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 II – The Protector
Harrison Black
28. Behind Bars
By the time dad returned from wherever he had gone to, Will was well tied up to a trunk and glaring daggers at me and Isaac.
"Payback's a bitch, huh?" Isaac laughed. Will glared at us, unable to speak because we had covered his mouth too. "What are we going to do to him?"
"We can use ants or maybe bees?" I suggested.
"Or maybe we could lure a couple of skanks and tied them up to him." My brother said. "Do you like the smell of skanks, Will? I hope you like them as much as I like being covered with freaking ants!"
Isaac had not appreciated Will's prank at all. He never liked insects much and right now he was thirsty for vengeance.
"Wow… what the hell is going on boys? Is this some kind of brotherly love ritual or something?" Dad asked coming from the middle of the trees.
"Yeah, you bet it is!" Isaac crossed his arms over his chest and grinned.
"The ants prank again?" Dad raised his eyebrows and I nodded. "He'll never learn, will he?"
"Probably not." I replied.
"Untie your brother." Dad ordered us.
"Hell no! He needs to pay for what he did." Isaac pointed out.
"He won't do it again. Right William?"
Will nodded his head slowly but neither me nor Isaac moved.
"Come on guys, I brought these for breakfast." Dad showed us a white box. By the smell, we knew what was inside: blueberry pies. Our favorite.
"Where were you anyways?" Isaac asked while taking off the ropes that were tying William to the huge tree.
After a brief look I realized that dad had taken a shower and put on clean clothes.
"You went home." I stated. "You cheated. That's why you brought us blueberry pie."
"You left us here and went home for the night?" Isaac enquired taking the white box from our father's hands. "I thought you said we were going to camp. The four of us."
"I thought it would be better to go home and check on your mother. I had the feeling she was a little bit upset about our night out and so I went there to make sure she was okay with it."
"You are so whipped." William teased after taking off the cloth we had put in his mouth to prevent him from asking for help. "That's what happens to a guy when he marries his first and only girlfriend."
"Your mother wasn't my first girlfriend and I'm not whipped." Dad opposed but not too convincingly. He could deny all he wanted but William was right on that one. He had never dated anyone but our mother. And he was whipped even though he liked to think otherwise. Mum won ninety per cent of their arguments, he hardly did anything against her will and when she was angry, dad had only two choices: run for his life (and this had happened a few times in the past) or beg forgiveness (which was the option he usually went along with).
"Oh really? So who have you dated before mum then?" William asked in an innocent voice.
"You better shut up Will or I'll tie you up to the tree again." Dad warned.
Will laughed. He was always more than glad to annoy dad. I believe it was his favorite hobby.
"One more lesson for you, little brother." Will turned to Isaac. "Never go to dad when you need to talk about girls. A guy who only managed to tap one girl can't be taken seriously."
Dad was fuming now so I knew he wasn't going to let Will have the last word.
"I might have only slept with one girl but I do think I've graduated with honors." He grinned. "Some guys are all talk and no action, while others like me are quite the contrary. I'm not just the guy who was able to tame the wild Leah Clearwater I was the guy who knocked her up the second time we slept together."
"Uncle Embry beat you though. He scored in his first shot."
"Yeah, but I scored a double." Dad showed us a smug smile. "And you haven't scored at all. Even when you thought you did, you found out the kid wasn't even yours."
Now it was Will's turn to fume.
"You told him?" He turned to me.
"Of course not."
"You honestly thought I wouldn't find out?"
"Hey, did someone bring a soda and popcorn? Because this is better than watching a movie." Isaac commented. He was sitting down on his sleeping bag eating the blueberry pies that the rest of us had forgotten.
Will shot him a glare but Isaac kept eating quietly.
"Who told you?" William asked dad still eyeing me suspiciously.
"Do you think I would allow a grandson or granddaughter of mine to live miles away from us? I went there a few weeks after the baby was born and I immediately knew she wasn't yours."
"So basically you knew before I did."
"Yep."
"And you never told me?"
"Yep."
William took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
"You lied to me Will. You told me Harry was the father of that child because you were afraid of facing the consequences. You made a fool out of me so when I found out I decided not to tell you anything to punish you."
"Thank you very much dad. I spent eight months thinking I had a daughter…"
"Served you right."
"Can someone elaborate, please?" Isaac asked.
"Of course. Two years ago your brother came to La Push on vacation and had some fun with a girl who lived in Forks. Two weeks later she left to enroll in college in Vermont…" Dad explained ignoring Will's death glares.
"Massachusetts." I corrected.
"Whatever… well, apparently after a month she called your brother telling him she was pregnant and that she had decided to keep the baby. I noticed how during the next weeks, Will and Harry became secretive, nervous and cautious around everyone and then one night I picked something in Will's thoughts during a patrol. I questioned him and he told me that Harry had knocked up a girl."
