Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews, glad you liked how I settled the Alpha drama. For those who can't see chpt 33, I don't know what to tell you, I deleted it and uploaded it again.

THIRTY-FOUR

PACK

ALPHA BLACK

It was like being possessed, it was something you'd see in the movies. I've never felt so powerful, so supreme, in all my life. It wasn't until Feather Rock proclaimed that the Spirit Wolves of the past were present among us that it really made sense. I had felt the spirits of my fathers in the Beyond. They had come to ME to give me their blessing. I know and I'm a man that turns into a giant wolf, a wolf made to kill vampires, but until that moment, it had never felt so completely real. The bloodline, the history, it was all present in that one moment.

Now, for the first time in my life, I TRULY know myself as Ephraim's heir, I truly FEEL the blood of Taha Aki coursing through my veins, and my son's veins, my chosen mate's veins. My Leah.

As I look down on her, needing to feel her close and safe, she looks back up at me, panicked. "They're coming."

I nod. "Good. They have a right to be here… for Sam."

Although I hate his guts for lying to me about being banned, and all the fucking grudges he's kept over the years, I don't want him to feel abandoned. And I know I am not the one to offer the comfort he seeks. I know it seems like I'm the one who did this to him. I mean, I am, ultimately if we had fought, it wouldn't have ended any differently to me being the only Alpha. But still, I don't want him to feel like suddenly he no longer matters to the pack.

"Call Emily," I instruct Leah. She rushes to her phone as I usher Sam outside to talk to the pack. We avoid looking each other in the eyes, for very different reasons I'd imagine.

"Wait hold on a minute now! What do you mean he took the wolf?" Peter thunders behind us, striding up to Sam and resting his hand on his shoulder to pull him back. He searches Sam all over for signs of the wolf himself.

"I felt it…leave my body," Sam answers, still in a state of disbelief.

"But how!" Peter demands.

"What did you do?" Sam turns to me, his face murderous now. But I FEEL no threat coming from him anymore. Not like before, because his wolf has gone home.

"It wasn't me, Sam. It was them, the Spirit Wolves. I had no control over what was happening, I'm sorry man." I lower my head in an apologetic gesture, attempting to be diplomatic, though I have no need to submit to anyone, not Peter and not Sam.

"It wasn't Jake's wolf alone, I felt it too," Leah pipes up, though Sam doesn't seem to want to hear it.

"So that's the plan huh? You just think you can come back and take everything away from me? Is that it, Black? You think after all this work that I'm just going to step aside?" Sam goads, his face twisted into a vicious sneer.

The elders fidget around us and I can feel Leah's anxiety spike next to me. "Sam, no. I meant what I said, I'm not here to interfere. I want to help the community where I can. My strengths are not in politics."

"But the pack was my life! My family! And now what? Huh? You took them away from me! You took them away from my son!" Sam cries and for a split second, his façade shatters, revealing the desperation and fear that he hides.

"IT WASN'T ME!" I bellow, my patience waning as he continues to find fault with something I had no control over. The Alpha roar causes every person in the room to flinch and duck their head between their shoulders.

"Jake didn't take anything away from Levi, Sam!" Leah interjects, annoyed that he'd even suggest something like that. But the way Sam looks down at her stomach, which she is still unknowingly clutching, I understand what he meant. He'd wanted Levi to be Alpha too. Leah pulls away from Sue and moves to stand closer to me. I pull her into my side and kiss her forehead.

"You okay?" I whisper and she nods in response. I'm not looking for a fight, but I will kick Sam's human ass all over my front yard if he insults or hurts her.

"You make me sick! No one will EVER love you like they do me and Emily!" Sam growls at us, but it's human, and even he himself is shocked by how weak it sounds.

"You better watch it!" I hiss. "Human or not, I'll kick your ass from here to Sunday," I voice my thoughts, pushing Leah to stand behind me where she's safer.

