine. I looked back at Stacy and Lauren. After a brief nod, we exited the car and made our way into the house. Immediately, the smell of cigarette smoke hit my nostrils. I grimaced at the disgusting smell and followed Stacy further into the house. She led us to a room off to the side of the house. It was her room, which was much neater than the rest of the disjointed home. She quickly grabbed a suitcase from under her bed and walked over to her closet.

She began to grab clothes and threw them into the suitcase. As she was moving back and forth, she gave a few orders, "Okay, all I really need is the nightstand and the books that are in it. I'll get the clothes together. After that, we can leave."

I walked over to the small nightstand and opened the top drawer. It had a number of books in it. Lauren appeared at my side a second later, "We can leave the books in there when we move it. I doubt it'll hurt the nightstand if we put it in the trunk."

I nodded and let Lauren unplug the lamp and pick up the nightstand. I figured the lamp would be a good investment, so I grabbed it. I turned around to see the Stacy was almost done with her clothes. She produced a second suitcase and started throwing the rest of her clothes in there. She only folded a few things as she rushed through stacking her suitcases. After she filled the suitcases with all of her clothes, she zipped them shut and grabbed them.

She looked at us as she turned toward the door, "You guys ready?"

I nodded and looked over to my sister, "You good?"

"Let's get the hell out of here, B," Lauren said as she lifted the nightstand.

I placed the small lamp in my left hand and headed toward the door. We made our way down the hall with Stacy's belongings, all the while hoping to not run into her step-father. When we reached the foyer, I got out the car keys, "Okay, We're all set. Stacy, do you want to lock up?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'll follow you two out-"

"What the fuck is going on in here?!" Shouted a disgruntled deep voice from the back of the house.

"Damn it," Stacy muttered under her breath as we whipped around to face her step-father.

If the sound of his voice hadn't already put me on edge, his appearance sure did. The man in question stood no more than ten feet from us looking already drunk. He struggled to stay standing as he openly glared at Stacy, the very act made me want to kill him right then and there. He was dressed it track pants and a black tee-shirt, both of which were wrinkled, most likely from sleeping in them. He looked to be slightly overweight, but still had a powerful build. There was slight stubble on his face, which, added with his bloodshot eyes and grey messy hair, really made him look like an abusive alcoholic. All in all, his whole appearance screamed ultra-conservative douche bag.

When we didn't answer quickly enough, he took a few heavy steps forward, "What the fuck are you doing, Stacy?!"

I watched as Stacy took an involuntary step back toward me. Something seemed to dawn on her a moment later and she squared her shoulders in defiance, "I'm getting the fuck out of here, Terry. I'm leaving and moving in with people who actually give a shit about me."

Terry took a threatening step forward, prompting me to stand by Stacy protectively, "Fuck that, you live under my fucking roof! You're not going anywhere!"

"Fuck you, Terry! You don't own me! Hell, you've never even wanted me here in the first place! You have no fucking right telling me what to do! I'm eighteen; I don't need anyone's permission!" Stacy matched Terry's shouting with her own, not backing down at all as she did.

Terry threw his head back and laughed, "Oh, that's too fucking funny! What? You turn eighteen and suddenly, you think you can stand up to me? That's a joke, little girl!" I wanted to growl at this poor excuse of a man as he blatantly disrespected my pack-mate.

Stacy didn't back down, though. She stood proudly in the face of this prick, the sight of which made me smile, "You know what? I don't need to take your shit anymore. All you are is an overweight, drunken, pathetic excuse for a man… no, you're an insult to the human gene. I'm glad I'm getting the hell out of here to live with people who actually give a damn. I really hope this place falls apart without me. Hopefully, you'll die of some terrible health condition. I'm praying it's painful, too. God knows you deserve it, you waste of space."

