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
Interlude
Leah Clearwater
30. Going Territorial – part 2
"Aunt Leah. William." Sam's daughter faked a welcoming smile when she opened the door and saw us. We noticed by the look on her face that she was not happy to see us. But then again Ella was never happy to see a wolf, even when we were in human form.
"Ella." We said in unison.
"I'm going out with some friends in an hour."
"We won't take much of your time. I promise." I said while William simply rolled his eyes.
We walked inside the house where Ella had lived for the past ten years. This was also the house where Emily had lived until the day I invited her to go to La Push and Sam imprinted on her.
There were, of course, significant changes in the house, possibly made when Ella moved in with her grandparents. She was fifteen at the time. She was young and after finding out the truth that her father and many other people, including both my sons, had the ability to morph into giant wolves, she got scared and tried to put as much distance between her and us as she could.
As time went by she eventually stopped being scared but she never truly accepted the truth. And that was the reason why she never went back to La Push. To Ella, La Push symbolized another world, another reality, one she wasn't ready or willing to accept and understand.
Sam's daughter led us to the living room and didn't bother inviting us to sit down, so we stood there as she placed a huge tray with muffins and chocolate brownies on top of the table in the opposite direction where we were.
"I really don't have all day, Aunt Leah. Is this about Harry? I thought he was only moving in next week."
"It's not about Harry." I said patiently. "It's about a kid that was arrested recently."
"Quinn? What about him?"
"He's one of us so I need to know all about him."
"He's the wolf people have seen lately?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God! I tutored him when we were younger. I can't even imagine what could've happened…"
"The wolf gene isn't a disease." William said in a harsh tone. "And it's not something you choose either."
More than Harry, William resented Ella for her departure from La Push and her refusal to accept our true nature. The first couple of months after the incident in which Ella had watched her cousins phasing in front of her eyes, Will had been nothing but understanding. He gave her space and time to assimilate the idea however after six months and no visit or call from Ella, he eventually started to resent his cousin for her inability to thank them for saving her life on that fateful afternoon.
"Tell me what you know about him. Who is he? Who are his parents?"
"Quinn Gladstone. He's nineteen years old and…"
An alarm sound came from the kitchen in that moment.
"Just a second." Ella hurried to the oven to retrieve more brownies and while she was in the kitchen William took one muffin and two brownies from the tray on the table and swallowed everything quickly.
"That's not for you Will." I warned him. "Don't upset your cousin. I don't think she's happy to see us."
"I think that a muffin and two brownies don't pay me up for saving her life, but it will suffice for now." He grinned. "She could just say 'thank you'. It would be enough for me." He added.
Ella frowned when she returned to the living room upon seeing the missing sweets in the tray. She glared at Will and received another glare in return.
"That's not for you." She stated accusingly. Will smirked.
"Apologize to your cousin."
"I'll apologize when she thanks me and Harry for saving her ass ten years ago."
Ella bit her lip nervously and placed a second tray with brownies on the table.
"Quinn's the average teenage boy. His parents are Paige and Tony Gladstone. They live two blocks away." She said changing the subject.
"Gladstone? I don't recall the Uleys having any connection to the Gladstone family." I muttered.
"That's because we don't." Ella confirmed my suspicions. "Do you… think he's an Uley?"
"He looks like Sam." William informed. He only said that to annoy Ella some more. There was no doubt that Quinn was an Uley, but since Ella didn't know anything about Embry and Josh being Sam's half-brothers, she would assume her father had somehow cheated on her mother with Quinn's mother.
"You're joking, right?" She demanded from Will who shrugged casually.
"Why would I be joking? Have you seen Quinn lately? He has your father's eyes." Will teased her some more.
"He's not Sam's." I said putting an end to Ella and Will's argument. "He's probably Joshua's son."
"Joshua? You mean my granddad? Isn't he supposed to be dead?"
"He might be a lot of things Ella but the truth is that he left your father when he was only a child and never came back. There's no evidence whatsoever that he died so he's probably just hanging around, living a bohemian life, getting drunk and sleeping with women… regardless of their age."
"Paige is old enough to be his daughter!" She argued and made a disgusted face. "And if Joshua Uley really is Quinn's father, that means he's my uncle."
