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 III – The Challenger
William Black
41. Blazing Fire
Granddad already knew what was going on when we arrived at his place. Aunt Rachel and Deborah were supposed to be there but they had decided to spend the night at Uncle Embry's house with Aunt Becca and Denise, since Uncle Embry was helping Uncle Paul fixing the house that Danny and EJ had ruined earlier. We weren't surprised because Deb and Dee were inseparable.
Sarah apologised to our grandfather for bothering him so late at night and then she locked herself in one of the bedrooms, which meant she didn't want to speak to anyone.
I decided not push her. I knew mum wanted me to talk to Sarah and try to convince her to accept everything but I knew my sister well enough to know that she would not listen to me unless she really wanted to.
"Will you ever learn boy?" Granddad asked me as I went to the kitchen.
"Do you have any food, old man?" I questioned playfully ignoring his words.
Granddad wheeled himself to the fridge and took out a bowl with risotto.
"Mrs. Shaw came by and she brought me this. There are chicken wings in the microwave too."
"Mrs. Shaw has been around quite frequently." I winked at granddad. "Are you finally friends?"
"Maybe… she's not as bad as she looked in the beginning." He admitted.
Mrs. Maryanne Shaw was a local widow who Aunt Rachel had hired to take care of Granddad when Grandma Sue stopped coming over because Charlie got a severe fracture in his spine while trying to cut down a tree in his backyard last winter. He had surgery but it was a slow recovery.
Granddad Billy and Mrs. Shaw had started with the wrong foot though. Granddad insisted he didn't need her help and she had stubbornly insisted that he did. A few months ago they had finally reached an agreement. She would bring him lunch and dinner every day, on Mondays and Thursdays she would come to do the laundry and clean the house, and she would keep him company only when he requested it.
"So you like her food now?" I asked. He had once said Mrs. Shaw was a lousy cook. I guess he had finally changed his opinion.
"Sue can cook better but I guess she's okay too. I was being stubborn."
"I feel the romance in the air." I mocked.
"I can only feel the smell of chicken wings, boy. Now eat and go to sleep. Your mother asked me to tell that you have to patrol in five hours." Granddad grinned at me and left the kitchen.
After the meal I took a quick shower and got ready to have some sleep. I was about to turn off the lights when Sarah came to my room. She brought her pillow and ordered me to move so she could lie beside me on the bed.
"Are you okay?" I asked her when she was finally by my side.
She nodded affirmatively.
"What does it feel like?" She asked after a few seconds.
"What? To be a wolf?"
"Yes."
"It feels normal to me."
"But you're not… completely human, are you? I mean most humans don't transform into giant wolves."
"We're probably more humans than the vamps or the werewolves and we're definitely more humans than the X-Men." Sarah smiled with my joke which was a good sign. "We just happen to have the ability to change forms. It's a gene we inherited from our parents." I added.
"Why?"
"Because there are people who need to be protected. Don't you remember the legends?"
"I do, I just find it hard to believe that they're real."
"We exist because the Cold Ones exist. And when they put our tribe in danger, we morph to fight them off and kill them."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Sometimes." I admitted. "But we have a high rate of success."
"So the Cold Ones exist…" She repeated to herself. "They feed on human blood and are ruthless creatures." She recited a passage from the legends.
"Not all of them are like that. Some aren't our enemies."
"The Cullens…" She whispered. "Isaac always said there was something wrong with them but I never believed him."
"Yes. They're vampires, but they're vegetarian. They feed on animal blood."
"Oh no… Vader…" She mumbled. Of course she would worry about that furry little beast. Sarah wanted to be a veterinarian since she was about ten years old and she loved all animals. It was only natural that she wouldn't be pleased to know that there were vampires feeding on the local wildlife.
"I'm sure they didn't touch Vader. Actually they haven't been around that often." I tried to soothe her.
"How am I supposed to walk around after knowing about this? About vampires and werewolves… It's crazy!"
"I don't know. I guess it might be a little disturbing at first but you have to keep it a secret."
"Then I'll be just like mum and dad. I'll have to lie."
"Do you think it's wise to tell this secret to other people? JJ for example?"
Sarah furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought.
"Probably not. He's too young."
"You'll know more about us soon. We're preparing a bonfire to discuss the new wolves and recent events and I'll convince the Council to allow you to be present but there's something I need you to do until then."
"What?"
"I need you to stay away from Jay."
"I can't promise you that. Now that I know what he is, I have to talk to him Will."
"He can't be with you Sarah." I told her and I saw the hurt my words caused in her eyes. "It's too dangerous. He became a wolf only a few days ago, he's still learning a lot of stuff and wolves are volatile when they're young. I know that better than anyone."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying he might not be able to control himself and he might phase when he's with you. Sam did the same to Emily and she got severely hurt, she still has some minor scars even after her surgery."
What I really wanted to tell her was that Jay had imprinted on Ella but that meant breaking my sister's heart even more so I decided to omit that detail for now.
