Artemis // Jasper Hale

the shadows

Alpha sat on a stool in the kitchen desperately trying to find a way out of this. Bella would be coming for lunch. In a house full of vampires. This meant that she would soon know that Alpha was involved in the supernatural.

She quickly mumbled under her breath that she had to get something from her room and ran up the stairs. Her room had been placed between Jasper and Alice's rooms, due to Jasper assuring Carlisle they wouldn't do anything...inappropriate. While they weren't a couple yet, everyone knew that they were to be mates.

Grabbing a book she ran back down the stairs and sat on the stool once more. Jasper rose from his seat and exited the room, Alice following close behind. Alpha raised her head in question and rose to follow them, if something was wrong she wanted to know.

Rosalie stood and grabbed her shoulder, shaking it gently. Her head made a notion to sit back down, and not to follow them.

" Jasper still has trouble with human blood, he's just composing himself "

Rosalie spoke quietly and gently, she didn't want to upset alpha. Alpha felt something in her stomach. An unknown emotion to her. Surely, if she was his soulmate then she could help, far more than Alice could.

She pushed the feeling back down. Alice and jasper were only friends, and she was not in any position to stop them if they wished to become more. That was not her place.

Thoughts rushed through her head, making her wish Edward was here to calm them. What if jasper was in love with Alice already? What if her decision not to look for him had cost her the price of him not loving her?

Tears welled in her eyes as fast as the thoughts had arrived. She hadn't realised she was so attached to jasper already. Esme looked on with a motherly love in her eyes. Doubt was written all over alpha's face, she didn't know what it was about but it wasn't good.

" excuse me "

Her voice didn't sound like her own, she didn't really feel like herself. She had never been so attached to someone in her life. Except maybe for her father, but she had detached herself from him as quickly as she could. She had learnt that he would never love her.

She ran up the steps too distraught to realise that everyone was watching her. This wasn't about jasper anymore. She was coming to realise that if her soulmate couldn't even like her, then would anyone ever love her? Her father had never found love, and her mother found it with a God who left as soon as he could.

That's not what she wanted.

The shadows whispered in her ears. Bella was here. Jasper and Alice were back. Rosalie was angry. Introductions were taking place. Amongst all the voices one stuck out a little more.

Come home Lady Alpha, we will treat you well here

And it was true. She had a realm in the underworld. She could live in her fathers palace. She could fit in, but she couldn't bring herself to leave everyone.

Her thoughts were becoming dangerous, the shadows weren't helping her either. They tempted her to come home. They lured her to retake her place as a ruling goddess, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough.

Come back

They whispered to her. Alpha closed her eyes and tried to block them out. Downstairs jasper was searching the room for Alpha, but she was nowhere to be seen.

" Where's alpha? She told me she would be here? I want Bella to meet the whole family "

Edward spoke loudly, trying to get Alpha to hear him herself. The shadows informed her that he wanted her. As much as they would like to make her come back, as much as they want to make her feel like she's forgotten, they couldn't. They bowed to her, and they had to tell her, or they would face her wrath.

Alpha hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She dried her tears as she ran, making her slip and fall on her butt. She tumbled in to the kitchen, still laying down from her fall. Rosalie hurried over to check that she was ok. While Rosalie fussed over her and checked every inch of her body for sores Bella stared at her, her eyes nearly bulging out.

" Artemis is a vampire? "

Bella sounded so shocked it was funny. A vampire? God no, if alpha ever became a vampire that would be the end of us all. Rosalie helped her stand and started pulling her over towards jasper. Jasper sent her a small smile as they walked in his direction. Her heart clenched at the sight and her brain went haywire.

"I don't want to stand there"

Alpha whispered in Rosalie's ear, trying to ignore the look of hurt that washed over Jaspers face. Jasper had thought he was doing better. That he was finally getting her to see that he was interested, more than interested, actually. Invested, would be a better word. That he was invested in her, but she was a goddess, he had to remind himself. What kind of goddess would like him?

She went and stood next to Emmett, who beamed down at her. The two hadn't talked that much since she had moved in to the household, but he found her rather interesting. Of course, the whole house knew that she was Lady Alpha by now.

" Hi Bella "

Alpha spoke gently, trying not to antagonise the girl, but Bella was making it hard. While she didn't hate Bella, she had grown to see that she was sort of pathetic. Maybe that was just the goddess side of her, so used to being around strong women, like Athena, that Bella just seemed so weak.

" you don't seem like a vampire at all "

She said slowly and carefully. Alpha resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course she wasn't a vampire, was she cold? No. Did she have super speed? No. Did she breathe? Yes. How stupid can someone be?

" No, I'm not a vampire "

She smiled at the girl, trying to mask her thoughts but of course, it was no use. Jasper could sense her annoyance and Edward could hear her thoughts. He sent her a look, and being his best friend she knew exactly what that look meant.

Play nice

She glared at him in return, never letting the fake smile leave her face. Edward glanced at her once more before turning and leading Bella up the stairs.

Once Bella was out of hearing distance alpha collapsed in the nearest chair and let out a loud groan. This earned a smack from not only Alice, but Esme as well.

" Be nice, Alpha "

Alice spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument. Alpha left the room, with Emmett trailing behind her, grumbling about how she could make them all bow if she wanted to.

Jasper went to follow, wanted to question Alpha about why she hadn't wanted to stand near him. However, just like she had with alpha, Rosalie stood and shook her head, motioning for him to let her go. So instead jasper sat in a chair and mulled over what he could have done wrong.