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 I – The Third
Interlude
Jacob Black
82. Bullets - part 1, 2 & 3
During the first years I took over as alpha of La Push's only pack, I always tried to do the right thing. I never assigned double patrols, I never forced anyone to do something they didn't want to, I never punished anyone resorting to violence, I always listened to what my pack mates had to say before making any final decisions, but now I was forced to do the exact opposite and I wasn't feeling comfortable about it.
"You did the right thing, Jake," Quil said standing beside me. "I feel a lot better knowing that I won't try to hurt or... rape Sarah. I would do the same if I were you."
Though it was good to hear Quil say that, it didn't make me feel any better. Just a few minutes ago I had issued an alpha command to all of my pack mates except for Seth and Leah for obvious reasons. No one could go anywhere near my daughter. That was the only way to ensure Sarah was safe from the wolves of my pack.
Denis had said he felt weird, he hadn't specified exactly what was going on but I couldn't take any chances. As soon as he said that I knew I had to do something to protect Sarah. What if Odessa's ritual had overruled the old legends about imprinting and now the imprinted wolves also wanted to mate with her? I didn't want to wait and see.
"He's not going to wake up anytime soon," Seth said leaving my house through the back door followed closely by William. Seth had been taking care of Isaac since he had been found unconscious on the kitchen floor. It didn't take us a long time to figure out what was going on.
My kids were strong-willed, and William and Sarah were particularly persistent, a feature they had inherited from their mother because Leah was the most determined person I had ever met.
We just didn't expect Sarah to drug her brother and leave the house when we had specifically ordered her to stay there during our absence. Fifteen minutes ago Seth had entered the house to check on Isaac and Sarah and he had found Isaac knocked-out on the kitchen's cold floor while Sarah was nowhere to be found. He took him into his bedroom and then he phased to contact us and alert the pack.
Leah and I were on our way to the Makah Reservation and we decided that she should keep going while I should turn back home and find what the hell was going on.
When the pack showed up at my place, I knew immediately that something wasn't right. They were all on edge as if something in the air was bothering them. Denis said he felt weird. Then I issued the alpha command even though I didn't want to.
"I'm sorry we won't be able to help you out in the searches," Sam said.
"It's fine, Sam. I have Seth and I'll call Leah." I said. "In the meantime, there are things you can do for me here."
"Everything you want, boss," Brady said trying to be helpful.
"Sarah drugged Isaac for a reason." I advanced. "And I'm almost a hundred percent sure she went to see the Morris kid."
"I can go check his house." William volunteered.
"You're supposed to be leaving the Reservation Will," Quil said to my son. "If the Whites see you here, they're going to flip."
"My brother was just found in a drug-induced coma and my sister is missing. I'm not leaving." William stated stubbornly just like I expected him to do.
"I need to know the whereabouts of all of the wolves," I announced. "No exception."
"Levi's at work," Sam informed.
"Can you confirm that?"
"Sure. I can do better actually, I can keep an eye on him until you bring Sarah back home."
"That would be great, thanks."
"I can check on Quinn," Josh said and I nodded.
"Embry, can you help Paul watch over EJ and Danny?" I asked.
"I don't think that's necessary, Jake." Paul started. He didn't think his kids would feel impelled to mate with Sarah because they were cousins. "We're family. They share her blood. They will never hurt her."
"I'm sorry, Paul but I can't take any chances. So please make sure your boys are far away from my daughter."
He opened his mouth to argue again but then he realized I wasn't changing my mind, so he turned around and called Embry to follow him.
"The rest of you, please stay alert and contact me if you know where Sarah is."
Now the real work would begin. Brady stayed at my place to check on Isaac because I knew that he would have a lot of questions to ask once he woke up. Sam was off to the Forest Guard's headquarters to keep an eye on his son.
"You go and get Harry. I don't care where he is or what he's doing... just bring him back. It's important to have all alphas reunited and we're already one alpha short." I told my son before phasing.
William glared at me but he phased and followed my request. I had an idea where Harry was but I didn't have the time to lecture him about letting his pregnant wife return to the Makah Reservation not knowing she was carrying his child.
'Being a father is damn tiring. You think that things get easier with time because kids get older and mature but it's nothing like that.' I complained to my beta. 'You're lucky your kids are still... kids.'
'Well, you're the one who knocked up my sister when you were seventeen.' He thought playfully. 'I don't think you are qualified to lecture the twins about getting their girlfriends pregnant. At least they're not under-aged jerks.'
I mentally rolled my eyes. Even after all these years Seth still held some sort of resentment towards me for how things had happened between Leah and me.