"Jacob! Samuel!" Billy shouts from his wheelchair, "Enough!" he pushes himself forward between the two of us so that he can command our attention. "The Spirits have spoken! They have decided that Jacob is the True Alpha and Chief, there is nothing any of us can do about it- not even me! Sam, your place here on this Council is guaranteed, focus on the work that you are undertaking on behalf of the tribe. Jacob will focus on the pack and the School. You are brothers, you are family, and there will be no more contention between you two. The Spirits have settled this once and for all on our behalf, they have made it easier for you, by avoiding bloodshed. None of us want to see blood spilled over this. You each have your place and it is valuable."

"You can't have it both ways Sam, Jacob is the Alpha." Old Quil adds.

My father then wheels around to face the rest of the room, while Sam and I continue to stare each other down, breathing heavily. "Today we've witnessed something none of us could have ever imagined, we witnessed the departure of the first Spirit Wolf that came to us in our time of need. Tonight, we will feast in its honor, and in honor of Samuel Uley, who so valiantly answered the call to defend our lands from the Cold Ones almost ten years ago."

My father can always be counted on for peacemaking skills, and I appreciate him in this moment for supporting me. Quiet murmurs of agreement fill the room and I automatically nod my head, though part of me still itches to punch Sam square in the jaw.

"I don't want any celebration," Sam spits at us through gritted teeth.

"The wolf WILL be honored, Samuel," my father retorts, leaving no room for argument.

I hear the wolves outside now, and I'm sure they've heard what has happened as quiet howls are released. Sam flinches and looks outside where Paul, Jared and the others are all standing in wolf form. It is risky, the pack being exposed like that where anyone can drive by.

"I'll take care of it," I offer, then extend my hand for Sam to shake, trying my best to be sympathetic. I understand that Sam is going through a rough life-altering moment and will lash out, I just don't particular care for it. Yet, for the pack's sake, I really do want to set things right.

"I hope that tonight will mark the beginning of peace between us, Sam. I meant what I said."

Sam gingerly takes my hand with a scowl after a few moments of hesitation. It doesn't feel genuine at all, his silent acceptance of peace, but I silently hope that it can be the start. The Spirits don't want a fight, and neither do I. I will let him process this however he wants to.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pack is so enormous that many of them stay back in the trees. Jared, Paul, Embry, Seth and Quil are the closest, with Colin and Brady behind them. I step into the yard, Leah by my side, and Sam and the Council follow us out. I look at my brothers and raise my hand in greeting and to settle them.

"Today you felt the Spirit Warriors make a decision on our behalf. Sam's wolf has returned home, releasing him from service to the pack. I am the one true Alpha of this tribe, and today I stand before you all, promising to serve and support you in any way that I can. Leah is your Alpha Female, she is my mate and the mother of the future Alpha. In my absence you may look to her for guidance."

Snouts rise in the air as Embry, Seth, Paul and Jared accept my word sound. It is Quil who bares his teeth and snarls.

Instinctively I reach for my family and push Leah back towards the house. "Leah, stay with your mother, I need to go with them where we can be hidden."

"Be careful Jake, please, no fighting," she clings to my t-shirt in a desperate manner, as if not wanting to let me go.

"Don't worry okay, get something to eat and take a rest until I get back. I'll find you. I don't want you putting yourself at risk because of this. It'll all be fine."

Leah nods reluctantly and rises on her toes for a quick kiss which I readily return. "I love you, and I'm so proud of you," she whispers and I respond in kind, giving her a warm hug before starting to undress. I hand her everything but my boxers, then jog towards the trees, flanked by my pack.

Just as we are about to disappear, I stop and look back at Sam, who is staring forlornly at us. When he notices my gaze his face hardens in resentment. I nod my head, then catch up to the others, leaving him behind with the Council, where he now belongs.

The energy of my wolf buzzes around me like a supercharged battery and I can't help but notice how much more intense it is than usual. As soon as I'm hidden within the trees I strip my boxers and engage the phase. Pack mind instantly bombards my head with what feels like thousands of voices.

