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.
A/Note 4: This chapter was renamed for coherence purposes. It was called Finding Odessa part 1. Nothing else changed.
Alpha
Book IV – The Matriarch
Sarah Black
85. Finding Odessa
It wasn't easy to convince Harry to take me to see Jay but he caved. People like my brother Harry didn't have the heart to refuse help to a poor heartbroken girl like me. I wouldn't call it emotional blackmail, but I suppose that what I did was close enough.
"Would you end a relationship with someone without talking to the other person? If I'm breaking up with Jay, I need closure, Harry. Please." I had begged in the car. "I need to talk to him and tell him that it's over so both of us can move on. Don't force me to make a mistake I know it will haunt me forever." I broke down crying and kept begging him to help me for almost ten minutes until he finally realized I wouldn't shut up and he took me to where Jay lived with his grandparents.
Outside, the small garden was neat suggesting that Mrs. Morris had already done her daily garden-cleaning. Suddenly, the sky was dark and full of big and heavy clouds and I saw my ex-boyfriend leaving the house. He was wearing his uniform, indicating he was going to work.
"Three minutes," My brother reminded me of our agreement. "I'll keep the car running."
"Fine!" I slammed the car door and met Jay at the same place we had met three days ago. Everything was different now. Three days ago I was a naive and delusional girl, still hoping that he would fight for me. Now I knew that my relationship with Jay was close to its end. It was time for me to give up because he already had.
"I asked the Council to go and speak to you, but they didn't allow it," He said as I approached him. "I'm really glad you're okay."
I thought I would be over the moon if I heard Jay say that but to my surprise, I didn't feel anything.
"What you did was..." He continued. "Running away like that..."
"It was stupid." I cut him off. "I know but I still did it. I was expecting you to follow me and accept my plan, but you didn't."
His eyes met the ground. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I am."
And he was probably telling me the truth. You don't forget your feelings about someone just because you imprinted. That much I knew. But your priorities change and that's why Jay didn't go after me. In a few years maybe I could forgive him, but not now. Now I was there to tell him that from now on, I wouldn't try to take him away from his imprint, he was free to choose his life.
"It doesn't matter anymore," I told him. "You've made your decision, and I finally made mine. I'm not staying here, I can't wait for you to realize that the imprint is just a trap, a way to dominate your spirit and make you follow the old legends because you may never realize it."
"I know the imprint is binding me to someone I don't know..." He explained. "But I can't fight it... I wish I could, but I can't. I'm sorry." He apologized.
"I know you are."
"Where are you going?" Jay asked. "Is he going with you?"
"He? Who?"
"Uley."
"Levi?"
"Yes, Levi. Is he going too?"
"No, of course not. Why would he?"
"There are rumors about you and him... about what happened."
"One minute Sarah!" Harry shouted from the car.
"Rumors? About what? Nothing happened." I explained. "Anyway, I'm here to return this." I gave Jay our wedding rings. We couldn't afford anything expensive, so we had settled for two white-silvered wedding rings which were the cheapest in the market. He had returned his ring to me when our wedding was annulled as an imposition from my parents. They intended to prove that Jay was no longer interested in me. And now I was giving him the rings back.
"Why are you giving me this?" He was surprised.
"Because you have someone you can give that ring to. Plus, you paid for it, so it's yours."
"I can't give this to Ella."
"Of course," I rolled my eyes. "She deserves a lot better."
"That's not what I meant..." He noted the irritation in my voice. "I mean, it doesn't feel right. I bought it for you, not for her."
"Then sell it. I don't think I should keep it."
Resigned Jay took both rings and put them in his pocket, then he hugged me. I wasn't expecting a hug, not even a touch, so it surprised me. I didn't know how to react so I stay still.
"I never wanted to become a wolf or have an imprint but now that this has happened, I can't imagine my life without it. I feel like shit by telling you this because I know that I've hurt you and that I've put your life in danger. I just hope that one day, you can forgive me."
