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
Isaac Black
95. Porcelain Doll
"Dad cried." EJ mocked. "I'm not kidding, he actually cried when Danny finished the second trial. He didn't look at me when I beat the crap out of everyone… No, he looked at Danny, who was second-best. Isn't this lame?"
My cousin continued ranting. He was overreacting. Uncle Paul had congratulated both of his sons but he did get a bit emotional when he saw that Danny completed the circuit of the second trial only five minutes after his older brother.
Hell, even I was shocked. I thought Jay would be the second wolf to finish the task but he was third. So I understood Uncle Paul's feelings, especially given the fact that my cousin had almost quit the pack a few days ago.
Danny was not as useless as he thought so once he put his heart in it, everything happened as it should. And he had done it. He had faced his fears and he had decided that he wanted to help more than he wanted to leave.
"I can be an architect after this. I just need to think that one day this stupid war will be over and the packs won't be needed. Then everything will be back to normal." He had said just before the first trial. There was a moment I thought he was not going to show up, but he did and I was happy because I could see potential in Danny although I was kind of worried about the 'going back to normal thing' he had mentioned. One day things would definitely get better but it wouldn't be anytime soon.
Things were more complicated than we thought.
Fact one: Aro was in a catatonic state and Caius was in his normal state of mind which meant that the Volturi were lacking a firm and efficient leader because Caius only cared about his wife and killing werewolves. Right now the twins and Chelsea were holding the fort but their first decision had been as erratic as a drunk driver. Meaning they were to remain to hide and would not interfere with the rest of the world until further notice. So if we got attacked by an army of vampires coming from the south, the Volturi would not move a muscle to aid us, not even if said army attacked the White House and killed every human in it. Everyone knew the Volturi were supposed to control the vampire community. Without them, vampires could do whatever they liked.
Fact two: Maria's army was increasing each passing day. The Cullens had just received information that she was recruiting in Mexico and her numbers were now up to forty. Most of her recruits were criminals linked to drug cartels. We still didn't know what her plan was but she was definitely moving north.
Fact three: There was a very high possibility that Jane knew about Marcus and Scarlett's betrayal and she had a secret plan that probably involved getting rid of them at some point. We suspected this because once inside the Armadillo Fort the law was to remain there until it was safe to go back to Volterra. No vampire could leave the Fort to reduce the chances of giving up their present location to a stranger or the enemy, yet Jane had allowed Scarlett to go look for Marcus. It was known that Jane had no sympathy for the vampire child who she saw as a rival within the Coven, but the safety of the Volturi was the most important thing right now and by letting Scarlett go Jane was jeopardizing everything. That could only mean that the cunning angel-faced vampire had something up her sleeve.
And in the middle of all of this craziness, Alice was planning William and Rhea's wedding that had been rescheduled for the day after tomorrow. Bella had suggested a huge party with practically the entire population of La Push. With so many people in one place, Marcus was going to try to locate the Conductor, and this way he would have more chances of success.
"Your brother did a great job, EJ. We all knew you would be the first wolf completing the circuit but no one dreamed that Danny would finish right after you." EJ shrugged not impressed. "Now you need to be prepared for tonight."
"Fine, mom."
I rolled my eyes. EJ was too confident about the third trial.
"Let's do this." He said stripping his clothes. I did the same and we both phased.
'Remember what I said. Relax and try to connect with my mind.'
We were training. EJ was off patrol duty and I wanted to train my pack one last time before the third trial. It was going to be a mental trial with Sam.
I hid my thoughts from EJ which was not hard to do. I could shut my mind off completely to any wolf and enter the thoughts of anyone I wanted. So I knew what he was thinking but he couldn't listen to my thoughts. Entering Sam's mind would be ten times harder. EJ was getting better at this but his hot temper dictated that he was extremely volatile. Sometimes he could enter my thoughts easily, other times he simply failed.
