A/N: I'm proud to say that Matt was nominated for a non canon award for best original character. Thank you so much to whoever nominated him. I wanted Leah to have someone who really loved her and her wolf, and he does. I'm just glad you all saw that too. :)

All right, here's the next chapter. Thank you, Costa for pre-reading!

23

Most females didn't survive the werewolf bite, but those that did served their purpose. And right now, Viktor had one purpose that needed serving. So he called one of them to his quarters.

There were only a handful of females in his pack, but they all loved when the Master called, often fighting over whose turn it was. Once, one of them showed up with bruises healing on her face. It egged him on, feeding his libido, knowing that they fought for him.

He could smell their hunger long before they entered the room.

Normally, he didn't care which one showed up, but lately he was privy to long dark hair and deep brown eyes. That might have to do with the female who was to be his queen. Some had even dyed their hair black or worn wigs for a chance to be with him.

There was a light knock on the door, and Viktor ordered her to enter. Like the others, she wore a robe and nothing else. Viktor didn't have time or patience for fancy lingerie.

He snapped his fingers and the robe puddled to the ground.

"Don't move." His voice was powerful. He walked around her, examining every inch of her bare flesh. She was pretty enough, and her breasts were big enough. Her hair was black as night, falling all around her shoulders. Her dark eyes watched him, waiting for his command. Her skin wasn't anywhere near the almond shade that he preferred, but she wasn't her. She wasn't Leah Clearwater.

Viktor had developed quite an obsession with Leah, and he hadn't even met her, hadn't even heard her voice. He couldn't wait to speak with her, to watch her mouth move, listen to her call him Master.

So he did what he always did. He put her face on this female, changing what he saw to what he wanted. Then he told her where to stand. His hands roughly grabbed at her, poking and prodding, but the female didn't complain. None of them ever did, because he was their Master.

Viktor had needs and the beast within only increased those needs. Having a way to release helped him focus, and he needed that clarity.

While she stood naked, Viktor dropped his pants and harshly pushed inside her waiting entrance. There was no foreplay, no workup. Viktor took what he wanted. Things were systematic and routine.

He wasn't concerned about hurting her, because the wolf bite gave her the strength to take him. But she would never be his queen, because she couldn't give him what he really wanted.

Offspring.

Female werewolves couldn't carry a child. They were barren after they were bitten. He'd tried to have children with human females, but they never survived the pregnancy and neither did the fetus. That was when he realized that female shifters were the most likely candidate for creating his army.

But they were rare.

Then he heard a rumor about a female shapeshifter within the Quileute reservation. She was the key. And a bonus, she was an Alpha female. Viktor had done his homework. He knew that Alpha females were destined to carry an Alpha male. Being the Alpha of an Alpha had a nice ring to it. Viktor had imagined being the Alpha of all Alphas, the one to set the rules and guidelines, deciding which Alphas to kept and which ones to kill. Jacob and Matt would be on the top of the kill list.

There was a new world order at his fingertips.

Viktor thrust hard into the female from behind, his fingernails biting into her hips. She'd already climaxed twice and was heading for another.

Not that Viktor cared.

She mewled again beneath him while he released everything he had, roaring loudly.

He pulled away, tucking himself in his pants. "That will be all."

"Yes, Master," she answered, out of breath and dazed.

Her cheeks were lit with color, and there was the telltale smile of someone who'd been satisfied. She grabbed her robe and rushed out of the room. He knew she was going to go back and brag about her time spent with him.

Besides making sure the Master was satisfied, the females were the lure that brought in potential werewolves. Contrary to the myth, the werewolf bite didn't turn women into she-wolves. Instead it turned the women into very attractive enticements for males. Like vampires, it was their way to attract prey, and men (and sometimes women) would fall at their feet.

Their mission was to find the strongest, fastest, and the most likely to survive the bite and become an asset. Once they found them, they'd twitch their tails and lead them into a trap for the other werewolves to finish them off.

The females also attracted the males of the pack, and their appetites were insatiable. Because of this, the males were not to harm or force themselves on the females. They couldn't very well attract men if they were afraid of them. They needed to be in control of the situation. They were great at what they did and knew how to play the part of the scared and lost woman to the strong female that the men wanted to tame.

Viktor walked over to his desk and picked up a picture of Leah. She was beautiful, but what he liked was the fire in her eyes. He could see the strength that she commanded.

Yes, she would make the perfect queen.

He anticipated her not coming quietly, but he would enjoy making her see how things were going to be, stifling that willpower. He would make sure that she understood that her purpose was to have his children, and to be his queen.

Hell, she might even like it.

Viktor licked his lips. Werewolves liked to hunt, and he couldn't wait to catch his prey.

He'd also made it known that she was not to be touched by the other werewolves. He'd seen in the surviving werewolf's memories that she was harmed at the mall, and he was not happy. It was a good thing that the wolf that hurt her was dead, or he would have been praying for it when Viktor was finished with him.

From that day, a strict rule was implemented. Leah was to be brought with the least amount of fuss. The females were to clean her up and make her presentable. When he saw her in front of him for the first time, he wanted her at her best, not covered in bruises with broken bones.