It was good to see that he didn't assume I had already forgiven him because it would take a lot of time for me to do that. Maybe I would never forgive him. Maybe I would always be angry at him for this.
I freed myself from his embrace and walked towards my brother's car trying not to look back.
"Was this goodbye?" He asked me.
"It was."
"Good. Now we can finally go home."
"Home?" I asked in defiance. "We're not going home until you tell me what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to know everything about those rumors, so you better start talking."
I noticed my brother tensing and I immediately knew that there were things I still didn't know.
"I just broke up with Jay," I told Harry. "I think I deserve the truth, don't you?"
After a few seconds, he nodded and he took me to a place where we could talk more privately.
Three men followed us with their eyes when we entered The Lake. The small establishment was mostly visited by the drunk and homeless, and kids who wanted to buy alcohol illegally. Today there were no kids inside except for Annette's daughter, five-year-old Eliza.
Annette Armstrong was a hard-working woman, who had married a drunken piece of crap, and when he left her for her younger sister, she kept his commercial establishment for herself, as a compensation for the unpaid child support he kept denying her over the years.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked my brother. Initially, I thought he would take me to the forest. It was a secluded place where we could talk without being heard.
"Annette's blueberry pie is legendary." He smiled at me and pulled me to one of the empty tables on the back of the establishment. "And this is the last place on the Reservation we'll find mom or dad. If they suspect I told you the truth, they'll kill me."
"Why?"
"They're worried about you."
"I'm fine. Nothing happened. Nothing will happen because Jay chose his imprint and I'm leaving La Push in a few hours. I'm going to live with vampires, who will guard me as if I'm some kind of prisoner until this whole mess is over."
"What if it's never over?"
"What?"
"A female wolf only goes into heat about two years after phasing for the first time. Whatever happened, it was fabricated by that crazy old lady that lives inside her great-granddaughter's body, but I'm sure you already know about that. The point is, if we don't find a way to reverse this, you won't be able to come home."
"You're overreacting."
"I don't think you understand how serious the situation is."
"Enlighten me, please."
"There's a lot at stake, Sarah. This is not just about us being protective of you. It's not about you having to leave home until it's safe to come back... it's about the pack, its dynamics, the relationship between its members, the role of the alpha wolves... everything's being tested right now."
"It wasn't my intention..."
"I know. But it happened and now no one knows what's going to happen after this."
"You still haven't told me what happened."
My brother sighed. I guess he would rather not talk about that but I wouldn't give up. I would keep on asking over and over again.
"When you phased to confront Glenn, who was dizzy and half-blind, Dom arrived and he knocked you out. Then Levi arrived and charged against him."
So the wolf who had knocked me out was Dominic Valens, Aunt Gwen's brother. I nodded, urging him to continue.
"Levi fought Dom and, against all odds, he won the bout. He didn't win without injuries but he managed to knock out a wolf that is twice his size. When Will and I got to you, Dominic was on the ground and that's when Levi snapped. We didn't realize what was happening until we noticed his silver eyes." My brother paused as Annette approached our table. She put two slices of blueberry pie on the table and left.
"What do you mean Levi snapped?"
"I mean he snapped, he stopped fighting his wolf spirit and let it rule his actions." Harry lowered his voice. "Then you woke up. Your eyes matched his. You phased and both of you started circling each other and growling. We had no idea what was going on so we kept watching until I finally managed to reach Levi's mind. At first, I thought you were going to attack each other but..."
"But what?"
"But you weren't thinking about killing each other..."
There was a pause again. Which made me feel a bit anxious.
"In that precise moment, I was able to feel your emotions as well as Levi's. And they were in synch. He wanted to mate with you and you... wanted to mate with him."
"That's not true. I never wanted to mate with Levi and he never tried to..."
"What you and Levi wanted, didn't matter." Harry cut me off. "Your wolves wanted it. And if William and I weren't there you would have mated. I know it's hard to believe in something when you can't remember what happened but I'm telling you the truth. Something happened between you and Levi."
"The Cullens said he didn't touch me. They said no one touched me."
"Physically Levi didn't do anything."