Sam was going to be one hell of a challenge. The older wolf was an expert in the art of mental training. Dad's pack had years on us. They had fought battles together, patrolled these lands together, and hunted down and killed vampires together for many years. Sharing thoughts between them was something that they did naturally. It seemed to be easy for me, the twins, and Sarah too but the younger wolves had trouble connecting their minds with other wolves.
In the end, I knew that probably none of my packmates would pass the third trial and I was worried. They were still trying to cope with a lot of things.
Quinn was frequently assaulted by thoughts of his latest arguments with his mother. She wanted him to spend more time in the Makah Reservation with the rest of his family but Quinn wanted to get to know his father better and he liked his kid sisters. Besides, recently he had started to spend more time with Julia Cameron.
Jay's relationship with his father Jason and his wife had improved significantly. His stepsiblings were also a lot friendlier now that Jay had put on some muscle and became taller. But he was still trying to figure out the imprint and the constant need to see and be with Ella. I also knew he felt anger towards Levi Uley though I didn't understand exactly why.
Levi was not the most sociable and nice guy on Earth but aside from work, he had never interfered much in Jay's life. The incident with Sarah was probably the culprit but Levi was gone now and Jay still felt a strong resentment towards the younger Uley.
Danny was struggling to keep up with the rest of us while having an open mind about a better future once we could stop being wolves. He understood our situation better than EJ and had his mindset about protecting his family and the people in La Push, but there were times he simply wanted to have a normal life.
EJ wanted to be a hero and humiliate the twins who had lied to him and pushed him away. He was also a bit jealous of Uncle Paul and Danny's relationship but that was him being an idiot because everyone could see that Uncle Paul cared about him too. It was just easier to approach and talk to Danny.
'Man, you must be thinking about the only time you got laid because I can't reach your thoughts. I know it's a secret you want to take to your grave but one day you'll slip and we'll know every kinky detail…'
He was teasing me. He wanted me to lose control and erase the walls around my mind.
'You know Mattie has a friend that liked you… I can set up a date for you two since your girlfriend dumped your ass and is living with that Makah witch. What do you say?'
It was not going to work. And he was not going to break Sam's mental walls with that strategy either. I had learned recently that to keep your sanity and your integrity as a man inside the wolf, you have to develop certain skills, namely: hiding the truth and keeping certain thoughts private. That was the only way to protect you and your packmates. Sam knew this and he was a master doing it. Just like the rest of my father's pack. EJ would not succeed with mockery.
'At least tell me what you like the most in a girl… Is it her eyes? Her mouth? Her body? Come on baby alpha, giving me something.'
Though Sophia was pretty enough, I hadn't felt attracted by her physical appearance. I was not that kind of guy. When I was with her I felt normal. Not normal like before when I wasn't a wolf, but a new normal like I could be just the man without the wolf.
But now things were weird and I could not remember the last time we had spoken on good terms. Her entrance into the supernatural world had been abrupt and difficult for her to endure. Her goal was to get rid of her gift and resume her life but even if she could do that, she couldn't escape the supernatural if we kept seeing each other because I was still a shapeshifter.
'Come on, Isaac. Blonde? Brunette? Long hair? Green eyes?'
Sophia had green eyes. I had never seen that shade of green until yesterday when Scarlett Dale arrived dressed in a long dress of that same color. The red hair girl looked like a porcelain doll.
'Red hair? Really? You like gingers?' Somehow my cousin had picked up my thoughts. 'Please don't tell me you want to fuck that vampire-child… That would be so wrong! It would make you a pedophile or a necrophilia lover…'
'Shut the fuck up, EJ!'
'You just said she looks like a doll.'
'A porcelain doll. And how many people do you know interested in sleeping with dolls?'
'You'd be surprised.' He laughed.
'You're obnoxious.'
'And you're a pervert who likes a red-haired vampire child.'
'I don't like her! And for your information, she's not a child.'
Not in age. Scarlett was nineteen years old and she was probably the most intelligent and powerful vampire in the world. I was still trying to figure out if she could be trusted. The first time we had seen each other we had completed each other sentences which was weird and a bit infuriating.
