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 IV – The Matriarch

Sarah Black

83. With a Capital "A"

"I didn't ask you to come!" I shouted back at Levi. He was standing in front of me, his arms crossed over his chiseled chest, his eyes throwing daggers at me. "I don't need your help, go home!"

"Fine! I'll remember that next time you're chased by a pack of horny wolves whose only intent is to rape you!" He shouted back.

I gulped. As far as I knew he had shot EJ and Quinn, and the rest of the wolves who had been chasing me were knocked out. I knew he had done it to protect me but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I appreciated his help.

"It's over. You got rid of them, I'm fine so let's just forget this whole shit happened and leave."

"That doesn't mean they won't regain their senses and won't come after you again, you moron! We're a long way from La Push."

"If you call me a moron one more time, I'm going to kick your sorry ass! I don't care if you're older or bigger than me!"

"I'd love to see you try, Spitfire," Levi smirked. He was a conceited asshole and I hated when he treated me like a child.

"I hate you!"

"Yeah, I know. And you can keep on hating me just as long as we keep on walking. We really need to go back." Levi ignored my threat and grabbed my left arm violently pulling me with him again.

"No, you have to go back. I'm staying right here. I'm not going home." I pushed him away from me and he growled making the hairs on the back of my head stand up. I felt strangely hot whenever he growled at me. But I couldn't tell him that. It was embarrassing. There were a lot of potential mates for me but for some stupid reason, my wolf spirit seemed to feel attracted to Levi.

"Listen to me, Sarah... Your brothers just fought two members of the White pack. Both are veteran wolves who can defeat a vamp with their eyes closed, both could have killed Harry and William. And there are two more wolves on the way to make you submit and force you to mate with one of them... Danny almost died today because of you and I was forced to fucking shoot two people, so you could escape unharmed! So take your head out of your fucking ass and don't make me drag you all the way to La Push, got it?"

I wanted to tell him he was a jerk but my wolf was too busy taking in the sight of Levi's tall and lean body, his muscles, his big hands, his broad and large frame that would completely cover mine if we were laying down on the grass kissing.

Fuck this shit, I'm imagining kissing Levi Uley. I thought embarrassingly.

Initially, I thought I could control this heat thing. I had a plan: choose Jay as my mate, make him my alpha male and prove that love could triumph over imprinting but that plan had blown up in my face about an hour ago, and now my wolf part was taking a weird and inconvenient interest in Levi Uley. From all the candidates available, she had found Levi the most suitable one though I could not understand why because even though he was not a bad person and he was kind of beautiful, he was a major asshole. With a capital "A".

So what if he was tall and his abbs were more defined than Jay's? What if his recently cut hair gave him a sexy bad-boy look? What if he was smart and brave and had saved me more times than I was willing to admit? He had been with me when we were captured by the Volturi. He had been tortured by Jane and he had phased because of me. He had gone to Italy to bring me home. He had been the first person to see me phase into a giant wolf and when I was in wolf-mode I only felt safe whenever I was near him. Could that mean something?

"We don't have time for this, Sarah!" He warned me again.

"You're not my father, Uley!" I told him. "Look... I understand the situation but if we both fight, we'll win. I'll take one, you'll take the other."

"Have you ever fought before?"

"No..."

"Then you're useless. I can't let you stay here because I won't have the time to protect you."

That hurt my ego. Who the fuck was this guy to tell me I was useless? I was a lot of things but useless was not one of them.

"I'm not useless."

"Those guys have years on us, Black." He added, pressing my last name. "I'm not even sure I can win. Besides what do you think they'll do to you?"

"Fine... Then use me as a decoy."

"You'll be a sitting duck." He said. "They're here for you, and they won't stop until they have what they want."

"So what's your plan?"

"Go south, on foot, as fast as you can. Your father is on his way, he'll find you eventually. Harry and Will are coming too, so I'll try to hold off the two wolves until they arrive."

"You'll be alone."

"I'll be fine."

"I want to help."

"If you phase, it'll be worse. Your scent intensifies when you're a wolf."

"My scent?"

"It tells all the wolves that you're in heat."

"I don't want to be responsible for your death, Uley."

It was true. I didn't like Levi much but I didn't want him dead.

"I don't plan on dying. Now go!"