"I'm scared Will." Sarah said after a while. "And I'm also ecstatic. I don't know exactly why, but I'm both things. I'm relieved to know the truth but I'm also afraid of the consequences. I know that everything will change from now on. One thing I know for sure…" She hesitated.
"What?"
"I've always known deep inside that you and Harry were protectors."
I looked at her questioningly.
"When we were kids, I always felt safe with you around and now I know why."
"You should have some sleep, little sister." I smiled.
"By the way… You're beautiful in your wolf form, you know that?" She yawned and closed her eyes. "Thank you for telling me the truth Will."
"Seriously Sarah… with so many words to describe me you used the word 'beautiful'? How about amazing, extraordinary or magnificent?"
I didn't get an answer for she was already sleeping.
xxxxxxxxxx
Dad came to see me ten minutes before my shift with Collin and Denis. I was leaving granddad's house when he arrived.
"How's your sister?" He asked standing tall in front of me.
"She's alright considering all the latest events."
"Will she ever forgive us?"
"Maybe but you know Sarah. She can be unpredictable."
"I know. She takes after Leah." He said in resignation.
"Look, if you came here to lecture me, go ahead or I'll be late for patrol."
"I only want to tell your three things: first, everything related to my under-aged children is my business. You're their older brother but I'm their father. The decision about telling Sarah the truth was to be made by me or your mother and no one else. Second: your girlfriend is alright, she spoke with the leech but she was never in danger. And third: we want you to discover what they spoke about and how the leech looks like because we were too far away to see and hear what was happening. Is that clear?"
"Yes. So that's it?" He was being surprisingly soft after what I'd done.
"Yes, that's it. Lectures don't work with you and I'm not really angry about Sarah knowing the truth. It's just the principle of the thing… you had no right to tell her. You'll understand what I mean when you become a father."
I rolled my eyes.
"I had no right to tell Sarah about us but you had the right to turn Rhea into a bait to catch a leech. Tell me how fair is that, dad?"
"It wasn't our best decision." He admitted. "But she was never in danger."
"Are you sure about that? Would you agree with a plan that put mum in Rhea's place?"
Dad didn't answer. He knew mum could take care of herself, but she was his mate, his wife, and he would never put her in danger willingly.
"You better rethink your idea of what's fair and what's not." I said while going to the tree line.
"I'm sorry." He finally said. "We should've told you. I promise this won't happen again."
I just nodded and left. That apology meant little to me now but it was a start. At least now I had his word that the pack would never act on my back from now on. I just hoped he would keep his promise.
Three hours later my patrol shift was over which meant I had to prepare to approach Rhea and ask her about the leech she had met yesterday. I had promised I'd leave her alone for a while so I couldn't just go to her house and interrogate her besides I didn't even know how to bring the subject on.
The more I thought about it the more frustrated I would get because I had no idea what to say to her. Obviously I couldn't tell her the guy that had been at her house was a vampire.
Damn it. Maybe I should talk to Isaac. He's the smart one after all.
"I've heard about what you did." Sam's voice came from behind me as I was walking home after patrol.
"What do you want now Sam?" I turned around to face him. I really didn't have the time or patience for a chat with Sam Uley.
"Right now I wish I could punch you in the face." He confessed.
"You can try." I challenged him. "We both know who would him."
"You look like Jake when you say shit like that."
"Is that a compliment Uley? Because it didn't sound like one."
"It's just a fact." He sighed. "Telling your sister the truth will probably cause more damages to her than anything else. So I'm just here to congratulate you on being the worst brother ever."
"It's not my fault Jay imprinted on your daughter." I stated. "And it wouldn't be fair if Sarah kept thinking she still had a chance with Jay when he belongs to someone else." Sam's eyes went to the floor. "That's what you did to my mother, wasn't it?"
"Leah found out about the imprint when she phased." He explained.
"So before that no one bothered to tell her that you and Emily were soulmates and you would never get back together, right?"
"I couldn't tell her. It was forbidden."
"Well fuck forbidden, Sam! I'm not going to watch my sister humiliate herself! Because I know she still thinks she can get back together with Jay. She believes he still loves her and she's willing to beg on her knees for him to take her back."
"You haven't told her about the imprint yet?"
"No. But I will."
Sam shrugged.
"She's going to hate you."
"No. She's going to hate Ella and Jay." I said acidly. "Now, excuse me I have other things to do."
I changed direction. I was going to Rhea's house after all. I was going to ask her about the leech directly and that was it. I didn't have the time or patience to come up with a story to avoid suspicions. If she started to ask questions I'd just leave.
"If you're going to see your girlfriend, she's out. She left five minutes ago with Rocky. She asked him a ride to Forks."
"Great!" I growled changing direction again. If I was going to Forks I needed clothes and my car.
I felt Sam phasing while I was walking away from him. That man had some sort of predisposition to annoy the hell out of me. I had no idea how dad was able to tolerate that son of a bitch over the years much less allow him to be his beta.
