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
42. Weak Moonlight
When people call me an idiot I always tell them that I'm not an idiot, I just tend to make shitty decisions.
Like the one I made when I kissed my brother's girlfriend at the beach. Harry didn't find it funny so the next instant I was pushed to the ground so hard that I almost saw stars. I should've known he was watching us and I should've stayed put.
So maybe I really was an idiot. An idiot who made really shitty decisions. I had no idea why I had done that. I wasn't romantically interested in Season. Nor I lusted after her. Season Marsh was probably the most beautiful girl in La Push in that moment but it had never crossed my mind to make a move on my brother's girlfriend. I had made that mistake once and I had sworn I wouldn't do it again.
Except that I just had. And he got pissed beyond belief. I had never seen real anger in my brother's eyes until that moment. Harry wasn't explosive like me, he was usually calm but in that moment he revealed something I didn't know he had within himself: pure rage.
"What the hell are you playing William?" He yelled at me, pinning me in the sand. I could hardly move.
"I was just fooling around, bro." I tried to repair the damage I had just caused but Harry was too smart to fall for that one.
"I can't believe you're doing this to me!"
"Calm the fuck down. I haven't done anything."
"You said the same about Gen." He lowered his voice so that Season couldn't hear us.
Genisys Walsh. Gen for short. Genny when she was in a good mood. She was like a hurricane. Tireless, untamed, wild. She was a force to be reckoned. And she was in love with Harry. When I decided to seduce Genisys the night we had won our first race, I knew that my brother also liked her. My competitive nature kicked in. I couldn't accept that Gen preferred Harry over me so I took her to my bedroom and told her what every girl wanted to hear.
She gave herself to me and I felt proud. I felt I had won, I had conquered a girl who was in love with another and made her mine but the next morning all I felt was remorse. I still regret that decision even though, much later, Harry guaranteed me that he didn't love Gen, he was merely infatuated by the powerful aura she possessed.
But Gen was now in the past and it was another girl who was standing before us pleading for Harry to release me.
"Harry! Please stop fighting! He was just trying to be funny." Season tried to help me.
"Funny? He fucking kissed you! That's not being funny! That's being an asshole!"
"Will you please let me explain?" I asked finally pushing Harry off of me and getting up. He was ready to jump me again if I approached Season.
I inspected the surroundings and realised that fortunately no one had noticed our little argument. Near the fire no one was looking. Actually everyone was a lot more interested on what Granddad Billy was saying.
"No! I'm not going to hear you out! You kissed my girlfriend!"
"Fair enough, but I really have a good explanation for my actions." I started. "I wanted her to know the real difference between us." I joked. "I was showing her that I'm the best kisser. I barely touched her. It was just an innocent kiss, alright?"
Did I really kiss her to show off about having better kissing skills than my twin brother? I asked myself.
For some reason I wasn't too convinced.
"Innocent kiss my ass!" Harry growled. "Stay away from Season or you'll get hurt." He warned me and I knew he meant it. Harry never made empty threats. The thing was, Harry had never threatened me before, not even that time when I stole Gen under his nose.
"Do you want to make a duel or something? Because I'm totally in, if you want. Maybe that way Rhea will notice me."
My brother crossed his arms over his chest and his features suddenly softened because now we both knew why I had kissed Season.
That was my real goal. I realised. I was trying to make Rhea jealous.
"This is not the best way to get Rhea back." Harry whispered to me.
"I've tried talking. She still wants to marry the other guy."
"You claimed her." He pointed out. "Be patient. She'll understand you're meant for each other soon."
"I wish it was that simple." I muttered watching Rhea from afar. Near the fire, she was laughing about something her cousin Chris was showing her on his mobile phone. I wasn't sure if she had seen me kissing Season but if she didn't that meant my plan was a complete failure.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Harry offered.
I shrugged. Would that make her change her mind about the stupid wedding? Probably not.
"Don't bother. I'll manage."
There was no more anger in Harry's eyes, only pity. I wasn't used to be the one pitied. It was supposed to be me in Harry's place. I should be the one with the girl. I should be the one walking hand in hand with my girlfriend but for some reason tonight I was the one empty handed.
My ego hurt and I clenched my fists as I watched my brother return to the bonfire with Season. One of his hands was lightly touching the small of her back. She didn't take my actions as offensive or even seriously, for which I was thankful but it also made me realise that Season actually liked Harry a lot more than I thought. Other way her heart should have faltered when I kissed her and it didn't.
I wanted something like that for me. Someone like Season who could be kissed by a fucking idiot and a total stranger and still remain absolutely faithful to her boyfriend.
