2 Months Later
The peace between the packs and the vampires seemed to be going well. Jacob and his pack would stop by La Push for training on their control, they stayed civil, but didn't go out of their way to make friends with anyone. They mostly stayed to themselves. Jacob's eclipse pack was the largest pack, amounting to ten wolves. The biggest pack ever to be formed. Although they didn't all originate from the same tribe, as it turns out, the eclipse pack was merged into one. As recent as two years ago. Before Jacob took over as Alpha. None of them would give much detail on why that happened.
They were such a mysterious bunch of people. I could only really befriend one of them. Irina, she was the only one that didn't seem to watch the La Push pack with distrust and uneasiness. She was a sporty little blonde with a sharp tongue, she got along with Alice and I really well. We looked forward to spending time with her when she is permitted on our land.
Today, Sam was having some of the blood moon pack members join in on helping the eclipse pack learn today. We weren't sure how this was going to go. Jacob begrudgingly approved it, but refused to come along to be a part of it. That was fine by me, it would be better if I didn't have to see him. I haven't seen him since the meeting and something tells me, if he saw me now, there would be a fight.
I was just beginning to notice a bump in my stomach. My body seemed to change overnight. I had aches, pains, and I was tired all the time. I couldn't eat anything except chicken wings. It was the only thing that tasted good. Everything else, I couldn't keep down.
Of course Alice was showing a little more than me. I could see her tops didn't fit quite the same as before, they were a bit tighter around her belly. She did her best to hide it, with long shirts or oversized hoodies. I'm not sure why she was attempting to hide her pregnancy. Mostly everyone knew about it by now. I'm guessing that she is more or less just self conscious about gaining weight.
At the moment, Alice, Irina and I were sitting on Sam's porch, contently enjoying a watermelon. Everyone was here, training under Sam and Edward's leadership. They were split off into pairs, training their control over their inner beast.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for missing out on the training?" Alice asked, looking at Irina as she chopped into a slice of her watermelon.
Irina snorted, waving her hand in dismissal. "I'm only here because Jacob commanded me to be here. But he didn't say I had to actually join in on this training. He just said to go."
"It looks like your imprint is out there training." I muttered, glancing out into the group, noticing Felix straight away. He was the biggest guy here, with an impressive muscular physique. Most of the ladies would stare at him and swoon over everything he did. But this didn't seem to bother Irina.
"Felix is always up for a challenge, especially if it involves that big guy in the blood moon pack. That Emmett guy." Irina commented with a slight smile. "He would like to challenge him one day."
That would be an intense fight. I'd love to see something like that. My money would be on Emmett. Not purely because I know him better, but because I've watched him train with Edward, he is incredibly strong and fearless.
"Yeah, Felix is nice, I wish the rest of your pack would act a little more warm and welcoming." Alice said, making a face. "We are all supposed to get along now. It doesn't seem like your pack is trying very hard, not like the other packs."
Irina sighed, tension entering her shoulders. "There is a lot I could say, but I can't. I'm not really allowed to come out and say it. Alpha orders."
Why does it always feel like Jacob is scheming? Something clearly was going on. I felt it in my gut. But there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't my business. I would just have to hope that everything would be alright. I was worried. I would be bringing children up into his environment. I wanted them to be safe.
My hand went down to lightly touch my stomach.
As if sensing my distress I watched as Edward called for a timeout and headed over to me. His eyes were full of concern as he approached. His arms came around me, his hand resting on my stomach as well.
"Are you right?" He asked lightly, drawing his fingertips against the material of my shirt. His touch was distracting. I closed my eyes, letting a smile come to my face. "I'm fine, just a little distracted."
"How is the nausea?"
"Tolerable." I nodded. "The watermelon doesn't make me feel too sick."
His smile was brilliant. "Good, maybe we can pick up more."
"Sounds good to me. How much longer will training be?"
Edward glanced out to where the group was waiting. They remained in their spots, not talking. Just waiting, all of their attention was directed towards the thick grove of trees to the south of us. I've noticed that they seemed to have their focus on anything but the training today. I wasn't the only one that realized that.