'It's not resentment, Jacob. It's just...' He hesitated, searching for the best words. 'The entire reservation still thinks you married my sister because you knocked her up. Her reputation went down the drain the moment she announced she was having your baby. She faced so many obstacles and she hurt so much...'
'Don't you think I know that? Do you think I wanted that to happen?'
'You could've done things differently.'
'Like what? Let her go with my kid?'
Leah had tried to run away when she found out she was pregnant. She didn't want to burden anyone and if I hadn't found her, she would probably have succeeded and we wouldn't have gotten married nor had more children.
'Using protection would've been fine.' Seth said back to his playful comments.
'We thought she couldn't have children.' I defended myself. 'Plus, I'm not sorry. I don't regret it. I wouldn't change anything.'
'See?'
'See what, Seth?'
'You made it work. You solved the mess you made, so why can't Harry have the same opportunity?'
'He will have the same opportunity but we need him right now. I need to have access to Levi's thoughts or at least know where the boy is and with Harry here that would be a lot easier.'
'The boy's trying to make amends with his girl. Plus, Sam went to check on Levi.'
Maybe he was right, maybe I should let Harry solve everything with Season first. He wouldn't be much of a help if he wasn't focused on the problem.
'You know what Sarah needs, don't you?' Seth asked.
I did. She needed discipline. Sarah was stepping the line. Again.
'I know I'm a lousy father. I spoiled her too much.' I admitted.
'You're not a lousy father, Jake. You just think too much with your heart. What Sarah did today was wrong and dangerous, for her, for Isaac, for us, and for every single wolf that will feel the pull to mate with her. And I'm sorry to say that it's not her fault, nor Odessa's.'
I still blamed Odessa for what was happening to my daughter but I knew what Seth was trying to say.
'I shouldn't have spoiled her. I should have punished her every time she did something wrong, and I shouldn't have disregarded Leah's orders when she grounded Sarah when she was younger.'
'Touché.'
'She was here.' I said as we arrived at Jay Morris' house. Her scent was everywhere.
'Let's ask the boy what he knows.'
Jay didn't know her whereabouts but he provided us some information that could explain my daughter's latest actions.
"I never wanted this to happen, I never wanted to hurt Sarah," Jay said never removing his eyes from the floor. "I wish I could stop feeling this need to be with Ella but I can't. I'm not strong enough."
"It's fine, kid. You're not the only one who tried to fight the imprint and failed." Seth said with a sympathetic smile.
"So, she saw Ella leaving your house and then left?" I questioned.
"Nothing happened. Ella came by to give me back my jacket."
"That's not what I asked, Jay," I insisted.
"We talked..." He finally said. "I mean, we argued..."
"About the imprint?"
"Yes, and other things."
"Such as?"
"She told me I wasn't trying hard enough and then she said that there was still hope for us if I accepted to..." Jay blushed.
"To what?" I pressed.
"To mate with her," Seth answered for Jay. "Sarah knows what's happening to her and she came to Jay to tell him that the only way for them to be together is to mate and claim each other." Jay nodded confirming Seth's theory.
I felt nauseous. The thought of someone claiming my daughter made me angry beyond belief. And that was not the worse. What was bothering me was that Sarah had known and lied to us all this time, and she knew how dangerous it was for her to be alone out there.
"You rejected her out flat?"
"I was confused. She yelled at me, she said a lot of things that I didn't even comprehend, and then she left in a hurry."
"She's unstable," Seth warned me. "We need to find her, fast. Do you have any idea where she might have gone to?"
He nodded negatively.
"You're hiding something," I noticed that he was nervous by the minute. "You better tell us everything because I don't want to hurt you, boy."
Jay let out a sigh and finally looked at me.
"It's my fault. If I'd just agreed with her plan, she wouldn't be missing right now."
"What are you talking about?"
"After I imprinted on Ella, Sarah asked me if I could fight the imprint and I promised I would do it. For her. But today, when she came to see me... I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I still love her."
"Because you don't."
"Yes, I do... but..."
"There's Ella." I completed his sentence.
"I don't want to hurt Sarah, but I can't hurt Ella. I just... can't." His voice was laced with sorrow. "I should've lied to Sarah and tell her that I wanted to be her mate. At least that way, you would have time to reverse whatever is going on. But I was a coward. I was afraid that Ella could see us on my porch so when Sarah kissed me, I didn't kiss her back and I told her to leave. That's when she realized I wasn't fighting the imprint like I promised I would do. We argued. I told her things I'm not proud of. And then..." He hesitated again.