"Then why is everyone so damn worried about it?"
"Because this means you and him are connected and we don't know how that will affect the other packs. I was supposed to be Levi's alpha, but his wolf also responds to you. You must realize that both you and Levi are in a very fragile situation."
"Why?"
"For many reasons, Sarah. Countless things can go wrong."
"So what happens now?"
"Levi will face the consequences."
"What consequences? Nothing HAPPENED!" I raised my voice and Annette looked over her shoulder from the counter. "How many times am I going to have to repeat that?"
"What he did was reckless, it was more than insubordination. I alpha commanded him twice to stay put and he kept fighting. And I honestly don't know what would've happened if dad hadn't arrived when he did."
"Are you telling me that you and Will couldn't defeat Levi Uley? He turned like a month ago... He's no match for the both of you!"
"We kicked his ass alright but he wasn't fighting alone." Harry glared at me and then he showed me his left arm from his shoulder to his elbow. It had marks of a recent wound. "That was you. You attacked us to protect him. That's why we couldn't beat Levi because you were always in our way."
After our conversation, Harry and I went home. During our way back, Harry couldn't tell me what were the consequences Levi was going to face once he had recovered from his injuries. He only said that the Council was still discussing the subject. I didn't understand why was Levi being punished for something that was a misunderstanding.
Our wolves could not be connected. I refused to believe that. I didn't have feelings for him. I was thankful for his help, but there was nothing else. And Levi had also made clear that he wasn't interested in me. He still saw me as a child.
He's an asshole. Still, I owe him.
By the end of the afternoon, I called Granddad Billy. As head of the Tribal Council, he would be the one to deliver Levi's punishment, so I tried to plead to his good nature and sense of justice. I told him that even though Levi was conceited and full of himself, he had saved me. His intentions had been good from the start. I attested his good behavior when we were alone, his good advice, his preoccupation about my wellbeing but in the end, Granddad said it wasn't just up to him. There were three more members on the Council.
"We're going to vote, child. You know what it means, don't you?" He had asked me. It meant that Levi was pretty much screwed because mom and dad would want him to be punished and they would have Grandma Sue's support. Even if Granddad Billy and Sam voted against Levi's punishment, it would be a tie, and they would call one member of the Small Council to give the final vote. That member would be my mother.
So I told Granddad that it was unfair to punish Levi when the fault was mine and then I hung up. I was tired of all that drama.
The hell with La Push and the Tribal Council.
I couldn't wait to arrive at Grimes Creek, and then I would go and find Odessa Clearview.
xxxxxxxxxx
When I woke up I was in a small cottage in the middle of a forest. It was either nightfall or the forest was too dense to see the daylight. I looked around. The cottage was empty, except for a bed where I was sitting. Then a howl echoed. I left the cottage and walked in the forest trying to find the origin of the howl. It didn't take much time to find the howling wolf.
He stood on four legs right in front of me. For a split second, it looked like he was grinning at me and to my surprise, I grinned back because I knew who he was and why he was there.
"Uley." I murmured right before exploding in my clothes.
'Black... took you long enough.' Levi contacted me.
'You should learn to be more patient.'
'I'll give you a head start,'
'Who said I need a head start?'
'Oh... Do you want to skip the foreplay? I must say I'm eager to claim you and get you to carry my pups, but the chase makes everything a lot more exciting!'
A loud bang on the door woke me up. It took me a while to remember where I was. This wasn't the first time I had a dream about Levi Uley. Ever since I had arrived at Grimes Creek two days ago, I'd been having those stupid dreams.
"Sarah? Can I come in?" Alice Cullen's head appeared through the open door. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"I was a bit tired." I wondered how far would my dream go if Alice hadn't shown up.
"Of course, it's just that Carlisle wishes to have a word with you."
"Did something happen? Do you know what's going on in Campbell?"
"Not yet, but your parents will call any moment. Try not to worry too much."
Yesterday night my parents had called to inform me that they had been summoned to Campbell Island. A few hours later William, Harry, and Isaac had also been called. No one knew what was going on yet, but it had to be serious.