"I think we are going to end early today. I'm not sure what's going on. But the eclipse pack is just acting very off today." Edward muttered lowly, there was a look of suspicion clouding his dark eyes. "Sam agrees."
"The twins are acting the most strange," I nodded over to Jane and Alec. They stayed close together, huddled in private conversation. They kept throwing cautious looks around the area. As if waiting for some kind of attack. It had me on edge. Jane was Jacob's Beta and by all accounts, his true imprint. At least that's what Jane claims. Although neither one of them really acted as if that was true. I don't know much about Alec. I've never heard him speak. He was always clinging to his sister's side. Like a shadow. He didn't have too many emotions, unless he was around his imprint Kate.
It was a strange dynamic, Jane would be horribly jealous if Alec showed Kate more attention than her. Yet nothing comes between an imprint. Alec and Kate were crazy about each other. If Jane wasn't around, Alec only had eyes for Kate. He would actually smile when they were around each other. He didn't cling to her side, like he did with Jane. Instead, he would hover over her. Protect her. Cherish her. It was heartwarming. Yet, if Jane was around, he would use some self control and give Kate some space. Just to keep Jane from getting angry. Apparently, the scars left on Kate's face and body was a result of Alec choosing to spend the day with her instead of Jane. There was a huge fight.
To this day, Irina hates Jane, because of what she did to her sister. Irina does her best to annoy and provoke Jane as much as possible. Which was what she was attempting to do right now.
"Come here Alec, I'd like to have a word." Irina called out towards the twins.
Jane narrowed her eyes at Irina, leering in Alec's direction, before giving one sharp nod. Giving her brother permission to leave her side. There was a large amount of reluctance on her part, but Alec seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief as he dashed over to Irina.
Alice and I glanced over to him, listening in to their conversation.
"What's up with everyone today, is something going to happen, that I don't know about?" Irina said with a frown. "Where is Kate?"
Alec swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kate stayed back home, she wasn't feeling well. Jacob approved it." I noticed that he really didn't answer the first question.
"So, what is going on?" Alice muttered, looking between Irina and Alec. "Why is everyone so tense?"
Alec looked at us with a raised brow. "We are just on edge a little, being out amongst all the other packs today. Since tomorrow morning starts… well you know…" He was appearing embarrassed.
Edward's eyes widened, realization crossed his face, before he left out a snort.
"What, what's tomorrow?" I asked anxiously.
"Well it's the first day of mating season."
Alice and I exchanged looks of confusion. Irina on the other hand flinched, pulling her legs up to her chest. She left out a quiet groan of frustration. "I can't believe I forgot about that."
"Are we missing something here? What's mating season?" Alice raised a brow.
"Unfortunately it's something that happens once every ten years. Our beasts take complete control for nearly a full three days. And act on the most basic urges… of reproducing." Edward commented, glancing between me and Alice.
"Seriously, so what? You and Jasper are going to be heading out and enjoying yourselves?" Alice glared.
The thought sent a rush of ice through my veins. I kept my expression even as I looked pointedly at Edward. "Tell me, that isn't true."
"Of course not," Edward said quickly. "Those who have imprinted don't get affected by this. Mating season is more or less just about continuing the beast blood to the next generation. But no one really participates anymore. Not in my pack."
"Jacob was insistent that the whole pack takes part, everyone that isn't imprinted. I'm pretty sure Sam's pack doesn't do the mating season thing either." Alec sighed.
"What an ass," Alice muttered quietly.
"Jacob is a real stickler for traditions. Almost to obsessive levels." Irina sighed heavily.
"Not when it comes to the vampires," Alec said, shrugging his shoulders. "It kind of seems like he really wants to build a friendship with those creatures, although I'm not sure why he is so insistent on it."
Edward narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't comment.
Sam was approaching the group of us with an intense look on his face. His shoulders were tense, there was some slight trembling down his arms. He seemed just as on edge as the others. "We finally got some information on Leah. She is safe. But has some pretty severe amnesia. I have to go pick her up."
"Wow, you really found her?" Irina said with a hopeful smile.