"Silence!" I shout with a howl, because it's simply too much to sort through.

"What was that Jake?" Seth asks immediately, causing the other voices to quieten.

"What?"

"You and Leah, that thing you did," adds Embry.

"I have no idea what you mean, what did we do?"

"You had this weird aura, like this strong force surrounding you two," Paul answered.

"I saw it at the dinner last night too," Seth thinks back to the moment and I understand now what they mean.

"I marked her, we're bonded," I offer as the simplest explanation. The other's immediately think about imprinting. "Well, clearly marking isn't only for imprints, it's for your true mate."

"Congrats on that and the baby, by the way," Jared says, pulling my attention to his wolf. His mind then drifts to Sam with worry and confusion.

"What happened in there? We all felt when our link to him broke," Paul speaks up.

I try my best to recount everything that took place at the pack meeting: what Feather Rock said, what I pledged to do for the tribe, my issues with Sam, my imprint, while censoring some of the details on my relationship with Leah. I show them the moment when the Spirit Wolves took over our bodies and took Sam's wolf.

"So you're the True Alpha now, blessed with the power of all the old Alphas? And Leah too?" one of the Young Seven ask.

"And our baby," I add, feeling a burst of joy and awe at what she'd felt in her womb. I still can't believe we're having a boy.

"And you just sucked Sam's wolf out of his body? What kind of monster does that huh Jake? You come back here and you fuck up everyone's life?" Quil bursts in, rushing at me in wolf form. His chocolate ears lay flat on his head and he bares his teeth at me.

"STOP!" I roar, my wolf rising above his and baring down on his neck. Quil drops to the ground and quivers beneath me.

"Yeah, New Alpha! Abusing his powers already!" he sends his bitter thoughts through the pack, but they are weak and tarnished with anxiety.

"Quil, you've been my best friend my whole life, I am not your enemy. What I do is no reflection on your life choices. We just need different things from our imprints. Why won't you let it go?"

"I just don't understand, how did you do it?" For the first time, a thread of frustration with his imprint slivers through Quil's thoughts. I can feel the pack's collective surprise, their emotions strangely amplified and clearer for me to read now as well.

I back away from standing over him, releasing my command so that he can rise from the dirt. "If you want, we can talk about it in person tomorrow. How's that sound?" I feel sorry for him.

Quil huffs and mutters a string of curses telling me to mind my own business. I know his ego is bruised, and prolonging his embarrassment is the farthest thing from my mind so I let the matter drop for now even though I'm curious as to what he's hiding.

"I know that many of you here are phasing out, I'm sorry that you were forced to phase again today when everything happened with Sam. It was an unexpected surprise, but I am glad that our wolves will no longer be forced to fight. I didn't want that."

"It was going to be the fight of the century, I had high hopes of winning good money," Paul interjects playfully. But his thoughts linger on Rachel who will be relieved that we won't be fighting either.

"Maybe now there will finally be peace in La Push, and we all can move on until the wolves are needed again. Leah and I just want you each to know that the Spirits are grateful to you for your service, and your worth to the legacy of our people, is priceless."

I look each and every single wolf in the eyes for a few moments as we sit there in silence, letting my words fill the air between us. Sam's absence will definitely take some getting used to, as I find myself looking for the only black wolf. But's he gone, and I'm here in his place. Now, it's my turn to finish what he started.

"Now let's go for a run."

The wolves howl in excitement as we race off deeper into the woods, the earth thundering beneath the paws of the Taha Aki's sons. This could be the first and last time that we all phase together as one like this, and so I put my all into making it a memory that none of us will forget.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later as the sun begins to fade, after much playful banter and a quick sorting of patrol schedules, I dismiss the older pack to prepare the bonfire for Sam's retirement, while I have a chat with the Young Seven directly. I allow them to ask me questions about life outside of the Reservation. I encourage them to think about what they want for their future lives and what they think they can commit to.

