Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.

Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel to 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 to everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.

A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.

Alpha

Book II – The Protector

Harrison Black

69. Pink Plus

After JJ's unfortunate comment about Sarah and the rumors of her pregnancy, she was submitted to an intense interrogation. William and I thought that she was going to confess the truth to our parents but for some reason, Sarah lied and even managed to convince them that the rumors had started because she had been seen buying a pregnancy test at the local drugstore for a classmate.

William was off the hook, at least until now. He hadn't slept. I heard him tossing and turning in his bed all night and he barely ate breakfast this morning because today was the day my brother would finally know if he was going to be a father. I could feel his anxiety from across the room. Rhea and Sarah had just walked into the bathroom with the pregnancy test.

"Uncle Embry will kill me for being late again. Maybe you could stay here and call me when she's done?" Will walked back towards the door. That was the fear talking, of course. He was panicking, I could feel it.

This was a sensitive subject and I knew it could put a person under a lot of stress, but William needed to learn how to keep it together because this was just the beginning. If Rhea really was pregnant, things would get even more complicated.

"The test only takes five minutes, Will. I'm sure Uncle Embry can wait five minutes, besides it's not fair on Rhea. Eight years ago, she did the same thing all alone."

"She's not alone now. Sarah's with her and you're right here."

"But it's you she needs, not us."

My brother bit his lip nervously and started pacing back and forth. The Vacant House was silent. EJ and Quinn were already at the training site, and apparently, Hannah and her daughters had moved in with Josh after his return a few weeks ago.

The pain of losing his wife had made Josh a hollow person. He left his daughters and abandoned the Reservation after Cristine's burial and he had wandered around in Port Angeles for a couple of days before vanishing completely.

Then one day, Jared and Sam were patrolling and they sensed another wolf phasing. They tried to contact him but his mind was all jumbled. They realized after a few minutes that Josh was a wolf again. Dad ordered Brady and Denis to find and bring Josh back home before he exposed us all. In his current condition, no one could tell what he could do unsupervised.

The three of them returned to La Push two weeks ago. Josh was unresponsive. He had turned to alcohol to keep the pain at bay. Aileen and Aimee started to miss school so Quinn was forced to act. He threatened to take both girls to Cristine's parents if he didn't sober up.

Aileen and Aimee were only happy when Hannah and her daughters were around so Josh allowed them to move in with him but he spent all of his days locked up in his bedroom or out in the bars. He was still facing a lot of demons and it was unclear if he could actually win that battle.

"Calm down," I told him.

"What should I tell her if it's positive?"

"Tell her that everything's going to be all right."

He nodded.

"What if it's negative?"

"Tell her the same thing."

"You're not helping Harry." My brother whined.

"Remember when Tiana called you and said she was pregnant?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes.

"Do you remember what you did?"

"I asked if she was joking."

"After that."

"I asked if the baby was mine."

"After that... you moron."

"I told her I'd take responsibility."

"And you did."

"Did I?" William wondered. "I didn't go with her to Massachusetts, I didn't take care of her like I promised."

"I think your wolf sensed that the baby wasn't yours."

"Maybe, but still... I wasn't very reliable, was I?"

"Maybe you weren't, but in the end you took responsibility. When the baby was born you tried to call her and you even went to Massachusetts to see them."

"The kid wasn't mine, Harry."

"I know. And back then, I think it was for the best. I mean you didn't love Tiana. You were going to be trapped in a relationship without true feelings. You would probably end up divorced and the kid would end up traumatized for life. Things are different now."

Will nodded but he was still nervous.

"I'm so screwed!" William whined again. "Mom's going to kill me. The Whites are going to kill me, not to mention Lex and Josiah..."

"I thought you and Lex were over."

"We are, but I still have Josiah's ring with me. I couldn't have the heart to give him the ring back that day."

I rolled my eyes. William was an idiot sometimes.

In that moment Sarah and Rhea left the bathroom. I knew the test result before they spoke a word. Sarah was grinning triumphantly and that could only mean one thing.

"You better start thinking about names." She said and then Rhea broke down crying and Will held his breathing.