"I was beginning to assume the worst." Alice said, also looking delighted.
But the pained look on Sam's face didn't go unnoticed by me. There was more, he wasn't saying. His body was hunched over slightly. Not the usual stance he would take, he usually stood tall and confident. Like an alpha. But right now, it looked like a gust of wind would knock him over.
"Other than losing her memory, is there something else? Is there something wrong with her? Any idea of why she ran off?" Edward asked, rolling his arm around me, hugging me closely to his side. His hand rested lightly over my stomach. I rested into him, enjoying the sense of comfort and protection that it provided me.
"The doctors made the comment that she had a scar on her neck, as if someone had bit her. She arrived with an extreme amount of blood loss. This was about two months ago. She only just woke up from a coma today. They didn't know who she was, or who to call. But my name was the first thing she said… when she woke up." He said lowering his head.
I stiffened a bit. "That sounds… a lot like a vampire attack, doesn't it?"
"That's exactly what I thought," Sam gritted his teeth, roughly running his hand through his hair. "I need to go pick her up, her family tried to go get her, but she didn't recognize them, she was scared and wouldn't go with them. They asked me to come and try to convince her to leave. There is a chance that she might remember me… since she recalled my name."
"This information should be given to Jacob, he is going to want to know if there is any kind of vampire attack in the area. Even if it was a few months ago." Alec nodded, before jogging back towards his twin.
"I've ended the training session for today," Sam paused, looking at Edward. "Don't forget what tomorrow is. For your sake, keep the doors locked and prepare yourselves." His tone was thick with anger.
"I thought it doesn't affect those that are imprinted on." Alice chimed in with a nervous twitch.
"Correct, it doesn't affect you. But if you are out running around in your wolf form and a wolf finds your scent, they won't hesitate to chase you down and satisfy himself." Sam warned with a frown. "Stay inside, lock your doors and don't phase, for the next three days."
Alice visibly swallowed. "Got it,"
Edward squeezed me a little closer, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Don't worry, you won't be leaving my side, until it's over." He whispered quietly.
My cheeks warmed a bit as a smile came to my face. I was looking forward to that. Edward was around a lot more, he was delegating more and more tasks to Jasper and Emmett. I was thankful for that. And for the days that it couldn't be helped, I would travel to him, to spend time with him in Forks. It would work out nicely, each time I went to Forks, Alice would come with me to spend some time with Jasper and her parents; Henry and Lucy. Things were going smoothly.
Sam turned his eyes to Edward. "I may have my hands full with Leah, so I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on Emily, until I get back."
"Of course," Edward nodded.
With that short exchange, Sam went walking off.
Irina sprung up off the porch as Felix came marching over. They embraced instantly. As if they haven't seen each other in the longest time. The rest of the eclipse pack was about to leave. They didn't say a word. Just slowly crept back through the trees. Back towards their land.
I turned to look away as they began to kiss, Alice was looking at me glumly.
"What is it Alice?" I asked, reaching my hand over to squeeze her shoulder.
"Well, I've just had a lot on my mind lately… I guess I'm just missing Jasper today."
"Isn't he coming over this evening?"
"Yeah, I'm doing my best to stay patient. But I just get really anxious when he isn't here. Especially now that Mike is back." She made a sour face.
"He can't hurt anyone ever again." I said quietly.
"That doesn't make him any less scary to me. I just wish he would drop dead."
I didn't blame her for feeling that way. He really put her through a lot. She would always struggle, because of him. Now he is walking freely around La Push, getting sympathy from everyone. It was almost as if everyone forgot all the bad things he had done. They all just see him as poor Mike Newton.
Apparently Raymund did a really good job on him. Although his testes and penis were removed, the bladder remained intact. He would urinate through a foley catheter for the rest of his life, but that was a small price to pay. As for both of his arms, it left him with the inability to take care of himself, in many different ways. He had a caretaker now. He didn't leave his house often, he truly seemed like a completely different person. I saw him in passing the other day. He didn't even acknowledge me. I didn't pity him. I felt that he deserved much worse.
