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
Harrison Black
18. All good decisions
Wake your brother up and meet us at Billy's house as soon as possible. Those were my mother's orders. A pack meeting would take place soon and our presence was requested however she failed to tell me that Isaac was completely out. It took me ten minutes to wake him up and another ten to convince him to get out of bed. Then he went to shower and finally, thirty minutes later we were on our way to Granddad's house.
"Mum's going to kill us for being late." I complained. She had sent me three text messages already, asking what was keeping us so long.
"What's the rush?" Isaac asked me still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
After all he had been through in the past few days I guess it was normal to feel that tired.
"Pack meeting. Mum and Dad went on ahead to summon the others."
"Am I going to be… punished?"
"Why would you be punished? You did well yesterday."
"But I shouldn't have followed you and Will."
We had sensed Isaac's presence long before we spotted Gustaf in the old gas station. We were supposed to go and buy some beer to meet with Lewis and the others in the Reservation but before we could reach the supermarket we felt the familiar sweet and obnoxious scent of a non-vegetarian leech nearby. We followed the scent and phased when we realized it was safe to do it without being seen. Isaac must have felt us phase or maybe he just felt the revolting smell of the leech in the air. Whatever it was sent him to the abandoned gas station too. We heard him coming and we didn't stop him. We were curious about what Isaac would do if he was face to face with a vampire. We wanted to know how powerful our younger brother really was that's why we didn't force him to return home.
"That was our fault. We should've sent you home when we realized you were there too. Uncle Seth was right. You're not ready to fight yet. Even though you're showing everyone you have some pretty nice skills, you still have a lot to learn and we put your life in danger."
I realized that now. If something had happened to Isaac because of me I'd never forgive myself.
"So… they're going to punish you and Will instead of me?"
"I don't know…" It was possible but Dad had complimented us last night so I doubted he would punish us. "I have a feeling this meeting doesn't have anything to do with punishments."
Pack meetings were not only gatherings to take care of pack business, but also get-togethers where we could talk and hang out like big families usually do. Years ago we used to gather at Sam's place because his house was located on the farthest south end of La Push's borders. We used to play darts, poker and eat as much muffins as we could. But over the years Levi started to get suspicious and we had to move our meetings somewhere else. Granddad Billy offered his place to be our new headquarters and since then the small red house had been enlarged so there would be enough space for all of us.
Just like I had anticipated Dad hadn't summed the whole pack to give punishments but to inform everyone about Gustaf's attack. The pack approved my decision on calling Carlisle to save Season's life. They didn't look happy to know that we wouldn't be able to give Gustaf what he deserved for having attacked a human right under our noses but ultimately they understood that if we acted, Aro would send his best guards against us and a war would start.
William arrived when we were moving on to the next subject: Isaac and Jay's addition to the pack. He mumbled a lame excuse about being in the forest "stretching out his legs" and "making sure La Push was safe" as he sat down between Quil and Jared.
I wasn't sure if Dad realized Will was lying, but if so, he didn't say a word and kept on talking about Isaac's ability to block Jasper, Edward and Alec's powers. However he did glare at my twin brother a couple of times.
I wonder if I'm the only one who can smell Rhea's perfume on him? I thought bitterly. The vanilla scent that Will carried was not that strong but I was aware of it even though everyone else apparently failed to notice.
While talking about Isaac's performance last night Dad highlighted that despite his amazing abilities and great potential, he did not have privileges and would not be treated differently from everyone else. The implicit message on those words was: As long as I'm the alpha, you do what I say or you'll face the consequences.
Being a smart kid, Isaac understood clearly and nodded when their eyes met for a brief moment. I could feel the tension in the air. It was always like this when Dad, William and I were under the same roof, and now the tension was heavier due to Isaac's presence.
One alpha and three potential ones on the same place was a powerful cocktail. So far we were able to control ourselves. Dad was still the strongest and biggest wolf in the pack and neither me nor William were stupid enough to challenge him. Besides, the pack was more important than individual triumphs, so we wouldn't do anything that would harm the pack. But one day things would change and that meant one of us would have to take Dad's place. William was quite sure Isaac would be the chosen one. I didn't care about that as much as Will so if Dad picked Isaac, it would be fine by me.
Liar. The wolf inside of me rebelled. You should be alpha. You're the eldest child of Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater. You're the eldest child of the alpha pair. The alpha position is rightfully yours. Not William's and not Isaac's. Yours.
