Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer not me.
Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel of Our Dawn 5. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and Our Dawn Series Specials but if you don't want to bother I have a resume on my profile page. As it would be expected this is a next generation story and as such, it's focused on Jake and Leah's children.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you for everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alpha
Book I – The Third
Interlude
Jacob Black
14. Spirits' girl – part 1
I remember the first time I saw Calleigh Colburn. She was a young girl and worked as a waitress in a diner at Gold Beach, Oregon. I was searching for Leah because Sue was about to have a surgery and she wanted to see her daughter one last time in case she didn't make it alive, and Edward had given me a list of people that I should consult with in order to find out her whereabouts. Leah had lived a few months in Gold Beach and had befriended a small group of people. The only one I was able to find that evening was Calleigh.
I remember I thought she was crazy. I remember we dined at the local McDonalds where she told me she didn't know where Leah was and tried to convince me she had a special ability that allowed her to know all kinds of stuff about other people's lives.
And I especially remember she told me Leah would have five children even though I told her that Leah was barren. Right now I was forced to think that either Calleigh had made a very lucky guess that day or she really did possess a special talent similar to Alice's divination gift because Leah did have five children. Actually when I met Calleigh, Leah was already pregnant with the twins.
Calleigh's green orbs were shining when they met mine and I immediately realized she knew what I was thinking. I guess she was one of those perceptive kind of women that could practically read someone's mind like a book.
"What do you mean Callie? What has Isaac to do with anything?"
"I know you didn't believe me when I told you about my ability and I totally get it. It's not easy to understand things that escape your control."
In that moment, Callie's daughter rolled her eyes, clearly upset about her mother's words.
"Mum, please don't start…" She begged. "They're going to think you're insane."
"My daughter doesn't believe me either but one day she'll change her mind." Callie said. It was obvious she was disappointed that her own daughter didn't believe her.
"Can you please tell us what's going on?" Leah asked. Her voice was more urgent this time.
"I broke one of my rules and now I need your help. I mean… Isaac's help." She began. "I was told by my grandmother that people like me, who possessed this kind of gift should never, under any circumstances read their own heart lines but I was young and stupid and I thought it would be alright so… a few months before you came to Gold Beach, I did it and what I saw in the palm of my hand was not what I wanted to see."
"I can't take this!" Sophia exclaimed and she left the house hurriedly. I made a signal for Isaac to follow her which he did without hesitation. We couldn't have an outsider walking around in the Reservation by herself.
Ignoring her daughter's interruption, Callie continued. "I wanted to have a great future, I wanted Prince Charming and a castle, but that's not what I saw. I saw death instead. My death… and it freaked me out right until the moment I met you, Leah."
"Why?"
"Because that's when I realized there was still hope for me. Because when I took the palm of your hand and read your heart line I saw that you were the mother of the boy that could save my life."
That got our attention.
I listened to Isaac and Sophia outside, playing with Gunnar, Beaver and Hunter. Isaac didn't seem to be aware of our conversation which was good because I was still deciding if we could actually trust Callie.
"When someone dies of natural causes it's practically impossible to change their future but when their death is caused by others… that is a different story. My death will happen in about a year. I don't know the exact date but I know it will be in the winter and I know that Isaac will be nineteen years old." She paused then to read our expressions. "I die by the hands of a pale man with red eyes and dark long hair."
A vampire. If her gift could be trusted, then Callie was going to be attacked by a vampire.
"What does Isaac have to do with that?" Leah asked. I could tell she had also understood that her friend's life was going to end because of a leech.
"Isaac is the only one who can save me." She stated. "I read his name on my heart line, just like I did in yours." Callie pointed to the both of us. "That's how I knew you weren't who you said you were. You told me you were Leah's brother, remember?"
I did remember. I had said that for fear that Leah had instructed her friends to lie if I showed up asking about her.
"I never meant to lie…" I confessed. "Anyways… how can you be sure it's our son? There are thousands of boys called Isaac in the US."
"That's true, but I'm pretty sure only one can fight off a vampire." She lowered her voice when she said the word 'vampire'.
Leah and I exchanged another look. I had no idea how Callie knew about vampires. But the main question was: did she know about us too?
"Callie… what the hell are you talking about?" Leah lowered her voice.
"You're werewolves." She declared.
Not quite but close enough. I thought.
"You can turn into giant wolves. I know about it so don't try to deny it. I thought I was going crazy when I learned the truth but after a while I came to realize that the existence of such… creatures is actually quite normal. After all the world is a place full of mysteries."
We were not expecting this at all. Should we come clean and admit everything? Or should we deny it and tell her she had been watching too many science fiction movies?
I read the look on Leah's face and knew exactly what she was thinking. We had to tell Callie the truth.
Sighing deeply, Leah walked forward and forced Callie to sit down on the couch behind her. Then she sat down as well. Many years ago we had been in that very same place with Dawn, Collin's wife. She had come to our house in the middle of the night, demanding answers for the sake of her unborn child. It took her months to accept the truth, and almost a year to take Collin back.