"I panicked." Will defended himself. And it was partially true. Back then Tiana was pressuring William to take responsibility for the child she was expecting and when she realized his reluctance she resorted to threats. She used to call my brother every day saying she was going to tell our parents.
Will was a mess. He wanted to take responsibility but he was unsure of how he should act. He wanted to be there for his child but didn't want to marry Tiana. That's why he lied to our father and told him I was the one in trouble.
I still remember my dad's lecture that day. He wanted me to meet Tiana in Massachusetts but I eventually convinced him to back off and let me handle the situation. Out of compassion towards William I took the blame and promised that I wouldn't abandon the child, so our father decided to stay out of it for a while.
That gave Will some time to think and sort things out with Tiana. He promised her he would help with the baby but he also mentioned he would not be able to marry her and go live with them to Massachusetts like she was demanding.
We were out of the country when Vicky was born. He got a message from Tiana saying she was going to the hospital to have the child and then for the next eight months she said nothing. No calls, no letters, no pictures of the baby, nothing. William rushed over to Massachusetts as soon as we came back from a series of races in Mexico. I tagged along out of fear of what Will could do when he met Tiana and their daughter.
He thought that either she had met some other guy and was raising their child with him or she had given the baby up for adoption. The truth was way simpler. Vicky wasn't his daughter after all. When she slept with Will, Tiana had just ended a two-year relationship and was already pregnant.
William didn't even have to ask for a paternity test because Vicky didn't look anything like him or even Tiana for that matter. She looked exactly like her mother's ex-boyfriend though: she had beautiful blue eyes, red hair and snowy white skin.
"You didn't panic William. You let you brother take the blame and you lied to me because you were a coward."
"You really went to see Tiana?"
"Yes. I met the girl, I saw the baby and realized she couldn't be yours. So I came back and kept quiet about it."
"Very mature dad… really…"
"Stop whining Will. You're the one at fault." Dad said with authority. "So whether the subject is related to girls or any other stuff, you can come to me, Isaac. Actually, you better come to me because if you rely on these two… you can get in serious trouble. Plus… I'm still the alpha."
Will sulked and demanded his blueberry pie which Isaac had already eaten.
"Payback's a bitch, Will…" Isaac grinned.
xxxxxxxxxx
After the breakfast we had a quick workout session during which dad tried to promote the idea of team work and made sure to show Isaac some images of what could happen if we failed to work side by side with the rest of the pack. He used a series of images from the time when mum tried to take out a newborn vampire on her own to prove that she was better than the boys and dad was forced to interfere to save her.
Isaac flinched when he saw those images, especially the ones about dad's serious injury after saving mum. He had half of his body crushed and endured a lot of pain when Carlisle rearranged his bones so they could heal properly.
That episode made me recall the day Lisa Wayfield, a vampire girl that used to be our friend, attacked and almost killed me. Like my dad, I had almost all of my bones fractured and I was in a coma for a few days. Isaac was impressed by our courage, our healing abilities but mostly by how we had kept doing our jobs after those incidents.
It was easy to work with Isaac as a team. He was skilled, incredibly fast and highly motivated. He was also a lot more careful than me or William had ever been when we were his age. Actually even now we were not as careful as Isaac.
After that training session, dad ordered us to return to the camp and pack our things. William and I were sent home while dad and Isaac remained in the forest waiting for Uncle Embry and Jay. It was time for the new wolves to practice for real.
Our house was empty when we arrived. Mum had left a note on the kitchen's table saying she had gone to Forks to meet Grandma Sue and go shopping. Sarah was obviously with her and JJ was still staying at Uncle Seth's.
William and I rushed to the bathroom on the first floor. I got there before him so I got to shower first. I was finishing getting dress when I got a text message from Rhea asking me to meet her at her place.
I could've told my brother, who was now in the shower, where I was going but I decided I'd talk to him when I got back.
I had to practically cross the whole reservation to go to Rhea's house so I changed my mind about taking my car. People would definitely recognize my new Mustang parked outside her house. That would certainly lead to gossip which I wanted to avoid for now.
Rhea was wearing a fitness outfit, black pants and a purple t-shirt. She smiled shyly at me and let me in after announcing that her mother was out.
"How did you get my phone number?" I asked her.
"I asked around."
"Asked around?" I couldn't imagine Rhea asking my friends or family about my phone number.
"I asked your Aunt Gwen." She finally confessed.
It was a nice move on her part because Aunt Gwen was probably the only member of my family who didn't give a rat's ass about the hostility between our families.
"You said you needed my help. What's going on?"
"You remember when I said that Art was coming to La Push next week?"
I nodded.
"Well, he decided to come here earlier. He's arriving tomorrow." She informed.