Then, the whole atmosphere in the room changed. Even though I was proud of how Stacy stood up to her step-father, I could see that her words really pissed him off. Satisfied with her words, Stacy turned around, wanting nothing more than to leave this God-forsaken place. I took a step back toward the door as well. It was then, though, that Terry decided to do something. He charged at Stacy faster than I thought a drunken moron could move and grabbed her harshly. I growled at went to intervene, but Stacy bit into one of Terry's hands. She pushed herself away from Terry, taking a lot of skin and muscle from Terry's hand with her.

Terry grasped at his gushing hand, but refused to back away. I growled loudly at him, scaring the hell out of him, and shoved him hard with my free hand. His large body flew across the room like a bullet and smacked against the wall. Drywall and wooden planks cracked and splintered around his body as he plummeted to the floor. I let the lamp fall to the ground before I took a defensive crouch.

He grunted and struggled to his feet. I growled furiously at him, "DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN!"

This stupid son-of-a-bitch didn't seem to have an ounce of self-preservation in him, because him pushed himself to his feet and rushed at me, "You stupid bitch!"

I met him head on, grabbing him by his shirt and chucking him into another wall. His body struck the wall with so much force that I thought I killed him. He flopped onto the ground with a sickening thud and laid there motionless. There was a fraction of a second where panic rushed through the back of my mind. However, Terry began to stir. He stumbled toward a bookcase and grabbed a large Bowie knife off of one of the shelves. Lauren growled off to my side, but I silenced her with the raising of a hand. This was my fight.

I braced myself as Terry held the knife out at me threateningly, "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

Again, Terry rushed me with everything he had, brandishing a Bowie at me dangerously. He took a swipe at my throat, which I dodged quickly. He lost his balance and stumbled toward a wall, using it to stop himself from falling. In another shocking show of speed, Terry pushed himself off the wall and took another swipe at me with the knife. I tried to block it, but I somehow missed. The blade sliced into my bicep, cleanly tearing the flesh there. I bit back a yelp and shoved Terry back a few feet.

I looked down at my wound to see that it was bleeding considerably. I grasped the wound as it began to heal. Blood died my pale fingers red as new flesh began to form around the cut. Suddenly, rage flashed in my eyes. This sick fucker cut me? HE FUCKING CUT ME!?

I heard both Lauren and Stacy snarl behind me, but I halted them with growl, "This is my fight," I hissed through gritted teeth.

My eyes fixed on Terry, who was all too oblivious to who and what he just pissed off. His whole body looked confident. A bout of disgust for the male gender shot through me as this man seemed to radiate contempt for us as women. I could see it in his beady eyes, and it solidified my decision to not relent. This man had struck Stacy and placed her in utter free. He attacked and cut me after I protected Stacy. The time for being the good girl was over. This bastard's time was up!

I braced myself for what I was about to do. If there was any time to kill someone, it was now. Terry had no clue what he was about to charge into. And charge was what he did. He ran at me in full speed with his Bowie at the ready. I snarled furiously at him, balling up my fists and taking a defensive crouch. Terry's sloppy and heavy footsteps chorused throughout the house as the rushed me. He took one last furious swing at me. I ducked under it with inhuman speed and threw my right fist into his chest as hard as I could.

There was a loud crack as my fist broke through his sternum. In a split second my fist shot through his chest, ending with the snapping of his spinal cord as my fist exited out of his back. I withdrew my hand a moment later with a sloppy wet pop. Terry's body immediately collapsed to the ground, lifeless. I stared at his body wide-eyed. The gaping whole in his sternum oozed blood. The white carpet quickly became pink as blood flooded the floor. I brought my hand into my sightline. Blood caked my arm up to my elbow. Once the adrenaline dissipated, shock began to take hold of me.

I stood there in silence as footsteps came up from behind me, "Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Lauren's voice was so quiet; I barely could make out what she said.

I slowly turned around to see Lauren and Stacy's concerned expressions. I truly didn't know what to say. I just killed someone…

"I… I just… killed someone," I uttered the only thoughts that were playing in my head. That's all that I could say.