'Did you imprint on her?'
'How can a wolf imprint on a vampire? We were made to kill them.'
'I guess it would be pretty fucked up.'
'Asshole.'
'She really pushes your buttons, doesn't she? I've never seen you this upset.'
'She annoys me, that is all. I don't trust her and…'
'You don't like the fact that everyone's saying she's smarter than you. You have some serious competition baby alpha.' My cousin laughed again but then suddenly we both felt someone else's thoughts invading our minds.
'Jared?'
'Where are your parents, Isaac?'
'At the Vacant House, why?'
'Call them! Jerry phased in our backyard in front of his sisters!'
'Shit!'
xxxxxxxxxx
It wasn't easy to control a new wolf when he was in a panic. The pack was only able to push Jerry towards the forest with great effort. By then half of the neighbors had seen or heard the commotion at Jared's backyard and they were starting to leave their houses to watch.
The emergency protocol was immediately established.
'Denis, Collin, and Brady, you'll secure patrol. Make sure our borders are safe.' Dad ordered. 'Embry, Quil, Jared, and Sam we're going to help the kid to turn back to human so we can explain everything to him quietly and privately. Leah, you stay with Kim and the girls and try to explain to them what they saw. Paul, Seth, and Josh try to control the neighbors and find out what they saw.'
'What about us, dad?' I asked. When my pack phased it had been a good decision to have younger the wolves around.
'Keep on practicing. I'll call you if we need anything.'
Two hours later and they were still in the forest with Jerry. We could hear them from afar, coaching Jerry to calm down and think about happy moments.
"Fuck… Jerry must be flipping." EJ said on the Vacant House's balcony. "Are you sure you don't want to go there and show them how to do a proper job?"
"My dad knows what he's doing."
"He knows shit! I didn't feel any better when he tried to calm me down."
"We just have to wait."
"Hey, you!" EJ slapped Quinn in the head and he dropped his soda.
"Come on, man! I was thirsty!" He complained.
"What's going on between you and Jared's daughter?"
Quinn was silent.
"Are you blushing?" EJ teased.
"Nothing's going on."
"There's definitely something going on. I saw the way you looked at her. Plus she's been calling you a lot lately. Why would she do that?"
"I don't know. Ask her."
"EJ drop it," I warned him.
"Why? Is it just me that finds it weird that Quinn is banging his father's former imprint?"
"I'm not banging her! But even if I were, which I'm not, it wouldn't concern you!"
"We're a pack, Gladstone! What you do concerns all of us."
EJ was right in a way but I knew for sure that Quinn's relationship with Julia was not physical yet.
"Guys!" Danny called us. "Guys, I think we have a problem!"
He came out with his phone in his hands and showed us what he was seeing.
"The animal control center has never seen a wolf this size. The origin of this beast is yet a mystery, but for now, the enormous wolf is surrounded by a police task force while the animal controllers try to devise a plan to capture it."
A male reporter was covering a live story in Port Angeles where a giant wolf had made an appearance in an alley and was now surrounded.
"Look! There!" EJ said suddenly. "That's David's car."
"Let's go!"
"Shouldn't we warn Aunt Rebecca?" Danny asked.
"No. She's better off not knowing that David is missing."
They all nodded and we phased. I could've warned dad about what was happening but they were trying to handle Jerry, so I figured we should take care of this by ourselves. The adrenalin of going to rescue one of us pushed us to run faster. I had about 35 minutes to come up with a viable plan to take David out of that alley before he was captured or shot.
'What if he phases back in front of that people?' Quinn asked.
'I don't know.' I said sincerely. 'But I don't think he will. Right now, David is too stressed and he won't be able to calm down or focus to go back to his human form.'
'What's the plan then?' EJ inquired. 'You have a plan, right?'
'We need to create a diversion to make sure no one sees us but first we need to study a safe way out of that alley for David.'