I looked back a couple of times, guilt consuming me. Levi was right. We couldn't take down the wolves of the White pack because compared to them, we were too young and too weak. The last thing I saw before leaving Levi behind was his clothes falling on the forest grass and then a huge wolf took form amongst the high trees. Levi's coat was black with specks of grey fur on his belly and neck. Between him and Isaac, I couldn't tell which one was the bigger wolf but I knew for sure that I was the smallest. I hated that Levi was right. I probably wouldn't be much of a help but I felt like a coward.

Maybe Levi was right I should run as fast I as could. Maybe I had failed to see that this situation was a lot more preoccupying than what I had expected. Levi had mentioned that Danny had been attacked and was severely wounded. What if Danny died because of me? How could I face my aunt and uncle after that?

Thinking about it, my parents were probably furious with me. I would have to explain why I had drugged my brother and why my actions had forced all the wolves to act on animal instinct. For the first time since I had left home, I felt embarrassed and nervous. I had no idea how this day would end. Earlier I had been one hundred percent sure that by the end of the day I would be with Jay, explaining to my parents that we had mated and that no one would separate us from then on.

But at the moment I knew things would not happen the way I had planned. Jay hadn't come after me. He was too worried about his imprint. I wanted to believe he still had feelings for me but the imprint bond was getting stronger and apparently, there was nothing I could do to change that.

I heard the first howls. Levi was fighting now. There was only one opponent so far, so maybe he could win without too many injuries and then face the second wolf that was approaching. Unfortunately, the second opponent appeared earlier than expected and I heard the noises of a huge confrontation. The floor seemed to vibrate with the impact of the huge wolves falling down. Then the scent of blood hit me and I was unable to continue.

I knew Levi was going to yell at me but he was being attacked and he was bleeding. He needed help and I was his only chance besides the White pack wolves didn't want to kill me, so they wouldn't mortally wound me.

My wolf was ready to come out so when I transformed I felt a huge charge of adrenaline. I turned back full speed and found a mess at the place where Levi was fighting. There were tree branches all over the ground, the earth and grass were revolved and there were drops of blood everywhere. Levi was hurt but so was his first opponent who was on the floor too tired or too wounded to get up.

I focused on the wolf that was currently pinning Levi to the ground. He was massive but he wasn't as strong or as big as the twins or dad, and that made me build some courage and attack him from behind. He wasn't expecting it so he tumbled over to the right side, hitting the ground roughly and getting dizzy. Levi seized the opportunity to stand up again but when he saw me he growled in displease.

Did he really think I was afraid of a growl? Was he stupid enough to think that I would let him sacrifice himself for me? I had caused all of this trouble so it was time I paid for it. And if that meant that I would have to fight and get hurt, then fine. I had heard stories about healing abilities so I wasn't worried about a few cuts and bruises.

'We're talking about rape, you idiot! I'm not worried about cuts and bruises! Actually, I'm tempted to hit you in the fucking head right now!' Levi shouted mentally at me. I didn't know what surprised me the most: the fact that I was finally mentally connected to another wolf or the fact that I could feel his preoccupation with my safety. 'What part of don't turn back didn't you understand?'

'I just saved your life,' I shouted back.

'You just made everything worse, moron!'

'You were on the ground, he was about to cut your neck with his teeth!'

Our opponent had recovered so Levi came to stand in front of me, to shield me from him.

'I made everything worse? Really? How come?'

'So far I was an equal rival to them. Now... I'm their target.'

He didn't have to explain any further. Both wolves were now under the impression that I was favoriting Levi because I had come to his aid.

The second wolf stumbled towards us too. He was still bleeding and could barely stand.

'When I attack, you have to run. Run as fast as you can in wolf form. The weaker wolf will follow you but I hit him in the head pretty bad, the dizziness won't fade in less than an hour or so. That will buy you time to get away from here and then phase back to human. If one of them finds you, don't turn. They will try to do so, by threatening to maul or bite you, because their wolves want to mate and they won't be able to do it unless you're a wolf too. So stay human, hide, and wait for your father. He'll be with you in ten minutes. Do you understand?'

'Okay... I understand.'