"That's why I have to talk to Paige Gladstone as soon as possible." I announced. "I need to clear this mess and make sure Quinn doesn't phase while he's in jail. Can you call her and ask Paige to meet me here? Tell her it's about her son."
"Why here?"
"Because I don't think her husband is going to like to know that Quinn's not his son."
Ella nodded understanding my request and went to the phone in the hall, near the door. When she returned she informed me that Paige was still at work and that she had agreed to meet me in an hour.
Then Will got a text message from Harry, who should be there with us already.
"He needs our help." Will said walking to the door.
"What shall I do?" Ella asked when we were leaving.
"Nothing." William answered bitterly. "That's what you do better, isn't it?"
"Why are you being so cruel to her William? She's your cousin." I asked my son when we were leaving Benjamin Young's property and entering the woods. Harry had told us to go east and wait for him outside a junkyard.
"You know why."
"Give her time."
"Time? She had ten years to get used to the idea that we're not monsters and that we're the good guys. Emily and Sam told her all about the legends, she knows that we exist to protect humans from vampires, and she knows that Harry almost died saving her life!" Will ranted. I could understand his feelings, of course, but people reacted differently to the truth.
Old memories about Holly and Melissa came to my mind suddenly. While Melissa had committed suicide, Holly had been involved in a fatal accident after Shane told her the truth about the pack. He was in love with her and she loved him too but she was starting to think that he was seeing other girls because he disappeared for many hours during the nights. Shane told her the truth in a winter night, after a romantic dinner in a restaurant in Forks.
Holly laughed at first so Shane took her to an empty park and showed her his wolf form. She reacted as she had seen the devil himself. She ran to the car to drive back to safety but when she realized the huge wolf was following her, she lost control of the vehicle and hit a truck loaded with timber. She died instantly and Shane got nightmares for over two years.
"Being hostile doesn't help." I told him.
"But it makes me feel better." He confessed. "She was our friend. She's family… I almost lost my brother that day and she never even thanked us. No phone call, no letter, nothing. Harry was fighting for his life and she never went to see him, not once. There's a name for that you know? It's called being ungrateful. That's what she is."
I kind of understood Will's resentment towards Ella but one thing was not being able to forgive her for never saying 'thanks', another was to keep throwing that to her face.
"Maybe Harry shouldn't move here after all." I said out loud.
"Oh, it's fine." Will said. "He's a lot more forgiving than I am. It'll be okay."
Harry was waiting for us outside the perimeter of the junkyard. Two huge hounds were guarding the main gate which was closed.
"Did you take good care of you pretty little girlfriend?" William teased when we joined him.
Harry glared at him and ignored his question.
"What's going on Harry?" I asked trying to break my sons' glaring contest.
And then Harry told us all about Tom Harding, the owner of that junkyard and Season's landlord. He told us how he threatened the girl and her family and he explained us the reason why Tom Harding had set him up lying about a fake attack.
"I came here to speak to him and ask him about Season's whereabouts but I never hit him. He's lying about that."
"Don't worry about it. Rosalie and Edward are on the case and they'll prove your innocence easily." William said confidently.
"And if you fear about Season and her family, then we'll talk to Uncle Ben and Aunt Jill and I'm sure they won't mind if you move in earlier than expected." I added.
Harry nodded.
"Let's go back." I said turning around.
"I asked you to come here because I need your help." He said suddenly. "What do you smell?"
William and I exchanged a look but we answered anyways.
"Bleach." We said at the same time.
"And why would a junkyard smell like that?" Harry questioned.
"Because they've been cleaning?" William tried.
"Come on Will… You can do better than that."
"Because they want to hide another scent." Will guessed.
"Blood." I said upon inspecting the scents lingering in the air again. "It's barely perceptible."
William nodded in agreement.
"I've inspected inside and there's a faint mark of blood on the cement floor inside the shed. Unfortunately no one will ever notice because they poured bleach in it. I believe it's the blood of a police officer who came here because I told her that Tom Harding was responsible for the case of the robbery of medical equipment the police is investigating."
"You think they killed a cop?" Will asked astonished.
"Sergeant Anderson told me Tom Harding is a criminal but they never got enough evidence against him to arrest him and his gang. So… yes, I think that getting rid of a junior police officer isn't that hard for him however I don't think she's dead yet. I think she's hurt but not dead."
"Let's get that motherfucker and teach him a lesson!" William suggested eagerly.