"Okay… And what do you want me to do? Do you have a script of what I'm supposed to say to him or something?"
Rhea looked at me, a scared expression on her pretty face. Now that we were face to face and I could read her expressions, I could tell that whatever she wanted from me had nothing to do with her fiancé's visit.
"Don't get me wrong Rhea but I'm not here because you need me to pretend to be your friend, am I?"
Now she looked simply ashamed.
"Why did you lie?"
"I didn't! I mean not… totally. Art is coming here tomorrow." She hesitated before speaking again. "Do you… Do you know what happened between me and your brother?" She lowered her voice so much that I probably wouldn't have heard her if not for my super hearing ability.
"If you're afraid that I'll tell Art about it, I assure you I won't. I don't have any reason to do that and it's not really my business."
"So you know."
"Yes."
"Did he tell you?"
"He didn't have to."
"You must think I'm one of those easy girls who sleep with the first guy they see."
"I don't think that. I'm not an idiot. I know how you felt about Will… Actually you still feel something for him, don't you?"
"I'm not sure. First I think I need answers and that's why I asked your help."
"Okay… I'm a little confused now." I admitted. Then suddenly, Rhea grabbed my wrist and took me to her bedroom. The room was just like any other girl's bedroom. It was all tidy and everything seemed to be in place. There was a large bed, a bedside table with a lamp and a closet. However, near the window there was an easel with a canvas where Rhea had painted a russet wolf howling at the moon. And that was not all. On her bed there was a drawing's notebook where she had drawn several pictures of the same wolf and of my brother.
"I've started drawing and painting when I was nine but with my mum and dad always fighting I was never able to show other people what I could do. When I came to live here I started drawing and painting again. I did stuff like this." She handed me a second notebook full of her art. There were landscapes, houses, people, animals, and just about everything. Rhea was indeed a very good artist. "Since that day… when Will and I… sort of got involved the only thing I can draw and paint is him and that." She pointed at the canvas. "What the hell is going on? Why can't I stop drawing William and that wolf?"
I had no idea.
"My fiancé is coming over and as soon as he sees you or Will he's going to recognize the person from my drawings. The one I said that it didn't exist… that it was merely a character born out my imagination."
I could understand Rhea's dilemma now. If I were Art, I'd be pretty suspicious if I learned that the guy my soon-to-be wife is drawing is one of her old classmates.
"You shouldn't have invited us to the wedding then." I said.
"I wasn't going to. It was my Aunt Vanessa who forced me to invite your family."
"Look, I see your problem but there's nothing I can do. I can't stop my brother from going to your wedding, especially when we are all invited."
"Please, Harry. I can't…" She was silent after that and I felt a sharp pain on my chest when I realized that despite the fear she felt about the possibility of her fiancé finding out that she had slept with my brother once, Rhea was actually afraid that Will's presence could make her change her mind about her own wedding.
She's still in love with William. I thought bitterly.
"Why don't you just call off the wedding?" I snapped. "Can't you be honest with yourself and admit that you still have feelings for Will?"
Her eyes went to the floor.
"You need to make a decision. Either you tell your fiancé what happened and you move on with him or you call the wedding off and… try to fix everything with my brother."
I couldn't believe I was actually telling Rhea to run off into William's arms.
"I don't know how I feel anymore. That's why I asked your help." Rhea moved forward and clutched my left arm. "I thought that Art could make me forget about Will but I keep on thinking about him… and I don't know why. He was never interested in me… even though he came here to apologize…"
"It was a little more than just an apology." I stated sarcastically. I could still remember Rhea's scent all over William.
She blushed but kept gripping my arm.
"We weren't supposed to kiss." She confessed. "It was a mistake. I shouldn't have allowed him to be so close to me again… when I realized what was happening we were already kissing. I lost control over myself and that's why I can't have him at my wedding."
"Are you really going to get married with someone you apparently don't love?"
"Art is a nice guy. He doesn't deserve to be hurt like this. Maybe with time I can learn how to love him properly." She said trying to convince herself. "But I need you to keep William away from me."
She had no idea how much I wanted to keep Will away from her. She had no idea how much I wanted her to forget about her fiancé and give me a chance to prove I was the right guy for her.
I wanted to tell my brother that Rhea was over him and that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore and I wanted to tell Rhea to forget about William because he would end up hurting her again, but if I did that I'd be lying and I'd be a horrible brother and friend for both of them.
"You have to decide what you want first." I told her.
Who you want. I rephrased on my mind.
Her eyes fled to William's picture that she had drawn not long ago in her notebook and that now rested on the top of her bed.
She slowly let go of me and bent down to pick up the notebook. And that's when I saw it. The mark on her neck. A claiming mark. William had marked Rhea. He had taken her away her choices. That's why she kept on dreaming with wolves and drawing him in human and wolf forms. She was bound to him forever.