Fuck. If this keeps up I'll end up hating the Uleys just like mum hates the Whites.
xxxxxxxxxx
Rocky Starling was the son of Rhea's mother's best friend. He was three or four years older than Rhea and the last time I remember seeing him was a year ago in the hospital. I was with Granddad Billy for a regular check-up and he was with his pregnant girlfriend. He was probably a father by now.
I watched Rhea enter the post office while Rocky stayed inside of his car. If I wanted to have some time alone with Rhea I would have to ditch the guy. I parked my car a few yards away and went over to him.
"Rocky, right?" I asked when I reached the car's window.
"Yeah… Hey, you're one of the Black twins."
"Harry."
Everyone knew I wasn't Rhea's favourite person in the world, so I decided to use my brother's identity. Only a few people could actually tell us apart and Rocky clearly wasn't one of them.
"Right…"
"I noticed you seem to be in a hurry."
He was tapping his fingers on the wheel and looking anxiously at the post office's door.
"Yeah. Well, my kid is sick and I have to go buy medication or Ann will freak. But I have to wait for Rhea. Do need anything?"
"No, no… I just recognised you and since I didn't see you in a long time, I just came to say hi."
He was probably not buying my 'sweet talk' because he remained in silence for a few seconds.
"There's a long queue inside." I lied. "It's going to take a while for her to come back."
"Shit." He cursed consulting his watch. "Ann will kill me if she gets late again."
"Look, I tell you what, since I'm going to be around here for a while, I can take Rhea home. My car is over there."
Rocky looked at me quietly. I had no idea if he was actually buying my act or not. The truth was that our families weren't very close. His older sister, Hannah, was married to Ethan who was once part of the pack, but I didn't know Hannah or Ethan that well.
"Are you sure about that?" He finally asked me.
"Absolutely."
"That would be great. Thanks, man."
"You're welcome. Just take care of your kid."
"I will."
When he left, I walked inside my car and waited until Rhea came out of the post office. She looked upset when she realised Rocky wasn't there. And that was my cue.
I drove until I reached her on the sidewalk. She was checking her cell phone when I opened the window to talk to her.
"Hey." I said casually.
"Seriously?" She sighed. "What are you doing here?"
"Running some errands for my mother." I lied.
"Really?" She asked suspiciously.
"And you?"
She rolled her eyes and looked down to the package she was carrying.
"I don't believe there's a lot to do in the local post office." She said sarcastically.
"You look cute when you're being sarcastic." I smiled.
"Will you please go away so I can find my friend and go home?"
"If you're talking about a green Toyota, he left."
"Damn it."
"I can give you a ride back." I offered.
"No, thank you."
"Come on. Don't play hard to get. It's just a ride. It will take what? Ten minutes?"
"I'll take the bus."
"It's Saturday. There's no bus today."
"Fine. I'll go with you." She said getting inside the car. "Drive."
Fucking finally. I had almost despaired. Girls can be really stubborn.
"So, is everything okay?" I tried to get her to talk.
"When you left yesterday morning I thought you were accepting the fact that I'm going to get married soon. I thought you were going to leave me alone."
"I accept that you're engaged." I admitted. And it was true. She was engaged and had her wedding booked but that didn't mean said wedding was going to happen.
"Why were you in Forks, William?"
Like most women, Rhea was perceptive and she hadn't believed when I had told her I was doing errands.
"A guy went to your house yesterday. You spoke to him." I suddenly said. I didn't care if she thought I was stalking her. All I wanted was for her to tell me who that leech was and what he wanted from her.
"How do you know that?"
"La Push is small place. Now can you please tell me what he was like and what he said?"
"He was tall, very pale, had short dark hair and weird eyes. He had an accent I didn't recognise. He was looking for you. He told me he knew you from when you were a kid."
He knew me? How was that possible? I only knew fourteen vegetarian vampires and I knew for sure that this guy wasn't one of them. Unless it was Tanya's mate, the only one I didn't know personally yet.
Tanya was the leader of the Denali coven which was formed by four other vamps: Kate, Garett, Carmen and Eleazar. They were still living in a secluded area in Alaska. Two years ago Tanya had travelled to the United Kingdom in a self-discovery journey and had returned home with a mate. His name was Malcolm, and he was Welsh. He was a ten-year old vampire, who had been turned when he was twenty-six. Tanya explained him that her whole family was vegetarian and that if he wanted to be a part of that family he would have to follow their rules. Malcolm accepted.
Although we had a friendly relationship with the Denali coven, just like we had with the Cullens, Malcolm hadn't yet been officially introduced to us. However the White pack knew him already, so I would have to consult with Lance.
"That's it? That's all he said to you?"
"Yes. He vanished when I went to pick up my phone. I had no idea what he wanted."
"I don't want you anywhere near that guy again, alright?" I told her firmly. "If he turns up at your place again, I want you to call me immediately. If you don't want to call me, call Harry or anyone from my family. Can you do that?"
Rhea looked at me alarmed. I didn't want her to panic I just wanted her to be aware that this guy was dangerous.
"Oh my God, what's going on William?"
"Nothing's going on."
