By the time we reached the Clearwaters' house, the sky had begun to dim into soft evening colors, the kind that made everything feel slower and heavier. We parked along the side of the house and immediately started unloading the car.
Coolers came out first.
They were heavy, full with the day's catch.
Harry nearly rubbed his hands together when he saw them. "That," he said proudly, "is what I call a successful day."
The lids popped open, revealing rows of fish packed in ice. The smell hit instantly, sharp and fresh, cutting through the salty ocean air that always clung to La Push.
The front door opened before we even made it up the steps.
Sue was the first one out, towel slung over her shoulder. Emily followed close behind her, smiling warmly, and Bella stood just inside the doorway, a little quieter but looking better than she had in weeks. That alone eased something tight in my chest.
Then Seth came barreling forward.
"Did you see it?" he announced loudly, dragging his cooler open. "Because I'm just saying, I might officially be the best fisherman here."
Leah snorted. "Best fisherman?" She leaned over, peering inside. Her eyebrows shot up just a little when she saw the size of the salmon. "Let me guess. It dragged you into the river and someone had to save you."
Jacob laughed outright. "Yeah. Mike had to jump in before the fish drowned him."
Seth's face turned red instantly. "That is not what happened."
I crossed my arms. "That is exactly what happened."
He sputtered. "It was a mutant fish," he said defensively. "With super strength."
That did it.
Emily laughed, Bella covered her mouth to hide a smile, and even Sue shook her head, amused. Harry clapped Seth on the shoulder like this was all part of the plan.
"A win is a win," Harry said. "You'll tell that story for years."
As everyone started moving inside, setting fish aside and talking about oil, seasoning, and how long things should fry, I felt the weight settle back in my chest.
The laughter faded into background noise as I thought of what I'd smelled earlier.
I cleared my throat. "I'm gonna take a walk," I said casually. "Clear my head a bit."
Leah looked up from the counter with narrowed eyes.
I gave her a look and that was all it took for her to understand me.
She followed me outside without saying a word. Once we were far enough from the house that no one could hear us, she crossed her arms and tilted her head.
"Alright," she said. "What's going on? You've got that look in your eye like you're planning a murder."
I sighed. "Of course you'd notice."
"Please," she said dryly. "I live with you."
I lowered my voice. "I caught a vampire's scent at Charlie's house. It was coming from Bella's window."
Her expression changed instantly.
"That's not good," she said quietly.
"No," I agreed. "I'm going to call Alice, see if she's seen anything. Then I'm going to check it."
Leah nodded once. "Alright. Try to be fast. I'd go with you, but I'd just slow you down."
I stepped closer and kissed her, quick but lingering enough to say everything else. "Let me make the call first."
I pulled my phone out and dialed.
Alice answered almost immediately.
"Mike?" she said, already tense. "What's wrong?"
"There was a vampire in Bella's room," I said. "Recently. Have you seen anything?"
There was a short pause.
"No," she said finally, worry threading her voice. "Nothing. That means it's not someone we know."
That made my stomach sink.
"I'll try to keep watching," she added, frustrated. "But you know how it is. With you wolves involved, my visions get blurry. I can barely see anything at all."
"I figured," I said. "I'll keep you updated. I'm going to try tracking the scent."
"Be careful," she said softly.
"I will."
When I hung up, Leah was watching me closely.
"She didn't see anything," I said.
Leah exhaled slowly. "That makes it worse."
"Yeah."
I stepped back and started stripping out of my clothes. Shoes first. Jacket. Shirt.
Leah didn't look away.
In fact, she bit her lip.
I felt heat rush to my face, but I didn't stop and I didn't tell her to turn around. This wasn't the time, and somehow I liked that she was watching with that look.
"Take care of my clothes," I said quietly.
"Always do," she replied.
The shift tore through me like lightning. Bones snapping, skin stretching, heat flooding my veins until the world reshaped itself. The smells sharpened. The sounds deepened.
I looked at her once more.
She met my gaze without flinching.
Then I turned and ran.
The forest blurred around me as I accelerated, paws pounding earth, weaving effortlessly through trees and roots. Branches whipped past, rocks vanished beneath me, my body moving faster than thought.
Easily over two hundred miles per hour.
The memory of the scent burned in my mind as I headed straight for Forks.
Whoever had been in Bella's room, I was going to find them.
And this time, they were not getting away.
…
I covered the distance in less than five minutes.
The forest blurred into streaks of green and shadow as I ran, paws tearing across earth and roots, leaping fallen logs without breaking stride. The closer I got to Forks, the more my focus narrowed, every sense sharpening until the world felt painfully clear.
I slowed only when the trees thinned.
Carefully, I circled the area, listening, sniffing, making sure there were no humans nearby. No cars. No voices. No movement except the distant hum of town life. Satisfied, I stepped out of the trees and crept closer to Charlie's house.
The scent hit me instantly.
Sweet. Rotten. Wrong.
I took a deep breath, drawing it in fully, letting it settle in my lungs and mind. It was recent. Too recent.
No more than an hour old.
My stomach dropped.
Images flashed through my head before I could stop them. Bella in her room. Charlie downstairs, unaware and defenseless.
What if we had not gone fishing.
What if Charlie had been home.
What if Bella had been there when the vampire arrived.
My vision narrowed, wolf eyes sharpening with fury. I lowered my head and followed the trail, tracking it cleanly as it wound through town. The scent led me straight out of Forks and toward Port Angeles.