"Can you handle this?" I asked Leah when I heard our daughter's footsteps upstaird. I couldn't risk her hearing our conversation with Callie and I wanted to have a serious talk with her.
Not knowing the whereabouts of both Isaac and Sarah had been a nightmare. I wanted her to understand that she had been selfish and reckless leaving the Reservation the way she did-
"Sure." Leah replied. "You can go."
I glanced one last time to Callie and went upstairs. I found Sarah by the window, watching Isaac and Sophia playing with the dogs in our backyard. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were still wet from crying. My heart melted because I hated to see my little girl unhappy. My relationship with Sarah was different from the one I had with her brothers. I was a proud father and loved all of my kids, but Sarah was my princess. Though right now I had to keep my front together or she would walk away unpunished.
"What were you thinking? Running away like that with Jay Morris?"
Sarah turned to face me.
"I wanted to help. That's all." She said keeping her head low.
"Help who?"
"Jay… It's unfair that he can't meet his own mother." She said raising her head so she could look me in the eye. Out of all of my children, Sarah was the bravest and the most fearless, two features she had inherited from her mother. "Why did Jason lie to him? Jay wanted to know his mother and now…"
"Jason is his father and he knows what is best for him."
"No, he doesn't! Jay feels like he doesn't belong in the family, especially now that Charlene and Preston are here."
My daughter also possessed a huge sense of justice and sometimes she just forgot she couldn't help everyone around her.
"You should've stayed here."
"I'm sorry."
A heavy silence fell between us. I didn't know if I should keep pressing on the subject.
"Who's the girl outside?" She asked curiously.
"Isaac's girlfriend."
My daughter cocked an eyebrow, clearly not convinced that I was speaking the truth. Granted Isaac had never showed any interest in girls.
"Sarah… do you have any idea of how worried we were when we realized you were gone?"
"I didn't mean to worry you. Jay wanted to meet his mother and we saw an opportunity. You were all searching for Isaac and we thought we'd be back before you could notice our absence. At least that's what Jay promised me but then…" She started to cry again. "Daddy… what happened to Jay? Isaac said he'd be alright but the doctors…"
I hugged Sarah as she came to my arms. Although she had done something wrong and stupid, I still felt the need to comfort her. After all she was just a kid.
"Jay is fine. He's at home. Jason's with him. Everything will be okay, Sarah. Trust me."
"How is everything going to be okay if you keep secrets from me?" She asked.
Sarah was very perceptive and she could tell when she was being lied to. Every day she looked more and more like Leah and that scared the shit out of me. One Leah was enough.
Downstairs, Leah was waiting for Callie's reaction to what she had just told her. While Dawn was shaken beyond belief and almost had a fit when we told her what we really were, Callie was actually quite serene and didn't doubt a single word that had been said to her.
"Am I grounded?" Sarah looked at me expectantly.
Within the pack, my word was law, but within the family, Leah was in charge of the disciplinary procedures. I was not there to punish my daughter, just to give her a warning.
"That's your mother's department."
"In that case, I'm pretty sure I am going to be grounded." She whispered.
I thought the same. Leah would not let Sarah get away with this so easily. The first time Harry and Will came home late after spending the night out with their friends, they had been grounded for three months. And they were only one hour late. Sarah had gone to another state, on her own, without telling anyone. She was going to be grounded for life.
"Can I go meet Isaac's girlfriend?"
I nodded. It would be bad enough to spend her birthday grounded so I guess it would be okay to allow her to leave the bedroom.
"Stay with your brother, alright? I'll try to talk to your mother but don't expect much."
Sarah smiled and left. I let myself stay by the window until she joined Isaac and Sophia in our backyard and only then I went downstairs to join Leah and Callie in the living room.
"Why can't you believe my gift when you have been fighting off vampires and you can morph into a wolf?" Callie was standing up again.
"It's not that I don't believe it, Callie."
"It's your job, isn't it? As wolves, as protectors… you have to help me."
"You broke the rule about your gift, you're not part of our people and you don't even know when it will happen. What exactly do you want us to do?" I asked. I didn't really mean to be so cruel I just wanted to know what she expected of us.
"Let Isaac come with me." She said. "He's already friends with my daughter and he's been living in Arizona all by himself, hasn't he? He's used to live outside La Push."
"You want my son to go live with you for a year or more until some freaking vampire attacks you?" Leah questioned.
"He'll be in good hands. I'll treat him as my own son."
Before I could say anything else, Edward sent me a text message. He needed us immediately. Leah and I promised Callie to give her an answer in a few hours and we asked Isaac and Sarah to take our two guests to Forks to Sue and Charlie's. We needed someone to put an eye on them and there was no one better than Sue to do it.
"This is crazy." Leah said when we walked into the forest together on our way to the Cullen's lands. "How can this be happening?"
"Do you believe her?" I finally asked.