"Don't lie to me! I'm not stupid! What did you get yourself into?" She asked clutching the package she was carrying closer to her chest. "What did you do to this guy? Why was he looking for you? Why did he come to my house?"
Of course she would think I was involved in something illegal and dangerous.
"Everything's fine. Relax."
"They tried to kill you and because they failed they're after your family and friends! And now I'm on that list too!"
"You're making a storm out of nothing, Rhea."
"So, are you denying that he came to my house and it wasn't because of you?"
I had no idea. Apparently the vamp did know me, but his intentions were still a mystery.
"I don't know why he contacted you." I stated. I was starting to get slightly irritated. "And I told you, the bullet I took was meant for Harry. This has nothing to do with that!"
"Do you really expect me to believe in you?"
"Fine, don't believe in me. I don't care. Just make sure you call me if that guy contacts you again."
I doubted the vampire would come to La Push again. The pack almost caught him this time so he would have to wait for another opportunity. One we would make sure he didn't get.
"I'm going to be home alone tonight." She whispered.
"Why? Where are your mother and your dear fiancé?" I seized that opportunity to chance the subject and fortunately it worked.
"Art went to close a deal. He'll be back next Tuesday. And mum…" She bit her lip before speaking again. "She went to see my father. She says he should be at the wedding too."
"But you don't agree with her."
"He cheated on my mother more than once. He's a lying bastard and a cheater. My mother's best decision was to leave his sorry ass." She said aggressively. I had never seen that side of Rhea.
"So, you don't like your father much."
"I don't even think I can call him my father."
"All fathers are dicks." I said and she finally smiled a little.
"Your father is not a dick. Despite what people say in La Push, your father seems to love you and your mother a lot. He probably isn't perfect but at least he shows you he cares. Mine is a dick. Once he told my mum that if he had known she was pregnant sooner, he wouldn't have spent his money on a new car."
"But that's a good thing, right? He wanted to save money for when you were born."
"No. He wanted to use that money so that my mother could get an abortion."
"Okay, you win. You definitely win. Your father is the king of dicks." Right now all I wanted to do was to find Rhea's father and punch him right in the face. "I can't believe your mother actually wants you to invite him to your wedding."
"I haven't decided yet. She went there to talk to him but I haven't sent a formal invitation."
"Then don't. It's your wedding, not your mother's."
She nodded.
"Thanks for bringing me home."
I hadn't realised we had arrived to her house already.
"Anytime."
"You should be like this more often."
"Like what?"
"Talkative. Caring. I don't know… Usually you show people a self-centred, over confident and smug William. That William is probably the one who wants attention and ends up getting into trouble. This William though… is the one people will follow, because he inspires trust and compassion."
"Basically you're saying I'm bipolar." I joked trying to ignore that she had just analysed me like a damn psychologist.
Rhea laughed and left the car.
"Maybe you are."
"Do you need company tonight? I can come over or send someone…"
"I'm fine. Ray wasn't a good father but he did teach me one thing."
"And what was that?"
"He taught me how to shoot." She waved at me and went to the porch.
"I see. That's good to know." I shouted from the car.
Too bad leeches are immortal.
xxxxxxxxxx
Malcolm wasn't the leech we were looking for. His description did not match the vamp that had spoken to Rhea yesterday. According to Lance, Tanya's mate wasn't very tall and his hair was blonde.
"Why would he tell Rhea that he knew me?" I asked dad. I had met him at the auto shop. He was going to deliver the cars I had failed to deliver in the previous day.
"I have no idea." He said. "We have to wait and see."
"See what?"
He shrugged. "Alice might have another vision or he might return to La Push. If he does, we'll catch him and ask him what he really wants."
"I hate this!" I growled frustrated. "I'm hungry… I'm going home." I announced.
"Your brother went to pick up his girlfriend at the Makah Reservation." Dad informed me. I wasn't surprised. Today the police would go there to search Tom Harding's house and Season would be safer in La Push. "In the meantime I have a favour to ask you."
"What now?"
"Quinn is at our place. He arrived this morning and he was supposed to meet Josh. However Josh is unavailable right now, so I was wondering if you could keep him company until he can go meet his father."
"Do I look like a fucking babysitter to you?" I spat angrily. "Because let me remind you of what happened every time you put me in charge of watching over someone. Ten years ago you told me to watch over Isaac and Sarah and I went to a party. Conclusion: Isaac was scratched by a werewolf and our house was set on fire. Recently you told me to watch over EJ. Conclusion: we phased and destroyed part of the Vacant House. Last night I was supposed to watch over Sarah. Conclusion: I told her the truth, she went into shock and now I have mum on my case wanting me to fix things. So maybe you should consider that request again."
"I have no one else available." Dad said ignoring my little rant. "And since my ungrateful son couldn't finish this yesterday I have to work on a Saturday morning to keep my clients."
"Isaac is better with new wolves than me. Ask him." It was now my turn to ignore his comment.
"Isaac is out with your mother."
"Patrolling?"