"I have to go." I said quickly not wanting to stay there any longer after realizing what that claiming mark meant. "If you don't want your fiancé to find out what you've been hiding, I suggest you keep him away from the reservation."
"Wait!" Rhea called. "Harrison!"
I bumped into someone on my way out but I didn't turn around to see who it was. Anyways I got out of the house so fast I highly doubted the person could actually recognize me.
To say that I was angry was an understatement at that point. It hurt knowing that my twin brother had been hiding things from me for the past eight years, and it hurt even more to know that he had taken away Rhea's choices ever since that night.
Her wedding with the guy from Seattle was condemned to failure. She would never love Art enough. Sooner or later she would allow Will back into her life.
Will's inability of having a long-term relationship, and the emptiness he always felt made sense now. His wolf wanted the mate he had claimed, not some other girl. He would not be content with any other person but Rhea.
It wasn't common for a wolf to claim a human girl, actually it had never happened before but then again there was only one case of claiming in our pack so far: my parents. Before being claimed, mum had already occupied the alpha female position so it was no shock when it happened. But Rhea wasn't a wolf like us.
Personally, I didn't know much about the subject, actually, no one did except for my parents, but I knew that when you claim someone, a bond is created. A bond even more powerful than the imprint, at least that's what mum and dad say.
"Harry!" I heard someone call my name pulling me out of my trance. "Are you okay?"
"What?" I asked realizing it was Claire inside her car.
"You're standing in the middle of the road." She said. "Lucky for you I was driving carefully. I almost hit you."
"Oh… I'm sorry."
"Are you really okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Your phone is ringing for a while now." She warned me.
"Oh… right… thanks Claire."
"Be careful." She waved goodbye and drove away.
Whoever was calling me gave up in the moment. I didn't recognize the number so I thought nothing of it. However I hadn't given five steps when it began ringing again.
'Harry Black?' A woman's voice asked.
"Yes."
'It's Hannah. Season's cousin.'
"Hi. What's going on?"
'Is Season with you?'
"No… why?"
'She left early in the morning and didn't come back.'
"What do you mean? Do you think she ran away?"
'No… She wouldn't do that. She said Ryan she would be home soon but it's been hours.'
"Can't you just call her?"
'She didn't take her cell phone with her. I'm worried Harry. We've been having trouble with our landlord and I believe she might've gone to talk to him.'
Usually talking to your landlord isn't a dangerous activity but I had the impression that Hannah was frightened by that scenario which meant that Season's landlord could be a dangerous person.
"I'll be there as soon as I can, and when I do, I need you to tell me everything about that landlord of yours. Is that clear?"
'Season doesn't want me to tell you…'
"Season's not here. And if there's a possibility of this man hurting her, you'll have to tell me so I can fix the problem. Okay?"
'Okay.' Hannah answered after a few seconds of hesitation.
"Now… I need to know something. Is there a reason for me to be worried about this guy? Is he capable of hurting Season?"
'Yes.'
"Okay. I'm on my way."
My initial plan about going home to confront my brother would have to wait. Right now I was needed somewhere else.
xxxxxxxxxx
I decided to travel in wolf form because that way I would get to the Makah Reservation faster. When I met Hannah at her house, she was about to burst into tears. A nervous Ryan and an anxious Varona were keeping her company while her three children were having a nap.
I was sure I'd be able to find Season but I wanted to know the whole story about the landlord who was robbing and blackmailing her family.
Hannah was still reluctant on telling me the truth but the she realized she had no choice.
"I met Tom when I was in school. He was one of those difficult students… Constantly missing school, bullying the younger kids, insulting the teachers… He never passed through the eighth grade but because he was six years older than me and because I had just lost my parents, I thought he was cool. We dated for a few months until he got tired of me but we remained friends. When I decided to live on my own he helped me and got me this house and he never bothered me much until Season came to live with me when she left home the first time. When he met Season he… became obsessed with her."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean he really became obsessed. He followed her around, asked her out when she turned eighteen, went to speak to Bruce and my Aunt about them allowing him to marry Season…"
"Seriously?"
She nodded. "When she rejected him, he felt so humiliated that he threatened Season and her siblings and he told her he would make sure that one day she would go to him begging." Hannah paused. "Tom's been trying to corral Season ever since. He's been asking us more money each year for the rent because he knows that one day we won't be able to pay and Season will have to ask him a favor. That's why she didn't want anyone to know about you. She's afraid of what he can do to you if he finds out that you're dating her."
"And you didn't pay the last month because your kids got sick." I realized.
Hannah nodded. She was wearing a miserable expression when she grabbed my hand.
"I think she went to talk to Tom to convince him not to evict us…"
"Do you think she went there to beg?" I asked worriedly.