"Hey, let's hang out here, cook some hotdogs or something. Until Sam gets back." Irina said with a smirk, she clutched herself to Felix's arm.
Felix offered us a controlled smile. "As if hanging with a bunch of pregnant chicks is on my to-do-list today." He scoffed.
I rolled my eyes in response, while Alice snorted at him. Neither one of us were impressed. Felix was a bit of a jerk. He reminded me of Paul. But without the temper. Some of the comments he made pushed my buttons. I knew it was all in good fun. But that didn't stop me from getting annoyed.
Edward chuckled quietly, rubbing soothing circles on my back. "I did promise to watch over Emily until he gets back. Might as well make the most of it."
I sighed reluctantly. "Alright, as long as Emily is alright with it."
"I'll go ask, she is inside the house, isn't she?" Alice muttered, picking herself up off the ground. Irina watched her nervously. As if prepared to catch her if she falled. Irina was always worrying about Alice and I falling.
"Sam mentioned that Emily wasn't feeling well today. She is inside resting. Maybe we shouldn't disturb her." Felix said with a light shrug. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. I wasn't sure if the rest of them noticed. But Alice didn't.
"Alright, let's just hang out here then. I'll grab the hotdogs. Edward, you can be the grill master." Alice said with an excited grin coming to her face. "Not going to lie, I'm starving."
I couldn't put my finger on it. What had changed. Why was Felix acting somber now? All signs of his usual personality had melted away at the mention of checking on Emily.
Jacob's Point of View
I was just pulling onto a random dirt road as the sun was beginning to set in the sky. There were no more sounds coming from the bed of my truck. Emily didn't put up much of a fight. But she has been banging around and making constant noise for about an hour. There was a sharp pounding in my head. It was going to be a long night. I've been planning this for a long time now. I'd wanted this to be with Bella. But I knew there would be no way to get her away from Edward, or that little hybrid bitch friend of hers, long enough to do this.
There was only one way to gain power and that would be to increase the number of wolves in my pack. Mating season is hugely important to my plans. With a large enough pack, no one could rival me. I could take over the packs myself. Kill both the Alphas. And take control of it all. And with the vampires by my side, it would be easy. Simple. I would be untouchable. Royalty. I just had to do a few 'not-so-nice' things to get there. Mike Newton was for revenge. He tried to violate someone, who belongs to me. Leah was an experiment. How willing are the vampires to follow my lead? Who trusts me among them, and who do I need to win over?
Raymund would be a problem, he down-right doesn't trust me. I think his wife Claire may be suspicious of me as well. But I had Henry eating out of my hand. Liddie is a clueless idiot. Too terrified of Raymund to think for herself. That only leaves Stephan and his mate Diane. They are usually pretty quiet and reserved. They don't seem to have much to say in regard to anything that happens. They don't care about wolves. They don't care for the treaty. They are just very devoted to Claire. Even though Raymund is the leader of that coven, those two only listen to Claire. I haven't had a chance to connect with them yet, I knew they had impressive powers of their own. I would need to find a way to get close with them as well. Win over their trust.
But for the next few days. I would focus on reproduction. Even though I only had eyes for one lucky woman, I would have to spread my seed as far as I could. I wanted to have the luna of each pack, pregnant with my offspring. But Bella slipped out of my grasp.
The thought of having sex with her, had my loins aching.
Instead, I would impregnate Sam's luna. I had many more targets. Strong females. Ones that will produce the best children.
I crawled out of my truck to lean against the side of it. I listened, but only heard quiet cries, echoing from inside the truck cab. I felt a smile come to my face as I reached down and slid my hand into my pants. I gave myself a few good strokes. Preparing myself.
Sam shouldn't have gone running off to get Leah. He shouldn't have been distracted, while training my wolves in control. Maybe he would have noticed me slip in and out with his precious girlfriend. I would take Emily in the morning, bright and early. Just as the mating season kicks off officially. Although part of me was too excited to wait…
A/N: Let me know what you think of this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Anyway, thanks for reading! Leave a review to show some support! Will update as soon as I can.