"Congratulations." I patted my brother in the back. He didn't move. "Now do the right thing," I whispered and he finally met my eyes. Then he gave a couple of uncertain steps towards the crying girl in front of us and embraced her.

"I'm here." He told her quietly. "Everything's going to be okay."

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I realized that I felt happy for William and Rhea. I still got a little upset whenever I saw her crying though. After everything she had gone through, she deserved a happy ending and even though she was happy with William, I knew she was also worried about the future, especially now that she had just confirmed she was pregnant. But that wasn't my business anymore. Now it was up to my brother to make sure Rhea would be happy and safe.

To give Rhea and William some privacy, I pulled Sarah with me and we exited the room quietly.

"I think we need you to have a conversation about those spirits that talk to you," I told my sister when we were leaving the Vacant House.

"I just dream about things, that's all."

"So, you dreamt that Rhea was pregnant?"

"Yeah… sort of."

I could tell she was lying but I knew if I forced her to admit the lie, she would never talk to me.

"I'm going to give you a couple of hours to rethink your story and then I want the truth, Sarah."

She put her tongue out like a brat and ran home. I headed over to Josh's house. I wanted to speak to Hannah about Ryan and Norah.

I found Josh snoring on the living room's couch. A bottle of beer hanging from his left hand. There was no one else in the house at the moment. I also noticed that there were no dishes from today's breakfast.

Hannah and the kids were gone.

Josh cursed when I splashed his face with water. He blinked a couple of times and then tried to get up unsuccessfully.

"Where are Hannah and the kids?" I asked him.

He cringed.

"My head's killing me. Do you really have to be so loud?"

"Where are they?"

"I don't know!"

"I know you lost your wife recently and I know it's hard to forget about the people we love, but you have to pull yourself together if you want your kids to have a good life. They lost their mother just like you lost your wife. The difference is that you're a grown-up man and they're just vulnerable kids, who are missing right now!"

Josh looked at me startled. I felt bad for him but he needed to hear this. Trying to keep the pain away with liquor was not the best way to deal with things.

"Do you think Cristine hid her illness from you and the kids for this? Do you think she would want her children to be raised by a drunken father that can't even take care of himself much less two kids?" I continued. Josh hung down his head in shame. "She married you against her parents' will, she had your children and now you have to make up to her for all the sacrifices she did to be with you. And that includes taking good care of Aileen and Aimee. Do you understand?"

Josh nodded quietly. "I don't know if I can do this alone..." He admitted.

"You're not alone, Josh."

"Can you bring my girls home?"

"I'll see what I can do."

This had to be one of the worst mornings I had had in a long time. Suddenly I wished I was in Chicago, in Season's arms in that messy attic at Edward's house. I checked my phone to see if I had any messages from Season. I had told her to send me a text message every two hours. She hadn't missed so far.

In the meantime, I had reached Walter and Andrea Groves' house. They were Cristine's parents and I thought that if there was someone who could know the kids' whereabouts that would be them.

Aileen and Aimee were there. They were both playing in the backyard in a swing. Aileen was pushing Aimee while Mrs. Groves was taking care of her small garden.

"Good morning." I greeted. Aileen and Aimee waved at me and Mrs. Groves nodded.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you can tell me where Hannah and her children are."

Mrs. Groves told me that last night Hannah had knocked on her door and asked her to take care of Aileen and Aimee because Josh was not well enough to care for two small children on his own yet and she had to go home.

Since she didn't go back to the Vacant House, I realized that she had returned to the Makah Reservation which meant that I would have to go there and get her back.

Staying on the Makah Reservation now that Tom Harding was a free man was not the best decision on Hannah's part even though there were rumors about Tom's sudden change. According to the Makah community, he was a different person now. Apparently, Will's warning had worked.

But why had Hannah suddenly decided to go back home? Maybe this was too much for her to handle. She had too many children to take care of. She was a single mother of three girls and she was pregnant with her fourth child. She was also taking care of Season's siblings who were not related to her nor were her responsibility. And now on top of that, she was responsible for Josh's children too.