I didn't need a straight answer to know that Hannah was indeed thinking that.
"Where does he live?"
"You can't go there Harry. Tom might be an idiot but he knows people… bad people. And he's never alone."
"Where?" I pressed her.
"He owns a junkyard right after the great water well."
"Stay here in case she comes back."
I didn't have to know where the great water well was, I just followed Season's scent which took me directly to the place I was looking for.
Tom Harding owned in fact a junkyard. Two black and huge guarding dogs were lying down on the floor near the entrance of his property. They growled and barked for two seconds when they spotted me but when they felt the wolf inside of me, ready to come out, they lowered their heads and remained quiet as I made my way to the wooden shed located on the right side of the junkyard.
Three men were inside. Two were too young to be Tom, the other was the right age but he looked like a corpse and was on a wheelchair which made me suspect the junkyard's owner wasn't there.
"Who the fuck are you?" The man in the wheelchair asked. The other two put their beers away and got up from the table where they were playing cards.
"Yeah… who are you?" They both repeated.
"I want to talk to Tom Harding. Are you him?"
The man on the wheelchair laughed.
"Do you want to buy anything?" He asked me. I noticed he didn't have any hair underneath his red cap and that most of his chest and arms were covered with tattoos.
Behind him, the other two were measuring me up and down, trying to decide if I represented a threat.
"My dad's talking to you, kid. What's wrong? The cat ate your tongue?" One of the younger man mocked.
In that moment the sound of a car coming over got my attention, especially because I heard the man at the wheel call the other one by his name: Tom. A few seconds later a blue truck parked outside and Tom instructed the driver to unload the cargo in the back of the wooden shed.
When he walked inside he passed me by and went to join his friends. Only then he turned to talk to me.
"What's going on? What do you want?"
"Are you Tom Harding?"
"Who wants to know?"
"My name is Harrison Black."
"Well, Harrison Black, what can I do for you?"
I decided to cut to the chase and ask him directly what I wanted to know. Season's scent was now fading and I noticed Tom had red marks on his left arm that could've been made by her.
"Where's Season?"
Tom's expression turned suddenly hard.
"Season Marsh?" He faked a surprised voice. "What happened to her?"
"You should know. She came here earlier."
"I didn't see her today."
"How did you get those cuts?" I motioned to his left arm.
"Shelby is a clumsy bastard but that's any of your business. Now I suggest you get the hell out of my property before you get hurt."
"I'll ask you one more time. Where's Season?"
"You're not her father, or her brother. I don't have to give you any satisfactions."
"Well, I'm her friend and I'm looking for her and if I know that you touched her, I'm going to make you regret it."
"Do you want us to teach him a lesson boss? Like we did to the other one?"
"Shut the hell up Sid!" Roared the guy in the wheelchair. "Go help Shelby to unload the truck."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Come on Sid. Let's go." Said the other guy pulling Sid.
"Joey, be careful with the merchandise. It's valuable." Tom warned.
"Yes, boss."
As soon as Joey and Sid left, Tom came closer and glared at me trying to be intimidating. He was a tall and well-built man with brown eyes and brown long hair. He was good looking for a forty something year-old guy.
Tom was probably expecting me to take a few steps back with fear but I didn't budge and he got frustrated.
"I don't care if you're her friend… I haven't seen her and even if I had I wouldn't tell you. I don't know who you are but I strongly advise you to leave Season alone. Sooner or later she'll understand I'm the best for her and she'll come crawling to me."
"No, she won't. I'll make sure of that." I said with disdain.
As I was turning my back on him, Tom placed a hand on my shoulder to prevent me from leaving and that's when I snapped.
I grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. The guy on the wheelchair shouted for help and the next instant I was surrounded by Sid, Joey and probably Shelby.
Sid tried to punch me in the face but I dodged his right arm and kicked him hard in the stomach. Joey got an elbow in the face while Shelby's face met the wall behind me. Upon seeing his men all on the floor, Tom ordered them to stay put. He tried to break lose on his own but soon realized my grip was too strong.
"You're going to regret this boy." He growled. "I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to give your body to my dogs and when they're over with you, I'm going to wrap what's left of your body and I'll give it to Season as a gift so she can see that you are a worthless piece of shit."
"How much do they owe you?" I asked trying to remain calm. The last thing I needed was to lose control and phase in there because of a stupid guy like him.
"She can never pay me back." I wasn't seeing his face but I could feel his grin. "Mark my words boy… one of these days, Season Marsh will come through that door and she will be mine."
"She doesn't love you. She doesn't even stand the looks of you."
"I don't want or need her love. I just want to kiss her pretty face and put myself between her legs. And then I'll make her beg for my forgiveness for having insulted and humiliated me."