"No. They went to Astoria to get Callie Felton. We need to discuss a few details with her." Dad finished washing the black Jaguar and got inside de vehicle. "There are times in life we need to make decisions. I'm only asking you a little of collaboration. Quinn is a guest and he needs someone to show him around. That's all I'm asking of you. You decide." He added.
"Fine. I'll show him around."
"Thanks. Aunt Gwen is coming over to pick up JJ in half an hour. Make sure he eats his breakfast before he goes."
I waved at him while he drove off.
I was reaching the porch when a car pulled out near our house.
"Harry?" Aunt Gwen called unsure.
"Will." I replied.
"Sorry. Can you call JJ for me? I know I'm a little early but I have to go shopping."
"Sure."
I walked inside and found my youngest brother watching Quinn play X-Box. Apparently the new wolf was good with kids because I had never seen JJ so quiet before in my life.
"Aunt Gwen is outside." I announced.
JJ got up from the couch and went to pick up his school bag. He was going to spend the weekend with Junior and Lilly but he would have to do his homework or mum would make sure he would never play with the twins again.
"Did you have breakfast?" I asked him when he passed me by.
"Yep. I had cereals."
"Okay, go."
As soon as JJ left, Quinn paused the game and got up.
"Hi, I'm Quinn." He greeted. "You're Harry's twin brother, right?"
"Is it that obvious?" I muttered. "Yes. I'm Will. Are you hungry?"
That was a stupid question to ask a wolf.
"Yes. I'm starving."
"Coffee and leftovers…" I said setting the table for two. "The best breakfast ever."
He laughed.
"So… You're not freaking out about being a wolf." I said.
All the recent wolves had gone through a transition phase after learning their true nature. Isaac had overcome that phase better than the others but he too had showed anxiety and preoccupation about his future as a protector. Quinn though, seemed a lot more relaxed.
"Yes, it's a relief to know that I'm not crazy and that there are more people like me. I thought I was imagining things when I first… you know…"
"Morphed into a giant dog?" I tried.
"Yeah. I woke up in the forest, naked and with blood all over me. I realised then that there were three hares bleeding out next to me. I thought I was living a nightmare."
"I see. I guess that can be a little disturbing."
"I went home, took a shower and locked myself in my bedroom. Since nothing happened for the next twenty-four hours, I thought I had imagined everything but…"
"It happened again." I guessed.
He nodded.
"I got angry with one of my friends during a football match. I ran to the woods and morphed. When I was finally able to return to human I was so confused that I accidently went to the primary school and some kids saw me naked. Then I was arrested for indecent exposure in public."
"Well, that's quite a story."
He smiled a little.
"They told me I'm an Uley." Quinn's tone of voice changed from playful to sombre. "I always thought that Tony was my dad."
"You're going to love being an Uley. Not a real one, thank your granddad Joshua Uley for that, but still an Uley."
"I'm not following." He confessed.
"Your Grandfather Joshua couldn't keep is dick in his pants. He left his wife and child here and went to bang other women outside La Push. He had two more children that we know of. Your biological father was one of them."
"Oh…" He passed his hands through his brown hair. "So my dad is…"
"A bastard, just like you." I joked. "He came here when he found out he was a wolf."
"Is he married?"
"Yes."
"Do I have siblings?"
"Two sisters. Aileen is eight and Aimee is four." I informed. "And you have four cousins too. Actually, we have common cousins."
David and Denise Call were his cousins because Uncle Embry was Josh's biological brother, and they were also my cousins because Aunt Becca was dad's sister.
"So that means we're related?"
"Vaguely related." I replied. "See? You just won the lottery. Think about the extra birthday presents you'll get from now on."
"Why did Josh… I mean my father refused to see me this morning?"
"I have no idea. But there must be a good reason. Josh's a good guy." I told him. "Do you want me to show you the Reservation?"
"Sure."
"We'll go check on my sister first."
"Why? What's wrong with your sister?"
"Long story."
"I've got time."
Indeed, he had. So I told him.
xxxxxxxxxx
The pack started to arrive at First Beach by six o'clock. It was a cold evening but at least it wasn't raining. The Cullens were supposed to come too but since there were too many new and unpredictable wolves at one place, they decided to stay home.
We were going to take care of pack businesses first so that in an hour or two other people could attend the bonfire. Season and her family would be present, as well as the Whites since Hal was now a member of the Small Council. Rhea would be accompanying her grandparents and aunt.
Quil and Jared prepared the fire. Uncle Paul and Uncle Embry were five minutes late but they announced that Uncle Paul's house was finally repaired. Harry came to sit between me and Isaac. We hadn't spoken since the incident with Sarah but the anger I had felt was fading away.
Mum and dad were the last ones to arrive. Sarah and Callie Felton were with them. We circled the fire and waited while dad was making sure that there was no one missing except for Uncle Seth and Brady who were on patrol.
"We welcome Isaac, Jay, EJ, Danny and Quinn into the pack." Dad began. "We didn't have a new wolf joining us in ten years. According to Doctor Cullen either we'll have a horde of vampires coming over or our pack needs new blood."
"What did Alice see?" Quil asked.