I followed until the smells of the city overwhelmed it.
Cars. Oil. Humans everywhere.
I stopped abruptly, claws digging into the dirt as frustration burned through me. I snarled silently, pacing in a tight circle.
No. I was not stopping here.
I slipped deeper into the trees, far enough that no one could see me, and focused inward.
Spirit walking.
I let go.
The sensation was immediate and disorienting, like being pulled upward by the spine. The forest dropped away beneath me as my spirit separated from my body.
Then I froze.
My wolf body was still standing.
Not collapsed. Not empty.
It was awake.
It turned its massive head and looked straight at me, tongue lolling out, tail wagging slowly like a giant, overgrown puppy.
What the hell.
How is this possible?
I had never spirit walked while in wolf form before. I had assumed my body would simply fall still like it always did.
Apparently not.
I hovered there, staring at myself.
The wolf tilted its head to the left, ears twitching.
"You can see me? Can you hear me?" I thought.
The ears perked.
"…Be a good boy and wait here," I told it, feeling ridiculous even in my own mind.
The wolf leaned its head again, considering, then gave a slow, deliberate nod before lowering itself to the ground and lying on its belly.
I stared for a second longer.
No time to process this now.
I turned away and shot upward, flying high over the forest and toward the city. From above, Port Angeles spread out like a living thing, lights flickering, movement constant.
Five minutes later, I found him.
A black-haired man crouched in an alley, hunched over a body sprawled against a wall. A homeless man, already dead, blood staining the concrete beneath him.
Got you.
The vampire straightened slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes glowed faintly, alert and feral.
It was lucky. If he had not stopped to feed, he could have been miles away by now.
I followed him from above, careful to stay out of sight. He moved quickly, weaving through the city with purpose, already heading toward an exit.
I wanted to strike. I could have smote him with lightning right then and there.
But I needed answers.
I watched until I knew exactly which direction he was leaving the city from, then turned back, diving toward the forest where I had left my body.
My wolf was still there.
Tail wagging harder now as it noticed me returning.
I could not help myself.
"Who's a good boy?" I thought, crouching slightly. "Yes you are."
The wolf practically vibrated with excitement.
I reentered my body in a rush of sensation. Heat. Weight. Instinct. And something else.
Clarity.
I realized then that the wolf was not just a shape I took. It was part of me. A separate instinctive self that could exist independently when I left my body.
That realization hit hard.
But there was no time to think about it right now.
I circled Port Angeles from the forest, cutting ahead to where I knew the vampire would emerge. I hid as best I could, pressing my massive body into shadows and brush, controlling my breathing.
I had to wait for less than two minutes for the vampire to arrive.
Then he slowed abruptly, head snapping up, nostrils flaring.
Damn it, he smelled me.
The vampire turned to run and I exploded out of hiding.
The distance vanished beneath me. I caught him almost instantly, jaws snapping shut around his leg. Bone shattered with a wet crunch as I ripped it free.
He screamed in pain.
"No please no I didn't want to do it please stop I was just following orders!"
He hit the ground hard, scrambling uselessly.
I moved closer and saw his face clearly.
He was just a boy, no older than fifteen.
That made me hesitate for a moment.
Then he tried to crawl away.
I shook my head and lunged, tearing off an arm this time. He screamed again, begging, sobbing.
Enough.
I shifted back into human form without caring who might see me.
"What were you doing in Forks?" I demanded. "Who sent you? Was it Victoria?"
He shook violently. "I don't know any Victoria! Riley told me to go there and kill the girl. I swear I didn't kill anyone! There wasn't anyone there so I took something with her scent and left!"
I stepped closer, voice low and dangerous. "Don't move."
I searched his pockets and pulled out a piece of fabric. I lifted it to my nose.
Bella.
Then I noticed the way he was staring.
"What?" I asked sharply.
His eyes flicked to the fabric.
I looked down.
Underwear.
Bella's underwear.
My face burned instantly.
"Wait," I snapped, flustered. "I didn't know it was underwear! I'm not a pervert!"
He blinked, confused.
"Why did you take this?" I demanded.
He looked away. "I thought it was funny. Everyone back at the base has to sniff it to get the scent."
I closed my eyes for half a second, but a word caught my attention.
"What base?"
"Seattle," he said quickly. "An old warehouse on the east outskirts."
"What else?"
"There's a guy named Riley," he said. "He's making an army. He told us someone wants to kill him. That they'd kill us all just for what we are."
"How many?"
"I don't know. About fifty when I left. But most don't last long. They have very poor control and are always fighting each other."
"How do you kill each other?" I asked. "Do you burn the pieces?"
He frowned. "Burn? No. You just destroy the head. When it's in too many pieces, they can't regenerate."
That surprised me.
"Please," he said weakly. "Will you let me go?"
I hesitated for a moment. He is just a boy… no, he's a vampire, the boy he was is already dead. I hardened my heart.
No.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I can't."
I shifted again.
He tried to retreat, clawing uselessly at the ground.
I brought my paw down and the head exploded in hundreds of pieces like a ball of glass.
I closed my eyes as his pleas for mercy finally stopped.
Afterward, I gathered dry branches and burned what was left. I could not leave it for humans to find.
As I ran back toward La Push, the forest rushing past me, one sound would not leave my mind.
The boy's screams.
And no matter how fast I ran, they followed me all the way home.
…
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