Night had fallen over Forks, casting the forest in shades of blue and black. A light mist clung to the trees, and the cold air pressed against Kane's skin not that he minded.
His stomach growled.
"Huh. Guess having this body doesn't mean you skip meals," he muttered.
The scent hit him first sharp and warm. His head turned instinctively, eyes narrowing.
A deer. Not far. Moving cautiously through the underbrush.
Without a sound, Kane dropped from his perch and crouched low. His body moved like liquid muscle, each step precise and silent.
He spotted it a large buck grazing beneath the trees, ears twitching.
Kane didn't hesitate.
One second, he was still.
The next a blur of motion.
He closed the distance in a heartbeat, leaves and branches barely rustling in his wake. The buck looked up just as Kane lunged, too late.
His arm snapped out like a whip.
Crack.
The animal dropped instantly, the impact too fast for pain.
Kane exhaled slowly, crouched over the body.
"Fast enough," he muttered. "Good."
He built a fire from the dry branches around him, cracked the bones clean, and roasted the meat over the open flame. The scent filled the forest.
He sat with legs crossed, firelight dancing over his skin and casting sharp shadows on the trees behind him. Muscles relaxed for the first time since he arrived.
He took a bite, chewing slowly.
"Still better than cafeteria food."
For a moment, everything was quiet just him, the fire, the forest.
Rosalie's POV
The forest was quiet under the blanket of night, the wind threading through the pines like whispers. Rosalie moved through the trees with graceful silence, her golden eyes scanning the darkness for movement.
She was hunting, but not out of hunger, more out of habit. Something to clear her mind.
Then she stopped.
Her nose twitched.
Smoke.
And something else. Something she couldn't place.
She turned toward the scent, following it with careful steps. As she got closer, the smell of burning wood grew stronger, mingled with something.
She paused just at the edge of a clearing, hidden by the trees.
A fire.
And beside it, someone sat. A man bare-chested, massive. Firelight danced across his skin, revealing muscles that looked sculpted by war and wrath. He was eating something a deer. Cooked.
Rosalie narrowed her eyes, watching in silence. The scent was clearer now. It was his. He wasn't a vampire, but he wasn't normal either. He was something else entirely.
She didn't move. Just observed.
And for the first time in a very long time…
She was curious.
She then took one silent step back, then another. The firelight faded behind the trees as she pulled away, heart steady but mind racing.
Who the hell is he?
He smelled human, but no human radiated that kind of presence.
She turned fully now, ready to disappear into the forest and back to the house until—
He was there.
Right in front of her.
No sound. No warning.
Just suddenly standing in her path, tall and broad and calm.
Rosalie froze mid-step. Her breath caught, not in fear, but in sheer disbelief.
How?
Kane stood shirtless in the moonlight, golden eyes piercing into hers like he already knew her. His expression unreadable, but his gaze locked on her like gravity.
"I thought I smelled something sweet," he said, voice low and rough like gravel and thunder. "Didn't expect it to stare back."
Rosalie's guard was up instantly, but she didn't retreat.
"You followed me."
"No," Kane replied with a smirk. "You were watching me first."
He didn't move closer. Didn't raise a hand or change posture. But the pressure around him was real, like the air itself was thicker with him near.
Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
He tilted his head slightly, still watching her with the same calm intensity.
Kane didn't blink.
The silence between them stretched, thick with tension. The forest seemed to hush around their presence.
"You asked who I am," he said, voice low and grounded. "Name's Kane."
Rosalie's eyes narrowed slightly. The way he said it not boastful, not cocky. Just certain. Like the name alone was enough.
"I'm not a vampire," he said evenly. "Not a werewolf either."
"I am a human."
He took a step forward, unhurried, letting her feel the weight of him in the space.
"I'm just built different."
The way he said it wasn't arrogance, it was fact.
His eyes met hers and didn't waver. "I don't care what you are."
Rosalie tilted her head slightly, lips pressing into a line. He wasn't lying.
And somehow… that intrigued her.
Kane's eyes stayed on hers, steady and unbothered.
"I told you my name," he said. "Now it's your turn."
Rosalie raised a brow. "You don't know who I am?"
He shrugged. "Didn't say that. I want to hear it from you."
She crossed her arms, still watching him closely. "Rosalie."
His gaze lingered on her, like the name confirmed something.
"You from that school down there?"
"Yeah," she replied, tone a little guarded. "Why are you watching it?"
Kane smirked. "Maybe I was bored. Maybe I was waiting for someone interesting to show up."
Rosalie didn't answer right away. His presence was overwhelming, but his words? Simple. Honest, even.
"You always talk like that?" she asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you've already sized everyone up."
Kane grinned slightly. "Only when I have."