"Nothing. And that's the problem." Dad replied. "We don't know for sure what's happening or what caused this sudden activation of the wolf gene."
"You caused it." EJ whispered causing everyone to look at him. "You passed that shit on to us."
"EJ…" Uncle Paul warned his eldest son.
"What? Am I lying?"
"Can we expect more kids to phase?" Jared asked, exchanging a worried look with Uncle Embry. Their sons Jerry and David were probably the next ones on the list.
"We have to be ready for that Jared." Mum intervened. "You and Kim better be prepared."
Jared nodded.
"As you probably know I was preparing Harry, Will and Isaac to assume their roles as pack leaders. I was going to divide the pack but things didn't turn the way I was expecting. We have now a second alpha in La Push." Dad continued.
Isaac blushed heavily when everyone looked at him.
"I didn't do anything." He muttered. "I don't even want to be an alpha."
"Jay, Danny and EJ chose him as their alpha and…"
"I didn't choose him!" EJ put in interrupting dad.
"Maybe you didn't, but your wolf did." Dad explained calmly.
"My wolf? My wolf doesn't rule my life! I don't care about chasing Cold Ones or saving people! I want my life back!"
"Quit that attitude boy!" Paul raised his voice. "This is a job for life."
"And it's not as bad as it seems." Sam added. "At least you know how to deal with things and what to expect. When we phased we didn't even know what we were or what we were supposed to do."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No. It's supposed to make you see that in a way you're privileged." Dad answered him. "We'll be here for you always but no one was there for us."
"I'm not going to take orders from a fucking kid!"
"If you don't want to follow Isaac, you can always join our pack." Dad suggested.
EJ's expression changed from anger to horror in less than a second. Especially when he realised he'd be in the same pack as his father.
"I don't doubt that Isaac has good leading skills but I know that he and his pack are not ready to assure our people's safety, so my pack will keep running the patrols while Isaac and his pack mates will watch and learn with us. This means I don't want any of you in the forest alone. Was I clear?"
Jay and Danny nodded immediately.
"Was I clear?" Dad turned to EJ who glared at him. "I don't have time for this EJ."
"Fine. Who the fuck wants to be in the damn woods anyway?" My cousin replied.
"As many of you know, we've been having a vampire in our lands recently." Dad informed. "We can tell that he is vegetarian and we finally have a description. He's tall with short dark hair and we thought he was after Rhea White. However we found out today that he's after one of us, probably Will. I spoke to the Cullens and they have no idea who this vampire might be. Vegetarian vampires are rare but even though they don't feed on human blood they are still deadly. We'll keep an eye on Rhea's house in case he comes back. As for you William, I don't want you alone either."
"But dad, I can manage. It's just a veggie vamp." I complained. He was treating me like one of the new wolves.
"No buts. Until we know what this leech wants, you'll have to follow my rules."
I nodded, defeated.
"On to the next subject. It's becoming a habit to have members of the pack in the Makah Reservation. Years ago we welcomed Josh and now we welcome his son Quinn."
"I hope you don't get a girl pregnant too otherwise in twenty years we'll have Josh's grandson coming over." Paul joked and everyone laughed. Quinn blushed.
"I don't have a girlfriend, sir." He whispered.
"You don't need a girlfriend to have sex or a child, boy. And you can call me Paul."
"Your father is not here tonight and he's not a wolf anymore but you have two uncles you can always turn to when you need and you can count on the rest of us too." Dad announced.
"Why isn't he here?" Quinn asked.
Dad hesitated for a while before speaking again.
"Josh is taking care of his wife right now." He informed. It was pretty obvious no one knew what was going on besides mum. "Cristine is dying."
The announcement brought shock to all of the presents. Everyone was now watching my father quietly. Even EJ looked momentarily stunned.
"Dying?" Quil asked astonished. "Are you sure?"
"Leukaemia. We found out three days ago. She hid her illness from her daughters and from Josh for two years. He only found out last month." Mum said.
"But she can have chemotherapy, right?" Isaac asked. "There are new treatments too…"
"She's terminal." Mum informed. "It's a question of time now. Josh took her to a clinic that Doctor Cullen offered to pay. There she'll be well taken care of until… her last minute. So that's why your father can't be here tonight." She turned to Quinn. "He really wanted to be here and to know you but…"
"I understand." Quinn said. "He should be with his wife. It's okay."
"He asked us some time to collect his thoughts but he promised he'll see you and your mother as soon as he can." Dad announced.
"What about my sisters? Can I meet them?"
"I guess there's no harm in that. They're staying with Cristine's brother Gary and his wife. We can take you there tomorrow." Mum stated. A long and sad silence fell upon us for a couple of minutes.
Jared and Sam went to pick up more wood for the fire and mum started to pass us cups with hot drinks. When Jared and Sam returned, dad resumed the meeting.
"We received information from the Makah Reservation a few hours ago. The police found the bullets matching the one that hit Will in Bill's house. They also found the gun in his car. Tom's house was also searched but they didn't find anything that connects him to the shooting. Despite this Tom Harding is currently missing and his associates are being interrogated." Dad announced.