There was another knock at the door.

"What is it?" Viktor didn't look up from the photo.

His second in command entered the room. Another man with messy bleach blond hair was with him. "Master. I have news."

Viktor reluctantly laid the photo down. "Well?"

"This is Peter." Mark turned to the man. "Tell him what you told me."

There was a brief hesitation, but Peter gathered his courage. He had an envelope in his hand. He pulled out a photo and handed it Viktor. "This woman was attacked by our pack a few weeks ago. She should be dead, but she isn't."

"And she's not a werewolf," Viktor said, glancing at the photo.

"No, sir."

"Why is that?" There was a menacing tone to Viktor's voice that caused Peter to falter. Viktor didn't like loose ends.

"She is a hybrid." A smiled formed on Peter's lips as Viktor's head snapped up. "The vampires are her family. Her mother was human when she was born, so she is both human and vampire. Like female werewolves, female vampires can't have children, but she is human too. I think she might be able to carry offspring. Imagine creating a different type of hybrid, one with the power of a werewolf and a vampire. The possibilities would be endless."

"If she survives," Viktor said, his fingers forming a steeple over his mouth.

"It's worth a try." Peter shrugged.

Viktor examined the picture. "How did you find out this information?"

"We tortured one of the Quileutes into giving it to us." Peter stood a little taller, obviously proud. "I used the one you told us to dispose of as bait to get information. Then we took care of both of them."

Viktor rubbed his chin. He wasn't necessarily worried about the vampires. They were a nuisance, yes, but not a threat. His ultimate goal was to take over the Quileute pack as his own. There were some strong warriors in that pack that he wanted in his army. Of course, not all of them would make the cut, which was why Viktor wanted the one they had imprisoned taken care of. Their female would make a perfect queen, and she might be willing to join if her pack was here with her. However, adding a vampire to the mix would definitely change things.

Mark said, "You're suggesting that we use this female to create a new breed of hybrids?"

"Yes." Peter nodded. "And because she's half vampire, she's probably strong enough to survive the pregnancy."

Viktor watched the way Peter looked at the photo and smiled. "And you would like to be the one to impregnate this female."

An evil sneer appeared. "I wouldn't mind."

Yep. He'd seen that look before. It was the same look his beta had when he looked at his female.

Viktor hadn't wanted that job. He didn't want to be with a vampire even if she was only half. He could barely stand being with humans.

"Do you know what traits she inherited from her vampire family?"

"I've been watching her. She has superspeed and she's pretty strong. After the attack, we know that she drinks blood, although like her family, she only hunts animals. When we bring her in and run some tests, we'll give her human blood to increase her abilities. Then we'll see just how strong she really is."

"What about any extra powers?"

Peter shook his head. "Don't know yet."

Viktor thought for a moment, then said, "Okay. When we make our move to get the Alpha female, bring her in too." Viktor looked at Mark. "How are plans going with that?"

"Everything is on schedule," Mark answered. "Phase one starts tonight."

"Good. I want regular updates."

"Yes, sir."

~*}{*~

Sam paced outside Kim's bedroom, listening to Emily cry. It was his fault. Yes, they were having some trouble, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, especially the way he did. What's worse? Because of the imprint, her pain was his and they were in a lot of it. Each sob, each cry, broke his heart even more. He could literally feel it cracking in his chest.

He'd tried knocking, but Kim told him curtly to stay away.

Unfortunately, he couldn't. Emily was in pain, and he had to fix it somehow.

He'd screwed up big time.

Why did he have to open his big mouth? He'd kept his feelings for Leah a secret for years, even hiding them from his imprint, and in an instant, his life was destroyed.

He hadn't meant to make that confession to Leah, let alone to everyone in shouting distance. Those who hadn't left yet got a real show. He could only imagine the gossip swirling around the pack mind.

The look of surprise on Leah's face was devastating. The only thing worse was the light gasp behind him. He'd only seen Emily for a fleeting moment before she ran inside.

When he turned to look at Leah, she was practically sprinting to Quil's car, refusing to even look at him.

Sam had only been trying to help Leah. When Leah was in love, she was in it with her whole heart. He'd seen that look of love staring at him plenty of times and saw her look at Matt that way.

He was trying to save her from more heartache. But as they say, "The road to hell is paved with best intentions."

Sam told himself that he was doing the right thing. Yeah, he'd loved Leah so much it hurt. But his feelings for Emily were powerful and all consuming. He couldn't see anything other than her. Until he saw Leah. Then things became garbled. It was in those moments when he saw her again, he wondered why he left her to begin with. It was too much, and he knew he had to let one of them go.

Leah had always been strong, and he knew that of the two of them, she'd be the most likely to come out of it okay. Emily was different. The few times he'd met her, she was shy and timid, like a delicate flower in the middle of tornado. After he'd scarred her, he couldn't leave her. Not after what he did. The town was relentless in their support of Leah. He was scared of what would happen if he wasn't there to help and defend Emily.

After Sam broke Leah's heart, she had made plans to leave town, so Sam figured that once she left, she'd find happiness. It would have been easier for him if he didn't have to see her move on without him, but he hated seeing her in so much pain, knowing he caused it.