"What if one of the Heiltsuk kids died from the injuries? Levi might have used too much strength against them. They're had no experience fighting... and the fault is mine."
"It's not your fault, Sarah. They were unable to fight against their primal desires."
"It's still my fault, Alice. I caused this mess."
Alex, Adam, and the most recent member of the White pack, Talon, had all ended up injured. Uncle Seth had guaranteed me that none of them had been seriously wounded but now I was not so sure. Why would the Heiltsuk Tribal Council call all the alpha wolves to Campbell?
"Look... if someone had died we would know by now."
I shrugged. Maybe Alice was right but it was still frustrating not knowing what was going on.
"Go talk to Carlisle and then we'll make you a company while you have your lunch, okay?"
I dragged myself into Carlisle's office. Technically this was Alice's house but it had enough rooms to accommodate two families of eight, so her adoptive father had his own office and a lab in the basement, just like Emmett had his tennis court on the rooftop, and Rose had her garage.
"How are you feeling today, Sarah?" Carlisle asked me when I sat on the chair in front of his desk.
"Wonderful." I rolled my eyes.
"I know you're under a lot of pressure and you just moved in but... I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"Do I have your consent to collect a few samples of your blood and run some tests?"
"Tests?"
"You know I've been studying shapeshifters for years, right?"
I nodded.
"You're unique, Sarah. I can learn a lot by studying you. Your parents don't oppose so all I need is your permission." He added.
"You just want my blood?"
"That and a few honest answers."
"Like what?"
"Does our scent repulse you?"
"It was kind of gross in the beginning but I think I got used to it."
Carlisle wrote a few notes on his notebook.
"Your brothers said the same. I think this new generation of wolves is slightly different from the previous one. You're adapting and that's very interesting." He kept writing things and when his pen stopped he focused his yellow eyes on me. "The next questions will be more... intimate okay?"
I shrugged. I couldn't say I was surprised. My condition was being discussed by the Quileutes Tribal Council, the packs, the sorcerer woman from the Makah Res, and probably even the Heiltsuk Council so why would I feel bothered to answer Carlisle's questions? At least he was a doctor and had a valid reason to discuss the subject.
"How would you describe your wolf's sexual drive right now?"
"I'm not sure." I moved uncomfortably on the chair.
"Would you consider it stronger than three days ago? Or has the urge diminished?"
"I think it's the same."
"Have you ever wanted to run off and go back to La Push?"
"No."
"Not even when the Council proposed Levi Uley's banishment?"
"That was... It's not fair, Carlisle. Levi only tried to help me and they are punishing him for something that he couldn't control."
"I'm not saying that it's fair. I think that releasing a young wolf from a pack and the community will do more damages than good to the fragile balance between the packs but I also understand your parents' point of view."
"Have you talked to them about that?"
"Of course."
"But they didn't listen to you, did they?"
Carlisle laughed.
"They wouldn't be Jacob and Leah if they didn't disagree with me."
I didn't know why Carlisle found that so damn amusing. Levi had been found responsible for lying to the packs, deceiving the elder wolves, and put my physical wellbeing on the line. Although they considered his help valuable and his intentions good, my parents were not convinced he could control his urges. At some point, someone had suggested that Levi should be banished from Harry's pack and submit to my father but dad didn't want to take him and neither did Isaac. The day I had learned about that, I asked the Cullens to return to La Push to testify on Levi's favor but they didn't allow me to go.
"Back to the subject. Did you want to go back to La Push when you learned about Levi?"
"A little. I wanted to let the Council know that they're making a bad decision."
"Do you have dreams about him?"
"Levi? No."
I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Carlisle didn't believe my lie.
"Honesty is important, Sarah. Please."
"I did have some dreams..." I ultimately conceded.
"About him?"
"Yes."
"Do you mate with him in your dreams?"
"No!"
"Your heartbeat increases when you're lying."
I mentally cursed. I didn't want to get into details about my dreams.