A wave of fury hit me. I turned Tom around and pushed him against the wall. My right hand was closed around his neck and he was struggling to breathe. All I wanted was to choke him to death.
I heard the steps of three men coming closer but before they could do anything I let Tom go. His body slumped to the ground at my feet.
"Here's three hundred dollars. You can keep the change." I threw him the money. "Leave Season and her family alone or the one who's going to be sorry is you."
As I left the shed, I heard the guy on the wheelchair ordering the two guarding dogs, Axe and Scythe to attack me, but they just yelped and remained glued to the floor.
I slowly entered the woods and phased. It was time to let my wolf take care of this business and find Season.
The Makah Reservation, located on the northwestern point of the state, had a land area of about 47 000 square miles and a resident population of about 5 000 inhabitants which was three-times more the population that lived in La Push.
However due to Gustaf's attack, Season's scent was now so peculiar that it was quite easy to find her.
There was an old harbor where people, mostly fishermen, used to leave their vessels when they were too old to use at sea. Basically it was a graveyard of small and large ships, some of which were half under water. Season was inside one of those ships.
She was lying down on the dry deck with her legs falling from the edge, nearly touching the water.
"My dad owned this ship… he was a good fisherman but he couldn't afford the repairs of the Ocean's Season and had to start working on the planting fields in the south to be able to support my mother and I." She said when she realized I was there. "This ship is the reason why I'm called Season and it's the reason why my dad died."
"I'm sorry about that." I whispered. "We should go back home. Your family is worried about you."
"I don't have a home. I only had one until I was three."
"That's not true."
"You shouldn't be here." She said still gazing at the sky. "Actually, you should stay away from me. We're breaking up…"
"No, we're not." I stepped forward getting inside the boat. I heard the wood underneath my bare feet cracking but the ship's structure held on.
"I'm not the girl you think I am." She whispered. "I'm responsible for two children since I was twelve. I'll never be able to leave this place and have my own life because I have to take care of them."
"Don't use them as an excuse or a reason for us to break up. I have siblings too. I know what it's like to be responsible for someone else."
"I owe money to a guy… and he is willing to forget about my debts if I give myself to him."
"I know. Hannah told me. I'll sort everything out."
"You're not the first to say that Harry. The last guy who tried to do something about it ended up in a hospital's bed for two weeks. I don't want the same thing happening to you. I'm not worth the bother."
"For someone so altruistic you don't give yourself much credit, do you?" I sat down next to her. "Tom Harding won't make me leave you. Trust me."
"I'm working for an escort agency."
She was trying her best to push me away. But she wouldn't succeed.
"You really want to get rid of me, don't you?" I asked playfully. "I guess I'm not handsome enough."
She blushed. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying… you shouldn't have to take care of my problems for me. You're not my father."
"But I'm your boyfriend."
I was surprised how easy it was for me to say that out loud in front of her. I had tried not to use that label because that would somehow make our relationship look real, but now it just felt right to say it.
"You're not working for that agency anymore." I said. "You worked for them for about a month as a training escort because you were desperate to get some money to pay your debts. You told me everything about it when we started dating and then I convinced you to quit." I was lying of course but it was for a good cause. It wouldn't help Season's self-esteem if she knew that she had actually considered earning money that way.
"Did I… did I ever meet with a client?" She timidly asked.
"No. You were still training to be an escort."
"If I resigned why did they call me this morning?"
So that's how she had learned about the escort agency. I'd have to call Alice and tell her to solve the problem once and for all.
"I don't know but we'll sort that out too, okay?"
"I still have to find a way to get two hundred and seventy-five dollars to pay the rent."
"The rent is paid."
"No it's not. Hannah spent the money I gave her to buy medication."
"I went to a have a little chat with your landlord before coming here and I paid him. I also told him to leave you and your family alone or he's going to get into trouble."
Season got up immediately.
"You spoke to Tom?" She was not sure I was telling the truth.
"Yes."
"Are you insane?"
"No."
"Tom's an asshole. A violent asshole for that matter and now you became a target."
I laughed.
"I'm really touched that you're worried about me but… come on, you can't seriously think I need protection from a guy like that, do you?"
"He has friends Harry. Many friends…"
"So do I, and trust me that mine are way stronger than his."
"You have to leave. We have to stop seeing each other." She said worriedly. "I'm really thankful that you paid our rent, but I can't spend the rest of life depending on you and I don't want to be responsible if Tom tries to kill you."
"I told you, Season. I'm not afraid of him or his friends. I can take care of myself. I promise you that he'll never touch you as long as I live."
There are not many ways to surprise a wolf. Our enhanced senses simply don't allow it to happen unless we're talking about another wolf or a vampire. So I was quite stunned when I felt Season's lips against mine. I didn't even see her moving. All I felt was her arms closing around my neck and her small body pressed against mine. And it felt great. I shouldn't feel that way but I did and soon I was kissing her back.