I didn't wait for the attack, I just ran. Just like Levi predicted, the weaker wolf followed me while the other one was held up by Levi. Due to his injury, I was able to outrun my pursuer easily. When I thought I was safe, I morphed back and then I searched for the clothes I had abandoned in the forest earlier. I left my jacket behind to be a decoy.

And then alone in the forest, I waited.

One minute passed, then two, and three. The injured wolf was still out there following my scent. He was getting closer but in his state of confusion and dizziness, he was easily misled. He found the jacket I had left behind and that's when I noticed there was something wrong with his eyes. It looked like he couldn't see at all.

He would eventually find me, hiding behind that tree because a wolf does not depend only on his eyesight when hunting a prey. I could keep running but if I did, he would hear me. I only had one option.

Levi had told me not to phase again but I could defeat this wolf. I knew I could. Even not having any experience fighting, I was certain that I could beat this injured wolf. I was young, small, and I had never fought before, but he was vulnerable. He couldn't see and he was dizzy and limping. I could take advantage of that.

Sometimes courage and bravery are confused with stubbornness. The second time I phased I wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone nor to irritate Levi, I was simply trying to defend myself. Since I wasn't interested in hearing Levi's lecture, I focused on shutting him down inside my head but before I was able to do it I read in his mind that Harry and William were almost reaching his location. Levi wouldn't have to fight alone anymore.

It was up to me now. If I got rid of my opponent, no one would have to fight anymore.

Or so I thought.

xxxxxxxxxx

"She's waking up," I heard a melodic voice say. "I think she might be hungry."

"I'll prepare a light meal in a second." Said another pleasant-sounding voice.

When I opened my eyes the first thing I noticed was the immaculate white ceiling of the living room. The couch was comfortable but a bit cold. I managed to sit down and saw three pairs of yellowish eyes watching me closely.

"How do you feel?" Asked Bella.

Like I was hit by a train. I thought. My body hurt everywhere and I had a bump in the forehead.

"Jasper, can you ask Esme to bring an Advil for Sarah?" Edward Cullen asked his brother. "She's in pain."

Jasper looked at me then at his brother and then he got up from his chair and went to the kitchen where I could hear Esme humming a song while cooking. She was making eggs with toast.

"Where are we?" I asked. This was not the Cullen's living room unless they had remodeled it recently.

"We're at Alice's new house near the Makah Reservation," Edward answered me.

"I feel sick..." Before I could finish the sentence I threw up on the floor. Bella rubbed my back affectionately. Her sweet scent was making me feel even sicker.

"I'm sorry about the mess... I'll clean it up."

"Oh, it's fine, I'll clean it up." Bella moved at the speed of light and the next instant, the floor was spotless again. "See? No big deal. Are you feeling better now? Are you hungry?"

I was hungry but I was still feeling a bit sick. Then I noticed I was not wearing my clothes. Someone had changed me into new clothes. That thought was a bit disturbing because I couldn't remember almost anything that had happened after phasing and attacking the injured wolf.

"It was Alice. Your clothes were almost non-existent and there was blood all over you." Edward said after reading my mind. "She washed and dressed you up."

I did remember hitting the floor hard and then all went black. I guess that taking on a wolf, even an injured one, had been too much for me.

"Did that wolf do something to me?" I whispered.

"You're fine. Nothing happened. Dominic hit you pretty hard, but as soon as you hit the ground you phased back and Levi shielded you until your brothers arrived."

I sighed in relief.

"Where is everyone?"

"Your parents are in the Makah Reservation attending important matters. Your brothers are escorting the White pack back home, and Levi is back at La Push."

"Are they all okay? Levi said Danny was wounded, and EJ and Quinn were shot."

"Danny will recover, so will the others," Bella stated with a smile. "You'll know more when Leah and Jacob arrive."

That was something I wasn't looking forward to.

"They're not that angry," Bella added noticing my face. "But they're not happy either."

Of course, they weren't happy. I had lied, I had drugged my brother, I had disobeyed my parents, and I had caused a mess just because I thought my boyfriend could fight his imprint for me. I was going to be grounded for the rest of my life.

Mom and dad arrived as I was finishing my meal. They didn't tell me anything, they went straight to a room with Carlisle and they stayed there for almost an hour, speaking so low I wasn't able to hear a damn word.

"Are you still in pain?" Esme asked.