Sadly I knew that Lex wasn't who I wanted or needed; and Rhea was simply refusing to be that person.
"Are you coming?" My brother asked turning around.
"Go ahead. I need to clear my mind for a second."
"You better go and check on your brother and sister." Harry told Season who simply nodded and left.
"I'm fine. I want to be alone." I said when my brother turned to me.
"Will…"
"Don't. I don't need your pity."
"I don't feel sorry for you." He stated. "You're collecting what you deserve."
"Thank you for your insight Harrison. Really. That's exactly what I needed to hear right now." I said sarcastically.
But he was right.
When we were competing, I was the one who got all the attention because I was more determined and feistier than Harry. He was the responsible twin so he watched me from the side lines while I had fun. With my looks it was easy to find admirers and girlfriends. It was also easy to discard them because we were always travelling from town to town, state to state. I had dated several girls in the past but I didn't remember most of them. Four months with Lex was a record for my other relationships had lasted less than a month. So maybe I really was paying for my actions. Maybe this was karma punishing me.
Rhea's rejection was something completely new to me. New and traumatising.
"You're the one feeling sorry for yourself. Snap out of it!"
"How do you want me to feel then? I fucked things up with Rhea eight years ago, and now she might even reject my claim and marry that stupid fiancé of hers named Arthon! What the fuck of name is that anyways?"
"You don't know that."
"Let's be honest Harry. Would you prefer a guy that hurt you and lied to you, a guy that made your life a living hell in high school and can morph into a giant dog or a guy who can give you a normal and happy life in a big city? Because I'm sure if I were Rhea, I'd choose the guy from Seattle." I ranted. "I'll never have what you have with Season… All of my relationships were based on physical attraction. I never wanted a long-term relationship, except for now but Rhea will never trust or forgive me. Actually no one trusts me. That's why I'm constantly being appointed as the new wolves' babysitter! And now… now you don't trust me either!"
"Calm down." My brother approached me and held my shaking arm. "You can't lose control in here." He warned me.
"Go back to your girlfriend, Harry."
"Come with me."
"What for? I don't want to interrupt your love fest."
"And I don't want you doing anything stupid… again."
"I haven't…"
"Come on, you kissed my girlfriend to make Rhea jealous. I believe that's pretty stupid, Will." He cut me off.
Stupid and desperate. I thought miserably.
"Or what?" I challenged.
He hesitated for a while.
"Or I'll cut off your balls and I'll make you wear them as earrings."
We stared at each other for a few seconds and then we burst out laughing.
"Thanks for the mental picture, asshole." I said.
"You're welcome." He grinned. "Now come on. I'll introduce you to Season's family."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Seriously? You dated Tom Harding?" I stared incredulously at Hannah Marsh. Season's cousin was 35 years old and had three daughters but she was a good company. She was slightly drunk but listening to her was actually making me forget about my own problems.
She had lost her parents at the age of fourteen in the same car accident that had killed Season's father. She stayed with family friends until she was eighteen. By then she had already met Tom Harding.
"It was only for a few months… maybe a year."
"Isn't he a lot older than you?"
"Five years… He kept flunking in school. That's how we met. He was quite handsome back then. Not as handsome as you are or your brother but he was cute." She blushed a little. "He was an asshole though and when Season rejected him, he got even worse."
"If he was an asshole why did you date him?"
"I don't remember. I think I liked his style."
It wasn't a very good answer but I wasn't going to ask for more details about her relationship with that ass.
"I shouldn't have dated him, should I?" She turned to me with regret written all over her face.
I shrugged. There was a long list of girls in the world that had dated the wrong people for the most different reasons and who was I too judge them, right?
"It's in the past." I offered. "Just forget about it."
"I just… I was alone and… I didn't have a 'knight in a shining armour' like Season does. Not all of us are this lucky. And after Tom, I lost myself for a while and now I have three kids and my boyfriend just left me."
"I'm sorry Hannah."
I guess I wasn't the only one making shitty decisions.
"I have to stop seeing younger men. They're too immature… they only date older women for sex."
"My mum and dad are still married."
"Your mother is older than your father?"
"Yep."
"Really? They look like they're the same age!"
Of course they do. God bless the wolf gene.
"If the guy you were dating only wanted sex, then I guess it's a good thing you broke up."
"Yeah. I guess Peter is an asshole just like his uncle."
"Who's his uncle?"
"Tom."
"Tom Harding?"
"Yes."