"I'll make him pay for what he did but first I need to help her. It's my fault she's in this situation." Harry stated.
The strength Harrison put on those words made me realize just how much Jacob was right about him. Our first-born son was ready to take the leadership of a pack because he knew his priorities. His duty came before his need and want for revenge. William looked at his twin brother disappointed by his answer but he nodded in agreement when he realized Harry would not go after Tom Harding before this girl's rescue.
"Lead the way." I told my son.
The three of us phased and went west into the deep forest. We went in different directions to cover more ground. Time was crucial in this case because Harry was almost sure officer Mallory was badly injured.
Five minutes later Harry was able to locate the girl but the situation was far more serious than we thought.
"She's definitely down there." I said looking down. I was on the edge of a steep ravine. There were marks where I was standing, indicating a car had fallen down. We could see the back of a white truck about sixteen or seventeen meters down hanging halfway to the bottom of the ravine. We could also hear faint heartbeats and a shallow breathing which meant someone was still inside the truck.
"I think the truck doesn't have a license plate." William said, bending over the edge a little more.
"It makes sense." Harry noted. "Tom's making sure nothing frames him."
"She's alive for now, so we have to hurry." I announced.
"I'm going down." Harry volunteered.
"No, you're not." I stated. "I'm going down to get her. I'm lighter and faster."
"But mum… I put her in this mess, so it's only fair that I should be the one to get her besides… you're…"
"I'm what?"
"You know…" He hesitated when he saw my hard expression.
"You're not going to say I'm too old for this, are you?"
Harry looked to the floor, clearly embarrassed.
"You're my mother. I won't let you risk your life because of something I did."
"Risk my life? Going down this ravine? Are you insane? I've been chasing and killing vampires for all of my life! Plus I gave birth five times!"
Harry finally nodded.
"Be careful." The twins said in unison.
"For crying out loud. I'm always careful." I said starting my descent. A thirty meter-fall would not kill me but it could hurt a bit, so I was careful where to put my feet. The truck was hanging dangerously; the only thing preventing its fall was the rear tires that were stuck in a huge tree root.
I carefully inspected the truck before deciding to go inside. Just like Harry thought, a girl wearing the police uniform was knocked out, her body lying down on the dashboard. She was breathing but she definitely had a hemorrhage because the blood scent was now stronger.
"Thank the Spirits I'm stronger than most humans." I muttered to myself when I realized I'd have to pull the girl's unconscious body up the ravine on my own, something that a regular human would never be able to do, at least without some proper climbing gear.
I tried not to move the girl too much since I didn't know the extent of her injuries and didn't want to risk her bleeding out to death, so I took my time getting her out of the hanging vehicle. That proved to be a little harder than I initially thought. Moving around with an unconscious body over my shoulder, between the mess of broken seats, metal and glass proved to be far more dangerous than I expected. After all the truck was hanging on the ravine, supported solely by the roots of a tree.
When I was almost reaching the trunk I felt the rear tires giving in and the roots breaking underneath the truck so I braced myself for the imminent fall. I would survive although injured but I couldn't say the same for the young girl I was carrying.
A second passed and nothing happened, and then another second and another.
"Are you taking a nap in there, mum?" William peaked through the trunk and looked at me with a smirk.
"The truck is secure for now." Harry's voice reached me although I couldn't see him.
They had both followed me down the ravine when they realized the truck wouldn't hold much longer and now they were holding and pulling the back of the truck to keep it in place until I was out. As soon as I had both my feet firmly on the rocks, Harry and Will let go of the truck. A minor explosion occurred when the vehicle hit the ground and a fire started.
"The fire will destroy more evidence." Harry said sadly. "And without a license plate, there's nothing to link Tom to this accident."
"We need to take the girl to the hospital." I said, noticing that she was barely breathing.
"I'll get my car." William said.
Harry helped me taking the police officer up the ravine. Placing her body on the floor we studied her condition the best we could.
"I think she has at least two broken ribs and a dislocated arm but it's the internal bleeding that concerns me the most." I evaluated. Harry nodded.
"I shouldn't have told her about Tom."
I knew he was feeling responsible for the girl's situation.
"She's a police officer. It's her job to investigate things like this. It's not your fault."
My words had no effect on him.
"Are you sure Tom Harding is the one behind that robbery?" I asked.