"Just spit it out!" I ordered.
"She told me that if I didn't want her, she would find another wolf that would. I know that she only said that to make me jealous. She wanted me to go after her but my feet didn't move, it was like my body wasn't mine to control. So I stayed here while she left. And now she's out there alone, searching for a wolf to mate with."
Jay was divided, I could tell, but part of what was happening was his fault, just like he had mentioned, so I couldn't waste my time comforting him. I had to find my daughter first.
"Go to my place or your imprint's house!" I told him. "We'll talk later."
He nodded and then he went to his car.
As soon as Seth and I phased, several worrying thoughts entered our minds at once.
'I can't find him anywhere, Jake.' That was Josh. Quinn wasn't home like he was supposed to be. 'He left before I arrived and he didn't leave a note.'
'Danny and EJ are gone too.' That was Embry. 'Paul went to check a few bars where EJ goes but I don't think he's going to find the boys there.'
'Levi's not here either. Gus told me he said he had something important to do.' Sam informed. And that got me worried. None of the potential wolves who could mate with Sarah were in La Push.
'They've gone after her.' I realized. The thought that my daughter was being chased was unsettling, to say the least. I knew wolves were strong but Sarah was not only new in this, she had never fought in wolf form. She wouldn't be able to face so many opponents at once.
'She won't stand a chance against four wolves.' William said, mimicking my thoughts.
'Where is Harry? I told you to bring him along.'
'He's in the middle of something important. I think he deserves the chance to work things out with Season.'
'We can manage without him.' Seth supported William.
Maybe they were right. Maybe the three of us could sort things out.
'Okay, listen up.' I began. 'We don't know where Sarah or the boys are but we are experienced trackers. Right now we need to focus on finding the boys instead of finding Sarah. They're being driven by their wolves, which makes it easier for us because they're not paying attention to anything else but chasing Sarah.'
Seth and William agreed with my observations.
'I think we can reason with Danny and Quinn but without Isaac, we won't be able to communicate with them via mind-link.'
'So how can we convince them to come back?' William asked.
'I don't know, but you better find a solution, because they're your problem now.'
William cursed and then he started to track down Quinn and Danny.
'Do you think you can handle EJ by yourself?'
'Sure,' Seth thought. There was a reason for him to be my beta. Although Sam was still strong enough to be my second, Seth could rationalize things faster and better. 'So you'll take Levi, right?'
'Yes.'
'Why are you so worried about Sam's boy?'
'I don't know.'
'Don't lie, Jake. You suck at lying.'
'Danny, Quinn, and EJ are not good enough for Sarah's wolf.' I explained. 'If one of them catches her, she'll fight tooth and nail. She won't let them touch her willingly... but Levi... I'm not so sure. I think he's the best candidate. I think her wolf might submit to him.'
'Sarah hates Levi.' William pipped in.
'I know but can you say the same about her wolf?'
He didn't answer. William knew what I was implying and at this point, none of us could tell what Sarah's wolf was making her do to follow the desires the animal spirit had. It was a bit like the night when Will had marked Rhea without noticing what he had done. It wasn't him in control, it was his wolf.
'Jake, Levi is a member of the Uley family hence he's not alpha material. Sarah's an alpha and as an alpha female, she won't accept a mate who's ranked lower than her.'
Seth's words made sense but for some reason, I wasn't convinced. I felt Levi was different from the other wolves even though I couldn't explain why. Besides, Seth was forgetting something. Ephraim Black was appointed alpha of La Push's pack by the Tribal Council but he wasn't the first nor the oldest wolf of the pack. The alpha position should have gone to his cousin Jacob Uley, the bastard son of Johanna Black and Thomas Uley. Thanks to the alpha gene, Jacob had outlived his family for many years and had assumed a new identity as Jack Russell. He had tried to claim Leah as his mate but his plan didn't work out and he was killed.
'The Uleys had always been betas.' Seth concluded. 'Jack Russell was not fit to be an alpha. He caused Ephraim's imprint to die and kept a grudge against La Push's inhabitants for years. He would never be a good alpha to the pack, Jake. You know that. You are the rightful alpha.'
'Sam was an alpha.'
'For a brief period. He just took the position because you didn't feel confident enough to take it. But Sam was never meant to be the alpha. He was never meant to be with Leah. You were.'
'Odessa said she made Emily go to La Push. She said she wanted Sam out of Leah's life because she wanted her to be with me...' I had never shared this information with anyone before. 'What if she hadn't done that? What if Sam had never met Emily? What if I hadn't taken the alpha position? Sam would've been our alpha, he would have married Leah, which would give his son the right to be the next alpha.'