I don't know how long the kiss lasted but I know we only parted because suddenly, the tide changed and the ship's deck became quite unstable as the waves crashed against the Ocean's Season.
Without realizing it I had lifted Season off the floor and I was holding her by her waist. She was still trying to catch her breath when I put her down and led her off the boat and into the pier. We walked back to her house hand in hand in complete silence.
I had never wished I could read someone's mind so much as in that moment. It bothered me the fact that she could be regretting the kiss, and it bothered me the fact that I was possibly enjoying being her boyfriend a bit too much. After all our relationship wasn't even real and I was supposed to keep my distance from her.
Alice was right though. I thought amusingly. Kissing her senseless does seem to work.
Season lived in the oldest part of Neah Bay. In front of her house there was an old barn that belonged to her neighbors.
Before we could circle the barn Season stopped walking and I did the same. She timidly looked at me after releasing my hand.
"I'm sorry. It was too sudden. I shouldn't have done that…" She fumbled with her words.
"You probably shouldn't." I agreed and she lowered her eyes to the floor. "But I should. Actually I'm going to do it right now."
I softly grabbed her chin to lift her face up and I lowered my lips to hers. I initially thought she was going to push me back or tell me that she didn't want me to kiss her again, but she didn't do anything like that and accepted my kiss easily.
And for the second time that day I felt all the cells in my body telling me this was right. As if kissing her was perfectly normal to me.
"You know what… I think it's time we go out on a date." I said when we broke apart.
She smiled, her face still flushed.
We were so distracted talking about the places we could actually go on a date that we didn't realize the commotion that was happening on Season's doorsteps until we were there.
A police car was parked outside and two officers were questioning Hannah about me. They turned around immediately when we arrived exchanging a look.
"Are you Harrison Black?" One of them asked.
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"Because you have to come with us." The other answered.
"Why?" Season inquired.
"Tom Harding filed a complaint against you. He said you assaulted him and his employees in his property today. There are witnesses and a medical report to prove to veracity of his complaint."
"I didn't assault him." I explained. "I pushed him against a wall. That's all." I decided against telling them I had almost choked him and threatened him.
"He has a broken wrist, two broken fingers, a broken nose and a fractured elbow. A wall couldn't have done that."
That was true but one of his men could. I haven't touched Tom, at least not enough to cause such damages, so it was quite obvious he was trying to set me up.
"Please, come with us to the police station and maybe we can sort this out."
My mother is going to kill me.
Will and I had spent all of our teenage years being constantly warned by mum that she would kill us if any of us got a criminal record.
"I'm going with the officers, wait for me here."
"But Harry…"
"It's okay Season. I'll be back in an instant." I assured her.
"He's trying to frame you." She whispered.
"He's not going to succeed." I smiled confidently following the police officers to their car.
Season joined Hannah on the porch as we drove away.
The local police station was a two-floor building that was located near the local church. I could see the second floor had been added recently because there was still some material left from the constructions' works outside in the parking area.
Ten years ago all of the officers working in the Makah police were locals and residents in the Reservation but an incident that claimed the lives of nine people after a major pursuit on the roads of the Makah Reservation had caused many changes.
From then on the police was run by a man appointed by the Colonel of the state police. This man, the Chief of Police, was not Makah-born and neither were their direct subordinates: the Deputy Chief and the Captain.
The rest of the force was formed by two Lieutenants, three Sergeants, and twelve officers. Two of these officers had taken me into the station's waiting room where I was left alone while both of them went to have some coffee and chat with Sandy, the secretary girl who had the biggest pair of boobs I had seen in my life.
Five minutes later a man left one of the offices and glared at the two officers who were still occupied admiring Sandy's big breasts.
"Don't you two have to patrol?" He asked.
"We're on our way Sergeant." One of the officers said.
A closer look made me realize the man wasn't as old as I initially thought. He actually seemed to be more or less my age.
"What about me?" I got up when both men were leaving.
"Sergeant Anderson will take good care of you."
And they were gone.
"What's he in for?" Sergeant Anderson asked Sandy who had a few papers on her hands.
"Assault and violent behavior." She replied.
"Do you I look violent to you, lady?"
She shrugged.
"You can't always judge a book by its cover." She said and I rolled my eyes.
"Come into my office."
I did what I was told. Sergeant Anderson read the complaint Tom had filed against me in less than a minute and then he sighed heavily.
"Do you know who Tom Harding is?"
"He's…"
"He's one of the slimiest little motherfuckers that live in this God forsaken place." He cut me off. "And you're just an idiot who had the misfortune of crossing his way."
So they knew Tom was bad news. The question was why hadn't they arrested him yet?