"No, the Advil helped. Thank you." I replied. "I know I messed up," I told Esme who looked at me with a sad expression.

"We all make mistakes sometimes, and you're young... I'm sure everyone will understand."

I wasn't so sure. I didn't believe that people would understand the reasons that had taken me to act the way I did. Besides my parents didn't want me to have a relationship with Jay in the first place. They were going to accuse me of being reckless and selfish.

A few minutes later, Carlisle called me. Esme squeezed my shoulder affectionately and offered me a smile.

"It's going to be okay." She whispered.

When I walked inside the room I saw my parents first. They were both standing one on each side of the window. They looked relieved to see me but none of them smiled. Jasper offered me a chair and I took it. Carlisle was leaning against a desk, behind him there was a painting on the wall showing the Cullen sigil.

"My presence won't be necessary," Jasper said and then he left quietly.

"How do you feel, Sarah?" Carlisle was the first to ask.

"I'm okay."

Mom and dad moved uncomfortably. I knew they wanted to lecture me but apparently, they wanted to do it in private.

"I do believe that you know what happened today, right?"

I nodded.

"I've been studying the pack for a long time. There are still things that I failed to explain but I'm sure that you have a special status amongst the shapeshifters. You are the first female wolf with alpha blood. That gives you certain... responsibilities." Carlisle's eyes met mine and I felt a bit intimidated by his words. "Right now you're not an alpha yet for you don't have a pack but one day you will and we all want to make sure you know what that means." He continued.

"I know what it means." I countered.

"No, you don't!" Mom said.

Finally, the lecture. I thought. Maybe after this, they would all leave me alone.

"What your mother is trying to say is that today you didn't act like an alpha nor like a protector. You put yourself in danger and you endangered others." Carlisle added.

Did they think I didn't know that? I wasn't proud of myself but I wasn't going to admit that.

"We're not here to tell you what you did wrong because we know that you are aware of that."

"Why did you call me then?"

And why weren't my parents talking? Their silence was getting on my nerves.

Carlisle put something on the table. A closer look told me it was a syringe with a liquid inside.

"What's that?"

"Birth control." He said. I blinked several times and then I understood why they had made sure I didn't listen to their earlier conversation.

"Nothing happened. I didn't..."

"Nothing happened today, but what about tomorrow or in a week, a month?" Carlisle reinforced. "This shot won't hurt you, it will simply guarantee you won't get pregnant if you let yourself be controlled by your wolf."

"So, you don't trust me." I looked directly at my parents. It was a dumb question after my actions. Of course, they didn't trust me.

"We don't trust your wolf," Carlisle explained. "She's in heat and I think that what happened today proves that you don't control your wolf that well."

"Fine! I'll take the damn shot. Let's just get over with this!" I extended my arm and Carlisle took the syringe.

This whole situation was ridiculous. I had let myself be controlled by my wolf in a time of anger and disappointment but nothing had happened. I didn't know why they were so worried about this.

"It's for the better, Sarah." He said while giving me the shot. "We don't know how long your mating season will last so it's better if you take precautions."

A/Note: On the 14th of December 2019 I lost my kitten. I know it was just a cat but she was very important to me. I take comfort knowing she's not suffering anymore, but that doesn't take away the sadness of not seeing her every day, not taking care of her, not petting her. It's not fair that she only got to stay with us for three years. This chapter is short and poorly written because right now I'm not in my normal state of mind. Better days will come. Thank you for your patience.

Thanks for the reviews: Guest(s), CentaurPrincess, brankel1, Mel9kiSihou, Island Mama, Weave the Magic, Kary G, almondbutter, rocklesson86, TheSlytherinQueenbee, nikkieowens, nene82743, Deadman'sGun, bonzgirl, Jazzmatazz30, sia-gomo01, FangsandDaggers, Sagal Farah, chemistrykim, Daughter of the earth, Gizmo60, EvangellaAkriti, Sarah Blackwater, lory77, Beauty Eclipsed, tcpg02, Aiyanna Clearwater, Ebble, riskingit, Ella Tremaine, shadoxwolfpaw, Jaybeecee, MammaNita4, daniela, Candie Marie, etforreal.

I'd also like to thank all the followers of this story and all the readers who added it to their favorites list. Thank you.

Take care,

Karisan.