petrichor [rosalie hale]

li. forming unity

Everyone looked at them in confusion as Edward took a deep breath, staring at her with a flicker of surprise. Kiara scowled, realising that the vampire had been flickering through her thoughts as she tried to calm down Leah, and had seen the segments of her and Sam's conversation that she hadn't been prepared to talk about yet.

"Edward, what..." Bella's voice tapered off, her eyes a vortex of confusion and concern. She had been the only one still watching Edward, noticing that a look of realisation had dawned on her husband's face, how his marble features had softened from a snarl to a look of bewilderment. The golden hue of his had irises flickered, sifting through the unspoken words that tumbled through Kiara's mind. Bella had seen him do that before - just never on herself.

 Kiara huffed as she realised that everyone was now looking to her for an answer as to why they would trust Sam, and as to why Edward was looking so confused at her.

"Sam offered me to be the alpha," Kiara blurted out, the words tumbling forth like stones in an avalanche, rough-edged and unstoppable. Her declaration rippled through the gathered family, a pebble tossed into still waters.

"What?" Leah breathed, her eyes wide as the comment took her by surprise.

"Alpha? Sam?" Rosalie echoed, her usually impeccable brow furrowing with disbelief.

"Wait, you mean Sam Uley wants to step down for you?" Emmett interjected, his voice tinged with incredulity as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the protective glint in his eye never wavering from Kiara's direction. 

A leaf fluttered down from an overhanging branch, its descent slow, deliberate—a dance with gravity. Kiara watched it land gently on the mossy earth before turning back to face the array of shocked expressions before her.

"Kiara," Carlisle said, his tone holding a new measure of respect, "you would take on that much responsibility?"

Kiara looked back up as Jacob walked outside, Renesmee on his hip. His expression was hardened and she was sure that her brother had heard the entire conversation. The little girl in his arms (who was looking older every day) was the only one smiling as they stood outside the house.

"I'd turn the moon into a frisbee if it meant keeping that girl safe," Kiara's gaze flicked toward where Renesmee was, the very picture of serenity amidst the chaos. Jacob stared back at her, making no movement towards his sister. Renesmee giggled in his arms, reaching her arms out in the direction of Kiara. "Plus, I've been told I have a knack for wrangling unruly pups."

"Hey!" Seth protested, but there was laughter in his voice, a bright note amid the discord.

"Look," Kiara said as she moved away from where she had been pressed into the jeep's metal. "I never said yes to that, but I did offer Sam to meet Renesmee. If we get Sam to see her for what she really is, the way she got all of us to see that - then the rest of the pack will follow. We can worry about two packs becoming one later down the line - right now, Renesmee's safety is all that matters."

Kiara turned her head to look at Seth who was standing beside Bree.

"Besides, it would make us being able to go home a lot easier," Kiara told them all, Seth and Leah nodding in understanding. "We've loved being here, but we have families that miss us too."

As everyone began to make small noises of consideration, Kiara leaned back against the jeep, feeling the solid metal against her spine, and allowed herself a small smile. In the distance, the horizon blushed with the first kiss of dawn. It was a new day, and with it came new alliances, new challenges.

Her next challenges? Apologising to Emmett for the state of his jeep, convincing Leah to not attack Sam on sight and making sure that Rosalie knew she was her top priority - not the wolf packs.