Kiara followed Carlisle into his office, her leg throbbing with pain. She had hoped that it would try to heal itself, but with the strain on her imprint connection, it was a lot harder and slower than usual. It wasn't like when she had been rejecting the imprint and couldn't heal her knuckles, but it certainly partially mirrored that.
She winced as she settled down into the chair across from Carlisle's desk, watching as he set out his medical supplies. He was so gentle with them, so careful and precise with each motion that Kiara almost felt like she was watching an artist create a masterpiece. Sometimes Kiara forgot that the man before her had once slaughtered humans for blood, having briefly heard about his time at the Volturi from Rosalie.
"How are you doing?" Carlisle asked as he began to stitch up her wound, his voice soft yet questioning.
Kiara paused for a moment, surprised that he had actually asked how she was doing rather than just treating her injury. She realised then that this was the first time someone had asked her how she was really holding up underneath all the stress and danger of being part of this new pack and protecting her and Seth's imprints.
She took a deep breath before responding, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to release as she spoke.
"I'm...okay," she said slowly, unsure if she believed the words coming out of her mouth. The look Carlisle gave her showed that he didn't believe the words either. She sighed before expanding. "Sometimes I don't think I can do this - I'm scared of what might happen if something goes wrong."
Carlisle nodded in understanding before continuing to carefully stitch up Kiara's wound without saying anything else - as if sensing that Kiara needed space to process her thoughts before talking about them further. He then stood back and admired his work before turning back towards Kiara - his eyes holding a knowing look like he could read every emotion on her face.
"The healing process will take some time," Carlisle said as he handed Kiara a bottle of soda from the small fridge beside his desk. She smiled gently as she took it from him, not realising how thirsty she was from the events of the day. Her stomach growled as she took a sip, reminding her that she hadn't even had time to eat anything other than a muffin that morning."It won't be easy, but I'm glad you're here."
"I wish I could say the same," Kiara murmured, not meaning any offence to the man. Carlisle nodded, understanding where she was coming from. Kiara wasn't here because she wanted to be - she was here because she literally had to be.
"I don't know much about being a shapeshifter, but I can tell that being an alpha won't be easy," Carlisle said gently, his voice soft yet firm. Kiara froze, her body tensing as she realised that he had figured out what she had been trying to not show.
She had been trying to ignore her new status in the hopes that the other members of her pack weren't aware of it - but it seemed like Carlisle had seen through her facade. He gave her a gentle smile which showed he meant no judgement or malice - only understanding and help.
"It's something you have to come to terms with," he continued softly, his voice full of empathy. "I found it hard to adapt to being a leader, after so many years of being a follower."
"But what if I don't want to be a leader?" Kiara said, her voice breaking a little as tears shone in her eyes as she looked up at Carlisle. "What if I don't want that responsibility?"
"It's natural to feel overwhelmed. But sometimes, fate has other plans for us. We are given challenges that we never thought we could handle, but we rise to the occasion. And in doing so, we discover parts of ourselves that we never knew existed."
"Do you just like, sit and read self-help books in your free time?"
Carlisle chuckled as she cracked one of her sarcastic jokes, peeling the disposable gloves off his hand as he rolled away from Kiara. She blinked to try and dispose of the tears in her eyes, not wanting anyone else to see her cry (even though she knew that they were all most likely listening in to their conversation).
"I guess I'll just have to learn as I go," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. Carlisle returned the smile, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
"That's all anyone can ask of you," he said, his voice warm and encouraging. "Just remember, you're not alone in this. We're all here to support you."
Kiara nodded, feeling a sense of renewed strength wash over her. She stood up, feeling the pain in her leg slowly dissipating as she tested it out. It still hurt, but it was manageable - and she knew that with time, it would heal completely. She just hoped it healed before whatever showdown with Sam and the rest of her old pack occurred.
"Thank you, Carlisle," she said again before turning to leave his office as her stomach growled once again. She paused, turning back around to look at him sheepishly. "Not to be rude, but do you have any food?"
___
"You should have seen it," Seth said with a mouthful of food as he grinned at Bree. The teenage vampire smiled back, always a lot more relaxed when she was around the young wolf. "It was all 'I am the grandson of a CHIEF' and then BAM, Kiara was at Sam's throat!"
"That's... not quite it," Kiara muttered as Emmett let out a loud laugh from the other side of the room. He and Seth had hit it off almost instantly, both loveable goofballs. Kiara and Leah both thought they hated that, but neither commented on it. "There was some more words in between that. Seth, don't talk with food in your mouth, please."