What he hadn't planned on was her turning into a wolf and seeing his feelings. He hadn't planned on watching her life implode partly because of his choice. Her memories were still rare with their love, and he'd felt torn again. But his wolf had made the choice and drove that point home. Whenever memories of the two of them popped up, his wolf would flood the pack mind with images of him with Emily. Leah, in turn, flooded the pack mind with bitterness and anger.

Smiling used to come so easily to Leah, until he broke her heart. Then a smile from Leah was a rarity. But she smiled with Matt, laughed even.

Sam had told himself that over time, his feelings would fade. After all, his feelings for Emily were growing. They weren't just two people thrown together anymore. They were getting used to each other and slowly falling in love.

But Leah was always there, reminding him of his choice, making him second guess it.

What was done was done. Sam and Emily started a family and went on with their lives. After breaking away from Sam's pack and joining Jacob's, Leah slowly began to move on without them. Although it hurt Emily to not be part of Leah's life, there was nothing Sam could do about it. Leah made her choice too, and it didn't include them.

Leah was the price they paid for their magical imprinted love.

Now, Sam had succeeded in losing that.

Sam leaned closer to the door, but he only heard muffled voices. Kim had turned on the television for privacy.

The only thing that couldn't be contained was the heartache he'd caused his wife.

He needed to talk to her. That was the only way to fix this.

He stood up and knocked on the door again. "Emily, I need to talk to you, honey! Let me in!"

No answer.

"Emily, please." Sam placed his head against the door. "I know what that sounded like out there, but there are things you need to understand. Just let me in and we can talk."

No answer.

"Emily!" Sam banged on the door with both hands.

He continued banging on the door, until it started to splinter.

The door swung open, and Kim stood there with her face scrunched in anger. "I hope you know that you're paying for a new bedroom door."

Sam ignored her and looked over her shoulder. "Where is she?"

"Emily doesn't want to see you." Kim crossed her arms and gave Sam a defiant stare.

"Emily!" Sam shouted and Kim covered her ears.

"Sam, you've done enough!" Kim shouted over him. "Just leave her alone. Go for a run or something?"

Sam looked at Kim incredulously. "A run? You think that will help me? I need to see my wife, and you're keeping me from her!" He breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of the room. The harsh scent of Emily tears wafted under his nose. "Emily!"

"Keep it down, Sam! I have two injured wolves in this house!"

Sam walked past her and headed to the closed bathroom door.

"Damn it, Sam! She doesn't want to talk to you!" Kim moved front of the bathroom door, spaying her arms out. "Just leave her alone!"

"Kim, I'm warning you." Sam's voice was menacing. "If you don't move and let me see my wife, I'm going to move you."

"Jared!" Kim screamed, no longer worried about the two wolves in her home. "Jared, I need you!"

In moments, Jared appeared in their room, ready for a fight.

There was a brief hesitation, then he jumped in front of Kim. "What's going on, babe?" Jared kept a cautious eye on Sam.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Sam said before Kim could answer. "Your wife won't let me see mine. That's what's going on."

"I already told him that she didn't want to speak with him." Kim squeezed Jared's shirt.

"And I told her that I need to speak with her," Sam countered. "You know what it feels like when you're imprint is hurting."

"Okay, everyone calm down." Jared held his hands up, but didn't move. "Sam, maybe you should take a walk. You're a little wired and crazy right now. It's not the best time to talk to Emily. Give her a chance to calm down, too."

Sam roared with anger, enough to make Kim flinch and Jared moved Kim further behind him. "I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do! I just want to talk to Emily, not you or Kim, to my wife! Now get out of my way!"

"Should we call Jake," Kim whispered to Jared.

"No." Jared squared his shoulders and kept his eyes on Sam. "Because Sam is going to take a walk and cool off. If he doesn't, he's going to have to deal with me."

Sam laughed. "Do you think you can make me do anything, Jared? Remember where I am in the pack hierarchy."

"It doesn't matter, Sam. You're scaring my wife, and I won't have that." Jared's expression was fierce. Sam took a look at Kim, who was willful, but the scent of her fear was there.

The bathroom door squeaked open, and Emily stood in the door way, stepping around Kim and Jared. Her eyes were splotchy and red. She held a tissue to her nose.

The sight of her was worse that hearing her cry. The scars on her face were drenched with tears. All of the fight in him melted away, leaving their shared pain.

"Emily," he said softly and moved closer. She held up a hand to stop him.

"Sam." Her voice was calm and her chin was lifted. "I want you to leave."

Sam's eyes widened in horror, and his mouth fell open. The command was coming from the imprint, and he had no other choice than to follow it.

"Honey, please…"

"Now!" Emily's lip trembled slightly as she pointed toward the door.

Sam sighed heavily and then walked out of the house in a daze. He wasn't even sure how he got outside, but there he was, watching the sun hang low in the sky.

He dropped to his knees, as the pain seared through his chest. With a loud roar, his wolf burst through his clothes. The howl he released was filled with pain and agony.

A/N: As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!