Her Voice ✿ Emmett Cullen

Chapter 50

"Those bloodsuckers can't kill me." He smirked, "And besides, you'd have to speak to me. We're family."

Lyra shook her head, "No... we're pack." Paul smiled at what she said before Lyra smirked, "That means you're never getting rid of me."

"Don't plan on it. You were always the only one to call me out on my bullshit and not treat me like a hot head."

"You are a hot head!"

Paul punched her shoulder gently, "You know, if I'm being honest, I thought about joining Jake's pack."

"What?"

"Yeah, but then I thought about how Sam was the only one there for me when I turned. I couldn't do that to him. Despite all of this bullshit that's happened in the last few weeks, he's still a hell of an Alpha. I'm happy to be a part of his pack." There was a slight pause, "That and I couldn't leave Sam and Jared alone. Sam would bore Jared to death with his monologues."

Lyra laughed along with Paul. He then got serious again and looked at her with a hard look, "We good?"

Lyra smirked, "Buy me ice cream and I'll think about it."

Paul rolled his eyes before saying, "As you wish, Red."

***

Later that afternoon, she made her way into the forest, a trail she knew by heart. This time, she was even more nervous than she had been talking to Paul. Her feet carried her all the way up to a familiar yellow house with planters in the windows. Lyra thought about the last conversation that she and Sam had and it made her swallow thickly, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

She made herself walk up the stairs to the porch and knock on the pristine white door. For every second that passed, the urge to vomit grew stronger. Finally, it was Sam who opened the door. He looked surprised to see her at his door and opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it. There was no anger in his eyes but he looked tired, as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Hey, can we talk?" She asked softly. Sam nodded and stepped outside. Without looking at her he sat down on the front steps of his house. Tentatively, she sat down and joined him.

"I am really fucking sorry." He said after a while, "I know you probably don't want to forgive me but I am. I've been thinking about that night for days now. I almost tore apart our family that night. Because of me, some of us almost died. The worst part is, I let it happen. 'For the Greater Good.' I thought if some of us had to die to stop an abomination then it was worth it. It wasn't until Jacob appeared that I realized what was really at stake. I was ready to rip the throats out of my family, you; I hate myself for it."

Lyra witnessed something she never thought would happen, Sam started to break down and cry. It wasn't loud or dramatic but it was still shocking to see. Someone that Lyra thought could never break, except for Emily, was breaking right in front of her. She hugged him to her tightly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and sobbed into her shoulder as she gently stroked his hair.

"It's not your fault, Sam." She began softly, "I was ready to hurt my family too. But you know what? We didn't. We chose not to, and that's what makes all the difference." She paused, "I'm sorry too. I was an asshole to you and you didn't deserve it. You only thought you were doing what was best for your pack and for the humans in this stupid town."

"That's the point, Lyra." He began after a few moments, "Can I even be Alpha anymore?"

Lyra pulled back enough so that his face was visible. She grabbed both sides of his face in her hands, making him look at her, "The fact that you're even asking that, says that you deserve to be an Alpha, that you are an Alpha. You learn from your mistakes. The second that you don't, then you shouldn't be Alpha. Forget Jacob, he was never good at following directions. You are the Alpha that built this pack, built this family. You had no one to teach you and you figured it out, then you taught the others. Without you, none of them would be here." She took a deep breath and continued, "I knew that I would be alright when you helped me. Now I'm telling you that we need you, we need you as Alpha of your pack because no one can lead them like you can." Lyra stared into Sam's eyes, "Despite there being two packs, this is one family."

Sam took a deep breath and took her hands from his face, gently setting them on her lap. He wipes his face and sighed, staring out into the forest. Lyra moved to sit next to Sam once again and waited for him to speak.

"I guess this family now includes those leeches." He said after several minutes.

Lyra chuckled, "Yeah, it does. Families fight." Sam grunted in response, "Though, I still have a list of vampires you can chew on."

Finally, Sam smiled and to her surprise let out a low laugh. "Thanks for cheering me up, kid." He said, ruffling her hair before throwing an arm around her shoulder.

Lyra leaned into his arm and hugged him, "It's my job. None of those other idiots can do it."

"Well besides us being friends again, Emily will be happy. She hasn't shut up about it in weeks. Do you want to come inside and have something to eat? Emily went out but she left food in the oven."

"In a minute," she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder, "I'm savoring the fact that my brother is back."

And the two of them sat there looking out over the trees and listening to the birds, thinking of everything that's happened and glad that they were okay again.