I pushed my wolf aside. I couldn't let myself get distracted. Arguing with Dad was not a habit I wanted to cultivate. Besides William seemed to have applied for the job already. I had lost the count of arguments Dad and William had in the past four months.
By the end of the meeting, Dad decided that Isaac and Jay needed some training so he asked Sam, Jared and Uncle Embry to help in their training sessions for the next couple of weeks. Then we were dismissed. One by one, the other members of the pack left.
"Make sure Jason's sober." Dad told Denis who was going to pick up Jason so they could go and bring Jay back to La Push. He had spent the night in the Makah Reservation.
When Denis left there was only us. The Blacks reunited.
"You and Jay are going to start practicing tomorrow." Dad told Isaac. "And despite all the amazing things you did, I'm forbidding you to take part in any patrols or vampire hunting parties. Am I clear?"
Isaac nodded.
"You probably don't understand why I'm doing this…" Dad kept going.
"I do." Isaac cut him off. "You're the alpha and I still have a lot to learn. I have to follow your lead. It's fine."
Dad shook his head negatively.
"You're my son." He said. "That's the first reason why I'm doing this."
I saw William rolling his eyes upon hearing those words. The wolf inside me was a bit jealous, the human not so much. Dad had told us the same thing he was telling Isaac many times before.
Dad cared about us. That much I knew. He cared so much about us that sometimes his decisions were solely based on keeping us safe. Four years ago a bad decision on his part had almost cost our lives, although Will and I shared the blame too.
"But, you're right… I'm also the boss, so you do what I tell you to do." He grinned and put a hand on Isaac's shoulder.
"One day you'll be ready to do everything the other wolves do, but until then you need to be patient and follow your father's orders, okay?" Mum asked.
"Okay." Isaac replied.
"Are you hungry?"
"Actually, I am. It's like I'm always hungry."
Isaac was still a few inches shorter than us and he wasn't as muscled as we were but a few more pounds and a few more inches and he would be a tough opponent.
"Let's see what your grandfather is cooking." Mum pulled Isaac towards the kitchen with her leaving just Dad and us in the living room.
"So… I assume this was a long night for both of you." Dad began. "I must confess I wasn't happy when I learned Harry went back to the Makah Reservation and faced the Volturi on his own but at least his intentions were decent… he shouldn't have gone there alone, but at least he cared enough to go and check on the others." Dad looked at me for a few seconds but eventually he turned to William. "What about you?"
"What do you mean?" William asked back sending me an inquisitor glance. If he had gotten there on time for the meeting he'd know what had happened.
"You weren't with Harry when he encountered Alec and the others leaving, or when he found a girl who was attacked by Gustaf." Dad stated. "And you weren't sleeping either."
Will opened his mouth to speak but he didn't have a chance to do it.
"Don't even think about lying to me. Your mother isn't the only person who can tell when you're lying." Dad announced. "Now… where were you?"
I saw anger in my brother's eyes and I knew nothing good would come because he was clenching his fists and the air had just gotten heavier.
"I was with a girl." William said defiantly. "Do you need more details? Do you want to know how many time we kissed, how many times I made her scream my name? Why don't you order me to phase so you can see for yourself?"
I felt myself flinching at those words. A wave of jealousy hit me full force but I managed to keep my ground.
"Your brother was saving an innocent life while you were with a girl!? Are you for real? You are supposed to have each other's back no matter what!" Dad was far from pleased with his answer.
In the kitchen Mum and Isaac tensed up so I decided to interfere. Besides, it wouldn't do us any good to wreck Granddad's house.
"Stop arguing." I asked both of them. "Everything's fine. I was never in danger and the Cullens helped."
"You shouldn't have lied to cover for him." Dad told me.
"I never asked him to lie for me." William growled in response.
"Are you aware that you can imprint at any time?" Dad lowered his voice.
"You might be my boss and my father, but you don't rule my personal life!" He said keeping his challenging tone and heading to the front door. "I have to go now. Brady and Collin are expecting me."
He had volunteered to do the first patrol's shift with Collin and Brady and I knew why.
Collin and Brady were the best patrol partners if you wanted to hide something from the pack. During patrols they talked to each other non-stop about anything and everything: their wives, their kids, their jobs, their favorite football teams. That meant that any of them would take any notice on my brother's thoughts. Which I was sure, would be filled with Rhea.
"It's your sister's birthday today." Mum said from the kitchen. "Be home by six."
William nodded and waved goodbye. We heard his footsteps entering the woods and then he was on four legs running away full speed.