"Your wish is my command, mighty alpha," Seth joked, causing Kiara to huff a little. Jacob sniggered from beside her, and Kiara was sure she could even hear Leah snort from outside in her wolf form. She didn't trust the Cullens enough to eat inside, let alone be inside in her human form. Kiara didn't mind - she wasn't going to push Leah to be uncomfortable when she didn't need to be here. She wasn't going to order anyone to do anything. Not now, not ever.
Kiara hadn't been sure how Jacob would have reacted to her being alpha, and not him, but it didn't seem like he cared that much. The other three wolves had informed her they already knew when she went to talk to them after Carlisle had stitched her up, and that was that. She was sure it would become a problem later but for now it seemed more like a formality than an actual pack ranking.
She took a deep breath, the room filled with the sound of Seth and Jacob eating and the rest of the room talking around her. She looked down at her own plate, barely touched, and pushed it away. She didn't have that much of an appetite anymore. Kiara couldn't remember the last time she had felt this exhausted, but she knew she had to keep pushing. She had a pack to lead and people to protect.
"So, any plans for tomorrow?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence. Kiara knew he wanted to get out to hunt, but they had to be careful while Sam and the rest of their former pack were patrolling the woods. The treaty line was no longer standing, despite what Esme wished.
Kiara shook her head, no longer chewing her food.
"Not yet. We have to wait and see what Sam and the pack are up to."
"Ugh, Sam and his pack," Bree muttered, rolling her eyes. Kiara's eyes flickered to her as the girl started to slowly become more vocal around them. Kiara hadn't minded it - but this was a touchy subject. "I don't know how you guys used to put up with them."
"They're our brothers," Kiara replied sharply. A silence fell across the Cullens and Bree instantly looked regretful for the comment. They sometimes forgot that while the pack weren't all related, their bonds ran deeper than the venom that tied the Cullens together.
As she sat there lost in thought, she felt Jacob's warm hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile, silently letting her know that he was there for her. She was very aware of three missing vampires from the room - Beverly, Rosalie and Alice. Edward and Bella were next door and the rest were scattered around the room.
"You need a hair cut," Jacob muttered to Kiara as he reached over and took her plate, tucking into the half eaten food without any question. She wasn't going to eat it, and he wasn't about to let one of Esme's classic sandwiches go to waste. "It's getting too shaggy when you shift. It's why Sam found it easier to nick you."
Kiara rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Jacob always knew how to make her feel better, even in the midst of all the chaos.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. It was getting a little too long, she had to admit. Maybe a trim was in order.
"I've done my share of cuts in the day," a new voice said, Kiara tensing a little as she realised that she had no excuse to say no. "I'll do it, if you want."
At least she wasn't Rosalie, Kiara thought. Beverly Hale smiled at Kiara - although it didn't quite reach her eyes the way it usually did. While Kiara liked her girlfriend's sister, she knew that there was certainly an ulterior motive behind her offering to cut her hair. She knew Beverly well enough to know that she wasn't being nice for the sake of it - not when Kiara was still airing out her sister.
Kiara nodded, acknowledging the offer and Beverly smiled back.
"Let's go to the kitchen then. It's nice and bright in there."
The two women got up from their chairs, Kiara feeling slightly awkward as she followed Beverly out of the room. As they walked, a tense silence fell between them - the strained relationship between Rosalie and Kiara being the significant factor in it.
Kiara sat down and watched as Beverly set up shop quickly, pulling out scissors and a comb from one of the drawers. Kiara assumed this was something that had been changed once Bella came around - since she was well aware that vampires hair didn't grow, so they didn't need to cut it. Beverly began snipping away without saying a word until she finally couldn't take it anymore.
"We didn't even know it was even possible," she said softly, not waiting to Kiara to acknowledge her. "When we entered this new life, any dreams that we had of a white-picket fence and family died with our old life... then suddenly Bella is calling Rose and telling her she's pregnant. You can't imagine what that's like... the one thing I've always wanted - the one thing we has always wanted - and Edward can provide that to Bella."
Kiara listened without speaking as Beverly explained how she always wanted a child. She explains that once Bella said she wanted to keep the baby, her and Rosalie promised they'd do anything to help her do so. Kiara felt a swell of admiration towards Beverly as she spoke, realising just how much the woman was willing to go through for someone else's child. She knew now just why Rosalie respected and loved her sister so much - because despite all of the obstacles that were thrown at them, Beverly kept fighting for a future they wanted no matter what.