"Yes. When he arrived with the new merchandise I could feel the smell of medicine."
"The truck was empty." I stated looking down the ravine to the burnt truck. "So he probably hid everything in a safe place."
"I will get him for this." Harry promised.
"By now Alice has probably reported all of the crimes Tom Harding committed to Rosalie and Edward so they can build up a case against him. That means Tom will be arrested and locked away for life. So please stay out of trouble for now, okay?"
Harry didn't answer.
xxxxxxxxxx
We took officer Mallory Mitchell to the nearest hospital, the Olympic Medical Center located in Port Angeles. She was taken to surgery immediately and one of the nurses asked one of us to remain there until they could contact someone from her family or the police station.
Her emergency contact was her superior, Sergeant Brett Anderson who drove there as soon as he was contacted by the hospital. He was so worried about the girl's condition, he only assimilated the whole story Harry had told him when he was repeating everything for the third time.
The story was simple: upon being released Harry had spoken to the big-breasted receptionist who had told him that junior officer Mallory had left to investigate something on her own. It was obvious that she had gone to Tom Harding's property to check if he had the robbed medical equipment and somehow she had been caught by someone unknown, presumably one of Tom's men. For some reason, they decided to get rid of her. So, after placing her body on an unidentified truck, she was pushed down from a ravine where we had found her.
"The truck is still there. You should send someone to collect evidence… if possible." Harry suggested.
"I will… but how did you find the truck?"
"We followed the smoke." Harry lied. We couldn't tell him we had morphed into wolves and followed Mallory's blood scent.
"If we manage to arrest Tom Harding, I'll personally give you a medal of honor." Sergeant Anderson said. "And thanks for saving Mallory."
"It's okay. I feel kind of guilty about this so it was the least I could do."
"Don't feel guilty. Mal hates to work behind a desk so I knew she would do this sooner or later. She's been begging to participate in more patrols but they don't allow her to."
"Why not?" I asked.
"She's the Captain's daughter."
Half an hour later a doctor came to inform Sergeant Anderson about his fellow colleague's condition. She had three broken ribs and a pierced lung. The internal bleeding was now taken care of which meant she would recover in a few weeks. Her dislocated arm had also been treated and properly bandaged. Thankfully it wasn't her shooting arm.
As soon as she could talk, Sergeant Anderson would take her testimony which we hoped it would prove the involvement of Tom Harding and his men in her assault. Once that was proved, Tom would go to jail for a very long time. One thing was being accused of a robbery another thing was being accused of attempting murder of a police officer.
Sergeant Anderson left the hospital soon after to join the investigating team that was probably already gathered at the bottom of the ravine where the burnt truck was and we were released, though he warned us that we would probably be called to testify against Tom Harding in the next few days.
"I'm going to Alice's house to speak to Rose and Edward and check what they have against Tom Harding. Besides they have to be informed about what happened." Harry announced.
"I've got things to discuss with Uncle Ben and Aunt Jill." I said though it was not necessarily true. I intended to go back and talk to Ella and her grandparents but first I had to speak to Sprits' girl and then to Paige Gladstone. "And you…" I looked at Will. "Are going to Forks to pick up your sister and then I want you both to go home."
"Are you going to make me babysit Sarah?"
"Yes." I smiled at Will amused by his reaction. Jacob was right he did have a serious problems taking orders.
"Come on… I have other things to do." He whined.
"Like what?" Harry asked harshly. "Are you going to see someone? A girl maybe?"
William glared at his twin brother and fumed.
"Unlike you I don't have a fake girlfriend waiting for me." He spat.
"You might not have a girlfriend but there is someone waiting for you. Actually she doesn't really have a choice because you took her choices away when you…"
"Please… this is a hospital. Can you argue outside?" A nurse called our attention and we all apologized immediately.
"What the hell is wrong with you Harrison?" Will yelled once we were in the hospital parking area. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"It's not my place to tell you. Figure it out!"
"Let's stop this nonsense." I ordered placing myself between them again. "You go home. And you…" I turned to Harry. "Go to the Cullens."
William and Harry glared at each other for a few seconds and then left in opposite directions. This "alpha" thing was going to be a pain in the ass if they were going to be at each other's throats every five minutes.