What was with this family and Tom Harding? It looked like every aspect of Hannah and Season's lives were connected to that douche.
"I know what you must be thinking of me." She whispered.
"I'm not thinking anything." I said truthfully. "Your relationship choices are your own. It's no one else's business."
"I wish you were older. You'd be my knight in the shining armour." She said and I knew it was the liquor talking. "It would be a bit weird though… I mean dating a guy that looks exactly like my cousin's boyfriend. It would be confusing."
I laughed. "It certainly would."
Hannah told me how grateful she was about being invited to come to our bonfire. Her children rarely had an opportunity to leave the Makah Reservation and have fun with new friends. A half an hour later she was crying on my shoulder about all the bad things that had happened to her after her divorce. I tried to listen to her but she was already too drunk to elaborate full sentences so I wasn't surprised when her voice stopped and her head fell on my chest.
She had reached her limit: three and a half beers. I think that even a fourteen year old would have to drink twice the beers she had to be as wasted as she was.
I picked Hannah up easily – it helped that she was slim and short – and took her to where Harry and Season were.
They were sitting on the sand, Harry's left arm was surrounding Season's waist while they watched over the kids. Only then I realised there were a lot of kids there. All of the wolves and ex-wolves of dad's pack except for my brother and I had children and many were under thirteen years old and tonight almost everyone was present.
Season was worried when I placed Hannah's body next to her.
"I think she didn't get drunk in years." She said trying to cover her cousin with a blanket.
"Well, in that case, she's going to have a very tough morning." I joked.
"Probably." Season agreed.
"You should go after her." Harry whispered to me when I was about to sit down.
"What?"
My brother moved his head forward and I saw a silhouette moving down the beach and away from the crowd. I knew it was Rhea.
"Try not to mess this time." He advised me. "Your chances of putting things right between you two are running out."
So I went after her. The sand beneath my tennis shoes was the only sound I could hear aside the voices that came from the bonfire. Mum and Vanessa were now arguing about the recently established Small Council.
There was a headland ahead, maybe a meter high. Rhea was on the other side, throwing small rocks at the water as the waves kissed the shore slowly rising almost reaching her feet. Beside her there was an empty bottle of beer.
She expressed a hint of annoyance when she saw me.
"Don't you have more girls to kiss and grope?" She acidly asked. She had seen me kissing Season after all.
"Season is Harry's girlfriend." I explained.
"Really? Didn't look like it. What about the other one?"
"What other one?"
"The one you were holding just now. Is she Harry's girlfriend too?"
"Hannah?"
"I don't know her name." Rhea rolled her eyes and kept throwing more stones at the ocean with a bit more force than before.
"No, she's not Harry's girlfriend and you're jealous." I grinned.
"You wish!"
"Then why are you acting like this?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" She yelled. She got up ready to return to the bonfire but she lost her balance and I had to hold her. "I just find it funny that one moment you're trying to convince me to be with you and the other you're kissing other girls. I guess your mother was right about you."
"From the moment you told me you're marrying what's-his-name from Seattle, I don't think you have the right to feel offended by the fact that I'm kissing other girls."
Rhea looked down. "I shouldn't have come to La Push to the funeral. I didn't even know old Quil that well… If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have seen you and I wouldn't feel any doubts about Art."
"So you admit you're having doubts?"
"I keep thinking about that night." She whispered leaning into me.
"Are you drunk?" I asked when I felt the smell of booze on her clothes.
"Maybe…"
That was not good. I didn't want to be the guy that took advantage of a drunken girl but the way she was holding me, clinging to me as if she didn't want us to move was definitely not helping my self-control.
"I can't stand being away from you, but when I'm with you I feel so damn angry." She confessed.
"I make you angry?"
"Yes. But most of the time I'm angry with myself."
"Why?"
"Because…" She hesitated. "Because I'm in love with you when I shouldn't be. Because I should be over the moon with my wedding plans, and I'm not. I'm miserable. Because you're the reason why I didn't have a steady relationship until Art. You're the reason why Art and I never had sex… everything in my life seems to be affected by you and I don't know what to do."
In that whole sentence the only thing my brain really registered was the fact that Rhea and Art hadn't slept together yet. They were engaged but he hadn't touched her. At least not like I had in the past. My wolf was very pleased with that.
"Run away with me." I suggested. It was a crazy idea that would never work but the idea of running away was definitely romantic and would show her that I was willing to leave everything behind just to be with her.
"I wish it was that simple."
"What do you want to do then?"
In the weak moonlight of that cold night of September, Rhea lift her head to look at me and then we kissed.
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Karisan