"Dreams don't matter, right?"
"It depends. Your dreams might be the result of your inner desires."
"My wolf's inner desires." I corrected. "I never wanted this. All I wanted was to leave La Push with Jay like we had planned once upon a time and have a normal life but now that's impossible and I keep dreaming with Levi Uley. We've never mated in my dreams but my wolf... she wants to. Why does she feel this way about him?"
"I don't know if there's an answer to that question."
Carlisle got up from his chair and he pointed at a painting on the wall that showed a DNA sequence.
"I've been studying non-human creatures ever since I became a vampire. Well, I didn't start right away, that's just a matter of speaking, of course." He paused for a while. "I must confess that shapeshifters are the most amazing species. I've formulated theories and I think I did get a few things right, but it's not the aspects of your morphology and physiology that compels me to keep studying shapeshifters. It's your behavior."
It wasn't a surprise hearing him say that. There was a time when I didn't know much about the Cullens except that they were rich, they were good friends of my family, they gave me amazing and expensive gifts on my birthday and Christmas, and they were constantly traveling. But now that I knew the truth I knew Carlisle was a doctor and a scientist and I understood his fascination with us.
"If I had to find one word to characterize vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters it would be death, destruction, and life, respectively. Out of the three species, you're the only one who can create life, who can fit in society, who have a purpose. I've seen a group of frightened kids become fierce protectors of their tribe. I've seen a boy with no sense of self-confidence turn into a leader. And now I'm watching the next generation take over."
"We're not taking over."
"Not yet, but you will, because that's how life works. Like your brothers, you too will become alpha one day but you still need to learn a lot of things. You're volatile and that makes you dangerous. One moment you're fine, the other you're exploding and turning into a giant beast. One moment you're calm and quiet, the other you're submitting to the lust of your wolf. That's why you're being constantly watched. It's not because we don't trust you, it's because we all know how hard it is to control your animal spirit."
"I know... you're just trying to help. Even if it looks like I'm on house arrest." I tried not to sound bitter. "I'm miles away from La Push... the only wolves around me are my brothers, so why can't I go outside and take a walk? Or go to the Makah Reservation or Port Angeles?"
"You can do all of that but only if one of us goes with you."
Carlisle smiled friendly and handed me a paper. It was a schedule. I guess school-break was over.
"You'll start classes tomorrow with Alice."
"Okay, so which one of you is my bodyguard for today?"
"Rosalie."
I nodded.
"Carlisle? I was wondering... do you think Alice would mind if someone else came to live here? I mean, there are so many rooms available, and I could use the company of a friend."
"That depends... who are you talking about?"
"Harry's girlfriend." The Cullens didn't know that Harry had gotten married.
"And why should she come to live here?"
"Well, because according to Harry she's currently living with her ex-boyfriend, which is something I know Harry isn't very happy with and because she's pregnant and she'll need to be monitored by a doctor soon, don't you think?"
I had spoken the magic words. I knew Carlisle wouldn't turn down the chance of monitoring Season's pregnancy.
xxxxxxxxxx
Season moved in the next day much to Harry's content. He was still in Campbell and didn't know when he was coming back, but I could tell he was relieved and happy when I called to tell the news.
Ryan and Norah were over the moon. They had never had different bedrooms. Bella, Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were spoiling Season with new clothes and healthy food. They knew Season didn't know about the pregnancy but they couldn't control themselves. The prospect of a baby in the house was too much too handle for four vampire women who had never known motherhood.
All the attention they were giving to Season was exactly what I needed to be able to put my plan into action. I needed to get out of that house and find Odessa Clearview and that evening I finally had the chance. The men had gone out to hunt and Season was throwing up. While everyone was trying to help her out, I snatched Alice's car keys and drove to the Makah Reservation to find the Spirits' Girl. I didn't know where she lived but I wasn't going to give up that easily.
I was about to enter the road that led to the Makah Reservation when I saw a girl in the middle of the empty road. Dana Hansen. Odessa Clearview.
She had found me before I found her.
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Karisan.