I had been occupied with Quinn and Sarah for the best part of the day so I hadn't had the chance to follow that situation. Sadly things were still working out for Tom. Without proof that he was the man behind my attack, he'd walk away again.
"Why do you think he ran away?" I asked my twin brother in a low voice while dad was talking about the incident that had involved Uncle Paul in Port Townsend on the night EJ had phased for the first time.
Fortunately the police had found out liquor and packs of weed hidden in the house's cellar which had escaped the fire so Uncle Paul's story was confirmed by the officers in charge of the case.
"I have no idea. But if they don't find him soon, I will." Harry answered back.
"You can't be seen near Tom again." I warned him.
"Not on my human form." He grinned.
"Our secret must remain a secret. People usually don't like what they can't understand so things should be kept this way." My father's eyes focused on EJ, Danny and Quinn. Both Isaac and Jay had already heard that warning. "Any questions or doubts you can always come to me. Now go socialize, we have things to discuss with the Council."
Hal White. I thought. That's what they were going to talk about with the rest of the Council. Hal's inclusion on the Small Council was not well accepted by everyone. His daughter Vanessa was accusing my parents of trying to manipulate the other members of the Council. There was going to be arguments and Rhea would be present to witness that sad spectacle.
I knew my mother and I also knew that if Vanessa caused a scene and started to throw accusations, mum would fight back. And when Leah Clearwater fought back… let's just say a hurricane would do fewer damages.
Granddad Billy arrived with Grandma Sue a few minutes later. Right now they were the oldest members of the High Council and the most respected people on the Reservation even though Grandma Sue spent most of her time in Forks with Charlie.
Then other families started to arrive. Emily arrived with Levi. I spent a minute observing the young boy that was carrying two bags filled with homemade food. The scent of chocolate and vanilla muffins was now in the air.
He isn't the typical Uley. I decided. Of course he shared some traits with his father, he was shy, quiet and always played by the rules just like Sam, but Levi had definitely more physical traits of his mother which made him look rather attractive for the female audience.
"Quinn looks more like Sam than Levi, doesn't he?" Harry said behind me. It was weird the way my brother and I could be in sync even without speaking to each other.
"Yeah, he does. No doubt he's an Uley."
"What did you do today? I hardly saw you."
"I was babysitting Quinn and Sarah."
"You?"
"Babysitting Season's family."
"So while Isaac gets to play alpha wolf, we were promoted as the pack's official babysitters. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
Harry laughed. "Does it bother you?"
"A little." I confessed. "My wolf doesn't appreciate taking orders much less babysit other wolves…"
"One day you're going to be an alpha." He stated. "You just need to be patient."
"Don't worry Harry. I'm not going to challenge dad for his position. At least not now."
"You'd lose." Uncle Paul stated joining our conversation. "Besides, you're not ready to be an alpha yet."
"I beat Sam easily enough." I recalled him.
"Jacob's not Sam, kid." He grinned. "I mean we are all pretty awesome as wolves, but your father… he's the best fighter I know. He can do impossible things and the funny thing is sometimes he doesn't even realise it."
"I think you married the wrong Black, Uncle Paul." I joked and Harry laughed with me. "You probably should've married my dad instead of Aunt Rachel."
Uncle Paul gave me the middle finger.
"Hey! Paul! Will! Harry! We need help with the tables for the food." Quil yelled a couple of yards away from us. He was now holding his daughter Amber in his arms while Claire was carrying a huge bag and Kyu was jumping around her trying to show his mother a stone he had just picked up from the sand.
Isaac, Jay and Quinn were already helping while EJ and Danny were isolated from the rest of us. They were not on good terms ever since the day they had destroyed part of their house. EJ had lost control and Danny had phased to protect their mother. The only way he was able to do that was to fight EJ and as we all had learned at our own expenses, EJ was not the most forgiving person in the world.
In the next hour more people arrived to First Beach. Vanessa came with her parents, her husband Craig, her thirteen-year old son Chris and Rhea. Just like I was expecting, Rhea avoided me like the plague.
I took a hotdog from the table and took a sit next to my sister. She was awfully quiet tonight contrasting with her afternoon self.
"I thought you had more questions to ask." I told her.
"I don't feel like asking questions right now." She said shrugging.
"That's a shame because mum and dad are dying to answer to every question you make."
That was a joke obviously, besides I didn't know what else Sarah could ask that I hadn't answered already. The only thing I hadn't told her yet was about the imprint.
"So, Uncle Embry and Josh are Sam's biological brothers?" She finally spoke.
"I knew you wouldn't resist."
Sarah rolled her eyes at me.
"Yes, they are. But no one outside the pack knows." I replied.
"That means their children don't know they are actually cousins."
"Yes." I confirmed. "Not yet… but one day they'll know."
"Why do they lie to us like this?"
"Sam's father has a very bad reputation in La Push in case you didn't notice. If people knew he had not one but two bastard sons, things would be even worse for Sam, Emily and everyone else."