As we all go our separate ways to help the others prepare for the bonfire, I can't help but feel a surge of pride over a successful pack meeting. I make my way back to the Wilde property where I find Leah preparing a huge tossed salad in the kitchen. As soon as I step into the house, she launches herself into my arms and seals her lips against mine. My palms squeeze her ass bringing her against my stiffening cock.

"You okay?" I ask when she pulls back, panting for air.

"Yeah, just after everything…I really missed you. I hate that I couldn't be there on the run."

I grunt and set her down, snagging a piece of cucumber to appease my ravenous appetite. "I know honey. It was weirder without Sam there too, but everyone's good. Wish you could have felt it. the vibe is so different now, it's so…fresh. A clean slate."

"And Quil?" she bites her bottom lip, looking up at me, the worry etched in the corners of her eyes. The fact that she remembered the one wolf struggling with all the new changes proves to me that she's still my partner whether or not she can phase. A pocket of warmth blooms in my chest and I take her hands in mine.

"You wouldn't believe it, but I think he's having serious issues with Claire."

"What?" Leah's eyes widen in surprise.

"I just caught a sliver of his thoughts. But I think he's well aware of just how much of a brat Claire has been."

"Oh shit. We should definitely talk with him," Leah purses her lips and goes back to chopping cucumber.

"He told me to fuck off, but I think he'll come around at some point. I'll talk to him, for sure. Something's not right and he's been doing a damn good job of hiding it."

After a loud growl from my stomach, I grab some things from the cooler and cupboard to make up a few sandwiches to tide us over until dinner with the pack and Council.

"What happened with Sam after I left?" I ask, switching topics seamlessly. I need a full report on everything that's happening in my pack.

"He just said some shit about you messing things up and then left to go home when Emily arrived. He's angry and I'm not really sure if he'll even show up tonight."

"He'll come, he has to. His ego won't allow him to look like a sulking child to the pack."

"I'm not so sure, honestly, if I were him I think I'd feel the same way. Everything happened without warning. He had no idea his wolf would just leave him like that."

"And to lose it to me and the actual Spirit Wolves of course was like the worst possible way for it to happen." Even though Sam would have lost his rank as Alpha regardless, what happened today probably didn't feel any better than us fighting it out. But it wasn't intentional on my part, I was simply the vessel of the Spirit Wolves. Thinking back on it, I was just as shocked and terrified as he was.

"Taha Aki and Ephraim and all the wolves, they claimed you today Jake. They claimed us, our family. I feel like our children's bloodline is going to continue to be the heart of the pack for generations to come." Looking up at me with deep admiration and joy in her eyes, I can't help but feel the same.

"That's exactly right," I lean over and kiss Leah's temple while passing her the first sandwich, and making one for myself.

"That's so fucking huge, you realize that, right?" Leah continues, in pure awe and excitement, unguardedly happy. "And our story is going to go down in the records. It's like….we've really made history. Everyone will know about us, like Taha Aki and Ephraim."

"We have made history, you definitely have more than anyone, all on your own Lupa," She has no idea how constantly in awe of her I always am. I smile over at my girl, that feeling of warmth spreading throughout my body. I drop my bread and pull Leah into my arms so that her back is up against my chest. I place one gentle kiss against her mark and tighten my hold when she immediately moans and weakens in my arms.

"No fair! You can't use that to make me go stupid all the time. I won't allow it."

I chuckle at her bark which doesn't have much bite to it, though I know she's serious.

"You two are my whole life, the best parts of me. You know that? ALL Quileute's deserve to know about a love like ours. Our children for generations to come will always feel strong and reassured because of us, because we kept going against the odds."

After all the chaos of the day, with my arms around my family, knowing my pack is in order, the wolf and I are finally at peace. We both have not just what we want, but what we need.

All of it.

This.