"I guess so… She has no reason to lie about this and she knows about us for a long time and never said a word to anyone."
"I want to help her. I really do but Isaac isn't going anywhere."
Leah stopped dead in her tracks.
"Why not?"
"I understand she wants protection and I believe that Isaac is strong enough to save her but I don't want him out of my sight. Not anymore. I promised myself I would spend more time with him now that he joined the pack." I explained. "I have to make up to him, Leah. I just realized how much I missed out with Isaac."
"Jacob, I know you too well. And I know you're hiding something."
"I'm not hiding anything." I lied. "I felt I let Isaac down for so long… I want to teach him things and do stuff just like I did with the twins."
"No. You're hiding something from me. I can feel it." She stepped closer and grabbed the collar of my shirt. "Spill it now Jacob or I'll make sure you'll regret it!"
"A love fest so early in the morning and you haven't even invited me?" Paul laughed and calmly walked in our direction.
"You better tell me everything after our meeting with the Cullens." Leah whispered to me, ending our argument.
That's going to be a hell of a talk. I thought to myself.
Leah released me then and we followed Paul. He gave Leah more details about Sarah's little adventure in Austin and how close she was from knowing the truth. Luckily Jay hadn't phased in the Hospital.
"She told us the boy was quite nervous after speaking to his mother." Paul informed. "I guess that's why he ended up phasing."
"What did she tell him?" Leah asked curiously.
"I don't know but I don't think he liked it." Paul replied. "I feel sorry for the kid. Not only he did all that trip for nothing, he'll also have to deal with all of this supernatural shit."
Leah and I nodded.
"Talking about kids…" Leah started. "You did an amazing job with Sarah today, honey." Leah said sarcastically turning to me. Of course she had heard me speaking to Sarah. And of course she would lecture me about not having lectured our daughter properly.
"What did you want me to do?" I was supposed to put some sense into Sarah and make her understand that she had proceeded quite irresponsibly by leaving La Push with Jay regardless of her good intentions but her distress had stopped me.
"You're such a sucker. That girl has you wrapped around her little finger."
"Well I guess now we know who she has taken after, don't we?" I smirked and Leah fumed.
"Come on guys… keep the sex talk for later, okay?"
"Shut up Paul!" Leah and I said at the same time. He just laughed, happy with himself because he had successfully managed to annoy us in less than five minutes. That was something only Paul Lahote could achieve.
The seven Cullens were waiting for us on the porch. They were supposed to be gone by now. Their cars were on the drive way, and their bags were all load up, but upon the news about Isaac's disappearance, they all decided to stay and help us.
"Carlisle's already flying here." Esme declared. "He'll arrive in an hour or so. He told me he managed to switch Jay's blood samples. No one will ask questions about the boy."
That was a relief. We did not have time to go to Austin and clean up the mess Jason's kid had made.
"Just for the record, we have a new member. Jay phased just minutes ago." I announced when I noticed that all of the pack was there, except for Denis and Isaac.
The news didn't appeal to everyone.
"Does that mean there will be more?" Embry asked worriedly. His son, David, was now old enough to phase. The same applied to Sam, Jared and Paul. The prospect of having their children phasing and joining our pack was not appealing for them just like it hadn't been for me at first. But I guess it was inevitable.
"It's possible. I have no idea why Isaac and Jay phased now but it might be connected to the nomad and that means more of our children can phase."
"About that…" Edward began. "Sam was right. The Volturi are here and they want to capture the nomad we were trying to kill."
"You've found them?" I asked.
"Yes. I've met with Alec outside our lands. Actually he wants permission to come here and explain everything."
"Is it safe? Can we really trust him after what happened?"
"Yes. He only used his powers to prevent you from killing the nomad."
"Well the nomad was supposed to be dead! That's what we do!" Paul growled.
"Plus he was in our lands, and left two dead girls behind!" Sam added. "We have the right to kill him."
"And let's not forget the attack on Brady, Collin, Quil and Jared…" Embry recalled.
"He wants to apologize." Edward said to tranquilize the pack.
"Fine. Let him come. I'll make sure to refresh his memory about the terms of our agreement! And we can always send him back to his masters with a message for them and with one less arm." I announced.
"Jasper will you go get him? He's at the north border right outside Forks." Edward turned to his brother.
During the time we waited for Jasper to escort Alec to the mansion, the pack decided to ask some questions about Isaac and Jay's sudden phasing. Unfortunately I didn't know the answer for any of those questions. All I knew was that Isaac was not like us. He seemed to be able to block out his mind while still having access to the pack's thoughts and was also immune to Jasper and Edward's powers. As for Jay, his status was still unclear.
"Does that mean they don't belong to the pack?" Leah asked when she realized that we didn't have access to our son's and Jay's thoughts.
"I have no idea." I confessed. "I hope we can get more answers later tonight. We need to have a meeting with the Council."
"We can't bring the subject to the Council yet." Leah warned. "Not until we have Quil or Sam replacing Old Quil. Not until Hal is set aside."