"He was supposed to be the easy one." Dad commented going to the kitchen. I followed him.
"The easy one?" I asked.
"When you two were kids William was the quiet one." He explained. It was true. William used to like to read comic books, play videogames, watch cartoons, while I usually liked to skate, ride my bicycle and play pranks with EJ.
"He's right about something though."
Dad watched me intently.
"Okay." He conceded. "Shoot."
"Like it or not, we should be entitled to have a little privacy as far as our personal business is concerned and even though we're a pack and you're the alpha, that doesn't give you the right to know everything about our private lives. There are things about you and Mum that you don't like to share with us or the pack, right?"
My parents exchanged a look.
"I know that losing your privacy can be… awkward but I don't do this to keep tabs on you, to boss you around or because I enjoy it. I do this because I don't want you to do something that you can regret later."
"Such as?" I inquired knowing the answer already.
"Such as committing yourself with someone and then break her heart when you…"
"Imprint." I finished for him. In the end everything came down to that. "Maybe we're different Dad. Maybe we don't need to imprint. I mean you didn't imprint… some wolves didn't imprint."
"What's an imprint?" Isaac asked finishing his second bowl of cereals.
There were still a lot of things that Isaac didn't know about being a wolf. And that was my cue to leave. The last thing I wanted was to explain my seventeen-year old brother that one day he could lose all of his willpower with just one look.
"I'm sure Mum and Dad can explain all you need to know." I smiled and began to retreat. "I actually need to go and meet Carlisle and the others."
"Make sure you're home by six." Mum recalled me.
"Sure, sure." I turned around and left quickly.
"Harrison!" Dad called leaving the house after me. "Wait a second."
"What?" I turned around to face him.
"I just want to tell you that you did the right thing last night. You saved that girl and I'm proud that you were able to remember your priorities."
I nodded. Despite everything, to have my father's approval was reassuring and I guess I needed to hear that.
"Tell Carlisle that I need to speak to him tonight."
"I will."
"Before you go to the Cullens you better take a shower and put some clothes on, son. I mean if you're going to be there when the girl wakes up, you better be presentable." He joked.
By presentable he meant fully dressed.
"Don't worry Dad. This is not a date. Besides I don't think I have your charms."
If I had, Rhea would probably be my fiancée now.
"My charms? You think your mother was seduced by my charms?"
"You're not going to tell me she fell in love with you for your body, are you?" I mocked.
Dad laughed and inside the house I could hear Mum chuckling too.
"Well, now that you mention it I did catch her checking me out a few times but... I didn't get her with my charms or my awesome looks, that's for sure."
"How did you do it then?"
"I can be very persuasive and… I got her a virus." He laughed again. "Anyway, just talk to her and don't get to close. She'll be safer if she stays away from us."
"Don't worry Dad. I know what I have to do."
And it was true. I didn't have any wish to get involved with that girl. I was just going to make sure she was alright. Dad was right, a girlfriend was the last thing I needed right now.
xxxxxxxxxx
Nonetheless I decided to take my father's advice and took a quick shower and made myself presentable before heading to Alice's new mansion. When I got there Alice was the only one there, the others were out exploring the new site and hunting.
"Internet signal here sucks!" Alice complained pressing a few buttons of her laptop furiously. "I'm going to have a word with that jerk from the real estate agency."
"We're in the middle of a swamp, Alice." I pointed out.
"I know, but the signal was fine an hour ago."
I shrugged and sat down across from her.
"How did your father take the news?" She asked.
"He freaked a bit in the beginning but then he realized that to go after them would be useless."
"See? You had nothing to be worried about. Your father is not the impetuous jerk he was when we met."
"My father was an impetuous jerk when you met?" I asked interested.
I could always use some info about my Dad. Embarrassing things or secrets no one knew. It wasn't fair that he knew practically everything about my teenage years and I knew nothing about his.
"Yes. He used to piss off Rosalie so much she actually considered murder once or twice."
I laughed but I actually believed in her.
"I've been busy doing some research about the girl upstairs." Alice announced. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to tell me anything more about Dad.
"Why?"
"We have to be prepared." She said handing me over a file with papers. "That's what I found out about her."
Apparently Alice had hacked data of several governmental entities: Social Security, health clinics, DMV, education records. Season's whole life was documented on those papers.
"Season Kelsi Marsh. Twenty-four years old." I read out loud more out of curiosity than of interest in the girl that was lying upstairs. "She was a good student… I wonder how she ended up working as a bartender."