I went back to the Makah Reservation to the small cottage where Dana lived. I knew a bit more about the girl now that I had investigated her family back to three generations. I worked at La Push's community center so I had access to old archives and documents not just from our people but also from other Native-American communities.
Dana was Odessa's thirteenth great-grandchild and had an uncommon gift: she could speak to dead people, namely her great-grandmother who had died five years ago. At first I doubted her ability. I was used to deal with the supernatural but I was not convinced that a sixteen-year old blind girl could speak to the spirits of dead people much less let her body be used by her dead great-grandmother.
However I had to accept that Dana's possession episode, which I had witnessed in that very same cottage, had been quite convincing. And that was the reason why I was there. I needed more information about my twin boys' situation and I guess I needed more proof that Dana wasn't a fake.
I found the teenage girl gardening, pouring water into the flower pots outside her temporary house. It was a shame that she couldn't appreciate the sight of those beautiful flowers.
"You are troubled but still find joy watching my flowers." She said when I approached.
"Yes, I do. They're beautiful. You're doing a great job."
"Thank you."
"Do you need more water? I can get it for you."
"It's okay, Leah. I've finished already. I was about to go inside and have some lunch. My mother brought me a stew. Do you want to join me?"
"I'm not hungry but I'll keep you company."
We walked inside and I watched as Dana moved around in the kitchen, touching the furniture and counting her steps in order to guide herself without asking for help. She put some stew in a plate and said a prayer before starting her meal. When she finished eating she drank a glass of water and closed her eyes firmly.
"Your troubled thoughts can reach my core." She said opening her eyes. "My great-granddaughter is worried about you. She thinks she's causing you distress."
I realized then that Odessa had taken Dana's body once again.
"How many times do you do this?" I asked.
"Do what? Take her body?"
"Yes."
"Not many. It depends on the occasion. I can only use her body when she allows me to."
"There was no… shaking and twisting this time…"
"She didn't resist today. Last time she wasn't ready for me to take over her body in front of strangers."
I nodded.
"Jacob is splitting the pack. Three alphas, three packs. Like you wanted."
"Like I advised." She corrected me. "I'm not coercing anyone, Clearwater. I never wanted you to split the pack, but it's necessary for now."
"You said that this way, my children would be safe and they wouldn't fight against each other."
"Yes. That's the plan."
"But they are already fighting and arguing."
"That means you have to act faster. They need to be far away from each other soon."
"There are problems… regarding their separation." I confessed.
"Because they're twins?"
"Yes… and because Harry is the only one who can control William."
Our kids thought we didn't know about their powers but Jacob and I knew everything. We knew they had been tutored by Edward and Jasper in order to control and learn how to use their latent powers. We never interfered because there was nothing we could actually do to help them. Besides Edward and Jasper were doing a good job. However we were well aware that having Harry and Will separated could lead to Will losing control and Rose told me the last time Will had lost control things had gotten really ugly.
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say that William can lose his temper very easily and Harry is the only person who keeps him in control."
"Well I guess you'll have to find someone else to control his temper."
She was not being helpful at all. I needed answers, solutions, not smart remarks.
"For what I can sense, William needs to grow up and prove he's worthy of the alpha position." Odessa said with a smile. "He's like you. Wild and impulsive."
"I'm not wild and impulsive!" I refuted.
"Not anymore." She grinned. "Because Jacob Black tamed you."
I blushed and I felt my anger increase too.
"My son is going to be an alpha which means he's the one who gets to tame someone and not the other way around." I pointed out. "Plus there are no female wolves around. Unless you're talking about…" I hesitated. Could she be talking about the imprint bond?
"Why do you think wolves imprint, Clearwater?" Odessa asked calmly.
"A wolf's imprint is the best partner for him to have children with. They imprint to produce a stronger lineage therefore stronger offspring."
"Wrong." She stated. "The alpha pair is the only pair responsible for producing a stronger lineage."
"I didn't marry Jacob to produce stronger wolves!" I argued. "We fell in love. There's no magic or natural selection crap behind my relationship with Jacob."
"I didn't say you and Jacob Black are together because you had to reproduce. I'm saying that even if you didn't love him, you'd eventually end up mating with him because that's nature, that's how this works for wolves. Alpha females mate with alpha males. As simple as that. The fact that you fell in love with each other before mating it's what makes you different."
"I don't understand."