'That's a lot of ifs, Jake. By the way, you shouldn't believe everything the old lady says. She has lied before,' Seth pointed out again.
'I know, Seth but what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't mean Sam or even Jack weren't the rightful alphas. Because maybe... they were. They both were the first wolves to phase and Jack had both Black and Uley blood. He was the rightful alpha. If Thomas and Johanna had been authorized to get married, Ephraim Black would've never been the alpha... and neither would I. That position would have belonged to Sam and now to Levi.'
'Nobody questions your leadership, Jake. Not even Sam. You need to give yourself a break.'
'I'm sorry to interrupt, Jacob but I have bad news.' Said Jared.
'What's going on?'
'Rick and Ethan called, their kids phased and left to the woods... and I think Jerry is having the symptoms too.'
'Guys! I picked up Danny's scent. I'm going north.' William informed.
'Jared, keep an eye on your son and ask Denis and Josh to bring the pups back in. They're probably too confused and may accidentally reveal our secret.'
'No, wait!' Seth asked. 'We're not able to pick up Sarah's scent because her pheromones only affect wolves who are not her direct relatives. If we follow the pups, we'll find her.'
Seth was right. August and Theo could take us to my daughter.
'Where are they now?' I asked.
'They're going north following the coastline. Five more minutes and they'll probably reach Lake Ozette.'
'Why would Sarah go north?' I asked myself.
'She's upset and confused. And she's probably allowing her wolf to control her.' Seth suggested.
'That's what scares me the most.'
'I'm staying with Jerry. If you need help, call me.' Jared said and he phased back to human.
More kids were phasing. I recalled the time when the pack had about twenty-one wolves. The wolf gene awakening back then was due to the abnormal activity of vampires in the area since Bella had been turned and the Italians were on their way to Forks with an army. We needed the numbers. Now things were different. We knew the vampire world was about to be shaken by a battle between two powerful covens, but as far as we knew the battle was going to happen on European ground. So why were more kids phasing?
'Odessa's behind it, I'm sure.' Leah said, joining our thoughts. 'By getting Sarah to enter into heat so soon, she also made the boys' gene to activate sooner than expected.'
'Do you have a confirmation? Is she doing all of this?' I asked.
'No, not yet. She's refusing to come out. But I'm not leaving until she speaks to me.' Leah was one of the most determined people I knew so I didn't doubt she was going to succeed. 'Just bring back our daughter, Jacob.'
'Don't worry, I will.'
Seth and I were running north and it didn't take long for us to pick up the pups' scent. We couldn't communicate with them but we didn't need to. They were being controlled by their wolves and wouldn't listen even if we had the chance to talk to them through the pack mind link. William was also running north, following Danny's scent but he was a few miles ahead of us. So we could positively say that Sarah was going north too. Now it was just a matter of time.
We didn't have much of a plan, but I was confident that we were going to find Sarah. And I was going to take her home unharmed. But then my mind picked up something I didn't expect.
'The White pack are coming south.' I told Seth when I sensed Lance's thoughts. 'Something happened.'
Things were not going to be that simple after all. I hadn't anticipated an encounter with another pack. Much less with one whose members didn't have any direct bond with Sarah. All of the members of the White pack were potential mates for her wolf and they were coming in our direction.
'Lance? What's happening?'
'Jacob?'
'Why aren't you all in Campbell?'
'Talon phased and now he's missing. I'm following his tracks right now.'
Talon was Dominic's third bastard son. He was around fourteen years old.
'Are you alone?'
'Everyone's here except for Dom. He stayed with the kid's mother. She threatened to call the cops.'
'Six more wolves if we count with the new pup.'
'What are you talking about?'
I couldn't answer Lance's question because at that moment William sent me the image of a young wolf's bloody body on the shoreline near Cape Alave.
'Is that Danny?' I asked.
'Yes.'
'Don't howl. Phase back and check his vitals. If he's alive take him to the trees and try to make him comfortable. If he's... not... go get your mother and don't tell anyone else. Do you understand me?'
William was taken aback by the roughness in my voice but I was angry because I couldn't believe that Odessa's plan could have caused Danny's death. My nephew. He was just a kid. It was obvious that he had been attacked by an older and stronger wolf. And the bout had been quite violent. So now I had to find Sarah, protect her from potential wolf mates, and on top of that, I had to make sure those wolves didn't kill each other.
'Danny... please be alive.' I heard William's thoughts right before he turned back to human again. I was thinking the same thing.