"Are you going to arrest me?" I asked.
"He filed a formal complaint and has a medical report confirming his injuries."
"I didn't hit him. He's trying to frame me because I told him to stay away from my girlfriend."
"There are witnesses that saw you beating him up."
"Let me guess… his three employees and a guy on a wheelchair."
Sergeant Anderson nodded.
"Do you know any good lawyer?" He asked and I had to laugh at that.
"Do you have a phone I can use?" I asked back.
"Sure. You can have your phone call in an hour. Right now I have to collect your things and take you to your cell."
"Seriously?"
"You chose a bad day to mess with Tom. Someone broke into the medical clinic and stole almost four thousand dollars in medical equipment. Plus Captain Roy's retirement's ceremony is starting and I have to be there. A junior officer will make sure you call your lawyer." He informed getting up and leading me to the back of the station where we reached a door. Behind that door there was a corridor and six cells, three on each side. He opened the first on the right and ordered me to get in.
A half an hour later a junior officer came to see me. I was surprised to see that it was a young girl. She was probably eighteen or nineteen years old and wore her brown hair in a bun.
"This phone will only allow you to make one call." She warned me. "And if you try anything… anything at all, I'm authorized to shoot you."
"Sure, sure…" I tried not to laugh. She looked nervous and excited at the same time. Being a junior officer it was quite possible that she hadn't participated in many police activities yet and she was probably tired of working behind a desk. She looked quite eager to impose her authority over me but her short height and small frame didn't give her any points.
I took the phone from her hands and dialed Alice's number. I explained her briefly what had happened and convinced her to be quiet about it because I really didn't want my parents to know I was in a cell for assaulting a man. Sure he was a scumbag, but it was the second man I assaulted in less than forty-eight hours. Alice told me she was going to investigate everything about Tom Harding and instructed me to remain calm.
I had just handed over the phone to the young officer when Sandy joined us.
"Mallory, Paige is on the phone. She wants to talk to Brett about her son's condition." Sandy informed. "I've told her Brett's not here but she wants to speak to someone."
"Who's left in the station besides me?"
"No one. John and Yuzu are on patrol."
"Great." She dragged her feet towards the last cell on the left side. "Quinn! Are you awake? Your mother is on the phone. Can I tell her you're ready to see our therapist?"
"I'm not seeing anyone. Just get me out of here!" A voice roared from inside the cell.
Mallory sighed.
"Fine… But so you know, we can't let you go unless you see our counselor."
"I'm not crazy and I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You were butt naked in the school's playground. You traumatized fifteen children; one of them is the Chief's granddaughter… I don't care if you say you saw a huge wolf or a damn unicorn! You need help, Quinn!"
One good look at the boy who was now holding the cell's bars and I realized he hadn't seen any huge wolf. He was the wolf. He was a protector just like me.
Mallory turned her back on him and headed to the door.
"I need to make another phone call." I told her when she was in front of my cell.
"Well tough. You already made one."
"What if I tell you that I know who stole the medical equipment from the clinic that Sergeant Anderson is investigating?"
She turned to me, her eyes shining with something more than excitement. It was obvious that Mallory wanted to be more than just a junior officer.
"Okay… I'm listening."
"The phone first."
She hesitantly passed me the phone.
"Tom Harding is your man." I told her. "He had his truck full of new merchandise. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for at his junkyard."
Mallory left with Sandy right on her heels.
I had to warn dad that I had found the new wolf. However dad was supervising Isaac and Jay's first training. My only option was to call someone I really didn't want to talk to right now: William.
I dialed his number and waited. He picked up the call in a few seconds.
"It's me. Tell dad that I found the new wolf." I said while studying the boy behind the bars. "And tell him we have one more Uley to look after."
Thanks for the reviews: Guest(s), CentaurPrincess, brankel1, MelkiSihou, Island Mama, Weave the Magic, Kary G, almondbutter, rocklesson86, TheSlytherinQueenbee, nikkie owens, nene82743, Deadman'sGun, bonzgirl, Jazzmatazz30, sia-gomo01, FangsandDaggers, Sagal Farah, chemistrykim, Daughter of the earth, Gizmo60
I'd also like to thank all the followers of this story and all the readers who added it to their favourites list. Thank you.
A/Note 4: If I had more free time I'd reply to everyone who sends a review but unfortunately I don't have much. I apologize for that but I want you all to know that if it weren't for your reviews and your support I would have stopped updating this story a long time ago. It's been a difficult time for me so I really want to thank you for not giving up on this story. Most of the time it's your reviews that keep me motivated. Thanks. ;)
sia-gomo01 – Hi. You're right about Will, his temper is the reason why Jacob thinks he's not ready to take the alpha's position. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Take care and thank you for your support.
Kari