"And when it comes out with a craving for blood, and rips my family to shreds, will it have been worth it?" Kiara asked, the light tone of the conversation instantly being crushed.
Beverly's eyes narrowed and her hands stilled for a moment, before continuing to work on Kiara's hair. Kiara could almost feel her frustration vibing off her, and she was sure Jasper would feel it from miles away too.
"You're not the only one who worries about that," she said softly. "And you're right - we don't know what the baby will be capable of. But I do know that Bella is willing to do whatever it takes to keep that baby safe and Rosalie and I will be there to help her do it."
Kiara wasn't sure what to reply. She had just assumed that Beverly hadn't thought about the potential consequences of this, the chance that the... baby could become murderous. It had been more black and white in Kiara's eyes until that moment. Killer or not killer.
"I get it," Kiara said softly, reaching up to touch Beverly's hand. "But you have to understand, we're trying to protect our family too. We can't just sit back and let you guys do whatever you want."
"We?" Beverly murmured, moving her hand from Kiara's and continuing to make small cuts to her long hair. "You're starting to sound a lot like Sam."
"Sam wanted to kill Bella," Kiara replied, her voice a lot tighter as she broke the news to Beverly. "I want Bella alive - so does Jacob and Seth. We aren't here to save her baby, we're here to save Bella. I don't care what happens once she'd given birth, as long as she's still with us."
"I know," Beverly said with a small smile. "But I'm hoping that maybe you can find a way to coexist with the baby, for Bella's sake - provided it's not a killing machine from birth."
Kiara didn't agree. She didn't think they'd be able to coexist, because she knew exactly what her brother had planned once the baby was free from Bella's womb. As his alpha, Kiara had the power to stop what he planned to do, stop him from killing it as soon as it took its first breath.
Just because she could, didn't mean she would.
She knew that the Cullens were willing to protect their family at all costs, but so would she. As long as Bella and Edward's demon spawn was alive, her family weren't safe. She hated Sam for what he did, but she would always view him as her family. Wherever Sam was, Paul would be. Wherever Paul would be, Rachel wasn't far behind. With Rachel came her dad, Rebecca, Charlie, Sue... the list was endless.
As Beverly continued to cut her hair, Kiara closed her eyes and tried to let herself relax. For a brief moment, she forgot about the chaos and the danger that surrounded them. She was just a girl getting her hair cut by her girlfriend's sister - Kiara hoped that they were still girlfriends. This was just an argument... right? Once the baby was gone, they'd go back to how they were. Everything would be fine again. She was relaxing, for the first time in what felt like forever.
Until Kiara heard Bella's ribs break.
_____
"Are you cold?"
Kiara looked up from the Washington State game that she was watching with Emmett, her eyes flickering to where Rosalie and Esme were staring across the room at Bella. She was growing tired of the constant supervisor from the duo and Beverly, knowing that they just wanted to make sure the baby was alright and so was Bella.
Emmett twitched slightly, but he didn't take his eyes off the game. Kiara had never seen any of their eyes so dark in her life, and it was very transparent that even Emmett was struggling with having not fed since this all started.
"Don't do that. Smile like I'm your favorite person in the world."
"You're one of them," Bella replied, her eyes flickering to Kiara who was refusing to look in her direction. She hated the way her friend looked at her, the mix of disgust and despair in her eyes sending a pain through Bella every time they locked with her own. "Feels complete when you're here, Jake."
Kiara tensed a little, knowing Seth and Leah were also unimpressed. She loved Bella, but this needed to stop. She'd been stringing on Jacob for too long, and it seemed that not even death would stop her from having her talons sunk into Kiara's brother. Edward's eyes flickered over to Kiara, not meaning to intrude on her thoughts but silently agreeing with the sentiment. Jacob and Bella needed to let each other go.
Bella leaned forward, a little bit of bile coming from her mouth as she tried to throw up into the bucket. Kiara twitched, her eyes closing for a second as she tried to block out the sound of Bella literally fading away before their eyes. She wouldn't even consider getting rid of the baby, and now it was going to get rid of her instead.
"We need to find a way to get some food into her system," Esme muttered, the concern evident from miles away.
"If I could only see the fetus..."
"The baby."
Kiara almost rolled her eyes at Rosalie interjecting. Almost. Alice didn't have the same restraint, and made her annoyance towards Rosalie's correction very clear for everyone to see.
"Maybe I could figure out what it wants."
Kiara and Jacob made eye contact, the girl seeing the look in his eyes as he bit back a sarcastic comment. She knew exactly what the baby wanted, so did he.