"Leah's right." Sam agreed. "We can't have Hal suspecting we're hiding something."
We still had to decide what to do with Hal White. Unfortunately never in our history the Council had faced problems to replace a deceased or a quitting member. But one thing I knew for sure: Hal and Rhonda couldn't be involved in the Council, otherwise they would have to learn about our secret and no one wanted to risk that, especially with the Whites.
There was bad blood between the Whites and the Clearwaters ever since many years ago Desmond White had been forced by the tribal Council to marry Melody Clearwater upon her accusations of rape. Truth or not, the story ended tragically: one year after the wedding, before giving birth to a baby girl, Melody was killed by a drunken Desmond. Melody's brothers, Wesley and Gavin beat him up so badly he ended up dying three days later from his injuries. And there were many other pending issues between Whites and Clearwaters.
"Hal won't simply give up at least not without a fight. Plus, he does have the right to demand a position in the Council. The tribal Laws say that all the families of the founding fathers can ask to be a part of the Council."
Unfortunately Quil was right. Centuries ago Finnigan White had been one of the founding fathers of our people, along with Alan Uley, Ansel Ateara, Zachary Black, and Micah Clearwater, which meant that any of their direct descendents could invoke the Law at any time and ask to be a part of the Council. Fortunately Hal hadn't invoked the old laws yet.
"Let's not remind him of that, okay?" Leah said.
"Some of the old Laws are useless." Sam commented. "Otherwise the Uleys should've been able to get a place in the Council for years now. Richard Uley invoked the Law once and was ignored. So why can't we ignore Hal as well?"
"Because he has the support of many families." I replied. "That was something that Richard Uley lacked decades ago, when he tried to overpower the Blacks."
"So… what can we do to get rid of Hal?" Embry inquired.
"We can offer our services for free." A cold voice reached us. I recognized him immediately. Alec was the male version of the most feared vampire I had met: Jane. He dressed in black, as usual, with a robe and a red pendant with the Volturi emblem on his neck. He grinned when he saw us.
Alec's young appearance was clearly deceptive since he was by far the oldest vampire in there. His red eyes observed each one of us quickly, and lingered a few more seconds on my sons.
"Puppies." He whispered when he passed them by, escorted by Jasper.
"Weasel." The twins replied in unison.
"Where's your vulture of a sister?" Harry asked.
"Jane's at home. Why? Do you miss her?"
"Oh, yes… I miss her terribly. What I miss the most is kicking her ass." Harry laughed.
Alec smirked mockingly.
"I'll pass on your love declaration to my sister, pup."
Harry clenched his fists but said nothing. Alec stood surrounded by the Cullens on the top of the stairs that led to the mansion. Emmett's bulky figure was directly behind him, as if he was his bodyguard. Since Carlisle was absent, Edward took the lead and began with the formalities before Alec could say a word.
"The pack is very pleased to know you decided to come and apologize." He said.
Alec's fierce expression made it clear that he wasn't there to apologize but now he had no other option. It would be rude if he didn't apologize like Edward had suggested.
"To attack the pack like that was not a very nice move but I'm sure you are aware of that, right?" Edward insisted.
"Yes, of course." Alec finally said. "We never meant to hurt anyone. We're… sorry." He didn't enjoy saying that.
"So, what do we owe your wonderful presence here?" Bella asked. She too was faking sympathy.
"We're searching for a vampire named Gustaf. He's a nomad. We've met him in Italy a month ago and we've been following him ever since."
"Why? What's so special about him that Aro had to send one of his top guards to the US?" I asked.
Alec grinned.
"Haven't you noticed? Gustaf leaves a trail of death behind him wherever he goes. He likes to feed on the blood of young girls and usually leaves the bodies up to the police to discover. He's breaking one of our most important rules: discretion."
"If you wanted to take care of the problem, you shouldn't have interfered. We could've killed the leech easily." Paul barked.
Alec rolled his eyes and looked at Paul as if he was in the presence of someone inferior.
"But you don't want him dead, right?" I questioned, guessing the answer.
"He has a power that Aro wants." The leech explained.
"He's a tracker." Edward said while reading Alec's mind. "Like Demetri."
"Ever since Demetri was killed, he had been waiting for another tracker to join us."
"Why not let Scarlett absorb his power and then get rid of him?" Leah asked.
"Because that would force Scarlett to leave Volterra too often and Aro wants her inside the city walls where he can keep her safe." Edward explained. It made perfect sense because Scarlett was Aro's most precious gift.
"So the little girl is his favourite." Will commented. He was trying to irritate Alec. "I'm sure Ice Queen must be thrilled to know she lost her place in her master's heart." He mocked.
"My sister and Scarlett are good friends." Alec said but Edward's expression told us otherwise. I guess life in Volterra wasn't all flowers and rainbows. I knew Jane, she had tortured me once and I knew she was a proud and ambitious vampire who hated to be second-best. So there was no way in hell she was friends with Scarlett. "Anyways I'm here because we couldn't capture Gustaf earlier and we need your permission to enter these lands."