Sarah remained in silence for a few seconds.
"He doesn't look at me anymore." She whispered. I followed her eyes to where Jay was. I wanted to tell Sarah that Jay would never look at her again. Now that he had imprinted on Ella, things would never be the same between them. But now wasn't the right moment to tell her that.
"Don't expect much of him, okay? He's only going to disappoint you." I advised her.
Sarah held back her tears. "I think Rhea White likes you." She said intentionally changing the subject.
"Really? Why do you say that?"
"She's been staring at you when no one else is paying attention." She informed. "Isn't she supposed to get married in a few months with some guy from Seattle?"
"Yes." I replied darkly.
"At least one member of our family is having success with the opposite sex." Sarah commented watching Season and Harry speaking to each other not very far from where we were.
I snorted. My brother was definitely developing feelings for that girl but I knew their relationship had a time limit.
If Alice's visions came true, Season was going to be hunted down mercilessly by the Volturi and probably killed. The only way to save her was to get her to bear a child with the wolf gene. Harry would never allow that to happen without Season's consent. The problem was that he would have to tell her the whole truth and I don't think a girl would forgive the guy who lied to her about being her boyfriend just to get her pregnant, even if he could prove that he had done that in order to save her life.
"Do you want to know the whole story?" I asked Sarah realising she knew nothing about Season's situation.
"I don't have anywhere to go to, do I?"
My sister was in silence for a long time after I finished the story about how Harry had asked the Cullens to save Season's life following a vampire attack. I had to admit it was quite a story.
"What's Harry going to do?"
"I have no idea." I shrugged.
"If you want my advice, just make sure he doesn't go after the other guy again." She said. "I don't want to go visit him in prison."
"And if you want mine, talk to Isaac. He couldn't tell you the truth but he really wanted to. He wants to be friends with you again."
We both watched Isaac, who was now near the fire after leaving Jay and Quinn at the drinks table. Sarah couldn't have Hay back, but she could have Isaac.
"Okay. I'll talk to him." Sarah said getting up. "But I'm not promising anything."
I wanted to approach Rhea and talk to her but she was always with her aunt and Vanessa White wasn't very friendly so I just got up and went to walk by the water. Soon I noticed someone was approaching me.
"Hi there." A timid voice spoke. "I don't know if you remember me… I'm Season Marsh. Harry's… girlfriend."
"Of course I remember." I smiled. How could I not remember her when she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life? She was the type of girl who would win all the beauty pageants she participated in.
I mean Rhea was pretty and Lex was exotic, but Season was breath-taking. I guess that the only reason why Season was so little harassed by men was because she made sure to put on the most unattractive clothes she had. Right now she was wearing sports sweatpants, a sweater that was two numbers bigger than hers and an old pair of tennis shoes.
"I'm sorry about what happened to you." She whispered.
"It's fine."
"No, it's not. You were shot because of me." She said not hiding the guilt. "I feel like have to apologise to your grandfather too but he's still busy."
"You didn't pull the trigger. You didn't shoot anyone."
"I know, but that doesn't mean it wasn't my fault."
"Don't worry about me or my granddad. We're both fine." I gave her a reassuring smile. "So… what do you think about my brother?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you like him?"
"I'm his girlfriend."
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't remember our relationship that well. I had an accident and I have amnesia and…" She was stalling which meant she did have feelings for Harry.
"It was a simple question." I insisted. "Do you like my brother or not?"
Season was now blushing deeply.
"He's nice, caring, and responsible and he keeps his word so… yes, I think I like him."
"That's too bad. I was going to try and seduce you." I joked. She understood I was only joking and laughed.
"I'm sorry I'm not available."
"That's okay. But you should tell my brother that you like him." I winked at her. "Just make sure it's Harry you're talking to and not his handsome twin brother, alright?"
"I'm pretty sure I can tell you apart."
"Oh really? Only my parents and our siblings can do that."
"You and Harry are identical twins but you're actually very different."
"And how can you tell us apart?"
"I just have to look into your eyes." She explained proudly. "Harry's eyes show strength but also warmth and kindness. He cares about other people… It's like he needs to protect everyone around him."
For a girl who knew my brother for only ten days, Season was pretty close to the truth.
"Okay, so what do you see in my eyes? What do they tell you about me?" I asked curiously.
"They tell me you're a person who never turns down a challenge. You're spontaneous and impulsive."
"Harry did a nice job describing me." I joked.
"He didn't…"
"Come on… I'm not that dumb." I told her. "Now… what about my eyes? What do you see in my eyes?" I took a step forward and raised her chin so she could look into my eyes properly.
"Fire." She whispered. "I see a blazing fire."
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, Evangella Akriti, Sarah Blackwater, lory77, Beauty Eclipsed.
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: As you probably noticed the story is proceeding slowly. This chapter served mostly to organize my ideas and to allow me to decide what to do about certain characters. It's also a chapter where I try to develop the interaction between the new wolves and Jacob's pack. Very soon the identity of the vegetarian vampire will be revealed as well as his intentions. Until next time.
Karisan