Odessa smiled again. I knew she knew more about this topic and I wished she would just tell me. I was sick and tired of beating around the bush.
"Tell me what you know! Last time you said there were more female wolves before me. Tell me what happened to them." I asked her. "Please." I added.
"What do you think it happened to them?" She inquired.
"I don't know!" I said feeling frustrated. "I wouldn't be asking if I knew, would I?"
"Mating season happened." She said. "Alpha female and alpha male were compelled to mate regardless of their human feelings. There were no human feelings involved in this process. Unable to rationalize things, they would leave their wolves take control of their bodies and a few months later a child was born. The next year, the same happened, but in the old days, pack members wouldn't always stick together because they had to work to help their families… so whenever the alpha was absent, it was common for alpha females to mate with another wolf, usually the beta, or with more than one wolf…"
"So this could've happened to me?"
"If you and the alpha male didn't have feelings for each other… yes."
"That's horrible."
"That's animal instinct and preservation of the species. It didn't matter if the alpha pair liked each other or hated each other. It only mattered what their wolves wanted and their wolves wanted to mate and conceive stronger wolves. So procreation is the alpha pair's department. Imprints are a whole different thing."
"Enlighten me then."
"Why do you think Sam Uley, Jared Cameron, Paul Lahote, Quil Ateara and Embry Call imprinted?"
"Because the Spirits made them?"
"They imprinted because their wolves needed some balance. Without an imprint they could lose control and could even break the ties with the pack. Sam Uley needed an imprint that could remind him of you, that's why Emily Young, your best friend, was chosen to be his imprint."
What Odessa was saying didn't seem completely illogical.
"Jared Cameron needed someone who could listen to him because no one else seemed willing to do that. Sam Uley was too busy dueling with his feelings and being a leader, and Jared's parents were completely oblivious to what was happening to their son."
"So Kim became Jared's imprint because he needed someone to listen to him?"
"Because that was the balance his wolf needed."
"Okay… I understand why Paul imprinted on Rachel. He probably needed someone to put him in his place and Rachel fits the profile perfectly but Quil and Claire… or even Josh and Julia, and Justin and Jaelle… come on! The girls were children!"
From all of the imprints, the ones that had happened between teenage boys and infants were the ones that we all had failed to understand.
"Quil's an only child." Odessa said.
"So was Embry, and he imprinted on Rebecca who was not a child."
"Embry needed to feel included in something more than just the pack. He needed a family of his own. That's why his imprint gave him a son soon after he imprinted on her." Odessa explained. "As for Quil his inferiority complex could jeopardize his performance as a wolf. Because he phased after his best friends, his wolf felt inferior to everyone else… so he needed something that could help him to feel useful, a boost in his self-esteem. And what can be more important than to be responsible for the happiness of a child?"
I had no answer to give her. I used to call Quil a child molester in the beginning. I came to regret that years later and apologized eventually but back then I couldn't find an answer to why a healthy young boy had imprinted on a child and I was certain that either there was something very wrong with Quil's sexual orientation or he was somehow retarded and had the same mental development of a two-year old.
"What about Josh and Justin?"
Both had imprinted on Jared's twin girls right after the girl's birth. Jared, who had always been a quiet guy, was completely out of control that day.
"Josh was an outsider who needed a place amongst the pack. His inclusion in your people was a lot easier after the imprint. As for Justin, he was considering leaving the pack."
"How do you know all of this?"
"When you go to another realm, you learn many things. Things you can never understand."
"So… correct me if I wrong. What you're saying is that Will needs an imprint to have some balance in his life when Harry leaves La Push, right?"
"I'm glad I could help."
I frowned. An imprint could help balancing my son's life. It could grant him happiness and would probably change him for the better. William would be more responsible, more sociable and probably less stubborn. But it would also take away his choices. He would not fall in love the old fashioned way instead he would look at a certain girl and be struck by some magical-love beam. And from that moment on she would become the most important person in his life forever.
"I hate imprinting." I muttered under my breath.
"Can you pass me the water, please?" Dana asked me. She was in control of her body again which meant that her great-grandmother was gone for now. "Did she answer to your questions? Are you more at ease now?"
"I guess." I confessed passing her the water bottle. "Do you feel comfortable when she uses your body like that?"
"I feel a great coldness in my stomach and a huge headache when she takes control, but other than that, I feel fine." She smiled.