"Think you might be right. Jacob and Kiara just had an idea."
"It wasn't an idea. It was a snide comment," Jacob muttered, slightly glad to at least know that Kiara had been thinking on the same track as he had. The baby didn't need food, the baby didn't need Bella's nutrients. It needed blood.
"What were you thinking?"
"That it's probably just looking for someone to sink its teeth into."
Emmett paused the game at that point. All eyes were now back on the situation at hand, a snort that was close to a bark from outside telling them all that Seth and Leah weren't impressed with the suggestion either. Bree looked tense, standing slightly behind Jasper with a burning throat as the suggestion of sinking teeth was brought up.
"He's thirsty."
"I know the feeling," Emmett muttered, Beverly reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was no secret that Emmett consumed the most animal blood out of all of them, so he was finding it particularly harder to go without than some of the others. Kiara wasn't even sure if Rosalie was struggling in the slightest, not when all of her focus was on the baby growing in Bella's stomach.
"If it's craving, it's not gonna want animal blood."
"I have some O negative laid aside for Bella," Carlisle suggested, the tone of the conversation now crossing a line that Kiara wouldn't bear witness to. She rose to her feet, some of the others in the room having the same idea that she had. Rosalie and Beverly looked over at Emmett as Alice and Jasper left the room, their gazes flickering between him and Kiara. She got the hint.
"Emmett, walk with me," Kiara said, her tanned hand outstretched to her friend. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes so dark that she almost felt a chill run through her body. A beat went by before he nodded, allowing Kiara to wrap her hand around his own and lead him away from Bella and the others.
They walked outside, the slight breeze of the night sky cooling down Kiara's skin. Leah lowly growled as she slunked past them, Emmett holding back one of his usual sarcastic comments as he tried to forget about the fact there was fresh blood upstairs that someone else was drinking. He turned back to Kiara, a look in his eyes as she understood what he needed from her immediately. A distraction from the chaos inside.
"Do you remember when you guys used to wait for thunderstorms to play baseball?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the sky. "I never got to see that."
"It seems like a lifetime ago," Emmett muttered, his eyes scanning the trees. He knew there were wolves lurking in them, he just didn't know where. "We haven't done that since... think it spooked us a bit. Things were so much simpler back then."
They both fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the peace and quiet that surrounded them. Kiara knew that Emmett was struggling with the lack of blood, but she didn't want to talk about it. She sighed, taking a step closer to Emmett and wrapping her arms around his broad frame. Emmett moved slightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Kiara could feel the tension slowly melting away from his body, replaced by a sense of calm. They stood there for a few moments, just holding each other, before Kiara pulled away and looked up at him.
"Let's take a walk. Get some fresh air."
Emmett didn't argue, allowing Kiara to lead him away from the house and towards the forest. They walked in silence for a while, being careful not to stray too far from the house. Kiara knew that Sam wasn't careless enough to attack outnumbered, but if he saw the chance to take one of them down alone then he definitely would strike. The only sound was the leaves crunching beneath their feet, Kiara's breaths sounding loud due to the absence of breaths from Emmett. She could feel Emmett's eyes on her, but she didn't turn to look at him.
Finally, Emmett spoke up.
"I don't know how much longer I can go without feeding. It's getting harder every day." His voice was low, almost a whisper, but Kiara heard every word. She stopped walking, turning to face him.
"We'll find a way to get you guys through this," Kiara told him, a flush of irritation flooding through her veins as she thought about Sam endangering not just Bella but others by pushing the Cullens thirst to this extreme. "I'll find a way."
She took a deep breath, feeling the cool night air fill her lungs.
"Let's keep walking."
They continued their walk through the forest, talking about anything and everything to take their minds off of the chaos at the house. Kiara talked about her plans for the future, about the places she wanted to see and the things she wanted to do. Emmett listened intently, his eyes lighting up every time she spoke about something exciting.
He told her about the places he'd visited in his immortal life that he thought she'd love, told her about the places that she should take Rosalie once all of this was over. Kiara would be lying if she said the mention of Rosalie hadn't brought the mood down, the shapeshifter very much doubting that Rosalie would want anything to do with her after Jake killed the baby.
A little bit of guilt settled in her stomach for the first time since she'd decided she was okay with Jake's plan. Rosalie was always there for her, even when Kiara hadn't deserved it. Bella had believed that she could always count on Kiara to do the right thing, no matter what. But what if killing the baby was the right thing, even if Bella didn't agree?
For the first time, another thought lingered at the back of Kiara's mind. What if killing the baby was the wrong thing?