But then again she had volunteered to stay at Josh's house so she could help the girls. And she liked her new job. Besides Ryan and Norah helped her taking care of the younger kids.

That's when I remembered Aileen's last words before I left the Groves' property.

"Tell Hannah she can come back now. Tell her the monsters are gone."

It all made sense now. Josh's house was right next to the primary school where yesterday, Jay and Levi had started a fight. Isaac, Quinn, and Danny had hurried to the place but I guess they weren't fast enough. Hannah had probably seen them phasing and going to the woods. And she had freaked out.

Shit. How am I supposed to solve this mess?

This had never happened before. The pack had rules and those rules were to be followed or we would get punished. One of the most important rules was: never phase in a public place. But back then, there was just one pack and we all knew that no one in La Push was to know about our secret. Now, there were three packs and new wolves. Some were as unstable as the San Andreas Fault in California.

Telling Hannah the truth was a major risk. She wasn't a Quileute for starters and it was obvious that she wouldn't understand the situation right away. She would need time and that was something I didn't have. But I couldn't just leave things like this. I had to do something and there was no time to consult dad or mom, so I went back to the Vacant House to get the only person that could help me right now.

"William?" Rhea asked as I walked inside. "Oh... sorry, Harry. I thought you were Will."

"He's helping training the younger wolves, right?"

"Yes. They usually go to..."

"I'm not looking for my brother," I told her. "Actually, I'd like to know how you are."

Rhea looked at me surprised.

"Me?"

"Yeah... Are you okay?"

"Yes, I think so." She admitted. "I'm... a little bit scared."

"That's normal."

"Will said he's going to take care of everything but I'm still scared."

"I know William better than anyone. If he promised he would take care of you, you need to trust him." I smiled reassuringly at her. "But if he starts acting like an asshole, you must tell me, so I can sort things out, okay?" I joked.

Rhea laughed.

"It's a deal."

"I know you're both still in shock and you probably think that you're not ready for this, but no one is ever ready for parenthood. And you'll never be alone, okay? No matter what you think, you're pack, you're family and we'll always be here for you."

"Okay." Rhea nodded, her eyes becoming wet with fresh tears. "Stupid hormones."

"I need your help, Rhea."

"My help?" She asked. "Did something happen?"

I resumed what I had learned about Hannah. William had told me that Hannah and Rhea had become good friends and I figured that if I took Rhea with me to the Makah Reservation, maybe the both of us could convince Hannah to come back.

"Are you sure she saw them phasing?" Rhea asked me while I drove to the Makah Res. It was easier for me to be around her now. I didn't feel awkward anymore or embarrassed.

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure."

"And what are we supposed to tell her?"

"That the pack is not dangerous to people. That we are protectors of the tribe. Basically, we can tell her anything we want as long as it convinces her to go back to La Push with us."

"Your parents told me it's forbidden to tell the truth to people outside the pack."

"This is an emergency."

Rhea nodded and then she was silent for a while.

"Are you all right?" I asked her.

"I'm fine."

"It doesn't look that way. Do you want me to stop the car?"

"No! I'm fine, really... I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Our families. This mess..." Her voice trailed off.

"If you're talking about Hannah watching Jay and Levi phasing, then yes, that was a mess and it will be hard to find a solution to solve everything. If you're talking about the baby that you're carrying, my brother's baby, then you're being an idiot because that's not a mess. It's a blessing."

Rhea's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. I'm just nervous."

"About what?"

"Our families hate each other."

"My mother hates your Aunt Vanessa. I believe Will told you about it, right?"

"He said that my aunt had a crush on your father when they were younger."

"Yes, she had. And your grandparents thought they could have a sit in the tribal council if they arranged a marriage between your aunt and my dad. But my mother got in the way and your aunt never accepted that."

Rhea kept looking at me as if to press me to tell her more.

"When you moved to La Push, my parents were already married, but before they were together, things were different."

"Different how?"

"Well, dad was recovering from a broken heart and mom was known as a bitter harpy after losing her boyfriend to her cousin. No one anticipated that they could become lovers. They were wolves back then and no one thought possible for a female wolf to get pregnant. Then Will and I were born and mom and dad got married, and your family started the rumors about how my mother had seduced my father, and how they got married out of convenience because she got pregnant."