"He escaped and we're pretty sure he won't come back now that he knows we're here." Sam said.
"We followed Gustaf for a month. He's evasive and smart but we were able to find out some important things about him. He has a routine he follows thoroughly. He has a ritual that is not complete yet, so he will come back to finish it." Alec explained.
"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded.
"In each town he always kills three young girls."
"He only killed two." Seth recalled. "So there's going to be a third victim."
Alec nodded.
"I'm pretty sure he's going to try and kill his third victim tonight so we need your permission to enter your lands, including all the area around Forks."
"How many Volturi are with you?" I questioned. I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of giving a free-pass to the Volturi.
"Three. Chelsea, Cory and Felix." Edward answered for him.
"I suppose you have a plan?"
"We won't fail this time, don't worry. We just need to locate him and then, it'll be over. As soon as we capture him, we'll be on our way home and out of your lands." Alec assured.
"Make sure he doesn't complete his ritual. If another girl dies at his hands, I'll hold you and your friends responsible and our agreement will be broken. Got it?"
Alec shot me a glare, clearly unhappy with my threat.
"And I'll send two wolves to make sure you keep your word. They'll be waiting for you at sundown near the border, they won't interfere in your hunting party but they will escort you out of our lands when everything is over." I added.
Alec had no option but to accept my terms. Then Jasper and Alice escorted him back to where his friends were. We waited until we were sure he was out of our earshot to speak again.
"Can we really trust them?" I turned to Edward. He had been able to read Alec's mind while he was there, so he knew what the Volturi's real intentions were.
"Everything he said was true. Aro does want this tracker to join their clan. He ordered them to take him back to Volterra unharmed. It was always his intention to replace Demetri. He tried to use Alistair for a while but his ability was not exactly as efficient as Demetri's and Alistair is a very unstable vampire. Aro always knew he couldn't rely on Alistair for too long so when he found out about Gustaf, he ordered his capture."
"So they'll capture this nomad and they'll leave, right?"
"That's what Alec was ordered to do."
"And if the nomad doesn't accept their terms?" Sam asked.
"That's why Chelsea came too." Edward explained. "Her mission is to create a bond between the Volturi and Gustaf."
I guess Aro had all figured out. But I was still nervous about tonight.
"Don't worry, Jacob. Bella and I will be around to watch them closely. I mean… it's the least we can do to help. We'll make sure Alec keeps his part of the deal." Bella nodded too, confirming her husband's words.
"Who will you send to put an eye on them?" Bella questioned.
I hadn't thought about that yet. Maybe I should ask for volunteers.
"Dad… can we go?" Will asked.
I turned to my sons. They were not children anymore and over the years they had learned how to fight and kill vampires on their own. Their skills were impressive even though they were the youngest in the pack, with the exception of Isaac and Jay. So far William and Harry had eliminated five vampires each and participated in more than fifty chasings. I trusted them with my life but they had a rather conflictive relationship with Alec and very special tempers. Still I couldn't just deny them this because I'd hurt their pride.
"Okay. You can go but… don't interfere with the Volturi. Let them capture the leech and go. Can you do that?"
"Yes, father." William rolled his eyes. "Piece of cake."
It took us a lot more time than I expected to go back home and have lunch. First I had to reorganize patrols with Seth. We both figured it would be better to have four wolves patrolling instead of the usual two since there were non-vegetarian vampires in the area, so Sam, Seth, Embry and Paul would patrol while Brady, Collin, Jared and Quil were ordered to have some rest. After their ordeal with Alec I wasn't taking any changes and if something went wrong, I needed my best warriors completely reestablished.
Then we visited Jason to see how Jay was doing. He was still knocked out, which meant that I'd probably hit him a bit too hard. Afterwards we called Isaac and he told us Sue was preparing lunch for him, Sarah, Callie and Sophia. Since Harry and Will had decided to meet some friends, it was just going to be the two of us for lunch. That didn't happen in a long time.
And I knew what was coming.
"So… are you going to spill the beans or are you going to just sit there looking at the microwave?" She said sitting down across from me. I was watching the pizza inside the microwave, trying to figure out what to say.
"Jacob?" She insisted. "Talk to me."
I had no idea how to start. I had the feeling I was going to be murdered as soon as I told her the truth.
"When you were in a coma, after you had the twins, I went back to the Makah Reservation." I began. I waited for her reaction and ignored the microwave sound indicating our food was ready.
"If you tell me you went there and slept with some other girl, I'll hurt you Jacob! It's a promise!"
"I didn't sleep with a girl, but I did go there to see one…" It was always fun to know Leah was jealous. She growled a little. "I went to see Odessa." I confessed before she would explode.
"Odessa?" She was surprised to say the least. "That old lady who extorted you fifty dollars to tell you I was going to have a safe labour?"
"Yes."