Interlude
William Black
Not so long ago I had made Danny jump off of a cliff, facing one of his greatest fears and he had done it. Like a hero. I liked Danny. When he was younger we all thought he was going to be just like his older brother EJ, but Danny changed from a young troublemaker to a decent teenager. I liked my cousin and I didn't want him to die. But I was scared when I approached him. There was more blood than was expected and I couldn't tell if he was breathing.
I felt sick. I felt angry. I felt I couldn't breathe. I was hyperventilating. I could feel the rocks under my knees as I fell on the floor. The scent of blood was now everywhere and it took me to an old memory of a 13-year-old me and a 6-year-old Danny. We were at the beach, the younger kids were making castles in the sand and I was extremely bored because Aunt Rachel had asked me to make sure Danny and the others didn't go to the water. I wanted to play some football though, so I ignored my aunt's request and joined the other kids my age.
The next thing I saw was Uncle Paul and Uncle Embry running towards the ocean. Danny had been dragged by a wave while he was trying to fill his bucket with water. Fortunately, they got him on time. He was wet and cold but he didn't drown or anything and no one had blamed me for my reckless attitude because everyone knew how kids are. Aunt Rachel patted me in the back and said that it could have happened to anyone "Don't worry, Will... sometimes it happens to me. I look the other way, and he vanishes like magic. Danny seems to have this ability to disappear into thin air." She had told me while carrying her son back to the car.
Danny hadn't died that day at the beach but now he could be dead. Why was this happening? Danny was only 18 years old, he was too young to die. Aunt Rachel and Uncle Paul would be devastated. I closed my eyes trying to get rid of my cousin's blood-covered body. I felt my cheeks wet. I was crying. My hearing intensified. I heard a kid laughing just like Danny did that day at the beach while he was building his sandcastle. I heard screams and someone crying, wolves were howling at a distance too. My chest hurt and I felt a huge headache. Then my wolf started to claw my insides. It wanted to come out and it wanted to kill, destroy, eliminate.
I felt the tremors and the heat. Then the floor started to shake, and the water of the ocean started to rise.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Danny's dead and I'm losing control.
At that point, I couldn't do anything to stop what was about to happen but then a sharp pain in my nose brought me back to reality.
"What the fuck! You broke my nose, you dipshit!" I yelled at my twin brother. He was kneeling in front of me.
"And you're breaking my arm, you idiot!" He yelled back.
I let him go. I was so far gone I hadn't realized I was holding his arm.
"What were you doing?" Harry asked. "You know you can't lose control like that!"
"There's no one here... except for..." I looked at my cousin again. "Danny..."
"We have to make him change back to human so we can see his injuries."
"Change back? Do you mean he's alive?"
"Yes. I just checked his pulse."
I hugged Harry then. Danny was alive. That was great news.
"Will?" My brother called when I got up and approached Danny.
"What?"
"You almost wiped out several kilometers of shoreline." He pointed out to his left where the ocean seemed to be missing and the trees were having trouble standing.
"I kind of freaked out when I saw Danny," I admitted.
"You can't do this again, Will."
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention..."
"People live nearby, you could have made their houses fall and killed them."
"But I didn't, did I?"
Harry sighed. I knew well enough that I couldn't lose control of my actions for the sake of everyone around me. When I was younger and Jasper and Edward were helping me controlling my telekinetic ability, I was able to restrain myself better but ever since Harry and I had returned to attend old Quil's funeral things had turned harder for me.
"We need to take him out of here before someone comes." He pressed and I nodded.
"His wounds are deep." I noticed. I wasn't sure if we should move Danny. He was bleeding too much.
"He was attacked by more than one wolf." My brother noticed.
Harry was right. Danny had bite marks of different sizes. The one that inspired more care was the one on his neck. I took off my t-shirt to press the wound and stop the blood but after a while, I realized my cousin would probably need a doctor.
"Is Carlisle available?" I asked.
"I don't know. But right now I think we should leave the vampires out of this."
We tried our best to coach our cousin to phase back. We whispered words of encouragement hoping that his spirit could listen to us. We tried to wake him up by splashing water into his face but our efforts were in vain. Danny was unconscious and his pulse was weak.
We couldn't walk around carrying a giant wolf, so Harry decided to phase and ask dad what we should do but before he phased mom arrived. It was a relief to see her.
"Danny will turn back in an instant." She said forcing a green powder inside Danny's huge mouth. "It will make him relax and turn back to human. Then I'll take him to Dana's place and we'll take care of him. You two can go and help your father."