"How much longer until you can go back home?"
"Three weeks… but I'm fine, really. I don't mind being alone."
I let out a deep sigh because I knew that deep inside, Dana was just pretending to be strong. It was impossible for a sixteen-year old girl not to feel lonely in a situation like that.
"Do you go to school Dana?"
"Not anymore. I was the only blind student in a class of twenty. My teacher didn't have the means to help me, so I had to quit."
"Would you like to finish high school?"
She nodded eagerly.
"Well… maybe I can sort something out."
xxxxxxxxxx
My conversation with Paige Gladstone didn't go as I expected. She denied having an affair with another man and didn't tell me who Quinn's biological father was. So I had to move on to plan B. It was against the law to steal DNA samples of someone without their consent, but I was running out of options and I wanted to go home as soon as possible, so I followed Paige Gladstone to her house and let's just say that as soon as Quinn was released from prison, he would have to buy a new toothbrush.
My next stop was Alice's new house near the intersection of Grimes Creek and the Sooes River where I knew I would find Carlisle Cullen. He was going to perform a simple DNA test to see if Quinn Gladstone was really an Uley and if the results came back positive, he could use the DNA he had collected from all the wolves to check who the boy's real father was.
What I wasn't expecting to find were my two sons arguing in front of the huge mansion with six of the Cullens as audience, especially when I had specifically told William to go home and pick up his sister.
"I'm not asking you again, Harry! What did she tell you? And what did you tell her?" William shouted to his brother.
"I don't see the relevance in telling you that." Harry was trying to keep his cool.
"You don't see the relevance? She told me you were there!"
"We spoke. That's all."
"I know that, moron! But you must've said something because one minute she was accepting she had feelings for me and the next she was kicking me out of her house."
As I approached, I realized that none of my kids had actually acknowledged my presence.
"What's wrong?" I asked Alice who was leaning against the porch watching Harry and Will closely.
"I have no idea. Will arrived two minutes ago and they're at this since then. I have no idea why they're arguing but I think it's about a girl."
"Where's your husband?" I turned to Bella who stood beside Alice. Maybe Edward could give us some insight to what was going on with the twins.
"He's hunting with Rosalie. I was going to join them when Will arrived."
I was so sick of arguments that for a brief moment I wished Will would find his imprint. That way he would be more focused on making her happy instead of arguing with his brother.
"Let's quit this nonsense, boys." I said walking towards them. They ignored my plea, like I expected.
"Are you really this dumb William?" Harry raised his voice. "Are you telling me you have no idea what's going on?"
"Do I fucking look like a damn mind reader?" William spat back. "Of course I don't know!"
"Hypocrite bastard." Harry slowly nodded his head in disbelief. "All that talk about leaving her alone… it was all a lie. You know very well that you took away her choices eight years ago when you slept together!"
"You did what?" I was completely astonished. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
"I don't know what he's talking about!" William said throwing his arms up in the air. "Honestly mum, I have no idea!"
"Are you denying that you slept with Rhea White eight years ago?" Harry asked triumphantly.
"No… I'm not denying that…"
"You slept with Rhea White?" I greeted my teeth in anger. "Are you serious? With all the girls in the world you had to go and sleep with a White?"
"And he didn't just sleep with her… he claimed her." Harry informed.
"Claimed?" Will and I inquired at the same time.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Will was now trembling, his muscles were expanding and soon he would phase.
"I'm talking about the damn mark on her neck! It's just like mum's which means a wolf claimed her!"
William was mute after that, processing what Harry had just said. Could it be possible that he had claimed a girl without realizing it?
"You didn't know you claimed her?" Harry asked the question I was thinking.
"I thought it was a dream." Will answered in a whisper. His tremors had already subsided.
"Well it wasn't a dream. I saw the mark today and she told me she's been having dreams about you and a giant wolf."
"Do you think it's possible, Carlisle?" I turned to the vampire doctor. He had been studying our pack since I could remember so maybe he could formulate some theories about this.
"I don't know Leah. The twins are the first of their kind. They are pure wolves since both you and Jacob have the gene. It is common for wolf males to mark their mates but since this girl is a human… I can't tell if the bond that exists now between them is like yours or if it's going to fade… I really don't know."
Great. The doctor has no theories.
"You are going to stay away from that girl, do you hear me?"