"I hope you went there to have your money back because I did not have a safe labour!"
"Well…" I paused. I had gone there when I was in deep emotional pain. Leah was lying in a hospital bed, in a coma after giving birth to my children. Not even Carlisle knew if she was going to make it. The babies were alright but I was facing the possibility of raising two kids on my own. I was eighteen years old, I had never changed a diaper, and the woman I loved was fighting for her life, so to say that I was angry was an understatement. "I went there because I wanted to yell and blame someone for what was happening to you. I was scared because I thought I was going to lose you and I was angry because her charms hadn't protected you like she had promised but…" I hesitated.
"But what?"
"She was right, Leah. She was right about everything."
"I almost died!"
"But you didn't. You had a full recovery and… before we left on the first time we went there, she told me you were having twins, she told me they were the boys from Martha's prophecy. I didn't believe her then Leah, but when you gave birth to the boys I felt that I needed to speak to her again."
Leah slowly crossed her arms, waiting for me to continue.
"When I told her, she didn't even sound surprised. She told me you'd recover and she insisted that Harry and Will were the twins from Martha's prophecy."
"And you believed her?"
"Carlisle had assured me you were having one baby. Only one…"
"And I had twins." Leah finished my sentence. "But that doesn't mean our sons are going to have the fate of La Push on their hands. It's just an old prophecy… something that your great-grandmother probably made up for some reason."
"No… I think she's right."
"What do you mean?"
"She knew about us, Leah. She knew about the legends and she said that we had disturbed the natural balance of our pack because the alpha pair should not have twins."
"That's bullshit!"
"Listen… I was not so sure at first but… it makes sense."
"What part?" She demanded.
"I won't be the alpha forever. I can't be… I mean one day we'll have to stop phasing, otherwise people will notice." I said. "Actually, some people already noticed, like Rhonda and Hal." I added. "When I step down, who do you think I should appoint as the next alpha?"
Leah looked at me expectantly but didn't answer.
"Traditionally, the alpha of a pack is always the direct descendent of the former alpha, which means I'll have to choose between Harry and Will."
Now Leah finally understood my dilemma.
"I see… Well, Harry was born first."
"I can't choose one and not the other. They were born on the same day. I can't choose between them, it would be unfair. It's bad enough to know that Isaac thought I didn't like him for these past few years. I can't let the same happen with the twins."
I never understood how things between me and Isaac turned so cold but I wanted to change that now. After the night of the werewolves' uprising, I convinced myself I had failed my family. Even now, ten years later, I still felt that but now that I knew Isaac wasn't going to be a werewolf, I had finally found some peace of mind.
Back then it had been hard to face Isaac knowing that because of me he had almost died and that he could've been cursed forever. It was my responsibility as his father to protect him and I had failed.
That night when I left home with Leah to go to the bonfire at First Beach, I had left my teenage sons in charge. We had instructed them to stay at home and take care of their younger siblings but we made a mistake.
I still remember what it was like to be fifteen years old. The twins were not different from the other kids from the Reservation. They wanted to party and have fun and they had left home leaving Isaac, Sarah and JJ alone with Maddie, who was babysitting them.
Still they were not the ones to blame. I was. That's why I didn't even have the courage to punish them.
Besides, they also felt guilty about what had happened to Isaac. After the attack, William spent several nights in a sleeping bag outside Isaac's room until Leah finally convinced him to go back and sleep in his bedroom again.
Isaac grew up not knowing the truth about that night and the real cause of the scar in his arm. But the twins and I were plagued by constant nightmares of the moment when the huge werewolf hurt Isaac. Having a conversation with him turned more and more difficult as time went by. I felt ashamed every time I looked at Isaac. With the twins I could be myself: father and alpha. I didn't have to hide anything from them. We trained together and I taught them the best I could. With Sarah and JJ I could be a dad, I could play and laugh with them without feeling guilty or remorseful. But Isaac was not like any of my other kids. He shared my features but his character was definitely more like Seth's. Harry, Will, Sarah and JJ were strong-willed, lively and enthusiastic, but Isaac was the opposite.
He was quiet, he satiated his curiosity in books, he preferred to be in his bedroom than playing outside, and with time we grew apart. Now things were going to be different. Now I was going to make up to him for all those years.
"I won't have another child of mine thinking I don't love him." I clarified.
"I know what you mean but what choice do you have? It's either one of them or some other wolf." She bit her lip before speaking again. "My brother would make a fair alpha, don't you think? He's a good beta… you said it yourself."
"You know they're all trying to stop phasing, Leah. And I can't bind them to the pack any longer. They all want to grow old with their wives and children. Besides, the pack needs new blood."
"In that case, choose the better wolf between Harry and Will."
"Odessa said that when that time comes, they will fight each other and one will emerge as the victor. You know what that means, don't you?"
"You think they'll fight to the death?"
I nodded. That's what Odessa had forfeited. A mortal bout between two brothers for the right to take my position as leader of the pack.