In a way, I felt relieved to leave Danny with mom because all of that blood was making me nauseous, however, we only left when Danny retook his human form, a few minutes later.
"Make sure no more incidents like this one happens." Mom said, carrying Danny with her.
The situation was a lot worse than we expected in the beginning. Sarah was being reckless. She was being chased like a piece of meat and people were getting hurt because of it.
'When this is over, I'm going to kick Morris' ass!' I thought, only to hear my brother's disapproval.
'It's not his fault, Will.'
'Yes, it is. He rejected her. Even if he didn't want her, he should've lied and called someone.'
'He imprinted on Ella. Sarah knows what that means. Besides she was ordered to stay home.'
'Well, you also knew what it means to be the alpha of a pack and you still fucked up, didn't you?'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'You're playing a dangerous game, Harry. You made a poor choice when you got involved with Season.'
'What is this now? A competition to see who made the lousiest decision? Because I'm pretty sure that night with Rhea deserves some kind of stupidity award.'
'It's not a competition, Harrison... but at least Sarah and I have a solid justification for what we did.'
'Really? And what justification is that?'
'Our wolves' spirits were in control. I didn't know what I was doing when I claimed Rhea, my mind was being controlled by my wolf spirit the same way Sarah's being controlled by hers right now. You can't say the same for yourself. You started dating a girl because you felt responsible for the bad things that were happening to her. You idiotically fell in love with her knowing that she's not your mate nor your imprint and now she's pregnant. So, who's the biggest idiot, Harry?'
I was being a little harsh. When Rhea announced she was pregnant, Harry had been nothing but supportive but I also didn't want him thinking that this was Sarah's fault.
'You can be a total douchebag when you want to, you know?'
'Are you going to tell me that Season forgave you just like that?'
'No, she didn't. But she gave me another chance.'
'Love makes us do stupid things, huh?'
'You mean that giving me a second chance is stupid?'
'You know it is. What will happen when you find your mate, Harry?'
'I will not abandon Season and my child, that's for sure!'
'You don't know that.'
'I do!'
Harry could be as stubborn as a mule and as blind as a damn bat. He couldn't or maybe he didn't want to see that he was wrong. I didn't want to be the person to tell him the obvious, actually when Sarah said that Harry was the one to blame for Season's departure, I defended him because I wanted my brother to be happy but coming to think of it, Sarah was right. I didn't want to be the bad guy because I knew it would hurt him deeply, but someone at some point would have to talk to him about Season and the baby she was carrying. Because it didn't matter how much he loved her or how much he wanted to love her, in the end, Harry would have to submit to his true nature. He was an alpha and an alpha male needs a mate. Isaac would certainly have one too. It was just a matter of time. So my brother's fairytale story with his wife and child would be short and painful for everybody.
Then out of a sudden, we heard something that resembled a shot. We halted, alarmed.
'What was that?' Harry asked.
'I think that was a gun being shot.'
'That was a shot, alright.' We heard our father say.
'Who the hell is carrying a gun out here?' I wondered.
'You two need to stop doing that!' Dad said with irritation.
'Doing what?' Harry asked, momentarily confused.
'When you do that all I can hear is static... I know you're there but I don't know if you're okay or if you're hurt.'
He was talking about our ability to shut everyone out of our minds. That was something that only Harry, Isaac, and I could do. We could listen to every wolf and shut out our minds to everyone and we could do it effortlessly.
'We don't do it on purpose. It just happens.' I said. 'Where's Uncle Seth? Wasn't he supposed to be helping you?'
'Your mother requested him. Danny's injuries are more serious than she thought.'
'He'll make it.' Harry said with optimism. 'He's a tough kid.'
'Let's focus on that gunshot, shall we?' Dad suggested.
'Cops, forest rangers, and hunters carry guns around all the time.' Harry pointed out. 'Actually, even a hiker can carry out a gun when visiting these lands... for protection.'
'Three shots were fired.' Dad informed.
Harry and I had been arguing so we had only heard the last one.
'Are we going to check out who fired the shots or are we going to ignore that and keep searching Sarah?' I asked.
'We can split up. You two check out what happened. I'll keep going after your sister.'
Harry and I agreed with dad's plan so we went north towards the sound of the gunshot, not knowing what we were going to find. The scent of gunpowder led us to a small building.
It was a Forest Guard cabin, a station that served as a monitoring place or a shelter for forest guards in the area. There was a trail of blood in the grass leading to the inside of the small compound but whoever was in there hadn't lost that much blood and was still breathing.
'It's one of us, isn't it?' It was a rhetorical question but Harry still answered.