William looked at me, his eyes mirrored confusion and anger at the same time.
"Don't worry mum, it's not like we're going to pull a Romeo and Juliet act on you!" He said with irony in his voice. "The honor of the Blacks is still intact."
"I'm not worried about our families' quarrels. I'm worried because Rhea is getting married in a couple of months which means we don't have much time to figure this out and find a damn solution."
I would rather have my son imprinting on a lamppost than accept this bond he had involuntarily created probably after a one-night stand with Vanessa's niece.
And just when I thought things couldn't turn any worse, Rosalie and Edward joined us announcing that Captain Mitchell wanted to see Harry immediately.
xxxxxxxxxx
With his daughter still in a hospital's bed, Captain Andrew Mitchell was eager for revenge. Despite Sergeant Anderson's testimony about Harry's innocence in her attack, he still issued my son's arrest.
Rosalie and Edward threatened him with a lawsuit but the Captain could keep Harry locked up for 24 hours without probable cause.
Reluctantly I left Harry in the Makah police station and went home because Jacob needed to know what was going on.
William chose to stay with the Cullens working to clear his brother's name although I suspected he wanted to go after Tom Harding. For that reason I warned him to stay put until Jacob and I gave an order about what to do.
He nodded in agreement but I knew Will well enough to know that he would not follow my instructions if he got a good chance to get Tom.
When I walked home the kitchen was a mess which meant that Jacob and Isaac had already returned from the training session and had tried to cook something to eat, probably failing miserably.
Upstairs, Isaac was sleeping soundly in his bedroom and Jacob was leaving the shower. He was stark naked and dripping when I walked inside our bedroom.
"You do realize that more people live in this house, right?" I said making him turn around to face me.
"Yep. I know that babe. But you're the only one who can come to our bedroom without knocking."
"So, you knew it was me when I walked in?" I asked while he was putting on his jeans.
"I knew it was you when you entered the reservation's lands." He smiled. "I was thinking about going over to my dad for dinner. He's been alone for a while and it's good for him to have the kids there."
"Sure…"
Jacob read the hesitation on my voice and frowned.
"What's wrong, Leah?"
"We need to talk about your sons!" I exploded. After my encounter with Odessa's spirit I found myself in a very foul mood.
"What did they do now?"
"One of them slept and apparently claimed Rhea White and the other is trying to compete with EJ and got arrested twice in the same day! Can you believe this?"
Jacob stared at me with wide eyes probably thinking that I was making this up.
"What?"
"I can't believe William slept with Rhea White!" I ranted. Jacob kept quiet. "You knew?"
"I had some suspicions…" He admitted.
"You knew and you didn't do anything?"
"What did you want me to do? He was just a teenager and I don't think he forced her or anything. When the girl left La Push, I assumed none of them wanted to have a relationship with each other. I assumed it was a one-night stand and I thought nothing of it. I did tell him when he left with Harry to become back up driver for Joe Kitt's Autosport to always use protection."
I flopped down on the bed and covered my face with my hands.
"He claimed the girl, Jacob." I muttered. "She has a mark on her neck just like mine and apparently she has dreams about wolves."
"So they're bound together. Is that it?"
I nodded. "We need to find a way to fix this. We can't have ties with Vanessa's family."
"It's not going to be easy, Leah. You know that when a wolf mates, it's forever. You are mine and I am yours, and it's probably the same for Will and this girl."
Jacob was right. Mating was as powerful as imprinting. Maybe even more. Every time Jacob touched his mark on my neck, reminded me that there was no one out there better for me than him. He was my perfect match. And even though he had claimed me without asking for my permission, I wouldn't want anyone else to claim me but Jacob.
The fact that Rhea was a human girl didn't mean it was different for them. There was surely a strong bond between her and my son, a bond that was probably impossible to destroy, a bond that would eventually pull them together whether they liked it or not, a bond that was going to make my life a living hell because it would make us be in-laws with the Whites.
Unless… I thought suddenly.
"She can reject the claim." I said out loud as if I had been struck by lightning. "I'm going to make her reject Will's claim on her."
I was going to free William from Rhea. It was the only way.
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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.
Happy New Year. I hope 2016 brings you joy, health and prosperity.
A special thanks to everyone who left encouraging words to me after the death of my aunt. Thanks for understanding.