"But they're brothers." She claimed. "Twin brothers."
That would not make a difference. We were not exactly animals because we kept our rational ability when we morphed but the pull of our wolf spirit was overwhelming and sometimes very hard to control. Just like I had felt the urge to claim Leah when Jack threatened my position, the twins would fight each other for the right of leading the pack. And it would turn out badly for one of them.
"They have the same rights. Their wolves will want the other to submit and if that doesn't happen, death might be the only solution." I told Leah the exact same words Odessa had told me. "You remember Jack, don't you? He threatened to kill Harry or any child of mine because that child would always be a threat to him. It's the same here. Self-preservation is a powerful impulse."
"So we need to find a way to prevent the twins to fight with each other."
"There is one." I announced. "Odessa said there was a way to prevent that."
"How?"
"Producing another potential alpha." I explained. "A stronger heir would make the others submit willingly."
"So Isaac is the solution?"
I nodded. He had to be for the sake of his brothers.
"Once I train him and teach him everything, he'll be the most powerful wolf in the pack and Harry and Will are going to accept him as their alpha. That's why Isaac can't leave."
"Are you sure it will be that easy?"
Of course I wasn't sure. William had a bad temper and a very determined personality. He would not take Isaac's leadership lightly. As for Harry, despite having a more laid back character, he was still rebellious enough to question everyone's decisions but they would have to accept their brother as their leader. There was no other option.
"No… but I'm hopeful."
"Maybe we should pay a visit to Odessa." Leah suggested. "So she can tell us something more about the way we should deal with the twins and Isaac… in case something goes wrong."
"That would be nice but… Odessa died five years ago."
"Seriously?"
"Although…" I hesitated. I didn't know if I should tell her about Odessa's great-granddaughter who was said to have inherited Odessa's gift.
"Although what?"
"There are rumours about a girl who is gifted…"
"Gifted like Odessa, Martha, Alice and Callie?"
"I think so."
"Okay, in that case, we'll have to meet her."
"Maybe we should wait."
"No! We're going there, right now!"
"What about the Volturi? We can't leave La Push in a time like this."
"We'll be back in a couple of hours."
I sighed. The Makah Reservation was not that far. In wolf form we'd be there in fifteen minutes the tricky part was to find the right girl. I didn't even know her name and as far as I knew Odessa had had ten children, at least fifteen grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren.
We prepared a few extra clothes and then we phased.
'Where are you going boss?' Paul asked. 'Where's the fire?'
Our minds joined the minds of the four wolves that were on patrol.
'Is everything okay?' Seth inquired.
'Everything's fine.' I told them. 'We're going to be out for a while. Seth, you're in command.'
'Is this the right moment for that?' That was Paul again. He thought we were going to some private place to have sex.
'Sometimes I wish you were not my brother-in-law.'
'Oh come on, Jake, just admit it, I'm the best brother-in-law you have.'
'You wish.'
It was still a mystery to me how Rachel was actually able to put up with Paul for so many years. I knew imprinting was a powerful bond and all but I never believed a magic link could be enough to make someone love Paul Lahote.
'Well, I'm pretty awesome, you know?'
'Shut it and keep patrolling, asshole.'
'Someone really needs to get laid.'
'We better phase back. We can walk the rest of the way.' Leah announced.
"Do you think Rach is still going to love Paul when he stops phasing?" I asked while I was putting my shorts and t-shirt on. Leah was behind me, fixing her dress.
"Unfortunately… Yes."
No one knew for sure if an imprint bond would actually last after the wolf stopped phasing permanently. That's why some of the imprinted wolves had been so resilient about stopping.
"But if the pull stops… the love will disappear, right?"
"I don't know… maybe that obsessive feeling connecting them, the overwhelming need to please them, the desire to see them happy and safe will stop but the feelings won't. I mean they got married, Paul is the father of her children, they made promises to each other…"
"So, we're stuck with Paul." I bewailed. Truth to be told, I didn't hate Paul that much but he was a jackass most of the time.
She laughed. We walked through the forest until we reached the first houses in the Makah Reservation.
"Now what?" I asked, observing a few men walking around, busy with their routines.
"Now we go find Ella. She's been living here for ten years, I'm sure she knows the girl we're looking for."
Ella was Sam's daughter. Ever since she had learned about our secret she had chosen to live with her grandparents. She visited La Push four or five times a year but never stayed more than a week. Apparently she was unable to cope with what her father was. Ella was one of the reasons why Sam wanted to stop phasing. He wanted his daughter to able to speak to him without fear.
During her childhood Leah had visited her cousins Benjamin and Jillian Young often and they still lived in the same pale yellow house, a couple of yards south from the reservation's market place.
"We should do this someday in La Push." I said passing by a small tent where an old man was selling car parts. Leah rolled her eyes as if reading my thoughts.
"You can buy all of that stuff online Jacob. Plus if you really want to organize a selling market at La Push you have to talk to the Council and now it's not the right time."