'I think it's Levi.'
And it was. Levi Uley was inside the cabin, trying to stop a bleeding leg. My brother warned dad about our location and then we turned back to human form to speak to Levi. We needed information on what was going on and maybe he could help.
Interlude
Harrison Black
"If you hurt my sister, you're as good as dead, Uley!" William barked as he walked inside the cabin. There was a strong odor of antiseptics and disinfectants and we saw a few bandages on the floor.
"Easy there, Black. I didn't do anything to that... spoiled brat!" He replied. He didn't seem to be in a good mood which was expectable given the fact that he had several minor lacerations and a few deeper cuts in his abdomen.
"You came after her, just like the others!" Will retorted. "If you tried to..."
"I came after her to help her! She was being chased by Quinn, EJ, and Danny! But I'll try to remember this the next time this shit happens." He cut Will off.
"Did you attack Danny, too?"
"William!" I warned my brother watching the tremors claim his body. "This is not the right moment! Control yourself!"
Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Can you tell us what happened? Do you know who attacked Danny?" I asked calmly.
"The boys from the White pack did. I managed to drag Sarah here while they were fighting, but she..."
"She what?" William pressed Levi.
"She left. I told her to stay here but she left." He was clenching his fists while saying that. "I've always known she's an idiot, but I never thought she'd be so damn stupid!"
"Stop talking shit about my sister!" William barked again.
"She would be safer here with me." He pointed out. "Out there she's a moving target. If she's smart enough she'll remain in human form. That way the other wolves will have a hard time finding her."
"Why?" I asked.
"Her scent intensifies when she's in wolf form."
William and I exchanged a look.
"We're wasting time here! She needs help." He said. Then he patched up his leg, he got up and picked up a gun. He took more ammo from a metal box in a closet and went to the door. William placed himself in front of him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Stop your sister from being raped?" Levi pushed William out of his way and started to sniff the air. "Tell the others that Quinn and EJ are that way. They're probably pissed off from being shot but it was the only effective way to stop them from going after your sister."
"You shot them?" I asked astonished.
"Yeah... I did," He looked at me with challenging eyes. "But they'll heal soon enough."
"My father will want your head on a plate, you know?" William grinned. Dad had never liked guns and there were clear indications that he didn't like Sam's son much.
"As if I give a fuck about your father..." He muttered loud enough for us to hear. Levi Uley was twenty years old, in my father's eyes he was just a pup who needed discipline, but I had to give Levi some credit. He was the only one who had done something about this.
"Why isn't Sarah's scent affecting you?" I questioned.
Levi didn't answer so I knew he was hiding something.
"If you're here to help, we need to move. Otherwise, just stay out of my way!"
We didn't have to warn the pack about EJ and Quinn because dad found them after a couple of minutes. And after taking care of Danny, Uncle Seth was also able to successfully locate August and Theo.
"Why did you bring the gun?" I asked Levi.
"It's good to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?"
"You're not very smart for an alpha, are you?" William growled but I decided to ignore his comment. "If I took both Quinn and EJ on my own, one of them would eventually hurt me or even kill me. I wouldn't be able to help Sarah if I died, so I shot Quinn and EJ to make them stop going after her. And it worked."
"You're a cold-hearted asshole, you know that Uley?" William commented.
"A shot in the leg isn't a mortal wound." Levi laughed. "We need to run faster."
"Why can't we phase?"
"If we do that, they'll notice our presence," Levi answered William's question.
We found the three young wolves lurking around Lake Ozette's campground. Tourists and even local people used to camp there mostly in the summer. It was an amazing site to take pictures and have a good time. There was a small house where people could buy or rent a canoe or a motorboat but at this time of the year, it was closed.
In November the heavy rains and the cold temperatures drove people away but today, that place was about to turn into a battlefield.
"There they are." I pointed north. The three wolves were tracking down Sarah, who was hiding in the nearby vegetation. She had found refuge behind a huge and strong tree but soon she would be found.
"We can take them. One of them for one of us. They're younger and smaller, I'm sure we'll win." William said. He was right. Alex was the largest wolf of the three that were following Sarah, but he still wasn't a match for any of us. The new members of the White pack had zero fighting skills and were a lot smaller than us because they were much younger. Alex was seventeen, Adam was fifteen, and Talon was only fourteen.
Knowing that we weren't going to let him shoot anyone else, Levi hid his gun close by and phased with us.
'Just go for his neck... the right amount of pressure will knock him out.'