The situation was a bit more complicated than we anticipated. There was a huge crowd when we arrived. No one noticed we were barefoot or that we had clothes tied to our ankles because everyone wanted to have a better look. The police had established a safety perimeter but some people were trying to push the line forward. The dark alley was not in plain sight which was a good thing for us although I suspected that the police were trying to get searchlights.
The animal control crew was armed with nets and tranquilizers but they hadn't done anything yet. They were waiting for the arrival of a truck to transport the huge wolf once it was captured. So we had to act now.
"Where are you going to take this animal? Are you going to take him to government facilities or are you going to set him free?" The reporter was asking.
"That decision has to be made by the city veterinary assembly and the emergency council but we're more worried about the person who's there with the animal. We need to think about rescuing her first and then we'll think about the animal's wellbeing."
After accessing the situation I finally had a plan.
"EJ, I need you to make the recon in that alley. I need to know how many doors or windows there are if there's a fence and how high are the walls. I need to find a way to take David out of there fast."
"Okay, I'm on it," EJ said and left.
"Quinn I need you to take David's car to the street on the other side of the alley and wait there. There's a spare key under the passenger seat."
Quinn left too.
"Jay, try to figure out what's the police's plan and try to put your hands on two or three smoke grenades. Once you have them detonate them immediately. One must go into the alley."
Jay nodded.
"Danny, you and I will try to approach David. Your priority is to take his girlfriend from the alley and into the car. Then tell Quinn to drive her back to La Push."
We waited five minutes for EJ to come back with a report and once he described what he saw from the rooftops, we went inside the pharmacy that was located in one of the buildings next to the alley. According to my cousin, the pharmacy had a back door into the alley that we could use. Fortunately, the pharmacy's employers were outside in the middle of the crowd.
"What now?" Danny asked me.
"We wait for Jay."
"David is extremely pissed off and scared," EJ warned.
It wasn't a long wait but we were anxious so it seemed it took Jay hours to detonate the first smoke grenade when it only took him twelve minutes.
The smoke caused a generalized panic and with the police trying to control the population that was gathered on the street, we were able to enter the alley unnoticed. David came forward growling. EJ was right, he was scared. We could see it in his posture and his eyes.
"EJ make sure no one comes into the alley. I'll try to calm him down a bit. Danny, get ready to get the girl."
My cousin's girlfriend was lying on her back on the cold and dirty floor. She was unconscious but breathing. When Danny moved to the left to go around and grab her, David growled as a warning.
"Come on David, let us help her. She's in danger. What if you accidentally hurt her? Do you want to have that on your conscience?" I spoke to him even though I had doubts that he understood me. "Danny will take her to safety."
David looked at us through his lupine eyes and he bared his white fangs. My speech wasn't enough to make him move and allow Danny to rescue his girlfriend.
"We can always shoot him," EJ suggested from afar. "With a tranquilizer. I can tell Jay to get us a gun. I have excellent shooting skills."
"We'll need three doses."
Then all of a sudden I felt a cold breeze and the next instant David was on the floor, asleep. A small hooded figure appeared from behind the huge grey wolf.
"Four doses at once. You don't want him to wake up while we're carrying him back home, do you?"
I recognized her voice.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Saving your ass, alpha boy," Scarlett answered showing her face. "I saw you and your pack leaving La Push in a hurry, so I decided to investigate."
"We had it covered."
"Sure you had. Maybe you'd be able to convince him to calm down in two or three hours."
"I'm going to take the girl to the car," Danny announced picking up the unconscious girl from the floor.
"How are we supposed to carry a giant wolf out of here without being seen?" EJ crossed his arms over his chest.
In the meantime, Jay had entered the alley too.
"The smoke is disappearing, so we better leave." He warned us.
A couple of seconds later David morphed back and Scarlett grinned.
"We won't have to take a giant wolf out of this alley only a human naked boy. So… who's going to carry him?" She asked looking at EJ.
"Fuck you, Porcelain Doll. I'm not touching Dave's junk!" And he exited the alley leaving us behind.
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Take care,
Karisan.