She was right. First we had to choose Old Quil's substitute and only then we could start planning things.
Leah halted when she was at the doorstep of her cousins' house. She hadn't seen them in years and they would probably be surprised by our presence there and our looks, younger than we actually should be.
Fortunately it was Ella who answered the door. Her facial expression when she recognized us drifted from puzzlement to sudden alarm.
"Uncle Jacob, Aunt Leah… did something happen to Levi?" She asked without waiting for our courtesy greetings. I was not her uncle nor Leah her aunt but she had addressed us like that since she was a little girl. During her childhood Ella had been really close to our twin boys too, until she saw them phasing that is.
"No, he's fine." Leah replied with a smile. "Everything's fine. We're here because we need your help."
"Help?" She raised an eyebrow.
Ella looked very much like Emily. She shared her mother's small stature, dark long hair, thin lips and brown eyes. At twenty-five she was a beautiful young woman, hard-working and well-known in the Makah Reservation. She took good care of her grandparents (Benjamin was showing signs of Parkinson disease and Jillian had diabetes and a heart condition), had a part-time job in a nearby law firm, and was engaged in several projects to preserve the Indian Heritage. Two years ago Ben had called Sam and Emily to tell them that a lawyer from Tacoma had visited them to ask Ella's hand in marriage, but a few days later when Sam had decided to go there to speak to his daughter, she called saying that it had all been a misunderstanding.
But, despite her resemblances with Emily, in that moment Ella looked like her father instead. Sam always made that same expression when he was suspicious.
"We need to speak to a girl. She's one of Odessa Clearview's great-granddaughters." I said. "There are people who think she's special…"
"The spirits' girl." Ella cut me off. "I know who she is. Actually everyone does."
"Do you know where she lives? Can you take us there?" Leah asked.
"Sure."
A few minutes later we were heading south, in the direction of a small stream. Ahead there was a wooden bridge and the cemetery was right on the other side. Ella stopped when we got there.
"She lives in a small house on the other side of the cemetery." She explained. "People believe that her place is among the dead."
Leah and I exchanged a look.
"Why?" We asked at the same time.
"The day Odessa died, Dana became blind and she says that she gained the ability to speak with the dead."
Great. That's all we need. A girl who can speak to dead people.
"What do you want with Dana anyways?" Ella asked suddenly.
"We don't know yet." Leah answered truthfully.
We had no idea what to expect when we arrived to the house where Dana lived. We knew little of her and I did not feel comfortable speaking to someone who was supposed to talk to spirits. Ella had refused to cross the cemetery and so she went home, leaving the both of us facing the spirits' girl.
The first thing I noticed when we reached the doorsteps was the smell of food in the air and I instantly recalled that we ended up leaving La Push without having lunch. My stomach roared and Leah noticed.
"We can go to a diner after we speak to this girl, alright?" She whispered before knocking.
"There's plenty for the three of us." A voice came from the inside. "Come on in."
Leah and I walked inside slowly. The house was small and simple. It actually reminded me of the house where Jack Russell had lived in Campbell and where I had claimed Leah as my mate. There were only three divisions in the house: a kitchen with a fireplace, a few cabinets, a sink, a table, four chairs and a stove; a bedroom, where a small bed could be seen near a window with orange curtains; and a bathroom.
The girl that was sitting down on a chair next to the fireplace could not be much older than Sarah. Actually, her small frame and fragile looks, suggested she could be younger. She had long black hair, so long that she probably didn't cut it for several years, and white eyes.
Blind eyes. I recalled Ella's words earlier.
"Are you Dana?" Leah asked inspecting the place and reaching the same conclusion I just had. Not only Dana lived separated from the rest of the community, she also lived alone. The house was too small to have more occupants, and in the kitchen sink there was only one plate and one glass.
"That's my name. And you are?"
"Leah. I'm with my husband, Jacob."
"Clearwater and Black." She said. Odessa had said the same words when we met for the first time.
"You know our families?" Leah asked.
"I know many things, Leah. Things you wouldn't understand." She smiled and put the cup she was holding on the table. "Can I get you something? I have bread, peanut butter and tea."
"We're fine." I said. "Do you live here alone?"
"Yes. I might be blind but I can take care of myself."
"But you have a family, don't you?"
"I do. My parents live on the Reservation with my older sister."
"Why do you live here alone?" I insisted. I would never let my daughter live on her own like that.
"It's temporary. But I appreciate your concern. My initiation as spiritual leader will end next month. I will go back home then, but for now I have to do this alone."
"Do what?" Leah inquired.
"It's a quest. It's very important that I finish it."
"If you're busy we can come back later." I said.
"No, you're already here and… I can feel you have important questions to ask. I knew you'd come five days ago. My great-grandmother told me."
Leah and I glanced at each other in silence. Odessa was dead for five years so she couldn't have spoken to Dana.
"How is that possible?" Leah finally asked.
"I am the spirits' girl, haven't you heard?"
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