"Will people think the same about us?"

I shrugged.

"It's in the past. The point is you and Will have nothing to do with that. If there's bad blood between my mom and Vanessa, then they have to deal with it. Not you, not Will, not any of us. You love my brother, right?"

Rhea nodded.

"Then the hatred between our families means nothing! You're going to have a family together, either they want it or not."

"I still don't know how to tell my mother. A month ago I was going to marry Art and now I'm dating William and I'm having his baby."

"You don't need to tell her now. Only when you're ready. And I think it's going to be good... I think that William really needs this. He needs to grow up a bit."

"He can be really childish, can't he?"

"Yes, he can," I admitted. I loved my brother but there were times I wish he were a bit more responsible.

"I want you to know that I really appreciate your support, Harry. William and I both do. And I also want you to know that I'm not trying to get in between you two. You're his best friend and that's not going to change, with or without this baby."

"I know. I would never think that."

Rhea smiled and then we were on the Makah Reservation. We had to ask a local woman where Peter Millson lived and following her directions we reached a small house made of wood on the east side of Neah Bay. It was even more deplorable than the house Hannah shared with Season. If the inside of the house was as dirty as the outside, then Hannah and the kids were living in a dump.

I didn't know for sure that Hannah had come back to her ex-boyfriend but I knew she didn't have many options left. Since we had to start looking somewhere I figured Peter's house would be the most logical place to start. I wish I was wrong but unfortunately, I wasn't.

"I can't believe she came back to him, after everything he did to her," Rhea said watching the small house.

"I really hoped she wasn't here," I confessed. "But I guess she got really scared."

"We can't leave her in this house with that asshole."

I nodded and we both exited the car.

Hannah wasn't expecting us. She tried to close the door as soon as she recognized me but I placed my right foot between the door and she was forced to face us.

"What do you want?" She asked. I could tell that behind that strong and cold mask was a very frightened woman.

"We just want to talk to you," Rhea said in a friendly tone.

"I don't want to talk to anyone. Please leave. Peter's out but he probably arrive any minute and I don't want any trouble."

"Hannah, please... just talk to us," Rhea begged.

"Look, I know what happened. It looks like you got the shortest straw and I'm not saying that you don't have a reason to be overwhelmed but coming back here was a mistake and you know that better than me!" I said.

"A mistake?" She shot back. "Trusting you and your friends was a mistake!"

"You've brought three little girls to live in a dump! There's no food in the house. There's dog's shit everywhere and you know just like I do that your boyfriend won't help you the way you need. You took your cousins to their drug addict parents. Their father used to hit them when they were younger and even tried to rape Season when he was drunk. Now tell me how was this a good decision?"

Hannah pushed me back and exited the house, closing the door behind her. Then she exploded.

"At least I'm not living anywhere near those monsters!" She bellowed angrily. "I saw your brother, and two more kids transforming into huge werewolves! They were killing each other! My kids were in that school!"

"They weren't killing each other and they would never hurt anyone inside or outside the school," Rhea said. "You got everything wrong, Hannah."

"Look, I don't know what's going on in La Push. I don't know who you are or what's happening to people there, but I know that I don't want to be anywhere near you or that place. So leave me the hell alone!"

"Season knows the truth and she trusts us," I told her. "She's worried about you and the kids. She asked us to protect you and that's what we're trying to do."

Hannah laughed sarcastically.

"Protect me? As far as I can tell, Season might be dead by now! I don't hear from her since last week. I don't even know if she's ever coming back."

"I'm pregnant!" Rhea suddenly blurts out shocking both me and Hannah.

"What?" Season's cousin asked.

"Do you really think I would live in La Push knowing that it wasn't safe for me and my baby?"

Hannah studied Rhea but remained silent.

Rhea took a step forward and held both of Hannah's hands.

"Those wolves you saw..." She said in a whisper. "They are not monsters, they're protectors of La Push and the sooner you realize that, the better."

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