Stacy approached me cautiously, "Hey, you did what you had to."

I frowned and looked to Stacy, "I killed your step-father."

"A man who was an asshole and a drunk. Believe me, he had it coming. You did it in self-defense, Bella." Stacy's voice was soft and caring.

My mind was blank. I'm not sure what actually happened. I looked down at the body lying on the floor behind me, "It happened so fast. I knew what I was doing, but I've never killed anyone before. It feels weird."

Suddenly, the front door swung open with a loud bang. Startled, I dropped back into a defensive crouch and hissed at the intruders. Papa G entered the room, only to stop dead in his tracks. Alice followed him a moment later. Their expressions were torn between relief and horror. I slowly stood up straight and backed away from the body and towards Lauren and Stacy.

Papa G entered the room, never taking his eyes off on me, "Bella, are you okay? What happened?" His voice was dripping with concern as he wrapped me in a hug, not caring about my bloody hand.

I let my father's presence sooth me enough to talk to him, "I couldn't help it, he attacked Stacy, and I defended her. He wouldn't back down. I had no choice!"

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and Alice's scent hit me a second later. Papa G let go of me, and I was suddenly wrapped in the arms of my little vampire. She held me tightly to her and rubbed my back soothingly, "It's okay, baby. I saw everything. We tried to get here in time, but I didn't think the step-father would rush you like he did. You only did what you had to. It's okay."

"Stacy, are you okay?" I heard Papa G ask my newest pack-mate.

I heard her sigh, "I'm fine. I'm just worried about Bella."

Footsteps retreated behind me, "I know you are, as we all are. Look, I need to clean this up. Girls, take Stacy's things to the Impala and head home." Papa G's voice was sympathetic as he spoke.

I grimaced as Alice held me, "You don't have to do that. This is my mess."

"Sweetie, I know that you're stressed and in shock right now, but trust me on this; you need to head home and clear your mind. Besides, I have a lot more experience cleaning up after incidents like this." I listened to Papa G's calm voice.

"What about my mother?" Stacy asked with slight concern.

I heard Papa G sigh before he answered, "Well, I'll have to use Suggestion on her. I'll tell her that Terry was killed by a wild animal, since I've had experience making scenes like this appear like such. Then, I'll Suggest that she leave the state and get sober. She'll know that you're safe with us, so there's no need to worry. I know you said that she had a sister in Oregon, so I'll have her go there."

"Okay," Stacy agreed with the idea quietly.

"Now, what I need you all to do is go home. I'll be here for a few hours longer and take care of this. Alice, you can take the keys for the Impala from Bella, and drive them home." Papa G told us, and Alice began to walk me toward the door.

"I'll take care of them, Gabriel," Alice announced as she grabbed Stacy's lamp before walking to the door.

"Oh," Papa G called out, "Don't let anyone give my girls or Stacy a hard time. This wasn't anyone's fault."

Alice gave a quick nod, "I promise," Then we exited the house and made our way toward the car.

Alice popped the trunk open, and Lauren and Stacy put the suitcases, nightstand, and lamp neatly in it before we all got into the car. Alice started the ignition and peeled out of the driveway. I felt her eyes on me a few times before she reached out for my hand. I turned to her and smiled appreciatively. I still had blood dripping from my free hand. I frowned when I realized that it'll probably stain the leather seats. The very thought caused me to replay killing Terry in my head. I sighed and turned my attention to the road, taking in the scene and pushed all thought from my mind.

A/N: Bella's first kill. I hope I wrote it as well as it appeared in my head. Killing Terry had to be in self-defense for Bella. She also killed him in protection of her pack. Those two reasons are the only ways Bella would kill someone. And I hope she doesn't come off as cold. Not only did Terry provoke Bella, but he was also a terrible excuse for a human being.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Again, the next chapter will be up next Friday. So, everyone have a Happy Halloween! Until next time…