"Skip it to page four." Alice said trying to configure the settings of her laptop.
Of course she had read everything already. When Alice was on spy-mode, she was unstoppable.
"Ryan, age twelve and Vanora, age ten." I read.
Her younger siblings.
They were the reason why Season hadn't enrolled on Community College despite her A-grades. She had to find a job to support them because her stepfather and mother were drunk almost 365 days a year. All three siblings had been in the hospital at least four times with concussions, bruises and broken bones in the past ten years. There was a charge filed in the police against Bruce Rowen, Season's stepfather for abuse, and another charge against Seara Bristol, her mother for negligence.
"They were abused." I felt uneasy again. What is it with people and abusing children? Can't they see it's wrong?
"Yes, unfortunately, they were. But they left home two years ago. Now they live with Season's cousin, Hannah." Alice informed. "I think I got it!" She said triumphantly referring to the internet signal.
"That's why you said no one would care about her being missing." I suddenly realized.
Alice nodded. "I guess her cousin might miss her but she has her hands full too. She's thirty-five, divorced and has three little girls." She said. "It's on page nine."
Tamsyn, Nyla and Maisy. They were six, five and three years old. Hannah Marsh was Season's late father's niece. Her parents had died on the same car crash that had taken Season's father's life. Hannah had been the person who had filed the charges in the police against her step-uncle and aunt and apparently she was the only person who actually cared about Season, Ryan and Vanora.
"Seven people living in a small house…" Alice commented. "Season has two jobs, just like her cousin. If someone notices she's missing it will be probably in a day or two."
"What's her second job?"
"Page seven."
"Escort agency? What's this? Prostitution?" My stomach clenched.
"Not exactly. She's still in training which means she goes with a senior escort meet some clients and watches until she's ready to have a list of clients of her own. It can take a year until she's trusted with a client list. She entered the business recently. I presume her family needs the money urgently."
"I can understand that having her siblings at her care is a lot to cope with… but prostitution? Come on… Isn't there any other way?"
I didn't know why but it bothered me to know that this girl was selling her body for money. She had to be pretty desperate to do it. However I also knew that prostitution had always been a profitable industry. It wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't know that most of the people who worked in prostitution were forced to do it due to their precarious situation which seemed to be Season's case.
"Let's not judge her, alright? She's obviously going through a difficult time, so let's just focus on her recovery."
"I won't let her do this. It's wrong." I heard myself say. "Can't you help her out? I mean your family is rich."
"We can't get involved with her." Alice said lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry… Maybe in a few months we can help, but not now."
I knew that to be an escort was different from being a prostitute. But the concept was the same: selling sexual favors in exchange of a payment. I was now responsible for Season's live, so I wouldn't allow her to do it. I'd sell my new car if I had to, in order to help her family, but I wouldn't let her sell herself like that.
Upstairs we heard a muffled sound. Season was finally awake.
"I thought she'd only wake up in four hours." I said.
"I guess Carlisle underestimated her." Alice pointed out. "Go upstairs. I'll call the others."
The sun coming through the window was bathing almost the entire room. She was not completely conscious yet so I took the opportunity to take out the blood unit and the IV bag from her arm and hide it in the closet. She took about five minutes to be fully awake.
Blinking several times, Season studied the room and only then she noticed my presence.
"Where am I? What's going on?" She asked clearly confused.
"It's okay. Do you remember what happened?"
"I left work and I was driving… I remember it was dark…"
Apparently she didn't remember the attack which was quite fortunate for us. I wasn't sure what to do if she remembered being bitten by a vampire.
"Have we met before?" Season asked trying to sit down.
Yeah. We met when I found you lying down on the floor, after being bitten by a filthy bloodsucker. I thought.
"Don't do that." I warned her. "You… hit your head during the crash."
"I was in a crash?" She touched her forehead instinctively. "I don't remember anything."
"It wasn't serious. You just hit your head and have a few bruises."
Apart from the bite mark on the base of her neck, Season had only a few bruises caused by Gustaf's hands when he grabbed her and a few scraps on her knees from when she crawled over to her car trying to call for help.
"How did I get here?"
"I brought you."
"Are you sure we never met before? I just… I have the feeling that I know you. Who are you exactly?"
"Don't you remember him?" A voice said behind me. I hadn't noticed that Alice had walked inside the room and had stayed near the door avoiding the sunlight that was coming through the window. I was about to ask her what the hell she was doing there when she spoke again. "This is Harry, honey. He's your boyfriend. Don't you remember?"
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