'Sure, boss.' He said and he ran past us towards his opponent. But before he could reach Talon, a black and white wolf crashed against Levi, throwing him violently against a tree. I charged at Lance immediately, to stop him from hurting Levi again.
'More wolves are coming.' William informed. We both knew those wolves were Lance's packmates so we had to make sure Sarah was safe before they could reach us.
'Take Sarah and leave! Go to dad!' I told him.
'I can't leave you behind!'
'I can handle Lance and three pups. Levi will help me. Now go! Take her out of here!' Time was of the essence and Lance's sudden attack on Levi was a clear indication that he too was being affected by what was happening to Sarah.
'What the fuck...' Levi cursed when he got up. He was a bit dizzy but he could fight.
'Can you take on the three pups on your own?' I asked him.
'You should have more faith in me, dear alpha.'
William was running towards our sister. He had to take her out of there before the other wolves arrived. I could tell three more wolves were coming. Two were close to our location, but the other would only reach us in about ten minutes. Lance's mind was mute. Alpha wolves could communicate with each other but for some reason, I couldn't access Lance's thoughts.
'In that case, stop trying to communicate with him and take him down!' Levi said, blocking the pups' passage preventing them to catch up with William.
Fights between fellow wolves were usually quite brutal. In the wild, wolves fight for territory, for food, but mostly for the right to mate with the most suitable female. Shapeshifters were no different and Sarah had just become the most wanted female wolf of our history. In fact, females were rare in packs.
'That's the problem, isn't it? There aren't enough females.' William pointed. 'And now everyone wants a piece of Sarah.'
'The problem is Odessa Clearview.' I said. The old lady that was supposedly still alive inside her great-granddaughter's body had caused this. This was her fault and no one else's.
Lance chose that moment to attack me. He was old enough to be my father, and he was nothing like the pups that Levi was facing. Lance was an experienced fighter but unfortunately for him, he wasn't thinking straight. Unable to form a strategy, he would never be able to win against me which was not so good to Lance because I would have to hurt him.
His attacks were based on brute force and instinct, so I could dodge blow after blow rather quickly. He tried to use the trees as leverage but I was faster. His teeth did graze my neck a couple of times but he never drew blood. I knew I couldn't stay away from my brother and sister's location for too long because I wanted to make sure Will could protect Sarah, but Lance was taking me further into the lake's shoreline.
And through the mind link, I could sense that both William and Levi were also fighting and being driven away from Sarah by their opponents. They were trying to get rid of us and have a clear path towards my sister. The first one to win the fight would claim the prize. William's thoughts matched mine, he was worried about leaving Sarah unprotected. As for Levi, his thoughts were clear and focused on taking Sarah away from danger.
Because of his assertive performance as a wolf warrior and because he was motivated to help my sister, Levi defeated Alex, Adam, and Talon quickly and he picked her up after taking back his human form. I had instructed him to go south with Sarah so that he could take her towards my father. Dad would be able to protect her better than anyone else.
Levi made a small detour to pick up the gun he had ditched earlier and then he stuck to the plan, pulling Sarah away with him into the middle of the dense forest. I heard her arguing with him, telling him he was a pretentious dickhead, but Levi never argued back. He instructed her to remain in human form and be quiet.
I showed dad an image of Levi and Sarah leaving the area. He was more relaxed when he realized she was safe but the fact that she was with Levi was troubling him. In the back of his mind, there was a worry that Levi could be doing this to have Sarah all to himself.
'Levi doesn't feel the pull, dad. Relax.' I told him.
'Why wouldn't he feel it?'
'I don't know... maybe he imprinted and he never told us. Imprinted wolves don't feel the pull, right?'
'I know you two don't want to hurt Lance and Cody but if Dom finds Sarah, Levi won't be able to defeat him, so knock them down and escort your sister back to me, understood?'
Dad's words erased our reluctance in knocking down two older wolves who happened to be family friends because he was right. Dominic was the most violent and volatile member of the White pack. He couldn't probably win against dad but against a new wolf such as Levi, he would be able to prevail.
To our defense, William and I did hurry but by the time Lance and Cody were unconscious on the ground, Dom was already preying on Levi and Sarah. We were eleven minutes away. Dad was seventeen. Levi would have to fight for his life.
A/Note: as you know three years ago I rescued a kitten, she was in terrible shape, but she made it. Then she got mysteriously blind and early this year she was diagnosed with chronic renal disease. This means she doesn't have much time left which is heartbreaking for me because she's family. She needs daily fluid therapy and medication. I'm so focused on her health problems, I got lost in time. I'm sorry.
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Take care,
Karisan.